New decision on farmers' suicides in Maharashtra - Less strict criteria for aiding families was adopted

Maharashtra makes change after 4,000 families were denied the aid.

 

 

The Maharashtra government has relaxed the criteria for giving aid to families of farmers who have committed suicide. The move comes in the wake of recent media reports that 4,000 farmers’ families in Vidarbha were denied relief on the ground that land was not registered in the name of the deceased.

 

Parveen Pardeshi, head of the Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swavalamban Mission, says, “At present, the government acknowledges two circumstances for recognising suicide by a farmer. They are: existence of a loan and proof of follow-up for loan recovery, or loss of agriculture crop.” Both these criteria require that the person committing suicide should own agricultural land or be involved in agricultural activity. 

 

Farmer-activist Gajanan Amdabadkar of the Shetkari Sanghatana points out that suicide by women farmers whose farmlands are registered in their husbands’ names, young sons of farming families and by farmers who work on leased land have also been held for government aid under the existing eligible criteria.