Distress among farmers in Maharashtra resulted in 2498 of them taking their lives in the 11-month period from January to November 2021, according to RTI as per a report in the Times of India.?
In 2020, 2547 farmers in debt had killed themselves.?
According to data from the state revenue department, despite loan waiver schemes of the government, farmers are still taking their lives as they can't pay loans.?
Aurangabad saw 804 suicides while Nagpur reported 309 cases. Konkan saw no suicides in the last couple of years.
¡°Even after several loan waivers and multiple other schemes for farmers, the suicide rate has seen no major reduction as 2,547 farmers committed suicide in 2020 while 2,498 ended their lives in 11 months from Jan to Nov 2021,¡± said Jeetendra Ghadge, the RTI activist who wanted the data.
¡°Ignoring the mental health aspect of farmers and just giving loan waivers to all will never address the problem. A bankruptcy scheme for only bankrupt farmers with mental health support would cost less and solve the problem more effectively. It¡¯s important to filter out distressed farmers so that help is channelised to the ones who need it the most,¡± he added.?
¡°Effects of government relief packages in the past were short-lived and could not address problems in the long run. Elimination of corruption in the implementation of these packages is also important,¡± he went on to say.
Vidarbha has always had to bear the brunt of nearly 50% of suicides in the state.?
Amravati (331) went past Yavatmal (270) as the leading one to record the highest suicides compared to 2020.
For more on news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
If you know anyone battling with depression or other mental health issues, please reach out to someone who can help. AASRA Foundation: 022 2754 6669 Samaritans Mumbai: +91 84229 84528 / +91 84229 84529 / +91 84229 84530