SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being | SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW) | NIMHANS
The Union Budget 2026-27 represents a decisive shift in mental health planning by prioritizing institutional expansion and regional equity. A key announcement is the setting up of NIMHANS-2 in Northern India, modeled after the premier Bengaluru institute, to address the long-standing absence of a national-level mental health facility in the region. Additionally, the Budget proposes upgrading the National Mental Health Institutes in Ranchi and Tezpur to Regional Apex Institutions and establishing Emergency and Trauma Care Centres in every district hospital nationwide to provide 24/7 critical care. These initiatives build on the 2017 Mental Healthcare Act and the Tele-MANAS program, which has already handled over 33 lakh calls, to create a more accessible and stigma-free ecosystem for mental well-being.
Strategic Pillars for Strengthening India’s Mental Health Ecosystem The government’s strategy focuses on several critical foundational pillars to bridge the mental healthcare treatment gap:
Expanding National-Level Infrastructure: Establishing NIMHANS-2 to provide advanced treatment, training, and research in neurosciences specifically for the Northern region.
Decentralized Care at the Grassroots: Upgrading 1.75 lakh centres into Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, integrating mental health into comprehensive primary healthcare.
Digital Integration via Tele-MANAS: Utilizing a 24/7 toll-free helpline and a mobile app to provide tele-counseling in 20 languages, with video consultations now expanded nationwide.
Workforce Capacity Building: Sanctioning 25 Centres of Excellence (CoEs) and 47 PG department upgradations to address the shortage of specialists like psychiatrists and clinical psychologists.
Trauma and Emergency Linkages: Establishing dedicated trauma care centres in district hospitals to handle acute psychiatric and medical emergencies in tandem.
What are “Regional Apex Institutions” in the context of mental health? Regional Apex Institutions are premier healthcare facilities—such as those at Ranchi and Tezpur—that are being upgraded to serve as central hubs for specialized mental health services, education, and research within their respective geographical regions. These institutions are designed to act as advanced referral points, reducing the burden on national centers like NIMHANS Bengaluru, and ensuring that high-quality tertiary care and professional training are available closer to the communities they serve.
Policy Relevance
The Budget 2026-27 announcements represent a transition from centralized research to a “District-Led” mental health delivery model.
Bridging the North-South Gap: The establishment of NIMHANS-2 addresses the historical lack of national-level mental health research and training infrastructure in North India.
Incentivizing Tertiary Care Quality: Upgrading Ranchi and Tezpur institutes ensures that the Ayushman Bharat scheme has specialized “Regional Apex” referral points to handle complex mental health procedures covered under the PM-JAY package.
Leveraging Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI): The expansion of Tele-MANAS with AI-powered chatbots and video consultations can act as a “Digital Front Door” for early intervention, reducing the stigma associated with physical hospital visits.
Strengthening Emergency Response: Placing trauma care centres in every district hospital integrates psychiatric emergencies with medical trauma care, aligning with the National Suicide Prevention Strategy to reduce mortality by 10% by 2030.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: In what ways can 'Grassroots Implementation' be strengthened by training local Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) and Anganwadi workers to use the Tele-MANAS mobile app for early screening and referral in remote districts?
Follow the full news here: PIB: Advancing India’s Mental Healthcare and Well-Being