Villagers committing suicide after being denied ration despite assurance

Bhookh (hunger) has started taking its toll in Uttar Pradesh as five people – including three of a family – committed suicide last week because they were not able to bear the pangs of hunger after the food grain promised to them during the lockdown did not reach them.

The people who are working with the villagers across Uttar Pradesh vouch that the deprived section of society are not getting ration as promised by the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, which in turn leading to starvation and ultimately death.

“The people who are not able to bear the hunger pangs any more are committing suicide. The writing is clear on the wall but the government is not willing to read it,” Raja Bhaiya, of Vidya Dham Samiti said.

Even police vouch that recent suicides were because of depression and poverty. Additional Superintendent of Police in Mahoba, Virendra Kumar said that Pradeep, a resident of Gudha village in the Charkhari Kotwali, hanged himself from a tree and committed suicide on Thursday night.  The family members cited poverty as the reason behind the suicide, claiming that the victim was in depression for the last few days after he did not get foodgrains despite promises made by kotedaar.

In another incident, a young farmer, Narendra Rajpur committed suicide in Masoodpura of the Panwari area of Mahoba. He was a migrant worker and had come from Pune a few days back. He thought that he will get ration but that didn’t happen, following which he took the drastic step, sources say.

In Jhansi, three members of a family committed suicide by consuming a poisonous substance late on Thursday night. They left a suicide note which says that the family was in depression after their daughter died of starvation.

These incidents are clear indications that the assurance given by the UP CM to migrant workers and other poor people that they would be provided free ration and Rs 1000 as sustenance allowance has failed to materialise. Even the Gram Pradhans in Praygraj (erstwhile Allahabad) district say that around 30 per cent of the people are not getting ration.

“The Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced that every poor would get free ration. But the fact is that around 30 per cent of the eligible poor are deprived of it because of the apathy of the officials. Koi sunney ko hee tyar nahi hai (no one is ready to listen to us)” Sheetla Prasad Pandey, Gram Pradhan of village Bagbana which comes under Karchchna tehsil in Prayagraj said.

He said that government announcement says that who does not have ration card will get a provisional card, which will be temporary in nature, but its holder would be eligible to get free ration from the government’s Public Distribution System (PDS).

“I have applied for provisional cards for 54 people, but I’m yet to get a response from the government,” he said.

Ram Lal `Pradhan’ of Bhunda village says that government makes announcement in Lucknow but there is no follow up. “The people who have ration cards are getting food grains but what about those who do not have ration cards. The announcement is there that these people who do not have ration cards should also get ration but the reality is those who does not have cards are not getting ration.

“Some people who can grease the palms of the clerks can get a provisional card. Getting provisional cads has become a big business now,” he said.

Ram Lal says that Rs 200 is a fixed price to get provisional ration card. “Senior officers in government know this but they have turned a deaf ears to our complaints,” he said.

During daily review meetings with senior officials, the Chief Minister says that the poor should get free ration. On May 20, the Chief Minister’s information department released a press release which says that the arrangement of food and water should be ensured for the migrants at toll plazas and crossings along with border areas of the state. The CM further directed to ensure that no person should remain hungry and must be provided food through community kitchens while the eligible families will get adequate quantity of foodgrains, the release said.

“The Chief Minister said that after screening, the migrants while being sent to their homes for quarantine, should be provided with ration kits. After completion of home quarantine, migrants should be provided Rs. 1000 each as sustenance allowance. He said that the ration cards of the migrants should be made and provided foodgrains. He also asked to make available infra-red thermometer in every village,” the release further said.

Gram Pradhans equivocally claim that no one in their gram sabhas has received Rs 1000. “The villagers got Rs 500 in the Jan Dhan account once and Rs 2000 under PM Kisan Samman Niddhi. That’s it. But what about those farmers who do not have bank accounts,” Sheetla Prasad Pandey, the Pradhan said.