Union Home Minister in June 1999. The report was sent to all the mental hospitals as well as to the Union Ministry of Health and the State Governments/ Union Territory Administrations for necessary follow up action. The States/ UTs were requested to apprise the Commission periodically on progress of implementation of the report, a matter which it continues to pursue till date. Since June 1999, when the ‘Quality Assurance in Mental Health’ report was released, the Chairperson, Core Member in charge of mental health and other members as also Special Rapporteurs have been regularly inspecting and reviewing the activities of all the 37 mental health hospitals including GMA, Gwalior, IMHH, Agra and RINPAS, Ranchi to know their functioning as well as find out the conditions of mentally ill patients admitted therein for treatment. The human rights dimension of mental health has occupied a significant place in all these visits, reviews and inspections. The Commission constituted a Central Advisory Group (CAG) headed by its Chairperson with a view to suggest appropriate course of action in the area of mental health. The CAG included Secretaries from the Ministries of Health, Social Justice & Empowerment and senior Advocates of the Supreme Court. The CAG further constituted a Sub - Committee headed by a Member of the Commission, with representations from Secretaries of the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment and Department of Women & Child Development to advise it on the steps to be taken to rehabilitate patients who languished in the hospitals even after they were cured of mental illness. ● In 2003-04, the Commission constituted a core group on mental health. A series of recommendations made by the Core Group on Mental Health during 2007-08 included that the basic needs of mentally ill persons should be met and they should have access to all entitlements such as old age pension which are available to ordinary citizens. ● In 2003-04, another research project “Operation Oasis - A Study Related to Mentally Ill Persons was undertaken by the Commission in collaboration with Kolkata based NGO, SEVAC. ● The Commission formulated guidelines on reporting every death that took place in the three mental hospitals during 2003-04. ● In 2008-09, the Commission brought out the latest status report on health entitled “Mental Health Care and Human Rights”. ● It made a Video documentary in Hindi and English highlighting various issues pertinent to comprehensive care of mentally ill in hospitals. The documentary also emphasised the responsibilities of all levels of care givers in the mental hospitals. ● The Commission urged the Medical Council of India and Ministry of Health & Family Welfare during 2008-09 to augment their efforts for meeting the ● 16 National Human Rights Commission