The challenge of employment may be the next big crisis that the government may have to face
Two of the burning issues currently dominating the public discourse are the amendments to the land acquisition bill proposed by the National Democratic Alliance and the ongoing crisis in agriculture.
At the centre of all this is the Indian farmer, who, on the one hand, is struggling to save his land from draconian amendments to the land acquisition bill and, on the other hand, is struggling to make ends meet from the same meagre land holding that he does not want to let go.
It is now becoming increasingly obvious that the crisis in Indian agriculture may have been accentuated by the drought last year and the unseasonal rains this year. The crisis is also systemic, with farmers failing to cope with risks—both natural such as rainfall and man-made—such as the one precipitated by the decline in commodity prices. While low profitability in agriculture is now a regular phenomenon in most crops, the risks associated with price fluctuations have only made them more severe. Expectedly, survey after survey has shown that the majority of farmers would leave agriculture if they had a choice.
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