“The incidence of cancer is rising steadily in the country – from 13.5 lakh in 2019 to 15.3 lakh in 2024. In 2020, 13.9 lakh cases were diagnosed. The cases spiked to 14.2 lakh in 2021, to 14.6 lakh in 2022, and 14.9 lakh in 2023 .8.2 lakh patients are estimated to have died of cancer in 2023 — the highest since 2019,” Prataprao Jadhav, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfaresaid.
New Delhi: In 2024, India witnessed a surge in cancer cases, with over 15 lakh people diagnosed with the deadly disease, said Prataprao Jadhav, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, on Friday.
In a written reply to a query in Lok Sabha, Jadhav detailed the rising cases of cancer in the country.
“The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has informed that as per the National Cancer Registry Programme (ICMR-NCRP) Data, the estimated incidence of cancer cases in the country for 2024 is 15,33,055,” Jadhav said.
The incidence of cancer is rising steadily in the country – from 13.5 lakh in 2019 to 15.3 lakh in 2024. In 2020, 13.9 lakh cases were diagnosed. The cases spiked to 14.2 lakh in 2021, to 14.6 lakh in 2022, and 14.9 lakh in 2023, the Minister said.
He further noted that “8.2 lakh patients are estimated to have died of cancer in 2023 — the highest since 2019”.
In 2019, 7.5 lakh patients succumbed to the disease, and 7.7 lakh, 7.8 lakh, and more than 8 lakh died, respectively, in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
“The reasons for the increase in the number of estimated cancer cases are due to access and availability of improved diagnostic techniques for the detection of cancer, increased life expectancy, growing share of geriatric population, higher health consciousness, and improved health-seeking behaviour,” Jadhav said.
In addition, “there has been a significant increase in the classical risk factors associated with Communicable Disease (NCDs), including cancer such as tobacco and alcohol consumption, insufficient physical activities, unhealthy diets, consumption of high salt, sugar and saturated fats, etc,” the Minister explained.
To counter this, the government has undertaken the National Programme for Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD).
The main aim of the programme is prevention and control of common NCD risk factors through an integrated approach and reduction of premature morbidity and mortality from cancer and other NCDs.
“The focus of this programme is on health promotion, early diagnosis, management, and referral of cases, besides strengthening the infrastructure and capacity building. The capacity building is provided at various levels of health care for prevention, early diagnosis, cost-effective treatment, rehabilitation, awareness, and behaviour change communication,” Jadhav said.
Meanwhile, IndiaAI Independent Business Division (IBD), in collaboration with the National Cancer Grid (NCG), has announced the launch of the Cancer AI & Technology Challenge (CATCH) Grant Program. This initiative seeks to support the development and deployment of innovative Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions to strengthen cancer screening, diagnostics, treatment support, and healthcare operations across India.
The CATCH Grant Program will provide up to ₹50 lakh per project to selected teams comprising technology innovators and clinical institutions. The grants will be co-funded by IndiaAI and NCG. The initiative is designed to catalyse piloted deployment of AI solutions within the NCG hospital network, with the potential for future scale-up based on demonstrated clinical impact and operational readiness.
Successful pilot projects may also be eligible for an additional scale-up grant of up to ₹1 crore, facilitated by IndiaAI, for wider deployment across the NCG network or through national implementation pathways.
The Challenge will focus on high-impact categories including AI-enabled screening, diagnostics, clinical decision support, patient engagement, operational efficiency, research, and data curation. A total of up to 10 proposals will be selected for piloting under this round, based on technical maturity, feasibility, and alignment with healthcare delivery needs.
Applicants may include startups, health technology companies, academic institutions, and public or private hospitals. Joint applications from Clinical Leads (hospitals or clinicians) and Technical Leads (technology developers) are encouraged. The program will emphasis responsible AI development, clinical validation, and readiness for deployment in Indian healthcare contexts.
Applications will be accepted through an online portal hosted by IndiaAI and NCG. The last date for submission is September 2, 2025.
IndiaAI, an IBD under the Digital India Corporation (DIC) of the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), is the implementation agency of the IndiaAI Mission, which aims to democratize AI’s benefits across all strata of society, bolster India’s global leadership in AI, foster technological self-reliance, and ensure ethical and responsible use of AI.
For more information and to apply, please visit: [https://indiaai.gov.in/article/accelerating-oncology-innovation-launch-of-the-indiaai-ncg-cancer-ai-technology-challenge-catch]
With inputs from IANS