Suicide of women in agrarian sector not considered 'farmer suicide': Digvijay Singh in RS

Although the minister did state that the ADSI report for 2021 includes suicides by farmers/cultivators and agricultural laborers both male and female, it did not clarify whether the suicides by these women are included under the category of 'farmer suicides'.

New Delhi:Congress MP Digvijay Singh on Wednesday raised the issue of the suicide of women from the agrarian sector not being considered 'farmers suicide' by the government and the NCRB in Rajya Sabha. The minister was speaking at the winter session of the Upper House of Parliament, posing a question to Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra.

Further highlighting the discrepancies in the number of farmer suicides in the country, the MP asked urged the center to take appropriate measures to assess the data collection process and methodology of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

In his written response, Minister Ajay Mishra did not comment on whether or not the suicides of agrarian women are recorded as farmers' suicides, thereby dodging the question. The response rather plainly stated that the 'NCRB compiles statistics on accidental deaths and suicides, including farmer suicides, as reported by the States/ Union Territories and publishes the same annually as ‘Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India’ (ADSI) report'.

Although the minister did state that the ADSI report for 2021 includes suicides by farmers/cultivators and agricultural laborers both male and female, it did not clarify whether the suicides by these women are included under the category of 'farmer suicides', which has emerged as a serious concern in the country will an alarming increase in its statistics over the past years.

'Data is scrutinized at NCRB for discrepancy/ inconsistency. If any discrepancy/ inconsistency is found by NCRB, the same is communicated to the respective States or UTs for verification and rectification,' the response further stated.