Cong, NCP slam Maha govt for under-reporting farmer suicides

Congress and NCP today slammed the Maharashtra government for stating in a report to the Centre that only three farmers committed suicide in the state following the hailstorm and unseasonal rains in the last few weeks.
State Congress chief Ashok Chavan termed it highly insensitive.
"The state Congress will agitate more aggressively against the apathy of the government about the farmers," he said, adding that about 1,200 farmers had ended their lives in the state in the last few weeks.
Leader of opposition in the Legislative Council and NCP leader Dhananjay Munde questioned the basis of the state government's report to the Centre, saying that on an average seven farmers were committing suicide every day.

However, Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse said there were only three cases of suicide due to the natural disasters.
The total number of farmers who committed suicide was 601 this year, but only three of them were due to damage caused by the unseasonal rains, he said.