The school of social sciences, Assam Kaziranga University organized a webinar on 'The Silent Suicide of Farmers in India' on 24^th May, 2021.  The key speaker of the webinar was Mr Vivek Namdev who is working as an analyst at Indian Political Action Committee (IPAC).

Delivering his presentation the above mentioned topic, Mr Namdev discussed some of the quite significant aspects related to farmers' suicide in India, which is a currently a burning social issue in India with a long lasting impact on the farmers, and common people.  Discussing the multiple social, economic and cultural settings responsible for farmers' suicide in India, Mr Namdev said that the 'farmers are the soul of India' who work hard to produce food for the whole country,  and help us overcome hunger and live a healthy life. His presentation included the following key points related to this issue – farmer suicide, its history and causes;  data on farmer suicide; how it affects the society; the measures taken by the government to stop this problem, and finally what  we can do to solve this problem.

Mr Namdev stated the number of farmers' suicide in states like Karnataka, Punjab, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Kerala are comparatively high due to these farmers inability to repay their debts. The inability to repay debt is one of the major reasons of farmer's suicide in India as pointed out by him. Agricultural distress coupled with class and conflict, hierarchy, influence of middle men, and the poor health condition of farmers are some of the reasons that may add to farmers' suicide in India.

Mr Namdev mentioned that by reducing the cost involved in purchasing fertilizers, providing agricultural equipments at affordable rates; encouraging cooperative farming; providing insurance to the farmer's families and waiving off Agricultural Debt, we can help to reduce the number of suicide cases among farmers.

The webinar was useful for the students as well as faculty members.  A total of 90 plus students participated in the webinar and engaged in meaningful interaction with the speakers.