Severe drought in the Marathwada region has forced 25 girls to decide against getting married. Leaders from the ruling and Opposition party expressed concern over the decision of these girls. These girls are from the backward Banjara community to which women and child development minister Pankaja Munde belongs. Meanwhile, Ms Munde has decided to arrange for mass marriage for such girls.
Twenty-five young girls belonging to the Banjara community from Warul Tanda village of Gewarai tehsil in Beed district have reportedly decided not to get married this year owing to financial difficulty at home. These girls fear their parents might take the extreme step if they are not able to get their daughters married. In January 2016, as many as 89 farmers have been reported to have committed suicide.
The total population of Warul Tanda village is 3,000. A large number of village workers have already migrated to neighbouring districts in search of jobs. Arati Chavan, one of the girls who took the decision, said, “My parents went to Karnataka to work in a sugarcane mill. I live here with my sister and younger brother. I am studying in class 12 but hardly attend college. She further said that she has to work on the fields of other farmers to earn enough to feed her siblings and herself. Her younger sister Jyoti said, “My parents will have to manage at least Rs 3 to Rs 5 lakh for our marriage and it is not possible as we have been facing drought for the last three years.”
Another woman Savita Rathod said her parents have hardly been making Rs 30,000 a year since the drought. There are 20-25 girls in this village and we all have decided not to marry. We want the government to help us, she said.
Pankaja Munde, minister for women and child development, has asked the block development officer of Gewrai to immediately start water tanker facilities for the villages and also informed the local revenue officers to implement standing orders that are applicable for drought region. “I will meet these girls. Their marriages have not been arranged, but if they are ready, we will arrange mass marriages,” said Ms Munde.
Meanwhile, Kishore Tiwari, who heads the farmers distress management task force, said: “The high rate of suicides only highlights that there was a pressing need to double up efforts to reach out to the farmers in Marathwada.
Ajit Pawar, NCP leader, on Friday had said that it is very shameful the Devendra Fadnavis-government had failed to give relief to the farmers.
