Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The elections are around the corner and by the end of next month the new government will be formed. The farmers expect the new government to ensure sufficient power supply, proper roads in rural areas, better health services and also relief from stray cattle menace.
Their list of demands also includes supply of diesel and fertilisers at cheaper rates. The Free Press talked to some farmers to know what they expect from the new government.
Excerpts:
TS Patel, Udaipura, district Raisen |
Adequate power supply
We want our representatives to provide regular power supply. The government claims that electricity is being supplied to farms for at least 10 hours every day. This is false. It is a rare day when we get power supply for 10 hours. The roads in villages are so poor that, let alone bikes, it is even difficult for the tractors to traverse them. The Naj-Jal Yojana, under which piped water supply is provided in villages, is there but pipelines get burst too often. Urea and DAP are in permanent short supply. The price of diesel is too high. Farmers can’t do anything without diesel.
- TS Patel, Udaipura, district Raisen
Raghunath Singh, Ramkheri, Tehsil Deori, District Raisen |
Gaushalas for stray cattle
The biggest problem for the farmers is stray cows. The cows are abandoned by the dairy farmers once they stop yielding milk. And these cows move about in huge herds. They destroy everything. We want the next government to solve this menace by constructing ‘Gaushalas’ in sufficient numbers. The price we get for our produce is low. There is no medical facility in our village. For treatment, we have to travel to either Bhopal or Jabalpur. So we expect proper medical facilities in our village.
- Raghunath Singh, Ramkheri, Tehsil Deori, District Raisen
Pavan Pareshan, Obaidullaganj, District Raisen | Pavan
Encourage organic farming
We want our MLA to promote organic farming. The government’s claims that it is promoting organic farming are hollow. Nothing is happening at the ground level. Madhya Pradesh is supposed to be surplus in power production. Yet, we farmers don’t get electricity; we only get bills. As for problems, the list is a long one. Power supply, roads, and schools - everything is a problem which should be solved.
- Pavan Pareshan, Obaidullaganj, District Raisen
Anuj Singhai, Bilkhiriya Kalan, District Raisen |
Bulls for breeding
I expect my representative to solve the problem of power supply. To promote nature-based farming, the government should provide a platform where the producers can directly sell their produce to the consumers. Middlemen should be eliminated. I also own cattle. Every village should have a couple of bulls of high breed, which can be used by all the dairy farmers. These bulls must be maintained either by the government or by the Pancyahat. That is the only way we will be able to improve the breed of milch cattle.
- Anuj Singhai, Bilkhiriya Kalan, District Raisen
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