New Delhi, January 08, 2018: According to National Family Health Survey 4 (2015-16), 41.6 percent of children in the country under age 3 years were breastfed within one hour of birth. State/UT wise details are given below:
Children under age 3 years breastfed within one hour of birth (%) – NFHS-4 (2015-16)
| Serial
No. |
State /UTs | Children under age 3 years breastfed within one hour of birth (in %) |
| 1 | Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 41.9 |
| 2 | Andhra Pradesh | 40.1 |
| 3 | Arunachal Pradesh | 58.7 |
| 4 | Assam | 64.4 |
| 5 | Bihar | 34.9 |
| 6 | Chandigarh | 33.5 |
| 7 | Chhattisgarh | 47.1 |
| 8 | Dadra and Nagar Haveli | 47.8 |
| 9 | Daman and Diu | 55.8 |
| 10 | Delhi | 29.1 |
| 11 | Goa | 73.3 |
| 12 | Gujarat | 50.0 |
| 13 | Haryana | 42.4 |
| 14 | Himachal Pradesh | 41.1 |
| 15 | Jammu and Kashmir | 46.0 |
| 16 | Jharkhand | 33.2 |
| 17 | Karnataka | 56.4 |
| 18 | Kerala | 64.3 |
| 19 | Lakshadweep | 54.3 |
| 20 | Madhya Pradesh | 34.5 |
| 21 | Maharashtra | 57.5 |
| 22 | Manipur | 65.4 |
| 23 | Meghalaya | 60.6 |
| 24 | Mizoram | 70.2 |
| 25 | Nagaland | 53.2 |
| 26 | Odisha | 68.6 |
| 27 | Puducherry | 65.3 |
| 28 | Punjab | 30.7 |
| 29 | Rajasthan | 28.4 |
| 30 | Sikkim | 66.5 |
| 31 | Tamil Nadu | 54.7 |
| 32 | Telangana | 37.1 |
| 33 | Tripura | 44.4 |
| 34 | Uttarakhand | 27.8 |
| 35 | Uttar Pradesh | 25.2 |
| 36 | West Bengal | 47.5 |
| Note: Based on the last child born in the 5 years before the survey.
Source: NFHS-4 (2015-16) factsheets. |
||
Further, according to the data uploaded by the States /UTs on the Health Management Information system (HMIS) portal of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), 1,83,10,666 newborns in the country were breastfed within one hour of birth during 2016-17. State/UT wise details are given below:
States/UTs wise number of newborns breastfed within one hour of birth during 2016-17
| Serial No. | States/UTs | Number of Newborns breastfed within 1 hour of birth |
| 1 | Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 4,023 |
| 2 | Andhra Pradesh | 7,03,848 |
| 3 | Arunachal Pradesh | 4,090 |
| 4 | Assam | 5,93,534 |
| 5 | Bihar | 19,77,535 |
| 6 | Chandigarh | 21,026 |
| 7 | Chhattisgarh | 4,48,049 |
| 8 | Dadra and Nagar Haveli | 6,120 |
| 9 | Daman and Diu | 1,973 |
| 10 | Delhi | 1,98,179 |
| 11 | Goa | 13,054 |
| 12 | Gujarat | 10,62,720 |
| 13 | Haryana | 4,31,994 |
| 14 | Himachal Pradesh | 77,536 |
| 15 | Jammu and Kashmir | 1,74,133 |
| 16 | Jharkhand | 6,62,536 |
| 17 | Karnataka | 8,61,440 |
| 18 | Kerala | 4,27,907 |
| 19 | Lakshadweep | 800 |
| 20 | Madhya Pradesh | 12,84,984 |
| 21 | Maharashtra | 15,68,169 |
| 22 | Manipur | 34,832 |
| 23 | Meghalaya | 76,049 |
| 24 | Mizoram | 18,548 |
| 25 | Nagaland | 18,160 |
| 26 | Odisha | 5,80,439 |
| 27 | Puducherry | 34,077 |
| 28 | Punjab | 3,02,988 |
| 29 | Rajasthan | 12,70,703 |
| 30 | Sikkim | 5,590 |
| 31 | Tamil Nadu | 5,02,415 |
| 32 | Telangana | 3,56,685 |
| 33 | Tripura | 46,800 |
| 34 | Uttar Pradesh | 33,06,965 |
| 35 | Uttarakhand | 1,29,799 |
| 36 | West Bengal | 10,92,966 |
| Source-Data as uploaded by the States /UTs on HMIS portal (Status as on 22.12 2017) | ||
MoHFW has implemented a nationwide programme called “Mother’s Absolute Affection (MAA)” under National Health Mission for promotion of breastfeeding practices.
- Capacity building of health staffs and Accredited Social Health Activists(ASHAs) in appropriate breastfeeding practices combined with 360 degree IEC (Information Education Communication) / BCC (Behaviour Change Communication) activities for breastfeeding promotion is under taken under this programme.
- In addition, carrying out of village level mothers’ meeting by ASHAs is one of the key activities of this MAA programme which aim to increase awareness about the importance of breastfeeding among women in India by community participation.
- MAA programme envisages the promotion of breastfeeding in health facilities as well as communities by making women aware as well providing skilled counselling support for appropriate breastfeeding practices.
- Breastfeeding promotion is being taken as a core thematic area during Ante Natal Care counselling to pregnant mothers and during Village Health and Nutrition Days meetings.
The Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare), Sh Ashwini Kumar Choubey stated this in a written reply in the LokSabha here today.
