Lok Sabha Question No. 306 (STARRED), answered on 2025-03-21
Subject: Kilkari Programme
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Smt. Delkar Kalaben Mohanbhai, Dr. Shivaji Bandappa Kalge

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

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. †*306 TO BE ANSWERED ON 21 ST  MARCH, 2025

## KILKARI PROGRAMME

## †*306: Dr. SHIVAJI BANDAPPA KALGE: SMT. DELKAR KALABEN MOHANBHAI:

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

- (a) the  date  on  which  the  Kilkari  Programme  has  been  launched  and  the  names  of  States which are covered therein, State/UT-wise particularly in Sambhaji Nagar district of Maharashtra and Dadra and Nagar Haveli district of UT;
- (b) the  manner  in  which  the  Kilkari  Programme  addresses  the  maternal  and  child  health challenges in the country;
- (c) whether  the  call  services  handled  successfully  for  health  services  under  the  said programme have impacted the overall reach and effectiveness of the said programme so far; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

(SHRI JAGAT PRAKASH NADDA)

- (a) to (d): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. †*306 FOR 21 st  MARCH, 2025

…..

(a) to (d):  The Kilkari program is a mobile based service launched on 15 th January 2016 as a part of its Digital India initiative, for new and expectant mothers aimed at encouraging them to make  healthier  choices  for  their  new-born  care  by  delivering  messages  about  pregnancy, childbirth and childcare directly to the beneficiaries.

It  is  an  audio based service and hence overcomes the literacy challenges of rural India. Kilkari delivers free, weekly, time appropriate audio messages about pregnancy, child birth and child care via Interactive Voice Response (IVR) to women registered in RCH portal. Messaging begins in the second trimester of pregnancy and continues until the child is one-year-old. The pregnant mother data is fetched from RCH portal to Kilkari through web service which has been implemented between both the applications.

The program informs mothers and families about behaviours and practices to be adopted during pregnancy and infancy. The weekly messages help families to educate, remind and also reinforce the prioritized actions for  each week during this crucial period. This action not only saves  lives  of  pregnant  women  and  children  from  several  risks  but  also  ensures  a  healthy outcome.

The  Kilkari  project  is  currently  operational  in  27  States/UTs  namely  Andhra  Pradesh, Andaman  &  Nicobar  Islands,  Assam,  Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Dadra & Nagar Haveli  and  Daman  &  Diu,  Arunachal  Pradesh,  Manipur,  Mizoram  and  Nagaland.  Currently, Kilkari program is running in 13 languages viz. Assamese, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Konkani, Marathi, Meitei, Mizo, Odia, Telugu and English.

The number of successful calls achieved under Kilkari project during last few years is given below:

## Successful calls achieved under Kilkari

|   S. No. | Year                  | Total Number of Successful Calls   |
|----------|-----------------------|------------------------------------|
|        1 | 2017-18               | 6,44,29,759                        |
|        2 | 2018-19               | 8,34,19,787                        |
|        3 | 2019-20               | 8,00,04,848                        |
|        4 | 2020-21               | 7,32,10,598                        |
|        5 | 2021-22               | 4,75,45,063                        |
|        6 | 2022-23               | 7,71,16,051                        |
|        7 | 2023-24               | 9,80,83,574                        |
|        8 | 2024-25 (Till Feb'25) | 16,22,94,406                       |

In Maharashtra State, a total of 1,77,65,144 successful calls were achieved in FY 2024-25 (upto February 2025) and 7,54,094 successful calls were achieved in the district of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar of Maharashtra. Similarly, a total of 59,414 successful calls were achieved in FY 2024-25 (upto February 2025) in the Union Territory of Dadar & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu (DNH & DD) and 35,097 successful calls were achieved in the district of Dadra & Nagar Haveli.

The calls have been helpful to mothers and families in all states due to its uniqueness in nature.  The  information  provided  through  audio  messages  are  helpful  in  terms  of  ante  and postnatal  care  as  well  as  nutrition.  The  messages  were  especially  tailored  according  to  the gestational  period  of  each  beneficiary  which  gave  them  a  sense  of  acknowledgement.  The messages  were  helpful  in  giving  timely  information  to  beneficiaries  about  the  appropriate healthcare services to be sought. Kilkari complemented ASHAs work of mobilising beneficiaries to access health services and reduced the burden on them. Continued Kilkari support to families has led to  changes in  behaviours and has also improved service utilisation.  It  has  also  proved useful during the pandemic when it was difficult to hold physical visits and awareness campaigns to encourage healthcare seeking behaviour.

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