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The Saga Of Farmer Suicides In Telangana Continues Due To Declining Share Of Agriculture in GDP
Highlights
Now days, the problem of farmers\' suicide has been a vital issue of concern for the Government, it has been hugely debated nationwide and there is every need to be addressed by the Government and for the first time the National Crimes Record Bureau has published a segment indicating the Farmers\' suicide that has been taking place.
Now days, the problem of farmers' suicide has been a vital issue of concern for the Government, it has been hugely debated nationwide and there is every need to be addressed by the Government and for the first time the National Crimes Record Bureau has published a segment indicating the Farmers' suicide that has been taking place.
According to the 2014 report, a total of 5,650 farmers out of 1,31,666 total number of suicides have been committed suicides, accounting for 4.3% of total suicides victims in the country. A total of 5,178 male farmers and 472 female farmers have committed suicides, accounting for 91.6% and 8.4% of total farmers’ suicides. 31.1%, 29.2% 14.1% and 11.0% of female farmers’ suicides, were reported in Telangana (147 out of 472 suicides), Madhya Pradesh (138 suicides), Maharashtra (70 suicides) and Chhattisgarh (52 suicides) respectively.
A total of 2,568 farmers’ suicides were reported in Maharashtra followed by 898 such suicides in Telangana and 826 suicides in Madhya Pradesh, accounting for 45.5%, 15.9% and 14.6% respectively of total farmer suicides during 2014. Chhattisgarh (443 suicides) and Karnataka (321 suicides) accounted for 7.8% and 5.7% respectively of the total farmer suicides reported in the country. These 5 States together accounted for 89.5% of the total farmer suicides (5,056 out of 5,650) reported in the country during 2014.
The main causes attributed for farmers suicides are ‘Bankruptcy or Indebtedness’ and ‘Family Problems’ accounting for 20.6% and 20.1% respectively of total farmers’ suicides during 2014. The other prominent causes of farmers’ suicides were ‘Failure of Crop’ (16.8%), ‘Illness’ (13.2%) and ‘Drug Abuse/Alcoholic Addiction’ (4.9%).
During 2014, major causes of suicides among male farmers were ‘Bankruptcy or Indebtedness’ and ‘Family Problems’, which accounted for 21.5% and 20.0% respectively of total male farmers’ suicides. Whereas, in female farmers’ suicides, ‘Farming Related Issues’ followed by ‘Family Problems’, ‘Marriage Related Issues’ and ‘Bankruptcy or Indebtedness’ were major causes of suicides, accounting for 21.4% (101 out of 472 suicides), 20.6% (97 suicides), 12.3% (58 suicides) and 10.8% (51 suicides) respectively during 2014.
Most of the suicides 33.4% in Maharashtra and 23.2% in Telangana were due to ‘Bankruptcy or Indebtedness’. 87.5% of farmers’ suicides due to ‘Failure of Crop’ were reported in Himachal Pradesh. 4.7% farmers in Himachal Pradesh, 4.1% farmers in Jharkhand and 2.7% farmers each in Bihar, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh have committed suicides due to ‘Suspected/Illicit Relation’. 6.5% suicides by farmers in Sikkim followed by 2.3% in Himachal Pradesh.
According to report, land holding status of farmers who committed suicide revealed that 44.5% and 27.9% of victims were small farmers and marginal farmers respectively, they together accounted for 72.4% (4,095 out of 5,650) total farmer suicides. 53.1% and 14.5% of small farmers who committed suicides were reported in Maharashtra (1,135 out of 2,516) and Telangana (366 out of 2,516) respectively during 2014.
The report further reveals that 53.1% and 14.5% of small farmers who committed suicides were reported in Maharashtra (1,135 out of 2,516) and Telangana (366 out of 2,516) respectively during 2014.
Among marginal farmers, 39.7% and 25.5% respectively of farmers’ suicides were reported in Maharashtra (627 out of 1,579) and Madhya Pradesh (403 out of 1,579). However, 47.3% of well off farmers (large farmers) who have committed suicides were also reported in Maharashtra during 2014.
Despite the Government assurance, and slew measures and assurance given to farmers by the political parties as well s social organizations, the saga of farmers’ suicides have continued in most of the States.
The situation with Farmers' suicide has always been an issue of concern, as most families are unaware of the ex-gratia amount that they are entitled to, and in most occasions the recorded number is much less.
The Intelligence Bureau in its report to the Modi government had said that there is an upward trend in the number of farmers resorting to the extreme measure in states like Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka and Punjab.
The report also stated that the main reason for incidence like these was "both natural and man made factors...while natural factors like uneven rains, hailstorm, drought and floods adversely affect crop yield, the man made factors, i.e. pricing policies and inadequate marketing facilities result in post-yield losses." Declining Agrarian share in the economy India is still an agrarian economy with close to 15 percent of India's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) coming from the agriculture sector.
The GDP contribution of the agricultural sector has been declining over the years, but the number of people involved in the sector has been more than 50%. Indicating that the number of people involved the sector of being much more than what the sector can produce, also suggesting higher number of poor in the category. Agriculture has been the main occupation for nearly 48.9 percent of the rural population of the country, according to the Economic survey of India 2014-15. Agriculture and its allied sectors that contributed for over 51.73% in 1954-1955 have reduce to 13. 94 in 2013-14.The decline in the sectors contribution has been a constant decline, but the number of people involved in the sector remains to be more or less a constant figure.
A major sector with close to 49% of the working population involved, there is very little that has been done to rectify the present situation. The farmers in our country do not get the due credit or pay for the work they are involved in.
Telangana
In the last 11 months, in Telangana 409 farmers committed suicides, which is less than (900) farmers committed suicide in 2014, since the government had initiated several measures to check farmers’ suicides. So far, compensation as per GO 421, Rs.1.50 lakh has been paid to the kin of 141 farmers. The Government had also requested the Central Government to treat farmers as a unit and ensure crop insurance coverage.
Moreover, the farmers in the State are groaning under travails due to delayed monsoon and drought, depleted water resources, failed sowings and crops, mounting debts, pressure of usurious money lenders etc. Add to this lack of fresh crop loans from banks, their misery has been compounded, forcing many to resort to the extreme act.
The other factors that contributed is the monsoon, which is estimated to end with a cumulative deficit of 15 per cent although the prediction of IMD that last spell of showers in late weeks of September might improve situation marginally. The shortfall of rain will hit agriculture but owing to almost even distribution is some parts of the State; the adverse impact will not be much.
In order to make Telangana 'Bangaru Telangana', to arrest the distress of the farmers the Government has taken several steps vis-a-vis, to waive the loan of Rs.1.00 lakh crop loans taken as immediate measure to address farmers distress, which would benefit 40 lakh families with a tune of Rs.18,000 crores and to ensure remunerative prices to farmers for their produce, a market intervention of fund Rs.400.00 crores is also being set up, thereby heralding good times to the entire farming community in the state.
In Telangana, the share of Agriculture in GDP is declining for the last few years, but it continues to remain a priority sector for the State because of its high potential of employment generation, food security, inclusiveness and sustainability of growth as 55.7 percent of the State’s workforce draws its sustenance fully or partially from Agriculture Sector in the State. However, the challenges that this sector facing due to declining land productivity, short of water, un-remunerative prices, high cost of cultivation and climate changes and the indifferent attitude of the erstwhile United Andhra Pradesh state government., it is high time that this sector needs rejuvenation.
It is high time Telangana was declared a Millet State. In view of the acute water crisis that stares Indian agriculture in the face Government should declare water bonus for millet farmers who use no irrigated water at all to grow their crops. Issues of searching for piecemeal solution for food and fodder security it should be dealt with a comprehensive approach that is possible with millet cultivation rather than finding discrete solutions.
By G.Rajendera Kumar
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