The Policymaker's Forum for Mental Health, India spearheaded a panel discussion at the Grand Challenges Annual Meeting on 25^th October 2022, in Brussels, to discuss the challenges around mental health, especially impacting the most vulnerable in India. The discussion was organised in collaboration with Grand Challenges Canada and ETI Services to support the launch of a new and innovative mental initiative focused on young people.

Dr Dalbir Singh, Founder and President, Policymaker’s Forum for Mental Health chaired the panel focused on the urgent need and awareness around for mental health interventions in India, and the critical role policymakers are well positioned to play- to ensure impact.

Dr Shirshendu Mukherjee, Mission Director, Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council, India (BIRAC), stated how “India’s biotechnology industry’s role during COVID-19 has been praised by the nation . It makes one look at the necessity for the physical distress caused in crisis to be averted in order to keep the mental health of the populations in check. What it disables are risk factors that lead to anxiety and depression among individuals in the long run, and BIRAC looks forward to partnerships to make a difference and enhance innovations around mental health in India.”

Arjun Kapoor, Programme Manager & Research Fellow at Indian Law Society, stated that “While some progress in terms of both policy and implementation has been made in the recent years, there is still a lot of ground to cover in terms of how mental health interventions are imagined and supplied from the top."