Farmers suicide in India: a neglected reality

“The real cause of hunger is the powerlessness of the poor to gain access to the resources they need to feed themselves.”-Frances Moore Lappe India is primarily an agrarian country where around 55 percent of the population depending on agriculture as their livelihood. The very popular “Lal Bahadur Shastri’s slogan “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan” highlighted and stressed the importance of farmers in the country. According to the 2011 census, around 68.84% of Indians lives in rural areas. Majority of people in India are still dependent on farming for their livelihoods. 54.6% of the total workforce in India (263 million, is engaged in the agriculture sector. The latest data shows that the sector contributes only 13.7 percent to the overall GDP of India, as compared to 52% in 1950- 51, highlighting that relative productivity in agriculture has declined dramatically.. Several economists have claimed that farmers are the most vulnerable group in the country. The misguided priority of the policy makers resulted in the collapse of agriculture sector in the country. The strategies of inclusive growth and financial inclusion are limited in papers only as far as the conditions of poor farmers are concerned. The farmers indebtedness is found to be the main cause behind farmers suicide in India The farmer’s suicide rates are much higher than that of others in the country.