Chandigarh: The latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) is considered to be a relief for Punjab, which has been in the news for a long time regarding the farming crisis and increasing debt. According to the ‘Crime in India-2024’ report, the state has recorded the lowest number of farmer and agricultural laborer suicide cases in the last ten years. Experts believe this to be the effect of the government’s relief schemes and changes made in the agriculture sector.
How many cases were registered?
According to the NCRB report, a total of 127 farmers and agricultural laborers committed suicide in Punjab during the year 2024. These include 57 farmers and 70 agricultural labourers. Earlier in the year 2023 this number was 161. In this way, a decline of about 21 percent has been recorded within a year.
Is this a big decrease compared to previous years?
The report says that this is the lowest number since 2015. For the last several years, Punjab has been in the news due to farming crisis, rising costs and debt pressure. In such a situation, the decrease in suicide cases is being considered significant.
What do experts believe to be the reason?
Experts related to agriculture sector say that many steps were taken by the state government to provide relief to the farmers. The impact of schemes like free electricity, compensation on crop loss, debt relief and promotion of crop diversification are now slowly becoming visible.
Was the effect of crop diversification visible?
Experts believe that efforts to reduce dependence on paddy and wheat have also had an impact. Farmers were encouraged to switch to other crops, relieving economic pressure in some areas. However, this change is currently being considered at the initial stage.
Has the situation become completely normal?
Experts say that there has definitely been a decline in the figures, but the situation cannot be called completely better. Suicide cases are still high especially among agricultural labourers. This points towards the weak condition of the rural economy.
