Parliament Question: Indicators in NFHS-4 and NFHS-5

GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE LOK SABHA UNSTARREDQUESTION NO. 1141 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24-07-2026 INDICATORSIN NFHS-4AND NFHS-5 1141:DR D RAVIKUMAR:

Will the Minister of HEALTH & FAMILYWELFARE be pleasedtostate:

(a) whether the Government is aware that several indicators available in NFHS-4 and NFHS-5 including anaemia prevalence, haemoglobin levels among women and children, infant and child mortality, perinatal mortality, sanitation, access to clean cooking fuel, sex ratio, sexual behaviour and household deaths, have not been included in the NFHS-6 factsheets;

(b) if so, the details thereof alongwith the reasons for excluding these indicatorsfrom the published factsheets;

(c) whether these indicators have been collected during NFHS-6 and if so, the timeline for makingthe data publicly available;

(d) whether the Government proposes torestore continuity inreportingthese indicatorsto facilitateevidence-based policyplanningandlongitudinalcomparisons; and

(e) if so, the detailsthereof? ANSWER THE MINISTER OFHEALTH & FAMILYWELFARE (SHRIJAGATPRAKASH NADDA)

(a) to (e): The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW) conducts an integrated survey namely National Family Health Survey (NFHS). The survey provides data on health and family welfare and associated domains like characteristics of the population; fertility and fertility preferences; family planning; maternal and child health; nutrition; morbidity and healthcare; women’s empowerment, etc. The National and State/UT Fact Sheets of sixth roundof NFHS(2023-24) werereleasedon29.05.2026.

The indicators to be included in the NFHS-6 National and State/UT Fact Sheets were finalized based on the recommendations of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) constituted for NFHS-6, comprising representatives from concerned Ministries/Departments including Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Women & Child Development (MoWCD), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation(MoSPI), Office of Registrar General of India (ORGI), NITI Aayog, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Indian Council of Medical Research

(ICMR)etc.

The TAC recommendedfinalizing the list of indicatorsfor the FactSheetsin line with the Data Harmonization initiatives of the MoSPI, so as to avoid inconsistencies arising from fragmented and unharmonized data available across different official data sources. The TAC further recommended that the Fact Sheets are intended to present only key indicators, particularly those related to health and family welfare, so as to better highlight the key takeawaysofthesurvey.

The Ministry timely disseminates NFHS data by conducting regular follow-ups with the nodal agency and regular meetings at higher levels to monitor progress and oversee intermediarysteps. *******