Jawhar suicide: State comes to aid of widow

A day after Hindustan Times reported about how a farmer from Chondipada in Jawhar, 150 km from Mumbai, committed suicide due to poverty resulting from prolonged illness and unemployment, the Thane district administration has come to his family’s aid.

A day after Hindustan Times reported about how a farmer from Chondipada in Jawhar, 150 km from Mumbai, committed suicide due to poverty resulting from prolonged illness and unemployment, the Thane district administration has come to his family’s aid.

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Additional Collector Kailash Kadam told Hindustan Times he would be writing to the government to provide immediate monetary assistance of Rs 10,000 to Kamal, widow of Sitaram Pandu Gavanda, under the Rashtriya Kutumbh Artha Sahay Yojna.

“This will be our first step towards providing succour to the family,” Kadam said, adding that the administration will extend support to the family in future too.

Sitaram (28) committed suicide on September 14, leaving behind his wife and three children, Nilesh (10), Yashoda (7) and Ashmita (1).

Nilesh studies in an ashram school near the taluka headquarters while the two daughters live with their mother in the village.

Kadam, the tehsildar, block development officer, sub-divisional officer and a doctor, visited the village on Wednesday and met Kamal.

Kadam said Sitaram’s suicide had gone unnoticed because it was not reported to the police.

Sitaram had committed suicide by hanging himself from the ceiling of his hut.

Members of his family and neighbours said Sitaram had suffered from tuberculosis in the past and had, recently, started coughing and showing symptoms of a relapse.

His frail health ensured he stayed unemployed.

His financial condition worsened when his son came home during the Ganpati break with high fever and needed immediate treatment.