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Time of India
06-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
J&K leads in mental health helpline calls
SRINAGAR: A quiet revolution is taking place in mental health care in Jammu & Kashmir. For many battling depression and dark thoughts, a single phone call is making all the difference. The UT has emerged as India's leading performer in responding to mental health distress calls. Driving this transformation is Tele MANAS, a Centre-backed digital mental health support initiative. This was revealed during the national launch of video consultations under Tele MANAS and Hindi version of the Tele MANAS App 1.0 early this month. The central govt announced the launch of National Tele Mental Health Programme in October 2022 to provide free, round-the-clock mental health counselling through digital platforms, aiming to make mental health care accessible nationwide. A year later, Tele MANAS centres were established across various states, with the one in J&K emerging as among the first to become fully operational. Of the 1,03,504 calls received by the centre so far, 87,450 were user-initiated while 15,731 were follow-up or outreach calls made by Tele MANAS. Topping the country list in terms of population-to-call ratio, the J&K Tele MANAS centre is also among the busiest, handling nearly 150 calls a day. The centre, based on the premises of Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (IMHANS), Kashmir, has 19 counsellors, seven psychiatrists, and a backup from a team of clinical psychologists from IMHANS, Kashmir. When video consultations under the programme began in October 2023, J&K was among three states/UTs chosen. Since then, over 400 video consultations have been held and J&K is leading in both volume and adoption, Dr Naveen Kumar C, principal investigator at the national coordinating centre, said. He said video consultations were a significant shift from audio-only interactions as it allowed far more effective clinical engagement. Prof Arshid Hussain, Tele MANAS in-charge at IMHANS, Kashmir, attributed the service's success to a combination of J&K's digitally connected population and awareness about the programme among them. He said the centre was getting calls from all over J&K, including areas like Gurez and Karnah along the LoC in the valley, and border areas of Rajouri, Poonch, Doda, Kishtwar, Kathua and Reasi in Jammu. The most common issue reported through Tele MANAS has been persistent low mood-related depressive symptoms, accounting for 38.5% of all cases. This is followed by anxiety-related issues, including generalized anxiety, panic attacks and phobias, making up nearly 20% of calls. Around 9.27% users sought help for stress linked to exams, workplace pressure, or relationship difficulties. Nearly 4% showed symptoms of losing touch with reality like hallucinations or delusional thinking while disturbing, suicidal thoughts or past attempts were recorded in 3.4% of consultations.
Time of India
10-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Research centre delay hurts Punjab basmati exports.
Chandigarh: Even as Punjab grapples with the dual challenge of farmers' struggle to grow pesticide-free basmati and ongoing efforts to wean them off water-intensive paddy, the state govt is yet to allocate the necessary land for a Centre-backed project. The proposed basmati research centre in Tarn Taran , intended to include basmati sample testing facilities, remains stalled, hindering a much-needed boost to the state's basmati exports in the competitive global Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority ( APEDA ) had decided to set up the research centre, and the state govt initially offered to provide 14 acres of land in Khabba Rajputan village in Tarn Taran on a 30-year lease. It was to include a seed centre and training centre for delay comes amid the recent headwinds faced by Indian basmati exporters. Following a period of struggle due to the now-withdrawn minimum export price (MEP), the industry had to later deal with the complexities arising from the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict, further impacting their ability to sell produce in the global to Ashok Sethi, director of Punjab Rice Millers and Exporters' Association, the stalled basmati research centre was vital to prevent European rejection of export orders due to pesticide contamination. Operation Sindoor India-Pakistan Tensions Live Updates: India hits back after Pakistan violates ceasefire; Nagrota sentry hurt in brief gunfire Operation Sindoor Live Updates: Drones shot down at multiple places in J&K as Pakistan violates bilateral understanding Pak drones enter Indian airspace, explosions heard just hours after truce deal He highlighted the expensive alternative of private lab testing that costs around Rs 10,000 per sample. "A local exporter is now setting up his own laboratory. Every year, 4-5 containers are sent back from Europe. In August last year, the then secretary, agriculture and APEDA officials visited the site. The project is delayed despite the state govt's push for crop diversification," he APEDA official added that the state-of-the-art research centre was to be funded by APEDA but is held back for want of necessary land by the state govt. The proposed research centre in Tarn Taran was envisioned to ensure the quality of Punjab's basmati exports, he stands as a major contributor to India's annual basmati rice exports, which are valued at approximately Rs 50 thousand crore. With a production level of 3.84 lakh metric tonnes in the last recorded period, the state accounts for a substantial 42.7% of the total national output. Key export destinations for Indian basmati in 2023-24 included Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, the USA, and Yemen Republic."The absence of such a facility leaves Punjab's significant basmati production vulnerable to international quality standards, potentially jeopardising its market share and the income of its farmers. The state govt's inaction on providing land for this vital project raises questions about its commitment to both crop diversification and supporting the basmati sector," said Amarjit Singh, a basmati exporter from PUNJAB HAS BANNED 10 INSECTICIDESThe state govt issued a gazette notification in 2023 to prohibit the sale, stock, and distribution of the insecticides on the basmati crop for being a "potential constraint in export and consumption of basmati rice." There is a risk of more than the maximum residual level (MRL) of pesticides on account of the use of the agro-chemicals, it said. MSID:: 121056937 413 |
