Maharashtra¡¯s Marathwada region has become a tragic tale of agrarian holocaust where thousands of farmers are ending their lives every year.?
AP
Although the government claims to have taken scores of steps to contain this trend of suicides by farmers, farmer suicides in Marathwada region have been increasing with each passing year.
In 2016 till April alone, the suicides have crossed a staggering 400 mark compared to 2015 where in the same period of time, 92 more farmers have embraced death over life which speaks volumes of the colossal failures of government schemes that were launched in last August to contain suicides.
CM Devendra Fadnavis led BJP government had constituted a special task force to curb this menace but now this force has conceded that the state¡¯s efforts to put brakes on cases of suicides won¡¯t show results soon.
PTI
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A total of 1130 farmers had committed suicides in eight districts of Marathwada region in 2015, which comes to roughly three suicides a day. In the past 16 months, 1548 farmers have been reportedly dead in Marathwada region which is reeling under the fourth successive drought with wells, rivers, and dams gone dry.
In 2015, Beed, from where Rural Development Minister Pankaja Munde hails, had witnessed nearly 300 farmer suicides. In 2016, in just over four months, it is again on top with 75 suicides. Nanded comes third with 62 suicides.?
AP
Other districts where farmers in large numbers have committed suicides are Latur 55, Osmanabad 54, Jalna 43, Parbhani 39 and Hingoli 26, according to officials at the Aurangabad divisional commissionerate which monitors the farmer suicides.
Till May 7, in 2016, 392 farmers were reported dead. In 2015, the figure of suicides stood at 300 in the same period.?
¡°It is true that compared to last year, this year¡¯s figure of farmer suicides is on the much higher side,¡± said Jitendra Papalkar, Aurangabad Deputy Commissioner (revenue).?
Osmanabad was picked by the BJP government as ¡®zero suicide district¡¯ but despite tall claims the district witnessed 54 suicides since January.?
bccl
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Officials have been citing two main reasons for farmer suicides: crop failure and mounting debts.?
Crop failure due to massive drought and mounting of debts are cited as the main reasons for suicides. Kishore Tiwari, the government incumbent for Vasantrao Naik Shetkari Swavlamban Mission, believes that this issue of suicides is so deeply encrypted in the region that it will take time before even a slight turn around happens.
PTI
¡°We have launched a number of schemes to halt the suicides of farmers in Marathwada and other parts of the state. Among the plans includes Food Security Act, critical illness, waiver of fees, counselling for farmers as also vigorous implementation of crop insurance. Since farmer suicides are growing, it is clear that our effort will take time to yield results,¡± he said.?
Tiwari also claimed that the government has aggressively launched the crop cultivation campaign in Marathwada and now farmers are encouraged to grow crops which consume less water.
PTI
¡°One acre of sugarcane crop guzzles water of 100 acre of cotton crop. This difference is stark. Therefore, in places like Latur, Beed and Osmanabad which have been hit hard by water shortage, it will be in their own interest if farmers shun sugarcane crop and instead prefer food crops,¡± he said.?
The government also provides free seeds of the crops which consume less water in order to make farmers grow less and less Sugarcane which guzzles the a massive chunk ?of irrigation water available in the state.