The Hindu : Suicide cases: 12 farmers' families get compensation

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 04, 2004

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

Suicide cases: 12 farmers' families get compensation

By Our Staff Correspondent

CHITRADURGA JAN. 3. Chitradurga district, which was hit by drought for three years in a row, saw a series of suicides by farmers in 2003.

As many as 38 farmers died in the last nine months and most of them had reportedly taken loans.

Of these cases, families of 12 have received compensation of Rs. 1 lakh.

The highest number of such cases, 12, was reported in Chitradurga taluk. Of these only families of four farmers got compensation.

As many as nine cases of farmers committing suicide were reported in Hiriyur taluk, eight in Holalkere taluk, five in Challakere taluk and four cases were reported in Hosadurga taluk.

Of the 12 families, which got compensation, two were Scheduled Castes. In Holalkere taluk, five families were given compensation. Only four cases were found to be eligible for compensation in Chitradurga district.

In Hiriyur taluk, compensation was given in two cases and in Hosadurga taluk compensation was awarded in one case. Claims in five cases from Challakere taluk were rejected.

"We have distributed compensation according to norms. But in most of the cases, the claimants have failed to fulfil the norms prescribed by the Government,'' a senior officer said.

Senior officers, however, admit that the farmers who committed suicide had taken loan, many of them from private lenders.

Moreover, most of them belonged to joint families. In some cases, loans had been taken in names other than theirs.

This was because in most cases land records would be updated according to the changed circumstances such as death, partition, etc. That was why compensation could not be given in most cases, he explained.

"The Government cannot help as it is difficult to function without norms. It may also send the wrong message to the people who may take compensation as an incentive.

"The Government has fixed reasonable norms," the Deputy Commissioner, M.A. Sadiq, said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States