Suicides by farmers due to indebtedness decreased: Deshmukh

Nagpur, Dec 3 (UNI) The incidence of farmers in Vidarbha committing suicide due to indebtedness has decreased after the implementation of the relief packages announced by the Prime Minister and the State government, Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said here today.

Addressing a press conference on the eve of the winter session of the Maharashtra Legislature slated to begin here tomorrow, Mr Deshmukh said only 500 out of the 1,195 farmers, who ended their lives in the region between January and October, had done so because of indebtedness in the six districts of Vidarbha where the packages were being implemented. The remaining had committed suicides because of other reasons like illness, he said.

The Chief Minister justified the deduction of 50 per cent of the disbursement under the Monopoly Cotton Purchase Scheme (MCPS) towards outstanding loans, saying this would make farmers eligible for fresh loans during the next cultivating season. The farmer would remain in debt if the deduction was not made and would not be able to take fresh loans, Mr Deshmukh said.

The government had accepted all the demands made by Dalit organisations protesting against the recent killing of four members of a Dalit family in Khairlanji in Bhandara district of Vidarbha, he said.

The government had paid compensation to Bhaiyyalal Bhotmange, the lone survivor in the family after the murders, and even given him a job, the Chief Minister said.

There was no need to stage protests on streets against the incident when the issue could be discussed in the two Houses of the Legislature during the session in Nagpur, Mr Deshmukh said, and appealed to Dalit organisations not to stage a 'morcha' in the city tomorrow.

The police had denied permission to the 'morcha,' Mr Deshmukh pointed out, adding that they were competent to handle the situation if the organisations tried to stage it in spite of the ban.

MORE UNI AB ADG HS RS1943