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Out-of-Pocket Expenditure as a share of Total Health Expenditure declined from 62.6 per cent in 2014-15 to 39.4 per cent in 2021-22, while Government Health Expenditure increased from 29 per cent to 48 per cent, Union Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel told the Rajya Sabha.
The health ministry has urged states to increase health budgets by at least 10 per cent annually. The Department of Health & Family Welfare budget rose by 102.64 per cent, from Rs 47,353 crore in 2017-18 to Rs 95,957.87 crore in 2025-26. Additionally, the 15th Finance Commission allocated Rs 70,051 crore (2020-26) for health through local governments, Patel said.
To enhance participation, particularly among middle-class households unable to afford high installation costs and economically weaker sections with low electricity consumption, the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSG: MBY) provides a subsidy of up to 60 per cent for the first 2 kW capacity of rooftop solar installations, Union Minister of State for New & Renewable Energy and Power, Shripad Yesso Naik, told the Rajya Sabha. Special category states and Union Territories receive additional financial support.
The Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy issued operational guidelines on December 28, 2024 for the Payment Security Mechanism and Central Financial Assistance components under the Renewable Energy Service Company and Utility-led Aggregation models of PMSG: MBY. This initiative aims to support distribution companies, state governments and designated entities in promoting rooftop solar adoption, particularly for low-income households.
As of March 1, 2025, 47.06 lakh applications have been registered and over 970,000 households have benefited from rooftop solar system installations under the scheme, Naik said.
As of March 3, 2025, Maharashtra has reported 224 cases and 12 deaths (suspected and confirmed) due to Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), a rare nerve disorder, Union Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare, Prataprao Jadhav, told the Rajya Sabha.
A central technical team from the National Centre for Disease Control, National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences and National Institute of Virology, Pune was deployed on January 24, 2025 to investigate the outbreak. Most cases are concentrated in Pune, with additional cases in Nanded, the minister said.
The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation has approved three drugs for obesity and weight management in the country: Orlistat, Tirzepatide and Semaglutide, Patel told the Rajya Sabha. These drugs must be sold in accordance with the provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945. The drugs should be used in line with recommended guidelines.
The Indian Council of Medical Research has reported that a study conducted in 2024 and published in the Indian Academy of Sciences on human health risk assessment found that people living near river drains are highly susceptible to cancer, Jadhav told the Rajya Sabha.
The study revealed hazard quotients above the threshold limit, posing significant non-carcinogenic risks. The results showed that lead, iron and aluminium exceeded the permissible limits set by the Central Pollution Control Board.
On World Hypertension Day, May 17, 2023, the government launched the 75/25 plan, aiming to bring 75 million individuals with hypertension and diabetes under standard care by December 2025, Jadhav told the Rajya Sabha. As of March 5, 2025, 42.01 million individuals have been put on treatment for hypertension and 25.27 million for diabetes, achieving 89.7 per cent of the target.
According to the Ayushman Arogya Mandir portal, as of February 27, 2025, a total of 38,153 (73 per cent) medical officers have completed their training.
A total of 1.95 million electric vehicles were sold in the country during the calendar year 2024, Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma told the Lok Sabha.
The Government of India has been consistently supporting the development of charging infrastructure. Under the FAME-II scheme, Rs 839 crore was allocated for setting up electric vehicle public charging stations. Similarly, under the PM E-DRIVE scheme, Rs 2,000 crore was allocated for establishing electric vehicle public charging infrastructure, Varma added.
Between 2014 and 2024, the National Agricultural Research System, under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, developed 2,900 improved crop varieties and hybrids, Union Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Bhagirath Choudhary, told the Lok Sabha.
This includes 1,380 cereals, 412 oilseeds, 437 pulses, 376 fibre crops, 178 forage crops, 88 sugarcane varieties and 29 others. Of these, 2,661 varieties exhibit tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, with 537 specifically designed for extreme climate conditions using precision phenotyping tools.
Additionally, 152 biofortified varieties of rice, wheat, maize, millets, oilseeds, pulses and grain amaranth were developed. In horticulture, 819 varieties were released, covering spices, tuber crops, plantation crops, fruits, vegetables, flowers and medicinal plants, including 19 biofortified varieties.