Sample Registration Survey 2024

Syllabus: GS2/Health

Context

• The recent Sample Registration Survey 2024 was released by the Office of the Registrar General of India (ORGI).

The Sample Registration System (SRS)

• It provides reliable annual estimates of Infant Mortality Rate, Birth Rate, Death Rate and other Fertility & Mortality Indicators at the National and subNational levels. 
• It is a large-scale demographic survey conducted every year by the Office of the Registrar General of India in all States/Union Territories. 

Major Findings

• Birth Rate: It is live births per 1,000 population, it fell from 21 in 2014 to 18.3 in 2024.
  • The number declined from 14.9 to 14.7 in urban areas and from 20.3 to 20.2 in rural areas.
  • The highest Birth Rate was observed at 26.8 in Bihar, whereas Andaman & Nicobar Islands had the lowest Birth Rate of 9.9. 
• Death Rate: It is deaths per 1,000 people, it  is down from 6.7 to 6.4.
  • In 2024, Chhattisgarh recorded the highest Death Rate of 8.4, whereas the lowest Death Rate was recorded in Chandigarh at 3.9. 
• Infant Mortality Rate: The Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) is the number of deaths of children under one year of age per 1,000 live births in a given year.
  • The present level of IMR (24 infant deaths per thousand live births, for the year 2024) is less than one-fifth as compared to 1971. In the last ten years, IMR has witnessed a decline of about 38%. 
  • In 2024, the maximum IMR was reported in Chhattisgarh (36) and the minimum in Manipur (2). 

Government Initiatives to Curb Infant Mortality in India

• Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) entitles all pregnant women and sick infants (up to one year of age) delivering in public health institutions to have free and no-expense delivery, including cesarean section.
  • It includes free drugs, consumables, free diet during the stay, free diagnostics, free transportation, and free blood transfusion if required. 
• Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) provides pregnant women a fixed day, free of cost, assured and quality antenatal checkup by a Specialist/Medical Officer on the 9th day of every month.
• Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Days (VHSNDs) are observed for the provision of maternal and child health services and for creating awareness on maternal and child care.
• Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) portal is a web-enabled tracking system for pregnant women and newborns to ensure seamless provision of regular and complete services to them.
• Mother and Child Protection (MCP) Cards and Safe Motherhood Booklet are distributed to pregnant women to educate them on diet, rest, danger signs of pregnancy, benefit schemes, and institutional deliveries.
• Mission Indradhanush: It was launched in 2014, aiming to achieve over 90% full immunisation coverage by strengthening routine immunisation services and targeting hard-to-reach populations.
  • Full immunisation coverage has risen from 62% in 2015 to 98.4% in 2026.
• Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK): Children from 0 to 18 years of age are screened for 32 health conditions (i.e. Diseases, Deficiencies, Defects, and Developmental delays) under RBSK to improve child survival.
• Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres (NRCs) are established at public health facilities where children with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and medical complications are admitted for treatment.

Source: TH