NGO seeks implementation of SC directions on farmer suicides

Nearly 1.5 lakh farmers have committed suicide in the country between 2004 and 2012 and yet the Centre has not taken any corrective measure, an organisation representing farmers today said while seeking implementation of the Supreme Court directions in the matter.
An NGO, whose petition is pending in the apex court, blamed the central government for its "faulty policy" on farmers, and criticised the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) for giving "incorrect" number of suicides, which it claimed was much higher.
"The NCRB data cited by the government is incorrect, the number of suicides is much more than what the authority has released. They do not even consider a person a farmer if he has land measuring less than 2.5 acres," NGO Youth Kamal Organisation's President Happy Mann said during a press conference here.

The apex court, which is seized of the issue of farmer suicides, had on August 21 pulled up the Centre and asked it to consider revisiting the National Policy for Farmers, 2007 and apprise the court about its stand within six weeks.