Sangrur, Mansa bear brunt of farm suicides

CHANDIGARH: The chairman of Baba Nanak Education Society, Inderjit Singh Jaijee, that arranges financial assistance for the education of children of farm suicide victims and families, today claimed that at least 24 farmers and farm labourers have committed suicides in 110 villages in the four sub-divisions of South-West Punjab in the past five months.

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 13

The chairman of Baba Nanak Education Society, Inderjit Singh Jaijee, that arranges financial assistance for the education of children of farm suicide victims and families, today claimed that at least 24 farmers and farm labourers have committed suicides in 110 villages in the four sub-divisions of South-West Punjab in the past five months.

Jaijee, who had single handedly enumerated such cases years before the state government woke up to this sad reality, claimed that two dozen farmers have committed suicide in Lehra, Moonak; Sunam (in Sangrur district) and Budhlada (Mansa) blocks from January 1 to June 2, this year. As many as 110 villages fall under the jurisdiction of these blocks.

“The panchayats of the villages from where these victims belonged have submitted affidavits that all victims were under heavy debt. These 110 villages are just 0.87 per cent of the total 12, 581 villages in the state,” he added.

Just imagine 24 suicides in 0.87 per cent villages. If we calculate the figures for the entire state, it will approximately come around 2,759. This gives you an idea that the actual count is way higher than what is being reported by various agencies,” said Jaijee,

Jaijee, who also heads Movement Against State Repression (MASR), an NGO involved in research on farm crises and suicides, said that to portray Punjab as prosperous state, the previous SAD-BJP had hid the actual count of suicides in the state.

“The Parkash Singh Badal-led SAD-BJP government always preferred to keep these figures under wrap. But the fact is that the number of farm suicides in proportion to the total population in Punjab is almost double than other farm suicide-hit states like Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu,” he pointed out.

“Although the present government has promised a loan waiver, where will the money come from? The Centre says that states should bear the burden of any farm loan waiver. But at the same time it gives huge financial benefits to big corporate houses,” he lamented.