ICMR-MINDS, a flagship initiative of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and a national health research priority project, wins Gold Award under ‘Category 2 — Innovation using AI and other emerging technologies for citizen-centric service delivery’ at the ‘National Awards for e-Governance’. This award was presented by Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. The award ceremony took place during the 29th National Conference on e-Governance (NCeG) 2026, held in Jaipur, Rajasthan, on July 1–2, 2026.
ICMR-MINDS is an implementation research initiative that integrates the screening and management of mental health and substance use issues with non-communicable disease (NCD) care. Its AI-based Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) enables trained frontline healthcare workers to facilitate standardized mental health screening, assessment, follow-up, and referral, thereby reducing reliance on specialists and improving the continuity of care.
This initiative is being implemented across seven states through premier institutions, such as AIIMS, PGIMER, St. John’s Medical College, and the Gujarat Institute of Mental Health with the collaboration of state health departments and mental health program teams. The objective of ICMR-MINDS is to make high-quality mental health services more accessible, affordable, and widely available across India.
Dr. Rajiv Bahl, Secretary of the Department of Health Research and Director General of ICMR, stated that ICMR will continue to develop data-driven and scalable technologies to address public health challenges and deliver affordable, high-quality healthcare services across India.
(PIB)
