TS fails to save debt-ridden farmers
Commission for Debt Relief Act was passed last year
Nineteen months after the Legislature passed the Telangana State Commission for Debt Relief (small farmers, agriculture labourers and rural artisans) Act, 2016, the government has failed to constitute the state commission to enable debt-ridden farmers to seek protection from private moneylenders resorting to coercive acts to recover loans.
On an average, four farmer suicides are being reported every day from districts for the past few days due to indebtedness.
Some petitioners have approached the High Court against the delay in setting up of state commission. Following this, the Hyderabad High Court directed the state government on August 21 year, to constitute the commission within three months.
The November 21 deadline is set to end in another two weeks but there has been no initiative to set up commission.
The law was passed on March 31, 2016, after TS topped the country in farmer suicides as per National Bureau of Crime Records.
It was revealed that the suicides were primarily on account of indebtedness due to crop loss on account of adverse weather conditions in the state.
The Act failed to serve the purpose with the delay in setting up of state commission as mandated.
The existence of state commission would have enabled farmers to approach it in case of coercive methods by money lenders.
The commission has the power to make onetime settlements between farmers and lenders.
The government has promised to sanction `3 crore seed money to the commission, to repay debt of money lenders on behalf of farmers and collect the same from farmers after their crops get remunerative price in market.
After the passage of Act, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao made a statement in the House that the law would prevent farmers from exploitation by private lenders particularly when they are in distress conditions following drought, crop damage/failure or inability to market their produce at remunerative price.
However, 19 months down the line, the Act exists only on paper with no state commission to enable farmers to approach it in case of debt burden.