Milestone, Not Destination

There are few markers of a nation's progress more telling than the survival of its youngest citizens.

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The latest Sample Registration System report offers reason for cautious optimism: India's infant mortality rate (IMR) has fallen to a historic low of 25 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2023, a dramatic 37.5 per cent decline from 40 in 2013. This is not just a statistic. It is an index of improved healthcare delivery, expanded immunisation coverage, better nutrition, and increased awareness among parents. Every decimal point here represents countless children who live beyond their first year, families spared grief, and futures that may now unfold.

For decades, infant mortality has been a stubborn blot on India's development narrative, reflecting the gaps between policy ambition and lived reality. A decade ago, international agencies routinely compared India's performance unfavourably to that of some of its smaller neighbours. Today, while much remains to be done, the tide appears to be turning. Improvements in institutional deliveries, wider availability of neonatal care, and interventions like Janani Suraksha Yojana and Poshan Abhiyan have borne fruit. The push for full immunisation, particularly through the Intensified Mission Indradhanush, has ensured that fewer children succumb to preventable diseases. Clean water initiatives and wider access to sanitation under Swachh Bharat have also contributed indirectly to reducing infant mortality by lowering infection risks.