Credit for waiving off farmer loans in Vidarbha region goes to former PM Manmohan Singh

Mumbai: On March 19, 1986, around 38 years ago, a farmer Sahebrao Karpe and his entire family comprising wife and four minor children, ended their lives at Chilghavan village in Yavatmal district in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra.

Located in central India, the Vidarbha region that borders Madhya Pradesh to the north, Chhattisgarh to the east, Telangana to the south and Marathwada and Khandesh regions of Maharashtra to the west - had in the last few decades become a suicide capital for farmers.

The issue of farmers' suicide or for that matter the agrarian crisis is not just limited to only Vidarbha region.

Besides Yavatmal, the worst-affected districts are Amravati, Wardha, Akola, Washim and Buldhana.

As Vidarbha became the epicentre of the farmland crisis, Dr Manmohan Singh became the first Prime Minister to visit Yavatmal and have a first-hand assessment of the ground situation.

The economist-politician, Dr Singh then headed the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA).

The government from 2004-14, Sharad Pawar, a four-time Maharashtra Chief Minister, was the Agriculture Minister.

In 2006, when Dr Singh visited Yavatmal, the Congress-NCP Democratic Front government was in power with late Vilasrao Deshmukh as the then Maharashtra Chief Minister.

“Dr Singh was the first Prime Minister to visit Yavatmal and address the issue of farmers’ suicide in the region,” said Kishor Tiwari, the veteran farmers’ leader and founder-President of Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS).

Tiwari, who is based in Pandharkawada in Yavatmal, had flagged the issue of farmers’s suicide - and it generated international media attention.

In fact, the two-day Vidarbha visit touched Dr Singh, who then had said, "The interactions have left a deep impression on my mind. The farmers who form the backbone of the economy of these districts, are in acute distress forcing many of them to take the extreme step of committing suicide when they see all avenues for relief blocked. The causes of the crisis seem to be many."

"The primary ones seem to be continual crop failure, low yields, poor irrigation, medical expenses, cost of weddings in families, delays in getting electricity connections, and unremunerative prices. These have pushed many farmers deep into debt and my heart was moved when I heard the harrowing tales of suicide affected families who were struggling to educate their children.”

Tiwari said that from October 2004, Dr Singh took serious cognizance of the situation in West Vidarbha and asked Dr MS Swaminathan, the then Chairman of National Commission on Farmers, to visit the region. Based on the report, a team of the Planning Commission visited Vidarbha.

“The relief announced by the state did not work,” said Tiwari. In 2008-2009 a Debt Waiver and Debt Relief Scheme for Farmers was announced for whopping Rs 72,000 crore.

Former PM Manmohan Singh had visited the farmers of the Vidarbha region.

“Dr Singh had taken the decision to make farmers debt free and a national farm loan waiver was announced and because of this the UPA government came to power again in 2009,” said Tiwari.

On his death, Pawar said, “In the passing away of Dr Manmohan Singh, our nation has lost one of its greatest economists, a visionary reformist, and a global statesman. His departure is an unbearable loss—he was a godly soul who embodied humility, forbearance, tolerance, and compassion. As the architect of India’s economic reforms, his legacy will forever inspire generations to come.”

In fact, the indications of the debt relief came in his statement during Dr Singh’s Vidarbha visit. “We need to take steps to provide immediate relief to the farmers of the region. The immediate priority must be to restart the process of credit flow so that farmers can resume normal agricultural activities and obtain regular livelihood. For this, we need to address the issue of debt relief. At the same time, we need to address the long-term issues of enhancing livelihoods by providing additional avenues of income and improving the prospects for agriculture so that agriculture can become a viable enterprise,” Singh had said.