In several instances, even when officials had acknowledged that the suicides were linked to agrarian distress, no compensation or support was provided.
Published Aug 03, 2025 | 4:04 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 03, 2025 | 4:04 PM
Farmers suicide. Representational Image. (iStock)
Synopsis: The Human Rights Forum and the farmers’ union Rythu Swarajya Vedika have urged the Andhra Pradesh government to take immediate steps to address a sharp rise in farmer suicides in Palnadu district, highliting severe lapses in the implementation of Government Order 43. A joint fact-finding mission by the two organisations documented nine recent suicides across seven villages, finding that only one bereaved family received the mandated ₹7 lakh ex gratia while others were left without support despite official acknowledgment of agrarian distress.
The Human Rights Forum (HRF) and the farmers’ union Rythu Swarajya Vedika (RSV) have called for urgent government action to address the alarming rise in farmer suicides in Palnadu district, Andhra Pradesh.
The two organisations criticised the state government for failing to implement GO 43, which mandates financial assistance and rehabilitation for bereaved families.
They have demanded immediate visits by divisional-level verification committees, issuance of identity cards for tenant farmers, creation of a dedicated fund for debt settlement, and the adoption of a statewide suicide prevention strategy.
The call to action followed a fact-finding mission on 29 and 30 July in seven villages across three mandals in Gurazala division, where the team met families of nine farmers who had died by suicide in recent years.
The joint HRF–RSV team – comprising RSV Andhra Pradesh State Co-convenor G Balu, State Committee member B Kondal, HRF Andhra Pradesh State Executive Committee member K Anuradha, HRF Andhra Pradesh State General Secretary Y Rajesh, and HRF Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Coordination Committee member VS Krishna – visited villages in Veldurthi, Durgi and Gurazala mandals to understand the circumstances of these suicides and the government’s response.
The team’s findings paint a grim picture of administrative neglect and systemic failure. The team documented nine cases:
According to the team, these cases show the human toll of the crisis, with families facing food insecurity and disruptions to their children’s education.
Of the nine families visited, only one – that of Kolili Ramayya in Muthukur, Durgi mandal – received the ₹7 lakh ex gratia mandated under GO 43.
In several instances, even when officials had acknowledged that the suicides were linked to agrarian distress, no compensation or support was provided.
The team highlighted the case of Jaiawati Bala Naik, an Adivasi tenant farmer from Sirampuram Thanda, Veldurthi mandal, who took his own life on 11 January 2024. His family, left in acute distress, has not been visited by any mandal-level officials. His widow has been forced to take up daily wage work, leaving her infant unattended.
GO 43, enacted to provide ₹7 lakh in financial assistance and rehabilitation to the families of farmers who die by suicide due to farm-related distress, is “abysmally implemented,” the HRF–RSV report states.
The policy mandates that a divisional-level three-member committee – led by the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) and including the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and Assistant Director of Agriculture (ADA) – visit affected families within a week of the suicide to verify details and forward compensation proposals.
However, the team found that no such visits had taken place in the cases they examined. Even mandal-level committees, comprising the tahsildar, agriculture officer and sub-inspector, had failed to engage with families, relying instead on superficial reports from revenue inspectors and village revenue officers.
The report also highlighted the politicisation of aid disbursal. Several families reported being denied compensation because they were not aligned with the ruling party, further worsening their plight.
Widows of deceased farmers are particularly vulnerable. None of the eight widows among the visited families had received widow pensions.
The team noted that tenant farming in Palnadu has increased sharply, with lease rates reaching as high as ₹25,000 per acre. This has driven farmers into debt spirals with private moneylenders due to inadequate institutional credit.
Right to Information data and crime investigation records show that over 400 farmer suicides occurred in Palnadu over the past decade – a stark indicator of the region’s agrarian crisis.
While farmer organisations and police records confirm more than 300 suicides under the current government, the state has reported only 39 cases in the Assembly, suggesting deliberate underreporting.
“This is a glaring case of administrative negligence and political apathy,” said VS Krishna, HRF Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Coordination Committee member.
“Families devastated by loss are being abandoned, with no answers from officials on when pending ex gratia amounts will be disbursed.”
The HRF and RSV have outlined five urgent measures to address the crisis:
