Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 73
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Code Context


        trigger_error($message, E_USER_DEPRECATED);

    }
$message = 'The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 73
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php.'
$stackFrame = (int) 1
$trace = [
	(int) 0 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/ServerRequest.php',
		'line' => (int) 2421,
		'function' => 'deprecationWarning',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => 'The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead.'
		]
	],
	(int) 1 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php',
		'line' => (int) 73,
		'function' => 'offsetGet',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\ServerRequest',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => 'catslug'
		]
	],
	(int) 2 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Controller/Controller.php',
		'line' => (int) 610,
		'function' => 'printArticle',
		'class' => 'App\Controller\ArtileDetailController',
		'object' => object(App\Controller\ArtileDetailController) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => []
	],
	(int) 3 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php',
		'line' => (int) 120,
		'function' => 'invokeAction',
		'class' => 'Cake\Controller\Controller',
		'object' => object(App\Controller\ArtileDetailController) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => []
	],
	(int) 4 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php',
		'line' => (int) 94,
		'function' => '_invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(App\Controller\ArtileDetailController) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 5 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/BaseApplication.php',
		'line' => (int) 235,
		'function' => 'dispatch',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 6 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/Runner.php',
		'line' => (int) 65,
		'function' => '__invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\BaseApplication',
		'object' => object(App\Application) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {},
			(int) 2 => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 7 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Routing/Middleware/RoutingMiddleware.php',
		'line' => (int) 162,
		'function' => '__invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\Runner',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 8 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/Runner.php',
		'line' => (int) 65,
		'function' => '__invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware',
		'object' => object(Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {},
			(int) 2 => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 9 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php',
		'line' => (int) 88,
		'function' => '__invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\Runner',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 10 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/Runner.php',
		'line' => (int) 65,
		'function' => '__invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware',
		'object' => object(Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {},
			(int) 2 => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 11 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php',
		'line' => (int) 96,
		'function' => '__invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\Runner',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 12 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/Runner.php',
		'line' => (int) 65,
		'function' => '__invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware',
		'object' => object(Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {},
			(int) 2 => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 13 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/Runner.php',
		'line' => (int) 51,
		'function' => '__invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\Runner',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 14 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/Server.php',
		'line' => (int) 98,
		'function' => 'run',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\Runner',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\MiddlewareQueue) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 2 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 15 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/webroot/index.php',
		'line' => (int) 39,
		'function' => 'run',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\Server',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\Server) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => []
	]
]
$frame = [
	'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php',
	'line' => (int) 73,
	'function' => 'offsetGet',
	'class' => 'Cake\Http\ServerRequest',
	'object' => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {
		trustProxy => false
		[protected] params => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
		[protected] data => [[maximum depth reached]]
		[protected] query => [[maximum depth reached]]
		[protected] cookies => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
		[protected] _environment => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
		[protected] url => 'latest-news-updates/it-will-take-more-than-a-loan-waiver-for-punjab039s-farmers-to-stop-killing-themselves-devinder-sharma-4680426/print'
		[protected] base => ''
		[protected] webroot => '/'
		[protected] here => '/latest-news-updates/it-will-take-more-than-a-loan-waiver-for-punjab039s-farmers-to-stop-killing-themselves-devinder-sharma-4680426/print'
		[protected] trustedProxies => [[maximum depth reached]]
		[protected] _input => null
		[protected] _detectors => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
		[protected] _detectorCache => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
		[protected] stream => object(Zend\Diactoros\PhpInputStream) {}
		[protected] uri => object(Zend\Diactoros\Uri) {}
		[protected] session => object(Cake\Http\Session) {}
		[protected] attributes => [[maximum depth reached]]
		[protected] emulatedAttributes => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
		[protected] uploadedFiles => [[maximum depth reached]]
		[protected] protocol => null
		[protected] requestTarget => null
		[private] deprecatedProperties => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
	},
	'type' => '->',
	'args' => [
		(int) 0 => 'catslug'
	]
]
deprecationWarning - CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311
Cake\Http\ServerRequest::offsetGet() - CORE/src/Http/ServerRequest.php, line 2421
App\Controller\ArtileDetailController::printArticle() - APP/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line 73
Cake\Controller\Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 610
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 120
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 94
Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/RoutingMiddleware.php, line 162
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php, line 88
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51
Cake\Http\Server::run() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 98

Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 74
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Code Context


        trigger_error($message, E_USER_DEPRECATED);

    }
$message = 'The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 74
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php.'
$stackFrame = (int) 1
$trace = [
	(int) 0 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/ServerRequest.php',
		'line' => (int) 2421,
		'function' => 'deprecationWarning',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => 'The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead.'
		]
	],
	(int) 1 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php',
		'line' => (int) 74,
		'function' => 'offsetGet',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\ServerRequest',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => 'artileslug'
		]
	],
	(int) 2 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Controller/Controller.php',
		'line' => (int) 610,
		'function' => 'printArticle',
		'class' => 'App\Controller\ArtileDetailController',
		'object' => object(App\Controller\ArtileDetailController) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => []
	],
	(int) 3 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php',
		'line' => (int) 120,
		'function' => 'invokeAction',
		'class' => 'Cake\Controller\Controller',
		'object' => object(App\Controller\ArtileDetailController) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => []
	],
	(int) 4 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php',
		'line' => (int) 94,
		'function' => '_invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(App\Controller\ArtileDetailController) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 5 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/BaseApplication.php',
		'line' => (int) 235,
		'function' => 'dispatch',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 6 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/Runner.php',
		'line' => (int) 65,
		'function' => '__invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\BaseApplication',
		'object' => object(App\Application) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {},
			(int) 2 => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 7 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Routing/Middleware/RoutingMiddleware.php',
		'line' => (int) 162,
		'function' => '__invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\Runner',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 8 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/Runner.php',
		'line' => (int) 65,
		'function' => '__invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware',
		'object' => object(Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {},
			(int) 2 => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 9 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php',
		'line' => (int) 88,
		'function' => '__invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\Runner',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 10 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/Runner.php',
		'line' => (int) 65,
		'function' => '__invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware',
		'object' => object(Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {},
			(int) 2 => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 11 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php',
		'line' => (int) 96,
		'function' => '__invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\Runner',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 12 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/Runner.php',
		'line' => (int) 65,
		'function' => '__invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware',
		'object' => object(Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {},
			(int) 2 => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 13 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/Runner.php',
		'line' => (int) 51,
		'function' => '__invoke',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\Runner',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 14 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Http/Server.php',
		'line' => (int) 98,
		'function' => 'run',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\Runner',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\Runner) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => [
			(int) 0 => object(Cake\Http\MiddlewareQueue) {},
			(int) 1 => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {},
			(int) 2 => object(Cake\Http\Response) {}
		]
	],
	(int) 15 => [
		'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/webroot/index.php',
		'line' => (int) 39,
		'function' => 'run',
		'class' => 'Cake\Http\Server',
		'object' => object(Cake\Http\Server) {},
		'type' => '->',
		'args' => []
	]
]
$frame = [
	'file' => '/home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php',
	'line' => (int) 74,
	'function' => 'offsetGet',
	'class' => 'Cake\Http\ServerRequest',
	'object' => object(Cake\Http\ServerRequest) {
		trustProxy => false
		[protected] params => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
		[protected] data => [[maximum depth reached]]
		[protected] query => [[maximum depth reached]]
		[protected] cookies => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
		[protected] _environment => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
		[protected] url => 'latest-news-updates/it-will-take-more-than-a-loan-waiver-for-punjab039s-farmers-to-stop-killing-themselves-devinder-sharma-4680426/print'
		[protected] base => ''
		[protected] webroot => '/'
		[protected] here => '/latest-news-updates/it-will-take-more-than-a-loan-waiver-for-punjab039s-farmers-to-stop-killing-themselves-devinder-sharma-4680426/print'
		[protected] trustedProxies => [[maximum depth reached]]
		[protected] _input => null
		[protected] _detectors => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
		[protected] _detectorCache => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
		[protected] stream => object(Zend\Diactoros\PhpInputStream) {}
		[protected] uri => object(Zend\Diactoros\Uri) {}
		[protected] session => object(Cake\Http\Session) {}
		[protected] attributes => [[maximum depth reached]]
		[protected] emulatedAttributes => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
		[protected] uploadedFiles => [[maximum depth reached]]
		[protected] protocol => null
		[protected] requestTarget => null
		[private] deprecatedProperties => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
	},
	'type' => '->',
	'args' => [
		(int) 0 => 'artileslug'
	]
]
deprecationWarning - CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311
Cake\Http\ServerRequest::offsetGet() - CORE/src/Http/ServerRequest.php, line 2421
App\Controller\ArtileDetailController::printArticle() - APP/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line 74
Cake\Controller\Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 610
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 120
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 94
Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/RoutingMiddleware.php, line 162
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php, line 88
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51
Cake\Http\Server::run() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 98

Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Code Context
            if (Configure::read('debug')) {

                trigger_error($message, E_USER_WARNING);

            } else {
$response = object(Cake\Http\Response) {

	'status' => (int) 200,
	'contentType' => 'text/html',
	'headers' => [
		'Content-Type' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
	],
	'file' => null,
	'fileRange' => [],
	'cookies' => object(Cake\Http\Cookie\CookieCollection) {},
	'cacheDirectives' => [],
	'body' => '<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
        "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<head>
    <link rel="canonical" href="https://im4change.in/<pre class="cake-error"><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f03e9022deb-trace').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f03e9022deb-trace').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none');"><b>Notice</b> (8)</a>: Undefined variable: urlPrefix [<b>APP/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp</b>, line <b>8</b>]<div id="cakeErr67f03e9022deb-trace" class="cake-stack-trace" style="display: none;"><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f03e9022deb-code').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f03e9022deb-code').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none')">Code</a> <a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f03e9022deb-context').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f03e9022deb-context').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none')">Context</a><pre id="cakeErr67f03e9022deb-code" class="cake-code-dump" style="display: none;"><code><span style="color: #000000"><span style="color: #0000BB"></span><span style="color: #007700">&lt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">head</span><span style="color: #007700">&gt;
</span></span></code>
<span class="code-highlight"><code><span style="color: #000000">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&lt;link&nbsp;rel="canonical"&nbsp;href="<span style="color: #0000BB">&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">Configure</span><span style="color: #007700">::</span><span style="color: #0000BB">read</span><span style="color: #007700">(</span><span style="color: #DD0000">'SITE_URL'</span><span style="color: #007700">);&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">$urlPrefix</span><span style="color: #007700">;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">$article_current</span><span style="color: #007700">-&gt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">category</span><span style="color: #007700">-&gt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">slug</span><span style="color: #007700">;&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;</span>/<span style="color: #0000BB">&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">$article_current</span><span style="color: #007700">-&gt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">seo_url</span><span style="color: #007700">;&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;</span>.html"/&gt;
</span></code></span>
<code><span style="color: #000000"><span style="color: #0000BB">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">&lt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">meta&nbsp;http</span><span style="color: #007700">-</span><span style="color: #0000BB">equiv</span><span style="color: #007700">=</span><span style="color: #DD0000">"Content-Type"&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">content</span><span style="color: #007700">=</span><span style="color: #DD0000">"text/html;&nbsp;charset=utf-8"</span><span style="color: #007700">/&gt;
</span></span></code></pre><pre id="cakeErr67f03e9022deb-context" class="cake-context" style="display: none;">$viewFile = &#039;/home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp&#039;
$dataForView = [
	&#039;article_current&#039; =&gt; object(App\Model\Entity\Article) {

		&#039;id&#039; =&gt; (int) 32350,
		&#039;title&#039; =&gt; &#039;It Will Take More than a Loan Waiver for Punjab&amp;#039;s Farmers to Stop Killing Themselves -Devinder Sharma&#039;,
		&#039;subheading&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
		&#039;description&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
-TheWire.in&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Congress and AAP aim to write off farm loans if they come to power in Punjab. But such measures will only be useful only if accompanied by policy reforms like a sustainable farming system and assured monthly income for farmers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Nirmal Singh, the leader of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta) from Sangrur district in Punjab, committed suicide last week. He was among the few farmer leaders who campaigned against the emerging trend of farmer suicides that has become rampant in Punjab.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Singh could not even wait a few more months despite knowing that the Congress party has promised to waive off entire farm loans if it comes to power. The catchy slogan Karza Kurki Khatam, Fasal Ki Poori Rakm has attracted a larger number of farmers to fill the loan waiver forms that the Congress party volunteers have been distributing. According to news reports, 22 lakh forms have been filled so far.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The spate of farmer suicides, however, has continued. Hardly a day goes by without reports of three to four suicides in the state. The recurring tragedy is happening at a time when the Aam Aadmi Party has also announced a loan waiver if it comes to power in the state.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In a kisan manifesto released in September, AAP has also promised to pay 50% profit over the cost of production as per the recommendation of the Swaminathan Committee. AAP has also launched a loan waiver campaign similar to that of the Congress.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With two political parties promising to waive off the outstanding farm loans, it would have appeared that farmers would have preferred to wait and see the results before taking their own lives over their debt. After all, it is a matter of just a few more months.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But the reason why the farmers do not believe in the promises of the political parties could be due to their past experiences or because they know they are being treated like another vote bank.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Whatever the reason, the fact is that a progressive agricultural state like Punjab is facing a terrible agrarian crisis and, if my assessment is correct, its devastated farming system has virtually turned into a powder keg waiting for a trigger. In other words, the agrarian crisis that Punjab is facing today is in many ways the reason behind the growing drug menace. The political parties can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to the severity of the crisis that has been swept under the carpet for long. None of the parties, however, seem to know how to tame the prevailing crisis.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In Punjab, agrarian distress has been mounting with each passing year. According to a study by the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development, the debt of private moneylenders and commission agents has seen a significant hike in the past ten years. A survey by Punjabi University in Patiala published in January 2016 estimates the outstanding debt at Rs 69,355 crore. Government estimates put the figure at Rs 36,000 crore.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Most farmers commit suicide because they are unable to bear the humiliation of public sector banks and arhtiyas seizing their assets after they fail to pay their outstanding loan.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This brings me to the moot question: Why are farmers in the country&amp;rsquo;s food bowl committing suicide? In 2015, 449 farmers ended their lives. It was a bad agricultural year but the death toll on the farm has been worsening with each passing month.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Between April 1 and April 26 this year, 39 farmers reportedly committed suicide. At this rate, I will not be surprised if the death toll this year tops last year&amp;rsquo;s figure. In fact, unofficial estimates have already exceeded last year&amp;rsquo;s toll. The fact that this is happening in Punjab, a state that is considered to be the most prosperous as far as agriculture is concerned, speaks volumes of the neglect, apathy and indifference. However, the entire blame cannot be laid on the state government. The Punjab Agricultural University and the Punjab Farmers Commission also have to admit that they have somehow failed to keep a check on the dark underbelly of Punjab agriculture. Needless to say, something is terribly wrong.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. 
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
		&#039;credit_writer&#039; =&gt; &#039;TheWire.in, 24 October, 2016, http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/&#039;,
		&#039;article_img&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
		&#039;article_img_thumb&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
		&#039;status&#039; =&gt; (int) 1,
		&#039;show_on_home&#039; =&gt; (int) 1,
		&#039;lang&#039; =&gt; &#039;EN&#039;,
		&#039;category_id&#039; =&gt; (int) 16,
		&#039;tag_keyword&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
		&#039;seo_url&#039; =&gt; &#039;it-will-take-more-than-a-loan-waiver-for-punjab039s-farmers-to-stop-killing-themselves-devinder-sharma-4680426&#039;,
		&#039;meta_title&#039; =&gt; null,
		&#039;meta_keywords&#039; =&gt; null,
		&#039;meta_description&#039; =&gt; null,
		&#039;noindex&#039; =&gt; (int) 0,
		&#039;publish_date&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {},
		&#039;most_visit_section_id&#039; =&gt; null,
		&#039;article_big_img&#039; =&gt; null,
		&#039;liveid&#039; =&gt; (int) 4680426,
		&#039;created&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		&#039;modified&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		&#039;edate&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
		&#039;tags&#039; =&gt; [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		&#039;category&#039; =&gt; object(App\Model\Entity\Category) {},
		&#039;[new]&#039; =&gt; false,
		&#039;[accessible]&#039; =&gt; [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		&#039;[dirty]&#039; =&gt; [[maximum depth reached]],
		&#039;[original]&#039; =&gt; [[maximum depth reached]],
		&#039;[virtual]&#039; =&gt; [[maximum depth reached]],
		&#039;[hasErrors]&#039; =&gt; false,
		&#039;[errors]&#039; =&gt; [[maximum depth reached]],
		&#039;[invalid]&#039; =&gt; [[maximum depth reached]],
		&#039;[repository]&#039; =&gt; &#039;Articles&#039;
	
	},
	&#039;articleid&#039; =&gt; (int) 32350,
	&#039;metaTitle&#039; =&gt; &#039;LATEST NEWS UPDATES | It Will Take More than a Loan Waiver for Punjab&amp;#039;s Farmers to Stop Killing Themselves -Devinder Sharma&#039;,
	&#039;metaKeywords&#039; =&gt; &#039;rural distress,agrarian crisis,Rural Debt,Rural Credit,Indebtedness,Farm Loans,Farm Debt,Farm Credit&#039;,
	&#039;metaDesc&#039; =&gt; &#039;
-TheWire.in

Congress and AAP aim to write off farm loans if they come to power in Punjab. But such measures will only be useful only if accompanied by policy reforms like a sustainable farming system and assured monthly income for farmers.

Nirmal...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-TheWire.in&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Congress and AAP aim to write off farm loans if they come to power in Punjab. But such measures will only be useful only if accompanied by policy reforms like a sustainable farming system and assured monthly income for farmers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nirmal Singh, the leader of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta) from Sangrur district in Punjab, committed suicide last week. He was among the few farmer leaders who campaigned against the emerging trend of farmer suicides that has become rampant in Punjab.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Singh could not even wait a few more months despite knowing that the Congress party has promised to waive off entire farm loans if it comes to power. The catchy slogan Karza Kurki Khatam, Fasal Ki Poori Rakm has attracted a larger number of farmers to fill the loan waiver forms that the Congress party volunteers have been distributing. According to news reports, 22 lakh forms have been filled so far.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The spate of farmer suicides, however, has continued. Hardly a day goes by without reports of three to four suicides in the state. The recurring tragedy is happening at a time when the Aam Aadmi Party has also announced a loan waiver if it comes to power in the state.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In a kisan manifesto released in September, AAP has also promised to pay 50% profit over the cost of production as per the recommendation of the Swaminathan Committee. AAP has also launched a loan waiver campaign similar to that of the Congress.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;With two political parties promising to waive off the outstanding farm loans, it would have appeared that farmers would have preferred to wait and see the results before taking their own lives over their debt. After all, it is a matter of just a few more months.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But the reason why the farmers do not believe in the promises of the political parties could be due to their past experiences or because they know they are being treated like another vote bank.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Whatever the reason, the fact is that a progressive agricultural state like Punjab is facing a terrible agrarian crisis and, if my assessment is correct, its devastated farming system has virtually turned into a powder keg waiting for a trigger. In other words, the agrarian crisis that Punjab is facing today is in many ways the reason behind the growing drug menace. The political parties can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to the severity of the crisis that has been swept under the carpet for long. None of the parties, however, seem to know how to tame the prevailing crisis.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In Punjab, agrarian distress has been mounting with each passing year. According to a study by the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development, the debt of private moneylenders and commission agents has seen a significant hike in the past ten years. A survey by Punjabi University in Patiala published in January 2016 estimates the outstanding debt at Rs 69,355 crore. Government estimates put the figure at Rs 36,000 crore.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Most farmers commit suicide because they are unable to bear the humiliation of public sector banks and arhtiyas seizing their assets after they fail to pay their outstanding loan.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This brings me to the moot question: Why are farmers in the country&amp;rsquo;s food bowl committing suicide? In 2015, 449 farmers ended their lives. It was a bad agricultural year but the death toll on the farm has been worsening with each passing month.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Between April 1 and April 26 this year, 39 farmers reportedly committed suicide. At this rate, I will not be surprised if the death toll this year tops last year&amp;rsquo;s figure. In fact, unofficial estimates have already exceeded last year&amp;rsquo;s toll. The fact that this is happening in Punjab, a state that is considered to be the most prosperous as far as agriculture is concerned, speaks volumes of the neglect, apathy and indifference. However, the entire blame cannot be laid on the state government. The Punjab Agricultural University and the Punjab Farmers Commission also have to admit that they have somehow failed to keep a check on the dark underbelly of Punjab agriculture. Needless to say, something is terribly wrong.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/&quot; title=&quot;http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
	&#039;lang&#039; =&gt; &#039;English&#039;,
	&#039;SITE_URL&#039; =&gt; &#039;https://im4change.in/&#039;,
	&#039;site_title&#039; =&gt; &#039;im4change&#039;,
	&#039;adminprix&#039; =&gt; &#039;admin&#039;
]
$article_current = object(App\Model\Entity\Article) {

	&#039;id&#039; =&gt; (int) 32350,
	&#039;title&#039; =&gt; &#039;It Will Take More than a Loan Waiver for Punjab&amp;#039;s Farmers to Stop Killing Themselves -Devinder Sharma&#039;,
	&#039;subheading&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
	&#039;description&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
-TheWire.in&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Congress and AAP aim to write off farm loans if they come to power in Punjab. But such measures will only be useful only if accompanied by policy reforms like a sustainable farming system and assured monthly income for farmers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Nirmal Singh, the leader of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta) from Sangrur district in Punjab, committed suicide last week. He was among the few farmer leaders who campaigned against the emerging trend of farmer suicides that has become rampant in Punjab.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Singh could not even wait a few more months despite knowing that the Congress party has promised to waive off entire farm loans if it comes to power. The catchy slogan Karza Kurki Khatam, Fasal Ki Poori Rakm has attracted a larger number of farmers to fill the loan waiver forms that the Congress party volunteers have been distributing. According to news reports, 22 lakh forms have been filled so far.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The spate of farmer suicides, however, has continued. Hardly a day goes by without reports of three to four suicides in the state. The recurring tragedy is happening at a time when the Aam Aadmi Party has also announced a loan waiver if it comes to power in the state.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In a kisan manifesto released in September, AAP has also promised to pay 50% profit over the cost of production as per the recommendation of the Swaminathan Committee. AAP has also launched a loan waiver campaign similar to that of the Congress.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With two political parties promising to waive off the outstanding farm loans, it would have appeared that farmers would have preferred to wait and see the results before taking their own lives over their debt. After all, it is a matter of just a few more months.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But the reason why the farmers do not believe in the promises of the political parties could be due to their past experiences or because they know they are being treated like another vote bank.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Whatever the reason, the fact is that a progressive agricultural state like Punjab is facing a terrible agrarian crisis and, if my assessment is correct, its devastated farming system has virtually turned into a powder keg waiting for a trigger. In other words, the agrarian crisis that Punjab is facing today is in many ways the reason behind the growing drug menace. The political parties can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to the severity of the crisis that has been swept under the carpet for long. None of the parties, however, seem to know how to tame the prevailing crisis.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In Punjab, agrarian distress has been mounting with each passing year. According to a study by the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development, the debt of private moneylenders and commission agents has seen a significant hike in the past ten years. A survey by Punjabi University in Patiala published in January 2016 estimates the outstanding debt at Rs 69,355 crore. Government estimates put the figure at Rs 36,000 crore.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Most farmers commit suicide because they are unable to bear the humiliation of public sector banks and arhtiyas seizing their assets after they fail to pay their outstanding loan.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This brings me to the moot question: Why are farmers in the country&amp;rsquo;s food bowl committing suicide? In 2015, 449 farmers ended their lives. It was a bad agricultural year but the death toll on the farm has been worsening with each passing month.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Between April 1 and April 26 this year, 39 farmers reportedly committed suicide. At this rate, I will not be surprised if the death toll this year tops last year&amp;rsquo;s figure. In fact, unofficial estimates have already exceeded last year&amp;rsquo;s toll. The fact that this is happening in Punjab, a state that is considered to be the most prosperous as far as agriculture is concerned, speaks volumes of the neglect, apathy and indifference. However, the entire blame cannot be laid on the state government. The Punjab Agricultural University and the Punjab Farmers Commission also have to admit that they have somehow failed to keep a check on the dark underbelly of Punjab agriculture. Needless to say, something is terribly wrong.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. 
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
	&#039;credit_writer&#039; =&gt; &#039;TheWire.in, 24 October, 2016, http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/&#039;,
	&#039;article_img&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
	&#039;article_img_thumb&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
	&#039;status&#039; =&gt; (int) 1,
	&#039;show_on_home&#039; =&gt; (int) 1,
	&#039;lang&#039; =&gt; &#039;EN&#039;,
	&#039;category_id&#039; =&gt; (int) 16,
	&#039;tag_keyword&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
	&#039;seo_url&#039; =&gt; &#039;it-will-take-more-than-a-loan-waiver-for-punjab039s-farmers-to-stop-killing-themselves-devinder-sharma-4680426&#039;,
	&#039;meta_title&#039; =&gt; null,
	&#039;meta_keywords&#039; =&gt; null,
	&#039;meta_description&#039; =&gt; null,
	&#039;noindex&#039; =&gt; (int) 0,
	&#039;publish_date&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {},
	&#039;most_visit_section_id&#039; =&gt; null,
	&#039;article_big_img&#039; =&gt; null,
	&#039;liveid&#039; =&gt; (int) 4680426,
	&#039;created&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
	&#039;modified&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
	&#039;edate&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
	&#039;tags&#039; =&gt; [
		(int) 0 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 1 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 2 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 3 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 4 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 5 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 6 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 7 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {}
	],
	&#039;category&#039; =&gt; object(App\Model\Entity\Category) {},
	&#039;[new]&#039; =&gt; false,
	&#039;[accessible]&#039; =&gt; [
		&#039;*&#039; =&gt; true,
		&#039;id&#039; =&gt; false
	],
	&#039;[dirty]&#039; =&gt; [],
	&#039;[original]&#039; =&gt; [],
	&#039;[virtual]&#039; =&gt; [],
	&#039;[hasErrors]&#039; =&gt; false,
	&#039;[errors]&#039; =&gt; [],
	&#039;[invalid]&#039; =&gt; [],
	&#039;[repository]&#039; =&gt; &#039;Articles&#039;

}
$articleid = (int) 32350
$metaTitle = &#039;LATEST NEWS UPDATES | It Will Take More than a Loan Waiver for Punjab&amp;#039;s Farmers to Stop Killing Themselves -Devinder Sharma&#039;
$metaKeywords = &#039;rural distress,agrarian crisis,Rural Debt,Rural Credit,Indebtedness,Farm Loans,Farm Debt,Farm Credit&#039;
$metaDesc = &#039;
-TheWire.in

Congress and AAP aim to write off farm loans if they come to power in Punjab. But such measures will only be useful only if accompanied by policy reforms like a sustainable farming system and assured monthly income for farmers.

Nirmal...&#039;
$disp = &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-TheWire.in&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Congress and AAP aim to write off farm loans if they come to power in Punjab. But such measures will only be useful only if accompanied by policy reforms like a sustainable farming system and assured monthly income for farmers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nirmal Singh, the leader of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta) from Sangrur district in Punjab, committed suicide last week. He was among the few farmer leaders who campaigned against the emerging trend of farmer suicides that has become rampant in Punjab.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Singh could not even wait a few more months despite knowing that the Congress party has promised to waive off entire farm loans if it comes to power. The catchy slogan Karza Kurki Khatam, Fasal Ki Poori Rakm has attracted a larger number of farmers to fill the loan waiver forms that the Congress party volunteers have been distributing. According to news reports, 22 lakh forms have been filled so far.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The spate of farmer suicides, however, has continued. Hardly a day goes by without reports of three to four suicides in the state. The recurring tragedy is happening at a time when the Aam Aadmi Party has also announced a loan waiver if it comes to power in the state.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In a kisan manifesto released in September, AAP has also promised to pay 50% profit over the cost of production as per the recommendation of the Swaminathan Committee. AAP has also launched a loan waiver campaign similar to that of the Congress.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;With two political parties promising to waive off the outstanding farm loans, it would have appeared that farmers would have preferred to wait and see the results before taking their own lives over their debt. After all, it is a matter of just a few more months.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But the reason why the farmers do not believe in the promises of the political parties could be due to their past experiences or because they know they are being treated like another vote bank.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Whatever the reason, the fact is that a progressive agricultural state like Punjab is facing a terrible agrarian crisis and, if my assessment is correct, its devastated farming system has virtually turned into a powder keg waiting for a trigger. In other words, the agrarian crisis that Punjab is facing today is in many ways the reason behind the growing drug menace. The political parties can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to the severity of the crisis that has been swept under the carpet for long. None of the parties, however, seem to know how to tame the prevailing crisis.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In Punjab, agrarian distress has been mounting with each passing year. According to a study by the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development, the debt of private moneylenders and commission agents has seen a significant hike in the past ten years. A survey by Punjabi University in Patiala published in January 2016 estimates the outstanding debt at Rs 69,355 crore. Government estimates put the figure at Rs 36,000 crore.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Most farmers commit suicide because they are unable to bear the humiliation of public sector banks and arhtiyas seizing their assets after they fail to pay their outstanding loan.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This brings me to the moot question: Why are farmers in the country&amp;rsquo;s food bowl committing suicide? In 2015, 449 farmers ended their lives. It was a bad agricultural year but the death toll on the farm has been worsening with each passing month.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Between April 1 and April 26 this year, 39 farmers reportedly committed suicide. At this rate, I will not be surprised if the death toll this year tops last year&amp;rsquo;s figure. In fact, unofficial estimates have already exceeded last year&amp;rsquo;s toll. The fact that this is happening in Punjab, a state that is considered to be the most prosperous as far as agriculture is concerned, speaks volumes of the neglect, apathy and indifference. However, the entire blame cannot be laid on the state government. The Punjab Agricultural University and the Punjab Farmers Commission also have to admit that they have somehow failed to keep a check on the dark underbelly of Punjab agriculture. Needless to say, something is terribly wrong.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/&quot; title=&quot;http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;
$lang = &#039;English&#039;
$SITE_URL = &#039;https://im4change.in/&#039;
$site_title = &#039;im4change&#039;
$adminprix = &#039;admin&#039;</pre><pre class="stack-trace">include - APP/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp, line 8
Cake\View\View::_evaluate() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1413
Cake\View\View::_render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1374
Cake\View\View::renderLayout() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 927
Cake\View\View::render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 885
Cake\Controller\Controller::render() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 791
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 126
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 94
Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/RoutingMiddleware.php, line 162
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php, line 88
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51</pre></div></pre>latest-news-updates/it-will-take-more-than-a-loan-waiver-for-punjab039s-farmers-to-stop-killing-themselves-devinder-sharma-4680426.html"/>
    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"/>
    <link href="https://im4change.in/css/control.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"
          media="all"/>
    <title>LATEST NEWS UPDATES | It Will Take More than a Loan Waiver for Punjab&#039;s Farmers to Stop Killing Themselves -Devinder Sharma | Im4change.org</title>
    <meta name="description" content="
-TheWire.in

Congress and AAP aim to write off farm loans if they come to power in Punjab. But such measures will only be useful only if accompanied by policy reforms like a sustainable farming system and assured monthly income for farmers.

Nirmal..."/>
    <script src="https://im4change.in/js/jquery-1.10.2.js"></script>
    <script type="text/javascript" src="https://im4change.in/js/jquery-migrate.min.js"></script>
    <script language="javascript" type="text/javascript">

        $(document).ready(function () {
            var img = $("img")[0]; // Get my img elem
            var pic_real_width, pic_real_height;
            $("<img/>") // Make in memory copy of image to avoid css issues
                .attr("src", $(img).attr("src"))
                .load(function () {
                    pic_real_width = this.width;   // Note: $(this).width() will not
                    pic_real_height = this.height; // work for in memory images.
                });
        });
    </script>
    <style type="text/css">
        @media screen {
            div.divFooter {
                display: block;
            }
        }

        @media print {
            .printbutton {
                display: none !important;
            }
        }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="98%" align="center">
    <tr>
        <td class="top_bg">
            <div class="divFooter">
                <img src="https://im4change.in/images/logo1.jpg" height="59" border="0"
                     alt="Resource centre on India's rural distress" style="padding-top:14px;"/>
            </div>

        </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td id="topspace">&nbsp;</td>
    </tr>

    <tr id="topspace">
        <td>&nbsp;</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td height="50" style="border-bottom:1px solid #000; padding-top:10px;" class="printbutton">
            <form><input type="button" value=" Print this page "
                         onclick="window.print();return false;"/></form>
        </td>
    </tr>

    <tr>
        <td width="100%">
            <h1 class="news_headlines" style="font-style:normal">
                <strong>It Will Take More than a Loan Waiver for Punjab&#039;s Farmers to Stop Killing Themselves -Devinder Sharma</strong></h1>
        </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td width="100%" style="font-family:Arial, 'Segoe Script', 'Segoe UI', sans-serif, serif"><font size="3">
                <div align="justify">-TheWire.in<br /><br /><em>Congress and AAP aim to write off farm loans if they come to power in Punjab. But such measures will only be useful only if accompanied by policy reforms like a sustainable farming system and assured monthly income for farmers.<br /></em><br />Nirmal Singh, the leader of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta) from Sangrur district in Punjab, committed suicide last week. He was among the few farmer leaders who campaigned against the emerging trend of farmer suicides that has become rampant in Punjab.<br /><br />Singh could not even wait a few more months despite knowing that the Congress party has promised to waive off entire farm loans if it comes to power. The catchy slogan Karza Kurki Khatam, Fasal Ki Poori Rakm has attracted a larger number of farmers to fill the loan waiver forms that the Congress party volunteers have been distributing. According to news reports, 22 lakh forms have been filled so far.<br /><br />The spate of farmer suicides, however, has continued. Hardly a day goes by without reports of three to four suicides in the state. The recurring tragedy is happening at a time when the Aam Aadmi Party has also announced a loan waiver if it comes to power in the state.<br /><br />In a kisan manifesto released in September, AAP has also promised to pay 50% profit over the cost of production as per the recommendation of the Swaminathan Committee. AAP has also launched a loan waiver campaign similar to that of the Congress.<br /><br />With two political parties promising to waive off the outstanding farm loans, it would have appeared that farmers would have preferred to wait and see the results before taking their own lives over their debt. After all, it is a matter of just a few more months.<br /><br />But the reason why the farmers do not believe in the promises of the political parties could be due to their past experiences or because they know they are being treated like another vote bank.<br /><br />Whatever the reason, the fact is that a progressive agricultural state like Punjab is facing a terrible agrarian crisis and, if my assessment is correct, its devastated farming system has virtually turned into a powder keg waiting for a trigger. In other words, the agrarian crisis that Punjab is facing today is in many ways the reason behind the growing drug menace. The political parties can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to the severity of the crisis that has been swept under the carpet for long. None of the parties, however, seem to know how to tame the prevailing crisis.<br /><br />In Punjab, agrarian distress has been mounting with each passing year. According to a study by the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development, the debt of private moneylenders and commission agents has seen a significant hike in the past ten years. A survey by Punjabi University in Patiala published in January 2016 estimates the outstanding debt at Rs 69,355 crore. Government estimates put the figure at Rs 36,000 crore.<br /><br />Most farmers commit suicide because they are unable to bear the humiliation of public sector banks and arhtiyas seizing their assets after they fail to pay their outstanding loan.<br /><br />This brings me to the moot question: Why are farmers in the country&rsquo;s food bowl committing suicide? In 2015, 449 farmers ended their lives. It was a bad agricultural year but the death toll on the farm has been worsening with each passing month.<br /><br />Between April 1 and April 26 this year, 39 farmers reportedly committed suicide. At this rate, I will not be surprised if the death toll this year tops last year&rsquo;s figure. In fact, unofficial estimates have already exceeded last year&rsquo;s toll. The fact that this is happening in Punjab, a state that is considered to be the most prosperous as far as agriculture is concerned, speaks volumes of the neglect, apathy and indifference. However, the entire blame cannot be laid on the state government. The Punjab Agricultural University and the Punjab Farmers Commission also have to admit that they have somehow failed to keep a check on the dark underbelly of Punjab agriculture. Needless to say, something is terribly wrong.<br /><br />Please <a href="http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/" title="http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/">click here</a> to read more. </div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div>               </font>
        </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td>&nbsp;</td>
    </tr>

    <tr>
        <td height="50" style="border-top:1px solid #000; border-bottom:1px solid #000;padding-top:10px;">
            <form><input type="button" value=" Print this page "
                         onclick="window.print();return false;"/></form>
        </td>
    </tr>
</table></body>
</html>'

}
$maxBufferLength = (int) 8192
$file = '/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php'
$line = (int) 853
$message = 'Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853'
Cake\Http\ResponseEmitter::emit() - CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48
Cake\Http\Server::emit() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 141
[main] - ROOT/webroot/index.php, line 39

Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Code Context
            $response->getStatusCode(),

            ($reasonPhrase ? ' ' . $reasonPhrase : '')

        ));
$response = object(Cake\Http\Response) {

	'status' => (int) 200,
	'contentType' => 'text/html',
	'headers' => [
		'Content-Type' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
	],
	'file' => null,
	'fileRange' => [],
	'cookies' => object(Cake\Http\Cookie\CookieCollection) {},
	'cacheDirectives' => [],
	'body' => '<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
        "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<head>
    <link rel="canonical" href="https://im4change.in/<pre class="cake-error"><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f03e9022deb-trace').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f03e9022deb-trace').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none');"><b>Notice</b> (8)</a>: Undefined variable: urlPrefix [<b>APP/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp</b>, line <b>8</b>]<div id="cakeErr67f03e9022deb-trace" class="cake-stack-trace" style="display: none;"><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f03e9022deb-code').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f03e9022deb-code').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none')">Code</a> <a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f03e9022deb-context').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f03e9022deb-context').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none')">Context</a><pre id="cakeErr67f03e9022deb-code" class="cake-code-dump" style="display: none;"><code><span style="color: #000000"><span style="color: #0000BB"></span><span style="color: #007700">&lt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">head</span><span style="color: #007700">&gt;
</span></span></code>
<span class="code-highlight"><code><span style="color: #000000">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&lt;link&nbsp;rel="canonical"&nbsp;href="<span style="color: #0000BB">&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">Configure</span><span style="color: #007700">::</span><span style="color: #0000BB">read</span><span style="color: #007700">(</span><span style="color: #DD0000">'SITE_URL'</span><span style="color: #007700">);&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">$urlPrefix</span><span style="color: #007700">;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">$article_current</span><span style="color: #007700">-&gt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">category</span><span style="color: #007700">-&gt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">slug</span><span style="color: #007700">;&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;</span>/<span style="color: #0000BB">&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">$article_current</span><span style="color: #007700">-&gt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">seo_url</span><span style="color: #007700">;&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;</span>.html"/&gt;
</span></code></span>
<code><span style="color: #000000"><span style="color: #0000BB">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">&lt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">meta&nbsp;http</span><span style="color: #007700">-</span><span style="color: #0000BB">equiv</span><span style="color: #007700">=</span><span style="color: #DD0000">"Content-Type"&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">content</span><span style="color: #007700">=</span><span style="color: #DD0000">"text/html;&nbsp;charset=utf-8"</span><span style="color: #007700">/&gt;
</span></span></code></pre><pre id="cakeErr67f03e9022deb-context" class="cake-context" style="display: none;">$viewFile = &#039;/home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp&#039;
$dataForView = [
	&#039;article_current&#039; =&gt; object(App\Model\Entity\Article) {

		&#039;id&#039; =&gt; (int) 32350,
		&#039;title&#039; =&gt; &#039;It Will Take More than a Loan Waiver for Punjab&amp;#039;s Farmers to Stop Killing Themselves -Devinder Sharma&#039;,
		&#039;subheading&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
		&#039;description&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
-TheWire.in&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Congress and AAP aim to write off farm loans if they come to power in Punjab. But such measures will only be useful only if accompanied by policy reforms like a sustainable farming system and assured monthly income for farmers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Nirmal Singh, the leader of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta) from Sangrur district in Punjab, committed suicide last week. He was among the few farmer leaders who campaigned against the emerging trend of farmer suicides that has become rampant in Punjab.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Singh could not even wait a few more months despite knowing that the Congress party has promised to waive off entire farm loans if it comes to power. The catchy slogan Karza Kurki Khatam, Fasal Ki Poori Rakm has attracted a larger number of farmers to fill the loan waiver forms that the Congress party volunteers have been distributing. According to news reports, 22 lakh forms have been filled so far.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The spate of farmer suicides, however, has continued. Hardly a day goes by without reports of three to four suicides in the state. The recurring tragedy is happening at a time when the Aam Aadmi Party has also announced a loan waiver if it comes to power in the state.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In a kisan manifesto released in September, AAP has also promised to pay 50% profit over the cost of production as per the recommendation of the Swaminathan Committee. AAP has also launched a loan waiver campaign similar to that of the Congress.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With two political parties promising to waive off the outstanding farm loans, it would have appeared that farmers would have preferred to wait and see the results before taking their own lives over their debt. After all, it is a matter of just a few more months.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But the reason why the farmers do not believe in the promises of the political parties could be due to their past experiences or because they know they are being treated like another vote bank.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Whatever the reason, the fact is that a progressive agricultural state like Punjab is facing a terrible agrarian crisis and, if my assessment is correct, its devastated farming system has virtually turned into a powder keg waiting for a trigger. In other words, the agrarian crisis that Punjab is facing today is in many ways the reason behind the growing drug menace. The political parties can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to the severity of the crisis that has been swept under the carpet for long. None of the parties, however, seem to know how to tame the prevailing crisis.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In Punjab, agrarian distress has been mounting with each passing year. According to a study by the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development, the debt of private moneylenders and commission agents has seen a significant hike in the past ten years. A survey by Punjabi University in Patiala published in January 2016 estimates the outstanding debt at Rs 69,355 crore. Government estimates put the figure at Rs 36,000 crore.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Most farmers commit suicide because they are unable to bear the humiliation of public sector banks and arhtiyas seizing their assets after they fail to pay their outstanding loan.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This brings me to the moot question: Why are farmers in the country&amp;rsquo;s food bowl committing suicide? In 2015, 449 farmers ended their lives. It was a bad agricultural year but the death toll on the farm has been worsening with each passing month.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Between April 1 and April 26 this year, 39 farmers reportedly committed suicide. At this rate, I will not be surprised if the death toll this year tops last year&amp;rsquo;s figure. In fact, unofficial estimates have already exceeded last year&amp;rsquo;s toll. The fact that this is happening in Punjab, a state that is considered to be the most prosperous as far as agriculture is concerned, speaks volumes of the neglect, apathy and indifference. However, the entire blame cannot be laid on the state government. The Punjab Agricultural University and the Punjab Farmers Commission also have to admit that they have somehow failed to keep a check on the dark underbelly of Punjab agriculture. Needless to say, something is terribly wrong.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. 
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
		&#039;credit_writer&#039; =&gt; &#039;TheWire.in, 24 October, 2016, http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/&#039;,
		&#039;article_img&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
		&#039;article_img_thumb&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
		&#039;status&#039; =&gt; (int) 1,
		&#039;show_on_home&#039; =&gt; (int) 1,
		&#039;lang&#039; =&gt; &#039;EN&#039;,
		&#039;category_id&#039; =&gt; (int) 16,
		&#039;tag_keyword&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
		&#039;seo_url&#039; =&gt; &#039;it-will-take-more-than-a-loan-waiver-for-punjab039s-farmers-to-stop-killing-themselves-devinder-sharma-4680426&#039;,
		&#039;meta_title&#039; =&gt; null,
		&#039;meta_keywords&#039; =&gt; null,
		&#039;meta_description&#039; =&gt; null,
		&#039;noindex&#039; =&gt; (int) 0,
		&#039;publish_date&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {},
		&#039;most_visit_section_id&#039; =&gt; null,
		&#039;article_big_img&#039; =&gt; null,
		&#039;liveid&#039; =&gt; (int) 4680426,
		&#039;created&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		&#039;modified&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		&#039;edate&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
		&#039;tags&#039; =&gt; [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		&#039;category&#039; =&gt; object(App\Model\Entity\Category) {},
		&#039;[new]&#039; =&gt; false,
		&#039;[accessible]&#039; =&gt; [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		&#039;[dirty]&#039; =&gt; [[maximum depth reached]],
		&#039;[original]&#039; =&gt; [[maximum depth reached]],
		&#039;[virtual]&#039; =&gt; [[maximum depth reached]],
		&#039;[hasErrors]&#039; =&gt; false,
		&#039;[errors]&#039; =&gt; [[maximum depth reached]],
		&#039;[invalid]&#039; =&gt; [[maximum depth reached]],
		&#039;[repository]&#039; =&gt; &#039;Articles&#039;
	
	},
	&#039;articleid&#039; =&gt; (int) 32350,
	&#039;metaTitle&#039; =&gt; &#039;LATEST NEWS UPDATES | It Will Take More than a Loan Waiver for Punjab&amp;#039;s Farmers to Stop Killing Themselves -Devinder Sharma&#039;,
	&#039;metaKeywords&#039; =&gt; &#039;rural distress,agrarian crisis,Rural Debt,Rural Credit,Indebtedness,Farm Loans,Farm Debt,Farm Credit&#039;,
	&#039;metaDesc&#039; =&gt; &#039;
-TheWire.in

Congress and AAP aim to write off farm loans if they come to power in Punjab. But such measures will only be useful only if accompanied by policy reforms like a sustainable farming system and assured monthly income for farmers.

Nirmal...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-TheWire.in&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Congress and AAP aim to write off farm loans if they come to power in Punjab. But such measures will only be useful only if accompanied by policy reforms like a sustainable farming system and assured monthly income for farmers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nirmal Singh, the leader of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta) from Sangrur district in Punjab, committed suicide last week. He was among the few farmer leaders who campaigned against the emerging trend of farmer suicides that has become rampant in Punjab.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Singh could not even wait a few more months despite knowing that the Congress party has promised to waive off entire farm loans if it comes to power. The catchy slogan Karza Kurki Khatam, Fasal Ki Poori Rakm has attracted a larger number of farmers to fill the loan waiver forms that the Congress party volunteers have been distributing. According to news reports, 22 lakh forms have been filled so far.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The spate of farmer suicides, however, has continued. Hardly a day goes by without reports of three to four suicides in the state. The recurring tragedy is happening at a time when the Aam Aadmi Party has also announced a loan waiver if it comes to power in the state.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In a kisan manifesto released in September, AAP has also promised to pay 50% profit over the cost of production as per the recommendation of the Swaminathan Committee. AAP has also launched a loan waiver campaign similar to that of the Congress.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;With two political parties promising to waive off the outstanding farm loans, it would have appeared that farmers would have preferred to wait and see the results before taking their own lives over their debt. After all, it is a matter of just a few more months.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But the reason why the farmers do not believe in the promises of the political parties could be due to their past experiences or because they know they are being treated like another vote bank.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Whatever the reason, the fact is that a progressive agricultural state like Punjab is facing a terrible agrarian crisis and, if my assessment is correct, its devastated farming system has virtually turned into a powder keg waiting for a trigger. In other words, the agrarian crisis that Punjab is facing today is in many ways the reason behind the growing drug menace. The political parties can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to the severity of the crisis that has been swept under the carpet for long. None of the parties, however, seem to know how to tame the prevailing crisis.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In Punjab, agrarian distress has been mounting with each passing year. According to a study by the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development, the debt of private moneylenders and commission agents has seen a significant hike in the past ten years. A survey by Punjabi University in Patiala published in January 2016 estimates the outstanding debt at Rs 69,355 crore. Government estimates put the figure at Rs 36,000 crore.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Most farmers commit suicide because they are unable to bear the humiliation of public sector banks and arhtiyas seizing their assets after they fail to pay their outstanding loan.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This brings me to the moot question: Why are farmers in the country&amp;rsquo;s food bowl committing suicide? In 2015, 449 farmers ended their lives. It was a bad agricultural year but the death toll on the farm has been worsening with each passing month.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Between April 1 and April 26 this year, 39 farmers reportedly committed suicide. At this rate, I will not be surprised if the death toll this year tops last year&amp;rsquo;s figure. In fact, unofficial estimates have already exceeded last year&amp;rsquo;s toll. The fact that this is happening in Punjab, a state that is considered to be the most prosperous as far as agriculture is concerned, speaks volumes of the neglect, apathy and indifference. However, the entire blame cannot be laid on the state government. The Punjab Agricultural University and the Punjab Farmers Commission also have to admit that they have somehow failed to keep a check on the dark underbelly of Punjab agriculture. Needless to say, something is terribly wrong.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/&quot; title=&quot;http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
	&#039;lang&#039; =&gt; &#039;English&#039;,
	&#039;SITE_URL&#039; =&gt; &#039;https://im4change.in/&#039;,
	&#039;site_title&#039; =&gt; &#039;im4change&#039;,
	&#039;adminprix&#039; =&gt; &#039;admin&#039;
]
$article_current = object(App\Model\Entity\Article) {

	&#039;id&#039; =&gt; (int) 32350,
	&#039;title&#039; =&gt; &#039;It Will Take More than a Loan Waiver for Punjab&amp;#039;s Farmers to Stop Killing Themselves -Devinder Sharma&#039;,
	&#039;subheading&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
	&#039;description&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
-TheWire.in&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Congress and AAP aim to write off farm loans if they come to power in Punjab. But such measures will only be useful only if accompanied by policy reforms like a sustainable farming system and assured monthly income for farmers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Nirmal Singh, the leader of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta) from Sangrur district in Punjab, committed suicide last week. He was among the few farmer leaders who campaigned against the emerging trend of farmer suicides that has become rampant in Punjab.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Singh could not even wait a few more months despite knowing that the Congress party has promised to waive off entire farm loans if it comes to power. The catchy slogan Karza Kurki Khatam, Fasal Ki Poori Rakm has attracted a larger number of farmers to fill the loan waiver forms that the Congress party volunteers have been distributing. According to news reports, 22 lakh forms have been filled so far.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The spate of farmer suicides, however, has continued. Hardly a day goes by without reports of three to four suicides in the state. The recurring tragedy is happening at a time when the Aam Aadmi Party has also announced a loan waiver if it comes to power in the state.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In a kisan manifesto released in September, AAP has also promised to pay 50% profit over the cost of production as per the recommendation of the Swaminathan Committee. AAP has also launched a loan waiver campaign similar to that of the Congress.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With two political parties promising to waive off the outstanding farm loans, it would have appeared that farmers would have preferred to wait and see the results before taking their own lives over their debt. After all, it is a matter of just a few more months.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But the reason why the farmers do not believe in the promises of the political parties could be due to their past experiences or because they know they are being treated like another vote bank.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Whatever the reason, the fact is that a progressive agricultural state like Punjab is facing a terrible agrarian crisis and, if my assessment is correct, its devastated farming system has virtually turned into a powder keg waiting for a trigger. In other words, the agrarian crisis that Punjab is facing today is in many ways the reason behind the growing drug menace. The political parties can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to the severity of the crisis that has been swept under the carpet for long. None of the parties, however, seem to know how to tame the prevailing crisis.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In Punjab, agrarian distress has been mounting with each passing year. According to a study by the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development, the debt of private moneylenders and commission agents has seen a significant hike in the past ten years. A survey by Punjabi University in Patiala published in January 2016 estimates the outstanding debt at Rs 69,355 crore. Government estimates put the figure at Rs 36,000 crore.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Most farmers commit suicide because they are unable to bear the humiliation of public sector banks and arhtiyas seizing their assets after they fail to pay their outstanding loan.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This brings me to the moot question: Why are farmers in the country&amp;rsquo;s food bowl committing suicide? In 2015, 449 farmers ended their lives. It was a bad agricultural year but the death toll on the farm has been worsening with each passing month.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Between April 1 and April 26 this year, 39 farmers reportedly committed suicide. At this rate, I will not be surprised if the death toll this year tops last year&amp;rsquo;s figure. In fact, unofficial estimates have already exceeded last year&amp;rsquo;s toll. The fact that this is happening in Punjab, a state that is considered to be the most prosperous as far as agriculture is concerned, speaks volumes of the neglect, apathy and indifference. However, the entire blame cannot be laid on the state government. The Punjab Agricultural University and the Punjab Farmers Commission also have to admit that they have somehow failed to keep a check on the dark underbelly of Punjab agriculture. Needless to say, something is terribly wrong.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. 
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
	&#039;credit_writer&#039; =&gt; &#039;TheWire.in, 24 October, 2016, http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/&#039;,
	&#039;article_img&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
	&#039;article_img_thumb&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
	&#039;status&#039; =&gt; (int) 1,
	&#039;show_on_home&#039; =&gt; (int) 1,
	&#039;lang&#039; =&gt; &#039;EN&#039;,
	&#039;category_id&#039; =&gt; (int) 16,
	&#039;tag_keyword&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
	&#039;seo_url&#039; =&gt; &#039;it-will-take-more-than-a-loan-waiver-for-punjab039s-farmers-to-stop-killing-themselves-devinder-sharma-4680426&#039;,
	&#039;meta_title&#039; =&gt; null,
	&#039;meta_keywords&#039; =&gt; null,
	&#039;meta_description&#039; =&gt; null,
	&#039;noindex&#039; =&gt; (int) 0,
	&#039;publish_date&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {},
	&#039;most_visit_section_id&#039; =&gt; null,
	&#039;article_big_img&#039; =&gt; null,
	&#039;liveid&#039; =&gt; (int) 4680426,
	&#039;created&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
	&#039;modified&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
	&#039;edate&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
	&#039;tags&#039; =&gt; [
		(int) 0 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 1 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 2 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 3 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 4 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 5 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 6 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 7 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {}
	],
	&#039;category&#039; =&gt; object(App\Model\Entity\Category) {},
	&#039;[new]&#039; =&gt; false,
	&#039;[accessible]&#039; =&gt; [
		&#039;*&#039; =&gt; true,
		&#039;id&#039; =&gt; false
	],
	&#039;[dirty]&#039; =&gt; [],
	&#039;[original]&#039; =&gt; [],
	&#039;[virtual]&#039; =&gt; [],
	&#039;[hasErrors]&#039; =&gt; false,
	&#039;[errors]&#039; =&gt; [],
	&#039;[invalid]&#039; =&gt; [],
	&#039;[repository]&#039; =&gt; &#039;Articles&#039;

}
$articleid = (int) 32350
$metaTitle = &#039;LATEST NEWS UPDATES | It Will Take More than a Loan Waiver for Punjab&amp;#039;s Farmers to Stop Killing Themselves -Devinder Sharma&#039;
$metaKeywords = &#039;rural distress,agrarian crisis,Rural Debt,Rural Credit,Indebtedness,Farm Loans,Farm Debt,Farm Credit&#039;
$metaDesc = &#039;
-TheWire.in

Congress and AAP aim to write off farm loans if they come to power in Punjab. But such measures will only be useful only if accompanied by policy reforms like a sustainable farming system and assured monthly income for farmers.

Nirmal...&#039;
$disp = &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-TheWire.in&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Congress and AAP aim to write off farm loans if they come to power in Punjab. But such measures will only be useful only if accompanied by policy reforms like a sustainable farming system and assured monthly income for farmers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nirmal Singh, the leader of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta) from Sangrur district in Punjab, committed suicide last week. He was among the few farmer leaders who campaigned against the emerging trend of farmer suicides that has become rampant in Punjab.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Singh could not even wait a few more months despite knowing that the Congress party has promised to waive off entire farm loans if it comes to power. The catchy slogan Karza Kurki Khatam, Fasal Ki Poori Rakm has attracted a larger number of farmers to fill the loan waiver forms that the Congress party volunteers have been distributing. According to news reports, 22 lakh forms have been filled so far.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The spate of farmer suicides, however, has continued. Hardly a day goes by without reports of three to four suicides in the state. The recurring tragedy is happening at a time when the Aam Aadmi Party has also announced a loan waiver if it comes to power in the state.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In a kisan manifesto released in September, AAP has also promised to pay 50% profit over the cost of production as per the recommendation of the Swaminathan Committee. AAP has also launched a loan waiver campaign similar to that of the Congress.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;With two political parties promising to waive off the outstanding farm loans, it would have appeared that farmers would have preferred to wait and see the results before taking their own lives over their debt. After all, it is a matter of just a few more months.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But the reason why the farmers do not believe in the promises of the political parties could be due to their past experiences or because they know they are being treated like another vote bank.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Whatever the reason, the fact is that a progressive agricultural state like Punjab is facing a terrible agrarian crisis and, if my assessment is correct, its devastated farming system has virtually turned into a powder keg waiting for a trigger. In other words, the agrarian crisis that Punjab is facing today is in many ways the reason behind the growing drug menace. The political parties can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to the severity of the crisis that has been swept under the carpet for long. None of the parties, however, seem to know how to tame the prevailing crisis.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In Punjab, agrarian distress has been mounting with each passing year. According to a study by the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development, the debt of private moneylenders and commission agents has seen a significant hike in the past ten years. A survey by Punjabi University in Patiala published in January 2016 estimates the outstanding debt at Rs 69,355 crore. Government estimates put the figure at Rs 36,000 crore.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Most farmers commit suicide because they are unable to bear the humiliation of public sector banks and arhtiyas seizing their assets after they fail to pay their outstanding loan.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This brings me to the moot question: Why are farmers in the country&amp;rsquo;s food bowl committing suicide? In 2015, 449 farmers ended their lives. It was a bad agricultural year but the death toll on the farm has been worsening with each passing month.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Between April 1 and April 26 this year, 39 farmers reportedly committed suicide. At this rate, I will not be surprised if the death toll this year tops last year&amp;rsquo;s figure. In fact, unofficial estimates have already exceeded last year&amp;rsquo;s toll. The fact that this is happening in Punjab, a state that is considered to be the most prosperous as far as agriculture is concerned, speaks volumes of the neglect, apathy and indifference. However, the entire blame cannot be laid on the state government. The Punjab Agricultural University and the Punjab Farmers Commission also have to admit that they have somehow failed to keep a check on the dark underbelly of Punjab agriculture. Needless to say, something is terribly wrong.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/&quot; title=&quot;http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;
$lang = &#039;English&#039;
$SITE_URL = &#039;https://im4change.in/&#039;
$site_title = &#039;im4change&#039;
$adminprix = &#039;admin&#039;</pre><pre class="stack-trace">include - APP/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp, line 8
Cake\View\View::_evaluate() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1413
Cake\View\View::_render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1374
Cake\View\View::renderLayout() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 927
Cake\View\View::render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 885
Cake\Controller\Controller::render() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 791
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 126
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 94
Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/RoutingMiddleware.php, line 162
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php, line 88
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51</pre></div></pre>latest-news-updates/it-will-take-more-than-a-loan-waiver-for-punjab039s-farmers-to-stop-killing-themselves-devinder-sharma-4680426.html"/>
    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"/>
    <link href="https://im4change.in/css/control.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"
          media="all"/>
    <title>LATEST NEWS UPDATES | It Will Take More than a Loan Waiver for Punjab&#039;s Farmers to Stop Killing Themselves -Devinder Sharma | Im4change.org</title>
    <meta name="description" content="
-TheWire.in

Congress and AAP aim to write off farm loans if they come to power in Punjab. But such measures will only be useful only if accompanied by policy reforms like a sustainable farming system and assured monthly income for farmers.

Nirmal..."/>
    <script src="https://im4change.in/js/jquery-1.10.2.js"></script>
    <script type="text/javascript" src="https://im4change.in/js/jquery-migrate.min.js"></script>
    <script language="javascript" type="text/javascript">

        $(document).ready(function () {
            var img = $("img")[0]; // Get my img elem
            var pic_real_width, pic_real_height;
            $("<img/>") // Make in memory copy of image to avoid css issues
                .attr("src", $(img).attr("src"))
                .load(function () {
                    pic_real_width = this.width;   // Note: $(this).width() will not
                    pic_real_height = this.height; // work for in memory images.
                });
        });
    </script>
    <style type="text/css">
        @media screen {
            div.divFooter {
                display: block;
            }
        }

        @media print {
            .printbutton {
                display: none !important;
            }
        }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="98%" align="center">
    <tr>
        <td class="top_bg">
            <div class="divFooter">
                <img src="https://im4change.in/images/logo1.jpg" height="59" border="0"
                     alt="Resource centre on India's rural distress" style="padding-top:14px;"/>
            </div>

        </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td id="topspace">&nbsp;</td>
    </tr>

    <tr id="topspace">
        <td>&nbsp;</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td height="50" style="border-bottom:1px solid #000; padding-top:10px;" class="printbutton">
            <form><input type="button" value=" Print this page "
                         onclick="window.print();return false;"/></form>
        </td>
    </tr>

    <tr>
        <td width="100%">
            <h1 class="news_headlines" style="font-style:normal">
                <strong>It Will Take More than a Loan Waiver for Punjab&#039;s Farmers to Stop Killing Themselves -Devinder Sharma</strong></h1>
        </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td width="100%" style="font-family:Arial, 'Segoe Script', 'Segoe UI', sans-serif, serif"><font size="3">
                <div align="justify">-TheWire.in<br /><br /><em>Congress and AAP aim to write off farm loans if they come to power in Punjab. But such measures will only be useful only if accompanied by policy reforms like a sustainable farming system and assured monthly income for farmers.<br /></em><br />Nirmal Singh, the leader of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta) from Sangrur district in Punjab, committed suicide last week. He was among the few farmer leaders who campaigned against the emerging trend of farmer suicides that has become rampant in Punjab.<br /><br />Singh could not even wait a few more months despite knowing that the Congress party has promised to waive off entire farm loans if it comes to power. The catchy slogan Karza Kurki Khatam, Fasal Ki Poori Rakm has attracted a larger number of farmers to fill the loan waiver forms that the Congress party volunteers have been distributing. According to news reports, 22 lakh forms have been filled so far.<br /><br />The spate of farmer suicides, however, has continued. Hardly a day goes by without reports of three to four suicides in the state. The recurring tragedy is happening at a time when the Aam Aadmi Party has also announced a loan waiver if it comes to power in the state.<br /><br />In a kisan manifesto released in September, AAP has also promised to pay 50% profit over the cost of production as per the recommendation of the Swaminathan Committee. AAP has also launched a loan waiver campaign similar to that of the Congress.<br /><br />With two political parties promising to waive off the outstanding farm loans, it would have appeared that farmers would have preferred to wait and see the results before taking their own lives over their debt. After all, it is a matter of just a few more months.<br /><br />But the reason why the farmers do not believe in the promises of the political parties could be due to their past experiences or because they know they are being treated like another vote bank.<br /><br />Whatever the reason, the fact is that a progressive agricultural state like Punjab is facing a terrible agrarian crisis and, if my assessment is correct, its devastated farming system has virtually turned into a powder keg waiting for a trigger. In other words, the agrarian crisis that Punjab is facing today is in many ways the reason behind the growing drug menace. The political parties can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to the severity of the crisis that has been swept under the carpet for long. None of the parties, however, seem to know how to tame the prevailing crisis.<br /><br />In Punjab, agrarian distress has been mounting with each passing year. According to a study by the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development, the debt of private moneylenders and commission agents has seen a significant hike in the past ten years. A survey by Punjabi University in Patiala published in January 2016 estimates the outstanding debt at Rs 69,355 crore. Government estimates put the figure at Rs 36,000 crore.<br /><br />Most farmers commit suicide because they are unable to bear the humiliation of public sector banks and arhtiyas seizing their assets after they fail to pay their outstanding loan.<br /><br />This brings me to the moot question: Why are farmers in the country&rsquo;s food bowl committing suicide? In 2015, 449 farmers ended their lives. It was a bad agricultural year but the death toll on the farm has been worsening with each passing month.<br /><br />Between April 1 and April 26 this year, 39 farmers reportedly committed suicide. At this rate, I will not be surprised if the death toll this year tops last year&rsquo;s figure. In fact, unofficial estimates have already exceeded last year&rsquo;s toll. The fact that this is happening in Punjab, a state that is considered to be the most prosperous as far as agriculture is concerned, speaks volumes of the neglect, apathy and indifference. However, the entire blame cannot be laid on the state government. The Punjab Agricultural University and the Punjab Farmers Commission also have to admit that they have somehow failed to keep a check on the dark underbelly of Punjab agriculture. Needless to say, something is terribly wrong.<br /><br />Please <a href="http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/" title="http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/">click here</a> to read more. </div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div>               </font>
        </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td>&nbsp;</td>
    </tr>

    <tr>
        <td height="50" style="border-top:1px solid #000; border-bottom:1px solid #000;padding-top:10px;">
            <form><input type="button" value=" Print this page "
                         onclick="window.print();return false;"/></form>
        </td>
    </tr>
</table></body>
</html>'

}
$reasonPhrase = 'OK'
header - [internal], line ??
Cake\Http\ResponseEmitter::emitStatusLine() - CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148
Cake\Http\ResponseEmitter::emit() - CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 54
Cake\Http\Server::emit() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 141
[main] - ROOT/webroot/index.php, line 39

Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
Code Context
                    $value

                ), $first);

                $first = false;
$response = object(Cake\Http\Response) {

	'status' => (int) 200,
	'contentType' => 'text/html',
	'headers' => [
		'Content-Type' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		]
	],
	'file' => null,
	'fileRange' => [],
	'cookies' => object(Cake\Http\Cookie\CookieCollection) {},
	'cacheDirectives' => [],
	'body' => '<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
        "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<head>
    <link rel="canonical" href="https://im4change.in/<pre class="cake-error"><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f03e9022deb-trace').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f03e9022deb-trace').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none');"><b>Notice</b> (8)</a>: Undefined variable: urlPrefix [<b>APP/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp</b>, line <b>8</b>]<div id="cakeErr67f03e9022deb-trace" class="cake-stack-trace" style="display: none;"><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f03e9022deb-code').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f03e9022deb-code').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none')">Code</a> <a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f03e9022deb-context').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f03e9022deb-context').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none')">Context</a><pre id="cakeErr67f03e9022deb-code" class="cake-code-dump" style="display: none;"><code><span style="color: #000000"><span style="color: #0000BB"></span><span style="color: #007700">&lt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">head</span><span style="color: #007700">&gt;
</span></span></code>
<span class="code-highlight"><code><span style="color: #000000">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&lt;link&nbsp;rel="canonical"&nbsp;href="<span style="color: #0000BB">&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">Configure</span><span style="color: #007700">::</span><span style="color: #0000BB">read</span><span style="color: #007700">(</span><span style="color: #DD0000">'SITE_URL'</span><span style="color: #007700">);&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">$urlPrefix</span><span style="color: #007700">;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">$article_current</span><span style="color: #007700">-&gt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">category</span><span style="color: #007700">-&gt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">slug</span><span style="color: #007700">;&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;</span>/<span style="color: #0000BB">&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">$article_current</span><span style="color: #007700">-&gt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">seo_url</span><span style="color: #007700">;&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;</span>.html"/&gt;
</span></code></span>
<code><span style="color: #000000"><span style="color: #0000BB">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">&lt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">meta&nbsp;http</span><span style="color: #007700">-</span><span style="color: #0000BB">equiv</span><span style="color: #007700">=</span><span style="color: #DD0000">"Content-Type"&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">content</span><span style="color: #007700">=</span><span style="color: #DD0000">"text/html;&nbsp;charset=utf-8"</span><span style="color: #007700">/&gt;
</span></span></code></pre><pre id="cakeErr67f03e9022deb-context" class="cake-context" style="display: none;">$viewFile = &#039;/home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp&#039;
$dataForView = [
	&#039;article_current&#039; =&gt; object(App\Model\Entity\Article) {

		&#039;id&#039; =&gt; (int) 32350,
		&#039;title&#039; =&gt; &#039;It Will Take More than a Loan Waiver for Punjab&amp;#039;s Farmers to Stop Killing Themselves -Devinder Sharma&#039;,
		&#039;subheading&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
		&#039;description&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
-TheWire.in&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Congress and AAP aim to write off farm loans if they come to power in Punjab. But such measures will only be useful only if accompanied by policy reforms like a sustainable farming system and assured monthly income for farmers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Nirmal Singh, the leader of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta) from Sangrur district in Punjab, committed suicide last week. He was among the few farmer leaders who campaigned against the emerging trend of farmer suicides that has become rampant in Punjab.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Singh could not even wait a few more months despite knowing that the Congress party has promised to waive off entire farm loans if it comes to power. The catchy slogan Karza Kurki Khatam, Fasal Ki Poori Rakm has attracted a larger number of farmers to fill the loan waiver forms that the Congress party volunteers have been distributing. According to news reports, 22 lakh forms have been filled so far.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The spate of farmer suicides, however, has continued. Hardly a day goes by without reports of three to four suicides in the state. The recurring tragedy is happening at a time when the Aam Aadmi Party has also announced a loan waiver if it comes to power in the state.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In a kisan manifesto released in September, AAP has also promised to pay 50% profit over the cost of production as per the recommendation of the Swaminathan Committee. AAP has also launched a loan waiver campaign similar to that of the Congress.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With two political parties promising to waive off the outstanding farm loans, it would have appeared that farmers would have preferred to wait and see the results before taking their own lives over their debt. After all, it is a matter of just a few more months.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But the reason why the farmers do not believe in the promises of the political parties could be due to their past experiences or because they know they are being treated like another vote bank.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Whatever the reason, the fact is that a progressive agricultural state like Punjab is facing a terrible agrarian crisis and, if my assessment is correct, its devastated farming system has virtually turned into a powder keg waiting for a trigger. In other words, the agrarian crisis that Punjab is facing today is in many ways the reason behind the growing drug menace. The political parties can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to the severity of the crisis that has been swept under the carpet for long. None of the parties, however, seem to know how to tame the prevailing crisis.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In Punjab, agrarian distress has been mounting with each passing year. According to a study by the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development, the debt of private moneylenders and commission agents has seen a significant hike in the past ten years. A survey by Punjabi University in Patiala published in January 2016 estimates the outstanding debt at Rs 69,355 crore. Government estimates put the figure at Rs 36,000 crore.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Most farmers commit suicide because they are unable to bear the humiliation of public sector banks and arhtiyas seizing their assets after they fail to pay their outstanding loan.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This brings me to the moot question: Why are farmers in the country&amp;rsquo;s food bowl committing suicide? In 2015, 449 farmers ended their lives. It was a bad agricultural year but the death toll on the farm has been worsening with each passing month.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Between April 1 and April 26 this year, 39 farmers reportedly committed suicide. At this rate, I will not be surprised if the death toll this year tops last year&amp;rsquo;s figure. In fact, unofficial estimates have already exceeded last year&amp;rsquo;s toll. The fact that this is happening in Punjab, a state that is considered to be the most prosperous as far as agriculture is concerned, speaks volumes of the neglect, apathy and indifference. However, the entire blame cannot be laid on the state government. The Punjab Agricultural University and the Punjab Farmers Commission also have to admit that they have somehow failed to keep a check on the dark underbelly of Punjab agriculture. Needless to say, something is terribly wrong.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. 
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
		&#039;credit_writer&#039; =&gt; &#039;TheWire.in, 24 October, 2016, http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/&#039;,
		&#039;article_img&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
		&#039;article_img_thumb&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
		&#039;status&#039; =&gt; (int) 1,
		&#039;show_on_home&#039; =&gt; (int) 1,
		&#039;lang&#039; =&gt; &#039;EN&#039;,
		&#039;category_id&#039; =&gt; (int) 16,
		&#039;tag_keyword&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
		&#039;seo_url&#039; =&gt; &#039;it-will-take-more-than-a-loan-waiver-for-punjab039s-farmers-to-stop-killing-themselves-devinder-sharma-4680426&#039;,
		&#039;meta_title&#039; =&gt; null,
		&#039;meta_keywords&#039; =&gt; null,
		&#039;meta_description&#039; =&gt; null,
		&#039;noindex&#039; =&gt; (int) 0,
		&#039;publish_date&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {},
		&#039;most_visit_section_id&#039; =&gt; null,
		&#039;article_big_img&#039; =&gt; null,
		&#039;liveid&#039; =&gt; (int) 4680426,
		&#039;created&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		&#039;modified&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		&#039;edate&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
		&#039;tags&#039; =&gt; [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		&#039;category&#039; =&gt; object(App\Model\Entity\Category) {},
		&#039;[new]&#039; =&gt; false,
		&#039;[accessible]&#039; =&gt; [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		&#039;[dirty]&#039; =&gt; [[maximum depth reached]],
		&#039;[original]&#039; =&gt; [[maximum depth reached]],
		&#039;[virtual]&#039; =&gt; [[maximum depth reached]],
		&#039;[hasErrors]&#039; =&gt; false,
		&#039;[errors]&#039; =&gt; [[maximum depth reached]],
		&#039;[invalid]&#039; =&gt; [[maximum depth reached]],
		&#039;[repository]&#039; =&gt; &#039;Articles&#039;
	
	},
	&#039;articleid&#039; =&gt; (int) 32350,
	&#039;metaTitle&#039; =&gt; &#039;LATEST NEWS UPDATES | It Will Take More than a Loan Waiver for Punjab&amp;#039;s Farmers to Stop Killing Themselves -Devinder Sharma&#039;,
	&#039;metaKeywords&#039; =&gt; &#039;rural distress,agrarian crisis,Rural Debt,Rural Credit,Indebtedness,Farm Loans,Farm Debt,Farm Credit&#039;,
	&#039;metaDesc&#039; =&gt; &#039;
-TheWire.in

Congress and AAP aim to write off farm loans if they come to power in Punjab. But such measures will only be useful only if accompanied by policy reforms like a sustainable farming system and assured monthly income for farmers.

Nirmal...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-TheWire.in&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Congress and AAP aim to write off farm loans if they come to power in Punjab. But such measures will only be useful only if accompanied by policy reforms like a sustainable farming system and assured monthly income for farmers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nirmal Singh, the leader of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta) from Sangrur district in Punjab, committed suicide last week. He was among the few farmer leaders who campaigned against the emerging trend of farmer suicides that has become rampant in Punjab.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Singh could not even wait a few more months despite knowing that the Congress party has promised to waive off entire farm loans if it comes to power. The catchy slogan Karza Kurki Khatam, Fasal Ki Poori Rakm has attracted a larger number of farmers to fill the loan waiver forms that the Congress party volunteers have been distributing. According to news reports, 22 lakh forms have been filled so far.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The spate of farmer suicides, however, has continued. Hardly a day goes by without reports of three to four suicides in the state. The recurring tragedy is happening at a time when the Aam Aadmi Party has also announced a loan waiver if it comes to power in the state.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In a kisan manifesto released in September, AAP has also promised to pay 50% profit over the cost of production as per the recommendation of the Swaminathan Committee. AAP has also launched a loan waiver campaign similar to that of the Congress.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;With two political parties promising to waive off the outstanding farm loans, it would have appeared that farmers would have preferred to wait and see the results before taking their own lives over their debt. After all, it is a matter of just a few more months.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But the reason why the farmers do not believe in the promises of the political parties could be due to their past experiences or because they know they are being treated like another vote bank.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Whatever the reason, the fact is that a progressive agricultural state like Punjab is facing a terrible agrarian crisis and, if my assessment is correct, its devastated farming system has virtually turned into a powder keg waiting for a trigger. In other words, the agrarian crisis that Punjab is facing today is in many ways the reason behind the growing drug menace. The political parties can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to the severity of the crisis that has been swept under the carpet for long. None of the parties, however, seem to know how to tame the prevailing crisis.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In Punjab, agrarian distress has been mounting with each passing year. According to a study by the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development, the debt of private moneylenders and commission agents has seen a significant hike in the past ten years. A survey by Punjabi University in Patiala published in January 2016 estimates the outstanding debt at Rs 69,355 crore. Government estimates put the figure at Rs 36,000 crore.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Most farmers commit suicide because they are unable to bear the humiliation of public sector banks and arhtiyas seizing their assets after they fail to pay their outstanding loan.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This brings me to the moot question: Why are farmers in the country&amp;rsquo;s food bowl committing suicide? In 2015, 449 farmers ended their lives. It was a bad agricultural year but the death toll on the farm has been worsening with each passing month.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Between April 1 and April 26 this year, 39 farmers reportedly committed suicide. At this rate, I will not be surprised if the death toll this year tops last year&amp;rsquo;s figure. In fact, unofficial estimates have already exceeded last year&amp;rsquo;s toll. The fact that this is happening in Punjab, a state that is considered to be the most prosperous as far as agriculture is concerned, speaks volumes of the neglect, apathy and indifference. However, the entire blame cannot be laid on the state government. The Punjab Agricultural University and the Punjab Farmers Commission also have to admit that they have somehow failed to keep a check on the dark underbelly of Punjab agriculture. Needless to say, something is terribly wrong.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/&quot; title=&quot;http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
	&#039;lang&#039; =&gt; &#039;English&#039;,
	&#039;SITE_URL&#039; =&gt; &#039;https://im4change.in/&#039;,
	&#039;site_title&#039; =&gt; &#039;im4change&#039;,
	&#039;adminprix&#039; =&gt; &#039;admin&#039;
]
$article_current = object(App\Model\Entity\Article) {

	&#039;id&#039; =&gt; (int) 32350,
	&#039;title&#039; =&gt; &#039;It Will Take More than a Loan Waiver for Punjab&amp;#039;s Farmers to Stop Killing Themselves -Devinder Sharma&#039;,
	&#039;subheading&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
	&#039;description&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
-TheWire.in&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Congress and AAP aim to write off farm loans if they come to power in Punjab. But such measures will only be useful only if accompanied by policy reforms like a sustainable farming system and assured monthly income for farmers.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Nirmal Singh, the leader of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta) from Sangrur district in Punjab, committed suicide last week. He was among the few farmer leaders who campaigned against the emerging trend of farmer suicides that has become rampant in Punjab.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Singh could not even wait a few more months despite knowing that the Congress party has promised to waive off entire farm loans if it comes to power. The catchy slogan Karza Kurki Khatam, Fasal Ki Poori Rakm has attracted a larger number of farmers to fill the loan waiver forms that the Congress party volunteers have been distributing. According to news reports, 22 lakh forms have been filled so far.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The spate of farmer suicides, however, has continued. Hardly a day goes by without reports of three to four suicides in the state. The recurring tragedy is happening at a time when the Aam Aadmi Party has also announced a loan waiver if it comes to power in the state.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In a kisan manifesto released in September, AAP has also promised to pay 50% profit over the cost of production as per the recommendation of the Swaminathan Committee. AAP has also launched a loan waiver campaign similar to that of the Congress.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
With two political parties promising to waive off the outstanding farm loans, it would have appeared that farmers would have preferred to wait and see the results before taking their own lives over their debt. After all, it is a matter of just a few more months.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But the reason why the farmers do not believe in the promises of the political parties could be due to their past experiences or because they know they are being treated like another vote bank.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Whatever the reason, the fact is that a progressive agricultural state like Punjab is facing a terrible agrarian crisis and, if my assessment is correct, its devastated farming system has virtually turned into a powder keg waiting for a trigger. In other words, the agrarian crisis that Punjab is facing today is in many ways the reason behind the growing drug menace. The political parties can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to the severity of the crisis that has been swept under the carpet for long. None of the parties, however, seem to know how to tame the prevailing crisis.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In Punjab, agrarian distress has been mounting with each passing year. According to a study by the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development, the debt of private moneylenders and commission agents has seen a significant hike in the past ten years. A survey by Punjabi University in Patiala published in January 2016 estimates the outstanding debt at Rs 69,355 crore. Government estimates put the figure at Rs 36,000 crore.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Most farmers commit suicide because they are unable to bear the humiliation of public sector banks and arhtiyas seizing their assets after they fail to pay their outstanding loan.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This brings me to the moot question: Why are farmers in the country&amp;rsquo;s food bowl committing suicide? In 2015, 449 farmers ended their lives. It was a bad agricultural year but the death toll on the farm has been worsening with each passing month.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Between April 1 and April 26 this year, 39 farmers reportedly committed suicide. At this rate, I will not be surprised if the death toll this year tops last year&amp;rsquo;s figure. In fact, unofficial estimates have already exceeded last year&amp;rsquo;s toll. The fact that this is happening in Punjab, a state that is considered to be the most prosperous as far as agriculture is concerned, speaks volumes of the neglect, apathy and indifference. However, the entire blame cannot be laid on the state government. The Punjab Agricultural University and the Punjab Farmers Commission also have to admit that they have somehow failed to keep a check on the dark underbelly of Punjab agriculture. Needless to say, something is terribly wrong.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. 
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;nbsp;
&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
	&#039;credit_writer&#039; =&gt; &#039;TheWire.in, 24 October, 2016, http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/&#039;,
	&#039;article_img&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
	&#039;article_img_thumb&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
	&#039;status&#039; =&gt; (int) 1,
	&#039;show_on_home&#039; =&gt; (int) 1,
	&#039;lang&#039; =&gt; &#039;EN&#039;,
	&#039;category_id&#039; =&gt; (int) 16,
	&#039;tag_keyword&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
	&#039;seo_url&#039; =&gt; &#039;it-will-take-more-than-a-loan-waiver-for-punjab039s-farmers-to-stop-killing-themselves-devinder-sharma-4680426&#039;,
	&#039;meta_title&#039; =&gt; null,
	&#039;meta_keywords&#039; =&gt; null,
	&#039;meta_description&#039; =&gt; null,
	&#039;noindex&#039; =&gt; (int) 0,
	&#039;publish_date&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {},
	&#039;most_visit_section_id&#039; =&gt; null,
	&#039;article_big_img&#039; =&gt; null,
	&#039;liveid&#039; =&gt; (int) 4680426,
	&#039;created&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
	&#039;modified&#039; =&gt; object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
	&#039;edate&#039; =&gt; &#039;&#039;,
	&#039;tags&#039; =&gt; [
		(int) 0 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 1 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 2 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 3 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 4 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 5 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 6 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 7 =&gt; object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {}
	],
	&#039;category&#039; =&gt; object(App\Model\Entity\Category) {},
	&#039;[new]&#039; =&gt; false,
	&#039;[accessible]&#039; =&gt; [
		&#039;*&#039; =&gt; true,
		&#039;id&#039; =&gt; false
	],
	&#039;[dirty]&#039; =&gt; [],
	&#039;[original]&#039; =&gt; [],
	&#039;[virtual]&#039; =&gt; [],
	&#039;[hasErrors]&#039; =&gt; false,
	&#039;[errors]&#039; =&gt; [],
	&#039;[invalid]&#039; =&gt; [],
	&#039;[repository]&#039; =&gt; &#039;Articles&#039;

}
$articleid = (int) 32350
$metaTitle = &#039;LATEST NEWS UPDATES | It Will Take More than a Loan Waiver for Punjab&amp;#039;s Farmers to Stop Killing Themselves -Devinder Sharma&#039;
$metaKeywords = &#039;rural distress,agrarian crisis,Rural Debt,Rural Credit,Indebtedness,Farm Loans,Farm Debt,Farm Credit&#039;
$metaDesc = &#039;
-TheWire.in

Congress and AAP aim to write off farm loans if they come to power in Punjab. But such measures will only be useful only if accompanied by policy reforms like a sustainable farming system and assured monthly income for farmers.

Nirmal...&#039;
$disp = &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-TheWire.in&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Congress and AAP aim to write off farm loans if they come to power in Punjab. But such measures will only be useful only if accompanied by policy reforms like a sustainable farming system and assured monthly income for farmers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nirmal Singh, the leader of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta) from Sangrur district in Punjab, committed suicide last week. He was among the few farmer leaders who campaigned against the emerging trend of farmer suicides that has become rampant in Punjab.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Singh could not even wait a few more months despite knowing that the Congress party has promised to waive off entire farm loans if it comes to power. The catchy slogan Karza Kurki Khatam, Fasal Ki Poori Rakm has attracted a larger number of farmers to fill the loan waiver forms that the Congress party volunteers have been distributing. According to news reports, 22 lakh forms have been filled so far.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The spate of farmer suicides, however, has continued. Hardly a day goes by without reports of three to four suicides in the state. The recurring tragedy is happening at a time when the Aam Aadmi Party has also announced a loan waiver if it comes to power in the state.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In a kisan manifesto released in September, AAP has also promised to pay 50% profit over the cost of production as per the recommendation of the Swaminathan Committee. AAP has also launched a loan waiver campaign similar to that of the Congress.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;With two political parties promising to waive off the outstanding farm loans, it would have appeared that farmers would have preferred to wait and see the results before taking their own lives over their debt. After all, it is a matter of just a few more months.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But the reason why the farmers do not believe in the promises of the political parties could be due to their past experiences or because they know they are being treated like another vote bank.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Whatever the reason, the fact is that a progressive agricultural state like Punjab is facing a terrible agrarian crisis and, if my assessment is correct, its devastated farming system has virtually turned into a powder keg waiting for a trigger. In other words, the agrarian crisis that Punjab is facing today is in many ways the reason behind the growing drug menace. The political parties can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to the severity of the crisis that has been swept under the carpet for long. None of the parties, however, seem to know how to tame the prevailing crisis.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In Punjab, agrarian distress has been mounting with each passing year. According to a study by the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development, the debt of private moneylenders and commission agents has seen a significant hike in the past ten years. A survey by Punjabi University in Patiala published in January 2016 estimates the outstanding debt at Rs 69,355 crore. Government estimates put the figure at Rs 36,000 crore.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Most farmers commit suicide because they are unable to bear the humiliation of public sector banks and arhtiyas seizing their assets after they fail to pay their outstanding loan.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This brings me to the moot question: Why are farmers in the country&amp;rsquo;s food bowl committing suicide? In 2015, 449 farmers ended their lives. It was a bad agricultural year but the death toll on the farm has been worsening with each passing month.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Between April 1 and April 26 this year, 39 farmers reportedly committed suicide. At this rate, I will not be surprised if the death toll this year tops last year&amp;rsquo;s figure. In fact, unofficial estimates have already exceeded last year&amp;rsquo;s toll. The fact that this is happening in Punjab, a state that is considered to be the most prosperous as far as agriculture is concerned, speaks volumes of the neglect, apathy and indifference. However, the entire blame cannot be laid on the state government. The Punjab Agricultural University and the Punjab Farmers Commission also have to admit that they have somehow failed to keep a check on the dark underbelly of Punjab agriculture. Needless to say, something is terribly wrong.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/&quot; title=&quot;http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;
$lang = &#039;English&#039;
$SITE_URL = &#039;https://im4change.in/&#039;
$site_title = &#039;im4change&#039;
$adminprix = &#039;admin&#039;</pre><pre class="stack-trace">include - APP/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp, line 8
Cake\View\View::_evaluate() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1413
Cake\View\View::_render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1374
Cake\View\View::renderLayout() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 927
Cake\View\View::render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 885
Cake\Controller\Controller::render() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 791
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 126
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 94
Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/RoutingMiddleware.php, line 162
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php, line 88
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51</pre></div></pre>latest-news-updates/it-will-take-more-than-a-loan-waiver-for-punjab039s-farmers-to-stop-killing-themselves-devinder-sharma-4680426.html"/>
    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"/>
    <link href="https://im4change.in/css/control.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"
          media="all"/>
    <title>LATEST NEWS UPDATES | It Will Take More than a Loan Waiver for Punjab&#039;s Farmers to Stop Killing Themselves -Devinder Sharma | Im4change.org</title>
    <meta name="description" content="
-TheWire.in

Congress and AAP aim to write off farm loans if they come to power in Punjab. But such measures will only be useful only if accompanied by policy reforms like a sustainable farming system and assured monthly income for farmers.

Nirmal..."/>
    <script src="https://im4change.in/js/jquery-1.10.2.js"></script>
    <script type="text/javascript" src="https://im4change.in/js/jquery-migrate.min.js"></script>
    <script language="javascript" type="text/javascript">

        $(document).ready(function () {
            var img = $("img")[0]; // Get my img elem
            var pic_real_width, pic_real_height;
            $("<img/>") // Make in memory copy of image to avoid css issues
                .attr("src", $(img).attr("src"))
                .load(function () {
                    pic_real_width = this.width;   // Note: $(this).width() will not
                    pic_real_height = this.height; // work for in memory images.
                });
        });
    </script>
    <style type="text/css">
        @media screen {
            div.divFooter {
                display: block;
            }
        }

        @media print {
            .printbutton {
                display: none !important;
            }
        }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="98%" align="center">
    <tr>
        <td class="top_bg">
            <div class="divFooter">
                <img src="https://im4change.in/images/logo1.jpg" height="59" border="0"
                     alt="Resource centre on India's rural distress" style="padding-top:14px;"/>
            </div>

        </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td id="topspace">&nbsp;</td>
    </tr>

    <tr id="topspace">
        <td>&nbsp;</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td height="50" style="border-bottom:1px solid #000; padding-top:10px;" class="printbutton">
            <form><input type="button" value=" Print this page "
                         onclick="window.print();return false;"/></form>
        </td>
    </tr>

    <tr>
        <td width="100%">
            <h1 class="news_headlines" style="font-style:normal">
                <strong>It Will Take More than a Loan Waiver for Punjab&#039;s Farmers to Stop Killing Themselves -Devinder Sharma</strong></h1>
        </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td width="100%" style="font-family:Arial, 'Segoe Script', 'Segoe UI', sans-serif, serif"><font size="3">
                <div align="justify">-TheWire.in<br /><br /><em>Congress and AAP aim to write off farm loans if they come to power in Punjab. But such measures will only be useful only if accompanied by policy reforms like a sustainable farming system and assured monthly income for farmers.<br /></em><br />Nirmal Singh, the leader of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta) from Sangrur district in Punjab, committed suicide last week. He was among the few farmer leaders who campaigned against the emerging trend of farmer suicides that has become rampant in Punjab.<br /><br />Singh could not even wait a few more months despite knowing that the Congress party has promised to waive off entire farm loans if it comes to power. The catchy slogan Karza Kurki Khatam, Fasal Ki Poori Rakm has attracted a larger number of farmers to fill the loan waiver forms that the Congress party volunteers have been distributing. According to news reports, 22 lakh forms have been filled so far.<br /><br />The spate of farmer suicides, however, has continued. Hardly a day goes by without reports of three to four suicides in the state. The recurring tragedy is happening at a time when the Aam Aadmi Party has also announced a loan waiver if it comes to power in the state.<br /><br />In a kisan manifesto released in September, AAP has also promised to pay 50% profit over the cost of production as per the recommendation of the Swaminathan Committee. AAP has also launched a loan waiver campaign similar to that of the Congress.<br /><br />With two political parties promising to waive off the outstanding farm loans, it would have appeared that farmers would have preferred to wait and see the results before taking their own lives over their debt. After all, it is a matter of just a few more months.<br /><br />But the reason why the farmers do not believe in the promises of the political parties could be due to their past experiences or because they know they are being treated like another vote bank.<br /><br />Whatever the reason, the fact is that a progressive agricultural state like Punjab is facing a terrible agrarian crisis and, if my assessment is correct, its devastated farming system has virtually turned into a powder keg waiting for a trigger. In other words, the agrarian crisis that Punjab is facing today is in many ways the reason behind the growing drug menace. The political parties can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to the severity of the crisis that has been swept under the carpet for long. None of the parties, however, seem to know how to tame the prevailing crisis.<br /><br />In Punjab, agrarian distress has been mounting with each passing year. According to a study by the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development, the debt of private moneylenders and commission agents has seen a significant hike in the past ten years. A survey by Punjabi University in Patiala published in January 2016 estimates the outstanding debt at Rs 69,355 crore. Government estimates put the figure at Rs 36,000 crore.<br /><br />Most farmers commit suicide because they are unable to bear the humiliation of public sector banks and arhtiyas seizing their assets after they fail to pay their outstanding loan.<br /><br />This brings me to the moot question: Why are farmers in the country&rsquo;s food bowl committing suicide? In 2015, 449 farmers ended their lives. It was a bad agricultural year but the death toll on the farm has been worsening with each passing month.<br /><br />Between April 1 and April 26 this year, 39 farmers reportedly committed suicide. At this rate, I will not be surprised if the death toll this year tops last year&rsquo;s figure. In fact, unofficial estimates have already exceeded last year&rsquo;s toll. The fact that this is happening in Punjab, a state that is considered to be the most prosperous as far as agriculture is concerned, speaks volumes of the neglect, apathy and indifference. However, the entire blame cannot be laid on the state government. The Punjab Agricultural University and the Punjab Farmers Commission also have to admit that they have somehow failed to keep a check on the dark underbelly of Punjab agriculture. Needless to say, something is terribly wrong.<br /><br />Please <a href="http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/" title="http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/">click here</a> to read more. </div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div>               </font>
        </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
        <td>&nbsp;</td>
    </tr>

    <tr>
        <td height="50" style="border-top:1px solid #000; border-bottom:1px solid #000;padding-top:10px;">
            <form><input type="button" value=" Print this page "
                         onclick="window.print();return false;"/></form>
        </td>
    </tr>
</table></body>
</html>'

}
$cookies = []
$values = [
	(int) 0 => 'text/html; charset=UTF-8'
]
$name = 'Content-Type'
$first = true
$value = 'text/html; charset=UTF-8'
header - [internal], line ??
Cake\Http\ResponseEmitter::emitHeaders() - CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181
Cake\Http\ResponseEmitter::emit() - CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 55
Cake\Http\Server::emit() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 141
[main] - ROOT/webroot/index.php, line 39

<head>

    <link rel="canonical" href="<?php echo Configure::read('SITE_URL'); ?><?php echo $urlPrefix;?><?php echo $article_current->category->slug; ?>/<?php echo $article_current->seo_url; ?>.html"/>

    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"/>

$viewFile = '/home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp'
$dataForView = [
	'article_current' => object(App\Model\Entity\Article) {

		'id' => (int) 32350,
		'title' => 'It Will Take More than a Loan Waiver for Punjab's Farmers to Stop Killing Themselves -Devinder Sharma',
		'subheading' => '',
		'description' => '<div align="justify">
-TheWire.in<br />
<br />
<em>Congress and AAP aim to write off farm loans if they come to power in Punjab. But such measures will only be useful only if accompanied by policy reforms like a sustainable farming system and assured monthly income for farmers.<br />
</em><br />
Nirmal Singh, the leader of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta) from Sangrur district in Punjab, committed suicide last week. He was among the few farmer leaders who campaigned against the emerging trend of farmer suicides that has become rampant in Punjab.<br />
<br />
Singh could not even wait a few more months despite knowing that the Congress party has promised to waive off entire farm loans if it comes to power. The catchy slogan Karza Kurki Khatam, Fasal Ki Poori Rakm has attracted a larger number of farmers to fill the loan waiver forms that the Congress party volunteers have been distributing. According to news reports, 22 lakh forms have been filled so far.<br />
<br />
The spate of farmer suicides, however, has continued. Hardly a day goes by without reports of three to four suicides in the state. The recurring tragedy is happening at a time when the Aam Aadmi Party has also announced a loan waiver if it comes to power in the state.<br />
<br />
In a kisan manifesto released in September, AAP has also promised to pay 50% profit over the cost of production as per the recommendation of the Swaminathan Committee. AAP has also launched a loan waiver campaign similar to that of the Congress.<br />
<br />
With two political parties promising to waive off the outstanding farm loans, it would have appeared that farmers would have preferred to wait and see the results before taking their own lives over their debt. After all, it is a matter of just a few more months.<br />
<br />
But the reason why the farmers do not believe in the promises of the political parties could be due to their past experiences or because they know they are being treated like another vote bank.<br />
<br />
Whatever the reason, the fact is that a progressive agricultural state like Punjab is facing a terrible agrarian crisis and, if my assessment is correct, its devastated farming system has virtually turned into a powder keg waiting for a trigger. In other words, the agrarian crisis that Punjab is facing today is in many ways the reason behind the growing drug menace. The political parties can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to the severity of the crisis that has been swept under the carpet for long. None of the parties, however, seem to know how to tame the prevailing crisis.<br />
<br />
In Punjab, agrarian distress has been mounting with each passing year. According to a study by the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development, the debt of private moneylenders and commission agents has seen a significant hike in the past ten years. A survey by Punjabi University in Patiala published in January 2016 estimates the outstanding debt at Rs 69,355 crore. Government estimates put the figure at Rs 36,000 crore.<br />
<br />
Most farmers commit suicide because they are unable to bear the humiliation of public sector banks and arhtiyas seizing their assets after they fail to pay their outstanding loan.<br />
<br />
This brings me to the moot question: Why are farmers in the country&rsquo;s food bowl committing suicide? In 2015, 449 farmers ended their lives. It was a bad agricultural year but the death toll on the farm has been worsening with each passing month.<br />
<br />
Between April 1 and April 26 this year, 39 farmers reportedly committed suicide. At this rate, I will not be surprised if the death toll this year tops last year&rsquo;s figure. In fact, unofficial estimates have already exceeded last year&rsquo;s toll. The fact that this is happening in Punjab, a state that is considered to be the most prosperous as far as agriculture is concerned, speaks volumes of the neglect, apathy and indifference. However, the entire blame cannot be laid on the state government. The Punjab Agricultural University and the Punjab Farmers Commission also have to admit that they have somehow failed to keep a check on the dark underbelly of Punjab agriculture. Needless to say, something is terribly wrong.<br />
<br />
Please <a href="http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/">click here</a> to read more. 
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>',
		'credit_writer' => 'TheWire.in, 24 October, 2016, http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/',
		'article_img' => '',
		'article_img_thumb' => '',
		'status' => (int) 1,
		'show_on_home' => (int) 1,
		'lang' => 'EN',
		'category_id' => (int) 16,
		'tag_keyword' => '',
		'seo_url' => 'it-will-take-more-than-a-loan-waiver-for-punjab039s-farmers-to-stop-killing-themselves-devinder-sharma-4680426',
		'meta_title' => null,
		'meta_keywords' => null,
		'meta_description' => null,
		'noindex' => (int) 0,
		'publish_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {},
		'most_visit_section_id' => null,
		'article_big_img' => null,
		'liveid' => (int) 4680426,
		'created' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'modified' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
		'edate' => '',
		'tags' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		'category' => object(App\Model\Entity\Category) {},
		'[new]' => false,
		'[accessible]' => [
			[maximum depth reached]
		],
		'[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[hasErrors]' => false,
		'[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]],
		'[repository]' => 'Articles'
	
	},
	'articleid' => (int) 32350,
	'metaTitle' => 'LATEST NEWS UPDATES | It Will Take More than a Loan Waiver for Punjab&#039;s Farmers to Stop Killing Themselves -Devinder Sharma',
	'metaKeywords' => 'rural distress,agrarian crisis,Rural Debt,Rural Credit,Indebtedness,Farm Loans,Farm Debt,Farm Credit',
	'metaDesc' => '
-TheWire.in

Congress and AAP aim to write off farm loans if they come to power in Punjab. But such measures will only be useful only if accompanied by policy reforms like a sustainable farming system and assured monthly income for farmers.

Nirmal...',
	'disp' => '<div align="justify">-TheWire.in<br /><br /><em>Congress and AAP aim to write off farm loans if they come to power in Punjab. But such measures will only be useful only if accompanied by policy reforms like a sustainable farming system and assured monthly income for farmers.<br /></em><br />Nirmal Singh, the leader of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta) from Sangrur district in Punjab, committed suicide last week. He was among the few farmer leaders who campaigned against the emerging trend of farmer suicides that has become rampant in Punjab.<br /><br />Singh could not even wait a few more months despite knowing that the Congress party has promised to waive off entire farm loans if it comes to power. The catchy slogan Karza Kurki Khatam, Fasal Ki Poori Rakm has attracted a larger number of farmers to fill the loan waiver forms that the Congress party volunteers have been distributing. According to news reports, 22 lakh forms have been filled so far.<br /><br />The spate of farmer suicides, however, has continued. Hardly a day goes by without reports of three to four suicides in the state. The recurring tragedy is happening at a time when the Aam Aadmi Party has also announced a loan waiver if it comes to power in the state.<br /><br />In a kisan manifesto released in September, AAP has also promised to pay 50% profit over the cost of production as per the recommendation of the Swaminathan Committee. AAP has also launched a loan waiver campaign similar to that of the Congress.<br /><br />With two political parties promising to waive off the outstanding farm loans, it would have appeared that farmers would have preferred to wait and see the results before taking their own lives over their debt. After all, it is a matter of just a few more months.<br /><br />But the reason why the farmers do not believe in the promises of the political parties could be due to their past experiences or because they know they are being treated like another vote bank.<br /><br />Whatever the reason, the fact is that a progressive agricultural state like Punjab is facing a terrible agrarian crisis and, if my assessment is correct, its devastated farming system has virtually turned into a powder keg waiting for a trigger. In other words, the agrarian crisis that Punjab is facing today is in many ways the reason behind the growing drug menace. The political parties can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to the severity of the crisis that has been swept under the carpet for long. None of the parties, however, seem to know how to tame the prevailing crisis.<br /><br />In Punjab, agrarian distress has been mounting with each passing year. According to a study by the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development, the debt of private moneylenders and commission agents has seen a significant hike in the past ten years. A survey by Punjabi University in Patiala published in January 2016 estimates the outstanding debt at Rs 69,355 crore. Government estimates put the figure at Rs 36,000 crore.<br /><br />Most farmers commit suicide because they are unable to bear the humiliation of public sector banks and arhtiyas seizing their assets after they fail to pay their outstanding loan.<br /><br />This brings me to the moot question: Why are farmers in the country&rsquo;s food bowl committing suicide? In 2015, 449 farmers ended their lives. It was a bad agricultural year but the death toll on the farm has been worsening with each passing month.<br /><br />Between April 1 and April 26 this year, 39 farmers reportedly committed suicide. At this rate, I will not be surprised if the death toll this year tops last year&rsquo;s figure. In fact, unofficial estimates have already exceeded last year&rsquo;s toll. The fact that this is happening in Punjab, a state that is considered to be the most prosperous as far as agriculture is concerned, speaks volumes of the neglect, apathy and indifference. However, the entire blame cannot be laid on the state government. The Punjab Agricultural University and the Punjab Farmers Commission also have to admit that they have somehow failed to keep a check on the dark underbelly of Punjab agriculture. Needless to say, something is terribly wrong.<br /><br />Please <a href="http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/" title="http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/">click here</a> to read more. </div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div>',
	'lang' => 'English',
	'SITE_URL' => 'https://im4change.in/',
	'site_title' => 'im4change',
	'adminprix' => 'admin'
]
$article_current = object(App\Model\Entity\Article) {

	'id' => (int) 32350,
	'title' => 'It Will Take More than a Loan Waiver for Punjab&#039;s Farmers to Stop Killing Themselves -Devinder Sharma',
	'subheading' => '',
	'description' => '<div align="justify">
-TheWire.in<br />
<br />
<em>Congress and AAP aim to write off farm loans if they come to power in Punjab. But such measures will only be useful only if accompanied by policy reforms like a sustainable farming system and assured monthly income for farmers.<br />
</em><br />
Nirmal Singh, the leader of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta) from Sangrur district in Punjab, committed suicide last week. He was among the few farmer leaders who campaigned against the emerging trend of farmer suicides that has become rampant in Punjab.<br />
<br />
Singh could not even wait a few more months despite knowing that the Congress party has promised to waive off entire farm loans if it comes to power. The catchy slogan Karza Kurki Khatam, Fasal Ki Poori Rakm has attracted a larger number of farmers to fill the loan waiver forms that the Congress party volunteers have been distributing. According to news reports, 22 lakh forms have been filled so far.<br />
<br />
The spate of farmer suicides, however, has continued. Hardly a day goes by without reports of three to four suicides in the state. The recurring tragedy is happening at a time when the Aam Aadmi Party has also announced a loan waiver if it comes to power in the state.<br />
<br />
In a kisan manifesto released in September, AAP has also promised to pay 50% profit over the cost of production as per the recommendation of the Swaminathan Committee. AAP has also launched a loan waiver campaign similar to that of the Congress.<br />
<br />
With two political parties promising to waive off the outstanding farm loans, it would have appeared that farmers would have preferred to wait and see the results before taking their own lives over their debt. After all, it is a matter of just a few more months.<br />
<br />
But the reason why the farmers do not believe in the promises of the political parties could be due to their past experiences or because they know they are being treated like another vote bank.<br />
<br />
Whatever the reason, the fact is that a progressive agricultural state like Punjab is facing a terrible agrarian crisis and, if my assessment is correct, its devastated farming system has virtually turned into a powder keg waiting for a trigger. In other words, the agrarian crisis that Punjab is facing today is in many ways the reason behind the growing drug menace. The political parties can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to the severity of the crisis that has been swept under the carpet for long. None of the parties, however, seem to know how to tame the prevailing crisis.<br />
<br />
In Punjab, agrarian distress has been mounting with each passing year. According to a study by the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development, the debt of private moneylenders and commission agents has seen a significant hike in the past ten years. A survey by Punjabi University in Patiala published in January 2016 estimates the outstanding debt at Rs 69,355 crore. Government estimates put the figure at Rs 36,000 crore.<br />
<br />
Most farmers commit suicide because they are unable to bear the humiliation of public sector banks and arhtiyas seizing their assets after they fail to pay their outstanding loan.<br />
<br />
This brings me to the moot question: Why are farmers in the country&rsquo;s food bowl committing suicide? In 2015, 449 farmers ended their lives. It was a bad agricultural year but the death toll on the farm has been worsening with each passing month.<br />
<br />
Between April 1 and April 26 this year, 39 farmers reportedly committed suicide. At this rate, I will not be surprised if the death toll this year tops last year&rsquo;s figure. In fact, unofficial estimates have already exceeded last year&rsquo;s toll. The fact that this is happening in Punjab, a state that is considered to be the most prosperous as far as agriculture is concerned, speaks volumes of the neglect, apathy and indifference. However, the entire blame cannot be laid on the state government. The Punjab Agricultural University and the Punjab Farmers Commission also have to admit that they have somehow failed to keep a check on the dark underbelly of Punjab agriculture. Needless to say, something is terribly wrong.<br />
<br />
Please <a href="http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/">click here</a> to read more. 
</div>
<div align="justify">
&nbsp;
</div>',
	'credit_writer' => 'TheWire.in, 24 October, 2016, http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/',
	'article_img' => '',
	'article_img_thumb' => '',
	'status' => (int) 1,
	'show_on_home' => (int) 1,
	'lang' => 'EN',
	'category_id' => (int) 16,
	'tag_keyword' => '',
	'seo_url' => 'it-will-take-more-than-a-loan-waiver-for-punjab039s-farmers-to-stop-killing-themselves-devinder-sharma-4680426',
	'meta_title' => null,
	'meta_keywords' => null,
	'meta_description' => null,
	'noindex' => (int) 0,
	'publish_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {},
	'most_visit_section_id' => null,
	'article_big_img' => null,
	'liveid' => (int) 4680426,
	'created' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
	'modified' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenTime) {},
	'edate' => '',
	'tags' => [
		(int) 0 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 1 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 2 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 3 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 4 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 5 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 6 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {},
		(int) 7 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {}
	],
	'category' => object(App\Model\Entity\Category) {},
	'[new]' => false,
	'[accessible]' => [
		'*' => true,
		'id' => false
	],
	'[dirty]' => [],
	'[original]' => [],
	'[virtual]' => [],
	'[hasErrors]' => false,
	'[errors]' => [],
	'[invalid]' => [],
	'[repository]' => 'Articles'

}
$articleid = (int) 32350
$metaTitle = 'LATEST NEWS UPDATES | It Will Take More than a Loan Waiver for Punjab&#039;s Farmers to Stop Killing Themselves -Devinder Sharma'
$metaKeywords = 'rural distress,agrarian crisis,Rural Debt,Rural Credit,Indebtedness,Farm Loans,Farm Debt,Farm Credit'
$metaDesc = '
-TheWire.in

Congress and AAP aim to write off farm loans if they come to power in Punjab. But such measures will only be useful only if accompanied by policy reforms like a sustainable farming system and assured monthly income for farmers.

Nirmal...'
$disp = '<div align="justify">-TheWire.in<br /><br /><em>Congress and AAP aim to write off farm loans if they come to power in Punjab. But such measures will only be useful only if accompanied by policy reforms like a sustainable farming system and assured monthly income for farmers.<br /></em><br />Nirmal Singh, the leader of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta) from Sangrur district in Punjab, committed suicide last week. He was among the few farmer leaders who campaigned against the emerging trend of farmer suicides that has become rampant in Punjab.<br /><br />Singh could not even wait a few more months despite knowing that the Congress party has promised to waive off entire farm loans if it comes to power. The catchy slogan Karza Kurki Khatam, Fasal Ki Poori Rakm has attracted a larger number of farmers to fill the loan waiver forms that the Congress party volunteers have been distributing. According to news reports, 22 lakh forms have been filled so far.<br /><br />The spate of farmer suicides, however, has continued. Hardly a day goes by without reports of three to four suicides in the state. The recurring tragedy is happening at a time when the Aam Aadmi Party has also announced a loan waiver if it comes to power in the state.<br /><br />In a kisan manifesto released in September, AAP has also promised to pay 50% profit over the cost of production as per the recommendation of the Swaminathan Committee. AAP has also launched a loan waiver campaign similar to that of the Congress.<br /><br />With two political parties promising to waive off the outstanding farm loans, it would have appeared that farmers would have preferred to wait and see the results before taking their own lives over their debt. After all, it is a matter of just a few more months.<br /><br />But the reason why the farmers do not believe in the promises of the political parties could be due to their past experiences or because they know they are being treated like another vote bank.<br /><br />Whatever the reason, the fact is that a progressive agricultural state like Punjab is facing a terrible agrarian crisis and, if my assessment is correct, its devastated farming system has virtually turned into a powder keg waiting for a trigger. In other words, the agrarian crisis that Punjab is facing today is in many ways the reason behind the growing drug menace. The political parties can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to the severity of the crisis that has been swept under the carpet for long. None of the parties, however, seem to know how to tame the prevailing crisis.<br /><br />In Punjab, agrarian distress has been mounting with each passing year. According to a study by the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development, the debt of private moneylenders and commission agents has seen a significant hike in the past ten years. A survey by Punjabi University in Patiala published in January 2016 estimates the outstanding debt at Rs 69,355 crore. Government estimates put the figure at Rs 36,000 crore.<br /><br />Most farmers commit suicide because they are unable to bear the humiliation of public sector banks and arhtiyas seizing their assets after they fail to pay their outstanding loan.<br /><br />This brings me to the moot question: Why are farmers in the country&rsquo;s food bowl committing suicide? In 2015, 449 farmers ended their lives. It was a bad agricultural year but the death toll on the farm has been worsening with each passing month.<br /><br />Between April 1 and April 26 this year, 39 farmers reportedly committed suicide. At this rate, I will not be surprised if the death toll this year tops last year&rsquo;s figure. In fact, unofficial estimates have already exceeded last year&rsquo;s toll. The fact that this is happening in Punjab, a state that is considered to be the most prosperous as far as agriculture is concerned, speaks volumes of the neglect, apathy and indifference. However, the entire blame cannot be laid on the state government. The Punjab Agricultural University and the Punjab Farmers Commission also have to admit that they have somehow failed to keep a check on the dark underbelly of Punjab agriculture. Needless to say, something is terribly wrong.<br /><br />Please <a href="http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/" title="http://thewire.in/75526/long-term-reforms-not-loan-waiver-farmers-can-resolve-punjabs-agrarian-crisis/">click here</a> to read more. </div><div align="justify">&nbsp;</div>'
$lang = 'English'
$SITE_URL = 'https://im4change.in/'
$site_title = 'im4change'
$adminprix = 'admin'

include - APP/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp, line 8
Cake\View\View::_evaluate() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1413
Cake\View\View::_render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 1374
Cake\View\View::renderLayout() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 927
Cake\View\View::render() - CORE/src/View/View.php, line 885
Cake\Controller\Controller::render() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 791
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 126
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 94
Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/RoutingMiddleware.php, line 162
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php, line 88
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51

It Will Take More than a Loan Waiver for Punjab's Farmers to Stop Killing Themselves -Devinder Sharma

-TheWire.in Congress and AAP aim to write off farm loans if they come to power in Punjab. But such measures will only be useful only if accompanied by policy reforms like a sustainable farming system and assured monthly income for farmers. Nirmal Singh, the leader of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta) from Sangrur district in Punjab, committed suicide last week. He was among the few farmer leaders who campaigned against the emerging trend of farmer suicides that has become rampant in Punjab. Singh could not even wait a few more months despite knowing that the Congress party has promised to waive off entire farm loans if it comes to power. The catchy slogan Karza Kurki Khatam, Fasal Ki Poori Rakm has attracted a larger number of farmers to fill the loan waiver forms that the Congress party volunteers have been distributing. According to news reports, 22 lakh forms have been filled so far. The spate of farmer suicides, however, has continued. Hardly a day goes by without reports of three to four suicides in the state. The recurring tragedy is happening at a time when the Aam Aadmi Party has also announced a loan waiver if it comes to power in the state. In a kisan manifesto released in September, AAP has also promised to pay 50% profit over the cost of production as per the recommendation of the Swaminathan Committee. AAP has also launched a loan waiver campaign similar to that of the Congress. With two political parties promising to waive off the outstanding farm loans, it would have appeared that farmers would have preferred to wait and see the results before taking their own lives over their debt. After all, it is a matter of just a few more months. But the reason why the farmers do not believe in the promises of the political parties could be due to their past experiences or because they know they are being treated like another vote bank. Whatever the reason, the fact is that a progressive agricultural state like Punjab is facing a terrible agrarian crisis and, if my assessment is correct, its devastated farming system has virtually turned into a powder keg waiting for a trigger. In other words, the agrarian crisis that Punjab is facing today is in many ways the reason behind the growing drug menace. The political parties can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to the severity of the crisis that has been swept under the carpet for long. None of the parties, however, seem to know how to tame the prevailing crisis. In Punjab, agrarian distress has been mounting with each passing year. According to a study by the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development, the debt of private moneylenders and commission agents has seen a significant hike in the past ten years. A survey by Punjabi University in Patiala published in January 2016 estimates the outstanding debt at Rs 69,355 crore. Government estimates put the figure at Rs 36,000 crore. Most farmers commit suicide because they are unable to bear the humiliation of public sector banks and arhtiyas seizing their assets after they fail to pay their outstanding loan. This brings me to the moot question: Why are farmers in the country’s food bowl committing suicide? In 2015, 449 farmers ended their lives. It was a bad agricultural year but the death toll on the farm has been worsening with each passing month. Between April 1 and April 26 this year, 39 farmers reportedly committed suicide. At this rate, I will not be surprised if the death toll this year tops last year’s figure. In fact, unofficial estimates have already exceeded last year’s toll. The fact that this is happening in Punjab, a state that is considered to be the most prosperous as far as agriculture is concerned, speaks volumes of the neglect, apathy and indifference. However, the entire blame cannot be laid on the state government. The Punjab Agricultural University and the Punjab Farmers Commission also have to admit that they have somehow failed to keep a check on the dark underbelly of Punjab agriculture. Needless to say, something is terribly wrong. Please click here to read more.