Ending mental health elitism

• The Ministry of Labour and Employment expects all States and Union Territories to complete the harmonization and pre-publication of draft rules for new Labour Codes by March 31, 2025.

• Mental health was recognized as an ‘impactful driver’ for individual and national development in 2024.

• 10.6% of adults in India suffer from mental disorders, with a treatment gap ranging between 70% and 92%.

• Risks to mental health at work include excessive workloads, unsafe working conditions, job insecurity, inadequate pay, and conflicting home/work demands.

• The World Health Organization outlines several risks to mental health at work, primarily impacting blue-collar workers due to demanding jobs, unsafe work environments, and lack of adequate legislative and policy protections.

• The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code (OSHWC), 2020, implicitly excludes mental well-being and safety norms of a preventive nature.

• The definition of ’employment injury’ under Section 2(28) of the Code on Social Security (CSC), 2020, does not enlist diseases arising from mental strain attributed to the course of employment.

• Major companies are making substantial efforts to enhance the wellbeing, work-life balance, and mental health of their white-collar employees.

• The Central government’s Tele Manas initiative bridges the gap between its callers and mental health professionals, but its functionality requires beneficiaries to voluntarily make the distress call to the helpline number.

• To realize the goal of ‘Satyamev Jayate to Shramev Jayate,’ mental health of blue-collar workers ought to be given due precedence.

• The upcoming Labour Codes have the opportunity to create a tripartite relationship between employers, blue-collar workers, and mental health specialists.

• The government must take steps towards forging a sustainable work environment for blue-collar workers.

• Awareness regarding governmental initiatives such as Tele Manas must be statutorily imposed on employers.