The number of protests rose to 165 across 22 states in 2020-21 from 34 across 15 states in 2017
Farmer protests in India grew almost five times since 2017, said the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a Delhi-based non-profit. The number of protests rose to 165 across 22 states in 2020-21 from 34 across 15 states in 2017.
As many as 96 protests were related to economic farm policies, including protests against the three contentious farm laws; 38 were against the market and price-related failures and demand for minimum support prices; 17 were against land acquisition for development projects like the construction of highways and airports.
The figures were published in ‘State of India’s Environment in Figures, 2021’, an annual compilation of data and statistics on key issues of environment and development by the think tank.
The farmers also protested against the unavailability of farm infrastructure, poor insurance coverage and delayed compensations.
Every day, over 28 farm labourers and cultivators commit suicide in the country. In 2019, there were 5,957 farmer suicides, along with an additional 4,324 farm labourers who died by suicide.
India now has more farm labourers than farmers in 52 per cent of the country’s districts. The population of farm labourers surpassed farmer and cultivator populations in districts of Bihar, Kerala and Puducherry. All of this will lead to a grave agrarian crisis and disquiet, CSE warned.
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