Centre approves establishment of NIMHR in Bhopal

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the establishment of National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation (NIMHR) at Bhopal as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 under the aegis of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities.

The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has announced the approvals.

The estimated cumulative cost of the project is Rs. 179.54 crore in first three years. This includes the non-recurring expenditure of Rs. 128.54 crore and recurring expenditure of Rs. 51 crore.

The Union Cabinet has also approved the proposal to create three Joint Secretary level posts, which include one post of Director of the Institute and two posts of Professors.

The main objectives of the NIMHR are to provide rehabilitation services to the persons with mental illness, capacity development in the area of mental health rehabilitation, policy framing and advanced research in mental health rehabilitation.

The institute will have nine departments and will conduct 12 courses to offer diploma, certificate, graduate, postgraduate, M.Phil degrees in the area of mental health rehabilitation. Within a span of 5 years, the student intake of the institute in various courses is expected to be over 400.

The Madhya Pradesh government has allocated five acres of land in Bhopal for setting up of this Institute. The institute will be established in three years in two phases.

The NIMHR will be the first of its kind in the country in the area of mental health rehabilitation. It will serve as an institution of excellence to develop capacity building in the area of mental health rehabilitation and also help the government to develop models for effective rehabilitation of persons with mental illness.