{"id":6674,"date":"2015-05-17T08:39:05","date_gmt":"2015-05-17T03:09:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/?p=6674"},"modified":"2015-05-17T08:39:05","modified_gmt":"2015-05-17T03:09:05","slug":"farmers-suicides-in-west-bengal-a-preliminary-analysis-%e0%a4%aa%e0%a4%b6%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%9a%e0%a4%bf%e0%a4%ae-%e0%a4%ac%e0%a4%82%e0%a4%97%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%b2-%e0%a4%ae%e0%a5%88%e0%a4%82","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/?p=6674","title":{"rendered":"Farmers\u2019 Suicides in West Bengal: A Preliminary Analysis : \u092a\u0936\u094d\u091a\u093f\u092e \u092c\u0902\u0917\u093e\u0932 \u092e\u0948\u0902 \u0915\u093f\u0938\u093e\u0928\u094b\u0902 \u0926\u094d\u0935\u093e\u0930\u093e \u0906\u0924\u094d\u092e\u0939\u0924\u094d\u092f\u093e : \u092a\u094d\u0930\u093e\u0930\u0902\u092d\u093f\u0915 \u091c\u093e\u0902\u091a \u0915\u0947 \u092a\u0930\u093f\u0923\u093e\u092e"},"content":{"rendered":"

Farmers\u2019 Suicides in West Bengal: A Preliminary Analysis : \u092a\u0936\u094d\u091a\u093f\u092e \u092c\u0902\u0917\u093e\u0932 \u092e\u0948\u0902 \u0915\u093f\u0938\u093e\u0928\u094b\u0902 \u0926\u094d\u0935\u093e\u0930\u093e \u0906\u0924\u094d\u092e\u0939\u0924\u094d\u092f\u093e : \u092a\u094d\u0930\u093e\u0930\u0902\u092d\u093f\u0915 \u091c\u093e\u0902\u091a \u0915\u0947 \u092a\u0930\u093f\u0923\u093e\u092e<\/p>\n

\u092a\u093f\u091b\u0932\u0947 \u092a\u0902\u0926\u094d\u0930\u0939 \u0935\u0930\u094d\u0937\u094b\u0902 \u092e\u0948\u0902 \u0926\u0947\u0936 \u0915\u0947 \u0926\u094b \u0932\u093e\u0916 \u0915\u093f\u0938\u093e\u0928\u094b\u0902 \u0928\u0947 \u0906\u0924\u094d\u092e\u0939\u0924\u094d\u092f\u093e \u0915\u0940 \u0939\u0948 . \u092f\u0939 \u0905\u0927\u093f\u0915\u093e\u0901\u0936 \u0909\u0927\u093e\u0930 \u0928 \u091a\u0941\u0915\u093e\u0928\u0947 \u0915\u0940 \u092a\u0930\u093f\u0938\u094d\u0925\u093f\u0924\u093f \u0938\u0947 \u0926\u0941\u0916\u0940 \u0939\u094b \u0915\u0930 \u0915\u0940 \u0939\u0948\u0902 . \u0926\u0947\u0936 \u0915\u0947 \u096f\u0966% \u0915\u093f\u0938\u093e\u0928\u094b\u0902 \u0915\u0947 \u092a\u093e\u0938 \u092c\u0939\u0941\u0924 \u0915\u092e \u095b\u092e\u0940\u0928 \u0939\u0948 \u0914\u0930 \u0909\u0938 \u092a\u0930 \u0916\u0947\u0924\u0940 \u0915\u0930 \u0917\u0941\u091c\u093e\u0930\u093e \u0915\u0930\u0928\u093e \u0905\u092c \u0915\u0920\u093f\u0928 \u0939\u094b\u0924\u093e \u091c\u093e \u0930\u0939\u093e \u0939\u0948 . \u091c\u0930\u093e \u0938\u0940 \u092c\u093e\u0930\u093f\u0936 \u0915\u0940 \u0915\u092e\u0940 \u092f\u093e \u0915\u0940\u095c\u094b\u0902 \u0935\u094d \u092e\u094c\u0938\u092e \u0915\u0940 \u092e\u093e\u0930 \u0938\u0947 \u0915\u093f\u0938\u093e\u0928 \u0909\u0927\u093e\u0930 \u0928\u0939\u0940\u0902 \u091a\u0941\u0915\u093e \u092a\u0924\u093e \u0939\u0948 . \u0909\u0927\u0930 \u0909\u0930\u094d\u0935\u0930\u0915 \u0915\u0940 \u0938\u092c\u094d\u0938\u093f\u0921\u0940 \u0915\u092e \u0939\u094b\u0924\u0947 \u091c\u093e \u0930\u0939\u0940 \u0939\u0948 \u091c\u093f\u0938\u0938\u0947 \u0909\u0938\u0915\u0940 \u0915\u0940\u092e\u0924\u0947\u0902 \u092c\u095d \u0930\u0939\u0940 \u0939\u0948\u0902 . \u0916\u0947\u0924\u0940 \u0905\u092c \u092c\u0939\u0941\u0924 \u0932\u093e\u092d\u0926\u093e\u092f\u0915 \u0928\u0939\u0940\u0902 \u0930\u0939\u0940 . \u092c\u0902\u0917\u093e\u0932 \u092e\u0948\u0902 \u092a\u093f\u091b\u0932\u0947 \u0906\u0920 \u092e\u0939\u0940\u0928\u094b\u0902 \u092e\u0948\u0902 \u0969 \u0915\u093f\u0938\u093e\u0928\u094b\u0902 \u0928\u0947 \u0906\u0924\u094d\u092e\u0939\u0924\u094d\u092f\u093e \u0915\u0940 \u0939\u0948 \u091c\u094b \u092a\u0939\u0932\u0947 \u0928\u0939\u0940\u0902 \u0939\u094b\u0924\u093e \u0925\u093e . \u0924\u094b \u0905\u091a\u093e\u0928\u0915 \u092c\u0902\u0917\u093e\u0932 \u092e\u0948\u0902 \u0915\u094d\u092f\u093e \u0939\u094b \u0917\u092f\u093e \u091c\u094b \u0935\u0939\u093e\u0902 \u0915\u093f\u0938\u093e\u0928 \u0906\u0924\u094d\u092e\u0939\u0924\u094d\u092f\u093e \u0915\u0947 \u0932\u093f\u090f \u092e\u091c\u092c\u0942\u0930 \u0939\u094b \u0917\u092f\u0947 \u0939\u0948\u0902 .<\/p>\n

http:\/\/newsclick.in\/india\/farmers%E2%80%99-suicides-west-bengal-preliminary-analysis<\/a><\/p>\n

Over\u00a0 the last 15 years more than 2 lakh farmers have committed suicide in\u00a0 the country due to debt related problem and an acute agrarian crisis.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
This phenomenon was outside the lived experience of the people of West\u00a0 Bengal and came only as news from distant places. But with the Trinamool\u00a0 Congress led government coming to power in West Bengal, a significant\u00a0 change has happened in West Bengal countryside, where the phenomenon of\u00a0 farmer suicides have now become a part of rural life in the state. In\u00a0 the last 8 months 34 farmers have committed suicide in the state due to\u00a0 debt related problems and non-remunerative prices of the crop. The\u00a0 question is what explains this sudden acute problem of farmers in the\u00a0 state. In order to comprehend the problem, it is important to understand\u00a0 the overall national context of the agrarian situation in the country.\u00a0 Therefore, we start with a discussion on this aspect before going into\u00a0 the particularities of West Bengal.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Neo-liberalism and Agrarian Crisis in India<\/b><\/div>\n
Agriculture\u00a0 in India has been the worst sufferer in the aftermath of pursuing\u00a0 neo-liberal policies. With the new policy regime imposed on the people\u00a0 in 1991, the government reduced its role in the agriculture sector. This\u00a0 was done in myriad ways. Firstly, the total gross capital formation in\u00a0 agriculture as a proportion of total gross capital formation in the\u00a0 country has declined. This ratio was 15.4% in 1980-81, subsequently\u00a0 declined to 9.9% in 1990-91 and declined to 7.7% in 2009-10. This\u00a0 essentially shows that there has been a sharp decline in investment in\u00a0 agriculture. This sharp decline in agricultural investment on the other\u00a0 hand is led by a decline in public sector investment in agriculture. If\u00a0 we look at public gross capital formation in agriculture as a proportion\u00a0 of total gross capital formation in the economy, then it has declined\u00a0 from 17.7% in 1980-81 to 7.1% in 1990-91 and further declined to 5.9% in\u00a0 2008-09. This decline in public investment in agriculture is also\u00a0 manifested from the fact that out of the total plan outlay only 4.9% was\u00a0 allocated for agriculture and allied sector in the IX Plan, which\u00a0 declined to 3.9% in the X plan and further reduced to 3.7% in the XI\u00a0 plan.[1]<\/a>\u00a0 Such an all-round decline in public investment in agriculture was not\u00a0 matched by commensurate increase in private investment resulting in an\u00a0 overall decline in agricultural investment in the country.<\/div>\n
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With\u00a0 such decline in agricultural investment, the growth rate of production\u00a0 in agriculture is bound to take a hit. The following table shows the\u00a0 growth rate of agriculture in the various plan periods in the country.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Table 1: Growth rate of agriculture in various plan periods<\/b><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n
Plan Period<\/b><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Growth Rate<\/b><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
8th<\/sup> Plan (1992-97)<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
4.69<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
9th<\/sup> Plan (1997-2002)<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
2.06<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
10th<\/sup> Plan (2002-07)<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
2.2<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
11th<\/sup> Plan (2007-12)<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
3.0<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
Source: Planning Commission<\/div>\n
Note: The growth rate for the 11th Plan is the expected growth rate<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
This\u00a0 slowdown in growth rate of agriculture has resulted in a situation\u00a0 where the share of this sector in the GDP was only 14.6% in 2009-10.[2]<\/a> However, this sector employs 67.6% of the labour force in rural areas and 7.5% in urban areas in 2009-10.[3]<\/a>\u00a0 This essentially means that even with a high growth rate of GDP and\u00a0 slowdown in agriculture, the growth process has failed to absorb labour\u00a0 in the non-agricultural sector. Therefore the agriculture sector\u00a0 continues to be a repository of low income and poverty.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
While\u00a0 there has been a substantial slowdown in agricultural production in the\u00a0 country, the central government has liberalized agricultural trade by\u00a0 cutting down tariffs on agricultural commodities and allowing imports of\u00a0 agricultural products. This has resulted in a situation in which the\u00a0 farmers of India have been exposed to the price volatility of the global\u00a0 commodity market. This is more so in the case of cash crops. In fact, a\u00a0 major proportion of farmers who have committed suicide in Kerala or\u00a0 Maharashtra are cash crop farmers cultivating vanilla, coffee etc in the\u00a0 case of Kerala and mostly cotton in the case of Maharashtra. With a\u00a0 drastic fall in the global prices of these commodities in the beginning\u00a0 of 2000s, the return on farming for these sections of the farmers\u00a0 collapsed driving many of them into suicide. If these farmers were not\u00a0 exposed to the global price movements then a significant number of\u00a0 farmers would not have been pushed towards suicide.<\/div>\n
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On\u00a0 the other hand, there has been a substantial reduction in subsidies\u00a0 provided to the agriculture sector, in particular the subsidies for\u00a0 fertilizers have been reduced drastically. In 2009-10, Rs 61264.29 crore\u00a0 was provided as fertilizer subsidy. However, in 2011-12, only Rs\u00a0 49997.67 crore is being provided.[4]<\/a>\u00a0 Moreover, prices of certain fertilizers have been decontrolled, which\u00a0 creates another upward pressure on the prices of this essential\u00a0 agricultural input. Additionally, the government has reduced\u00a0 agricultural extension services, which again adversely affects the\u00a0 farmers.<\/div>\n
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All\u00a0 this has resulted in an increase in cost of cultivation. The real cost\u00a0 of production for rice and wheat are shown in the following table<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Table 2: Growth Rate of Real Cost of Production for Rice and Wheat<\/b><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n
Year<\/b><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Rice <\/b><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Wheat<\/b><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
1981-82 to 1992-93<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
-0.13<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
-1.96<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
1994-95 to 2006-07<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
1.92<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
1.96<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
Source: Agricultural\u00a0 Price Policy, Farm Profitability and Food Security: An Analysis of Rice\u00a0 and Wheat, S Mahendra Dev, _ Chandrasekhara Rao, Commission for\u00a0 Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP)<\/div>\n
Note: Cost is calculated as Cost of Production per Quintal of rice\/wheat<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
From\u00a0 the above it is clear that with the advent of the policies of\u00a0 liberalization, the cost of production for the two major crops in India\u00a0 has increased. This increase in cost of production is primarily because\u00a0 of an increase in input prices. According to the reply of the government\u00a0 to a question posed in Lok Sabha on 23-08-2011,<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cThe\u00a0 prices of major agricultural inputs and implements during 2005-06 to\u00a0 2011-12 (till July, 2011) have increased by 22.2% for fertilizers, 10.7%\u00a0 for pesticides, 32.0% for diesel, 29.8% for tractors and 32.3% for\u00a0 pumps & assembly in terms of Wholesale Price Index (WPI). As per the\u00a0 available data, the prices of seeds of various crops have increased\u00a0 from about 13.5% to 55.5% during 2005-06 to 2010-11.\u201d[5]<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
This\u00a0 massive increase in the prices of inputs is a direct result of the\u00a0 policies pursued by the central government entailing a cut back on\u00a0 crucial subsidies and deregulating prices of inputs like fertilizers. On\u00a0 the face of such an increase in cost of cultivation, the only way to\u00a0 keep farming viable is to increase the Minimum Support Price (MSP). But\u00a0 the MSP is given for a selected number of commodities and not all\u00a0 commodities. Therefore, such an all-round increase in the input costs of\u00a0 cultivation is bound to adversely affect the lives and livelihoods of\u00a0 millions of farmers in the country.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
It\u00a0 is in this backdrop that the agriculture sector in West Bengal is\u00a0 operating. However, it must be noted that while all the above mentioned\u00a0 factors were operating in India, West Bengal did not witness any farmer\u00a0 suicide during the period when thousands of farmers have committed\u00a0 suicide in the country. The crucial issue that needs to be analysed is\u00a0 what has changed in the last 7-8 months that farmers are suddenly\u00a0 committing suicide in large numbers in the state. We now turn to discuss\u00a0 the case of West Bengal in greater details.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Agrarian Situation in West Bengal<\/b><\/div>\n
Since\u00a0 October 2011, 34 farmers have committed suicide in the state of West\u00a0 Bengal. Most of these 34 farmers are poor or marginal peasants and some\u00a0 of them are poor agricultural labourers. Most of these farmers are paddy\u00a0 and potato farmers who took loans to cultivate their land. But they did\u00a0 not get any remunerative price for the product which left them indebted\u00a0 without any prospect of repaying these loans. Driven to desperation and\u00a0 social embarrassment, they took their own lives.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Although\u00a0 the pattern of the farmer suicides in West Bengal, in terms of\u00a0 indebtedness and non-remunerative prices generally follow the pattern of\u00a0 such suicides in other states, there is a crucial difference. This\u00a0 difference lies in the fact that most of these farmers are food crop\u00a0 farmers like rice and potato. Being food crop farmers, they are largely\u00a0 insulated from the volatility of global commodity prices, which spelt\u00a0 doom for thousands of cotton or coffee growing farmers in the country.\u00a0 Secondly, for paddy growers, the central government has instituted the\u00a0 MSP, which theoretically at least is supposed to not only cover the cost\u00a0 of production but also give some profit margin to the farmers. However,\u00a0 the fact that the paddy growing farmers are committing suicide in the\u00a0 state points towards an acute governmental and policy failure. As far as\u00a0 the potato farmers are concerned, a bumper crop of potato has the\u00a0 potential of crashing the market price. But government intervention in\u00a0 the past did not allow such a situation to arise. The fact that potato\u00a0 growing farmers are committing suicide points again towards governmental\u00a0 and policy failure to deal with the eventuality of any such crash in\u00a0 prices.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The Issue of MSP<\/i><\/div>\n
As\u00a0 has been the case in rest of the country, the cost of cultivation of\u00a0 paddy has increased in West Bengal too. In the year 2007-08, the total\u00a0 cost of cultivation of paddy per hectare of land was Rs 28141 which\u00a0 increased to Rs 33046 in 2008-09. The CACP projects that for the year\u00a0 2011-12, the cost of cultivation of paddy per hectare has increased to\u00a0 Rs 38868.[6]<\/a>\u00a0 Therefore according to the data of the competent authority itself, the\u00a0 cost of cultivation of paddy will witness a substantial increase in West\u00a0 Bengal. If we convert this cost in per quintal terms, then for the year\u00a0 2011-12, the figure comes to Rs 896 per quintal of paddy.[7]<\/a>\u00a0 Given these facts, there are some glaring problems with the way in\u00a0 which the problem of procurement of rice and paying MSP has been done in\u00a0 the state.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Let\u00a0 us first look at the issue of MSP. Last year the MSP announced by the\u00a0 Central Government for a quintal of rice was Rs 1050. The erstwhile Left\u00a0 Front government announced a bonus of Rs 50 per quintal so that the\u00a0 farmers received Rs 1100 per quintal of rice. This year the Central\u00a0 Government has announced an MSP of Rs 1080 per quintal. But the current\u00a0 TMC-led government has not announced any bonus for the farmers. As a\u00a0 result, the farmers are getting a price which is lower than last year\u2019s.\u00a0 Therefore, prima facie, the farmers are worse off than last year in\u00a0 terms of prices, while their cost of cultivation has increased. This is a\u00a0 perfect recipe for a debt problem in the agrarian sector of any\u00a0 economy.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The\u00a0 problem however does not end with a lower effective MSP for the\u00a0 farmers. The farmers will get the MSP only when the government procures\u00a0 from them. In this regard, the record of the current government has been\u00a0 abysmal. The state government till 20th<\/sup> January 2011, has\u00a0 procured 2.11 lakh metric tonnes of rice and 57355 tonnes of paddy. Last\u00a0 year, the total procurement by the state government was 4.55 lakh\u00a0 tonnes of rice and 11.76 lakh tonnes of paddy, whereby the total\u00a0 procurement from the state was at 13.10 lakh tonnes of rice.[8]<\/a>\u00a0 It is obvious that compared to last year, the procurement drive of the\u00a0 current government has been a total failure. From certain quarters of\u00a0 the government, it is being propagated that the procurement has fallen\u00a0 because the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has procured less. This is\u00a0 nothing but a white lie. In the current year the FCI has procured 71996\u00a0 metric tonnes of rice, while last year it had procured only 67039 metric\u00a0 tonnes of rice.[9]<\/a>\u00a0 Therefore, the FCI has actually procured more rice this year; it is\u00a0 because of the complete failure on the part of the government that the\u00a0 procurement has been abysmal this year.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
It\u00a0 is absolutely not the case that the decline in the procurement of the\u00a0 government is because of a fall in the production of paddy\/rice. Rather,\u00a0 the problem is that this year there is a bumper harvest of paddy. On\u00a0 the face of such huge production, the necessity of the government to buy\u00a0 from the farmers becomes even more since in the absence of governmental\u00a0 intervention, the price of paddy may collapse in the open market\u00a0 leading to acute distress of the farmers. But, this is where the\u00a0 government has completely failed by not procuring enough from the\u00a0 farmers. What has happened is that the government has asked certain rice\u00a0 mills to procure from the farmers. But these rice mills are\u00a0 dilly-dallying on making payments to them. In certain cases they have\u00a0 made payments in cheque, which has bounced. With surplus grain lying in\u00a0 the godown, the farmers have been forced to go for distress sale,\u00a0 leading to a fall in their prices and hence foreclosing the possibility\u00a0 of earning any return on the farmers\u2019 investment in the crop. Some\u00a0 farmers with the possibility of a price crash are unable to sell their\u00a0 crops. While for others, with the distress sale phenomenon, they are\u00a0 being paid less than the MSP by the rice mills. In this situation, it is\u00a0 but obvious that the farmers are unable to meet their debt obligations\u00a0 and other expenses leading to a desperate step like suicide.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
This\u00a0 policy of relying on the rice mills only to procure from the farmers is\u00a0 in sharp contrast with the procurement policy of the Left Front\u00a0 government, where the government used to involve all government and\u00a0 semi-government agencies, rural cooperatives and the Self Help Groups to\u00a0 procure paddy from the farmers. This had a twin advantage. Firstly,\u00a0 with such decentralized procurement policy, the farmers did not have to\u00a0 transport their grains to long distances to sell them to the rice mills.\u00a0 Secondly, the social intimacy of the Self Help Groups, panchayats with\u00a0 the farmers in the villages enabled the government to understand the\u00a0 situation better. This entire approach of decentralized procurement has\u00a0 been done away with. Moreover, the TMC led government has made the\u00a0 panchayats defunct and are trying to rely on the bureaucracy for policy\u00a0 implementation in the villages. This has ensured that elected\u00a0 representatives of the people are bypassed and the bureaucracy takes\u00a0 over in crucial matters related to the villages, who are distant from\u00a0 the actual problems on the ground.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The\u00a0 plight of the potato and jute farmers follows a similar story. The MSP\u00a0 for jute was set at Rs 1675 per quintal. While the Chief Minister wrote\u00a0 to the central government to increase this by Rs 400, she took no\u00a0 initiative to ensure that the Jute Corporation of India sets up\u00a0 procurement centres in the state to buy jute from the farmers. The\u00a0 central government did not respond to her demand and JCI did not open up\u00a0 procurement centres, as a result the farmers were forced to sell their\u00a0 crops under distress and in the process ended up making huge debts from\u00a0 local money lenders and banks. The plight of the potato farmers followed\u00a0 a similar story. With bumper harvest of potato and the state government\u00a0 doing nothing to resist price crash, the price of potato has decreased\u00a0 to 20 paisa per Kg because of which the farmers are getting zero return\u00a0 on their investment.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Dismal Performance in NREGA<\/i><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
On\u00a0 the face of such problem of farmers and agricultural labourer in the\u00a0 state, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme would have\u00a0 provided some relief to the rural population. However, in this regard\u00a0 too, the government has been an utter failure. In the current financial\u00a0 year (2011-12) upto the month of December, 438.41 lakh mandays of\u00a0 employment have been generated, while Rs 125173.49 lakh being the total\u00a0 expenditure. During the same period last year (2010-11), 910.71 lakh\u00a0 mandays of employment was generated with a total expenditure of Rs\u00a0 153816.63 lakh. On an average only 14.4 days of employment has been\u00a0 provided in West Bengal till date this year, while the provision is for\u00a0 100 days. This is the second lowest in the country. Only Arunachal\u00a0 Pradesh has generated less number of average days of employment under\u00a0 NREGA.[10]<\/a>\u00a0 In other words, compared to the performance of NREGA under the Left\u00a0 Front government, the TMC-led government has performed dismally. This\u00a0 has prompted the Minister of Rural Development of Government of India to\u00a0 write a letter to the West Bengal government pointing out that the\u00a0 performance of the state has been dismal under NREGA.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Political Economy of the Government\u2019s Role in the Agrarian Problem<\/b><\/div>\n
At\u00a0 this point a legitimate question can be asked as to why the government\u00a0 did not take any initiative to provide relief to the farmers and has\u00a0 gone on a denial mode saying that there has been no farmer suicide in\u00a0 West Bengal. In order to understand the problem one needs to look at the\u00a0 social class basis of the Trinamool Congress. In 2001, when the Left\u00a0 Front came to power the Trinamool had won 45.7% of the votes of the rich\u00a0 classes in West Bengal.[11]<\/a>\u00a0 The very high vote share of the rich for the TMC at a time when the\u00a0 Left Front was winning elections after elections shows that the rich\u00a0 always supported the TMC and this is their core mass base. It is\u00a0 undoubtedly the case that the TMC managed to win a large chunk of the\u00a0 vote of the poor and lower income category (48%) in 2011 elections when\u00a0 it won the elections. But it has also increased its vote share to 49%\u00a0 amongst the rich.[12]<\/a>\u00a0 As the interests of the rich and the poor in most of the cases are\u00a0 contradictory, it is impossible to keep the vote share of both the\u00a0 classes intact. But, the fact that the rich consolidated their support\u00a0 in favour of the TMC at a time when the electoral fortunes of TMC were\u00a0 grim shows that for the TMC, the rich class is a dependent ally. It is\u00a0 for this reason, that while the TMC supremo indulges in a lot of left\u00a0 rhetoric, when it comes to reality, the government is failing to take\u00a0 care of the problem of the looming agrarian crisis.<\/div>\n
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This\u00a0 alliance between the rich and TMC is showing its most ugly face in the\u00a0 rural areas. Ever since the election results have been announced on 13th\u00a0 May, there have been systematic attacks on the bargadars\u00a0 (share-croppers) and marginal farmers in the state. The land of the\u00a0 tillers earned through decades of struggle has been re-captured in many\u00a0 places by the erstwhile landowners. According to a conservative estimate\u00a0 of the Kishan Sabha, over the last two and half months, land of 527\u00a0 farmers amounting to 1000 acres of riot land has been snatched away.\u00a0 Additionally, 4700 patta-owners have been evicted from 2700 acres of\u00a0 land, 3710 bargadars have been evicted from 1587 acres of land while\u00a0 14025 persons have been evicted from legally acquired land. In fact the\u00a0 police resorted to firing when farmers were resisting forceful eviction\u00a0 from their land at Haroa in North 24 Parganas district. The fact that\u00a0 the landlord and rich peasant classes in rural West Bengal could mount\u00a0 an attack on the peasantry to reverse the gains of land reform after the\u00a0 TMC came to power shows that this class feels that their time to try\u00a0 and recapture lost ground has come with the coming to power of the TMC\u00a0 government. In essence then the rural rich feel that the government will\u00a0 provide protection to them.<\/div>\n
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The\u00a0 attempt of the government to paralyze the panchayati raj institutions\u00a0 of the state, which were the prime democratic institutions in rural West\u00a0 Bengal is yet another example of how the government is trying to\u00a0 protect the interests of the rich and the powerful. Through the\u00a0 panchayats, democracy and empowerment was ensured for the rural masses.\u00a0 But now this institution is under attack. The TMC-led government has\u00a0 decided that they will bypass these democratic institutions and\u00a0 undertake rural development by bureaucratic means through the office of\u00a0 the BDO. This is however only the tip of the iceberg. The real reason\u00a0 lies in the fact that the Trinamool Congress wants to do away with the\u00a0 functioning of the panchayats in the state. The Chief Minister had said\u00a0 on record that she wants \u2018non-political\u2019 elections to the panchayats,\u00a0 which is essentially a euphemism for robbing the panchayats of its\u00a0 democratic vitality.<\/div>\n
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The\u00a0 non-functioning and the denial of the government of the phenomenon of\u00a0 farmer suicides stems from the fact the core support base of the TMC has\u00a0 not been affected. It can be however argued that the TMC came to power\u00a0 after mobilizing people on peasant issues. So it is wrong to say that\u00a0 its core base is not affected. While it is true that the issues of\u00a0 Singur and Nandigram did play a part in the defeat of the Left Front, it\u00a0 is also the case that the TMC-led government till date has not\u00a0 announced a single policy which will benefit the farmers. The return of\u00a0 land in Singur will benefit a small number of farmers who will perhaps\u00a0 get back the land after long legal battles. But the farmers of West\u00a0 Bengal have gained nothing from the government in terms of any policy\u00a0 announcement in favour of them. Rather, the response of the government\u00a0 has been a denial of any problem in the agrarian sector. On the other\u00a0 hand, the CM has been busy with summit with the industrialists,\u00a0 beautification project of the riverside in Kolkata, beach festival at\u00a0 Digha etc. But she has not visited a single village where farmers are\u00a0 committing suicide. This clearly shows that the CM is happy to realize\u00a0 the aspirations of the middle and rich classes but not the poor.<\/div>\n
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The\u00a0 total apathy shown by the government towards the plight of the farmers\u00a0 is only intensifying the crisis. In this situation, the only way forward\u00a0 is to organize the farmers and fight for their rights. Such\u00a0 mobilizations are happening on the ground. On 4th<\/sup> January,\u00a0 West Bengal witnessed a historic strike of the farmers against the\u00a0 anti-farmer policies of the central and state governments. The entire\u00a0 countryside came to a standstill with the farmers instead of tilling\u00a0 their fields organized pickets, processions and protest actions. More\u00a0 such actions are the call of the day. Instead of committing suicide, the\u00a0 farmers need to mobilize as a collective against the government. In\u00a0 this struggle, the solidarity of all of us is extremely important. The\u00a0 farmers should not feel alone and despondent. The democratic people of\u00a0 the state stand in solidarity with them in this struggle.<\/div>\n
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[1]<\/a>All data in this paragraph is quoted from Agricultural Statistics at a Glance and Economic Survey, various issues<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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[2]<\/a> Agricultural Statistics at a Glance<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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[3]<\/a>\u201c Employment in India: What Does the Latest Data Show?\u201d, Subhanil Chowdhury, Economic and Political Weekly, August 6, 2011<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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[4]<\/a> Budget Document<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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[5]<\/a>Answer to question no. 286, Lok Sabha, 23-08-2011<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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[6]<\/a> CACP Report on Price Policy for Kharif Crops, 2011-12<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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[7]<\/a> Same as above<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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[8]<\/a> Food Corporation of India website<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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[9]<\/a>Same as above<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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[10]<\/a> All data are from www.nrega.nic.in<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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[11]<\/a> Making and Unmaking of Trinamul Congress, Dwaipayan Bhattacharyya, Economic and Political Weekly, April 3-10, 2004<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
[12]<\/a> Fifteenth Assembly Elections in West Bengal, Economic and Political Weekly, June 18, 2011<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Farmers\u2019 Suicides in West Bengal: A Preliminary Analysis : \u092a\u0936\u094d\u091a\u093f\u092e \u092c\u0902\u0917\u093e\u0932 \u092e\u0948\u0902 \u0915\u093f\u0938\u093e\u0928\u094b\u0902 \u0926\u094d\u0935\u093e\u0930\u093e \u0906\u0924\u094d\u092e\u0939\u0924\u094d\u092f\u093e… more »<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4976,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-2","category-economy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6674","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6674"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6674\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6675,"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6674\/revisions\/6675"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4976"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}