Largest prospering sector in India is inequality : P.Sainath

BANGALORE -  “The subject of Farmers suicide is just a part of crisis, Infact it is a manifestation of greater crisis which can be seen in larger framework of inequality.” These views were expressed by P Sainath, Rural Affairs Editor of The Hindu and 2007 winner of the Ramon Magsaysay Award. He was in Bangalore for post screening talk on the documentary film made by Deep Bhatia. 

The film Nero’s Guest was screened in IISC, organized by VIKALP BENGALURU in association with Maraa and CONCERN. The film attempts to find the cause of problem behind the suicide of farmers focusing Vidharbha region of Maharashtra.

The film tries to reflect the prevailing agrarian crisis in India and the growing inequality seen through the work of P Sainath.

Inequality has been India’s fastest growing sector; its grown faster than at any time in our history since the British Raj. Nearly 2 lakh farmers have committed suicide in India over the last 14 years, driven by distress caused not by famine or drought, but debt. NERO’S GUESTS is a journal of this distress.

The trajectory of the documentary spans five or six years, from Sainath’s initial tours into the villages to research the agrarian crisis to the later visits of politicians and bureaucrats who couldn’t escape the responsibility any more The film takes one into the homes of the helpless farmers and to overflowing lecture halls. Sainath makes us confront the India we don’t want to see, and provokes us to think about who Nero’s Guests are in today’s world.

Reacting to the questions and concerns raised by the audience after the screening, P.Sainath criticized the Indian government’s policy and attitude towards the agriculture sector.

He said almost over 2,16,500 farmers have done suicide in last 10-15 years. Their situation is pathetic and beyond our sense of imagination. Giving an example of a post graduate in Marathi farmer, Hargovind Harae , Sainath said he was in a such a pathetic and poor condition that he took pesticide on loan to commit suicide.

In his impeccable tone P.Sainath said that largest growing sectior in India is inequality. He said that apathy of people of India is unmatched in the world. Their situation is worse than Sub-Saharan countries. P.sainath also criticized the government definition of poverty line and stated it as fraud.

Sainath made the point that government deliberately vacating the agrarian space for corporate. The corporates are given more and more waiver and taxes are written off for them while government is cutting the subsidy in agriculture sector.

He said that Daily net per capita food availability is on decline, it is 436 gm per day while it was 510 gm in 1991. Although the population rate has gone down but food availability is still an issue. He holds government’s neglection policy responsible for these entire crises.

He came heavily on corporate, Sainath was vocal and said that corporate are deciding the fate of this country. Referring to Radia tape he said it’s very apparent and self declaring that who is running and deciding the fate of this country.

He said am posing three demands for a long time. He reiterated them and said that Agriculture must be declared as public sector. He demanded that one full fledge session of parliament should be dedicated to discuss agrarian crisis and agriculture in India. He said that parliamentary discussion will decide how to take up the issue and address the crisis. He also demanded for implementation of National farmer’s commission report.

Source : http://www.newzfirst.com/web/guest