MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government in the state legislative assembly on Tuesday revealed that from January to March 2025, a total of 767 farmer suicides were reported in the state, and the majority of them were reported in the Vidarbha region.
The Congress MLAs asked a written question to the ruling party about rising farmers’ suicides in Maharashtra and particularly in the Vidarbha region, and sought details on how the state government is extending help to the deceased farmers’ families. The Congress MLAs also demanded an increase in the financial aid from the current Rs 1 lakh.
In a written reply, Makrand Patil, rehabilitation minister and NCP MLA, tabled the written answer on the floor of the House and ensured that the Maharashtra government extended all possible help to the farmers.
The Maharashtra government provides Rs 1 lakh as financial help to the family of the farmer who has committed suicide.
As per this tabled report, in three months, starting from January 2025 to March, a total of 767 farmers died by suicide, out of which 376 farmers were eligible for government compensation, while 200 farmers did not get help as they did not meet the government-set criteria.
Makrand Patil further revealed that in western Vidarbha – Yawatmal, Amarawati, Akola, Buldhana and Wasim, between January 2025 to March period, 257 farmers died by suicide, out of which 76 deceased farmers families got the financial help from the state government, while 74 applications were disqualified.
In the Hingoli district of Marathwada, 24 farmers' suicides were reported in the three months, January 2025 to March.
The Congress MLAs alleged that the state government has failed to extend the financial help to the farmers immediately and many of the eligible farmers were even deprived from getting their rightful help citing flimsy reasons. Besides, the state government clarified that there is no proposal of increasing financial aid to the deceased farmers' families.
However, the state government stated that the government has undertaken various measures to stop the farmers’ suicides.
“The state government is extending the compensation to the farmers whose crops get damaged in unseasonal rain and natural calamities. Besides, under the PM Kisan Samman Scheme, the central government is giving Rs 6000 while the state government is also contributing Rs 6000 yearly to poor and needy farmers,” read the note.
It further reads that state government is also conducting psychological counselling sessions for depressed and distressed farmers, discouraging them from farmers’ suicide and even increasing minimum support price of the farmers’ crops.
“Besides, the state government is focusing on bringing as many as hectares of land under irrigation and undertaking welfare schemes for the farmers.”