116 farmers committed suicide in last 3 months

As many as 116 farmers have committed suicide due to agrarian reasons so far this year, with maximum cases reported in Maharashtra, followed by Punjab and Telangana, Parliament was informed on Tuesday.

More than 2,000 farmer  suicide cases were reported due to agrarian reasons in 2015 with the highest number of 1,841 cases in Maharashtra alone, as per the data placed before the Lok Sabha by Minister of State for Agriculture Mohanbhai Kundariya.

As per the data, 57 cases of farmer suicides were reported in Maharashtra on February 29 this year, while 56 farm labourers ended their lives in Punjab on March 11. In Telangana, there were three cases, Kundariya said in a written reply to the Lower House.

In total, 116 farmers and labourers committed suicide in last three months due to agrarian reasons, the data showed.

Asked if the government has taken steps to mitigate the impact of drought on farmers and prevent them from committing suicide, the minister said it has approved Rs 12,773.34-crore relief package to 10 states affected by drought during kharif (summer) season of 2015-16 crop year (July-June).

Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand and Rajasthan are reeling under drought.

In a separate reply, the minister said the rabi crops including wheat were affected in 15.06 lakh hectare due to unfavourable weather conditions in Rajasthan and Haryana.