At the Central level, the Union Ministry of Health and Welfare is headed by a Cabinet Minister, a Minister of State and a Deputy Health Minister. These are political appointments and have a dual role to serve political as well as administrative responsibilities for health. One of the functions in the Union List is:

1. A

   to organise family welfare programme through family welfare centres

2. B

   International health relations and quarantine

3. C

   prevention of extension of communicable diseases from one unit to another

4. D

   regulation and development of medical, nursing and other allied health professions

Appeared in: AIIMS Jodhpur SNO-2023

Explanation

• The Indian Constitution divides legislative powers into three lists: Union, State, and Concurrent.
• The Union List includes subjects of national importance on which only the Central Government can legislate.
• International health relations and quarantine are considered matters of national importance, as they involve relationships with other countries and the prevention of disease importation, placing them exclusively on the Union List.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

• Option A: Family welfare and population control are subjects on the Concurrent List, not the Union List.
• Option C: The prevention of the extension of communicable diseases from one state to another is explicitly mentioned in the Concurrent List.
• Option D: The regulation of medical, nursing, and other professions falls under the Concurrent List.

Related Visual

• Visual 1: Diagram - A flowchart illustrating the three legislative lists (Union, State, Concurrent) with key health-related subjects listed under each. This helps visualize the division of powers.

Clinical Relevance

• Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Division of health-related legislative powers under the Indian Constitution as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
• For public health nurses and administrators, understanding this constitutional framework is vital. It clarifies the legal basis for policies, funding streams, and program implementation, explaining why some programs are national (like port quarantine) while others are state-managed (like local dispensaries).
• A nurse working in a central government institution (e.g., AIIMS) operates under different administrative and funding rules compared to a nurse in a state government primary health centre.
• What if? - If a new, highly infectious disease is detected at an international airport in India, the Central Government has the immediate and exclusive authority to enforce quarantine measures under the Union List. If the disease later spreads within a state, the state government takes the lead on public health and hospital management (State List), but the Centre can also intervene to prevent inter-state spread (Concurrent List).

How to Approach the Question

• First, identify the core of the question: it asks for a function that is exclusively on the Union List.
• Analyze the options by considering their scope. Ask yourself: 'Is this a local, state-level, national, or international issue?'
• The keyword 'International' in 'International health relations' is a strong indicator of a Central/Union government responsibility.
• Recall or deduce that functions requiring national uniformity or dealing with foreign countries (like international relations and quarantine) are placed on the Union List.
• Functions that require local implementation and adaptation (like family welfare, local disease control) are often shared responsibilities on the Concurrent List, making them incorrect choices for this question.

Concept Tested & Keywords

• Concept Tested: Division of health-related legislative powers under the Indian Constitution.
• Stem keywords: Union Ministry of Health, Union List, functions, Central level
• Lead-in keywords: One of the functions
• Negative lead-in flag: false

Question ID

QFjRR0h46ZHrpISjjBHcMG

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