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Monday, February 04, 2008

Letters-6: Farmers' Suicide

1. The editorial, “The unending farm tragedy (The Hindu, Feb.2, 2008) was a timely reminder of the grave crisis facing our nation. We have a polity and a governance mechanism that have chosen not to act decisively to tackle the crisis. It is a matter of irony that the same political class which witnessed the onset of the crisis still calls the shots. Why don’t our politicians launch a national movement to address the woes of the farmers? Has a single hour of Parliament been disrupted for the hapless farmer? Has a politician ever sat on a hunger strike for him? It is a disgrace that the Maharashtra CM sought to draw media attention to Davos and Germany than to the crisis being faced by the farmers of Vidharbha. Discontent among farmers is a sure recipe for social unrest. If we do not take corrective action now, it will perhaps be a case of too little, too late. (Sekhar Rayaprolu, San Jose, California – Letter to the Editor, The Hindu, Feb.4, 2008)

2. That our farmers are resorting to suicide is not at all surprising. What can they do with a CM, who is inclined to “believe only local journalists,” at the helm? We are ready to sympathize with our entrepreneurs who will take home a few lakhs less every month because of the rupee appreciation. But we could not care less about what happens to the man who is responsible for cultivating food for us. We need to realize that our national security will be in danger if we lack food security. (S.Srinivas, Viakhapatnam – Letter to the Editor, The Hindu, Feb.4, 2008)

3. The agrarian crisis is a national tragedy. Evidently, the relief packages announced by Central and State governments have failed to mitigate the crisis. A multi-pronged approach including speedy relief to the affected farmers, low-cost operations with emphasis on food crops, and a radical change of mindset is the need of the hour. (S.Janakiraman, Coimbatore – Letter to the Editor, The Hindu, Feb.4, 2008)

Thanks to the Individuals and The Hindu.

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