The farmers in Madhya Pradesh are feeling devastated and over a half-a-dozen of them have even committed suicide in a short span of time in different parts of the state.
In the last one month, farmers have committed suicide in villages across Bhopal, Sehore, Chhindwara, Damoh, and Sagar districts. The farmers’ plight had surfaced in a
big way when thousands of farmers under the banner of Bharatiya Kisan Sangh had converged here last month to lodge their protest and press for their demands. The farmers’ agitation had disrupted the normal life of the citizens in the state capital for two days.
State Congress president Suresh Pachouri visited Ichawar in Sehore district earlier this week and met family members of a farmer, who had committed suicide. He later met state governor Rameshwar Thakur to seek the suspension of recovery of farm loans as the farmers were suffering due to crop failure.
State chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday to keep him posted about extensive crop damage valued at `5,000 crore due to the adverse impact of frost hitting about 1 lakh hectare of agricultural land in Madhya Pradesh. The chief minister has sought a special package from the Centre to extend relief to the affected farmers.
State Congress spokesperson K.K. Mishra said here on Wednesday that the farmers are now caught in a huge debt trap because of crop failure.