NAGPUR: More than 120 farmers have ended their lives in July and August in six Vidarbha districts prone to agrarian distress. This coincides with the long dry spell, which only broke after the recent showers over the weekend.The state government has identified Yavatmal, Amravati, Akola, Buldhana, Washim and Wardha districts prone to farmers suicide, since the trend came to fore in 2001. In July 2017, 86 farmers committed suicide, followed by 43 in August so far.Out of 43, six have been officially attributed to farm crisis, two cases have been rejected, and inquiry continues for the rest. Parameters like debt burden, crop failure and other related reasons are considered to judge whether a suicide is due to agrarian crisis or personal reasons. On an average, half of the suicides are categorised as farm crisis driven.

Source: Times of India August 21, 2017 00:00 UTC