The Hindu Business Line : <I>Counselling for `distressed farmers' </I>

A pilot project would soon be launched in Maharashtra to give focused attention on financial matters through credit-supported initiatives and on cultural and social issues in these areas, according to Dr Y.S.P. Thorat, Chairman of Nabard.

The Government has identified 30 districts as "distressed districts". In these regions, farmers will be given counselling on issues such as changing the cropping patterns, lifestyle issues, and subsidiary activities other than agriculture, among others.

Nabard also plans to train farmers in this regard through its Rural Entrepreneurship Development Programme, both for farm and non-farm sectors, the report said.

A report by Nabard on suicides by farmers, based on the studies by three independent agencies, pointed out some startling observations, said Dr K.G. Karmakar, Executive Director of Nabard. No suicides by farmers were reported in Rajasthan and Orissa, though these two States had more distressed conditions like lack of rainfall and so on.Conversely, States such as Punjab, Kerala, Karnataka, and Maharashtra, where agriculture has been traditionally strong, reported a high number of suicides by farmers, Dr Karmakar said.

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