UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Update on Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan

Q1. Consider the following statements about the institutional design of the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA): 1. Its nodal ministry is the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. 2. It is implemented as a component of the National Health Mission. 3. It forms part of the Continuum of Care approach under the RMNCH+A strategy. 4. Under it, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare disburses a cash maternity benefit of ₹5,000 in instalments to every enrolled beneficiary. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. Its nodal ministry is the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
  2. It is implemented as a component of the National Health Mission.
  3. It forms part of the Continuum of Care approach under the RMNCH+A strategy.
  4. Under it, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare disburses a cash maternity benefit of ₹5,000 in instalments to every enrolled beneficiary.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 2 and 3
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 3 and 4

Q2. Consider the following statements comparing the original PMSMA design with the Extended PMSMA strategy: 1. Extended PMSMA, introduced in January 2022, provides for individual tracking of each identified high-risk pregnancy with additional antenatal check-ups and continuous monitoring until safe delivery, going beyond the original single fixed-day monthly examination. 2. Extended PMSMA introduced financial incentives for identified high-risk beneficiaries as well as for ASHAs, which the original PMSMA design did not provide. 3. Extended PMSMA discontinued the fixed-day model, shifting PMSMA examinations to any working day of the month at the discretion of the facility. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Extended PMSMA, introduced in January 2022, provides for individual tracking of each identified high-risk pregnancy with additional antenatal check-ups and continuous monitoring until safe delivery, going beyond the original single fixed-day monthly examination.
  2. Extended PMSMA introduced financial incentives for identified high-risk beneficiaries as well as for ASHAs, which the original PMSMA design did not provide.
  3. Extended PMSMA discontinued the fixed-day model, shifting PMSMA examinations to any working day of the month at the discretion of the facility.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q3. Consider the following statements about the fixed-day model of PMSMA: 1. The 9th of every month was chosen as the fixed day because it symbolises the nine months of pregnancy. 2. Where the 9th falls on a holiday, the PMSMA session is shifted to the next working day. 3. Private medical practitioners who volunteer under PMSMA are required to render the free services at their own clinics rather than at government health facilities. 4. A private practitioner may enrol as a PMSMA volunteer by sending an SMS reading 'PMSMA' to 5616115 or by registering on the PMSMA portal. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. The 9th of every month was chosen as the fixed day because it symbolises the nine months of pregnancy.
  2. Where the 9th falls on a holiday, the PMSMA session is shifted to the next working day.
  3. Private medical practitioners who volunteer under PMSMA are required to render the free services at their own clinics rather than at government health facilities.
  4. A private practitioner may enrol as a PMSMA volunteer by sending an SMS reading 'PMSMA' to 5616115 or by registering on the PMSMA portal.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1, 2 and 4
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1 and 3 only

Q4. The flagship national awards instituted to recognise the outstanding contribution of volunteering private doctors and of States to the fixed-day antenatal care campaign are known as:

  • A. The Kayakalp Awards for cleanliness and infection control in public health facilities
  • B. The National Florence Nightingale Awards for outstanding nursing personnel
  • C. The 'IPledgeFor9' Achievers Awards
  • D. The LaQshya National Quality Certification awards for labour rooms

Q5. Under PMSMA, the primary record on which a woman screened as having a high-risk pregnancy is flagged for continued follow-up is:

  • A. A red entry made in the facility's labour room register maintained under LaQshya
  • B. A red sticker affixed on her Mother and Child Protection Card
  • C. A red-coded referral card issued to her at the nearest First Referral Unit
  • D. A red flag placed on her Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) record

Q6. Consider the following statements about the identification of high-risk pregnancies under PMSMA: 1. Severe anaemia is among the conditions in the expanded high-risk pregnancy list. 2. Tuberculosis is among the conditions in the expanded high-risk pregnancy list. 3. Multiple pregnancy is among the conditions in the expanded high-risk pregnancy list. 4. A woman identified as high-risk is tagged to the nearest Ayushman Aarogya Mandir for her delivery. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Severe anaemia is among the conditions in the expanded high-risk pregnancy list.
  2. Tuberculosis is among the conditions in the expanded high-risk pregnancy list.
  3. Multiple pregnancy is among the conditions in the expanded high-risk pregnancy list.
  4. A woman identified as high-risk is tagged to the nearest Ayushman Aarogya Mandir for her delivery.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2, 3 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q7. As reported in the 2026 decade-milestone update, quality antenatal care under PMSMA is now being extended nationwide through which of the following primary-care platforms?

  • A. Around 25,000 designated First Referral Units
  • B. The 90,015 notified SUMAN health facilities
  • C. Around 1.6 lakh Common Service Centres
  • D. About 1.8 lakh Ayushman Aarogya Mandirs

Q8. Consider the following statements about PMSMA at its ten-year mark in 2026: 1. Cumulative coverage crossed the one-crore mark within about two years of launch and had risen to more than 7.50 crore pregnant women receiving antenatal services by the decade update. 2. Over the same decade, India's Maternal Mortality Ratio fell from 130 per lakh live births in SRS 2014-16 to 87 in SRS 2022-24, a decline of 43 points. 3. The decade update records that India has, at the national level, attained the Sustainable Development Goal maternal mortality target of below 70 per lakh live births. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Cumulative coverage crossed the one-crore mark within about two years of launch and had risen to more than 7.50 crore pregnant women receiving antenatal services by the decade update.
  2. Over the same decade, India's Maternal Mortality Ratio fell from 130 per lakh live births in SRS 2014-16 to 87 in SRS 2022-24, a decline of 43 points.
  3. The decade update records that India has, at the national level, attained the Sustainable Development Goal maternal mortality target of below 70 per lakh live births.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q9. The National Family Health Survey-6 (2023-24), whose maternal-health findings were cited in the 2026 PMSMA update, was carried out by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare with which body as nodal agency?

  • A. The National Statistical Office under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
  • B. The Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India
  • C. The National Institute of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi
  • D. The International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai

Q10. Consider the following maternal-health indicators and the values attributed to NFHS-6 (2023-24) in the recent official updates: 1. Mothers receiving antenatal care in the first trimester — 76.2 per cent 2. Mothers receiving at least four antenatal care visits — 65.2 per cent 3. Institutional deliveries — 90.6 per cent 4. Maternal Mortality Ratio for 2022-24 — 87 per lakh live births, as estimated by NFHS-6 Which of the above is/are NOT correctly matched?

  1. Mothers receiving antenatal care in the first trimester — 76.2 per cent
  2. Mothers receiving at least four antenatal care visits — 65.2 per cent
  3. Institutional deliveries — 90.6 per cent
  4. Maternal Mortality Ratio for 2022-24 — 87 per lakh live births, as estimated by NFHS-6
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 2 and 4

Q11. Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN) is best described as an initiative that:

  • A. certifies the quality of care in labour rooms and maternity operation theatres of public health facilities
  • B. assures free, dignified and quality care with zero tolerance for denial of services to any woman or newborn at a public health facility
  • C. guarantees a cash maternity benefit to every pregnant woman in the country irrespective of parity or income
  • D. provides fixed-day free antenatal check-ups on the 9th of every month at designated government facilities

Q12. Consider the following statements about India's Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) across successive Sample Registration System rounds: 1. MMR declined from 130 per lakh live births in 2014-16 to 93 in 2019-21, and further to 87 in 2022-24. 2. India's national MMR now stands below the Sustainable Development Goal 3.1 target of 70 per lakh live births, although several States continue to record levels above that target. 3. Kerala records the lowest MMR among Indian States, and eight States have already attained the Sustainable Development Goal maternal mortality target. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. MMR declined from 130 per lakh live births in 2014-16 to 93 in 2019-21, and further to 87 in 2022-24.
  2. India's national MMR now stands below the Sustainable Development Goal 3.1 target of 70 per lakh live births, although several States continue to record levels above that target.
  3. Kerala records the lowest MMR among Indian States, and eight States have already attained the Sustainable Development Goal maternal mortality target.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3