Launched the ‘My Village, Healthy Village’ campaign to transform rural healthcare through community participation
Maharashtra: A major public health initiative has been launched to transform village healthcare through community participation. Public Health and Family Welfare Minister Prakash Abitkar called for collective efforts to make villages “healthy” under the “My Village, Healthy Village” campaign.
The Minister emphasized that this initiative should become a people’s movement rather than a government program. Its focus will be on preventive healthcare, promoting healthy lifestyles, and encouraging behavior change at the community level, especially in rural areas.
Outstanding performing Gram Panchayats will be recognized as “Healthy Villages.”
Local self-government bodies, district and taluka administrations, primary health centers, sub-centers, ASHA workers, and villagers will be actively involved in this campaign. Gram Panchayats demonstrating outstanding performance will be recognized as “Healthy Villages” and rewarded based on transparent evaluation criteria. The campaign was officially inaugurated at a divisional workshop held at the Shrimati Kashibai Navale Medical College. Several senior officials and public representatives attended the event.
The decision to implement the campaign was taken at a cabinet meeting on February 1st.
Minister Abitkar stated that the decision to implement the campaign was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on February 10, 2026. He appealed to stakeholders to ensure that no citizen is left out of healthcare schemes and to strengthen health infrastructure at the grassroots level. The state already provides free healthcare services and implements major schemes such as the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana and the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana. The minister emphasized the need to spread awareness about these schemes to the last mile.
Emphasizing preventive care, Abitkar also mentioned the ongoing vaccination drive to protect approximately 9.84 lakh girls under 14 years of age from serious diseases like cancer. He appealed for widespread awareness and participation in this initiative.
Overall, the campaign aims to build a strong, inclusive, and community-driven healthcare system, ensuring a healthy future for rural Maharashtra.
