The absence of targeted measures addressing mental health issues among the youth is a significant gap in the budgetary focus. Kumar aptly noted that the leaders of tomorrow, whose hands the nation's future rests, would benefit greatly from a concentrated effort to address and alleviate the mental health challenges they encounter.
Neeraj Kumar, Founder and CEO of PeakMind criticised the interim budget 2024 on Thursday for “no mention of youth’s mental health”, after Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented it with a crisp speech. While acknowledging the commendable progress in the education sector and the transformative impact of the National Education Policy 2020, Kumar drew attention to a notable absence of proactive measures to address the escalating crisis of youth mental health and the concerning rise in suicide rates.
He also mentions that the Skill India Mission also received recognition for successfully training 1.4 crore young individuals, offering upskilling and re-skilling opportunities to 54 lakh youths, and establishing 3000 new Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs). However, Kumar pointed out that while these initiatives contribute to skill development, they fall short of addressing the burgeoning academic distress students face during their formative years.
The absence of targeted measures addressing mental health issues among the youth is a significant gap in the budgetary focus. Kumar aptly noted that the leaders of tomorrow, whose hands the nation's future rests, would benefit greatly from a concentrated effort to address and alleviate the mental health challenges they encounter.
With Neeraj Kumar’s pointed critique, it brings us to the recent suicide case of an 18-year-old teenage girl that shook the entire nation. The girl who hailed from Kota, Rajasthan was an JEE aspirant, reportedly hanged herself on Monday. She left a suicide note apologising to her parents, saying, “Mummy, papa, I can't do JEE. So I suicide, "I am a loser. I am worst daughter. Sorry mummy papa. Yahi last option he.” However, this isn’t the only case in recent days. The suicide rates amongst the youth. According to a report by Money Control, the number of students who died by suicide rose by 70% between 2011 to 2021.
In a September 2023 report by The Wire, in Kota, a prominent coaching centre hub, where the city recorded its highest number of student suicides since 2015. Additionally, within a span of two months, two Dalit students at IIT Delhi tragically took their own lives.
According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) records, “13,089” students died by suicide in 2021.
The UFM presented the interim budget 2024 ahead of Lok Sabha elections given the BJP-led union government ending in the coming months. The final budget shall be presented in July after the new government comes into action.