Fadnavis Urges Water Conservation to Combat Farmer Suicides in Maharashtra

Devendra Fadnavis, addressing the BJS National Convention 2024, emphasized the urgency of addressing groundwater depletion to tackle farmer suicides in Maharashtra. He highlighted Maharashtra's unique achievement of rising water tables, crediting BJS and other NGOs for their efforts. Farmer suicides persist amid water scarcity and inadequate government support.

At the Bharatiya Jain Sanghatana (BJS) National Convention 2024, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis raised concerns over declining groundwater levels, stating that resolving water scarcity is crucial to preventing farmer suicides in Maharashtra. He defended governmental actions, citing a report that noted an increase in the state's water table.

Fadnavis insisted, "Ending farmer suicides is impossible without fixing water issues. Maharashtra consistently faces a 50% water deficit, and conservation is the sole solution." He credited BJS, Aamir Khan's Paani Foundation, and Nana Patekar's Naam Foundation for the rise in water levels, as per a 2020 central government report.

Despite these efforts, farmer suicides remain a pressing issue in Maharashtra, with the state accounting for 37.6% of all such suicides in India in 2022, according to the National Crime Records Bureau. Farmers have aired grievances regarding insufficient governmental support.

(With inputs from agencies.)