Agriculture is the main occupation in India, 70% of the total population in India is leaving in rural areas. After the independence of India the peoples depending on it are moving away from the main stream of Indian agriculture. Even though India is a agriculture dominated Nation we have not reached the point of self sufficiency in food products. Even today we are importing some food grains, oil seeds, silk, pulses, and other essential items. Some available statistics reveals in rural area people are losing their purchasing power, they are migrating towards urban areas in search of Jobs to their working hands.
In recent days Indian agriculture is suffering from Agrarian crises, means it is a crisis related to agricultural land especially in rural areas. From 1947 itself the Government has supported the industrialization to the maximum extent by providing so many facilities like bank loans, subsidies, tax holydays, lands for long term leases at minimum rate of rent for lands, SEZ (Special Economic Zones), and others. Simultaneously Government supported agriculture sectors also by constructing big irrigation dams, fertilizer industries, farming related industries, bank loans to agriculturists through Nationalized banks, Private banks, Co-operative banks and through NGO’s (Non Governmental Organizations). It has resulted in green revolution, revolution in dairy development, revolution in food production by Introducing High-bread culture in agriculture. All the above things contributed a lot to the food production in India and to reach a effective position in food production. In this process Crores of agriculturists in rural India contributed a lot to the system.
After all the above said developments at percent Indian agriculture is in cross roads, Indian agriculture is facing Agrarian crisis the agriculturist are in distressed condition. They are leaving agriculture and they are moving away from agriculture, migrating towards urban areas for food, shelter and for jobs for their working hands. In recent days farmers are committing suicides all over India, for every 30 minutes of time 1 farmer is committing suicide continuously by Anomic suicides (Society oriented suicide) has explained by famous French sociologist Emilee Durkheim. In this crucial juncture agriculturists are in confused state by lack of social directions by the society or by the concerned Government. The main reasons for Farmer suicide is lack of rainfall, lack of electric power to agriculture, lack of post harvest cooled storages, Godown, lack of agriculture yields, lack of sufficient financial support for agricultural activities in needy time and lack of proper scientific market rate for their agriculture products. The income of agriculturists is diminishing day by day. The society is not properly respecting the forming community in total. All these things are explained in this conference paper under the theme of society reconstruction, under sub theme Agrarian crisis – causes and consequences and remedies.
Reconstruction of the society is possible only by addressing the Agrarian crisis as early as possible, because majority of the people in our country is directly or indirectly depending on agriculture only for their life.
Objectives of the study:
• To study the socio-economic conditions of farmers in rural areas.
Hypothesis of the study:
Rural farmer’s socio-economic condition is in distress.
Key words:
Agrarian crisis, green revolution, suicides, loan waver, food crops, scientific market rates.
Bibliography:
Swaminathan Report, National Commission on Farmers 2004-2006.
Agriculture cannot wait, edited by M.S. Swaminathan.
Indian agriculture in the new millennium by N. A Mujumdar and Uma Kapila
Websites, journals, News papers and TV channels