February 2026

State governments in India are working to strengthen mortality information systems across the country. The aim is to register and determine the cause of every death to inform evidence-based health policies and improve governance.

The CDC Foundation and Vital Strategies organized a pre-conference workshop on CRVS data use at the National Symposium and Stakeholder Consultation to Strengthen the Mortality Information System in India in February 2026. The workshop, Using Mortality and CRVS Data for Timely Public Health Action, brought together 24 participants from national and state health departments, academic institutions, municipal bodies and development partners. The objective was to strengthen the practical use of mortality and CRVS data for public health action, emphasizing the value of timely and disaggregated mortality data.

Participants reviewed examples of how CRVS data can detect emerging health trends. They discussed how cause-of-death data can inform prevention strategies, highlighting the need to translate routine data into actionable insights.

The workshop featured CRVS use cases from India and other Data for Health Initiative countries, including Bangladesh and Zambia, to demonstrate how mortality data informed local planning and rapid response. Panel discussions explored common challenges and how governments worked to overcome those challenges using cases of CRVS data from Mumbai, the state of Maharashtra and Bangladesh. Participants reflected on gaps in data quality, access and analysis capacity.

During the workshop, individual and group activities encouraged peer learning. Small groups mapped barriers to CRVS data use at national and subnational levels, identifying facilitators that enable data-informed decisions. Discussions focused on improving coordination between data producers and data users, enhancing data access and the need for building capacity to improve data quality.

The workshop produced shared priorities for action and generated practical recommendations to strengthen the use of mortality and CRVS data, including capacity building, improved data quality checks and stronger institutional mechanisms for data review. Participants agreed on the need for sustained collaboration to advance data-driven public health decision making in India.