On August 19, 2013, a new Mental Health Care Bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha. There is a dire need to spread awareness among the people about mental health,” he said. On the outset it seems like a utopian bill, as there is a complete shortage of both funds and human resource, I am doubtful how the law will be implemented. It is a challenge to provide adequate care for both long and short term mental illnesses, and hence there is a huge need for investment in human resources as well. Dr Deepak Aggarwal, assistant professor of China Wholesale Syringe Airless Bottle for sale neurosurgery at AIIMS, adds: “I support the creation of a Mental Health Review Commission and Board, so that individual cases can be assessed properly by professionals, and these professionals can thereon refer cases for criminal procedures and psychiatric care. The Bill repeals the Mental Health Act, 1987. A person with mental illness has no proper insurance, there are cases of road mishaps, even in such cases the government does not provide a mentally ill person with guaranteed insurance,” says Dr Kushal Jain, Psychiatrist, VIMHANS Hospital.” One of the most important and controversial measure proposed in the bill is the decriminalisation of attempted suicide and prohibition of electro-convulsive therapy, which has been hailed by psychiatrists throughout the country. “It is very important that legislators consult practising professionals.
Mental illness is seen as a huge taboo, what we need is a complete overhaul of the system starting from basic education on mental health,” adds Dr Jain. This Bill, is a victory for us, as it insures that the mentally ill deserve to be treated at par with the physically ill. Nor does the bill mention anywhere, about how it would prevent the exploitation of mentally ill persons. Most mental health services available in hospitals are not patient friendly and they don’t respect their privacy. It does not propose education neither does it make it mandatory for a person with disorders to seek treatment.The reason why the Bihar verdict may be called a “correction” is two-fold.The ramifications of the verdict are going to be widespread. Mr Modi allowed the situation believing that the people were ready for another round of polarisation like in Uttar Pradesh in 2014. The Opposition will be resurgent and the government will face a major storm during the forthcoming Winter Session of Parliament. While he needed to pay lip service to these forces and pay adequate attention to the promises and hope he had generated for a better India, Mr Modi erred by putting this on the backburner and giving primary position to the “core agenda” of the Sangh Parivar.
In the final analysis, Mr Modi was worsted because he forgot an oft-stated advice of Dattopant Thengadi, one of the iconic leaders of the Sangh Parivar and the founder of Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh. However, events since the campaign was launched assumed threatening proportions and, in a matter of days, the incident in Dadri became symbolic of the threat to the idea of India.The verdict is all the more important because it is also a vehement rejection of the surround-sound system, orchestrated by the Parivar ensemble. But towards the end, his party literally deployed the holy cow. Secondly, this campaign was accompanied by a virulent charge led by Mr Modi from the front and backed by Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah as the second-in-command. But the BJP campaign this time was static and made no effort at reinventing itself.What went wrong with the BJP’s campaign To begin with, it must be recalled that the Modi campaign in 2014 had succeeded because it had been a perfect mix of a right leader, at an opportune time, backed by a very innovative campaign. Firstly, Mr Modi’s stranglehold in the party and the dominance of the “Trimurti” comprising Mr Modi, Mr Shah and Arun Jaitley will be severely challenged. In terms of the change in actual ground position in the party, it will be tough for Mr Shah to secure another term as party president and Mr Modi may not be able to do too much to save him.