Lok Sabha Question No. 1046 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-12-03
Subject: Suicides due to COVID-19
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Dean Kuriakose

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1046 TO BE ANSWERED ON 03 RD  DECEMBER, 2021

## SUICIDES DUE TO COVID-19

## 1046.  ADV. DEAN KURIAKOSE:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  the  data  regarding  suicides  committed  in  the  country  after March 2020, if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise;
- (b) Whether  the  Government  is  aware  of  any  studies  linking  the  rise  in  suicides  with  the COVID-19 induced stress, if so, the details thereof;
- (c) Whether the Government has taken any steps to reduce the number of suicides happening in the country; and
- (d) If so, the action taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (DR. BHARATI PRAVIN PAWAR)

(a):  As  per  the  'Accidental  Deaths and Suicides in  India 2020' Report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the total number of suicides committed by people during the year 2020 is  153052. Details of State/ UT- wise number of suicides committed by people during 2020 is Annexed.

(b) to (d): Realizing the impact that COVID-19 may have on the mental health of the people, the Government has taken a number of initiatives to provide psychosocial support during COVID19. These initiatives include:

- (i) Setting up  of a 24/7 helpline to provide  psychosocial  support, by  mental  health professionals,  to  the  entire  affected  population,  divided  into  different  target  groups  viz children, adult, elderly, women and healthcare workers.
- (ii) Issuance  of  guidelines/  advisories  on  management  of  mental  health  issues,  catering  to different segments of the society.
- (iii) Advocacy  through  various  media  platforms  in  the  form  of  creative  and  audio-visual materials on managing stress and anxiety, and promoting an environment of support and care for all.
- (iv) Issuance of detailed guidelines by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS),  Bengaluru-  "Mental  Health  in  the  times  of  COVID-19 Pandemic - Guidance for General Medical and Specialized Mental Health Care Settings".
- (v) All the guidelines, advisories and advocacy material can be accessed on Ministry of Health and Family Welfare website under 'Behavioural Health -Psychosocial helpline' (https://www.mohfw.gov.in/).
- (vi) Online  capacity  building  of  health  workers  by  NIMHANS  in  providing  psychosocial support and training through (iGOT)-Diksha platform.

Further, to address the burden of mental disorders, the Government of India is implementing the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP). The Government is supporting implementation of the  District  Mental  Health  Programme (DMHP)  under NMHP in 692 districts of the country with the objectives to:

- (i) Provide  suicide  prevention  services,  work  place  stress  management,  life  skills training and counselling in schools and colleges.
- (ii) Provide  mental  health  services  including  prevention,  promotion  and  long-term continuing care at different levels of district healthcare delivery system.
- (iii) Augment  institutional  capacity  in  terms  of  infrastructure,  equipment  and  human resource for mental healthcare.
- (iv) Promote community awareness and participation in the delivery of mental healthcare services.

*****

State UT wise number of suicide committed by people during 2020

| SN   | State/UT                 |   Number of Suicides |
|------|--------------------------|----------------------|
| 1    | Andhra Pradesh           |                 7043 |
| 2    | Arunachal Pradesh        |                  160 |
| 3    | Assam                    |                 3243 |
| 4    | Bihar                    |                  809 |
| 5    | Chhattisgarh             |                 7710 |
| 6    | Goa                      |                  308 |
| 7    | Gujarat                  |                 8050 |
| 8    | Haryana                  |                 4001 |
| 9    | Himachal Pradesh         |                  857 |
| 10   | Jharkhand                |                 2145 |
| 11   | Karnataka                |                12259 |
| 12   | Kerala                   |                 8500 |
| 13   | Madhya Pradesh           |                14578 |
| 14   | Maharashtra              |                19909 |
| 15   | Manipur                  |                   44 |
| 16   | Meghalaya                |                  224 |
| 17   | Mizoram                  |                  108 |
| 18   | Nagaland                 |                   48 |
| 19   | Odisha                   |                 5546 |
| 20   | Punjab                   |                 2616 |
| 21   | Rajasthan                |                 5658 |
| 22   | Sikkim                   |                  285 |
| 23   | Tamil Nadu               |                16883 |
| 24   | Telangana                |                 8058 |
| 25   | Tripura                  |                  845 |
| 26   | Uttar Pradesh            |                 4804 |
| 27   | Uttarakhand              |                  943 |
| 28   | West Bengal              |                13103 |
|      | TOTAL STATE(S)           |               148737 |
| 29   | A &NIslands              |                  180 |
| 30   | Chandigarh               |                  128 |
| 31   | D&N Haveli and Daman&Diu |                  156 |
| 32   | Delhi UT                 |                 3142 |

| 33   | Jammu &Kashmir    |    287 |
|------|-------------------|--------|
| 34   | Ladakh            |     12 |
| 35   | Lakshadweep       |      2 |
| 36   | Puducherry        |    408 |
|      | TOTAL UT(S)       |   4315 |
|      | TOTAL (ALL INDIA) | 153052 |