2 days Ago By Bharti Jain
NEW DELHI: Proactive measures taken by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to address suicidal tendencies among its jawans - including direct communication with the commanding officer, counselling and a posting policy that maintains work-life balance - brought about a 40% decline in suicides within the force from 25 in 2023 to 15 in 2024. This is for the first time in the last five years that CISF's suicide rate, at 9.8 per lakh personnel in 2024, has fallen below the national rate of 12.
4 per lakh, as per the latest NCRB data on central armed police forces (CAPFs). Since 2020, 730 suicides were reported across different CAPFs, Assam Rifles and NSG, of which CISF accounted for 105. The suicide rate in CISF, which peaked at 18.
1 per lakh personnel in 2022, fell to 16.9 per lakh in 2023 and to 9.8 per lakh in 2024.
A key initiative to address suicidal tendencies among CISF personnel, is the new posting policy aimed at improving work-life balance. With a recent study revealing that 2/3rd of all the personnel grievances were related to posting matters that also affect their personal life, the HR policy notified last month offers the jawans choice-based postings. "The policy will affect the non-gazetted staff that constitutes 98% of CISF manpower.
It also caters to the needs of working women, married couples and personnel nearing retirement," said a CISF spokesperson. Another step taken by CISF is personalised engagement through regular visits by commanding officers to duty posts. Company commanders are also holding daily "briefing-debriefing" to promptly identify and address any signs of distress among jawans.
Project Mann - a mental health support helpline that allows 24x7 tele-counselling and personal counselling - has seen 4,200 jawans use the facility until September 2024..
