Indian Budget 2008 and Farmers' (continued) suicides

Never mind that it was a populist budget—a budget that looked beyond at the ensuing elections and therefore without but not within. No other government would have done it differently but the ruling coalition did it, to say the least, with humility and grace. Finance Minister did sound sincere when he said that the nation was merely acknowledging its debt to the Indian farmers when he announced the farm-loan waiver scheme. I did feel happy for a while but realized that the Government was taking care of the farmers’ today but what about their tomorrow and the day after. Farming for many of our brother-farmers has ceased to be an economically viable enterprise. Loan waiver therefore, at its best, would treat the symptoms of this grave economic ill but leave its root cause untouched. The question that rises in one's mind is --do these suicides indicate a much graver ailment? – a socio-economic tragedy–in-being rather than merely a current economic setback ? Post-budget suicides have continued in Maharashtra, probably since the farmers realize that the Government can render only a one-time help and this short-term measure can hardly be a long term solution for their woes. The problem, up to this limit of reasoning becomes socio-economic although it may have appeared to be merely economic to many of us, judging by the public reaction to the remedial measures announced for addressing it.

It was probably more than a month ago, as a pre-budget debate about farming- loan waiver was raging in the local press when, a very sane voice of Dr Abhay Bang, while commenting on increasing incidence of suicides by the farmers, warned us that waiving the loan given to the farmers was only a part of the solution and something also needed to be done for their increasing alcoholism. How true! But are we so blind that we need a social activist to tell us that the problem is more sociological than economic?

What disturbs me is a thought that goes beyond this cause and effect-based socio-economic reasoning, and which whispers that it may even be a beginning of a sociological problem. Why suicide? This would certainly be the biggest price to pay for any set back in life. Yes, businessmen in heavy debt have been known to resort to committing suicide but not the farmers. Are people no more afraid of dying? Does the thought about their wives and children being left behind to fend for themselves in this world, not deter them any more from taking such an extreme step? Has death since become such an easy option? Suicide seems to be losing out on its elite status among all deaths, and looks more commonplace --almost epidemic now! Aren’t these the indicators of a sociological change?

Manaswini informs me that fees charged by some prestigious business schools in the States vary, and depend upon whether one wishes to pursue a career in a non-profit or a profit-making organization. Fair enough, but we need to do much more in India where agriculture remains and will remain a major occupation for its inhabitants, never mind its share in the national GDP. I think the poor returns in the agriculture sector in India should pose a worthy challenge for hundreds of management graduates that pass out from India’s business schools. I do not expect bright students from the IIMs to take a plunge in to this sector like Dr Abhay and Dr Rani Bang have done in the field of rural health and child care. Here perhaps Indian corporate sector can provide the lead and take up this challenge of making agriculture economically viable. This program can be a kind of private-public-partnership enterprise, with Governments, both Central and State, providing the bulk of the funds while the Corporate sector providing necessary management skills. The Corporate sector can draw its management cadre for this enterprise from amongst the bright students passing out from various business schools, by paying them at par with any other industrial/commercial project. Isn’t this Corporate Social Responsibility in its true form?