Vidarbha: 4,850 farmers suicide in 4 yrs

Nagpur, Oct 30: As many as 4,850 farmers have committed suicide in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra in the last four years, activists said today.

According to Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS), a voluntary organisation working among farmers in the region, the 4,850 suicides included 456 in 2004, 660 in 2005, 1,886 in 2006, 1,213 in 2007, and 635 this year. The number of suicides was as per the official figures of the state government, a VJAS press release said.

Three farmers had taken the extreme step on October 26 during Diwali festival in the region. These included one each in Amravati, Nagpur and Wardha districts.

With this, the number of suicides in 2008 had touched 635, VJAS said. The faulty policies of the state government were responsible for the distress among farmers in the region, it added.

UNI