NASHIK: Due to barrenness, disease, not getting the desired income from the farm, financial crisis and other reasons, there is a picture of 502 farmers taking extreme step in Nashik division. In the current year 2021, between January and June, 151 farmers committed suicide. In 2020, 351 farmers committed suicide and only 129 peasants became eligible for government assistance.
Statistics show that the number of farmer suicides is lower this year as compared to last year. However, due to the persistent crisis, the farmers are facing financial crisis for one reason or another. It has come to light that the desperate farmer is taking extreme step mostly by consuming poisonous drugs. Families, of the 45 farmers who committed suicide this year, are eligible for government assistance while 36 farmers declared disqualified. Reports of 70 cases are pending.
Rs One lakh assistance is given to eligible farmers. In the year 2020, a total of 351 farmers died in Nashik division. Among them, 44 farmers committed suicide in Nashik, 65 in Dhule, 10 in Nandurbar, 131 in Jalgaon and 91 farmers in Nagar. Various schemes have been implemented by the government to prevent farmer suicides. However, the farmers are still taking extreme steps like suicide, for which the government needs to take concrete measures at the village level.
The district administration has constituted a task force to prevent farmer suicides through which farmers are provided counselling. Efforts of the administration to prevent farmers from taking extreme step 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 guaranteed price for agricultural commodities, indebtedness etc.
As a result, the number of farmer suicides was on the rise. 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 is credited into the account of the farmers in behalf of the central government. Also, the disbursement of loans from banks for kharif and rabi seasons was increased and an extension of one month to avail crop loan scheme has been given.
As a result of all this, the administration has succeeded in controlling farmer suicides. It has also received satisfactory rainfall in the last two years. So the severity of the drought was not felt. The positive result of all these factors is that the number of farmer suicides has dropped this year so far despite the pandemic situation as compared to previous year.
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