This new year the government of India gifted farmers a special package. After dismantling planning commission this plan will enable farmer to move to Colaba in Mumbai and Race course road in Delhi. They will be able to drink Beer in Shantaram’s famous Leopold cafe in Mumbai, dance in Hardrock cafe in Saket mall of Delhi, party in Brigade road of Bangalore and enjoy wind breeze in Marina beach of Chennai. You will be seeing them eating popcorn on your side in the Malls and racing with you on bike.
The government will be paying them heavy compensation after acquiring their land for growth and development of our country. These farmers will be then migrating to the cities with the lumpsum of money. Here, they will be able to find jobs related to their skills like technical consultant or software enginneer and possibly join the herd of consumers. But then who will be producing ?
The beauty of the ordinance is that it can also acquire multi crop land or any fertile land. The pressure on soil is already high with the amount of pesticides Indian farmers use and the production is almost saturated. We are set to be importers of grains after edible oils. We could soon be buying a packaged vegetable salad with farmers in super market like Reliance Fresh imported from TESCO in Europe. But may be some of us will get employment in the land acquired too, in the same special economic zone, where we will be working as cheap labour for some one else. So we will be importing food also and working for them too. Yes!
So, the government is trying to decrease the inequality by issuing an ordinance that adds all the lucrative features on the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act of 2013. The farmers will now be able to show more patriotism by sacrificing their land to the greater good of the nation, such as golf course, amusement parks and super markets. It is just that they will not be able to decide to sell according to their wish.
But does it matter !
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