WHO lauds India's success in reducing maternal mortality
New Delhi, June 10 : The government's efforts at improving access to quality maternal health services and increased emphasis on women's education are some of the reasons behind India's groundbreaking progress in reducing the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) by 77 per cent, the WHO said on Sunday.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the MMR has declined by 77 per cent from 556 per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 130 per 100,000 live births in 2016.
A special bulletin on 'Maternal Mortality in India 2014-16' by Sample Registration System (SRS) noted that the MMR in India fell to 130 in 2014-16 from 167 in 2011-13 with three states - Kerala (46), Maharashtra (61) and Tamil Nadu (66) - already achieving the SDG target.
"India's present MMR is below the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target and puts the country on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of an MMR below 70 by 2030," Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia, said in a statement.
She attributed the achievement to the increased coverage of essential maternal health services, which has doubled since 2005.
"While the proportion of institutional deliveries in public facilities has almost tripled, from 18 per cent in 2005 to 52 per cent in 2016 (including private facilities, institutional deliveries now stand at 79 per cent)," Singh said.
Another is the state-subsidised demand-side financing like the Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram, which allows all pregnant women delivering in public health institutions to free transport and no-expense delivery, including caesarian section.
As a result of the programme, overall, 75 per cent of rural births are now supervised, as compared to 89 per cent of urban deliveries.
The scheme, launched in June 2011, has played a major role in closing the urban-rural gap traditionally seen in institutional births, Singh noted.
Further, India has also put significant emphasis on mitigating the social determinants of maternal health , with 68 per cent women now able to read and write and just 27 per cent entering marriage before the age of 18.
"These factors alone have enabled Indian women to better control their reproductive lives and make decisions that reflect their own interests and wants," Singh said.
Finally, the government has put in substantive efforts to facilitate positive engagement between public and private health care providers.
In addition, efforts to facilitate positive engagement between public and private health care providers has also reaped significant benefits.
Government campaigns such as the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan have allowed women access to antenatal check-ups, obstetric gynaecologists and to track high-risk pregnancies - exactly what is needed to make further gains and achieve the SDG targets, Singh said.
India's achievements are already having wide-ranging human impact, and are of immense inspiration to other countries, she added.
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Adityanath govt has completely failed to maintain Taj Mahal, alleges Akhilesh
Lucknow (PTI): Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday raised questions over maintenance of the Taj Mahal in Agra and attacked the Yogi Adityanath government saying it should be a "living and active" example, not just a "monument".
Yadav, who shared a viral video in which a plant could be seen sprouting from the dome of the Taj Mahal, said the monument might develop cracks due to the roots.
In a post on X, he said, "The BJP government and its dormant departments have completely failed to maintain the Taj Mahal, the wonder that attracts tourists from all over the world."
Yadav went on to say, "There is a possibility of rusting of the metal of the urn on the main dome. Water is dripping from the main dome. There is news of plants growing in the dome. If the roots of trees like these grow, then the Taj Mahal may crack."
He also highlighted problems of monkey menace and water logging in the Taj Mahal complex.
"The Taj Mahal complex has become a sanctuary for monkeys. There is a problem of waterlogging in the Taj Mahal complex. The tourists are worried whether they should admire the Taj Mahal or deal with the problems," Yadav said, adding due to all these reasons, the country's image is tarnished at the global level.
Last week, the main dome of the Taj witnessed water seepage due to incessant rains but officials said there was no damage to the arched roof.
Yadav asked where crores of rupees of funds that come for the maintenance of Taj Mahal are going.
"The government should be a living and active example, not just a monument," he added.
