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Suicides due to unemployment increased in 2020, the year that saw the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns caused by it.
The Union Home Ministry told Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that 3,548 people committed suicide due to unemployment in 2020. In 2019, the number of suicides due to unemployment was 2,851, while in 2018 the figure was 2,741. The Ministry said 5,213 people committed suicide in 2020 due to indebtedness and bankruptcy. The number of deaths in this category decreased from 2019, which recorded 5,908 deaths due to indebtedness and bankruptcy, and 2018, which saw 4,970 people commit suicide due to this reason.
National programmes
The Centre said that to address the burden of mental disorders, it is implementing the National Mental Health Programme and is supporting implementation of the District Mental Health Programmes in 692 districts of the country.
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“The programme aims to provide suicide prevention services, work place stress management, life skills training and counselling in schools and colleges; mental health services including prevention, promotion and long-term continuing care at different levels of district healthcare delivery system; and promote community awareness and participation in the delivery of mental healthcare services,” said Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityananda Rai in Rajya Sabha.
He added that schemes such as Aatmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana, the National Career Service, Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme, Production Linked Incentive schemes, Make in India, Digital India, Swachh Bharat Mission, Smart City Mission, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation, Housing for All, infrastructure development and industrial corridors have the potential to generate productive employment opportunities.
‘Create employment’
Trade unions, however, painted a different picture.
“The rate of suicides must be higher in 2021 as more people lost jobs and more employers had to wind up their business establishments in the second wave of Covid-19 from April 2021. The Centre did not do anything to help the people. Ration was inadequate. No social security schemes were implemented. This can be solved only through collective struggles of people and immediate measures to create employment. Counselling centres cannot offer jobs to a worker who is troubled by unemployment and job loss,” said AITUC General Secretary Amarjeet Kaur.
Cyber crimes double
In another answer, the Ministry said cyber crimes almost doubled in the two years between 2018 and 2020, but the conviction rate in such cases was very poor. In 2020, about 50,035 cyber crime cases were registered at various police stations across the country. In 2018, the number of registered cases was 27,248. In 2019, about 44,735 cases were registered. Only 495 cases were convicted in 2018, and in 2020, about 1,110 cases were convicted. In 2019, the number was 367.
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