Lok Sabha Question No. 4603 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-20
Subject: Screening Tribal People under NSCEM
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Shri Kaushalendra Kumar, Shri Shivmangal Singh Tomar, Dr. Nishikant Dubey, Shri Bhojraj Nag, Shri Chintamani Maharaj, Shri Jaswantsinh Sumanbhai Bhabhor, Shri Rajesh Ranjan, Smt. Smita Uday Wagh, Shri Balabhadra Majhi, Smt. Himadri Singh, Smt. Anita Nagarsingh Chouhan, Shri Vijay Kumar Dubey

## GOVERNMENT OFINDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OFHEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4603 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20 TH MARCH, 2026

## SCREENING TRIBALPEOPLE UNDER NSCEM

## †4603. SHRI VIJAY KUMAR DUBEY:

SHRI BALABHADRAMAJHI:

SHRI RAJESH RANJAN:

SMT. ANITA NAGARSINGH CHOUHAN:

SHRI JASWANTSINH SUMANBHAI BHABHOR:

SMT. HIMADRI SINGH:

SHRI BHOJRAJ NAG:

SHRI KAUSHALENDRAKUMAR:

SMT. SMITA UDAY WAGH:

DR. NISHIKANT DUBEY:

SHRI SHIVMANGALSINGH TOMAR:

SHRI CHINTAMANI MAHARAJ:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of tribal people screened since the launch of the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission in the country, particularly in the States of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra and in the Parliamentary Constituencies of Dahod, Nabarangpur and Shahdol along with the number of Genetic Status Cards issued/distributed till February, 2026;
- (b) the districts where screening has been conducted under the Mission and the total number of persons screened so far, district-wise;
- (c) whether the Government has achieved success in districts with a high Scheduled Tribe population and if so, the details thereof, district-wise;
- (d) the number of persons screened and Genetic Status Cards issued in the districts of Ratlam, Jhabua and Alirajpur under the Ratlam Lok Sabha Constituency, district-wise;
- (e) the coordination mechanism with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for premarital counselling, genetic testing and specialised treatment centres in high prevalence States such as Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand;
- (f) whether specialised counselling and treatment centres have been set up in the Dahod Lok Sabha Constituency, if so, the details thereof;
- (g) the budget allocation and expenditure for research on localised nutritional supplements to address malnutrition and anaemia in tribal areas, particularly the Bastar Division and the Nabarangpur Lok Sabha Constituency; and

(h) whether dedicated sickle cell clinics, testing laboratories and telemedicine support have been operationalised in tribal-dominated areas?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OFSTATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SMT. ANUPRIYAPATEL)

(a) to (h) Under National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission (NSCAEM), screenings in the targeted age group of 0-40 years are conducted at all health facilities from District Hospitals (DH) upto Ayushman Arogya Mandir (AAM) level in affected 17 tribal states for diagnosis of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD).

As reported by the States on SCD portal, more than 6.97 crore screenings have been conducted in tribal dominated areas of the country including the States of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. State-wise number of tribal population screened and Genetic Status Cards distributed, as on 16.03.2026, is at Annexure.

Number of people screened and Genetic Status Cards distributed in the districts of Lok Sabha Constituencies of Dahod, Nabarangpur, Shahdol and Ratlam as on 16.03.2026, is as under:

|   S.No. | Name of District   | Number of people Screened   | Number of Genetic Status Cards Distributed   |
|---------|--------------------|-----------------------------|----------------------------------------------|
|       1 | Dahod              | 15,19,856                   | 15,21,371                                    |
|       2 | Nabarangpur        | 3,30,369                    | 1,86,923                                     |
|       3 | Shahdol            | 6,06,485                    | 5,46,243                                     |
|       4 | Ratlam             | 2,57,829                    | 2,22,814                                     |
|       5 | Jhabua             | 8,55,094                    | 8,25,700                                     |
|       6 | Alirajpur          | 6,68,684                    | 6,35,549                                     |

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has devised the cost norms for establishment of Centres of Excellence (CoE) on SCD funded by Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) in various states. 17 CoE in 15 states have been approved by MoTA.

Patients living with SCD are provided with the following services/ facilities for improving their quality of life through AAM- Sub Health Centres (SHC) and AAM- PHCs:

- Follow-up of diseased individuals at frequent intervals.
- Counseling regarding lifestyle management, pre-marriage and pre-natal decisions.
- Nutritional supplementation support through distribution of folic acid tablets.
- Conducting yoga and wellness sessions.
- Management of crisis symptoms and referral to higher facilities.

The Government is making sustained efforts to reduce malnutrition and anaemia among tribal populations in the country including Bastar Division and the Nabarangpur Lok Sabha Constituency, through the Reproductive Maternal Newborn Child Adolescent Health Plus Nutrition (RMNCAH+N) strategy under NHM, focusing on antenatal care, institutional deliveries, post-natal care and family planning services; Promotion of institutional deliveries through schemes such as Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK), Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA), Extended PMSMA, LaQshya, Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN), Facility Based New-born Care, Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC), Mothers' Absolute Affection (MAA), Anemia Mukt Bharat (AMB), Home Based New-born Care (HBNC) and Home-Based Care of Young Children (HBYC) programme, Monthly Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Day (VHSND), regular outreach activities, health education and screening by ASHAs and other frontline workers in tribal habitations.

Under Mission Poshan 2.0, the Government focuses on Maternal Nutrition, Infant and Young Child Feeding Norms, treatment of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM)/ Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) and wellness through AYUSH practices to reduce prevalence of wasting, stunting, anaemia and being underweight. Supplementary Nutrition is provided to children age 6 months to 6 years, pregnant women, lactating mothers and adolescent girls at Anganwadi centres as per nutrition norms, based on principles of diet diversity that provides quality protein, healthy fats and micronutrients.

Health Dynamics of India (HDI) (Infrastructure & Human Resources) is an annual publication, based on healthcare administrative data reported by States/UTs. Details of Healthcare facilities where screening and treatment of SCD are available in tribal-dominated areas in the country, State/UT-wise, may be seen at the following link of HDI 2022-23:

https://mohfw.gov.in/sites/default/files/Health%20Dynamics%20of%20India%20%28Infrast ructure%20%26%20Human%20Resources%29%202022-23\_RE%20%281%29.pdf

The teleconsultation services, available at all operational AAMs across the country including tribal dominated areas, enables people to access the specialist services for SCD closer to their homes addressing concerns of physical accessibility, shortage of service providers and to facilitate continuum of care. Total teleconsultations conducted at AAM are 44.08 cr as on 28.02.2026.

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Annexure referred to in reply to parts (a) to (h) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 4603 for reply on 20.03.2026

Annexure State-wise number of tribal population screened and Genetic Status Cards distributed, as on 16.03.2026

| S.No.   | State Name     | Number of people Screened   | Number of Genetic Status Cards Distributed   |
|---------|----------------|-----------------------------|----------------------------------------------|
| 1       | CHHATTISGARH   | 1,73,52,532                 | 1,02,91,526                                  |
| 2       | MADHYA PRADESH | 1,30,97,122                 | 1,13,62,256                                  |
| 3       | MAHARASHTRA    | 1,00,33,422                 | 25,45,708                                    |
| 4       | GUJARAT        | 80,23,780                   | 79,35,802                                    |
| 5       | ODISHA         | 62,71,477                   | 33,13,308                                    |
| 6       | RAJASTHAN      | 37,06,695                   | 17,11,992                                    |
| 7       | JHARKHAND      | 27,88,493                   | 2,968                                        |
| 8       | WEST BENGAL    | 25,00,170                   | 394                                          |
| 9       | ANDHRA PRADESH | 14,89,997                   | 4,78,195                                     |
| 10      | ASSAM          | 11,82,605                   | 1,53,858                                     |
| 11      | TELANGANA      | 11,37,233                   | 5,41,261                                     |
| 12      | UTTAR PRADESH  | 7,64,871                    | 4,41,716                                     |
| 13      | TAMILNADU      | 4,51,564                    | 4,06,510                                     |
| 14      | KARNATAKA      | 3,57,266                    | 4,244                                        |
| 15      | BIHAR          | 2,40,335                    | 63                                           |
| 16      | UTTARAKHAND    | 1,53,670                    | 1,51,508                                     |
| 17      | KERALA         | 1,77,959                    | 23,029                                       |
|         | Total          | 6,97,29,191                 | 3,93,64,338                                  |

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