Unable to bear the loss of crops, two farmers on Thursday committed suicides in Odisha’s Dhenkanal and Sundergarh districts respectively.
The incidents come barely 24 hours after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced several measures to ease farmers’ plight in the state.
According to Odisha’s OTV, Diganta Das of Raitala village in Gondia block in Dhenkanal, allegedly consumed poison on Thursday night. He was brought to the district headquarters hospital, but died while undergoing treatment.
The deceased’s family said that Diganta had borrowed Rs 5 lakh from local moneylenders and banks to grow paddy on five acres of land. But the poor rainfall meant that Das’ crops were destroyed pushing him to take drastic step.
Elsewhere in Sundergarh, another farmer, Satana Ekka of Koparanda village, committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree at his farm land.
His son said that his father was under severe mental stress after his standing paddy crops were ruined due to drought like situation in the district.
Like Das, Ekka too had taken loans from the local moneylenders.
Police have begun the investigation, but these fresh deaths of farmers have triggered a fresh debate on the plight of farmers in Odisha.
