UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Why India should establish a vaccine injury compensation mechanism

Q1. In the context of the Supreme Court's directive in the Rachana Gangu case, a 'no-fault' vaccine compensation policy is best described as one which:

  • A. Provides compensation for serious vaccine-related harm without requiring the claimant to prove negligence or fault on the part of the State or manufacturer
  • B. Grants compensation only after a court has established manufacturer negligence in a civil suit
  • C. Indemnifies the vaccine manufacturer against all civil claims brought by beneficiaries
  • D. Awards compensation only where the administered vaccine batch is proven to be of substandard quality

Q2. India's National AEFI Committee and the AEFI Secretariat, which guide the surveillance of Adverse Events Following Immunisation, function under which Union Ministry?

  • A. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
  • B. Ministry of AYUSH
  • C. Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
  • D. Ministry of Science and Technology

Q3. Which body is the lead national-level committee responsible for the causality assessment of serious Adverse Events Following Immunisation (AEFI) in India?

  • A. National AEFI Committee
  • B. State AEFI Committee
  • C. District Immunisation Committee
  • D. Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation

Q4. In no-fault vaccine compensation literature, the phrase 'inherent risk of vaccination' most precisely refers to:

  • A. A rare adverse reaction that can occur even when a vaccine is correctly manufactured and properly administered
  • B. Harm arising only from errors in the storage or administration of a vaccine
  • C. An injury resulting from a defectively manufactured batch of vaccine
  • D. Side effects that follow from the deliberate off-label use of a vaccine

Q5. Australia's COVID-19 Vaccine Claims Scheme, which provided no-fault compensation for serious adverse events, was administered by which agency?

  • A. Services Australia
  • B. Therapeutic Goods Administration
  • C. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
  • D. Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation

Q6. Under which single Article of the Constitution did the Supreme Court primarily locate the State's positive obligation to compensate persons seriously harmed by a State-led mass immunisation drive?

  • A. Article 21
  • B. Article 47
  • C. Article 14
  • D. Article 21A

Q7. The restricted emergency use approval for Covishield in India was granted by which authority?

  • A. Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) under the CDSCO
  • B. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)
  • C. National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI)
  • D. National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA)