National, October 8^th, 2026: The NDRF Wives Welfare Association (NWWA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mpower, a pan- India mental health service provider founded by Mrs. Neerja Birla under the Aditya Birla Education Trust (ABET), to launch ‘Project-Nirmal, a dedicated Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) initiative for NDRF personnel and their families across the Nation.

Recognizing the intense stress, physical demands, and sudden deployments faced by NDRF’s rescuers during disasters, this institutionalized partnership aims to manage occupational stress and eliminate the stigma around mental health.

‘Project-Nirmal’ offers a comprehensive care continuum, encompassing mental health awareness sessions, routine psychological screening, individual and group counselling, tele-counselling, crisis intervention, suicide prevention and support.  

To ensure Pan-India coverage, hub-based teams will be set up in key regional centers. Additionally, a dedicated 24/7 multi-lingual helpline operated by mental health experts will provide round-the-clock guidance to personnel and their family members.

Smt. Priti Anand, President, NWWA emphasized that “prioritizing the emotional well-being of rescuers and their families is essential for maintaining force morale, readiness, and overall response effectiveness”. 

 Speaking about the initiative, Mrs. Neerja Birla, Founder and Chairperson, Aditya Birla Education Trust, Mpower said: “We deeply appreciate the NDRF for recognising that mental well-being is integral to the strength of the response system itself. Through Project Nirmal, Mpower is taking a pioneering step with The NDRF Wives Welfare Association to extend structured mental-health support to frontline workers and the NDRF families. This partnership marks the beginning of a pan- India vision for Mpower to work towards systematically institutionalising mental-health care and building integrated mental-health support systems for those who are serving the nation around the clock.” 

Mpower brings extensive experience of working with India’s uniformed and frontline services, including the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Police forces across Maharashtra, providing mental-health counselling and psychosocial support in high-stress environments. Through long-term engagements such as Project Mann with CISF, Mpower has developed an institutionally embedded approach that brings together awareness, early identification, counselling, capacity building and access to professional support. This experience has reinforced the importance of making mental health an integral and sustained part of the support ecosystem for frontline personnel, rather than a response limited to moments of visible distress. Building on this experience, Project Nirmal by Mpower marks the first step in Mpower’s pan-India vision to systematically strengthen mental-health care and well-being for frontline workers and their families, recognising the critical role they play in safeguarding communities and the nation. 

About Mpower 

Mpower, an initiative of the Aditya Birla Education Trust, is one of South Asia’s largest private mental-health initiatives, with a focus on mental-health literacy, capacity building, community outreach and access to care. Its work spans awareness, prevention, intervention and support across clinical, school, workplace and community settings, with the aim of making mental- health support more accessible and encouraging more open conversations around mental wellbeing. To date, Mpower has touched over 8 million lives through its programmes and initiatives. Mpowered Voices, its lived-experience platform, creates spaces for individuals to share their personal journeys and perspectives around mental health, fostering empathy and helping make conversations around mental wellbeing more open and relatable.