Rang De and NDTV have come together to highlight the impending crisis faced by small and marginal farmers across the country. As part of the Rang De India telethon, we are making a clarion call to the ordinary citizens of India to join hands in support of small and marginal farmers and make a social investment that will be disbursed to farmers directly. By providing interest-free loans to farmers in distress, we would like to ensure that they are able to take care of themselves and their families, while at the same time carry on with their farming.
Here are the Highlights from the #RangDeIndia Telethon:
Our farmers need our help, please continue to invest for the cause of small and marginal farmers
Sudharak Olwe, Documentary photographer on the #RangDeIndia Telethon
I been to the houses of small farmers. I have clicked photographs of the actual realities. I have recently photographed young mother. These mothers to 2-3 children have lost their husband to high loans. Some farmers have committed suicide because their loans as small as Rs. 5000 has increased to Rs. 2 lakh and there is no income.
Ashok Pal Singh, Former Member, Postal Services Board & MD & CEO, India Post Payments Bank on Rang De India's workThe funding takes place real-time. The technology is providing trust, reliability and is connecting the whole ecosystem by bringing together the farmers, the investors together on one platform.
Mohit Satyanand, Chairman, Teamwork Arts
I spend my time in Delhi and Uttrakhand and I have observed that migration from mountains to plains has decreased slightly. I have been trying to partner with organisations that can help the people in mountains produce items like shawls, jams, pickle and other such things. This has led to an increase in income and their products are also getting good market. However, due to the lockdown, the products are stuck and not being sold. If the situation continues it will affect them badly.
Arun Jain, Founder of Polaris Group and Chairman and Managing Director of Intellect Design Arena Limited
- I think we are only surviving on people living in rural areas. Removing the urban-rural divide will be much better. A farmer has much more knowledge than we think. The narrative needs to change. The farmer produces from the soil. We need to integrate farming models, technical model and catalyse it.
- Mission Smridhi, is working on bringing holistic change in organic farming, faring to market. It focusses on increasing the income of farmers. We are helping in making the money Rang De is giving more productive.
NDTV's Sreenivasan Jain explains the problems facing farmers due to the lockdown
Sandip Patel, Managing Director, IBM India/South Asia on #RangDeIndia Telethon
Abhijit Banerjee, Nobel Laureate in Economics on the telethon
Investment raised through #RangDeIndia telethon cross Rs 5.50 croreThank you, Investors. To continue to invest to help our farmers,
click here.
Pankaj Tripathi, Actor on the #RangDeIndia telethon
Ajay Vir Jakhar - Chairman of Bharat Krishak Samaj (Farmers' Forum, India) and Chairman, Punjab State Farmers' Commission
With 15 minutes to go on the #RangDeIndia telethon, investments for farmers cross Rs 5 croresAn anonymous donor from Mumbai contributes Rs 20 lakh. Vikram Lal of Eicher contributes Rs 1 crore and Anita Lal of Good Earth contributes additional Rs 1 crore.
Adil Hussain, Actor on #RangDeIndia telethon
Scott Theisen, CEO, Optum Care Services invests Rs 1.07 crores during the telethon
I am proud of being a part of this initiative. I think it is important to know that when you are contributing the money it is going to the cause you expect it to go to. It is supporting the farmers, and food supply chain which is part of our mission too: Helping people live healthier lives.
Giri Giridhar, Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, The Indian Hotels Company on the telethon:
It is sad to see that in times of crisis the farmers who have worked hard face many problems. We many times don't respect the dignity of the farmers. The farmers take the money on loan and not for free. I have known Rang De for 10 years, peer to peer lending ensures multiplier effect. The money you give always comes back. And the money that comes back you never take it but feel like giving it back. So it creates a fantastic multiplier effect.
Thank you Investors: With 30 minutes to go on the Telethon investments raised for farmers cross Rs 3 crore
Meet the founders of peer-to-peer social investment platform, Rang De
Shradha Sharma, Founder & CEO, YourStory Media
Rang De has done a brilliant job by using technology to help farmers. They are the amazing bunch of people committed to the cause. I am thankful that they are doing this to help our farmers. I think Rang De has been working on peer to peer lending for many years. We must support them as we can't do what they are doing. They are on the ground making sure that it is done. We all need to be a part of this initiative.
Thank you investors: After little over an hour of the telethon over Rs 1.67 crores invested for farmersJoin the #RangDeIndia movement, to invest
click here
Shruti Haasan, Actor on #RangDeIndia telethon:
Irrespective of which strata of society we belong to we are all going through financial uncertainty. But it is extremely important that we take time out from our lives to help those in need, be it the migrant workers or farmers or anybody in need of help.
Lakshmi Narayanan, Co-founder, Cognizant Technology Solutions on the telethon
Vinita Bali, Former CEO & MD, Britannia Industries Limited on the telethon
Mehjabeen Poonawala, Country Head, India, Finastra invests Rs 25 lakh
To invest for small and marginal farmer,
click here.
Finastra has been supporting Rang de programmes in rural India for quite some years now. We have focussed on making lending easy. We have collaborated on an initiative to enable microlending platform to provide affordable loans to women entrepreneurs. We believe strongly in the idea of doing well by doing good.
Vikas Khanna on #RangDeIndia telethon:
Famers are the foundation of our society: Kavish Seth, Poet and Singer
Support for #RangDeIndia initiative comes in from all quarters
Nithin Kamath, Founder & CEO, Zerodha invests Rs 50 lakh for helping farmers during the telethonSmall and marginal farmers need your help. To invest
click here.
Dr. Nachiket Mor explains how social investment for farmer through Rang De will work:
What is happening with your money and how is the money is being spent is an important component of peer to peer lending. In a regular lending context, you are looking at the lowest risk borrowing. In the peer to peer lending, you are looking for those who are most needy and bridge a gap by allowing farmers and those who are in distress to do something new with mentorship and support
Vijay Mahajan, Founder, Basix on the crisis facing farmers
Vikas Khanna on the #RangDeIndia telethon:
Your Social investment of just Rs.10,000/- can save one farmer's livelihood, can save him from a distress sale and also help him use warehouses or cold storage facilities to store his crops, to get better rates for his produce: Prannoy Roy
To invest and help farmers,
click here. Dr Nachiket Mor on #RangDeIndia telethon:
Dr. Nachiket Mor, PhD, Visiting Scientist, The Banyan Academy of Leadership in Mental Health on the telethon:
- The reality is that a lot of contemporary financial institutions delve in high lending that does not factor in uncertainties. But as individuals, if we have something to give it allows us the opportunity to become investors to help millions of people out there. This may not solve the problem and hardship of farmers completely but it will definitely help them in a big way. In peer to peer lending, you know the person you are giving money to and you know who you are helping. They become your extended neighbour.
- The team is using technology to ensure transparency in peer to peer lending. You can see the individual and you can help that individual directly, not just with money but also with an idea or skill that you have and want to help with.
Anonymous contributor from Bangalore invest Rs 10 lakh during #RangDeIndia TelethonTo invest and help small and marginal farmers,
click here.
The #RangDeIndia Telethon gets underway with this thought provoking poem
Dr. Ramanjaneyulu on #RangDeIndia Telethon:
Dr. G V Ramanjaneyulu, Founder & Executive Director at the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture
- Farmers are in deep crisis. We see daily that a number of migrants are on the road who are part of the rural economy. About 54.6% of the population is dependent on agriculture and 87% are small and marginal who hold land less than 2 hectares.
- The income of an average farmer is Rs 8,931 per month. The lockdown has affected this income by about 60%. Some farmers were unable to sell their produce as transport was affected. Particularly fresh vegetables and fruit sector has been affected significantly. Many farmers are landless and they take land on lease for which they pay high interests.
Prannoy Roy sets the agenda for the telethon
#RangDeIndia Telethon gets underway
Minutes to go for the telethon to startTo invest to help farmers
click here.
10 minutes to go for the #RangDeIndia Telethon
Join the 2-hour Special #RangDeIndia Telethon and help our farmers in distress
While our farmers are working hard to ensure that we continue to have food on our table, your interest free loans will ensure the farmer's family does not go hungry. To invest and help farmers in distress
click here.
By providing interest free loans to farmers in distress, we would like to ensure that they are able to take care of themselves and their families, while at the same time carry on with their farming.
Rang De, a peer-to-peer lending platform that enables individuals to invest in fellow Indians and NDTV have come together to highlight the impending crisis faced by small and marginal farmers across the country.
Access to credit to marginal farmers in the current times is more important than ever before. With institutional credit becoming harder to access.
Marginal farmers who are getting ready for the upcoming sowing season are in urgent need of credit for inputs and for the sustenance of their own families.
Amidst the lockdown, fear of falling prices of food grains, drop in exports and lower demand have created a distress situation across communities of small and marginal farmers.
More than 80 percent of India's farmers are small and marginal farmers, who own less than 5 acres of land.