**Executive Summary**
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), in collaboration with the WHO India, organized a two-day Chintan Shivir in New Delhi from December 22nd to 23rd, 2025. The Shivir aimed to strengthen interministerial and intersectoral convergence for influenza preparedness and response. Key stakeholders deliberated on strengthening preparedness and response mechanisms ahead of the upcoming influenza season.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Purpose and Scope:**
* The Chintan Shivir aimed to provide a structured platform for deliberations to strengthen influenza preparedness and response.
* It focused on interministerial and intersectoral convergence.
* The meeting involved approximately 110 representatives from various ministries, departments, and institutions.
* **Focus Areas:**
* Importance of Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP)
* Need for aligned preparedness and response activities, including surge capacities
* The necessity of convergence across sectors for surveillance, early warning, laboratory preparedness, clinical readiness, and risk communication.
* **Outcomes:**
* Development of a practical preparedness checklist for States, UTs, and institutions
* Identification of gaps and time-bound follow-up actions.
* Emphasis on timely information sharing, role clarity, and coordinated action.
* **One Health Approach:**
* The initiative aims to strengthen India's pandemic preparedness and response through a One Health lens.
**Impact Analysis**
**Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW)**
* **Impact:** Responsible for organizing the Chintan Shivir and coordinating influenza preparedness and response efforts across the country. The MoHFW is to monitor seasonal influenza trends via the IDSP network.
* **Action Required:** To implement the outcomes of the Shivir, including the preparedness checklist, and ensure coordinated action across various departments and states.
**States and Union Territories**
* **Impact:** Responsible for implementing influenza preparedness and response measures at the regional level.
* **Action Required:** Review their preparedness using the developed checklist, identify gaps, and take time-bound follow-up actions to strengthen their response capabilities.
**National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)**
* **Impact:** Collaborating with the MoHFW and WHO India in organizing the Chintan Shivir.
* **Action Required:** Contribute to the implementation of the outcomes of the Shivir and support States and UTs in strengthening their influenza preparedness.
**Other Ministries and Departments (e.g., Environment, Animal Husbandry, Agriculture)**
* **Impact:** Their involvement is crucial for a "One Health" approach to influenza preparedness, considering animal and environmental factors.
* **Action Required:** Collaborate and coordinate with the MoHFW and other stakeholders to implement a comprehensive influenza preparedness and response strategy.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare: The primary organizer of the Chintan Shivir, responsible for health policies and programs.
Influenza Chintan Shivir: Two-day workshop focused on strengthening influenza preparedness through intersectoral convergence.
Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP): A surveillance system used by the Union Health Ministry to monitor seasonal influenza trends across States and UTs.
National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC): Collaborated with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to organize the Chintan Shivir.
World Health Organization (WHO): Collaborated with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to organize the Chintan Shivir.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Union Health Ministry Holds Two-Day Chintan
Shivir to Strengthen Influenza Preparedness
through Intersectoral Convergence
Preparedness, Surveillance and Surge Capacity Key to
Upcoming Influenza Season: JP Nadda
Centre, States and Multiple Sectors Unite to Enhance
Influenza Preparedness and Response
Influenza Preparedness Cannot Remain Siloed; Calls for
Whole-of-Government Approach: Union Health Minister
प्रव तथ: 22 DEC 2025 5:40PM by PIB Delhi
The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), in
collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) India, is organizing a two-day Chintan Shivir on
“Strengthening Interministerial and Intersectoral Convergence for Influenza Preparedness and Response”
from 22nd to 23rd December 2025 in New Delhi. The Chintan Shivir aims to provide a structured
platform for deliberations among key stakeholders to strengthen preparedness and response mechanisms
ahead of the upcoming influenza season in the country.Addressing the inaugural session virtually today, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Shri
Jagat Prakash Nadda, stated that the Chintan Shivir offers an important opportunity for all stakeholders to
deliberate on various dimensions of preparedness for resilience against influenza. He emphasized that it is
vital to ensure preparedness and response activities, including surge capacities, are well aligned for the
forthcoming influenza season. The Union Health Minister further underlined the importance of the
Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), stressing that coordinated and synergistic efforts by
the Centre and States are essential to ensure robust and collaborative surveillance systems across India.
The Chintan Shivir witnessed participation from around 110 representatives from a wide range of
ministries, departments and institutions, reflecting strong multisectoral engagement. Participants included
officials from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Department of Animal Husbandry
and Dairying, Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) of the Ministry of Health & Family
Welfare, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR),
National Institute of Virology (NIV), partner organizations, and States and Union Territories. Eleven
States participated in person, while others joined virtually, enabling cross-learning through the sharing of
best practices and experiences.
Influenza continues to pose a significant public health challenge in India and globally, with periodic
outbreaks resulting in substantial morbidity and mortality, particularly among vulnerable populations such
as young children, older adults, pregnant women and individuals with chronic illnesses. Against this
backdrop, the Chintan Shivir was convened at a critical juncture. The Union Health Ministry continues to
closely monitor seasonal influenza trends across States and UTs in real time through the IDSP network.
Deliberations emphasized that influenza preparedness cannot remain siloed and must be supported
through convergence across sectors for surveillance, early warning, laboratory preparedness, clinical
readiness and effective risk communication.A key outcome of the Chintan Shivir is the advancement of a more structured and actionable approach to
preparedness review by States, UTs and institutions. This includes the development of a practical
preparedness checklist to support readiness assessments, identify gaps and guide time-bound follow-up
actions. The discussions reinforced the need for timely information sharing, clarity of roles and
responsibilities, and coordinated action across departments.
The Chintan Shivir marks an important step towards strengthening One Health–based preparedness by
linking human, animal and environmental health systems. By fostering whole-of-government coordination
through a One Health lens, the initiative contributes to strengthening India’s pandemic preparedness and
response capabilities and advancing national and global health security, in the spirit of Vasudhaiva
Kutumbakam.
***SR
HFW/NCDC Influenza Chintan Shivir/22Dec2025/1
(रलीज़ आईडी: 2207460) आगंतुक पटल : 523
इस वज्ञ को इन भाषाओ ंम पढ़: Urdu , ही , Punjabi , Tamil