New Delhi, April 4 : A total of 24 suicides by students of Central versities have been reported since 2017, on Minister for Education Dharmedra Pradhan said on Monday. “The versity Grants Commission (UGC) has informed that Central versities under its purview have reported 24 suicide cases of students from 2017 to 2022,” Pradhan said in written reply in the Lok Sabha. As per the data issued by the Minister, there were seven cases in 2017, six each in 2018 and 2019, one in 2020 and three in 2021. One suicide was reported this year. “The reasons of suicide by students are not maintained,” Pradhan said. The Central government and the UGC have taken several initiatives to check incidents of harassment and discrimination of students, he said. “The UGC has also notified UGC Regulations on curbing the menace of ‘ragging’ in higher educational institutions and issued circulars for strict compliance,” Pradhan added. DS MR
