A day after being sworn in, Rural Development Minister Vilasrao Deskmukh Thursday said the Supreme Court's observation on his links with moneylenders who harass farmers was an "isolated incident". He also said there was no link between his new portfolio and farmer suicides in Maharashtra. "One isolated incident cannot be connected with other things," Deshmukh told reporters after taking charge. The court last month had raised questions on the former Maharashtra...
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Cabinet reshuffle: Vilasrao Deshmukh's 'ironic' new portfolio
One of the significant changes in the Cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday was the shifting of Vilasrao Deshmukh from Heavy Industries to Rural Development and Panchyati Raj. The move is being seen as ironic by many as it comes just a month after he was pulled up by the Supreme Court for stopping police action on a complaint by farmers against a money lender, who is the father of a Congress legislator,...
More »Vidarbha: 9 farmer suicide in 5 days as cold destroys crop
The gushing in of bone-chilling cold wave has spelt disaster for the cotton farmers in Vidarbha. Nine farmers have killed themselves since Thursday as snow and hail ruins an almost-ready crop. "My brother was very worried after the cold winds and the hail killed the crop. Two days ago, he talked about it with my wife. We did not think he will kill himself," said Dhanraj Pohekar, a resident of Taamaswaadi...
More »Farmers march clogs airport road
Farmers' protesting ban on cotton and onion exports on Monday created a few moments of panic as they set ablaze a trolley-full of cotton some 200 metres from the Nagpur airport building. The situation was soon brought under control and farmers dispersed after the symbolic protest. Over 2000 farmers led by Bacchu Kadu, the maverick independent MLA from Achalpur in Amravati district, marched through the busy Wardha road to airport...
More »Farmer suicides: Maharastra continues to be worst-affected 10th year in a row by Jaideep Hardikar
Though the number of farmers’ suicides in Maharashtra registered a fall of 930 in 2009, the state with 2,872 suicides continued to be the worst in the country, 10th year in a row, according to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data. The data released in December 2010 confirms a rising trend, with at least 17,368 farmers killing themselves in India in 2009, up by 1,172 from 2008. At least 1,27,151...
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