New Delhi: As many as 823 incidents of suicide by farmers have been reported this year, Rajya Sabha was informed on Friday.
A total of 746 cases were reported from Maharashtra and 52 from Kerala till June 30 this year, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said in a written reply.
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Punjab and Gujarat also reported some cases of suicide by farmers, the Minister said.
To alleviate their sufferings, the Government has decided to ensure that farmers receive short term credit at 7 per cent with an upper limit of Rs 3 lakh during the current financial year, he said.
The banks have been advised to waive security requirement for agricultural loans up to Rs 50,000, the Minister said.
He said an expert group has been constituted to look into problems of agricultural indebtedness in its totality and suggest measures to provide relief to farmers across the country.
Measures are also underway to revamp the cooperative credit structure with the government approving a package involving a financial assistance of Rs 13,596 crore for revival of short-term rural cooperative credit structure, the Minister said.
In reply to a query, he said the National Commission on farmers has submitted all five reports to the Government.
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