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Union Health Minister J P Nadda launched the second version of India’s National Action Plan (NAP) on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) on the occasion of the World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW) 2025. The plan, developed for five years, 2025-2029, was launched on November 18, the first day of WAAW.
This NAP-AMR 2.0 follows India’s first NAP-AMR (2017-2021) that was released in 2017, responding to the call made by the World Health Organization to countries, to develop national action plans, aligned to the Global Action Plan on AMR.
NAP-AMR 2.0’s development started in 2022, with an aim to increase ownership within each stakeholder/ministry. A series of stakeholder consultations were held separately among different sectors such as human health, animal husbandry, environment, research, professional associations, civil society, based on which each stakeholder ministry/department developed their own action plans with identified goals and timelines. This was followed by high level meetings led by the NITI Aayog.
According to a press statement made on November 18, the NAP-AMR 2.0 includes these specific action plans of each key stakeholder ministry/department, along with budget, coordination and collaboration mechanisms among sectors. It is said to addresses the gaps identified in its implementation during 2017-2021. Each stakeholder ministry/ department, will now develop their implementation roadmaps while engaging with necessary and multiple stakeholders such as industry, civil society, cooperatives, professional groups etc.
During the release event, the minister recognised the misuse and overuse of antibiotics as a cause of concern, and that corrective measures resulting from collective action is the way out. He also emphasised on increased education, awareness and training on AMR, need for enhanced laboratory capacity, and infection control in healthcare settings. The event also noted the initiatives undertaken by various line ministries as well as some states in this regard.
The NAP-AMR 2.0 was launched in the presence of A K Sood, Principal Scientific Advisor; Punya Salila Srivastava, Union Health Secretary; Rajiv Bahl, Secretary, Department of Health Research and Sunita Sharma, Director General of Health Services.
Senior officials from different stakeholder ministries such as health, fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying, agriculture and farmers welfare, environment, forest and climate change, science and technology, chemical and fertiliser, AYUSH, Jal Shakti, information and broadcasting, and education, also attended the release event.
It is yet to be made available in the public domain.