Steps taken for Reducing Maternal Mortality

MMR of the country reduced to 88 per lakh live births; Over 5.93 Crore Institutional deliveries conducted in the country in last three years Janani Suraksha Yojana & Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram Drive Institutional Deliveries with Cash Incentives & Zero-Cost Care PMSMA & Extended PMSMA Track High-Risk Pregnancies via Specialist Check-Ups & Incentives to Prevent Maternal Deaths LaQshya & SUMAN Ensure Respectful, High-Quality Labour Room Care with Zero Denial of Services Infrastructure Upgrades like First Referral Units, Maternal and Child Health Wings & Birth Homes Enhance Access, Screening & Timely Interventions to Cut MMR Nationwide Posted On: 13 MAR 2026 4:36PM by PIB Delhi As per the latest bulletin on Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) 2021-23, released by the Registrar General of India, the MMR of the country is 88 per lakh live births. The State/UT -wise details of MMR is placed at Annexure I. Under the National Health Mission (NHM), the Government of India has undertaken various initiatives to reduce maternal mortality across all States and Union Territories, including rural and underserved areas of the country, to achieve the maternal health targets along with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These are provided below: Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) is a demand promotion and conditional cash transfer scheme for promoting institutional delivery. Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) entitles all pregnant woman delivering in public health institutions to have absolutely free and no expense delivery, including caesarean section. The entitlements include free drugs, consumables, free diet during stay, free diagnostics, free transportation and free blood transfusion, if required. Similar entitlements are also in place for sick infants up to one year of age. Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) provides pregnant women a fixed day, free of cost, assured and quality antenatal check up by a Specialist/Medical Officer on the 9th day of every month. Extended PMSMA strategy ensures quality antenatal care (ANC) to pregnant women, especially to high-risk pregnant (HRP) women and individual HRP tracking until a safe delivery is achieved by means of financial incentivization for the identified high-risk pregnant women and accompanying ASHA for extra 3 visits over and above the PMSMA visit. LaQshya improves the quality of care in labour room and maternity operation theatres to ensure that pregnant women receive respectful and quality care during delivery and immediate post-partum. Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN) provides assured, dignified, respectful and quality healthcare at no cost and zero tolerance for denial of services for every pregnant woman and new-born visiting public health facilities to end all preventable maternal and newborn deaths. 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 Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) for prompt detection, referral & treatment of such high-risk postpartum mothers. Monthly Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Day (VHSND) an outreach activity at Anganwadi centres ensures service provision of maternal and childcare in convergence with the ICDS. Outreach camps are provisioned for improving the reach of health care services especially in tribal and hard to reach areas. This platform is used to increase awareness for the Maternal & Child health services, community mobilization as well as to track high risk pregnancies. Mother and Child Protection (MCP) Card and Safe Motherhood Booklet are distributed to the pregnant women for educating them on diet, rest, danger signs of pregnancy, benefit schemes and institutional deliveries. Strengthening of infrastructure, including functionalization of First Referral Units (FRUs), setting up of Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Wings, operationalization of Obstetric High Dependency Units & Intensive Care Units (Obst. HDU & ICU), establishment of Birth Waiting Homes (BWHs) in difficult terrain, remote and tribal areas for improved access to healthcare facilities and promoting institutional delivery. Institutional deliveries and antenatal care play a crucial role in reducing maternal mortality in the country. Deliveries conducted in health institutions with the assistance of skilled birth attendants (SBA) help in managing complications that may arise at any time during pregnancy, childbirth, or the postnatal period. Antenatal care ensures early registration of pregnancy, regular health check-ups, screening and identification of high-risk pregnancies, provision of essential supplements such as Iron & Folic Acid, Calcium & Vitamin D3 and counselling on birth preparedness and complication readiness, enabling timely referral and management of complications. The number of institutional deliveries conducted in last three years is placed at Annexure II. The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Smt. Anupriya Patel stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today. **** SR HFW/Steps Taken for Reducing Maternal Mortality/13 th March 2026/1 Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Q. No. 3474 to be answered on 13.03.2026 Annexure-l State/ UT -wise Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) over the last five years as per Sample Registration Survey (SRS) S. No. India/States SRS 2019-21 SRS 2020-22 SRS 2021-23 India 93 88 88 1 Andhra Pradesh 46 47 30 2 Assam 167 125 110 3 Bihar 100 91 104 4 Jharkhand 51 50 54 5 Gujarat 53 55 51 6 Haryana 106 89 89 7 Karnataka 63 58 68 8 Kerala 20 18 30 9 Madhya Pradesh 175 159 142 10 Chhattisgarh 132 141 146 11 Maharashtra 38 36 36 12 Odisha 135 136 153 13 Punjab 98 92 90 14 Rajasthan 102 87 86 15 Tamil Nadu 49 38 35 16 Telangana 45 50 59 17 Uttar Pradesh 151 141 141 18 Uttarakhand 100 104 91 19 West Bengal 109 105 104 20 Other States 71 81 86 Source - Sample Registration System (SRS), RGI Report Annexure-II The number of Institutional deliveries conducted in the country in last three years i.e FY 2022-23, FY 2023-24 and FY 2024-25 S no Institutional deliveries FY 2022-23 FY 2023-24 FY 2024-25 India 20165533 19799153 19355420 Source: HMIS (Release ID: 2239637) Visitor Counter : 1724 Read this release in: Urdu , हिन्दी Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Steps taken for Reducing Maternal Mortality MMR of the country reduced to 88 per lakh live births; Over 5.93 Crore Institutional deliveries conducted in the country in last three years Janani Suraksha Yojana & Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram Drive Institutional Deliveries with Cash Incentives & Zero-Cost Care PMSMA & Extended PMSMA Track High-Risk Pregnancies via Specialist Check-Ups & Incentives to Prevent Maternal Deaths LaQshya & SUMAN Ensure Respectful, High-Quality Labour Room Care with Zero Denial of Services Infrastructure Upgrades like First Referral Units, Maternal and Child Health Wings & Birth Homes Enhance Access, Screening & Timely Interventions to Cut MMR Nationwide Posted On: 13 MAR 2026 4:36PM by PIB Delhi As per the latest bulletin on Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) 2021-23, released by the Registrar General of India, the MMR of the country is 88 per lakh live births. The State/UT -wise details of MMR is placed at Annexure I. Under the National Health Mission (NHM), the Government of India has undertaken various initiatives to reduce maternal mortality across all States and Union Territories, including rural and underserved areas of the country, to achieve the maternal health targets along with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These are provided below: Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) is a demand promotion and conditional cash transfer scheme for promoting institutional delivery. Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) entitles all pregnant woman delivering in public health institutions to have absolutely free and no expense delivery, including caesarean section. The entitlements include free drugs, consumables, free diet during stay, free diagnostics, free transportation and free blood transfusion, if required. Similar entitlements are also in place for sick infants up to one year of age. Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) provides pregnant women a fixed day, free of cost, assured and quality antenatal check up by a Specialist/Medical Officer on the 9th day of every month. Extended PMSMA strategy ensures quality antenatal care (ANC) to pregnant women, especially to high-risk pregnant (HRP) women and individual HRP tracking until a safe delivery is achieved by means of financial incentivization for the identified high-risk pregnant women and accompanying ASHA for extra 3 visits over and above the PMSMA visit. LaQshya improves the quality of care in labour room and maternity operation theatres to ensure that pregnant women receive respectful and quality care during delivery and immediate post-partum. Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN) provides assured, dignified, respectful and quality healthcare at no cost and zero tolerance for denial of services for every pregnant woman and new-born visiting public health facilities to end all preventable maternal and newborn deaths. 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 Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) for prompt detection, referral & treatment of such high-risk postpartum mothers. Monthly Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Day (VHSND) an outreach activity at Anganwadi centres ensures service provision of maternal and childcare in convergence with the ICDS. Outreach camps are provisioned for improving the reach of health care services especially in tribal and hard to reach areas. This platform is used to increase awareness for the Maternal & Child health services, community mobilization as well as to track high risk pregnancies. Mother and Child Protection (MCP) Card and Safe Motherhood Booklet are distributed to the pregnant women for educating them on diet, rest, danger signs of pregnancy, benefit schemes and institutional deliveries. Strengthening of infrastructure, including functionalization of First Referral Units (FRUs), setting up of Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Wings, operationalization of Obstetric High Dependency Units & Intensive Care Units (Obst. HDU & ICU), establishment of Birth Waiting Homes (BWHs) in difficult terrain, remote and tribal areas for improved access to healthcare facilities and promoting institutional delivery. Institutional deliveries and antenatal care play a crucial role in reducing maternal mortality in the country. Deliveries conducted in health institutions with the assistance of skilled birth attendants (SBA) help in managing complications that may arise at any time during pregnancy, childbirth, or the postnatal period. Antenatal care ensures early registration of pregnancy, regular health check-ups, screening and identification of high-risk pregnancies, provision of essential supplements such as Iron & Folic Acid, Calcium & Vitamin D3 and counselling on birth preparedness and complication readiness, enabling timely referral and management of complications. The number of institutional deliveries conducted in last three years is placed at Annexure II. The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Smt. Anupriya Patel stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today. **** SR HFW/Steps Taken for Reducing Maternal Mortality/13 th March 2026/1 Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Q. No. 3474 to be answered on 13.03.2026 Annexure-l State/ UT -wise Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) over the last five years as per Sample Registration Survey (SRS) S. No. India/States SRS 2019-21 SRS 2020-22 SRS 2021-23 India 93 88 88 1 Andhra Pradesh 46 47 30 2 Assam 167 125 110 3 Bihar 100 91 104 4 Jharkhand 51 50 54 5 Gujarat 53 55 51 6 Haryana <p style="text-al