States » EastPosted at: Oct 8 2026 6:20PM


Odisha: CM calls for mission-mode action to curb maternal, infant mortality

Bhubaneswar, Oct 8 (UNI) Against the backdrop of Odisha's maternal mortality ratio rising to 153 per lakh live births and infant mortality standing at 30 per 1,000 live birth, state Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, today, directed the Health Department to adopt a campaign-mode approach to bring down mortality rates across Odisha.
Chairing a high-level PRAYASS meeting at the state secretariat to review the state’s social sector, Majhi stressed the need for a structured mechanism to identify and resolve complex problems at the grassroots level, with health, nutrition and quality education emerging as key focus areas.
The CM directed the Health Department to take stronger measures to reduce the maternal mortality rate to the lowest possible level and treat the reduction of infant and neonatal deaths as a mission.
He also stressed the need to ensure quality healthcare for pregnant women and newborns in rural and remote areas, improve accountability among health workers and strengthen emergency services at hospitals.
The meeting also reviewed the problem of malnutrition among children, particularly stunting and wasting. Majhi directed officials to intensify the ‘Suposhit Odisha’ campaign to improve the nutritional status of mothers and children.
Majhi also emphasised stricter monitoring of the quality of food and nutritional supplements supplied through Anganwadi centres.
On education, the CM called for improving foundational learning from the primary level and asked teachers to focus primarily on classroom teaching and core academic activities. Better learning outcomes among students should remain a key priority, he said.
The meeting reviewed the functioning of the Health and Family Welfare, Women and Child Development, and School and Mass Education departments.
Chief Secretary Anu Garg, Development Commissioner D.K. Singh, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Shashwat Mishra, Health Commissioner-cum-Secretary Ashwathy S., School and Mass Education Commissioner-cum-Secretary N. Tirumala Naik and Director of Integrated Child Development and Social Welfare Monisha Banerjee attended the meeting.
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Tags: #Odisha: CM calls for mission-mode action to curb maternal# infant mortality
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