What farmers need in India
I am tracking farmers’ movement since its inception and have come across some really malicious editorials by sold out journos who could have refrained from writing if they can’t write anything pure.
These are the following points that were missing from some awesome reads as well:
1. What if the judicial system supported corporate over farmers?
2. What if the police supported corporate over farmers?
3. How many farmers can read and comprehend the legal documentation?
4. MSP is important to keep the market non-exploitative and competitive. Not having MSP is a red flag.
5. Why can’t the government make better provisions for storage rather than handing over innocent people to corporate?
6. Not to forget that privatization works in only those countries where the police and judicial system are by the people’s side. India is not one of those countries. Your non-accepting the fact doesn’t make it wrong either.
7. The call for talk without giving a good time for preparation and to prepone it to today rather than 3rd December is not a good move. Farmers should have time for self deliberation.
8. Without providing security of water supply, electricity supply and field protection from fire and rowdyism MSP would only make farmers more vulnerable in a deal with corporates. This is so because they would risk failure of crops or bad quality crops and thereby unwanted deals.
9. Health insurance is useful only when there are nearby hospitals in each village, crop insurance is useful when water and electricity supply is up to the mark. Otherwise, we have reasons to believe that insurance is being done to help private enterprises.
10. Land- how can a farmer act as a laborer on his own land. The government is required to make entrepreneurs out of farmers and not to make farmers laborers.
Government is to help laborers get better wages and not to make farmers sell away crops cheaper. If a big farmer sells his crops cheap he would pay even less to farm laborers. Is that how we are going to have a healthy and happy India?
