Aurangabad : A total of 207 farmers have committed suicide in 90 days till March 31 of the current calendar year in the Marathwada region, which has been facing nature’s fury in some or the other form for the past four to five years.
The region has been receiving scanty rainfall for the past four years and the situation was the worst last year when 511 farmers committed suicide in Marathwada.
However, this year is feared to be even more severe as the total number of farmer suicides in first three months has gone up to 207. This is a serious sign of a fall in agriculture and rural economy. The situation might turn worse from bad, if timely action is not taken by the government.
Kharif crops have not been grown to their full potential owing to scanty rainfall between June and September in 2014. Moreover, the farmers suffered another jolt when their double-sowing of rabi crops failed to yield good dividends owing to unseasonal rainfall coupled with hailstorms in Marathwada.
This has left farmers in general and marginal farmers who have no irrigation facility in deep distress. They had obtained loans from various nationalised and cooperative banks at the time of the sowing of the crops and, now, aren’t in a position to repay the same.
Relief held back
The kin of dead farmers get Rs 1 lakh relief from the state government. However, certain criteria were applied to most of the farmers who have ended their lives. According to the government’s conditions, a farmer shouldn’t be a drunkard or be addicted to any other bad habit.
Keeping this in the mind, 107 farmers have been declared eligible for the government relief while 34 claims have been rejected and 58 applications are pending in the offices concerned.
Sudhir Dharmadhikari
