Rajapandi’s death is not an isolated case but part of a distressing pattern. In the past year alone, dairy business owners from Kerala to Rajasthan—many burdened with relatively modest loans—have ended their lives under pressure from aggressive recovery agents and inflexible financial institutions. These cases, often unreported, reveal a deeper systemic failure where the state’s financial support programs fail to protect their intended beneficiaries.

Many of these entrepreneurs emerged through national schemes like Startup India and Stand Up India, aimed at empowering rural youth and farmers. They built local supply chains, provided jobs, and sustained cooperative networks. Unlike high-tech startups, these businesses are deeply embedded in community livelihoods. Their loans were not for speculative growth but to serve and sustain local economies.

Despite India’s push for entrepreneurship, banks continue to use outdated, coercive practices when recoveries stall—sealing assets and harassing borrowers with little regard for the social cost. While Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have introduced laws to curb such actions, enforcement is inconsistent. Experts point out that proper implementation of such legislation could drastically reduce farmer and entrepreneur suicides nationwide.