Lok Sabha Question No. 4827 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-20
Subject: Mental Health Services UNDER NMHP
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Shri P C Mohan

## GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRYOF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4827 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20 th MARCH, 2026

## MENTALHEALTH SERVICES UNDER NMHP

## 4827. SHRI P C MOHAN:

Will the Minister of HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) the steps taken or proposed to be taken by the Government to strengthen mental health services in the country under the National Mental Health Programme including the expansion of counselling services, rehabilitation centres and digital mental health platforms along with the details thereof, particularly for Karnataka and Bengaluru;
- (b) whether the Government has assessed the adequacy of psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, psychiatric social workers and rehabilitation facilities in the country in comparison with global standards and the present doctor and patient ratio in the mental health sector and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the specific initiatives undertaken by the Government to support students, working professionals and vulnerable groups facing stress, anxiety and depression including the establishment of helplines and campus-based counselling systems; and
- (d) whether the Government proposes to introduce stricter guidelines or compliance frameworks for companies, educational institutions and workplaces to ensure the provision of mental health support services and if so, the details thereof and the way forward in this regard?

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

(a) to (d) To address the burden of mental disorders, the Government of India is implementing the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) in the country. The District Mental Health Programme (DMHP) component of the NMHP has been sanctioned for implementation in 767 districts for which support is provided to States/UTs through the National Health Mission. Facilities made available under DMHP at the Community Health Centre (CHC) and Primary Health Centre (PHC) levels, inter- alia, include outpatient services, assessment, counselling/ psycho-social interventions, continuing care and support to persons with severe mental disorders, drugs, outreach services, ambulance services etc.

The Government has launched a 'National Tele Mental Health Programme' (NTMHP) on 10th October, 2022, that functions 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.

As on 03.03.2026, 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 34.34 lakh calls have been handled on the helpline number since inception. The number of calls handled on the helpline number since inception in the State of Karnataka is 2,17,969.

The data regarding number of psychologists, psychiatrists and counsellors in the country at present is not maintained centrally. As per NMC website, approximately 1300 MD psychiatry seats are available in the country in various medical colleges. As per information provided by National Medical Commission (NMC), there are 13,88,185 registered allopathic doctors. Psychiatry now has been made a compulsory subject with a dedicated question paper in MBBS. The curriculum is now competency based. The numbers of hours of psychiatry teaching and clinical postings is increased, marks for psychiatry have been increased and the psychiatry internship is made mandatory.

As per information received from Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI), 4309 Clinical Psychologists and 801 Rehabilitation Social Workers are registered in Central Rehabilitation Register of RCI.

Further, as per the National Mental Health Survey (NMHS) 2016, conducted by the NIMHANS, Bengaluru in 12 States of the country, the availability of Psychiatrists in the NMHS states varied from 0.05 per lakh population in Madhya Pradesh to 1.2 per lakh population in Kerala.

The Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare through its interventions viz. Adolescent Friendly Health Clinics (AFHC), Peer Education Programme and Adolescent Health and Wellness Days (AH&WD) creates awareness on mental health issues and provides counselling services. Peer Educators form groups of 15-20 boys and girls in the community and conduct weekly one to two hour participatory sessions on adolescent health including mental health and wellbeing. Under RKSK, Mental health is an integral part of the strategy and includes training of Mos, ANMs and Counsellors on issues of common adolescent mental health and management of the same.

The Manodarpan an initiative of the Ministry of Education provides psychosocial support to students, teachers and families through an online platform offering advisories, audio-visual resources and guidance on emotional well-being. Interactive sessions such as Sahyog and Paricharcha help students cope with academic stress and emotional challenges.

'Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health' is incorporated as a dedicated module under Ayushman Bharat School Health & Wellness Programme. Health and Wellness Ambassadors

(Teachers) are trained on mental health along with other thematic areas of the programme, take interactive sessions with the students and percolate the messages through weekly sessions promoting joyful learning.

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