New Delhi, July 24 - India has reported just 136 cases of polio so far this year and with fewer families opposing the immunisation drive, the country is progressing towards eradication of the disease, parliament was told Friday.

Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad in a written reply informed the Rajya Sabha that till July 17, only 136 children were found infected with the polio virus against 559 in the entire 2008. Of the number so far in 2009, 97 are from Uttar Pradesh and 34 from Bihar.

Delhi with three cases, and Rajasthan and Uttarakhand with one each are the other three states where polio cases have been detected this year.

'In order to remove the prejudices among communities against polio drops, efforts through mass media and inter-personal communication are being made by the polio partners in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar,' Azad said.