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Booker Prize-winning author Arundhati Roy, currently facing the threat of prosecution over historic comments on Kashmir 14 years ago, was on Thursday honoured with the prestigious Pen Pinter Prize 2024 for her "unflinching and unswerving" writings. The prize, established in 2009 by the charity English PEN, defends freedom of expression and celebrates literature in memory of Nobel-Laureate playwright Harold Pinter. Roy expressed her delight at being named this year's winner amid an "incomprehensible turn" the world is taking. "I am delighted to accept the PEN Pinter prize. I wish Harold Pinter were with us today to write about the almost incomprehensible turn the world is taking. Since he isn't, some of us must do our utmost to try to fill his shoes," said 62-year-old Roy. The renowned author, who won the Booker Prize for her debut novel 'The God of Small Things', was chosen by this year's judges - Chair of English PEN Ruth Borthwick; actor and activist Khalid Abdalla; and writer and musician Roger Robinson. She will receive the award at a ceremony co-hosted by the British Library on October 10, where she will also deliver an address. "Roy tells urgent stories of injustice with wit and beauty. While India remains an important focus, she is truly an internationalist thinker, and her powerful voice is not to be silenced," said Borthwick. "Arundhati Roy is a luminous voice of freedom and justice whose words have come with fierce clarity and determination for almost 30 years now," said Abdalla. "This year, as the world faces the deep histories that have created this moment in Gaza, our need for writers who are 'unflinching and unswerving' has been immense. In honoring Arundhati Roy this year, we are celebrating both the dignity of her body of work and the timeliness of her words, that arrive with the depth of her craft exactly when we need them most," he said. "Arundhati Roy was the unanimous choice for this prestigious award, a testament to her unparalleled contribution to literature. Her vast body of work, encompassing both fiction and non-fiction, has not only captivated readers worldwide but also consistently focused on themes of social justice, " added Robinson. The judges noted Roy's incisive commentary on issues ranging from environmental degradation to human rights abuses demonstrates her commitment to advocating for the marginalized and challenging the status quo. "Her unique voice and unwavering dedication to these causes make her a deserving recipient of this honour," they said. The prize will be shared with a "Writer of Courage" - one who is active in defence of freedom of expression, often at great risk to their own safety and liberty. The co-winner will be selected and announced by Arundhati Roy from a shortlist of cases supported by English PEN. The prize is awarded annually to a writer of outstanding literary merit resident in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland or the Commonwealth who, in the words of Harold Pinter's Nobel Prize in Literature speech, casts an "unflinching, unswerving" gaze upon the world and shows a "fierce intellectual determination... to define the real truth of our lives and our societies".<meta content="cms.next" name="cmsei" />

Arundhati Roy awarded Pen Pinter Prize for her 'unflinching' writing

In a significant move aimed at recognising mothers' vital roles in upbringing, the Maharashtra cabinet has mandated the inclusion of mothers' names in government documents. Effective May 1, 2024, the format for government documents will require the document-holder’s first name to be followed by the mother’s first name and then the father’s first name and surname. Individuals born on or after May 1, 2014, are required to adhere to this format for all government documents, including birth certificates, property documents, Aadhar cards and PAN cards, as well as school and revenue documents, examination certificates and salary slips, as stated in the government’s press note. The state's public health department has been tasked with consulting the Centre regarding the inclusion of the mother’s name in birth and death registrations. For married women, the prevailing practice of listing the woman’s name followed by her husband’s first name and surname will remain unchanged. Orphans will be exempt from including the mother’s name. In alignment with this decision, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had a new nameplate installed outside his office chamber at the state secretariat in south Mumbai. The updated nameplate now includes his mother's name before that of his father, reading 'Eknath Gangubai Sambhaji Shinde'. Shinde posted a picture of the same on his X, with part of the caption reading: “The state government has taken a historic decision to give credit to Mauli, who plays a lion's share in raising us right from giving birth to us.” <div type="twitter" handle="mieknathshinde" handlename="mieknathshinde" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" id="1767428216350753121"></div> Historically, government documents have predominantly featured the father's name. However, acknowledging that mothers are equally instrumental in a child's upbringing, the Women and Child Development Department emphasised the necessity of granting mothers the recognition they deserve. Meanwhile, critics have questioned whether this move is a pre-election strategy to appeal to women voters before the Lok Sabha polls' code of conduct is enforced. Overall, experts feel that the move could provide an opportunity for revisiting the archaic practices of a patriarchal presence throughout an individual’s life. <meta content="cms.next" name="cmsei" />

Why should fathers have all the mentions? Maharashtra govt mandates inclusion of mothers’ names in documents as recognition of their vital role

<ul><li>Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the country’s “data has been democratised” with India’s new data laws expected to be tabled during the upcoming session of Parliament.</li><li>These new laws will dictate how your data is collected, stored, used and shared.</li><li>Business Insider India’s new campaign called ‘Datacracy’ dives into how technology has the power to improve democracy or undermine it, depending on how it is used and who controls it.</li></ul>“Data has been democratised. Several government services are now being delivered online.The poor and middle class have not only benefited from the convenience, but also seen relief from corruption,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi during software industry association NASSCOM’s Technology and Leadership Forum (NTFL) 2021. <div type="image" title="BI-Take-and-Modi (1)" msid="81062990" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Business Insider India dives into India&amp;#39;s journey to becoming a data democracy&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> These comments from Modi have come at a time when India is getting set to debate a new bill for data protection — likely to be tabled on March 15. It is imperative that India’s new governance mechanisms as well as industrial advances, built on precious consumer data, should be guided by democratic values. And, that is why, Business Insider India’s campaign for awareness and advocacy around Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019, is titled ‘Datacracy’. These new laws will set the foundation for India’s evolution, as a data democracy, in the digital era. <div type="twitter" handle="BiIndia" handlename="Business Insider India🇮🇳" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1232926719016718336/sfffJHNV_normal.jpg" favoritecount="26" retweetcount="6" status="#Datacracy: 'Cuz it is as personal as it gets.Stay with us for the next few weeks for all you want to know about… https://t.co/bExdqWG9eH" createdat="1613385000000" id="1361261470395363336"></div> What is Datacracy? Just as people treasure the power of an electoral vote in a political democracy, every individual consumer’s personal data would be considered as precious in a ‘data democracy’, such as the one promised by the Indian Prime Minister. The rights of ⁠— and the responsibilities towards⁠ — the citizen or consumer, in lieu of the power to collect and use their data, whether it is for governance or business, will also be immense. The Indian government and India Inc. should ensure transparency and accountability in the way this data is collected, stored and managed, keeping in mind the sanctity of the consumer’s privacy. Just like one wouldn’t appreciate the local cop, or neighbourhood grocer, to track every bit of your daily routine —- like what you like to eat, who you go out with, and so on — it is every consumer’s right to demand the same level of privacy in the digital space as well. And, that is where the new data protection bill will play an important role. Since this bill is yet to be debated and approved by the Parliament, we have the opportunity to highlight the issues and get them fixed before it becomes a law. <div type="javascript" title="Custom" contenttype="Video"><cdata><![CDATA[<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eeFZKXTgyEM" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>]]></cdata></div> India’s new laws will dictate how your data is collected, stored, used and shared. The government has proposed setting up a non-personal data authority (NPDA) in the Data Protection Bill. However, the bill is vague on the incentives and accountability of the NDPA. However, there is no transparent, predictable and targeted regulatory regime as per the review done by <a href="https://www.ikigailaw.com/summary-of-the-revised-report-of-the-committee-of-experts-of-non-personal-data/#acceptLicense">Ikigailaw</a>. <div type="image" title="Non-Personal" msid="81061352" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Role of the NPDA as per the Data Protection Bill 2019&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Technology has the power to improve democracy or undermine depending on how it is used and who controls it. Neither politicians nor big corporations ⁠— like witnessed in the Cambridge Analytica scandal of 2018 ⁠— can be trusted entirely with data that can be used to manipulate the consumer’s choices. However, in India, the debate so far has been reduced to this Hobson’s choice for the consumer between private corporations and the government. Hobson’s choice is basically a “take it or leave it” situation, where there is pragmatically only one choice on offer. India made a bold choice when it created the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/the-india-stack-that-bill-gates-and-sundar-pichai-so-love-is-set-to-get-much-bigger-thanks-to-the-indian-governments-new-blockchain-strategy/articleshow/80718403.cms">India Stack</a>. The government gave private developers access to a lot of personal data of citizens to create applications on top of it. <div type="image" title="india stack1" msid="81061445" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Layers of India Stack&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> This led to a lot of improvement in both government services like the creation of the Digi-Locker, and digital payments revolution — including India-specific innovations like Unified Payments Interface (UPI). Moreover, it created a new crop of millionaires and billionaires from the startup world. A similar experiment is due with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/the-india-stack-that-bill-gates-and-sundar-pichai-so-love-is-set-to-get-much-bigger-thanks-to-the-indian-governments-new-blockchain-strategy/articleshow/80718403.cms">blockchain technology</a>. While these innovations are welcome, they would be incomplete — or even be a failure — if the access to people’s personal data is democratised without providing adequate safeguards, including the right to be forgotten, in the consumer’s interest. This is what Business Insider aims to achieve with its ‘Datacracy’ campaign. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/a-japanese-supercomputer-is-on-a-mission-to-find-out-how-our-universe-went-from-nothing-to-everything-in-less-than-a-microsecond/articleshow/81048254.cms">A Japanese supercomputer is on a mission to find out how our universe went from nothing to everything in less than a microsecond</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/news/its-round-its-two-sided-and-it-could-be-the-most-accurate-world-map-created-till-date/articleshow/81033263.cms">It’s round, it’s two-sided and it could be the most accurate world map created till date</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/from-ambani-adani-to-godrej-indias-treasure-trove-of-satellite-data-goes-beyond-helping-startups/articleshow/80989166.cms">From Ambani, Adani to Godrej — India's treasure trove of satellite data goes beyond helping startups</a> <meta content="cms.next" name="cmsei" />

Datacracy: Indian Prime Minister's 'data democracy' must avoid the flaws of the country’s political system

<ul><li>Facebook and Twitter have come under the scanner for how they regulate content on their platforms in India for two separate incidents in the past three months.</li><li>The threat to democracy lies in the grey area where freedom of speech ends and crosses over to ‘hate speech’ territory.</li><li>Lawyers told Business Insider that India’s IT (Amendment) Act, 2018, which has been pending for nearly two years now, is far from perfect.</li></ul>In India, Twitter and Facebook are facing two sides of the same coin. While one is under fire for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/twitter-removal-of-prashant-bhushan-tweets-opposed-by-internet-rights-body/articleshow/77667757.cms">removing content without being asked</a> to, the other is being asked why it <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/facebook-row-escalates-as-bjp-leader-asks-for-shashi-tharoors-removal-from-parliamentary-panel/articleshow/77656021.cms">didn’t remove content</a> that was ‘hate speech’. The power which social networks have over democracies worldwide has come under global scrutiny, whether that’s in India, the US, Australia, or Brazil. The 2016 US election was only one example of how a social network, if manipulated, can influence the behaviour of people across an entire nation. <div type="image" title="mark zuckerberg congress" msid="78121719" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies at a joint hearing of the Senate Judiciary and Commerce committees on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., United States on 10 April 2018 on how he is &amp;quot;responsible for&amp;quot; not preventing the social media platform from being used for harm, including fake news, foreign interference in elections and hate speech.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> At the center of it all is the content they peddle and what they choose to remove — the battle between freedom of speech and where it crosses the line to become ‘hate speech’. “Companies will be better off if they stop this narrative of how they have their own community standards. They can cite the law and explain why they removed a post,” Mishi Choudhary, an online civil liberties activist and the Legal Director of Software Freedom Law Center in New York, told Business Insider. <div type="image" title="jack dorsey rahul gandhi" msid="78121757" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Jack Dorsey meets then Congress President Rahul Gandhi in November 2018&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> According to her, companies like Twitter and Facebook have ad-hoc policies that they change on their own or under the pressure of local governments. There is no standardisation. The solution proposed by India, which has been on the docket for nearly two years now, is the Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2018. It no longer allows Facebook, Twitter or any other social network to operate as an ‘intermediary’. The inner workings of the IT (Amendment) Act, 2018 The first part of the IT (Amendment) Act, 2018, makes it mandatory for social media apps to trace the origin of content on their platforms — upon receiving a court order. It is an important aspect that has been clarified, according to lawyer Harsh Walia, a partner at Khaitan &amp; Co. “This specific provision may bring much respite to the social media companies as the term “actual knowledge” was a subject of debate/judicial interpretation so far,” he told Business Insider. The second part of the IT (Amendment) Act, 2018, is where content regulation comes in. If social networks are no longer ‘intermediaries’, they will be accountable for what is circulated on their platforms. They will be required to deploy technology or appropriate mechanisms to ‘proactively’ identify and remove access to unlawful content. This is what Twitter already did with Prashant Bhushan’s tweets — and why it could be a problem was highlighted in the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/twitter-removal-of-prashant-bhushan-tweets-opposed-by-internet-rights-body/articleshow/77667757.cms">letter by the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF)</a> sent to the social network protesting the move. “This biggest issue is that the term “unlawful” has a broad connotation and social media companies should not be expected to know the intricacies of all statutes to determine what may be lawful or unlawful,” explained lawyer Harsh Walia, a partner at Khaitan &amp; Co. What’s the alternative? One way to standardise the process by which content is regulated and reduce government influence is to have human rights law become the underlying framework. It would also take away the power from social networking platforms to decide what is and isn’t hate speech, according to Choudhary. “Human rights are agreed upon globally, and they also enable transparency. Social networks can cite the law and say why they removed a post. Mark Zuckerberg shouldn’t have to justify his actions — why should he have the power,” she said. The amendment also doesn’t spell out specific consequences — any kind of liability or punishment — for failing to adhere to the requirements. According to Walia, non-compliance with these obligations will lead to a situation where the safe harbor granted to these platforms will no longer be available to violators. “This could expose them to consequences stipulated in respect of the relevant content-related offenses,” he said. India takes center stage “The arguments and the level of scrutiny this time around is different because it’s the US election year. The Indian elections may not have mattered for social media platforms, but the 2016 election <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/world/news/a-republican-led-senate-panels-report-on-russian-election-meddling-threw-a-wrench-into-trumps-conspiracies-here-are-its-biggest-findings-/articleshow/77619881.cms">changed the conversation in a very big way</a>,” said Choudhary. The problems of how social networks are operating in India may have pulled it to the spotlight due to the upcoming US elections but India — as the world’s largest democracy — can poise itself as a leader, according to Choudhary. “India will have to rise above party lines. It will also have to consider that governments can’t actually pressurise companies to change their policies as and when they deem fit,” she said. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/defense/news/rajnath-singh-to-address-parliament-on-india-china-border-row-as-tensions-continue-to-simmer-in-ladakh/articleshow/78118498.cms">Rajnath Singh to address Parliament on India-China border row as tensions continue to simmer in Ladakh</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/snapdeal-says-it-has-just-tested-deliveries-using-robots-and-it-was-successful/articleshow/78120511.cms">Snapdeal says it has just tested deliveries using robots and it was successful</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/ronnie-screwvala-explains-why-covid-edtech-boom-is-unlike-demonetisation-boost-for-digital-payments/articleshow/78119790.cms">Ronnie Screwvala explains why COVID edtech boom is unlike demonetisation boost for digital payments</a> <meta content="cms.next" name="cmsei" />

For Facebook and Twitter, the changes to India's IT (Amendment) Act is just what the doctor ordered — or not

The Delhi High Court Monday declined to order linking of social media accounts with Aadhaar, PAN or voter ID card for weeding out fake accounts, saying it would lead to data of genuine account holders, who are much more in number, going "unnecessarily" to foreign countries. A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar said linking of accounts with social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp, with Aadhaar, PAN or any other identity document requires framing of policies or amendment in existing laws by the central government and this exercise cannot be done by the court. "Role of courts is to interpret the law as it is. We are not concerned with what the law ought to be," it said, adding that in exceptional cases where there is a gap in the law, the courts can step in. It said that in the instant case, linking of social media accounts with identity data like Aadhaar or PAN was a "crucial matter" which has to be appreciated by the central government and it cannot be treated as a "gap" which needs to be plugged by the court as it "would have far reaching consequences regarding data of genuine account holders". The bench said it was not inclined to issue any direction to the government as it is already deliberating on the Law Commission reports on the issue and disposed of the PIL seeking directions to the Centre to take steps for linking social media accounts with Aadhaar, PAN or voter ID card to weed out fake accounts. It however told the government to keep in mind that identity data of genuine account holders was also at stake and a "proper balance" has to be struck by it while taking a decision on the issue. In its order, the bench noted that according to BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, who had moved the plea, 20 per cent of the social media accounts were "fake, ghost or duplicate". "To weed out 20 per cent fake accounts all the data, including that of genuine account holders, will go to a foreign country. Majority of account holders are genuine. Therefore, if linkage is ordered by this court, there maybe a situation where data of genuine account holders will also go to foreign country, maybe unnecessarily," the court said. During the hearing, Upadhyay said something has to be done as anyone can create a fake account on social media of any person, including the judges, and through that medium wrong or controversial information can be spread. He had also alleged in his petition that fake social media accounts are used to propagate "fake and paid news" during elections. HMP SKV SA<meta content="cms.next" name="cmsei" />

No data localisation -- no linking Aadhaar for social media account verification

<ul><li>India’s Supreme Court has given the government until January 15 to lay out the rules and regulations for social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. </li><li>The Supreme Court has also pulled in petitions related to social networks that were pending with various high courts. </li><li>It has promised to resolve the pending cases by the end of January. </li></ul>Hate speech and fake news are extremely common across social media in India. To deal with this menace, Indian Supreme Court has asked the government to come out with new rules and regulations by 15 January 2020. The bench, headed by Justices Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose, also directed all pending cases pertaining to social media filed with various high courts to be transferred to the Supreme Court. There are four petitions in the fray. Two filed with the Madras High Court, one with the Madhya Pradesh High Court and another with the Bombay High Court. The primary issue at the helm was the linking of Aadhaar cards with social networks and WhatsApp-- which is pending with the Madras High Court. The petition filed by Facebook argues that disclosure of Aadhaar details will infringe user privacy. The bench also clarified that India’s Information Technology Act allows the government to ask for decryption of data. At the same time, it does not allow the government to force intermediaries to decrypt the data. It added that while national interest is important, it must be balanced against privacy. <meta content="cms.next" name="cmsei" />

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and WhatsApp will be regulated in India — come January 15

<ul><li>India’s national capital is implementing the ‘odd-even’ scheme to battle the city’s rising air pollution.</li><li>The scheme will be in effect from 4 November 2019 to 15 November 2019.</li><li>Anyone found skirting the law will be fined ₹4,000.</li></ul>India’s national capital Delhi is no stranger to air pollution. In fact, it’s one of the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/gurgaon-is-the-most-polluted-city-in-the-world/articleshow/68267574.cms">most polluted</a> cities in the world. The city’s local government is implementing the ‘<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/pollution-dipped-in-last-3-years-still-delhi-to-have-odd-even-scheme/articleshow/71145180.cms">odd-even</a>’ scheme, yet again, to try and battle the growing environmental threat. Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi’s chief minister, announced that the odd-even scheme will be in effect from 4 November 2019 to 15 November 2019. He also clarified that it will also apply to Delhi’s ministers and chief ministers. On the other hand, women-only vehicles, two-wheelers and cars carrying school children in uniform will be exempted. Violation of the rules under the odd-even scheme will result in a ₹4,000 fine for the offenders. Delhi is not the only one at fault According to Kejriwal, the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/fed-up-of-pollution-more-than-35-of-residents-in-indias-capital-say-they-want-to-move-out-permanently-survey/articleshow/66630699.cms">rising level of air pollution</a> in Delhi can’t be wholly be blamed on the city. The crop burning after the harvest season in neighboring states is also a contributing factor. "It is unjustified to only blame the residents of Delhi," he stated. He also said that the <a href="http://safar.tropmet.res.in/">SAFAR reports</a> stating that only 10% of Delhi’s air pollution comes from stubble burning as inaccurate. This is because the right equipment to measure air quality and its sources accurately are still being imported and not currently in place, according to him. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/gurgaon-is-the-most-polluted-city-in-the-world/articleshow/68267574.cms">India accounts for 7 of the world’s 10 most polluted cities — with Gurugram ranked as the worst: Study</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/pollution-dipped-in-last-3-years-still-delhi-to-have-odd-even-scheme/articleshow/71145180.cms">Delhi to go ahead with odd-even scheme even as pollution dips by 25%</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/fed-up-of-pollution-more-than-35-of-residents-in-indias-capital-say-they-want-to-move-out-permanently-survey/articleshow/66630699.cms">Fed up of pollution, more than 35% of residents in India’s capital say they want to move out permanently: Survey</a> <meta content="cms.next" name="cmsei" />

India’s national capital is giving the ‘odd-even’ scheme another go to battle air pollution

<ul><li>On the heels of the World Mental Health Day, the World Health Organisation (WHO) is focussing on suicide prevention. </li><li>India recorded the highest suicide rate in the South-East region in 2016, shows a new study by World Health Organisation (WHO). </li><li>The suicide rate in India stood at 16.5% per 100,000 people — six percentage points higher than the global average of 10.5%. </li><li>However, the Indian government has not published any statistics over the last three years, so as to implement WHO guidelines and strategies for suicide prevention. </li><li>The female suicide rate was also the highest in India at 14.5%, as compared to other south-eastern countries.</li></ul>The suicide rate estimates in the report has ranked countries on a scale of five — and India was termed as “unusable or unavailable” and scored four out of five. Ahead of the World Mental Health Day on October 10, a World Health Organisation (WHO) study has shown that India recorded the <a href="https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/326948/WHO-MSD-MER-19.3-eng.pdf">highest suicide rate </a>in the South-East region in 2016. However, India no longer publishes any data statistics on suicide attempts at the national level. And so, it can’t implement the WHO guidelines and strategies for suicide prevention, Indiaspend <a href="https://www.indiaspend.com/india-has-the-highest-suicide-rate-in-south-east-asia-but-no-prevention-strategy/">noted</a>. Suicide is the second highest cause of unnatural dealths among youngsters and every 40 seconds, a person commits suicide. According to WHO, every person who dies by suicide leads to more than 20 people trying to attempt it. According to the study, the suicide rate in India stood at 16.5% per 100,000 people — six percentage points higher than the global average of 10.5%. In fact, the suicide rate among females was also the highest in India at 14.5%, as compared to other south-eastern countries. While it stands third among those countries that see the highest number of male suicides, after Sri Lanka and Thailand at 23.3% and 21.4% respectively. In 2014, the international agency proposed a suide-prevention model focussing on four areas — surveillance, identification of risks and protective factors, development &amp; evaluation of interventions and implementation. But, to implement these, India needs data. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/every-40-seconds-a-person-commits-suicide-says-who/articleshow/71058872.cms">Every 40 seconds, a person commits suicide says WHO</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/society/news/india-wants-more-iits-to-have-wellness-centers-to-curb-stress-and-depression/articleshow/71424045.cms">India wants more IITs to have wellness centers to curb stress and depression</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/fear-self-loathing-and-stress-affect-students-appearing-for-competitive-exams/articleshow/71392742.cms">Fear, self-loathing and stress affect students appearing for competitive exams</a> <meta content="cms.next" name="cmsei" />

India stopped counting suicides 3 years ago — now, it’s the worst in all of South East Asia

<ul><li>The Indian government wants to address mental disorders and well-being of students and prevent suicides at the higher educational institutions. </li><li>India has the highest student suicide rate with over 38,000 students committing suicide since 2015. </li><li>It is looking to associate with more than 300 counsellors, including private partners via online mechanism by next month. </li><li>Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS) — regulatory body of mental health professionals — has formulated a team to tackle mental health issues of college-going students. </li></ul>The Indian government wants to address mental disorders and well-being of students and prevent suicides. The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has laid out a counselling plan for country’s most prestigious institutes — Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) — and other higher educational institutions, The Print <a href="https://theprint.in/india/education/professional-counsellors-iit-student-suicide-hrd-ministry/299898/">reported</a>. Each day, about six students commit suicide due to <a href="http://www.pondiuni.edu.in/smhic/objective.html">academic failure</a>. India has the highest student suicide rate with nearly 38,000 students committing suicide since 2015. The decision was taken during the IIT council meeting where the ministry directed the IITs to establish wellness centres, looping in professional counsellors. “Yes, the matter was discussed at the IIT council meeting and all the IITs have been asked to make sure that they have wellness centres and professional counsellors,” ministry officials told ThePrint. This decision comes after a student at <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/crime/story/iit-hyderabad-student-suicide-haunting-note-1560601-2019-07-02">IIT Hyderabad</a> committed suicide leaving behind a note saying ‘Sorry I turned out to be a waste.’ The student quoted academic pressure as the cause. Of the 23 IITs, Delhi, Mumbai and Madras campuses have wellness centres. The government now wants other institutions to have them as well. It is considering to associating with more than 300 counsellors, including private partners via online mechanism by next month. The ministry also asked the institutes to consult with faculty members to spot students under stress or any mental disorder, so as to provide them counselling. On the similar lines, Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS) — regulatory body of mental health professionals — formulated a team to tackle mental health issues of college-going students. It consists of three psychiatrists — Dr. Kersi Chavda, Dr. Avinash Desouza, and Dr. Amrit Pattojoshi. “India is a young country. We are all set to have a huge population between the age group of 16 and 25. They struggle with increasing competition, internet, mobile addiction, drug use, and a constant tussle between traditional and modern. We are staring at an increased number of depression and suicide cases,” Dr Chavda<a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/a-task-force-to-address-college-students-mental-health-issues/article26525922.ece"> told </a>The Hindu. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/education/article/fear-self-loathing-and-stress-affect-students-appearing-for-competitive-exams/articleshow/71392742.cms">Fear, self-loathing and stress affect students appearing for competitive exams</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/news/not-sleeping-enough-might-affect-your-exam-scores-says-mit-study/articleshow/71417038.cms">Not sleeping enough might affect your exam scores, says MIT study</a> <meta content="cms.next" name="cmsei" />

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