Farmer suicides: Changes proposed in GO on Andhra Pradesh's financial package

Anantapur: Amendments have been proposed in the financial assistance package for family members of farmers who have committed suicide due to debts and crop failure in the state.

The draft GO with modification of GO Ms. 62 is waiting for the Chief Minister’s clearance.

At present, families have to furnish 13 types of documents including an FSL (Forensic Science Lab) report along with medical report to the mandal level committee of the respective mandal.

Further, a First Information Register copy is mandatory to prove the suicide of a farmer along with the actual cause of death.

Due to the cumbersome procedure, modifications were proposed by committees, including officials and NGOs, to clear cases at the earliest to lighten the burden of widows and children of the farmers who have committed suicide.

Many families haven’t benefited due to the legal hurdles. For instance, in spite of 223 farmers committing suicide in Anantapur district alone in the last two and a half years, only 98 cases have been considered fit to get the financial package.

The state government had released GO Ms 421 on June 1, 2004 launching a special package (of Rs 1 lakh) as a measure of support to the distressed family members.

But, after a careful examination of the GO, the state government modified it in 2015 for enhancement of the ex-gratia to Rs 3.50 lakh.

Meanwhile, families have to wait for weeks to get the FSL report in spite the medical report stating the cause of death of the farmer. Now, the modified draft GO proposes only five documents to be furnished instead of 13 documents, which were very difficult for rural and illiterate families to procure, said sources.

The cases will also be time-bound for the officials of mandal and district level committee to clear files.

The government was also in a dilemma about another genuine demand from tenant farmers, women farmers and cattle rearers.