CCI okay acquistion of 6.63% equity of Valuedrive Technologies by Fidelity Funds (See 'Corp Brief') CCI allows Innomotics India to acquire low voltage motor business of Siemens (See 'Corp Brief') CCI approves combination involving Amundi Asset and ICG Plc (See 'Corp Brief') QA-industry conclave to discuss future of quality assurance in defence manufacturing (See 'Corp Brief') PDUNASS conducts Workshop on Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (See 'Corp Brief') SECL's DigiCOAL showcased at Central Vigilance Commission's National Workshop (See 'Corp Brief') IPR - Presence of well-known House Mark serves as powerful distinguishing feature that negates any likelihood of confusion: HC (See 'Legal Desk') 2.14 lakh gram panchayats connected under BharatNet: Scindia (See 'Corp Brief') Union Education Minister launches Bodhan AI Centre of Excellence (See 'Corp Brief') SEBI - As SEBI registered intermediary, Noticees are under statutory obligation to comply with applicable circulars, rules and regulations: SEBI (See 'Legal Desk') BSNL deploys One Lakh Indigenous 4G Sites; Network 5G-Ready: Scindia (See 'Corp Brief') ECI organises EVM/VVPAT Awareness Campaign in Poll-bound States (See 'Corp Brief') Trade Marks - non-use of a mark filed on proposed-to-be-used basis is irrelevant for assessing registrability of the mark: HC (See 'Legal Desk') Medicinal Plants sector to drive Viksit Bharat 2047: MoS (See 'Corp Brief') IBC/RTI - appellant cannot seek disclosure of internal notings & replies under RTI Act when same issue has already been disposed of earlier: IBBI (See 'Legal Desk') India designated Country of the Year at BIOFACH 2026, Germany (See 'Corp Brief') Delhi-NCR to be strengthened with expansion of Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (See 'Corp Brief') A&C - Applications for extending arbitral tribunal's mandate u/s 29A(4) must be filed exclusively before principal civil court of original jurisdiction: SC (See 'Legal Desk') RBI rolls out measures to strengthen Cooperative Banks' Financial Health (See 'Corp Brief') A&C - Arbitral proceedings are set to commence on date of receipt of notice invoking arbitration clause: SC (See 'Legal Desk') IWAI facilitates ODC Movement via Inland Waterways to Boost Assam's Semiconductor Ecosystem (See 'Corp Brief') A&C - Under pre-2015 amendment regime, once party consents to court order appointing arbitrator, they cannot subsequently challenge existence or validity of arbitration clause before arbitral tribunal: SC (See 'Legal Desk') Prasada inaugurates STQC Lab Automation Portal 'SATYA' (See 'Corp Brief') Indian Delegation visits Vietnam to Open New Opportunities in Silk, Sericulture & Handloom (See 'Corp Brief') Paswan releases Plastic Industry Status Report 2025 (See 'Corp Brief') Trade Mark - prior user rights override subsequent registration, particularly where adoption of deceptively similar subsequent trade mark, is not bona fide & is aimed at riding on existing goodwill of existing trade mark: HC (See 'Legal Desk') CCI registered 54 cases of anti-competitive practices in 2025 (See 'Corp Brief') National Institute of Ayurveda reaffirms role as global centre for education & patient care (See 'Corp Brief') Electronic Interlocking rolled out at 34 Railway Stations of N-E (See 'Corp Brief') PMLA - Objectives of enacting PMLA 2002, was attachment and confiscation of proceeds of crime which is quintessence so as to combat evil of money-laundering: SAFEMA (See 'Legal Desk') Khelo India Multipurpose Hall at SAI Sambhajinagar is addition to Olympic readiness: MoS (See 'Corp Brief') PM addresses community programme in Kuala Lumpur (See 'Corp Brief') A & C - mandate of arbitrators appointed unilaterally by one party, merits being terminated, where the other party explicitly refuses to waive applicability of Section 12(5) of the Act: HC (See 'Legal Desk') India-US Trade Agreement: Major boost for Textile Industry (See 'Corp Brief') IBC - In unavailability of adequate document/information and considering effect of limitation period, assigning of 'zero' value to trade receivables, without any due justification, is not appropriate: IBBI (See 'Legal Desk') India has signed MoUs with 23 countries for cooperation on Digital Public Infrastructure (See 'Corp Brief') A&C - Once arbitral tribunal has adopted plausible & reasonable interpretation of facts and contractual terms, courts cannot re-appreciate evidence or sit in appeal over award: SC (See 'Legal Desk') Railways inspects All Bridges Twice a Year (See 'Corp Brief') A&C - Permitting a civil suit to challenge an award confirmed by the Supreme Court would undermine the arbitral framework and public confidence in arbitration: HC (See 'Legal Desk') Over 1.25 lakh Livestock Farmers joined Virtual Awareness Program: MoS (See 'Corp Brief') A & C - Referral court not required to conduct detailed or contested inquiry & must limit itself to ascertaining whether underlying contract contains an arbitration clause covering disputes between the parties: HC (See 'Legal Desk') Pariksha Pe Charcha marks First-Ever multi-location nationwide engagement (See 'Corp Brief') SEBI - If Noticee violated regulation 23(1) and 23(4) of LODR Regulations as alleged in SCN, Noticee is liable for payment of monetary penalty in terms of section 15HB of SEBI Act: SEBI (See 'Legal Desk') TRAI issues Telecommunication Services Interconnection Regulations, 2026 (See 'Corp Brief') Trade Marks - Procedural defects & inadvertent errors which are curable should not be permitted to defeat substantive rights, unless shown to be deliberate, mala fide, or prejudicial to opposite party: HC (See 'Legal Desk') The Securities Markets Code, 2025: Strengthened Enforcement, Weakened Accountability? (See 'CORP EINSICHT')

Ministry of Health celebrates two years of Tele MANAS

Published: Oct 11, 2024

By TIOLCorplaws News Service

NEW DELHI, OCT 11, 2024: THE Union Health Ministry celebrated the completion of two years of National Tele Mental Health Programme, Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking across States (Tele MANAS) on World Mental Health Day, here yesterday. The theme of this year's World Mental Health Day is: "It is time to prioritize Mental Health at Workplace".

Aradhana Patnaik, Additional Secretary, MoHFW & Managing Director, National Health Mission (NHM) launched the Tele MANAS app and Tele MANAS video call facility in the presence of Dr. Roderico H. Ofrin, World Health Organization (WHO) Representative to India, Saurabh Jain, Joint Secretary, MoHFW, Dr. Partima Murthy, Director, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) and other senior officers from the Ministry.

Tele MANAS app is a comprehensive mobile platform that has been developed for providing support for mental health issues. The app has a library of information including tips on self-care, recognizing distress signals, managing early signs of stress, anxiety, and emotional struggles. It facilitates engagement of the user through mind challenges, games and mindfulness practices providing a user-friendly experience. The app will help users connect for free and get confidential mental health support through trained mental health professionals across India, 24x7 for immediate counseling.

Video consultations in Tele MANAS is another upgrade to the already existing audio calling facility. This will be undertaken by the mental health professionals who are taking audio call escalations to get further information about the caller as part of history taking and clarification. This can also enable a brief physical examination or a Mental State Examination (MSE) for the caller to confirm any findings. This facility will be initially launched in the states of Karnataka, Jammu & Kashmir and Tamil Nadu and later scaled up to the whole country.

In her inaugural address, Aradhana Patnaik stated that "Mental health is fundamental to health and plays a crucial role in enabling individuals, families and communities to function at their highest level, work productively and contribute to society. Unhealthy work environments and other unfavorable working conditions have an impact on one's general health, well-being, mental health, and involvement or productivity at work. There is a need for creating a good work environment and work-life balance for more productive results in the workplace."

She stated that "Tele MANAS has reached a significant milestone, having handled over 14.5 lakh calls since its launch."

Underlining the importance of adolescent mental health and issues faced by the adolescent population, Patnaik stressed "the need for Information, Education, and Communication (IEC)  to ensure awareness about the Tele MANAS App". 

Talking about mental health in the workplace, Dr. Roderico H. Ofrin, WHO Representative to India, stated that issues like gender inequity, disrespectful unsupportive colleagues, lack of work-life balance, and job satisfaction lead to mental health challenges for the employees in the workplace. He emphasized the responsibility of employers and managers to create a supportive work environment.

Congratulating the Ministry for two years with the successful implementation of Tele-MANAS, he stated that "WHO review of Tele-MANAS has shown a successful model for mental health. It has the potential to work well. The primary healthcare especially the Ayushmann Arogya Mandirs have proven to be successful in improving mental health and well-being of the people". He also highlighted the importance of collective efforts of all stakeholders to enhance mental health at the workplace. 

Tele MANAS reflects the government's commitment to nurturing the nation's mental well-being. The Tele MANAS toll-free helpline numbers 14416 or 1-800-891-4416 offer multi-language support in 20 languages and have been pivotal in facilitating communication between callers and mental health professionals.

The Report of Tele MANAS rapid assessment by World Health Organizations (WHO) and a Selfcare Module for Employees titled 'Taking charge of your mental health- because it matters" was also released at the event.

In order to evaluate the performance and progress of Tele MANAS, a rapid assessment was organized by MoHFW in coordination with WHO India, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for South-East Asia (WHO SEARO), WHO Headquarters & NIMHANS. The assessment was based on desk reviews of national data and primary data collected from four states/Union Territories- Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha. The report appreciates the novel initiative of the Government of India and highlights some significant milestones achieved by Tele MANAS in providing mental health support and its robust technological architecture.

The booklet 'Taking Charge of Your Mental Health- Because It Matters" focuses on the efforts that individuals could make to maintain mental health and well-being. The booklet attempts to clear some of the misconceptions regarding mental health and offers a few strategies that individuals could try to explore by themselves. It also specifically focuses on stress arising out of difficult workplace situations.

The event further had roundtable discussions with a variety of panelists coming from a diversified group of people that include Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Ministry of Ayush, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Institutions such as National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) New Delhi, Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS), WHO, Industry associations such as Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI)/ Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and NAT Health (Healthcare Federation of India), Development partners such as Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), organizations promoting wellness such as Art of Living Foundation and Arogya World, and Civil society organization like Jan Sahas.

The topics discussed during the sessions included policies and frameworks to foster mental health resilience at workplaces; Mental Wellbeing at Informal Workplaces / Challenges, Opportunities, and Inclusive Solutions; and Preventive Mental Health- The Role of Holistic Practices in Promoting Well-being. The panelists also explored the role of Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs) & Tele MANAS in promoting mental health support. Furthermore, Union Health Ministry has sought active participation from other Ministries of the Government to implement employee engagement activities designed to support mental health in the workplace.

TIOL CORP SEARCH

TIOL GROUP WEBSITES