The Supreme Court on last Friday had issued notice to
Gujarat government on a plea by an NGO seeking com pensation to families of
over 600 debt-ridden farmers who had allegedly committed suicide in the state
from 2003 to 2012.
However, information sought under the Right To
Information Act by Mirror regarding the same from the Union Ministry of
Agriculture revealed that between 2009 and 2013, no farmer had committed sui
cide in Gujarat due to crop failure.
CRANTI, the NGO, in its petition had stated that
since 2003 -when suicides by farmers started in Gujarat -till August 20, 2012
as many as 619 farmers committed suicide in the state. The figures, according
to the petition, were based on the response of the Gujarat govern ment to two
RTI applications.
In July, 2014, Mirror filed an RTI with the Union
Department of Agriculture and Cooperation seeking the total number of farmers
who committed suicide in the state due to crop failure. In response, the
department sent data of `total number of suicides under subhead self employed
(FarmingAgriculture)' from National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). The data
showed that in 2010, 523 farmers committed suicide, while it rose to 578 in
2011. It fell to 564 in 2012, only to rise again to 582 farmer suicides the
next year. But as the data did not specify the reason for the suicides, Mirror
went for an appeal in August.
Shockingly, the data provided by the Joint Secretary
to the Government of India and Appellate Authority stated that between 2010 and
2013 `Zero number of farmers committed suicide due to agrarian reasons in the
state'. The figure contradicts the data furnished by CRANTI through an RTI in
2012.
CENTRE DEPENDS ON STATE FOR DATA
As agriculture is a state matter, the central
government does not have data about farmer suicides. As the reply to the appeal
stated, “Department of Agriculture and Cooperation approaches all state
governments UTs to provide detailed data relating to suicides by farmers due to
agrarian reasons from time to time for the purpose of informing Parliament.“
The Union Appellate Authority furnished information provided to them by Gujarat
government. The contradiction in data provided by the NCRB and the state
government's data shows that the state government has not provided correct
information to Union government about farmer suicides especially when farmer
suicides are on the rise in state.
Coordinator for CRANTI Bharatsinh Jhala said that
false data provided by the state government is an insult to the RTI Act. “It is
clearly written in the FIR copies that I received through RTI that 614 farmers
committed suicide because of crop failure. Hence, the data provided to the
appellate authority is false, which is a punishable offence under the Act.“
Every year, state governments submit reports about
agrarian conditions to the central government which also includes data on
farmers' suicides. Jhala believes that rather than depending on states, the
Centre should compile such data.
RISING FARMERS' SUICIDES IN STATE
Unlike Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra,
Chhattisgarh, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh -where farmers' suicides have been
evident in the past -have shown a plunge in suicide rates, Gujarat has
witnessed a surge.
According to RTI activists, this figure only
represents the tip of the iceberg as many suicide cases go unreported.
According to RTI activist Manoj Patel of rtiindia.org, “In hundreds of cases,
farmers' suicides don't get reported due to bureaucratic influence. In fact,
despite having evidence, police in the course of investigation tags `no reason'
as the cause of the suicide so that it doesn't get counted as crop failure suicide.“
PUNISHABLE OFFENCE
According to Section 20 of the RTI Act, knowingly
giving incorrect, in complete or misleading information which was the subject
of the request is a punishable offence. “It shall im pose a penalty of two
thousand and fifty rupees each day till application is received or information
is furnished.
However, the total amount of such penalty shall not
exceed twenty-five thousand rupees,“ states the Act.
Under Chapter 12, 218, public servants framing an
incorrect record can lead to 3 years of imprisonment or fine or both.
No comments :
Post a Comment