Telangana Minister KT Rama Rao has extended financial support to the family of Aishwarya, a student who took her life in November 2020 as she was unable to pursue her education due to financial constraints. Nineteen-year-old Aishwarya, a resident of Shadnagar in Hyderabad, was pursuing BSc (Honours) in Mathematics from Lady Shri Ram (LSR) College in New Delhi. She had faced difficulty in attending online classes, as she did not have a laptop and could not access steady internet. At the same time, her parents were under immense financial pressure in the midst of the pandemic to arrange money for other expenses related to her education.
Days after her death, Minister KTR had assured that he would “personally meet with the family and ensure all support is provided.” On Thursday, July 8, Aishwarya’s family met and interacted with KTR at Pragathi Bhavan. KTR donated an amount of Rs 2.5 lakh in his personal capacity to the family, and also assured to provide a 2 BHK house under the Telangana government’s dignity housing scheme. The Minister said it was very unfortunate for the family to lose an educated person, and assured to stand by them in the future as well.
Aishwarya had shown good academic performance in school and college. Her parents said they were forced to take loans to fund her education. Though Aishwarya had qualified for the INSPIRE scholarship from the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Students' Federations of India (SFI) said that the funds for the second year of her scholarship never reached Aishwarya. She had returned home in March 2020 before the nationwide coronavirus-induced lockdown. Responding to a survey conducted by the Committee for Inclusive Education under the LSR Students Union, Aishwarya had said she was struggling to attend online classes without internet connectivity and a laptop, and was only managing to attend less than three hours of the total five to eight hours of classes being conducted each day.
If you are aware of anyone facing mental health issues or feeling suicidal, please provide help. Here are some helpline numbers of suicide-prevention organisations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families.
Tamil Nadu
State health department's suicide helpline: 104
Sneha Suicide Prevention Centre - 044-24640050 (listed as the sole suicide prevention helpline in Tamil Nadu)
Andhra Pradesh
Life Suicide Prevention: 78930 78930
Roshni: 9166202000, 9127848584
Karnataka
Sahai (24-hour): 080 65000111, 080 65000222
Kerala
Maithri: 0484 2540530
Chaithram: 0484 2361161
Both are 24-hour helpline numbers.
Telangana
State government's suicide prevention (tollfree): 104
Roshni: 040 66202000, 6620200
SEVA: 09441778290, 040 27504682 (between 9 am and 7 pm)
Aasara offers support to individuals and families during an emotional crisis, for those dealing with mental health issues and suicidal ideation, and to those undergoing trauma after the suicide of a loved one.
24x7 Helpline: 9820466726
Click here for working helplines across India.