Maharashtra sees uptick in farmer suicide cases

Yavatmal: Around 60 farmers have died by suicide in the last 43 days in the Yavatmal area of Maharashtra failing to repay the debt following the torrential rains.
District collector, Amol Yedge assured that the government is taking steps to reduce the number of suicide incidents in the state. According to the official, 205 such cases have been reported in the state this year.
Speaking to ANI, Yedge said, "48 farmer suicides were reported in August, 12 have been reported in September. So far, 205 cases have been reported this year (till September 12). Our committee sits on these cases and decides the eligibility and ineligibility of these cases."
Extending support to the farmers, the collector said that government officers will spend a day with the farmers on September 13 and 14.
"We're with the farmers. As part of the government program, government officers will spend a day with them on September 13 and 14 to know their issues and inform them about government schemes and benefits."
A local in the area informed that the crops were destroyed because of the heavy rains which led to his father die by suicide owing to the inability to repay the debt.
"We had a debt of about Rs 12 lakhs, our crop was destroyed due to heavy rains. We never thought our father will die by suicide but he quietly went to the farm and did it. We didn't get any help from the administration, no No one including BDO or Collector visited us," he said.
Weeks ago in Delhi, a farmer was found hanging from a ceiling fan in a Shiv temple.
A mushroom farmer who had sent his workers home to Bihar during the migrant crisis in May 2020, was found hanging from a ceiling fan in a Shiv temple in the Alipur police station area in New Delhi on Wednesday.
The deceased was identified as Pappan Singh of Tigipur village. Singh used to visit the Shiv temple in front of his house daily. A priest saw him hanging on the ceiling fan, as per the police.
A suicide note was also recovered which stated the reason was some disease. However, the family did not suspect anybody. (ANI)