Lok Sabha Question No. 3049 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-01-05
Subject: Awareness about Breastfeeding among Women
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: UDIT RAJ

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3049 TO BE ANSWERED ON   5 TH JANUARY, 2018

## AWARENESS ABOUT BREA STFEEDING AMONG WOME N

## 3049. DR. UDIT RAJ:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government maintain data about the number of women who breastfeed the newborns within one - hour of birth;
- (b) if so, the details thereof; and
- (c)  whether  the  Governm ent  has  undertaken  any  initiatives  to  increase  awareness  about  t importance of breastfeeding among women in the country and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- (a)  &  (b): Yes.  According  to  National  Family  Health  Survey  4  (2015 - 16),  41.6  percent  of children in the country under age 3 years were breastfed within one hour of birth. State/ details are given in Annexure I.   Further, according to the data uploaded by the States /UTs on theHealth Management Information system (HMIS) portal of the Ministry of Health and Famil Welfare (MoHFW), 1,83,10,666 newborns in the country were breastfed within one hour of bir during 2016 - 17. State/UT wise details are given in Annex ure II.
- (c):  MoHFW has implemented a nationwide programme called 'Mother's Absolute Affection (MAA)' under National Health Mission for promotion of breastfeeding practices.
- Capacity  building  of  health  staffs  and  Accredited  Social  Health  Activists(ASHA s)  in appropriate  breastfeeding  practices  combined  with  360  degree  IEC  (Information  Educat Communication)  /  BCC  (Behaviour  Change  Communication)  activities  for  breastfeeding promotion is under taken under this programme.
- In addition, carrying out of vi llage level mothers' meeting by ASHAs is one of the key activities of this MAA programme which aim to increase awareness about the importance breastfeeding among women in India by community participation.
- MAA programme envisages the promotion of breast f eding in health facilities as well as communities  by  making  women  aware  as  well  providing  skilled  counselling  support  fo appropriate breastfeeding practices.

Breastfeeding promotion is being taken as a core thematic area during Ante Natal counselling to pregnant mothers and during Village Health and Nutrition Days meetings.

..........................

Annexure - I - 4(2015 - 16)

Children under age 3 years breastfed within one hour of birth (%) -NFHS

|   Serial No. | State /UTs                  |   Children under age 3 years breastfed within one hour of birth (in %) |
|--------------|-----------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|            1 | Andaman and Nicobar Islands |                                                                   41.9 |
|            2 | Andhra Pradesh              |                                                                   40.1 |
|            3 | Arunachal Pradesh           |                                                                   58.7 |
|            4 | Assam                       |                                                                   64.4 |
|            5 | Bihar                       |                                                                   34.9 |
|            6 | Chandigarh                  |                                                                   33.5 |
|            7 | Chhattisgarh                |                                                                   47.1 |
|            8 | Dadra and Nagar Haveli      |                                                                   47.8 |
|            9 | Daman and Diu               |                                                                   55.8 |
|           10 | Delhi                       |                                                                   29.1 |
|           11 | Goa                         |                                                                   73.3 |
|           12 | Gujarat                     |                                                                   50   |
|           13 | Haryana                     |                                                                   42.4 |
|           14 | Himachal Pradesh            |                                                                   41.1 |
|           15 | Jammu and Kashmir           |                                                                   46   |
|           16 | Jharkhand                   |                                                                   33.2 |
|           17 | Karnataka                   |                                                                   56.4 |
|           18 | Kerala                      |                                                                   64.3 |
|           19 | Lakshadweep                 |                                                                   54.3 |
|           20 | Madhya Pradesh              |                                                                   34.5 |
|           21 | Maharashtra                 |                                                                   57.5 |
|           22 | Manipur                     |                                                                   65.4 |
|           23 | Meghalaya                   |                                                                   60.6 |
|           24 | Mizoram                     |                                                                   70.2 |
|           25 | Nagaland                    |                                                                   53.2 |
|           26 | Odisha                      |                                                                   68.6 |
|           27 | Puducherry                  |                                                                   65.3 |
|           28 | Punjab                      |                                                                   30.7 |
|           29 | Rajasthan                   |                                                                   28.4 |
|           30 | Sikkim                      |                                                                   66.5 |
|           31 | Tamil Nadu                  |                                                                   54.7 |
|           32 | Telangana                   |                                                                   37.1 |
|           33 | Tripura                     |                                                                   44.4 |
|           34 | Uttarakhand                 |                                                                   27.8 |
|           35 | Uttar Pradesh               |                                                                   25.2 |
|           36 | West Bengal                 |                                                                   47.5 |

Note: Based on the last child born in the 5 years before the survey.

Source: NFHS- 4 (2015 - 16) factsheets.

Annexure - II within one hour of birth during 2016

States/UTs wise number of newborns breastfed - 17

| Serial No.                                                                            | States/UTs                                                                            | Number of Newborns breastfed within 1 hour of birth                                   |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1                                                                                     | Andaman and Nicobar Islands                                                           | 4,023                                                                                 |
| 2                                                                                     | Andhra Pradesh                                                                        | 7,03,848                                                                              |
| 3                                                                                     | Arunachal Pradesh                                                                     | 4,090                                                                                 |
| 4                                                                                     | Assam                                                                                 | 5,93,534                                                                              |
| 5                                                                                     | Bihar                                                                                 | 19,77,535                                                                             |
| 6                                                                                     | Chandigarh                                                                            | 21,026                                                                                |
| 7                                                                                     | Chhattisgarh                                                                          | 4,48,049                                                                              |
| 8                                                                                     | Dadra and Nagar Haveli                                                                | 6,120                                                                                 |
| 9                                                                                     | Daman and Diu                                                                         | 1,973                                                                                 |
| 10                                                                                    | Delhi                                                                                 | 1,98,179                                                                              |
| 11                                                                                    | Goa                                                                                   | 13,054                                                                                |
| 12                                                                                    | Gujarat                                                                               | 10,62,720                                                                             |
| 13                                                                                    | Haryana                                                                               | 4,31,994                                                                              |
| 14                                                                                    | Himachal Pradesh                                                                      | 77,536                                                                                |
| 15                                                                                    | Jammu and Kashmir                                                                     | 1,74,133                                                                              |
| 16                                                                                    | Jharkhand                                                                             | 6,62,536                                                                              |
| 17                                                                                    | Karnataka                                                                             | 8,61,440                                                                              |
| 18                                                                                    | Kerala                                                                                | 4,27,907                                                                              |
| 19                                                                                    | Lakshadweep                                                                           | 800                                                                                   |
| 20                                                                                    | Madhya Pradesh                                                                        | 12,84,984                                                                             |
| 21                                                                                    | Maharashtra                                                                           | 15,68,169                                                                             |
| 22                                                                                    | Manipur                                                                               | 34,832                                                                                |
| 23                                                                                    | Meghalaya                                                                             | 76,049                                                                                |
| 24                                                                                    | Mizoram                                                                               | 18,548                                                                                |
| 25                                                                                    | Nagaland                                                                              | 18,160                                                                                |
| 26                                                                                    | Odisha                                                                                | 5,80,439                                                                              |
| 27                                                                                    | Puducherry                                                                            | 34,077                                                                                |
| 28                                                                                    | Punjab                                                                                | 3,02,988                                                                              |
| 29                                                                                    | Rajasthan                                                                             | 12,70,703                                                                             |
| 30                                                                                    | Sikkim                                                                                | 5,590                                                                                 |
| 31                                                                                    | Tamil Nadu                                                                            | 5,02,415                                                                              |
| 32                                                                                    | Telangana                                                                             | 3,56,685                                                                              |
| 33                                                                                    | Tripura                                                                               | 46,800                                                                                |
| 34                                                                                    | Uttar Pradesh                                                                         | 33,06,965                                                                             |
| 35                                                                                    | Uttarakhand                                                                           | 1,29,799                                                                              |
| 36                                                                                    | West Bengal                                                                           | 10,92,966                                                                             |
| Source - Data as uploaded by the States /UTs on HMIS portal (Status as on 22.12 2017) | Source - Data as uploaded by the States /UTs on HMIS portal (Status as on 22.12 2017) | Source - Data as uploaded by the States /UTs on HMIS portal (Status as on 22.12 2017) |