Govt allocated INR 75 lakh for mental health awareness campaign during 2017-18

New Delhi: As per the Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare), Mrs Anupriya Patel,”During the year 2017-18 an amount of Rs 75 lakhs has been allocated for various Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities under the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP).

“The Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities are an integral part of the NMHP to generate awareness among masses towards mental illness,” the Minister mentioned while answering a question in the upper house of Indian Parliament on 2nd January.

At the district level, funds upto Rs 4 lakh are provided to each district under the District Mental Health Programme (DMHP) under the Non-communicable Diseases Flexible-pool of National Health Mission for IEC and awareness generation activities in the community, schools, workplaces with community involvement Under the DMHP various IEC activities such as awareness messages in local newspapers and radio, street plays, wall paintings etc. are undertaken by the States/UTs.

The government has not mandated colleges, schools and educational institutions to provide psychological counselors. However, to address the burden of mental disorders, the government is implementing the National Mental Health Programme since 1982.

The government is supporting implementation of the DMHP under NMHP in 517 districts of the country for detection, management and treatment of mental disorders/illness, the services include additional components like suicide prevention services, workplace stress management, life skills training, counselling in schools and colleges and IEC activities for generation of awareness and removal of stigma associated with Mental Illness.