Synopsis Earlier, tall claims were made about the success of green revolution in India. But, at present, the peasantry is in crisis because of less remunerative nature of farming. As a result, the issue of indebtedness of the peasantry has raised many questions and it was focus of the recent debate after some reported suicide cases. This book evaluates the nature and extent of rural credit along with the growth of agricultural production and the process of farm mechanisation. The growth of rural institutional credit across the peasant strata and the change in the pattern of distribution of this credit have been studied. Regarding supply of credit to different sections of farmers, the role of institutional vis-?-vis non-institutional sources and also the problem of overdues has been investigated. The causes determining the extent of credit, the determinants of overdues and in this context the economic position of different categories of farmers has been examined. This book will certainly prove useful to the planners and policy makers and would guide the academics in general, and the researchers and students of economics.