Aid sought for dead Srikakulam ryot's kin

Visakhapatnam: The Human Rights Forum (HRF), Rythu Swarajya Vedika (RSV) and BC Welfare Association (BCWA) called on Andhra Pradesh govt to implement GO No-43 immediately and ensure that the family of deceased farmer Balleda Narasimha Murthy (58) was compensated.

Narasimha hailed from Peddhakhojiria village in Kanchili mandal in the Uddhanam region of Srikakulam district. He cultivated cashew and coconut on one acre of his own land and leased another eight acres, for which he had paid the lease amount in advance.

Denied access to adequate institutional credit, he was forced to borrow from private sources at high interest rates to cover farm-related expenses.

With several years of scanty rainfall coupled with his coconut crop being ravaged by pests, he was pushed into deep debt. Meanwhile, he was under persistent pressure from the money-lender to repay the loaned money.

Unable to provide form his family and severely distressed over the incurred debts, the farmer ended his life by consuming pesticide on April 9 this year. A six-member team including VS Krishna, K Anuradha, K Venkata Rao, KV Jagannadha Rao, G Balu and B Dhilli Rao HRF, RSV and BCWA visited Peddhakojiria in Kanchili mandal on May 16 and spoke with the deceased farmer's wife Neelaveni and son Praveen. The team also interacted with local farmers and residents of Makarampuram village about the ongoing agrarian crisis in the Uddhanam region.

Though over five weeks have passed since Narasimha's death, the three-membered divisional verification committee headed by the RDO did not visit Peddhakhojiria to conduct a inquiry.

GO No-43 mandates that the RDO-led committee visit the village, elicit relevant details and forward proposal to the collector within a week of the suicide.

According to the order, families of deceased farmers, who had died by suicide, is provided a financial assistance (about 7 lakh) and rehabilitation package.

However, Narasimha's family received no assistance from govt. In fact, after his demise, only deputy tehsildar in the area paid a visit to the family.