47.75 lakh (4.78 million) calls to India's free mental-health helpline

On World Mental Health Day, India's health ministry marked a quiet milestone: Tele-MANAS, the country's free mental-health helpline, has now fielded 47.75 lakh (4.78 million) calls since its 2022 launch. One toll-free number — 14416 — staffed around the clock in multiple languages through 53 cells across 36 states and union territories, has made a counselor reachable from villages to cities, with women and young people calling in large numbers.