The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday launched the second version of the National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (2025–29), outlining India’s renewed strategy to address the growing threat of antibiotic resistance. The NAP-AMR 2.0 was formally released by Health Minister JP Nadda in New Delhi on the opening day of the WHO’s World AMR Awareness Week, observed globally from November 18 to 24.
According to the Health Ministry, the updated action plan marks a significant advancement in India’s efforts to curb antimicrobial resistance through a comprehensive One Health framework. The plan has been developed with the participation of more than 20 ministries and includes clearly defined timelines, budgets, and mechanisms to monitor progress. The first National Action Plan on AMR was introduced in 2017.
Speaking at the launch, Health Minister JP Nadda said antimicrobial resistance poses serious public health challenges, especially in areas such as surgical procedures, cancer treatment, and other critical medical interventions. He noted that the misuse and overuse of antibiotics have become widespread, increasing the urgency for corrective action.
The Ministry said NAP-AMR 2.0 addresses several gaps identified in the first action plan by strengthening intersectoral coordination, increasing ownership among stakeholder departments, and expanding engagement with the private sector. The updated plan includes specific action plans for each ministry and department involved, with detailed activity timelines and budgeting to ensure effective implementation.
Officials highlighted that the revised plan is anchored in the One Health approach, which integrates actions across human health, animal health, agriculture, environment, and related sectors over the next five years. This integrated method is aimed at improving collaboration and ensuring a unified response to antimicrobial resistance.
The action plan features six major strategic objectives supported by sub-objectives and activity frameworks. These include enhancing awareness and understanding of AMR through targeted communication and training; strengthening laboratory systems for AMR surveillance and improving detection of antibiotic resistance and residues; reducing infection rates through robust infection prevention and control systems; and optimizing antimicrobial use across humans, animals, and the food sector by ensuring both access and responsible usage.
The plan also emphasizes promoting AMR-related research and innovation by identifying priority areas in basic, operational, and translational research. In addition, it outlines steps to reinforce governance and improve coordination within and across sectors to ensure sustained progress.
Following the release of NAP-AMR 2.0, each stakeholder ministry and department is expected to draft its own implementation roadmap. These roadmaps will involve collaboration with private health institutions, professional bodies, industry groups, cooperatives, NGOs, international partners, and other relevant organizations to ensure wide-ranging participation in combating antimicrobial resistance.
The Health Ministry reaffirmed that the updated action plan is intended to strengthen national resilience to AMR and safeguard critical healthcare services by promoting responsible antimicrobial practices across all sectors.
