In recent months, issues related to farmers' suicide have been propping up in several parts of the country. Bhartiya Kisan Ugrahan (BKU) claims that in April-May this year, at least 55 farmers committed suicide. In Andhra Pradesh, Human Rights Forum and Rythu Swarajya Vedika (RSV) have demanded an enquiry into farmers' suicides and irregularities in the disbursement of a Rs 7 lakh financial package to the kins of suicide victims. Vidarbha in Maharashtra notoriously remains one of the most vulnerable regions across the country in terms of farmers' suicides. Call it one of the gravest ironies of Independent India that an occupation that helps feed and sustain the entire nation is not rewarding enough for its practitioners to sustain their lives. One would agree that agriculture is among the most demanding activities in terms of labour. Should death be a reward for this labour? This is a question that should also be seen through the prism of justice and humanity. Another question that merits attention is who is responsible/accountable for unabated suicide amongst farmers. Certainly, we as a society can't be so shameless as to blame farmers themselves! As per the government's own analysis, some 16,000 farmers committed suicides between 2000 and 2018. This number may be a gross underestimate as entities working in this direction have pegged the number to be much higher. Through the economic prism also, agriculture products represent a sector whose demand will never fall. If still, the core suppliers of products are not able to garner even a subsistence-level profit, there is something awfully wrong with the sector. The nation may boast of massive development during the post-independence period but the reasons behind farmers' suicides crudely remain the same as they were at the time of independence — lack of formal credit, high input costs, untimely precipitation and non-remunerative returns. The burden on their shoulders, at the same time, has increased manifold. Not just the cost of food and other essentials have risen drastically due to a range of factors, but also the urge and spending for entitlements like education and health have gone exponentially high. In the recent suicide of Mewa Singh in Punjab, the farmer has left behind him four daughters for whom he was committed to providing good education. His dreams now lie shattered as the family will have to prioritize spending on basic necessities rather than education. The compensation amount of Rs 3 lakhs his family is entitled to is not even good enough to repay the loan amount they are liable to pay. Did Mewa Singh find more promise in the compensation amount than in his own abilities? Only the departed soul knows! Arvind Kejriwal — party head of the ruling AAP in Punjab — showed a ray of hope this year when he promised that no farmer will commit suicide due to crop failure. It is, however, understandable that such a rooted problem cannot be weeded out in a couple of months. The new government in Punjab must show a change in attitude and strategy towards handling the situation. It will indeed be a great challenge for the Kejriwal-led AAP. It must, however, be taken as an opportunity. Fulfilment of his promise will earn AAP the momentum that it is looking for to spread its wings in national politics. There is already a perception of Punjab's farmers being a prosperous lot. Apparently, it is not a pan-state challenge for the party. By focusing on the Malwa and other regions, which are home to a large number of small and marginal farmers, the Punjab government can show a way forward for other states. It goes without saying that farmer suicide is not restricted to Punjab only. Different states have different sets of problems and may require different strategies. Vidarbha is plagued by a shortage of electricity and a lack of agri-business infrastructure. Small landholdings and infertile land beset the Malwa region in Punjab. Farmers in Bihar and UP have their own set of problems. However, broadly, some basic inadequacies remain common and may require a coordinated effort by the Central government. In the first place, the government is still required to prepare a broad-based plan to understand the situation on the ground. It is shockingly inexplicable that even the exercise of official counting of farmers' suicides is not carried out regularly. The fundamental problem, it reflects, is the sheer neglect of the issue. Political promises by leaders like Kejriwal and an awakening of sorts seen among farmers during their protest along Delhi borders offer a glimmer of hope but a lot is left to be done.