Trading on commodities must be stopped if the price rice in food essentials must be brought down. Further, conversion of agricultural land must be stopped. And most of all, government should aim at providing adequate irrigation facilities to farmers by rain water harvesting. Only when we stop depending entirely on monsoons, will our farmers be able to harvest their crops regularly.
If they don't have bread, why can't they eat cakes, said a self-centered empress in France long long ago. Monarchs were supposed to be heartless and so were the zamindars. We are the lucky ones born in a democracy, having the right to choose our representatives and make fun of them too, whenever we like. We laugh at what they do...our humour these days is centered around what politicians do. But think again is it any laughing matter?! Have we realised that we are laughing about our miserable state and the politicians have our permission to suck the last drop of our blood!!!
Many agriculturists are selling their agricultural land to builders and conscienceless property dealers who are indiscriminately converting all the land to residential or commercial land. There are laws against giving permission to convert such land, but in the name of globalisation and in the name of abolishing red tapism, the tedious procedures are being bypassed by giving bribe to the elites in the Government. Soon, there will be no agricultural land or any agriculture left in this great country.
RE:Agricultural Land conversion
by Priya Jagat on Apr 17, 2008 03:47 PM Permalink
When land prices are so high, it is better to sell them to commercial developers. The disproportionatly high value of land prices versus the low return on agriculture will tempt anybody to sell the land. An acre of agricultural land, which would have not cost even a lakh sells for a crore. So, it makes farmers believe that they are better-off selling the land & deposit the money in the bank and live off the interest rather than struggle throughout the year doing farming and not knowing whether the crop will be delivered and even then whether it will sell.
RE:Agricultural Land conversion
by Manjula A on Apr 17, 2008 03:58 PM Permalink
I am not blaming the farmers. They do what is feasible. The vicious nexus is of the beurocracy and the land mafia.
RE:manmohan singh snoring
by zohra javed on Apr 17, 2008 03:46 PM Permalink
Silly observation!! This is precisely the attitude why everyone, and I mean human beings are suffering. Please stop falling prey to this politics of Hindu-Muslim nonsense.
RE:manmohan singh snoring
by honestview on Apr 17, 2008 03:54 PM Permalink
sri prasad you are the greatest idiot of this country, fools like you who spit communal venom to corrupt the mind of citizens, you are also the same breed of idotic politicians who divide country for power shame on you.,
...should be the prime concern of Indians in the next 10 years or so...GOI should scrap SEZ and other mega projects, which is only helping to take away prime agriculture land.
A classic example I can see is the International Airport in Devanahalli near Bangalore - Its now more of a real estate business and farmers in the area are happy to be selling land and make a neat sum...which they dont understand will only last them for a while
TVR sheniy has as usual hit the nail on its head. True there are very few journalist who have the guts to call the spade a spade. He has exposed our great prime minister who has joined the ranks of sycophants and is doing anything but not a credible job...Besides, Shenoy has also proved that Sharad Pawar, P. Chidambaram are all paper tigers and cannot do anything worthwhile.....hats off to Shenoy
Thanks for vocalising hundreds of peoples voices !!! Am wondering if any of our leaders read these at all ?
However, in every adversity, there is an opportunity. Perhaps the time is just right to give serious attention to food security and agriculture and see how we can make a second successful green revolution in India by marrying technology to these issues.
But then, to do this, the govt. has to have the time and inclination (perhaps their primary reason to be leading the country !) Right now, priorities in India are so skewed ... if only we show as much interest in food security as in safeguarding the olympic torch or not upsetting the Commies or china; India could be at an altogether level.
RE:govt response needed to this article
by Padmashree on Apr 17, 2008 03:28 PM Permalink
we can.., but it'll revert back with the mesg "Computer not found", They hardly know wat comps are..where lies the point of mails.
RE:govt response needed to this article
by Milind Madhukar Kulkarni on Apr 17, 2008 07:01 PM Permalink
No Padmashree it will revert back with the msg "Reader not Found"!
It is alarming to see our government doing such a shoddy job at managing our agriculture, and food policies. This is their basic job and unfortunately, we are busy with trying to promote IPL or indulging in vote bank politics in the form of quota or licking the backside of the chinese along with the left parties.
The elections are coming up in a year and it is time we choose a good government who is interested in running a country and not indulging in petty politics as has been the case right from independece. It is important that we gather our collective conscience and choose worthy politicians who ensure the basics - food, housing, internal security, decent quality of life, cultural revival and social and health development.
RE:RE:Good Article
by Veera narsiman on Apr 17, 2008 03:45 PM Permalink
The govt has no time for the voice of litrate because most the educated never turn up for voting. The educated should unite and change the reactive to proactive govt
