VIJAYAWADA: There was a 22 per cent increase in suicides by students in 2020 as compared to the previous year, according to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report. As many as 469 students took the extreme step in the previous year, compared to 383 in 2019.
Illness, loss incurred from agriculture, and bankruptcy and debts were the major motives for people to commit suicide in 2020. While 2,238 patients committed suicide, 889 people took the extreme step after incurring losses in agriculture, and financial reasons forced 782 others to kill themselves, the NCRB report on Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India, 2020, revealed.
The State also witnessed a 67.28 per cent spurt to 358 from 214 suicides in 2019 by unemployed youth due to various reasons. Andhra Pradesh reported a total of 7,043 deaths by suicide in 2020, an increase of 8.9 per cent from 6,465 cases in 2019. While 5,157 of the deceased were males, 1,884 were females and two others were transgenders.
The data revealed that Andhra Pradesh stood 10th in deaths by suicide with a rate of 13.4 suicides per one lakh population, while the national average was 11.3.The report said 131 people ended their lives due to marriage-related problems, and 1,851 others due to family issues. Drug abuse pushed 386 people to suicide.
NCRB cited poverty as the motive for 205 other suicides in the State, while 88 killed themselves due to unemployment and 168 took the hasty decision over failed love affairs, while the motive for other suicides remained unknown.
The report stated that several youngsters lost their jobs due to Covid-19, and those unemployed could not find new jobs in 2020. The situation has been the same in 2021. Similarly, 404 private employees died by suicide due to various reasons.
“More than 50 per cent of the people (3,902) who died by suicide, were drawing an income of less than Rs 1 lakh and 2,693 were earning around Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh, 375 earned between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 10 lakh, and 73 got more than Rs 10 lakh per annum,” the report said.
The data further revealed that about 1,673 people, who had died by suicide had no educational background. While 3,916 people had studied up to tenth standard or lower classes, 843 had basic education such as intermediate and diploma courses and 437 were graduates and professionals, the report said.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 9152987821, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm).