The Maharashtra government has informed the state Assembly that 6,667 farmers died by suicide in 2023, highlighting the continuing agrarian distress in one of India’s most agriculturally significant states. The data was presented amid growing concerns over delayed compensation for affected families and scrutiny of the effectiveness of crop insurance schemes meant to provide financial protection to farmers.
According to official figures, the total number includes 4,150 farmers, 2,519 agricultural labourers, and 77 women farmers. The government also noted that several landless farmers who died by suicide were not included in the official tally, raising questions about the completeness of the recorded data and the broader scale of distress in rural communities.
The disclosure sparked political reactions in the Assembly, with NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar alleging that many families of deceased farmers were still awaiting the ₹1 lakh financial assistance promised by the state government. He claimed that beneficiaries were facing delays due to pending paperwork and administrative hurdles, and called for the establishment of district- and taluka-level committees to speed up compensation and improve transparency in the process.
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In response, the state government said it is conducting awareness campaigns and outreach programmes aimed at improving access to welfare schemes for farmers and their families. Officials added that efforts are being made to ensure smoother transfer of land ownership to spouses and proper distribution of assets among legal heirs following the death of a farmer, as part of broader social security measures.
The government also shared data on crop insurance schemes, stating that insurance companies collected ₹55,425 crore in premiums between 2016 and 2025 under various agricultural insurance programmes. During the same period, ₹39,918 crore was paid out as compensation for crop losses, while insurers reportedly earned profits of ₹6,944 crore. Officials noted that insurers are permitted to earn up to 20% profit, with excess amounts required to be returned to the state.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), compensation rates are set at ₹35,000 per hectare for irrigated crops and ₹17,000 per hectare for non-irrigated crops. The government also confirmed the discontinuation of the Re 1 crop insurance scheme, citing misuse and manipulation concerns, and said that claims are now assessed based on yield loss during harvest seasons.
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