tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4111328476764453152.post6231048498734832911..comments2008-04-25T02:18:55.846+05:30Doug Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05776791072981723085noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4111328476764453152.post-50045755595982077392008-04-25T02:18:00.000+05:302008-04-25T02:18:00.000+05:30veryone concerned with agrarian distress should read the Ministry of Finance report : 2007, ‘Report of the Expert Group on Agricultural Indebtedness’ Government of India, New Delhi. The Committee has analysed a whole host of factors from the global to the local. It is a great credit to the Govt of India and the best research I have read into this distressing subject. Unfortunately the policy recommedations at the end do not entirely follow from the analysis...but I guess there was pressure to conform to the norm.<BR/><BR/>Please also note the following facts about suicide from the World Health Organisation: UK 17; US 19; Scotland and France: 30; Russia 73: Rural Indian males are estimateed at 18 and the national average 14. Both are climbing.Barbara Harriss-Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17929698159839263886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4111328476764453152.post-74519809591405240592008-04-24T20:07:00.000+05:302008-04-24T20:07:00.000+05:30Sarthak, Harish, <BR/>There is a very article by Mahendra Dev (EPW, April 12 2008). It gives some of the answers. <BR/>I am copying the best lines of the artilce here (this is in light of loan waiver)<BR/><BR/>Of course, one plus point is that the farm loan waiver at least brings the whole issue of agriculture<BR/>to the centre stage. Given the short-run and structural long-term problems in agriculture,<BR/>the budget should have given a large push to core issues like public investment<BR/>in infrastructure, land and water management<BR/>including rain water conservation and watershed development,<BR/>research and extension, price stabilisation etc, to make cultivation viable and profitable. This huge thrust is needed for other core issues so that the farmers do not fall back into a debt trap, needing another loan waiver in the next few years.Akhandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01356959040251323161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4111328476764453152.post-55654064283223865802008-04-24T12:47:00.000+05:302008-04-24T12:47:00.000+05:30Farmers' Suicides has become a burning issue and there seems to be no end to the suicides. The SMR has increased manyfold during 1995 onwards is a reflection on the govt. policies of liberalisation and privatisation.<BR/>Especially, the banking sector has become totally indifferent to the needs of small and marginal farmers leaving them at the mercy of private moneylenders. Over 4500 rural branches of various PSBs have been closed in the past decade or so. Besides, increasing input costs and unremunarative prices for farm produce, lack of access to formal sources of financing are major triggers for suicides. The indignities at the hands of private moneylenders and loss of social status (the only thing worth the name any farmer can possess these days)are the main reasons for suicides. Various surveys in Vidarbha show that in 93% cases "indebtedness" is the main reason for suicides. And this indebtedness is mostly from the private moneylenders. Govt. can mitigate atleast this cause by compelling Banks to undertake 100% financial inclusion for lending the farmers on warfooting. <BR/><BR/>For more detailed action plans please visit my blog <BR/><BR/>http://sukhdeve.blogspot.com <BR/><BR/>Harish SukhdeveHarish Chandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11773941363199140840noreply@blogger.com