On the occasion of World Mental Health Day 2025, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda launched a series of new initiatives under the National Tele Mental Health Programme (Tele MANAS) to further enhance access to mental health support across India.
The newly introduced features include multi-lingual app enhancements, accessibility upgrades, chatbot integration, and an emergency response module. The Tele MANAS App will now be available in 10 additional regional languages — Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Odia, and Punjabi — alongside English and Hindi. This multilingual update aims to make mental health services more inclusive and accessible to people across linguistic and regional backgrounds.
To ensure equitable access, the app now incorporates accessibility features for visually impaired users and introduces a chatbot named ‘Asmi’, designed to help users navigate the platform and seek timely information or support. The inclusion of an emergency response module ensures immediate guidance and assistance during mental health crises.
Speaking at the launch, Shri Nadda emphasized the integral role of mental health in national well-being, stating:
“A sound mind leads to a sound body and a healthy mind and a healthy body lead to a healthy nation.”
He further added:
“India is committed to ensuring equitable, affordable, and inclusive access to mental health services. With the launch of the new features in the Tele-MANAS app, we are strengthening our preparedness to respond effectively to mental health emergencies and expanding the reach of digital innovations to every corner of the country. Moving a step closer towards normalizing discussions around mental health is crucial to reducing stigma and highlighting mental health as an integral aspect of public health in India.”
The Union Minister also announced that actor and mental health advocate Ms. Deepika Padukone has been appointed as the Mental Health Ambassador for the Government of India.
“The partnership with Ms. Deepika Padukone will help widely disseminate awareness about mental health issues in India, normalize discussions to reduce stigma, and highlight mental health as an integral aspect of public health,” Shri Nadda said.
He added that her involvement as a national advocate will encourage people to seek timely help through verified mental health services.
Highlighting the impact of Tele MANAS, Shri Nadda shared that since its inception, the platform has handled around 28 lakh calls, with trained counsellors providing support in more than 20 languages.
“Every day, about 4,000 people reach out for support, showing the effectiveness of the service in addressing mental health concerns. The almost equal number of men and women seeking help demonstrates that awareness is growing among all groups,” he noted.
He also emphasized that the Tele-MANAS mobile app enables individuals across India to access help anytime, anywhere.
Union Health Secretary Smt. Punya Salila Srivastava highlighted that mental health remains a key focus area in this year’s United Nations theme, adding that India’s digital health initiatives like Tele MANAS are vital steps toward achieving universal health coverage.
“Any self-destructive behaviour like suicides can be prevented and stigmas or stereotypes can be reduced by making use of timely, professional and empathetic mental healthcare and quality counselling services through the Tele MANAS app,” she stated.
She also encouraged all stakeholders to provide feedback on the upgraded app so that any issues can be promptly addressed by the NIMHANS team.
Dr. Pratima Murthy, Director and Senior Professor of Psychiatry at NIMHANS, noted that the expansion would extend Tele MANAS services to a larger population, enhancing accessibility to mental health care.
Prof. T. K. Srikanth, Principal Investigator of Tele MANAS at the International Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore (IIIT-B), emphasized that the upgrades will ensure seamless information flow, with built-in data privacy and security, and a modular design to support future enhancements.
Mental health continues to be recognized as a core public health priority under the National Health Policy. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has implemented several initiatives — including Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, Tele MANAS, and the District Mental Health Programme — to strengthen mental health care delivery nationwide.
Tele MANAS remains a vital platform in addressing diverse mental health challenges, providing 24x7 counselling, crisis intervention, and professional support. The Government of India reaffirmed its commitment to building a resilient, inclusive, and accessible mental health ecosystem, leveraging technology, capacity-building, and awareness initiatives to bridge the treatment gap and ensure no citizen is left behind.
The event was also attended by Smt. Aradhana Patnaik, Additional Secretary and MD, National Health Mission (NHM); Shri Vijay Nehra, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry; Dr. C. Naveen Kumar, Principal Investigator, Tele MANAS; and senior officials from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
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