Door-to-door and village-to-village surveys carried out by researchers of the Department of Economics and Sociology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana detected a total of 9,291 suicides that were committed by farmers in six districts of Punjab during the period from 2000 to 2018. Situated in the Malwa region of Punjab, which is known for cotton farming and the prevalence of cancer among its population, Sangrur (2,506) witnessed the highest number of...

-The Telegraph Unlike 2013, the pressure on the rupee will endure This month, the rupee’s weakening trend has occupied our attention. Media reports have relentlessly focused on its fall to a ‘lifetime-low’ on a daily frequency. The authorities, on their part, have centred on measures to ease the mounting pressures up on the currency. Memory of the 2013‘taper tantrum’ is fresh in minds and has spurred a series of actions to prevent...

-TheIndiaForum.in Since 2015, there has been a sharp rise in farmer suicides in Punjab. Farmers in the state borrow large loans at high interest rates; some of which is used for consumption. According to official data, 51% of farmer suicides in Punjab are due to a high level of indebtedness, mostly to institutions. Farmer suicides are back in focus. Media reports suggest that in April 2022 alone 14 Punjab farmers died by...

-Leaflet.in Informal migrant workers in metropolitan cities of India have faced multiple forms of vulnerabilities in the last two years of the pandemic. Linkages across schemes for such workers are absolutely critical to creating a social security net that protects them from falling into similar cycles of poverty and destitution during macro and micro economic distresses. ON the occasion of International Labour Day, or ‘May Day’, we explore the dimensions of vulnerabilities...

-TheWire.in Despite increasing allocated funds, the Union government has been unable to significantly improve penetration of crop insurance in terms of enrolled farmers and insured areas. India’s agriculture sector, which provides employment to more than 50% of the labour force and contributes about 17% of the gross domestic product, currently faces multiple challenges. Smaller land holdings, unfavourable climate changes events, dismal public and private investment, low monthly incomes, a high proportion of...