The Kissans Are Not Kulaks!

The Kissans Are Not Kulaks!

                            

 I have tried to keep this apolitical and reasonable. Do not take anything amiss. 

It was post 1962. The Chinese had hammered the Indians. Our political pundits were in a huddle.  The armed forces were bleeding from the nose.

There was no food. The begging bowl was being passed. Many nations took pity on starving Indians. PL 480 was enacted by the US govt so that Indians dont starve to death. Other countries gave soft loans, milk products, farming machinery and technolgy-- most of it for free.

So was raised a slogan -- 

 Jai Jawan Jai Kissan

Slowly the Indian military reorganised, restructured and rebuilt itself. The kissans worked hard, tilled and reclaimed barren and stony lands, new farming techniques were introduced and accepted.  The fields were lush and green. A revolution took place. Soon there was plenty of food. The kissan became the respected 'अन्न दाता'.

And the Indian Army was winning wars and keeping the nation united. And the military became a respected saviour of a nation otherwise mired in graft, corruption, sloth and bad governance (thanks to our political leaders).

Suddenly there was a problem of plenty-- huge buffer stocks. And India could hold its own in the international stage. We had a credible military might and a fine army -  no thanx to our politicians.

Its a factor of simple demand and supply.

 Enough food and a strong army. Now who the hell needs a kissan ? Who the hell bothers about the soldier ?

Its back to-- ' oh you silly leftist, disgruntled, anti- national people, urban maoists-- we know what is best for you'!!

 A Tianamen repeat.

'if we give in now-- our political standing will be threatened each and every time. Raw force is the answer. Dont give an inch or a precedent of listening to vox populi will be formed'

So  are we a democracy--- or are we a democracy? Is it really an international conspiracy against the Union of india? 

Have the days of the 'foreign hand' returned?

Farming practices are an education by themselves and it is not strange that many are not able to comprehend as to the reason for this hula-baloo. Because there was no organised lobby as such. Atleast it was not apparent nation wide, till now. Decades back the senior Tikiat had managed to choke Delhi but only farmers from Haryana were involved and it was more of a political show.

Incentives and a positive govt approach is required. We forget institutions like PSU's, railways and Air India in perpetual losses with crores being given in bailout packages. Because it is in the interest of the govt, the sansads and that unseen mysterious govt  'lobby' which makes people like Harshad, Mallya and Choksi.

An apolitical  organised farmer  lobby was missing here all this time. Now we can no longer blame 'rustic and mis-lead farmers' from Punjab and Haryana alone.

Or separatists and foreign funding. The national pressure cooker is steaming. Time to let off the steam. In a democracy there is no ego and loss of face by the govt -- because it is for and by the people unlike a dictatorship where 'danda' is the order and people are secondary.

For the govt and the farmer imbroglio to end  you have to have the stakeholders involved. Not pass ordinances and bills without debating the practicalities and obtaining views of the *affected parties* . 

And definitely not by sansads who are worried about a subsidised plate of chicken massla in the parliamentary canteen and their double pensions and the like who pass their own 'wage revisions' unanimously, with no party lines and no opposition'.

Agreed, diversification of crops (and cropping pattern) is another important factor. For this, perhaps the farmer is more to be blamed than the govt --  but it is the govt which again has to give incentive and impetus to overcome this inertia. The farmers will hardly oppose diversification. The govt wanted rice and wheat-  the farmers gave it to them. 

The reason, as I said, goes back to the 60's early 70's when the green revolution was ushered in. 

After years of passing the begging bowl for food aid, suddenly we were growing enough food to feed our teeming millions.The govt encouraged ' *more wheat* ' and even our postal stamps, coins and bank notes had wheat bushels imprinted. 

Now a systemic change is required in our farming policies as different from the acquisition and disposal of agricultural produce for which the protest is on.

We all want progressive reforms-- but if you fail in convincing the stake holders and push ordinances down their throat, then the best of intentions will fail. 

The govt of the day will fail.

Agreed, there is some merit in the three farm laws (ordinances). But also some demerits.  Least of them being the way they were introduced  and the way an unnecessary confrontation is taking place  in addition to the blame game. 

Avoidable definitely.

If the ordinances are implemented, 'farmers can sell their produce anywhere—in private markets and in other states'.

Granted. 

 But any inter-state sales will be allowed only to those who have a permanent account number (PAN) issued under the Income Tax Act, 1961.

* Very few farmers currently have a PAN number, it is not obligatory. Farm income is exempt from IT in any case. This point is not under any argument. And we are aware that the vast majority of Indian farmers are not 'rich'. For the common Indian farmer, farming is not a method of converting black money. 

Adhar card , yes, all have it as per govt orders, PAN card no.

*The most affected will be the marginal farmers whose land holding is just about 2.5 football fields (2 acres or so). This is the vast majority. 

 Those farmers who have a PAN number and do pay taxes have alternative sources of income other than agriculture. They are the industrialists, politicians, businessmen; can the state catch them? Not for the last 72 years. These manipulators are not the affected party.

And the MSP imbroglio.

Who decides whether MSP is adequate?

on what basis?

Modalities?

Why is the govt not transparent on MSP?

 Should MSP be there??

Yes.

Many of us keep speaking about MSP and many of us refer to the American model without really understanding its effect and need. 

In the US of A, out of all the crops that farmers grow,  Uncle Sam only subsidizes five of them.

 *They are corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, and rice.*

Between 1995 and 2017, $369.7 billion was paid out.

The combined agriculture and food industry makes up over 5 % of the U.S. economy. Like the US, we in India too need MSP. It is good and proven economics. Farming practices and land holdings  in India do not provide an acceptable standard of living to the Indian farmer-- more toil, hand to mouth existence, uncertainty of quantum and returns, dependence on manual labour, weather uncertainties and limited  income generatation.

 There is not much incentive to continue farming, second and third generation farmers search for greener pastures  and most farmers opt for selling their agricultural land for urban development.

 A sure path leading back to PL 480 days because soon the food production will start dwindling as  farming becomes an unattractive and BPL profession.

Why do Indian farmers want a quantifiable mention of the MSP as one of their demands ?? 

MSP has to be clearly guaranteed and like the DA, it has to be regularly re- visited. The present ordinances do not lay down a clear, acceptable, logical and equitable MSP workout. 

MSP is a must to ensure that farms and farmers remain healthy and viable units -- and do not become 'sick' like the famed Indian PSU's. 

*In India we too require subsidies for the farmers because farm subsidies protect the nation's food supply during wars, recession, economic crisis. Nations can survive bombings and occupation and dislocation of essential services and pandemics but not without farmers and farm produce.

*Farms are susceptible to pathogens, diseases, and weather and natural calamities, rainfall etc.

*Subsidies help farmers weather commodities' price changes

*Most importantly,  Indian farmers have all become small time farmers with limited landholdings due to the Indian govts misplaced 'socialist' policies over the years. Farmers rely on loans, making their profession  a gamble, one of the reasons for farmer suicides.

But again, MSP is only one of the reasons that farmers are protesting.