-PTI
As many as 209 farmers committed suicide in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra in 2011 due to agrarian reasons, Parliament was informed on Monday.
A total of 275 farmers had ended their lives in Vidarbha region in 2010, as per the figures included in the rehabilitation package, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
Pawar said 565 farmers committed suicide in the Vidarbha region in 2006, while in 2007, 350 farmers ended their lives. The number of farmer suicides was 340 in 2008 and 273 in 2009. Vidarbha region is known for cultivation of cotton and horticultural crops. Replying to another question, Minister of State for Agriculture Charan Das Mahant said the states have reported reasons for suicide included indebtness, crop failure, drought, socio-economic and personal.
Pawar said that the government was taking several steps to address the problem and provided relief to farmers.
These included implementation of rehabilitation package covering 31 districts in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra under which an amount of Rs 19,910.70 crore has been released till June 30, 2011.