This book is a focussed, in-depth investigation into the suicide epidemic that has hit farmers of India in the early twenty first century. The epidemic is not confined to just one district, one state or one particular crop. There could be some debate about the quantum of the epidemic and its nature. But there can be little doubt that the situation is bad. On the basis of comprehensive information collected from one district it investigates the social construction of suicide. Taking a holistic picture of distress, it argues that focussing on indebtedness andothereconomisticcausesamountstomissingthetreesforthe wood. The need of the hour is for the nation to do more than that and if required, even provide direct subsidies to the actual cultivator. Health and education are the other sectors where greater responsibility needs to be taken by the government.
Author(s): Meeta and Rajivlochan
Edition: First
Publisher: YASHADA
Year: 2006
Language: English
Commentary: Looks into the causes of farmers suicide across time and suggests possible policy interventions. Many of the suggestions have already been made operational by the governments in India
Pages: 264
City: Pune
Table of Contents
I: INTRODUCTION 12
Regional profile 34
II: Choosing Yavatmal 46
Searching for a solution 51
III: Evaluation of existing studies 54
12 out of 111 cases reported by Mishra 62
Five out of 36 reported by Dandekar et al. 73
IV: Statistical profile 80
V: Rural Indebtedness 96
Role of institutional debt 97
The impact of default 101
The issue of non-institutional debt 104
VI: ROOTS OF DISTRESS: SOCIAL 108
Where there were no loans 108
Accident or illness where there were loans 110
Some overwhelming single circumstance 111
A combination of factors 115
Illness 117
Chronic illness constitutes serious drain on family resources 120
Poor medical facilities and lack of counselling 120
Family history 121
VII: ROOTS OF DISTRESS: FINANCIAL 124
How relevant is rural indebtedness 124
Cases of financial troubles 125
Where the bank initiated some action 127
Agriculture was not primary source of income 128
Cases of agrarian trouble 130
Crop failure 132
Familial difficulties made agriculture a difficult occupation 133
Harassment by moneylender 134
Cases of personality disorders 136
Thrift 137
Is there a pattern? 139
VIII: Situation Assessment 140
Attitude to farming 141
Farm subsidies and the scissors crisis 143
Awareness about institutional mechanisms 146
Situation of the Maharashtra farmer 154
IX: Summing Up 156
X: RECOMMENDATIONS 162
The Essential Ten Points 164
XI: Direct subsidies 168
CASE STUDIES 176
BIBLIOGRAPHY 258
INDEX 260
