New Delhi: The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) collects data on suicides based on cases recorded by police and publishes a yearly Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India report, providing details of student suicides by year, state, gender and age group.

According to the reports, suicides can have multiple causes, including professional or career problems, a sense of isolation, abuse, violence, family issues, mental disorders, alcohol addiction, financial loss and chronic pain.

The government has adopted a multi-pronged approach to provide psychological and emotional support to students, teachers and families and prevent suicides.

The Ministry of Education's MANODARPAN initiative provides psychological support through a national toll-free helpline, trained counsellors, interactive sessions and webinars on mental health. The sessions are telecast on PM e-Vidya channels and made available on the NCERT Official YouTube channel.

The Central Board of Secondary Education has mandated the appointment of counsellors and wellness teachers in secondary and senior secondary schools. The Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti has engaged 830 counsellors across Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas as of February 2026, while directions have been issued to Kendriya Vidyalayas to appoint counsellors on a contractual basis.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued guidelines to higher educational institutions covering academic and peer pressure, behavioural issues, stress, career concerns, depression and other mental health concerns. The guidelines also promote physical fitness, sports, positive thinking and supportive networks for students.

The Ministry of Education has also issued a framework on emotional and mental well-being in higher education institutions, emphasising counselling services, early identification of distress, suicide prevention protocols, student support networks and stronger grievance redressal mechanisms.

Under the Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Programme, faculty members are being trained to identify and address student mental health concerns. A regional workshop on mental health was also held at IIT Madras in July 2026.

Meanwhile, the National Mental Health Programme provides counselling, psychosocial interventions and other mental health services through public health facilities. Under the National Tele Mental Health Programme, 36 states and Union territories had established 53 Tele-MANAS cells as of August 6, 2026, handling more than 43.25 lakh calls.

The information was provided by Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.