Parliament Question: District Mental Health Programme in Rajasthan

GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE LOK SABHA UNSTARREDQUESTION NO. 3448 TO BE ANSWERED ON 07TH AUGUST,2026 DISTRICTMENTALHEALTHPROGRAMMEINRAJASTHAN

3448. SHRIHARISHCHANDRAMEENA:

Will the Minister of HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFAREbe pleasedtostate:

(a)the numberof districts inRajasthan where the District Mental HealthProgramme (DMHP) is inoperationat present;

(b) the number of districts where Mental Health Care Cells have been established under the programme upto31st March, 2026;

(c) whether functional DMHP teams with the necessary psychiatric and counselling staff are available at the district hospital in Tonk and Sawai Madhopur districts, if so, the details thereof andif not,the reasons therefor;

(d) the number of calls received through Tele-MANAS services from Rajasthan during 2025- 2026, along with the number of cases referred for in-person mental healthcare from the said districts; and

(e) the steps taken by the Government to fill the vacant posts of psychiatrists, psychologists and counsellors inthe said district hospitals? ANSWER THE MINISTER OFSTATE IN THE MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE (SHRIPRATAPRAO JADHAV)

(a)to (e)Public HealthandHospitals are a state subject. Under National HealthMission (NHM), through the District Mental Health Programme (DMHP), mental health services are provided to citizens. The District Mental Health Programme (DMHP) is currently operational in all 41 districts of Rajasthan, including TonkandSawaiMadhopur.

The number of calls received through Tele-MANAS services from Rajasthan during the 2025-26 along with the number of cases referred for in-person mental healthcare from the said districts is

asunder:

Name of the District Totalcallshandled No. of Inperson Referrals Tonk 299 14 SawaiMadhopur 393 16Under the tertiary care component of National Mental Health Programme (NMHP), 25 Centres of Excellence have been sanctioned to increase the intake of students in PG departments in mental health specialities as well as to provide tertiary level treatment facilities. Further, the Government has also supported 19 Government medical colleges/institutions to strengthen 47 PGDepartmentsinmental healthspecialties.

Under the National Health Mission, following types of incentives and honorarium are provided for encouraging specialist doctors topractice in public healthcare institutions inrural and remote

areasof the country: i. Hard area allowance to specialist doctors for serving in rural and remote areas and for their residential quarters so that they find it attractive to serve in public health facilities insuch areas.

ii. States are also allowed tooffer negotiable salary to attract specialist including flexibility instrategiessuch as“You Quote We Pay”. iii. Non-Monetary incentives such as preferential admission in post graduate courses for staffserving indifficultareas.

iv. Multi-skilling of doctors is supported under NHM to overcome the shortage of specialists. ****