Panaji: In a bid to extricate debt-ridden farmers in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, an NGO has come forward to bail them out of the agrarian crisis, a senior functionary has said.
The NGO, Sangath, operating from outside of Goa, has been hand-picked by Dorabjee Tata Trust for the ambitious project aiming to mitigate instances of suicides among Vidarbha peasants. Sangath chairman Vishram Gupte said the pre-launch meeting for the project would be held in Nagpur in Maharashtra on November 30 to discuss about the implementation of the project.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau`s statistics about 30,000 farmers have committed suicide in the last one decade.
Gupte said lack of irrigation facilities, infertility of land and state government`s failure are the reasons for aggravating crisis in the region.
The NGO with professionals on board has decided to reach to these farmers in a scientific manner and address their basic issues and render moral support. The four-year-long project will cover four districts from Vidarbha and eight blocks, Gupte said, adding Sangath is readying to set up its camp office in Nagpur.
Sangath officials said the experts would analyse the families of the victim farmers, their body language, psychological behaviour and other aspects.
"We will develop the intervention in three sectors, including common mental health disorder, alcohol use disorder and child and adolescent emotional problem," an expert associated with the project said.
PTI