Farmer suicides continue unabated despite PM Modi’s tall promises

Despite announcements of loan waivers by several state governments and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s promise to double farmers’ income by 2022, there is no let-up in the acute agrarian distress in the country. Over the last 48 hours, as many as 24 debt-ridden farmers have committed suicide across the country, ABP News reported on Monday.

The report claimed that indebted farmers took the extreme step after their loans were not waived off following crop failure. The report maintained that farmers in distress were tired of knocking on doors of insurance agents, private money lenders and government officials.

This comes nearly two weeks after PM Modi spoke in glowing terms of his government’s schemes and programmes in a video interaction with farmers from nine state.

Another report in the Asian Age says that Marathwada region in Maharashtra alone has witnessed 452 instances of suicide by farmers in the first half of 2018, attributing the failure to repay loans as the single biggest reason behind most suicides.

It added that Marathwada is the worst affected region in terms of suicides in Maharashtra, with Beed district recording the highest number of cases. The vicious circle of suicides, according to report, has continued despite the state government’s much talked about loan waiver scheme.

Meanwhile, TOI reported that Mohan Patel, upset over being unable to pay his kids’ school fee, allegedly committed suicide in Hoshangabad’s Gadaghat village. This is the fourth farmer suicide in Madhya Pradesh in a week, the report stated. Quoting kin of the deceased farmers, the report said he owed ₹14 lakh and awaited payment for pulses he had sold at MSP the previous season.

In another incident, the daily reported that 52-year-old Bardani Prajapati from Uttar Pradesh allegedly committed suicide due to poor yield and inability to repay loans in Mahoba district. “Prajapati had taken a loan of ₹74,000 from a nationalised bank and ₹1.25 lakh from private money-lenders for his son Laxmi’s marriage,” a police officer was quoted as saying by the daily. “He was under depression as he was unable to repay the loans due to poor yield.”

Piqued by the apathy on the part of officials in conducting the survey of his land, a farmer attempted to immolate himself in front of the District Collectorate in Jogulamba Gadwal district on Monday, reported Hans India.

Last year, Centre had informed the Supreme Court that despite a multi-pronged approach to improve income and social security of farmers, over 12,000 suicides were reported in the agricultural sector every year since 2013.