NEW DELHI, Mar 1:
The number of suicides by farmers due to agrarian reasons has not risen last year as compared to the previous years, Parliament was informed today.
“The number of suicides by farmers due to agrarian reasons during 2012 has not risen in comparison to previous years,” Agriculture and Food Processing Minister Sharad Pawar said in the Rajya Sabha.
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra governments have reported 29, 33 and 473 cases of farmers suicides respectively during 2012, he said.
The reply did not provide comparative figures.
“No state has so far reported any case of farmers suicide due to agrarian reasons during 2013,” Pawar said.
Meanwhile, in a written reply to a separate question, Minister of State for Agriculture Tariq Anwar said: “Expert Group of Agricultural Indebtedness pointed out that suicide is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon.
“The risk factors can be either neurobiological or socio-economic and root cause is no indebtedness alone, which is just a symptom,” he said.
Whereas state governments have cited many reasons for farmers suicides including indebtedness, crop failure, drought, socio-economic and personal reasons, he added.
Asserting that the Centre’s prime focus is expansion of farm income, Pawar said that the government has taken several measures to boost farm income in the way of enhancement in minimum support price of agricultural commodities, increase in agri-credit flow, debt waiver and interest subvention on crop loans among others.
He said: “Government continues to take several steps to revitalise agriculture sector and improve condition of farming community on sustainable basis by increasing investment, improving farm practices, rural infrastructure and delivery of credit, technology and other inputs.” (PTI)
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