Lok Sabha Question No. 194 (STARRED), answered on 2023-12-15
Subject: Kilkari Scheme and Mission Utkarsh
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Nayab Singh, Sudhakar Tukaram Shrangre

## GOVERNMENT OFINDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE

## LOKSABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 194 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 15 TH DECEMBER, 2023

## KILKARI SCHEME AND MISSION UTKARSH

## *194. SHRI NAYAB SINGH: SHRI SUDHAKAR TUKARAM SHRANGARE:

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

- (a) the salient features, aims and objectives of Kilkari Scheme and Mission Utkarsh;
- (b) the date of inception of Kilkari Scheme along with the details of States and Union Territories covered under its ambit;
- (c) the manner in which Kilkari Scheme addresses the challenges of maternal and child health along with its aspirations and goals in improving the health and well-being of mothers and children in India;
- (d) whether any successful calls have been made under the Kilkari Scheme in the last few years particularly in November 2022 and if so, the details thereof;
- (e) the manner in which the said calls have resulted in an impact on the overall outreach and effectiveness of Kilkari Scheme; and
- (f) the details of the districts identified under Mission Utkarsh along with their selection criteria and the key indicators in their identification?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## (DR MANSUKH MANDAVIYA)

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

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 194 FOR 15 TH DECEMBER, 2023

(a) to (e): In January, 2022, the Hon'ble Prime Minister instructed all Ministries/ Departments having public interface to identify bottom districts for upliftment in their respective sectors, paving the way for ' Mission Utkarsh' . Under Mission Utkarsh, 15 Central Ministries/ Departments are working towards bringing these bottom districts to the State and National averages. The objective of this initiative is that Centre and State Government to work in mission mode to uplift the identified Districts and ensure that:

-  The Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in selected districts surpass the State average in the next one year
-  Within the next two years, these districts come at par with the National Average

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 V oice 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 serves 18 States/UTs, namely, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Jammu & Kashmir, Tripura, Andhra Pradesh and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

The number of successful calls achieved under Kilkari project during the last three years and also particularly in the Month of November 2022 is given below:

Successful calls achieved under Kilkari Project

|   S. No. | Year           | Total Number of Successful Calls   |
|----------|----------------|------------------------------------|
|        1 | 2020-21        | 7,32,10,598                        |
|        2 | 2021-22        | 4,75,45,063                        |
|        3 | 2022-23        | 7,71,16,051                        |
|        4 | November, 2022 | 61,83,372                          |

The calls have been helpful to mothers and families in the respective 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 the work of ASHAs in mobilising beneficiaries to access health services and reduce 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.

- (f) Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has identified 14 bottom Districts based on composite score of selected 9 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) under ' Mission Utkarsh '.

## Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Districts identified by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare under Mission Utkarsh

| KPIs                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       | Name of Districts                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|  % Pregnant women received 4 or more ANC visits  % Pregnant women receiving 180 Iron-Folic Acid Tablets  % Institutional Deliveries against total reported deliveries  % Skilled Birth Attendant (SBA) deliveries against total reported deliveries  %Home Based New-born Care (HBNC) coverage  %Full Immunization Coverage (FIC)  % children (Anganwadi Centres, Govt. and Govt. aided Schools) screened under Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK)  TB index  % facilities converted into Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) |  Arunachal Pradesh: Papum Pare, Upper Subnasiri  Bihar: Darbhanga, Supaul  Haryana: Nuh  Jammu &Kashmir: Srinagar  Jharkhand: Sahebganj  Kerala: Malappuram  Manipur: Kamjong, Pherzawl  Meghalaya: North Garo Hills, South West Khasi Hills  Mizoram: Lawngtlai  Nagaland: Mokokchung |

*****