Farmer suicides: Maharashtra reported highest number in 2015; 57 dead in 2016

New Delhi: As many as 57 farmers have committed suicide in Maharashtra so far during 2016 due to agrarian reasons. Last year, Maharashtra government had reported 725 cases of farmers suicides. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Agriculture Mohanbhai Kundariya submitted the data of ’number of suicides committed by farmers due to agrarian reason as reported by the state governments’. [caption id=“attachment_2651216” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] As per the data, as many as 1,690 cases of farmer suicides were reported in 10 states during 2015. The maximum number of farmers suicide cases was reported in Maharashtra at 725, followed by Punjab at 449, Telangana 342, Karnataka 107 and Andhra Pradesh 58. In 2016 so far, 57 farmers suicide cases have been reported all from Maharashtra. Other states have not yet reported any farmer suicide case to the Centre. Kundariya informed that the government has recently approved a new crop insurance scheme to protect farmers from crop failure. PTI