Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Farmer suicides: Kisan Sabha questions data

Special Correspondent

Says figures collected not factual

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The All India Kisan Sabha has questioned the statistics collected by the Agriculture Department about the total number of farmers who committed suicide on account of heavy debt burden.

Kisan Sabha State president V. Chamunni and general secretary Sathyan Mokeri told a news conference here on Thursday that the figures collected by the State officials were not factual and sought a fresh initiative involving farmers' representatives, officials of the Agriculture and Revenue departments and people's representatives to collect factual information on the number of persons who have committed suicide on account of indebtedness. The Government must give an ex gratia of Rs.1 lakh each to the families of the farmers who have committed suicide, they added.

The Kisan Sabha leaders also wanted procurement of paddy at Rs.1,000 a quintal and release of the money due to farmers by way of production bonus and handling charges incurred at the time of procurement last year. They also called upon the Government to constitute the Agricultural Debt Relief Commission and the State Agriculture Commission as promised in the LDF's election manifesto.

The Kisan Sabha would organise conclaves of farmers at 1,000 centres in the State on September 15 to press its demands. This would be followed by a Kisan Panchayat in the State capital on September 22 and a march to Parliament in late December.

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