Haryana News : Chairperson of the Aditya Birla Education Trust (ABET), Smt. Neerja Birla, and CISF Director General Sh. R.S. Bhatti, IPS, jointly reviewed the ongoing progress of Project Mann, a mental health initiative launched under an MoU signed between CISF and ABET in November 2024.
The DG of CISF commended ABET professionals for their valuable contributions in promoting mental wellness through awareness programs, counselling, clinical support, and training sessions for CISF personnel.
So far, Project Mann has extended mental health support to 75,181 CISF personnel and their families. Additionally, ABET has trained 1,726 officers and sub-officers to recognize and address mild mental health concerns and refer more serious cases to mental health professionals. This two-tiered approach has significantly improved access to psychological care across the force. In high-stress units such as IGI Airport, Parliament, and Delhi Metro, over 31,000 personnel have undergone psychometric evaluations to enable early detection of potential mental health issues.
The initiative has led to timely counselling and interventions for issues like depression, marital problems, and financial stress. Importantly, the suicide rate within CISF has dropped below the national average during 2024–2025, demonstrating the positive impact of the program. Recognizing its effectiveness, DG CISF and Smt. Neerja Birla have agreed to extend Project Mann in the coming years.
Emphasizing the importance of mental well-being, the CISF DG remarked that “Mental health is just as vital as physical fitness for our personnel. This initiative strengthens our internal support network and ensures our force remains emotionally strong, focused, and ready for duty.”
Smt. Neerja Birla, Founder and Chairperson of Mpower under ABET, stated, “Our continued collaboration with CISF highlights the power of integrating mental health into the system. Over the past three years, Project Mann has positively impacted over 75,000 personnel through screenings, counselling, peer support, and a 24×7 helpline across the country. CISF’s commitment to embedding wellness into its daily operations has led to a remarkable 40% drop in suicide rates.”