Crop washed away, woman farmer is forced to leave home; can't buy herself saree this Diwali

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Oct 15 (PTI) After toiling in her small field in Maharashtra's Nanded district for four months, 45-year-old Kalpana was looking forward to Diwali, as she planned to buy new clothes for her family including a saree for herself.

But the excessive rains and floods that devastated the Marathwada region last month washed away the expectations of such small joys too, as she lost the soybean crop planted on her 1.5-acre farm in Naigaon taluka.

The calamity forced her to leave her home with her daughter and aged mother, and stay in a godown in an industrial area in Naigaon, earning a meagre income by stitching jute bags.

"The entire crop was washed off. Last year, we earned around Rs 10,000 after selling four or five bags of chickpeas. This year we had planted soybean, but it was completely ruined," Kalpana (full name not used) told PTI on Wednesday.

The Maharashtra government has announced a Rs 31,000 crore aid package for the farmers hit by the floods.

But no help reached her family, claimed the woman.

The farm is in the name of her son who died following an illness a couple of years ago, Kalpana said.

A new saree is the last thing on her mind now. She has to first raise money for her daughter's enrolment in a Master's programme at an open university, she said.

"'My house was also damaged due to the floods. Living there with my alcoholic husband was getting increasingly difficult. So I came to Naigaon MIDC with the daughter and mother. I get paid 30 rupees for stitching 50 bags, but the work is not available everyday," Kalpana stated.

She can not work long hours, as an accident some years ago caused a permanent damage to her back, legs and the neck. "Still I am working, as I have my old mother with me," she said.

Kalpana wants to plant her field again in the coming Rabi season. But where would the money for seed and fertilizer come from? Her daughter called the helpline operated by `Shivar', an NGO which works to prevent farmer suicides. Vinayak Hegana counselled her.

"We are working on the case and have spoken to a few people regarding the girl's university admission. We will get it done, but the family needs more help," Hegana told PTI. PTI AW KRK