By IANS,
Ahmedabad : Gujarat aims to reduce its infant and maternal mortality rates, Chief Minister Narendra Modi said here Tuesday at a workshop in which delegates from 14 Southeast Asian countries are participating.
Speaking at the inaugural function of the four-day international workshop being held here jointly by the World Health Organisation and the state government, Modi said Gujarat is committed to offer a new model to the nation for a healthy society and in the battle against malnutrition.
“My government is committed to healthcare, nutrition and education. In the last 50 years not much was done in addressing health problems of mother and child, but Gujarat has now taken a giant leap in the last three years by making result-oriented efforts,” Modi said.
“Before three years, Gujarat had a maternal mortality rate of 179 out of every one lakh (100,000) which has come down to 130. By 2010 we aim to reduce it further to 100. The child mortality rate was 70 out of every 1,000 and that too has been brought down to 49 and in the 2010 ‘Swarnim Gujarat’ we aim to further cut it to 30,” he said.