Schemes/Initiatives
Expansion of Free Vaccination Programme in Tamil Nadu
- Context: The Tamil Nadu government, through the Public Health Department (DPH), is taking steps to expand free vaccination services to all private hospitals with adequate infrastructure.
- Under the UIP, launched in 1985, 11 vaccines were administered to children and pregnant women against 12 vaccine-preventable diseases.
- 12 vaccine preventable diseases:
- Nationally against 9 diseases: Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Polio, Measles, Rubella, severe form of Childhood Tuberculosis, Hepatitis B and Meningitis & Pneumonia caused by Haemophilus Influenzae type B.
- Sub-nationally against 3 diseases: Rotavirus diarrhoea, Pneumococcal Pneumonia and Japanese Encephalitis.
- Around 9.40 lakh children are vaccinated annually under this programme.
- Annually, around 12.0 pregnant women and 11.0 lakhs infants are being targeted under Immunization programme.
- Tamil Nadu has reported more than 95 % coverage over the years.
About Immunisation in India
- Universal Immunization Programme (UIP): Initially launched as the Expanded Programme on Immunization in 1978, it was rebranded as the UIP in 1985 when coverage expanded from urban to rural areas.
- In 1992, the UIP was incorporated into the Child Survival and Safe Motherhood Programme and later, in 1997, into the National Reproductive and Child Health Programme.
- Since 2005, under the National Rural Health Mission, the UIP has focused on ensuring vaccine access for every child, even in remote areas.
- Mission Indradhanush (MI): MI was launched in December 2014 with a goal of achieving 90% full immunisation coverage.
- U-WIN Portal: It is a digital platform designed to streamline vaccine delivery and record-keeping, enabling easy access and management of immunisation records.
Thayumanavar Scheme
- Background: Under the Chief Minister’s Thayumanavar Scheme,essential commodities under the Public Distribution System will be delivered to the homes of elderly people above 65 years of age and persons with disabilities through 990 fair price shops operating in the 15 zones of Chennai.
- The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu launched the Thayumanavar Scheme on August 12, 2025.
- This scheme provides doorstep delivery of ration commodities to elderly people above 70 years of age and persons with disabilities.
- It covers over 21.7 lakh beneficiaries across the state, Distribution will be done through vehicles
- Ration commodities will be distributed on the second Saturday and Sunday of every month.
She Leads Tamil Nadu
- Background: Ahead of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections, UN Women India is organizing a two-day training workshop called ‘She Leads Tamil Nadu’ with the aim of increasing women’s political participation. This is the first workshop of its kind to be held in Tamil Nadu.
She Leads
- She Leads is an initiative of UN Women.
- It aims to promote gender equality in public and political leadership and to support women leaders contesting in the upcoming parliamentary and state assembly elections.
UN Women
- It was created by the United Nations General Assembly in July 2010.
- UN Women works to create changes in laws, social norms, and services to advance women’s rights, gender equality, and the empowerment of girls.
