New Delhi, Oct. 11 -- On the occasion of World Mental Health Day, the Union ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW) on Friday announced Hindi film actor Deepika Padukone as its first-ever mental health ambassador to raise awareness about access to mental health services. "Ms. Deepika Padukone's involvement as a national advocate will help focus attention on mental health and encourage people to seek timely support through government-approved mental health resources. The partnership will help widely disseminate awareness about mental health issues in India, normalise discussions to reduce stigma, and highlight mental health as an integral aspect of public health," Union health minister JP Nadda said. Padukone is the founder of the charitable trust, The Live Love Laugh Foundation, that runs rural community mental health programmes. In her new role, the actor will work closely with the MoHFW to raise mental health awareness and promote destigmatisation efforts; encourage help-seeking behaviour and preventive efforts; and promote Tele MANAS (Tele-Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States) and other government-approved mental health resources. "I am deeply honoured to serve as the first-ever mental health ambassador for the Union ministry of health & family welfare. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has made significant strides in prioritising mental health care. I look forward to working closely with the Ministry to build on this momentum and further strengthen our nation's mental health framework," Padukone said. On World Mental Health Day, Nadda also launched several new initiatives for Tele MANAS. The new initiatives include the launch of enhancements for the Tele MANAS App. The Tele MANAS App will now be available in 10 regional languages, in addition to the English and Hindi. This includes Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Odia, Punjabi. "This step is towards providing mental health support in regional languages for enhancing accessibility. In addition, recognising that persons with disabilities and vulnerable groups face barriers in accessing digital health services, the app now includes accessibility features to make the interface more user-friendly for visually impaired users," the health ministry said in a statement. A chatbot feature (Asmi) has also been introduced, allowing users to engage with the app and seek information or help regarding mental health. "Emergency response content has been incorporated to ensure timely guidance and support during emergencies," it added....