Health Status of Agriculture Labours in Davangere District of Karnataka

Resumen

Health is one of the vital indicators reflecting quality of human life. Economic and social
development, the two main components of overall development are interrelated. Economic
development is necessary to achieve most social goals and social development is necessary to
achieve most economic goals. However both can be achieved only if a nation has healthy
population. The principle determinants of growth and development are human capital, health
status of the community and infrastructural facilities. Hence improving the health of
individuals, particularly those belonging to socially and economically dis-advantaged groups,
is an essential objective of the government. “Health affects every aspects of life. Karnataka’s
Farmers have been facing several issues ranging from improper technology to agricultural
loan debts. Karnataka is a vast state with varied topography, while there are agriculturally
prosperous regions, some regions are severely affected by the frequent droughts. The
Karnataka government even after introducing and implementing certain policies for the
farmers, have failed to protect the farmers, this has led to more than 3500 farmers
committing suicide in the period of four years from 2013 to 2017. The opposition parties
have ceased the opportunity to put pressure on the government, as they seek to improve the
condition and growth of agricultural sector of the Karnataka, that has become stagnantion
there cent years. Karnataka’s economy is largely dependent on the revenue generated from
the IT sector, as major cities including capital Bangalore have become a major hub for IT
industry. But on the other hand, agricultural sector’s growth has been on a downward
trajectory, as droughts are becoming a common event in various regions across Karnataka,
while Northern Karnataka region is the worst affected region of the state. Although a state
budget allocation of Rs. 3823 crore for the year 2017-18, the 2/3rd of the agricultural
production in the state is still dependent on rainfall. Any delay in the rainfall or zero-rainfall,
will affect the majority of farming communities in Karnataka due to lack of water
management system and state’s inadequacy to implement the policies to improve the
condition of the agricultural sector. Farmers’ suicide has become a pertinent issue in the
state, last year Karnataka faced the worst droughts in last 40-odd years.
Droughts have affected several districts of the state for the fourth year running, the Northern
region ranks on the top in terms of drought-prone region, as the region lacks proper irrigation
system and rely on traditional methods of farming. Out of the 3515 farmers’ death in between
2013 to 2017, approximately 2500 of the farmer suicides happened due to the drought or due
to the failure of crop. The growing agrarian crisis in the state has resulted in the stagnation of
the agricultural sector that is one of the major contributors towards the share in Karnataka’s
GDP.