Government Responses to India’s Farmer Suicides
The following is a summary of some of the significant debt alleviation and debt cancellation programs announced by the government:
Program/Initiative | Year | Description |
---|---|---|
Relief Package | 2006 | Targeted at 31 districts in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Karnataka with high farmer suicide rates. |
Agricultural Debt Relief and Waiver Program | 2008 | Benefited over 36 million farmers with a cost of 65000 crore rupees ($10 billion), writing off interest and part of the loan principal. |
Package to Diversify Income Streams | 2013 | Introduced the Special Livestock Sector and Fisheries Package for farmers in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Kerala to diversify income sources. |
Maharashtra Assistance Program | 2010 | Made it illegal for unlicensed moneylenders to demand loan repayment, introduced low-cost crop insurance, and other income sources like poultry, dairy, and sericulture. Allocated $10 million per district annually for community wedding celebrations under Samudaik Lagna. |
Regional Projects | Various | Initiatives like the Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swavlamban Mission in Maharashtra (2006) and a committee in Karnataka to investigate farmer suicides. |
Central Government Initiatives | Recent Years | Implemented PM Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), PM Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY), e-NAM, Soil Health Card, Neem-coated urea, among others. |
Pradhan Mantri Kisan-Samman Yojana (PM KISAN) | N/A | Provides 6,000 rupees annual cash aid to farming households, distributed in three instalments directly to bank accounts linked to an Aadhaar-based electronic database. Benefits 12 crore farmers nationwide. |
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Farmers’ Suicides in India
Explore the issue of Farmers’ suicides in India, including Agricultural workers’ suicides and the rates of Farmer suicide rates India.
In India, agriculture is the main industry. Nearly 70% of the people in India is directly or indirectly dependent on agriculture, making it a country with a mostly agrarian economy. The vast majority of people in India still rely on agriculture for their living, despite the secondary and tertiary sectors of the economy expanding quickly. India is now self-sufficient in the production of food grains for everyday use thanks to the Green Revolution.
The farmer’s community must be given priority attention if the nation is to experience full economic development. The Indian economy is said to be supported by agriculture, which has been practiced there for centuries. Despite the fact that they provide the country with food, farmers’ living conditions are appalling. The agrarian crisis was among the worst catastrophes to strike our nation in the previous few decades.
Table of Content
- Reasons for Farmers’ Suicides in India
- Government Responses to India’s Farmer Suicides
- Agricultural Workers’ Suicides
- Farmer Suicide Rates India
- Causes of Farmer Suicides in India
- Maharashtra Farmer Suicides
- Agricultural Distress in India
- Cotton Farming and Suicides
- Climate Change and Farmer Suicides
- Government Response to Farmer Suicides
- Farmer Suicide Statistics India
- Suicide Prevention for Farmers
- Economic Crisis and Farmer Suicides
- Debt and Farmer Suicides in India
- Trustworthy Sources on Farmers’ Suicides in India
It is concerning that Farmer suicide rates India are on the rise in India. Rising farmer suicides are attributed to unpredictable monsoons, unpaid loans, rising debt, poor agricultural procurement rates, low crop yields, and successive crop failures. While external variables, such as uneven rainfall, hailstorms, droughts, and floods, have a negative impact on crop production, internal issues, such as pricing rules and insufficient marketing facilities, cause post-yield losses.
The majority of them became bankrupt, and the pressure of their huge debt repayment and other family obligations drives them to commit suicide. The state with the most damage is Maharashtra.
Historical accounts of discontent, uprisings, and high mortality rates among Indian farmers, particularly those who grow cash crops, date back to the 19th century. Suicides caused by the same, though, were uncommon. In 2021, 5,563 farm laborers committed suicide, according to the National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) most recent statistics. From 2020 to 2019, there was a 9% increase in suicides, and a 29% increase from 2019. Of the 5,121 suicides by agricultural laborers there were 442 girls and 5,121 males in 2021.
According to the study Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India, Maharashtra reported 1,424 suicides, followed by Karnataka (999) and Andhra Pradesh (584). The data are available at a period when more farmers are working as farmers and the average agricultural household is more dependent on wages than on the farm. In the meantime, there has been a significant rise in the percentage of daily wagers among suicide deaths in the nation in 2021.
Daily wage earners made up the largest profession-wise group of suicide victims in 2021, accounting for 25% of all suicides in the nation (42,004 suicides). The number of 42,004 suicides represents a significant increase from the 33,164 daily gambler suicide deaths recorded in 2020.
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