Mission Indradhanush: Aim, Phases and Intensified Rounds

Timeline at a glance

The PIB archive gives the phase count and district total, not the dates of each phase, so that row has no year. Dates for IMI 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 were not verified for this guide, so they are left out rather than guessed.

The aim: why 90% full immunisation

The stated aim of Mission Indradhanush is full immunisation of at least 90% of children. Two points are useful:

• Full immunisation is not defined on the PIB archive page we used, so take the exact definition from your official immunisation training material or DIO.
• The deadline moved earlier, from 2020 to 2018. The intensified version followed in October 2017.

Districts were covered in phases: the PIB archive counts four phases and 528 districts in total.

Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI)

Intensified Mission Indradhanush was launched on 8 October 2017 by the Prime Minister at Vadnagar, Gujarat, according to the PIB archive. Our sources give its launch date and place but do not describe its design in detail; later IMI rounds, such as IMI 5.0, ran as dated rounds.

Later rounds are numbered (IMI 2.0, 3.0 and so on). The one with the clearest official details in our sources is IMI 5.0 in 2023, described below. If you are writing an exam answer or report about the earlier numbered rounds, take the dates from your state immunisation cell or an official MoHFW document, because we could not verify them.

IMI 5.0 (2023): rounds and focus

According to Vikaspedia, a Government of India portal, IMI 5.0 ran in three rounds:

Three features stand out:

• Wider age group: it covered children up to 5 years, where earlier rounds covered up to 2 years.
• Measles-rubella focus: the campaign was tied to the goal of measles-rubella "elimination by 2023".
• Digital records: U-WIN was used in pilot mode in all districts.

How it links to routine immunisation and U-WIN

The Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) is the national immunisation programme, as listed in the MoHFW immunisation acronyms. Our sources do not set out exactly how Mission Indradhanush rounds relate to routine UIP sessions, so ask your DIO for your state's instructions.

U-WIN is the digital side. A PIB document describes it as "a fully digitized record of vaccination for pregnant women and children from birth to 17 years" under UIP. Features listed by PIB include SMS alerts, a QR-based eVaccination certificate, ABHA creation and 11 regional languages. As of 16 September 2024, it had 6.46 crore beneficiaries and 23.06 crore doses recorded. U-WIN was used in pilot mode in all districts during IMI 5.0, and PIB later announced its launch for 29 October 2024.

Other names you will meet around a campaign come from the MoHFW immunisation acronyms list: DIO (District Immunization Officer), eVIN (Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network, for vaccine stock and cold chain), ILR (Ice-Lined Refrigerator), AEFI (Adverse Event Following Immunization) and VPD (Vaccine Preventable Disease). The full list is in our public health glossary, and U-WIN sits in our health portals directory.

A practical checklist for field staff before a round

The steps below are general good practice for ANMs, ASHAs and supervisors, not an official MoHFW procedure. Follow your DIO's instructions where they differ.

1. Note the round dates announced by your district and plan visits around them.
2. List the children and pregnant women in your area who are due or have missed doses, using your registers and, where in use, U-WIN.
3. Pay special attention to the age group named for the round (for IMI 5.0, children up to 5 years).
4. Share the dates with families through ASHAs and anganwadi workers.
5. Record every dose on the day in the system your state uses, so the child's record is complete.
6. Report any adverse event after vaccination (AEFI) through your supervisor as instructed.
7. After the round, follow up on children still not reached.

Where immunisation meets HMIS and IDSP

Immunisation numbers also flow into HMIS: the MoHFW HMIS Brief lists immunisation among the service delivery data facilities report every month. See HMIS explained.

Vaccine-preventable diseases also show up in disease surveillance. The older IDSP P form list includes measles, diphtheria and pertussis, and the S form has "fever with rash". Older IDSP training material set a low trigger for measles: Level-1 was a single case in a tribal area, or more than 2 fever-with-rash cases per 1,000 population. That guidance is from 2008, so check current state rules. In our view, this means an immunisation gap may show up as a surveillance signal. Read more in IDSP diseases list and outbreak reporting.