Central team's report on Wayanad says situation serious

Thiruvananthapuram, June 11 (UNI) A three-member Planning Commission team has termed the situation serious, after touring the Wayanad district of Kerala where a large number of suicides were reported by debt-ridden farmers.

The team led by Mr R Bandopadhyaya which met Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, said their report on the present situation in Wayanad district would be submitted soon.

It had found that 321 farmers had committed suicide in the past five years due to the crisis in the farm sector.

Later, the Chief Minister said all the issues had been brought in to the notice of the Central team. Apart from Wayanad, farmers in Palakkad, Idukki and some other districts were also facing a similar problem. The government had asked the MLAs concerned and panchayat representatives to prepare a detail report on the situation within two months.

He alleged that though more than 500 farmers had committed suicide during the past five years, the issue was swept under the carpet by the previous Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government and denied the families of the victims the Central assistance of Rs one lakh each.

UNI CR AJ DKS BST1743