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Over 1,500 farmers in an Indian state committed suicide after being driven to debt by crop failure, it was reported today.

The agricultural state of Chattisgarh was hit by falling water levels.

“The water level has gone down below 250 feet here. It used to be at 40 feet a few years ago,” Shatrughan Sahu, a villager in one of the districts, told Down To Earth magazine

“Most of the farmers here are indebted and only God can save the ones who do not have a bore well.”

Mr Sahu lives in a district that recorded 206 farmer suicides last year. Police records for the district add that many deaths occur due to debt and economic distress.

In another village nearby, Beturam Sahu, who owned two acres of land was among those who committed suicide. His crop is yet to be harvested, but his son Lakhnu left to take up a job as a manual labourer.

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Tags: India
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  • http://www.blackplanet.com/rainydaytounge/ rainydaytounge

    those people really need new job seeking skills. i wonder if that mentality will ever reach da usa i think we could use 1500 dead aig employees

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/harlemflights09/ harlemflights09

    that just goes to show people how stressful times now really are.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/DAREALRECKLESS/ DAREALRECKLESS

    ECONOMIC DISTRESS????????? proves how strong black people are. we’ve been in ” economic distress ” since we set foot on this land. you don’t see us killing ourselves.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/SexciAngel/ SexciAngel

    I guess its true when they say “desperate times, calls for desperate measures”, but WOW.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/sista2503/ sista2503

    thats a messed up comment about the AIG employees! That sounds like someone who runs around thinking about killing others and that aint a joke! This worls is crazy, but its true, all the black people aren’t going psycho. Its not the end of the world, until people try to kill everyone off. May God have mercy on our souls

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/bigplayaz25/ bigplayaz25

    1500 thats sounds real fishy to me more like hmm a cover up

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/devanii/ devanii

    That is so devastating..1500 ppl!! Thats like a whole town killin themselves..This should be a example to show ppl how bad our economy and global warming is effecting not just America but the whole world.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/addictive4_08/ addictive4_08

    I smell genocide,cyanide or Jim Jones repeated.But That is very sad :O(

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/Brotha_Jay/ Brotha_Jay

    I grew up in a village with a population of 1,000. I cannot imagine everyone in my village committing suicide like that. It’s an awful thought.
    They say that many of these people were indebted: considering how little they make, that debt is probably only a few hundred dollars. Someone should bail them out . . . if I win the lottery that would be a good thing to spend it on.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/ceelo609/ ceelo609

    Time is drawing to down till the return of Christ. This is just a portion of the signs to come. It seems like we hear it all the time. Now its getting closer. That is real talk.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/sugafoot7/ sugafoot7

    Nothing is worth losing your life over, they are not the only ones that are having problems, you got have faith in these bad times. I may not have it as bad these people but it is rough for us all, I rather be alive then dead and never see change.

    I do pray that people stop taking the easy way out and killing themselve, they are hurting more people when they do this. Families are hurting over the dead. Look at the pain that the families have to good through. We have gone through some devasting things, but death should never be a choice.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/stupidfatandugly/ stupidfatandugly

    i do smell conspiracy. someone must wants their land badly

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/Mjh05d/ Mjh05d

    Suicide should never be an option. But its not like it is here in India, if you are a farmer then thats what you do, its not well I guess Ill just get a part time job at McDonalds and be held over until it starts raining again. No…so if your crops are producing you have absolutely no way to create income.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/Hattie3/ Hattie3

    I smell bull. If poverty is so common there why take such a drastic action? Reading about it makes me sick to the stomach. What would it take for them to be ok? How do you help people that have giving up faith in there creator? Im sorry if I offended anyone. Suicide and mass murder is becoming a lil to normal and I feel the time and money spent on publishing it can be used for a resulution (spell check me ) Gone

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/Hitwoman/ Hitwoman

    To the person who said that they smell a (Jim Jones) or genocide conspiracy: as intriguing as conspiracies are, not every situation is a cover up. There are many people who are so indebted to their creditors and have lost everything that they simply see no other means of escape but suicide.

    Remember, this was very common when the stock market crashed in the 1020′s…people were jumping out of windows and there was a severe impact. Mind you, it probably was not as bad as now because of economic globalization was not as vast as it is today, and the population in the 20′s was smaller, but the impact was great nonetheless.

    According to recent reports from the Associated Press, suicide rates have gone up in America. This is particularly so amongst those who have foreclosed or are facing foreclosure. People have no where to turn because the banks (have) refused to help them. Even with these so-called loan workout programs to help people, they do not help every single person who is in need, as people need to meet these lenders’ criteria or have their loans be held by specific investors. As such, we are seeing a rise in homelessness, “tent cities” and suicide.

    These people (in India) probably face a worse situation considering the socio-economic variables in India. I cannot really say. However, I myself went through a very long bout of depression due to economic hardship and had quite seriously considered suicide. The bills got to stressful and there was too much uncertainty. Added to that, my mortgage lender would/could not help me.

    I won’t point fingers and say that the sole responsibility lies on the lenders, that they are unconscienable, but they definitely took advantage of a situation and these farmers were probably too desperate and ignorant to think things through.

    What needed to happen was the farmers should have had some type of insurance if the crops had failed…at least they or the lender would have gotten a percentage of their money back.

    At any rate, I think that this is the tip of the iceberg for many countries.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/rubbabandbankboy/ rubbabandbankboy

    Americans should do the same

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/1nina2-u/ 1nina2-u

    There are people in this country (USA) that are killing themselves and their whole families due to debt and the state of the global economy. This is sad. My prayers go out to them.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/X-TORTION/ X-TORTION

    If you kill someone, god MIGHT forgive you. You kill yourself, you will CERTAINLY go to hell.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/C4pricorn/ C4pricorn

    welp…

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/AJyAnt1/ AJyAnt1

    OH well…….More room on the planet now…Do you really think God cares about those HINDUS over there? He caused their land to be wiped out. Everytime they recover from that Tsunami they are hit again. It had nothing to do with an economy over there. God is destroying the land through the forces of nature. God is removing a lot of people from the planet with RAIN

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/__ash___/ __ash___

    my prayers go out to their families. i am sorry for what they had to suffer. i pray that their souls are at peace now.
    but even more i pray for the ignorant people who have commented on this before me who hate their fellow man in God’s name. i’m more sorry for you than anything. that’s not the idea that Jesus had for us.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/GD_NCSTATE11/ GD_NCSTATE11

    This is sad but dont you know Jesus Christ is our Lord and Saviour he deserves to be worshipped n he hates all that Hindu crap over there, and they feeling his rath.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/krizziegyal/ krizziegyal

    Clearly from previous posts, ignorance truly is bliss. Quite frankly in situations like this if you have nothing good to say then keep your trap shut. Its so ironic that the same people bringing God into the equation have the nastiest comments. Interesting. Consider tragic events like this a lesson learned and try your best to stay on your a-game ladies and gentlemen.
    -kris10

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/Creola1977/ Creola1977

    man..by some of the comments i see ignorance is bliss. God rest there souls. I cant judge them cause im human just like they are. Only God can do that.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/chanell_on_fire/ chanell_on_fire

    some people here are really ignorant
    wtf ppl here tellin god trying to destroy hindu with water?!
    we could say the same s**t about katrina and all that crap and all the big fire goin in cali n s**t…
    thats not god’s way to show he hate hindu thats god’s way showing all yall ignorant people to be more nice to the inviroment he gave you

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/dreadtherasta/ dreadtherasta

    For all those talking about Jesus and Christianity need to take a look at Hinduism, it was created far before your fabled Jesus and has nearly if not all the same religious principles as most religions.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/M0M0_S0_PURDI/ M0M0_S0_PURDI

    UMMMMM FIRST MY PRAYERS GO TO INDIA. AND THAT SITUATION IS SAD. BUT I DO HAVE TO SAY …TO SAY THAT GOD OR JESUS HATES HINDUISM IS KINDA HARSH BUT KINDA TRUE KUUUUUUSSS IN THE BIBLE IT DOES SAY THAT GOD IS A JEALOUS GOD. BUT I KNOW GOD LOVES ALL PEOPLE THO SO DONT SAY HE HATES PEOPLE… HE HATES THE “SIN”

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/jaymebaby123/ jaymebaby123

    People-
    This was done by a company called Monsanto-They genetically engineer all of our seed and then sell for such a huge price after the farmer is HOOKED!
    Please see this video to see what is going on-is happening in US with Monsanto placing lawsuits against our farmers here! See the doc**entary: “The World According To Monsanto”
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_OJcPKEYDE

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