COWSNEVER CAMEHOME
An RTI query has revealed how affluent politicos are milking schemes meant for the poor. Pull a few strings and grab a cow or a buffalo; the ones who cant are pushed deeper into the pits of poverty and loan. Alok Tiwari and Ranjit Deshmukh tour Yavatmal district for a first-hand dekho of the scenario and are stunned to find that the rich are justifying the grab even as the poor are not even aware of the schemes. TOI focuses on the disparity
This is as bad as it gets. We know that government schemes remain mostly only on paper. But in this case, the leaders are hogging the benefit that the poor are supposed to get. And are not feeling guilty about it even after being exposed. TOI toured the villages of Vidarbhas suicide belt in Yavatmal district in the aftermath of the cow-scam in which the local leaders took the subsidised milch cattle meant for poor, and found the reality every bit as shocking as reported.
An RTI application filed by journalist-cum-social activist Vilas Wankhede had revealed how the rich and affluent kin of politicians were largely the beneficiaries of schemes meant for farmers who were affected by suicides and failing crops. TOI reported the issue on September 13 and 14.
On one hand are the rich and powerful leaders who have benefited and on the other are the poor who do not even know about the schemes. They also become victims of local politics and power equations.
Unfortunately, no Rahul Gandhi has ever visited their place or mentioned them for a national audience. So they never got the aid that a Kalavati or a Shashikala receive, neither from the government nor from any charitable organisations.
They remain invisible to the system and the media. They fall prey to the scourges of corruption and feudal exploitation that have persisted over the ages. All too often, survival boils down to being on the right side of the villages political divide.
Take the example of Patan. This village of 3500 people is at the very edge of Maharashtra. Andhra Pradesh border is a mere 2 km away. Most people here are bilingual, speaking both Marathi and Telugu. It is home to the powerful Kasawars. The familys scion, Wamanrao Kasawar has represented Wani Assembly constituency for three terms on a Congress ticket. His double-storeyed brightly painted village home stands apart from the shanties around it. Close to it is his brother Deorao Kasawars wada. It is a spacious village house with a large courtyard to keep cattle, the kind you see in the movies.
Deorao is one of the beneficiaries of the scheme to give milch cattle to poor farmers so that they can have an alternative source of income. He got two buffaloes under the scheme. In fact, each of three sons also got two buffaloes each by paying just 25% of its cost. The rest came as subsidy from the government. Anybody can see that Kasawars do not need subsidy or an alternate source of income. Yet, they got eight cattle under the scheme because somebody failed to stipulate that only poor people can receive the aid.
Chandrashekhar Kasawar, Deoraos son, is a picture of innocence as he explains, We applied through our self-help group like everybody else and got the cattle. Everything was as per rules. The scheme did not say it was only for BPL (Below Poverty Line) families. But just how needy the Kasawars are becomes clear from the fact that they went in for much better cattle than could be purchased under the scheme. The scheme fixed the rate of a cow or buffalo to be bought at Rs 17,500 but the Kasawars buffaloes are Rs 25,000 apiece with them paying the difference without a problem.
Just two lanes away from Kasawars house is another, more modest, dwelling. It looks like it has recently been done up. But once you enter its brightly polished door, you realise that hope has fled the place. Here lives Laxmibai Padalwar. Her husband Bhagwan, a small farmer having three acres land, killed himself by consuming poison about a month ago. She still breaks into sobs every time she speaks.
If anyone needed extra income from a buffalo in the village, it was Bhagwan. He had to sow his field twice this year as rains played truant. He wanted some more cash for that but banks would not give it to him as he already had a loan. Bhagwans existing loan had not been waived as he was regular with his payment and the waiver was only for defaulters.
This disturbed Bhagwan no end. He felt he was being punished for his honesty. He was already broke having recently repaired his home. He had also spent Rs 25,000 on a surgery Laxmibai needed. He saw suicide as the only way out.
Laxmibai does not even have that option. She has to bring up their two daughters who are 12 and 10 and go to school. She also has to take care of Bhagwans ailing mother. Neither she or Bhagwan knew about any scheme of milch cattle. He had once applied for a well on his field. Nothing happened on that application. Officials are supposed to make sure that the families of dead farmers at least are given all the benefits under the various packages. None came to tell Laxmibai about it after Bhagwans suicide. She knows the government gives incentive to those who undergo sterilisation after having two girls. She did so like a progressive person but did not get anything as incentive.
Laxmibai cannot speak either Hindi or Marathi. She only knows Telugu. From the village leaders Kasawars, there was not even a courtesy visit to her home.
Across the village road, there is another baffling story. Here lives Ganga Bawne, daughter of Bhagwan Bawne, a marginal farmer having two acres. She has a BPL card and had applied for a milch cattle through her Bharti SHG about a year ago.
She was even allotted a buffalo but mysteriously, it was given to another person Baliram Bongirwar. Not surprisingly, he is a relative of the Kasawars. The SHG too is run by another relative of theirs. When the matter reached the local animal husbandry officer, he ordered that the buffalo be restored to Ganga.
But Bongirwar demanded he should be compensated for the amount he had already spent on it. This Ganga could not do. So Bongirwar simply returned the Rs 4,500 that Ganga had deposited as her share. Officially, Ganga has the buffalo.
THE HAVES
THE KASAWARS – CONGRESS
Dominate the Patan village in Maharashtra. Wamanrao Kasawar has been a Congress MLA from Wani constituency for three terms. His brother Deorao is a prosperous farmer. Deorao and sons Prakash, Chandrashekhar and Akash received two buffaloes each. Here Chandrashekhar Kasawar stands near the imposing house of his uncle Wamanrao
Dominate the Patan village in Maharashtra. Wamanrao Kasawar has been a Congress MLA from Wani constituency for three terms. His brother Deorao is a prosperous farmer. Deorao and sons Prakash, Chandrashekhar and Akash received two buffaloes each. Here Chandrashekhar Kasawar stands near the imposing house of his uncle Wamanrao
THE LONKARS – CONGRESS
Congress leaders from Shiroli village. Suresh Lonkar has been the most influential politician from the area. He is on board of Yavatmal District Central Cooperative Bank and Maharashtra State Cotton Cooperative Marketing Federation. His son Ashish and brother Anil received two cows each under the government scheme. This is his house in Shiroli
THE INGLES – CONGRESS
Relative of Lonkars. Sanjay Ingle active in local village politics. He was Panchayat Samiti chief. Passed on the baton to wife Vandana when the post was reserved for women and became her deputy, running the show by proxy. Received two cows that added to a large family herd. Here, Vandana overlooking their cattleshed
Relative of Lonkars. Sanjay Ingle active in local village politics. He was Panchayat Samiti chief. Passed on the baton to wife Vandana when the post was reserved for women and became her deputy, running the show by proxy. Received two cows that added to a large family herd. Here, Vandana overlooking their cattleshed
THE HAVE-NOTS
LAXMIBAI PADALWAR – WIDOW
Avillager in Patan and widow of small farmer Bhagwan, who killed himself about a month ago out of financial distress. Officials never told her she could get a cattle. Here, Laxmibai sits with her aged mother-in-law
GANGA BAWNE – JUST UNLUCKY?
Daughter of marginal farmer Bhagwan Bawne of Patan. She was allotted a buffalo through a self-help group but it mysteriously went to somebody else. Even official intervention could not get her the cattle. She is seen with her mother Parvati
MALA & REKHA THAKRE –