|
|
|
 
 
 
 
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
| ||||
| ||||
| ||||
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
British support for policies joining aid to economic liberalization in developing economies blamed for suicide epidemic among Indian farmers
More than 4,000 farmers have killed themselves in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. This happened as free-market measures was implemented by a ''hardline liberalising regime'' with the help of a 1.65 million pounds grant from the Department for International Development (DfID) of UK.
Trade reforms backed and funded by the British Government have caused an agricultural crisis in India which has sparked an epidemic of suicide among impoverished farmers, a leading charity claims today.
No one is caring for these farmers. Indian Government is looking at foreign exchange reserves level and implementing the trade liberalization programs.
The grant program to implement market prices ended up as tragedy for the farmers India. According to media rsources, farmers in Andhra Pradesh who had traditionally grown their own food were persuaded between 1999 and 2004 to swap to cash crops and incurred large debts, which they were unable to pay due to wildly fluctuating global prices.
The result has been a catalogue of family tragedies among thousands of peasant farmers who were forced to approach unscrupulous moneylenders to fund fertilisers, pesticides and water boreholes that produce little or no financial return.
The loan sharks took advantage of these farmers like what used to happen in India under the British rule – they literally robbed these farmers and made them economic slaves.
Daleep Mukarji, director of Christian Aid, said: ''It is a scandal that the British Government has backed policies and pumped British taxpayers'' money into schemes which have contributed to poor Indian farmers killing themselves.
The farmers are killing themselves by drinking pesticides every day.
It is unfortunate that the current Indian Government overlooked the needs of the farmers and the rural sector of the country and is running after cheap foreign money.
POLITICAL ARTICLES
|
|
| Click here to get ad specs and place your ad or Click here to contact the advertisement department |
Send Letters to the Editor
|
Add RSS headlines