8
Directions : Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow (Q. No. 281 to 288) by choosing the correct/most appropriate options: On an ordinary workday, 27-year-old Pramila Bariki hikes up steep slopes across, fields, through ankle-deep rivulets, often walking upto 14 kms. She gets a ride until the road is motorable, from which point she has to walk. Her job ? She doles out healthcare advice to mothers and children in the remotest hamlets in the Araku valley of Andhra Pradesh. Now heavily pregnant Pramila has had to slow down delegating tasks to Duridi, Neeraj, Sunita and others. It's they who now walk through forests and climb up mountains, visiting families to identify pregnant women and conduct basic test for diabetes and anaemia and connect them with a primary health centre whenever necessary. These young tribal women are all trained auxiliary nurses, part of an experimental health project in Araku that aims to end preventable deaths during childbirth or infancy. The Araku valley is home to several nomadic tribes who live in small clusters of 70 to 150 homes situated in rugged and inaccessible terrain. Until a few years ago these communities were unaware of government healthcare policies. The death of a child or a woman during pregnancy or child birth was common and they were resigned to it. Today 38 women like Pramila drawn from these tribes, have broken social and cultural barriers to train as nurses and provide medical care to 1179 hamlets across the Araku, Paderu and Chintapalli mandals. Since they are from these communities they have been able create trust in the families and neighbours about formal healthcare. As a result these remote villages have now had the first childbirth in hospital, the first delivery by a trained nurse and the first mother not to lose a child. The nurses advise women on hygiene and nutrition and convince them to visit the nearest health centre for further check-ups. The health project launched in the tribal areas aims to :
