A mental health policy and plan is essential to coordinate all services and activities related to mental health. Without adequate policies and plans, mental disorders are likely to be treated in an inefficient and fragmented manner.

A BILL to constitute a Youth Commission for the purpose of evolving and implementing programmes for educating and empowering the youth and to function as protector of the rights of youth and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

Be it enacted by Parliament in the Seventy-fifth Year of the Republic of India.

The National Youth Day or Rashtriya Yuva Divas is celebrated on 12th January every year in commemoration of the great spiritual leader, philosopher and thinker Swami Vivekananda, whose unwavering belief in potential of youth continues to resonate deeply with young citizens of the country. His inspiring life and empowering message urge the youth to nurture their dreams, unleash their energies, and shape a future worthy of his envisioned ideals. The youth, defined as those within the age group of 15-29 years, make up nearly 40% of India’s total population.

World Mental Health Day, observed annually on October 10, was first initiated in 1992 by the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH). This global observance aims to raise awareness about mental health issues and mobilize efforts in support of mental health care worldwide. Over the years, the day has grown into a significant platform for governments, organizations, and individuals to collaborate on initiatives that drive lasting change in mental health care. The importance of World Mental Health Day is underscored by the growing recognition of the profound impact mental health has on individuals, families, and communities.

The National Tele Mental Health Programme (NTMHP), launched by the Government of India on October 10, 2022, marks two years of significant contributions to the nation's mental healthcare system. As part of this initiative, Tele MANAS (Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States) was introduced as a toll-free helpline (14416) available nationwide, offering a wide range of mental health services. Through this digital platform, individuals can access telephone-based counselling, psychotherapy, psychiatric consultations, and referral services, including urgent care, without the barriers of distance or cost.

The government launched the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission to build a comprehensive digital health ecosystem for the country. The mission aims to develop the backbone necessary to support the integrated digital health infrastructure of the country. It provides for assisted and offline mode for the creation of Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) for areas with limited internet connectivity or hardware. Various applications such as the ABHA app and the Aarogya Setu have also been launched. The mission aims to bridge the gap between different stakeholders of the healthcare ecosystem digitally.

Poshan Abhiyaan was launched by Hon’ble Prime Minister on 8th March, 2018 in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan. The focus of Abhiyaan is to lay emphasis on nutritional status of adolescent girls, pregnant women, lactating mothers and children from 0-6 years age. The programme, through use of technology, convergence and community involvement with a targeted approach strives to reduce the level of stunning, under-nutrition, Anemia and low birth weight in children, as also focus on adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers, thus holistically addressing malnutrition.

India has and will continue to remain steadfast in its commitment to nurturing adolescents’ talents, supporting their ambitions and empowering them to build a brighter, inclusive future for all.” This was stated by Shri Apurva Chandra, Union Health Secretary on the occasion of the launch of “Economic Case for Investment in the Well-being of Adolescents in India” report, here today. The report builds on the global findings presented in "Adolescents in a Changing World – The Case for Urgent Investment,

India's National Tobacco Control Programme enforces laws that curb tobacco advertising, regulate its sale, and ban e-cigarettes to safeguard public health. These measures significantly impact mental health by reducing tobacco use, which is associated with anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders. Protecting youth from tobacco prevents early addiction and its long-term mental health consequences, promoting overall societal well-being.

Health and well-being are foundations for a country’s development. In order to achieve Suistanable Development Goals 2030, the school health programme associated with Ayushman Bharat and to encourage the stakeholders involved in the school health programme these guidelines were developed to ensure successful and effective learning enviornment and thus improve overall situation of students

The NYP 2021 articulates a ten-year vision for youth development that India seeks to achieve by 2030. It is aligned with the SDGs and serves to ‘unlock the potential of the youth to advance India’.

From a public health perspective, the prevalence, pattern, characteristics and determinants of various mental disorders have been examined. In addition, care related issues like service delivery aspects and system issues have also been studied.

In this emerging scenario, mental, neurological and substance use disorders (MNSUDs), included under the broader rubric of NCDs are well acknowledged as major public health problems with a greater share of morbidity and disability.