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National Suicide Prevention Strategy : Govt Of India

National Suicide Prevention Strategy : Govt Of India
National Suicide Prevention strategy

According to the  ministry, the policy will lay the groundwork for improving mental health and preventing suicides in the next ten years.

By 2030, the strategy hopes to reduce suicide mortality in the country by 10%. The strategy provides a framework for numerous stakeholders to carry out suicide prevention initiatives across the country.

Time Frame for Execution of  National Suicide Prevention Strategy :

First, it aims to set up efficient suicide surveillance systems within the following three years.

Within the next five years, it aims to establish psychiatric outpatient departments across all districts to offer suicide prevention services under the District Mental Health Program.

In the next eight years, it wants a mental health curriculum to be taught in all schools.

The fourth goal of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy is to increase suicide surveillance and keep gathering evidence through evaluation, which will help improve the quality of programs.

Who are responsible for Successful Execution of the strategy ?

The National Suicide Prevention Strategy's implementation framework identifies five key stakeholders as being in charge of carrying out the goals. These include strategic partners such as NIMHANS-Bangalore and other top mental health institutions, as well as national ministerial stakeholders, state and district governments, district-level governments, and state and Central agencies.

How It Will Be Implemented ?


Strengthening the nation's institutional capacity, partnerships, and leadership
Increasing the ability of health services to offer services for suicide prevention
Getting more people to support suicide prevention and community resilience and reducing the shame that comes with suicidal behavior are two goals.
Indian Suicides:
According to the National Crime Records Bureau's (NCRB) annual report, which was published in August, 1.64 lakh people committed suicide in 2021, a 7.2% increase from 2020. This is 6.8 times the number of maternal deaths (23,800) in the same year and 10% more than the COVID deaths (1.48 lakh) in India in 2020.

According to the NCRB report, more than 100,000 people in this country commit suicide each year. In the 53 megacities across the country in 2021, there were a total of 25,891 suicides, with Delhi having the most.

Other Initiatives: The National Mental Health Policy of 2014 says that the most important things are to prevent mental disorders and cut down on the number of suicide attempts and suicides.

Some necessary changes were made thanks to the Mental Healthcare Act of 2017. The act, which became operative in May 2018, effectively made suicide attempts no longer considered crimes under Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code. It made sure that, rather than being tried or punished, those who have attempted suicide are given opportunities for rehabilitation by the government.

What is current Status of Suicides in India ?

  • More than One lakh lives lost due to suicide maximum cause of death for Age Group of 15-29 years group.
  • Suicide rate per 1,00,000 population, increased from 10.2 to 11.3 per cent in 2019-2022.
  • Daily Wagers: In 2021, this group was the largest contributor in profession-wise accounting for 42,004 suicides (25.6%).
  • Farming Sector: Persons engaged in farming sector was 6.6%  of  profession-wise record during 2021.
  • Self- Employed : Growth by 16.73%
  • Un-Employed : Dip of 12.38% from 15,652 in 2020 to 13,714 suicides in 2021.
  • Maximum Suicide reported in Maharashtra followed by Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh.

Initiatives to reduce Suicides:-

  • Mental Healthcare Act 2017 : MHA 2017 aims to provide mental healthcare services for persons with mental illness.
  • KIRAN : The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has launched a 24/7 toll-free helpline “KIRAN” to provide support for people fighting against anxiety, stress, depression, suicidal thoughts and other mental health concerns.
  • Manodarpan Initiative: Manodarpan is an initiative of the Ministry of Education under Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. It is aimed to provide psychosocial support to students, family members and teachers for their mental health and well-being during the times of Covid-19.