2014 · GS Paper 3 · Q11 · 12 marks
Can overuse and free availability of antibiotics without Doctor's prescription, be contributors to the emergence of drug-resistant diseases in India? What are the available mechanisms for monitoring and control? Critically discuss the various issues involved.
In short
Overuse and prescription-free sale of antibiotics are major contributors to drug-resistant disease in India, and the control mechanisms are sound on paper but weakly enforced. Schedule H1 (2014), NAP-AMR (2017) and ICMR's surveillance network exist, yet few inspectors and hospital-only data limit them.
Model answer
Ghissu Editorial · Verified 4 Oct 2026 · 272 words
Self-medication
Antibiotics bought over the counter for viral fevers, and courses stopped midway, select the hardiest bacteria.
Irrational prescribing
A 2022 Lancet Regional Health study found many antibiotic FDCs unapproved by the regulator, and 328 irrational FDCs were banned in 2018.
Beyond humans
Colistin used as a poultry growth promoter and pharma effluents near Patancheru spread resistance into food and water.
Regulation
Schedule H1 (2014) requires chemists to record sales of key antibiotics, but too few drug inspectors enforce it.
Policy
The Chennai Declaration (2012) and NAP-AMR (2017), now NAP-AMR 2.0 (2025), adopt One Health, yet few states beyond Kerala (KARSAP, 2018) have funded plans.
Surveillance
ICMR's AMRSN, NCDC's NARS-Net and WHO's GLASS track resistance, mostly in tertiary hospitals, with little animal or environmental data.
Behaviour change
The Red Line campaign (2016), the 2019 colistin ban and Kerala's Operation AMRITH (2024) help, but informal providers and costly diagnostics sustain blind prescribing.
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Question from the official UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination 2014 paper. Answer written by Ghissu's engine and checked against our editorial standards. Found an error? Tell us and we correct it within 48 hours.