A candlelight vigil at Jantar Mantar to protest government policies that have resulted in the death of over 150,000 farmers in India has been largely ignored by the national media.

With more than one and half lakh suicides committed by farmers in the last 15 years, the farmer debt situation is increasingly becoming a catastrophic situation in rural India. Driven to poverty and indebtedness over rising costs of farming and falling market prices, farmers are seeing no way out other than committing suicide. The plight of farmers in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra has recently been in focus on national mainstream media, but the inaction, empty promises and hesitant responses of the centre and of the state have done nothing to improve their lot.

Veteran freedom fighter, Shri Mohan Dharia, met the Prime Minister and requested that loans of farmers with less than 2 acre land holding should be written off. Citing fiscal prudence, the Prime Minister has turned down this request (however, write-offs and subsidies to large industries including seeds, fertilizers and pesticide manufacturers continue). Shri Dharia has proceeded on a fast-unto-death at Pune to highlight the plight of farmers.

On November 16th at 7:30 pm, a candlelight vigil was held at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi to draw attention to government's indifference to farmers' suicide. NGOs, Farmers' Associations and Citizens of Delhi participated and demanded that the government do something concrete about this tragedy.

It is perhaps a commentary on the media industry of India that this protest was not covered at all - save a short announcement by Tribune India and a report on the event by Nagaland Post. It continues a trend where farmers issues are being consistently ignored by the country's media.

Shri Devinder Sharma, Director, Forum for Biotechnology and Food Security has said that this awareness generation-cum- peaceful protest campaign will  not stop here. Plans are in place to hold demonstrations and vigils all over the country, in four metropolitan cities and across small towns as well.

They request your participation in their  campaign and show  of  solidarity with the farmers of India.

For further information, please contact

Devinder Sharma (98113-01857)  dsharma AT ndf DOT vsnl DOT net DOT in

Yudhvir Singh (98681-46405)

Naresh Sirohi (98996-00011)

Bhaskar Goswami (98111-91335)