MANAS Mitra

In News: Recently, The pilot version of a health application, MANAS Mitra (Mental health And Normalcy Augmentation System), was launched .

About MANAS Mitra

The app, meant to be a guide, especially for mental health, was launched virtually by Prof K Vijay Raghavan, principal scientific advisor (PSA) to the Government of India.
A mission-mode initiative led by the Office of the PSA, MANAS Mitra is a joint venture by Pune-based Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) and National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru.
The application has been developed by the Bengaluru centre of the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC).
The pandemic has forced people to spend more time on screen and with little feedback available, there are issues of health being raised.
Though the app is still to undergo field trials and is not available for public use as yet, it will be a platform catering to the overall wellness of people of all age groups and genders.
The current version has identified two age groups ages 15 to 20, termed as Mann-Marg, and ages 20 to 35, termed as YoungISTAN.
Over the next 100 days, field trials will be carried out to validate the application.

Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC)

CDAC is the premier R&D organization of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) for carrying out R&D in IT, Electronics and associated areas
The setting up of CDAC in 1988.
Objective: To built Supercomputers in context of denial of import of Supercomputers by the USA
Since then CDAC has been undertaking to build multiple generations of Supercomputers starting from PARAM with 1 GF in 1988.
CDAC had also started building Indian Language Computing Solutions with the setting up of GIST group (Graphics and Intelligence based Script Technology).

National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS)

NIMHANS is a medical institution located in Bangalore, Karnataka.
It is the apex centre for mental health and neuroscience education in the country and operates autonomously.
The institute shall consist of the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, the Secretary to the central government in the Department of Higher Education, the Director-General of Health Services in the central government, seven representatives of the Indian Science Congress Association, four representatives of medical faculties of Indian universities, three Members of Parliament, among others.

Objects of NIMHANS

To develop patterns of teaching in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education.
To bring together educational facilities for the training of personnel in important branches of health activity.
To be self-sufficient in meeting the country’s needs for specialists and medical teachers.

Important functions NIMHANS

Provide undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in medicine and other allied sciences;
Provide facilities for research of such sciences;
Provide facilities for the teaching of humanities;
Conduct experiments on new methods of medical education;
NIMHANS can also maintain equipped hospitals, nursing colleges for training nurses, etc.
NIMHANS will also have the power to grant medical and nursing degrees, diplomas, certificates and other academic distinctions.