Government Urged to Treat Homeless Mentally Ill Population with Urgency
The Supreme Court of India has taken up the issue of rehabilitation for homeless individuals with psychosocial disabilities, emphasising the critical and sensitive nature of the matter and urging the Centre to address it "very seriously" and provide progress updates quickly [2].
In response, the government has informed the court that deliberations and initial meetings are underway, and they have requested an additional eight weeks to update the court on the progress made [2]. However, as of now, no concrete rehabilitation programs specifically targeting this group have been reported.
The government's housing efforts, such as the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U), are focused on eliminating rural and urban homelessness, respectively. However, these initiatives have faced challenges in addressing psychosocial disability rehabilitation explicitly [1][3].
Advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal filed a petition seeking directions to formulate and implement a policy for the rehabilitation of homeless individuals with psychosocial disabilities. The petition has requested the formulation and implementation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for key stakeholders [4]. The Centre has yet to file a counter affidavit in response to the petition.
The petition has highlighted the dire condition of homeless individuals, stating they are being treated like footballs. It has also pointed out that many homeless individuals are women and that there is often a negative approach from law enforcement [5]. The petitioner has urged the police to support the rehabilitation of homeless individuals under existing laws.
The bench has expressed the expectation for a comprehensive response from the government on all issues related to the rehabilitation of homeless individuals with psychosocial disabilities. The court has also expressed concern over the lack of execution and compliance with the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 [6].
The matter is scheduled for the next hearing on September 22. Meanwhile, the petitioner has emphasised the need for a humane and effective handling of homeless persons with psychosocial disabilities, as outlined in the proposed SOPs for law enforcement and medical health departments [7].
In a separate development, the Chief Minister of Odisha unveiled Odisha TEX 2025, with a vision to make the state a textile powerhouse of Eastern India. However, no context was provided regarding this event in relation to the rehabilitation issue [8].
References:
- Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G)
- The Hindu
- The Indian Express
- The Times of India
- The New Indian Express
- Live Law
- Bar and Bench
- Business Standard
- The government should consider integrating mental health and wellness aspects into the rehabilitation programs intended for homeless individuals with psychosocial disabilities, as outlined in the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) petitioned by Advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal.
- With the critical nature of the matter at hand emphasized by the Supreme Court of India, it is essential that the government expedites the creation and implementation of rehabilitation policies specifically targeting homeless individuals with psychosocial disabilities, ensuring utmost attention to mental health care.
