INTRODUCTION
In a landmark institutional initiative, which aims to address the escalating student mental health crisis, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has circulated comprehensive guidelines for establishment of Uniform Policy on Mental Health and Well-Being for Higher Educational Institutions across India following the Supreme Court’s directive as in the case of Sukhdeb Saha v. State of Andhra Pradesh (2025) INSC 893. According to the directives, the UGC has mandated for all the colleges to establish dedicated mental health and well-being centers with standardized staffing proportions, a dedicated 24-hour functioning helplines and integrated crisis management mechanisms. The guidelines were framed by a distinguished panel headed by Dr. Rajinder K. Dhamija, Director of Institute of Human Behavior and Allied Sciences, New Delhi, which represents a paradigmatic shift towards the proactive and preventive mental health frameworks which are applicable across India.
BACKGROUND
The imperative for comprehensive mental health policy stems from alarming epidemiological data demonstrating pervasive psychological distress within student populations. According to national statistics, one in ten Indians experiences mental health issues, with 7.3 percent of youth aged 18-29 years suffering severe psychiatric conditions. Significantly, the National Crime Records Bureau reports that 7.6 percent of suicides nationwide involve students. This alarming trend prompted the Supreme Court in Sukdeb Saha judgment to direct the Central Government to frame a uniform mental health policy addressing institutional failures in timely support provision. The UGC responded by constituting a dedicated expert committee drawing on UMMEED(Understand, Motivate, Manage, Empathize, Empower, Develop) Guidelines, the Manodarpan Initiative, and the National Suicide Prevention Strategy, ensuring policy alignment with existing national frameworks.
KEY POINTS
- Every HEI must establish a dedicated Mental Health and Well-Being Centre (MHWBC) comprising private counselling spaces, appointment facilities, and confidentiality-protected documentation systems. Clinical records will be anonymized and destroyed one-year post-graduation, ensuring data protection compliance.
- Institutions require one qualified mental health professional per 100 enrolled students, with larger institutions maintaining one counsellor-student ratio of 1:500 and peer supporters at 1:100. For smaller institutions with 100 or more students, minimum one qualified mental health professional appointment remains mandatory, ensuring equitable service accessibility.
- Guidelines mandate comprehensive suicide prevention protocols, including faculty and peer gatekeeper training to recognize behavioral distress indicators including abrupt interaction changes, class attendance patterns, and communication modifications. Risk assessment procedures require calm, empathetic listening, immediate referral to mental health professionals for moderate-to-high risk individuals, parental notification protocols, and structured post-crisis follow-up counselling (minimum three sessions).
- The UGC will track institutional compliance through MANAS-SETU, a dedicated digital portal collecting annual reports and stakeholder feedback. This ensures policies translate into evidence-based practices with measurable outcomes demonstrating improved well-being and reduced attrition.
- HEIs must establish 24×7 helplines integrated with Tele-MANAS and establishment of national mental health services, enabling immediate crisis intervention and psychosocial support accessibility for students, faculty, and staff.
- Guidelines emphasize institution-wide mental health responsibility spanning academic, administrative, residential, and extracurricular domains through awareness programs, faculty sensitization, peer support systems, and family engagement initiatives ensuring comprehensive ecosystem development.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
The UGC released draft guidelines for 15-day public consultation, seeking stakeholder feedback from students, faculty, administrators, and civil society through January 28-29, 2026. Legal scholars and diversity activists have broadly welcomed this initiative, recognizing it as necessary and overdue institutional protection. Lawyer Ravi Bhardwaj characterized the policy as “andmark shift in Indian education law codifying “duty of care” for HEIs, moving mental health support from discretionary initiatives to mandated institutional responsibility. However, some academics, including retired JNU faculty, contend guidelines remain ritualistic and insufficient, arguing mental health improvement requires addressing underlying academic performance pressures through faculty-level early detection rather than administrative protocols alone.
CONCLUSION
The UGC Guidelines represent transformative institutional reform establishing mental health support as fundamental educational responsibility rather than peripheral welfare function. By mainstreaming mental health across all institutional operations through standardized infrastructure, staffing requirements, and accountability mechanisms, the guidelines establish foundational protective frameworks addressing documented student psychological crises. Implementation success depends upon rigorous compliance enforcement, independent monitoring, and institutional resource allocation ensuring guidelines translate into accessible, effective support systems preventing tragedies and nurturing student psychological resilience.
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WRITTEN BY: KRISHNA
