Bhopal Gas Victims

Bhopal and Victims are often mentioned in the same sentence.  One tragic night changed the face of Bhopal and it’s people forever. So much so that even after 25 years of the disaster , people still continue to suffer, continue to struggle and continue to fight.

The tragedy and the generations of people affected by the disaster reminds us that there is a strong divide between the powerful rich and the helpless poor; that the judiciary is for sale; that no one cares for the poor except for the poor and a few good people.

It’s been more than 25 years since the disaster struck, but the memories of it are still very fresh. Because nothing has been to erase the memories.

1.  The disaster site hasn’t been cleaned up with tons of harmful chemicals still lying around
2. The ground water hasn’t been cleaned/purified.
3. The new generation of kids are born with respiratory diseases, with physical disorders.
4. The affected people, their familes, their kids have not been compensated for their loss.

So nothing has changed, the memories are still fresh. The victims are the ones who have led the fight, continued the fight and are still fighting against one of the biggest corporate giants and also one of the biggest corrupt. From the next generation kids of the victims to the most elderly victims, everybody is part of the long struggle.

With the help of a few select groups/individuals/organizations , the victims have managed to take the struggle forward and together were able to get some of their demands mets. But it took 20 years. 

20 Years is a very very long time to have spent fighting for the mere survival. Hope the campaign run by the victims creates more awareness about the situation and bring the attention of the government of India, the Dow chemical company.

As for me, I’m playing my role in the campaing, hope you can join too !

visit http://www.bhopal.net for more information regarding the campaign and how to get involved.

24×7 news

There was a time when the television news had it’s importance and it’s prominence.  It was only on for 30 minutes in Hindi from 8:30 to 9:00pm and then again from 9:30 to 10:00pm in English. I remember as a kid, my dad used to wait for the English news and within 30 minutes he would know the important national and international news. For everything else he would read the news paper next day.

And I would only be interested in sports, so i would watch just the last 5 minutes of the news. Doordarshan news was the best !

I don’t exaclty remember how this transformation happened or what triggered this to happen, but over the past decade and more importantly in

 

 the past 3-4 years, there seems to be a mad rush for the 24X7 news channels.  Just imagine, from a modest couple of hours a day to 24 hours a day, that’s just mind boggling.  Obviously it can’t be all news , so the news channels started featuring debates, discussions,campaigns, documentaries etc to make it worthwile. 

The 24×7 news has become very powerful, so much so that it can make the most powerful the most helpless and vice-versa. But somewhere in the mad rush of being the number one news channel, the channels seem to have got their priorities all mixed up. In an effort to make every news a breaking news and every news a sensational one, so that they can get better rating than their contemporaries.  This has also meant that no news will be reported unless the news channel thinks it can get some mileage by reporting it.

While I completely understand that at the end of the day, the news channels are nothing but another business trying to survive the rat race and so can report what they want and how they want, what i don’t understand is when everyother business has some sort of regulations, restrictions, the media seems to have none or even if it’s there, nothing seems to be enforced.

• Why is the media allowed to show dead bodies when a bomb blast happens ?
• Why is the media allowed to negotiate with terrorists ?
• Why is the media allowed to do live telecast of an army operation ?
• Why is the media allowed to play the role of judiciary ?
• Why is the media allowed to do sting operations ?
• Why is the media allowed to use foul language in their debates, discussions ?

And there are obviously a lot of issues, incidents that the media conveniently chose to ignore, should they be reported, then the impact media can have will be tremendous and long lasting.

I only wish the media realizes it’s more than just business. They have a moral and a social responsibility to fulfill just like any other citizen.

Be part of the system to change the system !

I’ve heard this phrase “Be part of the system to change the system” many a times before. I witnessed the people (volunteers of AID ) who became part of the system in an effort to bring the change, during the 3 day conference hosted by AID-INDIA ( Association for All India Development ).  I interacted with volunteers , some of who quit their full time jobs; gave up everything ( their comforts, luxuries and their life style ) to work at the grass root levels with the real people living in the real India i.e, the rural India where more than 70% of the population lives and yet are the most neglected and most deprived. They are all young, energetic, passionate, sincere and most of all are persistent with their efforts.

The volunteers are working along side the people and the government on issues ranging from health care ; to sustainable livelihood ; to sustainable farming; to basic education. Their approach involves educating them about the issues, about their rights, about fighting for their rights and most importantly about finding sustainable solutions for themselves.  This became very evident in the programs they were coordinating and exeucting at the grass root levels.

One such program is Eureka , an educational program implemented in a large number of schools across Tamil Nadu is aimed at improving the basic reading and basic mathematic skills. The premise of this program is not to alienate itself from the government schools but to be a part of it and try to help both the students and as well as the teachers.  Although the program has a long way to go, the fact that the government expressed it’s interest in this program is a testimony to it’s effectiveness.

The other unique aspect of AID is it’s penchant for activism , their willingness to stand up for what is their right and fight for what is wrong. From Salva-Judum to the Bihar floods to the NREGA Act to the Bhopal Gas Campaign, they are involved in everything.  

It gets more interesting. I came across some AID volunteers who were born and brought up in the US, who decided to join the people in India in their fight to survival , fight to livelihood, fight for their basic rights.

To help is one thing, to help someone to help themselves so that they become independent is something else. The volunteers of AID have put in their mind and soul together in doing so. Sometimes they come up with simple but effective ways to solve some of the basic problems. Haybox, for example is an innovative way to cook that not only saves fuel , their by saving money but also saves time. The haybox is priced @ Rs70/-.  And sometimes they patrner with other organizations and groups. The thinking is whatever works for the general good of the community.  And sometimes they would run campaigns to create awareness about the basic rights of the people (NREGA Act).

To sum up , AID is a great bunch of volunteers, a great bunch of optimists, a great bunch of activists, a great bunch of critics, a great bunch of enthusiasts. Hopefully there would be more such individuals, groups, organizations who think and act for the overall sustainable development of the society.

Charity or responsibility

I often struggled to get in terms with the word “Charity”. Charity to me sounds pitiful, derogatory in some cases.  Charity is often thought of as something that is done out of genorosity or out of sympathy. That’s what bothers me. Why should it be our generosity , it should simply be our responsibility.

It’s my responsibility, it’s your responsibility and it’s everybody’s responsibility to do whatever one can in one’s capacity to create opportunities for those who have not been so fortunate to get even the basic opportunities.

Just ask yourself.  Did you not ever approach the bank for a loan to buy a house, to buy an admission in a premiere education institute, to buy a vehichle ? I certainly did and the bank even obliged. But for many millions of people this opportunity doesn’t even exist. They could never imagine going to a bank. If you think about it, they are the one’s who really need the loans. Their life and death depends on this.

With a click of a mouse

1. For just $33 , one can give the gift of vision to a blind : Sankara Eye Foundation .
2. For just $25, one can change someone’s life forever: Kiva.
3. For just $150, one can educate a child for the whole year: Uplift a child , Sphoorti.
4. Aid India
5. Cry

These are just a few organizatiions that i’ve been actively contributing to in the last 3-4 years. Imagine, if with just a click of a mouse , one can transform someone’s life forever, if we are also willing to contribute our time and some effort, how many more lifes we could transform.

The Numbers Game

• 60 people killed and 125 injured in a blomb bast in Iraq
• A UN document being circulated around diplomatic missions in Sri Lanka estimates that nearly 6,500 civilians have died and 14,000 have been injured.
• Since 1997, more than 25,000 farmers have committed suicide, many drinking the chemical that was supposed to make their crops more, not less, productive 

and there are many such statistics that are reported in the news world over. Also, most of the time, the statistics, the numbers are played down. But if you really think about them as people and not merely as numbers, these headlines or news say a very sad story.  

In these tragedies, in these senseless acts of mass murders, genocidies, a child looses it’s parents,a mother his son, a father her daughter, an old parent loosing their only support this is devastating for anyone who form these numbers, these statistics.  Sometimes the people who get killed are fortunate, because who are left behind are left behind to remorse their loss for the rest of their lives.

But when do we start to look beyond these numbers and see the real people , the real lives that make up these numbers.

So what next , after the elections ?

The second phase of the elections have just finished. The verdict will be out in a few weeks from now.  Although i couldn’t vote ( as I’m not currently in India ) , i’ve been closely following the elections ( not the politicians ), the manifesto’s , the independent candidates, the optimism among the youth and the anger among the Indians, which is evident from the boycotting of the elections in some constituencies all over the country.

So what happens after the elections ? There is not an iota of doubt that it will be a coalation government at the center , a multi party government. How will the ruling party then fulfill it’s promises made in the manifesto’s. How can we make sure they fulfill their promises ? How can we make them responsible and answerable to the people ? We don’t want to wait for the next elections to vote for/against a party. If anything it needs to be done while the ruling party is in power.

Honestly i don’t have a thorough answer for this, but i will be looking for them over the next couple of weeks. There are definetly a few things that can be done to begin with

1. RTI: To use RTI effectively to seek information on matters related to the public welfare and its benefits.
2. Know your who’s and what’s : We need to get familiarized with how the government bodies work, who the responsible people are, whom to approach, how to approach , what are the procedures involved etc etc ?
3. A progress report: Come up with a progress report card to track the people in charge of our constituencies and confront them incase of a failure and appreciate incase of a progress.
4. what else ?

I know the above seems to be a lot of work that may involve time and effort and sometimes even money. But we need to do it , for our own sake for our children’s sake , for our community’s sake and for our country’s sake.

we cannot affor another 5 years to simply pass by …….

The new buzz word !

Take a guess, what’s the new buzz word of 2008/2009.  It’s all over the place, everybody is talking about it , be it rich or be it poor, be it the developing word or the developed world, everybody is expecting it. But so far the only rich got it. It’s the big “Bailout”.     

So what is the bailout. Well, in simple terms, when the banks loose money because of bad and risky bets, they go to the government who give them interest free loans or sometimes buy all the bad assets and help the banks restore so that they can make the same mistakes, yet again ! Simple enough, right ?

Vidharbha, a little know village in Maharashtra shot to instant name and fame when the local media reported about the increasing number of farmer suicides. The farmers commited suicide because no one was there to “bail” them out. They were left to die their own death.  So why did the farmers had to take this extreme step ? Well in simple terms

• the farmers took loan from the banks to produce the crop.
• the farming practices that were practiced required pesticides, chemicals and so on so forth. Most of the times the expenses out ran the revenue.
• the revenue ofcourse was largely dependent on the monsoon. No monsoon, no rain meant no revenue.
• so in order to pay for the expenses, they needed to take another loan. Only this time, the lender was not the bank but was the private money lender. The regular bank woudn’t give a second loan without paying the first loan.
• so then, what happens, when the banks come after the farmers for the money and even worse, when the money lenders are after them.
• that’s when the suicide happens.

It’s very unfortunate the way the farmer is financially cornered and then forced to end his/her life. Very unfortunate, especially when you know that car loans are much easily accessible than farming loans and at lower interest rates.

So why can’t the government(s), the banks, the people recognize the suicides trends as a crisis, why by the way is not only limited to Vidharbha , but to other places as well.  For a country that has more than 70% of population dependent on agirculture and which has seen more than 10,000 deaths ( or even more ) in a decade, what more needs to happen to recognize this a major crisis and do something about it.

I guess it’s just no fashionable enough. The banks in distress or the farmers in distress. Which one gets priority, i think the banks, because it’s much more urban, much more fashinable and much more happening.

• http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7383662.stm
• http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/episodes/the-dying-fields/global-cotton-industry/farmer-suicides-in-india/1948/
• http://www.indianexpress.com/news/in-vidarbhas-darkness-the-first-glimmer-farmer-suicides-down/212704/

Elections 2009 – How do you want to remember ?

1. Laloo Yadav’s on Varun Gandhi: The RJD chief Lalu Yadav has threatened to kill Varun Gandhi by crushing him with a road roller in front of crowd of thousands of people and used derogatory words (read more).

2. Manmohan Sing on Independent Candiates:  ”I would like to tell the people of Mumbai that there are a lot of independent candidates in this elections. These candidates are in the fray only to dent the votes that would be received by the Congress party”. (Read more).

3. Ashok Sahu in Kandhamal: During campaigning at Raikia village on April 5, Sahu had allegedly blamed Christians for the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Swami Laxamananda Saraswati, on August 23, 2008 (Read more).

4. The infamous Varun Gandhi’s speech: Watch & Listen for yourself  (Read more ).

From a common man’s point of view this is the worst nightmare possible.  The leaders who need to come together and bring stability to the people of the country are the one’s who are instigating hatred, mistrust and thus resulting in complete chaos.  Election 2009 will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.

However, there is still some hope. Hope in the young , educated, professional and sincere breed of politicans in the making.  There has been increased level of awareness and interest especialls in the youth ( both rural and urban ) in these elections. 

•  Jai Prakash Narayan of Lok Satta
• The first time independent candiate Sharath Babu
• Jagore : Encourage first time eligible voters to take part in the deomcracy.
• Captain Gopinath

Although this is a shorter list compared to the one above, we atleast have a list and a credible list.

The leaders may have forgotten their responsibilties and duties towards the citizens but the citizens have started to realize their duty towards the country. Election 2009 should be rememberd for this. Although it’s a long way to go , it is the right way to go ! To take active participation in the democracy.

Compare Mainfestos – weaker sections

Sources
Congress Manifesto:
BJP Manifesto:
Lok Satta Manifesto

Congress 1. The empowerment of the weaker sections of society — scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, OBCs, minorities and women — has been an article of faith with the Indian National Congress. This will be carried forward with emphasis on education, particularly skill-based and professional education. 2. Education at all stages — primary, secondary and university — will be free in all respects for boys and girls belonging to dalit and adivasi communities. 3. Coaching fees for all entrance exams for at least one lakh scheduled caste/scheduled tribe students every year will be paid by the Central Government. 4. National scholarships for boys and girls belonging to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes will be further increased. 5. The Indian National Congress will take steps to ensure that allocations under the Special Component Plan for scheduled castes and the Tribal Sub-Plan for scheduled tribes (first introduced by Indira Gandhi over three decades ago) are made in accordance with their proportions in the population. 6. An unprecedented special drive was launched by the Prime Minister and over 53,000 vacancies in government have been filled through direct recruitment or promotion ofmembers belonging to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. This drive will continue. 7. The Indian National Congress is deeply committed to pursuing affirmative action for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in the private sector. It has already initiated a national debate on this issue. 8. It also pledges to carve out a reservation for the economically weaker sections of all communities without prejudice to existing reservations for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and OBCs.

BJP The BJP will implement a set of policies committed to a massive expansion of modern education among Muslims, particularly for the girl child, through a new nationwide network of schools, in a public-private partnership programme. This will include, but not be limited to: 1. Capital assistance in new educational projects, both for basic and technical education, in low-income minority areas. Each project will be vetted for viability by a team of professionals within a maximum of six months. 2. Cash incentives for the education of the girl child, based on attendance and performance. Incentives will rise for those girls who get admission into recognised colleges for higher education. 3. Computer centres will be set up in low income urban areas and the most backward districts of the country. 4. The Ministry of Minority Affairs, today a stagnant source of toxic politics, will be revitalised into a hub for economic projects specifically targeted towards employment creation. There will be special emphasis on crafts and small-scale industries that have been traditional employers of minorities. 5. Youth are the owners of the future, and it is our duty to make them a dynamic social and economic engine for upliftment. The young do not live only in cities. In districts like Murshidabad in Bengal, young girls are being forced by poverty into making bidis on pathetic wages. Dynamic intervention is needed to improve income levels where such jobs exist and to create fresh avenues of employment where they do not. 6. The unfortunate phase of confused loyalties in some minority sections is over. Generations have been born in free India who are as committed to the nation as the nation is committed to them. The success stories of Muslims in sports, cinema, industry and a host of other fields, as individuals and team players, makes every Indian proud. 7. Terrorism does not have a religion. Those who espouse terrorism have stepped outside the moral code of their religion into barbarism. We must lift community-relations from the morass of misunderstanding. 8. A vibrant, modern India can have no place for either the perpetrators or the exploiters of fear.Religious Conversions 9. The BJP will facilitate, under the auspices of noted religious leaders, the setting up of a permanent inter-faith consultative mechanism to promote harmony among and trust between communities. This mechanism will also be used for a sustained and sincere Inter-Faith Dialogue between leaders of the Hindu and Christian communities on all aspects of life, including the issue of religious conversions. The dialogue should be held in the spirit of the unanimous report of the Inter-Faith Dialogue on Conversions, which was organised at the Vatican in May 2006 by the Pontifical Council for Inter-Faith Dialogue and the World Council of Churches, Geneva.

Lok Satta 1. Guarantee equal opportunities for growth to all, irrespective of caste, religion, gender, and financial status. 2. Lok Satta government will work tirelessly to abolish caste within one generation. 3. School, College and University educational records will not refer to the caste of the individual, except in the case of beneficiaries from schemes pertaining to SC,ST and BC. 4. Lok Satta Government will ensure that students from all castes live together in hostels. All government constructions will ensure that people belonging to different castes stay together. 5· Abolition of caste will figure prominently in school education and necessary changes will be made to the curriculum. This will pave the way for emergence of a nondiscriminatory society. 6· Irrespective of caste and religion, all children and youth from poor families will be given 10% bonus marks at the time of entrance examinations, higher education and employment. This will ensure an equal playing field for the disadvantaged to compete with children from richer sections of the society. 7· Special incentives for intercaste married couples and their children. 8· Lok Satta Government will create an asset for the poor from the discriminated sections. 9· Modernisation of various professions to enhance incomes, and ensure respect and opportunities for all who practice them. 10· Special efforts will be taken by Lok Satta Party for the political empowerment of discriminated castes and sections.

Compare Manifestos: Agriculture

Sources
Congress Manifesto:
BJP Manifesto:
Lok Satta Manifesto

Congress 1. Public investment in agriculture and infrastructure, which has increased appreciably over the past five years, will be stepped up further 2.It has brought comfort and hope to crores of our farmers and their families by (i) increasing the MSP and procurement prices; (ii) by waiving loans to the tune of Rs 65,000 crore; (iii) by increasing threefold credit from banks and reducing interest rates on crop loans; and (iv) by extending irrigation facilities. 3. Setup a National Farmers Commission 4. We will expand schemes for improving well-being of farmers and their families 5. Every small and marginal farmer in the country will have access to bank credit at lower rates of interest. While the massive loan waiver scheme has already been implemented and 3.68 crore farmer-families have benefited from it, the Indian National Congress now pledges to extend interest relief to all farmers who repay bank loans on schedule. To ensure that farming becomes a profitable occupation. 1.Programmes for agricultural diversification, agriprocessing and rural industrialization will be pursued systematically. Dairying, aquaculture, fisheries, horticulture and sericulture will receive an additional boost. 2.The special needs of crops like tea, coffee, rubber, spices, cashew and coconut will be met. 3.A renewed emphasis will be placed on wasteland development and afforestation. 4.The Indian National Congress will implement comprehensive crop insurance schemes and will also examine the feasibility of direct income support to farmers in the ecologically vulnerable regions of the country. 5.Minimum Support Price (MSP) and procurement will be ensured at the doorsteps of farmers. 6.All controls on the free movement of farm commodities and processing of agricultural products and all regulations that depress incomes of farmers will be systematically eliminated 7.To ensuring that farmers get, at a very minimum, market rates for the land that is acquired for industrial projects. 8.To given farmers an option to become stakeholders in such industrial ventures. As a matter of priority, the National Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2007, will be taken up for passage in the 15th Lok Sabha. 9.The Land Acquisition Act, 1894 will also be amended to ensure that the interests of land-owners are more than adequately protected

BJP To make India’s farmer debt-free, the BJP will: 1. Waive agricultural loans. 2. Set up a commission to study the entire gamut of farmers’ loans and come up with an actionable solution to the deepening crisis within six months. 3. Set a maximum ceiling of 4 per cent interest for agricultural loans to farmers from banks. 4. Introduce a pension scheme for aged and helpless farmers. 5. Make agriculture profitable by reducing the cost of inputs, enhancing yields and reviewing the present method of determining prices. 6. Implement a Farm Income Insurance Scheme through which both price and produce will be insured. In the event of loss of crops, farmers will be compensated under this scheme so that they do not suffer any loss of income. 7. Promote nature-friendly cultivation and incentivise organic farming to arrest soil quality depletion. Special marketing assistance for organic produce. 8. Introduce value addition schemes to reduce wastage and invest in food-processing units which will generate jobs for rural youth. 9. Create irrigation facilities for an additional 35 million hectares of land in five years: This will generate rural jobs as well as benefit farmers. Drip irrigation will be promoted along with better water management and use of check dams. 10. Ensure quality power, seeds and other inputs. 11. Heavily invest funds in agriculture to reverse the trend set by the Congress-led UPA and make the farm sector an equal engine of growth along with industry and the services sector. 12. Strengthen National Rural Bank and allied services. 13. Promote horticulture, floriculture, pisciculture and poultry for generating additional jobs and supplementing incomes. 14. Create additional grazing land and encourage the maintenance of ponds and water bodies. GM Seeds No genetically modified seed will be allowed for cultivation without full scientific data on long-term effects on soil, production and biological impact on consumers. All food and food products produced with genetically modified seeds will be branded as ‘GM Food’. LAND ACQUISITION FOR INFRASTRUCTURE FARMERS INTERESTS WILL BE PROTECTED The BJP will adopt a National Land Use Policy which will protect the interests of farmers. Its implementation will be monitored by a National Land Use Authority which will work with State Land Use Authorities to regulate and facilitate land management. The powers and functions of the National Land Use Authority will be similar to those of other regulatory bodies. The BJP will bring about amendments to existing laws to rectify anomalies pertaining to land acquisition. Farmers will be compensated at market rates for any land acquired for infrastructure purposes. The BJP will not allow the conversion of fertile farmland for industrial/commercial projects or Special Economic Zones. The entire issue of Special Economic Zones and acquisition of land for industrial use will be addressed after a careful scrutiny of the Parliamentary Standing Committee’s report and factoring in the need to protect the farm sector and enhance food production. International Trade Agreements The BJP shall fight against the protectionist trend which is emerging in some developed countries. We will safeguard the country’s interests in all bilateral and multilateral trade agreements by avoiding to accept any new unilateral or less than reciprocal commitments. Our Governmentwill renegotiate all such past commitments that are inconsistent with national interests, especially to ensure food security and affordable health care. We will not hesitate to roll back any concessions and facilities not reciprocated by the counterparts. The BJP will safeguard the interests of our vast technical manpower and ensure maximum market access in future agreements depending upon the offers made by the trade partners. Retail Trade The BJP understands the critical importance of retail trade in the context of employment and services provided by them, and thus favours a dominant role for the unincorporated sector in retail trade. Towards this end, it will not allow foreign investment in the retail sector. After agriculture, the retail sector is the largest employer of nearly four crore people. We will: 1. Adopt all necessary measures to safeguard the interests of small and tiny retail vendors. 2. Ensure availability of working capital needs for such vendors through credit at not more than four per cent interest. 3. Study the feasibility of a slab-based ‘Compound Tax’ for traders to free them from needless harassment and end corruption. 4. Set up an empowered committee to recommend welfare measures, including a pension scheme, for small traders.

Lok Satta Quality Power Supply to Farmers 1.Agricultural transformers will be separated, and power with stable voltage and will be guaranteed; farmers will be compensated by the Lok Satta Government for motors burnt on account of voltage fluctuations. 2.Villages will be guaranteed 24hour power supply through decentralized distribution. 3.Additional funds will be granted to enhance the quality of power distribution. AgriClinics Prosperity to Farmers (‘Rytusiri’) 1.Lok Satta government will guarantee the establishment of ‘Rytusiri’ agriclinics. 2·Farmers can access various services at the AgriClinics such as: a) Quality seeds, pesticides, agricultural instruments at affordable prices. b) Provision to sell all agricultural produce at profitable price. c) Farmers can access the agriclinic round the clock for advice and services. d) Latest market information. e) Free Soil Testing. f) Free veterinary services. g) One fully computerized agriclinic will be established for every 3,000 acres. 3· All agricultural equipment and implements will be made fully taxexempt. Farmers can purchase all agricultural equipment at factory prices. 4.Agriclinics will facilitate collective selling of farmers’ produce to retail chains and super markets at profitable rates. ‘Akshaya’ – Credit to Farmers and Tenants 1.Lok Satta government will guarantee Akshaya Cards to all farmers for accessing credit depending on his/her land holdings and other properties. Depending on family and agricultural requirements credit will be extended on overdraft basis. 2· Every Farmer will have an account in cooperative and commercial banks. 3· All farmers will get direct access to loans, and usurious lending practices will be prohibited. 4. Special arrangement for farmers to access credit. Farmer Controlled Market Yards (‘Rythe Raju’) 1· Lok Satta government will guarantee the democratization of market committees. Elected Farmer’s Committee will manage market yards. Lok Satta Government guarantees corruptionfree market yards. 2· Facilities to ensure direct selling at the Market Yards. Integration with retail chains, information on global markets and opportunities to export will be provided at the market yards. 3 Market Yards will have storage facilities and pledge loans will be guaranteed on stored produce. 4. Cold storage units and radiation units for various agricultural produce, specifically for perishable items such as fruits and vegetables. 5· Quality seeds, pesticides, and agricultural equipment will also be sold at the Market Yards. Depending on the market, SeedCenters will be established. 6 Modern abattoirs and other facilities will be established for production and export of meat. AgroIndustries to Guarantee Crop Prices 1· Lok Satta government will guarantee the establishment of agroindustries that will ensure minimum support prices for fruits and vegetables. 2· Provisions to sell at minimum support prices even if prices plummet in the market. 3· AgroIndustries that enhance the value of crop will be established. 4· A state federation of agrobased industries to sell their produce will be established. Government will provide a subsidy to this federation if necessary. 5. Training to children of farmers and employment in agroindustries.