Centre must bring in a policy to end agri distress, says Sharad Pawar, amid rising farmer suicides in Maharashtra

Sharad Pawar urges government action on farmer suicides, advocates for AI in agriculture, seeks equestrian statues in Delhi.

Noting the rising numbers of farmers ending their own lives in the Marathwada and Vidarbha regions of Maharashtra, Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar has urged the Union government to frame policies that will help farmers facing persistent distress. Mr. Pawar also wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking his help to get full-size equestrian statues of Maratha statesmen Peshwa Bajirao I, Mahadji Shinde, and Malharrao Holkar installed at the Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi.

Mr. Pawar was addressing a press conference in Baramati on Saturday (March 15, 2025), after the State government released the latest farmer suicide figures. “The data released by the Ministry of Relief and Rehabilitation indicating that Marathwada and Vidarbha recorded 2,635 farmer deaths by suicide in the year 2024 alone, is worrying. We will collect accurate data from different locations of the State to assess the situation. The Centre should prepare a policy to help farmers,” Mr. Pawar said. 

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Emerging technologies should be introduced into agricultural processes, Mr. Pawar said. “Artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to boost the quality of sugarcane cultivation in the State. Many sugar factories will take part in the AI farming process. We have a meeting scheduled later in the day with some officials of sugar factories and I am sure a revolutionary decision will be made and the use of AI in farming will begin soon,” he said.  

In his letter to the PM, Mr. Pawar advocated for the installation of statues showing the Maratha leaders mounted on horses rather than simple busts. “A Pune-based NGO had planned to install busts of Bajirao, Shinde and Holkar at the Talkatora Stadium, but litterateurs and historians have weighed in favour of equestrian statues of the three warriors. As Talkatora Stadium falls under the jurisdiction of the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), we are seeking the Prime Minister’s intervention in directing the Government of Delhi and NDMC to grant the necessary permissions for installing full-sized equestrian statues,” he said. 

Delhi held historical significance in 18th century Maratha military campaigns against the Mughals. Mr. Pawar’s letter also highlighted the personal significance of Talkatora Stadium, which was the venue of the 98th Marathi Sahitya Sammelan which was inaugurated by the Prime Minister, and organised by Sarhad Pune and Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal. “Your profound and insightful speech resonated deeply with Marathi people across the world,” he wrote to Mr. Modi. “I truly appreciate you for your kind gesture exhibiting your special affection towards me during the inaugural ceremony. Your leadership has always been instrumental in honouring and preserving India’s glorious past.”  

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