Parliament Question: Cases of farmers suicide

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE RAJYASABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 803 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 06/02/2026 CASES OF FARMERS SUICIDE 803. SHRI MOHAMMED NADIMUL HAQUE: Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE be pleased to state: (a) the number of farmer suicides reported annually since 2020, State and UT-wise, along with major causes such as indebtedness, crop failure and market distress; (b) the details of suicides reported in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh during 2023 and 2024; and (c) the impact assessment of schemes like Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PMKISAN), Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and Kisan Credit Card (KCC) on reducing agrarian distress? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR) (a) & (b): The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) under the Ministry of Home Affairs compiles and disseminates information on suicides in its publication titled ‘Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India’ (ADSI). The report till 2023 is available on NCRB website (https://ncrb.gov.in). The ADSI Report does not specify separate reasons for farmers suicide. Reasons for suicides are wide ranging. Ex gratia or relief is provided by State Governments as per their respective provisions and rules. (c): There have been multiple impact evaluation assessments of the PM-KISAN scheme that highlight its impact on farmers’ income and rural economy. Their findings are as follows: (i) An independent study conducted by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in 2019 analyzed how the cash transfers under the scheme were being utilized by farmers. The findings of the study suggest that the funds provided under PM-KISAN have significantly contributed to rural economic growth, alleviated credit constraints, and increased investments in agricultural inputs. Additionally, the funds have improved farmers' risk-taking capacity, enabling them to make productive yet riskier investments. Besides agricultural needs, the funds were also used to meet other expenses such as education, medical, and marriage costs. (ii) The Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has also implemented a comprehensive feedback mechanism using Kisan Call Centres (KCC), and surveys conducted have shown that more than 92% of the beneficiaries are satisfied with the scheme, with more than 93% of the farmers utilising the benefits for agricultural activities.(iii) The Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO) of NITI Aayog conducted an impact evaluation study on the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme. The study's findings demonstrate that the scheme is successfully fulfilling its primary function of providing direct financial assistance to farmers holding agricultural land, thereby enhancing their economic stability and agricultural productivity. The study also shows that over 92 percent of beneficiary farmers utilized the financial assistance for essential agricultural inputs such as seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides, which are particularly important in the face of rising input costs and weather-related uncertainties. Additionally, approximately 85 percent of beneficiary farmers reported an increase in agricultural income, and a significant reduction in reliance on informal credit during crop failures or medical emergencies. This study demonstrates the scheme's contribution to India's progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals related to poverty reduction, food security, gender equity, and institutional transparency. It also emphasizes that the PM-KISAN scheme has become an important pillar of the direct benefit transfer ecosystem, with transaction failures significantly reduced due to the Aadhaar-enabled payment system and continuous improvements in the system. Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is regularly monitoring the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) including functioning of insurance companies, timely settlement of claims through weekly video conferences of all stakeholders, one to one meeting as well as National Review Conferences. In addition, various studies including impact studies have also been made from time to time. As a result of various improvements made in the scheme, the enrollment of farmers in the scheme was at all time high in 2024-25. State-wise and Year-wise details of number of farmer applications enrolled, farmers share in premium, claims paid and number of farmer applications benefitted from 2016-17 to 2024-25 under the PMFBY are given in Annexure-I and II respectively. Recently, a third-party assessment of the KCC–MISS was conducted by Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare through Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bengaluru, to assess the scheme’s functioning across India’s diverse agro regions. As per the report submitted by ISEC, every ₹1 invested under KCC–MISS contributes ₹2.30 to net value addition in the agriculture and allied sector. The MISS has played a crucial role in reducing the interest burden on farmers with an estimated subsidy outlay of ₹1.87 lakh crore since inception till 2024–25.The scheme has positively impacted cropping intensity and multi-season cultivation, with KCC–MISS farmers cultivating larger areas, achieving higher cropping intensity, and adopting more diversified crop portfolios across seasons, supported by reliable irrigation and concessional credit. It has improved the timeliness of input use through access to adequate working capital, and beneficiaries receiving Prompt Repayment Incentive (PRI) have demonstrated better credit discipline, thereby enhancing banks’ confidence for further lending. The scheme has supported dairy and livestock expansion and promoted income diversification by supplementing crop income, reducing dependence on seasonal agriculture, and integrating livestock and fisheries farming with crop production. It has also supported Working Capital Requirements (WCR) for inland fisheries, which is significant for diversification in the North-Eastern Region.Annexure-I PMFBY & RWBCIS: State Wise details from 2016-17 to 2024-25 (as on 31st October 2025) State/UT Name Application Premium Paid Claims Farmers Application Enrolled collected Benefitted from farmers (In No.) (Rs. In Crore) (In No.) A & N Islands 2,920 0.05 0.25 624 Andhra Pradesh 4,37,16,203 795.50 5,575.64 59,58,221 Assam 62,88,099 35.49 724.54 10,77,849 Bihar 52,31,142 402.54 811.06 4,70,922 Chhattisgarh 4,35,44,198 1,627.25 7,651.92 1,11,86,002 Goa 3,891 0.19 0.15 728 Gujarat 83,94,495 1,499.42 5,737.24 30,05,111 Haryana 3,88,85,481 2,351.19 9,006.35 81,85,047 Himachal Pradesh 26,69,243 274.50 607.57 11,43,155 Jammu & Kashmir 9,61,259 67.90 156.88 2,65,772 Jharkhand 71,63,259 75.42 857.29 8,66,732 Karnataka 2,23,55,687 2,536.34 17,475.54 1,25,41,433 Kerala 9,63,528 76.17 741.92 5,79,767 Madhya Pradesh 10,19,37,987 6,819.99 31,722.62 3,02,86,712 Maharashtra 13,08,08,719 5,522.25 44,978.38 6,20,50,428 Manipur 38,748 3.75 10.50 27,638 Meghalaya 91,819 0.84 24.49 34,148 Odisha 6,54,84,317 1,154.56 7,179.76 1,13,15,566 Puducherry 1,97,592 1.44 18.79 35,726 Rajasthan 19,42,16,079 6,827.46 31,411.26 4,97,50,339 Sikkim 13,589 0.46 0.18 330 Tamil Nadu 3,81,69,842 1,396.75 15,488.07 1,78,54,870 Telangana 39,04,037 696.38 1,906.38 12,21,538 Tripura 14,00,683 3.78 12.29 1,33,265 Uttar Pradesh 5,29,44,824 3,099.96 5,801.19 91,55,286 Uttarakhand 20,00,126 344.77 1,211.02 10,07,387 West Bengal 1,38,05,173 305.51 1,262.78 19,14,960 Total 78,51,92,940 35,919.87 1,90,374.05 23,00,69,556Annexure-II PMFBY & RWBCIS: Year Wise details from 2016-17 to 2024-25 (as on 31st October 2025) Year Application Enrolled Premium Paid Claims Farmers collected from Application farmers Benefitted (In No.) (Rs. In Crore) (In No.) 2016-17 5,85,88,795 4,120.78 16,870.75 1,50,38,954 2017-18 5,37,73,010 4,203.51 22,231.34 1,78,42,813 2018-19 5,79,24,389 4,814.17 29,362.02 2,28,70,902 2019-20 6,20,23,243 4,484.95 28,018.74 2,45,67,818 2020-21 6,24,55,870 4,048.87 20,457.76 1,93,44,233 2021-22 8,29,80,129 3,728.64 20,563.65 3,43,65,103 2022-23 11,24,87,613 3,980.71 19,840.78 3,28,08,066 2023-24 14,35,72,488 3,203.46 20,773.33 3,70,64,583 2024-25 15,13,87,403 3,334.79 12,255.67 2,61,67,084 Total 78,51,92,940 35,919.87 1,90,374.05 23,00,69,556 *****