The Agrarian Crisis

For the past three to four years, much of the economic news in India has been very positive. Each quarter seems to be better than the previous one in terms of growth, there surely is a lot of visible growth in the cities and the foreign media is all agog about the India growth story.

I believe all this economic growth is driven by growth in the major urban areas such as Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai etc. Take a drive out of any of these cities and the rural scene is almost the same as a decade ago or may be worse.

A few publications such as the Hindu (through its rural affairs editor, P.Sainath), the Frontline and some regional news papers have been highlighting the plight of the farmers in several regions in south India. Farmers in Vidharbha, Telangana, Wayanad and central Tamil Nadu are committing suicide because they are unable to repay their crushing debts. I think we should, at the least, stay informed about the situation and what is being done if any about it.

This fortnight's Frontline has a cover page story about this agrarian crisis. There is a different point of view expressed at the Indian Economy Blog. Do read the articles at those links.