Agri varsity raises awareness for suicide prevention

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, July 24

The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) on Tuesday launched an awareness drive for suicide prevention in the state.

The drive has been initiated under the project on farmer suicide prevention named ‘UTSHAH’, in connection with World Suicide Prevention Day observed every year on September 10.

Launching the drive, Baldev Singh Dhillon, Vice-Chancellor, PAU, shed light on the theme ‘Working Together to Prevent Suicides’. While calling upon all sections of the society to come forward for the sake of farmers, Dhillon said: “Talking about suicide does not induce suicidal thoughts in a depressed person; rather it can dissuade a person from taking the extreme step.”

Director of Research, NS Bains, Director of Extension Education Jaskarn Singh Mahal, Additional Director of Communication Jagdish Kaur, Dean, College of Agriculture SS Kukal, Dean College of Home Science Jatinder Kaur Gulati and progressive farmers were also present.

Sarabjeet Singh, Principal Investigator, National Agricultural Science Fund (ICAR) project on suicide prevention said as a part of the awareness drive, volunteers would visit various colleges and organise talks, group and panel discussions, seminars in connection with the World Suicide Prevention Day. Slogans displaying themes such as ‘Working together to prevent suicides’, ‘Suicides! report but don’t publicise’, ‘Let us save precious lives’, ‘Karoge gal milega hal’ among others would be displayed on the notice boards of colleges/public places/ banks etc. in rural areas to create awareness about the suicide menace.