MEDIA, RURAL ISSUES AND POLITICS

On may 17 th 2010 I got a chance to participate in a national media seminar conducted by Kannur university and I got a chance to hear famous Indian journalist, P.Sainath who is the only correspondent on rural issues of country. It was a chance for me to understand many truths about Indian rural community and politics which are not shown by the major medias of the country. I like to share it with all who visits this blog. Please go through this real vision of India.


In a question about poverty about Indian rural by a journalist, Mr.Mounteil Singh Ahaluwalia, chairman of planning commission point out the profit made by farmers by reffering to a report came on a magazine and certain studies conducted by governmental agencies. But the studies and reports about rural poverty are not at all noticed by the major medias or governmental studies. 42% Indian population that consisting of approximately 836 millions of Indians have a total expenditure a day as Rs.26. But not even a mass media reported this, which shows us the incredible difference between mass media and mass reality. The governmental census on year 2001 shows that nearly 8 million farmers quit agriculture after the previous census. But the hon.planning commission Chairman still points out the profit made by farmers came in a magazine to hide the reality from public. Nearly 2 lakhs of farmers suicide between 1997 and 2008. And the inequality between different classes of society increased drastically between last en years.


The main cautions pointing out by Sainath, who can be undoubtedly said as the best observer of changes on rural regions of India dealing with rural India are:
→Do not disconnect rural India from urban India: The major policies of government is only to support the monopoly of corporate sectors.

→Do not disconnect rural from global: Globalisation has an impact on every sectors of Inida. The break down on wall street is effecting the textile factories controlled by global markets of rural India in places like Orisa.

→Do not disconnect agriculture from other sectors and happenings around: Marginalisation of agricultural sector deals with the major problems faced bu rural communities in India.

→Follow money:Follow money to understand the problems of rural India.

Other problems caused for the downtroddenness of Indian rurals is the inequal division of money among classes. Indian government provides 57 crores concession for the corporates, shifting all revenues to monopoly of corporates. The same time it’s paradoxical by government by not providing rations upto the need, and not providing enough money for the developmental, educational and health issues of common people. Not even a section of parliament is given for agricultural and rural progress, while a day is devoted for discussion on solving problems of Ambani brothers in their buissiness clash.The other major problems shown by Sainath is the haijacking of corporates in every sector, specially in agricultural sector and privatization. Everything needed for agriculture, from seed electricity water and to machineries used must be purchased by a common man of a village from a multinational company due to the privatization promoted by government. Even they are the producers the farmers upto 75% are forced to purchase food grains from other sources. This privatization of every sector had created a drastic change in cost of production and agriculture. Daily net per capita food grain and consumption of food by poor people also decreased. There are even cases of rotating hunger in which one or two members of a family are foced to be hunger for one day in a rotation manner in many parts of India like southern Rajasthan. These all problems even resulted the growing suicide cases all over the country, nearly 2 lakh suicudes of farmers had reported due to this reasons.


Role of meadia:
The temptation of media for going torards sensationalism is a main reason for avoiding the rural news. There are not even a labour or agricultural correspondent for any leading media while more than enough correspondents are for sports, entertainment and gossips. These are due to the view of capitalism controlling the major medias and the value forwarded by them are against these common interests, and public issues. Even media had grown up as a exclusionist section in Indian democracy. Its only promoting a certain interests. Medias have no place in between dalit and down trodden civilians of India. It is still politically free and commercially chained by these ideologies which cause backwardness of a particular sector.
The only way for a change in these problems are upholding public interest for the upliftment of every classes and giving a socialistic approach by avoiding interactions of monopolies in medias. Their views must be only common interest without thinking their self materialistic profits.