Civil society members in association with the Right to Food Campaign organised a public hearing at the lower PMG here on Sunday.
Family members of a total of 25 deceased farmers from various districts including Balangir, Baragarh, Mayurbhanj and Dhenkanal etc attended the meeting and explained their problems. Attending as jury members, journalist Rabi Das, former State Finance Minister Panchanan Kanungo, Prof Manoranjan Mohanty, FM University former VC Prof Kumarbar Das and social activist Prafulla Samantaray were of unanimous view that excess loan burden and lack of irrigation facilities are some of the main reasons for farmers’ suicides in the State.
More than 100 farmers have committed suicide in the State after suffering huge crop losses, the members said. Most of the farmers had taken loans from private institutions at high interest rate and could not repay it, said RTI activist Pradip Pradhan.
Holding the State Government responsible for farmers’ suicides, they demanded that the State Government accept that farmers have committed suicide due to loan burden. The other demands include loan facilities and insurance policies, besides irrigation facility for farmers.Around 300 people including farmers and intellectuals were present in the public hearing programme.