UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — How is India tackling mental health crisis?

Q1. Which one of the following is the flagship national programme of the Government of India for addressing mental health, under which the District Mental Health Programme (DMHP) operates as a component?

  • A. National Mental Health Programme (NMHP), 1982
  • B. National Mental Health Policy, 2014
  • C. National Tele Mental Health Programme (Tele-MANAS), 2022
  • D. Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, 2018

Q2. Which one of the following best describes 'Tele-MANAS' in the context of India's mental healthcare?

  • A. A 24×7 toll-free national tele mental-health helpline launched on World Mental Health Day, 10 October 2022
  • B. A health-insurance scheme for psychiatric in-patient care notified in 2017
  • C. A national survey on prevalence of mental disorders carried out in 2015
  • D. A pan-India tele-psychiatry helpline launched along with the Mental Healthcare Act in 2017

Q3. Consider the following announcements pertaining to mental healthcare attributed to the Union Budget 2026-27: 1. Establishment of a second NIMHANS in north India. 2. Upgradation of the mental health institution at Tezpur to a Regional Apex Institution. 3. Launch of the Tele-MANAS helpline for the first time. 4. Establishment of Emergency and Trauma Care Centres in district hospitals. Which of the above are correctly identified?

  1. Establishment of a second NIMHANS in north India.
  2. Upgradation of the mental health institution at Tezpur to a Regional Apex Institution.
  3. Launch of the Tele-MANAS helpline for the first time.
  4. Establishment of Emergency and Trauma Care Centres in district hospitals.
  • A. 1, 2 and 4 only
  • B. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q4. As per the Government's official update of mid-2025, how many Tele-MANAS Cells have been set up across States/UTs under the National Tele Mental Health Programme?

  • A. 36
  • B. 47
  • C. 53
  • D. 67

Q5. In India, the legal right to access mental healthcare and the decriminalisation of attempt to suicide are provided under which one of the following statutes?

  • A. Indian Lunacy Act, 1912
  • B. Mental Health Act, 1987
  • C. Mental Healthcare Act, 2017
  • D. National Mental Health Programme, 1982