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India farmers committing suicide { May 19 2004 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.newkerala.com/news-daily/news/features.php?action=fullnews&showcomments=1&id=17735http://www.newkerala.com/news-daily/news/features.php?action=fullnews&showcomments=1&id=17735
May 19, 2004
India News > Reddy announces package for farmers' families
Hyderabad, May 18 (IANS) :
Continuing a series of steps to help farmers, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy Tuesday announced a package to help the families of those farmers who had committed suicide during last six years.
Under the package, the government will extend financial assistance of Rs.150,000 to the family of each farmer who committed suicide.
While Rs.50,000 will be paid for one-time settlement of the loans taken by farmers from banks, agriculture societies and money lenders, the remaining sum will be used to create or revive source income from agriculture.
Addressing a news conference here, he said a four-member committee would be set up in all villages to look into the reasons for each farmer committing suicide.
The committee will first settle the loans taken by farmers with an upper ceiling of Rs.50,000.
The government will deposit Rs.100,000 in the bank account to be opened in the name of deceased's wife and next of, kin that will ensure that the family resumes agricultural activity and generates income.
"This will be monitored for two to three years," he said.
YSR, as he is widely known, announced that the families of such farmers will also get share in various welfare programmes of the government and their children will be provided education in social welfare hostels.
Expressing concern over the continuing suicides by farmers, YSR appealed to the farming community not to resort to the extreme step as the state would lose a farmer and their family the breadwinner.
He also cautioned banks and moneylenders against harassing farmers who had taken loans.
Reddy, who returned from New Delhi Tuesday morning, held a high-level meeting with officials to discuss the situation and a package on the lines of one announced in neighbouring Karnatka.
YSR, who took over as chief minister May 14 and had promised that no farmer would commit suicide under Congress rule, noted with concern that three farmers had ended their lives during the last two days.
"The previous government had declined to give compensation to the families of farmers who commit suicides saying that this would encourage more suicides but the suicides have not stopped," he said.
He said the government had no statistics regarding the number of farmers who committed suicide during the last six years.
The government will issue a notification calling for applications from the families of those who had ended their lives. The Congress leaders during the election campaign had alleged that 3,000 farmers had committed suicide.
YSR has already announced a series of sops since he took over as chief minister. The sops include free electricity to farmers and waiver of electricity arrears, both amounting to Rs.16 billion.
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