Uneasy Fields: On Kisan Mukti Morcha
In Order To Address Farmers’ Distress, The Entire Agricultural Chain Needs A Reboot
Last week, tens of thousands of farmers reached Delhi for a two-day Kisan Mukti Morcha and held the country’s attention. They sought a special 21-day Parliament session to discuss the crisis in India’s agrarian economy. Their key demands included an unqualified loan waiver to mitigate indebtedness levels in farm households and better remuneration for their produce instead of promises on paper of high minimum support prices. These broad demands sum up the precarious livelihood of a majority of farmers who work on small, fragmented land holdings. This is certainly not the first distress call from the farm sector to Parliament and policymakers; several such stirs have taken place across States over the past year alone. In March, when around 30,000 farmers and tribals from Maharashtra walked for days to Mumbai, they drew appreciation for their restrained conduct compared to the usually unruly protesters. And, they secured assurances from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of tangible action on their demands over the next six months. Finding little movement on those promises, many of those who had marched to Mumbai joined the rally in Delhi, which was by far the biggest such gathering. Galvanised by the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee, it reportedly had participation from 200-plus organisations, with farmers from 24 States.
With rural distress palpable, elections for five State Assemblies under way, and the Lok Sabha election just about six months later, farmers’ issues are bound to further dominate politics. Official data released last Friday show that the agriculture sector clocked a growth of just 3.8% (on a gross value added basis) in the second quarter of this fiscal, compared to the 5.3% recorded in the preceding quarter. To put that in perspective, farm sector output was growing strongly in the first three quarters of 2016-17, before imploding in the aftermath of the demonetisation exercise. The latest number suggests that the semblance of recovery seen in the previous two quarters has dimmed too. The government has done an about-turn on its responses to a parliamentary panel that farmers were hit hard by the note ban, and sought to reassure farmers by reiterating its own initiatives for the sector. The Opposition, in turn, is using the farmers’ platform to take jibes at the BJP-led government at the Centre and in many States. Unfortunately, neither has focussed on the big picture strategy needed to reboot India’s hugely state-controlled farm sector. The Centre exhibits an aversion to inconvenient facts. And the Opposition’s attempts to tap into their angst with breezy promises of loan waivers (with both the Congress and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi promising them in State election pitches) that over-simplify the crisis. Farmers are not just vote banks, but also critical economic actors who aspire to live without handouts. Till that is clearly recognised, paying lip service to the humble farmer will continue to distort the discourse.
MEANINGS AND WORDS
1) sought
Meaning : attempt to find (something).(v)
Tamil Meaning : முயன்று
Synonyms : desired
Antonyms : unwanted
Example : “they came here to seek shelter from biting winter winds”
2) agrarian
Meaning : relating to cultivated land or the cultivation of land.(adj)
Tamil Meaning : விவசாய
Synonyms : rural
Antonyms : urban
Example : “Brazil is rapidly diversifying its agrarian economy”
3) waiver
Meaning : an act or instance of waiving a right or claim.
Tamil Meaning : விலக்கு
Synonyms : remission
Antonyms : allowance
Example : “their acquiescence could amount to a waiver”
4) mitigate
Meaning : make (something bad) less severe, serious, or painful(v).
Tamil Meaning : குறைக்க
Synonyms : alleviate
Antonyms : aggravate
Example : “drainage schemes have helped to mitigate this problem”
5) indebtedness
Meaning : the condition of owing money(n).
Tamil Meaning : கடன்பட்ட
Synonyms : liability
Antonyms : asset
Example : “the industry is taking steps to reduce indebtedness and cut costs”
6) remuneration
Meaning : money paid for work or a service(n).
Tamil Meaning : ஊதியம்
Synonyms : compensation
Antonyms : penalize
Example : “they work in excess of their contracted hours for no additional remuneration”
7) precarious
Meaning : not securely held or in position; dangerously likely to fall or collapse(adj).
Tamil Meaning : நிலையற்ற
Synonyms : delicate
Antonyms : certain
Example : “a precarious ladder”
8) distress
Meaning : extreme anxiety, sorrow, or pain(n).
Tamil Meaning : துயரத்தில்
Synonyms : affliction
Antonyms : comfort
Example : “to his distress he saw that she was trembling”
9) stirs
Meaning : a slight physical movement.
Tamil Meaning : தூண்டுவது
Synonyms : uproar
Antonyms : peace
Example : “I stood, straining eyes and ears for the faintest stir”
10) appreciation
Meaning : recognition and enjoyment of the good qualities of someone or something.
Tamil Meaning : பாராட்டு
Synonyms : recognition
Antonyms : criticism
Example : “I smiled in appreciation”
11) restrained
Meaning : characterized by reserve or moderation; unemotional or dispassionate.
Tamil Meaning : கட்டுப்படுத்தும்
Synonyms : discreet
Antonyms : extroverted
Example : “his restrained, gentlemanly voice”
12) Galvanised
Meaning : shock or excite (someone) into taking action(v).
Tamil Meaning : தூண்டியது
Synonyms : astonish
Antonyms : calm
Example : “the urgency of his voice galvanized them into action”
13) palpable
Meaning : able to be touched or felt.
Synonyms : conspicuous
Antonyms : ambiguous
Example : “the palpable bump at the bridge of the nose”
14) perspective
Meaning : a particular attitude towards or way of regarding something; a point of view.
Tamil Meaning : முன்னோக்கு
Synonyms : aspect
Antonyms : perspectiveless
Example : “most guidebook history is written from the editor’s perspective”
15) imploding
Meaning : collapse or cause to collapse violently inwards.
Tamil Meaning : வெடிப்பை
Synonyms : fall down
Antonyms : explode
Example : “both the windows had imploded”
16) dimmed
Meaning : make or become less intense.
Synonyms : tarnish
Antonyms : explain
Example : “the difficulty in sleeping couldn’t dim her happiness”
17) reiterating
Meaning : say something again or a number of times, typically for emphasis or clarity(v).
Synonyms : renew
Antonyms : recant
Example : “she reiterated that the government would remain steadfast in its support”
18) semblance
Meaning : the outward appearance or apparent form of something, especially when the reality is different.
Synonyms : pretense
Antonyms : reality
Example : “she tried to force her thoughts back into some semblance of order”
19) reboot
Meaning : (with reference to a computer system) boot or be booted again.
Tamil Meaning : மறுதொடக்கத்தை
Synonyms : reset
Example : “the new value will not be in force until you reboot the system”
20) aversion
Meaning : a strong dislike or disinclination.
Tamil Meaning : வெறுப்பு
Synonyms : animosity
Antonyms : rapport
Example : “they made plain their aversion to the use of force”
21) angst
Meaning : a feeling of deep anxiety or dread, typically an unfocused one about the human condition or the state of the world in general.
Tamil Meaning : மனக்கவலை
Synonyms : agony
Antonyms : calmness
Example : “the existential angst of the middle classes”
22) aspire
Meaning : direct one’s hopes or ambitions towards achieving something.
Synonyms : pursue
Antonyms : dislike
Example : “we never thought that we might aspire to those heights”
23) recognised
Meaning : acknowledge the existence, validity, or legality of(v).
Tamil Meaning : அங்கீகாரம்
Synonyms : admit
Antonyms : deny
Example : “the defence is recognized in British law”
24) humble
Meaning : having or showing a modest or low estimate of one’s importance(adj).
Tamil Meaning : தாழ்மையான
Synonyms : courteous
Antonyms : brave
Example : “I felt very humble when meeting her”
25) distort
Meaning : pull or twist out of shape(v).
Tamil Meaning : சிதைத்து
Synonyms : alter
Antonyms : preserve
Example : “a grimace distorted her fine mouth”