The National Rural Health Mission was introduced as a flagship scheme of the United Progressive Alliance government in 2005-06 to address the needs of the rural population through an architectural correction of the health system. With the completion period drawing to a close in 2012, this paper critically evaluates the success of the intervention strategies under this scheme. Based on rapid appraisal surveys in selected districts, three common review missions by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and data reported on the NRHM website, this paper attempts a desk review of the progress of the mission with respect to its core strategies – provisioning of health services to households through accredited social health activists, strengthening rural public health facilities, enhancing capacity of panchayats to control and manage provisioning of health services and positioning of an effective health management information system.