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Subject: Social Justice

  • 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

  • “The incidence and intensity of poverty are more important in determining poverty based on income alone”. In this context analyse the latest United Nations Multidimensional Poverty Index Report.

    As per World Bank, Poverty is a “pronounced deprivation in well-being” which includes low incomes and the inability to acquire basic goods and services necessary for survival with dignity.

    Incidence (H): The proportion of the population who are multidimensionally poor (i.e., deprived in a set share of weighted indicators).

    Intensity (A): The average share of deprivations experienced by the multidimensionally poor.

    MPI value (H × A): Combines incidence and intensity, capturing both how many are poor and how deprived they are beyond the income dimension.

    Why Incidence and Intensity Matter More than Income Alone

    Comprehensive Understanding: Income tells how much money people have, while incidence and intensity show what capabilities they lack.

    Reveals Depth of Deprivation: Two people may have the same income, but one may suffer more due to lack of education or sanitation – intensity captures this depth.

    Targets Policy Better: Helps governments identify which dimensions (health, education, housing) need priority investment.

    Explains Poverty Despite Income Growth: India’s poverty rate has declined (2.35% extreme poverty, World Bank 2024), yet hunger, malnutrition, and illiteracy persist – showing income growth doesn’t equal welfare growth.

    Measures Human Development, Not Just Economics: Aligns with Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach – poverty is deprivation of basic freedoms and opportunities, not just low income.

    Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) Report 2025

    Global Poverty Statistics – 1.1 billion (18.3%) people in acute multidimensional poverty. Majority are young, rural, and living in low human development countries

    MPI Reduction Trends – Of 88 countries with comparable data, 76 saw a decline in MPI at least once

    Multidimensional Poverty in India

    Poverty fell from 55.1% (2005-2006) to 16.4% (2019-2021)

    About 415 million people exited multidimensional poverty

    Poverty and Climate Interlinkages

    32 million people displaced by climate-related shocks in 2022

    309 million poor people live in regions with three or four overlapping climate hazards

    Without strong climate action, extreme poverty could nearly double by 2050

    MPI Across Income Levels

    64.5% of global poor live in middle-income countries

    55.5% in lower-middle-income nations

    9% in upper-middle-income nations

    Common Global Deprivations

    Clean cooking fuel: 970 million deprived

    Adequate housing: 878 million deprived

    Sanitation: 830 million deprived

    Undernutrition: 635 million deprived

    Children out of school: 487 million deprived

    Limitations of the Global MPI

    Data Gaps: Many countries rely on outdated or incomplete household surveys; MPI data lags actual conditions.

    Uniform Weights and Indicators: Equal weighting (health, education, living standards) may not reflect local priorities or contexts.

    Intra-country Variations: National averages mask disparities between rural-urban areas, genders, and regions.

    No Vulnerability Capture: MPI measures current deprivation but not people at risk of falling back into poverty.

    Way Forward

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

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

    Adopt Brazil’s Bolsa Família conditional cash transfer scheme

    Poverty is the worst form of violence – Mahatma Gandhi.

    A whole of government and whole of society approach is needed to achieve SDG-1

  • National Education Policy 2020 is in conformity with the Sustainable Development Goal-4 (2030). It intends to restructure and reorient education system in India. Critically examine the statement.

    The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, introduced after 34 years, aims to transform the Indian education system to make it equitable, inclusive, and globally competitive.

    NEP 2020 in alignment with SDG-4

    Free and Universal Education

    NEP promotes free primary and secondary education and universal literacy.

    Targets universalisation of education with 100% Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) by 2030.

    Proposes extension of Right to Education up to 18 years.

    Elimination of Discrimination in Education (SDG 4.5) – Focuses on inclusion of 2 crore out-of-school children into mainstream education.

    Equal Access to Quality Pre-primary Education (SDG 4.2)

    Affordable and Quality Vocational Training for Women (SDG 4.3)

    Qualified and Trained Teachers (SDG 4.c) – NEP proposes National Professional Standards for Teachers and regular training.

    Reorientation and Restructuring of the Indian Education System

    School Education Reforms

    5+3+3+4 model aligns learning outcomes with cognitive development stages.

    National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (NIPUN Bharat) ensures universal literacy by Grade 3.

    Integration of vocational training from Class 6 bridges the gap between education and employability.

    Higher Education Transformation

    Vision to create a multidisciplinary and research-driven system with HECIs (Higher Education Commission of India) as a single regulator.

    Establishment of National Research Foundation (NRF) to boost innovation.

    Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) target of 50% by 2035-aligns with SDG-4’s focus on higher education accessibility.

    Technology Integration – Creation of National Educational Technology Forum (NETF) and expansion of DIKSHA platform for digital content.

    Focus on Teachers – Teacher education to become integrated and professionalized (B.Ed. as a 4-year degree).

    Challenges

    Federal Issues as Education is a concurrent subject. Eg- TN opposition to 3 language

    Funding Constraints – NEP targets 6% of GDP expenditure on education, but current allocation is around 2.9% (Union Budget 2024-25).

    Digital Divide – over 40% rural households lack internet access (NFHS-5).

    Limited industry-academia linkage hampers employability outcomes of vocational programs. (only 55% employability)

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

    Teacher Shortage – Over 9 lakh vacancies (MoE, 2025); only 15% of teachers trained under NISHTHA

    Poor Infrastructure in Schools – 35% of schools lack reliable electricity and digital tools (UDISE+, 2021-22).

    Way Forward

    Establish State Curriculum Frameworks (SCFs) aligned with NEP timelines.

    Increase Public Investment: Achieve 6% of GDP target with transparent utilization and outcome monitoring.

    Digital Equity: Expand PM eVIDYA, public Wi-Fi, and digital resource centers in rural schools.

    Public-Private Partnerships: Leverage CSR, EdTech collaborations, and local institutions for inclusive access.

    Teacher Empowerment: Strengthen continuous teacher training and monitoring under PARAKH assessment framework.

    If effectively realized, NEP 2020 can transform India from a literacy-focused to a learning and innovation-oriented society, essential for achieving Viksit Bharat @2047.

  • In order to enhance the prospects of social development, sound and adequate health care policies are needed particularly in the fields of geriatric and maternal health care. Discuss.

    ​​Social development rests on improving human well-being, equity, and inclusivity. Health care is a key determinant of human capital formation and social progress.

    Importance of Geriatric Care

    India’s elderly (60+ years) population is projected to reach 19.5% by 2050 (UNFPA).

    A larger elderly population implies growing dependency ratios and burden on families and social welfare

    Healthy and active elderly contribute to knowledge transfer, social cohesion, and community engagement.

    Reduces healthcare expenditure through preventive and primary care, enhancing productivity of caregivers.

    Healthy ageing aligns with the SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).

    Key Interventions

    National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly (NPHCE) – dedicated geriatric units in district hospitals.

    Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY) – integrated senior citizen welfare.

    Ayushman Bharat – provides insurance for elderly with chronic diseases.

    Importance of Maternal Healthcare

    Foundation of Human Development – Maternal health directly influences infant mortality, child nutrition, and family welfare.

    Promotes inter-generational well-being, preventing malnutrition and anaemia cycles.

    Economic Impact – Reduces healthcare costs, improves labour participation of women,

    Healthier mothers mean healthier children and better learning outcomes, strengthening the human capital base.

    Key Interventions

    Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) and Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) – incentives for institutional deliveries and nutrition.

    POSHAN 2.0 – integration of health and nutrition for pregnant and lactating women.

    LaQshya and SUMAN – focus on quality maternal and newborn care.

    Challenges in Maternal and Geriatric Healthcare

    Shortage of geriatric specialists, gynaecologists, and ASHA workers in rural areas.

    Regional Disparities – Maternal mortality in Assam (195) vs. Kerala (19).

    Out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) remains 40%, pushing poor households into poverty.

    Focus remains on curative rather than preventive health.

    Social and Cultural Barriers

    Patriarchal norms restrict women’s access to healthcare and nutrition.

    Elderly often face neglect, isolation, and financial insecurity.

    Way Forward

    Increase Public Health Expenditure to 2.5% of GDP as per National Health Policy 2017.

    Strengthen Home-Based Care Models and palliative services for the elderly.

    Decentralize Planning and Monitoring via Panchayati Raj Institutions. (Kerala Model)

    Strengthen ASHAs, ANMs, and geriatric caregivers at village level.

    Use of telemedicine (eSanjeevani) and digital records for continuum of care.

    A life-cycle approach to health is essential to achieve equitable and sustainable development and achieve Viksit Bharat @2047.

  • “Though women in post-Independent India have excelled in various fields, the social attitude towards women and feminist movement has been patriarchial.” Apart from women education and women empowerment schemes, what interventions can help change this milieu?

    “One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman.” – Simone de Beauvoir

    Despite progress in education, employment, and leadership – from Kalpana Chawla to Nirmala Sitharaman – Indian society continues to be guided by deep-rooted patriarchal norms.

    Women Excelling in Various Fields

    Political Sphere:

    Droupadi Murmu became India’s first tribal woman President (2022).

    Over 46% of PRI representatives are women (MoPR, 2024).

    Economic Sphere: Women-led startups form 47.6% of DPIIT-recognized startups (2023).

    Science and Technology: Nigar Shaji, ISRO project director for Aditya-L1

    Sports: Avani Lekhara (Paralympics), Nikhat Zareen (boxing), and Smriti Mandhana (cricket).

    Academics: Women constitute 43% of STEM graduates

    Patriarchal Attitudes Persisting in Society

    The enduring Devī-Dāsī dichotomy-idolizing women as sacred yet accepting their subjugation-reveals deep-rooted cultural norms that legitimize gender inequality.

    Tokenism in representation: Eg-“Sarpanch Pati” culture undermines effective female leadership

    Unpaid care burden: Women spend 299 mins/day on unpaid work (NSSO), vs. 97 mins by men.

    Triple Burden – Household, Childcare, Work

    Media stereotypes: Gender-biased portrayals reinforce traditional roles.

    ‘Glass ceiling’ – women are less likely to be hired or promoted in sectors such as technology, finance, or engineering. (McKinsey)

    Interventions Needed to Change the Milieu

    Legal and Institutional Reforms

    Gender Sensitisation in Governance: Mandatory training for bureaucrats and police.

    Implementation of Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (2023): Ensure 33% reservation in legislatures.

    Strengthen POSH Act, 2013: Extend coverage to informal, gig, and agricultural sectors.

    Gender Audit Mechanisms: Periodic audits across ministries, corporates, and universities.

    Establish fast-track courts for crimes against women as per Nirbhaya Committee recommendations.

    Economic and Structural Interventions

    Property and Inheritance Rights: Enforce Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005 effectively at the ground level.

    Labour Market Reforms: Provide maternity benefits, crèche facilities, and flexible work arrangements.

    Recognize and Monetize Unpaid Labour: Integrate unpaid domestic work into GDP measurement and social protection systems.

    Social and Cultural Interventions

    Curriculum Reform: Integrate gender-sensitivity and equality lessons from school level.

    Media Accountability: Enforce SC’s 2024 guidelines against gender stereotyping in films and advertisements.

    Community Mobilisation: Engage SHGs, PRIs, and youth clubs to challenge gender norms at local level.

    Faith-Based Dialogue: Partner with religious leaders to reinterpret traditions supporting equality.

    Behavioural and Psychological Change

    Male Inclusion Campaigns: Expand “Men for Women” and “HeForShe” initiatives to rural areas.

    Positive Role Modelling: Showcase success stories of women achievers in governance and innovation.

    Public Awareness Drives: Use Beti Bachao Beti Padhao 2.0 to challenge gender bias in families and media.

    Adopting ILO’s 5Rs (recognition, reduction, redistribution, reward, representation) can help in realising Nari Shakti and SDG 5.

  • “Besides being a moral imperative of a Welfare State, primary health structure is a necessary precondition for sustainable development.” Analyse.(150 words)

    The Directive Principles of State Policy (Articles 38, 39, 42, and 47) mandate the State to ensure the health and well-being of all citizens.

    Moral Imperative of the Welfare State

    Right to Health forms part of Article 21 (Right to Life)

    Ensuring accessible, affordable, and equitable healthcare upholds social justice and human dignity.

    Primary healthcare represents state accountability towards vulnerable groups, fulfilling the ethos of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas.”

    Reduces out of pocket expenditure and vicious cycle of poverty

    Primary Health as a Precondition for Sustainable Development

    SDG-3 emphasizes ensuring healthy lives and well-being for all.

    Social Development – Reduces disease burden, enhances productivity, and improves quality of life. Eg- Reduction in IMR (24) and MMR (97)

    Economic Development – World Bank (2023):

    Strong primary healthcare ensures better productivity, improved livelihoods, and universal healthcare access.

    Institutional Sustainability – Strengthens local governance and community participation in health planning. Eg- ASHA workers

    Supported by the Astana Declaration and National Health Policy 2017, which envisions comprehensive and affordable healthcare.

    Key Challenges

    India spends only 1.9% of GDP on healthcare (Economic Survey 2024), far below the WHO’s recommendation of 2.5%.

    Overemphasis on tertiary care- only 15% of public funds go to primary care

    Human resource shortage: Shortfall of 76% doctors at PHCs (RHS 2023).

    Urban-Rural Disparities (Spatial Inequity) – only 33% of doctors and 25% of hospital beds in rural areas.

    Way Forward

    Increase Public Health Expenditure to 2.5% of GDP as per National Health Policy 2017.

    Decentralize Planning and Monitoring via Panchayati Raj Institutions. (Kerala Model)

    Strengthen ASHAs, ANMs, and geriatric caregivers at village level.

    Use of telemedicine (eSanjeevani) and digital records for continuum of care.

    Strong primary and preventive healthcare is essential to achieve equitable and sustainable development and achieve Viksit Bharat @2047.