Lok Sabha Question No. 2091 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-07-31
Subject: National Policy for Farmers
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: NANDI YELLAIAH

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

## LOK  SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2091

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 31 ST   JULY, 2018

## NATIONAL POLICY FOR FARMERS

## 2091.  SHRI NANDI YELLAIAH:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ षि एवं ककसान कल्याण मंत्री be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Supreme Court had observed in 2015 that Committing suicides by farmers is increasing in the country and asked the centre to take a relook at its national policy for farmers as it has failed to address the agrarian crisis, forcing distressed cultivators to end their lives, if so, the details thereof and the response of the Government thereto;
- (b) whether  nearly  12,198  farmers  committed  suicides  every  day  and  if  so,  the  details thereof  and  the  various  radical  measures  taken  and  the  agricultural  reforms  adopted  and implemented to end farmers' suicides in the country as on date;
- (c) the  main  and  important  features  of  recommendations  of  the  M.S.  Swaminathan Committee in the field of agriculture in the country; and
- (d) the details of the recommendations which are implemented as on date?

## ANSWER

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

कृ षि एवं ककसान कल्याण मंत्रालय में राज्य मंत्री (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

- (a): In the Case of Citizen's Resource and Action Initiative (CRANTI) Vs. State of Gujarat & Ors.,  the  Supreme  Court  in  its  order  dated  6 th July,  2017  has  stated  that  an  issue  like  this cannot be dealt with overnight, and it is justified for the learned Attorney General to seek time to work out the schemes appropriately. Further, Supreme Court has stated that it will be for the union  government  to  determine  whether  and  if  so  what,  course  should  be  adopted  for  this purpose.
- (b): 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  2015  and  2016  (Provisional)  the  suicides  by  farmers  and  agricultural labourers  were  12602  and  11370  respectively.  The  number  of  suicide  by  farmers  and agricultural  labourers  during  2016  has  come  down  approximately  by  9.77%  from  12602  to 11370.

Agriculture being as a State subject, the State Governments are primarily responsible for the growth and development of agriculture sector and developing perspective plans for their respective States and ensuring effective implementation of the programmes/schemes. However,  Government  of  India  supplements  the  efforts  of  the  State  Governments  through various Schemes/ Programmes.

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  has  been  reorienting  the  agriculture  sector  by  focusing  on  an income-centeredness  which  goes  beyond  achieving  merely  the  targeted  production.  The income  approach  focuses  on  achieving  high  productivity,  reduced  cost  of  cultivation  and remunerative  price  on  the  produce,  with  a  view  to  earn  higher  profits  from  farming.  Various initiatives by way of schemes and policy reforms have been rolled out in consonance with this approach.

The Department has been implementing various schemes for betterment of agriculture sector, viz:- Soil Health Card (SHC) scheme; Neem Coated Urea (NCU); Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY);  Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY); National Agriculture Market scheme (e-NAM); Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY); National Food Security Mission (NFSM); Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH); National Mission on  Oilseeds  &  Oilpalm  (NMOOP);  National  Mission  for  Sustainable  Agriculture  (NMSA); National Mission on Agricultural Extension & Technology (NMAET) and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana  (RKVY).      In  addition,  schemes  relating  to  tree  plantation  (Har  Medh  Par  Ped),  Bee Keeping, Dairy and Fisheries are also implemented.  All these schemes are implemented to enhance production and productivity of agriculture and thereby enhance income of farmers.

Minimum  Support  Price  (MSP)  is  notified  for  both  Kharif  &  Rabi  crops  based  on  the recommendations of the Commission on Agriculture Costs & Prices (CACP). The Commission collects & analyses data on cost of cultivation and recommends MSP.

Giving  a  major  boost  for  the  farmers'  income,  the  Government  has  increased  the Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) of all kharif crops for 2018-19 Season. This decision of the Government is a historic one as it redeems the promise of the pre-determined principle of fixing the MSPs at a level of at least 150 percent of the cost of production announced by the Union Budget for 2018-19.

(c) & (d): Government had constituted the National Commission on Farmers (NCF) under the Chairmanship of Dr. M. S. Swaminathan in 2004. The Commission submitted five reports to the Government. The major recommendations of the Commission contained in the five reports were included in the 'Draft National Policy for Farmers' submitted by the Commission itself in 2006. Based on the 'Draft National Policy for Farmers', the Government approved the National Policy  for  Farmers  (NPF)-2007,  which  aims  to  improve  economic  viability  of  farming  and increase net income of farmers.

Policy  provisions  in  NPF-2007  include,  inter-alia, (i)  asset  reforms  in  respect  of  land, water, livestock, fisheries and bio-resources; (ii) supply of good quality seeds and disease-free planting  material,  (iii)  issue  of  soil  health  passbooks  to  the  farmers  and  integrated  pest management  system;  (iv)  region  and  crop  specific  implements  and  machinery;  (v)  support services for women; (vi) timely, adequate and easy reach of institutional credit at reasonable interest  rates  and  farmer-friendly  insurance  instruments;  (vii)  support  services  and  inputs  like application of frontier technologies; (viii) agricultural bio-security system; (ix) use of Information

and Communication Technology (ICT) and setting up of farm schools to revitalize agricultural extension; (x) coverage of farmers under a comprehensive national social security scheme; (xi) effective implementation of Minimum Support Price (MSP) across the country and establishing community foodgrain banks; (xii) development of agricultural market infrastructure and terminal markets  for  agriculture; (xiii) curriculum  reforms  in  agricultural  universities; (xiv)  special categories of farming like organic farming and contract farming; (xv) rural non-farm employment initiative for farm households; and (xvi) integrated approach for rural energy, etc.

After  the  approval  of  NPF  2007,  in  keeping  with  Para  12.2  of  the  NPF  2007,  an Inter-Ministerial Committee was set up under the Chairmanship of the Principal Adviser in the Department  of  Agriculture  and  Cooperation  for  preparation  of  a  Plan  of  Action  (PoA)  for Operationalisation of the Policy. The Committee identified 201 Action Points from NPF, 2007, where necessary action had to be taken.  Of the 201 number of action points identified, 192 numbers  have  already  been  implemented  as  of  date.  The  various  schemes/  programmes/ missions adopted by the Ministry are based on the National Policy for Farmers-2007.

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