National Family Health Survey-6 (NFHS-6) reports gains in child health and nutrition

Exam-focused facts from the 31 May 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

The National Family Health Survey-6 (NFHS-6) for 2023-24 shows improvements in child and maternal health, nutrition, and immunisation compared to NFHS-5 (2019-21).
Full immunisation for children aged 12-23 months increased to 87.1 per cent, while Rotavirus vaccination coverage rose from 36.4 per cent to 85.6 per cent.
Stunting among children under five years declined from 35.5 per cent to 29.3 per cent, and severe wasting reduced from 7.7 per cent to 5.2 per cent.
Early initiation of breastfeeding within one hour of birth increased to 50.1 per cent, and postnatal check-ups rose from 88.6 per cent to 90.6 per cent.
Improvements were attributed to the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), POSHAN 2.0, Saksham Anganwadi, and the U-WIN digital tracking initiative.