Lok Sabha Question No. 5668 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-27
Subject: Progress in Infant Mortality Rates
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Adv. Chandra Shekhar

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5668 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27 TH MARCH 2026

## PROGRESS IN INFANT MORTALITY RATES

## 5668. ADV. CHANDRASHEKHAR:

## Will the Minister of HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFARE be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government is concerned about the uneven progress in the decline of the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) which has reached to 25 per 1000 live births and the Under-5 Mortality Rate (U5MR) which has reached 29 per 1000 as per SRS 2023 and "Children in India 2025" with persistently higher rates in certain states despite NHM investments, if so, the details thereof;

(b) the details of the recent Government data or preliminary NFHS-6 indicators on IMR/U5MR trends up to 2025, highlighting rural-urban and tribal gaps, State/UT-wise;

(c) the manner in which India's mortality reduction compares globally; and

(d) the corrective measures, enhanced 2026-27 funding for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCAH+N) strategy, skilled birth attendance, emergency obstetric care and equity-focused interventions in underserved regions to ensure sustained and equitable gains?

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

- (a) and (b) As per Sample Registration System (SRS) Report of Registrar General of India (RGI):
-  Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) reduced from 39 per 1000 live births in 2014 to 25 per 1000 live births in 2023.
-  Under 5 Mortality Rate (U5MR) reduced from 45 per 1000 live birth in 2014 to 29 per 1000 live births in 2023.

State/ UT wise IMR and U5MR are placed in Annexure I and Annexure II respectively.

The report of National Family Health Survey - 6 is not yet published.

- (c) As per the recently released United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) report, India achieved a 79% decline in under-five mortality (vs 61% globally), a 74% decline in Infant Mortality Rate (vs 56% globally), and a 70% decline in neonatal mortality (vs 54% globally) during 1990-2024, reflecting the impact of sustained Government interventions under National Health Mission.
- (d) The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) supports in implementation of Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCAH + N) strategy under National Health Mission (NHM) based on the Annual Program Implementation Plan (APIP) submitted by respective State /UT. The details of interventions to improve maternal and child health outcome all across the country including all the region to ensure sustained and equitable gains are as follows:
- o Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) is a demand promotion and conditional cash transfer scheme for promoting institutional delivery.
- o Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) entitles all pregnant women delivering in public health institutions to have free and no-expense delivery, including caesarean section. The entitlements include free drugs and consumables, free diet during the stay, free diagnostics, free transportation and free blood transfusion, if required. Similar entitlements are also in place for sick infants.
- o Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) provides pregnant

women a fixed day, free of cost, assured and quality antenatal checkup by a Specialist/Medical Officer on the 9th day of every month.

- o Extended PMSMA strategy focuses on quality antenatal care (ANC) for pregnant women, especially high-risk pregnant (HRP) women and individual HRP tracking with financial incentivization for the identified high-risk pregnant women and accompanying Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) for extra 3 visits over and above the PMSMA visit.
- o Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN) aims to provide assured, dignified, respectful and quality healthcare at no cost and zero tolerance for denial of services for every woman and newborn visiting a public health facility, to end all preventable maternal and newborn deaths.
- o Optimizing Postnatal Care aims to strengthen the quality of post-natal care by laying emphasis on detection of danger signs in mothers and incentivization of ASHAs for prompt detection, referral & treatment of such high-risk postpartum mothers.
- o The establishment of Special Newborn Care Units (SNCUs) and Newborn Stabilization Units (NBSUs) under Facility Based Newborn Care (FBNC) program to provide specialized care to sick and small newborns at district and sub-district levels, addressing neonatal health complications.
- o Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Days (VHSNDs) are observed for provision of maternal and child health services and creating awareness on

maternal and child care including nutrition in convergence with Ministry of Women and Child Development.

- o ASHAs conduct scheduled home visits under Home-Based Newborn Care (HBNC) and Home-Based Care of Young Children (HBYC), improving childrearing practices and identifying sick newborns and young children for timely referral and care.
- o Early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding for first six months and appropriate Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices are promoted under Mothers ' Absolute Affection (MAA).
- o Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres (NRCs) are established at public health facilities where children with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and medical complications are admitted for treatment.
- o Lactation Management Centres are established to ensure availability of Mother ' s Own Milk or safe, pasteurized Donor Human Milk for feeding of sick, preterm, low birth weight babies admitted in Neonatal Intensive Care Units and Special Newborn Care Units.
- o The Social Awareness and Actions to Neutralize Pneumonia Successfully (SAANS) initiative targets pneumonia-related childhood morbidity and mortality through enhanced awareness and early intervention.
- o STOP Diarrhoea campaign is implemented for promoting use of ORS and Zinc and for reducing morbidity and mortality due to childhood diarrhoea.
- o Under the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP), the Government provides 11 vaccines against 12 Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPDs) free of cost to children and pregnant women, in public health facilities.
- o Children from 0 to 18 years of age are screened for 32 health conditions (i.e. Diseases, Deficiencies, Defects and Developmental delay) under Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) to improve child survival. District Early Intervention Centres (DEICs) at district health facility level are established for confirmation and management of children screened under RBSK.

*****

Annexure I Annexure referred to in reply to parts (a) and (b) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Q. No. 5668 to be answered on 27th March 2026

| Status of Infant Mortality Rate at National and State/ UT level                                            | Status of Infant Mortality Rate at National and State/ UT level                                            |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| India                                                                                                      | 25                                                                                                         |
| A&N Islands                                                                                                | 9                                                                                                          |
| Andhra Pradesh                                                                                             | 19                                                                                                         |
| Arunachal Pradesh                                                                                          | 20                                                                                                         |
| Assam                                                                                                      | 30                                                                                                         |
| Bihar                                                                                                      | 23                                                                                                         |
| Chandigarh                                                                                                 | 7                                                                                                          |
| Chhattisgarh                                                                                               | 37                                                                                                         |
| Delhi                                                                                                      | 14                                                                                                         |
| DNH&DD                                                                                                     | 9                                                                                                          |
| Goa                                                                                                        | 6                                                                                                          |
| Gujarat                                                                                                    | 20                                                                                                         |
| Haryana                                                                                                    | 26                                                                                                         |
| Himachal Pradesh                                                                                           | 14                                                                                                         |
| Jammu &Kashmir                                                                                             | 14                                                                                                         |
| Jharkhand                                                                                                  | 29                                                                                                         |
| Karnataka                                                                                                  | 14                                                                                                         |
| Kerala                                                                                                     | 5                                                                                                          |
| Ladakh                                                                                                     | 4                                                                                                          |
| Lakshadweep                                                                                                | 9                                                                                                          |
| Madhya Pradesh                                                                                             | 37                                                                                                         |
| Maharashtra                                                                                                | 14                                                                                                         |
| Manipur                                                                                                    | 3                                                                                                          |
| Meghalaya                                                                                                  | 34                                                                                                         |
| Mizoram                                                                                                    | 13                                                                                                         |
| Nagaland                                                                                                   | 10                                                                                                         |
| Odisha                                                                                                     | 30                                                                                                         |
| Puducherry                                                                                                 | 7                                                                                                          |
| Punjab                                                                                                     | 17                                                                                                         |
| Rajasthan                                                                                                  | 29                                                                                                         |
| Sikkim                                                                                                     | 6                                                                                                          |
| Tamil Nadu                                                                                                 | 12                                                                                                         |
| Telangana                                                                                                  | 18                                                                                                         |
| Tripura                                                                                                    | 15                                                                                                         |
| Uttar Pradesh                                                                                              | 37                                                                                                         |
| Uttarakhand                                                                                                | 20                                                                                                         |
| West Bengal                                                                                                | 17                                                                                                         |
| Source: Sample Registration System 2023 RGI Report https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/46172 | Source: Sample Registration System 2023 RGI Report https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/46172 |

Unit: Per 1000 live births

Annexure II Annexure referred to in reply to parts (a) and (b) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Q. No. 5668 to be answered on 27th March 2026

| Status of Under 5 Mortality Rate at National and State/ UT level                                       | Status of Under 5 Mortality Rate at National and State/ UT level                                       |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| India                                                                                                  | 29                                                                                                     |
| Andhra Pradesh                                                                                         | 21                                                                                                     |
| Assam                                                                                                  | 33                                                                                                     |
| Bihar                                                                                                  | 27                                                                                                     |
| Chhattisgarh                                                                                           | 41                                                                                                     |
| Delhi                                                                                                  | 16                                                                                                     |
| Gujarat                                                                                                | 23                                                                                                     |
| Haryana                                                                                                | 30                                                                                                     |
| Himachal Pradesh                                                                                       | 17                                                                                                     |
| Jammu &Kashmir                                                                                         | 15                                                                                                     |
| Jharkhand                                                                                              | 32                                                                                                     |
| Karnataka                                                                                              | 17                                                                                                     |
| Kerala                                                                                                 | 8                                                                                                      |
| Madhya Pradesh                                                                                         | 44                                                                                                     |
| Maharashtra                                                                                            | 16                                                                                                     |
| Odisha                                                                                                 | 35                                                                                                     |
| Punjab                                                                                                 | 22                                                                                                     |
| Rajasthan                                                                                              | 34                                                                                                     |
| Tamil Nadu                                                                                             | 13                                                                                                     |
| Telangana                                                                                              | 22                                                                                                     |
| Uttar Pradesh                                                                                          | 42                                                                                                     |
| Uttarakhand                                                                                            | 23                                                                                                     |
| West Bengal                                                                                            | 18                                                                                                     |
| Source: Sample Registration System, RGI Report https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/46172 | Source: Sample Registration System, RGI Report https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/46172 |
| Note: Available for India &bigger States/UTs                                                           | Note: Available for India &bigger States/UTs                                                           |
| Unit: Per 1000 live births                                                                             | Unit: Per 1000 live births                                                                             |