UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — India Speeding Towards TB Elimination

Q1. In the history of India's tuberculosis control, the 'DOTS' strategy introduced along with the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) in 1997 stands for which one of the following?

  • A. Directly Observed Treatment, Short-course
  • B. Decentralised Outreach for TB Screening
  • C. Drug-Optimised Tuberculosis Surveillance
  • D. Domiciliary Observation and Treatment System

Q2. Consider the following statements regarding the evolution of India's national tuberculosis programme: 1. The National Tuberculosis Programme (NTP) was launched in 1962. 2. The Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) introduced the DOTS strategy in 1997. 3. RNTCP was renamed the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP) in 2020. 4. The National Strategic Plan (2017–25) set the target of TB elimination in India by 2030. Which of the statements given above are correctly identified?

  1. The National Tuberculosis Programme (NTP) was launched in 1962.
  2. The Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) introduced the DOTS strategy in 1997.
  3. RNTCP was renamed the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP) in 2020.
  4. The National Strategic Plan (2017–25) set the target of TB elimination in India by 2030.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 and 4 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q3. Which one of the following is the dedicated web-based patient case-management and notification portal that serves as the digital backbone of India's National TB Elimination Programme?

  • A. Ni-kshay
  • B. e-Sanjeevani
  • C. U-WIN
  • D. CoWIN

Q4. Consider the following statements about the Ni-kshay ecosystem under India's TB programme: 1. Under the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana, a Direct Benefit Transfer of ₹1,000 per month is provided to notified TB patients (raised from ₹500 with effect from November 2024). 2. Under the Ni-kshay Mitra initiative, individuals, NGOs, corporates and faith-based organisations can adopt TB patients for at least six months. 3. The Ni-kshay portal was jointly developed by the Central TB Division, the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and WHO India. 4. The Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana benefit is paid only to TB patients belonging to below-poverty-line (BPL) households. Which of the statements given above are correctly identified?

  1. Under the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana, a Direct Benefit Transfer of ₹1,000 per month is provided to notified TB patients (raised from ₹500 with effect from November 2024).
  2. Under the Ni-kshay Mitra initiative, individuals, NGOs, corporates and faith-based organisations can adopt TB patients for at least six months.
  3. The Ni-kshay portal was jointly developed by the Central TB Division, the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and WHO India.
  4. The Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana benefit is paid only to TB patients belonging to below-poverty-line (BPL) households.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1, 2 and 4
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q5. The Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (PMTBMBA) was formally launched in September 2022 by which one of the following dignitaries?

  • A. The President of India
  • B. The Prime Minister of India
  • C. The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare
  • D. The Vice-President of India

Q6. The 100-Day Intensified TB Mukt Bharat Campaign, like the National TB Elimination Programme, is implemented by which one of the following Union Ministries?

  • A. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
  • B. Ministry of AYUSH
  • C. Ministry of Rural Development
  • D. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment

Q7. A headline outcome of the 100-Day Intensified TB Mukt Bharat Campaign was the detection of a large number of TB patients 'who could have been missed otherwise.' This single largest category primarily refers to:

  • A. Asymptomatic TB cases
  • B. Multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB cases
  • C. Extra-pulmonary TB cases
  • D. Paediatric TB cases

Q8. Within the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, which one of the following is the nodal/implementing arm directly responsible for running the National TB Elimination Programme?

  • A. Central TB Division
  • B. National Health Authority
  • C. Indian Council of Medical Research
  • D. National Centre for Disease Control

Q9. Consider the following statements comparing India's TB targets and progress with global benchmarks: 1. India set its TB elimination target for 2025, ahead of the UN Sustainable Development Goal target year of 2030. 2. As per the WHO Global TB Report 2025, India's TB incidence fell from 237 to 187 per lakh population between 2015 and 2024, a decline of about 21%. 3. India's rate of decline in TB incidence is roughly half the global average rate of decline. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. India set its TB elimination target for 2025, ahead of the UN Sustainable Development Goal target year of 2030.
  2. As per the WHO Global TB Report 2025, India's TB incidence fell from 237 to 187 per lakh population between 2015 and 2024, a decline of about 21%.
  3. India's rate of decline in TB incidence is roughly half the global average rate of decline.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q10. Pretomanid, one of the novel drugs in the 6-month BPaLM regimen adopted by India for drug-resistant TB, was developed by which one of the following not-for-profit organisations?

  • A. TB Alliance
  • B. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
  • C. Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI)
  • D. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

Q11. India's National TB Elimination Programme works towards SDG target 3.3 with technical support from which international agency that also publishes the annual Global Tuberculosis Report?

  • A. World Health Organization (WHO)
  • B. United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
  • C. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria
  • D. Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)