Hyderabad: The Centre acknowledged on Friday that Telangana’s farmer suicide rate has drastically decreased from 846 in 2017 to 352 in 2021.
This was ascribed to a number of state government measures, whereas farmer suicides in BJP-ruled Maharashtra were on the rise and in Karnataka showed little change.
Friday in the Rajya Sabha, MP Narain Dass Gupta asked a question, and on that day, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar presented information about the number of farmer suicides in various States since 2017.
According to data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Telangana had 846 farmers and cultivators commit suicide in 2017, which subsequently declined to 352 in 2021.
The declaration from the Centre is significant in light of the accusations made by the opposition parties regarding an increase in farmer suicides in the State.
In response to the news, Agriculture Minister S. Niranjan Reddy hoped that the BJP and other opposition parties would refrain from circulating untrue information about farmer suicides and making charges against the State government.
Over the past four years, Maharashtra and Karnataka have continued to have the highest rate of farmer suicides. From 2,426 in 2017 to 2,640 in 2021, the comparable period saw a rise in farmer suicides in Maharashtra.
In Karnataka, the number of farmer suicides increased slightly from 1,157 in 2017 to 1,170 in 2021. The number of farmer suicides in Andhra Pradesh increased from 375 in 2017 to 481 in 2021.
