Escape from Punjab : By Devinder Sharma
I was at a dinner with a Punjabi family in the outskirts of London. Mohinder Singh’s youngest brother who had only a few months before made it to England was visibly upset: “You are the only Punjabi I know who keeps on going back to India. Why don’t you stay here permanently?”
When I told him that I am often invited to UK to speak at various conferences, and yet I don’t want to settle here legally or illegally, he couldn’t believe me. “There are instances when I am abused on the streets by the whites if that is what you are meaning, there was also this bizarre incident of one of the white teenager’s pissing on me while I lay on the beach one day but bhai ji this is still heaven. Come on, think about it again!”
Surinder Singh, the youngest brother in the Punjabi family I am talking about, is not the only one who feels he has crossed over to heaven. Millions of Punjabis’ cherish the dream to escape from Punjab. Legally or illegally, they are willing to take all kinds of risks. Such is the desire and desperation to escape that scores of villages in the ‘migration belt’ of Punjab -- Phagwara, Jalandhar and Kapurthala districts – are empty. Almost all houses in these villages remain locked throughout the year.
Punjabis are by nature enterprising. Defying all academic norms of ‘distress migration’ or the ‘pull or push factor’ in migration, most Punjabis believe that migration is the best form of economic growth. They have seen this happening with generations of migratory workers who made it to the plantation sector in Southeast Asia or as industrial workers in England, Canada and to some extent as farm workers in New Zealand, California, Germany and Italy.
It was in early 1980s that I first tracked a group of asylum seekers who had landed in East Berlin (than part of the German Democratic Republic). Once in East Berlin, they would crossover to West Berlin by train where with the help of some lawyers they would have their papers ready. A majority of those who followed this escape route were apprehended at West Berlin. While their papers were being scrutinised, these migrants would be lodged in what was then popularly called ‘flower houses’ – an apology for a dingy accommodation herding some 20-25 people in one room.
The German government provided them with subsistence allowance as long as they were in the ‘flower houses’. Realising that migrants were ‘saving’ from even such paltry amounts ostensibly to send some money back home, the government finally provided them with food stamps that could be exchanged in the grocery stores. I remember asking one of the Punjabi migrants who was awaiting deportation back to India as to why did he take the risk. His reply still reverberates in my ears: “My parents have sold off the land to collect money for my travel. They are under the impression that within months of my landing in Europe, I will start minting money. I therefore save as much as possible from my daily allowance so that I don’t let their dream die.’
The unsavoury trend still continues. After the collapse of the Berlin Wall, illegal trafficking has found new escape routes. Whether it is through Morocco, Egypt or Turkey or whether it is through sports and culture, the fact remains that Punjabis are more than eager to escape. After all, what makes them so desperate that they are willing to take the risk of their life? Why is that Punjabis, who are economically well off as compared to the rest of the country, are still not satisfied? Is something terribly wrong with the underbelly of Punjab that we don’t see?
Punjab is undoubtedly the food bowl of the country. It is the harbinger of the Green Revolution that swept through well-endowed regions of the country. For 40 years now, ever since Green Revolution began, the nation has eulogised the Punjab farmer. Newspapers have reported time and again about the visible prosperity ushered in through intensive agriculture. Magazine articles have featured the opulent life style of prosperous Punjabi farmers. Not many of the feature writers however tried to look beyond the false sense of pride the farmers exhibited. Not many journalists tried to explore the reasons behind the new- found prosperity -- not because of agriculture but because of monthly remittances or their side business activities.
Punjab’s underbelly was gradually caving in. Agriculture had turned not only unremunerative but also highly unsustainable. Intensive farming had led to the collapse of Green Revolution. Farmers were pumping in more chemical inputs to maintain their crop harvests. Over the years indebtedness began growing to phenomenal levels. A recent Punjab Agricultural University shows as many as 89 per cent of Punjab farm households are reeling under debt. The per farm family debt today stands at a staggering Rs 1,78,934. In other words, for every hectare of land holding, the outstanding debt is Rs 50, 140.
Still worse – tractors -- the symbol of prosperity have now turned into a symbol of suicides. Tractor owners are more heavily indebted with the average outstanding exceeding Rs 2 lakh. Marginal and small farmers owning tractors are still worse off. With the input prices climbing year after year and the output prices remaining static, Punjab farmers became a victim of the same economic policies that projected them as country’s heroes. No wonder, the average income of a Punjab farm family hovers around Rs 3,000 a month.
Over the years, intensive farming practices have pushed farmers deeper into debt. High-chemical input based technology has already mined the soils and ultimately led to the lands gasping for breath, with the water-guzzling crops (hybrids and Bt cotton) sucking the groundwater acquifer dry, and with the failure of the markets to rescue the farmers from a collapse of the farming systems, the tragedy is that the human cost is entirely being borne by the farmers. In Punjab, of the 138 development blocks, 108 have already been declared dark zones, the level of groundwater exploitation in these blocks has been in excess of 98 per cent against the critical limit of 80 per cent. The resulting destruction wrought on the natural resource base – soil health deteriorating, water table plummeting and pesticides contaminating the environment – agriculture has turned into a losing proposition. More and more Punjab farmers therefore began to abandon agriculture. With no job opportunities coming in handy, escape from Punjab became a viable alternative.
What is intriguing are the missing numbers. In 1990-91, there were 2.95 lakh marginal and 2.03 small operational landholdings. In ten years time, by 2000-01, these had come down to 1.23 lakh marginal and 1.73 lakh small operational holdings. A careful perusal would show that nearly 1.20 lakh farm families had moved out of agriculture in the ten years period. Where have these families gone? What alternative employment opportunities have they adopted? No one knows about that.
I am not suggesting that they had migrated in search of greener pastures. But with rampant corruption keeping them out of government jobs, the only avenue open for the Punjabi youth is to migrate. Whether they apply for a police constable job or for a bus conductor, they are invariably asked to cough out money. “If I have to pay Rs 20 lakh to Rs 35 lakh for a Class III government job, what do you expect me to do?” asks Manpreet Singh, a resident of Ropar district. “Isn’t it better that I spend the same money to pay to the travel agents to find me an escape to Europe or Canada?”
Punjab’s underbelly is certainly in an unforeseen crisis. It is time to feel the pain and anguish the youth are faced with. It is time to put the house in order. The sooner the better.
Showing posts with label congress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label congress. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Distressed CM, Distressed Babus, Distressed Farmers
With the Maharashtra Chief Minister, Bhau Vilasrao Deshmukh, taking immediate steps at damage control, and to plug the bureaucratic leaking hole, created by the state government's affidavit regarding the delayed release of Central funds for the distressed debt numbed, cotton farmers of Vidarbha, it is clear that the Vidarbha issue is beginning to cause some spin off distress, among the sections of Indian society which have an assured income every month.
As against the farmers, dependent on faulty weather, farm exit policies, political corruption, monopolistic private sector intervention in agriculture and countless other problems.
It started off with the Relief Commissioner,, Sudhir Kumar Goyal, IAS, donning the cap of a seasoned farm strategist and philosopher, and claiming that the Vidarbha farmers were victims of a lopsided system, where they were trying to generate profits from GM cotton farming in non irrigated areas, high cost inputs, low incomes. Shri Goyal initially was persuaded to conduct political damage limitation excercises.
Shri Goyal never felt the need to tell us who approved large scale GM cotton experimentations with Vidarbha farmers in the first place despite a sprawling agricultural science network existing in India. Even more GM specific laboratories and extension institutes are being rapidly planned as India exceeds China in GM crop coverage.
Now with Congress being rudely voted out of power in the state elections in Punjab and Uttaranchal, despite, the visits of Shrimati Sonia Gandhi, the central Congress think tanks, are beginning to get sleepless nights, and the tough talking, pesticides in mother's milk, Cricket Minister and the fair play Sensex Minister, whose photos with top industrialists were splashed all over the media, while Vidarbha farmers were denied even a ten minutes appointment, are being asked to have a relook at the rural agrarian situation in Vidarbha, much to their dismay.
Not surprising, that the bureaucrats lower down in the pecking order, are beginning to speak out their minds at political incompetence and callousness, that begins from policy levels in New Delhi itself.
Somebody at some level, low down in the IAS bureaucracy and babudom in Maharashtra, took the decision, to defend the state Congress government's handling of Vidarbha agrarian crisis, in a court affidavit, and blame the PMO, for delayed release of funds, promised by Shri Man Mohan Singh himself.
Shri Singh in his much publicized Vidarbha visit, had announced a whopping Vidarbha Relief Package, the internal details of which, however, were known only to Oxbridge economists and think tanks sitting in South Bloc, New Delhi.
Shri Singh followed this up with his passionate advocacy of unleashing a Second Green Revolution on Indian farms, private sector entry into food retail, and advocacy of the need for raising farmers out of debt with rising incomes, so that they can share in the fruits of the Shining India that is sweeping Indian cities and economy, as is their due.
But then, what was not clarified, that a large scale Farm Exit Policy, is already underway in India, with senior economists, think tanks and bureaucrats, unanimous, that farm income dependant Indian populations must somehow or the other be reduced in percentage, before the WTO Doha hand shake takes place with Pascal Lamy, US and Europe.
So call it a gaffe, call it a faux pas, call it bureaucratic distress, somewhere in the lower echelons of Indian bureaucracy, some people are feeling the pressure, and feeling the need to let off some steam in court affidavits and media manipulation, if in nothing else.
Maybe Bhau Deshmukh and Shri Pawar, will succeed in damage limitation by praising the excellent support from PMO in making the Vidarbha crisis intervention a major feather in his cap.
He has been quoted as saying "We sincerely appreciate your concern over the high incidence of farmers' suicides. The assistance from the PM's relief fund has been of immense help to needy families in Vidarbha."
But then, Indian democracy, may show a different door to these ministers, begging for 3-4 extra years under their political supervision, before the urban gains in Indian economy, are transfered to Indian rural areas.
Vidarbha is too important an electoral bell weather for Congress to disregard and take casually.
As against the farmers, dependent on faulty weather, farm exit policies, political corruption, monopolistic private sector intervention in agriculture and countless other problems.
It started off with the Relief Commissioner,, Sudhir Kumar Goyal, IAS, donning the cap of a seasoned farm strategist and philosopher, and claiming that the Vidarbha farmers were victims of a lopsided system, where they were trying to generate profits from GM cotton farming in non irrigated areas, high cost inputs, low incomes. Shri Goyal initially was persuaded to conduct political damage limitation excercises.
Shri Goyal never felt the need to tell us who approved large scale GM cotton experimentations with Vidarbha farmers in the first place despite a sprawling agricultural science network existing in India. Even more GM specific laboratories and extension institutes are being rapidly planned as India exceeds China in GM crop coverage.
Now with Congress being rudely voted out of power in the state elections in Punjab and Uttaranchal, despite, the visits of Shrimati Sonia Gandhi, the central Congress think tanks, are beginning to get sleepless nights, and the tough talking, pesticides in mother's milk, Cricket Minister and the fair play Sensex Minister, whose photos with top industrialists were splashed all over the media, while Vidarbha farmers were denied even a ten minutes appointment, are being asked to have a relook at the rural agrarian situation in Vidarbha, much to their dismay.
Not surprising, that the bureaucrats lower down in the pecking order, are beginning to speak out their minds at political incompetence and callousness, that begins from policy levels in New Delhi itself.
Somebody at some level, low down in the IAS bureaucracy and babudom in Maharashtra, took the decision, to defend the state Congress government's handling of Vidarbha agrarian crisis, in a court affidavit, and blame the PMO, for delayed release of funds, promised by Shri Man Mohan Singh himself.
Shri Singh in his much publicized Vidarbha visit, had announced a whopping Vidarbha Relief Package, the internal details of which, however, were known only to Oxbridge economists and think tanks sitting in South Bloc, New Delhi.
Shri Singh followed this up with his passionate advocacy of unleashing a Second Green Revolution on Indian farms, private sector entry into food retail, and advocacy of the need for raising farmers out of debt with rising incomes, so that they can share in the fruits of the Shining India that is sweeping Indian cities and economy, as is their due.
But then, what was not clarified, that a large scale Farm Exit Policy, is already underway in India, with senior economists, think tanks and bureaucrats, unanimous, that farm income dependant Indian populations must somehow or the other be reduced in percentage, before the WTO Doha hand shake takes place with Pascal Lamy, US and Europe.
So call it a gaffe, call it a faux pas, call it bureaucratic distress, somewhere in the lower echelons of Indian bureaucracy, some people are feeling the pressure, and feeling the need to let off some steam in court affidavits and media manipulation, if in nothing else.
Maybe Bhau Deshmukh and Shri Pawar, will succeed in damage limitation by praising the excellent support from PMO in making the Vidarbha crisis intervention a major feather in his cap.
He has been quoted as saying "We sincerely appreciate your concern over the high incidence of farmers' suicides. The assistance from the PM's relief fund has been of immense help to needy families in Vidarbha."
But then, Indian democracy, may show a different door to these ministers, begging for 3-4 extra years under their political supervision, before the urban gains in Indian economy, are transfered to Indian rural areas.
Vidarbha is too important an electoral bell weather for Congress to disregard and take casually.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Banks Loan Recovery Operations in Vidarbha
While the IAS bureaucrats in charge of Relief operations in Vidarbha, like Shri Sudhir Kumar Goyal, are vigourously denying, forcible recovery of loans, from indebted and defaulting cotton farmers in Vidarbha, by banks and private money lenders, Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti alleges that most of the farmers were the victims of ongoing loan recovery drive of the banks.
The much hyped Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh's Vidarbha Relief package, had promised the farmers would get at least one year moratorium on recovery of loans.
However, it seems the Loan Recovery Operations picture on the ground is starkly different. Shri Goyal has already stated that "no government on earth can subsidize 60% of the farmers".
All bank managers have loan recovery targets, and are busy forcefully recovering outstanding amounts from farmers using new techniques and methods.
It now seems the banks have decided to collude with state-run Cotton Marketing Cooperative Federation, the main cotton procurer in Vidarbha, during selling of raw cotton.
Moreover, banks have also launched their loan recovery drive knowing that the Vidarbha cotton farmers are drinking water from a leaking cup.
In the face of this double bind of seeing the daily dance of death in his districts, between helpless farmers and Congress politicians, the Relief Commissioner has donned the cap of a philosopher, and is busy advocating to the media, that the high cost of agro-inputs and meagre price of raw cotton produce, is to blaim for the misery of suicidal farmers.
How long this situation will last, and a new Relief Commissioner takes charge from him, remains to be seen.
The much hyped Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh's Vidarbha Relief package, had promised the farmers would get at least one year moratorium on recovery of loans.
However, it seems the Loan Recovery Operations picture on the ground is starkly different. Shri Goyal has already stated that "no government on earth can subsidize 60% of the farmers".
All bank managers have loan recovery targets, and are busy forcefully recovering outstanding amounts from farmers using new techniques and methods.
It now seems the banks have decided to collude with state-run Cotton Marketing Cooperative Federation, the main cotton procurer in Vidarbha, during selling of raw cotton.
Moreover, banks have also launched their loan recovery drive knowing that the Vidarbha cotton farmers are drinking water from a leaking cup.
In the face of this double bind of seeing the daily dance of death in his districts, between helpless farmers and Congress politicians, the Relief Commissioner has donned the cap of a philosopher, and is busy advocating to the media, that the high cost of agro-inputs and meagre price of raw cotton produce, is to blaim for the misery of suicidal farmers.
How long this situation will last, and a new Relief Commissioner takes charge from him, remains to be seen.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
CandleLight Vigils - Mohan Dharia
The sheer logic of Indian democracy becomes evident, when the politician is forced to go back to the electorate at least every five years. The electorate also knows very well, that next time, they will see the politicians emerge, from the corridors of the various Sabhas - Lok, Vidhan, Rajya, etc, will be about four and half years later, unless of course there is a court decision or some such toppling of the cart.
There is no doubt that after the whirlwind tours of Shri Man Mohan Singh, and Maharashtra Chief Minister to the Indian killing fields - farming lands - the politicians lower down in the pecking order, would all feel they have been pardoned from making a beeline for the rural countryside and spoiling their white linen kurtas and designer goggles.
The Indian Finance Minister, of course thinks that, when there exists an Agriculture Ministry, and a Planning Commission, for super annuated politicians and retired farm leaders like Sharad Joshi, Ajit Singh and Tikait, there is no need for him to even open his mouth, on Indian countryside and farm issues. His remit is basically stock markets, and the tax system, pulling the strings of the IRS bureaucracy.
The countryside, ah, the votes are still there. Of course, the politicians might do so a bit sooner, if Sonia Ji decides to jolt them, bolt them, or scold them.
Some people are surely now playing a wait and watch game. Where this issue of Indian farmer suicides will now go, and how much of an impact it will have on election prospects for Congress in the next elections ? These calcualtions will soon begin in earnest.
As always, with the loyalties and royalties, well known inside Congress, people are wondering when Mrs Sonia Gandhi, will take on the image and role of Mrs Indira Gandhi vis a vis the Indian farmers and the Second Green Revolution. Mrs Indira Gandhi created an entire infrastructure of institutions to solidly underpin the first Green Revolution.
This Mrs Gandhi is only talking of Second Green Revolution, lulled by the Leopold and Oxbridge awards.
It is only when she decides to take note of the farmer suicides, that the scramble for farmer votes will be activated by push button, within Indian Congress party. Till then, it is wait and watch, apart from cursory suicide figures, being read out from a note prepared by an IAS bureaucrat, by Shri Sharad Pawar in Lok Sabha. Till then, business as usual for Mr Chidambaram, RBI Governor and Congress politicians.
There is no doubt that after the whirlwind tours of Shri Man Mohan Singh, and Maharashtra Chief Minister to the Indian killing fields - farming lands - the politicians lower down in the pecking order, would all feel they have been pardoned from making a beeline for the rural countryside and spoiling their white linen kurtas and designer goggles.
The Indian Finance Minister, of course thinks that, when there exists an Agriculture Ministry, and a Planning Commission, for super annuated politicians and retired farm leaders like Sharad Joshi, Ajit Singh and Tikait, there is no need for him to even open his mouth, on Indian countryside and farm issues. His remit is basically stock markets, and the tax system, pulling the strings of the IRS bureaucracy.
The countryside, ah, the votes are still there. Of course, the politicians might do so a bit sooner, if Sonia Ji decides to jolt them, bolt them, or scold them.
Some people are surely now playing a wait and watch game. Where this issue of Indian farmer suicides will now go, and how much of an impact it will have on election prospects for Congress in the next elections ? These calcualtions will soon begin in earnest.
As always, with the loyalties and royalties, well known inside Congress, people are wondering when Mrs Sonia Gandhi, will take on the image and role of Mrs Indira Gandhi vis a vis the Indian farmers and the Second Green Revolution. Mrs Indira Gandhi created an entire infrastructure of institutions to solidly underpin the first Green Revolution.
This Mrs Gandhi is only talking of Second Green Revolution, lulled by the Leopold and Oxbridge awards.
It is only when she decides to take note of the farmer suicides, that the scramble for farmer votes will be activated by push button, within Indian Congress party. Till then, it is wait and watch, apart from cursory suicide figures, being read out from a note prepared by an IAS bureaucrat, by Shri Sharad Pawar in Lok Sabha. Till then, business as usual for Mr Chidambaram, RBI Governor and Congress politicians.
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