National e-Governance Awards: ICMR's "ICMR-MINDS" mental health initiative won the top award in e-Governance.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has won the Gold Award at the National Awards for e-Governance 2026 for its digital mental health initiative, ICMR-MINDS.
The prestigious recognition was presented by Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh during the 29th National Conference on e-Governance (NCeG) held in Jaipur on July 1-2, 2026.
Details of the Award & Initiative
- Award Category: The flagship initiative won top honors under the category ‘Innovation by Use of AI and Other New Age Technologies for Providing Citizen-Centric Services’.
- Core Technology: ICMR-MINDS features an AI-enabled Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS). It helps non-specialist, frontline healthcare providers easily screen, assess, and manage mental health and substance use disorders.
- Operational Scope: The project seamlessly integrates mental health screening with existing non-communicable disease (NCD) care. It is currently operational across seven Indian states.
- Collaborating Hubs: The multi-state implementation research study relies on premier institutions like AIIMS Guwahati (Assam), AIIMS New Delhi (for Haryana), AIIMS Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), AIIMS Bhubaneswar (Odisha), PGIMER Chandigarh (for Punjab), Gujarat Institute of Mental Health, and St. John's Medical College (Bengaluru).
- Administrative Bodies: The awards are instituted by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG).
The project has been widely praised by health authorities, including ICMR Director General Dr. Rajiv Bahl, for creating an affordable, data-driven, and highly scalable model to bridge the massive gap in rural and community-level mental healthcare resources.
