(a) whether there are reports of farmers’ suicides in various parts of the country despite the implementation of various rehabilitation/debt relief packages;
(b) if so, the details thereof and the reaction of the Government in this regard alongwith the number of farmers’ suicides reported during the current year;
(c) whether the Government has any proposal to take additional measures to help the farmers and prevent their suicides; and
(d) if so, the details thereof?
MINISTER OF THE STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE (SHRI SHARAD PAWAR)
(a) to (d): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.40 DUE
FOR REPLY ON 27-07-2010
(a) to (d): Details of number of suicides by farmers due to agrarian reasons in various
States, as reported by the respective State Governments, is given in Annexure. The Government
is implementing a Rehabilitation Package covering 31 districts in 4 States since the year 2006
to address the problem of agrarian distress. The data given in Annexure broadly indicates a
declining trend since implementation of Rehabilitation Package. It has been decided by the
Government to extend the period for implementation of the non credit components of the
Rehabilitation Package by 2 more years i.e. 30-09-2011.
The Government has implemented the Agricultural debt Waiver and Debt Relief Scheme,
2008 benefitting about 3.69 crore farmers involving an estimated amount of Rs.65,318.33 crore.
The Government has also enhanced the interest subvention for timely repayment of crop loans up
to Rs.3 lacs from 1% to 2% for the year 2010-11. Thus, the effective rate of interest for such
farmers who repay their loan in time will be 5% p.a.
For the overall development of agriculture and allied sectors, assistance is being
provided to farmers through central schemes such as Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, National
Food Security Mission, National Horticulture Mission etc. A sum of Rs.300 crore has been
earmarked to organise 60,000 `pulses and oil seed villages` in rain-fed areas during 2010-11
and to provide an integrated intervention for water harvesting, watershed management and soil
health, to enhance the productivity of the dry land farming areas. The Government has also
amended the Guidelines of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in
July, 2009 permitting provision of irrigation facility, horticultural plantation and land
development works on land belonging to small and marginal farmers under this scheme. During
the last 5 years, the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) of major cereals have been increased
substantially.