New Delhi, Aug 25 (IANS) In a country where the slogan ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’ echoes through political speeches and patriotic songs, a grim reality persists in the fields as farmers continue to take their own lives in staggering numbers.
A recent Right to Information (RTI) query filed by Pune-based businessman Praful Sarda has laid bare the scale of India’s agrarian distress, revealing that 2.58 lakh farmers died by suicide between 2004 and 2022.
The data paints a stark contrast between two political regimes. During the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) rule from 2004 to 2014, India recorded 1,70,505 farmer suicides. In comparison, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) period from 2015 to 2022 saw 88,117 such deaths—a reduction of nearly 50 per cent. While the decline is statistically significant, the numbers remain deeply troubling.
Maharashtra emerges as the epicentre of this crisis, accounting for 40,852 suicides during the UPA years and 31,492 under the NDA. Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh follow closely, with tens of thousands of cases each.
“Notably, Bihar and West Bengal reported zero farmer suicides during the NDA period, a detail that raises questions about regional disparities in agricultural policy and reporting standards,” the activist told IANS.
Sarda, who unearthed the figures through his RTI application, did not mince words. “The death of 2.58 lakh farmers exposes the failure of our system,” he said. “Farmers are still troubled by debt, cost, market and weather. Governments kept changing, speeches kept changing, but the fate of farmers did not change.”
The causes behind these suicides are tragically familiar: crushing debt, inadequate minimum support prices (MSP), erratic weather patterns, crop failures, and limited access to modern technology. Despite a slew of central schemes—from PM-KISAN to crop insurance and soil health cards—many farmers remain outside the safety net. The benefits, Sarda argues, are reaching only a fraction of those in need.
Experts warn that India may be inching towards an “agricultural emergency.” The numbers suggest not just a policy failure, but a systemic breakdown in how the country supports its food producers.
While the NDA government has succeeded in reducing the suicide rate, the persistence of the crisis in key states underscores the need for deeper reform. The Maharashtra government must urgently shift its focus from populist schemes like Ladka Bhau and Ladki Bahini to initiatives that genuinely address the agrarian crisis—starting with a robust and targeted Kisan Bachao Yojna.
While the government, in response to my RTI query, listed several schemes such as short-term crop loans, PM Fasal Bima Yojana, the National Agriculture Market (NAM), and the distribution of neem-coated urea, the ground reality tells a different story. These programmes, though well-intentioned on paper, have failed to reach the majority of farmers who continue to struggle with debt, crop losses, and market exploitation, the activist lamented.
The disconnect between policy and implementation is stark. Farmers are not receiving the promised benefits, and the support mechanisms remain inaccessible to those who need them most. If the government truly wishes to uplift the backbone of rural Maharashtra, it must go beyond announcements and ensure that every scheme is farmer-centric, transparent, and effectively delivered. More inclusive, responsive, and localised interventions are not just necessary—they are long overdue, activist Sarda opined.
In the end, the RTI doesn’t just reveal statistics—it tells a story of lives lost, of promises unmet, and of a nation that must confront the uncomfortable truth behind its slogans. Until the farmer’s plight is addressed with urgency and empathy, the fields will continue to bear witness to a tragedy that no democracy can afford to ignore.
–IANS
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