A task undertaken to review the Mental Health Act, 1987 and The Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995 revealed shortcomings. The Government of India (GOI) ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in 2007, which mandated and obligated the laws of the country to align with the Convention. If the State is not proactive in taking measures to implement the MHCA, the rights promised under this legislation will remain aspirational. The present study estimation depicts that investing in the implementation of MHCA, 2017 by the government will yield 6.5 times the return on investment analysis benefit. The conservative annual estimated cost on the government to implement MHCA, 2017 would be 94,073 crore rupees. This article systematically analyses and describes the cost estimation of the implementation of MHCA 2017, and it is not an estimation of mental health economics. The annual health expenditure of India is 1.15% of the gross domestic product, and the mental health budget is <1% of India's total health budget. The decision to make all this happen is commendable. The rights-based MHCA looks to overhaul the existing system by giving prominence to autonomy, protecting the rights of the mentally ill individuals, and making the State responsible for the care. In India, mental health has always been a lesser priority for lawmakers and citizens alike. Further, there is an onus on the state to provide affordable mental health care to its citizens. The MHCA looks to protect, promote, and fulfill the rights of persons with mental illness (PMI) as stated in the preamble of the Act. The Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 (MHCA) was a step that was essential, once the Government of India ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2007.
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