You know, what happened from March-May?

Mumbai, July 14: The Maharashtra state government reportedly informed that 639 farmers have committed suicide between March to May, this year due to crop failure, debt and inefficiency to repay bank loans, the state government has said.

In reply to a question by Leader of Opposition Dhananjay Munde and NCP members Hemant Takle, Sunil Tatkare, Amarsinh Pandit, Kiran Pawaskar, Narendra Patil, and others, the Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil provided this information in the Legislative Council in Nagpur on Friday.

"639 farmers have committed suicide between (March 1 and May 31) 2018. Of these 639 farmers, 188 were self-confessed qualified for allowance as per government schemes, based on the government's basis of crop failure, debts and their failure to repay loans," Patil said.

"Of the 188, families of 174 farmers have received a benefit," he said, adding 122 cases were declared unfit for indemnity, while 329 cases are pending for an inquiry.

The opposition members had hunted to know the number of farmers who committed suicide in the last 3 months and details of the compensation provided to the family of the expired. They also needed to know steps taken by the government to help the families of the deceased farmers.

Talking to the media, Munde alleged that all schemes of the government, including the loan waiver, the benefit to farmers for crop loss, crop loans, and minimum support price (MSP) for agricultural goods, have fallen, which led to the upsurge in the number of farmer suicide.

He claimed in the last 4 years as many as 13,000 farmers have ended their lives, of which 1,500 committed suicide in the last 1 year alone.

Replying to another doubt, Patil told the house that according to the guideline set by the state government in October last year for the attestation of drought, 8 talukas of Yavatmal, Washim and Jalgaon districts were stated affected by medium ferocity drought in April this year.

"Accordingly, compensation and other assistance were provided to the affected farmers," the minister said.

On May 29 this year, the Centre made reforms in the rules for affirmation of drought-hit areas based on the suggestions made by the states. Accordingly, the state revenue and forest departments made the changes on June 28, he said.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, while replying to a calling attention motion moved by NCP MLC Vidya Chavan, defended that appropriate action will be taken to recover deposited lands of farmers from lenders.

Co-operative Minister Subhash Deshmukh said usefulness benefits under the government's 'lender-free farmer' scheme by abiding fake and forged documents was a crime and that strict action would be taken against those found guilty.

"Efforts will be made to get back the gave in interest jewellery of a victim farmer from lenders," he said.