Previous Year Question

Mission Indradhanush is a special immunisation drive launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on 25 December 2014. It was designed to extend routine immunisation services to children and pregnant women who were either completely unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated.

Therefore, option (a) is correct.

The Mission particularly focused on:

• Districts with low immunisation coverage.

• Difficult and remote areas.

• Urban slums.

• Nomadic communities and migrant populations.

• Construction sites, brick kilns and other high-risk areas.

• Areas having a high proportion of unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children.

In its initial phase, the Mission focused on protecting children against seven vaccine-preventable diseases—diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, tuberculosis, measles and Hepatitis B. Vaccination against Japanese Encephalitis and Haemophilus Influenzae Type B was also included in selected areas.

The seven colours of the rainbow represented the seven major vaccine-preventable diseases initially covered by the Mission.

Current status (2026)

Mission Indradhanush has not been discontinued. It continues as a catch-up strategy that strengthens the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP). More focused rounds have periodically been conducted as the Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI).

The present UIP:

• Targets approximately 2.67 crore newborns and 2.9 crore pregnant women annually.

• Provides free vaccines against vaccine-preventable diseases through the public-health system.

• Uses Mission Indradhanush to focus particularly on zero-dose and partially vaccinated children and pregnant women who have missed vaccinations.

• Organises special vaccination sessions in low-coverage and hard-to-reach areas.

According to the National Health Mission, the initial six phases of Mission Indradhanush covered 554 districts across the country. Its objective was to increase full immunisation coverage among children to 90%.