Haryana
A few days back, the
Kurukhetra Zila Krishi Evam
Grameen Vikas Bank Samiti a
wing of Haryana state cooperative agriculture and rural
development Bank has published
the photos of farmers in a
vernacular daily in Haryana. The
Govt officials claimed that these
farmers are defaulters who failed
to repay the loans and the banks
have resorted to this move as part
of their “name and shame” plan
and to “create discipline among
the loanees for better loan
recovery”. The state co-op
Agricultural
and
Rural
Development Bank even asked
other banks to refrain from lending
money to the 21 defaulter farmers
who owe the bank sums ranging
in few lakhs of rupees.
Quite justifiably, this move
has immensely pained, humiliated
and angered the farmers in
Haryana who are already in
serious distress owing to huge
losses due to successive crop
failures.
Dharampal, a farmer whose
photo was published in the news
paper said : “It is out of compulsion
that we have not paid the loan
instalments and not because of
choice.” “I had sown regular and
the premium basmati variety of
rice this season, but the prices
have crashed so badly that I have
not been able to even to recover
even the cost of inputs. The govt
should understand our pain and
lend a helping hand so that we can
live with dignity”. Kanwar Pal,
another farmers said : Such acts
are an insult to the entire farming
20
Peasant Agitation
community. “Out Plight is in front
of everyone. The Govt should
come forward and waive our
loans”.
The farmer’s organisations in
Haryana have come out sharply
criticising the govt. They warned
that such acts may push farmers
to more suicides. “It is adding
insult to injury. Farmers are reeling
under debts because of govt’s
policy failures. And now they are
being humiliated publicly”.
The governments at the
centre as well as states,
irrespective of which party or
coalition of parties is heading
them, are allowing the imperialists
and Indian corporate houses to rob
our country’s natural and
economic resources in thousand
and one ways. Writing off
thousands of crores of debts
payable by the big business
houses is one among them. The
agriculture is opened for
systematic and massive loot and
control by the imperialists and
Indian corporate houses.
Dependent on uncertain rains,
lack of irrigation facilities, battered
by cyclones and floods, denied by
economic support, minimum
support price for the produce and
rosining costs of inputs and needs
of life the agriculture is driven into
worst type of crisis and ruination.
The poor and landless poor-the
main producers and other toiling
poor associated with and
dependent on land and agrarian
economy are losing their rights
over land, massively being
displaced and deprived from
lands, habitats and means of
livelihood and starvations and
suicide deaths are on the rise and
are becoming a matter of daily life.
In situation like this, the moves
such as the one resorted to by the
banks in Haryana would only
trigger off strong reactions from
the farmers. There is also a limit
for the patience and stamina to
endure sufferings among the
people.
For Details:
P.Jaswantha Rao
Secretary,
T.N.Memorial Trust,
32-13-26/1, M.R.Puram,
Vijayawada, pin-520 010.
Class Struggle