UGC NTA NET/JRF Exam, Social Medicine & Community Health, January-2025

The National Tuberculosis (TB) Programme in India was launched in 1962. It was initiated as a part of the government's effort to control TB through the implementation of standardized diagnostic and treatment protocols.

Later, the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) was launched in 1997, which introduced the DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment, Short-course) strategy for better treatment outcomes.

The National Health Policy (NHP) 2002 aimed to improve public health infrastructure and services in India.

It focused on reducing mortality and morbidity, increasing public expenditure on health, and addressing communicable diseases like TB, malaria, and leprosy.

However, reducing infant mortality rate to 28 by 2010 was not an objective of NHP 2002. The policy had targeted reducing infant mortality rate to below 30 per 1000 live births by 2010, but not specifically to 28.

According to the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) 2022, Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) - Sub Health Centres (SHCs) are designed to provide comprehensive primary healthcare, including services for non-communicable diseases, maternal and child health, family planning, and basic oral health.

However, speciality care for mental health ailments is not provided at the SHC level-it is delivered at higher facilities like PHCs or CHCs.

The condition where the intake or absorption of vitamins and minerals is too low to sustain good health and development is known as Hidden Hunger.

Unlike undernourishment or malnutrition in general, hidden hunger specifically refers to micronutrient deficiencies such as lack of iron, iodine, vitamin A, or zinc, which may not cause visible symptoms initially but lead to long-term health problems.

Hepatitis B is primarily a blood-borne infection transmitted through infected blood, unprotected sex, and from mother to child during childbirth.

The statement claiming that "Transmission from child-to-child, often called horizontal transmission, is responsible for a majority of HBV infections and carriers in Asia” is incorrect.

In Asia, perinatal transmission (mother-to-child) is the predominant mode, not child-to-child horizontal transmission.

For efficient vision, proper lighting plays a critical role in minimizing visual strain and enhancing work efficiency.

The essential factors include a uniform distribution of light, ensuring that no area is excessively bright or dim; sufficient illumination so that objects are clearly visible; steadiness of the light source to prevent flickering; and the absence of glare, which can cause eye fatigue, headaches, and reduced visual performance.

On the contrary, presence of glare and sharp shadows causes discomfort, reduces visual accuracy, and may lead to long-term eye strain. Therefore, such conditions are not essential and actually harmful for efficient vision.

Pluralism refers to a political system in which multiple groups and interests coexist and influence policy without any single entity dominating. Key features include open electoral competition, free functioning of pressure groups, and a balance of elite influences.

However, if the state is unable to act as a neutral referee, it contradicts pluralism - as the state in a pluralistic society is expected to adjudicate impartially among comreting groups.

In health management, leadership style influences how teams function and decisions are made. When Mr. X takes full control of all decisions and seeks very little input from his subordinates, this describes the Autocratic Leadership Style.

In this style, the leader maintains strict control, makes decisions independently, and expects team members to follow instructions without questioning.

While this approach can lead to quick decision-making and clear direction, it often reduces team motivation and creativity because employees feel excluded from the decision process.

In health management, such a style may be effective in emergency situations or crisis management, where swift action is necessary, but less suitable for collaborative and participative environments.

The NITI Aayog Health Index Round IV (2019- 2020) assesses the performance of Indian states and Union Territories based on various health indicators such as fertility rate, immunization coverage, institutional deliveries, and disease management.

States are categorized into Frontrunners, Achievers, and Aspirants depending on their overall performance and incremental progress compared to previous rounds. In this report, Punjab and Karnataka were classified as 'Achievers'.

These states demonstrated moderate overall health performance and consistent improvement in indicators like healthcare infrastructure, disease control, and service delivery.

While they were not the topperforming "Front-runners" (like Kerala or Tamil Nadu), they showed stable progress in comparison to states lagging behind.

Anthropologist Milton Singer studied urban Indians and their ways of balancing tradition and modernity through concepts like Compartmentalisation, Ritual Neutralisation, and Vicarious Neutralisation.

These describe how individuals maintain traditional values while adapting to modern settings. However, Sanskritisation, introduced by M.N. Srinivas, refers to lower castes adopting rituals and practices of higher castes - not Singer's concept.