Mental health bill: Health minister thanks Shashi Tharoor for suggestions

Shashi Tharoor had said he has lived with a victim of mental illness and knows the pain

On a day Parliament passed the Mental Healthcare Bill, Union Health Minister J P Nadda today thanked Congress leader Shashi Tharoor for his "valuable" suggestions made during an earlier discussion on the legislation in the Lok Sabha.

Making a emotional speech during the discussion on the Bill in Lok Sabha on March 24, Tharoor had said he has lived with a victim of mental illness and knows the pain the person goes through while giving a host of suggestions.

"Thank you for valuable suggestions @ShashiTharoor Ji. As I said in Parliament budget will never be a issue. #MentalHealthcareBill," Nadda tweeted.

The Bill that seeks to decriminalise suicide attempts by mentally ill people and provides for the right to better healthcare for people suffering from mental illness was passed in the Lok Sabha today.

The Bill, which was passed by the House by a voice vote also has a provision to protect and restore property rights of mentally ill people.

Tharoor during his emotional speech had said that he knows from his personal experience that there is nothing sadder than witnessing a close and loved person with mental illness at close quarters.

Participating in the discussion on the bill, Tharoor had said if India wants a modern and progressive society, there is a need for this law while adding that people suffering from any mental disorder carry the stigma that "yeh toh pagal hai (he/she is mad)".

Explaining the grave situation, the Congress leader had said many people who are suffering from these problems live in a denial mode and "they are unwilling to seek help".

"Suicide is an issue," he had said, adding "there are so many things attached to this and one is unemployment. There is a need to make it mandatory for every educational institution to have counsellors and "this is the need of the hour," he had said.

"There are number of good things in the bill but there are also number of things out....Psychotherapists, psychoanalysts are not included in the bill. I request you to add these categories," he had said.