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India has taken a decisive step in its public health journey by unveiling the second National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (NAP-AMR 2.0) for 2025–2029. Announced on November 18, 2025, the strategy marks a renewed national commitment to tackling the escalating threat of drug-resistant “superbugs” — a crisis that endangers both patient safety and economic stability.
Unlike its predecessor, the new plan is designed as a budget-bound, responsibility-driven roadmap, weaving together more than 20 ministries under a unified “One Health” framework. This approach recognises that antimicrobial resistance does not respect the boundaries between humans, animals, food systems, or the environment.
What’s New in NAP-AMR 2.0
The latest plan seeks to fix the shortcomings of the first NAP (2017–2021) by tightening coordination across sectors and bringing the private healthcare system more firmly on board. It sets clearer mandates, firmer deadlines, and dedicated budgets for ministries ranging from agriculture and environment to education and animal husbandry — a crucial shift in a country where fragmented responsibility often derails implementation.
The Six Pillars of the Strategy
NAP-AMR 2.0 is built on six strategic priorities:
• Raising awareness and training, ensuring both health professionals and citizens understand the dangers of antibiotic misuse.
• Expanding laboratories and surveillance systems to deliver reliable data on resistance trends and drug residues.
• Preventing infections through stronger infection-control practices and improved sanitation — the simplest, yet most neglected line of defence.
• Optimising antibiotic use in human medicine, veterinary care, and food production, backed by stewardship programmes and tighter controls on non-prescription sales.
• Boosting research and innovation, particularly through platforms like the India AMR Innovation Hub, aimed at accelerating new diagnostics, therapies, and vaccines.
• Strengthening governance and global collaboration, acknowledging that AMR is a cross-border threat requiring coherent national and international action.
The announcement fittingly coincided with the start of the World Health Organisation’s World AMR Awareness Week (November 18–24), placing India’s renewed push squarely on the global stage. The full plan is expected to be released for public access soon — and its effectiveness will ultimately hinge on sustained political will and rigorous execution.
