Maternal Mortality Ratio has declined from 130 per lakh live births in 2014-16 to 97 per lakh live births in 2018-20, according to a special bulletin released by the office of the Registrar General of India.
According to the data, Assam has the highest Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) of 195 while Kerala has the lowest of 19 per lakh live births.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya attributed the improvement in the country's MMR to the Narendra Modi government's various healthcare initiatives.
Maternal mortality in a region is a measure of the reproductive health of women in the area. Many women of reproductive age die due to complications during and following pregnancy and childbirth or abortion, the Special Bulletin on Maternal Mortality in India 2018-20 said.
The present bulletin provides the level of maternal mortality for the period 2018-2020.
According to World Health Organization, "Maternal death is the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management but not from accidental or incidental causes." In a tweet, Mandaviya said, "Significant decline in the Maternal Mortality Ratio from 130 in 2014-16 to 97 per lakh live births in 2018-2020. The various healthcare initiatives of PM Narendra Modi Ji's government to ensure quality maternal and reproductive care have helped tremendously in bringing down MMR." According to the Special Bulletin on Maternal Mortality in India 2018-20, Assam, which has the highest MMR, is followed by Madhya Pradesh with MMR of 173 per lakh live births and Uttar Pradesh 167.
Kerala, which has the lowest MMR, is followed by Maharashtra 33 and Telangana 43, the data revealed.
One of the key indicators of maternal mortality is the Maternal Mortality Ratio which is defined as the number of maternal deaths during a given time period per 1,00,000 live births during the same period.
The target 3.1 of the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations aims at reducing the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 1,00,000 live births.
The Office of the Registrar General of India under the Ministry of Home Affairs, apart from conducting the Population Census and monitoring the implementation of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act in the country, has been giving estimates on fertility and mortality using the Sample Registration System.