Over 600 deaths, at least Rs 5,000-cr loss: The cost of farm protests

With over 600 lives lost and thousands of crores of rupees of economic loss for exchequer, the cost of farm protests has been very high

On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that his government would repeal the three farm laws, which had put the government at loggerheads with farmers.

The announcement is expected to end the protests—farmers have been protesting for nearly a year now. However, the costs of the farm stir have been high.

As per an analysis by Punjabi University scholars, until October 26, 2021, nearly 600 lives had been lost. The study of 460 farmers who lost their lives during the stir indicates that most farmers who lost their lives were either small farmers or landless labourers. The study further suggests