Lok Sabha Question No. 284 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-07-19
Subject: Suicide by Farmers
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: P. Velusamy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 284

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE19 TH JULY, 2022

## SUICIDE BY FARMERS

## 284. SHRI VELUSAMY P.:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ षएवंकसानकयाणमंी be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  has  conducted  anystudy  regarding  suicide  rate  among farmers for the lastthree years and for the current year;
- (b) if so, the details thereof, State-wise and thesteps taken by the Government to prevent any furthercase of suicide among farmers in future;
- (c) whether the Government is having any dataregarding the migration of farmers to other areas in thecountry due to agrarian crisis;
- (d) the total amount  of  loan waiver given to  variousfarmers  and  the  number  of beneficiaries; and
- (e) whether the Government has conducted anyaudit of disbursement of loan to the real beneficiaries?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## कृ षएवंकसानकयाणमंी (SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

- (a)  to  (c):          Government  hasimplemented  various  schemes  /  programmes  for  the welfare  of  farmers  by  increasing  production,  remunerative  returns  and  income  support. These include:
- (i) Supplementary  income  transfers  under  Pradhan  MantriKisanSammanNidhi  (PMKISAN) Scheme,
- (ii) Pradhan MantriKisanMaanDhanYojana (PM-KMY) for providing old age pension,
- (iii) Crop insurance under Pradhan MantriFasalBimaYojana  (PMFBY),
- (iv) Increase in Minimum Support Price (MSPs) for all Kharif& Rabi crops,
- (v) Spoil Health Cards for rationalizing use of fertilizers,
- (vi) 'Per drop more crop' initiative through drip/sprinkler irrigation for optimal utilization of water, reducing cost of inputs and increasing productivity,
- (vii) ParamparagatKrishiVikasYojana (PKVY) for promoting organic farming,
- (viii) e-NAM initiative for transparent and competitive online trading platform,
- (ix) Agro-forestry through 'HarModh Par Ped' for additional income,
- (x) National Bamboo Mission to promote bamboo plantation on non-forest government as well as private land and emphasis on value addition, product development and markets,
- (xi) New  procurement  policy  under  Pradhan  MantriAnnadataAaySanrakshanAbhiyan (PM-AASHA) for ensuring remunerative prices for produce,
- (xii) Bee-keeping  under  Mission  for  Integrated  Development  of  Horticulture  (MIDH)  to increase productivity of crops through pollination and increase in honey production as an additional source of income,
- (xiii) Ensuring  flow  of  adequate  institutional  agriculture  credit  and  benefit  of  interest subvention,
- (xiv) Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) offering production loan to even dairy & fishery farmers besides agricultural crops,
- (xv) Better access to irrigation under Pradhan MantriKrishiSinchaiYojana (PMKSY),
- (xvi) Formation  and promotion  of 10,000 FPOs along  with  necessary  financial  support under AtmaNirbhar Package (Agriculture),
- (xvii) Special attention for creation of infrastructure through Agri Infrastructure Fund (AIF) with a size of Rs. 100,000 crore,
- (xviii)  National  Mission  for  Sustainable  Agriculture  (NMSA),  which  aims  to  evolve  and implement  strategies  to  make  Indian  agriculture  more  resilient  to  the  changing climate.
- (xix) Focus on application of digital technology at all stages of agricultural value chain.
- (xx) Adoption of drone technologies in agriculture which has a potential to revolutionize the Indian agriculture, etc.

The Government supported these schemes by providing higher budgetary allocation,  non-budgetary  financial  resources  such  as  creating  Corpus  Funds  like  Micro Irrigation  Fund,  Agriculture  Infrastructure  Funds,  PM  MatasyaSampadaYojana,  Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund and formation of FPOs, Gramin Agriculture Markets etc. Further, due to implementation of these schemes there is record production in foodgrain as well as in horticulture.  Also the country has witnessed emphatic growth in export of agri and allied commodities.

(d): The  Department  of Financial Services (DFS) has informed that under the Agricultural  Debt  Waiver  and  Debt  Relief  Scheme  (ADWDRS),  2008  announced  in  the Union Budget 2008-09, 3.73 crore farmers were benefited for an amount of Rs 52,259.86 crore. The debt waiver and debt relief portion of the Scheme were closed on 30.06.2008 and 30.06.2010 respectively.

(e): DFS has informed that the Performance Audit of the ADWDRS, 2008 was carried out by the Comptroller & Auditor General of India (CAG) from April, 2011 to March, 2012, based on which the lending institutions conducted re-verification of all the claims under the Scheme.

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