Agonized by debt, two farmers from same village end lives
Ranebennur: In an unfortunate incident, two farmers from Nittur village at Ranebennur Taluk ended their lives by suicide on Wednesday night. Burdened by debts, the farmers reportedly took to drastic measures that ended their lives.
The deceased farmers Manjappa Basappa Kariyappa (40) and Mahesh Basappa Parasalli (38), residents of Nittur village reportedly killed themselves due to the distress caused by their unpaid debts.
Farmer Manjappa had borrowed 3 lakh rupees from the bank and additional 5 lakh rupees from other individuals, while farmer Mahesh had borrowed 2 lakh rupees from the bank. After the recent heavy rains in the village, the two farmers lost all their harvest and were unable to repay their debts. Due to mounting pressure caused by unpaid debts, the distressed farmers reportedly killed themselves by suicide.
A case has been registered at the Halageri Police Station in this regard.
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Anbumani asks PM Modi to ban sale of cigarettes for those born after 2009
Chennai (PTI): PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take legislative measures to prohibit smoking and the sale of cigarettes to individuals born on or after January 1, 2009, thereby creating a smoke-free generation.
Anbumani, former Union minister for health and family welfare, said, "Once implemented, it (ban on cigarettes) will ensure that future generations are legally prevented from ever accessing tobacco products", he said in a letter to Modi.
"I write to you with a deep sense of urgency and responsibility, drawing your kind attention to a critical public health issue that continues to endanger the lives of millions of Indians, particularly among the younger generation who are affected by cigarette smoking", he claimed.
Stating that India unfortunately bears a disproportionately high burden of tobacco-related morbidity and mortality, he said, adding that, according to global health estimates, nearly 267 million Indians, approximately one in five citizens, use tobacco.
"Each year, tobacco consumption directly accounts for over 1.35 million deaths, while exposure to second-hand smoke contributes to a total of approximately 2.3 million deaths annually", he said, adding, "these figures are alarming and reflect a public health crisis of immense magnitude".
He pointed out that Scientific evidence unequivocally establishes tobacco use as a leading cause of cancer and numerous non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular ailments, chronic respiratory diseases such as COPD, and multiple forms of malignancies. "In India alone, tobacco is responsible for nearly 40–50 per cent of all cancer cases, with over 4.7 lakh deaths annually attributed to tobacco-induced cancers", he added.
"In this context, I strongly urge the Union government to consider enacting a transformative law similar to that of the United Kingdom, that permanently prohibits the sale and consumption of tobacco products for individuals born on or after a specified year (such as 2009). Such a generational ban would mark a decisive step towards eliminating tobacco use in India over time", he said.
