Govt raises raw jute MSP by 6 pc
NEW DELHI, Jan 22:
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday reviewed the progress under the National Health Mission (NHM) over the last three years and was informed that with significant progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), India is on track to meet its health targets well ahead of the 2030 deadline.
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The NHM has contributed to improving India’s public health outcomes through its relentless efforts in expanding human resources, addressing critical health issues, and fostering an integrated response to health emergencies, the Cabinet was informed.
Over the last three years, the NHM has driven substantial progress in multiple areas, including maternal and child health, disease elimination, and healthcare infrastructure, an official statement said.
The Cabinet also gave its nod to continue the mission for the next two years for achievements of the targets under SDG.
“With significant progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), India is on track to meet its health targets well ahead of the 2030 deadline,” the statement said, adding “The ongoing efforts of NHM have successfully led to a dramatic transformation in India’s healthcare landscape.”
The mission’s efforts have been integral to India’s health improvements, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and have played a vital role in ensuring more accessible and quality healthcare services across the country, it stated.
The Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was apprised of the progress under NHM during 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24 on Wednesday.
The Cabinet was also apprised of accelerated decline in maternal mortality rate, infant mortality rate, under 5 mortality rate and total fertility rate and the progress in respect of various diseases programmes like TB, malaria, kala-azar, dengue, tuberculosis, leprosy, viral hepatitis etc. and new initiatives undertaken such as National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission.
A key achievement of NHM has been the significant increase in human resources within the healthcare sector, the statement said.
In 2021-22, NHM facilitated the engagement of 2.69 lakh additional healthcare workers, including general duty medical officers, specialists, staff nurses, auxiliary nurse midwives, AYUSH doctors, allied healthcare workers, and public health managers. Additionally, 90,740 community health officers were engaged.
This number grew in subsequent years, with 4.21 lakh additional healthcare professionals engaged in 2022-23, including 1.29 lakh community health officers, and 5.23 lakh workers engaged in 2023-24, which included 1.38 lakh community health officers. These efforts have contributed significantly to improving healthcare delivery, especially at the grassroots level, the statement said.
It said the NHM framework has also played a crucial role in strengthening the public health system, especially in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
By utilizing the existing network of healthcare facilities and workers, NHM was pivotal in administering over 220 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses between January 2021 and March 2024.
India has also made impressive progress in key health indicators under NHM.
The maternal mortality ratio declined significantly from 130 per lakh live births in 2014-16 to 97 per lakh in 2018-20, marking a 25 per cent reduction. It declined by 83 per cent since 1990, which is higher than the global decline of 45 per cent.
The Measles-Rubella Elimination Campaign, under the Intensified Mission Indradhanush 5.0, vaccinated over 34.77 crore children, achieving a 97.98 per cent coverage, the statement said.
The Cabinet also approved a minimum support price of Rs 5,650 per quintal for raw jute for marketing season 2025-26, an increase of 6 per cent or Rs 315 over the previous MSP.
The new Minimum Support Prices (MSP) ensure return of 66.8 per cent over all-India weighted average cost of production and will benefit growers.
The Government has increased MSP of raw jute from Rs 2,400 per quintal in 2014-15 to Rs 5,650 per quintal for 2025-26 marketing season, an increase of 2.35 times.
The approved MSP of raw jute for Marketing season 2025-26 is in line with the principle of fixing MSP at a level of at least 1.5 times all India weighted average cost of production as announced by the Government in the Budget 2018-19, an official release said.
It is to be noted here that livelihood of 40 lakh farm families directly or indirectly depends on jute industry.
About 4 lakh workers get direct employment in jute mills and trade in jute. (PTI)
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