BHUBANESWAR:Even as the Odisha Government claims that farmer suicide is nil in the State, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) indicates otherwise. In the latest report, it says at least 102 persons, self-employed in the agriculture sector, had taken their lives last year.
The 2014 Report on Accidents and Suicides says five farmers, who own land of their own, killed themselves last year whereas another 97 who were self-employed in the sector ended their lives too.
Farmers, who tilled land belonging to others, those who worked as share-croppers and even agricultural labourers were victims of the agrarian crisis and took the extreme step.
The NCRB report, though, cleverly masks the farmers suicide saying the figure stands at five, going by its new parameters. This new classification makes it evident that only those who till their own land constitute as farmers.
In 2013, the NCRB report had put the number of farmer suicides in the State at 150. This year’s report shows that at least 2,509 persons, who ended lives, earned less than Rs 1 lakh a year.
Last year, the total suicides in the State stood at 5,252 compared to which the number has dropped to 4,160. In fact, housewives account for the highest number of suicides in Odisha. Against 685 suicides in 2013, as many as 685 housewives took their lives last year. About 325 students also killed themselves and their number has shown as rise from 313 in 2013.
The NCRB report showed that bankruptcy was the reason behind suicides in 13 cases while poverty was the cause for 12. Similarly, property issues accounted for 38 suicides whereas unemployment led to 94 cases. Marital issues claimed the highest toll, 388 suicides followed by love affairs with 275. More women killed themselves over love affairs than men, the NCRB report says.
Similarly, the modes of committing suicide remained more or less confined to hanging and consumption of poisonous substances. At least 1,270 cases were caused by hanging while 1,501 ended their lives by consuming poison.