Extent of Socioeconomic Crisis in Punjab: Causes and Policy Options

The agricultural sector in Punjab has witnessed substantial transformation under the impact of the Green Revolution since mid-1960s. However, the cropping pattern in Punjab has not witnessed any drastic change and has remained highly favourable towards wheat-paddy monoculture, which has produced various ecological problems in the state in the form of loss of soil fertility, water table depletion, and so forth. The present paper aims to evaluate the indicators of the current socioeconomic crisis in the state of Punjab. Looking at the deep crisis, the study suggests that there is an immediate need to diversify the overall economic base of the state, instead of attempting it only in terms of crop diversification. Furthermore, the results of the study revealed that there is a great prospect to diversify the entire economic base of Punjab.