Babu Games With Farmers' Lives

Farmers' problems in AP don't seem to bother the rulers. In districts ranging from Srikakulam to those in Rayalaseema, farmers are committing suicides. Even the districts in the 'rice bowl of AP', Krishna and Godavari districts are no exception to this pitiable fate. Withered crops and dry lands are provoking farmers to end their lives. The Government that should offer support to the farmers is adding to the reasons instead, by showing lame reasons to not offer compensation.

Land acquisition is adding to the reasons of farmers' distress, along with drought and crop loss. The situation in Bhogapuram, capital city and Bunder port regions is so serious that people who have offered bride to the boys of the are are withdrawing from the idea of going ahead with the alliance. Chandrababu and his ministers are least bothered about the farmers' pain. They are only interested in grabbing as many acres as possible, despite the super-fertile agriculture-friendly quality of the lands.

Banks are not giving new loans. The Government has long forgotten the promise to waive their loans. The cost of manure, fertilisers, seeds and pesticides has grown high. There is no fair price for the produce that has escaped drought somehow. Household expenditure is not something that can be escaped. Farmers are being squeezed of their energy, just to earn livelihood for their families.

CM Relief Fund (CMRF) offers Rs.1.5 lakh as special package for farmers' families orphaned by their suicides, as decided on June 1, 2004 by Congress Government through GO 421, Rs.1 lakh as ex-gratia and Rs.50,000 to pay the debts taken by the dying farmer. Welfare schemes should be implemented as per the qualification of the families, it said. After the state's bifurcation on June 8 in 2014, TDP came to power, but suicides continued. Farmers and their organisations fought in demand for the implementation of GO 421. Then the compensation was raised to Rs.5 lakh on February 19, 2015 as per GO 62, with Rs.3.5 lakh being ex-gratia and Rs.1.5 lakh being payment of loans, keeping the rest of the previous GO the same. But the deaths that happened before bifurcation would still receive Rs.1.5 lakh, it said.

According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the number of farmers' suicides in 2014 was 160,  in 2015 it and was 516. Although the information about 206 has not been released, it is estimated to be 614. So in the past three years, 1,290 farmers have given up their lives tragically. Yet, the Government has offered compensation to only 169 families, according to CMRF, revenue and agriculture departments. For 103 cases, Rs.1.5 lakh has been given. For 66 families, Rs.5 lakh has been given. Probe on the cases brought to the police's notice is going on irregularly. There is a three-men committee. RDO or sub-collector is the chairman of the committee and agricultural director, police department's DSPs are members. Still there is a big delay in probing the cases.

• Leasing farmers are listed as agricultural labourers and compensation is being cut down.
• Woman labourers are not being considered as victims.
• While they have to also offer welfare schemes along with compensation, they are calling it quits by giving ex-gratia.
• Farmers' children should be joined in social welfare schools and hostels, but they are not doing that.
• IAV houses should be given to the homeless with full subsidy.
• Self-employment schemes should be sanctioned for livelihood. Pensions should be given.
• One-time settlement package of loans is being deposited in banks and not being paid to moneylenders. So the farmers who received compensation are still being indebted.