So, the problems of farmers and villages continue to suffer
We are glad to see the Prime Minister’s visit to the Left-Wing Extremists-affected Chhattisgarh districts is very inspiring and timely. Why not the much talked about technology-enabled schemes, the rural BPO programmes take off in such remote villages?
Very fine. We congratulate the PM and ask for such progressive programmes reach out to other states and remote villages. The Bastar Internet scheme under which a 40,000-km network of fibre optic cables would be spread across seven districts of the tribal region.
Likewise, we also want the agri/rural sector needs some radical changes and reforms in many areas of legislative changes.
In this issue itself we have featured the latest legislative programme, a model land leasing programme prepared by the Government’s NITI AAYOG is featured. This is for the wider public understanding of the issue that lies at the very heart of the current agriculture distress and the tragedy of large scale farmers’ suicides and the many related issues.
Land ownership issue is very old and persisting. The various land reforms legislations in different states are also featured and we will carry the same in the coming issues.
The publishers of this magazine live at the interstate border of TN and Kerala and in these states the land legislations saw extreme swings, under the Communist regime of EMS Namboodiripad and also in TN under the Dravidian extremisms.
They net result, as on today in both these states is that agriculture sector is one of extreme poverty and zero investment.
Everyone knows, more so the current politicians too that that to own and old on to agriculture landed property is a curse!
The average Indian farmer, often the marginal and small category, is a debtor or a litigant or both!
No wise person would invest in agriculture and the present land holdings are fast turned into real estate and the result is more smaller parcels of land you can see everywhere on the outskirts of the towns. This true in Karnataka too. This must be the same in Noida and the outskirts too!
So, when the Prime Minister says he would double the frames incomes it sound so hallow and unconvincing for all who know the subject.
Like all slogans and catch phrases, this too sounds like Indira Gandhi’s ‘quite poverty’ slogan!
This will never be possible unless we realise that the current very regressive land tenancy and ceiling legislations are e relaxed as set out in the government’s own NITI Aayog proposals.
But then the question is who, whose government would do this sort of radical and progressive legislation?
This is progressive legislation and we all must realise this.
The agriculture media that is non-existent today must be encouraged by the government and the corporate sector so that more publicity and awareness is created.
We have persisted in this mission for very long. A correspondent from Agri writes that while the agricultural publications are all suffering from financial troubles how we at the Vadamalai Media survive! A good question and we are thankful for such wider awareness as to how difficult it is for good news or good word to spread than fake news and what has you. Fake news might suit the Trump regime in the USA. Not here! This is our view.
We hope radical legislative changes are made in our existing laws, some of which are old and British colonial mindset must also change.
Let us relax our land legislations, let new generation of youngsters, young entrepreneurs come forward to invest, work and live in the rural environment so that much of the priority development goals like sustainable growth and development, inspirational district programmes, the PM is speaking about become a reality sooner than later!
New technologies, new mindsets and new and open-minded programmes only can save rural India and our much distress farmers. Jai Hind!