NCRB report: Punjab's suicide rate below national average

Tribune News Service

Jupinderjit Singh

Chandigarh, August 29

Suicides in Punjab decreased by about half a per cent in 2021, putting the state below the national average of 12 suicides per lakh population. Punjab reported only 8.1 suicides per lakh population.

However, the state figures on top in the country in the share of deaths (1,164) in the category of illness and family problems.

A comparison

National average

12 suicides per lakh population

Punjab

8.1 suicides per lakh population

The state, known for love for alcohol, figures second in the country in deaths due to illicit/spurious liquor. A total of 708 incidents of consumption of illicit/spurious liquor caused 782 deaths in the country during 2021. Uttar Pradesh (137 deaths) was the highest followed by Punjab (127 deaths) and Madhya Pradesh (108 deaths).

This was revealed in a report on accident and suicide deaths by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) today.

Punjab witnessed 2,600 deaths compared to 2,616 deaths by suicide the previous year. As many as 44.8 per cent of them fall in the category of ending one’s life due to illness or family problems.

The report has not mentioned state-wise figures of suicide by farmers. However, it is estimated that the category of family problems covers this. The report mentions several other categories, including professional problems and matrimonial disputes, where Punjab figures among the states with lowest figures.

Regarding road accidents, Punjab has witnessed an increase of 9.1 per cent from the previous year. Road accidents here have been more fatal than most of the states in the country.

The NCRB report says that generally road accidents have caused more injuries than deaths, but in Mizoram, Punjab, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, road accidents caused more deaths compared to those injured. In Mizoram, 64 road accidents caused 64 deaths and injuries to 28 persons. Punjab comes next in the accident-death ratio. It reported 6,097 road accidents, which caused 4,516 deaths and injuries to 3,034 persons.

The state also reported 8.9 per cent (149 of 253 deaths) due to exposure to cold.

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