Lok Sabha Question No. 953 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-07-24
Subject: Suicide by Debt Ridden Farmers
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Adhikari Dibyendu

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

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 953

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 24 TH  JULY, 2018

## SUICIDE BY DEBT RIDDEN FARMERS

## 953.   SHRI DIBYENDU ADHIKARI:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has failed to stop suicides of debt ridden farmers in the country;
- (b) whether the Government has also failed to provide the requisite MSPs to farmers so far in the country;
- (c) if  so,  the  proposal  of  the  Government  to  support  farmers  with  right  prices  for  farm products and stop suicides of farmers; and
- (d) the  details  of  suicides  by  debt  ridden  farmers  reported  in  the  country  since  2014, State-wise?

## ANSWER

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

कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंालय म राय मंी (SHRI PARSHOTTAM RUPALA)

(a) to (d): 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 suicides upto 2015 are available at its website. The  Report  for  the  years  2016  onward  has  not  been  published  yet.  However,  NCRB  has provided data relating to suicides for the year 2016 (Provisional) to this Ministry. As per ADSI Reports for the years 2014, 2015 and 2016 (Provisional) the State-wise suicides by farmers and agricultural  labourers  including  those  caused  due  to  'Bankruptcy  or Indebtedness' have been compiled in the Statement which is at Annexure-I.

Agriculture  is  a  State  subject.  Agrarian  distress  can  be  addressed  by  enabling  the farmers  to  increase  their  income.  The  Government  is  targeting  to  double  the  income  of  the farmers  by  the  year  2022.  To  achieve  this,  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  Cooperation  and Farmers' Welfare has taken a number of measures. The Government is aiming to reorient the agriculture  sector  by  focusing  on  an  income-centeredness  in  addition  to  pure  production centeredness approach. 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),  Pradhan  Mantri  Krishi  Sinchai  Yojana  (PMKSY),  National Agriculture  Market  Scheme  (e-NAM),  Pradhan  Mantri  Fasal  Bima  Yojana  (PMFBY),  Interest Subvention Scheme etc.

Further,  in  the  budget  for  2018-19  the  Government  had  announced  that  MSP  for  all unannounced Kharif crops will be 1.5 times the cost of production. Giving a major boost for the farmers  income,  the  Cabinet  Committee  on  Economic  Affairs  (CCEA)  in  its  meeting  held  on 04.07.2018 has approved the increase in the MSPs for all Kharif crops for 2018-19 season at a level of at least 150 percent of the cost of production.

## Lok  Sabha Unstarred Question No. 953 due for 24.07.2018.  Statement in respect  of Part (a) to  (d) of the Question  regarding 'Suicide by Debt Ridden Farmers'

## SUICIDE BY PERSONS SELF-EMPLOYED IN FARMING/AGRICULTURE

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

## State/UT wise number of suicides committed by persons engaged in farming sector during 2016 (Provisional)

| Sl. No.   | State / UT        |   Agricultural Labourers |   Farmers/ Cultivators |   Suicides in Farming Sector (Total) |
|-----------|-------------------|--------------------------|------------------------|--------------------------------------|
| 1         | ANDHRA PRADESH    |                      565 |                    239 |                                  804 |
| 2         | ARUNACHAL PRADESH |                        0 |                      6 |                                    6 |
| 3         | ASSAM             |                       64 |                     06 |                                   70 |
| 4         | BIHAR             |                        0 |                      0 |                                    0 |
| 5         | CHHATTISGARH      |                       97 |                    585 |                                  682 |
| 6         | GOA               |                        1 |                      0 |                                    1 |
| 7         | GUJARAT           |                      378 |                     30 |                                  408 |
| 8         | HARYANA           |                      159 |                     91 |                                  250 |
| 9         | HIMACHAL PRADESH  |                       14 |                      0 |                                   14 |
| 10        | JAMMU & KASHMIR   |                       21 |                      0 |                                   21 |
| 11        | JHARKHAND         |                        0 |                      3 |                                    3 |
| 12        | KARNATAKA         |                      867 |                   1212 |                                 2079 |
| 13        | KERALA            |                      298 |                     23 |                                  321 |
| 14        | MADHYA PRADESH    |                      722 |                    599 |                                 1321 |
| 15        | MAHARASHTRA       |                     1111 |                   2550 |                                 3661 |
| 16        | MANIPUR           |                        0 |                      1 |                                    1 |
| 17        | MEGHALAYA         |                        3 |                      2 |                                    5 |
| 18        | MIZORAM           |                        7 |                      0 |                                    7 |
| 19        | NAGALAND          |                        0 |                      0 |                                    0 |
| 20        | ODISHA            |                      101 |                     20 |                                  121 |
| 21        | PUNJAB            |                       49 |                    222 |                                  271 |
| 22        | RAJASTHAN         |                       39 |                      4 |                                   43 |
| 23        | SIKKIM            |                        2 |                     12 |                                   14 |
| 24        | TAMIL NADU        |                      345 |                     36 |                                  381 |
| 25        | TELANGANA         |                       13 |                    632 |                                  645 |
| 26        | TRIPURA           |                       18 |                      4 |                                   22 |
| 27        | UTTAR PRADESH     |                      115 |                     69 |                                  184 |
| 28        | UTTARAKHAND       |                        3 |                      0 |                                    3 |
| 29        | WEST BENGAL       |                        0 |                      0 |                                    0 |
| 30        | A & N ISLANDS     |                        0 |                      3 |                                    3 |
| 31        | CHANDIGARH        |                        0 |                      0 |                                    0 |
| 32        | D & N HAVELI      |                        0 |                      0 |                                    0 |
| 33        | DAMAN & DIU       |                        0 |                      0 |                                    0 |
| 34        | DELHI (UT)        |                        0 |                      0 |                                    0 |
| 35        | LAKSHADWEEP       |                        0 |                      0 |                                    0 |
| 36        | PUDUCHERRY        |                       27 |                      2 |                                   29 |
|           | TOTAL (ALL INDIA) |                     5019 |                   6351 |                                11370 |

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