New Delhi, March 10 (IANS) At least 77,000 mothers in India die every year during child birth, Minister of State for Women and Child Development Renuka Chowdhury said Monday. Chowdhury told the Rajya Sabha that the latest survey report of the Registrar General of India published in 2006, the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) for India is 301 per 100,000 live births.

It “translates into about 77,000 maternal deaths per year or in other words 211 maternal deaths per day”.

She said in order to bring a reduction in MMR, the central government has initiated certain programmes like Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), for institutional delivery and appointment of Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) for every village.

She said the government is also working to prevention and treat anemia. Nearly 60 percent of Indian women are anaemic. Supplementary nutrition to pregnant and lactating women under the integrated child development scheme are also been given, the minister explained.

Chowdhury said to prohibit child marriages, a new legislation ‘The Prohibition of “Child Marriage Act, 2006″ has been enforced from Nov 1, 2007.

However, the Economic Survey 2007-08 said the country’s MMR was 450 per 100,000 live births.

India’s MMR is worse than its neighbours, China 45 and Sri Lanka 58.