Gowda’s homeland is land of farmers’ suicide too

It’s an irony of sorts. Mannina Maga (son of the soil) and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda’s home district Hassan has emerged as the capital of farmers’ suicides in Karnataka.

Government statistics show that nearly 2,597 killed themselves between 2003 and 2010, making it the worst period for farmer suicides in the state. Among 30 districts from where suicides were reported, nearly 268 suicides were reported in Hassan alone followed by 196 in Bidar and 191 in Belgaum.

The trend has, however, declined over the past few years, with 140 suicides reported in 2010-11 compared to 708 in 2003-04. While the lowest number of suicides were in Bangalore Urban (2), Udupi (5), Ramanagaram (6) and Chikkaballapur (3) districts, there have been no such cases in the newly-carved-out Yadgir district.

GRIM NUMBERS

YEAR ——- NO OF FARMER SUICIDES

2003-04——708

2004-05——271

2005-06——163

2006-07——346

2007-08——342

2008-09——337

2009-10——290

2010-11——140