In yet another tragic incident, a farmer in Karnataka’s Chikkamagaluru district took his own life on Monday. The 55-year-old farmer was distressed due to crop losses caused by the lack of rainfall. The farmer, identified as Krishna Naik, hanged himself in his home.
Farmer had a loan of Rs 3 lakh
According to the police, Naik, was residing in Lingadahalli, Kadur taluk. He had taken a loan of Rs 3 lakh and had sown ragi and jowar crops in his agricultural fields, but due to the lack of rainfall, his crops were destroyed. Unable to face the consequences, the farmer took the extreme step. This is the fifth case of farmer suicide in the last 40 days in Kadur taluk.
The Sakharayapatna Police have registered a case, and an investigation is underway. The state has declared Kadur taluk in Chikkamagaluru district as drought-affected. The authorities have also opened a helpline for farmers as the number of suicides is steadily increasing in the state.
1,219 farmers have committed suicide
According to officials, in Karnataka, a total of 1,219 farmers have lost their lives in the past 18 months after suffering crop losses. The state government has declared drought in 194 out of the total 236 taluks and has requested a relief package of Rs 4,860 crore from the central government.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that approximately 42 lakh hectares of crops have been damaged, resulting in a total loss of Rs 30,000 crore in the state. Currently, central teams are assessing the situation by visiting 11 districts in the state.
(With IANS inputs)
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