VISAKHAPATNAM: An eight-member fact-finding team of the Human Rights Forum (HRF) and the Rythu Swarajya Vedika (RSV) has made an extensive three-day tour of villages in four revenue divisions of East and West Godavari districts to study the implementation of GO 43. The team has found that the implementation of the GO 43 took a backseat during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The HRF and RSV demanded that the State government take immediate steps for effective implementation of the GO No 43, which provides a financial and rehabilitation package to families of those farmers, who committed suicide.The team visited 18 families of suicide victims in the two districts. “We have no hesitation in stating that all the families of suicide victims are eligible for a financial aid of `7 lakh each under the GO 43,” it said.
In all the suicide cases it could clearly be established that poor agricultural yield and economic distress eventually led to suicide of small and marginal farmers. The families of suicide victims have not received any assistance from the government so far.
The team said, “We are shocked to learn that the three-member verification and certification committee headed by the RDO has not visited even one of the 18 villages of suicide victims as mandated under the GO 43. The families of suicide victims have been abandoned by the State government.”
All the 18 were tenant farmers, who ended their lives because of the appalling state of institutional credit, leading to excessive dependence on private moneylenders, resulting in high indebtedness. The farmers also lacked access to reliable and reasonably priced farm inputs and a remunerative price for their output. Successive governments have failed in discharging their obligation, thereby rendering farmers helpless.
The farmers ended their lives, either by consuming pesticide or hanging, after being driven to utter despair unable to repay the loans which they had taken at a high interest rate from private moneylenders. All the suicides had occurred after June 2019 and victims come under the purview of GO 43. Not a single of the 18 farmers was issued a Crop Cultivator Rights Card (CCRC). Proof of tenancy could have been easily established had the administration been serious at all, the team said.
The families of suicide victims are in a state of acute deprivation with all of them being under regular and persistent pressure from moneylenders to pay up, it said. It may be noted that for every farmer who committed suicide, there are many others facing despair.
The fact-finding committee comprised B Kondal, RSV State committee member, A Ravi, HRF State vice-president, Y Rajesh, HRF State secretary, NN Srinivasa Rao, HRF publications editor, K Anuradha, M Srinivasa Rao and G Rohith, HRF State executive committee members, and VS Krishna, HRF AP and TS Coordination Committee member.
Total number of ryot suicides: 87
46 East Godavari
41 West Godavari
Ex gratia extended to 7 families in East Godavari and 20 in West Godavari
HRF, RSV recommendation
The State government should amend the GO 43 and insert a provision of one-time loan settlement in the financial package so as to mitigate the debt burden of families of suicide victims. This will help to a certain extent in ensuring that the families of victims are not harassed by moneylenders
Observations
The three-member verification and certification committee headed by the RDO, has not visited even one of the 18 villages of suicide victims as mandated under the GO 43
No Crop Cultivator Rights Cards were issued to tenants