Kasargod, Erezha in Kerala, Plachimada, and ironically enough good old Varthur in Bangalore are just a couple of examples of areas where chemical effluents have wreaked havoc in the life of people.  Several villages in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Chattisgarh, Bihar have been rendered uninhabitable, forcing people to vacate their lands, houses and become destitute in the city or turn into daily labourers.  Children have been rendered physically deformed due to severe chemical contamination (endosulfan for example has destroyed the lives of nearly 10,000 victims who still continue to suffer its debilitating impacts).  Government compensation to these victims cannot even sustain their family’s livelihood let alone restore them to normalcy.  Particulate matters released by factories such as cement industries has increased bronchial diseases and illnesses amongst the population residing in the vicinity of such industries. Untreated chemical effluents that are released into the streams and/or land areas, have contaminated ground water, food crops and eventually rendered entire swathes of land unfit for cultivation. With the paranoia of chemicals percolating into the food chain gripping people, the elite of the society have taken up the fad of consuming organic products by paying a premium price.  One cannot but laugh at our stupidity and sheer brainless behavior! The pinnacle of creation we just don’t seem to be!!  Having destroyed the very fabric of nature due to our excessive indulgence, we are now paying a premium for something that was once naturally available in its pristine form.  In this context, when the Government views with contempt the Social impact assessment clause, one cannot but wonder whether they have suspended their brains in the cash registry and the ka-ching has deafened them to the cries of the multitudes who are suffering due to negligence by the industrial set ups.

By saying that Social impact assessment would cause undue delay in the clearing of industrial projects, the underlying tone signifies a negligent attitude towards the long term impact of such industrial setups on not only the surrounding ecology but also the life of the people and their future generations.  While economic development is a necessity, if the money earned is only going to be spent in attending to the treatment of ourselves or our progeny, it seems quite foolhardy to harp on it!  Understanding the requirement of an industry in a particular area, its impact on the lives and livelihood of the people surrounding the area, and most importantly the ecology there, is paramount for sustainable growth.  Bypassing long term sustainable development for immediate economic gains may postpone the pain to the future, but when it hits, it will shatter the very fabric of development that is being harped upon by everyone.  Economic development HAS to be holistic.  While the State cannot be the only provider of welfare for the people, it would be stupidity to believe that the industry and industrial development is the panacea for all the ailments of the society.

Selective blindness isn’t a monogrammed suit that can be flaunted proudly nor is it a last name that will win the loyalty of the party cadres.  But both the ruling coalition head and the touted leader of the ‘principle’ opposition party have a panache for this selective blindness syndrome.  Chattisgarh is a living example of how tribals are being exploited by grabbing their lands without their consent or by faking their consents.  People have been killed or silenced in a bid to grab fertile lands.  In many cases, the land owners were themselves not aware of their land being handed over to industries.  The nexus of babus, industrial heads and village administrators have ensured that their voices shall never be heard. By openly removing the clause for the owner’s consent, the Government has now made it a field day to themselves kick the owners of the land out of their possession.  The notion that Government will not do anything detrimental to the wellbeing of the community is now a joke that can at best be scoffed at.  And this is more true in the case of tribals and villagers in Chattisgarh, Bihar, UP and Odisha.  Neither Modi nor Rahul have truly displayed an understanding of the dynamics of tribal and village communities. The parties they represent can cry themselves hoarse when they are in the opposition, but when in power, they have both failed miserably in alleviating the cause of the public at large.

In short, if the earlier Land Acquisition Bill did not entirely ensure protection and rightful treatment of the aggrieved farmers, the modifications being introduced have outrightly dismissed any hopes that may have existed among the land owners. There are two important remedies that are being highlighted to redress the loss suffered by the owner. 1. A compensation that is 4 times that of the existing market rate. 2. Job for one of the family members. It would be quite interesting to understand how the Government proposes to educate the owners in utilization of their financial remuneration for a sustainable future.  The lands in many regions aren’t owned by one particular person and typically its a family.  How would the compensation be divided under such circumstances? The compensation that was provided to the families displaced due to the Kudankulam project has led to such an increase in family rifts that a record number of cases have been filed in the civil courts over sharing of the compensation package. Not only have the beneficiaries lost their property, but their Quality of Life has been completely destroyed due to such instances. Also, if a job is assured for one of the family members, what would the nature of that job be?  Has the Government provided amenities that would help them qualify for a decent job? Is this job guaranteed? If the land is again shared by multiple families, which member of which family would be given the job? A single land can be a source of income for the entire family and also be worked upon by all the members of the family – including women and children.  With that lost, what would the women do? Has the Government any idea of utilizing the excess resources that are available? The way the current Government is hell bent on destroying MGNREGA scheme, even the semblance of work that could have been provided to these members will be lost.

The burden of bad debts, the unseasonal rainfall, lost crops, Government apathy and sheer mismanagement has pushed thousands of farmers to the brink of suicide.  The Government is yet to act constructively on this spate of suicides but all it has done so far is offer lip service. Modi’s Mann ki baat, was only a one way communication at best.  If he had even deigned to address some of the burning issues the farmers are facing currently and have been facing, it would have made it worthwhile.  So far, his walk and talk have barely matched.  A ‘rejuvenated’ Rahul may be back with smart retorts and energized walkathons, but he would do well to first accept that his party had a major role to play in the debacle the farming community is now facing.  And follow it up with constructive feedback and suggestions for the Government to implement.

The development of a country cannot be a short term vision progressing from election to election. Sustainable development needs a holistic approach in which environment and ecology plays a primary role.  The incumbent Government has no sense about this – as is evident in the slew of measures it has undertaken.

(To be continued….)

On 11th of March, amidst the growing debate on the Land Acquisition Bill, there appeared an editorial in Times of India. The title of this editorial was “India’s Farmer Fetish”.  The contents of the editorial aside, the very title stands testimony to the bias and the prejudiced mind set that the farmers in the country are being viewed by the incumbent government, the political parties and the media to tow.

As stated in the editorial, yes, the India of 2015 is fundamentally different from that of 1965. But it would be interesting to check whether people have stopped eating food and started consuming plastic and cement. The last I checked this wasn’t the case!  A lot of blah blah has gone into the editorial and eventually the claim made by the column is that since agriculture’s share in GDP is just 13.9% arising from 60% of Indian population, privileging farming above other occupation would kill growth and does not make any sense.

The idea that farming community is growing to be a liability to the economy is something that is fast catching on. A lot of events have already taken place since the date of this editorial, and the same paper has later written editorials lamenting the state of the farmers too!  And a glaring point that must be noted is that if farming has not only turned a liability to the farmers but also to the National economy and its growth, we have none other than ourselves to blame!  This is a situation that has been distilled through our years of flawed policy implementation and political as well as commercial exploitation of the farming community.

While the British Raj had forced the Agricultural practices within India to give up many of their traditional, indigenous farming methods and crops, post independence, a much needed boost to the renewal of agricultural practices failed to maintain its efficacy.  While irrigation was extensively promoted and industrialization of the farming practices was emphasized upon, agriculture was pivoted to become the rallying factor for industrialization and new industry set ups.  Whether this was a good move or not is a topic for another discussion.  The rampant famine catapulted the need for a green revolution, but something that must have been seeded from within the Indian eco system was triggered by the borrowed seeds of West.  While it ensured excess production of grains, it came at a heavy cost – one that we are paying for now.  Extensive use of chemical fertilizers, monoculture farming and excessive relying on cash crops has significantly destroyed the fabric of Indian agriculture.  Fields have gone barren and those that can still be tilled require more and more chemical fertilizers and excessive water to be producing at the same level as before.  In regions of Maharashtra, indigenous and climatically suited crops have been forsaken for the sake of cash crops like sugarcane, which are most unsuited for its soil.  In Maharashtra, only 4% of the total cropped area that grow sugarcane, consume 70% of the irrigation water supply. Such unsustainable practices are prevalent in many regions of India thus laying a heavy burden on the natural resources of the country. Unscientific farming (including excessive use of industrial and chemical equipment) is killing the lands – sustainability is a lost cause, where everyone seems to be looking for shortcuts to success and financial uplift.

Rampant deforestation, growing pollution, depleting water resources have left Indian agriculture to the mercy of the monsoons – which have time and again hit hard on the farming sector. Excessive or insufficient rainfalls have become a common feature.  The unseasonal rainfall this year have destroyed the rabi crops and there is a surge of farmer suicides across the country.  Yet, neither the Government, nor the farmers seem to be set to rectify their mistakes.  With the number of ineffective lands on the rise, there is a strong need to set a corrective course before it is too late for everyone.

In this context the current Land Acquisition Bill is set to sound another death knell to the farming community that is already reeling under the pressure of years of mismanagement. By claiming that seeking of the consent of the farmers and social impact assessment would delay the process of Land Acquisition and there by hamper the growth of the country, the Government and some portion of the media is taking a myopic view of the situation where a holistic perspective is essential.

That the State can procure farm lands without the consent of the farmer for causes that are beneficial to the country is akin to stating that a section of the society can be robbed in order to fulfill the needs of others.  This is nothing short of state sponsored crime under the garb of development.  In return, the robbed will be handed over a penny’s worth of job.  The glaring stupidity of this whole set up seems to be conveniently sidelined by the Government, and the Opposition party instead of rationally approaching the issue, is only trying to sensationalize and emotionally ignite the farmers.  Narendra Modi may be using his hackneyed speaking skills in trying to woo the farming community with the promise of better life, but the shallowness of the whole proposition cannot be hoodwinked with honey coated words.

There are thousands of farmers who have to this date not received due compensations for their lands that were acquired as far behind as 1950s for ’causes of national interest’.  There are many incidents of farmers from Chattisgarh having lost their lands due to the devious methods adopted by the industries – many farmers were terrorized into handing over lands, and many more were duped into selling it without their own knowledge.  Exploiting the tribal laws framed by the Government, the industries have bought land in the name of their tribal watchmen or workers without their knowledge and in some instances paying them pittance to win their allegiance for their nefarious purposes.  Ignorance and illiteracy is bleeding the nation while the incumbent government as well as the previous regimes have only paid lip-service for the cause of true progress and development. It is this ignorance that all the political parties, irrespective of their ideologies refuse to fix…nay, they would rather that it flourishes, so that the masses can be exploited under the garb of socialist or capitalist principles.  It is our shame that even after 6 decades and more of independence, as citizens, we still look to be pampered and spoon fed, instead of demanding the basic rights of education and awareness!

(To be continued….)