When the Swasth Nari Sashakt Parivar Abhiyaan (SNSPA) was announced, it was not intended to be a two-week campaign. It is a representation of a much deeper and broader public health commitment, one that years of effort by involving numerous government schemes and a wide network of institutions that collectively aim to transform the health landscape of India. This campaign was launched on September 17, 2025 and the occasion of the Prime Minister’s 75th birthday and it will end on October 2, 2025 Gandhi Jayanti. By bringing together national programmes, state health infrastructure and community partnerships, this Abhiyaan is laying the foundation for healthier families and a stronger nation.
One of the most striking aspects of this campaign is the way, that it draws on collaborations across the healthcare system. The Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) will play a important role by organising comprehensive health camps across its network of 160 hospitals. These camps will run across 13 working days, covering not only hospitals but also 1,603 dispensaries, 107 dispensary-cum-branch offices and 100 volunteer based hospital beds tied up for the campaign. Each ESI hospital will run a mobile camp daily, reaching women, adolescents and children in communities. Taking healthcare beyond paper work with these initiatives, made sure women who never visit a hospital or not able, will still be provided with screenings, immunisations and counselling.
These efforts are supported by contributions from voluntary organisations and the Indian Red Cross Society. Community health and blood donation camps are organized alongside SNSPA, indicative of a comprehensive strategy that extended beyond diagnosis. Volunteers, Nikshay Mitras and groups that assist patients with tuberculosis also participated, thus grounding the campaign in local realities. They will make this Abhiyaan more human than a government directive, it’s a people’s movement where health workers were accompanied by their own people to bring about change.
The real strength of SNSPA is that it weaves itself into the texture of India continuing flagship schemes. Poshan 2.0, provides the nutritional framework within which the Abhiyaan functions. Maternal and child health has always been associated to nutrition and by working through Anganwadi’s during Poshan Maah, the campaign will reinforce the importance of balanced diets, breastfeeding and healthy child-rearing practices. Mission Shakti which concentrates on women’s empowerment and security will provide a supportive environment to SNSPA by making healthcare services accessible to women in an atmosphere of security and dignity.
For child and maternal health, this Abhiyaan finds its inspiration from past schemes like the Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK). Strengthened in 2014 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi regime, Janani Shishu Suraksha increased access to antenatal and postnatal care so that mother and child received essential healthcare within the initial 48 hours of delivery. More than 16.6 crore beneficiaries have been covered under it since its expansion, easing the financial burden on families and consolidating institutional delivery mechanisms. Most closely integrated with Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram is the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), which offers conditional cash transfers to promote institutional births. With more than 11 crore beneficiaries as of March 2025 Janani Suraksha Yojana has been a backbone of safer childbirth in rural and under-served regions. JSSK and JSY positioned SNSPA so that when it launched, it was on strong foundation of maternal care rather than from scratch.
Equally significant is the Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN) initiative, which guarantees zero-cost, high-quality healthcare for pregnant women, sick newborns and mothers up to six months post-delivery. SUMAN has been central to ensuring dignity and respectful care and values that SNSPA carried forward in every health camp it organised. The Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) too has been critical, offering four comprehensive antenatal check-ups during the first trimester to detect high-risk pregnancies. These schemes have created a safety net that these Abhiyaan can strengthens health care by expanding outreach and awareness.
Vaccination a critical pillar of public health, is also woven into the campaign through Mission Indradhanush. Since its launch in 2014, the mission has aimed to cover gaps in immunisation, protecting millions of children and pregnant women from preventable diseases. By December 2024, more than 5.46 crore children and 1.32 crore pregnant women have been vaccinated under Indradhanush programme. By connecting with this effort, SNSPA ensures that immunisation becomes not just a medical procedure but part of a larger narrative of family well-being.
Finance plays a critical role in women’s health especially those from poor families. The Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) initiated in 2017 offers direct maternity benefits of ₹5,000 for the first child, in addition to JSY incentives for a subsidy of ₹6,000. For the second child the entitlement increases to ₹6,000, a step aimed at securing the well-being of the girl child and addressing the sex ratio at birth. By linking financial incentives with maternity care PMMVY decreases the economic dependency that usually discourages women from accessing healthcare. By introducing financial incentives to maternal care, PMMVY reduces the economic hesitation that often keeps women from seeking healthcare.
This Abhiyaan also extends the ethos of community appreciation through the Suposhit Gram Panchayat Abhiyaan. Through the recognition and rewarding the top 1,000 Gram Panchayats with exemplary work at the grassroots level in nutrition and health, this program creates role models of people-driven development. The Panchayats showcase the power of local leadership, when in tune with national priority in order to bring about revolutionary change. SNSPA urges villagers to embrace healthy practices not in fear but in pride of local accomplishment.
The wider relevance of SNSPA is not only by covering several schemes but also in its idea of inclusive development. In targeting tribal communities with counselling for sickle cell disease and tuberculosis, it recognized the disadvantage that continues to be India’s health story. By leveraging Ayushman Arogya Mandirs and community health centres as nodes, it kept rural India from the fringes of healthcare advancement. By enrolling PM-JAY and Ayushman Vaya Vandana beneficiaries, it bridged immediate health interventions with long-term security. This paradigm is what distinguishes the Abhiyaan: it does not treat illness but creates systems that sustain well-being.
The communication strategy is also to be commended. Doordarshan and All India Radio brought health messages to the very doors of households throughout the nation, while social media created awareness among young and urban populations. These mediums were not utilized for general publicity but for specific communication, highlighting why nutrition is important, why antenatal care cannot wait, and why preventive health is an investment in the future. The reliance on credentialed local sites such as Anganwadis helped support these messages, preventing them from being ignored as remote policy but instead being accepted as local truth.
India looks towards its centenary of independence in 2047, the vision of Viksit Bharat guides every this initiative. SNSPA fits squarely into this long-term roadmap. It’s focus on women health recognises that the prosperity of families, communities and ultimately the nation depends on the well-being of women. It builds strength in system not just by reducing maternal and child mortality but by equipping women with knowledge, dignity and choices. This empowerment has ripple effects with healthier mothers there is a healthier child, healthy families create stronger communities and stronger communities build’s strong national growth.
The Swasth Nari Sashakt Parivar Abhiyaan, is not an isolated campaign but a convergence of efforts. It brings together hospitals, health workers, volunteers and citizens in a shared mission. It integrates schemes that have been in operation for years, giving them renewed energy and visibility. It translates policy into practice, by taking healthcare where it is most needed. It sends a message that women’s health is not secondary but central to India’s future. The human impact is its true achievement and its legacy will continue long after this programme ends on October 2, 2025.
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