Hyderabad: Gudur Narayana Reddy, a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state executive committee, criticized the Telangana government for its failure to prevent farmer suicides. He expressed his deep sadness over the recent suicides of three farmers from Medak and Nirmal districts on September 2. Reddy stated that these incidents highlight the government’s inability to address this issue.
Reddy pointed out that the Chief Minister, K Chandrasekhara Rao, who calls for a “kisansarkar” (government for farmers) at the national level, has neglected the plight of farmers in his own state. He emphasized that over the past 10 years, news of farmer suicides has been a daily occurrence in Telangana, indicating the dire situation in the agricultural sector.
According to Reddy, approximately 7,000 farmers have taken their lives in the past decade due to financial difficulties. This year alone, nearly 100 farmers have committed suicide in the state. Reddy attributed these suicides to the lack of protection and insurance coverage for farmers when their crops fail. He also highlighted that many farmers rely on moneylenders for capital because they do not have access to institutional financing, leading to high interest rates that drive them to take such extreme measures.
Reddy accused the state government of failing to implement the Phasal Bima Yojana, a central government scheme that provides insurance coverage to farmers against crop failures. He further criticized the government for not implementing other beneficial schemes launched by the central government for the welfare of farmers.
