Student Suicides 7.6% Of All Suicide Cases Across India In 2022: Minister
Student suicides accounted for 7.6 percent of all suicide cases reported in India in 2022. This marks a small drop from 8.0 percent in 2021 and 8.2 percent in 2020, according to official data shared in the Lok Sabha.
Union Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar shared the figures while responding to a written question in Parliament. The data is from the Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India (ADSI) report published by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
The minister said that the government is taking several steps to address student mental health, including offering psychological support to students, teachers and families.
The Ministry of Education's Manodarpan initiative has provided counselling and live interactive sessions to lakhs of students through dedicated helplines. The District Mental Health Programme (DMHP), run by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, is active in 767 districts and offers suicide prevention services along with life skills training in schools and colleges.
To tackle rising substance abuse among students, the Centre has also increased its focus on anti-drug campaigns alongside mental health awareness.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked colleges and universities to focus on student well-being by promoting sports, physical fitness, emotional health and overall student welfare.
Institutes such as IIT Madras, IIT Delhi, and IIT Guwahati have started organising workshops on stress management and resilience as part of the Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Programme, the minister added.
Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar also informed that the Ministry of Education is working on a draft legislation to set up the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) — a single regulatory body proposed to oversee the entire higher education sector.
In a written reply, the minister said the move is in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which calls for a 'light but tight" regulatory system to enhance transparency, efficiency and accountability while encouraging institutional autonomy, innovation and good governance.
At present, non-technical education is regulated by the University Grants Commission (UGC), technical education falls under the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and teacher education is overseen by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE). The idea of merging these functions under one umbrella body was first proposed in a 2018 draft bill that also recommended repealing the UGC Act. The draft was later opened for public feedback.
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July 22, 2025, 13:46 IST
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