PM interacts with kin of farmers who had committed suicide

Amravati, Maharashtra, June 30 (UNI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today interacted here with the kin of farmers who had committed suicide in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra.

The Prime Minister was told that farmers were driven to commit suicides because of the failure of the monsoon and other factors like defaulting in loan payments, the evil of the private money-lending system, and the low quality seeds which were thrust upon them. Inadequate irrigation facilities too were adding to the farmers' woes.

Narrating their woes, family members of the deceased farmers told the Prime Minister that they were unable to repay the loans taken from private money lenders and cooperative banks.

One of the farmers told the Prime Minister that although the government had announced financial assistance to the tune of Rs one lakh, few farmers had received the assistance and that too, they were paid Rs 10,000 while the rest of the amount was deposited with banks as fixed deposits to mature after six years.

The Prime Minister took note of the complaints. He is scheduled to visit Waifad village in Wardha district and Kolzari village in Yavatmal district where also he will meet the farmers and get to know of their problems first-hand.

Dr Singh, who arrived in Nagpur this morning on the first leg of his two-day tour of Vidarbha region, reached Dhamangaon in this district and soon thereafter met relatives of farmers who had committed suicide.

At the meeting, it emerged that 700 farmers had committed suicide in Amravati district during the last five years. Dr Singh gave a patient hearing to the kins of the farmers and inquired about their problems.

About eight lakh farmers are debt-ridden in this district.

The Prime Minister visited the village mainly to share his concerns with the farmers affected by drought, floods and crop failure.

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