Government implements National Mental Health Programme to strengthen mental health services

Ministry of Women and Child Development Government implements National Mental Health Programme to strengthen mental health services Government has also launched “National Tele Mental Health Programme” and Tele MANAS Mobile Application

Posted On: 01 APR 2026 12:36PM by PIB Delhi To strengthen mental health services, the Government of India implements National Mental Health Programme (NMHP), which includes postpartum mothers. 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. In addition to above services there is a provision of 10 bedded in-patient facility at the district level.

The Government is also taking steps to strengthen mental healthcare services at primary healthcare level.

The Government has upgraded more than 1.83 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. Under the tertiary care component of NMHP, 25 Centres of Excellence have been sanctioned to increase the intake of students in PG departments in mental health specialties as well as to provide tertiary level treatment facilities. Further, the Government has also supported 19 Government medical colleges/institutions to strengthen 47 PG Departments in mental health Specialties.

The details of women reported with Postpartum Depression in the country is not maintained centrally.

However, as per National Mental Health Survey (NMHS) conducted in 2016 by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore in 12 States of the country, the prevalence of depressive disorders in females over the age of 18 years is about 5.72%. Under National Health Mission, Auxiliary Nurses and Midwife (ANM) and Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) routinely assess the health issues of postpartum mothers including mental health during home visits. Following a mother's discharge from a healthcare facility, ANM and ASHA conduct six postnatal home visits to ensure comprehensive postnatal care, which includes screening for postpartum depression. This evaluation involves identifying symptoms and referring the mother to an appropriate healthcare facility under the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) and or the Extended-PMSMA. Under the Optimization of Postnatal care scheme, ASHA is provided incentive for timely management.There are 47 Government run mental hospitals in the country, including 3 Central Mental Health Institutions, viz. National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bengaluru, Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi Regional Institute of Mental Health, Tezpur, Assam and Central Institute of Psychiatry, Ranchi.

Mental Health Services are also provisioned in all AIIMS.

Besides the above, 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 03.03.2026, 36 States/ UTs have set up 53 Tele MANAS Cells and have started tele mental health services. Approx 34.34 lakhs calls have been handled on the helpline number.

The Government has also launched Tele MANAS Mobile Application on the occasion of World Mental Health Day - October 10, 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 also launched the video consultation facility under Tele-MANAS, as another upgrade to the already existing audio calling facility.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Women and Child Development Smt. Savitri Thakur in Rajya Sabha in reply to a question. **** SS (Release ID: 2247567) Visitor Counter : 167

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