India’s Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP)
The Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) is a flagship public health initiative of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. It is aimed at providing free vaccination to children and pregnant women against life-threatening, vaccine-preventable diseases.
Operating on a massive scale, the UIP is one of the world’s largest public health programmes, reaching approximately 2.9 crore pregnant women and 2.54 crore newborns every year, entirely free of cost. It aims to increase immunisation coverage, improve the quality of vaccination services, establish a reliable cold-chain system, and achieve national self-sufficiency in vaccine production.
Historical Evolution and Integration
The programme has continuously evolved and integrated with broader health missions to expand its reach:
- 1978: Originally launched as the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI).
- 1985: Expanded and officially renamed as the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP).
- 1992: Integrated into the Child Survival and Safe Motherhood Programme.
- 1997: Included under the Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) Programme.
- 2005 onwards: Became an integral component of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), allowing it to reach remote rural areas and urban slums effectively.
Diseases Covered Under UIP
Currently, the UIP provides free vaccines to newborns, children, adolescents, and pregnant women against 12 vaccine-preventable diseases.
These are strategically divided based on their geographical prevalence:
- Nationally Covered (11 Diseases): Vaccines for these diseases are provided across the entire country. They include:
- Diphtheria
- Pertussis (Whooping Cough)
- Tetanus
- Polio
- Measles
- Rubella
- Severe form of Childhood Tuberculosis (via BCG vaccine)
- Hepatitis B
- Meningitis and Pneumonia caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
- Rotavirus Diarrhea
- Pneumococcal Pneumonia (via PCV)
- Sub-Nationally Covered (1 Disease): 12. Japanese Encephalitis (JE): Because the JE virus is heavily vector-dependent and restricted to specific geographies, this vaccine is provided only in endemic districts (such as specific regions in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Assam).
Recent Vaccines Introduced Under UIP
To keep pace with medical advancements and emerging health challenges, the government has successfully introduced several crucial vaccines into the routine schedule over the last decade:
- Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) – 2015: Introduced as part of the Global Polio Endgame Strategy to ensure complete eradication.
- Rotavirus Vaccine (RVV) – 2016: Introduced specifically to reduce infant mortality caused by severe, dehydrating diarrhoea.
- Measles-Rubella (MR) Vaccine – 2017: Introduced through a massive nationwide campaign targeting about 41 crore children (aged 9 months to 15 years) to eliminate measles and control congenital rubella syndrome.
- Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) – 2017: Introduced to reduce infant mortality caused by severe bacterial pneumonia.
- Tetanus and Adult Diphtheria (Td) Vaccine: Replaced the older TT (Tetanus Toxoid) vaccine to address the waning immunity against diphtheria observed in adolescents and adults.
Mission Indradhanush and IMI
Despite the UIP’s extensive network, some children in remote areas remained unvaccinated. To address this, the government launched Mission Indradhanush in December 2014. The mission aimed to strengthen the UIP by rapidly increasing full immunisation coverage to over 90%, targeting unvaccinated and partially vaccinated individuals in hard-to-reach areas.
In 2017, Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) was launched to further accelerate this process, placing a special focus on urban slums and low-coverage regions. Due to these continuous efforts, India’s full immunisation coverage has risen dramatically from 62% in 2015 to 98.4% by January 2026.
Infrastructure Supporting UIP Implementation
The success of the UIP relies on a vast and highly coordinated infrastructure network:
- Vaccination Delivery Network: Vaccines are administered at Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Community Health Centres (CHCs), government hospitals, sub-centres, and through outreach sessions at village locations. Model Immunisation Centres have also been established in regions like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chandigarh, and Ladakh to strengthen service quality.
- Role of Frontline Workers: Grassroots health workers, particularly ASHAs (Accredited Social Health Activists) and Anganwadi Workers (AWWs), play a crucial role in mobilising communities, tracking beneficiaries, and ensuring no child or pregnant woman is left behind.
- Cold Chain Infrastructure: Vaccines are highly sensitive biological products that lose potency if exposed to heat. India operates one of the largest vaccine cold-chain networks globally, equipped with over 1.06 lakh ice-lined refrigerators and deep freezers. This massive system successfully supports over 1.3 crore immunisation sessions annually across the country.
Digital Monitoring Systems
To ensure flawless logistics and administration, India has integrated state-of-the-art digital platforms into its immunisation strategy:
- eVIN (Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network): A system that tracks vaccine stocks and storage temperatures in real-time across all cold chain points in the country, ensuring efficient supply chain management and preventing stock-outs.
- CoWIN (2021): The globally recognized digital platform initially developed for COVID-19 vaccination registration and tracking, through which over 220 crore vaccine doses were successfully administered.
- U-WIN (2024): Building on the success of CoWIN, the U-WIN platform was launched to digitise the routine immunisation system. It helps citizens locate vaccination centres, book appointments, and maintain permanent, digital vaccination records for their children.
