In Punjab, 86% of agricultural households are in debt, and the inability to repay loans has led to suicides, said former chief justice of India, Justice JS Khehar, on Monday. Delivering the keynote address on ‘Contemporary Punjab: Challenges and Solutions’ at the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID), Sector 19, Justice Khehar said agriculture in Punjab has become unviable due to depleting groundwater levels, soil degradation, stagnant crop prices, shrinking landholdings, and other environmental and economic factors. He stressed that agriculture in the state cannot survive without strong government intervention.
Justice Khehar said the days of the green revolution, when Punjab was a major contributor to the country’s foodgrain production, were long over. Punjab has been stuck with its agricultural model, he added. As per UN experts’ assessments, the state could turn into a desert in the next 15-20 years. If the Satluj-Yamuna Link dispute is decided against Punjab by the Supreme Court, this may happen even sooner,” he warned.
To revive agriculture, he said the government must provide subsidies to farmers, promote water conservation, offer incentives through schemes such as Haryana’s ‘Mera Pani Meri Virasat’, encourage a shift from traditional to sustainable crops, and promote alternative uses of agricultural land. He added that the agrarian crisis is not unique to India and that similar debates on farmer subsidies are currently underway in the European Parliament.
Justice Khehar also highlighted the decline of industry in Punjab, noting that around 20,000 industrial units have shut down over the past decade. Ludhiana, once known as the Manchester of India, has been losing industries since 2005, including machine parts manufacturing and hosiery. Industries in Amritsar, Mandi Gobindgarh, and Jalandhar – textiles, steel, and sports goods respectively – have also been severely affected. He said the decline in industry has worsened challenges such as outmigration, mounting debt, and drug abuse.
{{/usCountry}}Justice Khehar also highlighted the decline of industry in Punjab, noting that around 20,000 industrial units have shut down over the past decade. Ludhiana, once known as the Manchester of India, has been losing industries since 2005, including machine parts manufacturing and hosiery. Industries in Amritsar, Mandi Gobindgarh, and Jalandhar – textiles, steel, and sports goods respectively – have also been severely affected. He said the decline in industry has worsened challenges such as outmigration, mounting debt, and drug abuse.
{{/usCountry}}Addressing the drug menace, Justice Khehar said manufacturers, financiers, and those controlling the trade must be targeted. “This is not a dream, this is doable. The persistence of drug abuse is due to a lack of political will and police corruption,” he said.
Concern raised over academic deterioration
Justice Khehar also spoke about the financial and academic deterioration of public universities in Punjab, sharing personal experiences. He recalled that being a graduate of Panjab University (PU) was once a matter of pride, but during a recent visit to deliver a lecture, he noticed broken podiums, mismatched furniture, poor sound systems, and NGO-sponsored refreshments and gifts, highlighting the institution’s financial distress.
“The most disturbing aspect was the small number of students in the audience,” he said, adding that he observed similar conditions at Punjabi University and Guru Nanak Dev University. He emphasised the need to significantly increase funding for educational institutions, saying that “nothing can be considered expensive when it comes to education.”
The discussion was organised by the Chandigarh Citizens Foundation. Former Punjab chief secretary Ramesh Inder Singh and Dr Upinder Sawhney, head of the economics department at PU, were among the other speakers.