Malaria continues to remain one of the public health concerns in India and are both a cause and consequence of poverty and inequity. However, Malaria is preventable and curable. Malaria interventions are highly cost-effective and demonstrate one of the highest returns on investment in public health. In countries where the disease is endemic, efforts to control and eliminate malaria are increasingly viewed as high-impact strategic investments that generate significant returns for public health, help to alleviate poverty, improve equity and contribute to overall development.

As per National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) [Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW)] Malaria Situation Report 2015, 287 people died due to malaria and overall there were 1,126,661 cases of malaria in India. In 2014, there were 562 malaria related deaths across the country and 11,02,205 malaria cases. Whilst progressive decline in malaria cases and deaths and in recent years and consequent progressive alleviation of suffering and loss of lives are immensely encouraging; yet this also portrays continuing adverse impact on the lives of many affected individuals and their families, in terms of school absenteeism as well as reduction in productivity contributing to poverty in already poorer and marginalized segments particularly in many rural tribal areas of the country.

Approximately 82% of the country’s population lives in malaria transmission risk areas, yet 80% of malaria occurs among 20% of the people classified as “high risk.” Most malaria cases and deaths are being reported from these areas that are hilly, forested and inaccessible areas of the states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, West Bengal and seven northeastern states. Most of these areas are hard to reach and conflict prone/affected with many tribal and marginalized groups, migrant and mobile populations, and yet to be optimal health systems and overall infrastructure, amongst others.

GEOGRAPHICAL COVERAGE: states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Tripura, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Odisha, covering 46 districts and 7718 villages.

DEMOGRAPHIC COVERAGE: The target groups include the Tribal population, Jhum cultivators (shifting cultivators); forest workers; migrant and mobile populations (especially in border areas) with their women and children.

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