NRHM is operational in whole country with special focus on ____________ states.

The correct option is 18.

The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) was launched by the Government of India on April 12, 2005, to provide accessible, affordable, and quality healthcare to the rural population, especially vulnerable groups. While the mission is operational throughout the entire country, it has a special focus on 18 states that have weak public health indicators and/or weak infrastructure.

These 18 special focus states are:
1. Eight Empowered Action Group (EAG) states: Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Odisha, and Rajasthan.
2. Eight North-Eastern states: Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura.
3. The hilly states of Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

Therefore, the mission specifically targets these 18 states to facilitate key structural reforms and improve basic health service delivery systems.