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Resource centre on India's rural distress
 
 

Poor more prone to suicides than the rich, says NCRB -B Sivakumar
-The Times of India

CHENNAI: Poor incomes, mounting debts and family issues drove a good number of those in the lower socioeconomic bracket to suicide.

Data put out by the National Crime Records Bureau ( NCRB) for 2014 said nearly 70% of the suicides were by people earning less than Rs one lakh per annum.

This disturbing trend hasn't changed much. On July 18, in a suicide pact, a 35-year-old cab driver and his wife living in Pattabiram Chathiram near Chennai ended their lives after killing their six-year-old son.

A suicide note written by the man indicated that he and his wife had resorted to the extreme step due to mounting debts.

Of the 1.31 lakh suicides in the country last year, 91,820 were in the lower bracket of income and majority of those who resorted to the extreme step were men. The number of suicides came down as the level of income progressed. At the highest bracket of annual income of Rs 10 lakh and above, 785 ended their lives.

Among states, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu account for the maximum number of suicides of people in all income groups. In Maharashtra, the total number of suicides is 16,307 and in Tamil Nadu it is 16,122. Experts say loss of income and business, unmanageable debts and family and marriage-related problems drove many people in the lowest income bracket to suicide. A total of 89,129 men and 42,521 women committed suicide across the country.

As the income level increased, the number of suicides reduced. More than 35,000 people in the income group between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 5 lakh ended their lives. As the income increased from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh per annum, 3,656 took the extreme step. And, 785 people in the income bracket of Rs 10 lakh and above committed suicide. "There are various factors for many people committing suicide in the lower income group. The primary reason is poverty. Many don't have proper income and therefore borrow heavily and fall into the debt trap," said Dr Lakshmi Vijayakumar, founder of Sneha India, a helpline for suicide prevention.

Many people in this group get entangled in family issues, especially disputes over properties. This drives them to depression and finally suicide. "Many families, especially in rural areas, are closely knit and even a small issue like sharing of a property creates problems among family members that end in a suicide of an important member," said Dr Lakshmi.

In Maharashtra, there have been many reports of farmers committing suicide due to prolonged drought. In Tamil Nadu, indebtedness and family issues were the common reasons. Said Madras School of Economics director K R Shanmugam, "Many rural families have a single source of income and usually the breadwinner is a man. This is not sufficient to support a family of four after the man spends a part of it on alcohol. Poverty is the main cause of suicide in Tamil Nadu".

The income disparities between various sections is said to be another reason. "In states like Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, many have jobs. But, there is an income disparity and their standards of living are different. Feeling dejected, many low income earners commit suicide," said Dr Lakshmi. Marriage issues, love affairs and depression are other causes but the percentage of suicides due to these reasons would be far less, she said.