Singhania University, Pacheri Bari, Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan, India Abstract Punjab is going to approach environmentalism ,labour diversification and economic growth moving forward. The agricultural system that had been introduced as part of a development, project has failed for especially the weaker parts of Indian society ie agricultural labourers, marginal and small farmers. It already boasts one of the highest unemployment rates, and despite its agricultural success, farmers livelihoods have been declining resulting in a record number of farmer suicides.
The various reasons, for suicides among Punjab farmers is perturbing enough to warrant a serious study. In the present case, suicide among Punjab farmers have by all means become a public issue as these are no longer confined to isolated cases. Keyword Suicide, Lack of Human value, Agriculture, FinancingI. Introduction India is an Agrarian country with around 60 percent of its people directly or indirectly depend upon Agriculture. Agriculture in India is often attributed as gambling with monsoon because of its almost exclusive dependency on monsoons.The failure of these monsoons leading to series of droughts lack of better prices, exploitation by Middleman have been leading to series of suicides committed by farmers across India.
The current spate of farmers suicides highlighted by the media first in kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and now in Punjab, is certainly a disturbing phenomenon. Punjab is going to approach environmentalism, labour diversification , and economic growth moving forward. It already boasts one of the highest unemployment rates in India, and despite its agricultural success, farmer livelihoods have been declining, resulting in a record number of farmer suicides.The various reasons, for suicides among Punjab farmers is perturbing enough to warrant a serious study.
Hence the need for an objective and systematic study of the incidence and causes of suicides in Punjab. In the present case, suicides among Punjab farmers have by all means become a public. Issue as these are no longer confined to isolated cases.II.
Objectives of the study The main objectives of the study are as follows: 1. To find out if there has been an increase in the incidence of suicide, particular farmers’ suicide, in recent years in Punjab. 2. To identify the distinctive socio- economic characteristics of the cases of suicide.
. To explore both predisposing and precipitating factors that lead to suicide. 4. To find out the relationship between indebtedness and suicide. A.
Punjab- The Land of Farmers’ Suicide Punjab records shown that some 130 (appox. ) farmers committed suicide between 2000 to 2009. Grass root organizations put the number at 20000 plus. After the Punjab Government light that some 2890 farmers and farm labourers killed themselves in the last nine year in distress because of farming crisis of indebtedness. This is approximately one suicide everyday.
About 87 per cent of them were small farmers and agricultural labourers.For instances: 1. Najam Singh in Mansa district committed suicide in the year 2000 by drowning. He had got his sister married and his younger brother too and his loans were over Rupees 3 lakh. When the Aritiya refused to give him more loans, he simply committed suicide. 2.
Mithu Singh of the same district consumed poison on 2nd January 2004 after returning from a meeting with the Artiya. He sold his land and got nothing from the Artiya as it was considered to be loan repayment. He simply could not take the humiliation and the poverty. 3.
In 2001, Jasbeer Singh from Sangrur district owned 3. acres and his debts were over Rupees 3 lakh, including the purchase of a truck on loan. He was unable to pay the instalments. The recovery agent had come to his house that day and claimed the truck back. They drove the truck away, which skidded and fell near a pit.
Jasbeer Singh was returning home when he saw this from a distance. He rushed to his room and consumed the dreaded pesticide from humiliation or hopelessness or perhaps. 4. In August 2005, 23 year old Dhyan Singh in Sangrur district came from the fields complaining that his stomach was hurting badly. He had already consumed the ‘spray’.
It was too late to save him.He had a loan of rupees 6000 already and was trying top take a fresh loan. The marriage expenses of his sister were weighing on Dhyan Singh’s mind of her son’s death, the mother took another loan of Rupees 1 lakh for agricultural purposes. With the help of this new loan she paid part of the earlier loan and also got her daughter married.
5. In 2007,31 year old Satnam Singh of Ferozepur district consumed poison. Although the couple has been married for more than 10 years and was also greatly troubled by their childlessness, the situation was triggered by his sister’s wedding, which obliged him to arrange for the dowry money.That was only four months before the suicide.
III. Why are Farmers Committing Suicide? The suicides in Punjab are the result of mental stress and this mental stress is most often caused by poverty and especially by indebtedness. Indebtedness and the inability to earn enough income to relief the debt will assault the farmers feeling of selfesteem and respect. In many cases the individuals who committed suicide where responsible for the income and this debt created the feeling that they we incapable of taking care of their loved ones and themselves.This feeling has brought shame upon them and might even have confirmed for them the idea of being backward or underdeveloped.
Once this has entered their minds it accumulates and creates a heavy mental burden. It is important to note that it is most likely that most farmers who committed suicide probably blamed themselves for their poverty and indebtedness. The newly introduced farming system has increased cost of production which in turn has led to the indebtedness and the disturbance of the harmony within farmers themselves.
