AgriNation News Network (ANN)
Mumbai. 21 June 2019

The data of farmers suicides that was kept hidden by Centre since 2016 and other state governments has finally come out for Maharashtra.  The figure of 12631 farmers suicides provided by Maharashtra government is upsetting.

Maharashtra government informed the state legislative assembly on Friday that 12,021 farmers had committed suicide in Maharashtra between 2015 and 2018.

It also told that 610 farmers had committed suicide this year between January and March.

The reply indicated that farmers suicides were continuing unabated despite the announcement of farm loan waivers and other claims of farm relief measures.

Out of the total 12,021 farmer suicides, 6,888 cases were found to be eligible for government aid after scrutiny by district-level committees and so far, only 6845 farmers were provided financial assistance of Rs 1 Lakh, state government told the House in a written reply.

Out of the 610 farmers suicides till March this year, the government found only 192 farmers eligible for financial assistance and provided financial compensation to only 182 farmers as the remaining cases were being scrutinised to check their edibility, the govt further said in the reply.

The Modi government in December 2018 had told Parliament that the National Crime Records Bureau had not published a report on farmer suicides since 2016.