Maharashtra cotton growers approch NHRC to highlight their plight

12 Sep '05

3 min read

Debt burden cotton growers suicides in West Vidarbha (Maharashtra-India) has crossed 50 mark today, as 58 farmers committed suicides since 2nd July, 2005, in Vidarbha, where as in Yavatmal district alone, the suicide figure stands at is 21.

Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti has started “Save Farmer Movement” and first part of agitation on 6th september2005 at Zari Taluka in Yavatmal District of West Vidarbha (Maharashtra) has approached National Human Right Commission (N.H.R.C.) for urgent direction to Govt. of Maharashtra to protect life of cotton growers and to stop the on going suicides of cotton growers in West Vidarbha, informed Kishor Tiwari in a press release today.

In the petition moved before hon'ble Chairman of N.H.R.C, New Delhi, the Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti has demanded that it should direct Govt. of Maharashtra to implement “integrated cotton growers suicide control programme” in which following demands are listed v.i.z.

(1) All cotton growers should be given Govt. aid worth Rs.10,000/- per hectare and cotton crop should be covered under national crop insurance scheme
(2) Govt. of Maharashtra should purchase cotton under monopoly scheme at the rate of Rs.3000/- per quintal
(3) All cotton growers old crop loan should waived off by the state and fresh crop loan should available to defaulter farmers
(4) Complete ban to all imported cotton seed, pesticides and processed cotton in India.

Kishor Tiwari added that thousand of farmers gathered before the office of Tahsildar of Zari and protested Govt. failure to check on going farmers suicide in Vidarbha. Massive mafia sale of bogus Bt. Cottonseed and bogus fertilizer have created havoc in Vidarbha as initial report says at least 58 farmers committed and many more to follow due to more than Rs. 800 crore financial scam in these fraudulent cases, according to Kishor Tiwari President, Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti.

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