Mumbai, January 3: Three hundred cases of farmer suicides were recorded in the month of November 2019, the first time in four years. According to a Times of India report, the numbers had crossed 300 several times in 2015. The rise in suicide cases is mainly due to unseasonal rains, which destroyed almost 70 per cent of Kharif crops.

A total of 186 farmer suicides were recorded in the month of October and this number rose by another 114 in the month of November. All these were taking place, while the parties were jostling with each other during the Maharashtra 2019 Assembly Elections. Maharashtra: More Than 12,000 Farmers Committed Suicide in 3 Years, Says Government.

According to data released last year, more than 12,000 farmers have committed suicide in Maharashtra between 2015 and 2018.  Out of the total 12,021 farmer suicides during the three-year period, 6,888 cases were found to be eligible for government aid after scrutiny. In June, upset over not getting an electricity connection, a 39-year-old farmer in Maharashtra tried to commit suicide before state Energy Minister, MM Yerawar in Buldhana.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 03, 2020 09:51 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).