TS confirms lavish weddings cause of farmer suicides

Hyderabad, Nov 27: Telangana government, in a counter-affidavit to a petition by the Vyavasaya Jana Chaitanya Samiti, informed the Hyderabad High Court that expenses toward lavish marriages and desire to get children educated in private schools were some of the key reasons that were forcing farmers to commit suicide. In its petition, the Vyavasaya Jana Chaitanya Samiti urged the HC to direct the state government to initiate preventive steps to stop the suicides of financially distressed farmers. In its counter-affidavit, the government listed out several reasons for farmer suicides including crop failure for two consecutive years, private lending, family disputes, indiscriminate digging of borewells, prolonged illness, burden of private loans, expenses towards social functions including lavish marriages and children’s education in private schools. The government did not agree with the petitioner's claim that 1,347 farmers had committed suicide in the state during the last one year. It said the number was 782, out of which 342 were found genuine.