MP Fauzia Khan says Maharashtra reported 766 farmer suicides in three months.
Flags discrepancies in flood-loss figures and gaps in compensation delivery.
Questions why state hasn’t sought extra aid despite large-scale crop damage.
Up to 766 farmers in Maharashtra have committed suicide in the past three months, according to NCP-SCP MP Fauzia Khan, who questioned when farmers will "become dear to the government" in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
Khan brought up the matter during Rajya Sabha Zero Hour, stating that Maharashtra has the highest number of farmer suicides in the nation, with the state administration notifying the Assembly of the 766 deaths in just three months.
According to her, 200 of these families were refused government support, while 676 received it.
Khan claimed that although a Rs 31,628-crore assistance package was announced in response to this year's heavy rains and widespread floods, the actual situation on the ground was different.
She brought up the fact that Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had informed the Lok Sabha that Maharashtra has not submitted a proposal to the ministry for further assistance.
Citing Chouhan's reaction, Khan stated that Rs 4,176 crore was allotted to farmers under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), of which the Centre received Rs 3,180 crore. Additionally, Rs 82 crore was put into the bank accounts of 1,13,455 farmers.
"The poor farmer is shocked by these numbers," she said.
The NCP-SCP MP highlighted discrepancies in data, saying that while state Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharne stated that floods affected 14.36 lakh hectares across 19 districts, the report sent to the Centre mentioned only 1,10,309 hectares.
"Where are the 14 lakhs, and where is the one lakh? This is unfair and a joke with the farmers," Khan said.
She emphasised this was not a routine seasonal setback but a massive agricultural disaster affecting lakhs of farmers, and argued that coverage under the current crop insurance framework remains inadequate.
"I have a question for the government. When will the farmers become dear to the government?" Khan asked.
