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Compensation for pesticide inhalation deaths doubled

Nagpur: The state government has doubled compensation for pesticide inhalation deaths from Rs2 lakh to Rs4 lakh. The decision was taken following directives of Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court.

The state’s revenue and forest department on Monday issued a notification approving compensation of Rs36 lakh to family members of nine persons who died after inhaling pesticide last year.

Of the nine cases, six are from Vidarbha — Vijay Sardar and Himmat Karwate of Akola, Kailash Menghre from Nagpur, Khushal Deshmukh and Mangesh Nikure from Chandrapur, and Bharat Khajariya from Gondia. The remaining three cases are from Jalgaon district.

The government had started giving compensation of Rs2 lakh for pesticide inhalation deaths treating it as a special case. The HC, while hearing a PIL in February 2018, had directed the government to increase the compensation to Rs4 lakh.

In 2017, state had recorded over 60 pesticide inhalation deaths with maximum cases from Yavatmal district in Vidarbha. There were reportedly no deaths in 2018. Three deaths have been registered in September this year from Akola and Buldhana districts in Vidarbha.

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