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Maharashtra farmers’ suicides doubled under Fadnavis government: RTI reply

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Mumbai, March 8 (IANS) Farmers suicides in Maharashtra have virtually doubled during 2015-2018, under the tenure of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, compared to the period 2011-2014, a RTI reply has revealed.

According to the data received by RTI activist Jeetendra Ghadge, compared to 6,268 cases of farmers suicides recorded between 2011-2014 during the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party rule, under the present Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena regime it has almost doubled to 11,995 between 2015-2018.

The highest number of cases have been notched in the Amravati Division of the suicide-prone districts in Vidarbha region of eastern Maharashtra.

Incidentally, Fadnavis hails from Nagpur in Vidarbha, as also Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari.

Despite the high number of suicides, the RTI replies submitted by the Revenue Department have revealed that even the compensation of Rs 100,000 is also denied to the farmers’ families.

In 2014, 1,358 farmers’ families received the compensation while another 674 cases were rejected. But in 2018, total compensation was given in 1,330 incidents while 1,050 claims were rejected, Ghadge pointed out.

Again, the high suicide areas in Amravati Division have recorded the highest number of rejections of compensation cases, and in 2016 and 2018, there were more rejections than approvals.

In March 2015, the then Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse had announced in the legislature that the compensation in such cases would be increased from Rs 100,000 to Rs 500,000, plus a life insurance policy covering all farmers.

“With reference to increasing the compensation amount, the decision is still pending. For life insurance, the government has launched the ‘Gopinath Munde Accident Insurance Scheme’ in December 2018. Strangely, however, the government circular covers only ‘accidents’ and there is no mention of ‘suicide’ in it,” Ghadge told IANS.

He said the situation of farmers in the past few years has only worsened with initiatives like loan waivers or crop insurance failing to have the desired effect.

Moreover, on the question of rehabilitation of the families of those farmers who commit suicide, the government keeps rejecting compensation proposals even for a mere Rs 100,000, as the agrarian crises maintains its vice-like grip on the farmlands in the state.

“It is indeed shocking that the ‘Gopinath Munde Accident Insurance Scheme’ that covers all farmers does not cover ‘suicides’. The government seems to be making only announcements without any follow-up action,” Ghadge said.

–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.

Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.

During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.

On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”

Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.

Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.

Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”

On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”

The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.

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