Fall in number of suicides by defence personnel: Govt

Government today asserted in Lok Sabha that the number of suicides by defence personnel due to stressful working conditions has come down, thanks to steps like psychological counselling, yoga and provision of married accommodation.

Minister of State for Defence Jitendra Singh informed the Lok Sabha during Question Hour that suicidal tendencies among officers is a "matter of concern for the government".
Singh maintained that government is taking several steps to deal with the issue and studies are being conducted to find out the factors as well as suggest remedial measures.

"The government has also taken a number of steps to reduce the stress of defence personnel which includes conduct of yoga and meditation, psychological counselling, liberalised leave policy, improvement in living and working conditions through better facilities and married accommodation," he said.

Other steps include improved accessibility and frequent interaction between officers and jawans, provision for sports and recreational facilities, training on stress management and establishing redressal mechanism in states.

"The Defence Institute for Psychological Research (DIPR) is presently conducting study to find out the factors causing distress among young officers. The study is likely to be completed by the end of 2013," Singh said.

In 2010, the suicide figures were - army (115), navy (1), and Air Force (14). These figures have seen a fall in 2012 - army (93) and navy (1).

"The suicide rates have gone down. I would be happy if there is none," Singh said.