• Santosh Tamang

Since the implementation of MDGs and SDGs, India, like other countries worldwide, has succeeded in reducing the under-5 mortality rate significantly in absolute terms. It has succeeded in lowering the U5MR from 109 in 1993-94 to 42 per 1000 live births in 2019-21, dropping by 44 per cent. But this reduction is not evenly distributed among different sections of society in the various states. The state-level U5MR ranges from 5 deaths per 1000 live births to 60 deaths per 1000 live births. Apart from this, inequality in the reduction of under-five mortality is prevalent across socio-economic groups all over the states. The mortality is still higher among poor and backward classes of society in every state. The present paper examines the trend in inequality in reduction of chid mortality between rich and poor and among the SCs, STs and General categories. The data on under-five mortality has been taken from the National Family and Health Survey for the periods 2005-06 (NFHS-3) and 2019-21 (NFHS-5) for our analysis. The rate ratios have been calculated for India and all the states for two periods to measure relative inequalities between the poorest and richest wealth quintiles and between the society's backward and general classes. The rate ratios at the national level have either increased or remained constant. At the state levels, rate ratios decreased for a few states. The majority of states show either increasing or stable rate ratios. This allows us to conclude that inequality in the reduction in U5MR prevails in India, both at national and state levels and this inequality has increased in some states over time.

SDG, U5MR, wealth quintiles, social groups, rate ratio, health inequality.

"INEQUALITY IN REDUCTION OF CHILD MORTALITY IN INDIA", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.9, Issue 11, page no.f914-f920, November-2022, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2211621.pdf

"INEQUALITY IN REDUCTION OF CHILD MORTALITY IN INDIA", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.9, Issue 11, page no. ppf914-f920, November-2022, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2211621.pdf