Farmers suicides rise with Food scheme ?
A day ahead of Food security scheme was launched, reports from Mahbubnagar , 110 kms away from Hyderabad said three farmers had committed suicide due to lack of work and starvation .The deaths mocked the ruling coalition's newspaper ads plugging its farmer-friendly policies the very same day titled "Tribute to Farmers".
Venkataiah, Thirumalaiah and Ramulu all lived within 50 km of each other but didn't know each other though they but shared each others desperation and hopelessness in a district which has seen 30 farmer suicides this year.Venkataiah, who had borrowed heavily to grow cotton, ended his life by taking pesticide, leaving three young children. Thirumalaiah’s borewells failed drying his paddy crop and left him with Rs.two lakhs loans and led him to hang himself at his home
Even as the food Bil was debated in parliament for nine hours farmer Ramulamma wife of farmer Ramulu who drowned himself in the village well was worried about feeding her two children that night . She had just cremated her husband with hand loans given by neighbours.While ads of the Agriculture ministry claimed govt subsidised agriculture over 40 percent , the agricultural scientist G.Ramanjaneyulu s�� ays that in turn farmers were subsidising the foodgrains bought and sold by the government .