Ranchi’s CIP to get apex institution status

Union Budget has delivered a major boost to mental healthcare infrastructure in Jharkhand, with the Central Institute of Psychiatry (CIP), Ranchi, set to be upgraded as a regional apex institution.

This is expected to significantly strengthen mental health services, research, and training in the eastern part of India. Announcing key initiatives for the mental health sector in her Budget 2026=27 speech, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said national mental health institutes in Ranchi and Assam's Tezpur would be upgraded as regional apex institutions.

She also announced the establishment of NIMHANS-2 to cater to the long-felt need for a national-level mental health institution in north India.

The Finance Minister noted that the absence of a dedicated apex mental health institution in the north had been a major gap in the country’s healthcare ecosystem, prompting the government to take this decision.

The upgradation of Ranchi’s CIP is expected to enhance its national role, opening new avenues for infrastructure expansion, advanced research, specialised training programmes, and the introduction of modern treatment facilities.

The move is also likely to strengthen inter-regional collaboration in mental healthcare delivery.

Founded in 1918 during British rule, the Central Institute of Psychiatry is one of India’s oldest and most prestigious mental health institutions.

Originally known as the Ranchi European Lunatic Asylum, the institute has evolved over its 108-year history into a premier centre for comprehensive mental healthcare, research, and human resource development.