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Subject: Social Justice

  • Professor Amartya Sen has advocated important reforms in the realms of primary education and primary health care. What are your suggestions to improve their status and performance?

  • ‘Poverty Alleviation Programmes in India remain mere show pieces until and unless they are backed by political will’. Discuss with reference to the performance of the major poverty alleviation programmes in India.

  • Hunger and Poverty are the biggest challenges for good governance in India still today. Evaluate how far successive governments have progressed in dealing with these humongous problems. Suggest measures for improvement.

  • Does the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 ensure effective mechanism for empowerment and inclusion of the intended beneficiaries in the society? Discuss

  • ‘To ensure effective implementation of policies addressing water, sanitation and hygiene needs, the identification of beneficiary segments is to be synchronized with the anticipated outcomes’ Examine the statement in the context of the WASH scheme.

  • How far do you agree with the view that the focus on lack of availability of food as the main cause of hunger takes the attention away from ineffective human development policies in India?

    Despite being the largest foodgrain producer (73 million tonnes of buffer stock) and running the world’s largest food security programs (NFSA), India ranks 102nd out of 123 countries in the Global Hunger Index 2025.

    Focus on Lack of Availability of Food

    NFSA, 2013: 5 kg subsidized food grains/month to 67% of India’s population.

    PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana: Extended free food grain distribution during and post-COVID.

    ICDS and Mid-Day Meal Scheme: Supply meals to pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children to combat calorie deficiency.

    Persistent Malnutrition: NFHS-5 shows stunting (32.9%), wasting (18.7%), and underweight (32%) children despite extensive food programs.

    High Anemia Levels: 57% of women and 67% of children are anemic – a form of hidden hunger linked to poor micronutrient intake, not lack of food.

    SOFI 2025: 12% of Indians remain undernourished despite record food production.

    Global Hunger Index 2025: score of 25.8 (Serious).

    Ineffective Human Development Policies in India

    Health System Deficiencies: Poor healthcare access, high maternal mortality, inadequate disease prevention, and sanitation deficits worsen malnutrition.

    Education Gaps: Lack of nutrition awareness, hygiene education, and poor child care practices perpetuate undernutrition despite food access.

    Feminization of poverty: Low female labor participation, limited autonomy, and poor maternal nutrition cause intergenerational hunger.

    A large share of the workforce (90%) remains in low-paid informal jobs, restricting food affordability and living standards.

    Limited Funding – Public spending on health (~1.9% of GDP) and education (~2.9% of GDP) remains below global averages, weakening capability-building.

    Income Poverty and Inequality: The poorest 10% spend over 60% of income on food, leaving little for health or education.

    Jobless Growth: Despite 7%+ GDP growth, unemployment among youth remains 17.3% (PLFS 2022-23).

    Steps Taken to Address the Broader Dimensions of Hunger

    Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0: Modernizes ICDS infrastructure and promotes dietary diversity through fortified foods.

    Ayushman Bharat and PM Jan Arogya Yojana: insurance coverage to 50Cr population

    Swachh Bharat Mission & Jal Jeevan Mission: Improve sanitation and safe water, reducing nutrient loss due to infections.

    MGNREGA, NRLM, and PM-KISAN: Provide livelihood and income support to improve household food affordability.

    Women Empowerment Initiatives: Mobilizing over 1 crore women into 9.96 lakh Self-Help Groups (SHGs) under NULM

    Millets Promotion under “Shree Anna” – Integration of nutri-cereals (e.g. ragi, bajra, jowar) into PDS, ICDS and PM POSHAN

    Way Forward

    Promote diet diversity (millets, pulses, vegetables) through PDS reform.

    Increase public investment in health (2.5%) and education (6%) to strengthen human capital.

    Adopt data-driven local interventions under Aspirational Districts Programme to target high-burden regions.

    Adopt Brazil’s Bolsa Família conditional cash transfer scheme

    Scale State level best practices like TN’s inclusion of Eggs in MDM

    India’s vision of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ demands inclusive nutrition as the foundation for sustainable human development.

  • Appropriate local community-level healthcare intervention is a prerequisite to achieve ‘Health for All ‘ in India. Explain.

    The goal of ‘Health for All’, as envisioned in the Alma-Ata Declaration (1978) and reinforced through National Health Policy 2017, emphasizes universal, equitable, and accessible healthcare.

    Importance of Local Community-Level Healthcare Interventions

    Accessibility and Inclusivity – Brings primary healthcare closer to grassroot and reduces dependency on overburdened tertiary hospitals. Eg- Ayushman Bharat – Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs)

    Preventive and Promotive Health – Community health workers (e.g., ASHA, Anganwadi, ANM) enable early detection, immunization, maternal and child care.

    Local interventions are more trust-based, improving adoption of health services. Eg- ASHA workers act as a bridge between local communities and formal healthcare systems

    Cost-Effectiveness – Community-based preventive healthcare reduces out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE). (Presently at 40%)

    Empowering Local Governance – Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Committees (VHSNCs) ensure decentralized planning and monitoring.

    Integration of Traditional and Modern Systems – Incorporates AYUSH practices alongside allopathy to widen reach and enhance preventive health.

    Empowering Women and Local Workforce – ASHAs and Anganwadi workers-over 10 lakh women-act as frontline caregivers.

    Community health networks enable rapid disease surveillance and emergency response. Eg- ASHAs and PRIs played a critical role in contact tracing during COVID-19

    Continuous community engagement increases awareness of disease prevention, hygiene, family planning, and nutrition.

    Key Challenges

    Shortage of trained manpower and high attrition among ASHA and ANM workers.

    Inadequate infrastructure at Sub-Centres and PHCs.

    Weak inter-sectoral convergence (between health, sanitation, and nutrition departments).

    Limited community participation due to lack of awareness and ownership.

    Way Forward

    Strengthen Primary Health Infrastructure: Upgrade all 1.5 lakh HWCs with telemedicine and diagnostics.

    Capacity Building: Continuous training and performance-based incentives for ASHA and ANM workers.

    Community Ownership: Empower Panchayats and SHGs in planning and monitoring local health outcomes.

    Technology Integration: Use eSanjeevani, digital health IDs, and mobile-based health tracking.

    Social Determinants Approach: Integrate health with nutrition, sanitation (Swachh Bharat), and clean energy (Ujjwala Yojana).

    Achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by strengthening local healthcare will help realize the vision of “Swasth Bharat – Samriddh Bharat.”

  • Performance of welfare schemes that are implemented for vulnerable sections is not so effective due to absence of their awareness and active involvement at all stages of policy process – Discuss.

    The Directive Principles of State Policy (Articles 41), envisions a welfare state that ensures social justice and empowerment of vulnerable sections. However, their impact is limited due to design and implementation gaps.

    Absence of awareness and active involvement

    Policy Making

    Poor Representation in Design – Lack of beneficiary consultation leads to top-down, one-size-fits-all schemes. Eg- uniform guidelines under PMAY

    Absence of local participation results in policies ignoring grassroots realities.

    Misallocation of Priorities- Without local input, funds get diverted to non-core activities. Eg- Beti Bachao Beti Padhao spent 80% of funds on publicity

    Political populism and short termism rather than long term capability building approach. Eg- Farm Loan Waiver

    Policy Implementation

    Limited Awareness of Rights and Entitlements – Eg- MGNREGA workers rarely claim unemployment allowance due to ignorance of provisions.

    Poor Coordination – Absence of SHGs, PRIs, and NGOs in execution leads to leakages and inefficiency. Eg- leakages in PDS

    Digital and Social Exclusion – Digital illiteracy limits registration and access.

    Policy Monitoring

    Weak Social Accountability Mechanisms – Eg- Social audits under MGNREGA are irregular in several states.

    Absence of Community Oversight- Eg- NFSA grievance redressal committees underperform due to lack of public participation.

    Crisis Management

    In disasters, schemes fail to respond effectively due to missing local coordination. Eg- Migrant crisis during COVID-19 lockdown

    Weak Role of Civil Society in Emergency Delivery- Limited engagement with NGOs reduces last-mile efficiency.

    However, there are few success stories

    Mid-Day Meal (POSHAN) -Reduced hunger and educational deprivation.

    Direct Benefit Transfer saved 3.48 lakh crore of government.

    Social Audit of MGNREGA – Andhra Pradesh Model

    Participatory Democracy – Peoples Plan Campaign of Kerala

    Way Forward

    Institutionalising Social Audit and Citizen Charters with legal backing

    Strengthening Grassroot democracy through effective devolution and principle of subsidiarity

    Bottom-up Planning – Porto Alegre Brazil Model

    Inclusive Development- Involve SHGs, and CSOs in design, execution, and feedback.

    Ensuring “people-centric governance” through information, inclusion, and participation aligns with the vision of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas”

  • There is a growing divergence in the relationship between poverty and hunger in India. The shrinking of social expenditure by the government is forcing the poor to spend more on Non- Food essential items squeezing their food – budget.- Elucidate.

    While extreme poverty fell to 2.35% (World Bank, 2024), undernourishment (12%) and child wasting (18.7%) persist (SOFI 2025).

    Growing Divergence between Poverty and Hunger

    Decline in Monetary Poverty: About 24.82 crore individuals escaped multidimensional poverty in the last 9 years. (NITI Aayog)

    Persistence of Hunger and Malnutrition:

    Despite surplus food production, India’s GHI score (25.8) remains in the “serious” category.

    Indicators such as stunting (32.9%), wasting (18.7%), and anemia (57% women) reveal continued deprivation.

    Shift from Absolute Hunger to Hidden Hunger: 57% of women and 67% of children are anemic

    Shrinking of Social Expenditure by the Government

    Education expenditure: ~2.9% of GDP (NEP recommendation 2020).

    Decline in allocation for MGNREGA

    Impact on Poor Households:

    Health: Out-of-pocket health spending forms 40% of total health expenditure (NHA 2023).

    Indian Middle class is 1 Hospital Bill Away from poverty

    Education: Rising private tuition and school costs strain household budgets.

    Learning poverty – Over 70% of Class 3 students cannot read age-appropriate texts (ASER 2025)

    Utilities and fuel: Increasing electricity, rent, and LPG costs raise non-food spending.

    Proliferation of slums – 17% urban population living in slums

    Way Forward

    Social Determinants Approach: Integration of hunger and poverty with nutrition, sanitation (Swachh Bharat), and clean energy (Ujjwala Yojana).

    Nutrition-Sensitive Policies: Diversify PDS with millets, pulses, fortified foods, and region-specific nutrition interventions.

    Adopt data-driven local interventions under Aspirational Districts Programme to target high-burden regions.

    Adopt Brazil’s Bolsa Família conditional cash transfer scheme

    Scale State level best practices like TN’s inclusion of Eggs in MDM

    This can help achieve SDG 1, 2 and realise Atmanirbhar Bharat.

  • Despite Consistent experience of High growth, India still goes with the lowest indicators of human development. Examine the issues that make balanced and inclusive development elusive.

    India is Fastest Growing Economy in the world (IMF) but low HDI rank (130 out of 193, UNDP 2025) highlight that growth has not translated into inclusive development.

    Indicators of human development

    Poverty Headcount Ratio – 11.28% (2022-23)

    Malnutrition – NFHS-5

    35.5% stunting,

    19.3% wasting,

    32.1% underweight in children under five

    Inequality – the richest 1% owning over 40% of the nation’s wealth, while the bottom 50% hold a mere 3-6%.

    Issues that make balanced and inclusive development elusive.

    Political Factors

    Policy Fragmentation: scheme overlaps and lack of convergence dilute impact.

    Short-Term Populism: Focus on vote-bank subsidies over long-term human capital investments. Eg- low spending on Health (1.98% of GDP) and Education (2.9% of GDP)

    Weak Decentralization: Eg- Only 40% of States have functional District Planning Committees.

    Economic Factors

    Jobless Growth: Services contribute 55% of GDP but employ less than 30% of workforce.

    Agrarian Distress: 42% of workforce in agriculture contributes just 17% to GDP

    Social Factors

    Gender Inequality: low Female Labour Force Participation due to

    Triple Burden – Household, Children, Job

    Patriarchal Mindset – Eg- Sarpanch Pati

    Law of asset ownership – only 11% land ownership

    Education and Health Deficits

    High out of pocket expenditure (40%)

    Digital Apartheid in education during Covid

    Environmental Stress: Unsustainable urbanization, pollution, and water scarcity aggravate human deprivation.

    Institutional Factors

    Weak Governance Capacity: Poor implementation, leakages, and bureaucratic delays persist. Eg- inclusion-exclusion errors in PDS

    Ineffective Targeting: Outdated socio-economic data hinder evidence-based policy (SECC 2011 still in use).

    Way Forward

    Capability Approach – increase spending on Health (2.5%of GDP) and Education (6% of GDP)

    Adopt Best Practices

    Kerala’s People’s Plan Campaign

    Participatory Budgeting in porto alegre brazil

    Decentralized Governance based on principle of subsidiarity.

    “Growth becomes meaningful only when it expands human freedom and capability.” – Amartya Sen