**Executive Summary**
This document is a response to a parliamentary question regarding the prevalence of anaemia and sickle cell disease in India, answered on February 13, 2026. It details the government's initiatives, specifically the Anaemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) strategy and the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission (NSCAEM), including their implementation, scope, and monitoring mechanisms. The response outlines government measures to reduce anaemia and address sickle cell disease, including screening, treatment, and awareness programs across various states.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Anaemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) Strategy:**
* Implements a life cycle approach across the country, including Maharashtra, to reduce anaemia prevalence.
* Targets six beneficiary groups: children (6-59 months), children (5-9 years), adolescents (10-19 years), pregnant and lactating women, and women of reproductive age (15-49 years).
* Utilizes six interventions: IFA supplementation, deworming, intensified Behavioural Change Communication, anaemia testing and treatment, mandatory provision of IFA fortified food, and addressing non-nutritional causes like malaria.
* **National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission (NSCAEM):**
* Conducts screenings for individuals aged 0-40 years at health facilities (District Hospitals to Ayushman Arogya Mandir level) in 17 affected tribal states.
* As of February 3, 2026, over 6.83 crore screenings conducted, identifying 2,37,981 diseased individuals and 19,32,500 carriers.
* Includes Hydroxyurea in NHM Essential Drugs List to improve access to medicine.
* Provides follow-up, counseling, nutritional support (folic acid tablets), yoga sessions, and crisis symptom management at health facilities (AAM-Sub Health Centres and AAM-Primary Health Centres).
* **Centers of Excellence (CoE):**
* The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has devised cost norms for the establishment of Centres of Excellence (CoE) on SCD funded by Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA).
* 17 CoEs in 15 states have been approved by MoTA.
* **Awareness and Monitoring:**
* Awareness and counseling material disseminated to States & UTs through MoTA.
* Awareness raised through monthly Ayushman Arogya Shivirs for various health programmes including SCD.
* Performance of health programmes assessed via review meetings, field visits, service delivery benchmarks, and annual Common Review Missions (CRMs).
* **Budget Allocation and Expenditure:**
* State/UT-wise SPIP Approval and Expenditure for Blood Services & Disorders and Anaemia Mukt Bharat under NHM for F.Y. 2025-26 is at Annexure.
**Impact Analysis**
**Beneficiaries (Children, Adolescents, Women of Reproductive Age, Pregnant and Lactating Women)**
* **Impact:**
* Improved health outcomes through reduced anaemia prevalence.
* Early diagnosis and management of sickle cell disease.
* **Action Required:**
* Participate in screening and supplementation programs.
* Adhere to treatment and lifestyle management recommendations.
**Healthcare Facilities (District Hospitals, Sub Health Centres, Primary Health Centres, Ayushman Arogya Mandir)**
* **Impact:**
* Increased workload related to screening, treatment, and awareness activities.
* Need for trained personnel to manage anaemia and sickle cell disease programs.
* **Action Required:**
* Conduct screenings, provide treatment, and offer counseling services.
* Maintain data and participate in monitoring and evaluation activities.
**State and Union Territory Governments**
* **Impact:**
* Required to implement and monitor anaemia and sickle cell disease programs.
* Responsible for budgetary allocation and expenditure of funds.
* **Action Required:**
* Develop and implement State Programme Implementation Plans (SPIPs).
* Submit financial reports and participate in Common Review Missions (CRMs).
**Ministry of Health and Family Welfare/Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA)**
* **Impact**
* Coordinating and overseeing the implementation of national health programs.
* Monitoring program performance and outcomes.
* **Action Required:**
* Allocate and disburse funds for Anaemia Mukt Bharat and NSCAEM.
* Monitor the progress and implementation status of various schemes
* Establish the Centres of Excellence (CoE) on SCD.
Key Entities Referenced
Anaemia Mukt Bharat (AMB): A Government of India strategy to reduce the prevalence of anaemia.
National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission (NSCAEM): A mission focused on screening and managing sickle cell anaemia.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare: The central ministry responsible for health policies and programs in India.
National Health Mission (NHM): A scheme under which the Anaemia Mukt Bharat and other blood services & disorders including Sickle Cell Anaemia are implemented.
Maharashtra: One of the states where interventions for Anaemia Mukt Bharat are being carried out.
GOVERNMENT OFINDIA
MINISTRYOFHEALTHAND FAMILYWELFARE
DEPARTMENT OFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARREDQUESTION NO. 2438
TOBE ANSWERED ON 13thFEBRUARY,2026
PREVALENCE OFANAEMIAAND SICKLE CELLDISEASE
2438.SHRITATKARE SUNILDATTATREY:
Will the Ministerof HEALTH AND FAMILYWELFAREbe pleasedtostate:
(a) the specific targets and timelines fixed by the Government under Anaemia Mukt Bharat
(AMB) and the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission for reduction in the
prevalenceof anaemia andsickle celldisease, includingbaseline year-wisetargets;
(b) the budgetary allocation made for Anaemia Mukt Bharat and the National Sickle Cell
Anaemia Elimination Mission for the financial year 2025–26 and the details of the
component-wise andState-wise proposed utilisationof these funds;
(c) the measures being taken by the Government to strengthen the distribution, coverage and
adherence of Iron and Folic Acid (IFA) supplementation among young children and pregnant
women, particularlyinMaharashtra; and
(d) whether the Government proposes to scale up screening, including newborn screening,
genetic counselling and comprehensive care for sickle cell anaemia in high-burden districts
and if so, the details thereof along with the monitoring and evaluation framework being used
bythe Ministry toassess the impactof such interventions?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OFSTATE IN THE MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILY
WELFARE
(SMT. ANUPRIYAPATEL)
(a) to (d): The Government of India implements Anaemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) strategy in a
life cycle approach across the country, including the State of Maharashtra, to reduce
prevalence of anaemia among six beneficiaries - children(6-59 months), children (5-9 years),
adolescents (10-19 years), pregnant and lactating women and in women of reproductive age
group (15-49 years) in life cycle approach through implementation of six interventions via
robust institutional mechanism. These six interventions include Prophylactic Iron and Folic
Acid (IFA) supplementation, Deworming, Intensified Behavioural Change Communication
campaign, Testing for anaemia and treatment as per anaemia management protocols,
mandatory provision of IFA fortified food in public health programmes and addressing non
nutritionalcauses of anaemia especiallymalaria,fluorosis andhemoglobinopathies.
Under National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission (NSCAEM), screenings in the
targeted age group of 0-40 years are conducted at all health facilities from District Hospitals
(DH) uptoAyushman Arogya Mandir (AAM) levelinaffected17tribal states for diagnosis ofSickle Cell Disease (SCD). As per SCD portal, more than 6.83 crore screenings have been
conducted in tribal dominated areas of the country as on 03.02.2026. A total of 2,37,981
individualshave beenidentified asdiseased and19,32,500ascarriers, ason03.02.2026.
State/UT-wise State Programme Implementation Plan (SPIP) approvals and expenditure for
Anaemia Mukt Bharat and Blood Services & Disorders including Sickle Cell Anaemia under
National HealthMission (NHM) for F.Y. 2025-26 inthe countryisat Annexure.
Hydroxyurea hasbeen includedinNHM Essential Drugs List at allhealth facilitiestoaddress
the issue of access to medicine. Patients living with SCD are provided with the following
services/ facilities for improving their quality of life through AAM- Sub Health Centres
(SHC)andAAM- PrimaryHealthCentres(PHCs):
• Follow-upof diseased individualsat frequent intervals.
• Counseling regardinglifestyle management,pre-marriage andpre-nataldecisions.
• Nutritional supplementationsupport through distribution of folic acidtablets.
• Conductingyoga andwellness sessions.
• Management of crisis symptoms andreferral tohigherfacilities.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has devised the cost norms for establishment of
Centresof Excellence(CoE) onSCDfunded by Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) invarious
states. 17 CoEsin15states have beenapproved byMoTA.
ThroughMoTA, awareness andcounseling material have beendevelopedanddisseminated to
the States & UTs. Through monthly Ayushman Arogya Shivirs, awareness is raised for
varioushealthprogrammesincluding SCD.
Under NHM, the performance of various health programmes is regularly assessed, through
review meetings, mid-term reviews of key deliverables, field visits of senior officials,
promoting performance by setting up benchmarks for service delivery & rewarding
achievements etc. Common Review Missions (CRM) are conducted annually to assess and
monitorthe progress andimplementation status of variousschemes.
*****Annexure referredtoinreplytoparts (a)to(d) of LokSabhaUnstarred Question No. 2438
for replyon 13.02.2026
Annexure
State/UT-wise SPIPApproval and Expenditure for Blood Services & Disorders and Anaemia
Mukt Bharat underNHM for F.Y.2025-26
(Rs.inLakhs)
S.No. State/UT AnaemiaMuktBharat BloodServices&Disorders
SPIPApproval Expenditure SPIPApproval Expenditure
1 Andamanand 53.77 15.07 54.61 1.47
NicobarIslands
2 AndhraPradesh 9,188.34 2,601.39 1522.34 1595.61
3 ArunachalPradesh 1,680.52 86.70 173.73 36.17
4 Assam 2,984.23 368.18 1818.51 76.84
5 Bihar 11,301.80 4,652.66 1750.88 1112.63
6 Chandigarh 4.16 0.12 4.64 2.82
7 Chhattisgarh 5,550.65 853.47 6612.69 316.79
8 Dadra&Nagar 74.51 8.44 7.50 0.00
Haveli andDaman
&Diu
9 Delhi 1,141.12 148.73 2714.35 0.00
10 Goa 114.05 11.68 0.00 0.00
11 Gujarat 8,394.39 1,070.56 1857.16 88.61
12 Haryana 2,469.05 221.22 380.05 6.44
13 HimachalPradesh 804.50 96.67 294.50 112.44
14 Jammuand 1,327.57 136.99 489.99 0.64
Kashmir
15 Jharkhand 9,298.37 2,605.34 1730.98 1169.52
16 Karnataka 2,070.06 131.89 4106.18 1116.55
17 Kerala 2,512.75 620.13 5521.39 4599.98
18 Ladakh 58.44 15.36 32.55 0.46
19 Lakshadweep 9.42 0.85 2.10 0.00
20 MadhyaPradesh 11,397.15 1,361.12 6406.08 12415.14
21 Maharashtra 10,308.58 724.73 12860.55 2160.70
22 Manipur 934.69 50.03 510.06 240.31
23 Meghalaya 928.50 90.96 353.27 63.94
24 Mizoram 268.89 27.41 30.61 7.11
25 Nagaland 438.48 130.78 110.90 0.00
26 Odisha 2,636.93 1,345.31 5401.05 1494.28
27 Puducherry 206.76 32.67 17.66 0.00
28 Punjab 2,434.81 45.78 7554.84 0.20
29 Rajasthan 7,981.26 203.33 7690.83 375.38
30 Sikkim 80.95 23.67 9.01 3.83
31 TamilNadu 600.25 158.66 7432.68 5098.18
32 Telangana 4,586.60 - 4640.75 0.00
33 Tripura 823.57 201.36 36.31 36.29
34 UttarPradesh 31,418.36 681.82 42749.12 291.72
35 Uttarakhand 1,862.52 87.58 610.53 825.82
36 WestBengal 6,941.85 1,390.24 8162.51 1993.58
Note:
1.TheabovedataisasperavailableFMRsassubmittedbyStates/UTsandisprovisional.
2.ExpenditureincludesexpenditureagainstCentralRelease,Staterelease&unspentbalancesatthebeginningoftheyear.
ExpenditureisasperFMRssubmittedbyStates/UTsandisprovisional.Theexpenditurew.r.t.flexiblepoolforRCH,etc.is
updatedup-to30.11.2025exceptforPunjab(updatedupto31.07.2025),Haryana,Delhi,Lakshadweep(updatedupto
31.08.2025),AndhraPradesh,Sikkim,Goa(updatedupto30.09.2025)&TamilNadu(updatedupto31.10.2025).
*****