Suicide is not the solution to problems

Hanamkonda: The Sarvodaya Youth Organisation (SYO) secretary Pallepadu Damodar exhorted the farmers not to resort to suicides succumbing to problems. 

Speaking at the loan distribution programme in Hanamokoda on Friday, he said that though several people who had taken loans in lakhs and crores of rupees for their business purposes and not in a position to repay them are not ending their lives. Instead they are searching for alternative methods to earn. If a farmer commits suicide, he may have escaped from all the problems, but his family’s condition is becoming miserable, he said.

“There are several reasons which prompt the farmers to end their lives. Especially the fake seeds, poor quality pesticides, no rains, poor yield, non-availability of minimum support price are the main reasons behind this situation.

Moreover, the banks or moneylenders are not coming forward to lend money to small and marginal farmers,” he said. Once a farmer commits suicide, his wife cannot get her children properly educated, cannot maintain the family and repay the loan. Keeping this in mind, the farmers should not resort to suicides, he advised.

Instead they have to take the help of the government or voluntary organisations and try to develop further. The farmers should get their children properly educated. In case if they face problems or don’t have capacity to get their children educated, they could contact SYO which is ready to extend a helping hand to them, he said. He also said to show equality among the girl and boy children and prevent child marriages and explained the repercussions because of child marriages.

He said that they are providing financial help to women at village level and also taking up several other programmes for their personal development. They are providing loans for lower rate of interest to the kin of the farmers who had committed suicide for their family needs and to get out of the financial crunch.

Their organisation is providing some kind of livelihood to them. Over 400 women in 25 villages in Atmakur, Geesukonda and Damera mandals have purchased buffaloes, sheep and are rearing them. Some others have started provisions shops, cloth business, bangle shops, and vegetable shops and are trying to improve their livelihood.

Besides this, their organisation is holding several awareness programmes on women’s problems and is doing them in coordination with government and non-governmental organisations. Range De, Bangalore, is extending cooperation and Sarvodaya is extending financial help worth Rs 5,00,000 to some 20 farmers’ widows belonging to Atmakur and Damera mandals for improvement of their livelihood.