WHAT THE FARMERS’ NEED? – PART XII

MANDATORY PENSION FOR FARMERS

Looking back at my blog posts, I realized that I forgot to write about the last very important point in the series – WHAT THE FARMERS’ NEED? – about the Mandatory Pension for the farmers, who deserve more than any one else in the nation... sadly and ironically, they have been deprived from this aspect by the nation, for whom they shed their sweat and blood all their lives growing food grains...

PATHETIC! Yes, that is what the State Affairs reveal to exploit the farmers of the nation to the hilt till the last drop of blood is sucked from their lives. I strongly feel that more than the army, navy, air force and central government employees – the farmers of the nation rightfully deserve the PENSION of the State of India... or in that matter in any country of the world! Because if there were no farmers, who would feed the nation? While the defence forces devotedly try to safegaurd the nation from external aggression of the neighbouring countries, if not for the farmers, the nation would be a dead nation!

A farmer starts very early in life... at a tender age, he follows his father or grandfather into the fields, first playfully removing the weeds from the crops and gradually helps them with carrying various tools and at times food and water... as he gradually grows, he is made aware of the market – buying and selling... and all these while, while he is deprived of going to a school, his education about life’s most important aspect is nurtured by his grandfather and father as to how to grow various crops and take care of various aspects of farming. All his life till the mature age of 75 plus... he keeps up the ancestral profession alive while feeding the nation... and many a times, the nation doesn’t even bother to help the farmers during his time of distress, while his family members are somehow surviving bouts of hunger or sickness.

Right from the Nature to the Policies of the Government to the Traders’ Lobby to the International Organization... everything goes against him and he is still pushed to grow more food... HOW? Will someone explain as to how a farmer is supposed to grow more food for the nation when the Nation doesn’t provide proper Irrigation System even after six plus long decades? He is supposed to grow more foods while all his hard work goes in vain when there is no proper Storage System and Planning in place? While food grains worth billions of rupees are purposely and systematically allowed to rot in the open storage under the FCI – Food Corporation of India, so that those rotten grains can be bought cheap by the breweries owned by the kith & kins of corrupt politicians... He is supposed to grow more food grains when he doesn’t even gets the break even prices...

Well, in spite of all the odds against him, the selfless and hard working farmer, come rain, hot summer or else chilly winter... the farmer never cease to work to feed the nation... but what do they get for their devoted life from the nation? The farmers of the nation deserves State Pension and they should be given all the privileges that the Central Government Employees get... I do wonder many a times as to there is not even a single political leader in the nation of 1.21 Billions who will make sure that the farmers get the Rightful Pension from the State? My heart cries and I often have sleepless nights thinking about the hardships of the farmers’ life... I have seen them toil in the hot sun, heavy rains escaping the wrath of the devastating nature (lightning) and in chilly winter... they don’t complain at all when they are in their fields and dedicatedly they sweat and shed their blood to feed the nation even if their own families have to survive with hunger...

Is it really impossible to provide State Pension to the farmers who are the backbone of the economy of the nation? I just pray that some able leader should come forward to fight for the rights of the farmers... only if the State will look after the farmers of the nation well, there will never be shortage of food for the nation... but I know... WHO CARES? Within the next two decades when there will be no farmers’ community left in the world... the world will turn carnivorous to eat each other... because the future that we all are heading towards will have no fertile lands, water to drink or irrigate fields, no farmers... and remember the pace has already picked up momentum at a break neck speed!