Consider this. About 20 per cent of all Indian children and adolescents suffer from a disabling mental illness. By 2020, 20 per cent of India’s population will suffer from a mental illness. And, to make matters worse, currently there are only 3,000 psychiatrists for 20 million Indians suffering from mental illness. “These numbers are even more alarming for underprivileged children because mental health is one of the most unspoken and undocumented problems in India,” says Neerja Birla. After joining hands with Dr Zirak Marker, a leading child psychiatrist to start the MPower centre to offer world-class mental health care services, Birla has decided to put the spotlight on underprivileged children, who she believes, are a grossly neglected section. Launched two weeks ago, Birla’s Mpower Foundation, based in Girgaum, has started rolling out free workshops in municipal schools to tackle the problem.