Farmer suicide

Farmer Suicides on a rise

By sies

  • The history

    The history
    Farmers in India became the centre of considerable concern in the 1990s when the journalist P Sainath highlighted the large number of suicides among them.

  • The increasing numbers

    The increasing numbers
    More than 17,500 farmers a year killed themselves between 2002 and 2006, according to experts who have analyzed government statistics.[2] Others traced the increase in farmer suicides to the early 1990s.

  • Relief package offered by the government

    Relief package offered by the government
    Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Vidarbha and promised a package of Rs.110 billion (about $2.4 billion) to be spent by the government in Vidarbha. The families of farmers who had committed suicide were also offered an ex gratia grant to the tune of Rs.100,000 (about $2,000) by the government.

  • Criticism

    Criticism
    P Sainath wrote the following in The Hindu newspaper criticising the package and saying that it was destined to fail

  • Controversies

    Controversies
    In 2009, 32 irrigation projects worth Rs 20,000 – Rs 25,000 crore were cleared by the then irrigation minister of Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar without going through the procedures.

  • Effect on Vidarbha

    Effect on Vidarbha
    The cost of 38 projects in Vidrbha were increased by 300% between June and August.