Homestead mailing list

[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

Anyone need any additional encouragement to get their land paid for and 
then not borrow against it?

> > Village after village in Punjab is up for sale. Rural indebtedness has
> > reached such alarming proportions that entire communities are being 
> forced to 'distress-sell' their lands. . . .
> > "Eighty per cent of the land in our village has been mortgaged to
> > banks and moneylenders. Since we are not in a position to repay these 
> loans, and have been driven to a state of complete impoverishment, we are 
> being forced to sell our only asset which has come down to us from our 
> dadas and pardadas (forefathers).". . .
> > Sunshe Singh and his wife, also from Govindpura Jawaharwala, borrowed 
> Rs 200,000 from Amar Prakash, a moneylender, 13 years ago. Prakash is now 
> insisting that the amount has tripled to almost Rs 600,000. The shocked 
> couple turned to the panchayat for help. "The panchayat has summoned the 
> moneylender twice but he has refused to heed them. He has told them that 
> they can do what they like especially since they have no power to arrest 
> him," says Gajo Kaur.
> >
> > The pressure on the old couple has been so intense that their only son
> > committed suicide by consuming pesticide.