Lok Sabha Question No. 5586 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-27
Subject: Mental Health Status of Young Adults
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Dr. Raj Kumar Chabbewal

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5586 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27 th MARCH, 2026

## MENTALHEALTHSTATUS OFYOUNG ADULTS

## 5586. DR. RAJ KUMAR CHABBEWAL:

Will the Minister of HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has taken note of international studies and surveys indicating that young adults in India rank low in mental health and well-being indices compared to their global counterparts and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (b) whether the Government has conducted any independent assessment or nationwide survey regarding the mental health status of young adults in the country and if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise;
- (c) the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to strengthen mental health services for young adults under the National Mental Health Programme and the TeleMANAS initiative; and
- (d) whether the Government proposes to introduce targeted mental health interventions in universities and colleges and if so, the details thereof?

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

(a) to (d) The Global Mind Health 2025 report was carried out by Sapien Labs, a U.S.based non-profit research organization. It forms part of the organization's wider Global Mind Project, which examined survey responses from nearly one million internet users across 84 countries to evaluate mental well-being through the Mind Health Quotient (MHQ). The authors of the Global Mental Health report have acknowledged several important limitations of the report:

- i. The trends are not likely to be reflective of offline populations who typically live in a different context and therefore country level trends may differ substantially from the Global Mind trends.
- ii. Sampling bias: The data reflects internet-enabled, language-proficient, and selfselecting individuals willing to complete a 15-minute survey.
- iii. Cultural variability: Responses may be influenced by language interpretation and cultural perceptions of mental health, affecting direct cross-country comparisons.

Therefore, the country specific figures mentioned in the report cannot be treated as generalizable in a robust- manner to the whole population of youth in the country

The Government conducted the National Mental Health Survey (NMHS), 2015-16 of India through the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru in 12 States of the country, as per which the prevalence of mental disorders in adults over the age of 18 years is about 10.6%. The Summary of the National Mental Health Survey 2015-16 is available on the website of the Ministry (https://mohfw.gov.in/sites/default/files/National%20Mental%20Health%20Survey%2C%202 015-16%20-%20Summary%20Report\_0.pdf).

The Government has taken the following steps in order to strengthen mental health infrastructure under the National Mental Health Programme:

-  The District Mental Health Programme (DMHP) was introduced as component of the NMHP in 1996, The DMHP 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, interalia, include outpatient services, assessment, counselling/ psycho-social interventions, continuing care and support to persons with severe mental disorders, drugs, outreach services, ambulance services etc. In addition to above services there is a provision of 10 bedded in-patient facility at the District level.
-  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 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

Ministry of Education, on its part, is guided by National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) which emphasises the need to create awareness about students' mental health and wellbeing and to ensure that the learning environments are engaging and supportive. It inter alia provides for availability of professional and career counselling, and counselling system for handling stress and emotional adjustment.

University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued Guidelines for Promotion of Physical Fitness, Sports, Student's Health, Welfare, Psychological and Emotional Wellbeing at Higher Education Institutions in April 2023, which provide for promoting physical fitness and sports activities for students; creating safeguards against academic pressure, peer pressure, behavioral issues, stress, career concerns, depression and other issues on the mental health of students; to teach positive thinking & emotions in the student community; and to promote a positive and supportive network for students.

The Ministry, in July 2023, has also circulated a broad framework for emotional and mental well-being of students in HEIs with direction to all Centrally Funded Institutions to develop institutional mechanism to address the emotional and mental wellbeing of students in HEIs.

As the Information received from Department of Higher Education, an Integrated approach for Promoting Positive Mental Health, Resilience, and Wellbeing has been conceptualized under the Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Programme. The goal is to empower faculty to address student mental health concerns for early intervention. Under this integrated approach, so far, 2,700 faculty from over 160 Centrally Funded Institutions have participated in 38 online capacity building sessions since May 2024 including 88 faculty from Centrally Funded Institutions of Odisha. Annual National Wellbeing Conclaves are also organized for Centrally Funded Institutions, which brings together institutional leaders, faculty, students, and mental health professionals to share best practices and strengthen campus wellbeing ecosystems.

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