A 40-year-old woman in drought-hit Marathwada region of Maharashtra ended her life by setting herself ablaze last Saturday.

Manisha Gatkal, a farmer in Marathwada's Osmanabad and mother of five children doused herself with kerosene and set herself ablaze on the day of rakshabhan due to lack of work and food, reported NDTV.

Gatkal's husband Laxman told the channel, "We are really very poor. There was no food. I had no work... When I got some work I went out. She latched the door and killed herself."

“Had he got work under NREGA, they would have had money and she wouldn’t have committed suicide,” said Manisha’s brother-in-law.

This tragic incident has happened at a time when the state is facing serious drought situation. Several farmers on the border of Solapur and Osmanabad district are hit by drought and have no work.

Few days ago, actors Nana Patekar and Makrand Anaspure distributed cheques to provide financial aid to as many as 113 families of farmers from Latur and Osmanabad districts of Marathwada, who have committed suicides, owing to drought and large amount of debt.

The kin of the deceased were given cheque of Rs 15,000 each.

Patekar wants top Maharashtra leaders to come together to face the challenge posed by drought as no single party can tackle it alone.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday visited drought-affected areas in Solapur district and took stock of the situation.

He visited Kurnur dam in Akkalkot tehsil in the district and interacted with farmers. He visited Rampur and Kardehalli in the district and inspected 'Jalyukt Shivar' works, an official from the Chief Minister's Office said.