Nagpur: Thousands of farmers are protesting against the falling price of cotton in Maharashtra.
1,042 farmers have committed suicide in the last three years and this is due to the failure of the rural agrarian economy in the state.
Burdened by loans taken either from banks or moneylenders, many farmers have been forced to take the extreme step of ending their lives.
In spite of repeated assurances by the state government, farmers still struggle with poor irrigation, lack of cold storage and little access to foreign markets.
"The State Government is now thinking of announcing a package for these farmers," Maharashtra Chief Minister, Vilasrao Deshmukh said.
These deaths are a major embarrassment for the Deshmukh government but the Opposition, comprising of Shiv Sena is busy sorting out its own problems.
BJP also made an attempt by organising a farmer's rally but a lot more needs to be done.
But the BJP State President Nitin Gadkari is taking an aggressive stand as he said "Its not the private moneylenders but banks which are charging high interests like 14 per cent".
A large number of suicides of cotton growing farmers are an indication of how the rural economy of Maharahstra is in a defunct state and unfortunately no serious efforts are being taken by any of the policy makers to revive the rural economy.
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