1947. Ministries of health and Director-General of Health Services established at the Centre and States. The Indian Nursing Council Act passed.

1948. India joined the World Health Organisation and the Employees State Insurance Act passed. The Dental Council of India established under the Dentist Act.

1949. The Registrar-General India appointed in the Ministry of Home Affairs. WHO opened its South East Asia Regional Office in New Delhi. The Indian Pharmacy Council and Family Planning Association of India established.

1950. India became a Republic in the Commonwealth. The Planning Commission was set up by the Government of India.

1951. The beginning of the first Five Year Plan. The B.C.G. vaccination programme launched in the country.

1952. The Community Development Programme launched for the all-round rural development. The Central Council of Health constituted. First Primary Health Centre set up.

1953. The National Malaria Control Programme and National Extension Service Programme for rural development started. A nation-wide family planning programme started. A committee appointed to draft a Model Public Health Act for the country.

1954. The Contributory Health Service Scheme (Central Government Health Scheme), the Central Social Welfare Board, the National Water Supply and Sanitation Programme and the National Leprosy Control Programme started. The Prevention of Food Adulteration Act passed by Parliament.

1955. The National Filaria Control Programme commenced. The National TB sample survey conducted.

1956. The Second Five Year Plan started. The Model Public Health Act published and the Central Health Education Bureau established in the Union Health Ministry. The Indian Medical Council established.

1957. Influenza pandemic swept the country. The Demographic Research Centres established in Calcutta, Delhi and Trivandrum.

1958. The National Malaria Control Programme converted into National Malaria Eradication Programme. The National Development Council endorses Panchayati Raj. The National TB survey completed.

1959. The Mudaliar Committee appointed. A Central Expert Committee recommended eradication of small pox and cholera. Rajasthan introduces Panchayati Raj. National Tuberculosis Institute at Bangalore established.

1960. The School Health Committee and the National Nutrition Advisory Committee constituted.

1961. The Third Five Year Plan launched. The Mudaliar Committee report published. The Central Bureau of Health Intelligence established.

1962. The Central Family Planning Institute established in Delhi. The National Smallpox eradication Programme and the School Health Programme initiated, the National Goitre Control Programme and the District Tuberculosis Programme launched.

1963. The Applied Nutrition Programme was launched with aid from UNICEF, FAO and WHO. The National Institute of Communicable Diseases (formerly Malaria Institute of India) inaugurated and the National Trachoma Control Programme started. A Drinking Water Board and the Chadah Committee established.

1964. The National Institute of Health Administration and Education opened.

1965. Reinforced Extended Family Planning Programme launched. The Mukerji Committee set up.

1966. A separate department of Family Planning created under the Health Ministry. The Population Council’s International Postpartum Family Planning programme started in Delhi and Trivandrum.

1967. The Central Council of Health recommended levy of health cess on patients. The Jungalwala Committee set up.

1968. The Small Family Committee’s Report submitted. Govt. appointed the Medical Education Committee.

1969. The Fourth Five Year Plan launched. The Nutrition Research Laboratories became the National Institute of Nutrition. The Central Births and Deaths Registration Act promulgated.

1970. The Drugs (Price Control) Order promulgated. All India Hospital (Post-partum) Family Planning Programme started. The Population Council of India and the Central Council of Indian Medicine (Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha) formed. VHAI comes into being.

1971. The Family Pension Scheme (FPS) for industrial workers came into force. The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Bill passed by the Parliament. Uni-purpose Health Workers converted into Multi-purpose workers.

1972. National Service Bill passed. The National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau set up.

1973. National Programme of Minimum Needs was incorporated in the Fifth Five Year Plan. The Government envisaged a scheme for setting up 30-bedded rural hospitals; one such hospital for every 4 primary health centres. The Kartar Singh Committee recommended a new cadre of health workers called "Multi-purpose Health Workers". The Central Council of Homeopathy set up. The Kartar Singh Committee established.

1974. The Fifth Five Year Plan launched. Parliament enacted the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act.

1975. India became smallpox-free. A Revised strategy for NMEP accepted. The "Integrated Child Development" scheme launched. The National Children’s Welfare Board set up. The Cigarettes Regulation (Production, Supply and Distribution) Act passed by the Parliament. The Srivastava Committee set up.

1976. The Equal Remuneration Act promulgated providing for equal wages from men and women for equal work. A new Population Policy introduced. A National Programme for Prevention of Blindness formulated. The Central Council for Yoga and Naturopathy established.

1977. The National Institute of Health and Family Planning formed. The Rural Health Scheme launched. Community Health Volunteers (Guides) scheme taken up. "Population Control and Family Planning" was put in the concurrent list. WHO adopted the goal of `Health for All by 2000 AD’.

1978. A Bill on Air Pollution introduced in the Lok Sabha. The Parliament approved the Child Marriage Restraint (Amendment Bill fixing the minimum age of marriage of 21 years for boys and 18 years for girls.

1979. The World Health Assembly endorsed the Declaration of ‘Alma Ata’ on primary health care.

1980. Smallpox officially declared eradicated from the entire world by the World Health Assembly. The Sixth Five Year Plan launched.

1981. The census taken. WHO and Member countries adopted the global strategy for ‘Health For All’. The Report of the Working Group on Health for All, set up by the Planning Commission, published. The first AIDS case detected in the country.

1982. The Govt. of India announced the National Health Policy. Amendment done on the Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940.

1983. India launched a national plan of action against avoidable disablement, known as "IMPACT India". The National Leprosy Control Programme became the National Leprosy Eradication Programme. Guinea-worm Eradication Programme launched.

1984. The Bhopal Gas tragedy, the worst ever industrial accident killing at least 2500 people and no fewer than 50,000 affected. The ESI (Amendment) Bill approved by Parliament and the Workmen’s Compensation (Amendment) Act came into force.

1985. The Seventh Five year Plan launched. The Universal Immunisation Programme started. The Lepers Act, 1898 was repealed by the Parliament. A separate Department of Women and Child development set up under the newly created Ministry of Human Resource Development.

1986. The Environment (Protection) Act and the Consumer Protection Act were promulgated. National Drug Policy announced.

1987. The New 20 Point Programme launched. A worldwide "safe motherhood" campaign was launched by World Bank. National Diabetes Control Programme and National AIDS Control Programme initiated. The Mental Health Act passed. The Drugs (Price Control) Order released.

1988. Hospitals and Other Institutions (Redressal of Grievances of Employees) Bill passed.

1989. Blood Safety Programme was launched. The ESI (Amendment) Act modified.

1990. Control of Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) Programme initiated as a pilot project in 14 districts.

1991. India stages the last decadal Census of the Century. Population of India was 844.32 million. Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (regulation and prevention of misuse) Act enacted.

1992. Eighth Five Year Plan launched. Child Survival and Safe Motherhood Programme (CSSM) launched in the country. The Infant Milk Substitute, Feeding Bottles and Infant Foods (Regulation of Production, Supply and Distribution) Act passed. The State of India’s Health Report by VHAI released.

1993. A major earthquake kills over 2000 people in Maharashtra.

1994. Return of Plague after 28 years of silence in few parts of the country. The Transplantation of Human Organs Bill passed. The first Heart Transplantation Surgery in the country done at AIIMS, New Delhi. Malaria epidemic strikes Rajasthan. Swaminathan Committee Report submitted.

1995. The revised Rational Drug Policy announced. Malaria epidemic strikes Assam. The Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act passed.

1996. Dengue epidemic in Delhi. Malaria strikes again many northern States of India. The Central Govt. publishes the ‘list of essential drugs’. The Revised National TB Control Programme initiated. The Supreme Court orders the government to set up the National Council of Blood Transfusion.

1997. The National Illness Assistance Fund launched. Delhi government enacts Anti-Smoking Bill.

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