Why in the news?

  • The Union Health Minister launched the National Action Plan on Antimicrobial  Resistance (NAP-AMR) 2.0

National Action Plan on Antimicrobial  Resistance (NAP-AMR) 2.0

  • What is it?:
    • It is the revamped version of NAP-AMR 1.0, which was initiated in 2017 in alignment with WHO’s Global Action Plan on AMR (2015).
    • The NAP-AMR 2.0 is formulated based on the progress and gaps of NAP-AMR 1.0
  • Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
  • Plan Duration: Five years for the period 2025-2030.
  • Vision: To reduce the burden of AMR in India through a strengthened One Health system, improved stewardship, and sustained behaviour change across human, animal, food and environmental ecosystems.
  • Key Features of NAP-AMR 2.0:
    • Five-Year Implementation Framework (2025–2030) with measurable outcomes.
    • Explicit One Health coordination architecture (Central + State).
    • State AMR Scorecard & Ranking System to measure performance.
    • Stronger regulation of antimicrobial use in humans, livestock, aquaculture & crop sectors.
    • Wastewater & effluent-based surveillance for AMR hot-spots.
    • Mandatory Antimicrobial Stewardship Programmes (AMSPs) in tertiary health facilities.
    • Pharmaceutical sector accountability for antibiotic discharge and pollution.
    • Integrated AMR Surveillance Platform (i-AMRS) for real-time, cross-sectoral data.
  • Priority Areas:
    • Strengthening AMR Surveillance:
      • Expand NCDC’s NARS-Net, ICMR-AMRSN, and INFAAR networks.
      • Integrate AMR in food-chain & environmental samples.
      • Establish wastewater-based AMR surveillance in pharma clusters (Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Himachal, Gujarat).
      • National AMR Dashboard with district-level data.
    • Optimising Antimicrobial use in various sectors:
      • Mandatory AMSP in all medical colleges, district hospitals and large private hospitals.
      • Restrict OTC sale of antibiotics through tighter enforcement of Schedule H1.Phase-out of critically important antimicrobials (CIAs) in food-producing animals.
      • Standard treatment guidelines with real-time prescription audits.
    • Infection Prevention and Strengthening of IPC:
      • All health facilities to meet National IPC Standards 2026.
      • Hand hygiene, bio-medical waste management, Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP) protocols.
    • Pharmaceutical and Industrial waste Regulation:
      • Zero-liquid discharge & AMR-risk-based norms for pharma waste.
      • CPCB & SPCB monitoring of antibiotic residues in effluents.
      • Mapping of AMR hot-spots: pharma clusters, hospital waste drains, sewage treatment plants.
    • AMR Awareness, Education and Behavioural change:
      • National AMR Awareness Strategy (2025).
      • Targeted campaigns for farmers, veterinarians, pharmacists & consumers.
      • Integrate AMR education in medical, nursing, pharmacy, and veterinary curricula.
    • Research, Innovation and New Technologies:
      • Promote R&D in the sectors- rapid diagnostics, new antimicrobials, vaccines, phage therapy etc.
      • National AMR Innovation Fund (proposed).
      • Encourage private sector and start-up partnerships.
    • Strengthen Governance, Policy & International Collaboration:
      • National One Health AMR Secretariat under MoHFW.
      • State One Health AMR Cells in all states/UTs.
      • Partnership in Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) and G20 Global AMR framework.
  • Progress Indicators:
    • State AMR Index.
    • Prescription audit compliance.
    • AMR antibiotic consumption (DDDs).
    • Environmental contamination levels.
    • Human–animal–environment AMR trends.