The Meghalaya cabinet on Tuesday approved a policy aimed at addressing the issues of mental health and social care through collaborative engagement with communities, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said.

Meghalaya is the third state in the country to have a comprehensive policy on mental health and social care, paying attention to these issues, especially among children, adolescents and youth, he said.The Meghalaya Mental Health & Social Care Policy was approved at the cabinet meeting, chaired by the Chief Minister.

Kerala and Karnataka are the other two states in the country to have such policies. In 2014, the Centre launched the first-ever National Mental Health Policy in an attempt to provide universal psychiatry care.

(With PTI inputs)