National Family Health Survey-5 Report Released

The report of the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) was released. It was conducted in around 6.37 lakh sample households from 707 districts (as of March 2017) of the country from 28 states and 8 UTs, covering 7,24,115 women and 1,01,839 men to provide disaggregated estimates up to the district level.

NFHS is a large-scale, multi-round survey conducted on a representative sample of households throughout India. The first survey was conducted in 1992-93.

   Total Fertility Rate (TFR):

• The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) is the average number of children born to a woman in her lifetime.
• India's TFR has declined from 2.2 in 2015-16 to 2.0 in 2019-21. This is due to the significant progress in population control measures.
• The states with the highest TFR are Bihar (2.98), Meghalaya (2.91), Uttar Pradesh (2.35), Jharkhand (2.26) and Manipur (2.17).

   Wealthiest people in India:

• Jains are the richest amongst the religious communities in India.
• Hindus and Muslims have the least wealth in the country with 19.1% and 19.3% respectively.
• In states/UTs, Chandigarh has the largest number of wealthy people in India i.e. 79% of its population falls in the highest wealth quintiles. It was followed by Delhi (68% households) and Punjab (61% households).
• The states with the highest percentages of the population in the lowest wealth quintile are Jharkhand (46%), Bihar (43%) and Assam (38%).
• In India, almost all households – 99% urban households and 95% rural households, have access to an improved source of drinking water.

   Government Healthcare:

• Half of the families in India do not usually seek health care from government health facilities because of the ‘poor quality of care’ at public hospitals.
• The state/UTs which follow government healthcare were Bihar (80% of its households), followed by Uttar Pradesh (75% of its households). The lowest i.e. less than 5% was recorded in Ladakh, Lakshadweep, and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

   Important points for the exam:

• The report of the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) was released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• India's TFR has declined from 2.2 in 2015-16 to 2.0 in 2019-21. This is due to the significant progress in population control measures.
• Jains are the richest amongst the religious communities in India.
• In states/UTs, Chandigarh has the largest number of wealthy people in India i.e. 79% of its population falls in the highest wealth quintiles. It was followed by Delhi (68% households) and Punjab (61% households).
• The states with the highest percentages of the population in the lowest wealth quintile are Jharkhand (46%), Bihar (43%) and Assam (38%).
• Half of the families in India do not usually seek health care from government health facilities because of the ‘poor quality of care’ at public hospitals.

   Facts to know:

• Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare: Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya.
• The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) is the average number of children born to a woman in her lifetime.
• NFHS was surveyed for the first time in 1992-93.