States told to use funds meant to curb encephalitis: Nadda

The central government will ask of all five states - Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu - where Japanese encephalitis cases are reported to utilize funds meant for the disease's prevention, union Health Minister J.P. Nadda told parliament Monday.

Replying to a calling attention motion in the Lok Sabha on the deaths of children due to the dreaded disease, Nadda singled out contaminated ground water and lack of general immunization as the causes for the disease.

"It is a matter of grave concern. The issue is of implementation of the funds at the grassroots level which lies with the state governments," he said.

The health minister said that the matter would be taken up at the inter-ministerial meeting to be held later this month.

"I will talk to the health ministers of all five states and also visit the states," he said.

The calling attention motion was moved by Gorakhpur MP Yogi Adityanath, whose constituency reports the maximum number of deaths of children due to encephalitis.

Nadda said that the prevention and control of both acute encephalitis syndrome and Japanese encephalitis requires concerted and coordinated action along with expeditious setting up of infrastructure to control the disease.

"This entails effort by all stakeholders including both central and state governments, local self-governments, medical fraternity and non-government organizations," he said.

"The programme for prevention and control of encephalitis is being regularly monitored and I appeal to the state governments to utilize the funds already released or being released to them," he added.

Nadda informed the house that the funds released under National Vector Borne Diseases Control Programme during 2014-15 to the five affected states were Rs.9.16 crore for Assam, Rs.28.57 crore for Bihar, Rs.15.61 crore for Tamil Nadu, Rs. 23.76 crore for Uttar Pradesh and Rs.18 crore for West Bengal.