AURANGABAD: As many as 618 distressed farmers in Marathwada region have allegedly committed suicides between January 1 and September 9, 2018 by various means due to mounting debt, land infertility and other reasons.
Sources from Divisional Commissioner Office here stated that the suicides toll has gone up to 618 till September 9.
The highest numbers of 125 suicides were reported in drought-prone Beed district and the lowest 42 suicides were from Hingoli district.
Suicide cases were registered in other districts were as follows, Osmanabad-100, Aurangabad-87, Parbhani- 85 and Nanded and Jalna district 62 each.
The causes of the suicides are said to be mounting debt, recent dry spell in part of region, no adequate return to their farm produce and infertility among other reasons, they said.
Of 618, 368 cases have been found eligible for government aid while 166 cases were rejected after inquiry by the authorities.
Inquiry into 84 suicide cases is still pending, sources added.
The scarcity situation is likely to emerge across the region as insufficient rainfall, showing 39 per cent of deficit as monsoon comes to end this month.
Numbers of irrigation project across the region having only average 34 percent live stocks some of them running dry, report added.