Between January 2022 and June 2026, 13,928 farmers committed suicide in Maharashtra. This is more than 8 farmers committing suicide every day. These figures were obtained from the Relief and Rehabilitation Department in Maharashtra through the Right to Information Act. They were obtained by activist Jeetendra Ghadge.

The Data Doesn’t Go Past The State Level

When requesting the data by district and month, Ghadge was informed on 24th July that the data is not kept at the department level but by each district magistrate office. (Ghadge works with the Young Whistleblowers Foundation).

He was frustrated with this as the department have given him district level data regarding farmer suicides for several years. He lodged a first appeal on 18th August. After a hearing on 8th September he was given the data for the whole of Maharashtra however, he was still not given data for each district. This is the first time in a decade he has not been given this data.

How Many Families Were Helped?

The data shows how many families were eligible to receive the states financial aid of ₹1 lakh.

  • Eligible: 8,945

  • Ineligible: 4,042

  • Under Investigation: 941

Of the eligible cases, 8,650 families have received the ₹1 lakh. 295 families are still waiting. This means almost 3 in 10 cases were ineligible.

Ghadge has mentioned the ineligible cases before. He emailed the current Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on 21st June 2023 about families who had been rejected. His email was acknowledged by the Office of the Chief Minister and passed onto the Agriculture Department. However, he has not received any further response.

Why This Matters

The data shows how big of an issue this is. However, without knowing the data by district, we can see where the issue is most prevalent. Researchers, journalists and legislators will want to know why certain areas are worse than others. Without this data it is harder to know where help is needed most.

Unanswered Questions

  • Why has this data not been available from the department for years if it is only available from the district offices?

  • What reasons were given for 4,042 families being ineligible?

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide please reach out for help. In India you can call Tele-MANAS on 14416.