Although soldier suicides have reduced in the past year, BSF wants to take all the steps necessary to curb them on a priority basis.
There’s no doubt our brave jawans battle at the border to keep our country safe. But there’s another battle they face, which isn’t talked about much – the one with depression, which more often than not leads to suicide.
To curb this, the Border Security Force (BSF) has launched two pilot projects and introduced a ‘wellness quotient assessment’ test in the soldiers’ annual medical checkup, reports Hindustan Times.
The BSF has chosen select troops locations, men and women, who will conduct the pilot projects that have been scientifically prepared.
Steps to reduce depression and suicides in the jawans are being taken on a priority basis.
“We are doing some new things now, so that there is an early identification of such personnel (who are in stress or in trouble) and such instances are reduced to the best extent possible,” the BSF DG told HT.
The ‘wellness quotient assessment’ test will be a multi-point questionnaire, prepared by expert mental counsellors and doctors. Questions relating to life situations and challenges will be answered by the troops.
Explaining the second pilot project, the DG said, “There are people who are natural counselors. We are identifying such troops in the force. Such personnel can be further groomed to act as counselors and experts who would identify a buddy in trouble, help him or her and seek help of superiors to bring comfort to them.”
A 40-minute movie has also been prepared for the troops, which talks about their struggle on the border. The soldiers will be given the CD of this film so they can show it to their family members, who can in turn appreciate their efforts and lend that extra support to help them balance pressure at work.
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