About

• Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States (Tele-MANAS) initiative was launched by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare to provide free tele-mental health services all over the country.
• Launched in 2022, aims to enhance mental health service delivery nationwide. 
• The Tele MANAS toll-free helpline numbers 14416 or 1-800-891-4416 offer multi-language support and have been pivotal in facilitating communication between callers and mental health professionals.

Structure

• Tele-MANAS comprises two tiers: trained counselors at State Tele-MANAS cells who provide immediate care, and mental health professionals (psychologists, clinicians, psychiatrists) at District Mental Health Programme (DMHP) who provide specialist care. 
• NIMHANS, Bengaluru, serves as the nodal center while the International Institute of Information Technology (IIITB) in Bengaluru is tasked with providing the technical know-how for the helpline.

Why in News?

• Tele-MANAS celebrated its second anniversary on October 10, 2024. As a part of it, video consultation services were added as a feature in Karnataka, Jammu & Kashmir, and Tamil Nadu, with plans to expand nationwide.​