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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Note recall most hurtful: Farmers

Note recall most hurtful: Farmers

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published Published on Jan 6, 2017   modified Modified on Jan 6, 2017
-The Telegraph

New Delhi: A nationwide network of farmers today dubbed the demonetisation exercise "the most hurtful scheme since independence" and claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pledges for the agriculture sector announced on December 31 were "a rehash of what already exists".

The network of farmers' associations and representatives from across the country said in a letter sent to the Prime Minister that the demonetisation move had shown a "dismaying disregard" for farmers' livelihood cycles, citing multiple hardships faced by farmers and other agricultural workers.

"Like other sections of society, we had remained silent since you had sought sacrifices for 50 days from all citizens, till December 30, in anticipation of some major benefits to be gained by the economy," they wrote.

"However, it is unclear what the objective was for this entire exercise... history will remember this scheme as the most hurtful since independence, in the name of resolving the problems of corruption, black money and terrorism."

The cash shortage has meant farmers are unable to pay labourers or to sell their produce to traders, or forced to cut back on investments in crop management, while farmers who took loans from cooperative banks are unable to repay loans, they said.

The signatories represent the All India Coordination Committee of Farmers' Movement, All India Kisan Sabha, Bhartiya Kisan Union, Tamil Nadu Farmers Association, Shetkari Sanghathan and the All India Agragami Kisan Sabha, among others.

The Bhartiya Kisan Union and several other signatories have been campaigning for farmers' rights and opposing what its representatives say are anti-farmer initiatives. The union says it is not affiliated to any political party.

The All India Kisan Sabha is affiliated to the CPM while the All India Agragami Kisan Sabha is linked to the All India Forward Bloc.

"There is anger among farmers but the anger levels vary from place to place, depending on how they have been impacted," said Kavitha Kuruganti with the non-government Association for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture-Kisan Swaraj, speaking from Ananthpur in Andhra Pradesh where she said cash shortage was preventing farmers from milling their rice.

"At many places, farmers are unable to pay their agricultural workers. Here in Ananthpur, some farmers said they had partly paid their workers through rice," Kuruganti said.

The associations said they were "disappointed" with Modi's televised address on December 31 during which he had announced a 60-day moratorium on crop loan repayment, pledged an additional Rs 20,000 crore to the state-run Nabard and promised to turn all Kisan credit cards issued thus far into RuPay cards to swipe in payments or to swipe out purchases of seeds and other farm inputs.

The associations have called these measures "inadequate" and "a rehash of what already exists".

"Postponing the loan repayment period by 60 days or the government bearing the interest for those 60 days to a tune of Rs 333 for a Rs 50,000 crop loan (the usual short term loan for the average farmer covered by institutional credit) is a pittance against the hardship inflicted," the associations wrote.

The associations have urged the Prime Minister to waive loans and lift curbs on cash deposits and withdrawals by farmers.

The letter claims demonetisation is being used to "forcibly integrate" rural masses into certain techno-financial regimes that imply "tremendous hardships" to the average rural person whose access to such systems is limited.


The Telegraph, 6 January, 2017, https://www.telegraphindia.com/1170106/jsp/nation/story_128806.jsp#.WG8ISbmdeyB


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