Farmer Ramesh Singh's sister holding a photo of him.
A 65-year-old farmer in Bihar killed himself on Tuesday by consuming Sulphate tablets. His wife, who also took the tablets, is battling for her life. The couple had lost their wheat crop to rain this year.
But had Ramesh Singh waited one more day, he would have received Rs 6800 in his bank account as compensation for crop loss this season on his one acre field, compensation the Bihar government cleared on Monday.
But Mr Singh, a farmer in Patna's Naubatpur block, killed himself before the money was credited to his account. The money may not have been enough, but perhaps it might have made him and his wife reconsider taking sulphate tablets on Tuesday evening to end their lives.
Malti Devi, Ramesh Singh's sister, says, "Of late he used to say that being a farmer is a very bad thing and there is no hope."
The couple was already in debt from a daughter's marriage a few years ago, and from religious ceremonies related to his father's death a year ago. Some say the debt was over Rs 4 lakh. The failure of crops this year was perhaps the last straw for the couple. Smriti, Block Development Officer, Naubatpur, says, "Yes definitely there was distress. We are also seeking information from banks about just how much loans he had taken."
But family members say that most of the loans were from local money lenders who usually charge higher interest than banks. In the last month, there have been two other farmer suicides in Bihar. One in the Patna district, the other case, still under investigation, is from Gaya. The Bihar government recently announced a comprehensive policy to tackle farmer suicides, including Rs 4 lakh compensation for affected families.