NCP–SCP MP Fauzia Khan delivered a stark and sobering account of Maharashtra’s agrarian distress in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, revealing that as many as 766 farmers died by suicide in the state within just three months. Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Khan questioned the government’s priorities and asked, with evident frustration, when India’s farmers would “become dear to the government.”

According to Khan, Maharashtra continues to top the list of states reporting farmer suicides. Citing figures tabled in the Maharashtra Assembly, she noted that 766 farmer suicides occurred over a three-month period, reflecting the deepening crisis in the rural economy. She pointed out that although 676 affected families received government assistance, 200 families were denied any aid, highlighting inconsistencies in state-level relief efforts.

Khan juxtaposed these grim figures with the state’s announcement of a ₹31,628-crore relief package for losses caused by heavy rains and extensive flooding earlier in the year. Despite the magnitude of the package, she argued that the relief had not effectively reached the ground. She underscored this disconnect by quoting Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who recently informed the Lok Sabha that the Centre had not received any proposal from Maharashtra seeking additional financial support.

Providing further details, Khan said that under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), a total of ₹4,176 crore was allocated for farmer relief, of which the Centre contributed ₹3,180 crore. She added that ₹82 crore had been deposited into the bank accounts of 1,13,455 farmers, again quoting the agriculture minister’s statement. But despite these disbursals, she argued, the scale of distress far outpaced the assistance being provided.

A major point of concern raised by Khan was the discrepancy in damage assessments between the state and central governments. Maharashtra’s Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharne had informed the state Assembly that 14.36 lakh hectares of farmland across 19 districts were affected by floods. However, the report submitted to the Centre mentioned damage to only 1,10,309 hectares. Khan questioned the massive mismatch, asking, “Where are the 14 lakhs, and where is the one lakh? This is unfair and a joke with the farmers.”

She argued that the situation in Maharashtra amounted not to a routine or seasonal setback but a widespread agricultural disaster impacting lakhs of farming families. Yet, she said, the current crop insurance coverage remains inadequate, leaving many farmers unprotected and financially devastated after natural calamities.

Her intervention concluded with a searing question to the government:
“When will the farmers become dear to the government?”

Khan’s remarks reflect deepening concern over rural distress, the adequacy of state and central responses, and the recurring pattern of farmer suicides in Maharashtra—a state long burdened by agrarian instability, monsoon unpredictability, and systemic gaps in agricultural policy support.