 bill no 244 of 2018 the suicide prevention in youth bill, 2018 by shri anurag singh thakur, mp abillto address the increasing prevalence of suicide especially amongst the youth of the country with a community-based approach focusing on timely intervention and removal of stigma associated with reporting of mental illness and increasing lines of communication and for matters connected therewithwhereas the convention on rights of persons with disabilities and its optional protocol was adopted on the 13th december, 2006 at united nations headquarters in new york and came into force on the 3rd may, 2018;and whereas india has signed and ratified the said convention on the 1st day of october, 2007;and whereas it is necessary to align and harmonize the existing laws with the said conventionbe it enacted by parliament in the sixty-ninth year of  the republic of india as follows:—1 (1) this act may be called the suicide prevention in youth act, 2018short title, extent and commencement(2) it extends to whole of indiadefinitions2 in this act, unless the context otherwise requires,—(a) "agency" means the youth mental health agency established under section 4; (b) "annual report" means a report giving the details of developmental activities taken up over the year by the agency and detailing about targets set and achieved;5(c) "appropriate government" means in the case of a state, the government of that state and in all other cases, the central government;10(d) "counseling" means the application of mental health, psychological or human development principles through cognitive, effective, behavioral or systemic interventions and strategies to address wellness, personal growth, or career development as well as pathology;(e) "educational institution" means —15(i) a middle or a secondary or a senior secondary level school imparting education to children, or any college owned by the appropriate government, local authority or non-governmental organization, institute or university imparting higher education recognized by the government or established under an act of the central government or a state government or run by a non- governmental organization, by whatever name such institution is called; and(ii) schools and colleges managed by a private entity, society or a trust which impart education at secondary, senior secondary level and university level;20 25(f) "employee" means a person employed at a workplace for any work on regular, temporary, ad hoc or daily wage basis, either directly or through an agent, including a contractor with or without the knowledge of the principal employer, whether for remuneration or not, or working on a voluntary basis or otherwise, whether the terms of employment are express or implied and includes a co-worker, a contract worker, probationer, trainee, apprentice or called by any other such name but does not include domestic worker working at home;(g) "mental health promotion" refers to activities that optimize the creation of individual, social and environmental conditions that enable optimal psychological and psycho physiological development of a person;30(h) "media" includes print, electronic, online and digital platforms for communication;(i) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this act;35 3 of 1956 102 of 1956 102 of 1956 40(j) "psychiatrist" means a medical practitioner possessing a post-graduate degree or diploma in psychiatry awarded by an university recognized by the university grants commission established under the university grants commission act, 1956, or awarded or recognised by the national board of examinations and included in the first schedule to the indian medical council act, 1956, or recognised by the medical council of india, constituted under the indian medical council act, 1956 and includes, in relation to any state, any medical officer who having regard to his knowledge and experience in psychiatry, has been declared by the government of that to be a psychiatrist for the purposes of this act;(k) "workplace" includes —45(i) office of any department, organization, undertaking, establishment, enterprise, institution, office, branch or unit which is established, owned, controlled or wholly or substantially financed by funds provided directly or indirectly by the appropriate government or the local authority or a government company or a corporation or a co-operative society;5(ii) office of any private sector organization or a private venture, undertaking, enterprise, institution, establishment, society, trust, nongovernmental organization, unit or service provider carrying on commercial, professional, vocational, educational, entertainment, industrial, health services or financial activities including production, supply, sale, distribution or service; and(iii) hospitals or nursing homes(l) "youth" means a person who has attained the age of fifteen years but below the age of thirty years103 the appropriate government shall, within one year of the commencement of this act, by notification in the official gazette, formulate a comprehensive national suicide prevention strategy for prevention of suicides particularly among youth in the countryformulation of national suicide prevention strategy154 the central government shall, as soon as may be, but within one year of the commencement of this act, by notification in the official gazette, constitute an agency to be known as the youth mental health agency to monitor, advise and supervise the provisions of this actconstitution a youth mental health agency5 the agency shall,—functions of the agency(a) develop the coordination and cooperation between concerned ministries of the appropriate government and stakeholders based on the guidelines of the national suicide prevention strategy formulated under section 3;20(b) compile and disseminate knowledge and guidance in collaboration with relevant agencies and stakeholders;25(c) strengthen knowledge-building and develop new knowledge in collaboration with agencies and relevant stakeholders and provide support to such development work;(d) develop monitoring of the suicide preventative activities in collaboration with relevant agencies and stakeholders; and(e) publish annual reports on the development of the area based on its role as a coordinating agency30setting up of counselling centres6 the appropriate government shall ensure that counselling centres consisting ofprofessionally trained counsellors are set up in every state to provide services to students, research scholars and faculties including non-teaching staff in such manner as may be prescribed357 the appropriate government shall direct all educational institutions and workplaces to constitute a mental health committee for carrying out the purposes of this actconstitution of mental health committees in all educational institutions and work places8 the mental health committees constituted under section 7 shall,—functions of the mental health committee(a) undertake mental health promotion through creating awareness about mental health issues and stress management in the educational institution through regular talks, seminars, discussions on a routine basis;40(b) ensure that every educational institution set up a counselling cell wherestudents, faculty, non-teaching staff and employees including faculty members mayaccess a professionally trained psychological counsellor free of cost in case of any mental distress;(c) ensure that there is at least one psychiatrist to provide mental healthcare counselling in every counselling cell; and5(d) submit an annual report stating the year-round activities undertaken by it to the agency 9 (1) the appropriate government shall provide mental healthcare counselling in every government school in such manner as may be prescribed10mental healthcare counselling in government schools(2) the appropriate government shall appoint adequate number of psychiatrists to provide mental healthcare counselling in government schools in such manner, as may be prescribed10 (1) the appropriate government shall ensure that every educational institution and workplace disseminate and provide opportunities to discuss suicide prevention awareness information to all employees and studentsinformation dissemination and awareness building15(2) the information dissemination and suicide prevention information under subsection (1) shall include but not limited to the following:—(a) providing information on all crises intervention tools such as national and local helpline numbers, self-help groups, availability of psychologists; and(b) providing information about depression and suicide prevention resources available to students20(3) the information provided to students under sub-section (2) shall pertain to mental health services and other support services, including student-run organizations for individuals at risk of or affected by tendencies of suicide2511 (1) the appropriate government shall ensure that teaching and non-teaching staff in educational institutions undergo training focused on measures to be taken for prevention of suicide, identify possible signs and patterns of depression, suicide and self-harmmandatory suicide preventive training in educational institutions and workplaces(2) the appropriate government shall ensure that all employees at workplaces undergone training for taking preventive measures and checking tendencies of suicide among their family members and colleagues30(3) the training under sub-section (1) and (2) shall be undertaken by experienced psychiatrists, counsellors and medical practitioners at least once a year 12 the appropriate government shall set up a toll-free 24/7 national suicide prevention lifeline numbercreation of a toll-free national suicide prevention lifeline number13 the appropriate government shall take necessary measures to ensure—35(a) restriction on access to information on the internet and other sources for availing unauthorized psychological services;appropriate government to take measures to curb spread of harmful online material(b) promotion of methods to check tendencies of suicide and self-harm and prevention of indulging in online games that endorse harmful behaviour;40(c) development of a system of alert and restriction on online sites that endorse harmful behaviour such as self-harm; and(d) improve parental control on online sites that advertise content which actively encourages or glorifies suicides or self-harm14 the appropriate government shall take measures to ensure that media reporting of mental health issues is carried out in an appropriate manner with cautionmedia reporting on mental health issues15 the appropriate government shall take all measures to ensure that,—creating awareness about mental health illness(a) the provisions of this act are given wide publicity through public media including television, radio, print and online media at regular intervals;5(b) to reduce stigma associated with mental illness are planned, designed, funded and implemented in an effective manner; and(c) the appropriate government officials including police officers and other officers of the appropriate government are given periodic sensitization and awareness training on the issues under this act10power to remove difficulties16 (1) if any  difficulty arises in giving effect to the provisions of this act, the central government may, by order published in the official gazette, make such provisions, not inconsistent with the provisions of this act, as appears to it to be necessary or expedient for removing the difficulty:15provided that no such order shall be made after expiry of two years from the date of commencement of this act(2) every order made under this section shall, as soon as may be after it is made, be laid before each house of parliament17 the provisions of this act shall be in addition to and not in derogation of any other law, for the time being in force20act not in derogation of any other lawpower to make rules18 (1) the central government may, by notification in the official gazette, make rules for carrying out the purposes of this act25(2) every rule made under this act shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is made, before each house of parliament, while it is in session, for a total period of thirty days which may be comprised in one session or in two or more successive sessions, and if, before the expiry of the session immediately following the session or the successive sessions, aforesaid, both houses agree in making any modification in the rule or both the houses agree that the rule should not be made, the rule shall thereafter have affect only in such modified form or be of no effect, as the case may be; so, however, that any such modification or annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that rule30 statement of objects and reasonssuicide is the second leading cause of death among fifteen to twenty-nine years old youth globally albeit, it is often cited as the most preventive form of death according to data from the national health profile, 2018, the rates of suicide in india have increased in the last ten years the internationally acclaimed medical journal lancet has reported that in the year 2016 alone, an estimated 230,300 indians committed suicide, a forty per cent increase from the year 1990 further, india accounted for thirty per cent of all suicides reported globally for women and twenty-six per cent for menat risk for suicide are generally the adolescents and young adults according to national mental health survey 2016, nearly 98 million of young indians aged between 13-17 years are in need of active interventions of mental healthcare due to some form of mental disorder the student suicide rate in the country has also seen a rise in the last three years stigma associated with reporting of mental health disorders may mean that the number is much higherin a technological saturated world there is a plethora of harmful content that can influence young minds the age bracket has additional pressures to excel in school and workplaces additionally, hormonal and bodily changes in adolescents can further put pressure on the young mind shift towards nuclear family structures often result in reduction of interaction time with parents and family members while acknowledging that suicide is a complex phenomenon that occurs due to a multitude of factors, rather than a specific cause, timely intervention can save millions of lives the first step in reduction of suicide in the country is through reducing the stigma attached to mental health issues stigma contributes to the huge burden of mental morbidity, being a road-block to treatment seeking a communitybased response has been recommended by the world health organization as a way to open lines of communications and reduce stigma the school becomes an important place of intervention as adolescents and young adults spend a majority of their time there suicide prevention training for faculty and teachers can help in early identification of signs of mental distressthe high suicide rate in india warrant a swift and serious policy response this mental health intervention may help to provide a ray of hope towards a dignified life for millions of adolescent and young adultshence this billnew delhi;anurag singh thakurnovember 19, 2018 financial  memorandumclause 4 of the bill provides that the central government shall establish a youth mental health agency clause 6 provides that the appropriate government shall establish counselling centres in every state clause 7 provides that the educational institutions and workplaces shall establish mental health committees clause 8 provides for the functions of the mental health committee clause 9 provides for mental healthcare counselling in every government school it also provides for appointment of adequate number of psychiatrists clause 12 provides that the appropriate government shall create a national suicide prevention 24/7 toll-free help-line number clause 15 provides for wide publicity through public media including television, radio, print and online media at regular intervals about the provisions of this act the bill, therefore, if enacted, will involve expenditure from the consolidated fund of india it is estimated that an annual recurring expenditure of about rupees one hundred crore is likely to be incurred from the consolidated fund of indiaa non- recurring expenditure of about rupees one hundred crore is also likely to be involved memorandum  regarding  delegated  legislationclause 18 of the bill empowers the central government to make rules for carrying out the purposes of the bill as the rules will relate to matters of detail only, the delegation of legislative power is of a normal character———— a billto address the increasing prevalence of suicide especially amongst the youth of thecountry with a community-based approach focusing on timely intervention andremoval of stigma associated with reporting of mental illness and increasinglines of communication and for matters connected therewith————(shri anurag singh thakur, mp)mgipmrnd—2076ls(s-3)—20-12-2018