Mumbai: Maharashtra recorded 13,928 farmer suicides between January 2022 and June 2026, averaging more than eight deaths a day. State figures obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act show that thousands of cases were rejected for compensation, while district-wise data remain undisclosed, activist Jeetendra Ghadge has alleged.

According to the Relief and Rehabilitation Department, 8,945 cases were found eligible for government assistance, 4,042 were declared ineligible, and 941 remain under inquiry. Among the eligible cases, 8,650 families have received Rs 1 lakh each, while 295 are still awaiting payment.

Ghadge, of the Young Whistleblowers Foundation, sought district-wise and month-wise figures for the 54-month period. Following his first appeal, the department released consolidated state-wide figures but did not provide the district-level breakdown.

Ghadge said this was the first time in a decade that the department had refused to disclose district-wise data. His allegation that senior officials had pressured the department could not be independently verified.

The absence of district-level figures makes it difficult to identify areas facing the greatest distress and assess the effectiveness of preventive measures.

In June 2023, Ghadge urged the then chief minister Eknath Shinde to extend financial protection to families whose claims were rejected. He proposed covering farmer suicides under the Gopinath Munde Shetkari Apghat Vima Yojana, with Rs 2 lakh for affected families irrespective of the cause of death. He also advocated taluka-level committees to identify vulnerable farming families and improve access to welfare schemes.

Maharashtra farmer crisis: Key figures

• 13,928 farmer suicides recorded between January 2022 and June 2026.
• More than eight deaths per day on average.

Case status

• 8,945 cases deemed eligible for assistance.
• 4,042 cases rejected.
• 941 cases under inquiry.

Compensation status

• 8,650 families received compensation of Rs 1 lakh each.
• 295 eligible families are still awaiting compensation.