India, Aug. 6 -- Higher and technical education minister Chandrakant Patil on Wednesday launched "Manas Sutra", a faculty development programme aimed at equipping university and college teachers to identify and respond to students' mental health concerns.

Developed by the Maharashtra State Faculty Development Academy (MSFDA), Pune, the programme is aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and will train faculty to recognise early signs of emotional distress, communicate sensitively with students and connect them with appropriate counselling and support services.

A state-level training programme will be held at MSFDA, Pune, from August 10 to 12.

The training will cover basic psychology, guidance and counselling, crisis resp...