India, June 30 -- The new Tele-Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States (Tele-MANAS) video consultation feature will allow people to talk directly with mental health professionals through video calls, the officials said.

According to officials, the feature is currently in its final phase of testing. It is expected to be fully available across India by next fortnight. The staff training has already been completed, and the video call system has been activated in trial mode. Besides, users have already begun using the service and have provided feedback, helping the system prepare for a smooth rollout.

Dr Prasanna Phutane, consultant psychiatrist and nodal officer, Tele-MANAS Pune, "Till now, Tele-MANAS offered only audio suppo...