- Why in news
- On 24 March 2026, the Health Ministry told the Rajya Sabha that 11.87 crore children and 3.96 crore pregnant women were registered on the U-WIN portal as of 18 March 2026.
- What it is
- U-WIN is a digital platform of the Health Ministry that records vaccinations for pregnant women and children. It works like a digital vaccination record, similar in purpose to CoWIN, which was used for Covid-19 vaccines. It supports Universal Immunisation Programme delivery by tracking doses and follow-ups.
- Children registered
- 11.87 crore children were registered on U-WIN as of 18 March 2026.
- Pregnant women registered
- 3.96 crore pregnant women were registered on the portal as of the same date.
- Registrations in 2025
- 8.01 crore beneficiaries were registered in U-WIN in 2025.
- Digital certificate
- After each vaccination event, a beneficiary can download a QR code-based vaccination certificate.
- Follow-up of dropouts
- Children due for vaccination are mapped digitally and get SMS alerts. A list of those who miss a session is generated automatically for follow-up.
- Who answered
- MoS Health Anupriya Patel gave the information in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
Don’t confuse with U-WIN vs CoWIN: CoWIN was the platform for Covid-19 vaccination. U-WIN covers routine immunisation of pregnant women and children.
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
- Digital records and SMS alerts help cut missed doses and track dropouts in routine immunisation.
- QR certificates give portable proof of vaccination across states.
Problems
- Registration does not guarantee completed vaccination, so coverage needs verification.
- Uneven digital access and data entry capacity at health facilities can limit use.
Way forward
- Use the dropout lists for active follow-up by frontline health workers.
- Link U-WIN data with health records and monitor coverage by district.
Put in your answer
U-WIN scale: 11.87 crore children and 3.96 crore pregnant women were registered as of 18 March 2026, showing the reach of digital immunisation tracking.
- 2022Mains GS3 · Q16Vaccine development principles, how vaccines work, Indian COVID-19 production approaches.
- 2018Mains GS2 · Q7Role of community-level healthcare in achieving Health for All.
- 2020Mains GS3 · Q15How technology was used to aid COVID-19 pandemic management.
- 2022Prelims Q19Statements on Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission: adoption, universal coverage, portability.
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Digital immunisation platform with registration numbers. Lasting topic, but facts are mostly routine data.
Worth revising until Prelims 2027: most news questions come within two years of the event.