Seek legal help on farmers’ issues, HC tells AP, Telangana

HYDERABAD:  Stressing the need for optimum manpower support and infrastructure for effective functioning of Rythu Sadhikara Samstha in Andhra Pradesh and Farmers Debt Relief Commission in Telangana to prevent suicides by farmers and to address their grievances, a division bench of the High Court has directed the governments of AP and Telangana to utilise the services of their respective State Legal Services Authority in identifying the needy farmers to get the benefits under the above schemes.

“The object of creating the above schemes is to provide an integrated empowered institution responsible for planning, implementation and monitoring of welfare, development and capacity enhancement to empower the farmers and to take up various measures and activities. Identification of those who are in need of support of such institutions and their access to the authorities concerned can be easily obtained if the Legal Services Authority Act, 1987 is put into operation for the benefit of such persons.

We are of the view that the State Legal Services Authority, the different District Legal Services Authorities under it and the Taluk Legal Services Committees under that State Authority would be able to steer clear of the process of connectivity of the needy persons to the institutions,” it said.

The bench, comprising chief justice TBN Radhakrishnan and justice V Ramasubramanian, has passed this order recently on a PIL filed by social activists K Siva Ram Reddy, Pakala Srihari Rao, D Narsimha Reddy and others seeking directions to both the state governments to take necessary steps for preventing farmers’ suicides.

The petitioners sought directions to the authorities to frame suitable guidelines, policy and to register all genuine farmers under a common platform duly issuing individual identity cards, to frame a policy for supply of genuine seeds to the farmers and stringent action against the manufacturers and suppliers of fake and spurious seeds. 

When the matter came up for hearing, the government counsels of AP and Telangana told the court that the governments constituted Rythu Sadhikara Samstha and Farmers’ Debt Relief Commission respectively to address farmers’ grievances. Taking these submissions into consideration, the bench said that these institutions would effectively work only if there was manpower supporting apart from infrastructure facilities.