Govt unveils package to prevent farmers' suicides in India

In a bid to arrest the number of farmer suicides that continue unchecked, the Indian government has unveiled a long-term economic package to improve the livelihood conditions of farmers in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra, the four states worst hit by the phenomenon.

Aimed at supplementing and supporting the state governments� efforts in this direction, the proposed package will cover credit, crop insurance, agricultural productivity, lack of extension services, health insurance coverage and lack of marketing infrastructure in 35 districts. It will also provide help in improving irrigation facilities. However, the proposal does not include compensation for bereaved farm families.

After a meeting with the chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra and the agriculture ministers of Karnataka and Kerala to discuss the proposals, India�s Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said the package would be formally launched in two months. �The proposals include providing insurance cover for agriculture, cattle and health.�

Of the 35 districts where the package will be implemented, 15 are in Andhra Pradesh, six each in Maharashtra and Karnataka, and three in Kerala. The rest will be finalised later. Under the package, around 97,00,000 farmers, constituting 8% of the total number of cultivators in the country, are expected to benefit.

The ambitious package is expected to cost thousands of crores of rupees, although the exact cost of the proposal to the exchequer has not yet been worked out said Pawar. Referring to areas where the states required support, he said the package could offer Rs 3,000 crore for irrigation. The credit component could include rescheduling of crop loans, interest waivers and a moratorium.

The proposal will be presented to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Union ministers of finance, rural development, water resources, and health, the chief ministers of the four states and the deputy chairman of the Planning Commission.

�Then we will go to the Union Cabinet for its approval. I desire that the entire process is completed in one-and-a-half-months and the package is executed in two months,� said Pawar. The minister added that he would constitute a multi-disciplinary team to ensure effective implementation.

Pawar said that although other states, including Punjab, have also witnessed cases of extreme distress among their farmers, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala had been chosen for the proposed scheme as the number of suicides in these four states was high.

Stating that there was some disagreement between the states and the Centre about the number of farm deaths, Pawar said the four states had recorded over 8,900 suicides between 2001-2002 and 2005-2006. Quoting the figures for farmer suicides in the past five years, Pawar said Karnataka had recorded the highest number of suicides (5,910) followed by Andhra Pradesh with 1,835, Maharashtra with 981, and Kerala with 201. Karnataka disputes these figures.

SOURCE: Infochange India

User comments

There are no comments