Hon’ justice Nawab Singh Sahib & Central Agriculture Committee members,
SIR
In a group of Kirti-Kissan Forum ( KKF ) We are proud of you for being accessible to the Farmers in particular & public in general… We are further obliged to you for your benevolent Attitude & Approach please….
May be , You must have covered most of your Terms of reference; but still much more might remain to be covered in your Report… Accordingly ; You must have received facts & Figures & data from the Agriculture , Economic , Social Scientists & Scholars & also from the Google University …
But here, We submit about much of the Subject area & Ground Situation & the related Study that will still be remaining Uncovered & Unreached. I mean , the case of Last Kirti & Kissan of the Last Village & upto the Last Burrow as yet might not have been Approached & Heard…Of course, the Farmers with their problems & complaints are Claimed by the Political Leaders and their Parties esp. Clamorously around Elections besides Kissan jathebandies with a little better Commitment…
But a stark & Sad reality remains that they are all being an integral part of our political system & Culture ; Actually use the Kirti & Kissans as a Handle to their Axe …
It simply means that they Certainly speak for their Cause but as an Epilogue to their Book of Political Interests . It is just in the method & Style of Diminishing Return“ ME , My & We . It reminds me of my Days as D C where it often happened that Politicians would always mention his own issues at the First place & then at the end ; they would put forth the Demand of accompanying LESSER BEING. In short, it always meant : “Me first & please also hear him too”
Quite possible, that Poor People & Farmers do not have the relevant facts & Figures or Even the intelligible or legible Expression to Say ( ਆਪਣੀ ਕਹਾਣੀ ਆਪਣੀ ਜ਼ੁਬਾਨੀ ) their Pathetic Story about their farming becoming unproductive year to year Under the Market forces. Esp. Where the costs & prices of Inputs are rising at a much higher speed than that of their produce. They are the same farmers who had brought forth the
Green Revolution at the asking of Centre & State Govts. But now the So Called ‘ ANDATTA ‘ is passing a Situation of being unsung & ignored ungratefully …( ਮਤਲਬ ਨਿਕਲ ਗਿਆ ਤੋ ਅਬ ਪਹਿਚਾਨਤੇ ਨਹੀਂ) —And the reel of tragic picture about KISSAN & KISSANI is running uninterrupted & Uncared for from the each of the Present generation to the past generations ,at least, since Emergency of 1977.
To Connect the Points of the inherent & present problems of “ Les Miserables .“ It may be said that most certainly, they have the Inherent Issues of absence of authentic Revenue & Tenancy records And further added to by the greed and misconduct of revenue staff. Then a big number of farmers are under unending debt ; often ending into suicides etc. And, in the present context of our drive for the general awareness and to seek intervention of government; the kissan and Kirtis have such a yearly and regular problems with regards to production of crops between land owners and tenants. And at the other end with regards to their sale through procurement by the center and state governments agencies w.r.t. state corruption .Then their are general complaints. Just for example, these are such like as lack of sufficient water supply for irrigation of crops in time. Again supplies of fertilizers are often late; besides the supply of spurious seeds, pesticides and insecticides for necessary sprays. At long last when the Farmers comes to mandi though his problems are well pronounced yet these all remains uncared for w.r.t. procurement agencies and Market Committees’ staff along with Arhatias etc. etc.
Finally comes the problematic and ultimate issue of Necessity ie MSP & PAYMENT on the spot by the government. But in general administrator, it is taken as not much of a botheration for the staff. Rather it is generally solved with the formula that money makes the mare go. It looks as if the farmers are not Carrying the enough burden of prevailing Systems ; the Issue of disposal of Paraali again Comes as a Tandav Dance before the Farmers & their Labourers to end up often in the police stations. In the end yet most importantly, there is a renumeration to the Farmers and their families for 24×7 labour round the year is neither recorded or calculated nor ever paid.
Last but not the least, it seems Ultimately as if the farmer with his family was born in this ungrateful world of Consumerism to only feed every one including the Corrupt parasites of the society; and furthermore very sadly, just to live and see his his Love’s Labour lost as dust onto dust.
Finally it is still an irony of fate that the Farmer; instead of getting reasonable justice; the verdict of injustice based on much hyped Prejudice against him for being a big spend thrift is heaped upon them en-block as a permanent part of old Blame game.
Submitted with a hope that this high powered Committee will act with an aspiration something like …
” ਅਪਨੀ ਕਹਾਨੀ ਛੋੜ ਜਾ, ਕੁਛ ਤੋ ਨਿਸ਼ਾਨੀ ਛੋੜ ਜਾ ; ਕੌਨ ਕਹੇ ਇਸ ਓਰ ਤੂੰ ਫਿਰ ਆਏ ਨਾ ਆਏ” 🙏
With Regards
Kulbir Singh Sidhu
IAS ( Retd)
Member, KIRTI-KISSAN FORUM