Highlighting that farmers’ issues in the district need immediate attention of the Andhra Pradesh government in the wake of reported suicides, Communist Party of India (Marxist) district secretary V. Rambhupal on Tuesday said Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy must deal with it during his scheduled visit to Anantapur on August 8.
This is Mr. Reddy’s maiden visit to the district after assuming office. Mr. Rambhupal said 19 farmers had resorted to the extreme step in the district since May 1. He alleged that the district administration was not willing to accept the cases as suicides driven by farm crisis, attributing the deaths to other reasons without looking at the underlying problems.
Hitting out at the State government for the reported decision to conduct fresh surveys on the causes of reported suicides of farmers before paying compensation, the CPI(M) leader observed that it would take at least three months to sanction compensation if a fresh survey was conducted, adding to the suffering of the bereaved family members. “The YSRCP did not make any complaint about the causes for suicide. Why is it suggesting a fresh survey now?,” he asked.