State, society are failing daily wagers

One in four of the 1.64 lakh victims of suicide was a daily wager, NCRB data suggests

Some trends indicated in the latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), released last week, should cause concern to governments and the society as a whole. The report has shown an increase in the suicide rate in the general population and an especially higher rate of suicide among daily wage-earners in 2021. The suicide rate of 12 per one lakh population in the year was the highest in the last five years. The higher suicide rate assumes meaning in light of the fact that last year saw the second wave of the Covid pandemic sweeping the country, impacting the lives of people in all aspects. Covid affected everyone but the poor the hardest, and the details of the NCRB suicide data make that clear.

One in four of the 1.64 lakh victims of suicide was a daily wager. Daily wagers were the largest group among suicide victims and their suicide rate rose faster than the national average. The sharp rise in the number of cases of suicide of farm workers has also to be seen in this context. The number of daily wagers taking their own lives has actually seen a steady increase in the past few years, from 15,735 in 2014 to 37,666 in 2020 and 42,004 in 2021. Daily wagers are in the lowest rung of society economically and their increasing propensity to suicide may be a sign of economic deprivation, increasing insecurity and a sense of despair. Most daily wagers are in the unorganised sector and they form 85% of the workforce. The laws and policies that are meant to protect them do not often work. Many cannot find work, and when they work, they do not get the prescribed minimum wages. Their weaknesses and vulnerabilities were fully in view during the Covid lockdown, and so the high suicide figures of 2021 could well have been the result of the economic and social impact of the pandemic.

The central and state governments launched many support and welfare schemes for the deprived sections of the population, but it has been observed that they did not reach many needy people and families. The daily wagers’ crisis in life had started getting worse even before the pandemic and the steady rise in the suicide rate since 2014 may reflect that. Economic deprivation is the most obvious reason, but the suicide decision is also about the absence of personal, family and social support systems. The act of suicide is not just the result of a person’s failure to cope with a situation in life but is also a sign of the collective failure of State and society. The government and society should take note of this.