Lok Sabha Question No. 3866 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-16
Subject: Manodarpan Initiative, Student Suicides and Mental Health Outcomes
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri Rahul Kaswan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3866

## ANSWERED ON 16.03.2026

## Manodarpan Initiative, Student Suicides and Mental Health Outcomes

3866. Shri Rahul Kaswan:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government collects outcome data on the effectiveness of Manodarpan Initiative in  improving  student  mental  health,  if  so,  the  details  of  the  latest  findings  including  number assessed, improved or referred for clinical care;

(b)  whether  trends  in  student  suicide  attempts  and  deaths  have  been  analysed  in  relation  to Manodarpan services, if so, the details thereof, year-wise and State/UT-wise;

(c) the number, qualifications, training and student ratios of counsellors under the said initiative in the country, States/UTs-wise;

(d) whether any standard follow-up, referral or outcome evaluation mechanisms exist for students receiving counselling, if so, the details thereof; and

(e) the details of disaggregated data by age, gender, educational stage and region of beneficiaries of tele-counselling or other Manodarpan services?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

## (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

(a) to (e): The Manodarpan initiative was launched under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Package to provide  psychosocial  support  to  students,  families  and  teachers  across  the  country  during  the COVID-19 pandemic through a toll-free national tele-helpline (844-844-0632) wherein trained counsellors  would  provide  guidance  to  callers.  Over  the  years,  Manodarpan's  services  were expanded in a graded manner to make it comprehensive through offerings such as Sahyog and Paricharcha- live interactive series telecast on PM e-Vidya channels, survey on mental health and well-being of students and resource material for early identification and intervention available at https://manodarpan.education.gov.in/index.html,  state  consultative  meets  and  capacity  building workshops for guidance functionaries, and awareness generation activities in schools.

The  Manodarpan  Cell  in  NCERT  undertakes  regular  analysis  of  specific  components  of  the initiative  through  academic  and  educational  research.  This  includes  analysis  of  data  from  the Manodarpan toll-free tele-helpline to understand the nature of psychosocial concerns reported by students and trends over time, as well as assessment of participation and viewership trends of live interactive sessions such as Sahyog and Paricharcha. Further, a study has also been undertaken on the perception of stakeholders regarding live interactive sessions under the Manodarpan initiative, focusing on relevance, content and outreach for enhancing coverage and planning of future live sessions besides informing future programmes and initiatives such as State Consultative Meets, National Summit of School counsellors and development of resource and advocacy materials.

Given  the  phased  expansion  of  its  services  and  the  evolving  nature  of  psychosocial  concerns during and after the pandemic, the initiative is presently at a stage where evidence generation, thematic studies and programme monitoring are used in a continuous manner to inform future planning  and  strengthening  of  services  rather  than  undertaking  a  single  summative  impact evaluation.

As on 10.03.2026, 3,32,877 calls have been received from different regions of the country through the Manodarpan helpline indicating broad based utilisation of the service by the target population. The tele-helpline services have received multiple calls regarding suicidal ideations which were addressed professionally and duly brought to notice of relevant authorities for crisis intervention.

A total of 69 tele-counsellors operating across India are presently engaged in the IVRS toll-free tele-helpline  services,  providing  voluntary  and  free  tele-counselling  support  to  stakeholders  in need.  The  qualification  of  counselors  includes  an  MA/  MSc  in  Psychology/  Social  Work/ Education/  Human  Development  along  with  a  Diploma  in  Guidance  and  Counselling,  and  a minimum  of  two  years  of  experience  in  counselling  school  and  college  students.  The  telecounsellors are screened and shortlisted through a selection process conducted by a designated screening committee. After their engagement in the tele-helpline services, they are also provided with training to effectively extend support and assistance to callers. Capacity building sessions are periodically organised for the tele-helpline counsellors, based on the concerns received on the helpline

Age, educational stage, and region of beneficiaries of Manodarpan's tele-counselling services are at Annexure.

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ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (A)  TO  (E)  OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  3866  FOR  16.03.2026  RAISED  BY  SHRI  RAHUL KASWAN,  HON'BLE  MP  REGARDING  MANODARPAN  INITIATIVE,  STUDENT SUICIDES AND MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES.

## Grade-wise Distribution of beneficiaries of IVRS Tele-counselling

| Class   |   Percentage |
|---------|--------------|
| 1-2     |         1.33 |
| 3-5     |         3.72 |
| 6-8     |        69.1  |
| 9-12    |        25.85 |

## State-wise Distribution of beneficiaries of IVRS Tele-counselling

| State                  |   Percent |
|------------------------|-----------|
| Andhra Pradesh         |      0.92 |
| Arunachal Pradesh      |      0.58 |
| Assam                  |      4.42 |
| Bihar                  |      8.84 |
| Chhattisgarh           |      2.42 |
| Delhi                  |     14.68 |
| Dadra and Nagar Haveli |      0.42 |
| Gujarat                |      1.5  |
| Goa                    |      0.25 |
| Himachal Pradesh       |      0.58 |
| Haryana                |      3    |
| Jharkhand              |      4.17 |
| Jammu &Kashmir         |      0.08 |
| Kerala                 |      0.5  |
| Karnataka              |      1.59 |
| Maharashtra            |      5.5  |
| Meghalaya              |      0.5  |
| Manipur                |      0.17 |
| Madhya Pradesh         |      5.09 |
| Mizoram                |      0.33 |
| Nagaland               |      1.17 |
| Odisha                 |      4.67 |
| Punjab                 |      2.25 |
| Rajasthan              |      3    |
| Sikkim                 |      0.08 |
| Telangana              |      1.92 |
| Tamil Nadu             |      0.08 |
| Tripura                |      2.59 |
| Uttarakhand            |      0.67 |
| Uttar Pradesh          |     24.94 |
| West Bengal            |      3.09 |
| Total                  |    100    |