In the past few years, the central government has made big claims of development for farmers and laborers, but the latest data from the National Crime Records Bureau shows that the reality of these claims is different. According to the latest NCRB data, suicides of farmers and laborers have increased in the country.
According to the statistics, last year in 2022 there were 1,70,924 suicides, while in 2021 this figure was 1,64,033. That is, there has been an increase of 4.2 percent compared to 2021. However, in most cases, workers commit suicide due to family problems and illness, the report said. Family problems accounted for 31.7% and illness 18.4%, while unemployment and professional problems accounted for 1.9% and 1.2% respectively.
According to the report released on 4 December 2023, Maharashtra recorded the highest number of suicides (22,746) for the third consecutive year, followed by Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh.
If we look at these statistics, it is clear that the working class in the country is at the top in terms of suicides. A third of these figures are suicides of farmers and farm labourers. The next highest number of suicides is that of daily wage labourers, whose number is 44,713, which is 26.4 per cent of the total. This figure is 1% more than last year.
Also if we talk about professionals, they account for 9.2 percent of suicide cases, including 14,395 salaried and 18,357 self-employed people. Looking at suicides due to unemployment, it is 9.2 percent, while 3,541 such cases were reported in 2021, while the number was marginally lower in 2022 – 3,170.
Rising suicide rate across the country is the most worrisome “Over the years people’s purchasing power has gone down, while inflation has been on the rise. Along with this, unemployment has also peaked. As a result, people’s savings have also declined by 5 per cent. While NCRB data says that most workers quit due to family reasons. or suicides due to illness, financial crisis is one of the main reasons.
According to NCRB, 1,09,875 people who committed suicide i.e. 64.3 percent have an annual income of less than Rs 1 lakh. There has been a huge increase in the number of suicides by 27.06 percent in the last five years and the proportion of suicides (16.4) is higher in urban areas.
These figures expose the government’s false development claims. Earlier, farmers used to commit suicide, but this was not the case with labourers. Laborers used to migrate for work and earn their livelihood by doing anything but the problem of employment has arisen in front of them and in the last few years, workers are also committing suicide and this number is increasing in big cities as well which is more serious. It shows that the workers are desperate and hence they are sacrificing their lives.” Similarly.
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has released its ‘Crime in India 2022’ report. Like every year, this year also there has been an increase in the incidents of violence against women. According to the data in the report, a total of 4,45,256 crimes against women have been reported in 2022. Whereas earlier in 2021, 4,28,278 and 3,71,503 cases were reported in 2020. That is, last year in 2022, about 51 crimes were registered every hour in relation to crimes against women. This data tells a different truth than all the promises and intentions of women’s safety.
According to this report, Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of cases of crimes against women last year in 2022. About 65 thousand 743 crimes were registered here. This is the same BJP-ruled state where speeches from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to Union Home Minister Amit Shah cite examples of women’s safety. Everything from Mission Shakti to Safe City scheme for women is going on here, but the story of insecurity does not change.
Capital Delhi has the worst record in terms of crime against women. The crime rate against women in Delhi is 144.4, higher than the national average of 66.4. This crime rate is per one lakh women. If we understand it in simple terms, it is the percentage of women victims of crime in relation to population i.e. for every 1 lakh women. Crime rate against women is 118.7 in Haryana, 117 in Telangana, 115.1 in Rajasthan.
Among them, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan are leading. Maharashtra and Rajasthan are not far behind in cases of violence against women. 45 thousand 331 cases have been registered in Maharashtra and 45 thousand 58 cases in Rajasthan.
Trinamool Congress’s West Bengal is not far behind among the unsafe states for women. Women had special expectations from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, but here too 34 thousand 738 cases were registered.
Elections were held recently in Madhya Pradesh, where the BJP was described as a ‘women-loving’ government, but under Shivraj Singh’s rule, 32,765 cases of crimes against women were registered here too. These are the statistics of some states where leaders and ministers do not tire of repeatedly claiming that it is safe for women. Schemes are carried out in the name of security, posters with their pictures published in newspapers, However, every day the pages of newspapers expose the security system of women well. And perhaps the success of the women’s movement is that women are becoming aware and raising their voices against the oppression they face.
Women are most vulnerable in their homes
According to the report, the highest 31.4% cases of crimes against women under Indian Penal Code (IPC) were of cruelty by husband or his relatives. This means women are most vulnerable in their own homes. This was followed by 19.2% cases of kidnapping and abduction of women by luring or threatening them. At the same time, 18.7% of women were assaulted with the intention of defaming their dignity and 7.1% of cases of rape were reported.
Law and order in Delhi is in the hands of the central government and is controlled by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA government. Under the leadership of Narendra Modi, the BJP contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections on which women’s safety was an important issue. The party made many promises in its manifesto and the Prime Minister in his speech. But now that Prime Minister Modi’s second term is coming to an end, the question is now being raised whether those promises were limited to slogans.
It is noteworthy that NCRB’s ‘Crime in India’ report was released this time on December 3 i.e. Sunday. This report comes every year and every year we lament the increasing crimes against women, like – violence against women has increased this year compared to last year or how many women and minor girls are victims of rape every day. The graph of murder, domestic violence, dowry is high in these metros and sometimes the graph of domestic violence, dowry death is high in these metros and sometimes these states are most unsafe for women. But this does not solve the issue of women’s safety or change the status of women.
Vikas Parasram Meshram is a journalist
