India, May 4 -- The Centre has expanded the scope of the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) to include screening for mental health conditions and risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCD) such as diabetes and hypertension under the programme's revised guidelines.

The Union health ministry released the RBSK 2.0 guidelines during the recently concluded National Summit on Good Practices and Innovations in Public Healthcare Service Delivery, marking a major overhaul of the flagship child health screening programme.

Building on more than a decade of implementation, the updated framework broadens the programme's established "4Ds" approach - defects at birth, diseases, deficiencies and developmental delays - while incorporating eme...