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According to the Directorate General of Health Services, the incidence of infertility in eligible couples is approximately 14 per cent-16 per cent.
Prataprao Jadhav, Minister of State in the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare told the Lok Sabha that the contributing factors to infertility include delayed marriages, increased maternal age, obesity, thyroid diseases, diabetes, smoking, alcohol consumption, pollution, and chemical exposure.
The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development has not conducted an audit regarding the impact of climate change on women and children.
But that's not all.
Two other ministries — the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and the Union Ministry of Earth Science also informed the Lower House that they have also not conducted any audit regarding the impact of climate change on women and children.
This is despite the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) repeatedly mentioning that women, especially those from lower economic backgrounds, face some of the most severe effects of climate change.
However, Annpurna Devi, the Union Minister of Women and Child Development admitted that globally, it is now accepted that the climate crisis and its impacts are not ‘gender-neutral’,
As per National Center for Vector Borne Disease Control (NCVBDC) under Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, in 2024 (till June 30), a total of 32,091 dengue cases have been reported across the country against a total 18,391 dengue cases reported in the corresponding period of 2023.
This was informed by Jadhav, Union Minister of State for Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
As per the National Health Policy, 2017, public investment in health is expected to reach 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2025.
As per latest economic survey 2023-24, the Government Health Expenditure (GHE) for the last three years i.e. 2021-22, 2022-23 (RE) and 2023-24 (BE) is 1.9 per cent of GDP.
The government told the House that the Department of Health and Family Welfare (DoHFW) has made efforts to increase allocation in health budget.
The budget allocation for DoHFW has increased by 85 per cent from Rs 47,353 crore in 2017-18 to Rs 87,657 crore in 2024-25. The 15th Finance Commission has also provided Rs 70,051 crore in grants for health through the local government.
Further, the DoHFW has requested States to prioritise allocation to health sector and enhance their health budgets at least by eight per cent to reach the goal as envisaged, Jadhav, Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare told the Lok Sabha.
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has already made regulations to ensure that cancer causing used cooking oil does not enter in the food chain.
FSSAI has also launched Repurpose Used Cooking Oil (RUCO) initiative to enable the collection and conversion of UCO to biodiesel and/or soap.
This helps to prevent UCO from entering into the food chain.
FSSAI has restricted the use of vegetable oil or fat having developed Total Polar Compounds more than 25 per cent vide Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Amendment Regulations, 2020, Anupriya Patel, Minister of State in the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare told Lok Sabha.
States and Union Territories are submitting data on heat stroke cases and deaths on the Integrated Health Information Portal since 2023.
Anupriya Patel, Minister of State in the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare told the Lok Sabha that total 2,521 suspected heatstroke cases and 102 confirmed heatstroke deaths reported in the country from March1, 2023 to July 25, this year.