Bhubaneswar: A farmer allegedly committed suicide in Balasore district, with his family claiming that he took the extreme step due to crop loss caused by unseasonal rains, an official has said.   The suicide is the 10th such case reported since October in Odisha. The state government has promised early compensation to farmers who have suffered a crop failure.   Jitendra Biswal of Bhanupur village allegedly committed suicide by consuming pesticide. 

He was engaged in share farming on about three acres of land, the official said yesterday. Biswal's family claimed that he was forced to take the extreme step due to crop loss following unseasonal rains. Balasore District Collector Pramod Das has said the exact reason behind the incident would be ascertained only after a thorough inquiry. The tehsildar and revenue officials have been asked to inquire into it, he has said.   The incident came a day after another farmer committed suicide at Baulajholi village under Kukudakhnadi block in Ganjam district allegedly due to crop failure from pest attack and unseasonal rains.   

The spate of farmer suicides has triggered an outrage in the state. Cornered by the opposition BJP and the Congress, who accused it of having failed to act in time to mitigate the plight of farmers, the BJD-led state government stepped up the process of assessment of damage caused to standing crops after unseasonal rains. State Agriculture Minister Damodar Rout said the affected farmers would be provided quick compensation as steps were taken to complete the assessment of crop loss in a week.   

Officials were undertaking field inspection in rain-hit areas to gauge the extent of damage caused to standing crops, he said, adding, all district collectors have been asked to send reports on crop loss within seven days. Special Relief Commissioner B P Sethi has written to all district collectors to send reports on crop loss to the state government by November 25, a senior official said.   

Officials are visiting different areas to take stock of the situation, he said adding, they have been asked to strictly adhere to the directions of the state government for assessment of crop damage, if any, due to rain. Paddy cultivation in a number of districts in the coastal region was severely affected due to the rain. Senior BJP leaders held a meeting here yesterday and expressed concern over the "miserable" condition of the farming community said the party would chalk out a plan of action in order to help the farmers. PTI