Chennai: Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday said suicides of farmers in the state were not related to crop failure or related issues and assured to provide relief to deceased farmers if it was found that they had died due to this issue.
Chief Minister O Panneerselvam discounted DMK's claims in this regard and said farmers had not committed suicide over alleged crop failure.
Recalling his earlier statement, he said that the farmers had committed suicide for "other reasons," but that the government had already announced cash relief for their families.
For those deaths that were not due to suicides, the state government has asked for reports from the respective district administration and if it emerged that they died due to crop failure, they would be provided with relief, he informed the State Assembly.
Tamil Nadu had witnessed a spate of farmer deaths, both suicides and due to shock, which the opposition has been claiming is due to the drought-induced crop failure.
While the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had earlier issued a notice to the state over reports of death of 106 farmers, the Madras High Court has also sought to know what steps the government had taken to prevent farmers' suicides.
