Bhubaneswar: Agriculture minister Pradeep Maharathy on Tuesday informed the State Assembly that farmers’ suicides in Odisha was not due to loan burden.
“A total of 227 farmers had committed suicide between 2013-14 and 2017-18. However, loan burden was not the reason for them taking the extreme step. Except for the suicide of a farmer in Basta block of Balasore district due to crop loss, the others ended life due to other reasons,” the minister said in a written reply to a question of Sanatan Mahakud.
Replying to another question on the suicide of Brunda Sahu of Bargarh district on November 1, 2017, Maharathy said the investigation into the case, which had begun in November last year, was yet to be completed. “Loan burden most likely was not the reason,” he pointed out.
