India holds a distinct place in global population policy history. Which of the following statements is correct?
- A India launched its national family planning programme in 1961 alongside the Third Five Year Plan
- B India was the first country in the world to launch an official national family planning programme ✓
- C India adopted the community health volunteer approach as the foundation of its first family planning programme
- D India was the second country after Japan to adopt an official family planning policy
Correct answer: B. India was the first country in the world to launch an official national family planning programme
Explanation
India became the first country in the world to launch an official national family planning programme, in 1952, making family welfare part of planned development from the First Five Year Plan itself. Option A is wrong because 1952 predates the Third Plan by nearly a decade. The programme initially relied on clinic-based services, not community health volunteers, which came much later with the 1977 reorganisation.
Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
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