Debt-ridden farmer commits suicide in Ludhiana

Ludhiana (Punjab): A 42-year-old debt-ridden farmer allegedly committed suicide in Ludhiana's Punjab.

The farmer named Jaspal Singh was under heavy debts of Rs 20 lakhs, which drove him to take the drastic step.

India is an agrarian country where 70 percent of its people are dependent on agriculture. Farmer suicides in such a scenario are even more worrisome.

In 2014, the National Crime Records Bureau of India reported 5,650 farmer suicides. The highest number of farmer suicides was recorded in 2004.

The farmer suicide rate in India has ranged between 1.4 and 1.8 per 100,000 total population, over a 10-year period through 2005.

Last year, the country saw farmer suicides mostly in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Jharkhand.