Lok Sabha Question No. 1369 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-09
Subject: Kilkari Scheme and Mission Utkarsh
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Sanjay Seth

## GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRYOF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH ANDFAMILYWELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1369 TO BE ANSWERED ON 9 TH FEBRUARY, 2024

## KILKARI SCHEME AND MISSION UTKARSH

## 1369: SHRI SANJAY SETH:

Will the Minister of HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) the salient features and objectives of Kilkari Scheme and Mission Utkarsh;
- (b) the number of States/UTs covered under the said schemes;
- (c) whether there is any provision for financial assistance to the States/UTs under the said schemes;
- (d) if so, the details of the funds allocated during the last two years and the current year, State/UT -wise; and
- (e) the details of the works done under Mission Utkarsh so far in Jharkhand, district-wise?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (DR. BHARATI PRAVIN PAWAR)

(a) and (b): 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 details of 14 bottom Districts based on composite score of selected 9 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) identified by Ministry of Health & Family welfare under Mission Utkarsh, are given in Annexure-I .

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, childbirth and childcare 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.

The program informs mothers and families about behaviours and practices to be followed during pregnancy and infancy. The weekly messages help families to educate, remind and 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. Recently, on 07 th February, 2024, the Kilkari Project has been launched in two additional States namely, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

(c) and (d): Each Ministry has their own funding mechanism through existing schemes for the upliftment of these chosen districts/regions. There is no additional provision for financial assistance to the States/UTs under Mission Utkarsh.

(e): Sahebganj district of Jharkhand is one of the 14 bottom districts identified by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare under Mission Utkarsh. The following activities, as reported by Government of Jharkhand, have been carried out in the State including Sahebganj district.

-  Auxiliary Nurse and Midwife (ANMs) are specially oriented for ensuring the 1 st and 4 th Antenatal Care (ANCs) of all pregnant women and full coverage of immunization of every child.
-  Iron-Folic Acid (IFA) tablets distributed.
-  Orientation of 1609 Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers on Home-Based Care for Young Child programme (HBYC)/Home-Based New Born Care (HBNC) skills.
-  Provided HBYC/ HBNC kit (1609) to ASHA workers by State Budget.
-  115 Community Health Officer (CHOs) are posted in district to improve the Comprehensive Primary Health Care Services at Ayushman Arogya Mandir (AAM).
-  TB Mukht Panchayat Programme under National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP) rolled out throughout districts to achieve TB free Panchayat status.
-  Under PM TB Mukta Abhiyan, initiatives have been taken by the districts to provide nutritional kit and other assistance to the patients.

*****

## State-wise Districts Identified by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare under Mission Utkarsh

|   Sr. No. | State             | District               |
|-----------|-------------------|------------------------|
|         1 | Arunachal Pradesh | Upper Subansiri        |
|         1 | Arunachal Pradesh | Papum Pare             |
|         2 | Bihar             | Darbhanga              |
|         2 | Bihar             | Supaul                 |
|         3 | Haryana           | Nuh                    |
|         4 | Jammu &Kashmir    | Srinagar               |
|         5 | Jharkhand         | Sahebganj              |
|         6 | Kerala            | Malappuram             |
|         7 | Manipur           | Kamjong                |
|         7 | Manipur           | Pherzawl               |
|         8 | Meghalaya         | North Garo Hills       |
|         8 | Meghalaya         | South West Khasi Hills |
|         9 | Mizoram           | Lawngtlai              |
|        10 | Nagaland          | Mokokchung             |