Mizoram’s Lunglei wins national praise for maternal, child health initiative

The Lunglei district administration in Mizoram has received national recognition for its flagship maternal and child health programme, Project Bloom, officials said on August 8.

Under the theme "Transforming Health: Breakthrough Interventions", Lunglei Deputy Commissioner Navneet Mann presented 'Project Bloom (Better Living through Outreach, Optimal Maternal and Child Health)' as one of the 19 selected best practices at a programme in New Delhi on August 7.

The 'Best Practices Seminar', organised by NITI Aayog, celebrated successful interventions from 329 aspirational districts and 500 aspirational blocks across the country, the officials said.

Launched on June 17 this year, the scheme addresses maternal and child health challenges in the Lungsen aspirational block in Lunglei, they said.

The region, with its difficult terrain, high logistical costs, limited internet access and awareness gaps, had long been struggling with low health indicators, they said.

The programme aims to close these gaps through a community-driven, convergence-based approach that integrates health, nutrition, transport and behaviour change, they said.

"Under this project, an on-call transport service, prioritising high-risk pregnancies and ensuring referrals to the district hospital, was undertaken, and 12 temporary homestays near delivery points, hosted by villagers, were set up to offer accommodation and support until delivery," an official said.

House-to-house surveys were conducted to identify pregnant women and malnourished children, he said.

Incentives were given to promote early antenatal care registration and institutional deliveries, including nutrition and hygiene kits, another official said.

Other key interventions of the project were immunisation drives with a focus on reaching villages, high-risk pregnancy tracking, capacity-building for accredited social health activists , Aanganwadi and health workers.

According to the officials, the project has brought about a significant transformation in the maternal and child health sector in Lungsen block.

They said that institutional deliveries increased from 14.73 per cent in March 2023 to 43.14 per cent in March 2025, and surged to 72.2 per cent by June–July 2025, crossing the 70 per cent mark for the first time.

Early ANC registration improved from 50.6 per cent in March 2023 to 70 per cent in July this year, they said.

Pregnant women receiving supplementary nutrition under the Integrated Child Development Services rose from 11.3 per cent in March 2023 to 81.9 per cent in July 2025, the officials said.

Children receiving supplementary nutrition increased from 6.16 per cent to 75 per cent during the same period, they said.

Vaccination achievement climbed from 63.8 per cent in June–July 2023 to 88.9 per cent in June–July this year. Lungsen is one of the four rural development blocks in south Mizoram's Lunglei district covering an area of 424.04 sq. km.

It has a population of 18,637, with three communities—Mizo, Chakma, and Bru—living peacefully.

The block comprises 24 village councils and 3,903 households.