India's Health Ministry Addresses Criticism Over Missing Indicators in NFHS-6 Fact Sheets

Union Health Ministry sources pointed out that several indicators cited as 'missing' from the NFHS-6 Fact Sheets are already being monitored through dedicated national systems and administrative databases. It comes as a response to criticism levelled by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge that key health and nutrition indicators were excluded from the recently released NFHS-6 Fact Sheets. Kharge had also claimed that the data reflected shortcomings in the government's healthcare and nutrition policies. Senior officials in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare asserted that the fact sheets reflect only the initial stage of dissemination and cover 101 major indicators intended to provide a brief idea of India's most critical health and demographic trends. "The fact sheets are the first stage of dissemination. The detailed national report will provide a much broader picture," they said. "It will be released subsequently with a much wider range of indicators, detailed analyses and methodological documentation," they added. Responding to concerns over the absence of some indicators, officials said the objective was to improve coherence across India's expanding statistical ecosystem. "The objective is to ensure that each indicator is reported through the most appropriate and authoritative source, reducing duplication and improving overall data coherence," an official source said.