As many as 215 cases are pending for investigation, the minister said.

The Maharashtra government has said that 235 farmers committed suicide in the state for various reasons in September this year.

Maharashtra Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Chandrakant Patil stated this in the Legislative Assembly in a written reply on Thursday.

In six districts of Vidarbha region, 15,629 farmers ended their lives for various reasons between January 2001 and October 2018 . Of them, 7,008 farmers were eligible for financial compensation and their families have been given a financial assistance of Rs one lakh each.

As many as 215 cases are pending for investigation, the minister said.

In Nashik district, between January and September 2018, there were 73 cases of farmers suicide, of which 17 were eligible for financial compensation. They have been provided assistance of Rs one lakh each, he said.

In Kolhapur, between 2004 and 2018, a total 113 farmers ended their lives.

In Marathwada, 674 farmers killed themselves between January and September 2018. Of them, 445 were entitled to compensation.

Mr Patil also said that there was no proposal under consideration to ease the criteria for providing compensation to farmers who commit suicide.

The minister added that directives were given to authorities concerned to provide benefit of food security scheme as well as health security scheme to all the needy farmers and free education to children of those who have ended their lives.