The national Malaria eradicating programme was launched in India in the year :

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is (4):
The year **1953** is the correct answer because it marks the official launch of the first nationwide, centrally sponsored initiative against the disease: the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP). This program, which began in April 1953, was the foundational phase that demonstrated the dramatic success of using indoor residual spraying (primarily DDT) to combat malaria on a massive scale. Although the question specifically uses the term "Eradicating Programme," the successful control effort launched in 1953 was the critical precursor and direct lead-in to the more ambitious National Malaria *Eradication* Programme (NMEP), which was formally launched just five years later in 1958. Therefore, 1953 represents the inception of the decisive, national mission against the disease.

The incorrect option is (1):
**1963** is incorrect because by this time, the National Malaria Eradication Programme (NMEP), launched in 1958, was already in full swing and achieving its maximum impact. This year represents the peak of success for the ongoing eradication efforts, not the launch of a new program. Under the NMEP, malaria cases had dropped to their lowest recorded levels, but the program itself had been running for several years.

The incorrect option is (2):
**1973** is historically significant in the context of malaria, but it is not the launch year. This period is associated with a major failure of the eradication strategy. By the early 1970s, India experienced a massive resurgence of malaria due to various factors, including resource constraints and insecticide resistance. The official strategic response to this major setback came later, in 1977, with the Modified Plan of Operation (MPO).

The incorrect option is (3):
**1951** is incorrect as the national program had not yet begun its operational phase. In the early 1950s, the idea of a comprehensive country-wide malaria plan was being discussed and endorsed by planning bodies, such as the Planning Commission. However, the official National Malaria Control Programme, which implemented the key strategies like DDT spraying and surveillance, was formally launched by the Government of India two years later.