Govt Unveils Stronger Mission to Eliminate Anaemia

The revised framework is expected to strengthen efforts to reduce anaemia across all stages of life while improving maternal and child health outcomes.

The Government of India has launched a strengthened national strategy to tackle anaemia by introducing the Anemia Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, an expanded programme that places greater emphasis on early testing, treatment, digital tracking and community participation. Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda released the new Operational Guidelines during the 16th meeting of the Central Council of Health and Family Welfare (CCHFW) at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.

The launch marks eight years since the country's anaemia control programme began and signals a broader approach that moves beyond iron supplementation to include comprehensive diagnosis, therapeutic care, nutrition education and public participation. The revised framework is expected to strengthen efforts to reduce anaemia across all stages of life while improving maternal and child health outcomes.

New Guidelines Expand National Strategy

With the release of the revised Operational Guidelines, the programme officially transitions from Anemia Mukt Bharat to Anemia Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, reflecting its wider scope and more integrated approach to managing anaemia. The updated strategy shifts the focus from preventive supplementation alone to a system centred on testing, treatment, tracking and case-based management. The biggest change is the expansion of the programme's existing 6x6x6 strategy into a 7x7x7 framework. The revised model introduces a seventh beneficiary group, a seventh intervention and a seventh institutional mechanism to strengthen service delivery. Low Birth Weight (LBW) babies aged 0–6 months have now been included as an additional beneficiary group, recognising the importance of addressing anaemia from the earliest stages of life to break the cycle of poor nutrition across generations.

The guidelines also introduce the "Eating Right" approach as a new intervention, encouraging regular consumption of iron-rich and diversified diets while promoting healthy food habits through nutrition awareness. A strengthened monitoring and evaluation system based on digital tracking has been added as the seventh institutional mechanism, improving programme oversight and planning.

Greater Focus on Treatment and Digital Tracking

The revised programme replaces the earlier T3 approach – Test, Treat and Talk – with a new T4 model: Test, Treat, Talk and Track. This expanded strategy places greater emphasis on identifying anaemia early, providing appropriate treatment, counselling beneficiaries on healthy dietary practices and ensuring continuous follow-up through digital monitoring.

For pregnant and lactating women suffering from severe anaemia or those who do not respond adequately to standard treatment, the programme now includes intravenous iron therapy, including Ferric Carboxymaltose (FCM) and Iron Sucrose, as part of the recommended clinical interventions.

The government has also established a comprehensive digital ecosystem to monitor anaemia services across the country. Haemoglobin testing records for pregnant women will be integrated through the JANANI portal, while records relating to children will be managed through the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) and U-WIN platforms. Information from these systems will be brought together through a unified Anemia Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan Portal, enabling comprehensive analysis, treatment monitoring and programme planning. The digital platform will track every stage of care, from beneficiary screening and counselling to treatment, referrals and follow-up services.

Community Participation to Drive Behaviour Change

Alongside the revised operational framework, the government has launched Jan Bhagidari, a nationwide community mobilisation initiative designed to encourage active participation by individuals, families and local communities in preventing and managing anaemia.

The campaign seeks to change public attitudes by encouraging people to recognise anaemia as a preventable and treatable health condition rather than accepting it as a common part of life. Community awareness, improved nutrition practices and early health-seeking behaviour will form important components of the initiative.

The Anemia Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan also promotes a Whole of Government approach, encouraging coordination between multiple ministries and government departments so that nutrition, healthcare, education and community development efforts work together to address anaemia as a national public health priority.

The Government expects the strengthened programme to accelerate the decline in anaemia across all age groups, improve maternal and child nutrition, reduce the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR), and further strengthen India's commitment to building a healthier and better-nourished population.