9 more debt-ridden farmers have committed suicide: VJAS

Nagpur, July 25 (UNI) Nine debt-ridden farmers have committed suicide in the last two days in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, according to the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS).

The nine farmers who ended their lives included two each from Yavatmal and Amravati districts, and one each from Washim, Buldhana, Bhandara, Gondia and Akola districts, a VJAS press release here claimed.

With this, the number of farmers who have ended their lives in 2007 has touched 530, the press release said. These included 70 in January, 86 in February, 82 in March, 90 in April, 79 in May, 68 in June and 55 in July, it said.

According to figures compiled by VJAS, there have been 136 suicides in Yavatmal district, 89 in Amravati, 63 in Akola, 78 in Washim, 58 in Buldhana, 42 in Wardha, 13 in Nagpur, 19 in Bhandara, 19 in Chandrapur, 6 in Gadchiroli and 7 in Gondia during the year.

The VJAS said it has recorded 1,180 suicides since Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced a special relief package for Vidarbha's farmers here on July 1, 2006.

UNI