- Why in news
- On 29 June 2026, Union Health Minister J P Nadda launched the Samagra Shishu Bal Swasthya Karyakram (SSBSK) at the 16th CCHFW meeting. It merges two home-based care programmes into one.
- What it is
- SSBSK is a unified national programme for home and community-based care of newborns and young children from birth to 36 months. It merges two existing programmes, Home-Based Newborn Care (HBNC) and Home-Based Care for Young Child (HBYC). It is delivered through frontline workers under the National Health Mission.
- Age covered
- Continuum of home and community care from birth to 36 months.
- Programmes merged
- HBNC and HBYC are integrated into a single framework.
- At-risk home visits
- At-risk newborns get up to nine visits in the first 42 days; at-risk children get up to eight visits up to 36 months.
- Community platforms
- Well-Baby Sessions at every VHSND and a monthly Shishu Shivir at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs.
- Maternal mental health
- ASHAs screen mothers for post-partum mental health problems and refer them.
- Merged programmes
- SSBSK consolidates HBNC and HBYC into a single framework.
- Age coverage
- It gives a continuum of home and community-based care from birth to 36 months.
- Risk-stratified visits
- At-risk newborns get up to nine home visits in the first 42 days; at-risk children get up to eight visits up to 36 months.
- Delivery workers
- Joint home visits by ASHAs, ANMs, CHOs and Anganwadi Workers.
- Community sessions
- Well-Baby Sessions at every VHSND and a monthly Shishu Shivir at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs.
- Digital links
- Systems are aligned with JANANI, U-WIN, MPCDSR, RBSK 2.0 and POSHAN Tracker, with data exchange through ABHA and Baal-ABHA IDs.
Don’t confuse with HBNC vs HBYC: HBNC covers home visits for newborns; HBYC covers home visits for young children. SSBSK merges both.
Don’t confuse with ABHA vs Baal-ABHA: ABHA is the health ID for individuals; Baal-ABHA is used for children. Both enable data exchange under SSBSK.
Don’t confuse with VHSND vs Shishu Shivir: VHSND hosts Well-Baby Sessions; Shishu Shivir is a monthly session at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs.
Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.
Why it matters
- Gives one continuous care pathway for the first 3 years, when brain development is most critical.
- Risk-based extra visits focus resources on vulnerable children.
- Gives continuous care from birth to 36 months instead of two separate programmes.
- Targets at-risk children with extra visits and adds early childhood development and maternal mental health.
Problems
- Heavy workload on ASHAs and other frontline workers, who must make coordinated visits.
- Digital tracking depends on connectivity and data quality, especially in slums and remote areas.
- Depends on workload and training of ASHAs, ANMs, CHOs and AWWs across departments.
- Data exchange across many portals needs reliable digital systems and coordination.
Way forward
- Train and support frontline workers and avoid overburdening them.
- Ensure the digital portals work together and referrals reach functioning facilities.
- Train and support frontline workers and coordinate health and ICDS departments.
- Monitor at-risk follow-up through the linked digital trackers.
Put in your answer
Risk-stratified visits: Up to nine visits for at-risk newborns in 42 days and up to eight for at-risk children up to 36 months.
Digital integration: Links with JANANI, U-WIN, MPCDSR, RBSK 2.0 and POSHAN Tracker through ABHA and Baal-ABHA IDs.
SSBSK risk-based visits: At-risk newborns get up to nine home visits in 42 days; at-risk children up to eight visits till 36 months.
Convergence example: Joint visits by health and Anganwadi workers show health-nutrition convergence.
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UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
Prelims practice · Single answer
Ours, not from a UPSC paper
Consider the following statements about the Samagra Shishu Bal Swasthya Karyakram (SSBSK), launched in June 2026: 1. It integrates the Home-Based Newborn Care and Home-Based Care for Young Child programmes into a single framework. 2. It provides home and community-based care to children from birth up to 5 years of age. 3. Under it, at-risk newborns can receive up to nine home visits in the first 42 days of life. 4. The monthly Shishu Shivir under it is held at Anganwadi centres. How many of the above statements are correct?
How many of the above statements are correct?
True or false?
1 of 11
Statements the way Prelims prints them. Say first, then see the fact.
1.SSBSK integrates the Home-Based Newborn Care and Home-Based Care for Young Child programmes.
True. HBNC and HBYC are merged into one framework.
2.Under SSBSK, at-risk newborns can receive up to nine home visits in the first 42 days of life.
True. Up to nine visits in 42 days for at-risk newborns.
3.The programme introduces Well-Baby Sessions at every Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Day.
True. Well-Baby Sessions are held at every VHSND.
4.The monthly Shishu Shivir is held at Anganwadi centres.
False. It is held at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs.
5.The programme includes post-partum maternal mental health screening by ASHAs.
True. ASHAs do early screening and facilitate referral.
6.SSBSK merges Home-Based Newborn Care and Home-Based Care for Young Child into one programme.
True. SSBSK consolidates HBNC and HBYC.
7.Under SSBSK, at-risk newborns can receive up to nine home visits during the first 42 days.
True. Up to nine visits in the first 42 days for at-risk newborns.
8.At-risk children under SSBSK receive up to twelve home visits up to 36 months of age.
False. At-risk children receive up to eight home visits.
9.Anganwadi Workers are among the frontline workers making joint home visits under SSBSK.
True. ASHAs, ANMs, CHOs and AWWs make joint visits.
10.The monthly Shishu Shivir under SSBSK is held at Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Days.
False. Shishu Shivir is held monthly at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs; Well-Baby Sessions are at VHSNDs.
11.SSBSK includes post-partum maternal mental health screening as a structured component of community-based care.
True. Maternal mental health screening is built in.
Written by us from the release, not by UPSC; checked by a second model.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.