Lok Sabha Question No. 2708 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-09
Subject: Farmers Suicide
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Prasun Banerjee

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMER S WELFAR E DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, COOPERATION AND FARMER S WELFARE

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2708

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE  9 TH J U L Y , 2019

## FARMERS SUICIDE

## 2708.   S H RI P R A S UN BAN E R J E E:

Will the Minister of AG RIC U L TU R E AND FA RME R S WE L FA R E कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of farmers who have committed suicide during the last five years and the details thereof, year-wise and State-wise;
- (b) the details of the reasons behind these suicides by the farmers; and
- (c) the details of the steps taken by the Government to avoid/prevent farmers distress/suicides in various  States of the country?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMER S WELFAR E

कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी (  S H RI NAR E N D R A  SIN G H  T OMA R)

- (a): The National Crime Records Bureau (NC RB) 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 suicides are available upto 2015 on its website. The Reports for the year 2016 onwards have not been published. As per the ADSI Reports for the years 2014 and 2015, the total number of suicides by farmers in the country State-wise is at annexure-I.
- (b): As per Chapter 2A of AD SI Report of the year 2015 on suicide in Farming Sector, the major causes are bankruptcy or indebtedness, farming related issues, family problems and illness, etc.
- (c): Agriculture  being  a  State  subject,  the  State  Governments  undertake  development  of perspective  plans  and  ensure  effective  implementation  of  the  programmes/  schemes.  Also, Government of India supplements the efforts of the State Governments through various Schemes/ Programmes. The Government has been reorienting the agriculture sector by focusing on an incomecentric approach as against  the earlier production centric policy.  This focuses on achieving high productivity,  reduced cost of cultivation and remunerative price on  the produce, with a view  to earning higher profits for the farmers. A list of various interventions taken by the Government at annexure-II.

Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2708 due for 09.07.2019.

## Statement in respect of Part (a) of the Question regarding 'FARMERS SUICIDE'

| Sl. No.    | State/UT          |   2014 |   2015 |
|------------|-------------------|--------|--------|
| 1          | ANDHRA PRADESH    |    160 |    516 |
| 2          | ARUNACHAL PRADESH |      0 |      7 |
| 3          | ASSAM             |     21 |     84 |
| 4          | BIHAR             |      0 |      0 |
| 5          | CHHATTISGARH      |    443 |    854 |
| 6          | GOA               |      0 |      0 |
| 7          | GUJARAT           |     45 |     57 |
| 8          | HARYANA           |     14 |     28 |
| 9          | HIMACHAL PRADESH  |     32 |      0 |
| 10         | JAMMU & KASHMIR   |     12 |      0 |
| 11         | JHARKHAND         |      0 |      0 |
| 12         | KARNATAKA         |    321 |   1197 |
| 13         | KERALA            |    107 |      3 |
| 14         | MADHYA PRADESH    |    826 |    581 |
| 15         | MAHARASHTRA       |   2568 |   3030 |
| 16         | MANIPUR           |      0 |      1 |
| 17         | MEGHALAYA         |      0 |      2 |
| 18         | MIZORAM           |      0 |      0 |
| 19         | NAGALAND          |      0 |      0 |
| 20         | ODISHA            |      5 |     23 |
| 21         | PUNJAB            |     24 |    100 |
| 22         | RAJASTHAN         |      0 |      3 |
| 23         | SIKKIM            |     35 |     15 |
| 24         | TAMIL NADU        |     68 |      2 |
| 25         | TELANGANA         |    898 |   1358 |
| 26         | TRIPURA           |      0 |      1 |
| 27 UTTAR   | PRADESH           |     63 |    145 |
| 28         | UTTARAKHAND       |      0 |      0 |
| 29         | WEST BENGAL       |      0 |      0 |
| 30         | A & N ISLANDS     |      8 |      0 |
| 31         | CHANDIGARH        |      0 |      0 |
| 32         | D & N HAVELI      |      0 |      0 |
| 33         | DAMAN & DIU       |      0 |      0 |
| 34         | DELHI (UT)        |      0 |      0 |
| 35         | LAKSHADWEEP       |      0 |      0 |
| 36         | PUDUCHERRY        |      0 |      0 |
| TOTAL (ALL | INDIA)            |   5650 |   8007 |

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

## Statement in respect of Part (c) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2708 due for 09.07.2019. regarding 'FARMER S  SUICID E'

The strategy of the Government is to focus on farmers' welfare by making farming viable. The schemes of Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare focus on directly benefitting farmers through various interventions and schemes and include:-

- (i) Implementation of flagship scheme of distribution of  Soil Health  Cards to farmers so that the use of fertilizers can be rationalized.
- (ii)     'Per drop more crop' initiative under which drip/sprinkler irrigation is being encouraged for optimal utilization of water, reducing cost of inputs and increasing productivity.
- (iii)     'Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKV Y)' for promoting organic farming.
- (iv)      Initiating progressive market reforms through the  State Governments for which the model 'The Agriculture Produce and Livestock Marketing (APLM) Act, 2017', had been drafted.
- (v)      Encouraging  contract  farming  through  the  State  Governments  by  promulgating  of  Model Contract Farming and Services Act, 2018.
- (vi)     Up-gradation of Gramin Haats to work as centers of aggregation and for direct purchase of agricultural commodities from the farmers.
- (vii)     L aunch of e-NAM initiative to provide farmers an electronic transparent and competitive online trading platform.
- (viii)    With a view to provide better insurance coverage to crops for risk mitigation, a crop insurance scheme namely Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) was  launched  from Kharif  2016 season. This scheme provides insurance cover for all stages of the crop cycle including postharvest risks in specified instances, with low premium contribution by farmers.
- (ix)     Under 'Har Medh Par Ped', agro forestry is being promoted for additional income.  With the amendment of Indian Forest Act, 1927, Bamboo has been removed from the definition of trees. A  restructured  National Bamboo  Mission  has  been  launched  in  the  year  2018  to  promote bamboo plantation on non forest government as well as private land with emphasis on value addition, product development and markets.
- (x) Giving a major boost for the farmers income, the Government has approved the increase in the Minimum Support Price (MSPs) for all Kharif & Rabi crops for 2018-19 season at a level of at least 150 percent of the cost of production.
- (xi) Giving  a  major  boost  to  the  pro-farmer  initiatives,  the  Government  has  approved  a  new Umbrella  Scheme  'Pradhan  Mantri Annadata  Aay  Sanrakshan  Abhiyan  (PM-AASHA)'.  The Scheme is aimed at ensuring remunerative prices to the farmers for their produce as announced in the Union Budget for 2018. This is an unprecedented step taken by Govt. of India to protect the farmers' income which is expected to go a long way towards the welfare of farmers.
- (xii) Bee keeping has been promoted under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH)  to  increase  the  productivity  of  crops  through  pollination  and  increase  the  honey production as an additional source of income of farmers.
- (xiii) Rashtriya Gokul Mission to enhance milk production and productivity of bovines and to make milk production more remunerative to the farmers.
- (xiv)   National Livestock Mission to increase productivity and genetic improvement of livestock.
- (xv)     Foreseeing high potential in fisheries sector, a Blue Revolution with multi dimensional activities mainly focusing on fisheries production, both inland and marine is being implemented.
- (xvi)    E xtending  the  reach of  institutional credit  to  more and more  farmers  is priority area of  the Government and to achieve this goal, the Government provides interest subvention of 3% on short-term crop loans up to Rs.3.00 lakh. Presently, loan is available to farmers at an interest rate of 7% per annum, which gets reduced to 4% on prompt repayment.
- (xvii)   Government sets annual target for the flow of credit to the agriculture sector, Banks have been consistently surpassing the annual target. The current year's agriculture credit flow target has been set at Rs. 13.50 lakh crore.
- (xviii)  Further, under Interest  Subvention  Scheme 2018-19, in order to provide relief to the farmers on occurrence of natural calamities, the interest subvention of 2% shall continue to be available to banks for  the first year on  the  restructured amount. In order  to discourage distress sale by farmers  and  to  encourage  them  to  store  their  produce  in  warehouses  against  negotiable receipts,  the  benefit  of  interest subvention  will  be available  to small  and  marginal  farmers having Kisan  Credit  Card for a further period of upto six months post harvest on the same rate as available to crop loan.
- (xix) The Government has approved for giving the facility of Kisan Credit Card (KC C) to the farmers practicing animal husbandry and fisheries related   activities and has also decided to extend the Interest Subvention Facilities to such categories of farmers.
- (xx) With a view to provide income support to all farmers' families across the country, to enable them to take care of expenses related to agriculture and allied activities as well as domestic needs,  the Central Government started a new Central Sector Scheme, namely,  the Pradhan Mantri  Kisan SAmman Nidhi (PM-KISAN). The scheme aims to provide a payment of Rs. 6000/per year, in three 4-monthly instalments of Rs. 2000/- to the farmers families, subject to certain exclusions  relating  to  higher  income groups.   About  14.5 crore  farmers are expected  to be covered under the Scheme.
- (xxi)  Further with a view to provide social security net for Small and Marginal Farmers (SMF) as they have  minimal  or  no  savings  to  provide  for  old  age  and  to  support  them  in  the  event  of consequent loss of livelihood, the Government has decided to implement another new Central Sector Scheme for providing old age pension to these farmers. Under this Scheme, a minimum fixed pension of Rs. 3000/- will be provided to the eligible small and marginal farmers, subject to certain exclusion clauses, on attaining the age of 60 years. The scheme aims to cover around 5 crore beneficiaries in the first  three years. It would be a voluntary and contributory pension scheme, with entry age of 18 to 40 years. The Government has approved a budgetary provision of Rs. 10774.50 crore for the scheme till March, 2022.

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