Burdwan: Burdwan may be the Rice Bowl of Bengal. However, its farmers are committing suicide. Here, rice is not a source of prosperity but of anguish. Spiralling debt has reportedly driven 16 farmers here to commit suicide in the past one year.
Fifty-four-year-old Amiya Saha was one such farmer. The memories haunt his wife, but what hurts more is the continued government denials that something is amiss here.
Says Jayanta Saha, a farmer, "It is unfortunate that the government says that there haven't been any farmer suicides. As if we don't count."
Meanwhile another farmer, Bama Pada Mallik has his daughters to help him with the work in the fields. He does not have the money to hire labourers. Hence, the girls miss their school to assist their father....
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04:07 PM, Jun 24, 2012
