Vidarbha: 8 debt-ridden farmers committ suicide

Nagpur, July 17: Eight debt-ridden farmers committed suicide in the last 48 hours in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra.

According to Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS), a voluntary organisation working among farmers in the region, the eight farmers who took the extreme step included four from Amravati district, two from Yavatmal and one each from Washim and Akola district.

The number of farmers, who have ended their lives so far this year has touched 506. These included 70 in January, 86 in February, 82 in March, 90 in April, 79 in May, 68 in June and 31 in July, a VJAS press release here said.

Yavatmal district was hit the worst, with 133 suicides have been recorded there so far.

The organisation recorded 85 suicides in Amravati district, 59 in Akola, 76 in Washim, 54 in Buldhana, 41 in Wardha, 13 in Nagpur, 18 in Bhandara, 17 in Chandrapur, 5 in Gadchiroli and 5 in Gondia, a release added.

UNI