Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK)

The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare launched a significant health initiative for adolescents aged 10 to 19 on January 7, 2014. Called the Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram, it aims to address key adolescent health issues like nutrition, reproductive health, and substance abuse. The program focuses on involving adolescents themselves, promoting equity, inclusion, and gender equality. Developed with UNFPA, it adopts a holistic approach, moving beyond clinic-based care to meet developmental needs. With a goal to reach all 243 million Indian adolescents, it includes community-based efforts with peer educators and partnerships with other ministries and state governments for broader impact.

Target Groups

The fresh approach to Adolescent Health (AH) is all about catering to young people aged 10-14 years and 15-19 years from all walks of life. Whether they’re boys or girls, living in bustling cities or quiet rural areas, attending school or not, married or single, or facing tough circumstances, everyone is included and valued.

Objectives

Reduce the prevalence of malnutrition among adolescent children.
Reduce the prevalence of iron-deficiency anaemia (IDA) among adolescent children.
Improve knowledge, attitudes and behaviour, in relation to SRH.
Reduce teenage pregnancies Improve birth preparedness, complication readiness and provide early parenting support for adolescent parents.
Address mental health concerns of adolescents Promote favourable attitudes for preventing injuries and violence (including GBV) among adolescents.
Increase adolescents awareness of the adverse effects and consequences of substance misuse.
Promote behaviour change in adolescents to prevent NCDs such as hypertension, stroke, cardio-vascular diseases and diabetes.

Vision

The strategy aims to empower every adolescent in India by helping them make informed health choices. Achieving this relies on government and institutional support, along with involvement from families and communities. Recognizing young people’s voices and understanding their challenges is crucial. We must prioritize their diverse health needs and address their concerns through national policies and programs.

Strategies

Strategies/interventions to achieve objectives can be broadly grouped as:

Community based interventions
Peer Education (PE) Quarterly
Adolescent Health Day (AHD)
Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation Programme (WIFS)
Menstrual Hygiene Scheme (MHS)

Facility based interventions

Strengthening of Adolescent Friendly Health Clinics (AFHC)

Convergence

In health and family welfare, initiatives include family planning, maternal health (including VHND), child health (RBSK), HIV/AIDS control (NACP), tobacco control, mental health, non-communicable diseases, and information, education, and communication activities.
Collaborating with other departments, efforts are made in women and child development (ICDS, KSY, BSY, SABLA), education (AEP, MDM), and youth affairs and sports (adolescent empowerment, national service, youth clubs, and youth development).

Social and Behaviour Change Communication with focus on Inter Personal Communication