Madhya Pradesh: Human Development, Health, Welfare Schemes and Institutions

This chapter answers the Prelims unit on human resources, health and SDG progress, and the state's sickle cell and tribal-health concerns; it also feeds the Mains General Studies Paper III (health and public health, and the state economy's human-resource and welfare content) and the tribal-welfare parts of Paper II. It teaches the stable core of welfare in Madhya Pradesh: the constitutional and statutory basis, how schemes are designed, the health institutions and indicators, and the human-development record. Dated figures appear only in the stem or text with their date and source.

1. The constitutional and statutory basis of welfare

Welfare in Madhya Pradesh is built on a small set of constitutional clauses that every scheme must answer to. Article 21A makes free and compulsory education for children aged six to fourteen a Fundamental Right. Article 47 makes raising the level of nutrition and public health a primary duty of the State, a Directive Principle. Article 46 directs the State to promote the educational and economic interests of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and weaker sections, and to protect them from social injustice. Article 275(1) lets Parliament make grants to states for such welfare, which is the channel for central tribal and health money.

Local delivery is governed by the Eleventh and Twelfth Schedules to the Constitution (see the local government chapter). The Eleventh Schedule lists health and sanitation, family welfare, women and child development, welfare of the weaker sections including SC and ST, and the public distribution system among panchayat functions. The Madhya Pradesh Panchayat Raj Avam Gram Swaraj Adhiniyam, 1993 gives the Gram Sabha the power to approve beneficiaries of poverty-alleviation programmes. Those are the three layers an examiner expects you to name.

2. How a welfare scheme is designed: the categories that explain every scheme

Almost every scheme can be placed by five questions: who is eligible (everyone, a category such as girls or senior citizens, or a means-tested group), what is delivered (cash, a service, a kind of good or a card), whether the beneficiary must do something (a condition, such as staying in school), how it is paid (direct transfer, in kind, or a reimbursement), and who runs it (the department, a mission or a local body). Once you have placed a scheme on these axes, its design flaws and strengths become visible, and a question that gives only a scheme's name becomes answerable.

Madhya Pradesh schemes placed on the design axes (as in the stated design)
SchemeEligibilityDeliveryCondition or form
Ladli Laxmi Yojana (2007)Girls born on or after 1 January 2006 in eligible familiesAmounts deposited in stagesMilestones such as school admission
Ladli Behna Yojana (first payment 10 June 2023)Resident women within an age band who are married, widowed, divorced or separatedMonthly direct transferNone; a categorical cash grant
Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana (launched in 2012)Senior citizens above a set age who are not income taxpayersTravel and stay paid for a pilgrimage outside the stateA one-time trip
Sickle cell genetic status card (1 July 2023)People aged 0 to 40 in affected tribal areasScreening, a card and counsellingUniversal screening; treatment follows a positive result
⚠️ Exam trap
Ladli Behna is not a conditional scheme, although it is often grouped with the girls' schemes. Its money is paid as a monthly grant to women on a categorical test, with no school or health condition. Ladli Laxmi is the conditional one, since its milestones are tied to a girl's schooling.

3. Health: the system, the indicators and the tribal burden

Public health is delivered through a three-tier structure: sub-centres (the first contact, usually staffed by an ANM), Primary Health Centres and Community Health Centres, with district hospitals above them. The National Health Mission, which subsumed the earlier National Rural Health Mission in 2013, funds this network, and the ASHA worker is its community link. Madhya Pradesh's health outcomes are judged by a small set of indicators. Each has a definition that examiners test:

  • Infant Mortality Rate (IMR): deaths of infants under one year per 1,000 live births. Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR): maternal deaths per 1,00,000 live births, not per 1,000.
  • Sample Registration System (SRS), run by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, gives the vital rates. The National Family Health Survey (NFHS), run for the Union Health Ministry by the International Institute for Population Sciences, gives nutrition, anaemia and service indicators.
Madhya Pradesh against India on two indicators (as reported)
IndicatorMadhya PradeshIndiaSource and period
IMR, per 1,000 live births4026SRS 2022, as reported in 2025
MMR, per 1,00,000 live births17397SRS special bulletin, 2018-20 (released November 2022)

The Madhya Pradesh figures stand out in one direction. In the 2018-20 MMR bulletin Assam (195) was highest, followed by Madhya Pradesh (173) and Uttar Pradesh (167), with Kerala (19) lowest; the state's IMR of 40 was reported as the highest among states in the 2022 SRS. The national rates are falling faster than the state's, and that gap, not the level alone, is the examiner's point. Both figures are dated and are quoted here with their source; a fresh bulletin will revise them.

🎯 Why the mission works in this order
Tribal health is the state's most-cited programme because the burden is concentrated and genetic. Sickle cell disease is a single-gene disorder, so it is passed from parents to children. Screening before marriage, and counselling on carrier status, prevent a birth with the disease without any cure being needed. This is why the mission screens first and counsels second.

4. Health and tribal institutions, and the mission

The National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission was launched on 1 July 2023 by the Prime Minister at Shahdol, with the aim of eliminating sickle cell disease as a public health problem by 2047. It is run within the National Health Mission and covers 17 high-focus states. Its target was screening about 7 crore people aged 0 to 40 in affected tribal areas by FY 2025-26. On 22 July 2025 the Union Health Ministry reported that 6 crore had been screened, 2.15 lakh diagnosed and 16.7 lakh identified as carriers, against that target.

Health and tribal institutions in Madhya Pradesh
InstitutionSet upBasisWork
AIIMS Bhopal2012Under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana; enabling Act published 13 September 2012Tertiary care, teaching and research
ICMR-National Institute for Research in Tribal Health, Jabalpur1984 as Regional Medical Research Centre for Tribals; renamed 2014 (an ICMR order of 2026 is reported to revisit the name, so check the current one)Indian Council of Medical ResearchResearch on haemoglobin disorders and tribal health
Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, AmarkantakAct of Parliament, 2007; operating from 2008Central universityTribal education, research and training

PM-JANMAN (Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan) was announced at Khunti on Janjatiya Gaurav Divas (15 November 2023) and approved by the Union Cabinet later that month. It targets the 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups in 18 states and the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, through 11 interventions across nine ministries including housing, roads and health, with an approved outlay of about Rs 24,104 crore as announced in 2023. The Baiga and Sahariya, both PVTG communities found in Madhya Pradesh, are the state's main beneficiaries of this kind of programme. The outlay is a 2023 figure and must be quoted with its date.

The Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) is a health-insurance scheme: enrolled families receive hospital treatment through empanelled hospitals, and it is a central scheme that states implement. On the same day as the sickle cell launch, 1 July 2023, the Union government reported the start of distribution of about 3.57 crore PM-JAY (Ayushman) cards in Madhya Pradesh; the figure is a 2023 press-release number, not a count of current enrolment. Like the mission, it treats access to care as the instrument and the disease or ailment as the target.

5. Human development and the state's own measures

The Human Development Index combines three dimensions: a long and healthy life (life expectancy at birth), knowledge (expected and mean years of schooling) and a decent standard of living (gross national income per person). It is a composite, so a state can rank well on income and poorly on health. Madhya Pradesh produced what is reported as the first sub-national Human Development Report in India, released in 1995, followed by editions in 1998, 2002 and 2007. A 2024 press report says no edition has appeared since, and that a 2013 attempt by an outside agency was not completed. The gap is itself a governance point: a state that publishes its own indicators can be held to them.

Madhya Pradesh also has an unusual state Anand Sansthan (Rajya Anand Sansthan). The state announced in April 2016 and set up in August 2016 a department of happiness, described by the government as the first in India, with a society headed by the Chief Minister, as reported, and volunteers called anandaks. Its effect is contested: critics ask what it has measurably achieved. The department was merged into another department under the 2018-20 government and restored as a separate department in 2022. For an examiner it is a case of a well-designed institution whose output must be checked before it is credited.

6. Reading the dated items: what changes and what stays

Schemes change by name, eligibility, amount and nodal body, and the figures above are snapshots. The stable core is the design (who, what, condition, payment, runner) and the constitutional frame (Articles 46, 47, 21A, 275 and the Eleventh Schedule). A safe answer takes the form: the scheme's category, its legal basis, its date, and its figure with its source. A figure without a date is the usual mistake in this area.

Keep two money words apart. An outlay is the amount sanctioned for a scheme, while expenditure is what has actually been spent, usually lower and reported later. A scheme can be well funded on paper and under-spent in practice, and a question that gives an outlay and asks what was spent is testing this difference. Likewise, a target (for example, 7 crore screenings by FY 2025-26) is a plan, and the achievement reported against it is a separate figure with its own date.

ℹ️ Refresh before use
Figures used in this chapter and their dates: IMR 40 (SRS 2022, reported 2025); MMR 173 (SRS 2018-20, released November 2022); sickle cell screening totals (PIB, 22 July 2025); PM-JANMAN outlay (announced 2023). Refresh these before any answer is written, because the next bulletin or mission report will supersede them.

Key takeaways

  • Welfare rests on Articles 21A (education), 46 (SC, ST and weaker sections), 47 (nutrition and public health) and 275(1) (grants), and on the Eleventh Schedule's panchayat functions.
  • Place every scheme on five axes: eligibility, delivery, condition, payment and the runner; Ladli Laxmi is conditional, Ladli Behna is a categorical monthly transfer.
  • Know the indicators by definition: IMR is per 1,000 live births and MMR is per 1,00,000; SRS gives the vital rates and NFHS gives nutrition and service data.
  • The Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission (launched 1 July 2023 at Shahdol; target 2047) screens first and counsels second, because the disease is inherited.
  • Health and tribal institutions are dated: AIIMS Bhopal (2012), NIRTH Jabalpur (1984 as RMRCT), and Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (Act of 2007); quote each with its year.
  • Dated figures (IMR, MMR, mission totals, PM-JANMAN outlay) are snapshots and must be quoted with their source and date, never as current.

Practice questions (16)

Attempt each one before opening the answer. Every explanation names the tempting wrong option as well as the right one, because that is where marks are lost.

  1. Which Article of the Constitution makes free and compulsory education for children aged six to fourteen a Fundamental Right?

    1. Article 21A
    2. Article 45, which deals with early childhood care and education
    3. Article 46, which deals with SC, ST and weaker sections
    4. Article 47, which deals with nutrition and public health
    Show answer

    Answer: A — Article 21A

    Article 21A, inserted by the 86th Amendment, makes education for children aged six to fourteen a Fundamental Right. Article 45 is the older Directive Principle on early childhood care and education, which is why it is tempting but wrong.

  2. Under which Article is it a primary duty of the State to raise the level of nutrition and the standard of living and to improve public health?

    1. Article 46
    2. Article 47
    3. Article 48
    4. Article 51A
    Show answer

    Answer: B — Article 47

    Article 47 makes raising nutrition, living standards and public health a primary duty of the State, and it also covers the prohibition of intoxicating drinks and drugs. Article 46 is about SC, ST and weaker sections, which is why it is the common confusion.

  3. Match each Madhya Pradesh scheme with its design category.
    P. Ladli Laxmi Yojana
    Q. Ladli Behna Yojana
    R. Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana
    S. Sickle cell genetic status card and screening
    (i) a monthly direct cash transfer to eligible women
    (ii) a conditional savings incentive for girls tied to schooling milestones
    (iii) a travel subsidy for a categorical group
    (iv) universal screening with a card and counselling

    1. P-ii, Q-i, R-iii, S-iv
    2. P-i, Q-ii, R-iv, S-iii
    3. P-iii, Q-iv, R-i, S-ii
    4. P-ii, Q-iii, R-i, S-iv
    Show answer

    Answer: A — P-ii, Q-i, R-iii, S-iv

    Ladli Laxmi ties its milestones to schooling, Ladli Behna is a monthly transfer, Teerth Darshan funds a pilgrimage for a categorical group, and the sickle cell mission pairs screening with a card and counselling. The option that swaps the Ladli Laxmi and Ladli Behna pairings is the common error for girls' schemes.

  4. Consider the following statements about vital-rate measurement in India.
    P. The Sample Registration System is run by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India.
    Q. The Infant Mortality Rate is the number of infant deaths under one year of age per 1,000 live births.
    R. The Maternal Mortality Ratio is expressed per 1,000 live births.
    S. The National Family Health Survey is conducted by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India.
    Which of the statements is/are correct?

    1. P and Q only
    2. Q and R only
    3. P, Q and S only
    4. R and S only
    Show answer

    Answer: A — P and Q only

    P and Q are correct: the SRS belongs to the Registrar General's office, and IMR is defined per 1,000 live births. R is wrong because MMR is per 1,00,000 live births, and S is wrong because the NFHS is conducted by the International Institute for Population Sciences for the Union Health Ministry.

  5. Which of the following is NOT a feature of the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission, launched on 1 July 2023?

    1. It was launched at Shahdol in Madhya Pradesh
    2. It aims to eliminate the disease as a public health problem by 2047
    3. It screens people aged 0 to 40 in affected tribal areas
    4. It is run solely by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs
    Show answer

    Answer: D — It is run solely by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs

    The mission is implemented within the National Health Mission, with the Health Ministry as the lead and the Tribal Affairs Ministry in support. The other three options are its documented features: the Shahdol launch, the 2047 target, and screening of ages 0 to 40.

  6. Arrange the following institutions and programmes of Madhya Pradesh in chronological order of their founding or launch, earliest first.
    P. Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Amarkantak (Act of Parliament, 2007)
    Q. Rajya Anand Sansthan, the happiness department (set up in 2016)
    R. ICMR-National Institute for Research in Tribal Health, Jabalpur (set up in 1984 as RMRCT)
    S. First sub-national Human Development Report of the state (released in 1995)

    1. P, Q, R, S
    2. R, S, P, Q
    3. S, R, P, Q
    4. R, S, Q, P
    Show answer

    Answer: B — R, S, P, Q

    The sequence is 1984 (R), 1995 (S), 2007 (P) and 2016 (Q). The sequence that puts the 1984 institute last is wrong, and the one that reverses the 1984 and 1995 items confuses the human development report with the institute's founding.

  7. The following table gives two indicators for Madhya Pradesh and India as reported from the SRS 2022 and the SRS special bulletin 2018-20.
    Indicator | Madhya Pradesh | India
    IMR per 1,000 live births (SRS 2022) | 40 | 26
    MMR per 1,00,000 live births (SRS 2018-20) | 173 | 97
    Which statement is supported by the table?

    1. The state's IMR is below the national rate, but its MMR is above it in the 2018-20 bulletin
    2. The state's IMR is about 1.5 times the national rate, and its MMR is about 1.8 times the national rate
    3. The state's MMR is lower than the national rate, because the two indicators use different denominators
    4. The state and the nation have the same IMR once the years are aligned to a common reference period
    Show answer

    Answer: B — The state's IMR is about 1.5 times the national rate, and its MMR is about 1.8 times the national rate

    40 divided by 26 is about 1.54 and 173 divided by 97 is about 1.78, so the state is worse on both, by roughly one and a half and one and eight-tenths times. The years differ, so the answer must not claim the same year, and the MMR is above the national rate, not below.

  8. Under the sickle cell mission, a PIB release of 22 July 2025 reported that 6 crore people had been screened, 2.15 lakh diagnosed and 16.7 lakh identified as carriers. Approximately what share of those screened were diagnosed, and what share were carriers?

    1. About 3.6 per cent diagnosed and about 27.8 per cent carriers
    2. About 0.36 per cent diagnosed and about 2.8 per cent carriers
    3. About 0.036 per cent diagnosed and about 0.28 per cent carriers
    4. About 36 per cent diagnosed and about 28 per cent carriers
    Show answer

    Answer: B — About 0.36 per cent diagnosed and about 2.8 per cent carriers

    2.15 lakh is 215,000 and 6 crore is 60,000,000, so the diagnosed share is about 0.36 per cent; 16.7 lakh is 1,670,000, giving about 2.8 per cent carriers. The option that moves the decimal by a factor of ten is the common error with lakh and crore.

  9. Which of the following is NOT a state scheme of Madhya Pradesh?

    1. Ladli Laxmi Yojana
    2. Ladli Behna Yojana
    3. Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana
    4. PM-JANMAN
    Show answer

    Answer: D — PM-JANMAN

    PM-JANMAN is a national mission of the Union Government, approved by the Union Cabinet, although states implement parts of it. The three others are state-run schemes of Madhya Pradesh, so the national mission is the one that does not belong to the state list.

  10. Which of the following is the correct description of a Human Development Index, as used in the state's human development reports?

    1. A single measure of literacy and sex ratio, used in census reports
    2. The average of state budget shares in health and education
    3. A composite of life expectancy, education and income per person
    4. A ranking of districts by the number of schemes they receive
    Show answer

    Answer: C — A composite of life expectancy, education and income per person

    The HDI is a composite of life expectancy, education and per-person income. Literacy and sex ratio are census measures, and budget shares or scheme counts are not part of the index.

  11. Consider the following statements about Madhya Pradesh's happiness institution.
    P. The Rajya Anand Sansthan is a state happiness society that works through the happiness department.
    Q. Its activities rely on volunteers called anandaks.
    R. The institution was created by an Act of Parliament.
    S. The institution was set up in 2016.
    Which of the statements is/are correct?

    1. P, Q and S only
    2. P, R and S only
    3. Q and R only
    4. P and R only
    Show answer

    Answer: A — P, Q and S only

    P, Q and S are reported facts: the society works through the department, relies on anandaks, and was set up in 2016. R is wrong because the society was formed by the state government under the state's society-registration law, not by an Act of Parliament.

  12. Which of the following is NOT a component of the Human Development Index?

    1. Life expectancy at birth
    2. Expected and mean years of schooling
    3. Gross national income per person
    4. Sex ratio at birth
    Show answer

    Answer: D — Sex ratio at birth

    The HDI has three dimensions: a long and healthy life measured by life expectancy, knowledge by years of schooling, and a decent standard of living by income per person. The sex ratio is a census and demographic measure that the index does not use.

  13. Under the Madhya Pradesh Lok Sewaon ke Pradan ki Guarantee Adhiniyam, 2010, which body hears the second appeal against the decision of a first appeal officer?

    1. The State Information Commission
    2. The Lokayukt
    3. The second appellate authority
    4. The State Election Commission, which runs the state's elections
    Show answer

    Answer: C — The second appellate authority

    The Act provides for a first appeal officer and then a second appellate authority, and the second appeal must be filed within sixty days of the first decision. The Lokayukt inquires into corruption complaints and the State Election Commission runs elections, so neither is in the appeal chain.

  14. Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Amarkantak, was created by an Act of Parliament in 2007. What kind of institution is it?

    1. A state university under the state legislature
    2. A deemed university run by a private trust
    3. A central university
    4. A private university under a state Act
    Show answer

    Answer: C — A central university

    A university created by an Act of Parliament is a central university, and the Indira Gandhi tribal university is one. A state university would need a state Act, and a deemed or private university is not created by a central Act.

  15. Under which Article may Parliament make grants to States in need of assistance, including grants for the welfare of the Scheduled Tribes?

    1. Article 280, which constitutes the Finance Commission
    2. Article 243G, which gives panchayats their functions
    3. Article 275(1)
    4. Article 244, on administration of Scheduled and Tribal Areas
    Show answer

    Answer: C — Article 275(1)

    Article 275(1) allows Parliament to make grants to needy states, including for promoting the welfare of Scheduled Tribes. Article 280 creates the Finance Commission, 243G gives panchayats their functions, and 244 deals with administration of Scheduled and Tribal Areas.

  16. Which statement correctly distinguishes a conditional cash transfer from an unconditional one?

    1. A conditional transfer needs a stated requirement, such as enrolment or attendance; an unconditional one needs only eligibility
    2. A conditional transfer is paid to every citizen regardless of income, and an unconditional one only to the poor under a means test
    3. A conditional transfer is paid in kind through ration or goods, and an unconditional one always in cash through a bank account
    4. A conditional transfer is funded by the Union government, and an unconditional one by the state government alone, in every case
    Show answer

    Answer: A — A conditional transfer needs a stated requirement, such as enrolment or attendance; an unconditional one needs only eligibility

    The defining feature of a conditional transfer is a requirement the beneficiary must meet, such as school attendance, and an unconditional transfer depends on eligibility only. Ladli Behna is an unconditional categorical transfer, which is why the distinction matters for the scheme's design.