With no money for oxen, 65-year-old Latur farmer becomes human plough
Latur, Jul 2 (PTI): Unable to afford oxen or a tractor, a 65-year-old farmer from Maharashtra's Latur district has been tying himself to a traditional plough to till his dry patch of land in the drought-prone region.
Even as the government and political leaders continue to talk about modernising farming and promising loan waivers year after year, for farmers like Ambadas Govind Pawar, these assurances remain just on paper.
The farmer from Hadoalti village has been tying himself to a traditional plough to cultivate his land, unable to afford oxen or a tractor.
Pawar, who owns just 2.5 acres of dry land, has been engaged in this back-breaking exercise for the last seven to eight years.
In a video that has surfaced on social media, Pawar appears exhausted as he drags the plough on a dry patch of land with his wife by his side.
"I can't stop. My arms tremble, my legs buckle under the weight, and my neck gets tired sometimes, but life hasn't given us a choice," says the sexagenarian, whose son does odd jobs in Pune and his daughter is married.
With no means to hire oxen or tractors that cost nearly Rs 2,500 per day, Pawar and his 60-year-old wife have turned into human ploughs.
The couple have been braving physical exhaustion and age-related limitations to carry out this gruelling activity to provide for their daughter-in-law and two grandchildren.
The cost of preparing the land for cultivation, seeds, fertilisers, and ploughing has become unaffordable for farmers like Pawar, a harsh reality that can't be ignored.
महाराष्ट्र : जेव्हा त्याला शेतात नांगरणी करण्यासाठी बैल सापडले नाहीत तेव्हा त्याने स्वतःला बैल बनवले...
— Mumbai Congress (@INCMumbai) July 1, 2025
लातूर जिल्ह्यातील हाडोलती गावातून एक हृदयद्रावक चित्र समोर आले आहे.#farmer#latur #Agriculture#Maharashtra #India#Mumbai pic.twitter.com/8GKDVSlq2H
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State will send ₹850 crore proposal to Centre for development of Malpe harbour: Min Mankal Vaidya
Udupi: The State will submit a Rs 850 crore proposal to the Union government for the overall development of the Malpe fishing harbour, Karnataka Minister Mankal S. Vaidya announced while laying the foundation stone for a Rs 12.52 crore modernisation project of the harbour under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY).
“If the Union government does not consider the proposal, the State government will finance the proposed project,” The Hindu quoted Vaidya, state's Minister for Fisheries, Ports and Inland Water Transport, as saying.
Vaidya noted that Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules continue to hinder coastal development in Karnataka, preventing the implementation of projects worth Rs 2,034 crore. He stressed the need for CRZ norms in the state to be aligned with those in other states, where such regulations do not pose a barrier to coastal infrastructure and development initiatives.
Speaking at the event, Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP Kota Srinivas Poojary said the PMMSY has revitalised the fisheries sector, enabling the implementation of several projects that benefit fishing communities nationwide. He urged the state government to prioritise dredging of estuaries and upgrading fisheries jetties to ensure year-round navigability and the safety of fishing vessels.
The Rs 12.52 crore modernisation project will focus on enhancing sanitation and water supply at the harbour, upgrading fish handling capacity, and strengthening security at the port, The Hindu quoted fisheries and ports officials as saying.
A reliable water supply and improved handling facilities are expected to speed up auctions and vessel turnarounds, while upgraded wastewater systems will help tackle long-standing issues of odour and contamination at the harbour.
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