Haryana Launches 100-Day Anti-Anemia Drive, Targets 10-Point Reduction Within a Year

Stepping up Haryana’s battle against anemia, Additional Chief Secretary, Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Sumita Misra on Thursday announced an ambitious target of reducing the State’s anemia burden by 10 points within the next year, as Haryana prepares to roll out an expanded 7x7x7 framework under the Anemia Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan.

The 7×7×7 approach is a simple strategy to fight anaemia by focusing on seven key groups of people, using seven major interventions such as iron-folic acid supplementation, testing and treatment, deworming and nutrition counselling, and strengthening seven systems to ensure these services reach people regularly.

The intensified strategy will bring low-birth-weight babies aged up to six months into the beneficiary framework, promote locally available iron-rich foods and dietary diversification, and strengthen digital monitoring and case tracking, marking a sharper shift towards technology-driven and outcome-based action against anemia.

Addressing the State-level Anemia Mukt Haryana workshop in Chandigarh today, Dr. Misra said a 100-day intensive campaign will begin on September 17, with the State focusing on reaching every beneficiary, strengthening the last-mile supply chain and ensuring that every identified anemia case is not only tested and treated but also tracked until the desired outcome is achieved.

Haryana has already recorded a significant decline in anemia prevalence across several beneficiary groups. Data from the State’s Anemia Tracking Web Application shows that the overall tracked prevalence of anemia has declined from 59.3 per cent in 2022-23 to 47.7 per cent in June 2026, providing the State with a strong platform for the next, more aggressive phase of the campaign.

The sharpest improvement has been recorded among children aged 6-59 months, where anemia prevalence has fallen from 57.7 per cent in 2022-23 to 34.1 per cent in June 2026, a reduction of more than 23 percentage points.

Among children aged 5-9 years, the prevalence has declined from 54.8 per cent to 45.4 per cent. Among pregnant women, anemia prevalence has fallen from 69.8 per cent to 53.3 per cent, while among women in the reproductive age group it has declined from 70 per cent to 63.8 per cent.

Dr. Misra said the improvement showed that Haryana's interventions were producing results but stressed that the State could not afford to slow down. “Technology is there to help us, but our intention is required to make the change a transformational one on the ground,” She said, urging districts to learn from each other's achievements and replicate best practices.

Dr. Misra said the next phase would be driven by the T4 approach — Test, Treat, Talk and Track — marking a shift from detection and treatment alone towards individual case management, continuous follow-up and measurable health outcomes.

Describing anemia as a challenge with far-reaching consequences, she said it affects maternal and infant health and the learning outcomes and future potential of children, and therefore required sustained institutional urgency rather than periodic interventions.

She said anemia should not be seen merely as a health statistic but as an issue requiring coordinated action across government and at the grassroots level.

The expanded 7x7x7 framework represents the next stage of the campaign. Besides adding low-birth-weight babies as a seventh beneficiary group and “Eating Right” as an additional intervention, it introduces a stronger digital framework to ensure that cases are tracked and interventions are monitored in real time.

The AMB Abhiyaan Mobile App will provide real-time dashboards, hotspot mapping and individual case tracking, enabling authorities to identify areas where anemia cases are concentrated and direct resources towards the most affected populations. The system will also support guided treatment protocols and real-time monitoring.

In a strong message on accountability, Dr. Misra said anemia could not be tackled by the Health Department alone. She called for active convergence with departments dealing with women and child development, education, Panchayati Raj, rural development, urban local bodies, youth and sports, water and sanitation, and public communication.

Dr. Misra directed every district to activate District and Block-level convergence committees without delay and strengthen the iron and folic acid supply chain from end to end.

Dr. Misra said the campaign was aimed at translating policy and technology into measurable improvements in public health. A sustained reduction in anemia, she said, would contribute to improving maternal and infant health outcomes and strengthen the productivity and potential of beneficiaries across Haryana.

She urged district officers to leave the workshop with clear and practical district-level action plans rather than merely discussions and notes. “Let us move from testing to treating, from treating to tracking, and from tracking to truly transforming outcomes for the women and children of Haryana,” she said.