Parliament Question: Suicides by Children

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 422 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 21ST JULY, 2026/ ASHADHA 30, 1948 (SAKA) SUICIDES BY CHILDREN 422. SHRI K C VENUGOPAL: ADV DEAN KURIAKOSE: Will the Minister of HOME AFFAIRS be pleased to state: (a) the number of suicides committed by children below the age of 18 years during the last five years, State-wise; (b) whether there is a continuous year-on-year percentage increase in the suicide rate among minors, and if so, the details thereof, State-wise; (c) whether the Government has conducted any comprehensive study to identify the primary systemic causes driving this surge among the youth; and (d) the concrete measures, specialized helpline infrastructure, or national crisis-intervention frameworks implemented by the Government specifically to address and prevent the growing mental health crisis among children and adolescents? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI NITYANAND RAI) (a) & (b): National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) compiles and publishes information on deaths due to suicides, received from States/Union Territories, in its publication “Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India”. Published reports are available till the year 2024. State/UT-wise details of suicides committed by Children (Below 18 years) during 2021-2024 are available on NCRB website (http://ncrb.gov.in). The Bureau started publishing such data since 2021.-2- L.S.US.Q.NO. 422 FOR 21.07.2026 (c) & (d): Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India has taken the following measures to prevent the growing Mental Health crisis among Children and Adolescents: i. The National Suicide Prevention Strategy was released in November, 2022. It provides a framework for multiple stakeholders to implement activities for prevention of suicides in India. This national strategy aims to reduce suicide mortality by 10% in the country by 2030. It also includes an action framework with proposed actions with key stakeholders, implementation framework and mechanism, thus providing a path forward for preventing suicides. ii. A 15-Member National Task Force constituted by the Anti-Ragging committee of the National Medical Commission (NMC) in February 2024 on Mental Health and Well-being of Medical Students. iii. A "National Tele Mental Health Programme" was launched on 10th October, 2022 to further improve access to quality mental health counselling and care services in the country. iv. Tele MANAS Mobile Application was launched on the occasion of World Mental Health Day on October 10, 2024 to provide support for mental health issues ranging from well being to mental disorders. A video-3- L.S.US.Q.NO. 422 FOR 21.07.2026 consultation facility has been introduced under Tele-MANAS, as an upgrade to the existing audio calling service. v. The National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) has been launched to address the burden of mental disorders, in the country. The District Mental Health Programme (DMHP) component of the NMHP has been sanctioned for implementation in 767 districts for which support is provided to States/UTs through the National Health Mission. vi. To strengthen mental healthcare services at primary healthcare level, more than 1.83 lakh Sub Health Centres (SHCs) and Primary Health Centres (PHCs) have been upgraded to Ayushman Arogya Mandirs. Mental health services have been added in the packages of services under Comprehensive Primary Health Care provided at these Ayushman Arogya Mandirs. vii. There are 47 Government run mental hospitals in the country, including 3 Central Mental Health Institutions, viz. National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bengaluru, Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi Regional Institute of Mental Health, Tezpur, Assam and Central Institute of Psychiatry, Ranchi. Mental Health Services are also provisioned in all AIIMS.-4- L.S.US.Q.NO. 422 FOR 21.07.2026 Further, the Ministry of Education, Government of India, also circulated, in July 2023, a broad framework for emotional and mental well-being of students in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) with direction to all Centrally Funded Institutions to develop institutional mechanism to address the emotional and mental wellbeing of students in HEIs. *******