THE agrarian crisis in India is a reflection of the economic policies pursued by the Indian State and can be resolved only by reversing them altogether. The crisis has manifested in the forms of increasing landlessness, widespread indebtedness, massive peasant suicides and alarming distress migration from rural to urban regions. Between 1991 and 2011, around 1.5 crore farmers -- 2,035 per day -- have been forced to give up cultivation and look for other occupations in order to overcome their crisis of subsistence.

 Mollah said that the Modi-government has backtracked on his promises made earlier to the peasantry. Peasantry, being that section of the population whose production feeds the entire nation, is being compelled to resort to suicides and starvation deaths due to complete lack of apathy on the part of the government. This lackadaisical stand of the government can only be responded by a firm whip of mass movements.

THE All India Co-ordination Committee of Sugarcane growers met at Sundarayya Vigyan Kendram, Hyderabad in September last week. Representatives from ten states (Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand) participated in this meeting. The meeting began with opening remarks by AIKS general secretary Hannan Mollah,  S Malla Reddy presided over the meeting. The report was presented by N K Shukla, convenor and supplemented by Vijoo Krishnan, co-convenor.

 THE All India Kisan Sabha, in a statement issued on October 5, has noted that the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) and the BJP-led NDA government seem to be in an undue haste to commercially release GM Mustard. This is despite the absence of any credible regulatory mechanism that can conduct long-term tests and ensure bio-safety concerns can be addressed. The data has also not been made public despite repeated efforts and even order from Central Information Commissioner.

AGAINST the brutal killing of two farmers in police firing in Assam, a protest march was organised in front of Assam Bhavan in New Delhi under the banner of Delhi Action Committee against Kaziranga Killings. The protesters shouted slogans and conducted a public meeting and condemned the atrocities committed by the BJP led government of Assam.The leader of the action committee, Banajith Hussain said the farmers in Kaziranga villages lived there since the 1960’s and are in possession of lease title, ration card, voter identity card etc.