Nadda Hits Back At Kharge Over NFHS-6 Findings, Cites “Half Knowledge” Remark

Union Health Minister J P Nadda on Saturday strongly rejected criticism by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge over the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-6 findings, accusing him of misrepresenting data and making politically motivated claims. In a post on social media platform X, Nadda said Kharge’s remarks reflected “half knowledge” and argued that public health data should not be used as a tool for political debate.

He stated that selective interpretation of the survey results may serve political narratives but does not reflect the broader national picture. Nadda said the NFHS-6 data actually highlights what he described as a “remarkable transformation” in India’s health ecosystem under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He added that improvements in key maternal and child health indicators demonstrate significant progress in healthcare access and delivery across the country.

Citing comparative data from earlier survey rounds, the Union minister pointed to improvements in maternal healthcare services. He said first-trimester antenatal registrations have increased from 43.9 per cent in NFHS-3 (2005-06) to 76.2 per cent in the latest survey. He also noted that institutional deliveries rose from 38.7 per cent to 90.6 per cent, while births attended by skilled health personnel increased from 46.6 per cent to 91.3 per cent.

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According to Nadda, these improvements reflect expanded access to healthcare facilities and better outcomes for women and children across India. He emphasised that the data represents real progress in maternal health services rather than abstract statistics, arguing that millions of families have benefited from improved healthcare infrastructure and delivery systems. The remarks came a day after Kharge criticised the government, alleging that the findings of NFHS-6 exposed shortcomings in healthcare and nutrition outcomes for women and children.

He claimed that the data reflected failures in governance and inadequate attention to social welfare priorities. Responding to those allegations, Nadda reiterated that India’s health indicators have improved significantly over the years and urged against what he termed pessimistic interpretations of national surveys. He maintained that the data should be viewed in its entirety to understand the scale of progress achieved in recent years.

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