Death of an EY employee: Finance Minister Sitharaman demands that universities should offer “stress management classes”

Speaking on Sunday (September 22) about the tragic death of former Ernest & Young (EY) employee Anna Sebastian Perayil, who apparently died under pressure at work, India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman urged colleges and universities to offer “stress management classes” to students.

The death of 26-year-old Anna has rocked the country and sparked a debate about the toxic work culture that prevails in some top consulting firms.

The debate began after the 26-year-old's mother, Anita Augustine, wrote a heartbreaking letter that went viral, blaming the toxic work culture at Ernst & Young for her daughter's death.

Anna had joined the company's audit and assurance team in Pune in March this year and died after four months, allegedly due to extreme work stress.

Speaking at an event at a college in Chennai, the Finance Minister said that educational institutions should teach other things besides providing quality education and placement.

External Affairs Minister Sitharaman said she was “discussing a topic that has been in the news for the last two days… a woman who had studied CA well and was not able to cope with the pressure of work. Two or three days ago, we got the news that she had died because she could not cope with the pressure.”

“I was discussing an issue that has been reported in the newspapers for the past two days. Our children are going to colleges and universities to get an education and are graduating with flying colors,” she added.

She also emphasized that by attaining divine qualities, people can gain the strength to deal with pressure.

“Believe in God, we need God's grace. Seek God and learn good discipline. Only then will your Atma Shakti grow. Inner strength comes only with growing Atma Shakti…Educational institutions should impart divinity and spirituality. Only then will our children attain inner strength. This will help them and the country to progress. This is my firm belief,” the finance minister said.

Congress General Secretary (Organization) KC Venugopal criticised Sitharaman for her remarks.

Watch: Death of an EY employee: Do India's labor laws enable worker exploitation? | WION decodes

“The ruling regime and the Finance Minister can only see the pain of corporate giants like Adani and Ambani, not the pain of the hard-working and toiling young generation where newbies like Anna are exploited by the greedy corporate system… It is downright cruel on the part of the Finance Minister to blame Anna and her family for suggesting that she should have learned to deal with stress at home. This kind of victim blaming is despicable and no words can express the anger and disgust one feels at such statements,” the politician said.

“How heartless can this government be? Have they lost all compassion? Parents are still recovering from this terrible tragedy. The toxic work environment should have triggered an honest review of company practices and led to necessary reforms to protect workers,” Venugopal said.

(With contributions from agencies)