NASHIK: There is a reassuring picture that the number of farmer suicides in the district has declined steadily this year as compared to last year. In 2019, 69 farmers had committed suicide. So far this year, 38 farmers have committed suicide. The district administration has constituted a task force to prevent farmer suicides.
The task force provides counselling to farmers. Efforts of the administration to prevent farmers from taking extreme steps are bearing fruit. For the last few years, farmers have been affected by natural calamities, financial problems, persistent land infertility, drought, excess rainfall, unavailability of a guaranteed price for agricultural commodities, indebtedness, etc.
As a result, the number of farmer suicides was increasing. In the year 2018, 108 farmers had committed suicide in the district, while in the year 2019, 69 farmers lost their lives due to various reasons. Central and state governments have been taking measures to stop this cycle. Under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, a grant of Rs. 6,000 per annum gets credited into the account of the farmers on behalf of the central government.
Also, the disbursement of loans from banks for Kharif and rabi seasons was increased. On the other hand, the state government has constituted a task force to prevent farmer suicides. Through this, farmers are counselled and prevented from committing suicide. As a result of all this, the administration has succeeded in preventing farmer suicides. The district has also received satisfactory rainfall in the last two years.
As a result, the severity of the drought was not felt. The positive effect of all these factors is that the number of farmer suicides has dropped this year as compared to last year. This year, 38 farmers committed suicide. Out of these, 22 farmer suicide cases are eligible for government assistance, and their families have been provided financial assistance.
