New Delhi, Sep 8 (IANS) About 50.5 percent of deaths in India occur due to non-communicable diseases (NCD) like diabetes, respiratory diseases, cancers and cardiovascular diseases, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said here Thursday.

Chairing a meeting of parliament's consultative committee on health, Azad said these diseases are taking a heavy burden world over, but particularly in India.

Globally, an estimated 60.3 percent people die of these diseases.

Quoting World Health Organisation (WHO), Azad said more than 20 percent of the population has at least one of these diseases, while 10 percent has more than one.

Seeing a global increase of NCD, Azad said the UN General Assembly is planning a two-day special session on these diseases on Sep 19 and 20 in New York.

Keeping the situation in mind, the minister said they have already launched various programmes.

One of them is the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke. He said the ministry has started it on pilot basis in 100 districts since October last year.

The programme will be extended to the entire country during the 12th Five Year Plan from 2012-17, the minister added.

He said early detection and timely treatment will lead to increase in cure rate and survival and reduction in exposure to risk factors.

Those who attended the meeting included BJP leader and former health minister C.P. Thakur, Shiv Sena leader Bhavana P. Gawli-Patil and Congress' Moti Lal Vora and Girija Vyas. Also present were Ministers of State for Health S. Gandhiselven and Sudip Bandyopadhyay.