Lok Sabha Question No. 3942 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-18
Subject: Mental Health and Youth Well-being
Ministry: YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS
Asked by: Shri Benny Behanan, Adv Dean Kuriakose, Shri Charanjit Singh Channi

## Government of India

## Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3942 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18.08.2025

Mental Health and Youth Well-being

3942. Shri Charanjit Singh Channi:

Adv Dean Kuriakose:

Shri Benny Behanan:

Will the Minister of YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is planning to establish a National Youth Mental Health Awareness Policy, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (b)  whether  the  Government  has  conducted  a  need  assessment  of mental health support among  tribal, rural, differently-abled and LGBTQIA youth;
- (c)  whether  the  Government  is  conducting  any  periodic  well-being audits of elite and grassroots athletes, with a mechanism  to anonymously report burnout, harassment or mental health concerns;
- (d) if so, whether the Ministry is collaborating with other Ministries to incorporate emotional resilience, body image and bullying prevention modules in youth leadership and fitness programmes; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS (DR. MANSUKH MANDAVIYA)

- (a) At present, there is no standalone National Youth Mental Health Awareness Policy under consideration. However, in order to address the burden  of  mental  disorders,  the  Government  is  implementing  the National  Mental  Health  Programme  (NMHP),  including  the  District Mental  Health  Programme  (DMHP),  sanctioned  in  767  districts  to provide  facilities  at  Community  Health  Centres  (CHCs)  and  Primary Health Centres (PHCs) such as outpatient services, counselling, psychosocial  interventions,  continuing  care,  essential  drugs,  outreach,  and ambulance services.
- (b) No such needs assessment of mental health focusing exclusively on tribal, rural, differently-abled and LGBTQIA  youth has been conducted.
- (c) The Ministry as such does not conduct periodic well-being audits of  elite  and  grassroots  athletes.  However,  under  the  Scheme  of Assistance to National Sports Federations (NSFs), there is a provision to engage scientific support staff including mental health professionals such as Psychologists with the Indian players during National Coaching camps, international exposures/competitions etc.
- (d) & (e) The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has upgraded more than 1.77 lakh Sub Health Centres (SHCs) and Primary Health Centres (PHCs) to Ayushman Arogya Mandirs. Mental health services have been added in the packages of services under Comprehensive Primary Health Care provided at these Ayushman  Arogya Mandirs. Operational guidelines and training manuals for various cadres on Mental, Neurological, and Substance Use Disorders (MNS) at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs have been released under the ambit of Ayushman Bharat. The Government has launched a National Tele Mental Health Programme on 10th October, 2022, to further improve access to quality mental health counselling  and  care  services  in  the  country.  As  on  31.07.2025,  36 States/UTs have set up 53 Tele-MANAS Cells. Tele-MANAS services are available in 20 languages based on the language opted by States, and more than 24 lakh calls have been handled on the helpline number. The Government has also launched the Tele-MANAS Mobile Application on

10th  October,  2024,  and  introduced  a  video  consultation  facility  in addition to the existing audio calling facility.

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