RAS question
India was declared polio-free by the WHO in which year?
Correct answer: (D) 2014.
India received World Health Organization polio-free certification on 27 March 2014.
Explanation
India was certified polio-free by the World Health Organization on 27 March 2014. The date matters because India's last wild poliovirus case had been reported in Howrah, West Bengal, on 13 January 2011; the declaration came only after three consecutive years without a new case. The WHO account links the achievement to nationwide vaccination, equitable access for children in remote and vulnerable communities, and community mobilisation to overcome vaccine hesitancy. The Pulse Polio campaign was central to this push, but the exam asks for the certification year, not the year of the last case or the start of vaccination drives. Therefore, the answer is 2014.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) 2016 is too late because WHO polio-free certification for India had already been given on 27 March 2014.
- (B) 2011 marks the last reported wild poliovirus case in Howrah, West Bengal, but certification came after the subsequent three-year period without a case.
- (C) 2019 is far too late because the WHO certification date for India was 27 March 2014.
Concept
This tests public health milestones under Science and Technology, especially disease eradication and vaccination campaigns. RAS repeats such facts because they connect national health programmes with international certification bodies such as WHO.