MUMBAI: The Maharashtra Government has decided to fund educational expenses of children from over four lakh farmers' families facing financial troubles, in six Vidarbha districts.

"With a view to encourage the children of farmers to complete education, the government has sanctioned Rs 14.18 crore for their educational expenses by choosing 4,34,291 families in Vidarbha who are facing extreme financial crisis", a senior official from School Education Department told PTI. The students of standard I to XII from Amaravati, Akola, Yavatmal, Buldana, Washim and Wardha districts would get complete fee waiver, and Rs 500 per year to purchase textbooks, notebooks and other educational material apart from the regular scholarships, the official said.

The initiative has been taken after the Narendra Jadhav panel appointed by the government in 2007 to probe the farmers' suicides, recommended to provide educational facilities to the children of the farmers in suicide-prone areas.

 "Based on the recommendation, a survey was carried out by the 'Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swavlamban Mission' in Vidarbha which found that 8,89,656 farmers were debt ridden. Of these, 4,34,291 were in extreme financial crisis," he said. Then the government decided to provide educational help to their children and approved a proposal in this regard in Dec 2008. However, the funds have been sanctioned in this year, he added.