Click to play videoBuldana: More than 1,200 cotton farmers are reported to have committed suicide in Vidarbha over the last one year.
But even after high-profile visits by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi, there's little change at purchase centres.
It's still a bitter wait for farmers after the harvest, among many corrupt officials.
The cotton procurement season has begun in Vidarbha. But farmers, who need to urgently sell off their produce to repay back debts, have to wait. Private traders are thus moving in to make a killing.
A farmer from Vidarbha Surevan Sonoune says, “Government offers money in three installments. How can we manage? We want cash in one go.”
“Government announced hike in the rate after we sold off our cotton to businessmen. Now they will get the benefit, “said another farmer Nand Kishore.
In Vidarbha, with more than 100 farmers' suicides a month, that's no empty threat. But suicides, say farmers, have changed nothing as far as the babudom is concerned. Corruption, they say, is rife.
Sunil Tomar, farmer, says, “We had come here to meet the officers. But then they asked us for a bribe. We are poor, how can afford that?”
Maharashtra government is aware of the corruption.
Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil said, “If anybody asks for a bribe, it's wrong. I will get them enquired by the anti-corruption cell.”
Some of the officials have even been caught red handed.
Vigilance Officer M L Jadhav said, “After we got a notice, we caught an officer red-handed, taking a bribe of Rs 1,000.”
Heavy burden of debts, corruption in the cotton centres and the pressure to feed the family leaves the Vidarbha farmer with no option other than committing suicide.
The Maharashtra government now needs to act fast and devise concrete measures before the situation runs completely out of hand.
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