To get justice for the farmers Letter to PM...

To,

Hon. Narendra Modi Ji,

Prime Minister of India,

Risina Hills, New Dehli.

                   Subject: To get justice for the farmers of the country, the report of the Swaminathan commission should be implemented, farmers who are 60 years old dependent on farming, get pension and farming prices will be provided based on the cost of production.

               We hope you have received the letter regarding the lokpal and lokayukta dated 30^th November 2017. In the present situation the condition of farmers from India is not good. So, I am writing this letter about the problems of farmers. Your government does not say anything for the betterment of the farmers nor taking any concrete action. In past the three years your government has not shown any concern about farmers but your government is more concern about the business groups. It is surprising that, your government presented the finance bill 2017 as a money bill, and the cap of 7.5 percent have been removed for the political parties, for the amount of money which they receives from the industrialists. And the company can donate as much as it can to the political party, such provision has been made in the Finance Bill. Making such a decision will not strengthen democracy but party machinery. In fact, if you were worried about the poor farmer, then in the amendment of this money bill, it can be  provide that the companies can give as much donation as possible to the poor farmers but not to the political party. If this happens, then by strengthening democracy, farmers and poor people get justice. It is obvious that the government does not have sensitivity towards the poor and the farmers.           

               In the country of agriculture, from 1995 till date, 12 lakh farmers have committed suicide in last 22 years. But your government does not have any pain, nor does it show sensitivity about the farmers. If you had sensitivity towards the farmers, you would try to stop the farmers' suicides. You say that I am the Prime Minister of the country. This shows discrepancy in your story and doing. If you were truly prime minister, then this would not the condition of farmers in the country of agriculture. It is not impossible to calculate, the state-wise crop cost for farmers in the field of farming because you have many agricultural scientist and technician in your government. Farmers will not commit suicide if the farmers get 50 per cent increase in the cost incurred on farming. In order to find the truth of these things, many government made separate commissions such as the Swaminathan Commission. Those commissions have also submitted their report to the government. But so far no action has been taken on those reports. Or it has not been told to the public what the government has done on that report.           

                   The question arises that, the expenditure incurred to appointment of the commission and to make the report by that commission will be through public money. When government spends public money then the government should implement it. In 1950, the Bank Regulatory Act was created and it says that bank should not charge compound interest to agricultural loans given to farmers. The Supreme Court has also said that compounding interest on farmers' crop loans is considered illegal. Till date, most of the banks have violated the rules for agricultural loans. But the Reserve Bank does not take any action on it, nor does the government department take action.

Actually, it was necessary for the Reserve Bank to take a serious note of this matter. But not taken any note of this matter. Reserve Bank has to fix interest rates on agricultural loans. Today Different banks in different states charge interest in their own way. And Appling interest in interval of three and six month and compounding the interest it became more than the moneylenders loan amount. But the Reserve Bank does not investigate or act on such banks. Therefore, due to compound interest, the interest amount increase up to 22 to 24 percent and farmers could not repay loans. The farmer does not get the cost based on the cost of cultivation and the loan due to compound interest cannot be repaid. For this reason the farmer commits suicide.

 We believe that, the Reserve Bank and the government are responsible for the farmers' suicide. If the government pays cost base farming price and bank does not apply compound interest the farmers will not commit suicides.On one hand millions of rupees loan of industrialists are getting waved off. And the policy of injustice to farmers in the farming country is adopted. This is not correct. When industrialist loan can be waived off then waving off the farmer’s loan is not a crime. Actually a strong law should be formed which declares that Appling compound interest on agricultural produce loans offense.

From 1972 to 2017, the bank who had charge compound interest to the farmers should be inquired by the reserved bank and such extra charge amount should be returned to the farmers. The government is increasing the investment in industrial and many other sectors, but not investing as needed in the agriculture, as India is known for agriculture based economy.   Therefore, the development of agriculture sector is not as much as it should be. This is an injustice to the agricultural sector. In order to increase the farming cultivation and save water, 18% GST is imposed on essential items for cultivation like drip system, sprinkler system.  GST tax should not be imposed on the means of farming.

Central government or the government of that state, should not take farmers land without asking farmers, for industrial purpose. At the same time, taking the land for industrial area, it is necessary to take the permission from the farmers as he is the owner of the land, and it is necessary to have permission for the Gram Sabha as well. If it continues, then the dictatorship of the British and your government will not be different, and democracy will be in danger. It is necessary to the farmers land survey and do the grading accordingly. But after 70 years of independence land was not surveyed. It is important to determine which grade will be taken for the farming land and the grade will be taken for the project. The farmers who depend on their farming and there is no other economic source in their family, such farmers are required to get pension of Rs 5,000 per month. The government gives 50 thousand rupees to the sitting MP in Parliament as a pension. And now demanding for Ru. 1 lakh. A farmer who server his whole life for the farming and produce food for the people giving pension to those farmers is not wrong. According to the information received, the farmer pension bills are pending in Parliament. And decision should be taken on priority. Farmers whose land has been taken for the project and did not set up the project in 5 years on that land, the land should be returned to the farmers. In our country, vote bank is more important than society and country's good. Therefore, without requirement, some agricultural produce is imported and the farmer of the country is in trouble. It is necessary to be exported more and more, which doesn’t happened this also causes farmers to suffer. One thing is clear that you talk about the MAN KI BAT but do not talk about farmer, land, watershed developments, water management, forest development and dairy, poultry.       This is the misfortune of the country. You asked every MP to adopted village, you also adopted the village. If all these experiments were done in those villages, then it should be understood what we should do for the farmers in every state of the country. So we can understand the farmer’s problems and an attempt to solve those problems by discussing in Parliament would change the situation of the country. Unfortunately after adopting Saasand Adarsh ​​village scheme, a single MP could not make villages such as Ralegansiddhi and Hivre Bazar.

To take the decision seriously by your government, on the matters of Lokpal, Lokayukta and farmers, I have decided to make a movement in Delhi on March 23, 2018 on Shahid Day.

Thank You, Jay Hind.

Yours faithfully 

K.B. alias Anna Hazare