
Tele-MANAS: Mental Health Services in India (with relevance to students/HEIs)
1. Nature of Services under Tele-MANAS
The Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States (Tele-MANAS) programme was launched in October 2022 under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare to provide nationwide digital mental health support.
Core Services Provided
24×7 free tele-mental health counselling
Crisis intervention & emotional support
Psychological first-aid and psychoeducation
Referral to psychiatrists/medical colleges (Tier-2 services)
Video consultations and app-based mental health support
Multilingual counselling (20+ languages including Bengali)
Linkage to District Mental Health Programme (DMHP)
These services are accessible via toll-free helplines and routed to state-level Tele-MANAS cells staffed by trained counsellors and specialists.
Helpline Access
14416
1-800-891-4416
These numbers connect callers to counsellors 24/7 for confidential support.
As per Government of India (PIB, Feb 2026):
53 Tele-MANAS Cells operational
Covering 36 States/UTs
Over 32.84 lakh calls handled since inception
This indicates widespread institutional availability across India, including West Bengal.
Tele-MANAS follows a two-tier human resource structure:
Tier 1 (State Tele-MANAS Cells)
Trained counsellors
Clinical psychologists
Psychiatric social workers
Psychiatric nurses
Tier 2 (Specialist Referral Support)
Psychiatrists
Medical college specialists
Advanced tele-psychiatry via e-Sanjeevani linkage
These professionals provide counselling, crisis management, referral, and follow-up care.