Expanded ANMOL scheme, hike in ASHA incentive — Delhi launches health initiatives

On Tuesday, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta also felicitated outstanding workers at the “ASHA Sammelan-2026 and ASHA Samman Samaroh”.

Expansion of the ANMOL scheme, which raises the free newborn screening programme for newborns, from 56 to 63 diseases, doubling of the monthly incentive for ASHA workers from Rs 3,000 to Rs 6,000 — these were among the several new healthcare initiatives launched by the Delhi Government on Tuesday under the “Seva Sankalp Abhiyan” programme, organised at Thyagraj Stadium.

The programme also saw the virtual inauguration of the State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (SOTTO) building at GB Pant Hospital. Further, a Nursing Home Management System portal was launched, which moves registration and renewal for private nursing homes online, officials said.

The hike in incentives is set to benefit 6,690 ASHA workers in the Capital, officials said, adding that the increment is a recognition of the dedication with which the workers bring Delhi’s health services to households. ASHA workers act as the link between the community and the public health system. They register pregnant women, push for institutional deliveries, track immunisation, counsel families on nutrition and sanitation, and accompany patients to health facilities and work under the National Health Mission.

On the development, Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh said, “The incentive had been pending for nearly a decade. Through the Covid years, the workers kept serving. The steps to recognise them did not come. This government has addressed it.”

On Tuesday, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta also felicitated outstanding workers at the “ASHA Sammelan-2026 and ASHA Samman Samaroh”. She said she expects them to reach every family like an elder sister, and announced a special dandiya programme for them during Navratri.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu said, “ASHA workers stand on the front lines of the healthcare system, taking health services and awareness to pregnant women, children and families.”

On the expansion of Mission ANMOL, officials said that it now covers 63 congenital health conditions, with screening to be carried out within 24 to 72 hours of birth.

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Since Mission ANMOL was made operational in March this year, more than 75,000 newborns have been screened and over 700 children have been treated in time, officials said.
The government aims to increase the annual coverage under the scheme around 1.5 lakh to 2.5 lakh newborns. Last month, The Indian Express had reported that more than 14,000 newborn genetic samples arrive every month at the LNJP genetic lab, the only genetic lab run by the Delhi government.

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Tabshir Shams covers health for The Indian Express. He holds a Master's degree in International Relations from South Asian University. Before joining The Indian Express, he interned at The Hindu from December 2025 to June 2026, where he assisted in the research and editing of a book on delimitation published by The Hindu Group Publications. During this time, he also wrote for The Hindu's Text & Context section, on subjects ranging from Pakistan's military establishment to Bangladesh's elections, and reported a Spotlight feature on a jute mill in Samastipur and its ripple effects on labour migration and the local economy. In July 2025, he interned at The Indian Express, where he wrote several explainers on international relations alongside a health report. His Master's thesis examines civil-military relations in Pakistan, with a focus on the post-2019 period. ... Read More

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