Aditya Birla Education Trust expands mental health & education outreach, touches 3.8 million lives

Neerja Birla Founder and Chairperson ABET

The Aditya Birla Education Trust (ABET) has ramped up its mental health initiatives amid growing concerns over India’s treatment gap, reaching over 3.5 million people in FY 2024–25 through its flagship program, Mpower.

The push comes as nearly 150 million Indians grapple with stress, anxiety, and depression, yet less than 25% seek help, according to ABET’s latest impact report. Women and youth remain disproportionately affected, with young women aged 18–39 accounting for over a third of female suicides.

“Mental health is the backbone of a thriving nation,” said Neerja Birla, ABET’s founder and chairperson. “We must break the silence and make help-seeking an act of courage.”

Mpower doubled its helpline engagement and launched India’s first sports psychology program, AMP, to support athletes. It also hosted the Mental Health Summit 2025, drawing experts from Harvard Medical School and the World Economic Forum.

Strategic partnerships with the CISF, Mumbai Police, and Railway Protection Force helped embed mental health into institutional frameworks. Notably, suicide rates among CISF personnel dropped 40% following targeted interventions.

ABET’s data-driven approach showed a 64% improvement in behavioral health among therapy seekers and a 79% increase in students’ ability to manage stress. The Trust also produced Zindaginama, a web series on SonyLiv aimed at destigmatizing mental health.

With India’s youth facing rising academic pressure and digital stress, ABET plans to expand outreach to underserved regions and push for mental health to be recognized as a fundamental right.

“Mental health is not just a personal struggle—it’s a national imperative,” Birla said. “We must dismantle stigma and make help-seeking an act of courage.”

Along with mental health, the Trust’s education arm trained over 600,000 teachers across 935 schools, while its menstrual health initiative, Ujaas, reached 1.7 lakh women and girls, generating ₹55 lakh in revenue through cloth pad manufacturing.