AGRICULTURE: FARMERS' SUICIDE - 2013 - Indian Social Institute

AGRICULTURE: FARMERS’ SUICIDE - 2013
January to December - 2013
Compiled By
Fr. Paul G Documentation Centre ∗
‘Women farmers will lead agrarian economy’ (20)
Kolkata: Eminent agricultural scientist MS Swaminathan is of the opinion that the current concerns on the
impact of genetically modified food crops on bio-diversity will soon give way to an appreciation of the
potential benefits new genetics can confer on mankind. Dr Swaminathan is one of the panelists of the
theme — ‘Science for Shaping the Future of India’ — to be chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at
the 100th session of the Indian Science Congress in Kolkata on January 3. “Agricultural science and
genetics together have fed the world and will continue to feed the world. Biodiversity, biotechnology,
nuclear technology and nano-technology need priority to bridge the scientist-society perception gap,” he
said. Maintaining that women farmers will determine India’s agrarian and rural economy in the coming
years he said, “On my suggestion, the former finance minister...Pranab Mukherjee had introduced, a
couple of years ago, a Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana. This is playing a small role in assisting
women farmers. I therefore introduced in the Rajya Sabha a Private Members’ Bill titled 'Women Farmers
Entitlements Bill'. Unfortunately the Bill could not be discussed on two occasions due to disturbances in
the House.” In response to a question on whether there would be another Green Revolution in India, he
said, “What we need is an evergreen revolution leading to an improvement in productivity. Green
revolution is another term for improvement of productivity of major crops. Our farm size is getting smaller
and therefore we have no option except to produce more from diminishing per capita land resources and
expanding biotic and abiotic stresses.” Observing that climate change will necessitate increase in
productivity, he referred to crop varieties which are more salinity tolerant, varieties of which have been
produced in Chennai. The immediate challenges that agriculture science faces are those of conserving
prime farm land for agriculture and attracting and retaining youth in farming. Older farmers deplore the
refusal of their children to adopt as a career. The reasons for this, he added, are that farming is risky
since it is dependent on nature and socially enjoys low esteem. “We should remember that ‘if agriculture
goes wrong, nothing else will go right’.” Swaminathan also touched upon plagiarism in scientific research
and said it should be put down with heavy hand. (Hindustan Times 1/1/13)
Traditional agriculture has much to offer for India (20)
Pithauragarh (Madhya Pradesh): The remote Pithauragarh village of Satna District lies in the central
Indian state of Madhya Pradesh holds the dubious distinction of being one among the five Indian States
that showed an increase of over 50 farmer suicides compared to 2010, according to the National Crime
Records Bureau (NCRB). Ironically, in this village lies a secret that can help arrest the suicide trend and
also bring back the agri-Culture in this land of farmers. Here, a farmer, is not only experimenting with
indigenous seeds on his farm but is also inventing new methods for their conservation and promotion,
becoming a role model for his fellow farmers caught in the web of hybrid seeds. As one enters the house
of sixty five year old Babulal Dahiya, the sight of his impressive collection of conserved seeds brings back
images of a glorious ancient India on the wall, like a blackboard, are the varieties of paddy seeds
preserved carefully in poly bags. Flakes from the recent harvest stored in the cow dung plastered yard
reflect the hard work invested in the farming practices. As a knowledgeable Babulal explains the merits of
indigenous seeds, his wisdom is complemented by the fragrance of fresh saplings and the sound of the
∗ This is a collection of previously published news and views from the print as well as the electronic media, whose reference
marked at the end of each news items. Department of Documentation and Library (DDL) of the Indian Social Institute, New
Delhi neither claims to the veracity of the facts in the news nor subscribes to the views expressed.

hand driven mill crushing the urad daal. "These paddies, as compared to the hybrid ones, offer good
taste, hence one gets a better price for them. Indigenous paddy crops can be grown using the traditional
cow-dung fertilisers, while hybrid or dwarf crops necessarily require chemical fertilisers. Besides
increasing the production cost, it also damages the fertility of the soil," shares a proud Babulal, flaunting
the collection of the seventy varieties of paddy seeds he has collected by wandering from one village to
another and growing them with the most traditional and natural methods. "Harmful insects are naturally
controlled by flies, honeybees, ants and other insects. Earthworms work 24 hours a day, eating into the
infertile elements of the soil and making it soft, facilitating a healthy crop. As compared to the hybrid
varieties which demand more irrigation, indigenous varieties take less time to be ready for harvesting and
that too through a natural process." Each variety of paddy has its own unique characteristics. Some like
Sarya, Sikiya, Shyamjeer, Dihula and Sarekhni are ready for harvest within 70-75 days while others like
Newari, Jhalore, Kargi, Mungar and Sekurgar take 100-120 days; and Badal phool, Korakhamha,
Vishnubhog, Dilbakhsh are ready only 120-130 days after sowing. The gradual extinction of traditional
songs and folklores celebrating the beauty and colour of the innumerable varieties of seeds attracted
Babulal's attention towards the conservation of vulnerable indigenous grains which have nearly lost the
battle to the hybrid varieties. This concern drove him to conserve and promote not only the traditional
ways of farming but the "farming in culture" as well. In earlier days, when there were no radios and
televisions to give us a weather forecast, the experience of our forefathers helped predict the weather
appropriate for each stage of the farming process. They could gauge Nature's mood by assessing the
colour of the clouds, the flow of the wind, and the pattern of rainfall. An old saying goes, 'Purva jo purvai
pabay, sookhi nadiyan nav chalavein', meaning, 'When wind starts blowing in the direction of the Orient
star, it rains so heavily that even the dry rivers can offer a boat ride.' Based on such wisdom, the farmer
created proverbs and folk songs which played an important role in passing on such ingrained wisdom to
the following generations. Alas, the link has been broken, much to the dismay of the older generations.
… (New Kerala 2/1/13)
Farmers demand probe in lathicharge incident (20)
NOIDA: The National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) has demanded an independent enquiry
into the lathicharge incident in Ghaziabad on Wednesday allegedly against unarmed farmers and women
protesting against land acquisition for the proposed Hi-Tech City project. Agitating farmers, along with
NAPM members, staged a demonstration at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Friday as protests against
land acquisition for the realty project entered its third day. Protestors demanded immediate action against
cops who had resorted to the lathicharge after conducting an impartial probe. NAPM has alleged that over
20 farmers were injured apart from three women protestors who sustained fractures in their arms in the
lathicharge. Protestors said that around 10,000 families from 23 villages in Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh
Nagar districts stand affected by the project. Farmers have alleged that purchase of agricultural land
commenced in these villages in 2005 without declaring the intended purpose after paying marginal prices
to land owners. "Later, the land use was changed to the urban category in collusion with state
government officials, which resulted in windfall gains for the developer," said NAPM secretary, Rupesh
Verma. NAPM has alleged that apart from private purchase, the state government also acquired
residential land, village common lands and other private lands after imposing the 'urgency clause' of the
Land Acquisition Act in June 2010. Farmers demand that work on the project be halted till a decision is
taken on paying the actual market value after the land-use change, besides providing resettlement and
rehabilitation for those affected. "In order to avoid such clashes, the land acquisition bill pending in
Parliament should be cleared at the earliest so that due benefits are accrued to those who have lost their
land," said Dhanpal Naagar, farmer leader of Dujana village. In October 2012, farmers from Dujana,
Kachera and Durayee villages of Gautam Buddh Nagar district had re-captured their land and the lathicharge
took place on Wednesday when they were demanding a complete halt to the ongoing work.
(Times of India 5/1/13)

Declare delta region as drought-hit, say farmers (20)
TRICHY: The Cauvery Farmers Welfare Protection Association has decided to hoist black flags in the
paddy fields, on top of farmers' houses and at T-junctions, to highlight the problem of the delta farmers
who have resolved not to celebrate Pongal V Dhanapalan, general secretary of the association admitted
that the large number of farmers' organisations had weakened their movement, thanks to the 'divide and
rule' policy of the political parties. With each political party having a farmer's wing, there are about a 100
farmers' associations making it difficult for the government to hold negotiations on a viable scale. As
result, it is not clearly known how many farmers have indeed committed suicide on account of the failing
monsoon and the subsequent withering crops. The DMK has already distributed Rs 50,000 each to the
next of kin of those farmers who had committed suicide. According to party sources, 11 farmers - four
from Nagapattinam, three from Tiruvarur, two from Pudukottai and one each from Cuddalore and
Virudhunagar - had committed suicide. Dhanapalan said the DMDK has announced that it would pay Rs
25,000 each to the next of kin of the farmers who have committed suicide. Meanwhile, protests by
farmers in the delta region continued for the second day on Tuesday and as a result, some of the women
cooked in the open on the road. Their demands included immediate declaration of the delta as droughtaffected.
The protests were held simultaneously in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam in front of the
respective district collector's office. About 200 farmers each participated in the three demonstrations that
was spearheaded by the Tamilaga Vivasayigal Sangam. Their demands included the insistence to notify
the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal in the government gazette. As per the award,
Tamil Nadu stands to gain 419 tmcft of water, but the Union government has sought time from the
Supreme Court until January 31, to take a final decision on the matter. They also wanted the government
to declare the entire delta region as drought-hit, compensation of Rs 25,000 per acre to the delta farmers
and ex-gratia payment of Rs 10 lakh to the next of kin of those who committed suicide owning to the
failure of monsoon and the consequent failure to protect their crop. (Times of India 10/1/13)
Central govt’s drought aid sans Vidarbha mention shocks region (20)
Mumbai: The way the Centre’s announcement on Thursday of Rs778 crore as aid for drought assistance
to Maharashtra from the National Disaster Response Fund left out any mention of the drought-induced
crop loss faced by five million plus debt-trapped farmers of Vidarbha has left many shocked. The
Vidarbha region, which has emerged as the country’s farmer suicide capital, has been reeling under its
worst agrarian crisis ever due to truant rainfall leading to massive crop failure in cotton, paddy, pulses and
soybean. On an average, three farmers end their lives every 24 hours. The government’s own figures
show that more than 9,000 dry land farmers have killed themselves due to crop failure and economic
losses due to cotton price. “The government’s drive to push GM cotton in order to benefit one bio-tech
MNC has only cruelly compounded the problems faced by farmers due to vagaries of climate since 2005
pushing many towards ending lives,” lamented Kishore Tiwari of the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti.
“Instead of atoning about the way they are responsible, the Centre has mocked the dead farmers and
their bereaved families.” In fact, the meeting of the high-level committee for central assistance to states
affected by natural calamity where the aid was announced was chaired by Union agriculture minister
Sharad Pawar, who is believed to understand the agrarian scene in the state only too well. The meeting
in New Delhi was also attended by home minister Sushilkumar Shinde, finance minister P Chidambaram
and Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia too. “One refuses to believe that all
these ‘wise’ people didn’t realise it’d be wrong not to mention what is happening in Vidarbha. This is a
ploy by the powerful western Maharashtra politicians’ lobby to ensure that the focus of the Centre and
state is restricted to their region only,” charged Tiwari -- a charge which sticks when one considers how
the local district administrations in Vidarbha have not even sent a report on the crop-loss to the state. A
team of central government officials led by joint secretary RB Sinha visited the state in November 2012 to
assess the drought situation. Curiously, it didn’t visit Vidarbha despite conditions there. It seems their

ecommendations to the Inter-Ministerial Group constituted under the chairmanship of the agriculture
secretary did not reflect any of Vidarbha’s concerns. Many are now linking the total avoidance of any
mention of the worst-hit region to these recommendations. Nearly everyone in the bureaucracy too feels
stumped at the meagre amount released. “The state needs around Rs5,000 crore and that’s what had
been suggested to CM Prithviraj Chavan. We were quite taken aback when he only asked for Rs2,857
crore. With the Centre’s latest announcement of Rs778 crore, one wonders what the logic is,” said a
senior water resources ministry bureaucrat. (DNA 14/1/13)
Vidarbha sees seven farmer suicides this year (20)
Mumbai: Seven farmers have committed suicide in Vidarbha in the first fortnight of 2013. Two debt-ridden
cotton farmers staring at drought-induced crop loss — Sanjay Mohurle, 42, of Dorli village and Ramu
Shende, 34, of Manoli village in the Ghatanji tehsil of Yavatmal district — committed suicide on Monday.
With four of the other five suicides also from Yavatmal (one is from Akola), it has underlined yet again
how Vidarbha continues to be the epicentre of the agrarian crisis which has forced nearly 8,500 dryland
farmers to end their lives across the district due to debt since 2005. On an average, three farmers kill
themselves every 24 hours in the region, which has been reeling under its worst agrarian crisis. The crisis
in Vidarbha is due to truant rainfall leading to massive crop failure in cotton, paddy, Farmer suicides in
Vidarbha: 2001 to presentYear: 2001- 52, 2002 – 104, 2003 – 148, 2004 - 147, 2005- 445, 2006 - 1448,
2007- 1246, 2008 -1268, 2009- 916, 2010 – 748, 2011- 918, 2012 – 988, 2013- 7, Total 8435 . DNA on
Monday reported how the Centre’s announcement last Thursday of Rs778 crore as aid for drought
assistance to Maharashtra from the National Disaster Response Fund left out any mention of the crisis
sweeping through the Vidarbha region.“The government’s aggressive drive to push GM cotton in order to
benefit one bio-tech MNC since 2005 only cruelly compounded the problems faced by farmers. Now
though the government has had a rethink on GM cotton, the damage is done and farmers trapped in debt
spirals are not finding a way out,” lamented Kishore Tiwari of the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti which has
been spearheading the farm rights movement in the region. “Unless the government wakes up to this
crisis, the coming summer could see this problem only getting worse.” Maharashtra’s agriculture minister
Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil could not be reached for comment. (DNA 15/1/13)
Three farmers commit suicide in Vidarbha (20)
Nagpur: Debt-ridden farmers have committed suicide in last two days in Vidarbha, according to the
Vidarbha Jana Andolan Samiti (VJAS), an activist group working among the farmers of Vidarbha. Ram
Shende, 32, of village Manoli in Ghatanji division, Sanjay Mahurle of Dorali village and Purshottam
Parsutkar, 45, of Maregaon village in Yavatmal district have killed themselves in last two days, informed
Mr.Kishor Tiwari, the president of the VJAS. Ram Shende hanged himself in his farm on Monday night
while Sanjay Mahurle consumed pesticide. Mr.Mahurle was rushed to the Government medical college in
Yavatmal, but he was declared dead on reaching the hospital. According to some reports, Mr. Parsutkar
who hanged himself at his house on Tuesday, had huge debt of a credit society and local moneylenders.
According to the VJAS, seven farmers in Vidarbha have committed suicide in first 15 days of the year
2013. Mr.Tiwari lamented the government for ignoring the plight of Vidarbha farmers. (The Hindu 16/1/13)
Madhya Pradesh gets Krishi Karman Award (20)
Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh was awarded the Krishi Karman Award for 2011-12 for best performance under
total foodgrain category 1 (States with production over 10 million tonne). Chief Minister Shivraj Singh
Chouhan received the award from President Pranab Mukherjee at a function held in Delhi on Tuesday at
Rashtrapati Bhavan. The award carries Rs 2 crore and a citation certificate. The Krishi Karman Award
function was organised by department of agriculture and cooperation, Union Ministry of Agriculture.
Chouhan was accompanied by State Agriculture Minister Ramkrishan Kusmaria and senior officials of the
State agriculture department. Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, Union Minister of State for

Agriculture Tariq Anwar, Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj, Senior BJP leader LK Advani, Chief
Minister of Haryana Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Agriculture Ministers of different States were also
present. The award selection was done in two steps. For total foodgrain category-1, State performance
was assessed on a weightage card of 80 points — on criteria of percentage increase in productivity over
the highest of last five years; percentage procurement of actual production of 2011-12 and percentage of
expenditure against allocation under agriculture development scheme. The remaining 20 point were
based on criteria such as updating of data on NFSM website; new innovations/initiatives adopted for
enhancing agriculture production documentation; inter-departmental coordination with line department;
quality of participation and anticipation. Notably, in 2011-12, Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest total
foodgrain production of 216.08 lakh MT. In 2010-11, maximum production was 166.41 lakh MT, showing
an increase of 18.91 percentage. The State has also recorded the highest production of wheat at 127.53
lakh MT. Per-hectare production of wheat has increased to 2,609 kg in 2011-12, which was 2,065 kg in
2010-11. The State has also utilised 95.87% of funds under various crop development schemes. (Pioneer
17/1/13)
Vidarbha: 16 farm suicides in 2013, crisis grows (20)
Mumbai: Mounting debt and resulting despair and distress due to crop losses has forced six more farmers
to kill themselves in the last 48 hours in Vidarbha. Farm widows and bereaved families have now
exhorted the region to mark the Republic Day as Black Day. Namdeo Thoke, 58, from Benoda village in
Amravati district, Balaji Thaori, 28, from Dahegoan (Zari) in Yavatmal, Dinkar Navarkhede, 36, from
Sakhari in Chandrapur district, Ramdas Gohane, 37, of Chittegoan in Chandrapur district, Gajanan Raut,
32, from Jawra-bori in Chandrapur and Janrao Nagle, 39, from Khed in Amravatiended their lives in the
last 48 hours, taking the toll for 2013 to 16. Since the government tied hands with an MNC to aggressively
promote GM cotton in 2005, nearly 8,500 farmers have already ended their lives due to flawed policies. It
may be recalled that DNA had earlier reported how on January 14, when the nation was celebrating
Makar Sankranti, three farmers had ended their lives. “One fails to understand why the local
administration is keeping the state government in the dark about the extent of BT cotton failure when 4.2
million hectares, even with irrigation, have suffered massive crop failure.” said Kishore Tiwari of Vidarbha
Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS), which is fighting for farmers' rights. A local tehsildar told DNA on condition of
anonymity, "Farmers like me have spent in the excess of Rs50,000 per hectare,yet we are suffering
losses to the tune of Rs18-20,000 per hectare." Interestingly, the government which was offering a
minimum support price (MSP) of Rs4,500 per quintal last year, has brought it down to Rs3,960 per
quintal. "Farmers held on to the cotton, thinking the government will wake up and revise the prices. Now,
we are forced to off-load raw cotton at throwaway prices of Rs3,500 per quintal and lesser," the tehsildar
told DNA. "Only urgent relief on the MSP front and compensation for cotton failure can help alleviate
distress that is forcing farmers to kill themselves." Tiwari points out another irony. "Government ministers
are spending Rs100 crore on the ‘Advantage Vidarbha’ meet to attract investment. Competitively, BJP's
national president Nitin Gadkari is busy arranging ‘Agro Vision', spending more than that. While grand
preparations are on for both events in February at Nagpur, nobody has thought it fit to visit the crisisridden
farmers." According to him, the current suicides coming on the heels of the Nagpur session of
Maharashtra assembly failing to discuss this issue, has come as a major blow to the farmers who are
already suffering. Despite the government's own figures showing 4.2 million hectares badly affected in
Vidarbha, none of the districts in the region are covered in the recent Rs778 crore relief aid announced by
the Centre to the state. "To protest this apathy and draw the attention of the Centre, hundreds of farm
widows will fast on Republic Day,” informed Tiwari. (DNA 22/1/13)
Agriculture distress main reason for farmers’ suicide, says study (20)
CHENNAI: Distress in agriculture, compounded by the lack of water to save standing crops, resulted in
the suicide of some farmers in Cauvery Delta districts, according to a study. The South Indian

Coordination Committee of Farmers Movements (SICCFM), which studied the circumstances in which
seven farmers died, said four of them committed suicide, and distress in agriculture was the major reason
behind the suicides. S. Kannayan, coordinator of the SICCFM and Jayaram Venkatesan, an independent
researcher, who visited the families of all the seven farmers, said the farmers had committed suicide as
they had come to the conclusion that “they had run out all options and lost hope to lead a life with dignity.”
They said two farmers had died following a heart attack and had not committed suicide as claimed by the
media. “But their families said they were in a state of distress due to non availability of water for the
standing crop. Another farmer died in an accident,” the report prepared by the SICCFM stated. The
SICCFM team found there was heavy demand for portable oil engines; hiring an engine and fuel would
cost Rs. 200 per hour. “Two farmers — Raajangam and Abdul Rahim — who committed suicide were
upset that they could not afford the cost,” SICCFM said. One of the important findings of the SICCFM was
that six of the farmers had borrowed money from private lenders at interest rates varying from 24 to 60
per cent per annum. Calling upon the State Government not to be in denial mode about the deaths,
SICCFM urged it to accept and understand that the farmers had taken the extreme step because of farm
related issues. “The government should formulate suitable relief and rehabilitation measures,” it said.
(The Hindu 29/1/13)
“Compensate crop failure or face farmers’ wrath” (20)
TIRUNELVELI: The unbearable agony being experienced by the farming community across the State
owing to crop failure, inflation, and fertilizer price rise would soon erupt like a volcano if the Central and
State Governments continue to ignore their wellbeing, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
general secretary Vaiko has warned. He was addressing a demonstration held here on Wednesday
urging the Central and State Governments to give adequate compensation for crop loss and relief to the
drought-hit farming community and help prevent the agriculturists from committing suicide. Mr. Vaiko
alleged that the Centre had betrayed the Tamil Nadu farmers in the Cauvery and Mullaperiyar dam issues
even as the entire delta region, the ‘Rice Bowl of Tamil Nadu’, was witnessing a withering ‘samba’ paddy
crop cultivated on several acres of land. Having let down successively by an errant monsoon and
consequent crop failures, the farmers were forced to commit suicide. The State Government should give
a compensation of Rs. 10 lakh to the families of each farmer who had committed suicide due to crop
failure and Rs. 25,000 per acre as compensation. “However, the revenue officials are working overtime to
show that these incidents of suicides were due to domestic quarrel. If the official machinery, instead of
bailing out the already shattered farming community, tried to hide the facts, the MDMK will launch intense
struggle to protect the welfare of farmers,” Mr. Vaiko warned. Listing out the ever rising fertilizer price
during the past few years, the MDMK general secretary said the Centre’s decision to allow steep hike in
the chemical nutrients had only benefited the manufacturers while it had completely dashed farmers’
hopes. MDMK office-bearers Nazareth Durai, K.M.A. Nizam, S. Perumal, P.A. Saravanan, S. Joel and
‘Minnal’ Mohamed Ali also participated in the demonstration. (The Hindu 31/1/13)
Narmada's catchment area to be made an organic farming belt (20)
Bhopal: An ambitious 10-year action plan to convert river Narmada's catchment area into an organic or
natural farming belt will be released during the upcoming three-day International River Festival. The
International River Festival (IRF'13) will be held from February 8-10 on the banks of Narmada at
Bandrabhan in Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh. "The experience from years of continuous work
for environment and Narmada river conservation has made us realise that the river is most affected by
chemical fertilisers/ pesticides used for agriculture in the catchment area," Rajya Sabha MP from BJP and
Narmada Samagra's (NGO) secretary Anil Madhav Dave said today. "This affects the Narmada river
indirectly as the chemical fertilisers/ pesticides pollute the ground water, which percolates and adds to the
flow of the river," he said. Narmada, which originates from Amarkantak in Anuppur district of Madhya

Pradesh, has a total basin area spread over 23 districts across 98,796 sq kms, both in Madhya Pradesh
and Gujarat and a small portion in Maharashtra. "We are committed to work through our 72 units from
Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat and converting the catchment area of Narmada river into an organic/
natural belt," Dave said. "It would not be merely organic farming but an eco-friendly method of agriculture
through which Narmada river can be conserved from chemical impurities and in the process farmers will
also get economic sustainability," he said. Confident of achieving the target, Dave said the NGO plans to
mobilise, convince and empower marginal farmers carrying out farming in Narmada basin to change the
existing practice into organic/ natural farming, over a period of ten years. (Indian Express 1/2/13)
CITU demands Tamil Nadu to provide package for farmers (20)
TRICHY: Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) in a resolution passed on Sunday has demanded the
state government to announce a relief package for the delta farmers affected by the crop failure. On the
third day of the four-day state-level 12th state level conference, the CITU passed a number of resolutions.
MLA A Soundararasan, the general secretary of CITU took strong exception to the state government for
not announcing the relief package for the drought-hit farmers. The farmers are even more disappointed
as Tamil Nadu governor K Rosaiah did not clearly mention about the compensation package to the
farmers in his speech in the Assembly a few days ago. The CITU insisted that the state government
provide Rs 25,000 for cultivated lands and Rs 15,000 for non-cultivated lands, to each farmer. A
resolution on the atrocities against women was also passed in the meeting. In Tamil Nadu, crimes against
women are on the rise. As many as 528 cases of crime against women were booked in Tamil Nadu till
October 2012. However, the criminals escaped from the court of law due to the non-implementation of the
existing law. The recommendation of the Verma committee should be implemented to bring end to the
crime against women, said Soundararasan. The conference would end on Monday with a public meeting
in the city. CPM MP Tapan Sen, all India general secretary, MP TK Rangarajan, all India vice-president
would address the public meeting. (Times of India 4/2/13)
Farmers bring suicide victim’s body to police station (20)
Kolar Gold Fields: Hundreds of farmers, carrying the corpse of a farmer who committed suicide on
Tuesday unable to repay his debt, staged a protest outside the police station near Bethamangala on
Wednesday. The protesters said Venkateshappa, resident of Jeedamakanahalli, had borrowed about Rs
4.50 lakh, but had lost his crop. Unable to clear the debt, the farmer killed himself. “He was unable to
irrigate his crops due to incessant power cuts,” said the protesters, demanding relief for Venkateshappa’s
family. The protesting farmers, who blocked the main roads of Bethamangala for more than an hour,
demanded that tahsildar S M Mangala meet them and assure the family would be provided relief. Deputy
Superintendent of Police Rajanna arrived at the place with the tahsildar and spoke to the protesters. They
also assured the farmers the government would provide relief of Rs 10,000 and an additional Rs 1,000 for
the funeral. The protesters, however, were only further upset, asking the officers, “How can a human life
be valued merely Rs 10,000?” Rajanna and Mangala struggled to pacify the farmers, who withdrew only
after the tahsildar promised to speak to the second grade department officers and provide better relief.
Venkateshappa is said to have sunk two borewells in his farm. He drew loans of Rs one lakh from a bank
in Sundarapalya under the Kisan Crop Loan, another Rs one lakh from Andhra Bank in V Kote and more
funds from other places, all of which added up to Rs 4.50 lakh. His attempts at farming, however, failed
and in desperation, he killed himself consuming pesticide on Tuesday night. He is survived by his wife,
two daughters and one son. ( Deccan Herald 6/2/13)
New policy needed to make agriculture education more attractive: Expert (20)
BHUBANESWAR: There are few takers for agriculture as a career option of late. So it is high time proper
policies were formulated to make agriculture education more attractive and contemporary, said R B
Singh, president of National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) here on Wednesday on the eve of

XIth National Agricultural Science Congress. The theme of the congress is 'Agricultural education:
shaping India's future'. It will be held at Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) here.
"You name a challenge, it is there in the agriculture education sector. The first career choice of any bright
student is either medicine or engineering or management. Agriculture rarely figures in the top five. This
has resulted in shortage of human resources in the field. We need to address this problem on a priority
basis," Singh said while addressing the media. Other major challenges faced by the agricultural education
are lack of commitment of government towards the subject, growing level of depression among agriprofessionals,
fragmentation of universities and shortage of faculties, he maintained. Former vice
chancellor of OUAT and convener of the congress D P Ray echoed the same views. The three-day
congress will chalk out a road map to meet challenges relating to food and nutritional security, livelihood
to rural people, profitability and sustainability of agriculture in globally-competitive scenario. As many as
655 scientists from India and countries like the US, France, Brazil, Japan, and Netherlands will participate
in the annual meet. "NAAS is the apex body of scientists and think tanks in the agriculture sector in the
country, whose suggestions are very important for policy making. So the discussions in the congress are
very important for the country, especially Odisha which has an agriculture university," Singh added. There
will also be an exhibition of scientific developments in agriculture sector and interactions with farmers
during the conference. "This is probably for the first time in Odisha that so many institutes of Indian
Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) are putting up stalls to display growth and development of
agricultural science and technology," said Ray. (Times of India 7/2/13).
Farmers hit the road again, seek relief (20)
THANJAVUR: The delta farmers were once again up in arms demanding a compensation package to be
announced in the current session of the state assembly. The farmers, owing allegiance to the Tamil Nadu
Vivasayigal Sangam stripped half-naked to highlight their sorry state of affairs in front of the Thanjavur
district collector's office. This time around one more demand was included in their long list of what they
expect from the government: The waiver of the "kuthagai" (lease) crop that should be given either to a
mutt, a temple or trust on whose land the farmers cultivate. The other demands include Rs 25,000 per
acre for the scorched fields, Rs 10,000 for those farmers who could not cultivate their lands due scarcity
of water, Rs 10,000 to each of the agricultural labourers' families and Rs 10 lakh to the next of kind of
those farmers who allegedly committed suicide. The state secretary of the sangam, V Durai Manickam
claimed that a total of 14 farmers had committed suicide due to crop failure and the two farmers who had
earlier ended their lives due to failure of sugarcane farming was not included in the list of the dead.
Manickam said that the chief minister J Jayalalithaa herself had agreed when two farmers had committed
suicide, it was odd the state government was steadfastly maintaining that all the deaths were due to
reasons other than crop failure. Manickam said that poor farmers cultivated a total of four lakh acre of
land that belonged to mutts, temples or trusts that did not come under the purview of the Land Ceiling
Act. The farmers cultivate the lands on a 75:25 formula of sharing the produce. Now that the samba had
failed, the government should waive the 25% produce that must be given to the land owners. According
to him, the revenue courts are already sending summons to the farmers who failed to pay up the 25%
share to the land owners and the officiating revenue divisional officer would recommend police action, if
the farmers fail to pay up. This was precisely the reason the farmers wanted the state government to
prevail upon the Centre to declare the entire state as drought-affected and demanded a package of not
less than Rs 10,000 crore from the Centre's national disaster relief fund. The farmers also wanted the
Centre to invoke Inter-State Water Disputes Act and solve the 40-year-old water-sharing problem once for
all, or else, the national unity will be at stake on account of Karnataka's adamant attitude in complying
with the apex court orders, Manickam said. (Times of India 7/2/13)
UP farmer seeks President's consent to commit suicide (20)

YAHIAPUR (SHAMLI): In what bears an uncanny resemblance to the movie'Peepli Live', an Uttar
Pradesh farmer has submitted an affidavit before the President of India seeking permission to commit
suicide. The farmer's only property - a 4-acre plot - was allegedly auctioned away by the government
when he took loan to install a tubewell in his farm. Two members of his family - the farmer's son and
daughter-in-law - have already committed suicide, while his 14-year-old daughter, who had a heart
disease, died when her condition worsened due to malnutrition. The farmer, Chandan Singh Madi, lives in
Yahiapur village in Shamli district. He told TOI that he did not earn enough to feed a family of 13, nor did
he have the resources to repay his debts. He said the Samajwadi Party claimed to be farmer-friendly, but
after the change in regime the government had not lent a helping hand. Madi is aware that committing
suicide is a culpable crime, but he has been driven to despair. "All my life I fought to reclaim my plot but
the government and land sharks have appropriated it," he alleged. Madi has attempted suicide several
times. He and his family had once tried to take their lives on the premises of Muzaffarnagar court but the
attempt was thwarted by some passersby. Madi was also jailed for 14 days. After the death of two
children, Madi is left with three sons and a daughter. "In my struggle to win back my land, I have lost three
family members. My second son's wife left him as she was unable to deal with poverty. This drove him to
suicide, while my daughter-in-law immolated herself. My daughter died of a heart attack." Madi said he
and his family see suicide as their only option. Two of Madi's sons are field hands. As they cannot provide
for their family's sustenance, the villagers help them out. "We are on edge as they have tried to immolate
themselves several times inside their house. Humanity demands that we do not allow them to perish,"
said Yogender Singh, Madi's neighbour. When Madi's jail term was over, he did not want to be freed as
he found life endurable behind bars. "I used to get two meals a day. When I refused to leave, I was
thrown out of jail," he said. Madi's ordeal began in 1985 when, under a scheme started by the then
government, he borrowed Rs 10,000 to dig a tubewell. In five years, he could only pay off Rs 5,700. The
farmer said the then Janata Dal government, led by V P Singh, had waived all agricultural loans below Rs
10,000. "A government official demanded Rs 2,000 as bribe to put my name on the waiver list. When I
refused to pay, the officer did not put my name on the list. I then received a loan recovery notice from the
block development officer asking me to deposit Rs 12,384. Unable to pay, I had to spend 14 days in
police custody," Madi alleged. Madi, who is illiterate, thought the jail term meant an automatic waiver. As
he did not receive another recovery notice, he thought the worst was over. "Three years later, some
people arrived without warning and took over my land. I was told that as I had failed to repay the loan and
interest, the government had sold off my land to one Harbir Singh for a paltry Rs 90,000. This was on July
19, 1994." "In such cases the government must first paste a notice on the house of the defaulter and
announce in the village that the land is to be auctioned. It also places a corrigendum in newspapers. But
none of this was done. The land was auctioned for Rs 90,000 as against the market rate of Rs 15 lakh.
The present value of the land is more than Rs 1 crore," said Labh Singh, the victim's younger son. In the
last many years, Madi has protested in front of several additional district magistrates and district
magistrates. On January 4, 2009, then commissioner RP Shukla asked the city magistrate, Amarnath
Upadhyay, to investigate the case. The city magistrate found that block-level officers had flouted norms
while auctioning the land. The copy of the investigation report is with TOI. (Times of India 12/2/13)
Farmers refute TN govt claim on suicides (20)
Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government has found itself in a bind in the Cauvery delta farmers’ suicide as
rights organisations have contested its claims about the number of farmers who have ended their lives in
the region and the reasons that drove them to death. While the government has officially acknowledged
only nine suicides in the 2012-13 agriculture season in the Cauvery delta areas, the Federation of Tamil
Nadu Agriculturists Associations on Friday claimed that 19 of their fraternity members have taken their
lives. The government claims, including in a recent affidavit in the Madras High Court, that “recent deaths”
of farmers in the delta areas was not due to withering away of their paddy crops and attendant losses, but
“due to a variety of reasons from old age, family problems to accidents,” has also been disputed by the

organisation. This was “shocking” to say the least, when at least 19 farmers had been “desperately driven
to suicide due to crop losses” in the Cauvery delta, said federation spokesman S Nallasamy. This is also
in the backdrop of a failed monsoon and the insufficient flow of water in the river. (Deccan Herald 15/2/13)
Non-agriculture land use orders stayed (20)
VADODARA: District collector Vinod Rao on Friday stayed the change of purpose orders for a plot of land
in the Waghodiya Road area of the city. The stay order was given after a complaint regarding the nonagriculture
(NA) order was made to the district collector. The land in question is presently seeing
development of a residential and commercial scheme on the Danteshwar survey number 537. The land
measures around 6,800 square metres and it is estimated that the state exchequer made a loss of Rs 6
crores towards premium in the process of conversion of the plot from agriculture to non-agriculture
purpose. Sources said that the land was new tenure land, but was shown as old tenure to avoid premium.
The first NA order was given for conversion of the land to residential purpose in 2007. Subsequently,
developers wanted to have commercial properties on the scheme too and hence a revised NA order to
this end was given in 2012. The collector has also ordered that development on the land should he
stopped. A stay has also been put on any transaction of properties on the land. The case has been
referred to the state government for further directions. Meanwhile, the city unit of Congress party
submitted a memorandum to the district collector stating that the net of the investigations should be
spread wider as there were several realtors who were involved in practices to evade NA premiums. City
Congress unit president Narendra Ravat said that besides evasion of premium, those who had obtained
land through wills also evaded stamp duty as the land transaction was not shown as a sale. (Times of
India 16/2/13)
Farmer attempts suicide to highlight plight of Yadgir farmers (20)
YADGIR: Tension prevailed in the Deputy Commissioner’s office complex in Yadgir when a farmer
attempted suicide by consuming pesticide in the presence of Deputy Commissioner F.R. Jamadar. It was
his way of demanding the extension of the release of water in the command area of the Upper Krishna
Project from Narayanpur dam till the end of March this year to save standing crops. Farmer
Shivarudrappa, hailing from Satyampet village in Surpur taluk, has been shifted to the Yadgir general
hospital and is being kept under observation. The incident took place when hundreds of farmers under
the banner of Basavasagar Raitha Hitarakshana Horata Samiti staged a dharna outside the office of the
Deputy Commissioner. The farmers told the Deputy Commissioner the standing crops were withering
after water from the Narayanpur dam was stopped.Decision takenMr. Jamadar told farmers that the
decision of the Irrigation Consultative Committee of the UKP has been endorsed by the Cabinet
Subcommittee in its meeting held on February 6 to suspend the release of water from February 15 due to
shortage in the Alamatti reservoir and Narayanpur dam. He said as per the official records, as on
February 19, the total storage of water in the Alamatti reservoir and Narayanpur dam was 3.45 tmcft. Of
this, 2 tmcft has to be provided to the Raichur Thermal Power Station for production of power, 0.6 tmcft to
meet the drinking water requirements and an estimated 1.2 tmcft that would be lost due to evaporation.
(The Hindu 21/2/13)
Defeated by rain, Andhra Pradesh farmers put their kidneys up for sale (20)
Guntur: Appa Rao, defeated year after year by the rains, had nothing left that he could sell. The 30-yearold
former farmer from the Guntur district in Andhra Pradesh lifts his red-checked shirt to show the long,
thin scar on his abdomen, a signpost for the kidney he sold a year ago. He was promised four and a half
lakh rupees by a middleman who said he would organise both the paperwork and a hospital at which the
kidney would be removed. He delivered on that part of the deal - the paperwork appears chillingly
legitimate with signatures of doctors and government officials, that attest that the transaction was legal,
and that Mr Rao donated his kidney voluntarily out of "love and affection for the recipient." He says his

desperation peaked in 2009, when his crop of chilies was destroyed by erratic rains. He then borrowed
heavily from a money-lender to set up a small business which failed. The monthly payments were
unaffordable. The offer for his kidney was tough to refuse. "My mother and wife refused to give their
consent. They were totally against it. I threatened that I would otherwise have to simply commit suicide,''
he says. "The middleman cheated me of more than two lakh rupees. But I could complain to no one. Now
I am in poor health. Unable to work. My loans remain and I had to flee from my village and live
anonymously.''Guntur in Andhra Pradesh, a largely agricultural belt where farmers grow mainly chillies
and cotton, has been battered by drought, cyclones and unseasonal rain. If in one year, chillies and
cotton drew good prices, farmers planted more of them. And then prices crashed. Mr Rao's story does not
shock locals. Other farmers from the backward Palanadu region, burdened by debt, have sold their
kidneys, only to receive a fraction of the agreed-upon payment. Some turned into middlemen themselves,
soliciting business among poor farmers they knew well. Documents show the surgeries were done in top
corporate hospitals in Hyderabad, after the mandatory authorisation by a committee to meet the legal
requirements of the Human Organs Transplant Act. Most donors choose to stay anonymous, worried
about legal consequences. "Many of them are conscious that they voluntarily took a decision to give their
kidney and get some financial help. The paperwork is such that it may not stand scrutiny in a court of
law," says senior police officer J Satyanarayana. No police case has been filed so far. The State Human
Rights Commission has now asked the government to submit a report on the ground situation and on
what the authorities are doing to address this illegal racket in sale of organs. The report is to be given by
the end of April. (NDTV 21/2/13)
UPA policies driving farmers to suicide: CPM (20)
Kolkata: Terming India's rate of price rise the highest in the world, the CPM on Sunday blamed the
Congress-led UPA government's policies for creating a tendency of suicide among farmers. "The rate at
which prices of all commodities have been rising is phenomenal and it is highest among all the countries
of the world. Due to the ever increasing cost of farming, there is a growing tendency among farmers to
commit suicide," Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Biman Bose told media persons here.
He claimed that more than 2,90,000 farmers have committed suicide in the country since 1995. "Not only
do the farmers have to cope with constant price rise of fertilizers, seeds, irrigation, they are being
compelled to make distress sale of the produce as they are not getting even the minimum support prices,"
said Bose. The CPM is conducting 'Sangharsh Sandesh Jatha' which will traverse the length and breadth
of the country highlighting problems and issues faced by the people and to set out alternative policies
advocated by the party. There will be four main 'jathas' - marches - starting from Kanyakumari, Kolkata,
Mumbai and Amritsar converging at Delhi March 19 where there will a massive rally. "The policies of the
UPA government have resulted in continuous price rise, agrarian distress, growing unemployment and
massive corruption. There is no difference between the Congress and the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party)
as far as their basic policies are concerned," Bose said. "The jathas are aimed strengthening non
Congress- non BJP forces," he said. The Kanyakumari march led by S Ramachandran will begin on
February 24, from Kolkata Prakash Karat will lead from March 1. The Amritsar group led by Brinda Karat
will also begin March 1 while the Mumbai march led by Sitaram Yechuri will commence March 8. The
focus areas of the marches are: right to land and house-sites; curb price-rise and give right to food; right
to education and health, right to employment, ensure social justice and rights of women; and end
corruption. (DNA 24/2/13)
Organic nutrients produce six-feet high paddy crop (20)
TIRUNELVELI: When a group of school children saw the paddy crop grown for a height of nearly 6 feet,
they could not believe their eyes. The boys must have mistaken the crop for sugarcane on seeing its
height from a distance. On having a closer look at the crop, they were quite amazed. Even after the
recent rains, the crop, nourished strictly by organic nutrients, stands tall and healthy. In his 90-acre farm,

N. Ganaesa Raja, a progressive farmer from Thatchanallur near Tirunelveli, has grown paddy on four
acres and the crop is being nourished only by organic nutrients prepared on the farm premises itself.
Right from paddy to curry leaf plant in his farm, Mr. Ganesa Raja nourishes every plant with
‘panchakavya’ ‘meen amilam’ (fish acid) and effective micro organisms, all being prepared by him on the
farm premises itself. “Since I strictly follow only organic farming practices, the expenditure is
comparatively low and I require less quantity of water for irrigation, thanks to the soil nourished by the
organic manure over the past eight years. At the same time, I get attractive yield,” reveals Mr. Ganesa
Raja, who has cultivated a traditional paddy variety, ‘kandathu saalaa’, in his farm. Like the fertigation
technique being largely used by the farmers employing inorganic fertilisers to nourish the crops, Mr.
Ganesa Raja has developed his own method of nurturing the crops with organic nutrients supplied from a
huge tank in which cow dung and other cattle waste have been immersed in water. As the paddy is
irrigated with the organically nourished water from the tank, the paddy is so healthy. “I’ve never seen such
a healthy paddy crop anywhere… It’s quite interesting. The organic nutrients being used in this field, all
prepared traditionally by our ancestors, have categorically proved their supremacy over the inorganic
fertilizers. Besides stimulating paddy’s growth and disease-resistance, the organic matter has increased
the yield tool,” said Pushpalata Pooranan of Puspalata Group of Educational Institutions, who had
brought a group of school children to the field to given them an exposure on the advantages of following
organic farming practices. (The Hindu 24/2/13)
Back farmers with good prices, says expert (20)
KURNOOL: The deep-rooted agrarian crisis in the country has manifested into several ills such
inescapable debt-trap, farmers’ suicides, large-scale migrations, inequality, unemployment and food
shortage, K.R. Choudary, former scientist at the Agriculture University said on Sunday. Addressing a
seminar on the crisis in agriculture, sponsored by the Employees, Teachers and Professionals Forum, he
said the new economic policies fuelled by globalisation and liberalisation had upset the sector.
Unremunerative prices for agriculture commodities, exploitation of farmers by traders and middlemen,
declining institutional finance to the sector, heavy dependence on private sources for finance, rising cost
of production, growing cost of chemical inputs and withdrawal of the subsidies had caused irreparable
damage to the sector. Dr. Choudary, who is also a member of the Jayati Ghosh Committee on Farmer
Welfare, said ensuring remunerative prices for farmers alone could save the situation. At the same time,
other supportive measures should be taken like extending of institutional finance, curbs on import of agricommodities,
restriction on foreign direct investment into retail sector, crop insurance to all crops and
farmers with 50 per cent subsidy from the government and other farmer-friendly policies should be
initiated to render agriculture viable. S. Malla Reddy, Vice-President of All India Kisan Sabha, termed the
existing agriculture price formula unscientific and irrational. He argued that the State government was
empowered to fix the prices as per the Constitution but the prices recommended were never honoured.
He said the government, which did not want an adverse reaction from consumers, always exploited
farmers by controlling prices. While developed nations offered 50 per cent subsidy on the food grown,
India provided a mere 2.7 per cent. The Centre, which contributed a subsidy of Rs. 72,000 crore in 2010
had brought it down to Rs. 52,000 crore in the current year. Mr. Reddy ridiculed the theory of rise in per
capita income saying averaging of income of all groups was not rational. He alleged that the export-import
policy of the government was controlled by industrialists who benefited from international price
fluctuations. (The Hindu 25/2/13)
Govt to promote organic farming in all dists (20)
PATNA: Agriculture minister Narendra Singh on Monday said organic farming has started showing results
by improving productivity besides improving the quality of vegetables. The income of farmers engaged in
organic farming has also increased substantially. The state government has already decided to promote
organic farming in at least one village in all the districts. Replying to a question of Neeraj Kumar (JD-U),

Singh said the farmers were getting 10-15% (per kg) more money by selling organic vegetables. Citing
example, the minister said 2,500 hectares of land in 30 villages spread over eight blocks of Nalanda
district are presently covered under organic farming of vegetables. Nalanda district has already found a
place on the global map through the global positioning system (GPS) for sowing potato over an area of
160 acres by using natural fertilizers only. Talking about Sohdih village in Nalanda, the minister said with
the organic farming, a large number of birds and ducks are now common sight in this village. Earlier, the
residents hardly found such birds near the village. A farmer from Sohdih has set a new world record in
potato production through organic farming. The farmer, Rakesh Kumar, harvested 108.8 tonnes of potato
per hectare and set a new world record in potato production, the minister said. Last year, a farmer of
Darveshpura village in Nalanda had set a world record in potato production through organic farming.
Rakesh has created a new world record in potato production through organic farming. The minister, while
replying to another question, said the government has given up to 80% subsidy for purchasing
mechanized agriculture equipment. The state government provides huge subsidy to farmers to increase
their productivity, the minister told Kumari Jyoti (Congress). (Times of India 26/2/13)
New Bill says farmers need a licence to draw water (20)
Gandhinagar: The Gujarat government on Tuesday tabled an irrigation Bill in the Assembly which seeks
to make it compulsory for farmers to get a licence to draw water from canal or ground well beyond a
certain limit and prescribes penal action, including imprisonment, against the errant farmers. The Bill also
seeks to charge farmers for irrigation water reaching any cultivated land within 200 metres of a canal
either by percolation or leakage, surface flow or by means of a well-sunk from the canal. The Irrigation
and Drainage Bill 2013, tabled by Water Resources Minister Babu Bokhiria, seeks to replace the existing
Gujarat Irrigation Act, 1879. The new Bill has proposed appointment of canal officers with minimum rank
of additional assistant engineers who would have wide powers, including the power to detain the erring
farmers. The new Bill prescribes provisions to monitor irrigation schemes, water distribution, maintenance
of irrigation channels, set up and maintain water-gauges and conduct inquiry in cases of violations of the
Bill's provisions. The Bill makes it mandatory for a farmer to apply for a licence from the canal officer of
his area if he wants to construct a tubewell or borewell or an artesian well for extracting ground water if it
is exceeding the depth of 45 metres as prescribed by the government. The Bill also intends to cover
existing bores on any agricultural land. "And only upon grant of licence from the canal officer can he
construct a tubewell or borewell or artesian well," the Bill says. (Indian Express 28/2/13)
Bigger loans, lower interest for farmers (20)
New Delhi: Farmers, who constitute nearly two-thirds of Indians, will continue to get priority loans worth
nearly Rs. 7,00,000 crore during 2013-14, up 40% from Rs. 5,00,000 crore, apart from interest discounts,
Union finance minister P Chidambaram announced in Thursday's budget. Farmers depend on loans for
agricultural inputs, such as diesel for irrigation, seeds and fertilisers, whose expenses are rising.
However, easy cash with interest discounts comes only for those who do not default on payments.
Interest on farm credit for those paying on time was brought down to 5% from the standard rate of 7% in
the last budget, in addition to providing them more time to repay loans. This year, those making timely
payments will get farm loans at 4%.So far, the discount scheme was available for loans by government
and cooperative banks but now it will also apply for loans by private-sector banks, such as Axis Bank,
which have credit facilities for farmers. Farm loan targets, in fact, have been raised consistently. In the
last financial year, the target for loan disbursal to farmers was hiked from Rs. 3,75,000 crore to Rs.
4,75,000 crore, a jump of nearly 27%.India's aggressive farm credit policy - ranging from soft loans to
higher support prices - has put soft cash into stressed farmhands, cushioning the impact of higher prices.
In 2008, a mammoth loan waiver, called the Agriculture Debt Waiver and Debt Relief Scheme, worth Rs.
60,000 crore was announced for debt-ridden farmers. The finance minister said in his budget speech:

"Agricultural credit is the driver of agricultural production. We will exceed the target of Rs. 5,75,000 crore
fixed for 2012-13. For 2013-14, I propose to increase the target to Rs. 7,00,000 crore." To boost market
facilities, the budget announced Farmers Producers Organisations (FPOs), allocating Rs. 50-crore
matching equity grants. The ability of banks to meet targets has encouraged the finance minister to set an
even higher target for 2013-14. Politically, such steps help garner support from farmers, who form
powerful voting blocs. Timely availability of agricultural credit at reasonable rate, especially for small and
marginal farmers, is crucial for agricultural growth. (Hindustan Times 1/3/13)
Harassed farmer jumps off building, dies (20)
Mandya: A 75-year-old farmer died after jumping from the first floor of the Mini Vidhana Soudha in
Ramanagaram on Friday, allegedly because of harassment by some officials. The victim has been
identified as Gangadharaiah alias Gangaiah, a resident of Jalamangala village, 20 km from
Ramanagaram Superintendent of Police, Ramanagaram district, Anupam Agarwal said the farmer had
come to the Mini Vidhana Soudha to get a khata certificate and other documents pertaining to a piece of
land at Jalamangala. According to an eyewitness, Gangadharaiah was upset with the officials for making
him run around to get the documents. “He was shouting in the corridor of the first floor,” an employee at
the Mini Vidhana Soudha, who requested anonymity, told The Hindu .Gangadharaiah sustained multiple
fractures and was rushed to the Government Hospital in Ramanagaram. The victim had been visiting the
Mini Vidhana Soudha for documents for the past two years. Last year too he attempted suicide by
slashing his wrist, one of his relatives told presspersons at the hospital. The officials concerned had been
refusing to provide the documents, giving silly reasons, he alleged. Chandru, another relative, requested
the police to conduct an investigation. As soon as the news of Gangadharaiah’s death spread, a large
number of farmers from Jalamangala assembled at the Government Hospital in Ramanagaram, leading
to a tense situation. The police said that they have received an “unnatural death” complaint stating that
Mr. Gangadharaiah committed suicide. (The Hindu 2/3/13)
Sloppy loan waiver edges out deserving farmers: CAG (20)
New Delhi: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), in a report tabled in Parliament on Tuesday,
pointed out that several ineligible farmers were favoured and a large number of deserving small and
marginal farmers left out in implementation of the United Progressive Alliance’s much-touted Rs. 52,000-
crore farm loan waiver scheme. The scheme, meant to help indebted farmers in districts where suicides
occur, was so haphazard and faulty in implementation that no records were maintained of farmers’
applications accepted or rejected by lending institutions or how many farmers were given fresh loans as a
result of debt waiver/relief, it said. The BJP was quick to seek a CBI probe into what it called the “farmers
debt waiver scam.” The Agricultural Debt Waiver and Debt Relief Scheme (ADWDRS) was launched in
Vidarbha by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in May 2008. Initially, it was launched in Maharashtra,
Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, where suicides by farmers peaked in 2008. It was estimated that 3.69 crore
small and marginal farmers and about 0.60 crore other farmers would benefit from the scheme and
become eligible for fresh loan. According to the CAG, the monitoring of the scheme was “deficient.’’ There
was even prima facie evidence of tampering with, overwriting and alteration of records. In certain cases,
lending institutions such as banks claimed from the government charges such as interest in excess of the
principal amount, unapplied interest, penal interest, legal charges, inspection charges and miscellaneous
charges, all of which they themselves should have borne. “Out of 9,334 accounts test-checked in audit
across nine States, 1,257 (13.46 per cent) were found to be eligible for benefit, but were not considered
by the lending institutions,’’ the report said. “[At the same time], of the 80,299 accounts granted debt
waiver, in 8.5 per cent cases, the beneficiaries were not eligible for either debt waiver or debt relief. They
were those who had taken loans for non-agricultural purposes or whose loans did not meet eligibility
conditions.’’ In violation of guidelines, a private scheduled commercial bank received reimbursement for
loans to the tune of Rs. 164.60 crore extended to micro finance institutions. Besides, the Department of

Financial Services (DFS) under the Ministry of Finance, which implemented the scheme, accepted the
reimbursement claims of the RBI in respect of urban cooperative banks, amounting to Rs. 335.62 crore,
despite the fact that even the total number of beneficiaries’ accounts was not indicated. The CAG
observed that in the absence of monitoring of the scheme, lending institutions did not issue debt
waiver/relief certificates to eligible beneficiaries. Nor was acknowledgement sought from farmers making
them eligible for fresh loans. The RBI and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development were
the nodal agencies for monitoring, but they themselves were relying on the data of lending institutions,
without independently checking the veracity of claims by banks and cooperative societies. After the
presentation of the draft report to the government in January, the CAG noted that the DFS had asked the
RBI and Nabard to take immediate corrective measures. (The Hindu 6/3/13)
PM assures action on farm loan waiver irregularities (20)
New Delhi, March 6 : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday said stringent action would be taken if
any irregularities are found in the Rs.52,000 crore farm loan waiver scheme of the United Progressive
Alliance (UPA) government. "The reference is to the CAG report on loan waiver scheme. This is a matter
which would interest the PAC (Public Accounts Committee)," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said, when
the issue was raised in the upper house. "If there are any irregularities which are found, I assure the
house we will take stringent action against defaulters," the prime minister told the Rajya Sabha. He was
responding after opposition Bharatiya Janata party raised the issue, calling it a "scam"."There has been
account tampering, 34 lakh (over three million) farmers did not get the benefit. Farmers are committing
suicide," BJP leader Ravishankar Prasad said, raising the issue in zero hour. "This is not just account
fudging, this is a scam and it is very painful. Government should say why such irregularity was there," he
said. Even as the prime minister assured action, BJP members kept agitating and trooped near the
chairman's podium, shouting slogans and calling the government "anti-farmer".Amidst the din, Deputy
Chairman P.J. Kurien adjourned the house for 10 minutes. The Lok Sabha also saw an uproar with
question hour adjourned over the issue. The lower house was adjourned till noon Wednesday after noisy
protests by opposition parties over discrepancies in the Rs.52,000 crore farm loan waiver scheme of the
United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. As soon as the house met, the Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) and Samajwadi Party demanded suspension of question hour to discuss the "scam".The issue was
taken up during zero hour in the Lok Sabha. Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj said: "All corruption
charges earlier involved the government, but this is a case where bank officials siphoned off the money
under the nose of the government"."The Reserve Bank of India had given a 15-day deadline to correct the
discrepancies. We want to know first why you were sleeping," she said. "This is an important matter
related to farmers, who are already burdened. I will say the country is shamed, not the government," she
said. Samajwadi Party MP Reoti Raman Singh said the matter raised by the CAG report was very
serious, one that involved farmers in a nation of farmers. "If this waiver had been implemented properly
then some farmers could have been saved from committing suicide. The report is a shocker," he said. JD-
U MP Sharad Yadav said: "RBI gave a deadline, but still government was not able to do anything. The
probe should begin today".Sudip Bandhopadhyay of Trinamool Congress said: "Those who were selected
(to receive the loan waiver) did not receive it." "It is a very unfortunate case. Each one of us should be
concerned with that," he said. CPI-M's Basudeb Acharia said: "All opposition parties had supported the
scheme when it was announced. But we had cautioned then that the implementation should be
proper"."The money of the farmers has been looted," he added. RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, who was in
the UPA when the scheme was announced in 2008, said: "We had good intentions when we started the
scheme. Even before a structured discussion, there should be action. All (guilty people) should be sent to
jail".The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), in its report tabled in parliament Tuesday on the
"Implementation of Agricultural Debt Waiver and Debt Relief Scheme, 2008" said there were irregularities
in at least one in five cases. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government had announced a debt waiver

for farmers across the country in 2008, a move analysts say helped the government win the 2009 general
election. (New Kerala 6/3/13)
Farmland sale ban could claim Maharashtra womanâ€s life (20)
NAGPUR: The state government sanctions an irrigation project in Vidarbha but does not allocate a single
penny for it . This has now become so common that the region's public representatives have stopped
giving it any importance. However, unknown to the politicians and babus in Mantralaya such decisions
are set ot claim the lives of poor farmers. Subhash Tambekar, a farmer from Sirasgaon village in
Hinganghat taluka, was despondent to the point of suicide till February 25. His wife Manorama was
suffering from cancer and required a major operation. The doctors had told him that the cost might go up
to Rs 3 lakh. He couldn't raise this amount unless he sold his 3.5 acre land. However, a part of it was to
be acquired for Ajansara barrage on Wardha river. As government had not allocated any amount for the
project the district administration did not acquire his land but did not allow him to sell it either. Hundreds of
farmers in 65 villages of Hinganghat taluka (district Wardha) have the same problem. According to Pravin
Upase, convenor of Kisan Adhikar Abhiyan (KAA), a Wardha based NGO, there are many cases where
farmers could not get their family members treated as they could not sell their land. "After vehement
protests by KAA rehabilitation minister Patangrao Kadam has directed Wardha collector to send a
proposal to scrap the project," he told TOI. Another government norm had almost claimed the life of
Manorama. A farmer, whose land is acquired for an irrigation project, has to retain 1 hectare (2.4 acre)
land that has not been acquired. If it is more than 1 hectare then the excess can be sold. This condition
can be waived off by a senior revenue officer. As Tambekar only had 1 hectare land left after acquisition,
he couldn't sell it. The land was classified as 'bhumiheen rakhiv' (reserved for landless) in revenue
records. Tambekar had run pillar to post for 15 months to get the waiver from collectorate but in vain. He
would have taken a drastic step but for a dramatic protest by KAA. Around 25 farmers led by Pravin
Upase and Avinash Kakde entered the chamber of Wardha collector Naveen Sona on February 25 and
occupied it until additional collector Sanjay Bhagwat issued a no objection certificate (NOC) for selling
bhumiheen rakhiv land. Tambekar, however, is still having sleepless nights. The farmer's distrust towards
government is understandable. "In 2002, the sub-divisional office of irrigation department in Arvi issued a
certificate certifying that my entire land was not coming under the submergence area. In 2011, when I
sought an NOC from revenue department to sell my land for Manorama's treatment, I was told that 0.6
hectare (1.45 acre) land was in submergence area. Three months later, I was told that 0.38 hectare
(about 0.92 acre) land was to be acquired," he told TOI. Kakde had written to deputy engineer, minor
irrigation department, Wardha asking which of the three orders was correct. He was shocked to receive a
reply stating that the first letter issued by Arvi office was not recognized by the Wardha office. (Times of
India 10/3/13)
Farmers’ movement may give new direction to Odisha politics (20)
BERHAMPUR: Peasants’ movement and political movement have affected each other in the past in
Odisha and in near future organised farmers’ movement in the State may give new direction of Odisha
politics, said senior CPI (M) leader and former MP Shivaji Patnaik. the topic ‘direction of peasants’
movement in Odisha’ at Sahid Laxman Nayak Community Hall on Tuesday evening. This lecture was
organised by the Orissa Krushak Sabha (OKS) to observe the 10th death anniversary of Prasanna
Panigrahy, a noted Leftist peasants’ leader of south Odisha. It was chaired by Ganjam district president of
the OKS Kailash Sadangi. This meeting was also addressed by Jagannath Mishra, the State vicepresident
of the OKS and State secretariat member of the CPI (M), Ali Kishore Patnaik. In his address Mr.
Sivaji Patnaik cited the incidences of rising trend of farmers’ suicides in Odisha to hint that government
had not yet been able to alleviate problems of farmers. According to him it was high time for an organised
peasants’ movement in the State which could affect the election-oriented political movements. “This
peasant movement should comprise all rural poor, farmers, agricultural labourers and share croppers”. He

lamented that despite promises the share croppers in Odisha were yet to get legal recognition and proper
share from their produce. According to him peasants’ movements in the past had led governments in the
State to pass laws in favour of share croppers which have not been implemented yet. As per a legislation
of 1946 share croppers were to get three fifth of the produce of a field while the land owner was to get the
rest. In 1954 a legislation came which directed that share croppers would get three fourth of the produce.
The land ceiling was brought down to 14 acres during 70s due to pressure of peasants. But these
legislations were never implemented properly. (The Hindu 13/3/13)
Farmers seek freedom to fix price of produce (20)
ONGOLE: Incurring losses year after year with their ''hands tied'' due to “lopsided” farm products pricing
policy of the Union and the State governments, hundreds of farmers on Thursday vowed to wage a
relentless struggle to press for their 13-point charter of demands including freedom to market their
produce anywhere in the country at the price of their choice. Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) State vicepresident
T. Sriram Babu who is leading “Maro Swatantra Rythu Maha Padayatra” from Bendamurulanka
in East Godavari district to Tirupati, told reporters here on Thursday that in the name of protecting the
interest of consumers, only the farmers had been deprived of their right to fix the sale price. “It is the
unremunerative price for their produce that is driving fellow farmers to end their lives. It is unfair to ask the
farmers to make sacrifices for the sake of society,” he lamented. ''Even a person running a petty shop
adds profit margin before selling his or her goods,” its State secretary Jalagam Kumarasamy said.
Expressing disappointment over the amount of compensation released to farmers hit by Nilam cyclone,
he said Maharashtra, from where Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar hailed, had got the lion's
share due to alleged failure of the ruling Congress in the State to exert pressure on the Centre in the
interest of Andhra farmers. Alleging discrimination in the duration of power cuts in urban and rural areas,
he said, “We are being treated as second class citizens. While the power cut in cities and towns were
between two to six hours, we are sweating it without power for 12 hours a day.” The 965-km yatra was
aimed to unite the farmers for a struggle to get the freedom to sell the produce anywhere in the country at
the best price, Sangh West Godavari district president P.Krishanamurthy. The Sangh also pressed for
payment of Rs 2,000 per quintal to cotton growers who had sold their produce to the Cotton Corporation
of India, which, he claimed, had made a profit of Rs 3,000 per quintal after purchasing for Rs 3,200 to Rs
3,300 from farmers. They pressed for a remunerative price of Rs 5,000 per quintal for jute. Their other
demands included Kisan Budget on the lines of the railway budget both at the national and State levels, a
special seven-day legislature session exclusively to discuss farmers issues, speedy implementation of the
Polvaram project as national project, a monthly pension of Rs 2,000 to farmers who had crossed 60 years
of age, Sangh State secretary P.Venkateswarulu said. (The Hindu 15/3/13)
Farmers suffering due to MNCs, says KMSS (20)
GUWAHATI, March 15 – Speakers at the Raij Mel of the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti’s (KMSS’) third
biennial conference, which got under way at the Baghmara Rajahuwa Khelpathar under Bajali subdivision
of Barpeta district today, alleged that the farmers have been reduced to mere puppets in the hands of big
capital and multi-nationals, said a press release here. The peasants’ rights over the seeds of their crops
have been snatched away by the capitalist forces. These forces have destroyed the indigenous seeds
and flooded the markets with hybrid seeds. This has made the farmers lose their sovereign entity in
matters of farming, rued the speakers. The capitalists are earning money for each of the works done by
the farmers of the country and the middlemen who control the markets of the farmers’ produce then lead
the farmers to suicide. The Rs 62,375-crore loan waiving scheme announced by the Central Government
benefited only around 3 lakh farmers against a target of 30 lakh and the lion’s share of the money
allocated for the purpose has thus found its way to the pockets of the capitalists. Time has now come to
provide protection to the farmers by strengthening the cooperative movement, they said. The Raij Mel

was presided over by a presidium of Padmalochan Nath, Subrata Chakraborty and Raju Bora. On the
occasion of the third biennial conference of the KMSS, a women’s conference was also held under the
presidentship of Nari Mukti Sangram Samiti chairperson Bimala Gogoi and its general secretary Mridula
Kalita. (The Assam Tribune 16/3/13)
Enough proof against govt on farm-loan waiver scam, says Hazare (20)
Nagpur: The Gandhian crusader, Anna Hazare on Sunday claimed that he has sufficient proof of alleged
corruption and irregularities committed in the “farmers’ loan waiver scheme” of the Centre, which was
brought to light by the CAG report recently. Hazare, who was in Nagpur on a two-day tour in eastern
Vidarbha said, “If the government is interested in going through the proofs, I am willing to hand over to
them.” The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in its report tabled in Parliament recently, pointed out
that several ineligible farmers were favoured and a large number of deserving small and marginal farmers
left out in implementation of the much-talked Rs. 52,000-crore farm loan-waiver scheme. The scheme,
meant to help indebted farmers of suicide-prone regions, was so haphazard and faulty in implementation
that no records were maintained of farmers applications accepted or rejected by lending institutions or
how many farmers were given fresh loans as a result of debt waiver/relief, the report said. The opposition,
BJP has already demanded a CBI probe in this regard. The Gandhian crusader also suspected largescale
irregularities in drought-relief fund of Maharashtra to be received from the Union government. “The
central relief is a peanut for the affected people of Maharashtra. However, this meagre amount would not
be utilised properly,” he felt. Hazare said that the drought situation in the state was more of a manmade
rather than a natural calamity. The problems of political apathy and corruption, coupled with unchecked
exploitation of water resources, was responsible for parched condition o fthe soil in the state. “We have
exploited our water resources to the maximum possible limits without employing scientific methods of
water and soil conservation in many years and the result is for everyone to see,” he pointed out.
Answering a question, he said that neither the Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi nor the Gujarat
chief minister Narendra Modi would be able to solve the national issues if they took the reins of the
country. There is a need to change the election system. “The present election process is like to convert
the black money into white,” he quipped. He blamed the Gujarat chief minister Modi for not enacting an
act for Lokayukta and questioned why Modi has opposed the Lokayukta appointment in Gujarat.
(Hindustan Times 17/3/13)
Farmers descend on Jantar Mantar with a slew of demands (20)
NEW DELHI: Reeling under price rise and dipping returns for their produce, thousands of farmers from all
over the country poured into the capital on Monday to start a mahapanchayat, demanding, among other
things, a farmers’ income commission to guarantee a minimum livelihood income. Opposing diversion of
farmland for other purposes, they wanted the government to impose a moratorium on land acquisition and
announce a ‘fair and remunerative price’ for their produce, including a profit above the cost price, to help
them lead a life of dignity. Furthermore, Parliament should meet at a special session to discuss suicides
among farmers. However, it appears the farmers lack the voice and the lobby to make themselves heard
as none from the government approached them, and by the end of the day, the mahapanchayat declared
that farmers would “stay put” at Jantar Mantar till their demands were met. Kisan annadata hai aur woh
bhookh se mar raha hai [Farmers provide food, yet they are dying of hunger],” said Susheela, a woman
from Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh. Splaying her fingers one by one to count farm inputs that were
getting out of reach because of high prices, she said it was getting difficult day by day for farmers to
survive. “That is why farmers are committing suicides,” added Sugani from Gorakhpur. The story was the
same from participants of the mahapanchayat, organised by the Bhartiya Kisan Union and the National
Alliance of People’s Movement, under the Indian Coordination Committee of Farmers’ Movements. The
meeting was addressed, among others, by Rakesh Tikait, Yudhvir Singh, Medha Patkar, Ajmer Singh
Lakhowal, Vijay Jawandhiya, Yogendra Yadav and representatives from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Odisha

Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. “We are looking for the government. Where is the
government? On March 8, 2011, we met the Prime Minister. He said he would get back in 25 days, but
did not. What is our fault? Is it that we are feeding the country and have produced surplus. If our demands
are not met, farmers will take an agriculture holiday. The government will be responsible for the
consequences,” Mr. Tikait said. “A bottle of water costs Rs. 18-Rs. 20 a litre, but we get merely Rs. 15 for
a kilo of milk. It does not even cover the cost of feed for our cattle, leave alone our livelihood,” argued
Prakash Singh of Sangrur. The mahapanchayat said in a memorandum submitted to Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh that it was the government’s responsibility to improve the net incomes of farmers,
tenant cultivators and farm workers. Besides fair and remunerative price, the government should come
out with price compensation and crop insurance schemes and find out ways of stopping suicides among
farmers. Asserting that food and farmers could not be treated as a “commodity,” the mahapanchayat
opposed futures trading in food commodities that led to price volatility, free trade in agriculture and foreign
direct investment in retail which would imperil the livelihoods of small farmers, small retailers and streetvendors.
(The Hindu 19/3/13)
Unable to bear crop loss, debt-ridden farmer ends life (20)
BHOPAL: Unable to bear damage to his crop brought on by untimely rain and hailstorm, a debt-ridden
farmer committed suicide in Kharpa village of Rajgarh district, 141 km from state capital, on Tuesday. He
took the extreme step minutes before chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's visit to his village to assess
crop loss. Goverdhan Rathore, 55, was found hanging from a bar of a well's pulley at his farm. He was
survived by his son Mohan, 21, and wife, said police. The incident was reported to Jeerapur police station
around 10 am. Rathore owned around four bigha land. His crop of Indian chickpea (chana), which was
almost ready for harvest, was destroyed by squall on Saturday night and he needed immediate relief,
sources said. The deceased had borrowed Rs 2 lakh from a moneylender, said an investigating officer,
wishing anonymity. He also had to clear his dues to traders of fertilizer and pesticides. He could not get
over loss and was in depression even two days after government officials surveyed his farm, said
sources. When contacted, police claimed they were yet to ascertain the actual cause. A senior police
official, who did not wish to be quoted, was of the opinion that he was depressed over a dispute with his
son. District collector M B Ojha claims that deceased farm was already surveyed. An immediate relief of
Rs 50,000 has been sanctioned from the CM's fund to the aggrieved family, Ojha told TOI. He said 180
out of 1,722 villages in the district were affected. Terming the situation "grave", he said "farmers in 45
villages were worst-hit with their crops completely damaged." "We have made announcements across the
district, especially in rural areas using Kotwars asking farmers to report losses," said the collector.
Unseasonal rain and hailstorm that lashed parts of MP last week claimed 32 lives and damaged crops
over more than 6.36 lakh hectares. Lightning claimed 14 lives, three were killed due to electric shock, and
one in house collapse. Cattle loss was also reported. According to an official release, 6.20 lakh farmers
were affected. The CM had urged the Union government to cooperate with farmers in their hour of crisis
and demand a special package like Maharashtra. As an immediate relief, the State government
suspended recovery of lagan and agriculture loans. The state government has also promised to pay 50%
of original electricity bills while farmers will be allowed to pay remaining amount in 10 instalments. Crops
of coriander, cumin, ajwain (celery) and mustard seeds suffered considerable loss. Work to assess crops
loss has also begun. Assessment process will be over by March 20. (Times of India 20/3/13)
800 suicide-hit families of farmers get Rs 1 lakh each (20)
SANGRUR: Shiromani Akali Dal secretary general Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa on Sunday distributed
cheques worth Rs 8 crore to 800 suicide-hit families, with every family getting Rs 1 lakh as first
installment of the total Rs 2 lakh announced by the state government. Punjab government has identified
4,688 suicide-hit farm and farm labourer families to be compensated. Punjab Agriculture University in a
study conducted in 2009 had identified 2,990 suicides by farmers and farm labourers from year 2000 to

2008 in two districts of Sangrur and Bathinda. Surprisingly, Ballran and Chottian villages, which have
been identified as the two worst hit villages in the state on suicide count, were not given preference. "Only
one family, out of 60, from Chottian has been called for giving assistance and Ballran got invites for 14
families," said sources. (Times of India 25/3/13)
Land acquisition stir turns bitter after farmer's death (20)
LUCKNOW: The tension between agitating farmers and officials of Ansal API escalated further on
Thursday following the death of a farmer Naumilal, who died on Holi, after sustaining serious burn injuries
in a self-immolation attempt in protest against the land acquisition by the builder for its hi-tech township.
Agitating farmers, under the aegis of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) sat on an indefinite protest at the office
of Ansal API at Rana Pratap Marg on Thursday seeking return of his land back to the family. Naumilal
had set himself on fire on March 23 in protest against Ansal API's land acquisition of his 21 Bigha of land.
He was admitted to a hospital in Sultanpur road where he succumbed to burn injuries on the intervening
night of Tuesday and Wednesday. This agitated the farmers who had earlier threatened to stage a
demonstration at the Ansal API office on April 8. On Thursday, the resentment boiled to its peak even as
farmers marched off to the office of the builder and sat on an indefinaite protest. Bharatiya Kisan Union
district president, Harinam Singh Verma said that the land acquisition was being stayed by the high court
and hence the builder had no right to acquire it further. "It was the pressure that forced Naumilal to
commit suicide," Verma said, while speaking to TOI. He said the district administration was fully aware of
the problem but it appears to be hand in glove with the builder. Verma said that none of the official from
Ansal API came down to meet the farmers. The BKU in a statement said that case should be registered
under Section 302 of IPC and the accused be arrested. The union also said that they would be holding its
state executive meeting on April 8 when the futher course of action would be decided. The union also
threatened to resort to forced closure of Ansal API project. Verma said that it was not only the case with
Naumilal but scores of farmers who have been struggling to get their due share. "There are farmers who
have either not been given any compensation at all or it is bare minimum," he said. Executive director,
Ansal API, Ramesh Yadava, could not be contacted for comments on Thursday. He, however, had
shrugged off all such charges, two days ago when BKU had threatened of launching an agitation from
April 8 onwards. "There was no question of any such anomaly with the farmers. We have been paying
twice the prevailing DM circle rate to the farmers," Yadava had said. He had even termed the protest
"politically motivated" and aimed to dent the ambitious project. The Hi-tech town ship has been one of the
most prestigious housing project carried out a private company since 2005 when Mulayam Singh Yadav
government was in power. In fact, the hi-tech policy was framed during the regime of SP government in
Uttar Pradesh. (Times of India 29/3/13)
5 more farmers end lives in Vidharbha (20)
Mumbai: The toll of suicides in Vidarbha continues unabated with delayed reports trickling from interiors
stating that five farmers trapped in the vortex of debts took their lives in the past 72 hours. Farm land
activist Kishore Tiwari of Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS) said that suicides were reported from
Yavatmal, Akola and Bhandara districts. The names of the farmers who took their lives are: Thasu
Rathode (Bhansala village: Yavatmal), Arun Chiche (Gangadevi village; Yavatmal), Kamalsingh
Suryavanshi (Mankari village; Akola), Rameshwar Asalmot (Khadaka village; Akola) and Dhudharam
Turane (Somnala village; Bhandara). “The toll has gone up to112. A statistics for the government which is
refusing to recognise the agrarian-crisis enveloping the region. In Vidarbha for Kharif season, the area
under cultivation of Bt cotton was over 32 lakh and the change in monsoon climate damaged the standing
crop, said Tiwari. “As it is Bt cotton has only led to a rise in the inputs and with farmers being forced to sell
below minimum support proce (MSP), the losses were heavy. Adding to this, there is no drinking water in

more than 2,000 villages. The water level is receding both in dams as well in the under-ground streams.
The government is just not bothered about the three million farmers,” he said. (Deccan Herald 1/4/13)
Bihar assigns Rs. 300 cr for power lines for farmers (20)
Patna: In welcome news for millions of farms in power-starved Bihar, the state government has
sanctioned Rs. 300 crore for a dedicated feeder line for agriculture, officials said on Monday. The state
cabinet approved the amount late on Sunday, an official in the chief minister's office said. "This is a firstof-its-kind
dedicated feeder line to provide electricity to farmers in Bihar," he said. According to officials,
the state government plans to install 968 new feeders of 11KV each with 55,925km of distribution lines
and 1.46 lakh transformers to primarily supply power to 19 lakh pumping sets in the next decade. The
government has projected year-wise requirement of estimated funds for the feeder segregation. The total
estimated amount for the 12th and 13th five-year plan is around Rs. 8,370.44 crore. The government has
already projected its year-wise power requirements for agriculture sector for the next 10 years. By 2016-
17, the state would require 1,478MW power exclusively for the agriculture sector. The government's move
will go a long way in increasing agricultural productivity, said an official of the state agriculture
department. Agriculture is the backbone of Bihar's economy, employing 81% of the workforce and
generating nearly 42% of the state's domestic product, according to the state government. At present only
5.83% of the total power supply to the state is used in the agriculture sector in Bihar, compared to 38
percent in Haryana, the highest in India. Last year, President Pranab Mukherjee launched the muchawaited
agricuture roadmap of Bihar. Its main objective is to help to bring a "rainbow revolution" in the
state in the next five years, boosting the production and processing of agricultural and farm goods and
pushing up growth rate in the sector. The five-year agriculture roadmap covers the period 2012-17, with
an investment of Rs.1.52 lakh crore. It aims at raising agri-growth to a minimum of 7% per year. The Bihar
agriculture roadmap is the first of its kind in the country and focuses on the development of food
processing, food preservation, fisheries and animal husbandry. (Hindustan Times 2/4/13)
"PR 118' boon for paddy farmers where water quality is poor" (20)
Ludhiana: The paddy variety, 'PR118', developed by the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), has carved
a special niche for itself in the areas where the quality of ground water is poor. The variety has proved a
boon for the farmers of Sangrur, Mansa and Bathinda districts. Highlighting the characteristics of the
variety, head, department of plant breeding and genetics, RK Ghumber, said that paddy area under the
variety 'PR118' had almost doubled during the last one year. In Bathinda and Mansa districts, this variety
occupied around 60% of the total area sown under paddy, he said. He said that variety is resistant to
most of the pathotypes of bacterial blight disease. Farmers from across the state are buying this variety at
kisan melas organised by PAU, he added. Senior rice-breeder, PAU, GS Mangat, said that in PAU, the
research efforts were initiated to improve the Pusa 44 rice variety (sensitive to salinity and bacterial blight)
in the year 1993. "In the short span of five years, several improved rice genotypes were developed and
were tested in multilocation yield trials at PAU and its research stations at Kapurthala, Patiala and
Gurdaspur," he said. "As a result of these trials, the variety "PR118" was identified as promising and was
approved for release by the state varietal approval committee in the year 2003," he said. He highlighted
that in the research and adaptive trials conducted at the farmers' fields, PR118 gave 3% higher yield than
Pusa 44. PAU experts disclosed that the said variety of paddy is being cultivated over 28 lakh hectare
area in Punjab, with an expected production of nearly 10 lakh tonnes. (Hindustan Times 3/4/13)
Distressed over poor crop yield, 65-year-old farmer commit suicide in Mahoba (20)
KANPUR: Distressed over poor crop yield, a 65-year-old farmer allegedly committed suicide by hanging
himself in Mahoba district on Thursday. Bhalu Yadav, a resident of Tikariya village ended his life by
hanging himself from a 'babul' tree at his farm on Thursday evening. "Villagers found his body hanging

from a tree. After bringing his body down, they rushed to district hospital. However, he was declared
brought dead," informed a police official. "Bhalu Yadav's wife Kesar has said in her statement that they
had borrowed a loan from Allahabad Gramin bank, but due to poor crop yield this season, they were not
in position to refund loan. Following which, her husband was reeling under severe depression these
days," said a police official at Mahobkanth police station of the district on Thursday. A district officer, who
visited the family told TOI that the family was in financial crunch since crops had failed. "Villagers told us
that though he had obtained a bank loan but could not produce good crop yield due to unfavourable
weather condition in the region," he said. Bhalu Yadav was father of four sons. He along with his wife
used to do farming on his 1.75 acres of land. All the four sons had migrated to other cities in search of
work. The police have registered a case and started probe in this connection. (Times of India 4/4/13)
Swaminathan hails Punjab farmers for making country food-surplus (20)
Ajnala (Amritsar): As his watchful eyes scanned the ripening green-to-golden crop before him, a gentle
smile passed his lips as he wondered why the farmers, many of whom had even fallen into the debt trap,
could not get assured prices for other crops in the same manner as they get for "this beautiful crop".
Stepping on to a stage, he said, "I enjoy coming to Punjab in April as it gives me the chance to see this
beautiful crop in full bloom. It also gives me an opportunity to see the happy-looking farmers who know
they will get the price fixed by the government for this crop." He then turned to the peasantry seated
before him. showered praises on them and reminded them that 2013 was the golden jubilee year of the
green revolution. The "beautiful crop" that he referred to was wheat, which is all set to be harvested. This
was Dr MS Swaminathan, one of the architects of the green revolution, which turned India into a
foodgrain-surplus nation. The occasion was a kisan mela organised on Wednesday by the state
agriculture department at Firvaria village in Ajnala sub-division in the memory of Dr MS Randhawa who,
along with Swaminathan and Prof Norman Borlaug, had brought about this revolution. The reminder of
the golden jubilee year took everyone by surprise, including Dr GS Kalkat, chairman of the Punjab
Farmers Commission, who himself had been associated with the green revolution. Neither state
agriculture director Dr MS Sandhu and his officers nor the three top scientists of the Indian Agriculture
Research Institute (IARI) present seemed to be aware of it. Going down memory lane to the year 1963
when the seeds of the green revolution were sown, Swaminathan said, "We no longer have to go around
with a begging bowl or wait for a ship filled with foodgrains to dock at our ports. I often refer to the green
revolution as the yield revolution as the production of wheat and paddy increased manifold."
Swaminathan however cautioned the farmers that this was not the time to celebrate as with the increase
in yields, the problems too had multiplied. He cited the storage problem in Punjab, falling groundwater
table, blatant use of chemicals and burning of paddy or wheat stubble. "Agriculture is facing demographic,
ecological and economic problems and the government must pay attention to all these problem areas
which are interlinked. A system for marketing farm produce must be set in place," he said. Swaminathan
said that to check the falling groundwater table and prevent overdose of chemicals, the Punjab and
Haryana governments would have to reduce the area under paddy. A viable alternative in the two states
is basmati as it consumes less water, he said. Swaminathan said that to encourage diversification, the
government would have to ensure assured prices to farmers for crops like oilseeds, sugarcane, maize,
bajra, soyabean and pulses. "Farmers stick to the wheat-paddy cycle due to the minimum support price in
place for these crops," he pointed out. "We in the National Farmers Commission have identified 25 crops
for the government, for which assured prices should be announced ahead of the sowing season. While
the government has agreed with us to continue with the MSP for wheat and paddy, it must give a thought
to the other crops to improve the economic condition of farmers and check environmental degradation,"
he added…. (Hindustan Times 5/4/13)
Bank recovery of loans from farmers leading to suicides (20)

JAIPUR: The Rajasthan high court on Monday issued a notice to the state government on a public
interest litigation that accuses banks and financial institutions of recovering loans from farmers in violation
of the tenancy law. The PIL claims that the banks and financial institutions' alleged arbitrary actions were
responsible for farmers' suicide. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Amitava Roy and Justice
Meena V Gomber granted two weeks time to the state government to file its reply. The PIL moved by an
advocate Dhiraj Kumar pointed out that the nationalized banks and government financial institutions were
providing loans to farmers against "usufructuary mortgaged" properties rather than the "simple
mortgaged" ones. Kumar's counsel Arvind Chawla argued before the court that under Section 43 of the
Rajasthan Tenancy Act, 1955, the loan of an 'usufructuary mortgaged' property automatically expires after
five years. "Whatever loan recovery the bank or financial institute is to make from the farmer against the
usufructuary property, has to be done in five years," Chawla said. As per section 58 (d) of the Transfer of
Property Act, 1882, under a usufructuary mortgage, the farmer delivers the possession, expressly or by
implication, of his mortgaged property to the mortgagee (banks/ financial institutes), authorizing them to
retain profits accruing from that property until the payment of the mortgaged money. The bench was told
that any bank/financial institute recovering loan of usufructuary mortgaged property beyond five years
was violating Rajasthan Tenancy Act. … (Times of India 9/4/13)
Farmer suicides: Aid fails to reach kin (20)
MAHBUBNAGAR: As many as 108 farmers committed suicide in the parched Mahbubnagar district during
2012, but only one victim's family received compensation from the state government. Bijinapally mandal
was the worst hit with 14 farmers committing suicide last year. The Human Rights Forum (HRF), which
sent a fact-finding team to the troubled spots in the district, demanded that the state government take
immediate steps to ensure that the kin of farmers who committed suicide are compensated and
rehabilitated as per provisions of GO No. 421. "Our inquiries revealed that 14 farmers committed suicide
in 2012 in just one mandal (Bijinapally). Not a single family of these 14 farmers has been compensated as
per GO No. 421. In fact, of the total 108 suicides reported in the entire district last year, just one family,
that of D Anandam in Jangamaipally village in Ghanpur mandal, received aid. This is appalling," said VS
Krishna, state general secretary, and Madhu Kagula, Mahbubnagar district convener of HRF. A sixmember
HRF team visited several villages in Bijinapally and Jadcherla mandals on Saturday to look into
instances of farmer suicides and government response. The team spoke to family members of the
deceased as well as their friends and relatives. Most of the farmers with who the HRF team interacted
belonged to small and marginal category. They were driven to desperation as they had run up debts of
not less than Rs 2 lakh each following successive failure of crops, particularly cotton. Since formal credit
had all but dried up over the years, their borrowings were mostly at a high interest rate from private
money lenders. "In all these cases, there was correlation between farm-related operations, economic
distress and social humiliation leading to suicide," they said. The GO No 421 issued in 2004 provides for
financial assistance as interim relief package to support families of suicide victims. This assistance
comprises ex gratia of Rs 1 lakh besides loan payment up to Rs 50, 000 as one-time settlement to
creditors. (Times of India 10/4/13)
Digvijay questions MP govt claims on farmer compensation (20)
Rajgarh: Claims by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan that hail-frost affected farmers
were compensated are just the opposite from what facts conveyed, Digvijay Singh alleged here on Friday.
"If the government has a strong will, then no power on earth can prevent it from compensating farmers,"
he said while addressing a protest meeting against delay in distribution of relief to hail-frost affected
farmers. Talking to reporters, the Congress general secretary alleged that though Chouhan makes lot of
announcements, hardly a few of these gets implemented. Digvijay also demanded immediate relief to
farmers based on a proper survey of affected crops as well as claims from crop insurance scheme and
added that the agitation would continue until farmers get their due. He alleged that the MP government is

eing run by a powerful real estate development mafia elements, whose names figured in recent
suspicious deaths of two mining inspectors, but no action was taken, because of Chouhan's protection to
the real estate developer. After the protest meeting, Congressmen led by Singh went to the collectorate to
submit a memorandum about these issues to the government through the district collector. (Zee News
13/4/13)
Badal hits out at Centre for imposing tax on farmers (20)
Hitting out at the Congress-led UPA for imposing wealth tax on farmers, the Punjab government today
said the move is a crushing blow to peasants. "This unfortunate step of the UPA government has
exposed its anti-farmer's stance...The imposition of wealth tax would further accentuate agonies of the
peasants," Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal told reporters here today. He alleged due to the Centre's
"adverse policies" like hike in agricultural inputs coupled with non-remunerative MSP, farmers of the state
were already on the crossroads and to further aggravate the situation the union government has now
decided to impose this tax "arbitrarily"."We will take up the matter with the union government to safeguard
interest of the farmers," Badal said. Replying to a query, he said if Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar, who was
awarded death sentence by the Supreme Court in the 1993 Delhi blast case, is hanged, it could disturb
peace of the state and provide fresh breeding ground to anti-social elements. The SAD leader had met
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Pranab Mukherjee and pressed for the commutation of
Bhullar's death sentence to life imprisonment for the sake of "hard-earned communal harmony and peace
in Punjab and the rest of India".Badal also said the state government is considering giving cash relief to
cancer patients instead of giving it to hospitals. Later, Badal accompanied by Punjab Assembly Speaker
Charanjeet Singh Atwal and cabinet ministers, including Parminder Singh Dhindsa, Ajit Singh Kohar and
Chunni Lal, took part in a rally organised to mark 'Ram Navami'. (Business Standard 19/4/13)
Farmers protest to get back their land (20)
LUCKNOW: Just when the Centre gears up to clear the way for the long-pending land acquisition bill, a
group of farmers from five villages near Agra have started a protest march to Lucknow seeking return of
their land acquired by the state government for a township to be developed by the Jaypee Group. The
agitation comes close on the heels of resentment brewing amongst farmers in Bhatta Parsaul which saw
a raging protest by farmers who have not only been demanding return of their land but also release of
their leaders who were put behind the bars by the then BSP government. The epicenter of this fresh
agitation is a land spreading over an area of around 510 hectares (over 1,000 acres) comprising five
villages around Agra -- Chalesar, Garhi Rani, Chaugan, Bagaura, Nagla-Nathu and Nagla Tankhi -- which
were acquired by Mayawati government through a notification issued on March 2009. Even as the state
government handed over the possession to the developer, Mulayam joined the protesting farmers who
ploughed their field in agitation. ``Even Akhilesh Yadav came here during his rallies while riding a
bicycle,'' claimed Manoj Kumar Sharma, a villager from Chalesar, whose 22 bigha of land was acquired
for the township. The farmers claim that SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav had promised them in April 2010
that he would get the land return to the farmers if his party came to power. "They had claimed to be a
party of farmers and poor. However, nothing as such happened even after one year of rule in UP,''
Sharma rued. In fact, when Akhilesh came to inaugurate the Yamuna Expressway, the protest was still
going on. "He (Akhilesh) had then also promised of getting the land returned to farmers. They (SP
leaders) were with the farmers before the elections. Now, post-elections they appear to be with builders,"
he said. The agitation is now being fanned by the opposition parties including Congress alliance partner,
the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). On Friday, RLD state president, Munna Singh Chauhan joined the agitating
farmers who have walked down all the way from Ehtemadpur, an assembly constitutency in Agra, to
Kanpur. These farmers are likely to reach the state capital on next week. Ironically, they won't be able to
meet the chief minister, who, by then would have flown to United States where he has been invited as a
guest at Harvard university to speak about the success of `Kumbh Mela'. "The state government has

een continuously compromising on its promises it made to the farmers ever since it came to power,'' said
Chauhan, speaking to TOI on phone from Kanpur. He said that the RLD will stage a protest march in
Lucknow if the state government did not return the land to the farmers as it promised. The SP had also
announced an increased compensation for the farmers who were affected by the land acquisition drive.
Subsequently, Akhilesh Yadav, in November, 2012, also announced release of farmer leaders, including
Manvir Singh Teotia, Premvir, Kale Singh, Gaje Singh, Kiranpal, Dhan Singh, Neeraj and Manoj, who the
state government said, had been falsely framed given the fact that they were only agitating because of
inadequate compensation for their acquired land. Before that, in September, the state government
withdrew criminal cases lodged against 37 farmers, who agitated against the forceful acquisition of their
land in Tappal block of Aligarh district. (Times of India 20/4/13)
Maharashtra: At 56 deaths a month, Vidarbha screams for intervention (20)
Mumbai: Maharashtra's Vidarbha region has seen 168 farmer suicides in the first three months of this
2013. Made up of 11 districts, Vidarbha is home to two-thirds of the state's mineral resources and threequarters
of its forest resources. But poverty and malnutrition and endemic. "According to police reports,
168 farmer suicides have been registered till March 31 this year," said Kishor Tiwari, president of the
Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti, a farmer advoacy group. "This averages to 56 deaths a month, defining the
many years of agrarian crisis of the region, not to mention the apathy of the administration," he added.
Tiwari said that while rising costs of cultivation and falling returns were the core reasons pushing farmers
to suicide, there were other factors too. There is also an ecological crisis as farming practices have
tended towards maximising output of a narrow range, leading to monoculture of crops. At 56 deaths a
month, Vidarbha screams for intervention Tiwari said that while rising costs of cultivation and falling
returns were the core reasons pushing farmers to suicide, there were other factors too. "The deep
economic crisis has reduced income of farmers, resulted in stagnant yield and increased cultivation cost.
And reduced institutional credit adds to the misery," Tiwari said. "All policy support, be it from the
government of from institutes, are skewed towards large farmers, large farms, few cash crops and high
external input-based production systems," he said. According to the National Crime Records Bureau
(NCRB), one farmer kills himself every 37 minutes in India. About 14,000 farmers committed suicide in
2011 alone. A NCRB report stated that in the 17 years from 1995 to 2011, 270,940 farmers committed
suicide in the country. Of these, nearly 20 per cent were only from Maharashtra, where 53,818 suicides
were reported. Political experts and agriculturists point out that the 11 districts of Vidarbha, though rich in
minerals, coal, forests and mountains, continue to remain underdeveloped because of the dominance by
political leadership from the other parts of the state, especially western Maharashtra. According to
another report by NCRB, in 2006, Maharashtra, with 4,453 farmer suicides, accounted for over a quarter
of the all-India total farm suicides of 17,060. Yet another report from the Bureau said that while the
number of farm suicides rose since 2001, the number of farmers has fallen, as thousands, in distress,
turn their back to agriculture. Till around 1970, Vidarbha farmers cultivated cotton using seeds from their
own plants. With the start of hybrid seeds, the yields increased significantly but so did the need for costly
fertiliser and insecticide. Agriculturists have also blamed the restrictions and royalties placed on
Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) seeds by Monsanto for the spurt in suicides. In 2002, genetically
modified BT cotton seeds arrived. Like the hybrid variety, they are non-renewable terminator seeds, and
must be re-purchased every year. Today they dominate the market. It has been pointed out by several
agriculturists that these new methods caused farmers to suffer losses leading to debt, pushing them to
suicide. In August 2012, technical experts appointed by the Supreme Court recommended a 10-year
moratorium on all field trials of GM food, as well as the termination of all current trials of transgenic crops.
"Also, the government has never kept their word on the minimum support price of cotton. Last year,
cotton farmers had to take to the streets after Cotton Corp of India fixed the minimum support price for
cotton at Rs.3,300, far below the market rate of Rs.4,800 per quintal," Tiwari said. Farmers had then
demanded that the the minimum support price of cotton be raised from Rs.3,300 to Rs.6,000 per quintal

to cover increases in production costs. "It is tragic to note that Maharashtra produces 70 percent of the
country's cotton, but its cotton-producing regions are infamous for farmer suicide," Tiwari said. (CNN IBN
22/4/13)
228 farmers committed suicide in Maharashtra in Apr-Jan FY13’ (20)
New Delhi: The government today said 228 farmers committed suicide in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra
because of agrarian distress during the April-January period of 2012-13 fiscal. “The number of farmers in
the six identified suicide prone districts of Vidarbha region who committed suicide due to agrarian distress
is 228 during the last 10 months till January 31, 2013,” Minister of State for Agriculture Tariq Anwar said
in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. The number of farmer’s suicides declined to 346 in 2011 from 565
in 2006 in Vidarbha region as per the information provided by the Maharashtra government, he said. In
the entire state, the number of farmers committed suicide due to agrarian reasons have declined to 485 in
2011 from 1035 in 2006, he added. The Minister said that the government has taken number of measures
to revitalise the agriculture sector and improve condition of farming community on sustainable basis. To a
separate query on drought situation in Maharashtra, Anwar said there is no empirical evidence to suggest
that the drought in the state is due to cultivation of water guzzling sugarcane and fruits. The state is
witnessing consecutive drought situation in 2011-12 and 2012-13 primarily on account of deficit rains
during intervening period, he said. (Business Line 26/4/13)
Now, Punjab farmers get freedom to negotiate with buyers (20)
Chandigarh: In a major relief for farmers in the state, the Punjab government has finally decided to amend
its "archaic" rules and provide the peasantry an option to directly hold negotiations with the buyers for
their produce and receive payments. The farmers will now have an option to either directly sell to parties,
including the Food Corporation of India (FCI), or approach purchasers via arhtiyas (commission agents).
Also, it will be the farmers' sole discretion to receive payment in cash, and not through cheque, as is the
case now, from the buyers. An affidavit to this effect was submitted by a Punjab law officer before a
division bench during the resumed hearing of a petition filed by farmers' association of Punjab and Bharat
Kisan Union (BKU). The petitioners, through their counsel R S Bains, had challenged the rules framed by
the state government depriving the farmers of their freedom to approach FCI and other bigger parties for
sale of their produce. The farmers had dubbed such rules as "arbitrary" and "unconstitutional".It may be
mentioned that the farmers had been waging a battle against the state government on the issue for over a
decade. The issue of direct payment to farmers had been hanging fire for the past several years. The
Punjab Farmers Commission had recommended direct payments through cheques during Captain
Amarinder Singh's tenure as chief minister, as part of several measures suggested to take out farmers
out of debt trap of non-institutional loans. Though, a similar notification was issued in this regard by the
Amarinder Singh-led government, it was never implemented as it came up only a few weeks ahead of the
2007 Assembly polls. A committee headed by the then Punjab finance minister had issued the notification
in April 2009, two years after some farmer welfare bodies under the banner of Chambers of Punjab
Farmers and Others, moved the court to seek directions for implementing the recommendation of the
Punjab Farmers Commission. (Indian Express 27/4/13)
2 more farmers end lives in Vidarbha (20)
Mumbai: Two more farmers in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra have committed suicide and pushed
the figure to 176 this year. Both cases have been reported from the severely drought-stricken Yavatmal
district. Farmland activist KishoreTiwari of Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS) from Nagpur told Deccan
Herald that 25-year-old Prashant Sidhewar of a village in Yavatmal taluk had consumed pesticide to kill
himself. His body was lying in the hospital. The boy's father Rajabhau said that the agricultural loans had
gone up to Rs 8 lakh. In the other case, Ramkrishna Kathale from Sarangpur village had taken a loan of
Rs 40,000 in 2009 and the figure had touched Rs 1.2 lakh. Father of two kids, Kathale, a grower of

Bt.cotton for the past three years, had been witnessing crop failure as loans were spiralling out of control.
According to Tiwari, news trickling from interior regions revealed that market forces, poverty, debt and
imposition of genetically-modifiedseeds and modern technology – shoved down the the throat by MNCs –
were some of the key forces driving farmers to suicide. (Deccan Herald 29/4/13)
Withering crops, mounting debts drive farmers to suicide (20)
MAHBUBNAGAR: Even as the state government is busy organizing Rythu Chaitanya Yatralu to update
farmers on the latest innovations in agriculture, farmers are being sucked into the morass of debts and
taking their lives unable to make both ends meet. Reflecting this grim reality, two more cases of farm
suicides have been reported from the drought-bit Mahbubnagar district. While a farmer committed suicide
on Monday, another consumed pesticide to end his life on Tuesday. On Tuesday M Mallaiah (40), tenant
farmer of Mallapally village of Balanagar mandal, consumed pesticide and died while undergoing
treatment at the district hospital here. Malliah borrowed Rs 80,000 from a moneylender to cultivate cotton
and maize. He also spent from his pocket to raise the crops on his 2.5-acre field. The two bore-wells in
the field dried up thanks to the falling ground water levels in the district. He had dug another two borewells,
which failed to yield water. Distressed over the failure of bore-wells and consequent crop loss, he
committed suicide. Earlier on Monday, C Krishnaiah (35), who ran up heavy debts, did the desperate
thing at Gangapoor village of Jadcherla mandal. Krishnaiah owned five acres of agriculture land. He also
took on lease another seven acres to cultivate cotton and groundnut. The crops dried up for want of
water. He had been under pressure from moneylenders for the past one week, his family members said.
In both the cases the farmers are survived by three daughters and one son each. (Times of India 1/5/13)
Farm activist demands stop to GM seeds in food crops (20)
NAGPUR: Reacting strongly to state agriculture minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil's admission that the
genetically modified (GM) Bt cotton had brought no benefits to the farmers but on the other hand seed
companies were thriving on it, Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti president Kishore Tiwari said that time has
come to at least stop the introduction of GM seeds in food crops. "Around 5 million people in Maharashtra
depend on cotton cultivation that is done in 41 lakh hectares. Now, the state government has finally
admitted that Bt cotton is adding to farmers' distress even as 95% of them are using the MG seeds. The
question now is who will bell the cat? Is there no way to stop the onslaught of GM seeds," asked Tiwari.
Addressing a workshop of agriculture officers of Nagpur and Amravati division on Monday, Vikhe-Patil
had remarked that Bt cotton seeds checked bollworm attacks but that help the farmers as they had to use
costly chemicals to protect their crops from other pests. Vikhe-Patil suggested that indigenous seeds and
high-yield hybrids developed by Central Institute of Cotton Research need to be promoted as they were
cost effective. Tiwari said, at least now, the government of India should not pass the proposed
Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India Bill which is pending in the Parliament. If made into law, BRAI
will make it easier to introduce GM seed in food crops too. This may result in more farmer suicides in
other regions too, Tiwari warned. "Till around 1970, Vidarbha farmers cultivated cotton using seeds from
their own plants. With the introduction of hybrid seeds, the yields increased but so did the need for costly
fertilizers and insecticides. Agriculturists have also blamed the restrictions and royalties placed on GM
seeds by multinational companies for the spurt in suicides. Unlike traditional seeds, GM seeds are nonrenewable
and must be purchased every year. Today, they dominate the market," said Tiwari. In August
2012, technical experts appointed by the Supreme Court recommended a 10-year moratorium on all field
trials of GM food crops. But, BRAI may throw the doors open for new GM seeds, he added. (Times of
India 3/5/13)
Jayalalithaa announces Rs. 984.70-crore package to boost agriculture production (20)
CHENNAI: Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Monday unveiled a Rs. 984.70-crore package to give a stimulus
to agriculture production, taking into account the shrinkage of cultivated land and to ensure that farmers

got a fair price for their produce. Making a suo motu statement in the Assembly, the Chief Minister
announced separate allocations for different segments of agriculture. One of her announcements was for
purchase of 700 Rain Gun and Mobile Sprinklers at a cost of Rs. 57 crore. These machines will be used
for effective utilisation of water from farm ponds being dug in all districts to ensure water supply in
seasons of inadequate rain. A total of 15,000 farm ponds are being dug in the delta districts, and another
56,000 ponds in other districts. As agriculture production was likely to go down in the wake of reduction in
the area of cultivated land, around 12,500 acres of arid land in the State would be made into cultivable by
providing water facilities. The government would provide Rs. 4000 per acre as back-end subsidy and
supply inputs at a subsidised rate. The State will have an express mission mode approach at three levels
– village, taluks and districts – to foster increase in the cultivation of paddy, millets and cereals. Millet
cultivation in the State had come down substantially in the last three decades. To meet protein
requirements, red gram will be cultivated on 50,000 acres. The government will spend Rs. 55.60 crore to
provide drip irrigation to 10,000 acres under red gram cultivation. Ms. Jayalalithaa said sugarcane
production would be increased through implementation of a sustainable sugarcane initiative on 50,000
acres. The project cost is Rs. 275.20 crore and will be done through sugar mills. The Chief Minister said a
special purpose vehicle would be launched to ensure that quality agricultural and horticultural inputs were
available for farmers. The total cost for the scheme is Rs. 112.49 crore. She said her government was
taking efforts to mechanise agricultural operations as the farm sector could not provide sustained income
and the people from rural areas were migrating to towns. This year also government would purchase farm
machines at a cost of Rs. 124.70 crore. The government also decided to set up service centres in 50
taluks at a cost of Rs. 28.25 crore to provide counselling on horticultural crop technologyA special
commercial complex for tender coconut in Coimbatore district, special complex for banana in Tirunelveli
district, approach roads for 10 regulated markets and new regulated markets in Bodinayakanur and
Muthukalathur are other announcements. (The Hindu 7/5/13)
Drought-hit farmers ask central team to waive loans (20)
TRICHY/MADURAI/CHENNAI: The spectre of farmer suicides in the state's Cauvery delta districts could
become real if steps are not taken to waive the bank loans given to cultivators, representatives of farmers
warned a central team that began a four-day visit to the state on Tuesday to take stock of the drought
conditions. One team comprising Manash Choudhuri, deputy advisor, agricultural division, planning
commission, K Manoharan, director (in-charge), directorate of tobacco development; V Srikanth, deputy
director, department of expenditure, ministry of finance; P J Jose, deputy secretary, ministry of power;
and R Sundaramurthy, superintending engineer from central water commission, began the tour of Trichy
district at Thiruverumbur taluk where people of Vengur village are reeling under an acute drinking water
shortage. A possible confrontation between residents and the central team was averted by tashildar Siva
Subramanian. Several state government officials, including principal revenue secretary Rajiv Ranjan,
principal agricultural secretary Sandeep Saxena, Commissioner of rural development Dr S Vijayakumar,
director of town planning Dr R Selvaraj, Tamil Nadu state apex cooperative bank joint registrar M P Sivan
Arul, and chief engineer (Cauvery) Painthamizh Selvan, accompanied the team. Collector Jayashree
Muralidharan presented a computer-aided picture of the drought situation to the officials. This is the third
time a central team is visiting the delta districts. An official told TOI, "The situation is beyond redemption,
because for the first time borewells on the banks of Cauvery have gone dry. We cannot run a government
on prayers alone." A few nationalized banks, particularly Indian Overseas Bank and SBI, on Tuesday
confiscated tractors from drought-hit farmers and auctioned them. "The Thuraiyur SBI has of humiliated
farmers by posting pictures of loan defaulters," said farmers' leader Puliyur Nagarajan. In Madurai district,
people gheraeod the second central team that was on its way to Karuppayurani to examine the AMMA
scheme. In Cuddalore, farmers were furious when they came to know that the central team would not be
visiting the district. (Times of India (8/5/13)

Muttemwar seeks Rs 5000cr relief for Vidarbha farmers (20)
NAGPUR: City MP VilasMuttemwar on Tuesday highlighted in LokSabha the plight of Vidarbha farmers
who are forced to commit suicide because of economic distress. He urged the Union government to
depute a special team to study difficulties faced by dry-land farmers of the region. He has also appealed
to the government to provide a fresh Rs 5000 crore relief package to rescue the farmers. Irrigation
facilities in Vidarbha are far too less compared to other parts of Maharashtra. As a result, farmer is totally
dependent on vagaries of monsoon and suffers frequent crop losses. Unfortunately, no step has been
taken by the government to mitigate this situation," said Muttemwar in a notice under Rule 377 tabled in
House. "The farmers' problems are further accentuated by non-remunerative prices for crops fixed by the
government and also damage to crops from natural calamities. Also, because of long hours of loadshedding
agriculture pumps are rendered useless," he added. The MP pointed out that a large number of
private thermal power plants coming up in the region would add further stress on water resources that are
inadequate. He claimed between 2001 and 2013, as many as 9390 farmers had committed suicide in five
cotton and soya bean growing districts of Vidarbha with 1605 killing themselves just between June 2012
and April 2013. While demanding special package, he said the Centre as well the state had failed to find
a lasting solution to Vidarbha farmers' plight. (Times of India 9/5/13)
M'rashtra farm widows, activists to oppose GM crops (20)
Mumbai,: Widows of farmers who committed suicide in the Bt-cotton fields of Maharashtra-Vidarbha,
along with tribal and agriculturists, are gearing up to intensify their agitation against the introduction of GM
(genetically-modified) seeds into the food crops. A series of state-wide protests, including hunger strikes
and night-long torch marches from the farmland suicide epicentre-Maregaon (Sonbardi) in Yavatmal
district, is being planned in the coming weeks. Last week, a state-appointed committee headed by Atomic
Energy Commission (AEC) -Member-Dr Anil Kakodkar quietly met at the Central Institute for Cotton
Research (CCIR), Nagpur, deliberating over proposals submitted by 29 seed companies seeking noobjection
certificate for carrying out field tests of GM food crops in Maharashtra. The secrecy-filled
meeting with members of the committee refusing to furnish details has invited wrath from
environmentalists, ecologists and farmland activists. Talking over phone from Nagpur, farm-land activist
Kishore Tiwari of Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS) said: “The appointment of Dr Kakodkar who spent
his life in Bhabha Atomic Research Centre with a specialisation in mechanical engineering is itself
strange.” “One could have understood if eminent persons with integrity from fields of medicine,
agriculture, environmental sciences, life sciences and social sciences who could have impartially
assessed the impact technology with doubtful records and history, have on human body, environment,
society and people. The introduction of Bt cotton seeds is a case in point of a tragedy that is enacted out
in Vidarbha fields with farmers quietly snuffing out their lives.” Interestingly, even as the Centre and
several lobbyists working for multi-national corporations were tom-tomming about the increase in the
yield, Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil reluctantly admitted that it was time to
review the Bt-cotton use as not only the input cost shot up sky-high but it 'also did not bring any benefit to
the farming community.'Tiwari charged that Dr Kakodkar has been known to toe the government line and
“that is why we have written letters to all Parliament members to save lives of Indian masses by opposing
the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) Bill, 2013. "It is a bill which does not even take into
consideration concerns expressed by the Task Force set up in 2004 to study agriculture biotechnology
under the leadership of eminent agricultural scientist M S Swaminathan....the bill is just a green signal to
allow dumping of dubious technology for experimenting it on Indian masses. “It is surprising that while
western countries go for organic food, our political leaders in Maharashtra surreptitiously allow
clandestine trials of GM seeds in food crops...the fixation is really strange,” Tiwari remarked. (Deccan
herald 12/5/13)
Biju Krushak Yojana launched for farmers’ health insurance (20)

KENDRAPADA: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched Biju Krushak Kalyan Yojana (BKKY) and
unveiled Odisha Agriculture Policy -2013 on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya on Monday, while attending
a State-level Farmer’s Day celebration organised at Tilottamadeipur under Barimula panchayat of
Derabish block in Kendrapada district. Patnaik attended the Bhumipuja and later inaugurated Akhi Muthi
programme, besides exhibition stalls. He distributed subsidized machineries to the farmers. A meeting
was also organised on this occasion. While addressing the farming community, the Chief Minister stated
that the State Government has implemented the Odisha Agriculture Policy, 2013 in the State from
Akshaya Tritiya. A decline in agricultural growth and profitability in the agriculture sector in the face of the
rapid growth of the non-farm sector is a major concern for which the State Government revised its
agriculture policy. In the new policy, the State Government has provided more subsidies in agriculture
equipment, irrigation and also in agro industries. To make agriculture a profitable occupation, the
Government has been providing special attention on irrigation, marketing and using modern technology.
A separate Agriculture Budget this year for farmers worth Rs 11,000 crore was made, he said. Even, in
the budget, importance has been provided to mega lift irrigation projects, check dams and installation of
deep bore wells as the Government targets to provide irrigation facilities to 12 lakh hectares of land. This
apart, a sum of Rs 6,000 crore as agriculture loan only at 2 per cent interest would also be disbursed to
the farmers, stated Patnaik. According to the BKKY, 2.5 lakh farming families, whether under APL or BPL
category, would get the health insurance, while five members per family will be availing insurance of Rs 1
lakh, Patnaik informed. Agriculture Minister Debi Mishra, who attended the function, stated that the BKKY
is a bold step to provide health care facilities to the farming families. Earlier, the farmers’ families, who
were coming under APL category, failed to get benefits. But, now they would be able to avail the
opportunity, he revealed. Others, who were present, included Minister Pratap Keshari Deb, Kendrapada
MP Baijyanata Panda, Patkura MLA Bed Prakash Agrawalla, Kendrapada MLA Sipra Mallick, Rajnagar
MLA Alekha Jena, District Collector Niranjan Nayak and the personnel of Agriculture department. Patnaik
inaugurated Indupur-Birupa bridge and laid foundation stone for a creek irrigation project near Akhadasali
under Aul Embankment Division. Mahakalapada MLA Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak was with him. However,
hundreds of Congress activists led by former Minister Ganeswar Behera and District Congress
Committee president Debendra Sharma courted arrest for staging a protest rally. (Pioneer 14/5/13)
US envoy 'reviews' progress of US-funded agricultural project (20)
PATNA: US ambassador to India Nancy J Powell on Monday morning visited the Sabajpura agricultural
farm located on the outskirts of the city to meet various farmers' groups from different parts of the state to
know about the changes made in their lives following the application of new technologies in the agri
sector. These technologies are being implemented by the Cereal System Initiative for South Asia (CSISA)
project in collaboration with Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). These technologies include
zero tillage, crop intensification, mechanical transplantation of rice, direct seeding of rice, laser land
levelling. CSISA project is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and USAID. It was started in
2009 to boost crop production to substantially improve rural livelihood in South Asia's most important
grain baskets. The Bihar hub of CSISA project consists of 10 districts - Vaishali, Samastipur, Begusarai,
Lakhisarai, Jamui, Patna, Nawada, Muzaffarpur, Bhojpur and Buxar. Powell interacted with various
farmers groups belonging to remote parts of Muzaffarpur, Buxar, Bhojpur and Begusarai districts. She
also interacted with some women farming groups from Rajapur in Muzaffarpur district and assessed their
role in implementing the best management practices and how they have benefited from new
technologies. RK Malik, CSISA Bihar coordinator, explained the best management practices being
demonstrated at the farm and how these technologies had helped farmers improve productivity. The
demonstrated technologies include mechanical transplantation of rice, laser land levelling and direct
seeding of rice. Talking to TOI, Malik said the adoption of mechanical transplantation of rice would help
farmers reduce the input costs incurred in traditional methods, given the fact that workers' wages had
gone up manifold in recent years. Besides, the farmers can also attain improved yield. He said, "Till date,

we have trained 29 field officers from private sector, approximately 850 extension workers including block
agriculture officers and several farmers," he said. BP Bhatt, director, ICAR regional centre, eastern
region, and Andrew McDonald, country representative, CSISA, were also present on this occasion. Later,
Powell met governor D Y Patil and chief minister Nitish Kumar. (Times of India 14/5/13)
3 Vidarbha farmers end lives as CM Prithviraj Chavan applies Rs 2,000 crore balm (20)
Mumbai: A farmer shaves his head at Azad Maidan as their protest enters 100th day. A total of 50
farmers got themselves tonsured on the occasion. Three more debt-trapped cotton farmers in Vidarbha
committed suicide on the same day that Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar and Maharashtra CM
Prithviraj Chavan were in Vidarbha to lay the foundation stone for a Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited
Rs500 crore equipment-manufacturing plant at Mundipar village of Bhandara district. Though they
announced an additional Rs.2,000 crore package to project-affected in the 25-year-old Gosikhurd
irrigation project it has done little to lift spirits in the heartland farmer-suicide country where following this
three deaths the toll this year has risen to 264. Gajanan Gowardhan of village Hirapur in Yavatmal,
Devendra Khandare of village Manjari in Akola and Dayarath Khakare of village Talked in Buldhana are
the ones who ended their lives in the same duration that both VIPs were in the region. "It has come to a
point when the visit of any such leader only magnifies the horror and helplessness for the farmers since
they see nothing happening on the ground to help them," complained Kishore Tiwari of the farmers'
advocacy group Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti (VJAS). Till around 1970, Vidarbha farmers cultivated cotton
using their own seeds. With the use of hybrid seeds, yields increased significantly but so did need for
costly fertiliser and insecticide. Many agriculturists have also blamed royalties for Genetically Modified
Organism (GMO) seeds for the spurt in suicides. In 2002, genetically modified BT cotton seeds arrived.
They are non-renewable terminator seeds and must be re-purchased every year at costs dictated by the
agro-tech majors. In fact in August 2012, technical experts committee appointed by the Supreme Court
recommended a 10-year moratorium on all field trials of GM food, as well as the termination of all current
trials of transgenic crops. "Also, the government has never kept its word on the minimum support price
(MSP) of cotton. Last year, cotton farmers had to take to the streets after the MSP for cotton was fixed at
Rs.3,300/quintal, far below market rates of Rs.4,800," pointed out Tiwari. “Farmers had then demanded
MSP of cotton be raised from Rs.3,300 to Rs.6,000/quintal to cover increases in production costs, but this
has fallen on deaf years.” According to him, "The government, instead of announcing new schemes and
compensation packages which anyway don't reach people could instead simply hike MSP." The
Commission for Agriculture Costs and Prices (CACP) declares MSP of agriculture commodities every
May. It first makes a recommendation in April, following which states send their recommendations. Based
on average country-wide production costs, support prices are announced to ensure prices don't fall lower
than that. This year the CACP has recommended an MSP increase of barely Rs 100/quintal of cotton
taking it to Rs 4,000. "This hike is not commensurate with constant inflation over the years, the volatility in
fuel and power prices, and steep increase in fertiliser costs, among other inputs, not to mention the
minimum wages for farm labourers which have just been increased by the government," explained Tiwari
who added, "At current levels the current MSP won't recover even a part of the increased production
cost." Maharashtra's own agriculture department admits for instance, that production cost/quintal of cotton
is Rs 5,900, up from last year's Rs 5,268. Yet the MSP being offered to farmers is Rs 4,000/quintal.
Attempts to get a reaction from Sharad Pawar drew a blank. Maharashtra agriculture minister
Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil admitted that cotton farmers' have brought this to the state government's
attention. "I've already raised this issue. This involves the Union government. We have asked them to
consider the demands of the farmers." (DNA 16/5/13)
TN: Farmers threaten mass suicides if power tariff increased (20)
Coimbatore: Farmers in Coimbatore region on Friday threatened that they would resort to mass suicides if
government went ahead with its plan to increase power tariff. Representatives of various farmers

associations told a public hearing on tariff revision here that the agriculture sector in Tamil Nadu is
already in the doldrums due to failure of monsoon and resultant drought. "Any upward revision of tariff will
be strongly resisted by all farmers in the state, who, as part of their fundamental rights, are receiving free
government subsidised power," Balasubramanian, secretary, Tamilaga Vyavasaigal Sangham (Tamil
Nadu Farmers Association) said. He said failure of monsoon and farmers's failure to repay agricultural
loans had already led to some suicides in various parts of Tamil Nadu. Marginal farmers would suffer the
most if there was a hike in power tariff, leaving them with no option but to resort to mass suicides. The
hearing was got up on a tariff revision petition filed by Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution
Corporation (TANGEDCO) and Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation (TANTRANSCO) before Tamil
Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission. Prof Govindasamy of Kongunadu Munetra Dravida Katchi and
SR Ragagopal, President, Parambikulam-Azhiyar Irrigation Scheme demanded that TNERC withdraw the
plan to hike the Rs 1,750 annual charges for one Horse Power agricultural pumps to Rs 2,500. Industrial
bodies also came out against TANGEDCO for 'discrminating' against power supply to industries in other
parts of the state, compared to Chennai. (CNN IBN 18/5/13)
Farm sector too cries for attention (20)
BANGALORE: With the expansion of the Siddaramaiah Cabinet, the new government has a Herculean
task to address the agrarian sector, which is in doldrums owing to two consecutive droughts in the state.
The state government had declared 157 taluks as drought-hit and the total coverage area of both rabi and
kharif crops had reduced by 16.21 lakh hectares during 2012-13 from the total net cropped area of about
105.23 lakh hectares. The total foodgrain production in the state was expected to be around 125 lakh
tons against the target of 136.55 lakh tons during 2012-13, according to an economic survey placed
during the last budget session in Karnataka Assembly. Agriculture Department sources said that 100
farmers had committed suicide during the last financial year, thanks to the agrarian crisis. While Bidar
(14), Chitradurga (12) and Hassan (14) districts reported highest number of farmers’ suicides, the cases
reported from other districts are Chikmagalur (8), Davangere (7), Bijapur (6), Haveri (6), Gadag (5),
Tumkur (4), Uttara Kannada (2), Bellary (2), Raichur (2), Mandya (2) and Gulbarga, Kodagu,
Ramanagaram, Belguam and Kolar one each. No such case was reported in nine districts — Bagalkot,
Dharwad, Koppal, Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Chikballapur, Yadgir, Bangalore Rural and Bangalore
Urban. (New Indian Express 19/5/13)
MP urges Chief Minister to rescue farmers affected by drought in Tumkur district (20)
Tumkur: Member of Parliament G.S. Basavaraju has demanded that the Chief Minister go to the rescue
of farmers before they commit suicide in the face of drought in Tumkur district. Addressing a press
conference here on Friday, Mr. Basavaraju said that farmers are in deep trouble as coconut, arecanut
and other crops are withering due to drought in many areas in the State, including Tumkur district. He
said that he has urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to give compensation to farmers whose crops have
dried up. Mr. Basavaraju said that farmers in the State are suffering due to drought for the past two years
and the Chief Minister should waive interest on loans taken by them. (The Hindu 25/5/13)
'Package for farm sector to be announced soon' (20)
Jalandhar: Punjab Deputy Chief Minister today said a comprehensive package for welfare of farmers and
labourers including farm labourers would be announced soon. He stated this on the sidelines of a
religious congregation here on Sunday. During the past 20 days, chief minister Parkash Singh Badal was
involved in evolving a comprehensive broad based package for agriculture sector and labourers, Badal
said adding, the chief minister would announce this package soon. Speaking about steps being taken by
the government to make the state power surplus, Badal said, by December all three thermal plants at
Talwandi Sabo, Goindwal Sahib and Rajpura would be operational. Punjab has already chalked a Rs.
10,000 crore comprehensive plan to strengthen its power infrastructure and utilise additional generated

power in 2014, he said. Directions have been issued to set up a 64 and a 128 KV power stations and the
chief minister has already given his nod to set up the state Power Trading Corporation (PTC), Badal said
adding, the proposed PTC would be a computerised power trading exchange, capable of online power
trading without wasting a single unit. "Punjab would be in a position to sell power to other states and if
allowed, even to neighbouring countries," he said.Assuring uninterrupted 8-hour power supply to the farm
sector for paddy sowing, Badal said Powercom has already tied-up with different sources and the state
was fully geared up for a good paddy transplantation season. (Hindustan Times 26/5/13)
Citizens protest against GM food (20)
BANGALORE: As if in a spontaneous response to a call, as many as 30 citizens came out and
participated in the March Against Monsanto on MG Road here on Saturday. With mottos of “I don’t need
Monsanto entering India” and “I don’t want to eat a genetically modified product”, supporters got together
to protest against Monsanto, the American biotechnology corporation. Protest marches were held in six
continents, 36 countries, totaling events in over 250 cities including Bangalore and New Delhi. Fearing
that the biotechnology-giant will monopolise food in the country, Rachita Taneja, a participant at the
march, said that it was essential to keep the seed giant at bay to protect farmers. “When the wave of Bt
cotton came about few years ago, our farmers went into agrarian distress and committed suicide. We
don’t want that phenomenon repeating.” She feared that the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India
Bill, 2013 that was tabled in the Lok Sabha on April 22 would provide a single window clearance for GM
crops to enter the country. “Monsanto has lobbied a lot for this kind of easy entry and monopoly on our
foods,” Taneja said. Arvind Shivakumar, a member of Greenpeace India, an NGO, insisted on
compulsory labeling of GM foods. “Some day, I might be eating GM rice without even knowing it because
there is no label on it,” he said. “I don’t want such crops to be grown on our soil. It will only push our
farmers into more debts.” Shivakumar further pointed at the lack of transparency in the testing methods
followed by Monsanto. “GM food is not a solution to hunger in our country,” said Swati Mehta, a writer.
(New Indian Express 26/5/13)
Farmer suicides: PIL seeks Rs 5 lakh for each victim's family (20)
AHMEDABAD: A PIL has been filed in the Gujarat high court seeking directions to the state government
regarding cases of farmer suicides and to prevent further suicides across the state in the wake of crop
failure. The petitioner has also demanded that the state government should be directed to pay
compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the family of each farmer who had killed himself because of crop failure.
Bharatsinh Zala, a member of the NGO, Citizens for Resource And Action Initiative, has filed the PIL.
Citing figures obtained under RTI law, Zala's petition reveals that 112 farmers committed suicide between
June 2008 and August 2012, and 40 more farmers had killed themselves after August 2012. Zala has
stated in his petition that the reasons cited for the suicides were crop failure and pressure from financial
institutions for repayment of loans. These details are mentioned in police investigation papers also. The
petitioner has alleged that the state government's claims regarding green revolution and growth in the
agriculture sector are all sham. The PIL also mentions that families of the farmers who had committed
suicide were never given compensation. This was brought to the notice of chief minister Narendra Modi
on several occasions but no corrective step has been taken in this direction, the petition claims. Zala has
sought the court's directions to the state government to pay compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the
families of farmers who had committed suicide. The governments should be directed to waive the loans
given by nationalized banks to such farmers. Among many other prayers, the petitioner has demanded
that the government should ensure that insurance money is given to farmers in case of crop failure and
water should be provided to farmers for farming. The PIL will be heard by the high court when it reopens
after the summer vacation. (Times of India 29/5/13)
Court rejects cops' claim, declares death 'farm suicide' (20)

Ahmedabad: A court in Jamnagar on Monday declared that the death of a Saurashtra farmer last year
was not ''accidental'' as registered by police but a suicide. This adds credence to activists’ claim many
farm suicides are being downplayed and registered as accident by police. Last year, Anirudh Jadeja, a
50-year-old farmer had ended his life after a failed monsoon. Though the family tried hard to convince the
police that Jadeja committed suicide as he was upset over crop loss and debt burden, the police refused
to budge and the incident went down as an “accidental death” in police records. The police also ignored a
substantial evidence recovered from the farmer’s house– a letter addressed to the Gujarat chief minister
in which Jadeja said he was in distress due to debt burden and failed crops – and cited domestic reasons
for his death. Jadeja had also written that he was under constant fear that he would soon hear a knock on
his door by officials of bank to which he owed Rs 11,000. Feeling cheated and let down by the police, an
unrelenting family fought an intense legal battle . On Monday , a court in Jamnagar ruled that Jadeja’s
death was indeed a farm suicide. “We had to contest the claims of the police. He was clearly under
stress. He had a big family to take care of and was under extreme pressure to repay the loan, he had no
option other than taking the extreme step,” said his uncle Lalji Jadeja. Already reeling under severe
economic pressure, the family borrowed money and with the help of some activists fought the case tooth
and nail. “The suicide had left the family without an earning member. But the family and friends decided
to fight it out. We are relieved that the court has upheld our plea,” Lalji said. The situation in Saurashtra
is grim as the region has hardly received any rain in the last year. The last six months have been a
struggle for farmers like Jadeja . However, the government seems to be unfazed by such incidents. Last
year, 62 farmers committed suicide in Gujarat due to failed monsoons. The activists claim that the number
is much more as police refuse to register many such deaths as farm suicides. Meanwhile, families of even
those farmers whose death was recognised as farm suicide are yet to get any government compensation.
RTI activists have been writing letters to government seeking financial assistance to farmers but to no
avail. “It is a sad state of affairs. Till September, 42 such deaths were reported and in the entire year of
2012, as many as 62 farmers committed suicide, but compensation has not been given to the kin of at
least one of those farmers,” claimed RTI activist Bharatsinh Jhala. With an indifferent government turning
a deaf ear to their pleas, the farmers are looking towards the sky for a little help this year. (Deccan Herald
30/5/13)
Debit cards for farmers soon: Sushil Kumar Modi (20)
BETTIAH: Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi on Saturday said the state government will soon issue a debit
card to each farmer so that they could not wait in long queue for the withdrawal of their money. Modi,
while addressing a press meet at Vikash Bhavan after a series of review meetings, highlighted the
farmer-friendly attitude of the state government and schemes proposed to be launched in near future. The
deputy chief minister was on a two-day visit to West Champaran district. He was satisfied with the
performance of banks after a review meeting of the district level bankers and said the banks have
achieved 90% of the target in providing loans to the farmers of the district. The performance of the Bihar
Kshetriya Gramin Bank was, however, not satisfactory, Modi said. The deputy CM further said every
village, according to the population limit, will have a business correspondent with its own office to help
farmers in opening their account, seeking loan and deposit money. "Banks like Central Bank of India, SBI
and Gramin banks have already appointed such officers at many villages. Now the banks will be on the
farmers' doorstep," he said. Moreover, Modi said, every district will have a deputy collector with one bank
as a nodal branch to expedite the provision of loans to those students who want to continue their higher
education. "Only those banks which perform well on this front will get government deposit," he said. After
Valmikinagar, Saraiyavan lake will be developed into another tourist spot in the district, Modi, who spent
Friday evening at the lake located at Udaipur, said. Talking about the killing of wild animals by train in the
past, Modi said fund will be given to environment and forest department to construct a wall along railway
track so that innocent animals don't get run over by trains. (Times of India 2/6/13)

More small farmers selling land, turning workers: experts (20)
CHENNAI: More and more small and marginal farmers are selling their meagre landholdings to become
agricultural workers. This is how agriculturists, policy-makers and economists explain the finding in the
Census for Tamil Nadu: Between 2001 and 2011, the strength of cultivators declined and the number of
agricultural workers went up. In the 10-year period, there was a fall of about 8.7 lakh in the number of
cultivators and a rise of nearly 9.7 lakh among farm workers. With agriculture remaining unprofitable
generally, many cultivators are forced to give up farming and consequently sell their lands. Uncertainty
over water availability, steep rise in inputs, particularly fertilizers, and inadequate procurement price for
food grains are among the factors that drive out farmers from their basic calling. According to the State
Planning Commission’s 12th Five Year Plan document, the overall average size of landholding had come
down from 0.83 hectares in 2005-06 to 0.80 hectares in 2010-11. “What is ironical is that when the scope
for agriculture is shrinking, the number of agricultural workers is on the rise,” says K. Balakrishnan,
president of the Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam and Communist Party of India (Marxist) MLA from
Chidambaram. Farmers not getting fair compensation in times of floods or droughts and cumbersome
procedures associated with crop insurance are other reasons that make the farming community have
second thoughts over continuing with agriculture. S. Janakarajan, professor, Madras Institute of
Development Studies, and a seasoned expert on agrarian issues, refers to the trend of agricultural land
being purchased in a big way by institutions of higher education and companies that are putting up
thermal power plants. “This is happening in the Cauvery delta,” says Prof. Janakarajan, who has just
carried out field surveys in eastern parts of the delta, particularly in the Nagapattinam-Vedaranayam belt.
Pointing out that the big picture is extremely disturbing, he says that pull and push factors are in operation
against farming. While the push factor pertains to the distress conditions in which agriculturists are
placed, the pull factor refers to “greater opportunities,” as viewed by farmers, in urban areas, for their
livelihood. According to him, the most important finding of the Census – the urban boom in Tamil Nadu –
means conversion of rural poverty into urban poverty. However, a senior policy-maker, who had a
considerable stint in the State Agriculture Department in the last 10 years, sees the trend differently.
“What we are witnessing is economic transition. When an economy matures, the contribution of the
primary sector to the overall economy becomes less and less. At one stage, it will stabilise.” What
everyone acknowledges is that given the level of urbanisation in the State, many farm workers are no
longer dependent solely on farming for livelihood. For some months in a year, they get into non-farming
activities such as construction. In fact, another policy-maker says there should be enough avenues for
non-farm income for the agriculturists so that they do not find themselves in economic distress in times of
successive spells of drought. As regards the Census finding on the increase in the strength of farm
workers, not many are willing to agree with it. The policy-maker says that be it in the Cauvery delta or in
Cuddalore-Villupuram belt, the dearth of workers has been the general complaint. S. Ranganathan,
general secretary of the Cauvery Delta Farmers’ Welfare Association, says there is a perceptible fall in
the number of labourers even in the delta over the years. With vast improvement in connectivity, the
practice of people in rural parts of the region going to faraway places for livelihood is no longer
uncommon. (The Hindu 3/6/13)
Samajwadi Party says Food Security Bill is 'anti-farmers' (20)
The Samajwadi Party (SP), which provides outside support to the Congress-led UPA Government, on
Monday said the Centre should not bring the Food Security Bill as it would distress the farmers.
Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agarwal said that the government is moving towards mid-term polls by
deciding to bring in the Food Security Bill. "I feel that by bringing in the Food Security Bill, the government
is going towards mid and we have earlier also indicated the same. The Samajwadi Party opposes this bill
because the bill is against the interest of the farmers. The day this bill is implemented, the farmer would
not get his due amount for the yield and his condition would further deteriorate," said Aggarwal. " The
farmers are already committing suicide for the same reasons but after the passing of this bill, the trend

would gain momentum and farmers all over the country would begin committing suicide," he added. The
UPA Coordination Committee will meet here today to finalise the Food Security Bill. The decision was
taken on Saturday at the Congress Core Group meet held at Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh's
official 7, RCR residence. Meanwhile, UPA Government has an option to get the Food Security bill
passed either in a special session of the parliament, or to implement through an ordinance or executive
order. Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh were present during
Saturday's meeting. Other Union leaders including Ahmed Patel, A K Antony, P Chidambaram, and
Sushil Kumar Shinde were also present in the meeting. Food Minister K V Thomas and Congress incharge
of Andhra Pradesh Ghulam Nabi Azad were the special invitees for the meet. The National Food
Security Bill, 2011, considered to be the world's largest experiment in ensuring food security to poor, has
been a key project of Congress president Sonia Gandhi. It hopes to meet the food needs of 75 percent of
rural households and 50 percent of urban households. The Bill classifies all entitled households as
"general" and "priority".At least 46 percent of rural households and 28 percent of urban households would
be designated as "priority".Every person belonging to a "priority household" will be provided with seven
kilograms of grain per month, comprising rice, wheat and coarse grain. Rice will be provided at Rs.3,
wheat at Rs.2 and coarse grain at Rs.1 per kilogram. Others belonging to the "general category" would be
entitled to not less than three kilogram of grain per month at a rate not exceeding 50 percent of the
minimum support price. (Business Standard 4/6/13)
Farmers protest agricultural policies of Centre (20)
Amritsar: Different organisations espousing the cause of farmers, inlcuding the ones with leftist leanings,
organised a rally and march on Friday to protest against the agricultural policies of the central and state
governments and maintained that these were "against the interests of the small and marginal farmers."
These organisations claimed that the agricultural pricing regime did not seem to be aware of farmers'
problems and that the minimum support price (MSP) of wheat and paddy were "inadequate".The input
costs had increased manifold but the MSPs had gone up by just a couple of rupees in the last few years,
farmer leaders said in a joint statement after the protest. The farmers also rejected the new agriculture
policy formulated by the Punjab State Farmers Commission on the ground that the public-private
partnership proposed therein was not in the best interests of peasants as it would open the markets for
"open exploitation of the farming community by private companies." "The talk on contract farming may
benefit farmers initially but they will become pawns in the hands of private companies in the long run.
Currently, they are exploited by commission agents; then they will be exploited by these companies," the
farmer leaders claimed. The draft of the new agriculture policy was recently submitted to the state
government by the farmers commission chairman GS Kalkat. The draft lays stress on diversification and
shifting area under paddy cultivation to crops consuming lesser water. "The central government has time
and again spoken of doing away with the MSP regime and this is exactly what Kalkat is proposing but in
an indirect manner," they said. During the protest, the leaders also demanded the release of all 11
farmers arrested in connection with the death of a Punjab Police official near Geobala village in Tarn
Taran in March. Those who participated in the protest included Kisan Sangharsh Committee, Jamuhri
Kisan Sabha, Border Area Kisan Sangharsh Committee, Bharatiya Kisan Union, Kirti Kisan Union, Pendu
Mazdoor Union of Punjab and other groups. (Hindustan Times 7/6/13)
Two debt-ridden farmers commit suicide in Andhra Pradesh (20)
Karimnagar (AP): Two debt-ridden farmers allegedly committed suicide in this district of Andhra Pradesh,
police said today. The suicides were reported yesterday from separate villages. Vangapalli Lingaiah, 47,
a farmer of Venkatraopet village in Konaraopet mandal, had raised cotton crop by taking seven acres of
land on lease. For this he borrowed about Rs two lakh from private financiers. He did not get the
expected yield. Unable to pay the loan to the financiers, he consumed insecticide, they said. In the
second incident, Bendrapu Ella Reddy, an agriculturist of Tangallapalli village, hanged himself in his

house. The 45-year-old had also raised cotton crop in two acres but failed to get the expected yield.
Depressed over financial problems, he ended his life, police said. (Deccan Herald 8/6/13)
Punjab draft agriculture policy faces opposition (20)
Chandigarh: Farmer's unions and civil society organizations rejected the draft Agriculture Policy of
Punjab. The members of the associations termed the draft as an undemocratic, capitalist minded and
anti-farmer document. Though the participants also welcomed the initiative to make a state agriculture
policy for Punjab, they were suspicious about the real motive of the proposed draft. A committee headed
by G S Kalkat has prepared the draft Agriculture Policy. It was resolved in the discussion that the policy
needs to be rejected. It was stated that the way the draft policy was prepared is highly objectionable. The
participants expressed their reservation about the non-representation of farmers, ecologists and public
health experts in the drafting process. It was unanimously decided to prepare an alternative draft of state
agriculture policy for Punjab. It is also decided that there should be wider public consultations and
discussions at the grassroot level to prepare this alternative draft. In the keynote address, Dr Om Prakash
Rupela, national consultant of World Bank on agriculture, said the agriculture crisis in Punjab is of a
serious nature and will need bold and extraordinary steps as the solution. (Indian Express 10/6/13)
Banana farmers demand a compensation of Rs. 1 lakh (20)
TIRUCHI: Tamilaga Eri Matrum Aatrupasana Vivasayigal Sangam has urged the State government to
sanction a compensation of at least Rs. 1 lakh an acre of banana that was ravaged by gusty winds
recently. In a memorandum to Jayashree Muralidharan, Collector, P. Viswanathan, president of the
association, said at least 20 lakh banana trees raised in 24,000 acres in 50 villages of Tiruchi district
suffered very badly because of the high velocity winds that struck the region on May 16 and 25. “These
farmers are driven to suicide”. He urged the government to initiate steps to make a “real assessment” of
the damage caused to the banana orchards in Manachanallur , Lalgudi, Thottiyam, Musiri, Srirangam,
and Tiruverumbur taluks. (The Hindu 11/6/13)
Prospect of good monsoon lifts economic confidence: Survey (20)
New Delhi: India's economic confidence improved marginally during the month of May on the prospect of
good monsoon, says a survey by global research firm Ipsos. The survey titled 'Ipsos Economic Pulse of
the World' noted that India's economic confidence rose by three points to 66 per cent in May 2013
compared to the preceding month making it the fourth most economically confident country in the world
after Saudi Arabia, Sweden and Germany."In India monsoon is key to determine agricultural output,
inflation, consumer spending and overall economic growth. Normal rainfall signals growth and prosperity,
as higher farm output would rein in food prices and help the government to take steps to cut the fiscal
deficit and farm subsidies," Ipsos India CEO Mick Gordon said. "A stronger economic outlook can lift
sentiment in equity markets, mainly of companies selling products in rural areas, including consumer
goods and automobiles," he added. Agriculture sector, which accounts for 17-20 per cent of the GDP, is
largely dependent on the rains. So a fall in agriculture "has a ripple effect on the economy"."With 75 per
cent of Indians directly or indirectly dependent on agriculture a good monsoon will boost the output of
several commodities, reducing the burden on imports," the survey noted. The global assessment of
national economies surveyed in 24 countries remains consistent in May as 36 per cent of global citizens
rate their national economies to be 'good'. Saudi Arabia (80 per cent) continued to lead the world on
national economic assessment. It is followed by Sweden (70 per cent), Germany (67 per cent), India (66
per cent) and China (64 per cent)… (Indian Express 11/6/13)
Govt should clarify plan to address farmers' concerns: Karunanidhi (20)
Chennai: DMK Chief M Karunanidhi today said the prospects of ensuing 'kuruvai' (short-term crop) looked
bleak in Tamil Nadu in the backdrop of drought in the Cauvery delta and sought to know what steps

government proposed to take to address farmers' concerns. In a statement here, he also recalled
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramiah's statement that his state could seek a review of the 2007 final
award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal. On June 6, Siddaramiah had said the 2007 award of the
Tribunal had stated that after five years, the required amendment could be made by reviewing the
quantum of water to be released every month. "Since five years have elapsed, it's good time to request a
review," he had said. Karunanidhi, however, contested Siddaramiah, and quoting Dravidar Kazhagam
chief K Veeramani, said the five year period should be calculated from the date of notification of the
award (February 2013) and not the year the verdict was given. The 90 year-old DMK patriarch said water
should be released from Mettur Dam tomorrow, as is the practice every year. Howeve,r there was
disappointment among farmers with no signs of the sluice gates being opened due to low storage levels.
Due to shortage of water last year also, the acreage under crops had shrunk, he said. "I insist that the
government clarify what (steps) it proposes to ensure the livelihood of farmers and that whether kuruvai
crops could be taken up this year," he said. (Deccan Herald 12/6/13)
Ryots want House to discuss suicides (20)
HYDERABAD: Leaders of Medak district Rytu Samakya have demanded that the Assembly and
Parliament should discuss farmers suicide issue. Addressing a media conference here on Saturday, Rytu
Samakya leader Pakala Srihari Rao said that though Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had announced Rs
50,000 each to the families of farmers who committed suicide in the state from the Prime Minister’s relief
fund in addition to Rs 1.5 lakh from the state government, only 150 families of the victims had received
the promised financial assistance. He said though there were thousands of farmers, who committed
suicide since 1998 the officials announced that only 20 to 25 percent of the suicides as genuine.
‘’According to agriculture commissioner’s office, the number of genuine suicide cases of farmers were
only 5,641. But, the PM’s package was not given even to those families,’’ he said. Citing press releases
from the PMO dated July 1, 2004, Rao said during his interaction with farmers in Somayajulapalli in
Kurnool district and Dharmapuri, the PM had announced welfare measures to the affected farmers. He
said in addition to the state government providing Rs 1.5 lakh to the families (vide GO 421 dated July 1,
2004) of those who committed suicide, the Centre would give Rs 50,000 each as grant under Prime
Minister’s relief fund. He had even announced five employment schemes to relieve the farmers from
debts and houses under Indira Awas Yojana, educational facilities for children of bereaved families and
said all public sector banks in AP would take steps to provide financial assistance to the families of the
farmers who committed suicide. ‘’However, none of those promises were kept even in those cases, which
the state government deemed genuine. In the first place, the very process of determining the suicide case
as genuine is riddled with loopholes and stinks of official apathy,’’ he said. He said in the last six months
53 farmers have committed suicide in the district alone. ‘’Unabated farmer’s suicides are a cause of great
concern. We have been trying to bring it to the notice of every one concerned, but to no avail. We have
even filed Public Interest Litigation in the High Court. We urge the government to come out with measures
to prevent suicides and implement PM package in toto,’’ he said. (New Idian Express 16/6/13)
Kerala agriculture faces crisis (20)
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The new banking protocol prescribed by the Reserve Bank of India for the
cooperative sector is feared to bring agriculture lending to a complete halt and render the 1,602 primary
cooperative banks in the State redundant from July 1. Banking sector sources told The Hindu that the
regulator bank had not yet given a specific direction that the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural
Development (Nabard) should stop refinancing cooperative banks which refused to comply with the new
protocol but the onus had squarely been placed on the latter to ensure strict compliance from July 1. No
serious discussions had been held so far for finding an alternative to the crisis set to loom large over the
agriculture sector. The cooperative banks had been told to abide by the regulations, starting with four per
cent capital adequacy by June 30 and raising it to nine per cent by 2015. The banks would then have to

maintain a capital of Rs.4 for every Rs.100 lent. In due course, the banks would also have to be part of
the special business process for retail payments set up by the National Payments Corporation of India
and Real Time Gross Settlement system by September 30. These were meant to set the ground for
introducing direct cash transfer to beneficiaries and ensuring that farm loans were given only to those
having Kisan Credit cards. A joint study by the RBI and the Centre for Socio-Economic and
Environmental Studies, Kochi, on ‘How the poor manage their finances’ had revealed that the cooperative
banks continued to hold sway over commercial banks in rural areas. The commercial banks seemed to
suffer from a perception problem. They were not considered as a friendly neighbourhood institution on
which the rural poor could rely for their financial requirements. The cooperative societies had done much
better possibly because of the borrowers’ familiarity with the functionaries of the society living in the same
village. Overlooking the significance of the cooperative sector, if a decision was made for routing all
payments, including loans, through the commercial banks which continued to be an unfamiliar terrain for
the small and marginal farmers, the farmers may not be able to continue their banking operations at ease.
The proposed regime is feared to keep off marginal farmers who have not yet familiarised themselves
with the new system and thus upset the entire farm sector. (The Hindu 18/6/13)
Protest against corporate farming (20
KAKINADA: Registering their protest against corporate farming, activists of the All India Kisan Mazdoor
Sabha (AIKMS) and Communist Party of India (New Democracy) staged a dharna in front of the
Collectorate here on Wednesday. Raising slogans against corporate farming and demanding that the
agrarian crisis be addressed by the government with immediate effect, the activists resorted to a road
blockade. Addressing the workers, president of the AIKMS district unit N. Raja Rao said that the policies
adopted by the Central and the State governments were throwing agriculture into crisis and the advent of
economic reforms turned into a deathtrap for poor farmers. He said that the farmers were forced to
commit suicide as they were not getting farm loans, seed, fertilizer and pesticides in time. “The
government policies are not at all encouraging to continue agriculture. Instead of increasing subsides and
supporting the peasantry, the government is reducing them day by day,” he said, adding that the situation
was the main reason for the increasing number of suicide by farmers. Leader of the CPI (ML) district unit
Ch. Venkateswarlu, district leaders of the AIKMS J. Satti Babu, G. Adinarayana and others were present.
(The Hindu 20/6/13)
State announces package for flood-affected farmers (20)
BHUBANESWAR: The State Government on Wednesday announced a special package for farmers who
sustained crop loss due to the low pressure-induced heavy rains and consequent flood last week.
Repayment of crop loans of the affected farmers was also deferred for one year without any change in
the rate of interest. Announcing the special package, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said ex gratia
assistance of `2,000 per hectare will be provided to the affected farmers who have suffered crop loss of
more than 50 per cent due to the recent rain and flood. This financial assistance is subject to the ceiling
laid down in the norms of the Calamity Relief Fund and State Disaster Relief Fund. Affected farmers will
also get agricultural input subsidy of `3,000 per hectare for rainfed areas, ` 6,000 per hectare for irrigated
areas and `8,000 per hectare for perennial crops. ‘’The minimum assistance to any affected farmer will
not be less than `2,000 by administering both ex gratia assistance and agricultural input subsidy,” the
Chief Minister said. The compensation will be paid to the actual cultivators after joint assessment by the
Agriculture and Revenue department officials. The Chief Minister said fresh crop loan will be made
available to the farmers for kharif crops and they will not be treated as defaulters for non-payment of their
existing loan. Farmers who have lost paddy seeds or seedlings due to the heavy monsoon rain and
consequent flood will be provided quality seeds free of cost. The State Government will request the
Centre for relaxation of FAQ (fair average quality) norms for procurement of paddy in the affected areas.
The Chief Minister directed the State Civil Supplies Corporation to lift paddy from the affected farmers

through a special drive and ensure payment of minimum support price (MSP) to the farmers. He directed
the Cooperation Department to provide threshing floors and sheds for stocking paddy stacks on a priority
basis. The Government will provide additional seed money of `5,000 to the affected self-help groups
(SHGs) which have taken up cultivation. The district collectors of the affected areas have been asked to
assess the damage caused to the houses of BPL families. Assistance under Indira Awas Yojana and Mo
Kudia will be given to those families whose houses have fully collapsed. They have been further directed
to ensure that families whose houses are damaged are provided assistance for repair and reconstruction
within a week. The incessant rainfall from June 12 to 14 had caused extensive damage in Kalahandi,
Koraput, Rayagada, Nabarangpur and a few southern districts. (New Indian Express 21/6/13)
Indigenous farmers script success story (20)
TEZPUR, June 25 – At a time when there is growing reluctance to practice agriculture due to various
reasons, including the indifferent attitude of the department concerned, a group of local farmers of Saraka
Baligaon area under Bandarmari Gaon Panchayat and Bihaguri development block, located some 20 km
from here, have scripted a success story proving that farming can definitely ensure security of livelihood.
More importantly, the silted land on the banks of the Gabharu river at Saraka Baligaon area covering an
area of more than 100 hectares, under Barchala LAC in Sonitpur district has found friends in Purna Kanta
Basumatary, Budhiram Boro (Sunit), Dhonai Nath, and many others who practice organic farming. It may
be mentioned that the farming land of the area which was once naturally fertile, became unproductive
following siltation by the Gabharu river. However, despite all odds, farmers of the area started cultivation
of different kinds of crops turning the silted barren lands into verdant fields. Paddy cultivation apart,
farming of horticultural crops, mustard, cattle rearing and presently sugarcane cultivation on a large scale
is being practised in the organically managed lands of the area. Presently, about 50 hectares of land in
this area is teeming with a rich growth of sugarcane and arum since the last many years. Here in this
area, each of the farmers has a holding of 10 to 15 bighas of the silted river land on an average. “For the
last many years, sugarcane has been cultivated in the area with other cash crops like arum and potato
with a view to meet the financial needs of the families. We manage to meet the much- needed
expenditure for the studies of our children through cultivation only. Giving recognition to the backbreaking
labour of the farmers like us, Susmita Basumatary who is my brother’s daughter got the eighth
position in the recently declared HSLC examination bringing glory to the area,” said an emotionally
surcharged Purna Kanta Basumatary. He added that the sugarcane produced in this area has a high
demand in this season. Apart from being supplied to other parts of the district, the farmers meet the need
of the local sugarcane juice sellers in and around Tezpur town. Another farmer, Dhonai Nath interacting
with this reporter stated that the farmers earn a good income every year by selling ‘molasses’ during the
winter season when the sugarcane matures. “Economically important crops like sugarcane and arum
have brought us good returns till date,” said Dhonai adding that returns last year by sale of their
organically produced output had touched Rs one lakh. However, it is regrettable that even though there is
a huge Agricultural department, no departmental official has come forward to give any kind of assistance
to these farmers. Expressing total annoyance over the negligence of the Agricultural department, an
elderly farmer of the area, Baluram Boro said, “Our keen desire of utilising these plots fully by cultivating
different crops like sugarcane, paddy, arum, pumpkin, ridge gourd, bottle gourd, tomato, potato, chilly
etc., receives a setback when our pleas to the authorities concerned like Bihaguri Development block and
the agricultural officers sitting in the same office for help including providing a pumping machine or seeds
of different crops is turned down. Since the time of plantation of the saplings of sugarcane till its harvest
and preparation of the molasses, the labour and the expenditure involved is unbelievable, if one does not
see it with his own eyes,” he maintained. “Shuttling from home to the financial institutions, being a sheer
waste of valuable time, we no longer feel disposed to make such plans,” the farmers added. At the same
time, referring to the advantage of organic farming, an agricultural officer of the district, Suramoni Dhakal

said that such farming helps sustain the soil health and if practised commercially, the output fetches very
good returns. Assam Tribune 26/6/13)
Post-suicide, farmers’ families stare at debt burden (20)
Tumkur: “I lost everything, including my son, to drought,” says 70-year-old Muddakka, whose son
Nagendrappa committed suicide in January this year. He had taken loans from a moneylender to sink a
borewell in Bevinahalli in Sira taluk, which has been reeling under drought for three years. Like many
other borewells in the area, his too did not yield water, pushing him into a debt trap. The family has not
received compensation because he had borrowed from private moneylenders. Only families of farmers
who have borrowed from nationalised banks or cooperative societies get compensation. Nagendrappa
grew horse gram and toor dal in his two acres and raised a loan of Rs. 80,000 to dig a borewell as there
had been no rain. Even after drilling more than 700 ft, he didn’t hit water. The wife of the deceased, N.R.
Sumithra, and Ms. Muddakka work as daily wage workers, earning Rs. 50 each a day. Ms. Sumithra has
four daughters aged between one and 10. According to the Agriculture Department, nine farmers have
committed suicide in Sira taluk from April 2012 till June 24, 2013. The number of suicides was five in
2009-10, three in 2010-11 and 12 in 2011-12. Of the sowing area of 76,000 hectares in the taluk,
cultivation was done in 56,000 hectares last year, which shrunk to 1,300 hectares this year. In 2011-12,
the estimated crop loss was 45 per cent; in 2012-13 it was more than 50 per cent. Even those who meet
the eligibility criteria to receive compensation are not getting their dues. The family of Eranna, who
committed suicide on February 11, 2012, at M. Dasarahalli, is yet to get compensation because the
Agriculture Department says there are no funds. His daughter Shruthi told The Hindu: “My mother works
as a labourer and private moneylenders come to our house and ask us to clear the debt.” He had
borrowed from both institutional and non-institutional sources. Minister for Law and district-in-charge
Minister T.B. Jayachandra told The Hindu that funds will be released by July 6 and compensation to the
farmers’ families will be given immediately. The Minister was in the taluk to visit the family of Jayarama
Reddy, who committed suicide on June 21 this year, at Melkunte Gollahalli in Sira taluk. The 44-year-old
marginal farmer had raised a total loan of Rs. 1.5 lakh from institutional sources and private lenders to
sink a borewell that failed. Mr. Reddy’s wife Sannathyamma, who has three daughters, told The Hindu
that she was worried about the future of her daughters. The Minister said the only long-term solution is to
recharge the groundwater table by filling the Madalur tank with water. State secretary of Karnataka Rajya
Raitha Sanga Devaraj B.S. demanded the government increase the compensation from Rs. 1 lakh to Rs.
5 lakh to provide self-employment to members of the deceased farmers’ families. (The Hindu 27/6/13)
Immolation bid by farmers at construction site (20)
GHAZIABAD: Two farmers allegedly tried to immolate themselves in Ramgarh village in Dadri of Gautam
Budh Nagar. The farmers were among a group protesting acquisition of land by a private group for
construction of a 'hi-tech city' project. Other protesters, however, alleged that the two farmers had not
tried to self-immolate, but kerosene was poured on them in an attempt to burn them alive by goons of the
private company to sideline the four-month-old protest. On Wednesday, a group of almost 100 farmers
were protesting at the contruction site when two of them allegedly poured kerosene on them and
attempted to set themselves ablaze. Police said the farmers claim to have been given meagre
compensation for their land. The two farmers were taken into police custody and later released. The
protesting farmers, however, had a different story to tell. "The two farmers were assaulted by some men
who were lackeys for the real estate company. They tore their clothes and poured kerosene on them in
an attempt to set them on fire. The aim was to make this a criminal case which would either scare off the
farmers or allow for great police presence in the area to stop the protest which has been going on for four
months," said Harpal, a farmer present at the site. The villagers, especially Dalit land owners, have been
subjected to similar violence due to land related issues over the last year. In 2012, a Dalit man was
allegedly flung in front of railway tracks when he refused to sell his land. The man lost both his legs. In

March, three dalit families were brutally assaulted by the upper-case Gujjars in the village who had been
pressuring them to sell off the land to the real estate developer. A case of assault was lodged in the case
and the Dalit families, who were attacked, are due to submit their statement to the court. But members of
the assaulted family said that they were being subjected to constant coercion and pressure by the
families to withdraw their case or not give 'damning testimonies'. "The Gujjar men come to us often and
ask us to not get them into trouble. They're afraid that they'll be prosecuted against acts protesting the
rights of our caste and they have been pressuring us ever since the attack was covered by the media,"
said one of those who was injured in the attack. (Times of India 28/6/13)
Left peasant organisation to continue legal battle on farmer suicides (20)
KOLKATA: A peasant organisation of the Left parties in West Bengal vowed here on Tuesday to continue
its legal battle against farmer suicides. The Pradeshik Krishak Sabha had approached the Calcutta High
Court after the Trinamool Congress government in a recent affidavit denied farmer suicides. “The case is
on. Our position is to stand by the farmers who find themselves in distress ever since the Trinamool
Congress government came to power more than two years ago,” the organisation’s secretary Madan
Ghosh said. So far, 87 farmers in the State have committed suicide in the wake of the agrarian crisis.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has admitted only one such suicide, although her government’s affidavit
submitted in the High Court claims there have been no suicides, said Mr. Ghosh who is also a member of
the central committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) The organisation also criticised the
Centre “for bowing to the pressure of Reliance Industries and announcing the hike in price of natural gas
from April 2014.” “It will automatically result in the rise of electricity and fertilizer prices which is totally
against the farmers’ interest. Our organisation is committed to building a strong movement against it,” Mr.
Ghosh added. He criticised the Centre’s decision to reduce subsidies on nitrogen and potassium-based
fertilizers on the ground that the prices have fallen in the international market. (The Hindu 3/7/13)
Food security ordinance anti-farmer: Mulayam Singh (20)
LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Friday opposed the food security
ordinance, saying it was "anti-farmer"."There is a great risk that the law can prove dangerous for farmers,"
Mulayam Singh said. "Wheat, rice and sugar are the biggest agricultural produce. If these are provided at
low cost by the government, who will buy these from farmers? This is a major issue," the SP chief said.
He said that his party had received an assurance from the Union government that the issue would be
addressed. The Union Cabinet has approved a food security ordinance which aims to provide subsidised
food grain to around 67 percent of India's 1.2 billion people. The government, which is in minority and
surviving on outside support, skipped a debate by passing the ordinance, inviting the ire of opposition
parties who slammed the government for demeaning Parliament. The Samajwadi Party, along with the
Bahujan Samaj Party, are presently providing the government support from outside to have a majority in
the Lok Sabha. (Times of India 5/7/13)
ICRISAT launches new projects for farmers (20)
HYDERABAD: Three knowledge-sharing and watershed projects aimed to improve crop productivity in
Karnataka were launched by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics
(ICRISAT) in collaboration with the Karnataka government, JSW foundation and Anandana Coca-Cola
India foundation on Thursday at Icrisat headquarters in Patancheru. The projects which were launched
are ‘KrishiGyanSagar and Krishi Vani: An innovative extension system under Bhoochetana II; Intergrated
Watershed Management in Bellary district and Integrated Water Resource Management in Kolar district.
While launching the projects, Karnataka agriculture minister Krishna Byre Gowda said, “Icrisat started
these projects three years ago and there was a substantial increase in crop productivity in these three
years. These projects which improve productivity in the same lands using better inputs and optimum
fertilizers are important as they help in increasing income of farmers and their lifestyle.” Explaining the

projects, Suhas P Wani, principal scientist, Resilient Dryland Systems, Icrisat, said, “The main aim of
KrishiGyanSagar and Krishi Vani is to provide vital information and knowledge about crops which is not
reaching farmers. This will be done by developing tablet- based programs which will be imparted both in
local language and English at farmer field schools and farm facilitators in all the districts. These
facilitators will also help us in understanding the needs of farmers and also in analyzing the productivity.
We are also developing voice mail systems which will be sent to farmers’ phones.” William D Dar, Icrisat
director general, said, “We see Bhoochetana projects as platforms of green revolution. There was a net
profit of $130 million because of technology and inputs of Bhoochetana project. These projects are very
profitable for farmers as an investment of one dollar can yield $3-12 of returns”. When asked about other
uses of these projects, he replied, “Farmers are participating in the growth of state economy through
these projects. We are also imparting agriculture knowledge in audio and visual forms which will help
farmers, and they can teach other farmers also.” While launching the Integrated Watershed Management
project, Sajjan Jindal, chairman and managing director of JSW group, said, “We thought Bellary is the
right place to launch this project as it is a dryland area. Our idea is to spread it step by step from taluks to
the whole of Karnataka.” (New Indian Express 6/7/13)
101 women farmers write letters in blood to Modi (20)
Rajkot: Women farmers of Junagadh protesting a bypass road project wrote 101 letters with their blood to
Chief Minister Narendra Modi in Vadhavi village near Junagadh, seeking his intervention in the matter, on
Sunday. The bypass is part of the NH 8D which connects Jetpur in Rajkot district with Somnath in
Junagadh. The National Highway Authority of India is building the new bypass as the existing bypass is
"too close to Junagadh city limits".Women from 10 villages affected by the new bypass gathered at
Vadhavi village at 10 am on Sunday, where they wrote the letters in blood to the CM. "Modi used to tell
women at public rallies to write him a 50-paisa postcard whenever they were in trouble. Through these
postcards, we have sought to convey to the Chief Minister that we are in trouble," said Jayna Donga, one
of the women who wrote the letters. "Bhai Shri Narendrabhai, vira, tari bahen dukhi chhe Junagadh
bypass muddey (My brother Narendrabhai, your sister is in trouble over the Junagadh bypass issue)" the
women wrote behind the postcards, which also carried blood-soaked thumb impressions. Donga's father,
Kuman Donga, stands to lose eight bighas of land along the route of the new bypass. "I shall be ruined if
my land is taken away. I hope Modi listens to us and saves farmers from losing their means of
subsistence," Rama Makwana (65), a farmer-widow from Koyali village, said. "We demand Modi should
spare some time to listen to our grievance. We shall continue our agitation and hold a rally in coming
days," said Kalu Zhala, president of Khedut Heet Rakshak Samiti, an informal organisation of the affected
farmers. The farmers demand that instead of building the new bypass from Vadal village to Shapur, the
existing bypass should be widened.,(Indian Express 8/7/13)
Climate study for better agriculture (20)
Ludhiana: Snowfall in Pathankot on January 6-7, 2011, 400 mm rainfall in 24 hours in Ludhiana on
August 12, 2011; -4°C in Bathinda on February 9, 20 12. Coming within such a short span, these
deviations from what is seen as normal for Punjab have caused alarm among agricultural scientists, who
stress the need for continuous research on the impact of climate changes on the agriculture of a state
whose produce feeds half the nation. Punjab Agricultural University established a School of Climate
Change and Agriculture Agro-meteorology this season. It is the country's second agriculture university to
have a specialised department on the subject. Kerala Agriculture University had established its Academy
of Climate Change Education and Research in 2010. "We studied the temperature readings from 1960 to
2012. What we found was alarming. There has been a 1°C increase in the minimum temperature of
Punjab, which is huge," says Dr S S Kukal, director in PAU's School of Climate Change. The increase in
minimum temperature is not a good sign for rice and wheat, says Dr Kukal. "Wheat is a rabi crop and rice
a kharif one. The annual rabi and kharif seasons' average minimum temperatures have increased 0.01 to

0.06°C a year in all districts except Amritsar and Nawanshahar. Production of the two staple crops for
India will be affected by the climate change and we need to find solution to that." The decision to set up
the centre was prompted also by abnormal rainfall spells that can have an adverse impact on agriculture.
"On June 16 this year, it rained 180 mm in a single day in Ludhiana. Now had our department been only
for weather forecasting, we would have closed the matter by saying Ludhiana had got normal monsoon.
But 25 per cent of the total expected rain in one day is not really normal. Most of the rainfall went as
runoff, not into the ground. It is a good spread of rainfall spells that crops need, not all the rain in one
day," says Dr Kukal. (Indian Express 12/7/13)
Farmers see new hope with implementation of irrigation project (20)
Bathinda: Farmers of Nangla village in the district have managed to move away from the tag of a
dependent rain-fed agriculture region to an irrigated region, thanks to the laying of the Underground
Pipeline System (UGPS). Large agricultural areas of Nangla, 15 km from Talwandi Sabo, was just desert
before the introduction of the centrally-sponsored Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) scheme. Most
farmers have small land holdings are poor and it was impossible to grow crops due to a large quantity of
alkali salts coming forth on the alkali surface. Punjab soil and water conservation, department chief
Mohinderpal Singh said that the scheme was implemented in the state in 2010-11."An extensive 8-km
RCC underground pipeline of 700 mm diameter was laid to ferry 3.72 cusecs of canal water for irrigating
the fields of farmers of Nangla village from the Mirjeana Minor." "The total cost of the project was Rs. 1.36
crore, of which Rs. 1.22 crore (90 per cent) was provided as subsidy from RKVY. The rest of the 10 per
cent was contributed by the poor farmers as labour in the form of laying the pipeline." He added that after
the execution of the project, 1,222 acres received assured irrigated water and regular crops could be
grown there .The project benefited 568 farmers, including 30 SC beneficiaries. He said that after
implementation of the project, the yield of wheat doubled from 10 quintals to 20 quintals per acre.
Farmers could also diversify into cotton, fodder and vegetables.He also claimed that land prices had gone
up and farmers were also able to shift to supplementary dairy items like dairying. "The UGPS has not only
helped in saving of farm land under katcha channels but also saved labour and diesel costs. It is a model
village and its success can easily be replicated to other villages," said Singh. (Hindustan Times 14/7/13)
Chhattisgarh's farmer unrest: As landholdings dwindle, govt plans a new law (20)
Durg: Last week, the Chhattisgarh cabinet decided to enact a law that would prohibit the sale of
agricultural land to non-farmers. The law, the bill for which will be introduced in the monsoon session, will
make it mandatory for industries to approach the government for land, which it would buy from farmers.
"The government is bringing this legislation to prevent circumvention of the relief and rehabilitation policy,
with agriculture land being bought by intermediaries but later being sold for industrial purposes," Chief
Minister Raman Singh told The Indian Express on Sunday. Last month, he had said, "They (companies)
set up a project of Rs 5,000 crore, but complain about compensation that is just a fraction of the cost."
There have been at least two recent instances of land being routed to companies in a manner that
government probes later found illegal. In March, two government officers and a land agent were arrested
in Bilaspur district for fraudulently registering 53 acres in Bhadora village in favour of two real estate
companies. The Indian Express reported on March 18 that these companies had bought the land for a
proposed power plant of a company owned by Health Minister Amar Agarwal. And on April 6, agitating
farmers set on fire an under-construction plant of JK Lakshmi Cement in Malpuri village, Durg. They have
been alleging that the company bought the land from middlemen whom they had sold their land to,
unaware that a cement plant would be coming up there. A probe by the then district collector found that
agricultural land had been diverted illegally. Signs of concern about the routes through which land is
being acquired go back much longer. On August 3, 2011, the then AIG (Intel) wrote to SPs of all districts
expressing concern over "farmland illegally bought by industrialists to establish their factories" and
seeking details of all such purchases. (Indian Express 15/7/13)

Find solutions to problems of small farmers: President (20)
New Delhi, July 16 : President Pranab Mukherjee Tuesday called upon agricultural scientists to find
solutions to challenges faced by millions of small and marginal farmersAddressing agricultural scientists
and policymakers at the 85th foundation day celebrations of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research
here, the president drew attention to issues like quality seed production, agro-processing and postharvest
handling of farm produce and development and introduction of genetically modified crops, a
statement said. Mukherjee also asked them to prepare Indian agriculture for climate change. Speaking on
the occasion, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar called for advancing pro-poor agricultural research and
development. He expressed the hope that India would become one of the leading food suppliers to the
world while, at the same time, serving the vast growing domestic market of over a billion people. The
president also launched an SMS portal exclusively for farmers through which farmers can get agriculturerelated
information and advisories as per their needs and location, and in their own language, said the
statement. The president also presented awards to institutions, scientists and journalists dealing with
agricultural research and education. (New Kerala 16/7/13)
Agricultural sector is in a crisis: KPRS (20)
BELLARY: The State-level conference of the Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha (KPRS), which
concluded at Sindhanoor in Raichur district on Friday, emphasised that the State government should
come out with an alternative agricultural policy to overcome the crisis the farm sector is currently facing.
Maruti Manpade, president of KPRS, while briefing presspersons about the resolutions adopted at the
conference here on Saturday, said that agriculture was in a crisis due to the wrong policies of the
government and adoption of neo-economic policies. “The present agricultural policy has failed to prevent
farmers from committing suicide. Moreover, it has paved way for large-scale migration of agriculturists
from cultivation, followed by a shift in their reasoning to become daily wage workers. With this in the
background, the government should come out with an alternative agricultural policy, incorporating the
recommendations of the M.S. Swaminathan Committee report to enable the agricultural sector to wriggle
out of the deep crisis,” he said. Mr. Manpade said that the conference expressed concern over the State
government’s keen interest on promoting corporate farming and bringing in amendment to the Land
Acquisition Act, which would only benefit the corporate sector. “It is the corporate sector that will reap the
benefits and not farmers. The proposed global investors’ meet in July 2014, anticipating a huge
investment in agro-based industries, will not be of any use to farmers, as the corporate sector will make
use of all the infrastructure, including land, water and electricity, provided by the government, and earn
huge profits. Therefore, the government should refrain from bringing in the proposed amendment,” he
said. Mr. Manpade wanted the State government to announce a minimum support price (MSP) with 50
per cent enhancement over and above the MSP fixed by the Union government on various agricultural
produces. U. Basavaraj, general secretary of KPRS, who was present, said that the sangha members
would be staging a 48-hour dharna in front of the offices of all Deputy Commissioner across the State in
protest against corporate farming and forcible acquisition of farmland. Mr. Basavaraj said that the
conference had urged the State government to regularise the ‘bagair hukum’ lands being cultivated in
about 46 lakh acres by over 17 lakh poor farmers, by appointing a committee for the purpose. Similarly,
the government should prevail upon the Union government to bring in suitable amendment to Forest Act
for providing pattas to farmers cultivating on forest land, he said. (The Hindu 21/7/13)
Three more farmers kill themselves as rains damage crops (20)
Maharashtra: Rain fury has seen three more farmers from Yavatmal and Amaravati in Vidarbha commit
suicide in the last 72 hours. The Maharashtra government, it will be recalled has steadfastly refused to
declare a wet drought in Vidarbha, where the otherwise arid region has been lashed with very heavy rains
right from June, leaving it flood-ravaged. Santosh Sidam of Mangi village and Anil Marape of Thanegoan

village in Yavatmal district and Charan Rathode from village Parsoda in Amravati district ended their lives
after watching their standing crop of cotton, soya and paddy submerge and rot. The situation has been
particularly bad in the east Vidarbha which has seen unprecedented heavy rainfall in the last 52 days.
While maximum damage has been to cotton and soyabean crops, paddy, which requires lot of water, too
is being damaged due to the incessant rain and farmers have been forced to sow thrice besides spending
on expensive fertiliser. "Even if the rain stops now, the 5 million hectares on which standing crops have
been damaged will not yield more than 50%. That alone works out to a cumulative loss of Rs 10,000
crores," pointed out Kishore Tiwari from the farm advocacy-group Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti. “We are
receiving ten times the rain we get in a whole month in a day. The administration simply blames it on
localised cloud-bursts but that is not bring any succour to the farmers." Apart from Yavatmal, Wardha,
Chandrapur and Gadchiroli too are reporting heavy crop damage. In fact offcials at the Divisional
commissioner's office admitted bein baffled by reports of crops loss due to floods from the perennially
drought-hit Buldhana as major dams in the region are over-flowing. "There are reports of thousands of
cattle too dying," admitted an official who added, "The respective collectorates in the districts will take a
month to complete the survey and recommend compensation for the loss." Tiwari says conditions are dire
in the region which is already at the epicentre of the country's worst agrarian crisis. “More than 10 million
people in rural Vidarbha are facing difficulty without food, electricity and healthcare. People are angry and
want the government to act quickly and provide them relief." Tiwari has written to the Chief Minister
Prithviraj Chavan and apprised him of the situation. "The Chief Minister's office in its acknowledgement
has said it is forwarding my mail for necessary action," he said and added, "I hope that happens before
things go completely out of hand" (DNA 24/7/13)
Farmers insist on better water management (20)
MADURAI: As rains are scarce even after the onset of the monsoon, the farmers in the district stressed
for better water management of the water released from Vaigai reservoir so that double-crop areas
benefit. After the ryots took to the street demanding water for irrigation of double-crop areas, the
government had ordered the release of Vaigai water on July 15. Though, farmers in the double-crop
areas commenced cultivation works optimistically, their counterparts in other blocks, especially
Chellampatti, Peraiyur and Usilampatti, expressed their concerns about the drastic fall in the ground
water levels in their area. They urged the district administration to consider storing the excess water from
the double-crop areas in tanks to recharge ground water level. "It will be beneficial if the water released
for double crop areas is stored in tanks so that the ground water level rises in the adjacent wells,"
Chellam, a farmer from Alankulam, suggested during the recent farmers' grievance redress meet at the
Madurai collectorate. The farmers clarified that they are demanding water for their survival. S Muthupandi,
a farmer and district secretary of Tamil Nadu Dairy Farmers Association, said even green pastures for the
cattle have disappeared due to water scarcity. "We are not demanding water for irrigation. We plead the
district administration to divert some excess water through Thirumangalam main canal and store it in the
village tanks. It will boost the ground water level and aid the growth of grass for our cattle," he said.
Pandian, president of Madurai District Farmers Association, also pointed out that the water table is very
critical in almost eight of the 13 blocks in Madurai district. "There are nearly 48,856 irrigation wells in the
district and most are dry. The district administration should give thrust to rain water harvesting. Farming
community should be thoroughly sensitised about its importance," he suggested. (Times of India 25/7/13)
Indigenous farmers script success story (20)
TEZPUR, June 25 – At a time when there is growing reluctance to practice agriculture due to various
reasons, including the indifferent attitude of the department concerned, a group of local farmers of Saraka
Baligaon area under Bandarmari Gaon Panchayat and Bihaguri development block, located some 20 km
from here, have scripted a success story proving that farming can definitely ensure security of livelihood.
More importantly, the silted land on the banks of the Gabharu river at Saraka Baligaon area covering an

area of more than 100 hectares, under Barchala LAC in Sonitpur district has found friends in Purna Kanta
Basumatary, Budhiram Boro (Sunit), Dhonai Nath, and many others who practice organic farming. It may
be mentioned that the farming land of the area which was once naturally fertile, became unproductive
following siltation by the Gabharu river. However, despite all odds, farmers of the area started cultivation
of different kinds of crops turning the silted barren lands into verdant fields. Paddy cultivation apart,
farming of horticultural crops, mustard, cattle rearing and presently sugarcane cultivation on a large scale
is being practised in the organically managed lands of the area. Presently, about 50 hectares of land in
this area is teeming with a rich growth of sugarcane and arum since the last many years. Here in this
area, each of the farmers has a holding of 10 to 15 bighas of the silted river land on an average. “For the
last many years, sugarcane has been cultivated in the area with other cash crops like arum and potato
with a view to meet the financial needs of the families. We manage to meet the much- needed
expenditure for the studies of our children through cultivation only. Giving recognition to the backbreaking
labour of the farmers like us, Susmita Basumatary who is my brother’s daughter got the eighth
position in the recently declared HSLC examination bringing glory to the area,” said an emotionally
surcharged Purna Kanta Basumatary. He added that the sugarcane produced in this area has a high
demand in this season. Apart from being supplied to other parts of the district, the farmers meet the need
of the local sugarcane juice sellers in and around Tezpur town. Another farmer, Dhonai Nath interacting
with this reporter stated that the farmers earn a good income every year by selling ‘molasses’ during the
winter season when the sugarcane matures. “Economically important crops like sugarcane and arum
have brought us good returns till date,” said Dhonai adding that returns last year by sale of their
organically produced output had touched Rs one lakh. However, it is regrettable that even though there is
a huge Agricultural department, no departmental official has come forward to give any kind of assistance
to these farmers. Expressing total annoyance over the negligence of the Agricultural department, an
elderly farmer of the area, Baluram Boro said, “Our keen desire of utilising these plots fully by cultivating
different crops like sugarcane, paddy, arum, pumpkin, ridge gourd, bottle gourd, tomato, potato, chilly
etc., receives a setback when our pleas to the authorities concerned like Bihaguri Development block and
the agricultural officers sitting in the same office for help including providing a pumping machine or seeds
of different crops is turned down. Since the time of plantation of the saplings of sugarcane till its harvest
and preparation of the molasses, the labour and the expenditure involved is unbelievable, if one does not
see it with his own eyes,” he maintained. “Shuttling from home to the financial institutions, being a sheer
waste of valuable time, we no longer feel disposed to make such plans,” the farmers added. At the same
time, referring to the advantage of organic farming, an agricultural officer of the district, Suramoni Dhakal
said that such farming helps sustain the soil health and if practised commercially, the output fetches very
good returns. (Assam Tribune 26/7/13)
Maharashtra government admits to rising farm suicides (20)
Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has officially admitted to a rising farm suicide rate that saw, on an
average, more than three farmers taking their own lives every day in the financial year 2012-13. In a
written reply to a question raised in the Assembly, the government said 1,166 farmers committed suicide
in the financial year. Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Patangrao Kadam told the House on Friday that
farm suicides had come down. And this was due to the State’s swift delivery of relief packages. However,
the numbers provided by the government are totally at odds with those logged by the National Crime
Records Bureau (NCRB), the only body that collates suicide data at the national level. It is in fact a
division of the Union Home Ministry. NCRB data for Maharashtra in 2012 show that at least 3,786 farm
suicides occurred last year. And that is almost 450 more than the State saw in 2011. (The Hindu, June
29, 2013: Farm suicide trends in 2012 remain dismal ) The government further confused its numbers in
replies to different questions in the same session. It says 30 drought-hit farmers killed themselves in
Osmanabad and Dhule districts in the first five months of this year. To a specific question about farm
suicides in Dhule district, Mr. Kadam said there were 16 in the first five months of 2013. In another reply,

he acknowledged only nine farm suicides in Dhule in that period as, according to him, only that number
fell under the norms stipulated by the government. Those norms include crop failure, debt and pressure
on the farmer to repay loans. Besides, in the neighbouring Jalgaon district, the government is yet to clear
the backlog of 13 years. It admits to 670 farmers ending their lives in that district over that period. Yet,
despite the announcement of relief packages worth Rs. 3,750 crore from the Centre and Rs. 1,075 crore
from the State, the Maharashtra government admits that only 411 families had received any relief so far.
(The Hindu 28/7/13)
Congress MP demands statehood for Vidarbha (20)
"The demand of statehood for Vidarbha is stronger and older than Telangana," Vilas Muttemwar,
Congress MP from Nagpur, told IANSAmid speculation that the Congress Working Committee (CWC)
could accede to the demand for Telangana, a Congress MP has asked party chief Sonia Gandhi to
consider a separate state for Vidarba. Vilas Muttemwar, Congress MP from Nagpur, told IANS Tuesday
that he has written to Sonia Gandhi demanding that the party leadership consider demand for a separate
state of Vidarbha out of Maharashtra. "The demand of statehood for Vidarbha is stronger and older than
Telangana," Muttemwar, a seven-time member of the Lok Sabha, told IANS. He said that the first state
reorganisation commission had made a recommendation for Vidarbha statehood but the then leadership
in the region decided to join Maharashtra, following "intervention of the then party high command and
assurance that their interests will be protected"."No promises have been fulfilled. There have been 45,000
farmer suicides (in Vidarbha). Thousands have died due to malnutrition. There is no industry," Muttemwar
said. He said there was a controversy over the status of the proposed capital of Telangana but there was
no issues about a capital for Vidarbha. He said they were demanding creation of Vidarbha state by
including 11 districts of Maharashtra. Vidarbha region holds 21.3 percent of the total population of
Maharashtra. (DNA 30/7/13)
Collectors told to enlist farmers under BKKY on mission mode (20)
BHUBANESWAR: The State Government on Thursday directed the Collectors to complete the enrolment
of farmers under Biju Krushak Kalyan Yojana (BKKY), the ambitious health insurance scheme, on a
mission mode. Chief Secretary JK Mohapatra reviewed the progress of the health insurance scheme for
the farmers through video conferencing with the Collectors. The programme rolled out on the occasion of
Akshya Tritiya, which marks the beginning of agricultural activities, aimed at providing health insurance
coverage to people engaged in farming activities. Under the scheme, five members of a family will enjoy
medical benefits of ` one lakh. Around 50 lakh farmer families will benefit from the scheme. “This is an
inclusive programme for universal health coverage of the farmer families,” Mohapatra said and asked the
Collectors to see that the scheme is implemented with liberal inclusive approach. As per the scheme, all
families living on agriculture and allied activities except the income tax payers or assesses are eligible for
health insurance. Landless agricultural labourers are also eligible. Krushak Sathi of Agriculture
Department will identify the farmers and the village agriculture worker (VLW) and agricultural overseer
who will work as field key officer (FKO) will approve the list. Beneficiaries from allied activities like dairy
farming, sericulture, fisheries will be identified by field level officials concerned. Smart cards will be
provided to all the enrolled families. The members of the farmer families enrolled under the scheme will
be provided cashless treatment in the empanelled hospitals. The hospitals will provide the cost of
treatment and surgery which will be reimbursed to them. District level grievance redressal committees will
be constituted in each district with district magistrate or ADM as chairman, District Key Manager as
Convener, Chief District Medical Officer and representative of the concerned insurance company as the
members. (New Indian Express 2/8/13)
18,228 cattle killed, 20,000 hectares of agriculture land damaged in Uttarakhand (20)

DEHRADUN: About 18,228 cattle were killed and 20,000 hectares of agricultural land was severely
damaged in the deluge that struck Uttarakhand'sRudrapryag, Chamoli and Uttarkashi districts on June 16
and June 17. The information was released on Sunday by Uttarkhand principal secretary (agriculture)
Ranvir Singh. Chief secretary Subhash Kumar said residents at different catastrophe-struck areas had
suffered losses of over 10 lakh, with their animals being washed away. Kumar said fodder is being airdropped
to feed surviving cattle in about 200 cut off villages. "Air-dropping maximum quantity of fodder to
domestic animals is on the list of priorities and we are committed to ensure the safety of these animals at
any cost," he said. Kumar said at a meeting of National Agriculture Development Scheme that 93 crores
were sanctioned for 13 new self-employment related schemes under state government including
fisheries, animal husbandry, dairy, organic farming to compensate for the losses that occurred due to the
catastrophe. (Times of India 5/8/13)
Highest Farmer Suicides This Year in Maharashtra: Pawar (20)
New Delhi: Maharashtra witnessed 37 farmer suicides -- the highest among all states -- due to agrarian
reasons till March this calendar year, Agricultural Minister Sharad Pawar informed Parliament today.
Seven farmers in Karnataka committed suicides for the same reason till June this fiscal year while the
number for Andhra Pradesh is 3 till July this calendar year and Kerala just one, Pawar told Lok Sabha. No
such incidents has been reported from other state governments and union territories, he added. In the
whole of last year, 755 farmers had committed suicide due to agrarian reasons, Pawar said. The Minister
said the government has announced several measures to mitigate the hardships faced by farmers,
including Rehabilitation Package of Rs 19,998 crore covering 31 suicide-prone districts in these four
states. Other packages have been announced to mitigate agrarian distress in some states. The Minister
said that the government's focus is primarily on expansion of farm income, creation of non-farm income
opportunities, improvement in productivity of rain-fed agriculture and increasing coverage of farm areas
under protective irrigation. (Outlook 6/8/13)
Sikh farmers of Kutch meet Manmohan, Sonia (20)
JALANDHAR: The issue of eviction of Sikh famers from Kutch region of Gujarat reached Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday as a delegation of affected farmers
met with senior Congress leaders from Punjab. The PM asked Union law minister Kapil Sibal to look into
the issue and extend legal support to these farmers from Punjab and Haryana in the Supreme Court
where a petition, filed by the Gujarat government on the issue, is scheduled for hearing on August 27.
The affected farmers were taken to PM and UPA chairperson by Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee
(PPCC) president Partap Singh Bajwa and six MPs from the state, including two Union ministers of state,
and one from Haryana. Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi has already made it clear that he would wait
for the decision of the apex court even as Punjab unit of BJP and its alliance partner Shiromani Akali Dal
wanted his government to withdraw the case. "The Prime Minister assured that their case would be
contested by the best lawyers in the Supreme Court," Bajwa said after meeting Manmohan and Sonia.
"The PM heard us patiently and assured that our interests would be guarded, and we shall be provided
best legal support," said Surinder Singh Bhullar, one of the six farmers, who were part of the delegation.
"Sonia also issued directions to Gujarat Congress president and asked him to assure all support to the
farmers of Kutch region and champion their cause strongly in every forum," revealed Lachhman Singh
Brar, another farmer. Bajwa apprised the PM that these farmers were invited by the then PM Lal Bahadur
Shastri after the 1965 India-Pakistan war to make the land cultivable and help guard the country's
borders. Bajwa also told the PM that proceedings initiated by the Modi government against these farmers
reflected his anti-minority and anti-farmer mindset and demolished his bogus claims of development.
Bajwa further told PM that Modi's divisive politics were danger to the unity and integrity of the country.
Leaders who accompanied Bajwa included ministers Preneet Kaur and Santosh Chaudhary, MPs

Mohinder Singh Kaypee, Sukhdev Singh Libra, Vijay Inder Singla, Ravneet Singh Bittu, all from Punjab,
and Deepender Singh Hooda of Haryana. (Times of India 7/8/13)
Farmers protest, seek compensation announced by state government (20)
Ludhiana: Hundreds of farmers sat on dharna outside the Deputy Commissioner's office on Thursday and
demanded the compensation announced to the families of the farmers who had committed suicide from
2000 onwards due to debt. The state government had announced compensation of Rs 2 lakh per family,
but a number of family members of the farmers have not yet been given compensation to date. Darshan
Singh Koohli, general secretary of Bharti Kisan Union (Ugrahan), said, "We have demanded Rs 5 lakh for
each family and jobs as well." (Indian Express 9/8/13)
Campaign against use of pesticides in Bangalore (20)
Bangalore, Aug 12 : Leading organic food firm Sresta Natural Bioproducts Monday launched an eight-day
campaign here against use of pesticides in growing food products. "Our campaign 'freedom from
pesticides' is to generate awareness about ill-effects of pesticide contaminated food and promote organic
food as the best alternative for being healthy," Sresta managing director Rajashekhar Reddy said on the
occasion. Highlighting benefits of organic food over conventional food products, Reddy said the campaign
would cater to eco-sensitive consumers who prefer to have natural food all their life. "Organic is not a
mere label but a lifestyle and starts from the time food products are grown. The campaign is to offer food
materials which are devoid of pesticides or other harmful products to society," he said. During the
campaign, the company is offering 30 percent discount on all its '24 Mantra' organic products to
consumers through leading stores such as Food Bazaar, Nature's Basket, Spencer's Tesco, Wal Mart,
Mother Earth, Hypercity and other retail outlets. "Organic farming practices to restore soil purity, enhance
soil aeration and water retention capacity is the optimal way to assert commitment to the ecosystem,"
Reddy pointed out. Regretting that compromises were made on the purity of food consumed, Sresta chief
executive N. Balasubramanian said grave issues in the food space like pesticide residue, adulteration,
genetic modification and unhealthy storage practices were being ignored at the cost of healthy. "Going
forward we intend to double the area under organic farming to 80,000 acres from a network of 12,000
farmers, cultivating 50,000 acres and introduce new products like healthy snacking range," he said. The
Hyderabad-based Sresta does organic farming with small farmers in 15 states, including Andhra Pradesh,
Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh and
processes about 8,000 tonnes of food materials in 46 cities across the country. "We work with farmers
directly to ensure organic integrity and provide quality, great-tasting products. All our products are
certified for the US, European and Indian organic standards. (New Kerala 12/8/13)
Give us title deeds or allow us to die: bagair hukum farmers (20)
Tumkur: As many as 12 bagair hukum farmers from Tumkur have made an appeal to the President, the
Prime Minister and the Chief Minister to either give them title deeds of the land they have been cultivating
for more than four decades or allow them to end their life. These are among the 160 bagair hukum
farmers of seven villages in Sira taluk who have been cultivating government land at Mudigerekaval near
Sira town for more than 40 years. They grow groundnut, cotton, coconut trees and are dependent on the
land for their living. Mudigerekaval has 4,108 acres of government land, of which 3,075 acres of land
belongs to the Forest Department. These families have been cultivating the remaining land for more than
40 years albeit without title deeds. They have repeatedly staged protests over this issue, and on August
21, 2012, three farmers tried to commit suicide by consuming pesticide on the taluk office premises of
Sira town. One of them (M.G. Thimmaraju) died, while the other two recovered but arrested by the police.
They were in prison for nearly a month. Cases were registered against seven farmers for abetting suicide.
They are still struggling to pay the advocate’s fee. Srinivas M.G. of Mekarahalli said: “The government
must permit me and my family members to die as we completely depend on this land for my living.”

Tahsildar of Sira taluk S.B. Kulkarni, however, said that as per the rules, the land which is within 5 km
radius of Sira City Municipal Council (CMC) cannot be granted and Mudigerekaval is within 5 km radius of
the city municipal council. (The Hindu 14/8/13)
Farmer suicides: Compensation for 23 families still a mirage (20)
Tumkur: Unable to pay debts, as many as 23 farmers committed suicide in Sira taluk alone in the last
three years. The majority of their families, however, are yet to receive compensation from the State
government. Under the current system, only the families of farmers who had taken loans from district cooperative
societies and nationalised banks, are eligible to get compensation. Those who had borrowed
from private institutions will not receive any aid. A total of 12 farmers in 2011, six in 2012 and five in 2013
committed suicide in the taluk. Of these, 11 families of farmers have been deprived compensation.
Families of 13 farmers who died of snake bites and three who were killed in accidents in the last two
years, are also yet to recieve compensation. However, District In-charge Minister T B Jayachandra, who
is also the legislator from Sira, seems to be oblivious to their plight. “The legislator has made no attempt
to raise the issue in the House,” farmers said. Zilla Panchayat member C R Umesh urged the government
to follow the Andhra Pradesh government model in providing compensation to victims’ families. The taluk
has been suffering from the effects of severe drought for five years. Groundnut — the major crop here —
has failed. Groundnut is grown in 50,000 hectare in the taluk. The plants have dried up for want of water
and most of the borewells in the taluk have gone dry. “Water has not been found even at depths of a
thousand feet but the authorities have not shown interest to address the issue,” farmers complained.
According to sources, the crop loss to drought forced farmers to obtain loans. (Deccan Herald 16/8/13)
Punjab plans fresh survey on farmer suicides (20)
PATIALA: In what would reveal the exact gravity of the agriculture crisis in Punjab, the state government
has decided to conduct a fresh survey to ascertain the actual number of farmers and agriculture
labourers, who committed suicide in the state till April 2013. The data available with the state government
-- according to which, 6,926 farmers and farm labourers had committed suicide -- is for 2000 to 2011.
Sources said the government has called a meeting of senior economists and other experts of Punjabi
University, Patiala, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, and Guru Nanak Dev University
(GNDU), Amritsar, to chalk out a plan to start the survey. These universities had conducted a similar
survey earlier also. The present data is an outcome of different surveys conducted by the three
universities. The PAU and GNDU had conducted a survey of 11 districts till 2011 and Punjabi University
had surveyed the suicide cases in seven districts of southern Punjab. However, data for two districts --
Bathinda and Sangrur -- which were the worst-affected, is available till 2008, when the PAU had
conducted a pilot study for both the districts and revealed for the first time the gravity of agriculture crisis
prevailing in the state. Finance commissioner (revenue) N S Kang said, "The data is for different time
spans. One university did the survey up to 2008, another up to 2010 and the third till 2011. The plan now
is to complete the survey up to 2013 all over the state. A meeting has been called for this purpose."
Sources, however, said that the base year was likely to remain the same even in the new survey.
According to present data, a total 6,926 farmers and labourers had committed suicide in the state, of
which 3,954 were farmers and 2,972 labourers. It also revealed that 75% farmers committed suicide due
to debt while 29% labourers ended their lives for the same reason. The state government had announced
Rs 2 lakh compensation to each of the victim families in 2008. (Times of India 19/8/13)
Survey points to rising suicides among farmers, farm labourers (20)
PATIALA: Contrary to tall claims by both state and central governments about reining in the suicide trend
among farmers and agriculture labourers of Punjab, a survey conducted by state's universities revealed
that the number of suicides in the past decade either remained largely unchanged or increased. Data
pertaining to the worst affected six districts, which had witnessed 90% of total suicides, shows that the

trend of committing suicide due to "debt and other reasons" had refused to die down in rural Punjab,
which is grappling with agriculture crisis since the past more than two decades. According to the survey,
out of total 6,926 suicides recorded in Punjab from 2000 to 2010, over 6,200 suicides were reported from
six districts - Moga, Bathinda, Mansa, Sangrur, Ludhiana and Barnala. The survey, the first and the only
one conducted in the entire state so far, revealed that 551 farmers and agriculture laborers committed
suicide in these districts due to debt and other reasons in 2000. The figure continued to be around 550 till
2008, when the suicide count shot up to 750 in these districts. Although after 2008 no such survey was
conducted in Bathinda and Sangrur , which were the worst affected, the breakup figure pertaining to other
four districts showed that total suicide count of farmers and agriculture labourers kept on increasing till
2010. Similar is the scenario in cases, where victims committed suicide citing inability to repay the debt.
Pertinently, after much hue and cry, the Punjab government had taken the initiative and roped in Punjabi
University, Patiala, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana and Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar to
conduct the first-ever survey. The SAD-BJP government puts the blame on central government's policies
for the agriculture crisis in the state. Eminent economist and director of Centre for Research in Rural and
Industrial Development (CRRID), Chandigarh, Sucha Singh Gill, said the government had been taking
only "curative, but not preventive, measures" to check the suicide trend in the state. "There is a need to
address the issues of rural society, like education and health, which drain a good part of income and
employment generation in non-farming sectors. The crisis would prevail until the government takes these
steps," said Gill. (Times of India 22/8/13)
MNREGA has no adverse impact on agriculture sector: Jairam Ramesh (20)
New Delhi: Rejecting Agriculture Ministry’s claim that MNREGA operations have affected availability of
labourers for farm operations, Rural Development Ministry on Thursday said the scheme had no adverse
impact on agriculture sector. Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh, in a written reply in Lok Sabha
said, “MNREGA has enhanced the employment opportunities in agriculture and related activities and has
not substituted them.” Citing National Sample Survey Organisation data, which reveals that majority of
MNREGA workers are impoverished small and marginal farmers, Mr Ramesh said, “Permissible works
under MNREGA have been expanded to include agriculture and its related activities.” This will enhance
productivity in the agriculture sector, he said. The Minister said a few studies commissioned by the Rural
Development Ministry on the impact of MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
Guarantee Act) scheme have shown that it led to improvement in rural infrastructure. “Increase in
agriculture wages and enhanced bargaining power of rural poor, reduction in soil erosion and
enhancement in soil organic matter, improvement in ground water table and agricultural productivity and
cropping intensity” are among some of the major findings of such studies, he said. (The Hindu 23/8/13)
Farmers on the brink in rain-hit Vidarbha (20)
YAVATMAL: In Yavatmal district more than 60 per cent of the fields is water-logged There is hardly any
food left in her house. The floods claimed most of her belongings. Now without work for two months, 35-
year-old Renuka Shende is worried. “Soon we will be left with only water to quell our hunger pangs,” fears
the daily wage labourer from Bhimakund in Vidarbha’s Yavatmal district. Renuka’s family is among the
100 households forced to flee their village after a devastating flood in June. Today, they are encroachers
on government land, a hillock close to Bhimakund. The raging waters of the Painganga river had left the
village water-logged for days. It’s the fifth flooding this year alone, leaving them with no home and no
crops. A grim picture, replicated across Maharashtra’s Vidarbha belt already infamous for the highest
number of farmer suicides in the country. Over 150 people have been killed in the heavy rains this year,
which caused most of the rivers to overflow. Across the belt, 20 per cent of the crop has been destroyed.
The epicentre of the crisis is Yavatmal district where more than 60 per cent of the fields is water-logged.
Yavatmal has seen over 50 farmer suicides this year. A fifth of them in the month of August alone,
estimates Vidarbha Jana Andolan Samiti (VJAS), the farmers advocacy group. The wrecked fields drove

cotton farmer Anil Bapurao Marope from Yavatmal’s Ghatanji tehsil to swallow poison in July. “My
husband sowed the field in the first week of June but our farm got water-logged in the flood. He had to
sow again just 20 days later,” says his widow Radhabai Marope. Faced with a Rs. 45,000 debt which
started spiralling, he ended his life. Radhabai now has to fend for herself and their four children. Prem
Rathod, a farmer from the same region, says almost every farmer has had to sow the same crop twice
this season. “Our fields are still water-logged. We will have to wait for a month or two before sowing
again,” he says. In the neighbouring district of Wardha, some farmers have sown their crop more than
three times in a span of two months. Faced with growing unrest, the Maharashtra government announced
a package of Rs.1934 crore for Vidarbha’s farmers weeks ago. The money, however, can be released
only after the district administration estimates the damage done. The official survey is still incomplete.
“We have completed 90 per cent of the survey and we hope to complete it by this month-end,” says
Yavatmal Deputy Collector Rajendra Deshmukh. Farmers’ groups have contested the survey saying it
has drastically underestimated the damage. In Washim, the official survey has estimated that 43,000
hectares of crop was destroyed. The VJAS argues that the figure is almost twice as high, at more than
80,000 hectares. A reason why farmers are already cynical. “The government has not yet compensated
us for the floods of 2006. We don’t expect the money this time. Even if it comes, it will be too little,” says
Narendra Reddy, village panchayat member of Arli village in Ghatanji tehsil where more than 500 acres of
crop is still waterlogged. (The Hindu 25/8/13)
Flood-hit worried farmers seek enhanced compensation (20)
AMRITSAR: Farmer groups of Majha region have sought enhancement in compensation for crop damage
due to floods, saying the current relief amount is too less to offset the losses suffered by farmers. They
even fear that crop failure due to floods could lead to frustration and suicidal tendencies among farmers
on account of rising debt or financial strain. Farmer Bura Singh of Kohrian village in Sangrur district had
recently committed suicide due to financial problems. "Suicide of a farmer in Sangrur is an indication of
growing suicidal tendency among farmers due to heavy losses. More farmers following suit can't be ruled,
since they have suffered massive crop losses," said general secretary, Border Area Sangharsh
Committee, Rattan Singh Randhawa. In the past one week, torrential rains and overflowing rivers have
damaged major kharif crops like paddy, basmati, sugarcane and maize in the Majha region comprising
Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran and Pathankot districts. State president of Jamhuri Kisan Sabha Dr
Satnam Singh Ajnala said they had sought per acre compensation of the damaged crops to the tune of
Rs 30,000 for paddy, Rs 25,000 for maize, Rs 60,000 for sugarcane and Rs 40,000 for American cotton,
besides Rs 2 lakh for those who had lost their homes. Mangal Singh, a farmer, said that there was no
clarity over the compensation announced by the state government. "If it is Rs 5,000 per acre then we will
not accept it, the loss is much more. At least we should get what we have lost," he argued. Dr Satnam
said farmers of flood-affected villages in the districts falling under Jalandhar division would hold
demonstration in front of the office of divisional commissioner on August 29 seeking appropriate
compensation to prevent farmers from getting frustrated, which could lead to suicides. Crop failure
coupled with rising debt is weighing on the minds of farmers. Most of them had pinned hopes on a good
crop to meet their expenses and pay off the loans taken from banks, moneylenders or other institutions.
Sheetal Singh Talwandi, a farmer of Talwandi village, whose seven acres paddy crop is submerged, told
TOI, "Future is very bleak, I don't understand how I will meet the family expenses. My crop is dying and
the only hope left is compensation from the government." According to rough estimates of Jamhuri
Sabha, nearly 800 acres of paddy and basmati crop were submerged in Ranian and Kakkar while in Baba
Balaka, Tarn Taran and Patti, more than 28,000 acres of fields were hit by floodwater. In Ajnala sector,
worst-affected villages include Talwandi, Chak Aul, Chann Kalan, Bhagupur Bet and Molaeka. According
to agriculture experts, submergence leads to effusion of soil nutrients, physical damage, increased
susceptibility to pests and diseases, which eventually leads to complete or partial damage to plants.

Amritsar chief agriculture officer Dilbagh Singh said that the department had intiated survey of the
damaged crops. (Times of India 28/8/13)
Land acquisition: Farmers' protest continues in Bihar (20)
PATNA: Thousands of local farmers and social activists gathered at Bihta in Patna district on Sunday in
support of the seven farmers who are on fast-unto-death against the state government's allegedly wrong
land acquisition policy. The seven farmers - Dr Anand, Sahdev Rai, Amarnath Pal, Ajit Singh, Kaushal
Kishore Tiwari, Ravindra Singh and Anand Kumar - have been on fast for the last seven days while
Simmi Kumari and Om Prakash Singh joined them on Sunday. Dhirendra Kumar, a farmer, said,
"Danapur SDO and ADM, Patna, came to meet the farmers three days back but after that no one from the
administration tried to contact us. The doctors attending on the farmers on fast had rushed Sahdev and
Kaushal to PMCH on Saturday night as their condition deteriorated. The remaining five are also not well."
According to another farmer, Dharmendra Kumar, the problems started after the state government started
acquiring 1,500 acres of land through Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority (BIADA) in Bihta area
for the mega industrial park and IIT campus. Around 536 acres of land has been allotted for the IIT
campus. "The farmers of the area are not receiving the same amount of compensation from the BIADA.
Some farmers got Rs 24,000 per kattha while others got Rs 1.50 lakh per kattha. We are protesting
against the discrimination," he said. The farmers claimed that the land being acquired was known as
three-crop land. Even garma dhan (summer paddy) used to be grown there as it has a chain of canals
originating from river Sone. "Initially, we thought it would be good for us to sell the land to government at
reasonable price. But we have been fooled by the administration as at present, a kattha of land is priced
between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 15 lakh in the area. A few years ago, it was available for only Rs 2-2.5 lakh
per kattha," said Virendra, a farmer. However, Patna DM N Saravana Kumar told TOI, "The government
representatives are in touch with the protesters and persuading them to call off their fast. We cannot
implement the 'Ek pariyojana, ek rate' policy for the Bihta land as it was acquired at different times under
different notifications by the BIADA." Members of different opposition parties reached the place on
Sunday to extend their support to the agitating farmers. Ratnesh Choudhary, member of Aam Admi Party,
said, "The state government should clearly inform the farmers about the compensation rates." (Times of
India 2/9/13)
Farmers sit on dharna, seek compensation (20)
Ludhiana: Hundreds of farmers sat on dharna outside the Deputy Commissioner's office on Monday
afternoon and demanded the compensation announced to the families of the farmers who had committed
suicide from 2000 onwards due to debt. The dharna was organised by kisan unions under the banner of
CPI. The state government had announced compensation of Rs 2 lakh per family, but a number of family
members of the farmers had not yet been given compensation to date, said Kartar Singh Bowani, general
secretary of kisan union of CPI. He said that they also gave a memorandum to the DC in this connection.
Dharnas were organised at the district level in the entire state. A few more kisan unions would be sitting
on dharna on September 15 on the similar issue, he added. (Indian Express 3/9/13)
Suicides increase as rain submerges crops in Yavatmal (20)
Nagpur: Just a month before his death, the 40-year old from Vidarbha’s Yavatmal district had sowed his
5-acre field and was hopeful of a good cotton harvest. But heavy rain washed away his crop, forcing him
to sow seeds for the second time that month. Unable to repay mounting debts, he decided to take the
extreme step. Anil is not an exception. Fifty-five farmers like him have killed themselves in Yavatmal in
the last three months alone, according to official figures. In fact, during this period, government figures
are even higher than those reported by activist groups, indicating the severity of the crisis. Farmers
advocacy group Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti recorded 23 suicides over the last three months. Yavatmal

is the epicentre of the farm crisis in Vidarbha, a region that reports the highest farmer suicides in the
country. This year, the rain fury has added to the crisis. According to official figures, more than 60 per
cent of the crop in Yavatmal has been submerged in floods. District Collector Ashwin Mudgal has said the
farm produce this year from this district will be 50 per cent less than the average. “We have asked the
State government to provide Rs. 64 crore to compensate farmers,” he said. “August has always
witnessed higher farmers’ suicides in Yavatmal. This year, from August 1 to 30, 23 farmers killed
themselves in the district,” he added. Yavatmal has reported 141 suicides in 2013 so far. “The cropland
was damaged twice or thrice during the sowing time. Farmers invested everything they had. There is only
a slim chance of harvest. If nothing is done now, the region will witness a flood of suicides,” said Gajanan
Ahmadabadkar of Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghtana. The Maharashtra government had announced a
package of Rs.1934 crore for Vidarbha’s farmers in August. But the district administration has only now
received relief funds meant for farmers affected by the 2006 floods. Activists fear that such delays will
only deepen the crisis. (The Hindu 4/9/13)
Lack of easy credit forcing farmers to commit suicide: Narendra Modi (20)
Gandhinagar: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Monday attacked central government on the issue
of farmers' suicides, blaming it for not facilitating easy bank credit for the agriculture sector. "Because of
cumbersome banking processes and under the burden of debt farmers are resorting to suicide...Around
2,70,000 farmers have committed suicide in past 20 years," Modi said, after inaugurating the Vibrant
Gujarat Global Agriculture Summit 2013 at Mahatma Mandir here. "Central government is merely talking
about banking sector, about NABARD, but it is very painful to state that even today less than 30 percent
of farmers are able to avail of bank loans. Rest are forced to take loans from private money lenders who
are charging such a high interest rate that it destroys farmers," Modi said. "Banking process is so
cumbersome that it does not benefit farmers. Why can't we have farmer-friendly banking process? Unless
we make it more farmer-friendly we won't be able to save our farmers," he said. "Netherlands is producing
8.9 tonnes per hectare of wheat while India has 2.8 tonnes per hectare capacity. Peru, a tiny country in
terms of agriculture, is producing 125 tonnes per hectare sugarcane, whereas we are producing 66
tonnes. In Banana production, Indonesia has average of 60 tonnes per hectare while in India it is 38
tonnes," he said. Taking potshots at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he said, "Couple of years back I
suggested to him that a legal provision should be introduced to make 5 percent natural juice content
compulsory in every aerated drink, like Pepsi, Coca Cola, Fanta. This will help our farmers a lot. But the
suggestion was ignored under the pressure of multinational companies." (Zee News 9//9/13)
Suicides among farmers can be prevented: expert (20)
VIJAYAWADA: Krishna district along with Vijayawada Urban and Vijayawada Rural Police divisions has
the second highest number of farmers’ suicides in the State in 2012. The information secured through RTI
by Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA) revealed that 268 farmers (Krishna district-116, Vijayawada
city-98 and Vijayawada Rural P.S.-54) committed suicide in the district last year. This was next only to the
number of suicides in Karimnagar district where 439 farmers committed suicide. Anantapur is next with
249 farmers committing suicide. According to the official figures 2,572 farmers committed suicide in 2012,
CSA researcher Kanneganti Ravi has said. Farmers are prone to suicide because of their traditional
mindset and easy availability of poisons. Suicide of farmers can be prevented by identification of the
warning symptoms, said Vijayawada Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (VIMHANS)
psychiatrist Vishal Indla. Talking to The Hindu on the World Suicide Prevention Day (September 10) Dr.
Vishal said a study by the Society of Occupational Medicine found farmers had higher levels of
prevalence of depression, particularly male farmers, who had higher anxiety levels. Farmers, who lived in
villages, were prone to social isolation and it was this seclusion that led to lower awareness about mental
health and reduced ability to cope with social issues. One recent study concluded that those having
extensive financial worries expended more of their mental capacities on them than on their day-to-day

affairs. It was like “putting out fires” and they lose their capacity to deal with other tasks sending them on
a downward spiral, Dr. Vishal said. Suicides could be prevented by identification of warning signals like
depression, low moods, escaping work, increased fatigue, crying spells, low self esteem, drastic change
in sleep pattern and pessimistic view of future. Those who show these warning signals for more than two
weeks should be referred to a mental health care facility immediately, he said. (The Hindu 11/9/13)
‘Govt has defrauded farmers by invoking old land Act’ (20)
Chandigarh: Taking strong exception to Punjab Government’s “hasty” move of issuing acquisition notices
for Mullanpur urban estate-II under the previous Land Acquisition Act of 1894 even when the new Act has
been passed by the Parliament and awaiting President’s approval, Punjab Congress on Tuesday said
that it has “unmasked SAD-BJP Government’s anti-farmers stand”. “Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal
and his deputy son Sukhbir Badal are the biggest enemies of farmers. They could have waited for
another one or two weeks before issuing notification when there is no urgency in the matter,” said
Congress MLA from Mohali Balbir Singh Sidhu. He said that the Congress would make people aware of
their rights under the new Act and the sinister designs of SAD-BJP Government. “Congress would protest
against the Government decision if notification is not withdrawn immediately,” he added. “The haste with
which land acquisition notification under section 4 of the 1894 Act is issued has unmasked the anti-farmer
face of SAD-BJP Government. The Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha have already passed the new bill and it
would become an Act after President signs it,” said Sidhu. He said that it was matter of few weeks that
Land Acquisition Act, 2013, would be implemented. “SAD-BJP Government has played a fraud with the
farmers whose land is being acquired for New Chandigarh project,” he added. Sidhu said that under the
new Act, the land of farmers could not be acquired unless 80 percent of the land owners agree to it and
they have to get rate at four times the collector rates of land in that area. “They will also get displacement
allowance equal to value of the land as per the new Act,” he added. The MLA further pointed that under
the previous Act, farmers would get only Rs 1.50 crore per acre whereas under the provisions of new Act,
the compensation would be as much as Rs 6.40 crore per acre. For the New Chandigarh project, 335
acre land would be acquired. (Pioneer 11/9/13)
In Modi’s global agro summit, farmers treated as state guests (20)
Gandhinagar: For the 4,500 farmers who participated in it, the Vibrant Gujarat Agriculture Summit 2013
organised on September 9-10 was nothing short of a getaway. The farmers, from 29 states and two
Union Territories across the country, were hosted as state guests for three days. Lodged in two-three star
hotels for what the Narendra Modi government claimed was the first such event in the country, the
farmers couldn't have hoped for a better paid-for retreat. For 38-year-old Mrinal Das, a farmer from Kurivill
village in Barpeta district of Assam, a trip to Gandhinagar to attend the summit turned into a journey of his
lifetime. "I had never stepped outside my district. In fact, I boarded a train for the first time to come here. I
got Rs 51,000 cash reward for my progressive work and attended international seminars. For the first time
in my life, I stayed in an air-conditioned hotel room,'' said Das, who boarded the train to Howrah on
Wednesday, along with eight other farmers from Assam. "We stayed in a two-star hotel in Gandhinagar.
The facilities were very good'', said Shadul Islam, another farmer from Assam. A group of 28 farmers from
Chhattisgarh stayed at a three-star hotel. The state government had engaged both private and GSRTC
buses to transport farmers from their respective hotels in Ahmedabad to Gandhinagar. In Shadul and
Das, Modi has found new ambassadors. "Hum to unme doob gaye. Bahut achcha kaam karte hain (We
are quite impressed by him/Modi. He is doing very good work),'' said Shadul. "Our entire expense,
including to-and-fro train tickets, boarding and lodging, and local conveyance were not borne by us. We
did not have to spend a single penny. We were told that the Gujarat government was funding our trip,"
said Ravindra Thakur, a farmer from Semalyachau village near Indore in Madhya Pradesh (MP), who was
put up at a newly-built Formula One hotel for the two-day event. (Indian Express 12/9/13)

Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti flays Sharad Pawar on farmers' suicides (20)
NAGPUR: In light of the Union agriculture minister's visit to the region for assessing the damages caused
to the crops on account of excessive rain in the month of July, Yavatmal-based Vidarbha Jan Andolan
Samiti (VJAS) run by farm activist Kishore Tiwari has expressed its dismay. Yavatmal, where VJAS is
based, is known as the heartland of farmers' suicides as the maximum number of suicides has been
recorded in this district. Tiwari has said that the current visit by Sharad Pawar was nothing but a move
with political intention and not for bringing any succour to the farmers in crisis. Similarly, Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh had visited the region and after which the mega debt waiver scheme was announced.
In this move, debts of more than Rs 700,000 crore were written off. But despite this, farmers continue to
be driven to suicide because of penury. Tiwari has claimed that this visit by Pawar is like rubbing salt on
the farmers' wounds. The VJAS press release issued here has cited the case of Sadashiv Kinake, a
farmer from Yavatmal who committed suicide on the day of Pola — a festival which holds much
importance for the peasant class. According to VJAS' claims, he ended his life as he could not arrange Rs
1000 for the festivities. The crop in his fields was damaged due to heave rain and Kinake was already
reeling under huge debt. VJAS' has claimed that the suicide of another farmer Nagorao Soyam happened
due to agrarian crisis. VJAS says Soyam hanged himself as there was no food in his house. (Times of
India 15/9/13)
Vidarbha farmers abandon costly cotton for easy soya (20)
YAVATMAL: In Amravati division alone, area under cotton has almost halved, from 15 lakh hectares to
8.15 lakh hectares Vinod Khade and his five brothers are among the big landowners in Vidarbha’s
Yavatmal district. They own 225 acres, which they used to plant with cotton. But this year, they have
grown soyabean. Mr. Khade, who is also Sarpanch of Wadgaon Ghatge village, started growing
soyabean a decade ago. “The rising cost of cotton cultivation, the poor price for cotton and labour
problems made us think about another crop,” he says. Mr. Khade’s family is not the only one that has
switched from cotton to soyabean. Nearly 90 per cent of the villagers have followed their Sarpanch suit.
Across Vidarbha, a region infamous for suicide by cotton farmers, many families are turning to soyabean.
In the Amravati division — which includes the districts of Amravati, Washim, Akola, Buldhana and
Yavatmal — the area under cotton has almost halved over the past five years, from 15 lakh hectares to
8.15 lakh hectares. “In the same period, the area under soyabean has increased from 8 lakh hectares to
15.6 lakh hectares in the division,” says Ashok Lokhande, Amravati’s Joint Director of Agriculture. In
Yavatmal, which accounts for the highest number of suicides among farmers in Vidarbha, cotton has
been replaced by soyabean on 88,000 hectares in the past one year. “In 2013, the area under cotton and
soyabean is almost equal,” District Agriculture Officer D.I. Patil says. Farmers say they cannot afford to
grow cotton any more. “Cotton is not profitable even if the government gives [us] Rs.10,000 in minimum
support price, because the production cost of Bt. cotton is very high. With soyabean, you can be sure of
recovering at least production cost,” says Prem Rathod, a farmer of Ghatumba in Yavatmal. Officials say
soyabean takes less time to harvest than cotton, so farmers can think of growing a second crop in the
same year. (The Hindu 19/9/13)
Farmers stage stir against land reservation of their lands.. (20)
NASHIK: Hundreds of farmers agitated in front of the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) office on
Saturday against reservation of their land for various purposes in the civic body's new draft development
plan (DP). They demanded that the draft DP should be rejected in the NMC's special general body
meeting scheduled on Monday and a new one must be formulated. They have threatened to commit
suicides on the premises of NMC if their demands are not fulfilled. The farmers alleged that their lands
were reserved in the new draft DP and that of the builders close by were spared. They said that the
reservations in the last DP were shifted to farmlands. The farmers said that in the final DP of 1993, 534
reservations (on 3,000 acres land) were on farmland of which the NMC is yet to acquire 192 reservations.

They said that in the new draft DP, there is no reservation on builders' lands. "In the new plan, around
876 reservations (on 4,500 acres land) are on farmlands. Farmers should have been taken into
confidence when the DP was being prepared. Even when the DP was presented in the house, the
opposition by farmers was not taken into account," said one of the agitating farmers. They demanded the
civic body that the letter comprising their demands and concerns is read out in the general body meeting.
The farmers said that the municipal commissioner should immediately write to the state government
regarding the rejection of the draft DP. They have also demanded that the officials of town planning
department should inspect the spots to gauge the situation and the 7/12 extract of lands bought by the
builders in the last three years must be sought and the lands be reserved. "We are ready to part with 5%
lands reserved as per the market rates. A family member of a farmer, whose land has been reserved,
should be absorbed by the NMC as per educational qualifications. The NMC should also give us
compensation for fruit trees, which will be hacked due to reservation," said another farmer. "In 2004 in
group (gat) no. 108-113 in Satpur, 2.5 acres land of an industrialist was reserved for sewage treatment
plant. However, the said land has been de-reserved and a reservation of 3 acres has been put on my
land at gat no. 107. How is this possible?" said Arjun Kathe, a farmer. "Six acres land for residential
purpose and 2 acres land for DP road has been reserved from my 11.5 acres land at Makhmalabad," said
Narayan Kakad, another farmer. Similarly, Ganesh Maule of Satpur said that his 14 acres land has been
reserved for a playground and fire brigade office. "However, 26 acres land belonging to an influential
person just beside my land has not bee reserved," he said. Haribhau Phadol, deputy municipal
commissioner, who was handed over the memorandum by the farmers, said, "Their emotions were very
strong. I will forward the memorandum to the municipal commissioner and convey their feelings." (Times
of India 22/9/13)
2 Maharashtra farmers end lives (20)
Mumbai: Barely a week after Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar toured the flood-ravaged Vidarbha
region, two heavily indebted farmers killed themselves on Saturday, taking the total number of farmer
suicides in north-east Maharashtra to 62 this monsoon. Landless labourer Thavru Rathod, tilling land that
was taken on lease, killed himself in the village Kinhala. In Salod village, Shriram Talmale, another
farmer, also committed suicide. Both were in debt, with their fields severely damaged by rain.
Postmortems on Sunday revealed that they had consumed pesticide; ironically, the families of these
deceased agriculturists will not be eligible for compensation since the land the farmers were cultivating
was not under their name. Talking to Deccan Herald from Nagpur over the phone, farmland activist
Kishore Tiwari said: “In Vidarbha, one in three farmers till land taken on lease. The recent suicides
indicate a deeper malaise ravaging not just Vidarbha but the entire country, and despite this being an
open social reality, the government has refused to take cognisance.” (Deccan Herald 23/9/13)
11,000 farmers died in MP in 5 yrs: Scindia (20)
Vidisha/Ratlam/Shajapur: MP Congress campaign committee chairman Jyotiraditya Scindia said on
Monday 11,000 farmers committed suicide in the state in the past five years, posing a challenge to chief
minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who had said farmers were like God to him. Addressing public meetings
in Vidisha, Ratlam and Shajapur, Scindia said while the farmers committed suicide, the agriculture
minister (Ramkrishna Kusmaria) made fun of them, saying that they were just repenting their sins. Scindia
alleged law and order in the state was at its worst.Attacking Chouhan for illegal mining in the state, he
said ‘SS’ meant Shivraj Singh but in MP ‘SS’ also meant (Sudhir) Sharma, a miner, and (Dilip)
Suryavanshi, a builder. I-T sleuths had raided the two businessmen. Congress general secretary
Digvijaya Singh said he was prepared for a debate with Chouhan on the work done during his (Digvijaya
Singh’s) regime as CM.Union minister Kamal Nath said the BJP had been misleading the people for long
and exposed before. MP Congress affairs-in-charge Mohan Prakash and MP Congress president Kantilal

Bhuria also attacked the state government for alleged corruption and illegal mining in the state.
(Hindustan Times 24/9/13)
Ensuring a need-based support system for farmers (20)
COIMBATORE: Heeding the call of the State Government to provide need-based support to farmers,
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) held a Farmers’ Conference, here on Friday, to collect inputs
from stakeholders. The conference, which went on non-stop for six hours, was chaired by Agriculture
Minister S. Damodaran. The event, where 30 farmers from as many districts, presented their views, was a
culmination of a month long exercise that started with obtaining feedback at the Panchayat Union, Taluk
and district-levels, the media, and political parties. Commissioners and Directors of six allied departments
were also present to hear what the farmers had to say. According to Vice-Chancellor of TNAU K.
Ramasamy, this is the first step in the Government’s plan to transform agriculture in the State that would
lead to increasing the production twofold and the farmer income threefold. That the exercise was a
serious effort was seen from the fact that the output received so far was released in the form of a booklet
and distributed to the 500-odd farmers who participated in the conference on Friday. Mr. Damodaran said
that this first-of-a kind initiative was to formulate schemes and measures for farmers based on their need.
This would be in keeping with the Chief Minister’s policy that “people are not for schemes, but schemes
are for people.” “All the suggestions are good and acceptable so much so that nothing can be rejected.
Farmers have gone into much detail to come up with these and it will go a long way in transforming
agriculture. We will try to implement these suggestions as soon as possible,” he said. Suggestions
pertaining to other departments such as Revenue and Public Works will also be represented to the
respective ministers and officials,” he added. He urged farmers to adopt the latest technology and
equipment, developed by TNAU, to make agriculture profitable. Sandeep Saxena, Agricultural Production
Commissioner and Secretary to Government, Tamil Nadu, the outcome of the exercise was to make the
‘Vision Tamil Nadu 2023’ a reality by ensuring “food security to food surplus and smile on the face of the
farmer.” “The focus is also to increase the use of equipment by the farmer with the help of the Department
of Agricultural Engineering. This was to address the problem of labour shortage. This will be done based
on a census that will ascertain the need and supply. Individual farmers have a limitation in bargaining.
This can be overcome by creating Farmer-Producer Companies that will bargain, decide the price, and
market the produce,” the Commissioner said.M. Rajendran, Director of Agriculture, and Satyabrata
Sahoo, Commissioner of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, were present besides others. The inputs
received on Friday would be sorted and classified under different headings and consolidated with the
inputs received so far before submitting a final draft to the Agriculture Minister, Mr. Ramasamy said. (The
Hindu 28/9/13)
Debts killed 1.98 lakh farmers in a decade: Report (20)
New Delhi: About 1.98 lakh farmers committed suicide in India between 2001 and 2012 as the benefits of
high growth failed to trickle down to the rural areas, says the India Rural Development Report 2012-13
released on Thursday. Indebtedness and lenders confiscating land have been attributed as the main
causes of the farmers’ deaths. Around two-third of the farmer suicides were reported from Maharashtra,
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Depicting the darker side of India’s
growth story, the report also shows why the poorer states show the smallest improvements in the
prevailing multi-dimensional poverty scenario. The report was prepared by a government-funded
Infrastructure Development Finance Company and released by rural development minister Jairam
Ramesh. As per the findings, around 65% of India’s poor lived in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam,
Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh in 2011-12, against around 50% in 1993-94.
Discussing the report, Ramesh said India had made 'a great but spotty advances'in rural infrastructure.
Around 57% of the land degraded in the country was because of man-made reasons including extensive
use of chemicals in farming. The report also said that from modest two lakh pump sets to extract

groundwater exploded to over 20 million in 2009. This has been driven by green revolution policies and
subsidies on pumps but it has resulted in one-third of country’s districts been termed 'unsafe' for ground
water extraction. (Hindustan Times 29/9/13)
Land acquisition act will help tribals and farmers: Jairam Ramesh (20)
Mumbai: The pathetic track record of rehabilitation and resettlement of more than three crore displaced
tribals since independence is the key cause of Maoist problem in India, said Jairam Ramesh, Union
Minister for Rural Development in Mumbai on Sunday. The Minister said that the new land acquisition bill
will ensure that the displaced tribals and farmers get their due rights. The act, renamed as ‘The Right to
Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013’
has been signed by the President of India and is expected to be notified within next two months. The
Central Government has changed the 119 years old act, which was said to be the root cause of number
of struggles by tribals and farmers against the forceful acquisition of their lands. The new act has been
opposed by activists like Medha Patkar, claiming it as less progressive than expected, and by a few
business groups, claiming it to be against industrialisation. Mr. Ramesh claimed that the act will not work
against idustrialisation and urbanisation. “I am happy that the act is opposed by both sides. Which means
that I have taken a middle path and that is good for the country,” he said, calling the concerns as
exaggerated. Mr. Ramesh said that though at first glance the financial price for land acquisition seems to
go up, it will bring down the social price of it. He made it clear that the government cannot force
industrialisation and urbanisation on people by police firing. “The less conflict driven and tribal and farmer
friendly path of industrialisation will be paved by this act,” he said adding that new act will also be
applicable for land acquisitions of all future Special Economic Zones. The Minister accepted that
misplaced and unkempt land records in the country are major reasons for trouble over land acquisition.
The National Land Record Modernisation Program is expected to ‘reasonably update’ the land records
across the country in next four to five years. (The Hindu 29/9/13)
Maharashtra expects farmer suicide cases to drop by 70 percent in FY14 (20)
Mumbai: The Maharashtra government on Wednesday said it is taking steps to insulate farmers from
adverse market and weather conditions by helping them to have a regular income, and expects suicide
cases in Vidarbha region to come down by 70 per cent this financial year from 2007-08, when this tragic
phenomenon peaked. "The major problem in the affected districts (of Vidarbha) are that farmers mainly
were into monocropping in khariff season. They had to sustain themselves during the entire year from the
income of only one season. We are now encouraging them to grow pulses, horticultural crops, floriculture,
soyabean after harvesting khariff crop," Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said.
In Vidarbha, the main suicide prone districts are Akola, Amrawati, Buldhana, Washim, Yeotmal and
Wardha. Farmer suicides were at its peak in 2007-08 with 2,395 cases, according government figures.
Patil said that under the Prime Minister package Rs 3,750 crore and Rs 1,075 crore in the state package
has been set aside for various subsidies and training programmes for farmers in this region. The state
government is providing quality seeds of these crops at 50 per cent subsidy, he added. The minister
further said that the government is also encouraging diary and fodder, which will help providing regular
income to farmers throughout the year, he added. Besides, an assistance of Rs 25,000 per family is given
towards purchase of farm equipment, seeds and building storage among others, he said. Drip irrigation
sets are given at 50 per cent subsidy to farmers with more than five acres farm holding and 60 per cent to
those with less than five acres. "We are also encouraging group farming and green houses to cultivate
horticulture produce and floriculture in these six affected districts," he said. At present, there are more
than 50 green houses in the suicide prone districts of Vidarbha. "We are undertaking many more
initiatives to improve the farmers conditions in the Vidarbha region, which we expect will bring down the

suicide case by 70 per cent this financial year from the peak of 2007-08," the minister added. (Zee News
2/10/13)
Punjab to hold second round of farmers' suicide survey (20)
PATIALA: To ascertain the exact count of farmer suicides in the state, the government has finally decided
to conduct the second round of survey, which would reveal the number of farm suicides from 2010 up to
March 2013. However, giving a cold shoulder to the demand for a fresh survey from various farmers'
organizations, who said that scores of cases were not recorded in the first survey conducted for 2000-
2010 period, the state has decided that surveyors would record only those suicides which took place after
2010-11. "There would be no relook on cases left out in the first round," said an expert, who would be
associated with the second round of survey. Sources said the government had decided to conduct the
second round of survey at a meeting with economists of Punjabi University, Patiala, Guru Nanak Dev
University, Amritsar and Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana on August 24. However, the
decision was conveyed to the universities just a day back, they said. The PAU would co-ordinate the
entire survey and submit a report within one year, they added. While Punjabi University will conduct
survey in Hoshiarpur, Faridkot, Ropar, Fatehgarh Sahib, Muktsar, Mohali and Patiala districts, PAU would
survey the worst affected Moga, Mansa, Barnala, Bathinda, Ludhiana and Sangrur districts. The
remaining districts will be covered by GNDU. Reacting to the government decision not to count the cases
left out in the first round, Sukhdev Singh Kokri, general secretary of BKU (Ugrahan), said, "Not only
recounting of leftover cases, we demand that the survey should be conducted afresh by taking 1991 as
base year, when economic reforms were introduced in the agri sector. Since the government did not
accept our demand, we will continue our agitation demanding inclusion of the cases excluded from the
survey. There are scores of such cases in villages across Punjab." (Times of India 4/10/13)
Rahul bats for farmers, sees Amethi as future farm hub (20)
Amethi: Noting that farmers are suffering due to problems in the food supply chain, Congress Vice
President Rahul Gandhi on Monday said there is need for ensuring better compensation for the farmers
against their produce. Rahul, who laid foundation stone of a mega food park in Jagdishpur here, said that
right from production of crops to their landing on the dinner table, the farmers, despite putting their
maximum effort, get minimum benefit. "While a farmer sells potato between Rs 6 to Rs 10 per kilogram,
those who make potato chips sell it at Rs 400 per kg," Rahul said. He further said that while Uttar
Pradesh produces some famous varieties of mango, which are even exported to countries like US and
Britain, the farmers who grow it get paltry returns. The local MP saw immense possibility in development
of Amethi as an agricultural hub. "The thought is that whether its mango, mentha or aonla, whatever is
produced in UP, maximum processing is done in Amethi. It should become an agricultural hub," he said.
The food park is developed by the Aditya Birla Group and Rahul said the group will be investing Rs 200
crore in it. He said that 50 units will be set up at the park, that will provide direct jobs to some 2,500
people, besides giving indirect opportunities to 25,000 others and benefiting as many as 40,000 farmers.
Rahul said a cargo terminal can be set up at Fursatganj air strip in Rae Bareli, from where the processed
food items can be send to other parts of the country. The Congress MP said he fought for re-operating
the Hindustan Paper Mill at Amethi and once inaugurated soon, it will provide employment to some
10,000 people. Citing Bengalore's example, Rahul said the way it became a hub of science-based
industry after setting up of HAL unit (Indian Express 7/10/13)
Telangana could mean dry days for Andhra farmers (20)
Hyderabad: Chirala Bheema Rao, a farmer from Guntur district of coastal Andhra, fears the worst poststatehood
for Telangana. Rao, 60, cultivates paddy and chillies on a nine-acre plot. Kandrika, his village
in a semi-arid zone, is dependent on water brought by the Nagarjuna Sagar canal from the river Krishna.
“What if the Telangana government raises the height of the Jurala Project or checks the flow of water

when we need it the most?” he asks. The Indira Priyadarshini Jurala Project is a barrage on river Krishna
in Mahbubnagar district of the Telangana region. The river is dammed again at Srisailam in Rayalseema
before it reaches the Nagarjuna Sagar. Rao has a point. Andhra Pradesh farmers suffered after
Karnataka raised the height of the Almatty dam, leading to a water war between the two states 10 years
ago. Farmers in Guntur worry all the more because the district records low rainfall, though the
Rayalseema areas are more parched. Guntur’s average annual rainfall of 853mm is much less than most
Telangana districts such as Adilabad (1,157mm) and Khammam (1,124mm). “Without assured supply of
water, we will be forced to cultivate millet and other less remunerative crops,” Rao says. Lower annual
rainfall (603mm) in Mahbubnagar district — where Jurala is —adds to Guntur’s woes. Jurala’s priority is
servicing the fields in Mahbubnagar, which translates into scanty water for Guntur farmers if monsoon
fails. Farmers across coastal Andhra up to West and East Godavari districts face a similar situation. They
are agitated over the Godavari waters that flow through Telangana onto their lands. Canals of the rivers
Godavari and Krishna irrigate more than 900,000 hectares in Guntur, Krishna, East and West Godavari
districts. Now considered India’s rice bowl, these four districts were barren before the rivers Godavari and
Krishna were dammed. Farmers thus dread a return to the bad old days. Adding to their anxiety is chief
minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, who is convinced that creating Telangana would lead to water wars. At a
media conference a few days ago, Reddy took a sip while explaining the water issues: “Let me have
some water now. Don’t know what the situation would be tomorrow.” Reddy also said the Srisailam and
Nagarjuna Sagar projects were possible because of the united status of Andhra Pradesh. The projects
on the river Krishna straddle Telangana and coastal Andhra. (Hindustan Times 15/10/13)
BJP: Marginal hike in MSP for wheat an anti-farmer move (20)
New Delhi: The BJP today expressed disappointment over the “marginal” increase in the minimum
support price for wheat by the Government and said the Farmers’ Commission recommendation that it
should be 50 per cent of the cost of crop production be adopted. “BJP is disappointed with the
Government decision to increase MSP for wheat only marginally. This is an anti-farmer move of the
Government as it has increased the MSP by only Rs 50 when the cost of production has gone up by Rs
200 per year,” party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said. In its meeting yesterday, the Cabinet had
increased the MSP for wheat from Rs 1,350 to Rs 1,400. BJP said the cost of production was above Rs
1,400 in the last season. “BJP demands that MSP should be calculated in line with the Farmers’
Commission recommendations. The Commission has set the formula that MSP should be 50 per cent
above the cost of production. “Such MSP would be the real remunerative price for farmers. The
Congress-led Government is continuously denying justice to farmers,” Javadekar said. The party
demanded that MSP be hiked to 50 per cent of the cost of production immediately. “If the farming
community gets justice, the agriculture labour also gets justice and the whole rural economy looks up. But
with such a demotivating MSP, food security will be in doldrums,” Javadekar said. (Business Line
18/10/13)
Two farmers commit suicide (20)
BALASORE: Two farmers of Balasore district allegedly committed suicide after the flood washed away
their houses, crop and cattle. While Nityananda Gochhayat (28) of Kathapal village under Gopinathpur
panchayat ended his life by hanging himself from a banyan tree on Friday, Balaram Jena (35) of Jamsuli
village consumed poison on Thursday. Gochhayat’s family members said while their paddy crop was
damaged, goats, a bullock and valuables were swept away in the flood water of Budhabalanga. Jena had
cultivated paddy in around five acres of land which was his only source of income. As the crop was
completely damaged in the deluge, he lost his mental balance and consumed poison, said his family
members. He was rushed to Baliapal community health centre where he succumbed. (New Indian
Express 19/10/13)

Farmers in Punjab at receiving end: Partap Singh Bajwa (20)
Amritsar: Punjab unit of Congress on Sunday lashed out at the SAD-BJP government for slow
procurement of paddy and the delay in payment of Minimum Support Price (MSP) to the farmers for their
crops. Farmers in the state were at the receiving end due to the callous attitude of the coalition
government, state Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa told reporters at Chamiari village near here.
Farmers were forced by commission agents sell paddy to private companies in connivance with
government officials, he said, adding private players were buying the paddy at Rs 1,085 to Rs 1,100 per
quintal against the MSP of Rs 1,345 per quintal. Punjab government was expected to procure about 130
lakh tonnes of paddy but during the first 20 days only 20 per cent stocks have been procured, he said.
Bajwa rejected the criticism by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who blamed UPA government for
meagre hike in MSP of paddy. He said this year UPA government enhanced MSP by Rs 50 per quintal
and reminded Badal that the MSP of paddy has been increased by Rs 800 per quintal over the last 8
years. The main responsibility of procurement of grains was with the state government as the Food
Corporation India buys only 10 per cent of total paddy, the Congress leader said. It was a matter of
shame for SAD-BJP government that Punjab which led the nation in green revolution was ranked at 18th
place among 20 states in the agriculture growth, he said. The peasantry of Punjab was most heavily
burdened in the country next to Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, Bajwa said, adding the rural debt in
Punjab is estimated to be more then Rs 35,000 crore which has resulted in farm suicides. As per the
latest survey conducted by Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana, about 5,000 farmers and farm
labourers have committed suicides during the last 10 years, Bajwa added. (Zee News 20/10/13)
No compensation for farmers of Jharsuguda yet (20)
JHARSUGUDA: In the impact of Phailin that battered some parts of Jharsuguda district, paddy, banana
and vegetable crops in five blocks have been damaged. Lakhanpur and Kolabira blocks were affected the
most. According to agriculture office sources, paddy crop in total 1713 hectares was damaged including
500 hectares in Kolabira , 412 hectares in Jharsuguda, 301 hectares in Lakhanpur, 190 hectares in
Kirimira and 300 hectares in Laikera block. Similarly, the farmers, who cultivated vegetable in 60 hectares
in Lakhanpur block, have sustained heavy loss. Though officials from Agriculture, Horticulture and
Revenue department have already visited the affected areas to survey the extent of damage, no
compensation has been paid to the farmers so far. Deputy Director of District Agriculture department
Benudhar Panda said preliminary survey on the quantum of loss has been completed and Rs4,000 per
hectare will be paid for complete loss of the crop. Basudeo Bhoe, a farmers’ leader of Lakhanpur block,
said this amount is very negligible as a farmer usually spends Rs 30,000 to 40,000 per hectare for
cultivation of any crop. (New Indian Express 21/10/13)
No compensation for farmers of Jharsuguda yet (20)
JHARSUGUDA: In the impact of Phailin that battered some parts of Jharsuguda district, paddy, banana
and vegetable crops in five blocks have been damaged. Lakhanpur and Kolabira blocks were affected the
most. According to agriculture office sources, paddy crop in total 1713 hectares was damaged including
500 hectares in Kolabira , 412 hectares in Jharsuguda, 301 hectares in Lakhanpur, 190 hectares in
Kirimira and 300 hectares in Laikera block. Similarly, the farmers, who cultivated vegetable in 60 hectares
in Lakhanpur block, have sustained heavy loss. Though officials from Agriculture, Horticulture and
Revenue department have already visited the affected areas to survey the extent of damage, no
compensation has been paid to the farmers so far. Deputy Director of District Agriculture department
Benudhar Panda said preliminary survey on the quantum of loss has been completed and Rs4,000 per
hectare will be paid for complete loss of the crop. Basudeo Bhoe, a farmers’ leader of Lakhanpur block,
said this amount is very negligible as a farmer usually spends Rs 30,000 to 40,000 per hectare for
cultivation of any crop. (New Indian Express 20/10/13)

Vidarbha farmers refuse pittance as compensation (20)
Nagpur: Meagre compensation amounts of Rs 80 and Rs 100 are being given though the Chief Minister
had announced a Rs.2,000 crore aid package for the flood-hit regions. A farmer from Wardha district in
the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, who suffered losses of around Rs.15, 000 during the last monsoon
floods, was aghast to receive a compensation amount of Rs.80. He is not the only one, according to NGO
Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS) chief Kishore Tiwari, active among the farming communities in
eastern Maharashtra. “Thousands of cheques bearing compensation amounts like Rs.80, Rs.100, and
Rs.150 are lying in various tehsildar offices, but the farmers are refusing to collect them,” Mr. Tiwari said
in Nagpur on Wednesday. The Wardha farmer, Sotba G. Bavne had submitted claims worth around
Rs.15, 000 for the losses in the floods and spent an additional Rs.95 in various official fees. “The most
shocking part is that some officials came to survey his premises, they had tea and snacks in his home
and even took Rs.100 promising to expedite his claims. VJAS demands that these officials be suspended
and booked,” Mr. Tiwari told IANS. The meagre compensation amounts are being doled out though Chief
Minister Prithviraj Chavan had announced a total aid package of Rs.2,000 crore for the severely flood-hit
regions of eastern Maharashtra during the monsoon fury this year. Later, union Agriculture Minister
Sharad Pawar made an intensive tour of the region and indicated a massive special central aid, which
has not yet been announced, Mr. Tiwari added. “In the meantime, the farmers are being told to collect
these cheques with pittance amount. Only for opening a savings bank account to deposit them, they are
required to shell out a minimum Rs. 500. How can the poor farmer afford?” he said. Mr. Tiwari said the
state and central governments must immediately look into this issue before more debt-hit and floodaffected
farmers commit suicide. Only in October, over a dozen farmers ended their lives. Several districts
of the Vidarbha region, especially Wardha, Amravati, Yavatmal, were severely affected by deluge during
this year’s monsoon in July-August. (The Hindu 23/10/13)
Two farmers end lives after crop loss in rain (20)
NALGONDA/NIZAMABAD: Two farmers, who suffered heavy losses in the incessant rains and
subsequent floods, allegedly committed suicide in separate incidents in Nalgonda and Nizamabad
districts on Sunday. A 48-year-old farmer identified as Bhagaiah consumed pesticide at Settipalli village in
Nizamabad district. Bhagaiah owned two acres of land and had recently harvested the produce. The
heavy rains damaged the produce stored in the fields. Unable to bear the loss, he committed suicide by
consuming pesticide. Meanwhile, Ainamallu, a middle-aged farmer, who owned 10 acres of land, ended
his life after his crop was submerged in floods at Musipatla village of Motkupally mandal in Nalgonda
district. Both farmers reportedly borrowed money from private lenders to raise the crop. (Times of India
28/10/13)
Farmers given lessons on hi-tech farming (20)
KOCHI: The district Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) has started a farmers' field school (FFS) programme to
educate them on hi-tech machines used in paddy cultivation through live demonstrations. The programme
run by the centre- which is under the central marine fisheries research institute (CMFRI)-aims at
encouraging youngsters to enter the field of agriculture. "We are leasing out hi-tech equipments at
agricultural service centres so that farmers can make use of it. We are also organizing free
demonstrations to raise awareness among them," said Shinoj Subramanian, programme coordinator and
senior scientist, KVK. The initiative began with a paddy mechanization training at Oonjappara near
Kothamangalam in a three-acre field. In the session, mat nursery was prepared by laying a plastic sheet
in the field and spreading thick clay on it. Germinated seeds were later laid over it and the seedlings
would be ready in 17-19 days of planting. The seedlings can be easily detached from the sheet and
loaded on to the machine's tray and transplanted in the field. A session on mechanized land preparation
using tractor-operated puddler, developed by Kerala Agricultural University, was also held as part of the
programme. "Normally farmers use tractor cage wheel only for land preparation. If this puddler is used in

combination with cage wheel in the tractor it can save 35-40% of the time required to cover a field," said
an official. The programme also gave demonstrations on mechanized transplanting and weeding using a
power weeder in Kothamangalam. "Youngsters who participated in the programme have shown great
interest," said Shinoj. (Times of India 29/10/13)
Five more farmers commit suicide in Vidarbha (20)
Nagpur: The unfortunate trend of agrarian crisis driving distressed farmers to commit suicide continues in
Vidarbha. As many as five more farmers have ended their lives in the last 48 hours on the eve of Diwali in
the region. According to reports reaching here on Saturday evening, among the victims three were from
the neighbouring Wardha and two were from Yavatmal — one of the worst-hit districts in the region. The
deceased were identified as: Ashok Sathe of Zullar village, Bharat Ade of Parsoda (both from Yavatmal
district), Ramesh Wadatkar, Yashambha village, Devidas Thakare, Sorta and Vithalrao Ladhi of Arambha
(all from Wardha district). Kishore Tiwari of Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti that has been documenting the
farmers’ suicide in the region since 2001 claimed that with the death of these five farmers, the toll has
risen to 683 in the region since January this year. Tiwari urged the government to provide necessary help
to the distressed farmers so that such tragic incidents could be prevented. Farmers in the region were
forced to take the extreme step as they have no money even for the purchasing sweet and new clothes
for their children on Diwali, he claimed. Vilas Raut of Wadaki village, who knew one of the victims, Ashok
Sathe of Zullar village, informed that Ashok was shattered following the crop failure due to heavy rains.
He had borrowed around Rs. 50,000 from the local cooperative bank. “When he realized that he would
not be able to repay the loans and generate fresh funds for the next season, he ended his life by
consuming poison on Friday evening. Moreover, he was also depressed as he could not borrow money
for purchasing clothes for his children and family this Diwali,” Raut pointed out. Vidarbha, where more
than one million acres of land has been eroded and over Rs. 20,000-crore worth crop lost, the announced
relief by centre and state was a meagre Rs. 2,800-crore. Apart from bailout the crisis-ridden farmers, the
amount is too less to repair damaged roads and bridges on a large scale following heavy rains in the
region, Tiwari said. Ashwin Mudgal, the collector of Yavatmal district admitted that he has received the
news of farmers’ suicide in his district. “I have directed my tahsildar to inquire about it and submit a report
immediately,” he said. The collector, Mudgal also admitted that over 60 farmers from Yavatmal district
alone, committed suicide because of agrarian crisis since June this year. (Hindustan Times 2/11/13)
Seminar on increasing attacks on farm sector (20)
HYDERABAD: The All India Agriculture Workers’ Association has alleged that the upcoming meeting of
the World Agricultural Congress in the city was aimed at mortgaging the interests of the farming
community and agricultural labour to multinational companies. Association president Paturi Ramaiah told
reporters here on Sunday that the proposed Congress, being sponsored by MNCs, would deliberate on
the methods for mechanisation of farming and reducing the number of small holdings. Such moves would
harm farmers and agriculture workers and could result in suicides by those dependent on agriculture. The
CPI (M)-backed association had decided to conduct seminars and a symposium on the increasing
frequency of attacks on the farming sector involving experts in the sector. A national seminar will be held
on November 6 in which agriculture economist Prof. Utsa Patnaik of JNU and The Hindu rural affairs
editor P. Sainath will deliver the keynote address on issues facing the farm sector. The meeting will
witness the participation of Tripura Minister Bhanulal Saha, trade union leader from Kerala, Govindan
Master, retired IAS Kaki Madhava Rao and other experts in the field. The three-day deliberations will be
preceded by a seminar on the current social, economic and political situation and its impact on the
agriculture sector with CPI (M) State secretary B.V. Raghavulu delivering the keynote address. (The
Hindu 4/11/13)

Unable to buy Diwali gifts, five Vidarbha farmers commit suicide (20)
Mumbai: While the state celebrated Diwali in style, there was a pall of gloom over the families of five
farmers in Vidarbha. The distressed farmers took the extreme step of ending their lives in the last 48
hours, after being unable to buy their family sweets and clothes for the festival. Among the victims, three
were from Wardha and two were from Yavatmal, taking the total death toll to 683 in 2013, as of date.
Officials identified the five as Ashok Sathe (Yavatmal), Bharat Ade (Yavatmal), Ramesh Wadatkar
(Wardha), Devidas Thakare (Wardha) and Vithalrao Ladhi (Wardha). While one of them hanged himself,
the other four consumed pesticide. According to Kishore Tiwari of the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti, who
has been recording the deaths of farmers for nearly a decade, the figures did not reflect the entire picture
and merely reflected how dire the conditions are in the area. "We record deaths that come to the fore.
Even the government has said that the actual deaths are much more than what the official count shows,"
said Tiwari. Tiwari added that farmers in the area were depressed and the government's lax attitude was
the reason why suicides were on the rise again. Explaining the farmers' plight, Tiwari added, "It rained
very heavily this year owing to which crops failed. Taking cognisance of the issue, the CM had promised
them Rs. 2,000 crore. Even Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar assured them a package of Rs. 900
crore. But the farmers haven't seen a single penny, driving them to suicide." Tiwari added that the
financial strain had left farmers in a situation where they weren't even able to buy sweets or new clothes
for their families. Faced with utter hopelessness and desperation, these farmers took the extreme step of
killing themselves. Only the government could improve their conditions, Tiwari further stated. (NDTV
5/11/13)
Sudden rise in farmer suicides due to debt, crop failure: Gujarat govt figures (20)
Ahmedabad: Owing to crop failure and rising debt incurred by farmers across the state, there has been a
sudden spurt in the number of farmers committing suicides. In 2012-13, about 60 farmers committed
suicides in Gujarat for various reasons. But of these, 25 were reportedly due to debt and crop-failures.
Crop-failure and debt-related farmer suicides that took place in 2012-13 are concentrated largely in
Saurashtra, which saw farmers committing suicide in large numbers. According to state figures given by
the Home Department of the state government in a written response to a query by Congress MLA
Tejashree Patel from Viramgam during the recently concluded Monsoon Session of the Gujarat
Assembly, Junagadh accounted for 10 farmer suicides, Amreli 4, Rajkot Rural 5, Rajkot City 2 and
Jamnagar 2. These figures are in complete contrast to the political stance of the ruling BJP in the state, in
which the party has constantly refused to link farmer suicides with debt and crop failures. The number of
farmers in the state has dropped by 3.5 lakh during the last 10 years and the number of agricultural
labourers has increased by a staggering 17 lakh during the same period. In the past five years, between
2008 and 2013, a total of 125 farmers have committed suicide in Gujarat, of which 33 reportedly due to
crop failure and debt, the state government figures revealed. The remaining farmer suicides have been
bracketed under "other reasons".Farmer suicides, caused by bad debts and crop failures, which were
largely restricted to a total of eight in the financial years 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12,
suddenly shot up to 25 during 2012-13, a year that saw an extended dry spell and water shortage in
various parts of the state. When quizzed on the sudden rise in farmer suicides due to bad debts and cropfailures,
Principal Secretary of the Department of Agriculture and Co-operation Rajkumar said, "We
usually do a thread-bare analysis of all cases of farmer suicides that come to us. Till date, not a single
case of farmers committing suicides due to crop failure or bad debt has come to our notice." The official
also expressed his inability to comment on the figures provided by the home department to the Gujarat
Legislative Assembly. (Indian Express 9/11/13)
"Green Revolution did not lead to prosperity" (20)

DIBRUGARH, Nov 11 – Author, social scientist and environmentalist Dr Vandana Shiva, while delivering
a lecture on the topic ‘Challenges to sustainable farming from globalization and climate change’ stressed
on the burning issues of loss of biodiversity in the country and the world. She lamented the ongoing loss
of diversity of Indian fruits and seeds. She said that the Green Revolution did not lead to prosperity as
desired; instead it unleashed a vicious circle where the cost of production became higher than the
earnings of the farmers, which in turn had an impact on minimum selling price. “The system of
procurement from farmers ran into problems and we now face a situation where 17 million tones of grains
rot while malnutrition and hunger claim the lives of many,” she stated. Dr Shiva called this system the
“clogged artery of the food distribution system”. Dr Shiva expressed that some highly dishonest activities
had created an agrarian crisis in India. The US company Monsanto indulged in bio-piracy as it took seeds
and put toxic genes in it. “This genetic engineering is infiltrating the system with widespread adversarial
ramifications,” the social scientist said. She said that corporations have the powers to silence research
which prevent the masses from learning about the reality of consuming genetically engineered products.
“The trading mechanism is also under pressure from agents seeking to impose patenting on seeds, which
was originally not allowed under Indian law. Additionally, agents are attempting to break quantitative
regulations, thereby disrupting a series of related produces and processes,” she added. Moreover, there
is an effort to criminalise diversity by imposing fines on farmers who stray from uniformity in food, which
benefits the large global industries alone, Dr Shiva stated, adding that her work is part of a mission to
defend people’s rights and a pro-earth movement. Dr Mira Shiva, an internationally acclaimed public
health activist also spoke during the lecture event where she touched upon the topic ‘Genetically modified
food and health concerns’. While citing facts about the pitiable health conditions prevailing in India, she
stated that tampering with seeds leads to genetic pollution and contamination that can result in serious
public health implications. She also commented on the link between the pricing control and the patent
process. Dibrugarh University Vice Chancellor Alak Kumar Buragohain, who is also a biologist of repute
with keen interest in the issue of genetically engineered products, stressed on the grave implications of
corporatisation of food and culture at “the cost of our invaluable cultural and bio-diversity” He also
expressed his views on the global conspiracy that preys on the gullible. The lecture was organized by the
Department of Political Science, Dibrugarh University in collaboration with Action Aid India (NERO) and
People’s Right Forum, Assam in the New Conference Hall of Dibrugarh University. Earlier, Dr Alpana
Borgohain, head of the department delivered the welcome address and introduced both the speakers.
(The Assam Tribune 11/11/13)
Interest-free loan scheme to boost organic farming (20)
KANNUR: In a bid to provide pesticide-free food products to consumers and utilize more fallow land, the
Kudumbashree Mission is embarking on a major project to provide interest-free loan to farmers,
especially those interested in organic farming. The project, to be implemented with the support of the
central government's Mahila Kisan Saktheekaran Pariyojana, Nabard and the department of agriculture
aims to provide loans to joint liability groups (JLG) involved in agriculture. This could write a new chapter
in our efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in agriculture and help bring pesticide-free products to the market,
said the mission's district coordinator M V Premarajan. "Though we can't claim that we promote 100%
organic farming, as in some cases they are allowed to use chemical fertilizers, we can assure that the
products, including rice, vegetables and tubers are 100% pesticide-free because Kudumbashree ensures
that only organic pesticides and fungicides are used in farming," he said. Under this scheme, Canara
Bank provides loan at the rate of 7%, of which Kudumbashree pays 5% interest, while the remaining 2%
is given by Nabard. Land for the purpose will have to be identified by the JLGs themselves and taken on
lease. The official said a JLG group would get a loan of Rs 1-3 lakh and a total of Rs 10 crore will be
distributed in the district this year. They will also get area and production incentives, apart from Rs 20,000
to market the product. Since Kudumbashree officials from the Community Development Societies ( CDS)
to the district mission are involved in the process, administrative bottlenecks in providing the loan will be

educed to a great extent, said officials. There are 1,000 JLGs in the district and each group has five
members, which means 5,000 women will directly benefit from the scheme. Apart from women
empowerment, the project will help utilize barren lands for agriculture, thus improving the agriculture
productivity of the state, said officials, who added that experts from Agriculture University and the
department of agriculture will train people under the scheme. (Times of India 12/11/13)
Agri graduates come to aid of farmers with hi-tech products (20)
HYDERABAD: With heavy rains having a devastating impact on crops this year, young agricultural
researchers are finding ways to improve traditional farming with the use of technologically advanced
gadgets made by them. From making new age pump sets with moisture sensors that can detect
groundwater levels to electronic reaping gadgets that allow farmers to improve harvesting and
electronically-controlled plowing devices, the young researchers are on their way to contribute to the field
of agriculture. Three years ago, B Tech graduate N Rajesh Kumar decided to develop the semester
research project into a product for farmers. The product, electronic reaping gadget, helps farmers reap
crops without employing too many workers, which will reduce farming costs, claims Kumar. "Now with the
state facing a farming crisis I think young tech grads should think of helping the agriculturists. I am also
working on a product that would help farmers tap rainwater faster than the traditional method," said an
enthusiastic Kumar. In another case, Kondamudi Swarnarekha, a student of BV Raju Institute of
Technology (BVRIT) has come up with an automatic irrigation product for farmers who are reeling under
power and water scarcity. The device has moisture sensors that are buried in the soil, which send
messages to the farmer's cell phone with instructions to turn off or switch on the water pump based on the
water level in the field. Agriculturists can thus control their pumps from a distance without wasting water
and electricity. The product has been developed at a cost of Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000 by the Microsoft
innovation centre. Most farmers make a beeline at the district agriculture office to get the soil examiner
test the characteristics of their respective soil types, but with the product developed by young B Tech
graduate Shyam Murali, the famers can carry out tests in their own fields. "The product helps decide what
the crop should be based on the soil type. The meter can also record variation in the composition of the
soil, thereby allowing farmers to decide on the amount of fertilizers required to bring out the best crop,"
said Shyam, a Tamil student who did his studies in the city. Another tech grad, Reshma Satheesh, who
developed a plowing device in her graduation, is set to market her product. "The device does not dig deep
into the soil like a tractor does. It can be used for small crops including vegetable plantation," she
explained. The youngsters are all marketing their products with the help of NG Ranga Agricultural
University, located in the city. (Times of India 13/11/13)
HRF demands relief to farmer’s family (20)
VISAKHAPATNAM: Due procedure to be carried out by Revenue and Agricultural Departments
prescribed in the case of farmer’s suicide has not been taken up in the death of Karri Kasubabu of A.
Koduru in K. Kotapadu mandal, according to Human Rights Forum. His family should be given
compensation and rehabilitated as per the provisions of GO 421, the forum has demanded. Kasubabu
had 40 cents of land and was cultivating another one acre as a tenant farmer. He borrowed privately and
coupled with his other debts he had to repay Rs.1.5 lakh. HRF district president M. Sarat, quoting
Kasubabu’s family members, said the loss of crop owing to the torrential rain earlier this month and the
harassment of debtors drove him to suicide. However, the mandal revenue officer and the agricultural
officer have not visited the farmer’s family to enquire about the conditions. Not even the death certificate
was issued till date, Mr. Sarat said. HRF demanded that the family be provided succour as per the norms
of GO 421. (The Hindu 14/11/13)
Farmer writes to Chavan over non-payment of compensation, threatens to sell kidney (20)

Wardha: Frustrated over not receiving compensation for crops that he lost during heavy rains earlier this
year, a farmer from the Digras village of Maharashtra’s Wardha district has written to Maharashtra Chief
Minister Prithviraj Chavan, threatening to sell his kidney. Dhyaneshwar Shankarrao Lokhande, 50, who
invested Rs.80,000 to cultivate soyabean in his eight acres of land, staged a protest in front of the District
Collector’s office last month without success. He said he decided to commit suicide after his futile protest
last month. “But when I came back home and looked at my kids, I couldn't kill myself.” He has a debt of
about Rs. 1 lakh and has five people to feed in his family. “If I am able to sell my kidney, I can look after
my family for a few more years.” The villagers of Digras support Dhyaneshwar and want to emulate him if
he successfully sells his kidney. “If his kidney gets a good price, we will also put our kidneys on sale,”
said Lakshmanrao Nehare, Dhyansehwar’s neighbour, whose crops were also damanged. But Digras is
not the only village in Wardha where farmers suffered crop damage. In the district alone, crops sown over
one lakh hectares were damaged, said District Collector N. Nawin Sona. The State government
announced Rs. 1934 crore relief, but no one has received a dime yet. Distribution of the compensation,
Mr. Sona hoped, would start it in “next few days.” District authority officials claimed to have paid
compensation to farmers in some of the villages for damage to their houses. One among them, Ruprao
Bawane of Juvadi village, received Rs. 80. “My house was badly damaged in July’s rain. I had to spend
more than Rs. 12,000 to rebuild it and the government gave me a cheque for Rs.80,” Ruprao said.
According to Moreswar Waghmare, the sarpanch of Juvadi, very few people have received compensation
in his village, but no farmer has been paid for the crop damage. “In my village, almost every farmer has
lost over 60 per cent of his crop due to heavy and untimely rain this year,” he told The Hindu. “Half of the
crops in nearly one lakh hectares of land were damaged. The return rains have added to the woes. We
have received Rs. 25 crore out of Rs. 225 crore for the Nagpur division. According to our survey, the
district needs at least Rs. 55 crore,” Mr. Sona told The Hindu. He said the administration would definitely
look into Dhayneshwar Lokhande’s plight and intervene. According to Avinash Kakade of the Kisan
Adhikar Abhiyan, a farmers’ advocacy group in Wardha, over 160 farmers in the district committed suicide
in 2013 due to crop loss. “We are trying to create awareness among farmers but this year’s heavy rains
only added to their problems. More farmers may commit suicide if they don’t receive proper and timely
help,” he said. (The Hindu 16/11/13)
Farmers urge PM to reject developed nations' WTO plans (20)
New Delhi: Farmer groups have urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to stand up against developed
nations including the US and EU and reject any proposal that will impact agricultural subsidies and affect
over 600 million farmers of the country. The letter, written by 15 farmer groups including Bhartiya Kisan
Union (BKU) and also sent to commerce minister Anand Sharma and agriculture minister Sharad Pawar,
comes two days after WTO director-general Roberto Azevêdo's said that it "it is all or nothing now" in the
ninth ministerial of WTO scheduled to meet in Bali, Indonesia, December 3-6. G-33 countries, including
India, Indonesia, and the Philippines, are lobbying hard to ensure that the Agreement on Agriculture
(AoA) is suitably amended at the ministerial meeting so that the limits on public stock holding and food aid
is removed. The developing nations want that the acquisition of food stocks for food security for
supporting poor people should not be treated as subsidies. However, the AoA in its present form allows,
what it calls, market distorting subsidies, up to a limit of 10 per cent of total production. The farmer groups
have argued that the AoA was framed keeping in mind prices of 1986-88 when the prices were very low.
"It does not make any sense for India to trade off the very survival of its 600 million farmers and roughly
830 million hungry for the sake of a successful Doha round. India cannot dilute its position on the G 33
proposal and accept a Peace Clause which makes a travesty of the poverty and hunger faced my millions
of Indians every day. Nor can India be allowed to mortgage its right to food and the right to livelihoods of
the poor and the needy enshrined in the Constitution," the letter said. Once India implements the recentlypassed
Food Security Act, which entitles around 67 per cent of the population to 5 kg of subsidised
foodgrains, the subsidies are likely to breach the 10 per cent limit. (Indian Express 18/11/13)

Farm sector growth rate may triple on good monsoon: CACP paper (20)
NEW DELHI: The agriculture sector is likely to grow in the range of 5.2-5.7% in 2013-14, nearly three
times more than the last year as good monsoon has raised the prospects of bumper harvest, a CACP
discussion paper said. It warned however that "automatic" cascading of bumper harvests to increase the
economic activity may not be realized unless the policymakers play the facilitator role well. The farm
sector had grown at 1.9% last fiscal. "Comparing these likely agri-GDP growth rates in 2013-14
agriculture year (July-June) with the 2012-13 performance, it turns out that agri-GDP growth is likely to be
about three times higher than last year," said a discussion paper co-authored by CACP chief Ashok
Gulati. The farm growth is expected to be in the range of 5.2-5.7% this year because monsoon showers
have been one of the best in the country has experienced during the last two decades or so, it said.
Gulati, in his personal capacity, said in the discussion paper, "Farm growth is likely to come largely from
oilseeds, pulses, cotton and coarse cereals belt of central and western parts of India, which is less
irrigated and thereby more dependent on rains." The Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices
(CACP) is a statutory body under the agriculture ministry which advises the government on price policy
for major farm commodities. Noting that higher agri-GDP growth is likely to boost the overall performance
of the economy via its multiplier effect, the paper said that farm income may rise by 15 per cent in nominal
terms, triggering some increased demand for agri- inputs to durable and FMCG goods in rural areas.
However, the virtuous cycle of economic growth may just be a distant dream unless the necessary
condition of increasing rural or farm incomes is realized, it said. Suggesting that the government prepare
well for a big harvest, the paper said it should liquidate at least 20 million tonnes of foodgrains in the
domestic market or for exports without compromising on the needs of Food law. Clearing excess stock for
new crop will help contain food inflation and also save on high carrying costs of grains and thus reduce
fiscal deficit, it said. Second, the paper suggested de-listing of fruits and vegetables from Agricultural
produce market committee (APMC) Act and incentivise processors and modern retailers to buy directly
from farmers "This would compress their value chains benefiting both consumers and producers, saving
on large wastage, and further bringing down food inflation," the paper said, adding that once food inflation
is down, subsidies on fuel and fertilisers can be cut more aggressively reducing fiscal deficit. Third, the
paper recommended that the government facilitate and create conducive international trade rules and
policies so as to hedge farmers against falling domestic prices, because of increased supplies. (Times of
India 19/11/13)
Natural farming: Going back to the roots (20)
NAGPUR: When you see a huge fruit, your first thoughts, perhaps, would be that they are genetically
modified or chemically enhanced. However, this can also be done through 'organic' farming. Propagators
of this farming technique prefer calling it zero-budget natural farming, which is largely dependent on
things found easily on the farm itself. Such produce would soon be available at local markets. Subhash
Palekar is a known name among agriculturists for promoting natural farming since 1994. Over the past
decade, though, he has been popularizing zero-budget natural farming, where things like cow dung, cow
urine, jaggery, neem leaves are used to deliver nutrients to the soil. "What we do not realize is that
organic farming is more dangerous than even chemical farming. No wonder many farmers have been left
disillusioned by it, only to go back to using chemical pesticides and insecticides on their lands," said
Palekar. He was talking to farmers during an interaction of the newly formed group Natural Farmers' and
Producers' Association. Only a year old, the group works towards bringing in more farmers into the folds
of zero budget natural farming, leading others by their own examples. One primary requisite for this
method of farming is planting many different varieties of plants in the same farm. "Just like it takes all
sorts of people to make the world, it takes different kinds of plants for the soil to retain its fertility and
regain resistance power," explained Palekar. One of the most successful followers of this method is
progressive farmer Suresh Patil. He has even been able to develop a variety of custard apple that is

thrice the size of a normal fruit. Most people believe that such 'experimentation' in agriculture can only be
done by rich farmers, who own big chunks of land. This group, however, is proving this notion wrong. A
new convert to zero budget natural farming, Sudhakar Kubde of Selu village, has helped strengthen this
belief. "I realized that even in the first year, my entire earnings were my profit as there was no investment.
While doing the same with the help of chemicals, I would have ended up spending anywhere between
Rs10,000 to Rs15,000 to buy the supplements," he said. "Lesser yield in the first couple of years after the
'conversion' is one reason many small farmers get dissuaded. However, since natural produce gets twice
the price, the profit remains the same," said Santosh (Sahebrao) Dhote. To motivate more small farmers
to join in, the association has asked certain government agencies to certify the natural nature of the yield.
The produce is marketed at places where it will attract the right kind of consumers. (Times of India
23/11/13)
Adopt organic farming for sustainable agriculture growth: Vandana Shiva (20)
New Delhi: Organic farming is needed for sustainable and natural growth of agriculture in the future rather
than going for genetic modified (GM) technology, renowned environmentalist Vandana Shiva said on
Saturday. “Organic farming, in a way, fulfils every one of the principles of Gross National Happiness. It
respects cultural values and promotes protection of the natural environment, whereas genetic modified
crops destroy the natural web of life, threaten biodiversity and the environment, and are a scourge for
human health and society.” Dr. Shiva was speaking at the Shriram Memorial Lecture organised by the
PHD chambers here. Terming GM crops as a threat to the country’s biodiversity, she said: “Organic
farming promotes biodiversity in the ecosystem unlike GM crops, which tamper with the system.”
“Biodiversity today is the fruit of billions of years of evolution, shaped by natural processes and increasing
by the influence of humans. Ecosystems are incredibly productive and efficient when there is sufficient
biodiversity,” she said. Sharing her views, Usha International co-chairman Siddharth Shriram said:
“Valuing biodiversity is vital to changing the way we view this important resource. Because we have
received the benefits of biodiversity for free, we take it for granted. The costs of conserving biodiversity
are massively outweighed by the benefits.” “Ecosystems are incredibly productive and efficient when
there is sufficient biodiversity. It is believed that the richer the diversity of life, the greater the opportunity
for medical discoveries, economic development, and adaptive responses to new challenges,” PHD
Chamber president Suman Jyoti Khaitan added. — PTI (The Hindu 24/11/13)
Maha textile dept plans to generate 15K jobs in Vidarbha (20)
NAGPUR: Maharashtra textile department has planned to offer seven packages for Vidarbha region with
projected investment to the tune of Rs 1,800 crore with an aim to generate 15,000 jobs. Presently, around
500 textile units have been started in the state and other projects are in the pipeline, state textile minister
Mohammad Arif Naseem Khan told PTI. Around 14 textile parks are coming up in the state and expected
to generate an additional 14,000 jobs with a possible investment of Rs 16,000 crore, he said. The
government's new textile policy has evoked tremendous response from investors and industrial sector as
well, he said. Presently, textile parks have 580 units with an investment of Rs 3,931 crore in the state, he
said. The state government has started an on-line process for release of subsidy to the investors. The
textile policy, unveiled last year, offers subsidy to units coming up in the farmers' suicide-hit Vidarbha
region, besides Marathwada and Khandesh. The state produces around 90 lakh bales of cotton every
year from Vidarbha, Marathwada and Khandesh areas. While some of it is consumed by industry within
the state, the rest is procured by units outside the state or is exported, sources said. (New Indian Express
25/11/13)
Farmers protest against land acquisition notices (20)
Ludhiana: FARMERS from nine villages of Ludhiana district on Monday lodged a protest against the
Punjab government notices seeking to acquire their land under the Land Acquisition Act of 1894. The

farmers from nine villages — Jaspal Bangar, Lohara, Garib Nagri, Brahman Majra, Sangowal, Natt, Pawa,
Dharaur and Harnampura — gathered at the Greater Ludhiana Development Authority (GLADA) office.
They said that they were not interested in giving up their land and under no circumstances under the old
and archaic Act of 1894, which had been enacted by the British to snatch the land of people. One of the
farmers said that besides mass protests, they would take legal recourse since the Act under which the
Punjab government was trying to acquire the land had already been repealed and new act brought in.
Taking up their cause, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Manish Tewari said that he
spoke to the additional administrator (GLADA), telling him that the state government could not issue
notices for acquisition under the old Act, which already stands repealed after the enactment of the new
Act. Tewari made it clear that he would not allow the farmers' land to be acquired forcibly and under no
circumstances under the archaic 1894 Act. He said if at all the state government had to acquire the land,
it must be with due consent of the farmers and under the new Act, which is farmer-friendly. (Indian
Express 27/11/13)
Sugarcane farmers' statewide protest intensifies (20)
LUCKNOW: The impasse over delay in cane crushing by sugar mills continued to spill over to various
districts in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday, a day after a cane farmer committed suicide that led to violent
protest in Lakhimpur Kheri. In Muzzafarnagar, a group of cane growers thronged the Mandsaur sugar mill
and began token crushing. The farmers have been sitting outside the mill for the past 25 days in protest
of the delay in crushing of sugarcane. Agitated farmers brought in a 'kolhu' (mill) and started crushing
cane. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) added fuel to the ongoing protest when a group of workers from
BJP's farmer wing, Bharatiya Kisan Morcha, staged violent protest in Meerut. In fact, one of the worker
tried to immolate himself outside commissioner office. The agitation was led by BJP state president Laxmi
Kant Bajpai, an MLA from Meerut. In Lakhimpur, where a farmer Satyapal Singh committed suicide on
Friday, a group of 12 more farmers wrote a letter addressed to President of India seeking permission to
commit suicide. The spurt in incidents came a day after the impasse over non-starting of sugar mills led to
violent protests across the state with farmers staging demonstrations demanding re-opening of mills. The
private millers, however, have been refusing to do so till their demand to rationalise sugar prices was met.
On Friday, security staff in Balrampur sugar mill in Khiri opened fire on sugarcane farmers when they
were protesting against suicide by a farmer on Friday. In response, the farmers pelted stones at the sugar
mills and demonstrated with the body of Satyapal Singh, who hung himself from a tree giving in to a debt
burden of Rs 2 lakh. Retaliating to the protest, security staff of the mill opened fire to disperse agitating
farmers and also used water cannons. Similar violence was also reported from Shamli district in west
Uttar Pradesh where activists of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) demonstrated in front of a sugar mill
demanding payment of dues and to start the crushing. Farmers in the western Uttar Pradesh district of
Muzaffarnagar too staged protest against mill owners for not purchasing their produce at the price fixed
by the state government. Significantly, Congress and BJP have both been holding the UP government for
violence outside sugar mills. Congress has already announced that party workers will hit the streets and
agitate if all sugar mills in the state did not start crushing by December 7. "'The government is insensitive
towards farmers' issue and is indulging in politics,'' said UP Congress committee president Nirmal Khatri.
State BJP president Laxmikant Bajpai too criticised the UP government for delay in start of the crushing
season and alleged unholy nexus between the Samajwadi Party government and the private sugar mill
owners adding to the woes of cane farmers. (Times of India 1/12/13)
Rajnath seeks PM's intervention for relief to sugarcane farmers (20)
New Delhi: BJP president Rajnath Singh Sunday sought the intervention of Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh to get pending payments of sugarcane farmers released and ensure that sugar mills get on with
crushing in cane producing states of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka. In a letter to the prime

minister, Rajnath Singh also accused the United Progressive Alliance government of not helping farmers
who had committed suicide in Maharashtra's Vidarbha region this year. The Bharatiya Janata Party chief
also said that government should not agree to "peace clause" at the WTO ministerial meeting at Bali later
this week as India needs to protect its subsidies on a permanent basis for meaningful food security for its
people. He said that sugarcane farmers were facing a huge crisis due to "anti-farmer government policies
and insensitivity towards the farming community", and had been staging protests in Uttar Pradesh,
Maharashtra and Karnataka for the past many days. In UP, farmers have been forced to sell sugarcane at
throwaway prices and a farmer had committed suicide, he said. "The Uttar Pradesh government has
compounded the problems by not clearing the previous year's overdue payments of Rs.2,300 crore," he
said and noted that crushing had not begun in more than 60 sugar mills in the state, as well as a majority
of sugar mills in Maharashtra and Karnataka. "The central government needs to act fast and intervene to
provide necessary relief to farmers, ensure that sugar mills start crushing and farmers are paid their
dues," he said. Referring to the data of Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) on wheat
and rice, the BJP chief argued that MSP has increased nominally compared to the cost of production. On
the WTO ministerial meeting at Bali, he said the proposed "peace clause" would exempt subsidies "in
excess of 10 percent of limit for a period of just four years".Total subsidy under the Food Security Act may
exceed the 10 percent limit in the very first year, he noted, adding that the total subsidy basket would
further go up as MSP and procurement cost rise in the coming years. If India does not protect food
subsidies on a permanent basis, the food security programme would be exposed to punitive action under
the agreement for subsidies and countervailing measures, he said. "The much hyped promise of food
security to Indians would eventually come to naught if the clause is acceded to. The peace clause is not
in our interest. Therefore, India should persist with a demand for a Food Security Box," he said. (Deccan
Herald 2/12/13)
10 lakh compensation to deceased sugarcane farmer’s family (20)
BELGAUM: Marginal farmer Vittal Bhimappa Arabhavi committed suicide during a farmers’ protest in front
of the Suvarna Soudha on November 27 The State government on Tuesday paid a compensation of Rs.
10 lakh to the family of marginal farmer Vittal Bhimappa Arabhavi who committed suicide during a
farmers’ protest in front of the Suvarna Soudha here on November 27. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had
announced the compensation following the incident. Excise Minister and district in-charge Satish L.
Jarkiholi handed over the cheque to Arabhavi’s family at Kankanwadi village of Raibag taluk. Raibag MLA
Duryodhan Ihole, MLC Veerkumar Patil and Deputy Commissioner N. Jayaram were, among others,
present. (The Hindu 4/12/13)
Sugarcane farmer commits suicide in UP (20)
Lakhimpur Kheri: A sugarcane farmer of Pakaria village here has allegedly committed suicide, officials
said Thursday. Chhotey Lal (50) hanged himself in the village under Neemgaon police station area on
Tuesday night, they said. While his brother Chiraunji stated family dispute as the cause behind Lal's
suicide, Opposition parties alleged that he took the extreme step due to the ongoing sugarcane crisis.
Additional District Magistrate Vidya Shankar Singh who carried out the preliminary probe into the farmer's
death said the deceased had no pending loans to any bank. "No cane dues of the deceased farmer were
pending nor did he have any loan of any bank or society," he said. District Magistrate Gaurav Dayal also
said as per records the farmer owed no loan or cane dues to any bank. District cane officer J C Yadav
said, "the price of the cane supplied by the deceased farmer had been transferred to his account in
January 2012 and in April 2013." However, Opposition parties attributed the farmer's death to the ongoing
sugarcane crisis and alleged that UP government's cane policy is responsible for farmers' deaths in UP.
On Nov 28, fed up of heavy debts and prolonged illness, a sugarcane farmer Satyapal Singh (40) has
hanged himself to death in Bastauli village here. (Zee News 5/12/13)

Family dispute, not cane dues, led to farmers' suicide: UP govt (20)
LUCKNOW: The state government on Thursday clarified that the death of two cane farmers in Lakhimpur
Kheri had nothing to do with the pending arrears. The clarification came on the day winter session of state
assembly went underway and the opposition sought to take on the ruling Samajwadi Party on the
controversial issue. Principal secretary Cane Development, Rahul Bhatnagar, said inquiry by cane officer
into suicide by Chhotey Lal revealed that the farmer took the extreme step following a family dispute.
Bhatnagar said Chhotey Lal owned 0.452 hectares of land and supplied 22.77 quintal of cane on
December 25, 2012 and 24.55 quintal on March 16, 2013 to Kumbhi sugar mill. Against this, the farmer
got full payment in his bank account in Bank of Baroda in Neemgaon branch. While the first installment of
Rs 6,176 was provided on January 28, 2013 the second installment of Rs 6,767 was paid on April 27,
2013. "This proves that there were no outstanding dues to be received by the farmer," Bhatnagar said.
"The information that came across (pertaining to suicide) was completely faulty," he added. The state
government also set aside cane dues as the reason behind suicide of Satyapal Singh. Bhatnagar said an
inquiry was conducted by district magistrate Lakhimpur kehri into the death of Satyapal Singh. Singh too,
claimed Bhatnagar, committed suicide because of family dispute as there was nothing to substantial to
prove that the farmer took the extreme step because of cane arrears. "Such information create confusion
in the society," Bhatnagar said. The death of two farmers had snowballed into a political crisis for the
ruling Samajwadi Party with the opposition accusing it of not paying heed to the problems of the cane
farmers. In fact, the incidents had given opposition parties like the Bharatiya Janata Party and the
Rashtriya Lok Dal chance to bay for SP blood. On Tuesday, BJP national president Rajnath Singh and
RLD state president Munna Singh had visited the aggrieved family members of Satyapal Singh. The
parties, while blaming the state government for the suicide of the farmer, demanded compensation for the
family as well as government job for any of the family members. While Rajnath gave a cheque of Rs 5
lakh to the aggrieved family from party coffer, the RLD promised scholarship for the son of Satyapal from
the RLD trust. While the BJP and the RLD have been carrying out demonstration against the state
government, Congress had decided to launch a statewide agitation against the UP government from
December 7. (Times of India 6/12/13)
Lack of causeway hits farmers at Karumanchi (20)
It is riskier preposition for the farmers of this remote village in Tangutur mandal as they swim across Musi
river to carry on farming on the other side at a time when their counterparts elsewhere prefer to quit
farming altogether or end up committing suicide unable to cope with farming in the wake of mounting
losses. Farmers, with never-say-die, spirit grow among other crops, paddy, Mango, sweet lime and
tobacco taking in their own stride the ever-increasing cost of farm inputs and fluctuating fortunes while
marketing their produce, explains 70-year-old village sarpanch M. Peramma, who has been running from
pillar to post in vain to get sanctioned a low-level causeway. Recounting the farmers’ tale of woes, M.
Koteswara Rao member of the first ward in the gram panchayat, told The Hindu ‘more than cultivation of
crops, it is lack of logistics that is pushing them into big trouble.’ ‘We bring farm produce across the river
using lorry tyre tubes as we cannot afford to take the circuitous route to their village via Tangutur and
Surareddypalem,’ says a farmer R.Punnaiah. Farm workers in the village preferred to seek wage
employment thanks to the MGNREGS or go for construction work in Ongole instead of working in fields
leaving the farmers to fend for themselves, explains another farmer A.Narasamma. ''It is very difficult to
judge the depth and pits particularly during the rainy season due to indiscriminate sand mining by sand
mafias'', says Ch.Venkatram Reddy, who owns 10 acres of land on the other side of the river. Sk. Basha,
who owns five acres of land, says we have been pressing for a low-level causeway to public
representatives time and again. ‘The contestants' promise has turned out to be mere letters written on
water,’ adds yet another farmer Sk. Kamansa summing up the villagers long wait for a low-level causeway
to take their tractors and bullock carts across the river without hassles. (The Hindu 9/12/13)

Oppn claims govt-sugar mill owners nexus, walks out of legislative council (20)
Lucknow: The Opposition BSP and BJP members Tuesday walked out from the Uttar Pradesh Legislative
Council over cane price issue and harassment of BJP MLAs, respectively. While the BSP and others
criticised the government for doling out packages to sugar mill owners, BJP took on the state for the
wrongful arrest and harassment of its MLAs in the Muzaffarnagar riots. The BSP, Congress and Rashtriya
Lok Dal (RLD) members raised the issue of sugarcane farmers through an adjournment notice. Leader of
Opposition Naseemuddin Siddiqui alleged that the state government has struck a deal with the mill
owners. "The government is favouring private sugar mill owners. Farmers will get only Rs 246 per quintal
for their produce," Siddiqui said, adding several farmers have sought permission from the President to kill
themselves and some have already committed suicide. Congress' Naseeb Pathan said not getting
reasonable price for sugarcane, farmers were setting their produce on fire. RLD leader Chaudhary
Mushtaq said that sugar mills were yet to clear Rs 2,356 crore in dues to the farmers. BJP leader Vinod
Pandey said that delay in crushing has affected the sowing of the next crop. Leader of the House Ahmed
Hasan said the government and cooperative mills had cleared their dues and only "private sugar mills
need to pay 2,300 crore".He said of the 123 mills, 100 have started crushing and the rest would start in 15
days. He alleged that Rs 5,700 crore dues were pending from the previous BSP regime and clarified that
the farmers who committed suicide did not have any pending dues. Dissatisfied with the reply, BSP, BJP
and Congress members walked out of the House raising slogans. BJP members also raised the issue of
its two MLAs Sangeet Som and Suresh Rana being arrested in false cases connected to the
Muzaffarnagar riots "to secure votes of a particular community." (Indian Express 11/12/13)
‘Use groundwater from realty sites for agriculture’ (20)
NOIDA: An expert committee set up to consider various aspects on groundwater extraction beyond its
natural levels in Noida has recommended that it should be diverted for agriculture or artificial recharge of
water tables. The report, recommending methods for dewatering and control of groundwater at
construction sites, was presented by Noida Authority to National Green Tribunal on Thursday. The fivemember
committee that compiled the report has also highlighted the need to form a special panel at
Noida Authority to evaluate and approve 'dewatering management plans' before implementation of
projects. The committee prepared its report—a copy of which is with TOI — after conducting surveys in
Noida. Apart from officials of Noida Authority, the committee also comprised a former member each from
Central Ground Water Board and UP Groundwater Department. As part of dewatering plans, the
committee has recommended geo-technical investigations and hydrological analysis of project sites prior
to commencement of construction to determine soil status and characteristics and exact positions of
groundwater level. "Dewatering can be done after purification to designated discharge points, which may
be sewers, streams, infiltration or recharge ponds or injection well recharge system," the expert
committee has recommended. The committee compiled the report after the tribunal issued directions to
the Authority for preparing a detailed plan highlighting methods for judicious use of groundwater and its
recharge in Noida. The tribunal had issued the directions while hearing a case in which it was alleged that
indiscriminate extraction of groundwater in Noida is fast depleting its levels, besides threatening shortage
in the long term. (Times of India 13/12/13)
Nearly 10K farmers' suicides in Maharashtra since 2004: BJP (20)
NAGPUR: Launching a scathing attack on the Democratic Front government over failure to implement
Maharashtra Money Lending (Regulation) Act, passed by the legislature in 2010, the principal opposition
party BJP said it resulted in suicides by nearly 10,000 farmers since 2004. The entire opposition raised
slogans before staging a walkout over the issue as the government failed to set specific time frame for the
Act to become a reality. The issue came up for discussion during the question-answer session in
Maharashtra council where leader of opposition Vinod Tawde informed that from 2004 to 2009 about

5,000 farmers took extreme step, primarily due to harassment of private moneylenders who exploited
them. Since, the government failed to make efforts to implement the Act since 2009, the suicides
continued unabated and till date about 4,894 distressed farmers had ended their life. He said though the
bill was returned by the centre over loopholes as many as four times, the government failed to make
proper amendments. The senior BJP leader called on to lodge offences of murder against the officials
who failed to make efforts to get early clearance from the centre. Sena MLC Neelam Gorhe also lashed
out at slow pace of progress towards implementation of the Act stating that in last five years, the
government had hardly made efforts, completely ignoring the gravity of the situation. Senior BJP leader
Pandurang Fundkar questioned on inordinate delay to implement the Act when both assembly and
council passed the it unanimously. He charged the government of working under pressure of rich and
powerful moneylenders. Admitting the delay, cooperation and parliamentary affairs minister
Harshwardhan Patil said, since the Act's provisions were related to seven union ministries, it was taking
time for getting clearances from each of them. He however assured that the government had cleared all
obstacles and now only, clearance from finance department was pending. After their green signal, it
would go to the President Pranab Mukherjee for his ascent. Home minister RR Patil said they had so far
acted again 2,100 moneylenders and even charged one of them with dreaded MCOCA Act. He warned
that the government will make all out efforts to return the land acquired by moneylenders through illegal
means and informed that they had earlier constituted a panel under industries minister Narayan Rane.
(Times of India 17/12/13)
12 farmers die within two months in Krishna dt.(20)
MACHILIPATNAM: At least 12 farmers died within two months in Krishna District, including one farmer
who had taken his life by consuming pesticide following severe damage of the standing paddy crop,
during the ongoing kharif season. Repeated cyclones are to be blamed for the prevailing crisis like
situation as well as farmers’ deaths, apart from decrease in the total paddy yield in the above 2 lakh
hectares of sown area, said a report. Three fact finding teams on farmers’ deaths from the Andhra
Pradesh Rythu Kuli Sangam (APRKS) documented the number and apparent reasons behind the 12
deaths, including one suicide. “Of the 12, one had consumed pesticide. Many of them were declared
dead due to cardiac arrest while they were undergoing medical treatment. However, all of them are tenant
farmers who bore the brunt from the bad weather conditions,” said APRKS member J. Jagan. On
Monday, the APRKS released their report on farmers’ suicides and submitted a copy to Krishna district
Collector M. Raghunandan Rao, appealing him to address three major issues. The issues were repairing
of drainage system and stop encouraging B.P.T Paddy variety of seed. It was found that the B.P.T variety
could not withstand the repeated changes in the weather, both - heavy winds or rain. The teams also
revealed that absence of Rabi crop in the large extent of cultivable land for past few years in Krishna
District was creating fear among the farmers about the bleak future in paddy cultivation. “Purchasing the
discoloured paddy at MSP price and liberalising the guidelines meant for enumeration of damaged paddy
crop are the very immediate help that Government could extend to prevent the deaths,” observed APRKS
fact-finding team member T. Leela Manohar . (The Hindu 17/12/13)
Farm sector has lost prominence due to lopsided policies: AIKS (20)
GUNTUR: The farm sector has been booted out of the Indian economy due to the lopsided policies of
successive governments, national general secretary of All India Kisan Sabha Atul Kumar Anjan said here
on Wednesday. The agricultural sector, which has been contributing 51 per cent to the Gross Domestic
Product of the country and providing livelihood to two-thirds of its population, is now staring at its worst
crisis with farmers’ suicides, lack of minimum support prices and rising cost of cultivation, Mr. Anjan said
at the inaugural of the national seminar on “Farmer Centered Alternative Agricultural Policy,” being
organised by the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) here. “The present share of agriculture to GDP is just 13.2
per cent. Market forces have taken hold of the farm sector and though much water has passed under the

idge since 2007 after the M.S Swaminathan Commission report was tabled, the government has not
taken any action. More than five lakh farmers had committed suicide during the last 13-14 years,” Mr.
Anjan said. District Collector S. Suresh Kumar too shared his passion for agriculture and called for an
effective pressure group to bring in policy changes. Mr. Suresh Kumar said that declining agricultural
production during the last 20 years had forced many farmers to shift from agriculture to other activities.
Vice Chancellor of Acharya Nagarjuna University K. Viyanna Rao said that declining rate of agricultural
growth had been a matter of concern. Farmers have been at the receiving end due to lack of effective
agricultural policies and new challenges like corporatization of agriculture, which has thrown the farm
sector into a crisis. (The Hindu 19/12/13)
500 engineers join hands to light up houses of Vidarbha farmers (20)
Pune: In a unique programme that has lighted up the lives of families of farmers who have committed
suicide, Pune's 500 engineers have helped install solar power lamps at some of the remote parts of
Vidarbha. Pune-based NGO Apulkee that consists of more than 500 software professionals have installed
solar power lamps in the houses of 250 such families . Since last month, Apulkee has been involved in
this mission. Sachin Pachpor, member of the group, said they decided to distribute solar lamps to them
given the poor electrical connectivity in the region. "The families are located in isolated clusters and face
long hours of power cut. Due to the death of the bread winner of the families, it often falls on the women
folk to fend for the family. When they come home in the evening, a dark house without power greets them
where in they have to prepare their dinner," he said. Pachpor said lamps would help the women folk of
the household and also help the children study," he said. Apulkee since its formation a year ago has been
active in solving issues related to farmers in Vidharbha. The group has many people from Vidarbha's
farmer families. "Through this group we are reaffirming our links and helping the area in our own way," he
said. The idea of the latest venture called Prakashvat, came from their first-hand experience. "Our effort is
to light up their lives to some extend," said the founding president of the group Abhijeet Phalke. The
group has dedicated this venture to master blaster Sachin Tendulkar. The group members through their
posts in social networking sites announced this venture and asked for donations. Also the group
managed to tie up with a manufacturer of solar lamps in Pune who agreed to give the product at a
concessional rate. (Indian Express 20/12/13)
BJP Condemns Arrest of Farmers (20)
BHUBANESWAR: The BJP on Wednesday condemned the arrest of the agitating farmer leaders and
demanded their immediate release. Justifying their agitation demanding bonus of `500 per quintal of
paddy, the BJP said that the farmers of the State are in distressed condition following extensive damage
to their kharif crops by the twin calamities of Phailin and floods. The special package announced by the
State Government for the farmers is nothing but a hogwash. Whatever paddy crop saved from the
calamities is not meeting the fair average quality (FAQ) norms. As a result, paddy brought to the mandis
are not accepted by the Government agencies. Finding no support from the Government, the farmers are
on peaceful agitation from December 9 demanding bonus of `500 per bag over the minimum support
price (MSP) announced by the Centre. Claiming that the neighbouring Chhattisgarh Government is
providing a bonus of `300 per quintal of paddy, BJP spokesperson Sajjan Sharma urged Chief Minister
Naveen Patnaik to accept the demand of the farmers to mitigate their miseries. Demanding immediate
release of the arrested leaders, Sharma cautioned that the BJP will take to the streets if the Government
conducts legal proceedings against them. (New Indian Express 26/12/13)
BJP condemns arrest of farmers in Orissa (20)
Bhubaneswar: The BJP on Saturday strongly condemned the incarceration of 26 frontline activists of
Navanirman Krushak Sangahan (NKS), a farmers’ rights forums, and demanded their immediate and
unconditional release from the jail. The president of Orissa state BJP Kissan Morcha, Maheswar Sahoo,

said the arrest of farmers’ leaders who were holding a protest rally on December 24 demanding `500
bonus per quintal of paddy was blatant attempt to throttle their right to expression and aimed at
suppressing the state government’s failure to improve the poor conditions of the peasants. “After huge
criticism following the arrest of the farmers’ leaders, the BJD government has announced a paltry `100
bonus per quintal of paddy. When the Swaminathan Comm-ission has recommended at least 50 per cent
profit to the farmer on the cost of production of his produce, the `100 relief is just like a lollypop.” (Asian
Age 29/12/13)
Second round of farmer suicide survey held up due to lack of funds (20)
PATIALA: Despite repeated assurances by the Punjab government to conduct a second round of survey
to count suicides committed by farmers and agriculture labourers in the state, the state is yet to initiate
the process. The second round of survey, which would give the exact number of suicides committed by
the tillers and farm labourers till March 2013, could not take off despite a decision to that effect having
been taken by the Punjab government around three months ago. Although three state universities -
Punjabi University, Patiala; Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana; and Guru Nanak Dev University,
Amritsar - were told to conduct the survey, these institutions are yet to begin the work as the government
has not provided them funds. "We haven't started any survey till now as we are awaiting funds from the
state government," Inderjit Singh, head of economics department of Punjabi University. S S Dhillon,
economics department head of Guru Nanak Dev University also said his university was ready to conduct
the survey but funds had not been sent by the government. "Although the budget has been allocated to
each university, we are yet to receive the funds. We will start the survey immediately after getting the
money," said Dhillon. Sources in PAU also pointed to unavailability of funds for the survey. The data
available with the state government - according to which total 6,926 farmers and labourers have
committed suicide - is only for the 2000-2011 period. As per the data, number of people who committed
suicide included 3,954 farmers and 2,972 farm labourers. It also revealed that 75% farmers committed
suicide citing inability to repay the debt. The percentage of labourers who ended their life for the similar
reason was 49%. Of the total farmer suicides, 6% were by females while in the farm labourers' category
the figure was 14%. (Times of India 30/12/13)