Archive · 31 Jul 2026
Punjab Expands Mental Health Fellowship Under Anti-Drug Initiative
Punjab is adding more doctors and helpers to a program that trains people to help people who have problems with drugs.
The first group of 13 helpers is already working in hospitals and rehab centers.
The new group will have 10 helpers and 7 senior assistants.
They will learn how to give counseling, stop relapses, and manage programs.
The program is part of Punjab’s plan to fight drug use by treating it as a health problem, not just a crime.
It also wants to make sure people who finish treatment keep getting help and that communities support them.
The training is done with help from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences.
The goal is to make drug treatment better and less scary for everyone.
Punjab government plans to open a second cohort of the Leadership in Mental Health Programme (LMHP) in August.
The first cohort of 13 fellows is already working in district hospitals, de-addiction centres and rehabilitation facilities.
The programme will recruit 10 new fellows and 7 senior associates to strengthen district-level mental health and addiction services.
Fellows receive training in psychosocial care, relapse prevention, programme management, leadership and community-based rehabilitation, with academic support from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences.
The initiative aims to integrate mental healthcare into Punjab’s anti-drug campaign, improve coordination, reduce stigma and enhance long-term recovery outcomes.
- Who
- Punjab government, Punjab Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh, Tata Institute of Social Sciences
- What
- Expansion of the Leadership in Mental Health Programme (LMHP) fellowship
- When
- Applications for the second cohort will open in early August 2026
- Where
- Punjab state, district hospitals, de-addiction centres and rehabilitation facilities
- Why
- To strengthen mental health and addiction services, integrate them into the anti-drug campaign, reduce stigma and improve long-term recovery
- Program name
- Leadership in Mental Health Programme (LMHP)
- First cohort size
- 13 fellows
- Second cohort size
- 10 fellows and 7 senior associates
- Training partner
- Tata Institute of Social Sciences
- Launch date
- February 2026