Nagpur: According to the latest central government data, India recorded 1,53,052 suicide cases in the year 2020, if calculated, an average of 418 cases daily.
Figures of 2020 were comparably more than that of 2019. In 2019, there were 1,39,123 cases of suicide across the country, as per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). There has been an increase of 0.9 per cent in the cases, mainly due to the Covid-19 pandemic in which the majority of the population was unemployed for at least three to five months.
Shockingly, Maharashtra tops the list with 19,909 suicide cases followed by 16,833 cases in Tamil Nadu, 14,758 cases in Madhya Pradesh, 13,303 cases in West Bengal and 12,259 cases in Karnataka. Maharashtra accounts for almost 13 per cent of the total suicides in the country. These five states account for almost 50.1 per cent of the total suicides.
The most populous state of India, Uttar Pradesh accounted for a lower percentage share of suicidal deaths, i.e only 3.1 per cent. Among the union territories, Delhi reported highest number of 3142 suicide cases, followed by 408 cases in Puducherry.
As per the report, 53 mega cities accounted for 23,855 suicide cases in the country. The report also states that ‘family problems’ accounted for 33.6 per cent cases, ‘marriage related problems’ accounted for 5 per cent and 18 per cent cases due to illness. Together they mounted 56.7 per cent.