Lok Sabha Question No. 1747 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-16
Subject: Maternal Mortality
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Arvind Kumar Sharma, Bharatiben Dhirubhai Shyal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN & CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1747

TO BE ANSWERED ON 16.12.2022

## MATERNAL MORTALITY

1747.  DR. ARVIND KUMAR SHARMA: DR. BHARATIBEN DHIRUBHAI SHIYAL:

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- a.  whether it is a fact that every year lakhs of women die after giving birth to a child despite  eating  nutritious  food  and  benefiting  from  other  schemes  launched  for pregnant women in the country;
- b.  if so, the details of such deaths during the last three years, State-wise;
- c.  whether the Government has ascertained the reasons therefor; and
- d.  if  so, the findings thereof along with the steps being taken/likely to be taken by the Government to reduce maternal mortality rate?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

(a & b) As per the report of Sample Registration System (SRS) released by Registrar General of India (RGI), Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) of India has reduced by 6 points from 103, per 100,000 live births in SRS 2017-19 to 97 in SRS 2018-20. The State/UT wise MMR, as available in SRS Report, is Annexed .

(c)  As  per  the  Registrar  General  of  India  -  Sample  Registration  System  report  titled 'Maternal Mortality in India: 2001-2003 trends, causes and risk factors', major primary causes  of  maternal  deaths  in  the  country  are  haemorrhage  (38%),  sepsis  (11%), hypertensive  disorders  (5%),  obstructed  labour  (5%),  abortion  (8%)  &  Other  (34%) which includes anaemia.

- (d)  Government  has  accorded  highest  priority  to  maternal  health  through  following interventions:
-  Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana: Government of India is  implementing the  Pradhan  Mantri  Matru  Vandana  Yojana  (PMMVY)  with  effect  from  1st January  2017.  As  part  of  Mission  Shakti,  under  PMMVY  cash  incentive  is provided to improve health seeking behaviour amongst Pregnant Women .
-  Under the scheme, maternity benefits of Rs.5,000/is provided in two installments to Expectant mothers, and for the second child, (if girl), Rs 6000 in a single installment is provided.
-  Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN) provides assured, dignified, respectful  and  quality  healthcare  at  no  cost  and  zero  tolerance  for  denial  of services for every woman and newborn visiting public health facilities to end all preventable maternal and newborn deaths.
-  Janani  Suraksha  Yojana  (JSY) ,  a  demand  promotion  and  conditional  cash transfer scheme for promoting institutional delivery.
-  Under Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) , every pregnant woman is entitled to free delivery, including caesarean section, in public health institutions along with the provision of free transport, diagnostics, medicines, consumables & diet.
-  Pradhan  Mantri  Surakshit  Matritva  Abhiyan  (PMSMA) provides  pregnant women a fixed  day,  free  of  cost  assured  and  quality  antenatal  check  up  by  a Specialist/Medical Officer on the 9th day of every month.
-  LaQshya improves  the  quality  of  care  in  labour  room  and  maternity  operation theatres  to  ensure  that  pregnant  women  receive  respectful  and  quality  care during delivery and immediate post-partum.
-  Monthly Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Day (VHSND) is an outreach activity at Anganwadi centers for provision of maternal and child care including nutrition in convergence with the ICDS.
-  Poshan Tracker application  facilitates  monitoring  of  delivery  of  supplementary nutrition, in the form of Take Home Ration (not raw ration) to Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers registered at Anganwadi Centres.
-  Reproductive  and  child  health  (RCH) portal is  a  name-based  web-enabled tracking  system  for  pregnant  women  and  new  born  so  as  to  ensure  seamless provision  of  regular  and  complete  services  to  them  including  antenatal  care, institutional delivery and post-natal care.
-  Further, under Poshan Abhiyan, anemia control and prevention is one of the key sutras  of  Poshan  ke  paanch  sutras.  Jan  Andolan/  Bhagidari  is  a  key  plank  of Poshan  Abhiyan  to  bring  about  awareness  and  behaviour  change.  Under  Jan Andolan,  Poshan  Maah  is  conducted  every  year  in  September  and  Poshan Pakhwada is conducted every year in March. In Poshan Pakhwada 2022, close to  14.79  lakh  activities  and  in  Poshan  Pakhwada  2022,  close  to  48.77  lakh activities  were  conducted  across  the  country  on  Anemia  camps,  sensitization, screening etc.

Further,  the  Government  of  India  has  launched  Anemia  Mukt  Bharat  (AMB) strategy with the target to reduce anemia in women, children and adolescents in life  cycle  approach. The 6x6x6 strategy under AMB implies six age groups, six interventions  and  six  institutional  mechanisms.  The  six  interventions  under Anemia Mukt Bharat strategy include, Prophylactic Iron Folic Acid Supplementation, Periodic de-worming, Intensified year-round Behaviour Change Communication  Campaign,  Testing  and  treatment  of  anemia,  using  digital methods and point of care treatment, Convergence and coordination with other line departments and ministries for strengthening implementation etc

*******

| Name of the State/UTs   |   SRS' 2017-19 |   SRS' 2018-20 |
|-------------------------|----------------|----------------|
| Assam                   |            205 |            195 |
| Madhya Pradesh          |            163 |            173 |
| Uttar Pradesh           |            167 |            167 |
| Chhattisgarh            |            160 |            137 |
| Odisha                  |            136 |            119 |
| Bihar                   |            130 |            118 |
| Rajasthan               |            141 |            113 |
| Haryana                 |             96 |            110 |
| Punjab                  |            114 |            105 |
| West Bengal             |            109 |            103 |
| Uttarakhand             |            101 |            103 |
| India                   |            103 |             97 |
| Karnataka               |             83 |             69 |
| Gujarat                 |             70 |             57 |
| Jharkhand               |             61 |             56 |
| Tamil Nadu              |             58 |             54 |
| Andhra Pradesh          |             58 |             45 |
| Telangana               |             56 |             43 |
| Maharashtra             |             38 |             33 |
| Kerala                  |             30 |             19 |

*******