Farmers’ suicides in Telangana see steep decline

In 2019, 491 farmers committed suicide in the State compared to 846 in 2017

Hyderabad: With effective implementation of Rythu Bandhu scheme and other measures initiated by the State government, farmers’ suicides in Telangana have registered a steep decline from 846 in 2017 to 491 cases in 2019.

Responding to a question on farmers’ suicides in the country, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar informed the Lok Sabha that around 5,957 farmers committed suicide in 2019 across the country as per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Of this, 491 cases were recorded in Telangana State. This is a sharp decline when compared to suicides of 846 farmers in 2017.

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Responding to the Centre’s statement, Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy said the State government’s efforts had paid of in bringing down farmers’ suicides in the State. He stated that Telangana recorded lowest number of farmers’ suicides among the major States in the country. “Due to the vision of Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, Telangana implemented novel schemes like Rythu Bandhu and Rythu Bima which instilled self-confidence among farmers to lead their lives. He strongly believes that only agriculture sector can strengthen the rural economy which in turn can strengthen the nation,” he said.

The Minister said while successive governments in undivided Andhra Pradesh neglected the agriculture sector on which about 60 per cent of the State population was dependent, the Telangana government gave it highest priority.

Besides Rythu Bandhu and Rythu Bima, the State government was also providing free and uninterrupted power supply, constructed irrigation projects and was also purchasing crops. He said people who had quit agriculture were returning to their farm lands with renewed hope.

“With increased cultivation area and high yield, Telangana recorded 20 per cent growth in agriculture sector as well as 17 per cent growth in primary sector even as the national economy suffered severely due to the Covid-19 pandemic during last year,” he added.

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