RAS question
The first AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) was established in New Delhi in which year?
Correct answer: (B) 1956.
AIIMS New Delhi, the first All India Institute of Medical Sciences, was established in 1956.
Explanation
The year is 1956 because AIIMS New Delhi's institutional foundation is tied to that year, not to a later expansion of the AIIMS network. The PIB bulletin on AIIMS New Delhi's 65th Foundation Day says the first MBBS batch began undergraduate teaching in 1956 and that the institution fulfilled objectives set by Parliament in 1956. This matches the standard explanation that AIIMS New Delhi was established as an autonomous institution of national importance by an Act of Parliament. Later AIIMS institutions under PMSSY explain why there are now over 20 AIIMS institutions, but they do not change the founding year of the first AIIMS in New Delhi.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) 1971 is too late because the cited PIB bulletin ties AIIMS New Delhi's undergraduate teaching and Parliament-set establishment objectives to 1956.
- (C) 1947 is the year of Independence, but AIIMS New Delhi was established later, in 1956.
- (D) 1962 is incorrect because AIIMS New Delhi's foundation year is recorded as 1956.
Concept
This tests post-Independence institution-building in Science and Technology/Health. RAS repeatedly asks such facts because national institutions and flagship schemes are often tested through founding years and administrative status.