Aizawl: Mizoram’s Lunglei District earned national recognition today as its flagship maternal and child health initiative, Project BLOOM, was presented at the Best Practices Seminar organised by NITI Aayog at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
The event celebrated successful interventions from 329 Aspirational Districts and 500 Aspirational Blocks across the country. Under the theme “Transforming Health: Breakthrough Interventions”, Lunglei Deputy Commissioner Navneet Mann presented Project BLOOM (Better Living through Outreach, Optimal Maternal and Child Health) as one of the 19 selected best practices.
Launched on June 17, 2025, Project BLOOM addresses maternal and child health challenges in Lungsen Aspirational Block of Lunglei District, a region known for its difficult terrain, high logistical costs, limited internet access and awareness gaps, which had long struggled with low health indicators. The initiative adopts a community-driven, convergence-based approach that integrates health, nutrition, transport, and behaviour change to improve outcomes.
Key interventions under Project BLOOM include the introduction of SafeWombWheels, an on-call transport service prioritising high-risk pregnancies and remote villages to ensure timely referrals to the District Hospital. Maternity Waiting Rooms have been set up, with 12 temporary homestays near delivery points hosted by villagers, offering accommodation and support until delivery, while host families receive incentives. House-to-house surveys conducted by Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Committees have helped identify pregnant women and malnourished children, creating a single data-source for targeted interventions.
BLOOM Gift Baskets, containing nutrition and hygiene kits, are provided to encourage early antenatal care registration and institutional deliveries. Community awareness campaigns have targeted men, job card holders, self-help groups, and religious leaders to promote maternal health practices. The programme has also focused on eliminating Severe and Moderate Acute Malnutrition (SAM/MAM) by monitoring and providing ₹5,000 worth of nutrition support based on prescribed diet charts. Immunisation drives have targeted hard-to-reach villages, planned in convergence with Mission Indradhanush, while high-risk pregnancies are tracked and referred through outreach camps under the PM Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan. Regular training sessions have been conducted for ASHAs, Anganwadi workers, health workers, and local dais, with an emphasis on skilled birth assistance.
The impact of Project BLOOM has been significant. Institutional deliveries have risen from 14.73% in March 2023 to 43.14% in March 2025, reaching 72.2% by June–July 2025, crossing the 70% mark for the first time. Early antenatal registration in the first trimester improved from 50.6% in March 2023 to 68.14% in March 2025, and further to 70% in July 2025. The proportion of pregnant women receiving supplementary nutrition under ICDS jumped from 11.3% in March 2023 to 81.9% in July 2025, while coverage for children aged 6 months to 6 years rose from 6.16% to 75% in the same period. Vaccination achievement increased from 63.8% in June–July 2023 to 88.9% in June–July 2025.
As per the most recent house-to-house survey, 133 pregnant women were identified, of whom 116 had registered for antenatal care. Thirty SAM/MAM children were identified, while 715 children and 72 pregnant women were found to be regularly availing supplementary nutrition at Anganwadi Centres.
Lungsen Block, one of the four rural development blocks in Lunglei District, covers 424.04 sq. km and has a population of 18,637. It is home to Mizo, Chakma, and Bru communities and comprises 24 Village Councils, 3,903 Scheduled Tribe households, one Primary Health Centre, seven Health and Wellness Centres, one Health Sub-Centre, and 44 Anganwadi Centres.
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