Mumbai: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil has alleged that Shyamrao Bhopale a farmer from Yavatmal, who died in a Nanded hospital on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday after immolating himself earlier this month, had taken the step due to crop damages, outstanding debts and not getting assured prices for his farm produce.
Mr Patil said that villagers have performed Bhopale’s last rites wearing a black badge, which is a symbol of protest against the government. “This incident is very unfortunate and shameful for the government. But I don’t think this shameless government will realise it,” he said. Close to 700 farmers have committed suicide in the first quarter of this year in the state.
According to the Yavatmal district administration, The interest over the loan is Rs 4,540. Bhopale had a total outstanding amount of Rs 21,900 to pay banks and he did not have the criteria to apply for the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Sanman Scheme (loan waiver scheme) of the state government. Bhopale had 1.25 acres of farm land.
The collector in-charge of Yavatmal district, Chandrakant Jajoo, said, “As per the scheme, he was not eligible to reap the benefits of the scheme. The scheme is meant for those farmers whose outstanding loan had been pending before 2016.”
About 244 farmers had committed the suicide in Yavatmal in 2017. In the first quarter of this year, 58 farmers took their lives in the district.
