Rural India is home to nearly two thirds of the country’s population, and the health status of this population has a decisive influence on national development. Historically, rural areas have faced problems such as poverty, illiteracy, poor sanitation, lack of safe drinking water, malnutrition, high maternal and infant mortality, and inadequate access to medical services. To address these challenges, the Government of India, in collaboration with state governments and local bodies, has introduced a wide range of schemes and programmes aimed at improving the health of rural populations. These initiatives focus not only on curative care but also on preventive, promotive, and rehabilitative aspects of health, with special attention to vulnerable groups such as women, children, the elderly, and the poor. A major milestone in rural health care was the launch of the National Rural Health Mission, which later became a part of the National Health Mission. This programme was designed to strengthen the public health system in rural areas by improving infrastructure, ensuring availability of trained human resources, and enhancing community participation. Under this mission, sub-centres, primary health centres, and community health centres were upgraded to provide comprehensive primary health care. Special emphasis was placed on decentralised planning, flexible financing, and integration of various national disease control programmes. Accredited Social Health Activists were introduced as a key link between the community and the health system, particularly for maternal and child health services, health education, and mobilisation of the community for health-related activities. Maternal and child health has been a central focus of rural health programmes. The Janani Suraksha Yojana was introduced to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality by promoting institutional deliveries. Under this scheme, cash incentives are provided to pregnant women, especially those from below poverty line families, for delivering in health institutions. Accredited Social Health Activists are also given incentives for motivating women to avail antenatal care and institutional delivery services. Complementing this, the Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram ensures free and cashless services for pregnant women and sick newborns, including free drugs, diagnostics, diet, transport, and treatment. These schemes have significantly increased institutional delivery rates in rural areas. The Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan was launched to provide assured, comprehensive antenatal care to pregnant women on a fixed day every month. Under this programme, qualified doctors conduct antenatal check-ups at public health facilities, ensuring early detection and management of high-risk pregnancies. This has helped improve maternal health outcomes in rural regions by strengthening the quality of antenatal care. Child health and nutrition have been addressed through multiple programmes.