NHRC asks Jharkhand govt to release Rs 45 cr to RINPAS

The National Human Rights Commission(NHRC) has asked the Jharkhand government to release Rs 45 crore for the Institute of Neuro Psychiatry and Allied Sciences (RINPAS) at the earliest for improving its infrastructure.

The fund, which was earmarked for the RINPAS' development, has been lying with the state government for long, the rights body said.

The NHRC, which has been monitoring and supervising the functioning of the RINPAS since 1997 following a directive from the Supreme Court, recently asked the state government to release the fund to the institute, which is one of the premier psychiatric institutes of the country functioning in the Ranchi district since 1925.

"During his recent visit to the RINPAS, NHRC member P C Sharma asked the Health Secretary, Jharkhand, to take steps for early release of Rs 45 crore of RINPAS lying with the state government," it said.

"The NHRC member felt that the fund could be used for improving its infrastructure, medical and academic facilities," the Commission added.

It said after its intervention, the state government allotted two vehicles for the NGOs involved in the community mental health programme.

The NGOs will use these vehicles in bringing patients from remote areas of the state in order to provide emergency service, it added.