Key Terms & Concepts — UPSC Mains
National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission
"A national mission to screen tribal populations and eliminate sickle cell disease in India by 2047"
The National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission (NSCAEM) is a Government of India programme launched on 1 July 2023 at Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh, that aims to eliminate sickle cell disease as a public-health problem by 2047. Sickle cell disease is an inherited disorder in which red blood cells become rigid and sickle-shaped, blocking blood flow and causing pain, anaemia and organ damage. The mission targets universal screening of about 7 crore people aged 0 to 40 years in affected tribal-majority districts, with counselling, early diagnosis and treatment through point-of-care testing.
Relevant for GS2 (health, social sector schemes, tribal welfare). Sickle cell disease disproportionately affects India's tribal communities, so the mission is both a health and a social-justice intervention. By July 2025 it had crossed 6 crore screenings against a 7 crore target, identifying over 2 lakh patients and lakhs of carriers, making it a strong Prelims and Mains data anchor for 2026.
- 1 Launched 1 July 2023 at Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh; goal to eliminate sickle cell disease by 2047
- 2 Targets universal screening of about 7 crore people aged 0 to 40 in affected tribal districts
- 3 Crossed 6 crore screenings by July 2025, about 86% of the target
- 4 Identified roughly 2.15 lakh people with the disease and about 16.7 lakh carriers
- 5 Uses validated point-of-care testing kits for rapid, confirmatory results
- 6 Highest disease burden reported in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat
- 7 Includes counselling, genetic guidance and issue of sickle cell cards
By July 2025 the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission had crossed 6 crore screenings, identifying about 2.15 lakh patients and 16.7 lakh carriers as India advanced towards its 2047 elimination goal, mainly across tribal districts.
