Govt appoints Deepika Padukone as India’s first mental health ambassador

• The Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) has appointed actor Deepika Padukone as India’s first mental health ambassador. 

• The announcement was made by Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda on the occasion of World Mental Health Day on October 10.

• The move is seen as a bid to strengthen India’s mental health support system and promote open conversations about well-being.

• Her involvement as a national advocate will help focus attention on mental health and encourage people to seek timely support through government-approved mental health resources.

• The partnership with Padukone will help to widely disseminate awareness about mental health issues in India, normalise discussions to reduce stigma, and highlight mental health as an integral aspect of public health. 

• Mental health is a critical public health priority in the National Health Policy. 

• The health ministry has taken significant steps to address this challenge through various initiatives including the Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, National Tele Mental Health Programme and the District Mental Health Programme.

Tele-MANAS programme

• On October 10, 2022, the government launched the National Tele Mental Health Programme (NTMHP).

• It functions as the digital arm of the District Mental Health Programme to provide universal access to equitable, accessible, affordable and quality mental healthcare through 24x7 tele-mental health counselling services. 

• Tele MANAS (Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States) toll-free helpline numbers 14416 or 1-800-891-4416 offer multi-language support and have been pivotal in facilitating communication between callers and mental health professionals.

• As many as 53 Tele MANAS Cells have been set up across the country,

• Around 28 lakh calls have been handled by trained counsellors in more than 20 languages under the Tele MANAS programme. 

• On October 10, 2024, the government launched Tele MANAS mobile application. 

New initiatives for Tele MANAS app

• Nadda launched several initiatives for the National Tele Mental Health Programme.

• It includes enhancements such as multi-lingual UI, chatbot, accessibility, and emergency module in the Tele MANAS app.

• The app will now be available in 10 regional languages, including Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Odia and Punjabi, in addition to English and Hindi.

• This step is aimed at providing mental health support in regional languages for enhancing accessibility.

• Recognising that persons with disabilities and vulnerable groups face barriers in accessing digital health services, the app now includes accessibility features to make the interface more user-friendly for visually-impaired users. 

• A Chatbot feature, ‘Asmi’, has also been introduced, allowing users to engage with the app and seek information or help regarding mental health. • Also, emergency response content has been incorporated to ensure timely guidance and support during emergencies.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)