The six numbers
| Number | For | Run by | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14416 | Someone to talk to | Tele-MANAS, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare | Free · 24×7 · in your language |
| 1800-180-5522 | Ragging | National Anti-Ragging Helpline, UGC | Free · 24×7 · complaint is tracked |
| 112 | Emergency, any kind | National Emergency Response System | Police, fire, ambulance |
| 181 | A woman in distress | Women Helpline, Ministry of Women & Child Development | Free · 24×7 |
| 1930 | Money lost to a scam | Cyber Crime Helpline, Ministry of Home Affairs | Call within the hour |
| 1098 | A child in trouble | CHILDLINE, Ministry of Women & Child Development | Free · 24×7 · under 18 |
14416 — Tele-MANAS
The national mental health line. Free, round the clock, and answered in Indian languages rather than only in English, which is the detail that decides whether a call is any use at two in the morning. It is not a crisis-only line — it is also for the state a student is in for weeks before anything becomes a crisis.
1800-180-5522 — anti-ragging
Run by the UGC. The important thing about this number is that a call to it opens a tracked complaint rather than a conversation, which means there is a record independent of your institution. Institutions are obliged to act on it, and the record exists whether or not they do.
1930 — cyber fraud, and why the hour matters
If money has left your account to a scam, the first hour is not a suggestion. Reporting inside the golden hour is what makes it possible for the transfer to be frozen further down the chain. After that the money has usually moved through enough accounts that it cannot be recalled. Call first, file the written complaint at cybercrime.gov.in second.
Student Sewa does not run any of these lines and is not a substitute for them. They are listed because most students are never told they exist — which is the same problem the scholarship system has, and the same fix.