NDA gives same reasons for farmer suicides as UPA

NEW DELHI: Crop failure and indebtedness often drive farmers to suicide, but love affairs and dowry dispute are also among the reasons cited in Parliament by various agriculture ministers like the UPA’s Sharad Pawar and current union minister Radha Mohan Singh, who have used the National Crime Records Bureau data.

"Causes of suicides include family problems, illness, drug abuse/addiction, unemployment, property dispute, bankruptcy or sudden change in economic status, poverty, professional/career problem, love affair, barrenness/impotency, cancellation/non-settlement of marriage, dowry dispute, fall in social reputation, causes not known, etc.," Pawar told the Lok Sabha in 2013.

The current agriculture minister used the same language in a reply last week, but officials say that Singh also included "agrarian reasons" like indebtedness, crop failure, drought and socio-economic factors in his reply. The issue of farmer suicides was dealt with similarly on March 30, 2012 by then minister of state for agriculture Charan Das Mahant and on Feb 21 last year by minister of state Tariq Anwar.

Data from the National Crime Records Bureau shows that "love affairs" drove 4,370 people, including 2,493 men, to suicide in 2013. States that led the tally in suicides due to love affairs included Assam, where 650 people committed suicide for this reason, West Bengal (635), Tamil Nadu (501), Andhra Pradesh (310), Madhya Pradesh (275) and Maharashtra (257).While Assam witnessed the highest number of love-related suicides, the other northeastern states of Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland were at the other extreme, with no suicide due to love affairs.

In 2012 also, Assam had the highest number at 494, closely followed by Tamil Nadu with 488. Many indebted farmers have committed suicides in recent years. Last year, farmer distress increased significantly because of the erratic monsoon and the damage of rabi crop due to heavy unseasonal showers on the eve of the harvest.

Forecasts of another weak monsoon this year, which have so far turned out to be exaggerated, had raised fears of deep distress that may have triggered more suicides.