VISAKHAPATNAM: Human Rights Forum (HRF), Rythu Swarajya Vedika (RSV) and BC Welfare Association (BCWA) have called on the Andhra Pradesh government to put an immediate end to bureaucratic apathy in implementing GO 43. This government order mandates a financial compensation of ₹7 lakh, along with a rehabilitation package for families of farmers who take their own lives due to agrarian distress. The three organisations demanded implementation of the GO after their representatives visited Peddhakhojiria village in Kanchili mandal of Srikakulam district on Friday. They met Neelaveni, wife of Balleda Narasimha Murthy, their son Praveen, and other farmers deeply affected by the ongoing crisis in the Uddhanam region of Srikakulam district. Narasimha Murthy, 58, had cultivated cashew and coconut on his one-acre plot and took on lease additional eight acres for the purpose. He borrowed money at high interest rates as he could not access institutional credit. However, insufficient rainfall and pests damaged his crop, driving him into severe debt. When moneylenders pressured him for repayment with interest, the farmer committed suicide by consuming pesticide on April 9. The HRF, RSV and BCWA members said according to GO 43, a three-member divisional verification committee led by RDO should have visited the village within a week of the incident to conduct a proper inquiry and submit their findings. However, neither this committee nor any MRO-led team made any visit. This official apathy in making inquiries has denied compensation to Narasimha Murthy’s family. Representatives of the three organisations said such dereliction of duty is particularly alarming, given that the village lies in the home district of AP Agriculture minister K. Atchannaidu.
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