Maharashtra saw 4,500 farmer suicides despite 2017 loan waiver -Radheshyam Jadhav

-The Hindu Business Line

In the last 5 years, 14,034 ryots from the State — 8 a day — have killed themselves

Pune: In the last five years (2014-18), Maharashtra saw 14,034 farmers — that’s eight a day — end their lives. In fact, over 4,500 committed suicide after the State announced a ?34,000-crore loan waiver in June 2017.

This information on farmer-suicides over the last five years has come to light from a response by the Maharashtra Government to an RTI application by Mumbai-based activist Jitendra Ghadge.

 

 

While 14,034 farmers committed suicide over the five-year period, the mega loan waiver of ?34,000 crore announced by the State government in June 2017 did not help end the farmer-suicide wave.

No respite

The RTI data reveals that 1,755 farmers across the State ended their lives from June 2017 to December 2017, while the number of farmers who ended their lives in 2018 stood at 2,761. In other words, 4,516 farmers — eight a day — killed themselves despite the loan waiver.

Please click here to read more.