Pune: Following the directives of the Nagpur bench of Mumbai High Court, the State government has decided to release funds of Rs 1.70 crore as financial aid to families of the farmers and farm-workers who died due to pesticide poisoning last year. 

As per the government notification, about  63 farmers and farm-workers had died due to pesticide poisoning. The majority of the deaths took place in Vidharba and in all 15 districts.

The deaths due to poisoning during spraying of pesticides had become a major issue last year and had attracted the attention of not only the government but also the non-government organisations. Following this, a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed before Nagpur bench of Mumbai High Court, seeking aid to the affected families. After several hearings, the court directed the government to pay Rs 4 lakh to each of the affected 63 families. 

Considering various aspects involved, Finance Department on May 15 cleared a proposal for release of Rs 1.70 crore for the affected families. The aid will be extended through contingency fund of the State government.