**Executive Summary**
This document is the answer provided by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Education to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 63, answered on December 1, 2025. The question was posed by Shri Joyanta Basumatary regarding student suicides in IITs, including data, government funding for mental health, and measures taken to improve student mental health. It references a National Task Force established in pursuance of the Supreme Court of India's Order dated 24.03.2025.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Data on Student Suicides:** Comprehensive data on accidental deaths and suicides in India, including student suicides, are published yearly in the Accidental Death & Suicide in India (ADSI) reports by the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB). Year-wise and state-wise details are available online.
* **Government Initiatives:**
* The Government is taking multi-pronged measures and provides psychological support to students, teachers and families for mental and emotional well-being to avoid incidences of suicide.
* The Ministry of Education's initiative, Manodarpan, provides psychological support through a national toll-free helpline and interactive sessions ('Sahyog' and Webinars‘Paricharcha').
* UGC issued advisories to HEIs and circulated guidelines for promotion of physical fitness, sports, student's health, welfare, psychological and emotional wellbeing.
* The Department of Higher Education has initiated an integrated approach under the Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Programme to empower faculty to address student mental health concerns.
* **National Task Force:** A National Task Force (NTF) has been constituted under the chairmanship of Justice (Retd.) S. Ravindra Bhat to identify causes of student suicides, analyze existing regulations, and make recommendations for strengthening protections. Established in pursuance of the Supreme Court of India's Order dated 24.03.2025
* **IIT Initiatives:** IITs have established Student Wellness Centres (SWCs) and employ mental health professionals to promote student well-being.
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholder:** Students in IITs.
* **Impact:** Students will benefit from increased awareness, support, and resources related to mental health.
* **Action Required:** Students are encouraged to use the available resources such as the helpline, interactive sessions, SWCs, and mental health professionals.
**Stakeholder:** Teachers and Families of Students in IITs.
* **Impact:** They will receive guidance and support to address mental health concerns of students.
* **Action Required:** Utilize resources provided by the initiatives like Manodarpan and participate in interactive sessions.
**Stakeholder:** IITs.
* **Impact:** IITs are expected to implement and promote mental health support systems for students.
* **Action Required:** Maintain and enhance SWCs, employ mental health professionals, and incorporate the UGC guidelines.
**Stakeholder:** Higher Education Institutes (HEIs).
* **Impact:** HEIs are requested to take proactive measures to incorporate emotional and mental wellbeing initiatives into institutional functioning.
* **Action Required:** Incorporate UGC issued guidelines into existing infrastructure to promote student wellbeing.
Key Entities Referenced
Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs): Premier engineering and technology institutes in India, the context of the question revolves around student suicides in these institutions.
Ministry of Education: The primary ministry responsible for addressing the issue of student suicides in IITs and providing mental health support.
Manodarpan: An initiative of the Ministry of Education to provide psychological support to students, teachers, and families for mental and emotional well-being.
Accidental Death & Suicide in India (ADSI) reports: Yearly reports by the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) that publish data related to accidental deaths and suicides in the country.
National Task Force (NTF): Constituted under the chairmanship of Justice (Retd.) S. Ravindra Bhat to identify causes for student suicides, analyze existing regulations, and recommend protective measures.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 63
ANSWERED ON-01/12/2025
Student Suicides in IITs
63. Shri Joyanta Basumatary:
Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:
(a) the number of cases of student suicides in IITs across the country during the last
ten years, year-wise;
(b) whether the Government has set aside any amount of funds allocated to IITs for
ensuring adequate mental health facilities for students and if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government has constituted any committee or conducted survey to
examine the mental health of students in IITs and suggest measures to improve the
same and if so, the details of the recommendations thereof; and
(d) if not, the reasons therefor?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
(DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR)
(a) to (d): Comprehensive analysis of the data related to the accidental deaths and suicides in
the country is published in the yearly Accidental Death & Suicide in India (ADSI) reports by
National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB). Year wise and State wise details of student
suicides are available in the ADSI reports which are accessible at:
https://ncrb.gov.in/accidental-deaths-suicides-in-india-year-wise.html
To address the issue of suicide, the Government is taking multi-pronged measures
and provides psychological support to students, teachers and families for mental and
emotional well-being to avoid incidences of suicide. An initiative of Ministry of Education,
Manodarpan, covers a wide range of activities to provide psychological support to students,
teachers and families for mental and emotional well-being such as National toll-free helpline
that has been extending guidance to callers through trained counsellor; and live interactive
sessions ‘Sahyog’ and Webinars ‘Paricharcha’ that are organized regularly to create
awareness about the importance of mental health among all stakeholders, students in all
States/UTs.UGC issued advisory to HEIs on 06.01.2023 regarding the National Suicide
Prevention Strategy framed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. UGC has also
issued Guidelines for Promotion of Physical Fitness, Sports, Student’s Health, Welfare,
Psychological and Emotional Well- being at HEIs on 13.04.2023. The Ministry on
10.07.2023 has also circulated a broad framework for emotional and mental well-being of
students in Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) with request to take proactive measures to
incorporate the same in the institutional functioning and instill a feeling of confidence in the
student community. These guidelines lay emphasis inter alia on sports, yoga, meditation etc.
to address the wellbeing and mental health concerns. HEIs are promoting the integration of
yoga in the academic life on campus by introducing year long yoga event calendars,
dedicated courses on yoga etc.
Department of Higher Education has initiated the Integrated approach for Promoting
Positive Mental Health, Resilience, and Wellbeing under the Malaviya Mission Teacher
Training Programme to empower faculty to address student mental health concerns for early
intervention.
In pursuance of Supreme Court of India’s Order dated 24.03.2025, a National Task
Force (NTF) has been constituted under the chairmanship of Justice (Retd.) S. Ravindra Bhat,
Former Judge, SCI for identification of the predominant causes which lead to commission of
suicides by students, analysis of Existing Regulations, recommendations for Strengthening
Protections etc.
Additionally, IITs have established Student Wellness Centres (SWCs) to promote
student well-being through volunteer programs, student counselling/training sessions and
grievance redressal mechanisms. Beyond utilizing professional online counselling platforms,
IITs also employ mental health professionals, including counselors, psychiatrists, and
psychometricians to provide in-person counseling and support to the students.
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