Farmers' suicides a serious issue: Karnataka High Court seeks information from State on aid extended to families of deceased farmers

The Karnataka High Court on Friday took serious note of the farmers' suicides in the State and directed the Karnataka government to place on record the measures taken to alleviate the sufferings of families of such farmers who have died by suicide..A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Vishwajith Shetty passed the order in a petition moved by Akhanda Karnataka Raitha Sangha highlighting the growing number farmer suicides in Karnataka's Shahapur Taluk..Terming the rise in farmers' suicide a serious issue, the Court further directed the State government to provide details of aid/grant extended to the families of deceased farmers..State was also directed to nominate an appropriate officer to hold an inquiry to ascertain the reasons for such suicides in Shahapur taluk in Yadgir district and to garner details of the benefit/assistance made available to the family members. Based on this, the State will have to submit a report, directed the Bench. .This apart, the Division bench asked the State government to collect details of premiums collected by the banks from farmers to extend the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna (PMFBY) and whether or not banks have paid the same to insurance companies and the insurance companies have, in turn, extended the benefit to farmers..The Court was hearing a plea seeking directions to the authorities to immediately disburse the crop insurance loss compensation to the insured farmers in Shahapur taluk, Yadgir district, under the PMFBY for the 2016 monsoon season and thereafter.The plea has also sought immediate disbursal of the crop insurance loss compensation to all insured farmers, in all taluks which have been declared as drought-affected by the State Government. .During the hearing, petitioner advocate Clifton D Rozario submitted that the State had witnessed the highest number of farmer deaths after Maharashtra and Gujarat. It was submitted that 40,346 farmers have ended their lives in the past 20 years. While 2,160 farmers died by suicide in 2017, 2018 saw 2,405 farmer deaths, he pointed out. Further, the Court was told that in 2018-2019, a total of 98 farmers had died by suicide in Shahapur Taluk alone. .The petitioner submitted that there has been a failure to implement PMFBY in the state. The plea highlighted that PMFBY is a mandatory crop insurance scheme being implemented by the Central and State Governments with the stated objective to help farmers cope with crop losses. .However, it was alleged by the petitioner that many insured farmers of Shahapur taluk, despite having suffered severe crop loss of the various crops, are arbitrarily and illegally denied crop insurance loss compensation further driving them into deeper distress. This is violative of their fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14, 19(1)(g) and 21 of the Constitution, the petition said. ."That the failure of the authorities to provide the aggrieved farmers with their rightful dues under PMFBY is violative of their fundamental right to life under Article 21 inasmuch as it has resulted in a position of stark economic vulnerability to the farmers, resulting in as many as 98 farmers suicides in Shahapur Taluk itself in the past three years.".However, the authorities have not taken any steps to put an end to the rising number of farmer suicides, the petitioner contended. .The matter will be next heard on January 13, 2021..[Read petition]