There is no provision in Government's existing policy to provide assistance to family of farmers who committed suicide. Besides, causes of suicides in the farming sector were not included in the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). The NCRB had omitted reasons for farmers' suicides under categorieslike farm distress, crop failure, loans, family problems, illness etc in its latest report.

In a reply to a query as to whether Government has provided any relief to the kith and kin of farmers who committed suicide during a Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Parshottam Rupala on Friday said that is no provision in the policy of the Government to provide any assistance to farmers who committed suicide.  However, he said the Agriculture Department of the Government has taken up a number of programmes to improve the condition of farmers. 

 He said loans to distressed farmers and to other persons, not exceeding Rs 1lakh per borrower, indebted to non-institutional lenders is an eligible category under priority sector lending as per RBI's directions.

Under the Kisan Credit Card (KCC), a flexible limit of Rs 10,000-50,000 has been provided to marginal farmers based on the land holding and crop grown for post-harvest storage related credit needs, he said.

In another reply to the Rajya Sabha, the Home Ministry said that causes of suicides in the farming sector were not included in the NCRB as the agency had omitted reasons for farmers' suicides under categorieslike farm distress, crop failure, loans, family problems, illness etc in its latest report.