PIB Summary- 15th December, 2023 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

Mental Health Initiatives in India

Context
Recently, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has shed light on the initiatives aimed at addressing mental health concerns in the country.

Highlighted Mental Health Initiatives in India:

• Initiated in 1982, restructured in 2003.
• Aims to modernize mental health facilities and upgrade psychiatric wings in medical institutions.
• District Mental Health Programme (DMHP) since 1996 focuses on community mental health services in 716 districts.
• Provides outpatient services, counselling, psycho-social interventions, and support for severe mental disorders at primary healthcare level.

National Tele Mental Health Programme:

• Launched in October 2022 to improve access to mental health counselling and care services.
• National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, coordinates Tele MANAS activities across India.
• 25 States/UTs have established 36 Tele Mental Health and Normalcy Augmentation Systems (MANAS) Cells.

Handled a total of 63,806 calls on the helpline number.

• NIMHANS and iGOT-Diksha Collaboration:
• NIMHANS provides psychosocial support and training through the iGOT-Diksha platform.
• Online training for health workers conducted on the iGOT-Diksha platform.

Ayushman Bharat – HWC Scheme:

• Part of the Ayushman Bharat Programme.
• Aims to provide a wide range of services, including preventive, promotive, curative, rehabilitative, and palliative care.
• Operational guidelines on Mental, Neurological, and substance use disorders (MNS) at Health and Wellness Centres (HWC) under Ayushman Bharat.

Addressing Pandemic-Induced Mental Health Challenges:

• Establishment of a 24/7 helpline for psychosocial support.
• Issuance of guidelines and advisories for various societal groups.
• Advocacy through diverse media platforms to manage stress and anxiety.

Financial Support for Mental Health Institutions:

• District Mental Health Programme receives a fund allocation of Rs. 159.75 Crore for States/UTs under the National Health Mission for 2022-23.

e-SHRAM Portal

Context
The Ministry of Labour & Employment has launched e-SHRAM portal, a National Database of the Unorganised Workers on 26th August, 2021.

About the E-Shram Portal

• With the help of the E-Shram Portal, the government aims to register 38 crore unorganized workers, such as construction labourers, migrant workforce, street vendors and domestic workers, among others.
• The workers will be issued an e-Shram card containing a 12-digit unique number, which, going ahead, will help in including them in social security schemes.
• The government had earlier missed deadlines for creating the database, inviting criticism from the Supreme Court.
• Targeted identification of the unorganized workers was a much-needed step and the portal which will be the national database of our nation builders will help take welfare schemes to their doorstep, who are the builders of our Nation.
• Targeted delivery and last mile delivery, has been a major focus of the schemes of government of India and the National Database of Unorganised workers (E-Shram portal) is another key step towards that.