It needs explanation solely from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, because the data is produced for the first time in the NFHS series conducted by the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) without any technical or financial support from external organizations. Union Government of India led by PM Narendra Modi had decided to conduct the survey on its own after NFHS-5 (2019-21) had sparked significant controversy because the data it provided contradicted the government narrative and claims about the development of India. IIPS director was asked to resign while United States Agency for International Development (USAID), acting through the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Programme by ICF, USA, was delinked from further surveys. Funding partners were organisations like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF, and UNFPA.

Over 800 academics had accused the Modi government of making IIPS Director K S James a scapegoat for publishing “inconvenient date” in the NFHS-5 which contradicted several claims of the government regarding achievement on several flagship programmes and health conditions of the people of India, chief among them was disturbing rise in anaemia among children and pregnant women up to 67.1 per cent and 52.2 per cent respectively, reflecting that they were not even getting enough food and nutrition. Thereafter, the government had dropped collecting data on several indicator including anaemia, thus concealing several key indicators in NFHS-6.

NFHS-6 provisional factsheet has now released, the provides information on population, health, and nutrition for India and each State/Union Territory (UT) except Manipur. Due to ethnic violence, survey could not be conducted in Manipur. NFHS-6, while dropped several indicators, included several others such as Direct Bank Transfer (DBT) and Self-Help Group (SHG) coverage, digital literacy and financial transactions etc.

The scope of clinical, anthropometric, and biochemical testing (CAB) has also been expanded to include HIV testing. The NFHS-6 sample was redesigned to provide National, State/Union Territory (UT), and District level estimates of various indicators covered in the survey like NFHS-4 and NFHS-5. However, estimates of indicators of ‘other health issues’; husband’s background and woman’s work; attitudes and behaviour, etc. are available only at the State/Union Territory (UT) and National level.

Union Government said that NFHS-6 data will be useful in setting benchmarks and examining the progress the health sector has made over time. Besides providing evidence for the effectiveness of ongoing programmes, the data from NFHS-6 help in identifying the need for new programmes with an area specific focus and identifying groups that are most in need of essential services.

The key indicators in the fact sheet of NFHS-6 suggested some disturbing trends even on the indicators that the government had decided to collect after the controversy on NFHS-5. Children population declined by one per cent is a serious concern. Another serious concern is the rise of 1.1 per cent in population of people above 60 years – from 11.8 per cent to 12.9 per cent.

NFHS-6 gives impressive figures about population, such as population living in households with electricity 98.3 per cent, population living in households with improved drinking water source 95.5 per cent, households using iodized salt 94.2 per cent, households with any usual member covered under health insurance/financing scheme 60.2 per cent, and households with any usual member having bank account/post office account 98.2 per cent.

It also shows that female population of age 6 years and above who ever attended school was 73.7 per cent, households with any usual female members owning a house and/or land (alone or jointly with other) 18.8 per cent and children age 2-4 years who attended pre-school was 47 per cent. The figures indicate that women empowerment and National Education Policy 2020 implementation is very slow. Women with 10 or more years of schooling is just 46.4 per cent, while for men this figure in 54.6 per cent. Men ever used internet were 80.5 per cent it was 64.3 per cent for women.

Child marriage for women of 20-24 age group was as high as 20.1 per cent while for men of age group 25-29 was 15.9 per cent. Fertility rate children per woman stands at 2.The percentage of women conceived between 15 and 19 years were 6.7 per cent. Access to family planning method was just 69.1 per cent. Unmet need of family planning was 8.5 per cent.

As for maternal and child health, certain improvement was registered but the data was included for last birth in the 5 years before the survey. Mothers who had at least 4 antenatal care visit was 65.2 per cent, while mothers consumed iron folic acid for 100 days or more during pregnancy was 54.9 per cent, and for 180 days was 37.8 per cent.

As for delivery care in the last five years, institutional births were 90.6 per cent, but it was only 58.6 per cent in public facility. Caesarian births were 27.2 per cent, 54 .1 per cent among them were in private, and 16.9 per cent in public health facilities. It reflects the very low confidence level of people in the public health facilities. However, majority 95.6 per cent children of 12-23 months got vaccinated in public health facilities as against 3.1 per cent in private healthcare facilities.

Total children age 6-23 moths receiving an adequate diet were only 15.3 per cent – breastfed children among them were 15.1 per cent and non-breastfed children were 16.3 per cent. Stunted children under 5 were as high as 29.3 per cent, wasted 19 per cent, severely wasted 5.2 per cent, and underweight 31.8 per cent. It is still a serious matter, which does not reflect the development claim of the government. Overweight children under 5 years were 1.3 per cent, which also needs attention.

Women Body Mass Index (BMI) below normal has increased from 18.7 to 19.7 per cent, and for men it increased from 16.2 per cent to 19.7 per cent. Overweight women have increased from 24 per cent to 30.7 per cent and men from 22.9 to 27.3 per cent. These increases are serious concerns.

Blood sugar level is also rising for both women and men. Among women high blood sugar level increased from 6.1 per cent to 7.5 per cent, very high from 6.3 to 9.1 per cent and even higher or taking medicines were from 13.5 per cent to 17.8 per cent. Among men high blood sugar increased from 7.3 per cent to 8.8 per cent, very high from 7.1 per cent to 10.9 per cent and even higher or taking medicines from 15.6 per cent to 20.9 per cent. Blood pressure among both women and men are declining.

Women worked in the last 12 months and paid were just 30.8 per cent according to NFHS-6. It is still very low level of women’s empowerment. Only 63.6 per cent women have mobile phones. About 22.3 per cent women of 18-49 years of age suffered spousal violence. (IPA Service)