Loan waivers alone not enough to stop farmers’ suicides: Hyderabad High Court

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court on Monday observed that loan waiver alone was not a solution to stop farmers’ suicides. A division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Dilip B. Bhosale and Justice S.V. Bhatt asked the AP and TS governments to constitute a committee to invite suggestions and remedial measures to prevent farmers’ suicides.

The bench said: “Waiver of crop loans will give temporary relief, but will not address the other problems which are leading to farmers’ suicides. There is a need to look into the root cause of the issue. Common features should be identified in respect of the suicides that took place in the past few years.”

Telangana special counsel S. Sharath Kumar listed out the measures taken by the state government, including waiver of Rs 17,000 crore loans. To this the bench observed that many undeserving farmers were also benefiting from waivers.

The bench said there was a need to identify the farmers who have one or two acres of land. There is a need to identify the common features for the suicides committed by farmers, the bench said.

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