Why in news
- Union Health Ministry reviewed progress under District Action Plans in 33 remaining high-burden districts to meet the national malaria elimination target by 2030.
What is the National Malaria Elimination Strategy?
- Aims to achieve zero indigenous transmission of malaria across India by 2030, aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 3.3.
- Coordinated by the National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases Control under the National Health Mission.
- Shifted focus from general vector control to localized area-specific micro-planning at district and village levels.
Progress and Current Status
- Malaria cases and mortality in India declined by nearly 80 percent between 2015 and 2025.
- Number of high-burden districts reduced from 155 to 33 over the same decade.
- Over 160 districts reported zero indigenous malaria cases between 2022 and 2025.
- Remaining 33 high-burden districts across nine States and UTs accounted for 64 percent of cases and 54 percent of malaria deaths in 2025.
Why it matters
- Sustaining interruption of local transmission in remote forest and hilly topographies requires micro-level Village Action Plans.
- Prevents vector resurgence and reduces disease burden among vulnerable rural and tribal populations.
Key terms
Vector Borne Disease
An infection transmitted to humans by arthropods such as mosquitoes, ticks, or sandflies.
Indigenous Case
A locally contracted disease case with no history of travel to an endemic area outside the local zone.
Prelims facts
- National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases Control operates under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to manage malaria elimination.
Mains discussion
- Analyze the role of micro-level decentralized planning in achieving disease elimination goals in high-burden geographical pockets.
Source: PIB English
Same topic · past papers
UPSC has asked this before
These previous-year questions sit on the same topic. Open one to practise the earlier ask.