152 farmers kill self since April

At least one farmer has killed himself every day since April this year due to indebtedness, drought, crop-failure or socio-economic and personal reasons. Of the 152 farmer suicides recorded in the country in 2012-2013 so far, 118 were in Maharashtra alone, the government said on Tuesday.

"Reasons for suicide by farmers, as reported by state governments, are manifold, which inter-alia include indebtedness, crop failure, drought, socio-economic and personal,” Minister of State for Agriculture Harish Rawat said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

Andhra Pradesh ranks second with 33 cases of suicides by farmers. In Karnataka, there has been a reported case of farmer suicide this year. Incidentally, Maharashtra and Karnataka are the worst affected by the drought this year.

 

The southwest monsoon in parts of Maharashtra was 20-30 per cent below normal till August 14 this year, while in north and south Karnataka, it is around 30 per cent below normal. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), around 10.3 per cent of the total suicides in the country in 2011 were those involved in farming and agriculture activities. The total number of suicides across the country in 2011 was around 1,35,585. The government had announced a rehabilitation package for 31 districts, which are prone to farmer suicides, in 2006. Of the districts, 16 are in Andhra Pradesh, six each in Karnataka and Maharashtra, and three in Kerala.

“In view of the deficient rainfall, the government has announced financial schemes and other measures, including enhancement of ceiling on seed subsidy in pulses, oilseeds and coarse cereals, for the affected states,” Rawat said.