Volte face by Maharashtra and PMO - PM vidarbha Package

From Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti :
PMO APATHY TO VIDARBHA RELIEF PACKAGE:

MAHARASHTRA GOVT. MISLEAD SUPREME COURT
NAGPUR-13TH APRIL, 2007

It is reported that in order to save volte face of non functioning of PMO regarding follow up relief aid distribution as announced by Indian prime minister as vidarbha farmers relief package of rs.3750 crore, the Maharashtra government has withdrawn its allegations against the Prime Minister's Office of delaying the release of additional funds for ex-gratia assistance to suicide-affected farmers' families in the state.

The allegation caused a major embarrassment to Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh and the Congress, as the party was a senior partner in the coalition government in Maharashtra.

This central assistance authorised district collectors to sanction Rs 10,000 for a suicide-affected family for health and education related expenses. An amount of Rs 50 lakh each was placed for disposal with the six district collectors for this purpose in August 2006.

In an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, the state had said, "this amount has fully been disbursed to the needy families and the state government has been requesting the Prime Minister's Office for additional funds. The State has even earmarked Rs 1.80 crore from the Chief Minister's Fund, with a view to keep the scheme running otherwise the scheme had to be stopped for the delay in receiving grants from the PMO."

"This is completely false affidavit as relied aid has not given to affected farm widows and farmers' families as on today" PIL Petitioner Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti President Kishore Tiwari in nagpur bench of mumbai high court in the same issue has informed today that maharashtra Govt. has given untrue and misleading information in the recent affidavit as relief data given by the on their web site does not support made in this affidavit in fact PMO was only spectators to farm suicides after 1st July 2006 and there is no action from PMO on record ,kishor tiwari added

The affidavit had come in response to a PIL filed by advocate Sanjeev Bhatnagar seeking review of the current agriculture policy in view of suicides committed by thousands of farmers in various parts of the country.

It is reported in the press today that now, Maharashtra's Joint Secretary and OSD, Relief and Rehabilitation, Praveen Srivastava has filed an additional affidavit seeking to delete the allegations against the PMO.

Srivastava alleged that a particular sentence of the affidavit had been torn out and misinterpreted out of context by a section of press to interpret that the state government was putting the blame on the PMO for the delay in making available funds.

"I am constrained to file this additional affidavit so as to make the record clear and unambiguous and lead no manner of doubt as to the contentions of 2nd Respondent (Maharashtra) in this regard," Srivastava said in the affidavit.

Instead, Maharashtra requested the court to allow it to add two additional pages appreciating Singh's visit to Vidarbha, announcement of package for farmers and his support to the scheme.

This is the mockery of the relief operation as more than 1000 farmers suicides have been reported by Maharashtra state Govt. on the web site officially after the announcement of the relief package by Indian Prime Minister now as face saving device both are misleading the apex court, it's unfortunate and we will move against both Govt. at the central level and local level as matter of contempt of court, Kishor Tiwari further added.

09/03/2007

Western Vidarbha :

1. MODHUKAR GANJU RATHODE, GAWADGOAN, VILLAGE, AKOLA
2. OMKAR CHANDU RAHAGANDALE, ASADI TANDA, GONDIA
3. KISHORE RAMRAO GAWANDE, VILLAGE CHONDI, PUSAD
4. ASHOK MAHADEV TIDAKE, VILLAGE JAMATHI, AKOLA

The Guardian Minister of Yavatmal district, and nephew of ex-chief minister, late Vasantrao Naik, Shri Manohar Naik has been celebrating his 60th birth day with opulent fanfare in Pusad.
Manohar Naik is from Banjara community of Maharashtra, from which many of the suicides in Vidarbha have been coming.

For its part, the PMO, in its response to Maharashtra government affidavit, on delay in release of Vidarbha Relief Package funds, announced by Shri Man Mohan Singh with much fanfare, has sent a team of officers of IB, to investigate what actual funds have reached the indebted farmers of Vidarbha and the survivors of agrarian suicides in the cotton belt.
Bureaucratic name calling, will be seen in the coming days without any attempts to change Congress farm exit policy.

25/02/2007

Western Vidarbha :
1. PRABHAKAR WAMAN SAWAI, VILLAGE KAT AMAMLA, DISTT AMARAVATI
2. GANESH NARAYAN TIKE, VILLAGE MASANI, DISTT WASHIM
3. RAMKRISHNNA MOTIRAM GAINAR, VILLAGE ROHANA, DISTT WARDHA
4. SANTOSH MAHADEV DANDALE, OF VILLAGE PARAS, AKOLA DISTT.
5. RAHUL NARAYAN CHINCHE, VILLAGE KRUHA, DISTT YAVATMAL.

23/02/2007

Western Vidarbha :
1. Devidas Umarkar, village Bhari in akola
2. Vasant Khandar, Kapikheda, Amaravati
3. Ramrao Nathuji Umare umara in Washim distt
4. Pandurang sitaram Raut(37), village Hiwargaon

Apathy of MSEDCL, power cuts are reported to be amongst the causes. It seems discontinuation of power supply in his farm during Rabi crop season, may have been the immediate cause. A bribe of Rs. 20,000 for reconnecting the water pump, was allegedly sought by the officers of MSEDCL.

AFTER INDIAN Congress PRIME MINISTER's VISIT TO VIDARBHA, AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF SPECIAL PACKAGE RS.3750 CRORE, MORE THAN 1000 FARMERS SUICIDE REPORTED BY GOVT. OF MAHARSHTRA OFFICIALLY IN SIX DISTRICT OF SUICIDE PRONE VIDARBHA. YEAR 2006 WAS ALSO REPORTED HIGHEST NUMBER OF FARM SUICIDE - ACCORDING MAHARASHTRA GOVT. 1452 FARMERS COMMITTED SUICIDE. IN 2007, THE DISTRESS AMONG THE FARMERS IS NOT COMING DOWN.
January 2007 - 70 FARMERS
February 2007 - 68 suicides

16/02/2007

Reported : Nine farmers suicides in vidarbha in last 72 hours taking toll to 50 in the month of February 2007. 120 farm suicides in this year 2007.
This is in the backdrop of Congress Prime Minister ManMohan Singh's Relief Package announced in 2006, and its tardy implementation by various government disbursement agencies in Vidarbha cotton growing areas, and interviews of bureaucrats like Shri Goyal, Relief commissioner, that "no government on earth can subsidze 60% of its farmers".
The PMO in New Delhi, is supposedly overseeing implementation of Relief Package but is not able to come to grips with the problem of agrarian suicides and undeclared Farm Exit policy of central Congress government.
The Finance Minister / Sensex Minister of India, Shri Chidambaram, reportedly has no time in New Delhi for even meeting representatives of suicidal farmers.

Shri Chidambaram Steps Forward - Meeting with Shri Tiwari on 08 Feb 2007

VJAS leaders are meeting Indian Finance Minister on 8th feb, 2007 along with farmers to push their long pending demands" - Kishor Tiwari, Vidarbha Jan Aandolan Samiti