Hyderabad: Liquor, illness snuff out lives of farmers’

“These are systemic failures and the suicides could have been avoided if the government could provide quality services in the form of primary healthcare facility. The public health system has collapsed and farmers are forced to opt for private facilities, and that also contribute to their debts,” said G.V. Ramanjaneyulu.

The ill health too is because of lack of good quality water, malnutrition and other reasons. While income is not increasing, the burden on farmers has grown manifold due to private schools and hospitals, Mr Ramanjaneyulu said. Farmer’s advocacy groups also call for providing support to women farmers and women who have lost their husbands to the crisis.

“There should be a mechanism for rehabilitation of women and also for providing institutional support which can provide loans to them. They don’t have titled rights and when a suicide in the family takes place, their immediate livelihood is in danger. Women as young as in their 20s are dying and the government is not coming up with any solution to deal with the desperate situation,” said Sajaya Kakarla from Caring Citizens’ Collective (CCC).

Over 147 women farmers committed suicide in Telangana in the last year and some of them belong to those families who have already lost a male member.

“Women are left behind after the husband or father or son commits suicide. Because of the rural setup, there is hardly any alternative income or jobs and there are many families where women too end their lives after the male members of their families die,” added Mr Ramanjaneyulu, pointing to the lack of appropriate intervention from government is costing.