FARMERS' SUICIDES IN INDIA: REASONS AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

Abstract

"India lies in her villages" (Mahatma Gandhi) is true even today as India has 6, 38,588 villages, (Census of India, 2001) where 74, 2617747 (72.18%) of her population lives in Rural India and hence there is no exaggeration that Rural India plays a significant role in Indian economy. Agriculture is still regarded as the backbone of the Indian economy, though the share of agriculture to GDP has reduced from 51% in 1950-51 to 26% in 2003, (Economic Survey 2004-05) but still more than 65 per cent of population depends on agriculture directly or indirectly on agriculture. During 1960s when India faced the food crises, the US think tank were getting ready to sacrifice India as it felt the millions of hungry Indian bellies could not be fed, the Indian farmer stood for the occasion and raised India from food deficit country to food surplus country. The production of food grain from a mere 54 million tones in 1950-51 has reached to 212 million tones by 2003-04.