**Executive Summary**
The Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs informed the Rajya Sabha regarding health and nutrition initiatives for tribal districts implemented primarily through the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's National Health Mission. Key objectives include addressing malnutrition and achieving the National Mission to Eliminate Sickle Cell Anemia by 2047. Current efforts focus on improving healthcare infrastructure, human resources, and the delivery of supplementary nutrition through programs like Mission Poshan 2.0 and the Dharti Aaba Jantatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan.
**Key Points / Main Content**
**Healthcare Infrastructure and Accessibility**
* **National Health Mission (NHM) Support:** Provides health infrastructure, adequate human resources, and quality healthcare accessibility in tribal-dominated districts.
* **Service Delivery:** Operationalization of Ayushman Arogya Mandir (AAM), Free Drugs and Diagnostic Service Initiatives, and National Ambulance Services.
* **Mobile and Emergency Units:** Deployment of Mobile Medical Units, ASHAs, 24x7 services at First Referral Facilities, and the Prime Minister’s National Dialysis Programme.
**Maternal and Child Health (RMNCAH+N Strategy)**
* **New-born Care:** Establishment of Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) and Special Newborn Care Units (SNCUs) at district levels, and New-born Stabilization Units (NBSUs) at Community Health Centres.
* **Nutritional Interventions:** Implementation of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) for low birth weight babies and the Mothers’ Absolute Affection (MAA) program to promote exclusive breastfeeding.
* **Lactation Management:** Centers established to provide safe, pasteurized donor human milk or "Mother’s Own Milk" to sick and preterm infants.
* **Home-Based Care:** Programs for Home-Based New-born Care (HBNC) and Home-Based Care of Young Children (HBYC).
**Nutrition and Disease Control**
* **Mission Poshan 2.0:** Focuses on treating Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) through diet diversity and AYUSH practices at Anganwadi centres.
* **Anemia Mukt Bharat (AMB):** A lifecycle approach to reduce anemia across six beneficiary groups, including children, adolescents, and women of reproductive age.
* **Specific Supplementation:** Includes National Deworming Day, Vitamin A supplementation, and TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan.
**Sickle Cell Anemia and Tribal Specific Initiatives**
* **Elimination Goal:** A national mission aims to eliminate Sickle Cell Anemia by 2047.
* **Centers of Competence (CoC):** Under the Dharti Aaba Jantatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (launched October 2024), 17 CoCs have been sanctioned across 15 states with a budget of approximately Rs. 52 crores.
* **Function of CoCs:** These act as centers of excellence for advanced diagnostics, patient support, and multidisciplinary expertise for hemoglobinopathies.
**Data and Monitoring**
* **Periodic Surveys:** Health data is generated via the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), Census of India, and National Sample Survey to monitor malnutrition and maternal health indicators in tribal areas.
**Impact Analysis**
**Tribal Populations**
**Impact**
Increased access to quality healthcare, specialized newborn care, and supplementary nutrition aimed at reducing stunting, wasting, and anemia.
**Action Required**
Participate in community-level programs such as Monthly Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Days (VHSND) and utilize Anganwadi services for supplementary nutrition.
**Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) / Ministry of Tribal Affairs**
**Impact**
Acts as the nodal agency responsible for the strategic implementation and funding of nationwide health missions and specialized tribal schemes.
**Action Required**
Establish and oversee the sanctioned 17 Centers of Competence and ensure the continued operationalization of health facilities in tribal-dominated districts.
**Health Facilities and Anganwadi Centres**
**Impact**
Serve as the primary points of service delivery for clinical care, maternal counseling, and nutritional distribution.
**Action Required**
Implement standardized protocols for SAM/MAM treatment, maintain Lactation Management Centres, and provide high-quality protein and micronutrient-rich supplements to designated beneficiaries.
Key Entities Referenced
National Health Mission (NHM): The primary mission providing support for health infrastructure and human resources to improve healthcare accessibility in tribal-dominated districts.
Mission Poshan 2.0: A government initiative focused on maternal and child nutrition, addressing malnutrition (SAM/MAM) through supplementary nutrition and AYUSH practices.
Dharti Aaba Jantatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DA-JGUA): A flagship program of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs that includes components for establishing Centres of Competence to address sickle cell anemia.
National Mission to Eliminate Sickle Cell Anemia by 2047: A targeted mission focused on eliminating sickle cell anemia through advanced diagnostic facilities, awareness, and multidisciplinary expertise.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW): The nodal ministry responsible for the implementation of national health and nutrition programmes and the RMNCAH+N strategy.
Ministry of Tribal Affairs
Improvement in tribal health and nutrition
Posted On: 25 MAR 2026 2:25PM by PIB Delhi
The Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Shri Durgadas Uikey today informed Rajya Sabha that the
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) is the nodal ministry for implementation of health and
nutrition programmes. As per information received from Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, National
Health Mission (NHM) provides support for improvement in health infrastructure, availability of adequate
human resources in health facilities, to improve availability and accessibility to quality healthcare across
the country including all tribal dominated districts.
Various initiatives carried out under NHM by the Government of India in the country are
operationalisation of Ayushman Arogya Mandir (AAM), Free Drugs Service Initiative, Free Diagnostic
Service Initiative, National Ambulance Services, Mobile Medical Units, ASHAs, 24 x 7 Services and First
Referral Facilities, Prime Minister's National Dialysis Programme, various activities under Reproductive
& Child Health, Anaemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) strategy, TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan and Universal
Immunization programme.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is implementing Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child,
Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCAH+N) strategy in a life cycle approach under NHM, which
includes interventions to increase awareness and address undernutrition including calorie deficiency and
protein malnutrition across the country including all tribal dominated districts. Such programs are as
below:-
Facility Based New-born Care: Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs)/ Special Newborn Care
Units (SNCUs) are established at Medical College and District Hospital, New-born Stabilization
Units (NBSUs) are established at First Referral Units (FRUs)/Community Health Centres (CHCs)
for care of sick and small babies.
Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is implemented at facility and community level for low birth
weight/ pre-term babies. It includes early and prolonged skin-to-skin contact with the mother or
family member and exclusive and frequent breastfeeding.
Mothers’ Absolute Affection (MAA): Early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding for first six
months and appropriate Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices are promoted under
Mothers’ Absolute Affection (MAA).
Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres (NRCs) are established at public health facilities where children
with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and medical complications are admitted for treatment.
Lactation Management Centres are established to ensure availability of Mother’s Own Milk or
safe, pasteurized Donor Human Milk for feeding of sick, preterm, low birth weight babies admitted
in Neonatal Intensive Care Units and Special Newborn Care Units.
Anemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) is implemented to reduce the prevalence of anemia among six
beneficiary groups - Children (6-59 months), Children (5-9 years), Adolescents (10-19 years),
Women of reproductive age (15-49 years), pregnant women and lactating mothers in a lifecycle
approach.National Deworming Day (NDD)
Vitamin A supplementation Programme
Home Based New-born Care (HBNC) and Home-Based Care of Young
Children (HBYC) programme
Monthly Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Day (VHSND)
Under Mission Poshan 2.0, the Government focuses on Maternal Nutrition, Infant and Young Child
Feeding Norms, treatment of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM)/ Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM)
and wellness through AYUSH practices to reduce prevalence of wasting, stunting, anaemia and being
underweight. Supplementary Nutrition is provided to children age 6 months to 6 years, pregnant women,
lactating mothers and adolescent girls at Anganwadi centres as per nutrition norms, based on principles of
diet diversity that provides quality protein, healthy fats and micronutrients. Further, Ministry of Tribal
Affairs as a part of its effort to achieve the objectives of National Mission to Eliminate Sickle Cell Anemia
by 2047 has included the component of establishment of Centre of Competence (CoC) and Awareness
Generation and Counselling under its flagship program of Dharti Aaba Jantatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan
(DA-JGUA) launched by Hon’ble PM in October,2024.. CoCs act as centers of excellence, providing
advanced diagnostic facilities, patient support systems, and multidisciplinary expertise to address
hemoglobinopathies effectively. So far, the Ministry has sanctioned 17 Centers of Competence in 15
States, across the country including AIIMS with a budget of around Rs. 52 crores. - Telangana, Odisha,
Assam, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Maharashtra,
Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh
There are various mechanisms and survey agencies which generate data on tribal healthcare on a periodic
basis. National Family Health Survey (NFHS) provides details on major changes in malnutrition and
maternal health indicators among all the high-burden tribal/backward districts across the country. Census
of India provides population and household details including tribal/backward areas. National Sample
Survey provides household surveys on various socio-economic subjects. The State-wise list of key
indicators NFHS-5 may be extracted from below mentioned link: https://www.nfhsiips.in/nfhsuser/publica
tion.php
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