agriculture: farmers’ suicide - 2016 - indian … farmers’ suicide - 2016 january to april -...
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AGRICULTURE: FARMERS’ SUICIDE - 2016 January to April - 2016
Compiled By Fr. Paul G Documentation Centre∗
1. Suicides Make 2015 Worst Year for Ryots (20)
BENGALURU: The year 2015 goes down in history as the deadliest ever for farmers in Karnataka,
with 978 of them ending their lives between April and December. This is the highest ever figure for
farmers’ suicides since the formation of the state in 1956, and second only to Maharashtra this year.
The government has accepted 323 deaths as suicides triggered by agrarian distress, and said 277
had no connection with farming. Surprisingly, the highest numbers were reported from districts such
as Mandya, Mysuru, Hassan and Belagavi, where farmers are perceived to be relatively well-off,
thanks to irrigation. Figures sourced from the Agriculture Department show Mandya topping the list
with 92 suicides, followed by Belagavi with 74. Other districts with high numbers are Haveri (73),
Mysuru (62), Hassan (58) and Raichur (56). Drought-prone districts like Vijayapura (36), Kolar (9),
Ballari (24) and Chitradurga (49) saw fewer farmer suicides. A majority of the farmers who committed
suicide in well-irrigated districts are said to be sugarcane growers, pushed to desperation over the last
couple of years. Over-production of sugar and the subsequent fall in sugar prices hit them hard, and
many sugar mills in Karnataka have not paid them their dues. In official circles, the rise in suicides is
being attributed to many factors, such as rising debt among farmers. Off the record, officials say some
farmers drive themselves over the edge by splurging on vehicles, marriages and drinks. Another
intriguing aspect of this year’s numbers is that 80 per cent of the deaths were reported between July
and October. The state government had initially argued that not all suicides were caused by the
agrarian crisis, but the surge in numbers soon prompted it to announce measures to help farmers.
The Siddaramaiah government has increased the compensation for bereaved families from Rs 2 lakh
to Rs 5 lakh. The cost of production is going up. In Mandya, most farmers grow sugarcane, and the
surplus production has led to a fall in prices. — Kishor Bhat, research scholar, St John’s Research
CentreThese figures are very low, since women are not being considered farmers. Women are the
worst hit during an agrarian crisis. Kavitha Srinivasan, has researched six districts in Karnataka (New
Indian Express 1/1/16)
2. Suicide by farmer: Forest dept. move condemned (20)
Kozhikode: Leading farmers’ organisations in the district have come together to launch a series of
protests against the Forest Department’s alleged move to attach the farmland of around 40 settler
farmers in the hilly regions of Kakkadampoyil. A joint meeting of major organisations will be convened
in two weeks with a mission to take up the issue with the State government in the wake of the suicide
of a farmer after the Forest Department initiated measures to attach his farmland. According to
farmers’ organisation leaders, Kaniyarathu Jose, the settler farmer from Kakkadampoyil, committed
suicide on New Year eve as the Forest Department did not consider his plea to withdraw the legal
action. “As per the Forest Department records, the area where the farmer started cultivation several
decades ago was part of forest area and it had to be restored,” they said. P.V. Chacko, leader of
Farmers’ Relief Forum, said the suicide by the elderly farmer had shocked the people in entire region
and it would remain a blot on our poor democratic system that had failed to tackle such farm crisis in
time. “It was the Forest Department’s decision to unlawfully attach the farmland that abetted the
suicide and it should be taken up seriously,” he said. Leaders of Indian Farmers’ Movement (Infam),
led by Antony Kozhuvanal and James Kottur, said all farmers’ organisations should fight united
against the attempt to evacuate poor farmers from their land. “To begin with, a meeting of all farmers’
∗ This is a collection of previously published news and views from the print as well as the electronic media, whose
reference marked at the end of each news items. Department of Documentation and Library (DDL) of the Indian Social
Institute, New Delhi neither claims to the veracity of the facts in the news nor subscribes to the views expressed.
organisations would be held in Kozhikode on January 9,” they said. Meantime, C. Moyinkutty, MLA,
who visited the house of the deceased farmer, said the government should check whether there was
any hasty decision on the part of the Forest Department that had led to the suicide of the farmer. “As
per records, the farmer was holding the land with all the required ownership documents. Revenue and
Forest Department should be ready for a joint verification to settle the ownership disputes in the area,”
he demanded. (The Hindu 4/1/16)
3. 55 indebted farmer suicides in last 3 years: Punjab (20)
Bathinda: Number of suicides by farmers due to debt in Punjab in the last nearly three years recorded
by the state government has baffled the various peasant outfits and political parties. The state
government recorded only 55 suicides by farmers in Punjab from April 1, 2013 to November 30, 2015.
In December 2015, Punjab revenue, rehabilitation and disaster management department prepared
lists of farmers and farm workers whose cases were cleared for compensation to their next of kin. On
December 21, it sent a letter (a copy of which is with TOI) to deputy commissioners of all districts to
disburse financial assistance for the aggrieved families. A revenue department official confirmed 55
cases had been cleared for financial assistance. He said they had been cleared according to lists sent
by district-level committees. "Three universities of Punjab are also carrying out surveys to get details
about farm suicides and numbers for providing assistance can rise," he said. According to sources,
out of the 55 cases cleared by the state government, 25 are from Bathinda and 30 from the remaining
districts. Only four cases have been cleared for Mansa. Compensation of Rs 2 lakh each will be given
to families of farmers and labourers who ended their lives before July 22, 2015. Families of those who
committed suicides after that will be given compensation at Rs 3 lakh each. Peasant organizations
Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan), BKU (Dakaunda) and BKU (Krantikari) have termed the
government's step as a cruel joke with the farmers and labourers who committed suicide due to debt
or harsh economic conditions. They have decided to discuss the matter in its joint meeting to be held
on January 10 to chart out an action plan. "We have called a joint meeting where the matter will be
discussed seriously and an action plan will be prepared for making the state government consider all
cases where suicides have taken place due to debt and severe economic stress," said BKU (Ekta
Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokri. He said that apart from farm suicides, the matter of
fair compensation to cotton growers, whose crop was damaged due to whitefly attack, would be
discussed as many of the suicides took place due to that in the past months. BKU (Dakaunda) vice-
president Manjit Dhaner said the government had cleared only 55 cases, but according to their
estimates nearly 3,000 farmers and labourers killed themselves in the last three years. Aam Aadmi
Party (AAP) state convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur said, "It is sheer injustice to the aggrieved
farmers. We will ask our national convener Arvind Kejriwal to raise the issue prominently at the Maghi
conference on January 14." Swaraj Abhiyan, which started preparing a list of farm suicides in the
cotton belt on December 27, 2015, too stated that the cases cleared by government were much lower
than the actual deaths. (Times of India 7/1/16)
4. 64 families to benefit from revised compensation guidelines (20)
Mysuru: As many as 64 farmers committed suicide in Mysuru district in the last six months. Of them,
cases of 49 farmers had been placed before the committees, headed by assistant commissioners.
The committees (two committees in Mysuru district) had approved 27 cases and awarded
compensation to all the 27 families. However, they had rejected 18 cases on the basis that the
farmers who committed suicide had no land in their name or had not availed loans from nationalised
banks or societies. The committees were waiting for the FSL report in four other cases. As the
government has modified the guidelines to enable families of all farmers who committed suicide to get
compensation, most of the families are likely to get compensation. The compensation has been
enhanced from Rs. 2 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh each. The families that were rejected compensation on many
grounds may again submit a fresh application along with necessary documents and claim
compensation. It has also been decided that the remaining amount of Rs. 3 lakh will be due to
families that had received Rs. 2 lakh compensation earlier. (The Hindu 14/1/16)
5. Grim harvest: 3,228 farmer suicides in 2015 (20)
MUMBAI: Suicides by farmers touched a grim high in 2015. The year that had recorded 2,590
suicides until October -- the highest ever since 2001 -- went on to register 610 more deaths in just the
last two months. The number of deaths on December 31, 2015 stood at 3,228, indicating that the slew
of measures the government undertook through the year failed to arrest the disturbing trend.
Maharashtra has recorded 20,504 farmer suicides since 2001. Data obtained from the government
shows Vidarbha, the region Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis hails from, was the worst hit last year,
with around 1,541 farmers from Amaravati and Nagpur division committing suicides. As many as
1,130 farmers ended their lives in the Aurangabad division of Marathwada. Nashik in North
Maharashtra witnessed 459 cases of farmer suicides. Figures indicate that that Pune division, which
covers the state’s prosperous Western region, too recorded 96 suicides of which 27 were registered
in the last two months of the year. Of the 3,228 suicides, the state has found only 1,841 eligible for
government aid, while 903 were found ineligible. While 484 cases are pending for inquiries, ex-gratia
aid has been extended to 1,818. “Packages will no longer work for farmers and the government
seems to be missing this point completely. There is a need of farmer oriented policy and not
packages,” said Chandrakant Wankhede, an activist from Vidarbha working on issues of farmers’
suicides. He said when loan waivers were announced in 2008, there was a drop in suicides. But since
2011, no such steps have been forthcoming. “The number may only increase in the coming years.”
Maharashtra had recorded a 75% deficit in rainfall between June and September last year. While the
CM had announced a Rs 10,512 crore package of farmers in December 2015, he had refrained from
announcing any loan waivers. On Wednesday, Mr Fadnavis thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi
for launching the PM Crop Insurance Scheme, which assures covering over 50% of the farmers under
the insurance scheme in the coming three years. Under this scheme, 90% premium money will be
paid by the Centre and not just the fully grown crop but even the stem will be insured. (The Hindu
14/1/16)
6. 28L relief to 12 grieving families (20)
Bathinda: Compensation of Rs 28 lakh was distributed to 12 families of farmers who ended their lives
in the past three years in Bathinda district. The compensation was handed over to nine aggrieved
families of Rampura and three families of Maur assembly constituencies by Punjab ministers Sikander
Singh Maluka and Janmeja Singh Sekhon. Maluka distributed cheques of compensation worth Rs 19
lakh to nine families and Sekhon handed over Rs 9 lakh to families of three farmers who committed
suicides due to crop failures and mounting debts. Total 55 families have been identified across
Punjab where suicides were reported between April 1, 2013 to November 30, 2015. Out of there 25
incidents are from Bathinda. Compensation of Rs 2 lakh per family has been given to families of
farmers who committed suicides before July 22, 2015. Families of farmers who ended their lives after
July 22, 2015, are to be given relief of Rs 3 lakh. The Punjab government on Friday announced to
give compensation the same day to families of farmers ending their lives. Sekhon said state
government was serious in compensating the aggrieved farm families and committed to stand to
stand by them. (Times of India 17/1/16)
7. Stable tenancy law will curb farm suicides: Secretaries’ panel (20)
NEW DELHI: Identifying "informal tenancy" as one of the main reasons behind farmer suicides since
many don't get farm credit and crop insurance, a group of secretaries has suggested the government
come out with a model tenancy law. Such a law will protect the tenants as they will get access to
loans from banks and financing agencies and it will also end the fear of original owners of losing the
farmland to tenants. Sources said the panel of top bureaucrats set up by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi while pointing out how informal leasing is up to 40% in some states with around 10% land lying
unutilized, said there is an urgent need to legalize all such leases. Sources said the group dealing
with issues on "farmer-centric issues in agriculture and allied sectors" has also suggested the need to
excavate 5 lakh ponds and dug-wells annually under the rural jobs scheme and to create dedicated
fund by raising tax free bonds to irrigate farmland. Highlighting that only 42% small and marginal
farmers have access to credit, it has suggested providing fresh credit of Rs 50,000 crore.These are
among the suggestions that the panel has suggested to revive the rural economy ahead of the budget
next month. Mentioning that India needs to scale up the per hectare harvest of food grains and pulses
and fortify the farmlands from drought, the group has reportedly cited how only 45% of the agriculture
land is irrigated.Sources said the team has presented that NABARD would require Rs 29,000 crore
for about 46 projects relating to irrigation. Similarly, government needs to spend Rs 8,000 crore
annually to dig ponds and dug-wells under MNREGA. The panel has also suggested the need to
provide 2 lakh solar pumps for micro-irrigation, which will be enough to irrigate 6-8 lakh hectares of
farmland. It is expected that next month's budget is likely to focus more on rural economy and
agriculture. The group of secretaries has also mentioned how non-availability of credit for farmers has
been one of the major reason of farm distress. At present only 42% small and marginal farmers have
access to crop loans. It has proposed the need to make more credit available for such farmers.
According to officials, the group has gone into details of how to make PM's pet project "soil health
card" more farmer friendly. It has suggested setting up of 3,000 model retail outlets by fertilizer
companies having facilities for testing soil, seed and fertilizer. The panel has also mentioned the need
for development of innovative hand-held devices for such tests through start-ups, which can provide
job opportunities to 30,000 skilled samplers and another 10,000 skilled technical and laboratory
assistants. (Times of India 23/1/16)
8. 38 children of deceased farmers to get free education (20)
Yavatmal: The Bharatiya Jain Sanghatana (BJS) has adopted 38 children of farmers, who committed
suicide in Yavatmal district, to impart them education free of cost at its Centre for Educational
Rehabilitation Project at Wagholi near Pune. The centre was founded by philanthropists Shantilal
Mutha and Prafulla Parakh. The children, including girls and boys were chosen through a survey of
668 homes in the villages in the farmer suicide-prone district. The children were first brought to
Yavatmal and later sent to Pune recently. Apart from giving free education from Std V to XII, the
Sanghatana would also bear the expenditure for the kids' boarding and lodging. A teacher AG Pawar
said that 3,366 students have been given free education at the centre so far. Currently, 237 students
from Aurangabad district are studying at the centre. (Times of India 25/1/16)
9. Need to increase export of agri products to curb farmer suicides, says Swamy (20)
Kolhapur: There is a dire need to increase export of agriculture products so as to curb farmer
suicides, said Subramanian Swamy, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader at the Shivaji
University, Kolhapur (SUK) on Monday. Swamy was in the city to address SUK students on the Make
in India initiative. He added that allowing an international retail giant like Wal-Mart to set up shop in
India will result in destruction of crores of lives of Indian people due to subsequent rise in the labour
rates. "The milk and the vegetable rates abroad are way higher than what we have in our country. If
we can get a share of that market we can curb farmer suicides. There is only one solution to achieve
this, which is to increase export of agri-products," Swamy said. He added, "Make in India is a dynamic
concept which helps set up manufacturing units in the country, as well as allowing export of products
made in India. The initiative will produce better results for the country," he said. Swamy said that the
Wal-Mart has capital with low interest rate through which it can set up its unit in the country, which
might end up hurting the Indian traders. "We have cheap labour in the country. However, if Wal-Mart
enters India, it is likely that labour might become expensive, hurting jobs and employment
opportunities for many Indians," he said. He added that when the United States (US) delegation
asked him why he opposes Wal-Mart, he had replied asking them whether they would allow Indian
labour to construct roads and start farming in their country. "If they have capital, we have cheap
labour," he said. On the empowerment of India, Swamy said, "The only problem our country has with
setting up businesses is corruption and lack of infrastructure. Many east Asian countries are selling
their products via China. They prepare basic products in their country and expensive ones in China,
because of China's cheap labour, eventually helping China." "If we can improve our infrastructure and
curb corruption, then China will diminish as a superpower," he said. Swamy added that the
population's youngsters are an important asset for the country. With over 50% of population below 20
years, the country has a lot of potential, he said. Mere capital and cheap labour cannot take a country
to highest possible economic growth, but innovative ideas are needed for more success," he
said.Criticising the Indian mindset which aims for a secure job, Swamy said, "We want secured
poverty if not the opposite. This needs to be changed immediately. We need to change it as risk
takers rather than remaining with a secure life".Devanand Shinde, SUK's vice-chancellor, agreeing
with Swamy on his 'secured poverty' comment, said that it would be the biggest hurdle to be
overcome. On one of the questions on possible threats to the Make in India campaign, he replied,
"The growing menace of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), especially in the country, the income
tax and the ever-increased interest rates in banking are some of the top concerns which might prove
a threat to the campaign." (Times of India 26/1/16)
10. Sugarcane growers seek clearance of dues (20)
BELAGAVI: Sugarcane growers are planning to hold a rally outside the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru
seeking clearance of sugarcane dues worth Rs. 4,500 crore. Kurubur Shanthkumar, president of the
Karnataka State Sugarcane Growers Association, said that they would organise a ‘Vidhana Soudha
Chalo’ agitation if the government did not clear the dues within 20 days. He told presspersons here on
Thursday that Rs. 3,500 crore was due for the crushing season 2015-16 and Rs. 1,000 crore was due
for the 2014-15 season. The mill owners had not paid it despite agitations by growers and promises
by the government. It had prompted farmers to commit suicide, Mr. Shanthkumar alleged. He
criticised Minister for Cooperation H.S. Mahadev Prasad for delaying the fixing of sugarcane price,
even though the Centre had announced the Fair and Remunerative Price. “The Tamil Nadu and Uttar
Pradesh governments have announced Rs. 2,800 a tonne for sugarcane. Karnataka is not taking a
decision only to protect the interests of sugar mills controlled by politicians belonging to the Congress
and the BJP,” Mr. Shanthkumar said. He said that if the government did not have funds, it should
seize 20,000 tonnes of gold lying idle in temples across the country, which would fetch Rs. 50 billion
crore. That could be invested for boosting agriculture and farmers’ income, Mr. Shanthkumar said.
Earlier, he handed over a cheque for Rs. 2.53 lakh through Deputy Commissioner N. Jayaram to the
bereaved family of Vitthal Arabhavi of Kankanwadi of Raibag taluk, a sugarcane grower who
committed suicide at a protest site in front of the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha when the winter session of
the legislature was being held in Belagavi on November 26, 2013. The amount, contributed by the
farmers of Shivamogga district, was handed over to the widow and two sons of the deceased farmer.
(The Hindu 29/1/16)
11. How many farmer suicides in Gujarat? (2)
AHMEDABAD: When it comes of farmers suicides in Gujarat, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO),
Union agriculture ministry and state government do not seem to be on the same page. To an RTI
query, the PMO stated that only one farmer ended his life due to crop failure in the state in one
decade — between 2003 and 2012. In contrast to this, the state home department said the figure was
413, between 2005 and 2014. And to in complete contradiction of these figures, the minister of state
(MoS) for agriculture, in the Rajya Sabha, said that more than 600 farmers committed suicide in
Gujarat in 2013-14. Mohan Kundaria, the MoS for agriculture, stated in the upper house of Parliament
that 582 farmers committed suicide in 2013. While, 45 farmers and 555 farm labourers ended their
lives in 2014. Kundaria, the parliamentarian from Rajkot, gave figures of farmers' suicides in Prime
Minister Narendra Modi's home state in response to a question by Rajya Sabha Congress MP Pravin
Rashtrapal.Last year, RTI activist Bharatsinh Jhala demanded details on farmer suicides in Gujarat
from the PMO. The PMO had replied that only one farmer committed suicide due to crop failure in a
decade. Zala believes the figure is wrong as he has himself compiled data on farmer suicides, which
suggested the number is around one thousand. He asked for data on small and marginal farmers
along with farm labourersAnother city-based rights activist Sagar Rabari filed an RTI with the state
police on the same issue. The police was considerably more generous than the PMO, as it stated that
413 farmers ended their lives from 2005 to 2014. Rabari said the authorities do provide proper replies
to RTI applications. "With each RTI application, one can get a new figure. So there is a question over
which number is correct," Rabari said. (Times of India 4/2/16)
12. Free education to kin of deceased farmers (20)
MYSURU: The Academic Council of the University of Mysore has resolved to offer free education to
children of farmers who allegedly committed suicide during last year. Children can avail themselves of
undergraduate and postgraduate education for free during the 2016–17 academic year on the
university campus or in colleges coming under its jurisdiction. Besides, the council also resolved to
provide hostel accommodation to the needy children. The meeting, presided over by Vice-Chancellor
K.S. Rangappa, took a unanimous stand in backing the State government’s move on free education
to the children of the deceased farmers and resolved to support the farmers’ families. Prof. Rangappa
said children of the deceased farmers would get admissions to courses in government, private and
autonomous colleges. They can opt for either undergraduate or postgraduate courses, or other
courses. The fee will be borne by the university. (The Hindu 5/2/16)
13. Modi govt to set up National Institute for Organic Farming (20)
Varanasi: Union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh announced that that a National Institute for
Organic Farming will be started in the country very soon.He asked people to wait for three years to
see results of corrective measures initiated by Modi government. Terming Congress vice president
Rahul Gandhi as `Nautanki karne waley' (drama artist) he questioned relevance of Krishi Bima Yojana
during Congress led UPA government. He also attacked Akhilesh Yadav government in UP on the
issues of distributing compensations among farmers. While addressing the inaugural session of the
Swadeshi Mela of Swadeshi Jagran Manch at cultural complex here on Saturday the minister said
that the country has over 100 agriculture universities and institutes working in specialized fields. He
said, keeping the deteriorated quality of soil due to imbalanced used of chemical fertilizers the Modi
government is focusing on reviving the fertility of soil since its formation. The decision of starting a
new national institute for organic farming is the part of same action plan, he said adding, all other
agriculture universities and institutes would also be roped in to encourage organic farming. Singh
called upon the farmers to increase pressure on the state governments concerned to get their soil
tested and get the soil health card. He said, "As per the announcement of Modi government to test the
soil of 14 crore farmers and provide their soil health cards about five crore farmers will get their cards
by March end. As this programme is being run through state governments the farmers of UP should
ask Akhilesh government in case they are not getting their soil health cards." Targeting Congress led
UPA government he claimed, "Between 2011 and 2014 during UPA regime the states got only Rs
1200 crores to meet the challenges occurred due to natural disaster while only in 2014-15 financial
year Modi government released Rs 900 crores to the states in this head. During 2009-10 drought in
UP the UPA government had given Rs 575 crores to the state while this state got Rs 2800 crores in
2014-15. And to distribute compensation among farmers against agricultural losses due to natural
calamity in the beginning of 2015-16 center gave Rs 1600 crores to UP." He asked farmers of UP to
seek reply from Akhilesh government why such money had not been distributed among them so far.
He also taunted Congress vice president to see how the works for the benefits of farmers are being
done by Modi government. Highlighting features of Krishi Bima Yojana announced by Modi
government Singh said that the agriculture insurance scheme of UPA government was not more than
a cruel joke for the farmers. To check the menace of brokers and food grain stockiest in order to
ensure that farmers are getting proper value of their produce he said, the process of linking 585 food
grain depots of country with e-connectivity will complete by March 2018. (Times of India 6/2/16)
14. Cane farmers seek payment of arrears (20)
Mysuru: The Karnataka State Sugarcane Growers’ Association has urged Chief Minister
Siddaramaiah to prevail upon sugar factories to pay arrears of over Rs. 6,020 crore to cane growers
in the State. It asked Mr. Siddaramaiah to initiate action on the lines of the Maharashtra government,
which seized the sugar stock and withdrew licences of factories which failed to settle arrears.
Association president Kurubur Shanthkumar said that of the 1,026 farmers, who committed suicide in
the State last year, 196 were sugarcane growers. He alleged that sugar factories were directly
responsible for cane growers ending their lives across the State and that the association was
seriously contemplating filing cases against the factories. He urged the factories to pay farmers within
14 days of receipt of cane, or else pay 15 per cent interest on the amount. The association warned
the government that it would not allow the zilla and taluk panchayat polls arrears were not released.
(The Hindu 6/2/16)
15. Farmer commits suicide (20)
Tumakuru: A 27-year-old farmer allegedly committed suicide by consuming sleeping tablets due to
loan burden in Somalapura in Gubbi taluk of Tumakuru district on Thursday night. The police said
Shivakumara had two-and-a-half acres of land and had sunk three borewells in his land but all the
three had failed. He had taken a loan of Rs.3.65 lakh, including Rs.1.65 lakh from banks and Rs.2
lakh from private money lenders. Unable to repay the loans, he had taken the extreme step. He is
survived by his wife. (The Hindu 12/2/16)
16. Rs 69,355 crores of debt that's killing Punjab farmers (20)
PATIALA: The figure of Rs 70,000 crore cropped up frequently in 2015. This was the total amount that
mutual fund firms invested in equity markets. This was also the amount that India offered to pay
Russia to acquire anti-ballistic missile systems in what is considered the biggest defence deal
between the two countries. Also, the Union finance minister proposed an increase in investment in
infrastructure by Rs 70,000 crore in 2015-16. Now, consider the fact that the overall burden of debt on
farmers of Punjab today is almost as big as what the entire country invested in mutual funds last year
or the size of India's biggest defence deal with Russia! A survey by Punjabi University, Patiala, has
put the outstanding debt on farmers of the state at a staggering Rs 69,355 crore. Of this, Rs 56,481
crore is owed to the institutional sector and Rs 12,874 crore is to be payable to private lenders. This
may also explain why there has been a string of suicides by farmers in the state in the past couple of
years.The survey covered 1,007 farm households in Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana and Mansa districts in the
financial year 2014-15. It was sponsored by the Indian Council for Social Sciences and Research
(ICSSR), Chandigarh. Project director Professor Gian Singh, along with four researchers Anupma,
Gurinder Kaur, Rupinder Kaur and Sukhvir Kaur, visited the respondent farmers in their villages. "The
survey revealed that large farmers had a debt of Rs 2.30 lakh per household. Marginal farmers have a
debt burden of 1.35 lakh. The increased loans indicate that the farm sector was surviving on bigger
loans," said Prof Singh. The survey has found that an average farmer in what is the country's food
bowl has a debt of Rs 50,211 per acre. Combine this with natural calamities like unseasonal rains and
pest attacks like that of the whitefly last year, and you have a perfect recipe for disaster. The
researchers visited 301 households of farm labourers and discovered that 241 or 80.07% were under
debt. They did not have the capacity to repay the amount or the interest. "In the first place, poor
farmers with small landholdings and farm labourers did not get loans easily. But, once they received
it, they were unable to payback," said Singh on why such a large number of farmers may have
committed suicide in the state. "Crops were damaged in natural calamities and the compensation was
too less and too late which played heavy on the minds of the beneficiaries leading to suicides." …
(Times of India 12/2/16)
17. Furnish Details of Farmers' Suicides to Govt Pleader: HC (20)
HYDERABAD: A division bench of the Hyderabad High Court on Monday directed the petitioners who
filed PIL cases against farmers’ suicides, to furnish the details of suicides that took place in the last
two months i.e. Dec 2015 and Jan 2016 to the special government pleader for Telangana state to
facilitate the latter to verify and order proper enquiry into it. The bench also directed the Telangana
government to submit a comprehensive status report in this regard. The bench comprising Acting
Chief Justice Dilip B Bhosale and Justice P Naveen Rao was dealing with the PILs filed separately by
Vyavasaya Jana Chaitanya Samithi, Pakala Srihari Rao and others challenging the inaction of both
Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments in preventing suicides by farmers in their respective
states. Telangana Vidyavanthula Vedika, represented by its honorary president Prof M Kodandaram
and Telangana Rythu Joint Action Committee, represented by Prof L Jalapathi Rao, were also made
as a party to the case. When the bench sought to know whether there was any decline in the number
of farmers’ suicides in both the states, special counsel of Telangana S Sharat Kumar claimed that
there was a considerable decrease in the number of incidents in Telangana and that he would place
necessary proofs in this regard. Disputing with the government’s claim, the counsels appearing for the
petitioners pointed out that several farmers had committed suicides due to pressure from private
moneylenders. In fact, the farmers took loans from private lenders as the nationalised banks have
refused to re-schedule their crop loans, they added. The bench sought to know the steps taken by the
Telangana government to create awareness among farmers in taking loans from private lenders. In
reply, Sharat submitted that the government has appointed special officers to inform the farmers not
to take loan from private lenders. The bench wanted to know whether the farmers were committing
suicides for the loans raised for agriculture activities only. In reply, advocate B Rachna, appearing for
Telangana Vidyavanthula Vedika and Telangana Rythu JAC, said though they are obtaining loans for
education and marriages of their children, the repayment has to be made through the revenue
generated from agriculture activity. The bench asked the counsel to file an affidavit with regard to
cases of farmers who have committed suicides due to harassment by private lenders. Meanwhile, the
counsel for AP state submitted that the government has appointed a committee in 2014 to study the
cases of farmers’ suicides in the state and to suggest measures to curb the suicides. He sought time
to file details of the steps taken for constituting farmers commission at the state level. The bench
posted the matter after three weeks for further hearing. (New Indian Express 16/2/16)
18. Farmer suicide comment distorted: Gopal Shetty (20)
Mumbai: Following the outrage over his alleged comments that it had become a fashionable for
farmers to commit suicide, BJP MP Gopal Shetty expressed his regret for the incorrect use of the
word “fashionable”. He said that his comments were distorted by a Hindi newspaper. Condemning the
alleged comments, Congress said the remarks by Shetty reflected the BJP’s “insensitivity” towards
farmers’ plight. “Mr Shetty’s remarks show how insensitive he and his party is towards thousands of
farmers who have committed suicide due to debt and crop failure. Private institutes and persons have
to take the initiative to help farmers because the government has failed to do so. If the BJP cannot
provide relief to distressed farmers, they should at least not rub salt in the farmers’ wounds,”
Congress leader and leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil said.
However, Mr Shetty said that his statement was “distorted”. “My statement was completely distorted
and I never intended to say that farmers are committing suicide to get money from the government. I
was asked by a reporter whether the fact that 124 farmers had committed suicide was a failure of the
BJP government. To this I said that the Fadnavis government was doing a great job through schemes
like the Jalyukta Shivar Yojana, but it would take time for it to reach the farmers. I also said that
suicides wouldn’t stop overnight because the last government had done nothing to stop suicides in
the last fifteen years,” he said. Mr Shetty further said, “I went on to say that nowadays it has become
fashionable for state governments to give money to families of deceased farmers. One state
government gives Rs 5 lakh, another gives Rs 8 lakh, while a third gives Rs 9 lakh. So I intended to
say that it’s almost become a competition among state governments to offer monetary help to farmers
— almost like a fashion statement. My statement was distorted to me saying that it has become
fashionable for farmers to commit suicide.” (Asian Age 19/2/16)
19. Farmers associations in 7 districts not to settle loan arrears (20)
Erode: Ninety two farmers Associations in seven districts in the western region have decided not to
settle loan arrears to co-operatives and nationalised banks due to increasing costs, making it
unfeasible to sell produce. A decision to this effect was taken at a 'loan waiver conference' here last
night, in which associations in Erode, Coimbatore, Namakkal, Tirupur, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri and
Salem districts participated. DMK Treasurer M K Stalin (DMK), TNCC Chief E V K S Elangovan, G
KVasan (TMC), PMK leader Dr S Ramadoss and Vaiko (MDMK), among others participated in the
conference. Both Stalin and Vaiko alleged that the number of suicides by farmers was increasing in
Tamil Nadu and demanded that agricultural loans be waived to relieve them of their stress. The
conference also demanded linking of rivers in India and feasible price for all their commodities. (Times
of India 20/2/16)
20. Farm suicides due to high inputs: Badal (20)
Muktsar: Expressing concern over rising number of farm suicides, Punjab chief minister Parkash
Singh Badal has urged the Union government to initiate steps to check the grave problem. Speaking
at Chhapianwali village in Muktsar on Monday during a 'sangat darshan' (community audience)
programme, Badal said that suicides were taking place due to less income and higher agricultural
input costs. "Low agriculture production due to shrinking landholdings is another reason due to which
farmers are forced to take such extreme steps," said Badal. He said the SAD-BJP government was
aware of the problem and every possible effort was being taken to supplement the income of farmers
by encouraging them towards allied farming sector and encouraging youth towards skill training.
Meanwhile, chief minister Parkash Singh Badal asked Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder
Singh to get ready for third consecutive defeat at the hands of SAD-BJP alliance in the state
assembly elections in 2017. He said that Amarinder's illusions about forming government in the state
would be shattered in 2017 and the alliance would provide a crushing defeat to him and his party in
the ensuing state assembly polls. "Amarinder must stop daydreaming because people of the state will
send him to political oblivion by ensuring his defeat," said Badal. (Times of India 23/2/16)
21. Indian farmers deep in debt, seek subsidies, help with insurance (20)
Mumbai: Indian government’s action to increase spending on irrigation and crop insurance is not
enough to end a cycle of indebtedness that has led to thousands of farmer suicides, and a complete
overhaul of credit and subsidies to farmers is needed, activists said. Drought in many parts of the
country has hit rice, cotton and other crops, and lower world commodity prices have added to the
farmers' plight. More than half India's farming households are in debt, owing banks and moneylenders
hundreds of millions of rupees, despite numerous loan write-offs by successive governments.Tens of
thousands of farmers across the country have killed themselves over the past decade, several
farmers' lobbying groups said. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who presents the federal budget for
fiscal 2016-17 on February 29, has to balance stimulating economic growth with aiding farmers and
poorer sections of society. Farmers' groups have been demanding better monsoon forecasts, bigger
fertiliser subsidies and a state-funded insurance scheme for all crops, to help farmers improve yields
and help prevent crop failures. “The need of the hour is a focus on the dying farmer community," said
activist Kishor Tiwari, who heads a task force set up to recommend action to tackle farmer suicides in
Maharashtra, which accounted for more than half of all suicides among Indian farmers in 2014. "Debt
is a core issue, and it needs a long-term plan to resolve it," he said. While inter-generational bonded
labour in the farming community is no longer as common as before, the number of poor and landless
workers who are in debt bondage is rising, particularly in agriculture, brick kilns and stone quarries,
activists say. Indian farmers seldom own the land they cultivate, and often take loans to buy seeds
and fertilisers. Only about one tenth of India's 263 million cultivators take out crop insurance because
of the high premiums. Unpredictable weather and low crop yields have made farming unviable for
many. Financial assistance provided by the government usually doesn't cover the losses, and some
farmers have migrated to urban areas for low-paid jobs, even selling their blood to make ends meet.
Tiwari, in a plan submitted to the Maharashtra government, has recommended direct cash subsidies
for farmers instead of the current indirect agriculture credit. He also suggested the central and state
governments help underwrite full crop insurance cover and promote the adoption of organic farming
methods in drought-prone districts, to help restore soil quality and benefit from the higher price of
organic produce, even though yields are lower. A total of 5,650 farmer suicides were recorded in India
in 2014, more than half of them in Maharashtra, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.
The states of Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Chattisgarh and Karnataka also had large numbers of
farmer suicides. The Cabinet last month cleared a proposal for the country's first major crop-damage
insurance scheme. The government has said it will reduce premiums to be paid by farmers, and
ensure faster settlements. Delays in estimating crop damage and paying claims are a big challenge,
said Sunita Narain, director of non-profit Centre for Science and Environment in New Delhi. The
government must encourage the use of new technologies, including remote sensing and mobile-
based image capturing systems to improve yield data and claims processing, she said. "Insurance
coverage has to be universal and payouts enough to cover losses," she wrote in a blog. Farm output
contributes about 15% to India's $2 trillion economy, and farmers and rural communities are a large
and powerful vote bank. Politicians have often promised to waive farmers' loan repayments, but have
not addressed the underlying reasons for their chronic indebtedness, Tiwari said. "Loan waivers are
not the solution; it is like a simple dressing for a cancer tumour. You need to excise the tumour and
address the cause of the disease," he said. (Business Standard 25/2/16)
22. Govt gives Rs. 36,000 cr to farm sector; agri-credit at Rs. 9 lakh crore (20)
New Delhi: Aiming to double farmers income by 2022, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today announced
an allocation of nearly ₹36,000 crore for the farm sector while raising the agri-credit target to ₹9 lakh
crore for the next fiscal. He also allocated ₹15,000 crore for interest subvention on the farm credit,
₹5,500 crore for the new crop insurance scheme and ₹500 crore to boost pulses output. Jaitley also
said that a unified agricultural market will be launched on April 14 and soil health cards will be
provided to all 14 crore farmers by March 2017. “We are grateful to our farmers for being the
backbone of the country’s food security. We need to think beyond food security and give back to our
farmers a sense of income security,” Jaitley said while unveiling Budget 2016-17 in Lok Sabha today.
The government would reorient its intervention in the farm and non-farm sector to double the income
of farmers by 2022, he added. “Our total allocation on agriculture and farmers welfare is ₹35,984
crore,” Jaitley said. Asserting that a special focus has been given to ensure adequate and timely flow
of credit to farmers, the minister said: “Against the target of ₹8.5 lakh crore in 2015-16, the target of
agricultural credit in 2016-17 will be all-time high of ₹9 lakh crore.”To reduce the burden of loan
repayment on farmers, he said a provision of ₹15,000 crore has been made in the budgetary estimate
of 2016-17 towards interest subvention. Jaitley said the government has provided a path breaking
crop insurance scheme called the Prime Minister Fasal Bima Yojana, for which ₹5,500 crore has been
allocated for effective implementation in 2016-17. Stating that irrigation is critical for increasing the
agricultural production and productivity, he said, “the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sichai Yojana has been
strengthened and implemented in mission mode.” He said 28.5 lakh hectare will be brought under
irrigation under this scheme. A dedicated long-term irrigation fund will be created in NABARD with an
initial corpus of ₹20,000 crore to build irrigation facilities, Jaitley said. “Implementation of 89 irrigation
projects under Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP), which have been languishing, will
be fast—tracked,” he said, adding that this would help to irrigate 80.6 lakh hectare. (Business Line
29/2/16)
23. Farmers consider Budget a letdown (20)
ERODE: The Union Budget’s purported farmer friendliness is far from being in sync with perception of
the agricultural community in the district, according to farmers in the district. The government had
failed to understand that un-remunerative prices were the cause for the scores of suicides by farmers.
It needed to realise that it could not convince the farmers, who had been battered all these years due
to faulty economic policies, through mere vocal assurances, K.V. Ponnaiyan, president of Tamil Nadu
Swadeshi Farmers’ Movement, said, questioning: “What is going to be the strategy?” Absence of any
relief for farmers burdened by agricultural loans, and the scope created for Foreign Direct Investment
in value-addition for agriculture were indications that the Budget had been prepared in consultation
with the World Trade Organisation, he said, expressing apprehensions that the Centre was preparing
the ground for withdrawing existing subsidies. KMDK secretary E.R. Eashwaram said the Union
Budget was a letdown in the absence of plan of action for linking rivers. The BJP Government
seemed to have forgotten that it had come to power seeking votes on the plank of linking rivers. There
was no concrete information on how the Centre would go about doubling the income of farmers in the
next five years. The Budget was lacklustre; while there was an indication that the country as a whole
had not been affected economically, the Budget had nothing that would improve economic condition
of individuals, Mr. Eashwaran said. The Central Government had disappointed the student community
by not specifying any measures to provide relief to those who had been provided with educational
loans, said C.S. Gowthaman, member, Divisional Railway Users’ Consultative Committee.
Announcements were not going to take the economy forward without any follow up. For instance, the
progress envisaged last year through introduction of Mudra Bank concept had been elusive, since the
banks were reluctant to forward loans to educated youths for self employment under the scheme, Mr.
Gowthaman said. Representatives of trade and industry also say there is nothing significant in the
Budget. The silence on Goods and Service Tax in the Budget was intriguing, said N. Sivanesan,
president of Federation of All Trade and Industries’ Association. While the step taken for providing a
thrust to value addition of agricultural products was a welcome measure, the reason for permitting FDI
in marketing of agricultural produce without factoring in the internal market defied logic, Mr. Sivanesan
said. (The Hindu 1/3/16)
24. Maharashtra: 3,228 farmer suicides in 2015, highest in 14 years (20)
As many as 3,228 farmers committed suicide in Maharashtra last year, highest in the last 14 years,
Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said on Friday. Both the Centre and state
governments are implementing various schemes to make farming viable and prevent farmers'
suicides due to agrarian reasons, he added. "As reported by the Maharashtra government, 3,228
farmers have committed suicide and it is the highest since 2001," Singh said in a written reply to the
Rajya Sabha. Maximum suicide cases were reported from Aurangabad at 1,130, followed by Amravati
(1,179), Nashik (4,59l), Nagpur (362), Pune (96) and Konkan (2), he said. "Out of these 3,228 cases,
1,841 cases are eligible for ex-grtia payment, while 903 cases are ineligible. 484 cases are pending
enquiry. About Rs 1 lakh has been given to the hiers in respect of 1,818 suicide cases," Singh said.
The centre has sanctioned Rs 3,049.36 crore relief funds for tackling drought in the state for this year,
he added. In order to prevent farmers' suicide, Singh said the state government is implementing
various schemes and both short and long term measures for tackling drought situation. Under the
'Baliraj Chetna Abhiyan Scheme', the district committee headed by the collector has Rs 10 crore per
year at its disposal to take up awareness campaign, de-addiction, health counselling, revival of social
support system and such activities to reduce the distress level of farmer families. The village level
committees, headed by sarpanch, has Rs 1 lakh per year at its disposal to help farmers families in
situation like meeting health and education expenses, loan installments which cause acute financial
distress. Under the Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swawlamban Mission, the state government is restructuring
various schemes to prevent farmers' suicides in the state. Even at the centre, Singh said various
programmes like soil health card, organic farming, irrigation and crop insurance are being
implemented. "The strategy of Government of India (GoI) is to focus on farmers' welfare by making
farming viable. Farm viability is possible, when cost of cultivation is reduced, yields per unit of farm
are increased and farmers get remunerative prices on their price," he added. Maharashtra is facing
drought for the second straight year due to poor monsoon. (DNA 4/3/16)
25. For farmers, Saturday night rain brings back memories of mass suicides (20)
MEERUT/BIJNOR: As heavy rains lashed several parts of western UP, including Meerut, on late
Saturday night, the downpour brought back memories of last year's wheat crisis for farmers in the
region. Recalling unseasonal rainfall and hailstorms in March last year, which triggered a spate of
suicides across the state, farmers demanded that all farmers in the region be covered under the
Central government's Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY). Experts, however, assured that
unless there is a massive hailstorm, farmers will not suffer losses. In Bijnor, however, there are
reports of damage as officials told TOI that 15% of the wheat crop may have been badly damaged.
"Last year, the destruction caused by the hailstorm had taken many lives. Some farmers had died of
shock, some had lost their mental balance and many others had been forced to take their own lives.
After heavy rain on Saturday night, we were reminded of the horrors of last year. We lost many good
brothers due to the rains. What makes our blood boil even more is the fact that the state government
and the central government just stood by and did nothing. While they have not provided any debt
relief to farmers, they should ensure that they are bailed out if this happens again. More and more
farmers need to be brought under the Central government's crop insurance scheme," said Kuldeep
Tyagi, national president of the Bhartiya Kisan Andolan (BKA). Pramod Sirohi, Bijnor district
agriculture officer, said, "A survey is being conducted to get an accurate idea of how much crop was
lost in Saturday's rain. The wheat crop may have fallen in many parts of the district due to heavy rain
and strong gusts of wind. Around 15% of the crop may have been affected by the rain." Experts,
however, believe that farmers do not have much to worry about. Ashok Kumar, professor at Sardar
Vallabhai Patel University of Agriculture's department of soil science, said, "Rain itself will not cause
the damage that was caused last year. Most of the devastation that took place last year was due to
hailstorms, which caused massive crop loss. Unless there are hailstorms, the damage is not
comparable to last year at all." Hukam Singh, a wheat farmer in Bijnor district's Gher Rambaag
village, said, "We are terrified after last year's experience. So far, we had been enjoying dry weather
after January. Now, just as the crop is close to ripening, there was such heavy rain and a storm. If
things continue like this for a few more days, we will lose our entire crop." (Times of India 6/3/16)
26. Another Farmer Kills Self Over Crop Loss in Odisha (20)
BERHAMPUR: After a young farmer of Nistupur village in Sanakhemundi block committed suicide for
crop loss recently, a sharecropper of Kanchana village in Kodala block killed himself by consuming
pesticide on Tuesday. The farmer has been identified as Kalia Bhunya. His wife, Sabitri, said they had
borrowed `50,000 from a villager to cultivate vegetables in one acre of land. The crops were damaged
due to lack of irrigation facilities. Due to crop loss, he could not repay the loans. On Saturday, when
the moneylender asked Kalia to repay the money, he consumed pesticide. He was admitted to Kodala
hospital and later shifted to MKCG where he died on Tuesday. After his death, MKCG officials sent
the body to Kanchana village for cremation. But hundreds of irate farmers staged a road blockade on
Kodala-Khallikote road demanding compensation and release of water in the canal. Following the
demonstration, traffic was disrupted for over five hours. Sabitri said they depend on Salia irrigation
project for cultivation purpose. But despite several requests, water was not released to the canal
during the month. As a result, the vegetable plants wilted and they suffered loss, she added. Kodala
IIC Kalpana Kaunri rushed to the spot and pacified the agitators. Tehsildar Sarat Chandra Mohapatra
released `10,000 to deceased family and ordered an inquiry into the matter. Meanwhile, Salia Project
Executive Engineer Anirudha Sahu ordered release of water to the canal. (New Indian Express
9.3.16)
27. 310 farmers committed suicide in Chhattisgarh in three years (20)
Raipur: As many as 310 farmers committed suicide in Chhattisgarh in the last three years, Revenue
Minister Premprakash Pandey informed the state Assembly on Wednesday. In a written reply to a
question by Congress's Amarjeet Bhagat, he gave district-wise break-up of farmers' suicides between
January 1, 2013 and January 31, 2016. The maximum number of suicides were reported in Surguja
district (102), followed by Bemetara (65), Kabirdham (42), Janjgir-Champa (33), Raigarh (24),
Rajnandgaon (16), Balod (9), Raipur (6), Balodabazar (4), Dhamtari (3), Mahasamund (2) and one
each in Bastar, Kondagaon, Korba and Durg. (Times of India 10/3/16)
28. 58 Farmer Suicides in AP, 342 in Telangana (20)
NEW DELHI: An Agriculture Ministry report has suggested that 58 farmers committed suicide in
Andhra Pradesh last year, while 342 ended their lives in newly formed Telangana. Karnataka, where
business tycoon Vijay Mallya’s business empire is mainly based, witnessed an average suicide of
eight farmer per month in 2015. In the ministry’s latest figure for 2016, 57 farmers have committed
suicide till February 18, which means one life per day. The ministry has noted that several new
initiatives have been taken to focus on farmer’s welfare by making farming viable. There are,
however, no details on whether the government is considering loan waiver or restructuring of the
loans. At present, loan is available to farmers at an interest rate of 7% per annum, which only gets
reduced to 4% if there is prompt repayment. But government banks had no such condition in
restructuring Mallya’s debt to the tune of `7,000 crore in 2011. State-owned United Bank of India had,
in fact, given up hope to recover hundreds of crores from Mallya. A letter written by the government-
constituted task force, Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swavalamban Mission (VNSSM), to Prime Minister
Narendra Modi also shows fraudulent practices by nationalised and cooperative banks, adding to the
woes of the farmers. It said Joint Liabilities Groups (JLG) of farmers have been formed in collusion
with some agro process corporate/ industries by preparing fraudulent and forged documents in the
name of farmers to receive loans from the banks.“Amount of such disbursement has been pocketed
directly by such so-called agro process corporate/ industries, which are direct beneficiaries of
amounts to the tune of several crore of rupees,” VNSSM’s letter to Modi said. Field inspection by the
government task force shows that most of the banks are able to meet the target through this modus
operandi but such lending amounts have been siphoned off by the corrupt persons involved therein
and entire blame is mounted on the heads of farmers and such JLG members who are not aware of
such fraud in the name of agro credits. The task force has recommended a probe by Special
Investigation Team. Tiwari said present situation of farmers and direct agro sector is mainly due to
inadequate credit facilities which is only extended to big corporate and people like Mallya. In February
2014, Express had exposed the scam in farmers’ loan waiver scheme initiated by UPA government in
2008 to write off bank loans of 3.69 crore small and marginal farmers in 35 states and union
territories. The Department of Financial Services under Ministry of Finance had admitted that
somebody who is not eligible got it and somebody who is eligible did not get it or alternatively there
was a case of tampering or alternation. (New Indian Express 13/3/16)
29. 1,841 farmers killed self over agri crisis: Eknath Khadse (20)
Mumbai: Maharashtra agriculture minister Eknath Khadse has informed the Legislative Assembly that
out of the 3,228 farmers who committed suicide in 2015, more than 1,300 were because of reasons
not related to agriculture. Out of the total suicides, 1,841 were eligible for government aid. The
minister also said that over 20,000 farmers committed suicide in Maharashtra in the last 15 years, but
only 8,066 suicides were due to crop failure, loan and recovery pressure. Mr Khadse revealed the
information in a written reply to a query on the farmers’ suicide in the Assembly. “During January 2015
to December 2015, 3,228 suicides were committed, of which 1,841 were eligible, 903 were ineligible
and 484 are pending inquiry,” Mr Khadse said. In the same reply, he admitted that over 20,000
farmers have ended their lives in the last 15 years and 2015 had the highest suicides. “However,
8,066 suicides were committed due to crop failure, debt and recovery pressure,” he said. All party
members had asked the government if it has helped the families of the farmers who have committed
suicide. The MLAs, including Ashish Shelar (BJP), Parag Alavani (BJP), Bhaskar Jadhav (NCP),
Ameen Patel (Congress), Vijay Vadettiwar (Congress) had also asked if the government was thinking
of giving compensation to the families on the lines of Telangana. The Telangana government gives `6
lakh as compensation and Rs 51,000 for marriage of daughters. However, the minister refused the
demand. Currently, the Maharashtra government offers only Rs 1 lakh as aid for the kin of farmers
who have committed suicide. The minister said that the government had proposed Rs 4,002.82 crore
aid for the drought-stricken farmers through supplementary demands. Another proposal of Rs 116
crore meant for orchards is pending before the Centre. So far, the Centre has sanctioned Rs 2,548
crore for the farmers and Rs 2,536 crore has been distributed, he added. (Asian Age 14/3/16)
30. Farmer suicides: no inquiry for compensation, says govt (20)
MUMBAI: Faced with a steadily worsening drought in the state for the fourth consecutive year, the
Devendra Fadnavis-led government sought to reach out to beleaguered farmers announcing that
suicide-hit families will not have to face inquiries about the reason to receive compensation. The
government, however, ruled out loan waivers. Since it came to power end-2014, the BJP-led state
government has refused to announce a complete loan waiver despite persistent demands from the
Opposition for the measure, and has claimed to have spent over Rs 18,000 crore till now on drought
relief. The government’s stance on loan waivers was indicated during the extended discussion in the
Legislative Assembly last week on the drought situation and the rise in farmer suicides, when
Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse said, “Will loan waiver stop farmer suicides completely? Neither you
nor we have answers to certain questions. There can be other reasons as well and we should try to
solve those problems.” While announcing the decision to change norms for compensating farmer-
suicide families, Mr Khadse said earlier the police and revenue officials would investigate the reasons
behind the suicide. “The process to find out whether an agriculture loan was the reason behind the
suicide was long and tedious. It delayed compensation to many families. We have re-evaluated the
policy. From now on, the family of a farmer who commits suicide will be given compensation (of Rs 1
lakh) without any inquiry,” he said, adding a Rs 70,000-crore loan waiver package in 2008 could not
stop suicides. Mr Khadse’s was interrupted several times by Opposition members who not only
demanded loan waivers but also asked the government to increase the compensation amount.
Former CM Prithviraj Chavan of the Congress said the 2008 loan waiver had reduced suicides
considerably. “It is the drought since last the four years that has led to the rise in number of suicides,”
he said. Former finance minister and NCP leader Jayant Patil added, “I assure you that if you take the
decision now, it will have a positive impact. The number of farmers’ suicides will come down by over
50 per cent.” Khadse said families of farmers killed by natural calamities will be paid Rs 4 lakh, while
under the Late Gopinath Munde Accident Insurance scheme, families will be paid Rs two lakh in case
of death due to snake bite, falling off a tree etc. “But increasing compensation in case of suicides
would make me guilty of promoting suicides,” the minister said. Maharashtra has registered 3,228
farmer suicides in year 2015, the highest since 2001. As per the earlier norms, only1,841 were
considered eligible for compensation, leaving out 1,387 claimants. Shiv Sena’s Arjun Khotkar asked if
the new rule will be applied retrospectively as well, to which Mr Khadse said the government will
decide on it soon. Khadse’s replies, however, did not impress Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna
Vikhe-Patil, who led a boycott of the assembly accusing the government of not considering the
legitimate demands of farmers. (The Hindu 15/3/16)
31. NHRC Seeks Report on Farmers' Suicide (20)
BHUBANESWAR: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has directed the Chief Secretary
to submit a report on high number of farmers’ suicides due to agrarian distress in the State. Acting on
complaints filed by rights groups led by Pradip Pradhan, seeking its intervention in providing justice to
the families of victims, the Commission has sought a detailed informative report within four weeks.
The petitioner has alleged that 30 debt-ridden farmers in 12 districts had committed suicide due to
crop failure over only a fortnight between November 25 and December 10 last year. He has submitted
a fact-finding report on farmers’ suicides after visiting 12 districts and collecting detailed information
on the plight of farmer community. The petitioner has urged the Commission to constitute an enquiry
team or assign a probe by special rapporteur into the farmers’ suicides as well as directing the State
Government and Centre to ensure food security and rehabilitation of the distressed families. (New
Indian Express 16/3/16)
32. 2,000 crore increase in allocation for farm sector (20)
Chandigarh: In an attempt to de-stress the distressed rural sector and enable it to meet the economic
challenges, the Haryana budget has enhanced allocation for the agriculture and allied sectors by
13.71%. Finance minister Captain Abhimanyu has allotted Rs 13,494 crore for 2016-17 in the budget
in comparison to Rs 11,444.41 crore for 2015-16. The announcement has come at a time when the
farmers in Haryana are facing severe crisis following crop failures because of heavy rains coupled
with hailstorms. The state had also witnessed suicides by several farmers after the crop failure in
2015. Presenting his budget proposals in the state assembly on Monday, Capt Abhimanyu said that
the outlay for agriculture had been hiked to realize the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who
aimed to double the farmers' income within five years. Haryana also increased its share by 54% for
various central government schemes like Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, National Food Security
Mission, National Mission on Agriculture Expansion and Technology, National Oil Seed and Oil Palm
Mission. The allocation under the Centre's schemes of National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture
and the Soil Health Card Scheme has also been increased from Rs 4.56 crore to Rs 15.02 crore. For
different schemes to promote the horticulture sector, the allocation has been upped to Rs 378 crore
from Rs 239.45 crore of 2015-16. Welcoming the launch of the new farm insurance scheme
'Pradhanmantri Fasal Bima Yojana', he said it would go a long way in providing financial support to
the farmers in the event of failure of notified crops because of natural calamities, pests and diseases.
A sum of Rs 300 crore has been proposed for the scheme. Capt Abhimanyu has proposed Rs 50
crore in the first instance for setting up a horticultural university in Karnal. The grant-in-aid for the
Haryana Agricultural University has also been increased. "The Haryana government not only
enhanced the compensation rate per acre but also widened the scope for coverage of the crops
damaged due to floods, standing water, fire, electric sparking, heavy rains, hailstorm, dust storm and
whilefly attack," said the minister. (Times of India 22/3/16)
33. Kisan sabha to oppose river linking project (20)
BERHAMPUR: The Odisha unit of peasants’ organisation All-India Kisan Mazdoor Sabha (AIKMS)
has decided to oppose Mahanadi-Godavari river linking project as well as over-promotion of ground
water use for agriculture in the State. It was decided at the two-day State level conference of the
organisation that concluded in Berhampur on Tuesday. Speaking to newsmen, organisation national
general secretary Sushant Jha and State president Natabar Pradhan claimed that river linking project
and over-tapping of ground water would be a major bane for environment and agriculture. The AIKMS
claimed that although Odisha had ample amount of surface water and adequate rainfall, due to lack of
proper water management its farmers were suffering drought-like situation regularly. They criticised
the government for over-promotion of bore wells for irrigation purposes, which, according to them,
would be a major reason of ground water depletion in near future. They wanted scientific
environment-friendly small projects to tap water of traditional sources for irrigation. “We are opposed
to large irrigation projects and want irrigated land of Odisha to be increased at least 50 per cent
through small barrages on rivers or streams,” said Mr Pradhan. The State government has shown
positive attitude towards the Centre’s river linking project. However, the AIKMS opposes the proposal
saying that it would be a major danger for environment and displace thousands of peasants. Mr. Jha
had on Monday said that the rate of suicide of peasants in the country has increased to 52 per day in
first few months of 2016 in comparison to 42 suicides per day in 2015. He claimed that agriculture and
farmers were being neglected by both the State and Central governments. “Our aim is to make micro
level analysis of problems being faced by farmers and possible remedial measures through
discussions,” said national committee member of AIKMS Bhala Chandra Sarangi. Mr. Natabar
Sarangi was sceptical about the second green revolution being promoted by the NDA government in
eastern India, including Odisha. (The Hindu 23/3/16)
34. Unable to repay loans, 2 more farmers end lives (20)
Mansa: Reeling under debt, two farmers ended their lives by gulping poison in Mansa district. With
this, the suicide count has risen to 14 in less than three months in the district.Jang Singh, 60, of
Tandian village, committed suicide late on Holi night by consuming a poisonous substance. "His
cotton crop sown on five acres was damaged due to whitefly attack. Now his wheat crop too had been
hit due to untimely rains. He owed Rs 2 lakh to the village cooperative society and Rs 5 lakh to a
moneylender," said Tandian sarpanch Shinder Kaur. Jang's wife Amarjit Kaur said, "The cooperative
society had sent notice to repay the loan in coming month and he was upset for not able to make the
payment. He committed suicide on Thursday night." Balbir Singh, 42, of Autanwali village, had only
one acre of land and had taken four acres on lease. He owed Rs 1.5 lakh to a moneylender.
Autanwali sarpanch Gurmail Singh said, "Balbir had two daughters, who are nearly 20 years of age.
With no return from small land holding he was worried about marrying them off and committed suicide
on Thursday night." As per a survey conducted by Punjabi University at Patiala, the farmers of the
state were reeling under debt of nearly Rs 69,000 crore which included Rs 56,000 crore institutional
and nearly Rs 13,000 non-institutional debt. (Times of India 26/3/16)
35. Opp blames govt for farmer's suicide opp Mantralaya (20)
Mumbai, Mar 28 () The ruling and opposition parties today had a heated discussion in Maharashtra
Legislative Council over suicide by a farmer opposite the Mantralaya (state secretariat) here last
week. The Opposition demanded that a murder case be registered against "errant officials".However,
state Agriculture Minister Eknath Khadse said the state government had done all it could, and that the
farmer had received drought aid over a month back. Madhav Kadam, a farmer from Nanded district,
had attempted suicide by consuming an insecticide opposite the state secretariat here on March 23,
allegedly because of not receiving drought compensation despite his crop failure. He later died in an
hospital on March 26. As the House assembled for the day, Leader of Opposition Dhananjay Munde,
via an adjournment motion, said a government which believes in communicating through social media
cannot respond to the cries of farmers. "This suicide incident has happened because the government
excluded farmers sowing cotton from getting compensation for crop failure. This is a government that
believes in communicating through social media. But, why does it not hear the cries of farmers?" he
asked. He said the farmer had met a few ministers, tehsildar and Collector asking for help, but did not
receive any. Jayant Patil (of PWP) said it is the first time in the history of the state that a farmer has
committed suicide in front of Mantralaya. "(Eknath) Khadse, while he was in the Opposition, had many
a times demanded that a murder case be lodged against officials when a farmer committed suicide.
Now, the district collector should be charged under IPC section 302," he said. (MORE) MM GK PVI
(Times of India 28/3/16)
36. Farmers’ group organises protest in Nashik (20)
Nashik: Demanding remunerative prices for farm produce and farmland for the adivasi community, the
leftist organisation Kisan Sabha staged a massive state-level morcha and agitation in Nashik on
Tuesday. Communist Party of India (Marxist) national general secretary MP Sitaram Yechury, Akhil
Bharatiya Kisan Sabha general secretary Hunnan Maula, senior journalist P. Sainath, veteran trade
union leader Dr D.L. Karad and other leaders addressed the rally. Mr Yechury criticised the union and
state governments for their inaction on farmers and adivasi issues. “The government waives off the
loans of capitalists but not of farmers. The Maharashtra government has no scheme to waive off the
debts of farmers,” he charged. “The current rate of wheat is Rs 1,150 per quintal while the production
cost is Rs 1,800. The government should stop importing wheat and should give a remunerative price
of Rs 2,400 per quintal for wheat,” he said. Mr Yechury stated that 99 per cent adivasis in Mizoram
had got farms. “In Maharashtra too, the adivasis should get their land,” he asserted. Mr Yechury said
that the voice of the youth was being stifled and enmity was being promoted between two
communities. The major demands are complete waiver of all loans and electricity bills of farmers,
remunerative prices for farm produce, water, fodder and work in drought areas, minimum `50,000 per
acre compensation for crop losses, among others. Nashik was chosen as the venue because in
Mumbai, there are several morchas daily and a particular morcha is not highlighted. Moreover, given
the number of agitators, an expected one lakh, Nashik was a better choice, sources said. The morcha
began late evening, though the time given was in the afternoon. Traffic was stalled for a while, as the
morcha began from Golf Club and marched to the Collectorate. (Asian Age 30/3/16)
37. Provide Details of Farmers' Suicides: Hyderabad HC (20)
HYDERABAD: A division bench of Hyderabad HC on Thursday asked the petitioners to submit
details to the governments of TS and AP regarding the farmers who have committed suicide after
failing to repay their agriculture loans due to crop loss. The bench comprising Acting Chief Justice
Dilip B Bhosale and Justice P Naveen Rao was dealing with the PIL cases filed separately by
Vyavasaya Jana Chaitanya Samithi, Pakala Srihari Rao and others challenging the inaction of both
TS and AP governments in curbing farmers’ suicides. Telangana Vidyavanthula Vedika and
Telangana Rythu JAC were also made party to the case. One of petitioner’s counsel complained that
both state governments have failed to take steps to set up the state level farmers’ commission.
Reacting to the submission, the bench said it is easy for anyone to approach the court and blame the
governments. The bench asked S Sharath Kumar, special government pleader of TS, to tell whether
the families of farmers who committed suicide due to crop failure are receiving the benefits or not?
The government counsel said the petitioners have submitted list of farmers who have committed
suicide due to crop failure and district collectors are examining the cases. But in some cases the
family members have admitted that suicides were not due to crop failure. Steps have been taken to
summarise the details and to place, he added and urged the court to grant some time to place the
details of cases. Following the request, the bench adjourned the case for two weeks. (New Indian
Express 1/4/16)
38. 91 farmers ended their lives in the last one year (21)
Mysuru: As many as 91 farmers committed suicide in the last one year (April 1, 2015 to March 31,
2016) in Mysuru district. As many as 20 farmers committed suicide each in K.R. Nagar and
Piriyapatna taluks in this period. While 21 farmers in Hunsuru had ended their lives, 12 farmers in
H.D. Kote taluk, four each in Mysuru and T. Narasipura taluks and 10 farmers in Nanjangud taluk
committed suicide during the last financial year. Of the 91 farmers, cases of 60 farmers were
accepted by the committees headed by the Assistant Commissioners and families of all the 60
deceased farmers were given compensation of Rs. 5 lakh each. As many as 12 cases were rejected
as the deceased farmers had not availed loans from any banks, financial institutions or from any
registered pawn brokers. Also, those who ended their lives for reasons other than financial crisis were
not considered by the committees. Three such cases in Hunsuru and Nanjangud taluks and two
cases each in H.D. Kote, K.R. Nagar and Mysuru taluks have not been considered for compensation.
However, the government has simplified the procedure for compensation. Accordingly, a deceased
farmer need not have the land in his or her name for his or her family to avail compensation. The
farmer’s family is eligible for compensation if the land is in the name of any of the family members.
Also, farmers who were cultivating land on contract or lease basis are also eligible for compensation.
The district administration, at the behest of the State government, had taken all measures to provide
free education to children of the farmers who had committed suicide in government schools. Also,
hostels have been asked to compulsorily provide accommodation for the children without charging a
penny. Wives of deceased farmers were also being selected as beneficiaries under the Pashu
Bhagya scheme under which they would be given cows and sheep. M. Mahanteshappa, Joint Director
of Agriculture, told The Hindu that a committee led by the Deputy Commissioner has been keeping a
constant vigil on pawn brokers and private financiers to prevent them from putting pressure on the
farmers to repay the loan. The committee is also taking steps to ensure that exorbitant interest would
not be collected from the farmers. Nationalised banks have also been asked not to insist farmers to
repay the loans and they have been instructed to convert short or medium term loans into long term
loans in the wake of drought last year. (The Hindu 6/4/16)
39. Supreme Court pulls up Centre over plight of drought-hit people (20)
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled up the Centre for not taking action to provide
relief to those affected by drought which forced many farmers to commit suicide and directed the
government to place before it the amount to be released to states under social welfare schemes to
handle the situation. A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and N V Ramana questioned the Centre for
releasing funds under MNREGA to state governments and and its claim that it was taking all
necessary steps for providing relief to the drought-affected. "There is a problem and you cannot
neglect it. You must realise that there is a problem and eight to nine states are suffering from
drought," the bench said. Additional solicitor general Pinky Anand tried to convince the bench that the
government is very serious towards the issue and all possible steps are being taken to handle the
crisis. She told the bench that Rs 7983 crore will be released by the Centre in a couple of days
towards wage liability, while Rs 2723 crore will be cleared in June.The bench, however, said social
welfare schemes like MNREGA were not being implemented in true spirit and wages not being paid
on time to workers due to late release of funds by the Centre. "Unless you release the money on time,
it is not going to benefit the workers. How can you ask people to work without paying them," the
bench said. The court said framing policy on paper for relief to drought-hit farmers was not sufficient
enough. It was hearing a PIL filed by NGO Swaraj Abh (Times of India 7/4/16)
40. Farmer suicides decline in Yavatmal: Official (20)
Yavatmal: The farmer suicides in first three months of the year in the district have reduced as
compared to corresponding period last year, a senior official said. "While 96 farmers had committed
suicide between January and March last year, the number has dropped to 48 this year," Yavatmal
District Collector Sachindra Pratap Singh said. "It is certainly a good sign and if the downward trend
continues unabated for the next 12 months, the (Maharashtra) Chief Minister's assurance of
converting Yavatmal and Osmanabad into suicide free districts will be possible," he added. The
district administration had launched awareness programme 'Baliraja Chetana Abhiyan' in July last
year to curb farmer suicides. The response from the public for the programme is overwhelming, the
Collector claimed. Singh appealed to farmers not to get disheartened over the prevailing drought
situation. (Zee News 9/4/16)
41. Centre orders funds for buying fodder in drought-hit states (20)
New Delhi: Expressing its resolve to tackle the situation arising due to drought and deficient rains in
various parts of the country, the Centre on Monday ordered immediate allocation of funds to the
affected states to buy fodder. A high-level meeting, presided over by union Cabinet Secretary
Pradeep Kumar Sinha and attended by chief secretaries of all drought-affected states, also decided
immediate drought relief out of the State Disaster Response Fund. States will be given funds
immediately under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana for fodder, an official source said here. The
states were also expected to approach the Centre for availing of financial assistance under the
National Lifestock Mission implemented by the department of animal husbandry, dairying and
fisheries. Among other directives, the cabinet secretary instructed the ministry for drinking water and
sanitation to release funds for rural drinking water supply to mitigate problems faced by the state
governments. "The rural development ministry shall ensure that the drought-affected states give wage
employment to people over and above the stipulated 100 days and release funds on time," the source
said. Also present at the meeting were secretaries in the ministries of agriculture, rural development,
drinking water, animal husbandry, food and public distribution, water resources, home affairs, finance
and railways. The Central Drought Relief Commissioner made an overarching presentation on the
rainfall deficiency and kharif 2015, rabi 2015-16 and measures being taken to tackle difficulties faced
by farmers in drought-hit states. Other critical issues of providing additional employment of 50 days
under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme over and above the 100
days, preparation of crop contingency plans for districts facing drought and allocation for drought relief
were also discussed. The food grain situation and its distribution through the public distribution
system under the National Food Security Act, assistance under the National Disaster Response Fund
/State Disaster Response Fund, provisioning for nutritional requirement of children and lactating
mothers, midday meal scheme, and most importantly, the drinking water supply were also reviewed,
the sources said. On Sunday, at the intervention of the Prime Minister's Office, the Centre announced
that Bundelkhand in Uttar Pradesh will get a special package of Rs.1,304 crore for drought relief
under the National Disaster Relief Fund. The Centre also said that drought-like situations in
Vidharbha and Marathwada in Maharashtra too would be reviewed at high-level meetings. (Zee News
11/4/16)
42. Schoolchildren lead the way in organic farming (20)
KALPETTA: Inspired by their success in the cultivation of traditional rice varieties last year, a group of
students of the Government Higher Secondary School (GHSS), Meenangadi, in the district has come
out with different varieties of organic vegetables at affordable rates for Vishu. “We have launched the
project titled ‘Kani Kanan Kanivellari’ with the support of the Meenangadi Krishi Bhavan to sensitise
the public on the significance of consuming pesticide-free vegetables and promoting organic
cultivation through the student community,” says M.K. Rajendran, NSS programme officer, GHSS,
Meenangadi. As many as 50 NSS volunteers of the school cultivated 12 different varieties of organic
vegetables such as kanivellari or golden melon, cabbage, bitter gourd, green chilly, okra, cucumber
and brinjal on one acre of rented land. The students spent Rs.40,000 for the cultivation, and, in the
first harvest on Monday, they got vegetable crops worth Rs.10,000. The students have also put up a
stall on the premises of the school to sell the produce. “There is good demand from the public for the
organic vegetables and we sold the entire produce by noon,” said K.J. Surya, a Plus One student of
the school. The vegetable saplings were raised in paper grow bags, made by the students, to avoid
the use of plastic.“We are selling the produce at a nominal rate to the public as we were able to avoid
the intervention of the middlemen,” Ms .Surya said. The Meenangadi grama panchayat provided the
services of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme workers for the
venture during the planting of vegetable saplings. (The Hindu 13/4/16)
43. Unable to repay loan, farmer allegedly commits suicide in TN (20)
Chennai, Apr 17 : A 65-year-old farmer in Coimbatore, who had borrowed 70 lakh rupees from a
nationalised bank, committed suicide on Saturday. The farmer allegedly died after consuming
pesticide. According to reports, the victim, identified as Ramasamy, had taken the loan to set up a
farm for cultivation of capsicums and tomatoes. He had repaid around Rs. 6 lakh which he borrowed
from private lenders. His family has alleged that the bank authorities backtracked on a 50 per cent
subsidy and asked him to repay the entire loan. His son told mediapersons that he was under stress
and therefore committed suicide. Police said no suicide note was found though. (New Kerala 17/4/16)
44. No farmer suicides in watershed areas: Nabard (20)
HYDERABAD: The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development has said that there were no
instances of suicide by farmers in areas where the bank supported watershed programmes.
Addressing a press conference highlighting the performance of Andhra Pradesh regional office of the
bank on Monday, its chief general manager Hairsh Java said the bank released a grant of Rs.175
crore for 166 watershed projects in AP last year and 154 of them were completed. As a special drive
to support the farmers of nine distressed and suicide prone districts of AP, the regional office
conducted 58 customised financial literacy awareness camps. As many as 54 Farmer Producer
Organisations were sanctioned grant assistance to provide end-to-end solution from farm production
to marketing of agriculture produce. The office is implementing a climate change project for
development and restoration of mangrove plantation in the coastal area and provide livelihood for
fishermen in three villages of Krishna district with a total financial assistance of Rs.3.81 crore. The
total business of Nabard in the State in 2015-16 was Rs.8,301 crore, which was a 22 per cent growth
over previous year. About 3.76 lakh self-help groups were provided bank credit. (The Hindu 19/4/16)
45. Cabinet sub-committee surveys drought-hit areas in Mandya (20)
Mandya: A Cabinet sub-committee on drought, comprising four ministries, visited several villages in
the district on Thursday evening to get a first-hand account of the prevailing situation. All seven taluks
in the district had been declared drought-hit and over 100 farmers allegedly committed suicide owing
to crop loss.Subsequently, the State government had constituted four teams to study the situation. Of
them, a team, headed by Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs T.B. Jayachandra, visited some
villages in Maddur, K.R. Pet, Nagamangala and Srirangapatna district besides visiting the Krishnaraja
Sagar (KRS) reservoir at 6.55 p.m. Mr. Jayachandra, along with H.C. Mahadevappa, Minister for
Public Works, Ports, Inland and Water Transport, H.S. Mahadevaprasad, Minister for Cooperation
and Sugar, and Food and Civil Supplies Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao inspected lakes, canals and
farmlands at Chinnana Doddi, Thoreshetty Halli, Kestur, Athagur, Dodda Nakanahalli and Koppa in
Maddur taluk. Mr. Mahadevappa, while interacting with the villagers, said that the State government
will fill water in 20 lakes at a cost of Rs. 50 crore. Later, the team visited the KRS reservoir after
visiting Nagamangala and K.R. Pet. Housing Minister M.H. Ambareesh, Deputy Commissioner M.N.
Ajay Nagabhushan, Mandya Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer B. Sharath, Superintendent of
Police C.H. Sudheer Kumar Reddy and others were present. (The Hindu 22/4/16)
46. Loan waiver benefited over 13,000 farmers in division (20)
Nagpur: Over 13,000 farmers from Nagpur division have been benefited under Maharashtra
government's scheme to waive off moneylenders' loans to farmers. The division comprises Wardha,
Gondia, Bhandara, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli and Nagpur where 3,061 villages were identified by the
government for implementing the scheme. The announcement in this regard was made by chief
minister Devendra Fadnavis while replying to a debate over drought in Vidarbha and Marathwada
regions during winter session in city in December 2014. Revenue minister Eknath Khadse made
similar announcement in the council declaring that farmers would be given 100% loan waiver if they
had availed loan from licensed moneylenders. The debate in both house was initiated by the
opposition parties after a large number of farmers committed suicides due to mounting debts, and a
majority of them had availed loans from the moneylenders. As per reply by office of divisional joint
registrar's for cooperative Societies in Nagpur to RTI activist Abhay Kolarkar, 27,541 farmers were
identified in the division as eligible under the scheme. These were finalized by district level scrutiny
committee. This panel consisted of collector, police superintendent, divisional registrar and auditor of
the respective districts. They had taken loans from 743 moneylenders and their total outstanding was
Rs2,798.28 crore. The public information officer (PIO) at joint registrar's office informed that so far, the
government had released about Rs 19 crore towards the scheme benefiting 13,233 farmers who had
secured loans from 571 licensed moneylenders. The government freed the properties and articles of
14,647 farmers who had mortgaged them to the moneylenders. It also distributed 'Debt Relief
Certificates' to 12,116 farmers so far. The waiver was announced as a part of a relief package for
farmers and the moneylenders were asked to provide a list of borrowers. Interestingly, the
moneylenders knocked the doors of Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court challenging the waiver
saying they had been granted insufficient time to provide details. According to PIO, after getting
approval from the scrutiny committee, the moneylenders were told to return the mortgaged property of
the farmer. The debt amount was transferred to the moneylenders' account through NEFT/RTGS.
Later, the certificate of actual amount was handed over to the farmer by the committee. In case any
dispute over the debt amount, the farmers have liberty to move court with further claims under Section
36 of Maharashtra Moneylending Act, 2014. (Times of India 25/4/16)
47. 116 farmer suicides in first 3 months of 2016 (20)
NEW DELHI: Days after attributing the record number of farmer suicides in 2015 to poor
disbursement of credit, which left them at the mercy of usurious money lenders, the Centre on
Tuesday shared with Parliament grim statistics highlighting how the situation remains unchanged in
2016, with as many as 116 suicides during the first three months. Maharashtra continues to be the
dark spot, recording the highest number of farmer suicides . Punjab, which recorded only three farmer
sucides in 2014, was second in the list in 2015 as also so far this year. In farmer suicide capital, a 12-
year-old poetess makes history However, MP, which has consistently been recording farmer suicides
in varying numbers till 2014, managed to escape this tragic cycle. The state did not report any suicide
in 2015 and during the first three months of this year. Officials credit MP's better agricultural growth,
backed by creation of irrigation infrastructure in water-stressed areas, for the turnaround. Water-
starved Maharashtra faces the brunt for its failure to adapt to suitable cropping patterns, particularly
Marathwada. In response to a Parliament question, the government informed the Lok Sabha that of
the 2,115 farmers who committed suicide in 2014, 1,163 were driven by debt, and the remaining by
crop loss.In Maharashtra, 857 of 1,207 farmers who committed suicide did so due to debt burden,
which lays bare their dependence on local money-lenders due to a non-functional farm credit system
in the state and also in other parts of the country. The figures for farmers' suicide were shared on a
day Union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh alleged that dams were constructed in
Maharashtra to serve interests of the sugar industry and not farmers. "I demand a discussion on
Maharashtra drought so that facts can come to light," he said in Lok Sabha, blaming the previous
Congress-led government in the state for the mess. His allegation triggered a war of words with the
opposition blaming the Centre for not doing enough to provide relief to the drought-affected states.
(Times of India 27/4/16)
48. Marathwada drought: 65 farmer suicides reported in April, highest in Beed (20)
As many as 65 farmers in Marathwada have committed suicide in April, reported The Times Of India.
It further said that the highest number of suicides was reported from Beed - 60, followed by
Aurangabad and Nanded. Latur reported 44 farmer suicides. Burdened with crippling debt and three
years of drought, over 300 farmers have ended their lives this year. Farmer suicides were also
reported from Osmanabad, Jalna, Parbhani and Hingoli districts. District administration officials have
instructed health care workers and doctors to extend help to distressed farmers and "boost the morale
of farmers." Officials told The Times Of India that 146 cases are eligible for compensation, 117 cases
are pending and around 75 claims have been rejected so far. Meanwhile, central teams will study
drought-affected areas in the country till June this year and prepare a long-term plan of possible
actions to tackle the calamity. The Central Water Commission (CWC) and Central Ground Water
Board (CGWB) teams have been asked to analyse the causes leading to drought in these areas and
identify water resources management challenges. The teams will also figure out gaps in water
information and plans to recharge, long-run solutions and suggest measures for protection,
management and restoration of water bodies, the statement said. According to a DNA report, two new
water rakes would be deployed on a shorter route to Latur. Water from Dudhana river will be sent to
Latur via Partur instead of Miraj. The Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court on Tuesday
ordered 50 percent water cuts for breweries in Marathwada from 10 May. A bench of Justices SS
Shinde and Santeetrao Patil said that it was inhuman that breweries were enjoying a lavish supply of
water, when people had not seen water for days. Apart from breweries and distilleries, the court has
also increased the water cut for other industrial units by 5 percent from the initial 20 percent starting
20 May. (Frstpost 28/4/16)