By Bl Mumbai Bureau
Copyright thehindubusinessline
Hindi film actress Deepika Padukone has been designated as a mental health ambassador to raise awareness about access to mental health services, normalise discussions, and break the stigma, said Health Minister JP Nadda on World Mental Health Day.
As a national ambassador, she will help focus attention on mental health and encourage people to seek timely support through government-approved mental health resources, he added.
“The partnership with Deepika Padukone will help widely disseminate awareness about mental health issues in India, normalise discussions to reduce stigma, and highlight mental health as an integral aspect of public health,” the Minister said, launching new initiatives for the National Tele Mental Health Programme (Tele MANAS) on Friday.
Deepika Padukone, Founder of The Live Love Laugh (LLL) Foundation, said in a statement, “India has made significant strides in prioritising mental health care.” The appointment comes as the LLL Foundation, a charitable trust founded by the actress in 2015, completes 10 years.
New government initiatives
The government’s new initiatives include enhancements to the Tele MANAS app featuring a multi-lingual user interface, chatbot, accessibility, emergency module. The app will be available in 10 regional languages—Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Odia, and Punjabi—in addition to English and Hindi.
Further, for people with disabilities and vulnerable groups facing barriers in accessing digital health services, the app includes accessibility features to make the interface more user-friendly for visually impaired users, the Health Ministry said. A chatbot feature (‘Asmi’) has also been introduced, allowing users to engage with the app and seek information or help regarding mental health.
Nadda said,“India is committed to ensuring equitable, affordable, and inclusive access to mental health services. With the launch of the new features in the Tele-MANAS app, we are strengthening our preparedness to respond effectively to mental health emergencies and expanding the reach of digital innovations to every corner of the country. Moving a step closer towards normalizing discussions around mental health is crucial to reducing stigma and highlighting mental health as an integral aspect of public health in India.”
On the impact of Tele MANAS, he said, “Since its inception, it has handled around 28 lakh calls, with trained counsellors engaging in more than 20 different languages. Every day, about 4,000 people reach out for support, showing the effectiveness of the service in addressing mental health concerns. The almost equal number of men and women seeking help demonstrates that awareness is growing among all groups.” The app allows people to receive help anytime, anywhere.
Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava said mental health is a special focus of this year’s theme at the United Nations. India’s digital initiatives, including Tele MANAS, aim to achieve universal health coverage, she added. “Any self-destructive behaviour, like suicides, can be prevented, and stigmas or stereotypes can be reduced by making use of timely, professional, and empathetic mental healthcare and quality counselling services through the Tele MANAS app,” she said.
TK Srikanth, Principal Investigator, Tele MANAS, International Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore (IIIT-B), said that data security and privacy are built into the system, and the modular design of the app ensures that new features can be easily added over time.
Mental health is a critical public health priority in the National Health Policy, the Union Health Ministry said, adding that it has taken significant steps to address this challenge through various initiatives including the Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, National Tele Mental Health Programme (Tele MANAS) and the District Mental Health Programme.
Published on October 10, 2025