Indian Farmers March in Protest of Land Rights2 min read

This week, approximately 40,000 farmers from the Maharashtra district of Nashik marched to the financial hub of India (Mumbai) to rally in protest for land rights.

Al Jazeera reported that these farmers settled their camp at Southern Mumbai’s Azad Maidan on pieces of cardboard dispersed around the Sports ground.

India’s Agricultural/Farming sector supports two-thirds of the population’s finances and so many of the low class backgrounds came to demand the authorities for land rights and better compensation.

The last couple of years have seen a tragic influx of suicide among farmers due to not being able to afford a sustainable living.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, in 2015 more that 3,000 farmers committed suicide due to bankruptcy, piling debt or the fear of losing profit during a drought.

To think that India for a long time has been one of the largest exporters of crops such as rice, lentils, tea and spices yet fails to compensate the producers with the right amount of money is shocking.

The most affected community were the Adivasis (Aboriginal tribes) who seem to have the least land rights in India’s ever-growing population.

Though natives, Adivasis only make up around 8% of India’s population, making them a minority.

For this reason, authorities as well as large companies believe that they can take advantage of not only their declining number, but also their poverty.

It is situations like these that are the reason behind such a divide in wealth and society in general.

Back in 2004, the National Pension Scheme aimed to resolve the problems by introducing a scheme for different farmers including ones with small land holdings.

However, the situation still persists and the farmers need more for the survival of their businesses and families.

The protesters demanded an increase in their monthly pensions as well as all of their loans to be waivered off.

In order to diffuse the crowd, authorities agreed to give remittance but this will not last for long.

India is a growing economic power and in order to maintain that status, it must treat its workers right in order to grow.

Otherwise the same workers will be the downfall to this global rat race.

Equal pay is progressive, for the progressive.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash