Farmers' suicide in Punjab: A sociological perspective
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Date
2013
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Punjab Agricultural University
Abstract
Suicide is an important issue in the Indian context where more than one lakh lives are lost every year to suicide. In Punjab state, 4687 farmers and farm labourers committed suicides die to Indebtedness between 2001 to 2010 (Daily Post, 2012). The reason is the deep rooted agrarian and rural distress rather than a temporary phenomenon associated with society. Many studies advocated that it is the phenomenon of indebtedness which pushed farmers` towards suicide trap, but the factor of social nature responsible for indebtedness are more significant. Furthermore, the suicide victims not only include the persons themselves who commit suicide but also their family members who are left at the crossroads. The present study had conducted with purpose of finding out the reasons of suicides and the status of family members of suicide victims in Punjab from 2000 to 2008 with the specific objectives (i) to examine the socio-economic status of the suicide victims (ii) to find out causes of suicide by the suicide victims and (iii) to analyse the problems faced by the suicide victims’ families. The sample of 120 families from 25 villages of two districts of Punjab state namely Bathinda and Mansa were selected through systematic random sampling technique. Data were collected personally with the help of structured interview schedule and analyzed statistically. The data pertaining to socio-economic profile of the suicide victims revealed that maximum victims belonged to middle age group (63.33%) and 47.5 per cent victims were illiterate. Majority of suicide victims belonged to nuclear family supported the fact that recent phenomena of disintegration of joint family in rural areas which has been considered as the main source of social, economic and psychological support for an individual was playing as the hidden factor of suicide. Maximum victims were used pesticides to kill themselves as it was easily available in the farm household. Indebtedness was found to be the major cause of suicide (64.17 per cent) followed by family disputes (20%) and economic crisis (16.67%). More than half of the victims borrowed debt for the marriage purpose of their daughters and son. Commission agents were the dominant source of debt. It was found that a significant number of victims had ill habit of smoking, drinking and drug addiction. More than half of the victims’ families faced problem of inadequate income. More than half of the victim families were facing difficulties even in daily household expenses. Three fourth of the victims wives and children were under depression. Majority of suicide victims wanted government to waive off their debt and provide some immediate financial help.
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finance, marketing margins