Don’t politicise suicides: Rane

AMRAVATI, May 15: "While we are paying compensation to the dependents of the farmers, who committed suicide, we are also warning the Op...

AMRAVATI, May 15: "While we are paying compensation to the dependents of the farmers, who committed suicide, we are also warning the Opposition against capitalising on the issue of farmers’ suicide for their political ends," said the State Revenue Minister Narayan Rane.

Rane was speaking at a press conference held at Circuit House here on Thursday. The Minister, while explaining the object of the press conference, told that after taking the decision to pay compensation, he came to Amravati to announce compensation to families of seven farmers in the districts, who committed suicide due to crop failure and indebtedness.

While four of them were granted Rs one lakh each, the rest were given Rs 50,000 each, he informed. Rane while clarifying about allegations he levelled against Opposition parties (about politicising and capitalising on the issue) made special mention of Sonia Gandhi’s recent speech at Nashik. Rane said Gandhi was unnecessarily holding the State Government responsible for thesuicides.

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Attributing the suicides to natural calamities like excessive or untimely rains, Rane said on enquiry, prima facie was established in seven cases that indebtedness was also reason for committing suicides.

"Considering their plight, we took the decision to pay compensation to their families, sheerly on compassionate and humanitarian grounds and as a gesture of consolation. But this was not a policy decision," the Minister sought to clarify.

Rane also said that this was probably first time in the history of the country that any State Government has paid compensation on account of suicide.

He said his ministry has identified 14 cases of suicides of farmers in the district. Before coming to the visit his ministry had taken decision to pay compensation to families of only three farmers. But on getting additional information he granted powers Divisional Commissioner and the Collector.

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The Minister informed that in four cases of suicides by Vishnu Irbhan Wasukar (Malkapur), Khushal PunjajiChaudhary (Shenaurjana Bazar), Atmaram Bhaiyaji Ze;e (Nimbhora) and Bhagwan Takur (Babhali), their families have been paid Rs one lakh in each case according to the decision. While Manohar Adhav (Khirada), Shravan Banduji Wasnik (Pimpalgaon-Nipani), Shyamrao Panduji Solav (Wadura) the dependents have been granted Rs 50,000 each, he added giving the details. In rest of the seven cases it was found that suicide was not due to natural calamity or indebtedness said Rane. Such cases include suicdes of Tulasiram Zaduji Ingole, (Parasapur), Prataprao Marotrao Thakare (Yerala), Subhash Pundlik Dhavale (Katpur), Kisan Deorao Mhaske (Nandgaon-Khandeshwar), Laxman Shivram Gadhave (Januna), Madhukar Bhimrao Bhagvat (Madhan) and Shankar Ramkrishna Lad (Anjangaon Bari).

However when brought to the notice that in case of Shakar Lad, that police obtained a suicide note saying that he committed suicide due to indebtedness, Rane clarified that the cases of Lad (Anjangaon Bari) and Madhukar Bhagwat (Madhan) are beingreviewed.

While replying to a question, Rane denied the allegation that BJP’s Jagdish Gupta (who was Minister of State for Revenue) was deprived of his post due to alleged rift between him and Gupta.

Rane said also told that apart from the compensation in cases of suicides, the State Government has sanctioned Rs 170 crore for relief to farmers in the State, which include relief in terms of seeds worth Rs 500 per hectare and Rs 1,000 to each drought-hit.