BRING BACK GANDHIJI

VIDARBHA JAN ANDOLAN SAMITI

11, Trisaran Society, In front of Somalwar School, Kamala, Nagpur – 440 025

Tel No. (0712) 2282457 Mob No. 9422108846 / 9371137653 / 9373121947

(Regd Office : At Post : Pandharkawada-445 302, Tq : Kelapur, Distt : Yavatmal) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ref-Vidarbha Farm Crisis-2007 PRESS-NOTE Dated-16^TSep.2007

”BRING BACK GANDHIJI” THOUSAND OF VIDARBHA COTTON FARMERS TO PROTEST ON 2^ND OCTOBER AS SIX MORE VIDARBHA FARMERS SUICIDE REPORTED IN LAST 24 HOURS:

Nagpur-16^TH September 2007

Now thousand of dying vidarbha cotton farmers will do unique protest on 2^nd October ,2007 to mark ‘the father of nation Gadhiji birth anniversary day’ by preying the Indian government to “BRING BACK MAHATMA GANDHIJI” that’s Gandhian policies to save vidarbha farmers as the spiral of on going Farm suicides in vidarbha(India) is not stopping at all as six more farmers suicides reported in last 24 hours in different part of vidarbha ,they are

1.GOPAL DHOTRE OF BHAMDI IN AMRAVATI

2.JITENDRA MOHOD OF WADHONA IN AMRAVATI

3.GAJANAN PANDE OF TARODA IN AMRAVATI

4.NAMDEO KORE OF MENDHA IN CHANDRAPUR

5.BHANUDAS HANDE OF SAWANGI IN YAVTMAL

6.NAMDEO NAGARI OF GHATANJI INYAVATMAL

THIS TAKES THE OFFICIAL TALLY OF VIDARBHA FARM SUICIDES TO 827 SINCE JAN.2007 AND 1695 SINCE PRIME MINISTER RELEASED THE PACKAGE TO STOP THIS ON GOING FARM SUICIDES IN WEST VIDARBHA,KISHOR TIWARI OF VIDARBHA JAN ANDOLAN SAMITI INFORMED IN NAGPUR TODAY.

Earlier in last 72 hours nine farm suicides in Vidarbha were reported here is the report of parvez bari on two circles.net and we quote

Quote

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Another Nine Vidarbha Farmers' Suicides Reported, Six From Yavatmal Distt. Alone

Posted September 15th, 2007 by Tarique

By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net

Bhopal: In Vidarbha region amidst Vaghela-Vilasrao anti-farmers remarks nine more farm suicides were reported in last 72 hours that include six from the worst affected Yavatmal district alone.

According to Nagpur-based Kishor Tiwari, president Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti, (VJAS), the farmers who committed suicides are: Naresh Gomase of Pimpari Ghadge in, Hansraj Gajbhiye of Adgoan–khaki (same village had reported another farmer suicide last week Devanand Nandapurkar), Tulsiram Rathode of Wai(Ijara), Gajanan Sarule Kalugoan, Purshottam Meshram of Khairgoan, Piraji Chikane of Tembhi (all six from Yavatmal district), Mohan Rathode of Khamkhed in Buldhana, Santosh Wakodkar of Gram Dhanora in Washim district and Ulahas Rathode in Devraguda in Chandrapur district.

With this the official tally of Vidarbha farm suicides gallops to 821 since January 2007 and 1689 since Prime Minister released the package to stop this ongoing farm suicides in west Vidarbha.

Tiwari said most of the political parties are shedding crocodiles tears over the insult of cotton farmer but they are not talking about finding solution to redress the hardships of the Vidarbha farmers. Presently most of the farmers who are committing suicides are victims of poverty and hunger that has resulted after the economic collapse in the Vidarbha region due ongoing agrarian crisis.

"We demand urgent step to provide food security and health care facilities to these dying farmers before making arguments over farm suicides being agrarian or non-agrarian. Now the time has come to give complete loan waiver and price protection on all agriculture produce from free trade in WTO era to Vidarbha dying farmers", Tiwari added.

Reacting to the reports of change of guards in Maharashtra Government, VJAS leader termed it as too late to address the crisis as it is time now to change policies and not the leadership. Restoration of civil and social administration is need of the hour to stop this Vidarbha farmers mass genocide, Tiwari said.

Meanwhile, with huge US subsidies that is killing vidarbha farmers the report of MNC seed company's self-style survey has given new twist to dying cotton farmers who were recently termed "lazy" and dishonest by the Union Textiles Minister, Shankersinh Vaghela and Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh.

A trade association came out with a survey claiming that farmers had earned an additional income of Rs. 4,086 crore with the adoption of Bt. cotton technology, in the year when Maharashtra Government paid Rs. 216 crore as compensation for Bt. cotton failure.

Moreover, Maharashtra Government with the help of Agriculture University has done its own survey with sample size of more than two million farmers and made it official that Bt. cotton crop failed in rain-fed area of Vidarbha region where 95 per cent cotton farmers are not having assured irrigation facility.

It also added in the Maharashtra Government study report that annual yield of Bt. cotton growers has dropped down to 1.6 quintal per hector from the national average yield of 3.2 quintal per hector. This report of Relief Commissioner of Amaravati Dr. Sudhir Goyal was submitted to the Indian Prime Minister on October 10, 2006 and asked to ban Bt. cotton in rain-fed areas.

However, instead of banning this Bt. cotton crop the Agriculture Ministry officially promoted the killer Bt. cotton seed through it's seed corporation "Mahabeej", Tiwari, who has moved High Court against the killer Bt. cotton, informed. (pervezbari@eth.net)

Unquote

On 2^nd October cotton farmers protest rally will decide future course of action of agitation in order to get the main demands of farmers of higher procurement price to cotton and complete loan waiver and all farm activist in the region will decide the the action plan in order to slow down the farm suicide and to tackle vidarbha agrarian crisis ,kishor tiwari convener of this agitation informed in a press realease.

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Please arrange to release this press note

Thanking you,

Yours faithfully,

For VIDARBHA JAN ANDOLAN SAMITI

KISHORE TIWARI

PRESIDENT

kishortiwari@gmail.com

contact-09422108846