Chhattisgarh recorded the highest rate of accidental deaths at 56.4 and was placed third in rate of suicides among states in the country in 2022, according to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data.

As per the NCRB's annual report, among the 28 states, the highest rate of accidental deaths was reported from Chhattisgarh (56.4) followed by Haryana (53.5) and Maharashtra (53.0) against the national average of 31.2.

However, two Union Territories -- Ladakh and Puducherry -- reported rate of accidental deaths at 78.7 and 65.7, respectively, and were ahead of Chhattisgarh. There are eight UTs in the country.

Nineteen out of 36 states/UTs have reported higher rates of 'accidental deaths' as compared to all- India average of 31.2 deaths per one lakh of population, said the report.

Accidental deaths have been grouped into two broad categories -- 'Deaths due to Forces of Nature', including lightning, heat/sun stroke, floor, landslide etc, and 'Deaths due to Other Causes', including traffic accidents, killed by animals, consumption of spurious liquor and factory mishaps, among others.

Chhattisgarh reported 16,893 accidental deaths in 2022, including 248 due to 'forces of nature' and 16,645 due to 'other causes', according to the data published by NCRB, which functions under the Union home ministry.

In 2021, the state had recorded 19,265 accidental deaths, including 244 due to 'forces of nature' and 19,012 due to 'other causes', which declined by 12.3 per cent in 2022.

Among the total 4,15,306 accidental deaths due to 'other causes' in the country in 2022, as many as 507 incidents of consumption of illicit/spurious liquor caused 617 deaths, it said.

States where various such deaths were reported included Bihar (134 deaths) followed by Karnataka (98), Punjab (90), Chhattisgarh (60), Jharkhand (55) and Uttar Pradesh (50 deaths), said the report.

Similarly, rate of suicides in Chhattisgarh was 28.2, the third highest after Sikkim (43.1) and Kerala (28.5), among 28 states in 2022. All-India rate of suicides (ie the number of suicides per one lakh population) was 12.4 last year, the report said.

Andaman & Nicobar Islands (42.8) and Puducherry (29.7) are among UTs which are ahead of Chhattisgarh in rate of suicides.

Chhattisgarh reported 8,446 suicides in 2022 which was 7.9 per cent more than the number recorded in 2021 at 7,828.

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