Farmer suicides despite loan waiver worry CM

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Monday directed deputy commissioners (DCs) of all districts to ascertain the reason behind increasing cases of farmers’ suicides and submit a report to the government.

Kumaraswamy, who held a review meeting with all DCs and chief executive officers (CEOs) of Zilla Panchayats, wondered why farmer suicides were still being reported, despite his government announcing the farm loan waiver scheme to the tune of Rs 48,000 crore. He rued that despite the financial assistance and other forms of interventions, farmers were resorting to suicides.

Stating that the government would issue the order outlining the guidelines for implementation of the loan waiver scheme in the next four to five days, the chief minister directed the officials to implement the scheme in a transparent manner. He said that the role of the DCs in the implementation of the scheme was crucial. The scheme could be misused by middlemen, he added.

Noting that there was a delay in the disbursal of compensation to the families of farmers who have ended their lives, Kumaraswamy advised the DCs to seek information pertaining to the cases directly from the agriculture department, instead of waiting for the reports from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). This way, there could be speedy disbursal of the compensation amount, he said.

The chief minister also advised the officials to give priority for redressing people’s problems, as opposed to focusing on media speculations over the longevity of the government. He asserted that his government would complete its five-year term.

Kumaraswamy took his Cabinet colleagues, including Krishna Byre Gowda, H D Revanna and G T Devegowda for interjecting during the meeting. The chief minister said that the meeting was convened to give a boost to the administrative machinery. “Let the DCs speak. What’s the point if you keep interrupting them?” he said.