Lok Sabha Question No. 1507 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-07-26
Subject: Farmer Suicide in Odisha
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1507

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 26 TH JULY, 2022

## FARMER SUICIDE IN ODISHA

1507. SHRI SAPTAGIRI SANKAR ULAKA:

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

- (a) the number of farmers who have committed suicide in Odisha since 2014, districtwise;
- (b) the major reasons behind such suicides in Odisha;
- (c)  the  details  of  the  steps  taken  and  schemes  launched  by  the  Government  to  stop such suicides and the number of the farmers benefitted from such schemes in Odisha, district-wise; and
- (d) whether the Government has given any compensation to the families of the victim farmers and if so, the number of families compensated, district wise?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ षि एवं ककसान कल्याण मंत्री (SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

- (a)  &  (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).  NCRB  has  published  reports  upto 2020 which are available on its website. NCRB does not publish district-wise data for suicides by farmers/cultivators. However, as per the NCRB Reports, the details of the number of suicides by farmers/ cultivators in the State of Odisha from 2014 to 2020 is as under:

|   Year |   No. of farmers committed suicide in the State of Odisha |
|--------|-----------------------------------------------------------|
|   2014 |                                                         5 |
|   2015 |                                                        23 |
|   2016 |                                                        20 |
|   2017 |                                                         0 |
|   2018 |                                                         0 |
|   2019 |                                                         0 |
|   2020 |                                                         0 |

As per ADSI Reports for the years 2014 and 2015, the major causes of farmers' suicide were bankruptcy or indebtedness, farming related issues, family problems and illness, etc.

(c) & (d): Agriculture being a State Subject, the State Governments take appropriate measures for development of agriculture in the State.  However, Government of India supplements the efforts of States through appropriate policy measures and budgetary support and various schemes/ programmes. The various schemes/ programmes of the Government  of  India  are  meant  for  the  welfare  of  farmers  by  increasing  production, remunerative  returns  and  income  support  to  farmers.  The  Government  has  initiated various interventions/ projects  for the welfare of farmers such as, PM-KISAN, Minimum Support  Price  (MSP)  by  providing  minimum  50%  return  over  cost  of  production,  Soil Health  Card  (SHC),   Neem  coated  urea,  Pradhan  Mantri  Krishi  Sinhchayee  Yojana (PMKSY), National Food Security Mission (NFSM),     National Mission on Oilseeds and Oil Palm (NMOOP), Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY), Mission Organic Value Chain  Development  for  North  Eastern  Regions  (MOVCDNER),  Mission  Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), Integrated Pest Management, Integrated Nutrient Management, National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), Watershed Development Project, Sub-mission on Agricultural Mechanization(SMAM) and Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs), Sub-mission on Seeds and Planting Material (SMSP), Per Drop More  Crop  (PDMC-PMKSY),  Kisan  Credit  Card  (KCC)  and  Interest  Subvention Scheme.

Further, the Government supported these schemes by providing higher budgetary allocations, non-budgetary financial resources such as creating Corpus Funds like Micro Irrigation Fund, Agriculture Infrastructure Funds, PM Matasya Sampada Yojana, Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund and formation of FPOs, Gramin Agriculture Markets etc.

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