'I Rue The Day We Ever Became Farmers': In Rural India, A Struggle To Survive
NPR'I Rue The Day We Ever Became Farmers': In Rural India, A Struggle To Survive Enlarge this image toggle caption Sushmita Pathak/NPR Sushmita Pathak/NPR Onion farmer Sanjay Sathe was so disappointed with how little he made from his recent harvest that he decided to pull a stunt: He sent a money order for his entire profit — a paltry $15 — to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who's running for re-election this spring. Modi's government has been cautious about meeting farmers' demands for higher food prices, though it recently earmarked in its interim budget a guaranteed income of 6,000 rupees annually for each Indian farmer. Enlarge this image toggle caption Sushmita Pathak/NPR Sushmita Pathak/NPR It got even worse for farmers a little over two years ago, when agriculture, which runs almost solely on cash, was inadvertently hurt by a new government policy designed to fight corruption. Enlarge this image toggle caption Lauren Frayer/NPR Lauren Frayer/NPR "My son was the only educated one in our family," says Jadhav's mother, Irabai Jadhav, 60, sitting cross-legged on the cement floor of her family house and weeping.
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