Farm Suicides
What's Inside
According to the Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India 2021 (released in August, 2022) by National Crime Records Bureau (please click here, here and here to access): • An increase of nearly 7.2 percent was noticed in suicides during 2021 (1,64,033 suicides) as compared to 2020 (1,53,052 suicides). The rate of suicides has risen by 0.7 points during 2021 (i.e. 12.0 per lakh population) over 2020 (i.e. 11.3 per lakh population). Please click here to access. • A total of 5,318 farmers/cultivators committed suicides during 2021, accounting for 3.24 percent of total suicide victims in India. However, 5,563 agricultural labourers committed suicides during 2021, which is nearly 3.39 percent of total suicide victims. Therefore, the total number of suicides in the farming sector (committed by farmers plus agricultural labourers) was 10,881 in 2021, accounting for roughly 6.63 percent of total suicide victims in the country. Please click here to access. • A 'farmer/ cultivator' is one whose profession is farming and include those who cultivate on their own land as well as those who cultivate on leased land/ other's land with or without the assistance of agricultural labourers. An 'agricultural labourer' is a person who primarily works in the farming sector (agriculture/ horticulture) and whose main source of income is from agriculture labour activities. Please click here to access. • A total of 5,107 male farmers/ cultivators and 211 female farmers/ cultivators committed suicides, accounting for 96.03 percent and 3.97 percent of total farmers’ suicides (viz. 5,318) in 2021, respectively. Please click here to access. • The total number of suicides among farmers/ cultivators who cultivate their own land with or without assistance of agricultural labourers was 4,806 in 2021. Please click here to access. • The total number of suicides among farmers/ cultivators who cultivate on leased land/ work on lease/ on other's land (known by different nomenclature) with or without assistance of agricultural labourers was 512. Please click here to access. • A total of 5,121 male agricultural labourers and 442 female agricultural labourers committed suicides, accounting for 92.05 percent and 7.95 percent of total agricultural labourers’ suicides (viz. 5,563) in 2021, respectively. Please click here to access. • Certain states/ UTs namely, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Manipur, Odisha, Tripura, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Chandigarh, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry reported zero number of suicides of farmers/ cultivators as well as agricultural labourers in 2021. Please click here to access. • Most farm suicides (viz. total suicides by farmers/ cultivators as well as agricultural labourers) in 2021 were recorded in Maharashtra (4,064, which is around 37.35 percent of total farm suicides i.e. 10,881), followed by Karnataka (2,169), Andhra Pradesh (1,065), Madhya Pradesh (671), Tamil Nadu (599), and Telangana (359). Please click here to access. • Most suicides by farmers/ cultivators in 2021 were reported from Maharashtra (2,640, which is around 49.64 percent of total suicide by farmers/ cultivators), followed by Karnataka (1,170), Andhra Pradesh (481) and Telangana (352). Please click here to access. • Most suicides by agricultural labourers in 2021 were recorded in Maharashtra (1,424), followed by Karnataka (999), Andhra Pradesh (584), Madhya Pradesh (554), and Tamil Nadu (538). Please click here to access. • The ADSI 2021 report does not provide the reasons behind farm suicides. • The total number of suicides committed by daily wage earners in 2021 was 42,004. Most suicides by daily wage earners in 2021 were recorded in Tamil Nadu (7,673), followed by Maharashtra (5,270), Madhya Pradesh (4,657), and Telangana (4,223). Figures of daily wage earner excludes agricultural labourer. Please click here to access. --- Please click here to access the news alerts on India’s agrarian crisis and rural distress by Inclusive Media for Change. |
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