Suicide by A.P. farmers: NHRC intervention sought

By The HINDu (J. Venkatesan)

NEW DELHI Feb. 23. Expressing concern over the suicides by cotton farmers in Andhra Pradesh, the Human Rights Council, Visakhapatnam, has sought the intervention of the National Human Rights Commission to direct an enquiry and award of compensation to the families of the victims. In its complaint to the NHRC, the Secretary, M. Shyam Prasad, said that in 20 districts of Andhra Pradesh in the last three years, 638 farmers ended lives due to crop failure and resultant loss.

He said the sale of spurious and adulterated insecticides, inferior quality seeds, absence of proper guidelines by the State Agricultural department, import of cotton, high sales tax and lack of marketing opportunities had put the farmers in a precarious position.As a result, cotton mills started preferring imported cotton to the locally grown cotton and farmers had to incur enormous debts and the State had no control over money lenders.

There was also no debt relief from the cooperative banks forcing the farmers to commit suicide, he said. The Council said that of the 490 suicides reported in the country during 2001-2002, 385 were from Andhra Pradesh.

Pointing out that suicides by cotton growing farmers due to lapses on the part of the Government was an infringement of the right to life, the complainant urged the NHRC to direct the Sessions Judges of various districts in the State to inquire into the primary causes for the suicides and submit a report to the Commission and award of suitable relief to the families.