Lok Sabha Question No. 3442 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-12-06
Subject: Farmer Suicides
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: DHARAMBIR BHALERAM, RANGASWAMY DHRUVANARAYANA, MANOJ RAJORIA, NINONG ERING, KAPIL MORESHWAR PATIL, PREM SINGH CHANDUMAJRA, MALLIKARJUN  KHARGE, CH. MALLA REDDY, NARANBHAI KACHHADIA, ADHIR RANJAN CHOWDHURY, S. RAJENDRAN

O.I.H.

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, COOPERATION AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3442

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE  6 TH  DECEMBER, 2016

## FARMER SUICIDES

3442.  SHRI DHARAMBIR:

SHRI R. DHRUVA NARAYANA:

DR. MANOJ RAJORIA:

SHRI NINONG ERING:

SHRI KAPIL MORESHWAR PATIL:

PROF. PREM SINGH CHANDUMAJRA:

SHRI MALLIKARJUN KHARGE:

SHRI CH. MALLA REDDY:

SHRI NARANBHAI KACHHADIYA:

SHRI ADHIR RANJAN CHOWDHURY:

SHRI S. RAJENDRAN:

Will  the  Minister  of  AGRICULTURE  AND  FARMERS  WELFARE      ‡ãðŠãäÓã एवं  कसान कयाण ½ãâ¨ããè be pleased to state:

- (a) whether there has been a spurt in the cases of farmer suicide in certain parts of the country during the last three years and the current year and if so, the details thereof, State-wise and the reasons therefor;
- (b) whether ultra-dependency on private money lenders is one of the main reasons for farmer suicides in the country and if so, the details thereof and the remedial steps taken in this regard;
- (c) whether there has been increase in the debt burden on farmers in the country as a result of generous/more institutionalized loan disbursement to them by the banks and if so, the details thereof and the response of the Government thereto;
- (d) whether the Government has launched any scheme and announced any special packages for districts/States where cases of farmer suicides are reportedly higher and if so, the details thereof along with the funds/relief provided to the families of deceased farmers in the country during the said period, State-wise; and
- (e) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to reduce debt burden of farmers and prevent them from committing suicide?

C

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF  STATE IN THE  MINISTRY OF  AGRICULTURE AND  FARMERS  WELFARE (  SHRI

‡ãðŠãäÓã एवं  कसान  कयाण ½ãâ¨ããÊã¾ã  ½ãñâ  Àã·¾ã  ½ãâ¨ããè PARSHOTTAM RUPALA)

(a): The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) under the Ministry of Home Affairs compiles and disseminates information on suicides, in its publication titled 'Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India' (ADSI).  These Reports on suicide compiled on an annual basis, upto the year  2014 are available at its website. The Reports for the subsequent years (i.e. 2015 onwards) have yet not been published.  As per ADSI Reports for the years 2013 and 2014, the State-wise details of suicides have   been compiled in the Statement at Annexure I.   As may be seen from this Statement, during the year 2014, it was for the first time that the suicides of farmers were delineated, as that of farmers and agricultural labourers.

As  per  NCRB  Report    2014,  the  reasons  for  suicide  by  farmers  are  manifold, which  inter-alia  include,  indebtedness,  crop  failure,  drought,  socio-economic  and personal reasons.

As per reports received from State Governments, the number of suicides due to agrarian reasons in the year 2015 and 2016 is at Annexure-II.

(b) & (c): Farmers are indebted to both institutional and non-institutional sources of credit.  Borrowing  from  non-institutional  sources  is  the  major  reason  for  debt-related farmers' distress. However, no information is available with regard to loans taken from moneylenders.

(d): Agriculture, including agricultural  indebtedness, being a State subject, the State Governments  take  appropriate  measures  for  development  of  agriculture  in  the  State, including  payment  of  compensation  to  the  bereaved  families  of  suicide  victims. However, the Government  of India supplements the efforts of States through appropriate policy measures and budgetary support.

The  strategy  of  the  Government  is  to  focus  on  farmers'  welfare  by  making  farming viable.  Farm viability is possible, when cost of cultivation is reduced, yields per unit of farm  are  increased  and  farmers  get  remunerative  prices  on  their  produce.    The Department has therefore been implementing various schemes to meet this objective, viz. Soil  Health      Card      (SHC)  scheme,  Neem  Coated  Urea,  Paramparagat  Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY), the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY), the National Agriculture Market scheme (e-NAM), the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) etc.

As  per    information  available  from  the  States,    the  details  of  relief  etc.  being provided is as follows:

-  State Government of Maharashtra gives Ex-gratia relief of Rs. 1.00 lakh to the heirs of the deceased farmer as per scheme of State Government. The three norms of eligibility for ex-gratia are crop failure, indebtedness and harassment due to inability to pay agriculture related loans.
-  Recently the Punjab Government had constituted committee for providing compensation to victims' family to Rs. 3.00 lakh. The Punjab Govt. also introduced 'Punjab  relief  of  Agriculture  Indebtedness  bill'  which  will  provide  relief  to  the farmers from debt trap.
-  Government  of  Andhra  Pradesh  is  providing  Rs.  5.00  lakh  compensation  to  the family members of the deceased farmers. Out of which Rs. 1.50 lakh is as one time settlement to wipe off loans/ liabilities  and  Rs.  3.50  lakh  towards  rehabilitation  of the family members.
-  The Government of Telangana has enhanced the Ex-gratia from Rs. 1.00 lakh to Rs.  5.00  lakh  to  the  family  of  the  deceased  farmer  towards  rehabilitation  of  the family and enhance loan settlement ceiling limit from Rs. 50 thousand to Rs. 1.00 lakh to the persons entitled as one time settlement and to wipe off all the liabilities on the part of deceased families of farmers.
-  In Karnataka an amount of Rs. 1.00 lakh has been given to each of the deceased family from 2003-04 to 2014-15. From 01.04.2015 an amount of Rs. 5.00 lakh relief is provided to each of the deceased family and the children of the deceased will get free education up to post graduation including hostel facilities.

(e): Measures taken by Government to minimize indebtedness from non-institutional sources  of  lending,  include  fixation  of  annual  targets  for  improving  agricultural  credit flow, provision of crop loans upto Rs.3.00 lakh @4% per annum to such farmers who repay their loan as per the repayment schedule fixed by the banks, extension of benefit of interest subvention scheme to small and marginal farmers having Kisan Credit Card, for  a  further  period  upto  six  months  for  storing  their  produce  in  warehouses  against negotiable  warehouse  receipts,  collateral  free  loan  upto  Rs.1.00  lakh,  scheme  for financing of Joint Liability Group (JLGs) etc.

## Statement referred to in reply to Part (a) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question N0. 3442 regarding farmer Suicides reply on 06.12.2016

| Sl. No.            | State/UT 2013           | 2014    | 2014       |
|--------------------|-------------------------|---------|------------|
|                    |                         | Farmers | Labourers  |
| 1 ANDHRA           | PRADESH 2014            | 160     | 472        |
| 2 ARUNACHAL        | PRADESH 37              | 0       | 3          |
| 3                  | ASSAM 305               | 21      | 38         |
| 4 BIHAR            | 127                     | 0       | 10         |
| 5 CHHATTISGARH     | 0                       | 443     | 312        |
| 6 GOA              | 1                       | 0       | 0          |
| 7 GUJARAT          | 582                     | 45      | 555        |
| 8 HARYANA          | 374                     | 14      | 105        |
| 9 HIMACHAL PRADESH | 33                      | 32      | 31         |
| 10 JAMMU &         | KASHMIR 18              | 12      | 25         |
| JHARKHAND          | 142                     | 0       | 4          |
| 11 12 KARNATAKA    | 1403                    | 321     | 447        |
| 13 KERALA          | 972                     | 107     | 700        |
| 14 MADHYA PRADESH  | 1090                    | 826     | 372        |
| 15 MAHARASHTRA     | 3146                    | 2568    | 1436       |
| 16 MANIPUR         | 1                       | 0       | 0          |
| 17 MEGHALAYA       | 5                       | 0       | 2          |
| 18 MIZORAM         | 6                       | 0       | 5          |
| 19 NAGALAND        | 2                       | 0       | 0          |
| 20 ODISHA          | 150                     | 5       | 97         |
| 21 PUNJAB          | 83                      | 24      | 40         |
| 22 RAJASTHAN       | 292                     | 0       | 373        |
| 23 SIKKIM          | 35                      | 35      | 0          |
| 24 TAMIL NADU      | 105                     | 68      | 827        |
| 25 TELANGANA       | NA                      | 898     | 449        |
| 26 TRIPURA         | 56                      | 0       | 32         |
| 27 UTTAR PRADESH   | 750                     | 63      | 129        |
| 28 UTTARAKHAND     | 15                      | 0       | 0          |
| 29 WEST BENGAL     | 0                       | 0       | 230        |
| 30 A & N ISLANDS   | 5                       | 8       | 0          |
| 31 CHANDIGARH      | 0                       | 0       | 0          |
| 32 D & N HAVELI    | 15                      | 0       | 0          |
| 33 DAMAN &         | DIU 0                   | 0       | 0          |
| 34 DELHI (UT)      | 8                       | 0       | 0          |
| 35 LAKSHADWEEP     | 0                       | 0       | 0          |
| 36 PUDUCHERRY      | 0                       | 0       | 16         |
|                    | 11772 TOTAL (ALL INDIA) | 5650    | 6710 12360 |

Source : Report on 'Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India' for relevant years, National Crime Records Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs

## Annexure-II

## Statement referred to in reply to Part (a) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question N0. 3442 regarding farmer Suicides reply on 06.12.2016

|   Sl. No. | State/UT          | 2015   | 2016   |
|-----------|-------------------|--------|--------|
|         1 | ANDHRA PRADESH    | 94     | 35     |
|         2 | ARUNACHAL PRADESH | 0      | 0      |
|         3 | ASSAM             | 0      | 0      |
|         4 | BIHAR             | 1      | NR     |
|         5 | CHHATTISGARH      | 3      | NR     |
|         6 | GOA               | 0      | 0      |
|         7 | GUJARAT           | 3      | 0      |
|         8 | HARYANA           | 3      | 0      |
|         9 | HIMACHAL PRADESH  | 0      | 0      |
|        10 | JAMMU & KASHMIR   | 0      | 0      |
|        11 | JHARKHAND         | 0      | 0      |
|        12 | KARNATAKA         | 922    | 81     |
|        13 | KERALA            | 1      | 0      |
|        14 | MADHYA PRADESH    | 0      | NR     |
|        15 | MAHARASHTRA       | 1841   | 57     |
|        16 | MANIPUR           | 0      | 0      |
|        17 | MEGHALAYA         | 0      | 0      |
|        18 | MIZORAM           | 0      | 0      |
|        19 | NAGALAND          | 0      | 0      |
|        20 | ODISHA            | #139   | 6      |
|        21 | PUNJAB            | 449    | 56     |
|        22 | RAJASTHAN         | 3      | 0      |
|        23 | SIKKIM            | 0      | NR     |
|        24 | TAMIL NADU        | 1      | NR     |
|        25 | TELANGANA         | ^462   | NR     |
|        26 | TRIPURA           | 0      | 0      |
|        27 | UTTAR PRADESH     | 0      | 0      |
|        28 | UTTARAKHAND       | 0      | 0      |
|        29 | WEST BENGAL       | 0      | 0      |
|        30 | A & N ISLANDS     | 0      | 0      |
|        31 | CHANDIGARH        | 0      | NR     |
|        32 | D & N HAVELI      | 0      | NR     |
|        33 | DAMAN & DIU       | 0      | 0      |
|        34 | DELHI (UT)        | 0      | 0      |
|        35 | LAKSHADWEEP       | 0      | 0      |
|        36 | PUDUCHERRY        | 0      | 0      |

Source : Reported by States Government and UTs.

NR = Not reported

^Suicides from 2013 to 5 th March, 2016

#    =  Due to various reasons, including agrarian

******