Farmers’ Suicide Continue Despite Assurance From Center , States
23 March , New Delhi
Despite all assurances from centre and state governments, news of farmers’ suicides because of recent devastation of crops due to unseasonal rain and hailstorm, have kept pouring in from various parts of the country.
Two farmers died in Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh Sunday , taking the toll in the district to 16.
Recent unseasonal rain and hailstorm have reportedly ruined 60 per cent of the rabi crop, with 52-70 per cent damage to pulses.
Six farmers allegedly committed suicide in Bundelkhand, over the past 48 hours, after falling victim to ruthless weather conditions. Farmers’ allege that lekhpals are demanding bribes for listing them as affected by rain and hail. Over a dozen farmers have ended their lives in the past two weeks.
In Maharashtra, where farmer suicides have become endemic, the widespread drought followed by freak rain and hailstorm have pushed many more over the edge. In many cases, the calamities claimed two successive crops.
State government data shows that farmer suicides shot up by over 40 percent in the last seven months when the impact of these twin calamities kicked in compared to the same span last year.
The state reported 975 suicides by farmers between January to July 2014. The figure rose to a steep 1,373 between August last year, when the drought set in, and February this year.
In Rajasthan, two more farmers allegedly committed suicide last week while another died of shock after seeing their crops destroyed in untimely rain.