UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Advancing India’s Mental Healthcare and Well-Being

Q1. Under the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, the term "Advance Directive" refers to which one of the following?

  • A. A written statement by a person specifying how they wish to be cared for and treated for a mental illness, and naming who shall be their nominated representative
  • B. A binding order issued by the Central Mental Health Authority laying down minimum standards to be met by every mental health establishment
  • C. A prescription from a psychiatrist mandating the compulsory course of treatment for an involuntarily admitted patient
  • D. A government advisory listing the psychotropic medicines to be stocked at district-level mental health facilities

Q2. The National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) and its sub-component, the District Mental Health Programme (DMHP), are implemented under which one of the following Union ministries?

  • A. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
  • B. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
  • C. Ministry of Women and Child Development
  • D. Ministry of Home Affairs

Q3. In the context of the Union Budget 2026-27 mental-health announcements, "NIMHANS-2" refers to which one of the following?

  • A. A second National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences to be established in northern India, modelled on NIMHANS Bengaluru
  • B. The upgraded Regional Apex status conferred on the Central Institute of Psychiatry, Ranchi
  • C. A second national tele-mental-health helpline complementing Tele-MANAS
  • D. A new neurosciences wing added within the existing NIMHANS campus at Bengaluru

Q4. Tele-MANAS, India's national tele-mental-health service, is implemented under which one of the following?

  • A. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, with NIMHANS Bengaluru as the nodal/mentoring institute
  • B. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, under the Digital India programme
  • C. The Ministry of Communications, through the state telecom operator BSNL
  • D. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, through the National Trust

Q5. As per the latest available data (2025), in how many languages are Tele-MANAS helpline services offered?

  • A. 10
  • B. 20
  • C. 22
  • D. 36

Q6. The National Mental Health Survey (NMHS) 2015-16, India's first large-scale survey of its kind, was led by which one of the following institutions?

  • A. NIMHANS, Bengaluru
  • B. All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi
  • C. Central Institute of Psychiatry, Ranchi
  • D. Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh

Q7. Prior to the expansion announced in the Union Budget 2026-27, how many Central mental-health institutes operated under the Union Government (namely NIMHANS Bengaluru, CIP Ranchi and LGBRIMH Tezpur)?

  • A. Two
  • B. Three
  • C. Four
  • D. Five