A distressed farmer committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree during a farmers’ rally in Delhi organized by state ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday.
The deceased, identified as Gajender Singh Rajput from Dausa district in Rajasthan, had left a suicide note stating that he had suffered major loss due to crop damage and was reeling under huge debt. He was unable to take care of his family as his father had also disowned him after unseasonal rain wreaked havoc on the standing crop.
Scores of farmers had gathered at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday morning to take part in the rally led by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to protest Land Acquisition Bill. AAP chief had raised three issues at the rally-- a) consent of farmers needed for acquiring land b) Implementation of Swaminathan report c) Proper compensation for rain-hit crops.
According to the recently passed Land Acquisition Bill, farmers’ consent is no more required for acquiring the land. According to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, the mandatory "consent" clause and Social Impact Assessment (SIA) will not be applicable if the land is acquired for national security, defence, rural infrastructure including electrification, industrial corridors and housing for the poor including PPP where ownership of land continues to be vested in the government.
This is not the only reason which is worrying farmers. Another major cause of concern is the proper crop insurance system, which is the only way through which they can cover up loss up to some extent.
Thousands of farmers have taken their lives since last year on the pretext of drought in 2014, followed by unseasonal rains earlier this year destroying a major portion of standing crops.
The biggest reason for the failure of the crop insurance scheme is the lack of awareness. Farmers complain that they hardly know about the benefits of the scheme or how to get one for their crops, despite the fact that there are several kinds of insurance policies available in the market.
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Picture courtesy: The Hindu
