The Lok Sabha today passed the demands for grants of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for 2012-13 by negating all the cut motions.

Replying to the discussion, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said the Comptroller and Auditor General, CAG, has agreed to audit all the expenses under the National Rural Health Mission, NHRM, in the last two years. The move will help curb corruption in the scheme. The CAG will also audit the expenditure in the current fiscal. He said the government has decided to continue the NHRM in the 12th Plan.

Elaborating the measures taken by his Ministry to strengthen the health system in the country, Mr Azad said the government is giving more attention on checking the spread of non- communicable diseases like cancer and diabetes. He said his ministry has taken effective measures to bring down the maternal and child mortality rate across the country. The Minister expressed satisfaction on the success of polio eradication programme by noting that not a single case was
reported in the last one year.