Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | The silent suffering of Bharat -Milind Murugkar

The silent suffering of Bharat -Milind Murugkar

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Jan 5, 2017   modified Modified on Jan 5, 2017
-Livemint.com

The impact of demonetisation on the organized sector creates a visible effect. The suffering of Bharat is diffused, invisible, but hugely more painful

‘Why doesn’t the informal sector, supposedly badly hit by demonetisation, protest or scream in pain?’. Defenders of demonetisation often pose this question. The question assumes that the suffering poor people face because of government policies always finds political expression. If you want an answer to the question, please listen to Sachin Jadhav. His story takes us through the long chain of economic loss and suffering of the rural population.

Jadhav, in his twenties, used to work in a small factory in Yeola, a town in Maharashtra. The factory manufactures plastic sheets used to stop water percolation from farm ponds. The water level in the wells starts declining as the feeder streams begin to dry up after the monsoon. Farmers then pump out the water and store it in the ponds. This water is used for rabi (winter) crops such as onions. Usually, during this period of the year there is a high demand for these plastic sheets. Having sold the kharif crops, farmers have cash in hand and can invest in farm ponds. But this time, due to demonetisation, they got payments in scrapped notes or cheques and could not cash them. They had no option but to postpone farm pond construction to next year. Naturally the demand for plastic sheets dropped by nearly half and Jadhav and three colleagues who earned Rs250 per day were laid off. Jadhav has been jobless for nearly a month now and the future looks bleak as demonetisation has brought most small industries to a grinding halt.

But Jadhav’s suffering is only the tip of the iceberg. The postponed ponds took away the potential employment of hundreds of poor landless labourers and marginal farmers who would have been hired for their construction. But there are indirect consequences too. Farm ponds play a major role in irrigating onions in the rabi season. This is the variety of onion that has a high shelf life and farmers store them in the hope of better prices (provided they are lucky enough not to suffer the export bans the government imposes frequently). Non-availability of the farm ponds would subject this crop to water stress and affect quality and yield, leading to further losses. Naturally, the labourers involved in harvesting and transportation would also suffer income loss.

Please click here to read more.

Livemint.com, 4 January, 2017, http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/xFVH5gYJKsaRuApBmBi3YM/The-silent-suffering-of-Bharat.html


Related Articles

 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close