Farmer’s Padayatra is continuing in Jagatsinghpur

Farmer’s Padayatra is continuing in Jagatsinghpur on the issues of

i-                   Every farmer should get Rs.5000/- (Five Thousand Rupees only) per month as the minimum security guarantee to fulfill one’s basic need.

ii-                The Govt of Odisha should declare the support price of one quintal of paddy as Rs.5000/-.  

Introduction

After 1990, the LPG (Liberalisation, Privatisation ,Globalisation ) Process has brought a flood of exploitation to the farming community of the country . The small and marginal farmers as well as the middle class farmers are facing a cut throat competition in the same Globalization era. The complexity of the market web has broken the back-bone of the farmers. The farmer is not getting the minimum price for his agricultural crops what he spends or invests as money or human resources. Government has considered their labour as unskilled labour. The international conspiracy of the Multi-National corporations like Monsanto and Cargill is coming through Seed Bill in the coming parliament session .In the above context, the suffering of the farmers of Odisha will be worst. So, it is very essential to organize the farmers community in Odisha to bring a basic change by non-violent coercive method for a pro-people policy of the Govt .

        As it is seen that there is no organized state level farmers movement in Odisha except a few pockets of the western Odisha .In the coastal districts of Odisha, it is very weak. All the mega companies or projects such that POSCO, VEDANTA, TATA, UTKAL ALUMINA etc. are creating the problem of displacement for the farmers. But, the farmers are fighting the movement in the same displaced pocket area in isolation. So, the State machinery or bureaucracy is suppressing the limited pocket based peoples movement ruthlessly. If the farmer’s organization will be prepared in the broader area covering the multiple larger issues, it can create a greater challenge for the State to take its policy in the positive direction.

The Village Republic Verses State Power.

Till yet, all the experiments of Village Republic have been failure to control the State Power and its policies. Because the State is so powerful by its artificial finance capital and war economy that the root of Village Republic has been wiped out of the minds of the people. So, it has been more important to control the policy of the State that will be favourable to the Village Republic than to formulate, organize and implement the policies of the Village. In this context, unless and until, either the State power is captured or controlled; the policies can’t be formulated in the positive direction of decentralization. Some group of schools is trying to achieve the power through ballot politics and some are through bullet politics (Naxalites). In the era of globalization, based on capitalist economy, both the schools have given the zero results. The ballot politics has evolved the centralized capitalist structure and the bullet politics has given the centralized autocratic structure. Both the structures have broken the back bone of Village Republic.

            Now, it is the right time to take a new method of politics to bolt the power of the State (Bolt politics) through peoples power by aggressive non-violent coercive method to control the policies of the State in favor of Village Republic. This Bolt Politics of Gandhian method, that is the alternative political line, will win the war against the State power to protect the Village Republic, the alternative model. In this struggle, the Village peasants will be the pioneer of this revolution.

           

The New Experiment of the old issue.

There are many local problems of the farmers such that Irrigation, Water-logging, lack of cold storage etc. But, including all those local problems, we are addressing two major issues as follows:

I . Every farmer should get Rs.5000/- (Five Thousand Rupees only) per month as the minimum security guarantee to fulfill one’s basic need of Food, Clothing, Shelter, Health and Education. Our late Prime Minister Lalbahadur Shastry   had given the slogan “Jai Jawan, Jai Kishan”. But, it is seen that Soldier (Jawan) is secured at all levels, where as the farmer (Kishan) has no security and dignity. A Soldier protects the boundary of the Nation, where as the farmer protect the belly of the Nation with the food security by giving hard labour. But, Our Nation and its policies don’t give any respect and security to this born Patriot. So, it is truly justified to fulfill his/her basic need by giving Rs.5000/-(Five Thousand Rupees only) per month as the minimum security guarantee after 18 years who works with the soil. This will be more the dignity of the farmer than the security of the farmer.

II. The Govt of Odisha should declare the support price of one quintal of paddy as Rs.5000/-   (Five Thousand Rupees only) and purchase the paddy directly from the farmers without the brokers .As it is studied that, when in 1972 the price the gold of 10 grams was Rs.240/- , at that time the price of one quintal of paddy was Rs. 80/- . But, now the price of gold has gone up to Rs.16, 000/- such that near about 66 times more; where as Govt has declared the price of one quintal paddy as Rs.1000/- such that near about 12/13 times more. But, according to the exchange policy, the price of paddy should be Rs.5280/- such that it should be multiplied into 66 times of Rs.240/- .So, we are asking for Rs.5000/- approximately for the price of the one quintal of paddy.

The initiative of Navnirman Samiti      

      Initially, since we have been working in Jagatsinghpur District for last 12 years just after the Super – Cyclone of 1999, we have taken the target in the same District to organize the farmers. With the above two issues including other local issues, we have started the campaigning in Jagatsinghpur District for three months such that March, April and May 2010. We have discussed with the farmer leaders of 150 Gram Panchayats out of 194 Gram Panchayats of the district regarding the above issues with their problems. Finally, near about 300 farmer leaders came together on 30^th May, 2010 at District Head quarter and declared the District level farmer’s organization named as “Navnirman Krishak Sangathan” (Farmer’s wing of Navnirman Samiti).The executive body of this organization suggested a mass Padayatra from 21^st Sept. to 12th October in the meeting of 12^th August. In the next general meeting held on 16^th September, the Padayatra planning was approved and it was decided that a Mass Rally of 10,000 farmers would take a demonstration before the collectorate of Jagatsinghpur on 28^th October with the demands mentioned above. As a result, it will lead to the state level movement of the farmers.

Akshay Kumar

Navnirman Krishak Sangathan.