Calling Vibrant Gujarat business meet anti-farmer, top leader to hold foot march against "pro-industry" land laws

Sagar Rabari

By Our Representative
Khedut Samaj Gujarat (KSG), the state's non-political farmers' organization which has successfully fought few major battles against land acquisition in special investment regions (SIRs) formed to speed up industrialization across the state, has announced that it would take out what it called “vedna yatra” (pain march) from Somnath to Gandhinagar from December 11 to January 2 to “highlight” farmers' plight.
KSG general secretary Sagar Rabari, who would walk on foot for 450 km all alone, said, he would be accompanied in between by farmers of different villages. Addressing newspersons in Ahmedabad, he added, following the Government of India's demonetization move, Gujarat farmers have been further pushed to distress after they were made to suffer from different laws to indiscriminately acquire land.
Asking three nother new non-political organizations that have cropped up across Gujarat in the recent past – Hardik Patel's Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), Apesh Thakor's Other Backward Class (OBC), and Jignesh Mavani's Dalit Adhikar Manch (DAM) – to support his yatra, Rabari said, the idea is to highlight the farmers' sorrow ahead of the Vibrant Gujarat business summit.
To be held on January 10-11 at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, the plan is to oppose the Vibrant Gujarat summit by holding a 10,000-strong farmers' rally in the state capital. “The summit is a pro-industry and anti-farmer. It is being held against the backdrop of several laws passed by the Gujarat government to acquire farmers' land”, Rabari alleged.
“Facing distress due to irregular rainfall over the last three years, several anti-farmer laws were simultaneously imposed on Gujarat farmers. One of of them was to set aside certain progressive provisions of the Central Land Acquisition Act (LAA), 2013. Under this law, the Gujarat government dropped LAA's provision of social impact assessment (SIA) or consent for acquiring farmers' land”, he said.
Another law passed by the Gujarat government is the SIR Act, Rabari said. Under this Act, the Gujarat government can turn the entire SIR zone into a town planning area. By applying the town planning Act on SIR, it can acquire 50 per cent of farmers' land for urban infrastructure without taking their consent. Opposed by farmers under KSG, the state government was forced to drastically downside the Bechraji-Mandal SIR following long-drawn-out agitations two years ago.
The third one is irrigation Act, passed in 2015. “While this law has still not been implemented as no rule has been formed, it is patently anti-farmer, as it defines canal as not just irrigation canals as they are usually understood, but also any stream which flows during rainy season. The farmer is not allowed to use the a specified area of the land of this stream without the permission of the canal officer. If he does, he would face Rs 5,000 fine and three months' imprisonment”, Rabari said.
“The irrigation Act further bars anyone to pick up wood for even domestic burning in this zone, and says that if someone found guilty would be charged with Rs 10,000 fine and six months imprisonment”, Rabari said, adding, “It also seeks all farmers to register tubewells and wells in their fields, and requires farmers to take government permission to set up them up in future.”
“We oppose all these laws and want the state government to take them back”, he said, adding, “As for demonetization, it has particularly badly affected the farmers who produce vegetables. The farmers are being forced to either distress sell their vegetables, or allow them to rot for failing to get cash in return. For instance, they are forced to sell chili at Rs 2 per kg and tomatoes at Rs 5 per kg, while both the vegetables are available to the consumer at several times higher rate”, he said.
Rabari also said, against the backdrop of demonetization, he wants the Gujarat chief minister to waive farmers’ debts, which amount to Rs 30,000 crore, and declaring a date for complete payment of crop insurance they are entitled to receive because of natural disasters. “Also, the government should provide cash help of Rs 50,000, needed against the backdrop of the loss they have suffered because of demonetization”, he added.

Comments

Importance of Bangladesh for India amidst 'growing might' of China in South Asia

By Samara Ashrat* The basic key factor behind the geopolitical importance of Bangladesh is its geographical location. The country shares land borders with Myanmar and India. Due to its geographical position, Bangladesh is a natural link between South Asia and Southeast Asia. The country is also a vital geopolitical ally to India, in that it has the potential to facilitate greater integration between Northeast India and Mainland India. Not only that, due to its open access to the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh has become significant to both China and the US.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

'BBC film shows only tip of iceberg': Sanjiv Bhatt's daughter speaks at top US press club

By Our Representative The United States' premier journalists' organisation, the National Press Club (NPC), has come down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for recent "attacks on journalists in India." Speaking at the screening of an episode of the BBC documentary “India: The Modi Question,” banned in India, in the club premises, NPC President Eileen O’Reilly said, “Since Modi came to power we have watched with frustration and disappointment as his regime has suppressed the rights of its citizens to a free and independent news media."

Chinese pressure? Left stateless, Rohingya crisis result of Myanmar citizenship law

By Dr Shakuntala Bhabani* A 22-member team of Myanmar immigration officials visited Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar to verify more than 400 Rohingya refugees as part of a pilot repatriation project. Does it hold out any hope for the forcibly displaced people to return to their ancestral homes in the Rakhine state of Myanmar? Only time will tell.

Unlike other revolutionaries, Hindutva icon wrote 5 mercy petitions to British masters

By Shamsul Islam* The Hindutva icon VD Savarkar of the RSS-BJP rulers of India submitted not one, two,or three but five mercy petitions to the British masters! Savarkarites argue: “There are no evidences to prove that Savarkar collaborated with the British for his release from jail. In fact, his appeal for release was a ruse. He was well aware of the political developments outside and wanted to be part of it. So he kept requesting for his release. But the British authorities did not trust him a bit” (YD Phadke, ‘A complex Hero’, "The Indian Expres"s, August 31, 2004)

China ties up with India, Bangladesh to repatriate Rohingyas; Myanmar unwilling

By Harunur Rasid* We now have a new hope, thanks to news reports that were published in the Bangladeshi dailies recently. Myanmar has suddenly taken initiatives to repatriate Rohingyas. As part of this initiative, diplomats from eight countries posted in Yangon were flown to Rakhine last week. Among them were diplomats from Bangladesh, India and China.

40,000 Odisha adolescent girls ask CM: Why is scheme to fight malnutrition on paper?

By Our Representative In unique a postcard campaign to combat malnutrition, aimed at providing dietary diversity, considered crucial during adolescence, especially among girls, signed by about 40,000 adolescent girls from over 10,000 villages, have reminded Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik that his government's Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG), which converged with Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman ( POSHAN ) 2.0 in 2021, is not being implemented in the State.

Natural farming: Hamirpur leads the way to 'huge improvement' in nutrition, livelihood

By Bharat Dogra* Santosh is a dedicated farmer who along with his wife Chunni Devi worked very hard in recent months to convert a small patch of unproductive land into a lush green, multi-layer vegetable garden. This has ensured year-round supply of organically grown vegetables to his family as well as fetched several thousand rupees in cash sales.

Over-stressed? As Naveen Patnaik turns frail, Odisha 'moves closer' to leadership crisis

By Sudhansu R Das Not a single leader in Odisha is visible in the horizon who can replace Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. He has ruled Odisha for nearly two and half decades. His father, Biju Patnaik, had built Odisha; he was a daring pilot who saved the life of Indonesia’s Prime Minister Sjahrir and President Sukarno when the Dutch army blocked their exit.

Search This Blog