The week in 5 charts | Farmer suicides in Maharashtra, RBI projects 7% GDP growth, Grammys 2024, and more

Here are five charts that will help you understand some of the key stories from last week

State-level data show that in 2023, as many as 1,088 farmers ended their lives in eight districts of Marathwada, Maharashtra’s most drought-affected region. 1,439 farmers ended their lives in the Vidharbha region of the State, as per a report from the Relief and Rehabilitation Department.

Watch | Why are farmers in Maharashtra taking their own lives?

Out of the 1,088 cases of suicides among farmers in the Marathwada region, 777 cases were deemed ‘eligible’ in the report released by the Divisional Commissioner’s Office at Chhatrapati Shambhajinagar. Among these ‘eligible’ cases, Beed recorded the highest number of suicides with 169, followed by 152 and 147 deaths by suicide in the districts of Chhatrapati Shambhajinagar and Nanded. The map below shows the eligible cases of suicides across the 8 districts of the Marathwada region, from 2001 up until 2023.

A ground report by The Hindu, where the families of the farmers who lost their lives to suicide in different districts in the drought-prone region account for their painful loss, shows that apart from the topography, the Marathwada region also lacks a viable permanent crop and many farmers rely on non-institutional sources for credit.

Also read | One-third of all 2022 suicides were of daily wage earners, farmers: NCRB report

Across the region, many men in their 20s and 30s have taken their lives. Responsibilities of the extended family, like eldercare or the marriage of a sister, still seen as a man’s duty, keep young men on marginal farms. Even those who migrate to cities like Aurangabad and Pune in pursuit of better opportunities, often find themselves compelled to come home for long durations, during the harvest season or following a family tragedy.

Also read |In 10 months, 2,366 farmers died by suicide in Maharashtra