Parliament Question: National Tele-MANAS programme

GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE RAJYASABHA UNSTARREDQUESTION NO. 3623 TOBE ANSWERED ON24thMARCH, 2026 NATIONALTELE-MANAS PROGRAMME 3623. SMT.GEETAALIAS CHANDRAPRABHA: Will the Minister of HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFARE be pleased tostate: (a) the current number of functional Cells established under the National Tele-Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States Programme (Tele-MANAS) and the call volumes handledduring the latest reportedperiod; (b) whether the Ministry has undertaken recent enhancements to the Tele-MANAS mobile application, including multilingual assistance and emergency-response features and if so, the detailsthereof; and (c) the steps taken to integrate Tele-MANAS services with school-health and wellness programmes in States such as Uttar Pradesh and whether any district-specific outreach initiatives are beingimplementedinregionslike Auraiya? ANSWER THE MINISTER OFSTATE IN THE MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE (SHRIPRATAPRAO JADHAV) (a) to (c) 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 Programmeto provide universal accesstoequitable, accessible, affordable and quality mental health care through 24 x 7 tele-mental health counselling services. For this, a toll-free number(14416) hasbeenset upacross 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 beenhandledonthe helpline numbersince inception. 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 rangingfrom well-beingtomental disorders.Tele-MANAS Mobile Application has been expanded to include 10 additional regional languages — Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Odia, andPunjabi— alongwith the previously availablelanguages,English and Hindi. Tele-MANAS Mobile Application also assists visually challenged persons by making its mental health services accessible through a specially designed, user-friendly digital interface anda toll-free phone line thatdoesnot require screen use. The Government has also launched the video consultation facility under Tele-MANAS, as anotherupgrade tothe already existing audiocallingfacility. The Government hasestablished a dedicatedTele-MANASCell at the Armed ForcesMedical College (AFMC), Pune to extend tele-mental health assistance and support to all Armed Forces service personnel and their dependents, further enhancing the mental health care services availableto them. All States/UTs have been requested for wide circulation and publicity of NTMHP / Tele MANAS in the respective States/UTs through various possible modes like print poster, electronic display, social media platforms, etc. at appropriate places including all health facilities/ educational institutions/ Hostels/ Private and Government workplaces/ Jails/ OrphanagesandonWebsite/ WebPortal of states toensure widespread awareness. As the information received from Government of Uttar Pradesh, he Department of Medical Health and Family Welfare and the Department of Education have directed all concerned stakeholders to ensure wide publicity and dissemination of the Tele-MANAS application and the Tele-MANAS helpline number. 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 andCounsellors onissues of commonadolescent mental healthandmanagementof 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 Paricharchahelp students cope with academicstress andemotionalchallenges. “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 promotingjoyful learning.The Government has undertakenseveral public-awareness initiatives to promote the services. Over the past years, multiple large-scale campaigns have been organized, including activities underAzadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav,during which a six-month long“SwasthMann, SwasthTan” mental-wellbeingcampaign was conductedacross States/UTs. ***