Annual Report 2012-2013 5.23 Pursuant to the above correspondence, a proposal to file an application was placed before the Full Commission and vide its meeting dated 11 January 2013 gave approval to the said proposal. Accordingly, the Commission through its Advocate filed an application on the issue of mental health institutions in India before the Supreme Court seeking appropriate directions on the following areas: • In the absence of a clear data base, proper policy interventions and allocation of resources are not receiving due priority. Therefore, there is a need to undertake a country-wide epidemiological survey to identify the magnitude of the problem of mental health. It is necessary and desirable that a perspective plan covering the task, financial implications, time frame etc. is drawn up keeping in view the present as well as the future requirement of the problem (Action: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India). • The Mental Health Institutes/Hospitals in the country are facing serious financial constraints as adequate resource allocation is not being made to meet their requirements. The Central and State Governments should accord priority in allocation of financial resources both for the regular maintenance and upgradation of the physical infrastructure of these institutions. While making the financial allocations, the future requirements of both infrastructure and manpower should be kept in mind (Action: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India and State Governments). • Lack of adequate administrative and financial powers to the Directors and the Superintendents of the Mental Hospitals are seriously affecting their functioning. Therefore, these institutions should be made completely autonomous in managing their own affairs and the Managing Committees of these institutions should have adequate administrative and financial powers to manage their affairs efficiently (Action: State Governments). • Existing State run mental hospitals should be converted into Teaching-cumTraining Institutes with adequate financial and manpower resources (Action: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India and State Governments). • The concerned State Governments may be directed to sanction medical and para medical manpower to these institutions/hospitals as recommended by NHRC, without delay (Action: State Governments). • Sufficient number of seats may be created in medical colleges in MD Psychiatry, M.Phil in Clinical Psychology and Psychiatric Social Work by relaxing the existing norms of Medical Council of India (Action: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India). NHRC 71