Parliament Question: Progress in Infant Mortality Rates

GOVERNMENT OFINDIA MINISTRYOFHEALTHAND FAMILYWELFARE DEPARTMENT OFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE LOK SABHA UNSTARREDQUESTION NO. 5668 TOBE ANSWERED ON27TH MARCH 2026 PROGRESSIN INFANTMORTALITYRATES 5668. ADV.CHANDRASHEKHAR: Will the Minister of HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFARE be pleased tostate: (a) whether the Government is concerned about the uneven progress in the decline of the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) which has reached to 25 per 1000 live births and the Under-5 Mortality Rate (U5MR) which has reached 29 per 1000 as per SRS 2023 and "Children in India 2025" with persistently higher rates in certain states despite NHM investments, if so, the details thereof; (b) the details of the recent Government data or preliminary NFHS-6 indicators on IMR/U5MR trendsup to2025,highlightingrural-urban andtribal gaps, State/UT-wise; (c)the mannerinwhich India's mortalityreductioncompares globally;and (d) the corrective measures, enhanced 2026-27 funding for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCAH+N) strategy, skilled birth attendance, emergency obstetric care and equity-focused interventions in underserved regions to ensure sustained andequitablegains? ANSWER THE MINISTER OFSTATE IN THE MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SMT. ANUPRIYAPATEL) (a) and (b) As per Sample Registration System (SRS) Report of Registrar General of India (RGI):  Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) reduced from 39 per 1000 live births in 2014 to 25 per1000live birthsin2023.  Under 5 Mortality Rate (U5MR) reduced from 45 per 1000 live birth in 2014 to 29per1000live birthsin2023. State/UT wise IMR andU5MR are placedinAnnexure I andAnnexure II respectively. The report of National Family HealthSurvey–6 isnot yet published. 1(c) As per the recently released United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) report, India achieved a 79% decline in under-five mortality (vs 61% globally), a 74% decline in Infant Mortality Rate (vs 56% globally), and a 70% decline in neonatal mortality (vs 54% globally) during 1990-2024, reflecting the impact of sustained Government interventions underNational HealthMission. (d) The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) supports in implementation of Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCAH +N) strategy underNational Health Mission (NHM)based onthe Annual Program Implementation Plan (APIP) submitted by respective State /UT. The details of interventions to improve maternal and child health outcome all across the country includingallthe region toensure sustained andequitablegainsare asfollows: o Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) is a demand promotion and conditional cash transfer scheme for promoting institutional delivery. o Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) entitles all pregnant women delivering in public health institutions to have free and no-expense delivery, including caesarean section. The entitlements include free drugs and consumables, free dietduring the stay, free diagnostics, free transportation and free blood transfusion, if required. Similar entitlements are also in place for sick infants. o Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) provides pregnant women a fixed day, free of cost, assured and quality antenatal checkup by a Specialist/Medical Officeronthe 9thdayof every month. o Extended PMSMA strategy focuses on quality antenatal care (ANC) for pregnant women, especially high-risk pregnant (HRP) women and individual HRP tracking with financial incentivization for the identified high-risk pregnant women and accompanying Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) for extra 3 visits over and above the PMSMAvisit. o Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN) aims to provide assured, dignified, respectful and quality healthcare at no cost and zero tolerance for denial of services for every woman and newborn visiting a public health facility, to end all preventable maternalandnewborn deaths. o Optimizing Postnatal Care aims to strengthen the quality of post-natal care by laying emphasis ondetection of dangersigns inmothersandincentivization of ASHAs for prompt detection, referral & treatment of such high-risk postpartum mothers. o The establishment of Special Newborn Care Units (SNCUs) and Newborn Stabilization Units (NBSUs) under Facility Based Newborn Care (FBNC) program to provide specialized care to sick and small newborns at district and sub-district levels, addressing neonatal healthcomplications. o Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Days (VHSNDs) are observed for provision of maternal and child health services and creating awareness on 2maternal and child care including nutrition in convergence with Ministry of WomenandChild Development. o ASHAs conduct scheduled home visits under Home-Based Newborn Care (HBNC) andHome-Based Care ofYoung Children (HBYC), improving child- rearing practices and identifying sick newborns and young children for timely referral andcare. o Early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding for first six months and appropriate Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices are promoted underMothers’Absolute Affection (MAA). o Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres (NRCs) are established at public health facilities where children with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and medical complicationsare admittedfor treatment. o 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 andSpecial NewbornCare Units. o The Social Awareness and Actions to Neutralize Pneumonia Successfully (SAANS) initiative targets pneumonia-related childhood morbidity and mortalitythrough enhanced awareness andearlyintervention. o STOP Diarrhoea campaign is implemented for promoting use of ORS and Zinc andfor reducingmorbidity andmortalitydue tochildhooddiarrhoea. o Under the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP), the Government provides 11 vaccines against 12 Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPDs) free of cost tochildrenandpregnant women, inpublic healthfacilities. o Children from 0 to 18 years of age are screened for 32 health conditions (i.e. Diseases, Deficiencies, Defects and Developmental delay) under Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) to improve child survival. District Early Intervention Centres (DEICs) at district healthfacility level are established for confirmationand management of childrenscreened underRBSK. ***** 3Annexure I Annexure referred to in reply to parts (a) and (b) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Q. No. 5668 to beanswered on27thMarch2026 Statusof Infant MortalityRate at NationalandState/UT level India 25 A&N Islands 9 Andhra Pradesh 19 Arunachal Pradesh 20 Assam 30 Bihar 23 Chandigarh 7 Chhattisgarh 37 Delhi 14 DNH & DD 9 Goa 6 Gujarat 20 Haryana 26 HimachalPradesh 14 Jammu & Kashmir 14 Jharkhand 29 Karnataka 14 Kerala 5 Ladakh 4 Lakshadweep 9 Madhya Pradesh 37 Maharashtra 14 Manipur 3 Meghalaya 34 Mizoram 13 Nagaland 10 Odisha 30 Puducherry 7 Punjab 17 Rajasthan 29 Sikkim 6 Tamil Nadu 12 Telangana 18 Tripura 15 Uttar Pradesh 37 Uttarakhand 20 West Bengal 17 Source:Sample Registration System 2023RGI Report https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/46172 Unit:Per1000live births 4Annexure II Annexure referred to in reply to parts (a) and (b) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Q. No. 5668 to beanswered on27thMarch2026 Statusof Under5 Mortality Rate at NationalandState/UT level India 29 Andhra Pradesh 21 Assam 33 Bihar 27 Chhattisgarh 41 Delhi 16 Gujarat 23 Haryana 30 HimachalPradesh 17 Jammu & Kashmir 15 Jharkhand 32 Karnataka 17 Kerala 8 Madhya Pradesh 44 Maharashtra 16 Odisha 35 Punjab 22 Rajasthan 34 Tamil Nadu 13 Telangana 22 Uttar Pradesh 42 Uttarakhand 23 West Bengal 18 Source:Sample Registration System, RGI Report https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/46172 Note: Available forIndia & biggerStates/UTs Unit:Per1000 live births 5