Compensation sought in farmer suicide cases

Nellore: Human Rights Forum (HRF) on Wednesday advised AP government not to drag its feet but ensure effective implementation of its own G.O. Ms. No. 43, which provides ₹ 7 lakh assistance to family members of farmers who have committed suicide.

A four-member team of Human Rights Forum (HRF), Rythu Swarajya Vedika (RSV) and Denotified and Nomadic Tribes Political Front (DPF) visited families of seven farmers who had committed suicide in five mandals – Marripadu, Atmakur, Sangam, Kodavaluru and Allur – in Nellore district on May 3, 2022 to ascertain reasons for suicide and response from the government. According to the team members, most of those who committed suicide had been tenant farmers, who ended their lives because of appalling state of institutional credit and resulting dependence on private money lenders, leading to high indebtedness.

The rights’ groups pointed out that only two of the seven families of deceased farmers, Juturu Srinivasa Reddy of Mikkilimpeta village in Kodavaluru mandal and Kalicheti Penchal Reddy of Kolagatla village in Sangam mandal, had been compensated under GO 43. Families of the remaining five farmers are yet to obtain any relief from the government. They are Athipati Harikrishna 22, of Padamatipalem Pallipalem in Sangam mandal, Kakarakayala Chenna Kesavulu 49, of Mahimaluru in Atmakur mandal, Pothi Suraiah 45, of D.C. Palli in Marripadu mandal, Challa Bhaskar Reddy 35, of Ponguru village in Marripadu mandal and Chevuri Suresh 45, of Purini village in Allur mandal. “Our enquiries revealed clearly that all five families are eligible for financial assistance of ₹ 7 lakh each. In all these cases, there is clear correlation between farm-related operations and economic distress, which eventually lead to suicide. However, they have not received any assistance from the government so far,” team member V.S. Krishna underlined. The RDO-headed three-member verification and certification committee has not visited any of the five villages to determine facts of suicides, as mandated under GO 43.

While total number of farmer suicides in AP since June 2019 till 2021 end is 2,105, most of them tenant farmers; only 713 families had been compensated, said team members B. Kondal, M. Subba Rao, G. Rohith and HRF state executive committee member V.S. Krishna.