Is Suicide the Ultimate Solution For Indian Farmers?

According to a report by the National Crime Records Bureau, as many as 16,632 farmers, including 2,369 women, killed themselves last year, constituting 14.4 percent of the total number of suicides in the country. Also over 16,000 farmer suicides were reported across the country last year, representing a slight drop from 17,060 in 2006. However, the broad trends of the past decade seem unshaken—farmer suicides in the country since 1997 now total 182,936, added NCRB report entitled ‘Accidental Deaths and Suicide Report –2007’.

Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh is the five worst affected states accounting for two-thirds of all such suicides—16,632 in the country. Altogether, they witnessed 11,026 suicides in 2007. Out of the affected States, four States have far fewer farmers’ suicide while Maharashtra reports an increase in the numbers.

The survey conducted by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies revealed that most of the farmers are unaware of most of the government's key employment guarantee scheme like MGNREGA, Direct Cash Transfer, subsidies, Land Acquisition Law, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and political preferences of farmers that will at least reduce the burden of the farmers.

(With Inputs from IANS)

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