India has made notable progress in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in India has declined from 301 per 100,000 live births in 2001-03 to 212 per 100,000 live births in 2007-09 and infant mortality rate (IMR) has declined from 66 per 1000 live births in 2001 to 44 per 1000 live births in 2011.
According to the official estimates of Registrar General of India's Sample Registration System (RGI-SRS), India has made a steady progress in this regard due to the key steps taken by the government to accelerate the pace of reduction of MMR and IMR under its National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).
However, the MDG report -2013 released by the United Nations has presented data on progress made towards the MDGs and targets for the world as a whole and for sub-regions, each sub-region comprising of a group of countries. Separate data to indicate India’s progress on MMR and IMR are not available in this report.
The key steps taken by the government to accelerate the pace of reduction of MMR and IMR include promotion of institutional deliveries through Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY); operationalization of sub-centres, primary health centres, community health centres and district hospitals for providing 24x7 basic and comprehensive obstetric care, neonatal, infant and child care services; capacity building of health care providers in basic and comprehensive obstetric care, integrated management of neo-natal and childhood illness (IMNCI) and Navjaat Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram (NSSK) etc; mother and child protection card in collaboration with the ministry of women and child development to monitor service delivery for mothers and children; and identifying the severely anaemic cases among pregnant women at sub centres and PHCs for their timely management.
Vitamin A supplementation for children aged six months to five years; management of malnutrition particularly severe acute malnutrition (SAM) by establishing nutritional rehabilitation centres (NRCs); exclusive breastfeeding for first six months and appropriate infant and young child feeding practices; and antenatal, intra-natal and postnatal care including Iron and Folic Acid supplementation to pregnant, lactating women and Iron and Folic Acid supplementation to children and adolescents for prevention and treatment of anaemia are some of the other steps taken by the government to accelerate the pace of reduction of MMR and IMR.