The government of the southern Indian state of Kerala has set up a committee to study its unusually high suicide rate — currently one every hour, it was reported on Monday.
According to Kerala’s Chief Minister AK Anthony, about 19 774 people killed themselves in the last two years, taking the state’s suicide rate to 31,5 per 100 000 people.
The national average is 11 per 100 000 people, according to a report in the Telegraph newspaper.
The new committee, headed by an expert from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, was asked to recommend immediate measures to stem Kerala’s spiralling suicide rate.
It was set up after a lower caste student killed herself two weeks ago when she failed to get an educational loan.
Many feel yet another committee is not a solution to Kerala’s problems. About 15 months ago the state government drafted the Kerala Integrated Scheme for Intervention in Suicides, which has achieved little because of a lack of funds, especially for funding for counsellor training, the report said.
Kerala is described in tourist brochures as ”god’s own country” because of its idyllic beaches and beautiful backwaters. It was once India’s model state — it had a thriving matriarchal society which was unusual in largely male-dominated India and it also recorded the highest literacy rate in the country .
But at least 9 000 people kill themselves here every year — that’s 27 suicides per day. Another 80 000 try to commit suicide annually. The reasons range from growing alcoholism to violence against women.
The most disturbing statistic in Kerala is its high rate of educated unemployed people. About 36% [rural] and 34% [urban] of people in the 15-29 age group are without jobs. – Sapa-DPA