Kartar Singh Committee, formally known as “Committee on Multipurpose Workers under Health and Family Planning,” was constituted by Government of India in October 1972. Chaired by Shri Kartar Singh, then Additional Secretary in Ministry of Health and Family Planning, committee submitted its report in September 1973.
It is considered a landmark in history of Indian public health because it laid foundation for Multipurpose Worker (MPW) Scheme, shifting country away from “vertical” (disease-specific) programs toward an integrated primary healthcare approach.
Context
Before 1973, India’s health services were fragmented. Different health workers were responsible for separate programs—one for Malaria, one for Smallpox, and another for Family Planning. This led to:
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Multiple workers visiting same household for different reasons.
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Rural populations were often confused by influx of different health officials.
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Large populations were left underserved because workers were spread too thin across specific diseases.
Major Recommendations
Committee’s primary objective was to integrate health, family planning, and nutrition services at grassroots level.
1. Multipurpose Workers (MPW)
Committee recommended that instead of having specialized (uni-purpose) workers, there should be Multipurpose Workers.
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Male Health Workers: Replaced former roles of Basic Health Workers (BHW), Malaria Surveillance Workers, Vaccinators, and Health Education Assistants.
- Female Health Workers: Designation of Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) was to be changed to Female Health Workers.
2. Norms for Health Infrastructure
To ensure better reach and supervision, committee redefined population norms:
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One PHC should serve a population of 50,000.
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Each PHC should be divided into 16 sub-centres, each catering to a population of 3,000 to 3,500.
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Each sub-centre should be staffed by a team of one male and one female health worker.
3. Supervison
Committee introduced a new tier of supervision to ensure quality of field work:
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One Health Assistant (Male/Female) should supervise work of 3 to 4 Multipurpose Workers.
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Existing Lady Health Visitors (LHVs) were recommended to be converted into Female Health Supervisors.
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Medical Officer in charge of PHC was given overall responsibility for all health and family planning programs in their area.
4. Integration
Committee emphasized that fixed target mobile units (like those for sterilization) should be integrated into PHC system rather than running as independent entities. They also suggested that training programs for these workers should be reform to cover multiple health disciplines simultaneously.
Impact
Kartar Singh Committee’s report led to official launch of Multipurpose Health Workers Scheme during Fifth Five-Year Plan (1974–1979).
| Feature | Before Kartar Singh Committee | After Kartar Singh Committee |
| Worker Type | Uni-purpose (Malaria, Smallpox, etc.) | Multipurpose (Integrated Care) |
| PHC Norms | Varying, often over 100,000 people | 1 PHC per 50,000 people |
| Sub-centre Staff | Mostly female (ANM) | One Male + One Female worker |
| Focus | Vertical disease eradication | Integrated health & family planning |
Legacy
Kartar Singh Committee is reason why modern Indian rural health system uses MPW designation. By promoting “One Worker, Multiple Tasks” philosophy, it made healthcare delivery system more accountable and accessible to rural poor. It paved way for Shrivastav Committee (1975), which further refined community-based health services.
Note: While committee recommended a PHC for every 50,000 people, later committees (like Shrivastav Committee) further reduced this to 30,000 in plains and 20,000 in hilly/tribal areas to improve accessibility.