New Delhi, Feb. 9 -- Across the world, workplaces are learning that employee well-being is not a perk but the foundation of a good work culture. India has been part of this shift. The Union Budget 2026-27 has given mental health more visibility than it has received in years. A second Nimhans in northern India. Upgraded apex status for the National Mental Health Institutes in Ranchi (Jharkhand) and Tezpur (Assam). Fifty per cent expansion in emergency and trauma care capacity at district hospitals. These are meaningful commitments to infrastructure that has long been underfunded.

Yet the Budget speech, like much of India's policy conversation, stopped short of naming what remains invisible: addiction, substance use and recovery. Substance...