75% of applications seeking compensation for farm suicides rejected in Bathinda, Mansa

Of 530 applications in the two districts, 392 were rejected, with 138 being approved for compensation.

Bathinda Over the past three years, Bathinda and Mansa administrations have rejected 75% of applications filed with them seeking compensation for suicides of debt-ridden farmers that the kin had filed.

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Of 530 applications in the two districts, 392 were rejected, with 138 being approved for compensation. The compensation given is ₹3 lakh after a committee that the deputy commissioner heads clears the application. The committee has representation from police and agriculture departments.

In Bathinda, the rejection rate is 85% with 276 of 321 claims being rejected; only 45 were cleared and compensation has been paid in the majority of these cases. In Mansa, 56% of the applications have been rejected, with 116 not being cleared of total 209 such pleas.

Bathinda deputy commissioner B Srinivasan said, “Under the policy, the deceased farmer should have had institutional loan, either from banks or from agriculture cooperative societies, for his family to be eligible for compensation. Farmers who had taken non-institutional loans, including from arhtiyas (commission agents), are not eligible for compensation. The majority of the claims rejected do not have institutional loan.”

The DC added that the suicide should also be registered with the police in the form of a First-Information Report (FIR) or a Daily Diary Report (DDR). Lakhwinder Singh Gill, coordinator, Centre for Development Economics and Innovation Studies, Punjabi University, Patiala, said the state government’s policy authorising DC-led panels to ascertain if the farmer suicide is because of institutional debt or not is wrong.

He added, “Till 2013, the state government had given a mandate to state universities to identify farm suicides due to indebtedness. Varsities considered both institutional and non-institutional debts. Later, the DC-headed panels were given the work. These panels do not consider non-institutional debt as a ground for compensation. In reality, a large number of suicides are due to this kind of debt.” He claimed, “The state government should appoint experts for this purpose and consider non-institutional debt also.”

The number of farmers committing suicide due to farm debt is around 1,050, farm unions have claimed, based on data of newspaper and media reports they have maintained from April 1, 2017, to March 31, 2019.

Quotes (if needed)

Farmers who had taken non-institutional loans, including from arhtiyas, are not eligible for compensation. The majority of the claims rejected do not have institutional loan.

B Srinivasan, Bathinda

deputy commissioner

Till 2013, the state government had given a mandate to state universities to identify farm suicides due to indebtedness. Varsities considered both institutional and non-institutional debts. DC-led panels tend to save money for the government.

Lakhwinder Singh Gill,

faculty, Punjabi University, Patiala