New Delhi, Matri Sudha A Charitable Trust, in partnership with CRY – Child Rights and You, hosted a high-impact consultation titled “Red Signal to Red Drop: Towards Anemia-Free Delhi”, spotlighting the critical and often overlooked crisis of anemia in the capital. Backed by compelling field data, the consultation underscored the widening gap between policy intent and grassroots realities, with a clarion call for convergence, accountability, and community-driven strategies.
The conference, which brought together over 50 stakeholders including government officials, nutrition experts, development partners, development practitioner, frontline workers, and community leaders, aimed to realign the anemia response in Delhi with India’s larger vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047.
Key Findings from the Rapid Survey by Matri Sudha on Anemia in Delhi (2024-25):
- 97% of the surveyed population had no awareness of the Anemia Mukt Bharat initiative.
- 62% of respondents had not undergone anemia screening in the last nine months.
- Budget utilization on Anemia Mukt Bharat between 2019-2025 was as low as 1% of the total budget sanctioned by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, GoI
- No anemia-specific budget has been allocated by the Delhi Government in recent years.
- Anemia testing rates dropped sharply from 46.3% in 2021–22 to just 2.01% in 2023–24.
Voices from the Conference:
“Anemia Mukt Bharat is not a dream but a call for urgent action. It is an essential step towards Viksit Bharat by 2047.. We must integrate ABCDE of public health: Awareness, Behaviour change, Community engagement, Data, and Evaluation.”
— Dr. Raj Shankar Ghosh, Senior Advisor, PHFI
“It was an important step towards building a strong action plan at the state level to tackle anemia”, Santanu Sarma, Associate General Manager, CRY.”
“There should be a collective effort by everyone to to strengthen their grassroots presence, facilitating nutritional support, and engaging with government systems to ensure a Delhi free from anemia by 2030”, Mr. Arvind Singh, Technical Head & Advisor, Matri Sudha
Debamitra Bhattacharya from Karnataka Health Promotion Trust said “tackling anemia demands coordinated, systemic action and not piecemeal solutions. The time to act, together, is now”.
“Anemia is not just a health issue — it is a development emergency that demands urgent, coordinated action. At Matri Sudha, we believe that change begins when data speaks and communities are heard, said Mr. Ravi Shaker Rai, Senior Programme Manager, Matri Sudha
Dr. Garima Singh, Medical Officer at Primary Urban Health Centre, Delhi spoke about the disconnect between IFA supply and actual consumption. She highlighted how fear of side effects, insufficient counseling, and weak follow-up mechanisms contribute to low adherence, especially among pregnant women and adolescents.
Ms. Neelam, School Teacher, Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya provided an insider perspective from schools, focusing on student resistance and teacher limitations in promoting IFA intake. She emphasized the power of peer influence, creative engagement, and NGO collaboration.
Dr. Alok Gupta, School Health Scheme, GNCTD, “highlighted the fragmentation of responsibilities between various government departments. He said that without systemic convergence, efforts remain isolated and impact is diminished”.
Ms. Madhavi Kotwal, Founder, Director & Managing Trustee, ABHAS emphasized the urgent need for convergence across departments to effectively address anemia. She stated that anemia should not be viewed in silos but approached through an integrated, life-cycle perspective“
Dr. Priayanka Kochar, Engender Health, outlined both supply-side and demand-side barriers in current anemia programs, stressing the need for systemic reform and meaningful beneficiary engagement.
We need to shift our understanding of anemia from a policy lens to a people-centric lens—where innovation, integration, and empathy meet, said Dr. Manoj Pal, Associate Director, Engender Health.
Dr. Satyajit Kumar, State Programme Officer, Adolescents Health, Directorate of Family Welfare, GNCTD “stressed the importance of identifying root causes and responding with simple, scalable solutions for addressing anemia.
Dr. Kashyap, Director, Doctors for You focused on the limitations of current diagnostic systems and the importance of technological innovation and behavioral communication.
Ms. Shinji Singh, Lead, Zero Poverty Abhiyan, Project Concern International “shared global case studies from Peru, Rwanda, Uganda, and Indonesia—each showing how cultural relevance and cross-sector coordination led to significant anemia reduction.
Call to Action: From Recognition to Response
This consultation served as more than a knowledge-sharing platform. It represented a collective will — from donors, practitioners, and communities — to scale impactful interventions. As part of the deliberations:
- Best practices from grass-root were presented, demonstrating how inter-departmental convergence and community-based surveillance can shift the needle.
- Challenges and its Mitigation at grassroot shared first-hand experiences, exposing the gaps in supply chain, awareness, and testing infrastructure.
- Innovative financing models and donor-supported tracking systems were discussed to improve real-time data use and ensure budget accountability.
Why Addressing Anemia Matters?
Mr. Arvind Singh said “Donors also play a catalytic role in bridging the gap between evidence and implementation. Through support for frontline engagement, nutrition kits, IEC materials, and capacity building of health workers, they can help make anemia reduction not just a health objective but a human rights imperative”. He said “this convening reaffirmed that anemia is not merely a biomedical issue — it is a marker of gender equity, child development, education, and poverty. It requires collective stewardship and investment at every level.
The Road Ahead
With the insights from this multi-stakeholder consultation, Matri Sudha is preparing a focused State-Level Anemia Action Plan, grounded in data, people-centric solutions and measurable impact. This will include:
- Monitoring budget utilization and pushing for timely fund disbursement.
- Enhancing community outreach, particularly among adolescent girls and pregnant women.
- Strengthening convergence between health, education, and ICDS systems.
- Promoting a culture of testing, tracking, and treating anemia through empowered frontline functionaries.
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