Mental illness has its various grades, from minor, where it can be treated if there is an appropriate early intervention, to the extreme, which could result in violence of various proportions. Being an illness, it requires treatment but the stigma and discrimination associated with it most often results in ignoring the treatment which leads to a reversible condition. Due to this and other various factors, a large number of destitute mentally ill persons are reaching in the streets.

A large majority of them are from outside the state and generally they are concentrated in pilgrimage centres, religious places, hospitals, railway stations, bus stands and border pockets. It is a very big challenge in every society to provide a proper care and protect the human rights of the poor destitute mentally ill persons and the safe and security of the society in general.

Operationalization of scheme

First priority will be given for immediate rescue and rehabilitation of mentally ill persons who are in the street. For this purpose, grant will be provided to NGO or local self-government institutions for starting the care home with the priority of at least one institution par district headquarters. Some local self-governments have constructed buildings for care Institutions and if the local self-government is interested to start a care home for mentally ill persons in the already developed Institutions they will be provided with assistance for this purpose. District Panchayat and Corporation municipality will be given priority and if the building is constructed by grama panchayat or block panchayat they can run the institution with partnership of district Panchayat and NGOs.

Under this program Panchayat will provide infrastructure facilities and the fund  for running the institution will be provided by the government as per the scheme the panchayat can run the institution based on the m o u with credible NGO having experience in the field of learning institution for similar category. The care Institutions established under the PWD act and the rules there under are also eligible for grant in aid under the scheme. If government hospitals have the infrastructure facilities and building to run such a home they can also enter into an MOU with the credible NGO having experience in care Institution and run the institution.

In such cases the health department will provide necessary infrastructure facilities to NGOs based on IMO you and the repair modification renovation will be done by the Social Justice Department and NGO will be provided the grant in aid by Social Justice Department based on the MOU. In such a home the health facilities will be provided by the health department and care facilities will be provided by NGO.

This type of Institution will be treated as an intake Institution and the inmates in the institution will be categorised and after the initial care and treatment they will be interested to their parents or relatives or repatriated in their home state if this is not possible they will be interested to care Institutions already established for this purpose.

Targeted beneficiaries under this scheme

The scheme will apply:-

1. To the orphaned mentally ill persons in the streets as defined under rule 2 (h) of the Kerala Registration of the Psycho-Social Rehabilitation Centres of Mentally ill persons rules, 2012.

2. To the treated and controlled mentally ill persons or cured mental persons after their discharge from the mental health centres, including private institutions.

Types of Institutions/agencies eligible for assistance

Institutions can be managed by the following agencies

1. Credible NGOs having upload license under persons with disabilities act and the Kerala registration of psychosocial rehabilitation centres of mentally ill persons rules, 2012.

2. Local self-government institutions such as Panchayat / Municipality / Corporation can also run the institutions in partnership with credible NGO based on specific MOU.

3. Government departments or board can also run the institution in partnership with the credible NGO based on specific MOU.