PAGRI SAMBHAL O JATTA- DHARTI SAMBHAL OYE"
KHETI VIRASAT MISSION-VATAVARAN PUNCHYAT, JAITU
Convention on Third Freedom Struggle for Peoples' Right over Natural Resources
At
KHARKAR KALAN
On
21st September, 2008
LET US BUILD A MASS MOVEMENT TO DEFEND OUR RIGHT OF SELF RELIANT CONTROL OVER NATURAL RESOURCES
Freedom is a basic human right. Indians have fought a prolonged and protracted struggle for independence. In started in 1757, when East India Company imposed its rule in a deceptive way. This imposed a tyrannical rule to destroy our peasants, artisans and traders. This first phase of independence movement lasted up to 1857 when Company Raj was replaced by the British Government. The second phase of independence movement ended in 1947 when the British had to leave the country. During this phase in 1907 S Ajit Singh of Kharkar Kalan (uncle of S. Bhagat Singh) launched a peasant movement along with other freedom fighters which became popular as "PAGRI SAMBHAL O JATT". Sixty years have passed since we got freedom from British Imperialism. But basic problems of poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, squalor and disease have not been solved. Not only is that, in many aspects worse is happening.
We are feeling the urgent need to again raise this popular pre independence slogan "PAGRI SAMBHAL O JATTA DHARTI SAMBHAL OYE".
But now this slogan means protecting all the natural resources—land. Agriculture, water, seeds, plant and animal biodiversity and human beings because all these are fast going out of our control and are being snatched/grossly damaged by few greedy and criminal elements. Now the respect of our turban (pagri di laaz) can only be saved by saving and further developing the traditional knowledge required to save all these natural resources. The mode of development and model of agriculture being followed for the last 4-5 decades have not only snatched these natural resources from the peasants but have grossly damaged these precious gifts of nature.
A NEW FORM OF SLAVERY:
Our natural resources are being snatched away from the peasants/people with money power using fare and fowl methods. These are not only snatched but are virtually being raped and destroyed to extract maximum immediate monetary benefits. It is a new form of slavery which is being perpetually imposed on the peasants as well as natural resources. The few greedy people have created a culture through which nature is being bled to death. Mother Nature has enough and is ready to suckle milk to every living being but we are trying to suck her blood instead of milk.
Our respected gurus have taught us "pawan guru, paani pita, maata dharat mahat"—air is our master, water is father and earth is mother. That was our culture—deep love and respect for nature and natural resources. We were taught from the very childhood to use nature in such a way that it was not damaged in any way; rather it was perpetually enriched by our life activities. We were taught to live in complete harmony with nature. But we are destroying delicate balance of nature. The industrial agriculture which is being imposed on us is totally anti nature. Nature and natural resources are being bled to death. Human beings as part of nature and a very important natural resource are also being damaged. They are also being bled to death along with other components of nature.
We have surrendered our agriculture to callous and greedy market forces through which few very rich corporations are successfully sucking the blood of our peasants through unnecessary and costly agricultural inputs. We have lost control over our natural resources like water, seeds, biodiversity and traditional knowledge.
GM SEEDS THE CLIMAX OF SLAVERY THROUGH SEEDS:
The process of enslavement through seeds which started as hybrid seeds has been completed through GM Seeds. In addition to that, GM Seeds are dangerous and has the potential of proving to be greatest environmental disaster ever seen or imagined until now. They were brought with high fie claim of ending the use of pesticides, which have been proved to be thoroughly bogus and false. It is really unfortunate that our agriculture scientists are praising them without any evidence of their usefulness and ignoring all possible serious harms to the balance of nature. It is very obvious that they sing the praises only to get personal benefits from these very rich corporations.
The experience of Bt. Cotton has proved beyond doubt that their claims of saving the crop from pests are utterly false. Large numbers of secondary pests have started to attack the cotton crop. The experience of Vidherba Farmers is a living proof. They had brought the GM cotton under a misleading statement that it is not a food. The fact is that all cotton seeds are being crushed to extract oil, which is eaten as 'vanaspati ghee' by humans and remnants are fed to the cattle as oil cakes. So it is a food of humans as well as cattle. Now hey are coming up with Bt. Brinjal and large number of other food crops without proving the safety of these crops beyond doubt.
EXPLOITATION OF MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS:
A few multination corporations have a monopoly over the manufacture and business of agrochemicals and seeds. Seventy three percent of business in agrochemicals and thirty percent of seeds is controlled by few MNCs like Monsanto, Dupont, Cargill, Bayer and Novartis etc. Monsanto started its business as manufacturer of chemicals weapons. The notorious Agent Orange (2, 4 D organophos) used as a weapon of chemical warfare in Vietnam by America was manufactured by Monsanto. The same chemical is being sold to peasants under the name of Roundup as an herbicide. It kills everything except the crop which is grown from the modified seeds of Monsanto. After monopolizing the business in agrochemicals, now the company is fast trying to achieve the same in seeds. Through this monopoly the company is fast working to completely control our agriculture. Its loot through the sale of the Bt.Cotton seeds is well known to everyone. During the first year seed was sold at the rate of Rs.1700/- per packet (450 G), out of which Rs. 1300/- per packet was the royalty of Monsanto. After the protests from the peasants the rate per packet was reduced but it was a crude joke because the amount of seed to be used per acre was doubled.
WATER GETTING DEPLETED AND POISONED IN PUNJAB:
Availability of pure toxin free water for drinking, bathing, other domestic uses, for cattle and for agriculture is becoming a grave problem in Punjab. The reasons are multiple. Excessive use of agrochemicals and industrial waste water, full of highly toxic chemicals being thrown into our water bodies, without any treatment or cleaning, are the major culprits. The city sewers are being thrown into the rivers and rivulets without any treatment. The excessive and indiscriminate suction of deep ground water also adds certain toxins to our surroundings. Just like the fossil fuels which contain large no. of impurities which are sucked from the huge depths of earth and are thrown on the surface of the earth where they act as toxins for living beings. The deep water also contains certain impurities which act as poisons for living beings. In addition the ground water is fast getting depleted in our state because of the over use. These factors have created havoc in Punjab which have lead to a serious Environmental Health Crisis in Punjab. The situation is so grave that we need to launch a mass movement immediately to save our water from depletion and poisoning.
WE MUST SAVE THE ENDANGERED BIODIVERSITY:
The addition of highly toxic chemicals in our environment is becoming the cause of mass death of large no. of species. Large no. of species are virtually getting eliminated. Many worms and insects residing within the earth including the earthworms, many insects on the surface of earth; large no. of carnivorous birds-eagles, owls, crows and sparrows; frogs and snakes are fast getting eliminated. The policy of industrial agriculture which promotes highly poisonous agrochemicals including very strong herbicides and monoculture of particular crops with modified seeds of MNCs is proving highly destructive to plant biodiversity. MNCs are making all out efforts to control our agriculture through monopolizing the seeds and consciously destroying our own seeds. Large no. of laws and regulations are being passed by our governments to fulfill the wishes of Corporations to destroy our plant and animal biodiversity including local seeds and to replace them with seeds of MNCs. About thirty such laws and regulations have been passed in the recent past.
We are being chained by the chains of this new form of slavery which can prove very dangerous in the coming years. Our food security is under grave threat. The control of our forests and agriculture is going into the invisible hands of capital, our natural resources and biodiversity is being destroyed under a deep rooted conspiracy. People are never consulted about these changes. Our traditional social institutions and cultural values are being systematically destroyed. The destruction of human and animal health is clearly visible.
HUMAN HEALTH—A DANGEROUS SCINARIO:
The health of our people is worsening day by day. The highly toxic chemicals being added en masse to our environment by burning of fossil fuels, chemical farming and industrial waste water are causing slow poisoning of human beings along with all other living beings. Old infectious diseases are becoming more dangerous and resistant, new infectious diseases are coming in a big way and there is a huge epidemic of non infectious diseases including cancers of various organs.
Our immune system, which is a God given gift to remain healthy, has been grossly weakened by the slow poisoning. As a result of this weakened physiology we are more prone to infectious as well as non infectious diseases including various cancers. Our reproductive system has become the easy target because of its sensitive nature. The sperm counts have fallen to half in two generations; the number of childless couples has tremendously increased; onset of puberty in female children has advanced by 2-3 years; puberty in male children has been delayed by 2-3 years; the prevalence of menstrual disorders have tremendously increased in all age groups; cysts and tumors of ovaries and uterus are more common now; the prevalence of spontaneous abortions, premature births, still births, congenital malformations and early childhood deaths have increased. There is an epidemic of congenital malformations—Hypospadias, Undescended Testes, Congenital Hernias, Neural Tube Defects including Anencephaly, Cleft Lip, Cleft Palate, T-O Fistulas, Mental Retardation, Cerebral palsy, Autism and large number of Metabolic Disorders. Mental Retardation in children has increased from 1 in 40000 to 1 in 40 in 40 years. One thousand times increase. All these are because of large number of dangerous poisons in our environment. The child is highly vulnerable to environmental toxins because of fast multiplication of cells within the womb of mother and early childhood. We will need large number of Pingalwaras in Punjab in the coming years.
NATURAL FARMING-A SYMBOL OF FREEDOM AND PROSPERITY:
Our gurus had taught us that farming is the most sacred and best profession. But by adapting the alien ways of farming we have made it the dirtiest and most hatred profession. Our agriculture used to be self reliant, sustainable and symbol of prosperity. We have 10000 years of recorded history of agriculture. In the world, the first books of agriculture were written in our country. When Europe was still using tree leaves and animal skins to cover their bodies, we were wearing woven clothes in India. That was the symbol of our rich heritage of agriculture as well as artisanship. In the last forty years we have lost our traditional knowledge and skills of agriculture. An alien model of agriculture based on use of big machines, highly toxic chemicals and altered seeds have been imposed on us by the imperialists just to sell their products and to impose a new form of slavery on us. They have succeeded in befooling us. Our own agriculture universities, scientists and governments have actively helped them to achieve their aim.
Through this model-- our peasants have been looted, environment poisoned, fertility of soil grossly reduced, natural resources and delicate balance of nature destroyed, large no. of animal species killed, generated environment health crisis for humans and cattle, fast loosing animal and plant biodiversity and global warming and danger of end of life on this planet has become our fate. Visionaries like Bhagat Puran Singh had been warning us from the very beginning, but we did not listen and here we have reached.
During the last ten years 160000 farmers have committed suicides. This is only a tip of the ice berg of misery through which our peasants and agriculture laborers have been living through all these years. They are living under the constant burden of ever increasing debts and the humiliation associated with this. Many of them are selling their lands to save their honor and are becoming laborers. The agriculture has become highly unpopular economically unviable profession and the youngsters of peasant families don't want to adapt it making the families vulnerable to all the problems of life.
Natural farming, which is a highly developed model of our traditional agriculture, is the gate way of freedom from intense economic exploitation of peasantry; use of costly and poisonous inputs; chronic poisoning of all living beings; destruction of environment and natural resources; destruction of plant and animal biodiversity and gross disturbance of forces of nature like global warming. A farmer practicing Natural Farming is the true disciple of our gurus who stands for "PAWAN GURU, PAANI PITA, MAATA DHARAT MAHAT".
We, the lovers of freedom of humanity, all living beings and nature have gathered in the familial village of Shahid-e-Aazam S. Bhagat Singh to hold our heads and hearts together to discuss the present scenario of our country and accept the challenge being posed by the imperialists and oppressors. They are imposing this new form of slavery through the science and techniques of agriculture. If we succeed in convincing our farmers to stop their model of enslavement and adapt the model of Natural Farming as model of freedom, we can stop this chain reaction. The farmers will have no link with the market as he has not to purchase any agriculture input. He prepares every input in his farm-seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and implements. After keeping the produce for his family and cattle, he will sell directly to the consumer through farmer-consumer co-operatives or to a small trader at a price of his choice.
NATURAL FARMING—A SUCCESSFUL FARMING;
Natural farming is proving to be a great success in various parts of the world including our own country. There are countries like Cuba who are doing Chemical Free Farming and are not only self-sufficient in food and agricultural products but are exporting the excess to other countries. In our own country it is becoming a highly successful movement in Maharashtra under the dynamic leadership of an agriculture scientist Mr. Subhash Palekar. In Andhra Pradesh, Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA) is leading this movement. They have demonstrated the success of this model in ten lac acres of land. The State and the Central Governments have accepted their success and are coming forward to expand the land area to twenty five lac acres during the next year. In Punjab, hundreds of farmers in our villages have adopted this model and demonstrated its success beyond doubt. It is proving to be superior model in all respects as compared to the chemical farming. We need to do a lot to make it a popular movement. We have to organize camps in each village to teach the techniques of natural farming and establish a seed bank in each village to save and propagate our own improved seeds. We also need to launch a campaign of tree plantation in our villages.
WISHING GOOD OF ALL LIVING BEINGS—NEED OF THE HOUR:
Punjab today needs a mass movement which can effectively save our natural resources from further degradation and restore our sovereignty over it. This movement will become an integral part of a broad struggle for third phase of independence movement along with other movements for social justice and for opposing the process of globalization. This movement has to save our traditional knowledge of agriculture, enrich it with the experience of various states and countries and transmit it to the next generation. This movement has to restore the depleted fertility of our soil and purity of our water. This movement will help to detoxify our bodies from the cumulated toxins and restore our health. This movement will help to build a pro people non-polluting and sustainable model of development in industry as well as agriculture.
Farmers and all other nature loving people will be the base of this movement. We believe that issues discussed on this pious land of Kharkar Kalan will prove to be an important mile stone in the progress of this movement in our country. The philosophical and technical discussion about the new model of development and new mode of agriculture will have to be tested in the geographical, social and cultural contexts. The thoughts of our gurus expressed in Gurbani, the founder of Kuka Movement Baba Ram Singh, S Bhagat Singh, Bhagat Puran Singh and hundreds of other Freedom Fighters will be light houses for us.
WE CALL UPON ALL PUNJABIS TO BE PART OF THIS MOVEMENT TO SAVE OUR FARMERS AND AGRICULTURE, TO SAVE OUR WATER AND SOIL FROM TOXIC INDUSTRIAL WASTES, CONSUMERS, NATURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES, HUMAN HEALTH, ANIMAL HEALTH AND ALL LIVING BEINGS.
Umendra Dutt Dr. Inderjit Kaur Prof. Jagmohan Singh Surjit Paatar
Dr. Nirmal Singh Satnam Singh Manak Dr. Daljit Singh Dr. Amar Singh Azad
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Friday, October 10, 2008
Peoples’ Right over Natural Resources
PAGRI SAMBHAL O JATTA - DHARTI SAMBHAL OYE”
KHETI VIRASAT MISSION-VATAVARAN PANCHYAT, JAITU
People's declaration adopted at Convention on Third Freedom Struggle for Peoples’ Right over Natural Resources at KHATKARH KALAN on 21st September, 2008
LET US BUILD A MASS MOVEMENT TO DEFEND OUR RIGHT OF SELF RELIANT CONTROL OVER NATURAL RESOURCES
Freedom is a basic human right. Indians have fought a prolonged and protracted struggle for independence. In started in 1757, when East India Company imposed its rule in a deceptive way. This imposed a tyrannical rule to destroy our peasants, artisans and traders. This first phase of independence movement lasted up to 1857 when Company Raj was replaced by the British Government. The second phase of independence movement ended in 1947 when the British had to leave the country. During this phase in 1907 S Ajit Singh of Kharkar Kalan (uncle of S. Bhagat Singh) launched a peasant movement along with other freedom fighters which became popular as “PAGRI SAMBHAL O JATT”. Sixty years have passed since we got freedom from British Imperialism. But basic problems of poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, squalor and disease have not been solved. Not only is that, in many aspects worse is happening.
We are feeling the urgent need to again raise this popular pre independence slogan “PAGRI SAMBHAL O JATTA DHARTI SAMBHAL OYE”.
But now this slogan means protecting all the natural resources—land. Agriculture, water, seeds, plant and animal biodiversity and human beings because all these are fast going out of our control and are being snatched/grossly damaged by few greedy and criminal elements. Now the respect of our turban (pagri di laaz) can only be saved by saving and further developing the traditional knowledge required to save all these natural resources. The mode of development and model of agriculture being followed for the last 4-5 decades have not only snatched these natural resources from the peasants but have grossly damaged these precious gifts of nature.
A NEW FORM OF SLAVERY:
Our natural resources are being snatched away from the peasants/people with money power using fare and fowl methods. These are not only snatched but are virtually being raped and destroyed to extract maximum immediate monetary benefits. It is a new form of slavery which is being perpetually imposed on the peasants as well as natural resources. The few greedy people have created a culture through which nature is being bled to death. Mother Nature has enough and is ready to suckle milk to every living being but we are trying to suck her blood instead of milk.
Our respected gurus have taught us “pawan guru, paani pita, maata dharat mahat”—air is our master, water is father and earth is mother. That was our culture—deep love and respect for nature and natural resources. We were taught from the very childhood to use nature in such a way that it was not damaged in any way; rather it was perpetually enriched by our life activities. We were taught to live in complete harmony with nature. But we are destroying delicate balance of nature. The industrial agriculture which is being imposed on us is totally anti nature. Nature and natural resources are being bled to death. Human beings as part of nature and a very important natural resource are also being damaged. They are also being bled to death along with other components of nature.
We have surrendered our agriculture to callous and greedy market forces through which few very rich corporations are successfully sucking the blood of our peasants through unnecessary and costly agricultural inputs. We have lost control over our natural resources like water, seeds, biodiversity and traditional knowledge.
GM SEEDS THE CLIMAX OF SLAVERY THROUGH SEEDS:
The process of enslavement through seeds which started as hybrid seeds has been completed through GM Seeds. In addition to that, GM Seeds are dangerous and has the potential of proving to be greatest environmental disaster ever seen or imagined until now. They were brought with high fie claim of ending the use of pesticides, which have been proved to be thoroughly bogus and false. It is really unfortunate that our agriculture scientists are praising them without any evidence of their usefulness and ignoring all possible serious harms to the balance of nature. It is very obvious that they sing the praises only to get personal benefits from these very rich corporations.
The experience of Bt. Cotton has proved beyond doubt that their claims of saving the crop from pests are utterly false. Large numbers of secondary pests have started to attack the cotton crop. The experience of Vidherba Farmers is a living proof. They had brought the GM cotton under a misleading statement that it is not a food. The fact is that all cotton seeds are being crushed to extract oil, which is eaten as ‘vanaspati ghee’ by humans and remnants are fed to the cattle as oil cakes. So it is a food of humans as well as cattle. Now hey are coming up with Bt. Brinjal and large number of other food crops without proving the safety of these crops beyond doubt.
EXPLOITATION OF MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS:
A few multination corporations have a monopoly over the manufacture and business of agrochemicals and seeds. Seventy three percent of business in agrochemicals and thirty percent of seeds is controlled by few MNCs like Monsanto, Dupont, Cargill, Bayer and Novartis etc. Monsanto started its business as manufacturer of chemicals weapons. The notorious Agent Orange (2, 4 D organophos) used as a weapon of chemical warfare in Vietnam by America was manufactured by Monsanto. The same chemical is being sold to peasants under the name of Roundup as an herbicide. It kills everything except the crop which is grown from the modified seeds of Monsanto. After monopolizing the business in agrochemicals, now the company is fast trying to achieve the same in seeds. Through this monopoly the company is fast working to completely control our agriculture. Its loot through the sale of the Bt.Cotton seeds is well known to everyone. During the first year seed was sold at the rate of Rs.1700/- per packet (450 G), out of which Rs. 1300/- per packet was the royalty of Monsanto. After the protests from the peasants the rate per packet was reduced but it was a crude joke because the amount of seed to be used per acre was doubled.
WATER GETTING DEPLETED AND POISONED IN PUNJAB:
Availability of pure toxin free water for drinking, bathing, other domestic uses, for cattle and for agriculture is becoming a grave problem in Punjab. The reasons are multiple. Excessive use of agrochemicals and industrial waste water, full of highly toxic chemicals being thrown into our water bodies, without any treatment or cleaning, are the major culprits. The city sewers are being thrown into the rivers and rivulets without any treatment. The excessive and indiscriminate suction of deep ground water also adds certain toxins to our surroundings. Just like the fossil fuels which contain large no. of impurities which are sucked from the huge depths of earth and are thrown on the surface of the earth where they act as toxins for living beings. The deep water also contains certain impurities which act as poisons for living beings. In addition the ground water is fast getting depleted in our state because of the over use. These factors have created havoc in Punjab which have lead to a serious Environmental Health Crisis in Punjab. The situation is so grave that we need to launch a mass movement immediately to save our water from depletion and poisoning.
WE MUST SAVE THE ENDANGERED BIODIVERSITY:
The addition of highly toxic chemicals in our environment is becoming the cause of mass death of large no. of species. Large no. of species are virtually getting eliminated. Many worms and insects residing within the earth including the earthworms, many insects on the surface of earth; large no. of carnivorous birds-eagles, owls, crows and sparrows; frogs and snakes are fast getting eliminated. The policy of industrial agriculture which promotes highly poisonous agrochemicals including very strong herbicides and monoculture of particular crops with modified seeds of MNCs is proving highly destructive to plant biodiversity. MNCs are making all out efforts to control our agriculture through monopolizing the seeds and consciously destroying our own seeds. Large no. of laws and regulations are being passed by our governments to fulfill the wishes of Corporations to destroy our plant and animal biodiversity including local seeds and to replace them with seeds of MNCs. About thirty such laws and regulations have been passed in the recent past.
We are being chained by the chains of this new form of slavery which can prove very dangerous in the coming years. Our food security is under grave threat. The control of our forests and agriculture is going into the invisible hands of capital, our natural resources and biodiversity is being destroyed under a deep rooted conspiracy. People are never consulted about these changes. Our traditional social institutions and cultural values are being systematically destroyed. The destruction of human and animal health is clearly visible.
HUMAN HEALTH—A DANGEROUS SCINARIO:
The health of our people is worsening day by day. The highly toxic chemicals being added en masse to our environment by burning of fossil fuels, chemical farming and industrial waste water are causing slow poisoning of human beings along with all other living beings. Old infectious diseases are becoming more dangerous and resistant, new infectious diseases are coming in a big way and there is a huge epidemic of non infectious diseases including cancers of various organs.
Our immune system, which is a God given gift to remain healthy, has been grossly weakened by the slow poisoning. As a result of this weakened physiology we are more prone to infectious as well as non infectious diseases including various cancers. Our reproductive system has become the easy target because of its sensitive nature. The sperm counts have fallen to half in two generations; the number of childless couples has tremendously increased; onset of puberty in female children has advanced by 2-3 years; puberty in male children has been delayed by 2-3 years; the prevalence of menstrual disorders have tremendously increased in all age groups; cysts and tumors of ovaries and uterus are more common now; the prevalence of spontaneous abortions, premature births, still births, congenital malformations and early childhood deaths have increased. There is an epidemic of congenital malformations—Hypospadias, Undescended Testes, Congenital Hernias, Neural Tube Defects including Anencephaly, Cleft Lip, Cleft Palate, T-O Fistulas, Mental Retardation, Cerebral palsy, Autism and large number of Metabolic Disorders. Mental Retardation in children has increased from 1 in 40000 to 1 in 40 in 40 years. One thousand times increase. All these are because of large number of dangerous poisons in our environment. The child is highly vulnerable to environmental toxins because of fast multiplication of cells within the womb of mother and early childhood. We will need large number of Pingalwaras in Punjab in the coming years.
NATURAL FARMING-A SYMBOL OF FREEDOM AND PROSPERITY:
Our gurus had taught us that farming is the most sacred and best profession. But by adapting the alien ways of farming we have made it the dirtiest and most hatred profession. Our agriculture used to be self reliant, sustainable and symbol of prosperity. We have 10000 years of recorded history of agriculture. In the world, the first books of agriculture were written in our country. When Europe was still using tree leaves and animal skins to cover their bodies, we were wearing woven clothes in India. That was the symbol of our rich heritage of agriculture as well as artisanship. In the last forty years we have lost our traditional knowledge and skills of agriculture. An alien model of agriculture based on use of big machines, highly toxic chemicals and altered seeds have been imposed on us by the imperialists just to sell their products and to impose a new form of slavery on us. They have succeeded in befooling us. Our own agriculture universities, scientists and governments have actively helped them to achieve their aim.
Through this model-- our peasants have been looted, environment poisoned, fertility of soil grossly reduced, natural resources and delicate balance of nature destroyed, large no. of animal species killed, generated environment health crisis for humans and cattle, fast loosing animal and plant biodiversity and global warming and danger of end of life on this planet has become our fate. Visionaries like Bhagat Puran Singh had been warning us from the very beginning, but we did not listen and here we have reached.
During the last ten years 160000 farmers have committed suicides. This is only a tip of the ice berg of misery through which our peasants and agriculture laborers have been living through all these years. They are living under the constant burden of ever increasing debts and the humiliation associated with this. Many of them are selling their lands to save their honor and are becoming laborers. The agriculture has become highly unpopular economically unviable profession and the youngsters of peasant families don’t want to adapt it making the families vulnerable to all the problems of life.
Natural farming, which is a highly developed model of our traditional agriculture, is the gate way of freedom from intense economic exploitation of peasantry; use of costly and poisonous inputs; chronic poisoning of all living beings; destruction of environment and natural resources; destruction of plant and animal biodiversity and gross disturbance of forces of nature like global warming. A farmer practicing Natural Farming is the true disciple of our gurus who stands for “PAWAN GURU, PAANI PITA, MAATA DHARAT MAHAT”.
We, the lovers of freedom of humanity, all living beings and nature have gathered in the familial village of Shahid-e-Aazam S. Bhagat Singh to hold our heads and hearts together to discuss the present scenario of our country and accept the challenge being posed by the imperialists and oppressors. They are imposing this new form of slavery through the science and techniques of agriculture. If we succeed in convincing our farmers to stop their model of enslavement and adapt the model of Natural Farming as model of freedom, we can stop this chain reaction. The farmers will have no link with the market as he has not to purchase any agriculture input. He prepares every input in his farm-seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and implements. After keeping the produce for his family and cattle, he will sell directly to the consumer through farmer-consumer co-operatives or to a small trader at a price of his choice.
NATURAL FARMING—A SUCCESSFUL FARMING;
Natural farming is proving to be a great success in various parts of the world including our own country. There are countries like Cuba who are doing Chemical Free Farming and are not only self-sufficient in food and agricultural products but are exporting the excess to other countries. In our own country it is becoming a highly successful movement in Maharashtra under the dynamic leadership of an agriculture scientist Mr. Subhash Palekar. In Andhra Pradesh, Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA) is leading this movement. They have demonstrated the success of this model in ten lac acres of land. The State and the Central Governments have accepted their success and are coming forward to expand the land area to twenty five lac acres during the next year. In Punjab, hundreds of farmers in our villages have adopted this model and demonstrated its success beyond doubt. It is proving to be superior model in all respects as compared to the chemical farming. We need to do a lot to make it a popular movement. We have to organize camps in each village to teach the techniques of natural farming and establish a seed bank in each village to save and propagate our own improved seeds. We also need to launch a campaign of tree plantation in our villages.
WISHING GOOD OF ALL LIVING BEINGS—NEED OF THE HOUR:
Punjab today needs a mass movement which can effectively save our natural resources from further degradation and restore our sovereignty over it. This movement will become an integral part of a broad struggle for third phase of independence movement along with other movements for social justice and for opposing the process of globalization. This movement has to save our traditional knowledge of agriculture, enrich it with the experience of various states and countries and transmit it to the next generation. This movement has to restore the depleted fertility of our soil and purity of our water. This movement will help to detoxify our bodies from the cumulated toxins and restore our health. This movement will help to build a pro people non-polluting and sustainable model of development in industry as well as agriculture.
Farmers and all other nature loving people will be the base of this movement. We believe that issues discussed on this pious land of Kharkar Kalan will prove to be an important mile stone in the progress of this movement in our country. The philosophical and technical discussion about the new model of development and new mode of agriculture will have to be tested in the geographical, social and cultural contexts. The thoughts of our gurus expressed in Gurbani, the founder of Kuka Movement Baba Ram Singh, S Bhagat Singh, Bhagat Puran Singh and hundreds of other Freedom Fighters will be light houses for us.
WE CALL UPON ALL PUNJABIS TO BE PART OF THIS MOVEMENT TO SAVE OUR FARMERS AND AGRICULTURE, TO SAVE OUR WATER AND SOIL FROM PESTICIDES & TOXIC CONTAMENATION.
CONSERVE SEEDS, NATURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES, HUMAN HEALTH, ANIMAL HEALTH AND ALL LIVING BEINGS.
MAKE PUNJAB PESTICIDE FREE and SAY NO to GM Crops.
Umendra Dutt Dr. Inderjit Kaur Prof. Jagmohan Singh Surjit Paatar
Dr. Nirmal Singh Satnam Singh Manak Dr. Daljit Singh Dr. Amar Singh Azad
KHETI VIRASAT MISSION-VATAVARAN PANCHYAT, JAITU
People's declaration adopted at Convention on Third Freedom Struggle for Peoples’ Right over Natural Resources at KHATKARH KALAN on 21st September, 2008
LET US BUILD A MASS MOVEMENT TO DEFEND OUR RIGHT OF SELF RELIANT CONTROL OVER NATURAL RESOURCES
Freedom is a basic human right. Indians have fought a prolonged and protracted struggle for independence. In started in 1757, when East India Company imposed its rule in a deceptive way. This imposed a tyrannical rule to destroy our peasants, artisans and traders. This first phase of independence movement lasted up to 1857 when Company Raj was replaced by the British Government. The second phase of independence movement ended in 1947 when the British had to leave the country. During this phase in 1907 S Ajit Singh of Kharkar Kalan (uncle of S. Bhagat Singh) launched a peasant movement along with other freedom fighters which became popular as “PAGRI SAMBHAL O JATT”. Sixty years have passed since we got freedom from British Imperialism. But basic problems of poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, squalor and disease have not been solved. Not only is that, in many aspects worse is happening.
We are feeling the urgent need to again raise this popular pre independence slogan “PAGRI SAMBHAL O JATTA DHARTI SAMBHAL OYE”.
But now this slogan means protecting all the natural resources—land. Agriculture, water, seeds, plant and animal biodiversity and human beings because all these are fast going out of our control and are being snatched/grossly damaged by few greedy and criminal elements. Now the respect of our turban (pagri di laaz) can only be saved by saving and further developing the traditional knowledge required to save all these natural resources. The mode of development and model of agriculture being followed for the last 4-5 decades have not only snatched these natural resources from the peasants but have grossly damaged these precious gifts of nature.
A NEW FORM OF SLAVERY:
Our natural resources are being snatched away from the peasants/people with money power using fare and fowl methods. These are not only snatched but are virtually being raped and destroyed to extract maximum immediate monetary benefits. It is a new form of slavery which is being perpetually imposed on the peasants as well as natural resources. The few greedy people have created a culture through which nature is being bled to death. Mother Nature has enough and is ready to suckle milk to every living being but we are trying to suck her blood instead of milk.
Our respected gurus have taught us “pawan guru, paani pita, maata dharat mahat”—air is our master, water is father and earth is mother. That was our culture—deep love and respect for nature and natural resources. We were taught from the very childhood to use nature in such a way that it was not damaged in any way; rather it was perpetually enriched by our life activities. We were taught to live in complete harmony with nature. But we are destroying delicate balance of nature. The industrial agriculture which is being imposed on us is totally anti nature. Nature and natural resources are being bled to death. Human beings as part of nature and a very important natural resource are also being damaged. They are also being bled to death along with other components of nature.
We have surrendered our agriculture to callous and greedy market forces through which few very rich corporations are successfully sucking the blood of our peasants through unnecessary and costly agricultural inputs. We have lost control over our natural resources like water, seeds, biodiversity and traditional knowledge.
GM SEEDS THE CLIMAX OF SLAVERY THROUGH SEEDS:
The process of enslavement through seeds which started as hybrid seeds has been completed through GM Seeds. In addition to that, GM Seeds are dangerous and has the potential of proving to be greatest environmental disaster ever seen or imagined until now. They were brought with high fie claim of ending the use of pesticides, which have been proved to be thoroughly bogus and false. It is really unfortunate that our agriculture scientists are praising them without any evidence of their usefulness and ignoring all possible serious harms to the balance of nature. It is very obvious that they sing the praises only to get personal benefits from these very rich corporations.
The experience of Bt. Cotton has proved beyond doubt that their claims of saving the crop from pests are utterly false. Large numbers of secondary pests have started to attack the cotton crop. The experience of Vidherba Farmers is a living proof. They had brought the GM cotton under a misleading statement that it is not a food. The fact is that all cotton seeds are being crushed to extract oil, which is eaten as ‘vanaspati ghee’ by humans and remnants are fed to the cattle as oil cakes. So it is a food of humans as well as cattle. Now hey are coming up with Bt. Brinjal and large number of other food crops without proving the safety of these crops beyond doubt.
EXPLOITATION OF MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS:
A few multination corporations have a monopoly over the manufacture and business of agrochemicals and seeds. Seventy three percent of business in agrochemicals and thirty percent of seeds is controlled by few MNCs like Monsanto, Dupont, Cargill, Bayer and Novartis etc. Monsanto started its business as manufacturer of chemicals weapons. The notorious Agent Orange (2, 4 D organophos) used as a weapon of chemical warfare in Vietnam by America was manufactured by Monsanto. The same chemical is being sold to peasants under the name of Roundup as an herbicide. It kills everything except the crop which is grown from the modified seeds of Monsanto. After monopolizing the business in agrochemicals, now the company is fast trying to achieve the same in seeds. Through this monopoly the company is fast working to completely control our agriculture. Its loot through the sale of the Bt.Cotton seeds is well known to everyone. During the first year seed was sold at the rate of Rs.1700/- per packet (450 G), out of which Rs. 1300/- per packet was the royalty of Monsanto. After the protests from the peasants the rate per packet was reduced but it was a crude joke because the amount of seed to be used per acre was doubled.
WATER GETTING DEPLETED AND POISONED IN PUNJAB:
Availability of pure toxin free water for drinking, bathing, other domestic uses, for cattle and for agriculture is becoming a grave problem in Punjab. The reasons are multiple. Excessive use of agrochemicals and industrial waste water, full of highly toxic chemicals being thrown into our water bodies, without any treatment or cleaning, are the major culprits. The city sewers are being thrown into the rivers and rivulets without any treatment. The excessive and indiscriminate suction of deep ground water also adds certain toxins to our surroundings. Just like the fossil fuels which contain large no. of impurities which are sucked from the huge depths of earth and are thrown on the surface of the earth where they act as toxins for living beings. The deep water also contains certain impurities which act as poisons for living beings. In addition the ground water is fast getting depleted in our state because of the over use. These factors have created havoc in Punjab which have lead to a serious Environmental Health Crisis in Punjab. The situation is so grave that we need to launch a mass movement immediately to save our water from depletion and poisoning.
WE MUST SAVE THE ENDANGERED BIODIVERSITY:
The addition of highly toxic chemicals in our environment is becoming the cause of mass death of large no. of species. Large no. of species are virtually getting eliminated. Many worms and insects residing within the earth including the earthworms, many insects on the surface of earth; large no. of carnivorous birds-eagles, owls, crows and sparrows; frogs and snakes are fast getting eliminated. The policy of industrial agriculture which promotes highly poisonous agrochemicals including very strong herbicides and monoculture of particular crops with modified seeds of MNCs is proving highly destructive to plant biodiversity. MNCs are making all out efforts to control our agriculture through monopolizing the seeds and consciously destroying our own seeds. Large no. of laws and regulations are being passed by our governments to fulfill the wishes of Corporations to destroy our plant and animal biodiversity including local seeds and to replace them with seeds of MNCs. About thirty such laws and regulations have been passed in the recent past.
We are being chained by the chains of this new form of slavery which can prove very dangerous in the coming years. Our food security is under grave threat. The control of our forests and agriculture is going into the invisible hands of capital, our natural resources and biodiversity is being destroyed under a deep rooted conspiracy. People are never consulted about these changes. Our traditional social institutions and cultural values are being systematically destroyed. The destruction of human and animal health is clearly visible.
HUMAN HEALTH—A DANGEROUS SCINARIO:
The health of our people is worsening day by day. The highly toxic chemicals being added en masse to our environment by burning of fossil fuels, chemical farming and industrial waste water are causing slow poisoning of human beings along with all other living beings. Old infectious diseases are becoming more dangerous and resistant, new infectious diseases are coming in a big way and there is a huge epidemic of non infectious diseases including cancers of various organs.
Our immune system, which is a God given gift to remain healthy, has been grossly weakened by the slow poisoning. As a result of this weakened physiology we are more prone to infectious as well as non infectious diseases including various cancers. Our reproductive system has become the easy target because of its sensitive nature. The sperm counts have fallen to half in two generations; the number of childless couples has tremendously increased; onset of puberty in female children has advanced by 2-3 years; puberty in male children has been delayed by 2-3 years; the prevalence of menstrual disorders have tremendously increased in all age groups; cysts and tumors of ovaries and uterus are more common now; the prevalence of spontaneous abortions, premature births, still births, congenital malformations and early childhood deaths have increased. There is an epidemic of congenital malformations—Hypospadias, Undescended Testes, Congenital Hernias, Neural Tube Defects including Anencephaly, Cleft Lip, Cleft Palate, T-O Fistulas, Mental Retardation, Cerebral palsy, Autism and large number of Metabolic Disorders. Mental Retardation in children has increased from 1 in 40000 to 1 in 40 in 40 years. One thousand times increase. All these are because of large number of dangerous poisons in our environment. The child is highly vulnerable to environmental toxins because of fast multiplication of cells within the womb of mother and early childhood. We will need large number of Pingalwaras in Punjab in the coming years.
NATURAL FARMING-A SYMBOL OF FREEDOM AND PROSPERITY:
Our gurus had taught us that farming is the most sacred and best profession. But by adapting the alien ways of farming we have made it the dirtiest and most hatred profession. Our agriculture used to be self reliant, sustainable and symbol of prosperity. We have 10000 years of recorded history of agriculture. In the world, the first books of agriculture were written in our country. When Europe was still using tree leaves and animal skins to cover their bodies, we were wearing woven clothes in India. That was the symbol of our rich heritage of agriculture as well as artisanship. In the last forty years we have lost our traditional knowledge and skills of agriculture. An alien model of agriculture based on use of big machines, highly toxic chemicals and altered seeds have been imposed on us by the imperialists just to sell their products and to impose a new form of slavery on us. They have succeeded in befooling us. Our own agriculture universities, scientists and governments have actively helped them to achieve their aim.
Through this model-- our peasants have been looted, environment poisoned, fertility of soil grossly reduced, natural resources and delicate balance of nature destroyed, large no. of animal species killed, generated environment health crisis for humans and cattle, fast loosing animal and plant biodiversity and global warming and danger of end of life on this planet has become our fate. Visionaries like Bhagat Puran Singh had been warning us from the very beginning, but we did not listen and here we have reached.
During the last ten years 160000 farmers have committed suicides. This is only a tip of the ice berg of misery through which our peasants and agriculture laborers have been living through all these years. They are living under the constant burden of ever increasing debts and the humiliation associated with this. Many of them are selling their lands to save their honor and are becoming laborers. The agriculture has become highly unpopular economically unviable profession and the youngsters of peasant families don’t want to adapt it making the families vulnerable to all the problems of life.
Natural farming, which is a highly developed model of our traditional agriculture, is the gate way of freedom from intense economic exploitation of peasantry; use of costly and poisonous inputs; chronic poisoning of all living beings; destruction of environment and natural resources; destruction of plant and animal biodiversity and gross disturbance of forces of nature like global warming. A farmer practicing Natural Farming is the true disciple of our gurus who stands for “PAWAN GURU, PAANI PITA, MAATA DHARAT MAHAT”.
We, the lovers of freedom of humanity, all living beings and nature have gathered in the familial village of Shahid-e-Aazam S. Bhagat Singh to hold our heads and hearts together to discuss the present scenario of our country and accept the challenge being posed by the imperialists and oppressors. They are imposing this new form of slavery through the science and techniques of agriculture. If we succeed in convincing our farmers to stop their model of enslavement and adapt the model of Natural Farming as model of freedom, we can stop this chain reaction. The farmers will have no link with the market as he has not to purchase any agriculture input. He prepares every input in his farm-seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and implements. After keeping the produce for his family and cattle, he will sell directly to the consumer through farmer-consumer co-operatives or to a small trader at a price of his choice.
NATURAL FARMING—A SUCCESSFUL FARMING;
Natural farming is proving to be a great success in various parts of the world including our own country. There are countries like Cuba who are doing Chemical Free Farming and are not only self-sufficient in food and agricultural products but are exporting the excess to other countries. In our own country it is becoming a highly successful movement in Maharashtra under the dynamic leadership of an agriculture scientist Mr. Subhash Palekar. In Andhra Pradesh, Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA) is leading this movement. They have demonstrated the success of this model in ten lac acres of land. The State and the Central Governments have accepted their success and are coming forward to expand the land area to twenty five lac acres during the next year. In Punjab, hundreds of farmers in our villages have adopted this model and demonstrated its success beyond doubt. It is proving to be superior model in all respects as compared to the chemical farming. We need to do a lot to make it a popular movement. We have to organize camps in each village to teach the techniques of natural farming and establish a seed bank in each village to save and propagate our own improved seeds. We also need to launch a campaign of tree plantation in our villages.
WISHING GOOD OF ALL LIVING BEINGS—NEED OF THE HOUR:
Punjab today needs a mass movement which can effectively save our natural resources from further degradation and restore our sovereignty over it. This movement will become an integral part of a broad struggle for third phase of independence movement along with other movements for social justice and for opposing the process of globalization. This movement has to save our traditional knowledge of agriculture, enrich it with the experience of various states and countries and transmit it to the next generation. This movement has to restore the depleted fertility of our soil and purity of our water. This movement will help to detoxify our bodies from the cumulated toxins and restore our health. This movement will help to build a pro people non-polluting and sustainable model of development in industry as well as agriculture.
Farmers and all other nature loving people will be the base of this movement. We believe that issues discussed on this pious land of Kharkar Kalan will prove to be an important mile stone in the progress of this movement in our country. The philosophical and technical discussion about the new model of development and new mode of agriculture will have to be tested in the geographical, social and cultural contexts. The thoughts of our gurus expressed in Gurbani, the founder of Kuka Movement Baba Ram Singh, S Bhagat Singh, Bhagat Puran Singh and hundreds of other Freedom Fighters will be light houses for us.
WE CALL UPON ALL PUNJABIS TO BE PART OF THIS MOVEMENT TO SAVE OUR FARMERS AND AGRICULTURE, TO SAVE OUR WATER AND SOIL FROM PESTICIDES & TOXIC CONTAMENATION.
CONSERVE SEEDS, NATURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES, HUMAN HEALTH, ANIMAL HEALTH AND ALL LIVING BEINGS.
MAKE PUNJAB PESTICIDE FREE and SAY NO to GM Crops.
Umendra Dutt Dr. Inderjit Kaur Prof. Jagmohan Singh Surjit Paatar
Dr. Nirmal Singh Satnam Singh Manak Dr. Daljit Singh Dr. Amar Singh Azad
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Monday, September 1, 2008
Convention on Third Freedom Struggle for Peoples’ Right over Natural Resources
Convention on Third Freedom Struggle for Peoples’ Right over Natural Resources
Sunday, 21st September, 2008; Khatkarh Kalan, District: Nawanshahar, Punjab
Say No to GM Crops, Say No to Pesticides, Say No to new legal frameworks responsible for legalizing corporate control over Biodiversity, Water and Seeds
Resist and revolt against this onslaught on our sovereign right over natural resources and our knowledge system
Dear Eco Warriors,
September 28 is Birth day of Shaheed Bhagat Singh. To remember him along
with his compatriots is to rededicate to the concerns that young group had
about humanity in general and Indian toiling masses in particular.
During post 1857 war for Independence his Uncle Sardar Ajit Singh has raised
a slogan of "Pagri Sambhal' which became symbol of peoples struggle against
British colonial and Imperial rulers. The “Pagri" symbolises the self honour of the working people and particularly of Peasantry. This was a call to peasantry to stand tall and fight for honourable life.
Khatkarh Kalan, the ancestral village was the birth place of Sardar Ajit Singh who won the peasants rights and honour in 1907 but had to live exile for forty years. He kept the flag of fight against British Imperialism through out the world. He returned to India in 1947 to see the triumph of his commitment of seeing British direct rule end on 15th August, 1947 and he breathed his last on the twilight of Free India i.e morning hours of 15th August, 1947 at Daulaosie . His last message that part of the aim of our struggle started in the beginning of this century is fulfilled but now the implementation of its benefits to the toiling masses is the responsibility of the youth.
Shaheeds Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev also had written in their last
letter to Governor Punjab that:
"*That we were sentenced to death on 7th October 1930 by a British Court, L.C.C Tribunal, constituted under the Sp. Lahore Conspiracy Case Ordinance, promulgated by the H.E. The Viceroy, the Head of the British Government of India, and that the main charge against us was that of having waged war against H.M. King George, the King of England.** *
* The above-mentioned finding of the Court pre-supposed two things: Firstly, that there exists a state of war between the British Nation and the Indian Nation and, secondly, that we had actually participated in that war and were therefore war prisoners.*
* The second pre-supposition seems to be a little bit flattering, but nevertheless it is too tempting to resist the desire of acquiescing in it. As regards the first, we are constrained to go into some detail. Apparently there seems to be no such war as the phrase indicates. Nevertheless, please allow us to accept the validity of the pre-supposition
taking it at its face value. But in order to be correctly understood we must explain it further. Let us declare that the state of war does exist and shall exist so long as the Indian toiling masses and the natural resources are being exploited by a handful of parasites. They may be purely British Capitalist or mixed British and Indian or even purely Indian. They may be carrying on their insidious exploitation through mixed or even on purely Indian bureaucratic apparatus. All these things make no difference."*
The exploitation of toiling masses and Natural resources has been the deeper concern. So the freedom struggle was concerned with the future of Indian masses.
But today we are faced with much more sophistication of the tools of exploitation of Indian masses. Where 80 crore people are living on less than meager Rs twenty per day. The GDP is increasing not due to our manufacturing or agricultural production but due to consumption of foreign goods and exploitation of natural resources by foreign companies who are mining natural resources.
The past agricultural practices have pushed the farmer into debt trap and have virtually pushed him to brink of living. The corporate oriented agriculture system has ruined the fundamental right of our farmers - the right to honorable living.
The current realities demand that we should put our heads together and recommit our selves to the cause for which freedom struggle was fought. Remember we will only be doing our Fundamental Duty as per constitution
* " To cherish and follow the noble ideals which inspired our
national struggle for freedom."*
* *The imperialist forces are at play in more sophisticated way. The Ecology is the sustainer of life. The way it is under attack is our deeper concern. The toilers are under threat of extinction. Our culture , our way of life which sustained Indian life for centuries is under attack. The trees which symbolises our cultural life, Shesham , Kikar , Shatoot are dying. Is not that warning that our cultural reference it self will be extinct and our whole heritage will be beyond comprehension for future generations.
The result is in front of us. Socio-economic conditions of the ordinary people remain miserable. Poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, ill health and squalor remain rampant in the society. Health and education for common man is in shackles. The reverse has happened. The already existing institutions of health, education and social welfare have been systematically and knowingly murdered. They are fast being replaced by corporate sector who is concerned about their profits in a callous and greedy way. The exploitation of man by man is at its climax.
The greed of the vested interests has crossed all limits of decency. Now the greed is not limited only to economic exploitation of people only. The nature is being exploited, ruined and damaged beyond an extent from where it can’t recover itself. The whole nature has been put to ransom just to increase their profits and multiply their wealth. The use of highly poisonous and non bio-degradable synthetic chemicals in agriculture and industry is playing havoc with nature and life. All the components of environment-air, water and soil have been poisoned beyond permissible limits. These poisons have already reached the food chain, all living beings and humans to an extent to cause serious damage. In Punjab the gross ill effects are already obviously visible on human, animal ant plant health.
Now, they have come up with even more dangerous technologies, like genetically modified crops. The experts and well informed people are saying that the genetically modified foods, other agricultural products and organisms are going to prove the worst environmental disaster in the whole history of mankind. The whole of life is slowly moving towards death. The combination of chemicals and genetically modified crops will enhance the speed of this disaster.
The neo-liberal policies being imposed on the people of the world under the garb of science and general human good are the latest tools of these exploiters. All the natural resources including land and water are being snatched to make them tools of economic exploitation. The plant and animal biodiversity which is a common heritage of nation and humanity at large are being destroyed to enslave us. Our seeds are being snatched very fast. The science and technology has become the slave to serve the narrow vested interests. It is very obvious that the vested interests are so blind to the truth that they are unable to see the damage they are causing to the whole of the life and the humanity including their own families. The multinational corporations (MNCs)-foreign as well as national along with politicians and bureaucrats are holding the whole humanity to ransom.
Unfortunately these are the people who are leading the whole world and are playing a decisive role in the lives of crores of people. We have to think seriously if we can go on accepting their leadership and risk the fate of our families-our mother and father, sister and brother, son and daughter, and wife and the husband. This is a new form of slavery, where in addition to the extreme economic exploitation, whole of the environment, nature, humanity, all living beings and natural resources are being endangered to the extent of risk of extinction. We can’t wait any more. We must act before it is too late.
The private control of natural resources is an invasion on our livelihoods and our sovereign right to live with dignity. The people at the helm of affairs, are more eager to serve corporate interests, and are pushing legal frameworks which will legalize robbery, which will make this act of aggression on our ecological heritage a legal act and opposition to this will be termed as illegal. We already have notifications like Environment Impact Assessment, and laws like Plant variety protection and Farmers' Right Act, Patent Act are directed towards interests of the industry. Legislations like the Biological Diversity Act are being turned over from their original intent to only regularize access to “resources” with the conservation objectives being deliberately ignored. And then there are new frameworks in the offing in the form of the proposed Seed Bill and are National Biotechnology Regulatory Authority Bill or the Coastal Management Zone notification. All these in their text and/or intent of implementation are anti-people, anti-farmer and anti-nature and making easier the takeover of nature, entire legislation and Judiciary is going the corporate way , thus paving the way for hijack our ecological heritage and its destruction.
It is now or never situation. It is do or die now.
Let us forget our political, religious and regional affiliations to work on these common issues untidily because these are issues not only of whole of the humanity but all living beings who inhabit the planet. The life of humans and other living beings is one united whole and we have to fight this struggle of life and death on behalf of all living beings.
Let us declare a full fledged war of liberation and take the third phase of independence movement to a logical culmination. We want independence where all natural resources, human resources and science and technology will be used for common good of all humans and other species and not to fulfill the greed of few highly rich—where all human activities and development will be in accordance with the laws of nature and nature as whole will be nurtured with love and compassion for all its creations. There will be no poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, squalor or misery of any kind. Every living being will get clean air, pure and sweet water, balanced food and all other necessities of graceful life. Every body will live a life full of happiness, love and oneness with nature and God.
The deaths of farmers and workers must call us to awake. This is just an initiator towards a greater debate and commitment to action to address the fundamental maladies.
Kheti Virasat Mission-KVM, Jaitu and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Centenary Foundation, Khatkar Kalan with support of farmers ‘organizations, peoples’ movements, environmental groups, Writers’ forum, Intellectuals are organizing a Convention on Freedom Struggle for Peoples’ Sovereign Right on Natural Resources at Khatkar Kalan, - ancestral Village of Shaheed Bhagat Singh on Sunday, 21st September, 2008 at 10.00 AM
It is convention of pro-nature and pro-people concerned citizens.
You are invited to join this new freedom movement
Your suggestions are welcome.
Yours truly,
Prof Jagmohan Singh Dr Inderjit Kaur Dr Surjit Patar Dr Daljit Singh
Dr Amar Singh Azad Balbir Singh Billing Umendra Dutt Dr Nirmal Singh
Sunday, 21st September, 2008; Khatkarh Kalan, District: Nawanshahar, Punjab
Say No to GM Crops, Say No to Pesticides, Say No to new legal frameworks responsible for legalizing corporate control over Biodiversity, Water and Seeds
Resist and revolt against this onslaught on our sovereign right over natural resources and our knowledge system
Dear Eco Warriors,
September 28 is Birth day of Shaheed Bhagat Singh. To remember him along
with his compatriots is to rededicate to the concerns that young group had
about humanity in general and Indian toiling masses in particular.
During post 1857 war for Independence his Uncle Sardar Ajit Singh has raised
a slogan of "Pagri Sambhal' which became symbol of peoples struggle against
British colonial and Imperial rulers. The “Pagri" symbolises the self honour of the working people and particularly of Peasantry. This was a call to peasantry to stand tall and fight for honourable life.
Khatkarh Kalan, the ancestral village was the birth place of Sardar Ajit Singh who won the peasants rights and honour in 1907 but had to live exile for forty years. He kept the flag of fight against British Imperialism through out the world. He returned to India in 1947 to see the triumph of his commitment of seeing British direct rule end on 15th August, 1947 and he breathed his last on the twilight of Free India i.e morning hours of 15th August, 1947 at Daulaosie . His last message that part of the aim of our struggle started in the beginning of this century is fulfilled but now the implementation of its benefits to the toiling masses is the responsibility of the youth.
Shaheeds Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev also had written in their last
letter to Governor Punjab that:
"*That we were sentenced to death on 7th October 1930 by a British Court, L.C.C Tribunal, constituted under the Sp. Lahore Conspiracy Case Ordinance, promulgated by the H.E. The Viceroy, the Head of the British Government of India, and that the main charge against us was that of having waged war against H.M. King George, the King of England.** *
* The above-mentioned finding of the Court pre-supposed two things: Firstly, that there exists a state of war between the British Nation and the Indian Nation and, secondly, that we had actually participated in that war and were therefore war prisoners.*
* The second pre-supposition seems to be a little bit flattering, but nevertheless it is too tempting to resist the desire of acquiescing in it. As regards the first, we are constrained to go into some detail. Apparently there seems to be no such war as the phrase indicates. Nevertheless, please allow us to accept the validity of the pre-supposition
taking it at its face value. But in order to be correctly understood we must explain it further. Let us declare that the state of war does exist and shall exist so long as the Indian toiling masses and the natural resources are being exploited by a handful of parasites. They may be purely British Capitalist or mixed British and Indian or even purely Indian. They may be carrying on their insidious exploitation through mixed or even on purely Indian bureaucratic apparatus. All these things make no difference."*
The exploitation of toiling masses and Natural resources has been the deeper concern. So the freedom struggle was concerned with the future of Indian masses.
But today we are faced with much more sophistication of the tools of exploitation of Indian masses. Where 80 crore people are living on less than meager Rs twenty per day. The GDP is increasing not due to our manufacturing or agricultural production but due to consumption of foreign goods and exploitation of natural resources by foreign companies who are mining natural resources.
The past agricultural practices have pushed the farmer into debt trap and have virtually pushed him to brink of living. The corporate oriented agriculture system has ruined the fundamental right of our farmers - the right to honorable living.
The current realities demand that we should put our heads together and recommit our selves to the cause for which freedom struggle was fought. Remember we will only be doing our Fundamental Duty as per constitution
* " To cherish and follow the noble ideals which inspired our
national struggle for freedom."*
* *The imperialist forces are at play in more sophisticated way. The Ecology is the sustainer of life. The way it is under attack is our deeper concern. The toilers are under threat of extinction. Our culture , our way of life which sustained Indian life for centuries is under attack. The trees which symbolises our cultural life, Shesham , Kikar , Shatoot are dying. Is not that warning that our cultural reference it self will be extinct and our whole heritage will be beyond comprehension for future generations.
The result is in front of us. Socio-economic conditions of the ordinary people remain miserable. Poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, ill health and squalor remain rampant in the society. Health and education for common man is in shackles. The reverse has happened. The already existing institutions of health, education and social welfare have been systematically and knowingly murdered. They are fast being replaced by corporate sector who is concerned about their profits in a callous and greedy way. The exploitation of man by man is at its climax.
The greed of the vested interests has crossed all limits of decency. Now the greed is not limited only to economic exploitation of people only. The nature is being exploited, ruined and damaged beyond an extent from where it can’t recover itself. The whole nature has been put to ransom just to increase their profits and multiply their wealth. The use of highly poisonous and non bio-degradable synthetic chemicals in agriculture and industry is playing havoc with nature and life. All the components of environment-air, water and soil have been poisoned beyond permissible limits. These poisons have already reached the food chain, all living beings and humans to an extent to cause serious damage. In Punjab the gross ill effects are already obviously visible on human, animal ant plant health.
Now, they have come up with even more dangerous technologies, like genetically modified crops. The experts and well informed people are saying that the genetically modified foods, other agricultural products and organisms are going to prove the worst environmental disaster in the whole history of mankind. The whole of life is slowly moving towards death. The combination of chemicals and genetically modified crops will enhance the speed of this disaster.
The neo-liberal policies being imposed on the people of the world under the garb of science and general human good are the latest tools of these exploiters. All the natural resources including land and water are being snatched to make them tools of economic exploitation. The plant and animal biodiversity which is a common heritage of nation and humanity at large are being destroyed to enslave us. Our seeds are being snatched very fast. The science and technology has become the slave to serve the narrow vested interests. It is very obvious that the vested interests are so blind to the truth that they are unable to see the damage they are causing to the whole of the life and the humanity including their own families. The multinational corporations (MNCs)-foreign as well as national along with politicians and bureaucrats are holding the whole humanity to ransom.
Unfortunately these are the people who are leading the whole world and are playing a decisive role in the lives of crores of people. We have to think seriously if we can go on accepting their leadership and risk the fate of our families-our mother and father, sister and brother, son and daughter, and wife and the husband. This is a new form of slavery, where in addition to the extreme economic exploitation, whole of the environment, nature, humanity, all living beings and natural resources are being endangered to the extent of risk of extinction. We can’t wait any more. We must act before it is too late.
The private control of natural resources is an invasion on our livelihoods and our sovereign right to live with dignity. The people at the helm of affairs, are more eager to serve corporate interests, and are pushing legal frameworks which will legalize robbery, which will make this act of aggression on our ecological heritage a legal act and opposition to this will be termed as illegal. We already have notifications like Environment Impact Assessment, and laws like Plant variety protection and Farmers' Right Act, Patent Act are directed towards interests of the industry. Legislations like the Biological Diversity Act are being turned over from their original intent to only regularize access to “resources” with the conservation objectives being deliberately ignored. And then there are new frameworks in the offing in the form of the proposed Seed Bill and are National Biotechnology Regulatory Authority Bill or the Coastal Management Zone notification. All these in their text and/or intent of implementation are anti-people, anti-farmer and anti-nature and making easier the takeover of nature, entire legislation and Judiciary is going the corporate way , thus paving the way for hijack our ecological heritage and its destruction.
It is now or never situation. It is do or die now.
Let us forget our political, religious and regional affiliations to work on these common issues untidily because these are issues not only of whole of the humanity but all living beings who inhabit the planet. The life of humans and other living beings is one united whole and we have to fight this struggle of life and death on behalf of all living beings.
Let us declare a full fledged war of liberation and take the third phase of independence movement to a logical culmination. We want independence where all natural resources, human resources and science and technology will be used for common good of all humans and other species and not to fulfill the greed of few highly rich—where all human activities and development will be in accordance with the laws of nature and nature as whole will be nurtured with love and compassion for all its creations. There will be no poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, squalor or misery of any kind. Every living being will get clean air, pure and sweet water, balanced food and all other necessities of graceful life. Every body will live a life full of happiness, love and oneness with nature and God.
The deaths of farmers and workers must call us to awake. This is just an initiator towards a greater debate and commitment to action to address the fundamental maladies.
Kheti Virasat Mission-KVM, Jaitu and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Centenary Foundation, Khatkar Kalan with support of farmers ‘organizations, peoples’ movements, environmental groups, Writers’ forum, Intellectuals are organizing a Convention on Freedom Struggle for Peoples’ Sovereign Right on Natural Resources at Khatkar Kalan, - ancestral Village of Shaheed Bhagat Singh on Sunday, 21st September, 2008 at 10.00 AM
It is convention of pro-nature and pro-people concerned citizens.
You are invited to join this new freedom movement
Your suggestions are welcome.
Yours truly,
Prof Jagmohan Singh Dr Inderjit Kaur Dr Surjit Patar Dr Daljit Singh
Dr Amar Singh Azad Balbir Singh Billing Umendra Dutt Dr Nirmal Singh
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
The Nanak Kheti
It is Nanak Kheti : The Natural Farming with passion for wellbeing of all
By Umendra Dutt
They are not environmentalists, neither economist nor religious preacher nor trained agriculture expert nor a health professional, but they still posses and practice wisdom of all these. They practice Guru Nanak’s precept Sarbat da Bhala means well being of all in their farming. They are natural farmers of
Their farms are laboratories of happiness for all and this all encompasses every living creatures of earth, every life form. It is the Farming with passion for wellbeing of all; one can call it spiritual farming, natural farming, non-violent agriculture or simply Nanak Kheti. These farmers are even taking care of large verity of birds, earthworms, honey bees, butterflies and fireflies and whole lot of magnificent life forms.. For these farmers all living creatures are part of a family and - it is their family.
KVM preaches to adopt famous verses of Guru Granth Sahib –“Pavnu Guru, Panni Pita Matta Dharat Mahat” in farming practices. which means Air is Guru, Water is father and Earth is mother. This holy guiding principal should be part of life, practice and mission of farmers who want to do natural farming.
There is a silent and constructive revolution happening in
KVM is farmers based movement dedicated to natural farming, conservation of natural resources and traditional wisdom. Most of farmers associated with KVM works through its Vatavaran Panchayats. KVM farmers are farmer with a mission, vision and action these farmers has taken pledges to start natural farming in one go or in a phased manner. KVM currently has around a 100 formal and 800 informal members.
Natural farmers of
KVM has evolved a distinct philosophy which defines soil as the 'source of infinite lives'. "Yes, it is true and we have experienced it," avers KVM chairman and a farmer from Rai Ke Kalan
Harjant Singh further elaborates on the scientific premises of natural farming. All living organisms require nutrition and minerals for their growth, and amongst them plants, being stationary, get their nutrition at that spot. They get carbon dioxide and water from nature and by the process of photosynthesis, the required amount of sugars is produced. Similarly nitrogen is available in the air and the rhyzobia bacteria in the soil can capture it for the plants. These microorganisms perform different functions for the plants. "By using the chemical inputs, especially the pesticides, we have destroyed the delicate microbial equilibrium of soil and tilted the game in favour of external chemical inputs thus making the situation even worst," says Singh.
KVM farmers use Jeevaamrita (a cow urine based microbial preparation) to revive microbial activity in soil. With the application of Jeevaamrita and Ghan Jeevaamrita (a solid form of Jeevaamrita), the soil is gradually becoming rich in the humus, yield has increased and other life forms are coming back in the fields, says Charanjeet Singh Punni, another KVM farmer from Chaina village and a natural farming trainer. Punni highlights another aspect of natural farming. "Although the sunlight of some of its radiation is essential for the photosynthesis, yet it is a threat to the soil bacteria. Mulching is the best answer to this."
Mulching is an essential part of natural farming. Natural farmers aver that when the soil is covered with various forms of mulching, the results are unimaginable. Earlier the soil had lost all soil bacteria, microbes and earthworms. But after adoption of Jeevaamrita and mulching, the farms are again becoming wealthy in soil health. Krishnan Jakhar of village Dhaba (near Dabawali), Vinod Jyani of village Katehra, near Fazilka, Swarn Singh of Karamgarh Shattran, Madan Lal of Bullowal in Hoshiarpur, Jarnail Singh in Meharu, Nakodar and other natural farmers of the KVM network are using inter crops, plant residue, fallen leaves, bushes, weeds and sometimes even the wheat straw or the paddy straw cuttings spread in the fields to cover the naked soil. Besides protecting the bacteria and retaining the moisture, this also keeps the temperature of the soil low and it never goes beyond the 40 degrees Celsius, which is the upper limit for the survival of microbes, tells Ajay Tripathi, associate director of KVM.
KVM farmers have redefined, reestablished and regenerated their mother-son relation with the soil. They feel a spiritual bond, an oneness with the soil. That is why they are against all forms of agro-chemicals and burning of fields - to them it is a form of violence against the earth.
There is a common question usually asked to KVM activists. Does the natural farming economics work? This spiritual soil science is also more financially beneficial to these farmers. After adopting natural farming they are spending far less from earlier chemical farming days. Natural farming is more cost effective and input efficient says Amarjeet Dhillon a small farmer from Dabrikhana village, who owns only two acres of land. For example, farmers having sugarcane and black gram in their farms have to spend virtually nothing on inputs asserts, Dhillon. He cities several examples where farmer had spend only Rs.100-200 on inputs for one acre as against Rs.3000 by a chemical farming farmer. "Some of us had stopped cash out flow to cities any more to purchase Urea, DAP and pesticides and thousands of others have reduced this out flow of cash in a big way", he adds.
On an average in Malwa's cotton belt farmers are spending Rs.7000 on chemical inputs per acre annually in normal conditions. If there are more pest attacks, then there may be no limit to this amount. There is a rough estimate that every village is spending a large sum of money -- from Rs.40 lakhs to Rs.6 crores -- purchasing agro-chemicals, depending upon area of cultivation and cropping pattern. Natural farmers want to stop the loss of village wealth by bringing down farmers' spending on agro-chemicals. This is Kissan version of Swadeshi movement says Chamkour Singh of Dhudhike
KVM feels that there is urgent need of Swadeshi agriculture movement to decolonize Indian agriculture and to liberate Indian farmer from clutches of westernized agriculture and developmental paradigm being convinced by ICAR and
The KVM’s natural farming movement has also brings another significant change in mindset of farmers. Now they are not looking towards
The list of natural farmers includes names from all corners of the state. The Pingalwara Charitable Society,
Similarly many professionals such as those from the medical field, college and university lecturers and professors, advocates, journalists, even government officials and civil servants have joined this movement for rejuvenation of the soil. They are in contact with the KVM and participate in its activities.
Now KVM is concentrating few villages for change the entire village in natural farming field. Two villages in Faridkot district -Chaina and Dabrikhana were chosen for this initiative.
In the just commenced wheat season -- from now to mid-April -- KVM activists are planning to reach out to at least 60 blocks of the state. These activists are committed farmers who work in the fields, not experts who come by when they can spare time by choice. These farmers the true sons of soil are trainers, scientists and leaders of this ecological initiative, in the service of Mother Nature.
Author is Executive Director of Kheti Virasat
Sunday, July 8, 2007
PUNJAB State Policy on Organic Farming
POLICY FOR SUSTENANCE, HEALTH
& ECOLOGY
By Umendra Dutt
Punjab is going to have a state policy on organic farming very soon. The Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh has announced this in current session of the assembly. However, announcements made are always political but policies are always drafted without any political will and vision. This lack of vision takes policies always away from the very people on whose name and welfare the policies are declared.
Organic farming is gaining growing importance in the agriculture sector of a number of countries, irrespective of their stage of development. In several developed countries, organic agriculture has come to represent a significant portion of the food system (10% in Australia, 7.8% in Switzerland) and many others are experiencing growth rates that exceed 20% annually (e.g. USA, France, Japan, Singapore). Some of the developing countries have small domestic organic markets (e.g. Egypt) and a few have begun to seize the lucrative export opportunities presented by organic agriculture (e.g. exports of Mexican coffee, Ugandan cotton.)
India had historically practiced organic farming. Sir Albert Howard, who was sent to India as an Imperial Economic Botanist to work at the Indian Agriculture Research Institute in the year 1905 to improve Indian agriculture, soon concluded that agriculture, as practiced by the India peasants, was rooted on the sound principles of sustainability. Howard, who was elected President of Indian Science Congress in 1926, observed that agriculture research should not be misused to make the farmer exploit the soil reserves but to teach him the knowledge to transfer capital in the shape of soil fertility and the reserves of his livestock to his profit and loss account.
The Indian peasant, for Howard, epitomized 'good farming' by faithfully copying Nature in their agriculture. Livestock were not merely source of nutrition in the form of milk and meat, or of energy in the form of draught animals, their urine and dung was a crucial cog in the progress of growth. So were growing leguminous crops, ploughing back crop residues and the extensive use of green manure. Howard's research proved the improved efficacy of humus for crop yield and resistance to pests and diseases, as compared to chemical fertilizers. He developed the Indore process of composting, which is even today being practiced widely by organic farmers.
Since the era of Howard, many changes and, that too, fast changes have taken place in the growth of agriculture both in India and in the world.
The pesticide centric agriculture had taken centre stage in country's planning and perception and Punjab has become most vital component of this chemical-based agriculture system. Since then, the Punjab was projected as the model state for the success of green revolution; it has become the centre of intensive agriculture practices from 50's. During last five decades, India has increased the consumption of pesticides from 154 MT in 1953-54 to 80,000 MT in 1994-95. Therefore, Punjab is leader in the high use of pesticides. Consumption of grade pesticides in Punjab is highest in country. Punjab is consuming 7100 MT of pesticides for its 7693 hectares with the percentage of 923 grammes per ha. Punjab has highest pesticide load among the Indian states. More over the cotton belt of Malwa is consuming highest pesticide density in country. Punjab is just 2.5% area of total agriculture land in India and it consumers near 18% pesticides of the country, where as the cotton belt comprises only 15% area of Punjab and it consumes nearly 70% pesticide of the state, thus making the equation more dangerous. Malwa's cotton belt is less then 0.5 % geographical area of country but almost 10 % pesticides of country are used here.
From last five years there are number of documents brought up by various government agencies and institutions. In 2001 Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperation, Government of India had formed a Task Force on Organic Farming headed by Dr.Kunwarji Bhai Jadav that brought out its report in November 2001. In September 2001, the Working Group on Organic and Biodynamic Farming, constituted by Planning Commission submitted another report.
The Task Force on Organic Farming had made several recommendations, few are very important, as:
i) Economic value of chemical fertilizers and organic manures may be equated in terms of their overall effect on soil productivity, crop production and then Government may provide the support accordingly.
ii) The technology packages on organic farming as developed by farmers, NGOs and others may be evaluated and the successful technology may be expanded in larger areas.
iii) Bullock drawn implements should be encouraged.
iv) Bankable model schemes on organic farming may be prepared and circulated among the States for its adoption and popularization.
v) Each of the agricultural universities in the country may start a course at the Post-Graduation level on organic farming.
vi) Each KVK may set up a vermin-compost unit and a biological control unit for demonstration and dissemination of the techniques. These centres may also provide bioagents / antagonist and earthworms to the farmers after their training.
vii) Each KVK may lay out one demonstration on organic farming by taking major crops of that area as test crops.
viii) Farmers training about cost-benefit relationship in organic farming and about export of organic produce may be organised through some designated institutions specialized in this area. The Government may support such institutions, which may include NGOs.
ix) The organic markets for supply and purchase of inputs and outputs for organic farming may be developed.
x) Adequate numbers of certification agencies may be identified, registered/recognized. The certification agencies may be financed by the Government to carry out free certification for the farmers for intended export of organic produce.
xi) In the areas of high production, the shifting to organic farming system may result into loss of produce in the initial years. For such switch over, farmers may need to be compensated for initial 2-3 years.
xii) All the Central Government farms may set up vermin-compost units, develop, and demonstrate the system of re-cycling of crop residues. This may be demonstrated by reduced consumption of chemical fertilizers on the Government farms.
xiii) All the State Government may be advised to consider to device the system as introduced by Government of Madhya Pradesh about the experimentation and demonstrations on Government farms on 50:50 area basis on organic on organic farming and other forms of farming.
xiv) The biodynamic means of preparing nutrients may be standardized and the technology may be popularized.
xv) The crop residues should not be permitted to be burnt. Suitable legislation may be thought of, if required.
xvi) Adequate information may be made available to the farmers about the crop-wise residues arising and equivalent nutrient value per unit area through such crop residues.
xvii) The ventures of vermin-compost, compost, press mud and other forms of generation of organic nutrients for crop production may be exempted from levy of all kinds of taxes, excise and income tax etc.
xviii) The agriculture being a Sate subject, the State Governments may be effectively involved in the National programme to be prepared for promotion of organic farming.
xix) Each Sate may set up a State level cell or create a suitable unit at the Headquarter of Directorate of Agriculture to oversee the promotion of organic farming in the State.
Most of these recommendations stay there in files only. Some how in 2003, Government of India had accepted one of important recommendation of Organic Farming Task Force and National Centre for Bio-Fertilizers was converted into National Centre for Organic Farming in 2004. Moreover, National Project on Organic Farming was approved with an outlay of Rs.57.05 crores for production, promotion, and market development organic farming in the country during 10th Plan.
Apart from Central Government, five states have their state policies on organic farming this includes Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Uttaranchal, Andhra Pradesh is in the mid of drafting process. Moreover, Himachal Pradesh has initiated a state level project on organic farming. The Northeastern states had also prepared an elaborative plan for organic farming promotion.
Every policy has few indispensable components- the vision, the ultimate objective and the inbuilt capacity to fulfill peoples' aspirations. The policy should address its core issue holistically. Its guiding principal lies in the well-being of community and the nation at large. It reflects the tradition, the heritage and socio-economic and civilization thought process, perceptions and progressive unfolding of the society. For this, policy has to be evolved by the involvement of community and its inputs. These are the fundamental of participatory democracy - a key word for sustainable development in true sense.
The announcement made by the Chief Minister is quite important may be converted in to timely initiative. As organic farming, is gradually picking-up in Punjab with more and more farmers joining the sustainable stream? Several civil society groups have started the organic farming across the state by involving farmers either as individual or as a group.
The Punjab Agro Export Corporation has taken a lead in this by initiating an export-oriented project. Punjab Agro appointed the consultants for this project and as per claims; they are working with more then 1200 farmers covering near 8000 acres of land. Some central government institutions like CAPART, KVIC and NABARD had also come up with schemes for supporting the projects of vermi-composting, organic farming and marketing. Apart from this, large numbers of farmers are converting their farms to organic by their own or in collaboration with some private company, charitable or religious institution and even Goshalas. On the other side, showrooms or corners for the sale of organic produce are also coming up in major towns. The general awareness is also spreading by the virtue of debate on health and ecological crisis in Punjab courtesy the pro-active role of Media. The media had also played very important role in promoting organic farming movement.
The PAU has also come up with a project in Department of Agronomy, though it is still in infant stage. However, we must understand PAU’s perspective and approach towards organic farming. PAU scientists openly show their apprehensions regard potentials of organic farming. They even put limitations of organic farming in their official presentation on organic farming. Secondly, they are even equating BT cotton produce with organic one. Even senior officials from Agriculture department had shown their doubts for productivity and yield. So, wither it is PAU or Agriculture department both are working half-heartedly, it may be because there is clear misunderstanding related to yield potentials of organic. Moreover, agriculture scientists from are not so open to learn from experiences of farmers from other Indian states, if it is United States then they may follow it. There is a false self-pride feeling in Punjab that we have to feed rest of the country, we have to grow more and more, and it is only possible by chemicalised agriculture.
Punjab must take note of example of Cuba becoming self-sufficient in food and vegetables by organic farming and that too with in three to four years of time. Cuba has opted for organic in 1990-91 and by mid-1995; the food shortage had been overcome. It is general opinion that a nation cannot feed its people without synthetic agro-chemicals, yet today Cuba is self-reliant in food security without using these deadly agro-chemicals. This is a result of change in mindset and agricultural vision and Punjab needs the same.
This is the appropriate time to raise the public debate on state policy for organic farming in Punjab. As the Chief Minister himself assured to formulate a state policy therefore, one can hope that Punjab state policy on organic farming will soon become a reality. Nevertheless, an important question must be answered that what should be the priorities in Punjab. What is meaning and relevance of organic farming for Punjab?
Organic Farming in Punjab is like reintroducing some thing a man has lost due to some accident or in pursuer of circumstances. Though it is being said that organic farming is comparatively new field for the farmers of Punjab, although they practiced it since time immemorial, It was during the green revolution years of sixties and seventies of twentieth century that the abandoned it. The revival of sustainable and organic farming practices in Punjab can be called as a rescue mission and an effort to retrieve the lost heritage. Therefore, it is the appropriate time to discuss the problems of organic farming in a very vast spectrum. To support those brave farmers of Punjab who have dared to adopt organic path of agriculture in the very capital of green revolution some one should take an initiative to bring expertise debate right in to fields of Punjab. There is not any piece of land in Punjab where crops can be grown without inorganic synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Virtually the total land of Punjab has turned barren because it has lost its natural nutrient pool. The situation is alarming and the signs are ominous.
We seem to be quite close to a stage, which can rightly be called "agriculture chaos” The time to act is now. In the present circumstances, organic farming is perhaps the only alternative, which can help us to come out of this agricultural and ecological crisis in Punjab. There is a need to shift from 'Quantity' to 'Quality' and that is possible only if the issue is understood holistically.
Impact on ecology and health: A slight change in the eco system can cause very devastating and long-term effect on the health of all living organisms including humans. Use of very high doses of lethal agro chemicals in agriculture during these days is responsible for the spurt of many diseases, which were very rare in the past.
Economics of debt and suicides: The cost of inputs in agriculture is increasing day-by-day; land holdings are simultaneously decreasing making agriculture unviable for majority of farmers. Baring some big farmers, almost all are caught in the debt trap and are unable to repay their loans. The land is mortgaged with the moneylenders, who some times use hard tactics for recovery. Farmers live in the fear of loosing their lands. It is not surprising that Panchayat of Harkishanpura in district Bathinda and Mal Singh Wala in Mansa district had passed a resolution announcing that the village was up for sale. In Punjab, honour is a sacred word, the people here are a proud lot, and they attach great importance to their dignity. Due to their inability to pay back the huge debts, the hundreds of farmers have committed suicide in Punjab. Green revolution has not only gone sour, it has now turned red. The huge number of suicides is a testimony to the entire equation going wrong.
In addition, there is a need to earnestly orchestrate an organic farming revolution in which following issues need to be given stress and close attention: -
1) Generating awareness among the farmers to change their mindset.
2) Guiding and helping the farmers in the proper implementation of organic
Farming techniques.
3) Making proper arrangement for marketing the organic fertilizer and organic
pesticide.
4) Helping the policy maker and administration to come forward with sound
policies to help the farmers.
5) Increase agro-bio diversity through mix cropping, conserving water
resources and increasing genetic diversity.
To accomplish this very difficult, but urgently required task, two things are very important - the will to work and a congenial environment for growth of organic movement in Punjab.
The Organic Farming vision should be mission-oriented and farmer-centered, unlike the popular view of organic farming that has a commercial orientation and is corporate-centered.
Making agriculture sustainable economically & ecologically- The modern agriculture systems now proved to be exhaustive, exploitative and abusive towards nature, man and civilization. Therefore, we have to adopt a perspective and agriculture system, which can bring back the very pride of our farmer, his self-respect, his self-confidence, and his faith in the agriculture heritage of his own ancestors. This agriculture perspective will based on SWADESHI KRISHI DARSHAN comprising of on-farm composting by farmer, preparation of bio-fertilizers, bio-pesticides and other inputs by farmer her/him-self and by local/area/regional resources to make minimal dependence of farmer on market forces. For this, we have to establish a network of organic farmers, which can facilitate as a hub for exchanging and sharing of experience, creating a farmer managed pool of knowledge system and resources.
Marketing Arrangements and Organic Consumer Network- This aspect is related to the survival of the farmers as the yield of organically produced crops are initially low during transition or evolution period and subsequent price is not sufficient and remunerative to sustain organic farming. For this awareness, integrated with the intricate network of consumers for regular supply chain for quality health food free from poison is also very important. Thus, organic consumer can play a vital role to encourage more and more farmers to adopt organic farming. The social groups, educational institutions and off course private commercial ventures, can help to organize these organic consumers networks.
Handling, Packaging, and warehousing The products for marketing needs attractive packaging, efficient handling and storage during the off-season. The transition period after harvesting and before marketing is indeed a crucial phase as a number of insects and other living organisms and climatic variation influence the stored harvest. For this, farmers and persons dealing with organic produce need proper training.
Certification Procedure, Cost, and Logistic � As Punjab is facing acute environmental-health challenges so; the preference should be given to local consumers of Punjab. Nevertheless, if we think about export, few issue need to be addressed. For exporting the organic food to other states as well as to foreign countries, or for placing these products in the super markets of metro cities, certification is required. Its procedure, cost involved in obtaining the certificate and keeping WTO in view, the farmers needs specialized training and support. The present system of so-called certified organic products is very corporate oriented and mindlessly copied from abroad (where the "food miles" are longer), pushing the Indian farmers out of the organic market. In this context, one thing is clear: that for local or domestic market we should evolve certification processes and standards that are indigenous and community-based. This can create scope for civil society groups to promote organic food.
Organically Certified Seeds � For a good yield, certified seeds form the backbone of the organic farming. This aspect needs special emphasis and attention from the scientists and agriculturists of our universities. The market oriented organic farming system causes serious implications on the traditional seed keeping practices. Especially, the TRIPS regime of WTO is posing threat to farmer's right over bio-diversity and indigenous seed verities. We should encourage our farmers to become seed-keepers, as they are already doing this through traditional system.
Role of Bio-inputs Companies � As India is a large country and the consumption of inputs for agriculture is very high, there is a need for serious business acumen for producing specialized bio-inputs, which may include organic manure, pesticides/insecticides and growth related agents in the villages of Punjab. Externalization of input servicing in biological systems is difficult and energy intensive. Hence, the local resources are to be utilized appropriately through efficient entrepreneurships. The standardization of bio inputs also needs serious and thorough attention. This is very important to safeguard the interest of organic farmers so that the standardization process and its implementation should be made mandatory. BIS and other agencies may evolve procedures in this regard. The NGOs and organic farming groups should be given the role of monitoring in this regard. Government support for scientific mass-production of compost, bio-fertilizers, bio-control agents, antagonists, and other benevolent organisms shall be given a major thrust in the policy statement paper.
Involvement of Women: The women are playing very significant role in restoring nature and making organic farming a success in several places throughout the country. As organic farming can be termed as family enterprise, the involvement of women can provide organic farming the requisite motherly care. Women-power has immense scope and strength for scientific mass-production of compost, bio-fertilizers, bio-control agents, antagonists and other benevolent organisms through a structured entrepreneurship along with post-harvest handling of crops including value-added product production. This shall also provide the enhanced opportunity for women to take part in this endeavor of transforming the agro-cultural scenario. Civilization and its spontaneous evolution cannot be imagined without the active participation of a major part of the population, which is a woman.
Incentive and subsidies: The subsidies and other incentives shall play a crucial role for the promotion of organic farming and it becomes more relevant in the present WTO regime. In fact, the subsidies paid by the American and European governments are indeed very high and form the backbone of their farmers. Government schemes for promotion of organic farming should consider this aspect. Appropriate schemes and policies for the development of organic farming in the state are needed. These must be farmer oriented and may require rising of special funds. Rising incidents of suicides by the Punjabi farmers is another pointer of their woes. The cost of inputs is increasing day by day, the pests attacking the crops are becoming resistant to even the most lethal chemicals insecticide, pesticides and other synthetic pyreathroids agents, thus creating huge losses to already struggling Punjabi farmer.
GE Crops and Organic Farming: Into this situation, Genetic Engineering is being imported as the solution (BT Cotton for example) whereas it has the potential to further worsen the situation given all its potential environmental and health hazards. No one should be misled by the propaganda of GE seed companies taking Bt.crops as pesticide-free organic crops, where as Bt.crops have also a pesticides, preotein (delta endotoxin) that has disputed effect on human health. So, at no point Genetically Engineered or Bt. Crops can be considered as organic at all.
Kheti Virasat Mission is of the firm belief that organic farming is the appropriate answer in this context; it is need of hour to motivate the farmers of Punjab to gradually switch over to the organic farming practices.
Punjab government should invite suggestions and inputs from all the stack holders and partners for sustainable development of state before formulating any policy. Public Hearings and dialogue must be initiated to make policy people's oriented and realistic.
POLICY FOR SUSTENANCE, HEALTH
& ECOLOGY
By Umendra Dutt
Punjab is going to have a state policy on organic farming very soon. The Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh has announced this in current session of the assembly. However, announcements made are always political but policies are always drafted without any political will and vision. This lack of vision takes policies always away from the very people on whose name and welfare the policies are declared.
Organic farming is gaining growing importance in the agriculture sector of a number of countries, irrespective of their stage of development. In several developed countries, organic agriculture has come to represent a significant portion of the food system (10% in Australia, 7.8% in Switzerland) and many others are experiencing growth rates that exceed 20% annually (e.g. USA, France, Japan, Singapore). Some of the developing countries have small domestic organic markets (e.g. Egypt) and a few have begun to seize the lucrative export opportunities presented by organic agriculture (e.g. exports of Mexican coffee, Ugandan cotton.)
India had historically practiced organic farming. Sir Albert Howard, who was sent to India as an Imperial Economic Botanist to work at the Indian Agriculture Research Institute in the year 1905 to improve Indian agriculture, soon concluded that agriculture, as practiced by the India peasants, was rooted on the sound principles of sustainability. Howard, who was elected President of Indian Science Congress in 1926, observed that agriculture research should not be misused to make the farmer exploit the soil reserves but to teach him the knowledge to transfer capital in the shape of soil fertility and the reserves of his livestock to his profit and loss account.
The Indian peasant, for Howard, epitomized 'good farming' by faithfully copying Nature in their agriculture. Livestock were not merely source of nutrition in the form of milk and meat, or of energy in the form of draught animals, their urine and dung was a crucial cog in the progress of growth. So were growing leguminous crops, ploughing back crop residues and the extensive use of green manure. Howard's research proved the improved efficacy of humus for crop yield and resistance to pests and diseases, as compared to chemical fertilizers. He developed the Indore process of composting, which is even today being practiced widely by organic farmers.
Since the era of Howard, many changes and, that too, fast changes have taken place in the growth of agriculture both in India and in the world.
The pesticide centric agriculture had taken centre stage in country's planning and perception and Punjab has become most vital component of this chemical-based agriculture system. Since then, the Punjab was projected as the model state for the success of green revolution; it has become the centre of intensive agriculture practices from 50's. During last five decades, India has increased the consumption of pesticides from 154 MT in 1953-54 to 80,000 MT in 1994-95. Therefore, Punjab is leader in the high use of pesticides. Consumption of grade pesticides in Punjab is highest in country. Punjab is consuming 7100 MT of pesticides for its 7693 hectares with the percentage of 923 grammes per ha. Punjab has highest pesticide load among the Indian states. More over the cotton belt of Malwa is consuming highest pesticide density in country. Punjab is just 2.5% area of total agriculture land in India and it consumers near 18% pesticides of the country, where as the cotton belt comprises only 15% area of Punjab and it consumes nearly 70% pesticide of the state, thus making the equation more dangerous. Malwa's cotton belt is less then 0.5 % geographical area of country but almost 10 % pesticides of country are used here.
From last five years there are number of documents brought up by various government agencies and institutions. In 2001 Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperation, Government of India had formed a Task Force on Organic Farming headed by Dr.Kunwarji Bhai Jadav that brought out its report in November 2001. In September 2001, the Working Group on Organic and Biodynamic Farming, constituted by Planning Commission submitted another report.
The Task Force on Organic Farming had made several recommendations, few are very important, as:
i) Economic value of chemical fertilizers and organic manures may be equated in terms of their overall effect on soil productivity, crop production and then Government may provide the support accordingly.
ii) The technology packages on organic farming as developed by farmers, NGOs and others may be evaluated and the successful technology may be expanded in larger areas.
iii) Bullock drawn implements should be encouraged.
iv) Bankable model schemes on organic farming may be prepared and circulated among the States for its adoption and popularization.
v) Each of the agricultural universities in the country may start a course at the Post-Graduation level on organic farming.
vi) Each KVK may set up a vermin-compost unit and a biological control unit for demonstration and dissemination of the techniques. These centres may also provide bioagents / antagonist and earthworms to the farmers after their training.
vii) Each KVK may lay out one demonstration on organic farming by taking major crops of that area as test crops.
viii) Farmers training about cost-benefit relationship in organic farming and about export of organic produce may be organised through some designated institutions specialized in this area. The Government may support such institutions, which may include NGOs.
ix) The organic markets for supply and purchase of inputs and outputs for organic farming may be developed.
x) Adequate numbers of certification agencies may be identified, registered/recognized. The certification agencies may be financed by the Government to carry out free certification for the farmers for intended export of organic produce.
xi) In the areas of high production, the shifting to organic farming system may result into loss of produce in the initial years. For such switch over, farmers may need to be compensated for initial 2-3 years.
xii) All the Central Government farms may set up vermin-compost units, develop, and demonstrate the system of re-cycling of crop residues. This may be demonstrated by reduced consumption of chemical fertilizers on the Government farms.
xiii) All the State Government may be advised to consider to device the system as introduced by Government of Madhya Pradesh about the experimentation and demonstrations on Government farms on 50:50 area basis on organic on organic farming and other forms of farming.
xiv) The biodynamic means of preparing nutrients may be standardized and the technology may be popularized.
xv) The crop residues should not be permitted to be burnt. Suitable legislation may be thought of, if required.
xvi) Adequate information may be made available to the farmers about the crop-wise residues arising and equivalent nutrient value per unit area through such crop residues.
xvii) The ventures of vermin-compost, compost, press mud and other forms of generation of organic nutrients for crop production may be exempted from levy of all kinds of taxes, excise and income tax etc.
xviii) The agriculture being a Sate subject, the State Governments may be effectively involved in the National programme to be prepared for promotion of organic farming.
xix) Each Sate may set up a State level cell or create a suitable unit at the Headquarter of Directorate of Agriculture to oversee the promotion of organic farming in the State.
Most of these recommendations stay there in files only. Some how in 2003, Government of India had accepted one of important recommendation of Organic Farming Task Force and National Centre for Bio-Fertilizers was converted into National Centre for Organic Farming in 2004. Moreover, National Project on Organic Farming was approved with an outlay of Rs.57.05 crores for production, promotion, and market development organic farming in the country during 10th Plan.
Apart from Central Government, five states have their state policies on organic farming this includes Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Uttaranchal, Andhra Pradesh is in the mid of drafting process. Moreover, Himachal Pradesh has initiated a state level project on organic farming. The Northeastern states had also prepared an elaborative plan for organic farming promotion.
Every policy has few indispensable components- the vision, the ultimate objective and the inbuilt capacity to fulfill peoples' aspirations. The policy should address its core issue holistically. Its guiding principal lies in the well-being of community and the nation at large. It reflects the tradition, the heritage and socio-economic and civilization thought process, perceptions and progressive unfolding of the society. For this, policy has to be evolved by the involvement of community and its inputs. These are the fundamental of participatory democracy - a key word for sustainable development in true sense.
The announcement made by the Chief Minister is quite important may be converted in to timely initiative. As organic farming, is gradually picking-up in Punjab with more and more farmers joining the sustainable stream? Several civil society groups have started the organic farming across the state by involving farmers either as individual or as a group.
The Punjab Agro Export Corporation has taken a lead in this by initiating an export-oriented project. Punjab Agro appointed the consultants for this project and as per claims; they are working with more then 1200 farmers covering near 8000 acres of land. Some central government institutions like CAPART, KVIC and NABARD had also come up with schemes for supporting the projects of vermi-composting, organic farming and marketing. Apart from this, large numbers of farmers are converting their farms to organic by their own or in collaboration with some private company, charitable or religious institution and even Goshalas. On the other side, showrooms or corners for the sale of organic produce are also coming up in major towns. The general awareness is also spreading by the virtue of debate on health and ecological crisis in Punjab courtesy the pro-active role of Media. The media had also played very important role in promoting organic farming movement.
The PAU has also come up with a project in Department of Agronomy, though it is still in infant stage. However, we must understand PAU’s perspective and approach towards organic farming. PAU scientists openly show their apprehensions regard potentials of organic farming. They even put limitations of organic farming in their official presentation on organic farming. Secondly, they are even equating BT cotton produce with organic one. Even senior officials from Agriculture department had shown their doubts for productivity and yield. So, wither it is PAU or Agriculture department both are working half-heartedly, it may be because there is clear misunderstanding related to yield potentials of organic. Moreover, agriculture scientists from are not so open to learn from experiences of farmers from other Indian states, if it is United States then they may follow it. There is a false self-pride feeling in Punjab that we have to feed rest of the country, we have to grow more and more, and it is only possible by chemicalised agriculture.
Punjab must take note of example of Cuba becoming self-sufficient in food and vegetables by organic farming and that too with in three to four years of time. Cuba has opted for organic in 1990-91 and by mid-1995; the food shortage had been overcome. It is general opinion that a nation cannot feed its people without synthetic agro-chemicals, yet today Cuba is self-reliant in food security without using these deadly agro-chemicals. This is a result of change in mindset and agricultural vision and Punjab needs the same.
This is the appropriate time to raise the public debate on state policy for organic farming in Punjab. As the Chief Minister himself assured to formulate a state policy therefore, one can hope that Punjab state policy on organic farming will soon become a reality. Nevertheless, an important question must be answered that what should be the priorities in Punjab. What is meaning and relevance of organic farming for Punjab?
Organic Farming in Punjab is like reintroducing some thing a man has lost due to some accident or in pursuer of circumstances. Though it is being said that organic farming is comparatively new field for the farmers of Punjab, although they practiced it since time immemorial, It was during the green revolution years of sixties and seventies of twentieth century that the abandoned it. The revival of sustainable and organic farming practices in Punjab can be called as a rescue mission and an effort to retrieve the lost heritage. Therefore, it is the appropriate time to discuss the problems of organic farming in a very vast spectrum. To support those brave farmers of Punjab who have dared to adopt organic path of agriculture in the very capital of green revolution some one should take an initiative to bring expertise debate right in to fields of Punjab. There is not any piece of land in Punjab where crops can be grown without inorganic synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Virtually the total land of Punjab has turned barren because it has lost its natural nutrient pool. The situation is alarming and the signs are ominous.
We seem to be quite close to a stage, which can rightly be called "agriculture chaos” The time to act is now. In the present circumstances, organic farming is perhaps the only alternative, which can help us to come out of this agricultural and ecological crisis in Punjab. There is a need to shift from 'Quantity' to 'Quality' and that is possible only if the issue is understood holistically.
Impact on ecology and health: A slight change in the eco system can cause very devastating and long-term effect on the health of all living organisms including humans. Use of very high doses of lethal agro chemicals in agriculture during these days is responsible for the spurt of many diseases, which were very rare in the past.
Economics of debt and suicides: The cost of inputs in agriculture is increasing day-by-day; land holdings are simultaneously decreasing making agriculture unviable for majority of farmers. Baring some big farmers, almost all are caught in the debt trap and are unable to repay their loans. The land is mortgaged with the moneylenders, who some times use hard tactics for recovery. Farmers live in the fear of loosing their lands. It is not surprising that Panchayat of Harkishanpura in district Bathinda and Mal Singh Wala in Mansa district had passed a resolution announcing that the village was up for sale. In Punjab, honour is a sacred word, the people here are a proud lot, and they attach great importance to their dignity. Due to their inability to pay back the huge debts, the hundreds of farmers have committed suicide in Punjab. Green revolution has not only gone sour, it has now turned red. The huge number of suicides is a testimony to the entire equation going wrong.
In addition, there is a need to earnestly orchestrate an organic farming revolution in which following issues need to be given stress and close attention: -
1) Generating awareness among the farmers to change their mindset.
2) Guiding and helping the farmers in the proper implementation of organic
Farming techniques.
3) Making proper arrangement for marketing the organic fertilizer and organic
pesticide.
4) Helping the policy maker and administration to come forward with sound
policies to help the farmers.
5) Increase agro-bio diversity through mix cropping, conserving water
resources and increasing genetic diversity.
To accomplish this very difficult, but urgently required task, two things are very important - the will to work and a congenial environment for growth of organic movement in Punjab.
The Organic Farming vision should be mission-oriented and farmer-centered, unlike the popular view of organic farming that has a commercial orientation and is corporate-centered.
Making agriculture sustainable economically & ecologically- The modern agriculture systems now proved to be exhaustive, exploitative and abusive towards nature, man and civilization. Therefore, we have to adopt a perspective and agriculture system, which can bring back the very pride of our farmer, his self-respect, his self-confidence, and his faith in the agriculture heritage of his own ancestors. This agriculture perspective will based on SWADESHI KRISHI DARSHAN comprising of on-farm composting by farmer, preparation of bio-fertilizers, bio-pesticides and other inputs by farmer her/him-self and by local/area/regional resources to make minimal dependence of farmer on market forces. For this, we have to establish a network of organic farmers, which can facilitate as a hub for exchanging and sharing of experience, creating a farmer managed pool of knowledge system and resources.
Marketing Arrangements and Organic Consumer Network- This aspect is related to the survival of the farmers as the yield of organically produced crops are initially low during transition or evolution period and subsequent price is not sufficient and remunerative to sustain organic farming. For this awareness, integrated with the intricate network of consumers for regular supply chain for quality health food free from poison is also very important. Thus, organic consumer can play a vital role to encourage more and more farmers to adopt organic farming. The social groups, educational institutions and off course private commercial ventures, can help to organize these organic consumers networks.
Handling, Packaging, and warehousing The products for marketing needs attractive packaging, efficient handling and storage during the off-season. The transition period after harvesting and before marketing is indeed a crucial phase as a number of insects and other living organisms and climatic variation influence the stored harvest. For this, farmers and persons dealing with organic produce need proper training.
Certification Procedure, Cost, and Logistic � As Punjab is facing acute environmental-health challenges so; the preference should be given to local consumers of Punjab. Nevertheless, if we think about export, few issue need to be addressed. For exporting the organic food to other states as well as to foreign countries, or for placing these products in the super markets of metro cities, certification is required. Its procedure, cost involved in obtaining the certificate and keeping WTO in view, the farmers needs specialized training and support. The present system of so-called certified organic products is very corporate oriented and mindlessly copied from abroad (where the "food miles" are longer), pushing the Indian farmers out of the organic market. In this context, one thing is clear: that for local or domestic market we should evolve certification processes and standards that are indigenous and community-based. This can create scope for civil society groups to promote organic food.
Organically Certified Seeds � For a good yield, certified seeds form the backbone of the organic farming. This aspect needs special emphasis and attention from the scientists and agriculturists of our universities. The market oriented organic farming system causes serious implications on the traditional seed keeping practices. Especially, the TRIPS regime of WTO is posing threat to farmer's right over bio-diversity and indigenous seed verities. We should encourage our farmers to become seed-keepers, as they are already doing this through traditional system.
Role of Bio-inputs Companies � As India is a large country and the consumption of inputs for agriculture is very high, there is a need for serious business acumen for producing specialized bio-inputs, which may include organic manure, pesticides/insecticides and growth related agents in the villages of Punjab. Externalization of input servicing in biological systems is difficult and energy intensive. Hence, the local resources are to be utilized appropriately through efficient entrepreneurships. The standardization of bio inputs also needs serious and thorough attention. This is very important to safeguard the interest of organic farmers so that the standardization process and its implementation should be made mandatory. BIS and other agencies may evolve procedures in this regard. The NGOs and organic farming groups should be given the role of monitoring in this regard. Government support for scientific mass-production of compost, bio-fertilizers, bio-control agents, antagonists, and other benevolent organisms shall be given a major thrust in the policy statement paper.
Involvement of Women: The women are playing very significant role in restoring nature and making organic farming a success in several places throughout the country. As organic farming can be termed as family enterprise, the involvement of women can provide organic farming the requisite motherly care. Women-power has immense scope and strength for scientific mass-production of compost, bio-fertilizers, bio-control agents, antagonists and other benevolent organisms through a structured entrepreneurship along with post-harvest handling of crops including value-added product production. This shall also provide the enhanced opportunity for women to take part in this endeavor of transforming the agro-cultural scenario. Civilization and its spontaneous evolution cannot be imagined without the active participation of a major part of the population, which is a woman.
Incentive and subsidies: The subsidies and other incentives shall play a crucial role for the promotion of organic farming and it becomes more relevant in the present WTO regime. In fact, the subsidies paid by the American and European governments are indeed very high and form the backbone of their farmers. Government schemes for promotion of organic farming should consider this aspect. Appropriate schemes and policies for the development of organic farming in the state are needed. These must be farmer oriented and may require rising of special funds. Rising incidents of suicides by the Punjabi farmers is another pointer of their woes. The cost of inputs is increasing day by day, the pests attacking the crops are becoming resistant to even the most lethal chemicals insecticide, pesticides and other synthetic pyreathroids agents, thus creating huge losses to already struggling Punjabi farmer.
GE Crops and Organic Farming: Into this situation, Genetic Engineering is being imported as the solution (BT Cotton for example) whereas it has the potential to further worsen the situation given all its potential environmental and health hazards. No one should be misled by the propaganda of GE seed companies taking Bt.crops as pesticide-free organic crops, where as Bt.crops have also a pesticides, preotein (delta endotoxin) that has disputed effect on human health. So, at no point Genetically Engineered or Bt. Crops can be considered as organic at all.
Kheti Virasat Mission is of the firm belief that organic farming is the appropriate answer in this context; it is need of hour to motivate the farmers of Punjab to gradually switch over to the organic farming practices.
Punjab government should invite suggestions and inputs from all the stack holders and partners for sustainable development of state before formulating any policy. Public Hearings and dialogue must be initiated to make policy people's oriented and realistic.
Punjab in Environmental Health catastrophe, But who cares?
By Umendra Dutt
Meet Dharampreet, he is only six years old, a student of second class in village Wan of district Ferozepur. He is as innocent child like other children of his age, but one thing is special he has – lot of grey hairs. This is pre-mature aging in very childhood it self. But, he is not alone in this agony; about dozen children of his age to twelve are suffering from pre-mature aging problem.
Then have a look of village Jhok Sarkari in Faridkot district. Here even children as young as of ten years are suffering from joint pain, arthritis and graying of hairs. It is the same story in number of other villages of Faridkot district, whether it is Jhariwala, Koharwala, Puckka, Bhimawali and Khara or some other, the situation is almost same. Every village has large number of cancer deaths from some 10 to as high as 35 in last six to ten years. Then premature aging even in childhood, joint pain, issue less couples and several other reproductive health problems. It would be same story in whole of Malwa region.
Earlier it was assumed that cancer is spread in the villages of Bathinda district, with in two years Muktsar district and particularly Giddarbaha area seems to be more prone to Cancer then Faridkot and Mansa districts also figures in the cancer list. Later on it is turn of Sangrur, Moga, Ferozepur and more lately even Patiala and Amritsar districts were also included in this list of sorrow. Moreover, the childhood of Punjab is much threatened by deadly cancer. In Khara village a 12 year old boy dies of cancer. An unmarried girl as young as of 25 years detected breast cancer in Adesh Cancer Hospital, Muktsar. Unfortunately, the Childhood cancer shows rising trends in Punjab. These incidents are indicators that people of Punjab are going to suffer lot more in future.
If we have a look on environmental health scenario after cancer now the arthritis and skeletal fluorosis are fast becoming major health problems of the Malwa region. Just go to any village you will find peoples infested by several diseases related with environmental degradation. It is a very clear writing on the wall that, the Punjab is in the middle of a multidimensional ecological-disaster, which is further pushing the people of Punjab in an unprecedented and far unimaginable environmental health crisis. This scenario needs urgent attention. But who cares for it?
The very committee formed to make an action plan for cancer mitigation has yet to meet even after 16 months of its formation. If people who are at helm of affairs could not find time to have a meeting in 16 month time then they have no right to be there. It is irony that no politician has remembers this committee. If state like Punjab could not evolve a strategy an action plan for environmental health crisis mitigation, and then who should be made responsible for this?
Not only the ruling party forgotten the crisis but the opposition is also busy with other issues. It seems no political party wants to talk about environmental health and ecological crisis. The aimless debate on rackets, corruption and other politically surcharged issues has taken its toll, the ecology, environmental health and issues of sustainability were pushed out of entire political spectrum of the state. Because politicians feel that the environment does not have capacity to influence the electoral, nor does it has created any strong civil society movement. That is why the poor environment does not figure in agenda of any political party. There is total political apathy for the environment.
Another example of this political and governmental apathy is more worrisome. Now every body knows that cancer has already become bane for Punjab. But, the situation has its worst aspect in non availability of adequate cancer treatment facilities in Malwa region. The state number One has not even able to provide its people a proper cancer treatment facility by constructing a cancer hospital in Bathinda area. Alas, Punjab government is much busy in clearing Special Economic Zones, The Mega Malls and all other things which have a commercial market by forgetting its people who suffer from cancer. These poor cancer patients are forced to go to Bikanar in Rajasthan for their treatment. According to ICMR’s national cancer registry programme out of total 424 cancer patients from Bathinda district 328 were treated at Acharya Tulsi Regional Cancer Centre, Bikaner. Why a state like Punjab, much known for its prosperity not able to build a cancer hospital in Bathinda. These are figures from one district of Malwa, has gone through figures from other district too; the situation would be much more pathetic.
Environmental epidemiologists says that pesticides are folic acid antagonist resulting birth of brainless children, but it seems pesticides also made some elderly people brainless or at least made them unable to think over the crisis generated by the pesticides. This is the power of pesticideswalas and their resources.
Moreover any process to take up environmental health crisis has to start from debate on pesticides and other agro-chemicals and their adverse health impacts. Interestingly, the debate on pesticides and their contribution in bring environmental health crisis is already underplayed by not only pesticide companies and agriculture establishment but also by health department. They had already dubbed the PPCB -PGIMER report on high cancer incidence in Talwandi Sabo area. More over even after the near two years of publication report, no action has been taken on recommendations made in the report. This shows that there is someone who is afraid of any action taken in this regard. But people must know who is he? And by whom he is supported? How he is so powerful that one can scuttle the so called high powered committee.
But in spite of the well known fact that pesticides had already pushed and constantly pushing the Punjab into environmental health devastation, any attempt to buildup debate on the pesticides is fiercely opposed and subdued by the protagonists of pesticides and its economy. There are certain quarters which always say that Punjab can not do without pesticides. Unfortunately, the government and policy makers always listen to these elements only. When ever there is a voice to phase out pesticides and agro-chemicals from Punjab, it was always opposed by a strong lobby of pesticide manufacturers along with their brothers in arms from agriculture establishments.
There are more than enough academic studies that show that for agricultural productivity and food security, pesticides are not indispensable and what’s more, these studies that have shown that the alternative methods of pest control give great benefits to farmers. Please remember, it is the farmers who will provide that food security to the country, not the agro-chemical industry. If they are happy and interested in their agriculture and if they do not despair after falling into the trap of the input industry including the agro-chemicals industry in ever-spiraling-upwards cost of cultivation, their productivity is likely to be highest. Furthermore, such productivity is ensured only if farmers and agricultural workers are healthy and not when they are dying of pesticides-related impacts, including many acute poisoning deaths that happen to this day.
“Punjab is in the grip of a terrible environmental crisis emanating from the intensive farming practices in vogue for the past four decades” says Devinder Sharma, eminent agriculture policy analyst. He further elaborates the issue “Studies by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural research (CGIAR) have established that Punjab is faced with second generation environmental crisis. The cultivable land is sick, the environment has been heavily contaminated by the use and abuse of chemical pesticides and the underground water table is plummeting at a disastrous pace”. Excessive use of chemical fertilisers has rendered the soils infertile. Organic matter in Punjab' soil is almost close to zero percent. Much of the fertiliser leaches into the groundwater making it not only unfit for drinking but also for irrigation. Excessive withdrawal of nutrients from the soil has also brought in deficiencies of micro-nutrients over the past few decades. And yet, despite the severe environmental impact from the green revolution practices, agricultural scientists did not advocate a mid-term correction by bringing in sustainable farming practices.
Chemical pesticides were pushed in indiscriminately. Forty years after the advent of green revolution, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Manila, Philippines now clearly accepts its mistakes in promoting pesticides and has gone on record saying that 'pesticides were a waste of time and effort' in Asia for rice. Punjab Agricultural University however continues to push in pesticides knowing well that these were not required in the first place. In case of cotton, agricultural scientists have compounded the problem by turning the insect profile hostile. There were only six or seven pests that worried the cotton farmers in the 1960s. Today the number of cotton pests has multiplied to over 60.
Studies done by ICRISAT and IRRI clearly demonstrate the sustainability, viability and successful economics of Non-Pesticide Management practices. Farmers in Bangladesh, Philippines and Vietnam have successfully opted for pesticide free rice cultivation. The Cuba has also shown the way. Former Director General of IRRI, Dr. Robert Cantrell had this to say: "It shows that the mistakes of Green Revolution where too much emphasis was sometimes put on the use of chemicals for pest control have clearly been recognized and corrected".
But irony of Punjab is that the agriculture establishments are not open to this truth of pesticides and even they are not tolerant to any question and debate related to pesticides and environmental health crisis. They are still in green-revolution mindset and insulated from alternative paradigm for sustainable agriculture, environment and development. The agriculture establishments feel honour of their role played in green revolution, it could be their proud. They already got pat for that, they earned whole lot of admiration for the work they had done, but now it is time to have an honest introspection and constructive criticism should be encouraged.
This entire situation poses a very serious question that if government fails to take-up her duty, if health department does not bring any environmental health action plan and yet the environmental health crisis is fast deepening further, then how civil society should respond to this laxity constantly shown by the government and health department.
Secondly, if political parties are not responding to the environmental health crisis then how can we expect that they will do some thing on this issue? How a civilized and enlightened society in a democratic set-up should react to this situation? What should be the role of civil society in these circumstances? We have to find answers to these questions.
Here lays the basic issue of developmental paradigm the Punjab is following from last four decades. It is right time to initiate a public debate on entire developmental strategies, systems and the road-map adopted in Punjab. Which ultimately bring more of destruction, deaths, suicides, debts and a sort of socio-economic and cultural anarchy in Punjab? But who has the time for these issues and whose priority is this? We talk about various crises in Punjab, whether it is related to health, water, farmers’ suicides, rural indebtedness, ecological destruction, natural resources and contamination and pollution the genesis of these lays in the developmental model enforced upon Punjab.
In democracy people get the government-good, bad or worst what so ever it is, is the government they deserves. So if government does not take care of environmental health crisis or any political party does not voices the apathy of this crisis the society should introspect that who is responsible for this situation. Any regime may go or come the situation will remain same unless the environmental health builds as an issue which could mobilize the votes. The civil society has to have its environmental charter so that political parties should respond to that. The civil society has to buildup the pressure so that environment should figure in agenda of political parties’ first, then consistent follow-up, social vigil and time to time evaluation of performance must keep alive the issue.
The civil society has to play much larger role in this context. So those who want to bring Punjab out this devastating situation must accept their duties first.
Every individual or group who feel concerned about the situation should evolve her/his or a collective action plan. The awakened and creative section of society has to buildup a participatory cross section debate in Punjab over the entire ecological crisis and environmental health crisis in particular. It is high time to re-emphasis the demand of "ECOLOGICAL and HEALTH EMERGENCY" be declared immediately for the entire cotton belt in the state. The plans and funds allocated for the region should be diverted for remediation, rehabilitation and relief work of the affected on an urgent basis. The state government should re-priorities, re-structure and re-categorize its plans and projects with emphasis on crisis management.
In democracy we have duties and rights. Let us talk about our environmental duties now. We are mere trustees of the natural resources we got from our forefathers bestowed by Mother Nature. We have to pass on these resources to our future generations in healthy state. The real welfare of Punjab only lays in sustainable prosperity not just the bubble of happiness. So it is high time to respond the crisis and draw a civil society charter of environmental duties and rights. Civil society has to nail government so that the episode of non-meeting of high powered committee on environmental health crisis should not repeat at all. There should be no Dharampreets any more – the childhood cursed by the development done by his own elders and forefathers.
Any action to save Punjab from ecological catastrophe and environmental health crisis is a great service to fellow countrymen. It would be a service to our Motherland, Humanity and God and more over it is as sacred as any worship. We all pray for the wellbeing of all, but have to live the very life which pleads this.
(Author is Executive Director of Kheti Virasat Mission. Jaitu, Faridkot district based environmental NGO in Punjab. Phone: 9872682161, E-mail: umendradutt@gmail.com)
By Umendra Dutt
Meet Dharampreet, he is only six years old, a student of second class in village Wan of district Ferozepur. He is as innocent child like other children of his age, but one thing is special he has – lot of grey hairs. This is pre-mature aging in very childhood it self. But, he is not alone in this agony; about dozen children of his age to twelve are suffering from pre-mature aging problem.
Then have a look of village Jhok Sarkari in Faridkot district. Here even children as young as of ten years are suffering from joint pain, arthritis and graying of hairs. It is the same story in number of other villages of Faridkot district, whether it is Jhariwala, Koharwala, Puckka, Bhimawali and Khara or some other, the situation is almost same. Every village has large number of cancer deaths from some 10 to as high as 35 in last six to ten years. Then premature aging even in childhood, joint pain, issue less couples and several other reproductive health problems. It would be same story in whole of Malwa region.
Earlier it was assumed that cancer is spread in the villages of Bathinda district, with in two years Muktsar district and particularly Giddarbaha area seems to be more prone to Cancer then Faridkot and Mansa districts also figures in the cancer list. Later on it is turn of Sangrur, Moga, Ferozepur and more lately even Patiala and Amritsar districts were also included in this list of sorrow. Moreover, the childhood of Punjab is much threatened by deadly cancer. In Khara village a 12 year old boy dies of cancer. An unmarried girl as young as of 25 years detected breast cancer in Adesh Cancer Hospital, Muktsar. Unfortunately, the Childhood cancer shows rising trends in Punjab. These incidents are indicators that people of Punjab are going to suffer lot more in future.
If we have a look on environmental health scenario after cancer now the arthritis and skeletal fluorosis are fast becoming major health problems of the Malwa region. Just go to any village you will find peoples infested by several diseases related with environmental degradation. It is a very clear writing on the wall that, the Punjab is in the middle of a multidimensional ecological-disaster, which is further pushing the people of Punjab in an unprecedented and far unimaginable environmental health crisis. This scenario needs urgent attention. But who cares for it?
The very committee formed to make an action plan for cancer mitigation has yet to meet even after 16 months of its formation. If people who are at helm of affairs could not find time to have a meeting in 16 month time then they have no right to be there. It is irony that no politician has remembers this committee. If state like Punjab could not evolve a strategy an action plan for environmental health crisis mitigation, and then who should be made responsible for this?
Not only the ruling party forgotten the crisis but the opposition is also busy with other issues. It seems no political party wants to talk about environmental health and ecological crisis. The aimless debate on rackets, corruption and other politically surcharged issues has taken its toll, the ecology, environmental health and issues of sustainability were pushed out of entire political spectrum of the state. Because politicians feel that the environment does not have capacity to influence the electoral, nor does it has created any strong civil society movement. That is why the poor environment does not figure in agenda of any political party. There is total political apathy for the environment.
Another example of this political and governmental apathy is more worrisome. Now every body knows that cancer has already become bane for Punjab. But, the situation has its worst aspect in non availability of adequate cancer treatment facilities in Malwa region. The state number One has not even able to provide its people a proper cancer treatment facility by constructing a cancer hospital in Bathinda area. Alas, Punjab government is much busy in clearing Special Economic Zones, The Mega Malls and all other things which have a commercial market by forgetting its people who suffer from cancer. These poor cancer patients are forced to go to Bikanar in Rajasthan for their treatment. According to ICMR’s national cancer registry programme out of total 424 cancer patients from Bathinda district 328 were treated at Acharya Tulsi Regional Cancer Centre, Bikaner. Why a state like Punjab, much known for its prosperity not able to build a cancer hospital in Bathinda. These are figures from one district of Malwa, has gone through figures from other district too; the situation would be much more pathetic.
Environmental epidemiologists says that pesticides are folic acid antagonist resulting birth of brainless children, but it seems pesticides also made some elderly people brainless or at least made them unable to think over the crisis generated by the pesticides. This is the power of pesticideswalas and their resources.
Moreover any process to take up environmental health crisis has to start from debate on pesticides and other agro-chemicals and their adverse health impacts. Interestingly, the debate on pesticides and their contribution in bring environmental health crisis is already underplayed by not only pesticide companies and agriculture establishment but also by health department. They had already dubbed the PPCB -PGIMER report on high cancer incidence in Talwandi Sabo area. More over even after the near two years of publication report, no action has been taken on recommendations made in the report. This shows that there is someone who is afraid of any action taken in this regard. But people must know who is he? And by whom he is supported? How he is so powerful that one can scuttle the so called high powered committee.
But in spite of the well known fact that pesticides had already pushed and constantly pushing the Punjab into environmental health devastation, any attempt to buildup debate on the pesticides is fiercely opposed and subdued by the protagonists of pesticides and its economy. There are certain quarters which always say that Punjab can not do without pesticides. Unfortunately, the government and policy makers always listen to these elements only. When ever there is a voice to phase out pesticides and agro-chemicals from Punjab, it was always opposed by a strong lobby of pesticide manufacturers along with their brothers in arms from agriculture establishments.
There are more than enough academic studies that show that for agricultural productivity and food security, pesticides are not indispensable and what’s more, these studies that have shown that the alternative methods of pest control give great benefits to farmers. Please remember, it is the farmers who will provide that food security to the country, not the agro-chemical industry. If they are happy and interested in their agriculture and if they do not despair after falling into the trap of the input industry including the agro-chemicals industry in ever-spiraling-upwards cost of cultivation, their productivity is likely to be highest. Furthermore, such productivity is ensured only if farmers and agricultural workers are healthy and not when they are dying of pesticides-related impacts, including many acute poisoning deaths that happen to this day.
“Punjab is in the grip of a terrible environmental crisis emanating from the intensive farming practices in vogue for the past four decades” says Devinder Sharma, eminent agriculture policy analyst. He further elaborates the issue “Studies by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural research (CGIAR) have established that Punjab is faced with second generation environmental crisis. The cultivable land is sick, the environment has been heavily contaminated by the use and abuse of chemical pesticides and the underground water table is plummeting at a disastrous pace”. Excessive use of chemical fertilisers has rendered the soils infertile. Organic matter in Punjab' soil is almost close to zero percent. Much of the fertiliser leaches into the groundwater making it not only unfit for drinking but also for irrigation. Excessive withdrawal of nutrients from the soil has also brought in deficiencies of micro-nutrients over the past few decades. And yet, despite the severe environmental impact from the green revolution practices, agricultural scientists did not advocate a mid-term correction by bringing in sustainable farming practices.
Chemical pesticides were pushed in indiscriminately. Forty years after the advent of green revolution, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Manila, Philippines now clearly accepts its mistakes in promoting pesticides and has gone on record saying that 'pesticides were a waste of time and effort' in Asia for rice. Punjab Agricultural University however continues to push in pesticides knowing well that these were not required in the first place. In case of cotton, agricultural scientists have compounded the problem by turning the insect profile hostile. There were only six or seven pests that worried the cotton farmers in the 1960s. Today the number of cotton pests has multiplied to over 60.
Studies done by ICRISAT and IRRI clearly demonstrate the sustainability, viability and successful economics of Non-Pesticide Management practices. Farmers in Bangladesh, Philippines and Vietnam have successfully opted for pesticide free rice cultivation. The Cuba has also shown the way. Former Director General of IRRI, Dr. Robert Cantrell had this to say: "It shows that the mistakes of Green Revolution where too much emphasis was sometimes put on the use of chemicals for pest control have clearly been recognized and corrected".
But irony of Punjab is that the agriculture establishments are not open to this truth of pesticides and even they are not tolerant to any question and debate related to pesticides and environmental health crisis. They are still in green-revolution mindset and insulated from alternative paradigm for sustainable agriculture, environment and development. The agriculture establishments feel honour of their role played in green revolution, it could be their proud. They already got pat for that, they earned whole lot of admiration for the work they had done, but now it is time to have an honest introspection and constructive criticism should be encouraged.
This entire situation poses a very serious question that if government fails to take-up her duty, if health department does not bring any environmental health action plan and yet the environmental health crisis is fast deepening further, then how civil society should respond to this laxity constantly shown by the government and health department.
Secondly, if political parties are not responding to the environmental health crisis then how can we expect that they will do some thing on this issue? How a civilized and enlightened society in a democratic set-up should react to this situation? What should be the role of civil society in these circumstances? We have to find answers to these questions.
Here lays the basic issue of developmental paradigm the Punjab is following from last four decades. It is right time to initiate a public debate on entire developmental strategies, systems and the road-map adopted in Punjab. Which ultimately bring more of destruction, deaths, suicides, debts and a sort of socio-economic and cultural anarchy in Punjab? But who has the time for these issues and whose priority is this? We talk about various crises in Punjab, whether it is related to health, water, farmers’ suicides, rural indebtedness, ecological destruction, natural resources and contamination and pollution the genesis of these lays in the developmental model enforced upon Punjab.
In democracy people get the government-good, bad or worst what so ever it is, is the government they deserves. So if government does not take care of environmental health crisis or any political party does not voices the apathy of this crisis the society should introspect that who is responsible for this situation. Any regime may go or come the situation will remain same unless the environmental health builds as an issue which could mobilize the votes. The civil society has to have its environmental charter so that political parties should respond to that. The civil society has to buildup the pressure so that environment should figure in agenda of political parties’ first, then consistent follow-up, social vigil and time to time evaluation of performance must keep alive the issue.
The civil society has to play much larger role in this context. So those who want to bring Punjab out this devastating situation must accept their duties first.
Every individual or group who feel concerned about the situation should evolve her/his or a collective action plan. The awakened and creative section of society has to buildup a participatory cross section debate in Punjab over the entire ecological crisis and environmental health crisis in particular. It is high time to re-emphasis the demand of "ECOLOGICAL and HEALTH EMERGENCY" be declared immediately for the entire cotton belt in the state. The plans and funds allocated for the region should be diverted for remediation, rehabilitation and relief work of the affected on an urgent basis. The state government should re-priorities, re-structure and re-categorize its plans and projects with emphasis on crisis management.
In democracy we have duties and rights. Let us talk about our environmental duties now. We are mere trustees of the natural resources we got from our forefathers bestowed by Mother Nature. We have to pass on these resources to our future generations in healthy state. The real welfare of Punjab only lays in sustainable prosperity not just the bubble of happiness. So it is high time to respond the crisis and draw a civil society charter of environmental duties and rights. Civil society has to nail government so that the episode of non-meeting of high powered committee on environmental health crisis should not repeat at all. There should be no Dharampreets any more – the childhood cursed by the development done by his own elders and forefathers.
Any action to save Punjab from ecological catastrophe and environmental health crisis is a great service to fellow countrymen. It would be a service to our Motherland, Humanity and God and more over it is as sacred as any worship. We all pray for the wellbeing of all, but have to live the very life which pleads this.
(Author is Executive Director of Kheti Virasat Mission. Jaitu, Faridkot district based environmental NGO in Punjab. Phone: 9872682161, E-mail: umendradutt@gmail.com)
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