India is steadily reducing maternal and child mortality

Current Context: The report is titled Sample Registration System (SRS) Report 2021, released by the Registrar General of India (RGI) on May 7, 2025.

Key Highlights:

• Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) declined from 130 per lakh live births (2014-16) to 93 (2019-21).
• Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) dropped from 39 per 1,000 live births (2014) to 27 (2021).
• Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR) fell from 26 per 1,000 live births (2014) to 19 (2021).
• Under-Five Mortality Rate (U5MR) decreased from 45 per 1,000 live births (2014) to 31 (2021).
• Sex Ratio at Birth improved from 899 girls per 1,000 boys (2014) to 913 (2021).
• Total Fertility Rate (TFR) stabilized at 2.0, indicating demographic balance.
• Eight states have already met the SDG target for MMR (≤70), including Kerala, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu.
• Twelve states/UTs have achieved the SDG target for U5MR (≤25).
• Six states/UTs have met the SDG target for NMR (≤12).

The report attributes these improvements to flagship health schemes, real-time health surveillance, and data-driven policy decisions.

Question:

Q.1 According to the SRS Report 2021, what was India’s Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in 2019-21?
a) 130 per lakh live births
b) 113 per lakh live births
c) 93 per lakh live births
d) 70 per lakh live births

Answer: c) The MMR declined from 130 (2014-16) to 93 (2019-21), showing significant improvement. The SDG target for MMR is ≤70, which eight states have already achieved.