Skip to main content

International meet in North Gujarat village: Top civil rights groups seek local solutions to regain lost land rights

By Our Representative
Agreeing that it was impossible to work out a common strategy for farmers and pastoralists to fight for land rights, participants at a meeting of the International Land Coalition (ILC), a global alliance of civil society organizations, stressed on seeking “viable local solutions” to “rampant” privatization of land taking place in different countries of Asia in the name of setting up developmental projects. The meeting was held in a North Gujarat village in Bechraji taluka, Gopnaad, where land prices have zoomed by three to four times following the top car manufacturers, Maruti-Suzuki’s decision to set up shop about 25 kilometres away.
While international participants, including those from India, debated on how privatization of land was sharply affecting food security and displacing local people, especially poor farmers and pastoralists, local farmers attending the meet said land was being bought by “interested parties” like hot cake in the area. “Land prices were just about Rs 4 to 5 lakh per bigha about two years ago. But now, they have gone up to Rs 25 lakh. Those who are interested in buying land are mainly farmers, who had sold their land in Sanand area, where the Tatas have set up their Nano plant”, said a farmer, adding, “There is no opposition to such deals.”
A senior activist from Gujarat, who was part of the organizers, Maldhari Rural Action Group (MARAG), an Ahmedabad-based civil rights group, told Counterview on the sidelines of the international meet, “While we have been able to register some success in our campaign, as seen in the Jameen Adhikar Andolan Gujarat’s (JAAG’s) effort leading to downsizing of the Mandal-Bechraji Special Investment Region from 44 villages to just eight last year, there are huge ups and downs, too. We have found that often farmers decide to give up their struggle for saving land, their only means of livelihood, once they are offered a market plus rate.”
Julio Virola
Jun Virola, representing a civil rights group in the Philippines fighting for farmers’ and fishermen’s rights against the privatization onslaught, told Counterview, “Though it is term we do not like to use, as it is coined by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), an exit policy is what is needed at a time when major structural changes are taking place in most economies of Asian countries. It must take care of the interests of small farmers in the face of developmental projects by providing them with viable jobs and livelihood, which is what we advocate with our government. This is particularly important, because these structural changes from rural to urban-industrial economies are inevitable. Experience suggests that small farms are not as sustainable as large, commercial farms.”
Not all agreed with such an approach. Dinesh Rabari, who heads MARAG, told mediapersons at the end of the four-day meet, that there was a need to fight against “land grabbing” taking place in India and other countries to “safeguard the interests of vulnerable groups. Annalisa Mauro, representing the ILC’s secretariat in Rome, said that the loss of land leads to a sharp setback to food security to the vulnerable sections, adding, big foreign companies taking up projects in several Asian projects are contributing to this. Iwan Nurdin from Indonesia said, industrial projects on agricultural and pastoral lands have led to “environmental degradation”, hence they should be “opposed”.
Dinesh Rabari
While a similar view was taken by representatives from Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Indonesia and Cambodia, MARAG distributed results of survey it conducted recently in 90 villages of Gujarat suggesting that the norm, fixed by the Supreme Court two years ago, that for every 100 animals there should be 40 acres of grazing land, is not being implemented. It said, in the 90 villages surveyed, it was found that there was a shortage of 74 per cent of grazing land in villages of Lakhatrana taluka of Kutch district, 63 per cent in the villages of Shankeshwar taluka of Patan district, and 50 per cent in the villages of Patdi taluka of Surendranagar district.
Answering a question, Karishma Barua, also from the ILC’s secretariat in Rome, said participants from Bangladesh and Pakistan “failed to attend as they did not Indian visa on time”, though swiftly adding, “There was no hurdle on the part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Indian embassies in the respective countries. Only, they were intimated just a fortnight before the meeting was to begin, October 6, hence they did not have time to get the visa.”

Comments

TRENDING

Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan raises concerns over Jharkhand Adivasis' plight in Assam, BJP policies

By Our Representative  The Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan (Save Democracy Campaign) has issued a pressing call to protect Adivasi rights in Jharkhand, highlighting serious concerns over the treatment of Jharkhandi Adivasis in Assam. During a press conference in Ranchi on November 9, representatives from Assam, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh criticized the current approach of BJP-led governments in these states, arguing it has exacerbated Adivasi struggles for rights, land, and cultural preservation.

Promoting love or instilling hate and fear: Why is RSS seeking a meeting with Rahul Gandhi?

By Ram Puniyani*  India's anti-colonial struggle was marked by a diverse range of social movements, one of the most significant being Hindu-Muslim unity and the emergence of a unified Indian identity among people of all religions. The nationalist, anti-colonial movement championed this unity, best embodied by Mahatma Gandhi, who ultimately gave his life for this cause. Gandhi once wrote, “The union that we want is not a patched-up thing but a union of hearts... Swaraj (self-rule) for India must be an impossible dream without an indissoluble union between the Hindus and Muslims of India. It must not be a mere truce... It must be a partnership between equals, each respecting the religion of the other.”

Right-arm fast bowler who helped West Indies shape arguably greatest Test team in cricket history

By Harsh Thakor*  Malcolm Marshall redefined what it meant to be a right-arm fast bowler, challenging the traditional laws of biomechanics with his unique skill. As we remember his 25th death anniversary on November 4th, we reflect on the legacy he left behind after his untimely death from colon cancer. For a significant part of his career, Marshall was considered one of the fastest and most formidable bowlers in the world, helping to shape the West Indies into arguably the greatest Test team in cricket history.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah  The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Andhra team joins Gandhians to protest against 'bulldozer action' in Varanasi

By Rosamma Thomas*  November 1 marked the 52nd day of the 100-day relay fast at the satyagraha site of Rajghat in Varanasi, seeking the restoration of the 12 acres of land to the Sarva Seva Sangh, the Gandhian organization that was evicted from the banks of the river. Twelve buildings were demolished as the site was abruptly taken over by the government after “bulldozer” action in August 2023, even as the matter was pending in court.  

Will Bangladesh go Egypt way, where military ruler is in power for a decade?

By Vijay Prashad*  The day after former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Dhaka, I was on the phone with a friend who had spent some time on the streets that day. He told me about the atmosphere in Dhaka, how people with little previous political experience had joined in the large protests alongside the students—who seemed to be leading the agitation. I asked him about the political infrastructure of the students and about their political orientation. He said that the protests seemed well-organized and that the students had escalated their demands from an end to certain quotas for government jobs to an end to the government of Sheikh Hasina. Even hours before she left the country, it did not seem that this would be the outcome.

Will Left victory in Sri Lanka deliver economic sovereignty plan, go beyond 'tired' IMF agenda?

By Atul Chandra, Vijay Prashad*  On September 22, 2024, the Sri Lankan election authority announced that Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) alliance won the presidential election. Dissanayake, who has been the leader of the left-wing JVP since 2014, defeated 37 other candidates, including the incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe of the United National Party (UNP) and his closest challenger Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya. 

Green Revolution’s reliance on chemical fertilizers, pesticides contributing to Punjab's health crisis

By Bharat Dogra, Jagmohan Singh*  Punjab was once synonymous with robust health, particularly in its rural areas, where farmers were known for their strength and vitality. However, in recent years, reports from these villages tell a different story, with rising cases of serious health issues, including cancer. What led to this decline? The answer lies largely in the erosion of good nutrition, once a hallmark of Punjabi village life. The health of a population is closely tied to its nutrition, and Punjab's reputation as a provider of high-quality nutrition has suffered greatly. The loss of biodiversity in agriculture has led to a decrease in the variety and quality of crops, resulting in poorer nutrition. Pulses, a key source of protein, have seen a steep decline in cultivation due to the disruption of traditional farming practices by the Green Revolution. This has had a detrimental effect on both soil and human health. Although pulses are still available in the market, they are exp

Tributes paid to pioneer of Naxalism in Punjab, who 'dodged' police for 60 yrs

By Harsh Thakor*  Jagjit Singh Sohal, known as Comrade Sharma, a pioneer of Naxalism in Punjab, passed away on October 20 at the age of 96. Committed to the Naxalite cause and a prominent Maoist leader, Sohal, who succeeded Charu Majumdar, played hide and seek with the police for almost six decades. He was cremated in Patiala.