Access · India
India's Tele-MANAS expands to 36 states and 20 languages, handles over 2 million calls
The national tele-mental-health programme launched in 2022 has become the country's main free entry point for psychological support.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's update on the National Tele Mental Health Programme reports that as of April 2025, 36 states and union territories have set up 53 Tele-MANAS cells, services run 24/7 in 20 languages, and the helpline has handled more than 2 million calls. Over Rs. 230 crore have been allocated.
Tele-MANAS is widely cited internationally as one of the largest publicly funded tele-mental-health programmes in any low- or middle-income country. The challenge ahead is downstream: most callers eventually need in-person care that the underlying district mental health programme still struggles to deliver.
Read MoHFW's full update for the programme details and language coverage.
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