SociologySocial Change and Development in India: Change and Development in Rural Society

Official statistics record thousands of suicides by farmers between 2…

Official statistics record thousands of suicides by farmers between 2001 and 2006 in four states. Which of the following is NOT one of these states?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 3

The correct answer is Option (3) → Punjab

Option (1) Andhra Pradesh — One of the four states. Andhra Pradesh is one of the states in the official count of farmers' suicides between 2001 and 2006.

Option (2) Kerala — One of the four states. Kerala is part of the same official count of farmers' suicides for 2001-2006.

Option (3) Punjab — Not one of the four states. Punjab is known for the Green Revolution, but it is not part of this count. The fourth state in the official figures is Karnataka.

Option (4) Maharashtra — One of the four states. Maharashtra is one of the states in this count of 8,900 farmers' suicides.

NCERT (2026-27): “4.6 Globalisation, Liberalisation, and Rural Society …
The spate of farmers’ suicides that has been occurring in different parts of the country since 1997–98 can be linked to the ‘agrarian distress’ caused by structural changes in agriculture and changes in economic and agricultural policies. These include: the changed pattern of landholdings; changing cropping patterns, especially due to shift to cash crops; liberalisation policies that have exposed Indian agriculture to the forces of globalisation; heavy dependence on high-cost inputs; withdrawal of the State from agricultural extension activities to be replaced by multinational seed and fertiliser companies; decline in state support for agriculture; and individualisation of agricultural operations. According to official statistics, there have been 8,900 suicides by farmers between 2001 and 2006 in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra (Suri 2006:1523).”