Govt. Recruitment for Tele-MANAS Center in Tirupati begins

The Tele-MANAS centre, proposed in Tirupati, has started partial operations as the state government has started recruiting staff for it.

According to information from the Ministry of Health, Health and Family Welfare, the government has approved the recruitment of 40 employees, including psychiatrists, counselors and others. 16 have been admitted so far. The Tirupati center currently has a counselor and a psychiatrist.

While Tele-MANAS is a national helpline run by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, calls are routed to call centers in each state. In Andhra Pradesh, the Union Government has approved two centres, one in Vijayawada and the other in Visakhapatnam, both of which are functioning. With the third one being set up in Tirupati, the Rayalaseema region will also be covered now.

The response to the hotline seems to be increasing all the time. There were 523 calls in 2022, around 18,000 in 2023, 20,000 in 2024, 17,000 in 2025 and 31,000 so far in 2026. During the trial period, the number of calls increases. Most of them seek help for relationship problems, financial stress and exam stress, said DD Syamala, state non-communicable diseases officer.

As part of the activities planned for the World Suicide Prevention Day, awareness programs were organized in several colleges in Vijayawada and rallies were held in Ibrahimpatnam. District Health Officers interacted with students of YV Rao Siddhartha College Of Education about myths and facts related to suicide prevention and Tele-MANAS services.

Counselors are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week all year round on the 14416 helpline to provide support and advice.

Published – 11 Sep 2026 11:04 IST