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.
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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