Hyderabad: The Telangana government on
Saturday decided to enhance the ex-gratia being paid to families of farmers who
have committed suicide due to distress like low crop yield or indebtedness to
Rs 6 lakh from Rs 1.5 lakh.
Briefing reporters after a meeting of the state cabinet, Deputy
Chief Minister Kadiam Srihari said the decision to raise the ex-gratia would be
effective from Saturday.
The 'Kalyana Lakshmi' scheme of providing help for the marriage of
young women would be extended to the families of farmers who committed suicide,
he said.
Srihari said that the Cabinet expressed regret that farmers are
committing suicide due to deficit rainfall, low crop yield or
indebtedness.
He appealed to the farmers not to take the extreme step of ending
their lives.
Farmers' suicides has, of late, become a political issue in the
state with the opposition Congress, TDP and other parties alleging that
hundreds of farmers have committed suicide due to distress in the last over one
year since TRS assumed office.
The ruling party, however, has dismissed the allegation.
A state government release issued on September 11 said that 141
farmers have committed suicide so far and that ex-gratia was being paid to
them.
Srihari said the political parties, media and NGOs should instill
courage among farmers and that the issue should not be used for politics.
Highlighting that the state government has taken
many pro-farmer measures, he said that seeds and fertilisers
have been made available for agriculture and uninterrupted power is
being supplied to the extent possible.
The government also waived farmers' loans to the tune of Rs
17,000 crore, the Deputy CM said, adding that the government would wait
till September 30 to announce various mandals as drought-hit as per
Centre's norms.
He said the Cabinet has decided to
appoint 1,000 agriculture extension officers in the state in addition
to 1,100 such officers who are working to serve about 41
lakh hectares of cultivable land in the state.
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