Farm labour suicides disturbing

Sainath faults TS govt for failure to check the social menace

Hyderabad: Senior journalist Palagummi Sainath on Sunday observed that increasing occurrence of suicides by agricultural labourers, apart from distressed farmers, was a major cause for concern across the country, especially in Telangana.

Speaking to The Hans India on the sidelines of a seminar on “The impact of 25 years of neo- liberalism on our material lives, minds and moral universe” here, Sainath said, “There is no end to suicides by farmers in both the Telugu speaking states for nearly a decade even after several eminent people like M S Swaminathan made recommendations to contain the social menace on a permanent scale.”

It is also shocking to note that the number of farm labourers was increasing many folds and the count of farmers has been on the decline in the recent years across the country, he said. Sainath wondered why the Union government was hiding details of suicides by farmers and refusing to release the data prepared by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). As per the schedule, NCRB should have made public the report three months ago.

The journalist pointed out to a new disturbing trend that has been rapidly growing across the country wherein agricultural labourers were taking to the extreme step unable to find employment during drought and famine. “Most of the deaths reported in Telangana in recent times are farm labourers, who do not possess agricultural land and rely only on agricultural activity for their livelihood.

Suicides by farmers in Telangana could have been prevented had the state government enforced the M S Swaminathan committee recommendations. The government somehow is not keen on implementing the Swaminathan committee recommendations,” he said. The Swaminathan committee recommended for the setting up of a State level Farmers’ Commission with farmers to ensure proactive government response to farmers’ problems.

It also wanted microfinance policies to be restructured to serve as livelihood finance, i.e. credit coupled with support services in the areas of technology, management and markets. Apart from these, the recommendations also insisted on insurance coverage to all crops with village as a unit for assessment and provide a social security net with provision for old-age support and health insurance.

“It is unfortunate that no state is implementing these recommendations in the country,” he said. He observed that the economic growth of a state or the country depends on the welfare of farmers. It is the duty of state governments to come to the rescue of distressed farmers and labourers by providing succor through financial assistance. Increase of input subsidy, technical support and suggestions and extending bank credit are among of the other measures that need to taken to protect farmers from debt every season, Sainath said.