National Action Plan on AMR 2.0 Launched

Syllabus: GS2/Issues Related To Health

Context

• Recently, the Union Health Minister launched the second version of the National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (NAP-AMR) (2025–29).

About NAP-AMR 2.0 (2025–29)

• It addresses gaps from NAP-AMR 1.0 (2017–2021), including strengthening surveillance, expanding public awareness, enhancing private-sector engagement, and improving regulatory and laboratory capacity.
• It adopts a strong One Health approach, involving coordination across human health, animal health, agriculture, food systems, and the environment.
• It involves over 20 ministries with clear timelines and dedicated budgets.

What is Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)?

• Antimicrobials (including antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasitics) are used to treat infections in humans, animals, and plants.
• Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs when pathogens no longer respond to Antimicrobials, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, illness, disability, and death.
• It is a natural process which is accelerated by the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in humans, animals, and plants.

AMR’s Burden

• Globally, AMR contributed to 4.95 million deaths in the world in 2019 and it is expected to reach 10 million deaths by 2050.
• In India, there were 297,000 deaths attributable to AMR in 2019, and it is expected to reach 2million deaths by 2050.
  • A Lancet report added that more than 80% of Indian patients carry multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), the highest globally.

Challenges Associated with AMR

• High antibiotic misuse in humans, livestock, poultry, and aquaculture.
• Easy ‘Over The Counter (OTC)’ availability of antibiotics despite regulations.
• Weak laboratory networks for microbiological testing and surveillance in many states.
• Low prescription audits and poor implementation of antimicrobial stewardship in smaller hospitals.
• Environmental contamination due to pharmaceutical effluents and hospital waste containing antimicrobial residues.
• Limited public awareness, especially in rural areas.
• Fragmented inter-ministerial coordination, despite the One Health framework.

Related Efforts & Steps

• 2010: National Task Force on AMR Containment constituted.
• 2011: National Policy on AMR Containment released.
• 2017: First National Action Plan on AMR (2017–21) launched, aligned with WHO’s Global Action Plan (GAP).
• Red Line Campaign: Prescription-only antibiotics marked with a red line to discourage misuse.
• ICMR initiatives: Promotion of Antibiotic Stewardship Programs (ASPs) in hospitals.

Source: PIB