Wracked by debt, crop losses, shattered dreams, youth say quota is only way out

In the drought and debtstricken belt of Marathwada dreams are withering as fast as dying cropsYoung men from farming families who once aspired to don uniforms and serve the state are now forced to return to their ancestral occupation farming after failing to secure government jobsDespite scoring competitively in police recruitment exams several candidates from the open category missed the cut by a narrow margin while reservedcategory candidates with lower scores were selectedThe harsh realities of agrarian life continue to haunt these families Farmer suicides have become an annual tragedy in the region with three to four cases reported every year primarily due to mounting debt and crop failures This year too torrential rains destroyed standing crops and with no crop insurance in place farmers find themselves staring at another cycle of loss and helplessnessCrops that were damaged due to heavy rains in Khandala villageHard work no rewardAkash Amburde 27 a postgraduate in science hails from Waka village in Loha taluka of NandedldquoI have been temporarily attached to the Maharashtra State Security Corporation for the last five months and earn approximately R25000 per month I managed to enter the force under the open category through sheer hard work However those entering under the reserved category not only find it easier to get in but also receive comparatively higher emolumentsrdquo he saidAkash added ldquoThis is why we are demanding a reservation In Marathwada educated youths are either unemployed or forced into farming or menial jobs Government jobs and educational concessions are beyond our reach I completed my MSc by paying full fees something many families here simply cannot afford due to their poor financial conditionrdquoMissed police recruitmentAjit Amburde 26 Akashrsquos cousin said ldquoIrsquove only completed my SSC but there are many youngsters in our village whorsquove done their graduation and even postgraduation Despite scoring well they canrsquot get government jobs because of the relaxations given to reserved categories This is why the Maratha community needs reservation mdash for a fair shot at securing a happy futurerdquoHe added that both Akash and another youth Gulab Hamburde 24 a graduate in Arts had appeared for the state police recruitment exam under the open category in 2024ldquoThey scored well in the written test but were not selected Both missed the cutoff by a few marks Meanwhile a candidate who scored less than them wasselected simply because he belonged to a reserved categoryrdquo Ajit saidThe only option leftVenkat Hamburde 36 a soya bean farmer from Waka and a participant in the ongoing protest shared his distress ldquoWe are left with no option but to depend on farming Most of the educated yet unemployed youth are forced to take up agriculture which doesnrsquot bring any income Nearly every farmer here is in debt We grow soya bean cotton tur etc but itrsquos barely sustainablerdquoHe continued ldquoFarmer suicides are common here Every year three to four farmers take their own lives due to financial pressure This year too due to incessant rains our crops have been completely destroyed And we donrsquot even have crop insurancerdquoAsked to elaborate he added ldquoHeavy rain over the past few weeks has wiped out our crops Despite tall promises from those in power we receive no real help Neither our MLA nor MP has visited us or inquired about our condition Reservation is not just a demand mdash itrsquos our only hope to protect the future generationrdquoRain created havocSatish Shinde 35 who hails from Khandala Latur district is a postgraduate with an MSc in Computer Science ldquoI had tried appearing for MPSC My roommates who belonged to Other Backward Classes and Scheduled Castes have not only cleared the examinations but have also been recruited into government jobs I was forced to continue with farmingrdquo he saidAsked why he did not take up a private job Shinde said ldquoI would not have received a salary of more than R12000 and I would have had to stay in Pune or other big citiesrdquoldquoIn the last few days heavy rainfall has completely damaged our soya bean crop I already have a crop loan of R3 lakh and with this crop loss I am worried about how I will repay the loan which attracts seven per cent yearly interest The government had earlier stated that loans would be waived off but it is yetto happen in realityrdquo said ShindeldquoMy son is in junior KG and I pay Rs 20000 yearly fees for him whereas children from SC and OBC get free education I have no option but to join the fight for Maratha reservation or else my child will have no futurerdquo he added34No of farmer suicide cases reported every year in Marathwada