In Chandrapur, Maharashtra, 73 farmers died by suicide from January to July 2023

In the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra, a total of 73 farmers have taken their own lives between January and July of this year, with 13 of those cases occurring in the previous month, according to data from the district administration. From 2001 to 2023, a total of 1,148 farmers have committed suicide in the district, with 446 of those cases occurring within the past five years. A committee composed of the district collector, zilla parishad chief executive officer, and superintendent of police determined that out of the 745 farmers who died by suicide between 2001 and 2022, 329 are ineligible for government compensation, while the remaining 745 are eligible. A proposal for compensation has been submitted by the district administration to the government, with 48 cases awaiting approval since December 2022.

In the event of a farmer’s suicide, the government offers compensation based on specific criteria. For circumstances such as crop failure, inability to repay loans from nationalized banks or recognized moneylenders, and loan repayment defaults, the family of the deceased farmer is eligible for a compensation of Rs 1 lakh. Out of this amount, Rs 30,000 is provided upfront, and the remaining Rs 70,000 is deposited into their accounts for a period of five years, according to a government resolution issued in 2006.

A significant amount of crop damage occurred due to flooding in June-July of this year, affecting 54,514.65 hectares of crops owned by 64,379 farmers in the district. The Gondpipri tehsil reported the highest crop damage, affecting 12,571 hectares of land. Under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), a total of 3,51,091 farmers in the district have enrolled in Re 1 (premium) crop insurance, including 50,890 farmers with loans and 3,00,201 without loans. The district has insured a total of 3,28,155.26 hectares of crops under the PMFBY. During the kharif and rabi seasons of 2022-23, loans totaling Rs 87,489.25 crore were disbursed to 98,177 farmers by district cooperative banks, nationalized public sector banks, and gramin banks. This amount falls short of the government-set target of Rs 1,29,100 crore for bank disbursements during the same period.