PRAYAGRAJ, March 9 -- In a significant step to strengthen student mental health support, every higher education institution across Uttar Pradesh will now have one counsellor for every 100 students on campus.

Under the newly introduced Mental Health Policy, the state has allocated Rs.34 crore in the budget to implement the initiative, officials from the State Higher Education Department said.

In the first phase, the programme will cover 216 government-run colleges and 330 government-aided colleges, with plans to expand to unaided colleges and private universities in later phases. Counsellors will receive a fixed honorarium for their services, officials added.

The initiative aligns with the Supreme Court order in Sukdev Saha vs State of ...