By Pravin Patel; Bhubaneswar: I script this true story of a tribal farmer who within his limited means tried his best to override poverty but lost his path in the middle due to factors that were much beyond  his control. Poor Francis Kujur struggled a lot but when he faced rough behavior of the bank officials who intimidated and insulted him in the market and also reached his house for recovery was too much to bear for the poor Francis who ultimately took the short cut by ending his life.

The tragedy has taken place at Bhadartoli of Balimunda village in Nuagaon Block of Sundergarh district exposes the irresponsible and insensitive attitude of the administration in addressing the genuine problems faced by poor more particularly when it matters to the farmers and tribals.

The five-member team of Tribal Welfare Society (TWS) was formed which went in depth of the matter. The fact finding team consisted of the writer, Cyril Lakra, Jitendra Tigga of Satra Village which is at a distance of three KM from Balimunda village, Asha Devi, President,  Women Wing of the District, TWS and Victoria. 

On 26th November, 09 we left for Balimunda village. On reaching the house of the deceased farmer, we discussed the matter in details with Jema, wife of the deceased Francis, heard her and also held discussions with their neighbors and other villagers. We also talked to Sanjit aged 10 years and Piyush 7 years of age, both sons of the deceased farmer. After spending about six hours in the village, we gathered the information that was enough to reach to the conclusion that in premature death of Francis, high handed attitude of the Bankers and their ill assessed loan proposal are responsible for pushing the innocent tribals to end his life.

It was already dark in the night and with no electricity in the village, even at 6.30 PM, it appeared as if we are in the middle of night. We left for Rourkela.

Based on our discussion and collecting the vital information from the wife of the deceased farmer, the story that unfolds is that Francis Kujur, about 30 years of age, was a simple, peace loving person with good relations with others in the village. He was living with his wife Jema Kujur and two minor sons Sanjit 10 years and Piyush 7 years of age at Bhandartoli of Balimunda village while his eldest son Sandip of 12 years age is staying with his maternal uncle. He held a BPL Card bearing and also had a job card of NREGA.

Out of 9 acres of land that is in the name of his mother, he possessed three and half acre of land on which he was growing paddy year after year. He tried his level best, within his limited reach, to over ride poverty but when it became too much for him to bear the pressure of the Bank officials who were behind the recovery of the loan amount, he preferred to end his life.

The loan of Rs. 45,000/- (Rupees Forty Five Thousand only) was availed from a nationalized bank for agricultural purpose to dug a well,  on 21st of November, 2008 under Kishan Credit Card.

Last year, with good rains the harvest of paddy was about 400 Kgs but because of poor rains, the expected harvest is only about 160 to 180 Kgs this year. Poor farmer had spent about Rs. 6,000/- on seeds, fertilizers etc besides putting in hard labour by all members of the family. To support the irrigation needs of his farm and to cultivate two crops of vegetables, Francis had constructed a dug well but all his efforts to arrange for a water pump fell on the deaf ears of the Bank officials. Tragedy is that when paddy was badly in need of water, which was available in the dug well within the field, but the much-needed pump was not there that could have saved the crop from being damaged.

With poor paddy crop and in order to support his family, Francis had no choice but to work as a daily wage earner for which he used to go to Rourkela, while his wife and children took care of the paddy fields. Francis earned Rs. 70/- or Rs. 80/- per day depending upon the job, working as a labour at Rourkela for which he had to spend minimum Rs. 20/- to meet both ways transportation costs in shuttle auto rickshaws that ply in the area.

Jema narrates that Francis was disturbed due to poor paddy crop on which he had spent all the hard earned money and was frustrated to see his failed efforts to arrange a water pump due to the negative attitude of the officials of the Bank who instead of helping him to bail him out of the crisis, were only interested to recover the loan amount without bothering to know the poor crop of paddy due to shortage of water.

Jema further adds that on Tuesday, 10th of November, 2009, Francis had gone to market in a proper mood but when he came back, he was looking nervous and depressed. She asked him the reason for his not in mood or what is the matter that he looks disturbed. To  this Francis narrated that in the market, Bank officials insulted and humiliated him, demanding to pay back the loan immediately. He stated that he even informed them that due to poor condition of the paddy, he may not even recover the costs that he has put in the and how he can repay without getting a water pump that will boost his income. But this was not to the taste of the Bank officials who were bent up on recovery irrespective to look at the genuine problems faced by him.  Next day again Francis went to Rourkela to work as a labourer.

Again on Thursday, 12th of November, 2009, Bank official came in a car to the village and reached the house of Francis who was not there as he had gone to Rourkela for work. Jema with both sons had gone to paddy field. Neighbors Nilima Kujur informed the facts to Jema on her coming back from the farm. She was told that Bank officials have called Francis to the Bank next day. She appraised of the facts to Francis when he came back from the work.  Listening to this Francis was upset. Next day, as usual, Francis left for Rourkela but came back early working only half day.  He had not taken lunch as the Tiffin was brought back as it is, says Jema. He was looking disturbed.  He informed Jema that he is not able to decide what to do. In the evening, he did not take dinner also. Ultimately the family went to the beds. It was about 10 PM when all of a sudden, she listened shouts of Francis. She was surprised and looked at the bed to find that Francis was not in the bed. His shouts were from outside the house. She came out holding a hand lamp locally known as “Dibri” in her hand and found that Francis was on the  Neem tree with a rope tied to the tree. He stated that he is not going to listen to any one. She pleaded again and again to please be quiet and come down but soon he put the rope in his neck and jumped down hanging himself. He died soon on the spot.

When we asked why he goes to Rourkela to work, when NREGA guarantees to provide jobs for 100 days in each year, that too at the village, Jema shows us the job card of NREGA which is blank. She  states that no work is offered to them till date under NREGA. Some villagers informed that for a work done before a year or so, payments of 15 days of work is not yet made and no more work under NREGA has taken place in their village since then.

It was about 9.00 PM when I reached my hotel room at Rourkela. I was disturbed at knowing the facts that led to the premature death of a tribal farmer. Few questions roamed in my mind. I was wondering how insensitive are our administrative officials who have no respect for poor persons and that too who are thrown in difficulties for which they are also equally or more responsible. I also wondered why there are two different yardsticks, one for poor and other for the rich!.

Here is a case in which a poor farmer prefers to end his life to save him from humiliation and intimidation of the Bankers and on the other side we find faces involved in multi-crore mining scams laughing in front of camera posing as if they are very big heroes but have no shame to have played the dirty games.

Mining Scam, Fake Medicine racket, female infanticide are few of the examples in front of us, shows that even the state has failed to react by ordering a much needed CBI inquiry, believed to be the efforts to save the skin of the shameless faces involved in the dirty game of eating away large sums of public money.

I wondered while the prices of almost all the agricultural commodities are scaling new heights day after day and on the other side we find our poor farmers who produce the same are committing suicide.

We also find that the trend is to acquire more and more farmland for industrialization or mining or other non-farm purposes in the name of development, but we never look at for whose development all this farmlands are acquired. Experience so far has proved that what is development for a handful few is total destruction for many.  While demand of food is increasing every day, farmer who produces is not in the picture to reap the benefits of increased demands. Population of the world has increased from 2.5 billion in 1950 to 6.7 billion now, which at the current growth rate will reach 16 billion. Food is a prime necessity without which no one can survive as such importance of farmer can not be ignored is a fact that must be understood by all those who are involved in policy making bodies.

I also wonder why we have dual yardstick one for poor and other for rich. The gap between haves and have-nots is widening every day. We have our National Water Policy 2002 that has a list of priorities in which at number one   priority is safe drinking water and number two Priority is Water for Irrigation but in reality, we find that most of the rural population do not have even safe drinking water after 62 years of independence and passing away of 10 five year plans.

Hard fact is that water has not reached most of the marginal and poor farmers despite billions are spent in the name of creating irrigation facilities. Where all these money has gone? The thick skin of the spineless politicians is such that even in the draught, they are eager and anxious to look for ways and means, how to pocket the money allocated for draught relief.

How can we ignore our Agricultural sector that provides maximum employment in the country. One grain of seed in the soil can produce over 100 grains but when the prices of agricultural products are sky rocketing, we are puzzled why our farmers are committing suicide?  Why a farmer is left on his own to live in constant tension of how to manage both ends meet. While the costs of all the inputs have increased manifold, rates of farm produces are sky high, who are the persons who pocket all this money? Sugarcane farmers of UP have shown to the world that without agitation, our spineless politicians do not listen to the vows of the sufferers.

Increasing the prices of food products is not the solution. We need to do analysis to find out how and why the costs are increasing? How to reduce the costs, so as to make farm, sector, a farmer friendly enterprise. It is a time to look at the working of last ten years of the Ministry of Agriculture both at Center and state to look for the decisions that they have made and also to find who are the beneficiaries of such decisions. What is the secret of ever increasing higher prices of almost all the food products. Right to Information needs to be utilized.

What were the prices of Wheat, Rice, Aarahar and Mung Dal or even ghee before just four months and now? Why the prices increase only after the elections are over? General public is not knowing any thing about the problems faced by the farmers or but desires to have the rates of all food products to be lower. Lal Bahadur Shastri, who had great respect and faith in the farmers of our country, had given the call of "Jai Jawan- Jai Kishan", to which farmers of our country responded with full faith but now who bothers for the farmers? We do not find any of our spineless politicians working in the interest of farmers.

As per the records of the National Crime Bureau, 1,82,936 farmers have committed suicide from 1997 to 2008. Is this not enough to awake the policy makers in the corridors of power to wake up and think again and again, why our farmers who stood rock solid in the freedom movement of our mother land, who reacted strongly to the call of Lal Bahadur Shastri have been pushed to corners resulting in their hopeless and pathetic conditions that has made them so lame that suicide seems to be the only solution to escape from the increasing problems that they find unbearable any further.

The fact finding  team has following suggestions to make:

1. Bankers need to have a people friendly developmental approach. Under no circumstances, they should behave as shylocks.

2. National Water Policy -2002 must be enforced with full sincerity and honesty. All the required arrangements must be made at the earliest to ensure that irrigation needs of the farms are taken care of.

3. Animal husbandry like goatry and dairy should be given priority support that can help to address poverty of the marginal farmers.

4. All efforts must be made to protect the common land of the villagers, known as grazing grounds. What is found in reality that it is the state government it self, which is playing mischief with the common village land. Be it the government of any party, the eagle eyes of the politicians falls on those common grazing grounds.

5. Farmers should be united coming out of the party lines and not becoming vote bank of any party. This will only force the political party to behave in a responsible manner while dealing with farmers.

It is also time to awake to look at the people behind the driving seats at Krishi Bhawan to find out the vested interest by using Right to Information to find which policy decisions have led to the spiraling higher prices in the last decades.

[The author is a Human Rights Activist and Director, Tribal Welfare Society, New Delhi. Please send your comments and suggestions at janatavikasmanch@gmail.com]