Six more farmers end lives-TIMES OF INDIA
Six more farmers end lives
NAGPUR: Six more distressed cotton-growers have committed suicide in Vidarbha over the last 48 hours with conditions for agriculture remaining unconducive despite a plethora of relief measures by the government over the years.
Reeling under exploitation by moneylenders as the institutional finance never reaches them, farmers seem to be hapless victims of the system. That was the reason they were in full support of the anti-corruption crusade launched by Anna Hazare seeing some hope of transparency in government police and schemes.
The six latest victims of the farmer suicide crisis were identified as Kaniram Jadhav of Krishna Nagar of Yavatmal district, Pramod Gawande of Lotwada village and Puroshottam Pakhan of Muradevi in Amravati district, Nitin Fale of Masa in Akola, Sheikh Anwar of Pangarkhed in Buldhana and Santosh Raut of Malegaon in Washim district. All the victims are from cotton growing belt of western Vidarbha which is the worst hit by agrarian crisis. The toll in the current month has risen to 44 and that since January this year to 418.
Yavatmal collector Shravan Hardikar admitted that the rate of farmers' suicide was once again on rise. "We are trying our best to prevent the distress from spreading," he claimed. The institutional credit disbursed this kharif season was of around Rs 650 as against the target of over Rs 900 crore. "Some nationalized banks are not cooperating in this regard and have been issued a stern warning. These banks have been directed to meet the target of disbursing crop loan to needy farmers," Hardikar said.
Kishore Tiwari of Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti said that all hope for farmers now was with Anna Hazare who has promised to take up the farmers' cause after the Jan Lokpal Bill agitation. "On an average, two farmers commit suicide daily in Vidarbha . But there is no concern expressed by the authorities," he said. The veteran Gandhian crusader should take up the cause of farmers and rampant corruption in implementing of the special relief packages announced by the Prime Minister and the state totalling Rs 5000 crore in the last five years, Tiwari said.
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