TIA Correspondent / Bhubneshwar
Three more farmers committed suicide by consuming poison in Bolangir and Keonjhar districts in OdishaTuesday. Crop loss and loan burden were said to be the reasons for the suicides. On Monday, three farmers had killed themselves in a similar manner.
The official figure shows that over 1 lakh farmers have been affected by the drought in Bolangir district alone with almost 33 percent crop loss in 14 tehsils this season.
On Oct 24 two farmers comitted suicide in Cuttack and Jajpur districts. Both the debt burden farmers died after consuming pesticides in the event of massive crop loss due to scanty rainfall.
On October 22, two days ago, two farmers took the extreme step of committing suicide over the same reason in Nuapada and Cuttack districts. Meanwhile, Odisha Congress has planned to hold Save Farmers rally on 6th of next month in all 314 blocks across the State against the ruling BJD government raising the drought situation and farmers’ suicide.
The Party has demanded the government to declare entire Odisha as the drought-hit and to provide 10 lakh rupees as compensation to the families of the farmers who have ended their lives under extreme burden of debt. It may be recalled that last week the Odisha government announced a one thousand crore rupees relief package