ICMR's AI-powered ICMR-MINDS platform won the Gold Award at the National Awards for e-Governance 2026 for strengthening citizen-centric mental healthcare through digital innovation.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has won the Gold Award at the National Awards for e-Governance 2026 for its flagship ICMR-MINDS platform, an AI-enabled digital initiative designed to strengthen citizen-centric mental healthcare services across India.
The award was presented under Category 2 – Innovation by Use of AI and Other New Age Technologies for Providing Citizen-Centric Services during the 29th National Conference on e-Governance (NCeG) 2026 held in Jaipur on July 1-2.
Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Dr. Jitendra Singh presented the award in the presence of Rajasthan Minister for Information Technology and Communication Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore, Rajasthan Chief Secretary V. Srinivas, and DARPG Secretary Nivedita Shukla Verma.
ICMR-MINDS is a National Health Research Priority initiative that integrates the screening and management of mental and substance use disorders with other non-communicable diseases through an AI-supported Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS).
The platform enables trained frontline healthcare workers to conduct standardised mental health screening, assessment, follow-up and routine patient management using evidence-based digital tools. By shifting routine mental healthcare services from specialists to trained non-specialist providers, the system improves access to quality care, particularly in underserved regions.
Key features of the platform include multilingual interfaces, offline functionality, standardised digital screening workflows, role-based clinical guidance, real-time administrative dashboards and gamified features to improve user engagement. It also supports structured referral and back-referral systems, enabling stable patients to receive follow-up care at nearby health facilities while specialists focus on complex cases.
ICMR-MINDS is currently being implemented across seven states through leading institutions, including AIIMS Guwahati, AIIMS New Delhi, AIIMS Bhopal, AIIMS Bhubaneswar, St. John's Medical College Bengaluru, Gujarat Institute of Mental Health and PGIMER Chandigarh, in collaboration with State Health Departments and district health authorities.
Reacting to the recognition, Dr. Rajiv Bahl, Secretary, Department of Health Research and Director General of ICMR, said the organisation would continue developing scalable, technology-driven healthcare solutions to address complex public health challenges. He said ICMR remains committed to delivering affordable, standardised and high-quality healthcare through collaboration with state governments and healthcare institutions.
The award recognises ICMR's growing role in leveraging artificial intelligence and digital technologies to improve healthcare delivery, strengthen frontline health systems and expand access to quality mental healthcare across the country.
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