As a part of the resistance we can do following things:
- Talk: We can talk with maximum people as we can. Talk to with your family members, friends, neighbors, relatives, colleagues about this issue and its hazards. Talk and discus with the people. You yourself will come up with small actions by which government and people around you will come to know that you are AGAINST the policy.
- Write to Editors: All facts and concerns related to the policy are uploaded on this website. We will keep on adding them time to time as we get new information from people like you. Write articles on this issue to editors of newspapers.
- File RTI Application: We can file RTI applications to get more information on this issue and to show that we are concern about the policy of the government.
- How to file RTI application?
- FORWARDs: Instead of passing routine forwards to your friends design the FORWARDs based on facts of this issue and mail it to maximum people.
- Pass the link of this website to maximum people.
- E-mail to Ministers: Write the two line email and copy+paste the concerns of this issues and mail it to the ministers. And ask your friends to do so.
- Posters: If you have good drawing skills, make posters related to this issue and share with us. We will use them in campaigning.
(Source: Maharashtra Times)
विदर्भातील शेतकऱ्यांच्या आत्महत्येची अनेक सामाजिक कारणांपैकी दारूसेवन हे एक कारण आहे , हा निष्कर्ष मी काढलेला नाही. शेतकऱ्यांच्या आत्महत्येसंदर्भात विविध अहवालांनी हे स्पष्ट केलेले आहे. तसेच महसूल अधिकाऱ्यांच्याशी केलेल्या चर्चेतून त्यांनीही तसा निष्कर्ष काढला म्हणून शेतकऱ्यांचे संसार वाचावेत , यासाठी मी दारूबंदी करण्याची मागणी मुख्यमंत्र्यांकडे केली , असे स्पष्टीकरण महसूलमंत्री नारायण राणे यांनी गुरूवारी विधानपरिषदेत केले.
शेतकऱ्यांच्या आत्महत्यांमागे दारूचे सेवन हे एक कारण असल्याच्या महसूलमंत्र्यांच्या गुरुवारच्या पत्राने विरोधकांनी त्यांच्यावर टीका केली. शेतकऱ्यांना बदनाम करण्याचे प्रयत्न या माध्यमातून होत आहेत , त्यामुळे महसूलमंत्र्यांनी माफी मागावी , अशी मागणी शिवसेनेचे गटनेते दिवाकर रावते यांनी केली. या मागणीवरून सभागृहात बराच वेळ गदारोळ झाला. त्यामुळे पंधरा मिनिटांसाठी सभागृहाचे कामकाज तहकूब करावे लागले.
शिवसेनेकडे दुसरे मुद्देउरलेले नाहीत. तोपक्षआता रस्त्यावर आलेला आहे , त्यामुळे असे मुद्दे ते उचलत आहेत , अशी टीका राणे यांनी केली. कर्जबाजारीपणा यासारख्या अनेक कारणांबरोबर दारूसेवनामुळे शेतकरी आत्महत्या करतात , हे कारण असल्याचा अनेक अहवालांत निष्कर्ष काढला गेला आहे. ते दारू पितात म्हणून त्यांच्या आत्महत्या झाल्या , असे माझे मत नाही. चांगल्या हेतूने मी मुख्यमंत्र्यांना पत्र लिहिले आहे , यात ज्यांना सामाजिक भान नाहीत , अशी मंडळी टीका करत आहेत , असे राणे यांनी सांगितले.
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(Source: Maharashtra Times)
आणि नागपूर जिल्हयातील एका जिल्हयात पूर्ण दारूबंदी लागू करण्यात यावी , अशी मागणी महसूलमंत्री नारायण राणे यांनी मुख्यमंत्री अशोक चव्हाण यांना पत्र पाठवून केली आहे. राणे यांनी अलीकडेच संबंधित जिल्हाधिका-यांशी चर्चा केली आणि आत्महत्यांच्या कारणांचा आढावा घेतला.
राणे यांनी पत्रात शेतक-यांच्या आत्महत्यांना कर्जबाजारीपणा हे कारण असल्याचे स्पष्ट केले. त्याचबरोबर विरोधी पक्षांकडून शेतक-यांच्या वाढत्या आत्महत्यांवरून बदनाम केले जाते , अशी टिप्पणीही केली. अमरावती विभागात यवतमाळ , अकोला , वाशिम , बुलडाणा आणि अमरावती आणि नागपूर विभागात दारूबंदी असलेल्या वर्धा या जिल्हयात दारूचे व्यसन हेसुध्दा आत्महत्यांमागचे तेवढेच मोठे कारण असल्याचे आढळून आल्याचे त्यांनी नमूद केले आहे.
राणे म्हणतात की , आत्महत्याग्रस्त सहा जिल्हयांमधील शेतक-यांच्या जीवनाचा स्तर उंचावावा आणि त्यांची प्रगती व्हावी यासाठी राज्य व केंद्र सरकारने पॅकेज जाहीर केले असून या पॅकेजअंतर्गत जोडधंदेसुध्दा उपलब्ध करून दिलेले आहेत. एवढया मोठया प्रमाणावर निधी खर्च केला जात असताना शेतक-यांच्या आत्महत्यांचे प्रमाण कमी होताना दिसत नाही.
राणे यांनी ऐन अधिवेशन काळात हे पत्र पाठवले असल्याने त्याला महत्त्व आले आहे. त्यानुसार मुख्यमंत्री राणे यांच्या पत्रावर संबंधित जिल्हयांत दारूबंदी लागू व्हावी म्हणून काही घोषणा करतात का , याकडे आता लक्ष लागले आहे.
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नागपूर, २० डिसेंबर २००९ / प्रतिनिधी(Source: Loksatta)
पुणे, २५ ऑगस्ट २००९ / खास प्रतिनिधी(Source: Loksatta)
CM nod for alcohol units in Vidarbha
- Setting a Wrong Trend: Subsidy is the financial support that government provides to business or economic sector. In this case, government is saying, ‘since producing alcohol from food grain is costlier than from molasses, we are offering the subsidy to alcohol manufacturers.’ Government is sharing financial burden of alcohol producers simply because some of them have very good connections inside the government. A subsidy on kerosene, cooking gas, chemical fertilizers, and fuel is understood but on ALCOHOL is totally unjustified. By offering such huge subsidy to alcohol manufacturers Government of Maharashtra is setting a wrong trend.
- Against Democracy: From where the subsidies come from? Obliviously, from the pocket of common man like us who follow the regulations and pay the taxes. Now, Government is shelling out our money for benefits of few individuals without even concern of its people.
- Alcohol and Jowar: In its GR, Maharashtra Government is saying that - Jowar is a major crop of Vidarbha and Marathwada region. Since area under jowar cultivation and per hectare jowar production has gone down in last few years, there is a lot of scope for improvement of production of this crop. Hence, the Government is encouraging jowar based alcohol production to enhance the production. But why can’t our government understand that for rise of the production, subsidy should be given for seeds, fertilizers, irrigation facilities and farmers and not to the alcohol manufacturers? (see the Government GR)
- Food vs Liquor: If we start manufacturing liquor from food-grains like jowar and bajara, the manufacturers will purchase tons of grains from market. Even they can purchase the food-grains by paying higher price because grain based alcohol has good market value. This will initiate food vs liquor war and will result in shortage of food-grains and rise in grain prices in the market. We recently saw this phenomenon of global food crises because of food vs fuel war in developing countries like USA.
- PDS and Liquor: In our country, major chunk of our population is depending on grains we distribute under Public Distribution System (PDS). And all us know, there is huge black marketing is going on in PDS system. Once we started large-scale manufacturing of food-grain based alcohol, the grain from PDS system will get diverted towards alcohol plant. Now, at least food grains of PDS system are available for poor people in black market at higher price but going forward it will be only available for them in sealed bottles in wine shops and bars.
- Suicides of Farmers: Government is justifying its decision in its GR by stating that because of these alcohol industries farmers will get better price for their crops like jowar and bajara. In turn, these good returns on production will reduce the farm suicides in Vidarbha and Marathwada region. This is totally meaningless argument. (see Government GR and news)
- According to government, the reason behind approval of this subsidy is to increase export of alcohol because food-grain based alcohol has more demand in European countries. On other hand, government is saying that the produced alcohol has to sell in Maharashtra state only. (see Government GR and news)
- Under this scheme, since the food-grain has to be purchased from the Maharashtra state and alcohol has to be sold within the Maharashtra state, this will cause severe food shortage and sudden increase in alcohol consumption and will cause lot of ill-social effects.
- Government of Maharashtra has announced aid for food grained based alcohol production under the scheme titled ‘Food Grain based liquid and integrated material financial Aid – 2007’ (धान्याधारित आसवनी व एकात्मिक घटक अर्थसहाय्य - 2007)
- Under the scheme, the subsidy of Rs. 10 is granted to manufacturers for each liter of alcohol production from food-grains.
- As per Government GR of August 31, 2009, seven units already started the production of alcohol under the scheme and aid is granted to 21 units which not yet started the production.
- As per the news published in Loksatta, the aid is granted to total 34 units out of which ten units already stated the production of food-grain based alohol.
- The expected alcohol production under this scheme is 100 to 120 million liters (10-12 crore liters) per year.
- Under this scheme the Maharashtra Government has to bare the loss of Rs. 100-120 crores per year.
- Details of the aid:
- In Marathwada and Vidharbha, the aid is upto Rs 37.5 crore or 150% of capital cost in D zone OR upto Rs. 50 crore or 200% of capital cost for D+ zone.
- For the D and D+ zone of the rest of the Maharashtra (other than Marathwada and Vidharbha) the aid is Rs. 25 crore or 100 % of capital cost.
- Sell of the produce liquor under this scheme outside Maharashtra state is not allowed. Hence the produce alcohol has to be sold in Maharashtra state only.
- The ex-finance and planning department minister of Maharashtra, Jayant Patil and finance and planning department opposed this proposal but ultimately the proposal got sanctioned with the intervention of ex-chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh.
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- धान्याधारित मद्यार्क निर्मितीसाठी परवाने मिळालेल्या कारखान्यांची यादी
- (Lokprabha - 25- Dec- 2009) १) विराज अल्कोहल अॅण्ड अलाईड इंडस्ट्रीज लि., कापरीद्ध ता. शिराळा, जि. सांगली संचालक : १) मानसिंग फत्तेसिंग नाईक २) रामसिंग फत्तेसिंग नाईक. २) अल्कोप्लस प्रोडय़ुसर्स प्रा. लि., जि. लातूर संचालक : १) अमित विलासराव देशमुख, २) धीरज विलासराव देशमुख, (माजी मुख्यमंत्री व केंद्रीय अवजड उद्योगमंत्री विलासराव देशमुख यांचे सुपुत्र) ३) मे. आनंद डिस्टिलरिज, जि. अमरावती संचालक : १) आनंदकुमार गुलाबचंद्र भमोरे २) अभयकुमार आनंद भमोरे ४) मे. बेलापूर इंडस्ट्रीज लि., जि. अहमदनगर संचालक : १) गोविंदराव वामनराव आदिक (खासदार- राष्ट्रवादी)
PuneSachin Tiwale: +91 94214 56144 Dr. Dharav Shah: +91 92233 28856
MumbaiUmesh Khade: +91 98926 49664
AurangabadAmol Wakle: +91 97304 02898
KolhapurDr. Pramod Patil: +91 99606 80000
JalgaonSatish Padalwar: +91 98505 60527
NagpurSajal Kulkarni: +91 98814 79239
Government of Maharashtra is promoting food grain based alcohol production. The government is offering huge subsidy to the food grain based alcohol manufacturer under the scheme ‘Food Grain based liquid and integrated material financial Aid – 2007’ (धान्याधारित आसवनी व एकात्मिक घटक अर्थसहाय्य - 2007). This policy will have evil social impact in short as well as long run. Moreover, government of Maharashtra is setting wrong trends by allowing manufacturers to produce alcohol from the food grains and further offering subsidy to them for this purpose.
So, we as a youth and part of Nirman are taking opposing stand against this policy. The purpose of this blog is to reach to the maximum people and making them aware of the facts, flows, and short and long term effects of the policy and involve them actively in this resistance. No particular person or organization is leading this resistance. We all are going to lead the resistance at our level by doing little steps of great significance.
As you are reading this you are already into it.
Do you really support the decision of Government of Maharashtra of making liquor from food-grains? Offering crores of subsidies to liquor manufacturers to share their financial burden? Wastage of hard earned money of regular tax payers like you and me?
If NOT then we must express it, because feeling in heart is not enough it must get reflected. In democracy, Government not only represents supports of its people but also represents the actions, thoughts, wisdom and ethics of its people. If you are not agree with this policy of the government, then we must raised our voice.
All citizens, youth organizations, women organizations, self-help groups, associations of senior citizens, residential welfare organizations should come together to demonstrate the solidarity against the decision of the government.
Express your thoughts, reactions. Write about how we should go about this policy on this blog or write us at:foodtoalcohol@gmail.com
We think this policy is unethical in both social and financial point of view. This policy is going to affect directly and indirectly to large section of the society including poor and rich and rural and urban both.
The policy is the waste of money owned by people for benefits of few individuals
It will increase the food-grain prices.
It will cause food-grain shortage in coming years.
The policy will have adverse effect on public distribution system
It will increase the alcohol consumption in the society.
The policy will incur direct loss of Rs. 1-1.2 billion (Rs. 100-120 crores) per year in form of excise duty to state government of Maharashtra.(read more)
Here we share and discuss the facts of the policy,concerns of the policy and how we all can resist against it.
first post