After the Maharashtra Government made a submission before it that as many as 1,000 farmers had committed suicide in the State during 2015, the Bombay High Court on Thursday suggested to the Devendra Fadnavis dispensation to rope in corporate houses to deal with the agrarian crisis in the State.
Government pleader Abhinandan Vagyani informed a HC bench of Justices Naresh Patil and Girish Kulkarni that the number of farmers who had committed suicide during 2015 was 1,000, as against 600 farmer suicides reported by the media.
Having taken suo motu cognizance of media reports about the farmers’ suicides in the State, the HC bench was hearing a PIl on the issue.
Advising the State Government to involve corporate houses in dealing with the agrarian crisis in the State, the HC bench observed: “In this way, suicides could be prevented as business houses would readily come forward to help farmers under the corporate social responsibility”.
“Corporate houses should be urged either to adopt villages or make available equipment including tractors to the farmers free,” the Judges said.
The Government officials, present at the hearing, told the court that the State Government had come out with some welfare schemes for farmers.
In response, the HC bench asked the officers concerned as to whether the number of suicide had gone up or come down after these measures were introduced. However, the officers conceded that the number had increased.
The HC bench asked the State Government to ascertain reasons for the unabated suicides of farmers in the State. “It is necessary to know the causes to tackle the problem,” the HC bench said.
In another suggestion, the State Government may promote collective farming among farmers as a solution to their problems. The collective farming helped the farmers with small land—holding who are unable to recover the cost of cultivation, the Judges said.
Advising the State Government to come out with welfare schemes for farmers, the judges said the schemes should not remain only on paper but strictly implemented.