Farmers are our lifeline. It is because of them and their hard work, we can fill our household with enough food. But what happens when the same farmers fall prey to poverty and suffer so much that they think of committing suicide? It’s is no secret that farmers in huge numbers commit suicide almost every day due to financial issues. The upcoming episode of Sony Entertainment Television’s Kaun Banega Crorepati 10 saw one such farmer, Anantkumar Khanke, who made it to the Hot Seat and spoke about his struggle to survive. This distressed Bollywood’s biggest Megastar Amitabh Bachchan and he urged people to come forth and help the farmers in whatever way possible.
Contestant Anantkumar Khanke shed some light on his annual income which is around Rs. 60,000 only if they face a good rainy season. When there is a shortage of water, he pays Rs. 100 per gallon for farming. Apart from these, there were many things Anantkumar shared and listening to his story, the host of the show Amitabh Bachchan was appalled. Mr. Bachchan himself does a lot for the farmers in his own way and he narrated and incident that made him contribute to the farmers wellbeing.
Said Mr. Bachchan, “When I was shooting in Vishakhapatnam around a decade back, I read in the newspaper then, that farmers are committing suicide for amounts like Rs. 10,000 to 20,000. I felt very bad reading this. When I came back, I contacted an NGO here and asked them if I could be of any help in saving the lives of farmers and that’s how I got a list of 30-40 people whose loans I could pay off. A few years ago, there was distress in Vidarbha due to shortage of rainfall and I cleared loans of around 100 farmers and recently in Maharashtra, I have ensured that the loans of around 360 farmers have been paid off to the banks. My next step is to help clear loans of approximately 850 farmers in Uttar Pradesh. By mentioning this, I am hoping that even if 10-12 people, who find it within their capacity and capability, step forward and help in saving lives of farmers, we would have set an example for many more and in turn so many farmers’ lives would be saved.”
He further added, “I would urge people to understand the plight of our anna-data (farmers) and the kind of hardships they are facing. I do not want to boast about myself but I want everyone to help our farmers who face the shortage of even having basic necessities. If anyone of you, individually or collectively can pay off their loans, I join my hands to request you to please help them. This will be the biggest contribution you can make to the farmers of our country.”