Introduction

MANAS which stands for “Mental Health and Normalcy Augmentation System” was endorsed as a national program by the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC). MANAS is based on life skills and core psychological process delivering age-appropriate methods for all age groups from 0-70 years. An app initially targeting 15-35 years was virtually launched by Prof. K. VijayRaghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India (PSA), on April 13th, 2021. The app integrates the health and wellness efforts of various government ministries, scientifically validated indigenous tools with gamified interfaces developed/researched by various national bodies and research institutions.

Challenging situations like the ongoing unprecedented pandemic, natural disasters etc. affect mental well-being apart from impacting economic, social, and other facets of a person’s life. Supporting mental well-being becomes the need of the hour to address negative consequences of mental problems on livelihood, productivity, and positivity. Such support system will not only boost mental well-being but will also help in boosting quality life and achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs).

To promote mental well-being through MANAS Mitra initiative, the O/o PSA and MoHFW are co-organizing a webinar series. The first webinar will be on “Community Mental Well-Being in Challenging Times” to be held on WebEx platform on 21st June 2021 from 11 AM onwards. June 21 marks the UN International Day of Yoga and therefore we will have a Mindfulness Conclave with experts coming from MoHFW, AIIMS, & WHO India, discussing the relevance of community mental well-being. Yoga practitioner and researchers from MDNIY and NIMHANS will be taking a session of yoga.

Schedule

For contact: Mr. Mohanish Borana communication-psa@psa.gov.in