National mental health helpline got nearly 2 calls per minute: Govt tells Parliament

New Delhi: The national mental health telephone helpline handled close to 30 lakh calls since its launch in October 2022, averaging nearly two calls every minute, government data furnished to Parliament showed on Wednesday.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha that the government launched a "National Tele Mental Health Programme" on October 10, 2022, to improve access to quality mental health counselling and care services in the country.

The services of Tele MANAS helpline (1800-89-14416) are available in 20 languages based on the language opted by states, he said.

"More than 29,82,000 calls have been handled on the helpline number," Rai said.

He was answering a question on the suicide rate in the country and measures taken by the government in this context.

The minister added that a Tele MANAS mobile application, launched on World Mental Health Day in 2024, is a "comprehensive" platform that now includes video consultation, expanding the original audio-based service.