Lok Sabha Question No. 5623 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-04-04
Subject: National Tele Mental Health Programme
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Shri Haribhai Patel

## GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRY OFHEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5623 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04 TH APRIL, 2025

## NATIONALTELE MENTALHEALTH PROGRAMME

## 5623. SHRI HARIBHAI PATEL:

Will the Minister of HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the National Tele Mental Health Programme (NTMHP) launched by the Government and its objectives;
- (b) the number of Tele MANAS Cells established across the country along with the languages in which services are available;
- (c) the total number of calls handled under the Tele MANAS initiative and the funds allocated for NTMHP during the last three years;
- (d) whether the Government has launched the Tele MANAS Mobile Application and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the steps taken by the Government to integrate mental health services at the primary healthcare level including the number of Ayushman Arogya Mandirs providing mental healthcare services?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE (SHRI PRATAPRAO JADHAV)

(a) to (e) The Government has launched a 'National Tele Mental Health Programme' (NTMHP) on 10th October, 2022, that would function as the digital arm of the District Mental Health Programme to provide universal access to equitable, accessible, affordable and quality mental health care through 24 x 7 tele-mental health counselling services. For this, a toll-free number (14416) has been set up across the country.

Specific objectives of the Programme are:

- i. To exponentially scale up the reach of mental health services to anybody who reaches out, across India, any time, by setting up a 24x7 tele-mental health facility in each of the States and UTs of the country.
- ii. To implement a full-fledged mental health service network that, in addition to counselling, provides integrated medical and psychosocial interventions.
- iii. To extend services to vulnerable groups of the population and difficult to reach populations.

As on 01.04.2025, 36 States/ UTs have set up 53 Tele MANAS Cells. Tele-MANAS services are available in 20 languages based on language opted by States. More than 20,05,000 calls have been handled on the helpline number.

Rs. 120.98 crore, Rs. 65.00 crore and Rs. 45.00 crore has been allocated for National Tele Mental Health Programme (NTMHP) for the year 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 respectively.

The Government has launched Tele MANAS Mobile Application on World Mental Health Day, i.e. 10th October, 2024. Tele-MANAS Mobile Application is a comprehensive mobile platform that has been developed to provide support for mental health issues ranging from well-being to mental disorders.

The Government has established a dedicated Tele-MANAS Cell at the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune to extend tele-mental health assistance and support to all Armed Forces service personnel and their dependents, further enhancing the mental health care services available to them.

The Government is also taking steps to integrate mental healthcare services at primary healthcare level. The Government has upgraded more than 1.75 lakh Sub Health Centres (SHCs) and Primary Health Centres (PHCs) to Ayushman Arogya Mandirs. Mental health services have been added in the package of services under Comprehensive Primary Health Care provided at these Ayushman Arogya Mandirs.

The District Mental Health Programme (DMHP) is implemented under the National Mental Health Programme in 767 districts of the country to detect, manage and treat mental illness at District Hospitals. Facilities are also made available under DMHP at the Community Health Centre(CHC) and Primary Health Centre(PHC) levels and include outpatient services, assessment, counselling/ psycho-social interventions, continuing care and support to persons with severe mental disorders, drugs, outreach services, ambulance services etc.

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