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We interacted with farmers, media and agriculture scientists in Vidarbha today. After attending a 4.45 am prayer at Bapu Kuti in Sevagram, we set off for Akola town. After reaching Akola, we headed straight for Dr Punjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth. Here, we met with the Dean Dr E.R. Patil, who listened to our brief presentation in the Kisan Swaraj Yatra and also to the delegation’s request to the Agriculture University to work on straight line varieties only and to not take up any GM research. More...

12 pm : Meeting with farmers and press conference in Akola 12:30 pm : Memorandum to Dean, PKV 2:30 pm : Kanerisarap village 4 pm : Aagargaon 6 pm : Shirla nemane

October 13, 2010: After traveling through Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, the Kisan Swaraj Yatra which started at Sabarmati Ashram on Gandhi Jayanti reached Nagpur today where it begins its 6-day tour through Maharashtra. Addressing media persons here today, the Kisan Swaraj Yatra presented data from fact-finding visits to show that public sector Bt Cotton has been a failure and that seed supply has been stopped already this season. Activists posed a question to the government on its high investment on public sector biotech and wanted to know if even the feasibility of such options has been worked out. “The experience of CICR Bt Cotton is illustrative enough to let us know that this is an unacceptable wastage of taxpayer’s funds”, said the press release. Further, the reason for stopping the supply of seed this year needs to be put out publicly, especially since it appears to involve IPR complications, said members of ASHA (Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture) which is undertaking the Kisan Swaraj Yatra. More...

We had more farmers coming forward with a resolution to move towards ecological farming in our meetings today. Before the meetings began, we went to the site of the Tripuri National Congress during the Independence struggle in India, to pay homage to Subhash Chandra Bose as well as others who fought for India’s freedom from foreign rule, for sovereignty and liberation. More...

9.30 am: Mahila Mahavidyalay, Nandanvan, Nagpur – outreach with students 2.30 pm to 3.30 pm: Rally in Wardha from Socialist Chowk to Magan Sangrahalay 3.30 pm to 5.30 pm: Meeting with farmers in Magan Sangrahalay... Read More