Jamshedpur: Jeevan, a city-based suicide prevention counselling centre, has set an ambitious target to significantly reduce suicides over the next five years. Through multiple measures propelled by the organisation, officials aim to steadily bring down annual suicide numbers. “Enhancing the number of trained volunteers, increasing the frequency of counselling sessions, extending helpline hours from eight to 12, and effectively promoting remedial measures are part of the steps worked out to reduce suicides,” said Gurpreet Kaur, joint director of Jeevan. “We would prefer not to disclose the specific target number, but our efforts are directed toward bringing down suicide rates to a considerable extent,” Kaur added. She noted that Jeevan currently has 40 trained volunteers and expects to add 20 more within the next three months.
Additionally, through three large hoardings in Kadma, Golmuri, and Sakchi, alongside 70 boards near schools, colleges, and other strategic locations across the city, the organisation has been reaching out to vulnerable individuals to offer both telephonic and in-person counselling. Complimenting the NGO for its committed efforts to prevent individuals from taking extreme steps, deputy commissioner (DC) Rajiv Ranjan stated that the district administration will extend all possible help to mitigate this frightening trend. “Preventing distressed souls from committing self-harm is a noble cause and a responsibility of society as a whole.
The district administration will cooperate with the organisation to widely promote counselling and remedial measures to kerb suicides,” the DC said. He was speaking at the inauguration of Jeevan’s refresher training session at the SNTI auditorium on Saturday. Jeevan’s Trustee, Brigadier (Retd) C S Vaidyanathan, stated that yearround workshops in schools have become vital tools for the emotional empowerment of students. Although students represent a marginal percentage of total suicide numbers, the organisation is focusing closely on school and college students because daily life is becoming increasingly challenging for young people. Data from Jeevan reveals that between January and April this year, 52 people committed suicide, including 32 males and 20 females, two of whom were students. Out of this total, 48 people were under the age of 45, while four were above 45. In 2025, a total of 175 people ended their lives, including 117 males and 58 females. Among those victims, 148 individuals were up to 45 years of age, 27 were over 45, and 21 were students.
