Dead Farmers

Dilip D'Souza wonders about the range of responses received on the topic of farmer suicides on the Other Idiots site. For some reason, his own response is supposed to carry more economic weight just because he has been to Vidarbha a few times. It is very clear that in those visits he didn't do much other than pose for a few photo-ops and collect a few sob stories. That is why when Abi asks him a direct question about a very pertinent topic in a comment, he says he does not know. An example of the fear-mongering he indulges in:

At close to 100 million people - larger than the UK - I'd say that's a pretty huge hot spot.

Well, 100 millions is the population of the entire state of Maharashtra. Vidarbha is just a part of the entire state which also includes Nagpur by the way. Vidarbha is a problem but there is no need to blow it out of proportions.

One more example of Dilip's journalistic integrity:

Dilip excoriates Monsanto for selling a cotton seed variety supposedly resistant to pests yet on the packages there is an instruction:

Twice a week, after counting pests in the bollguard-planted field, you must spray

A commenter points out that he got the translation wrong:

The reporter got translation wrong. The translation is:

(Twice a week, after counting pests in the bollguard-planted field, you should decide whether to spray).

AND NOT

(Twice a week, after counting pests in the bollguard-planted field, you must spray).

It is a mute point whether the mis-translation was intentional.

Each time a farmer dies the intellectuals belonging to the socialist cartel publish books, write Ph.D. theses and articles in newspapers.

In the days following the PM's most magnanimous package announcement, more farmers committed suicides.

Eighteen cotton farmers in India's Maharashtra state have committed suicide despite a recent relief package announced by the Indian prime minister.

Earlier this month Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced aid worth nearly $815m for the farmers.

Why are we not surprised?

We need data and dispassionate statistics. Once again, kudos to blogger RealityCheck for his continuing quest for data. Farmers commit suicide all over India. Vidarbha is a hotspot because it is close to the comfortable abode of the socialists.

[Note] Post updated following tips from blogger confused.