Maharashtra sees 1,267 farmer suicides since Jan this year; Amravati division worst hit
Mumbai, Jul 21: A total of 1,267 farmers have committed suicide in Maharashtra in the first six months of this year, with Amravati division in the state's Vidarbha region accounting for 557 deaths.
As per January to June data in a state government report, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division was second with 430 deaths, followed by 137 in Nashik division, 130 in Nagpur division and 13 in Pune division. No death was reported in the coastal Konkan division.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau, in 2022, Maharashtra led with 37.6 per cent of all farmer suicides in the country.
The NCRB said 11,290 persons involved in the farming sector, comprising 5,207 farmers or cultivators and 6,083 agricultural labourers, ended their lives in 2022. This accounted for 6.6 per cent of all suicides in the country, which stood at 1,70,924.
In 2021, 10,881 persons involved in farming, comprising 5,318 farmers and 5,563 agricultural labourers, committed suicide, with Maharashtra accounting for 37.3 per cent of these deaths.
As per NCRB data, a total of 1,64,033 persons committed suicide in 2021 and those connected to farming comprised 6.6 per cent.
In 2020, a total of 10,677 individuals in the farming sector (5,579 farmers or cultivators and 5,098 agricultural labourers) died by suicide, which was 7 per cent of the 1,53,052 such deaths nationwide.
Maharashtra accounted for 37.5 per cent of the deaths in 2020.
Incidentally, Maharashtra is also the highest contributor in the country's GDP.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
