Model Answer:

Indian Government’s Poverty Alleviation Schemes Post-SDG 2015

Post-2015 SDGs adoption, India shifted from income-based to multidimensional poverty alleviation, reflecting Amartya Sen’s capability approach viewing poverty as capability deprivation.

Key Schemes

Health and Social Security
• Ayushman Bharat-PM JAY (2018): ₹5 lakh health coverage per family, addressing catastrophic health expenditure-induced poverty.
• PM Shram Yogi Maandhan (2019): Pension scheme for unorganized sector workers ensuring old-age security.

Financial Inclusion and Direct Support
• PM Jan Dhan Yojana (expanded post-2015): Banking access enabling Direct Benefit Transfers, reducing leakages.
• PM-KISAN (2019): Direct income support of ₹6,000 annually to farmer families.

Basic Services and Infrastructure
• PM Ujjwala Yojana (2016): LPG connections to BPL households, reducing women’s drudgery and health risks.
• PM Awas Yojana (2015): Housing for All, providing dignity and foundation for social mobility.
• Jal Jeevan Mission (2019): Piped water to rural households, addressing water-poverty nexus.

Employment and Skills
• Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan (2020): Employment for migrant workers through rural infrastructure creation.
• PM-DAKSH (2021): Skill development for SC/ST/OBC communities promoting economic mobility.

Digital Empowerment
• PM Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan: Digital literacy bridging the digital divide for inclusive development.

Conclusion: These schemes represent India’s comprehensive assault on multidimensional poverty, transforming welfare from charity to rights-based entitlements while building human capital and ensuring social security.

Model Answer:

Forced Displacement of Labourers: Deprivation and Resultant Inequalities

The forced displacement of labourers has profoundly deepened deprivation and exacerbated structural inequalities in recent years. The COVID-19 induced lockdowns starkly revealed this crisis, with mass exodus of migrant workers exposing the precarious existence of India’s informal workforce.

From Livelihood to Precarity: Multi-dimensional Deprivation

Economic Dimension
• Income shock and survival crisis: The sudden loss of employment during lockdown left workers without wages or savings, unable to afford basic necessities or rent.
• Emergence of precariat class: This reflects Guy Standing’s concept of the ‘precariat’—a class defined by chronic insecurity and absence of occupational identity.
• Neo-bondage relations: As Jan Breman notes, displaced workers become “footloose labour,” trapped in perpetual mobility without stable employment.

Social and Physical Deprivation
• Loss of social capital: Uprooted from urban support networks, workers faced social isolation and severed ties to urban economy.
• Health vulnerabilities: The arduous journey home involved exhaustion, starvation, and accidents, with no access to healthcare or sanitation.
• Citizenship deficit: What Partha Chatterjee terms “political society” existence—surviving without substantive citizenship rights or welfare access.

Exacerbation of Structural Inequalities

Widening Disparities
The displacement amplified pre-existing inequalities along class, caste, and regional lines:

• Class divide: While formal sector transitioned to remote work, informal workers (139 million migrants) lacked any safety net, reinforcing economic dualism.
• Rural distress: Return migration strained already fragile rural economies, with limited MGNREGA opportunities pushing families into debt traps.
• Intersectional vulnerabilities: Dalit/Adivasi women migrants faced compounded discrimination—Michael Cernea’s “impoverishment risks” manifesting through landlessness, joblessness, and marginalization.

Conclusion:  Forced displacement acts as a catalyst transforming precarious livelihoods into absolute deprivation. By dismantling workers’ economic and social scaffolding while reinforcing structural fault lines, it pushes India’s most vulnerable further to the margins.

Model Answer:

Sustainable Development in India: Challenges and Possibilities

Sustainable development, defined by the Brundtland Commission as meeting present needs without compromising future generations’ capabilities, presents India with a formidable challenge. The conflict between rapid economic growth and environmental preservation creates tensions, yet achieving sustainability remains possible through fundamental paradigm shifts in development approaches.

Major Environmental Issues

Pollution and Public Health Crisis
– Air pollution affects 99% of India’s population, with Delhi recording hazardous AQI levels
– Water contamination in rivers like Ganga and Yamuna disproportionately impacts urban poor
– Solid waste management challenges overwhelm urban local bodies

Deforestation and Displacement
– Annual deforestation of 1.5 million hectares leads to tribal displacement
– As Verrier Elwin documented, indigenous communities lose cultural and economic ties to forests
– Land degradation from agriculture and infrastructure pressures threatens biodiversity

Climate Change Vulnerability
– Melting Himalayan glaciers and erratic monsoons threaten agricultural livelihoods
– Coastal communities face existential threats from rising sea levels
– These impacts exacerbate existing social inequalities, affecting marginalized populations most severely

Measures for Achieving Sustainability

Policy Integration and Governance
– Mainstream environmental considerations across all sectoral policies
– Strengthen institutions like National Green Tribunal for enforcement and corporate accountability
– Implement stricter Environmental Impact Assessments

Community Participation
– Learn from movements like Chipko that demonstrated grassroots conservation power
– Integrate Adivasi traditional ecological knowledge into formal conservation strategies
– Promote community forest management and traditional water harvesting systems

Technological and Energy Transition
– Scale renewable energy through initiatives like National Solar Mission (target: 500GW by 2030)
– Create green jobs while reducing carbon emissions
– Develop sustainable urban planning with efficient public transportation

Behavioral and Social Change
– Foster what Ramachandra Guha calls “environmentalism of the poor”—sustainable practices rooted in livelihood security
– Promote circular economy models reducing waste generation

Conclusion: Sustainable development in India requires balancing economic aspirations with ecological limits through strong political will, robust institutions, technological innovation, and prioritizing social equity alongside environmental protection.

Model Answer:

Dalit Movements and Identity Formation in India

Dalit movements have been instrumental in transforming a historically imposed, stigmatized identity into a self-defined, assertive political consciousness rooted in dignity and rights.

Rejection of Imposed Identities

The journey began with rejecting Brahmanical labels of ‘Untouchables’ based on Louis Dumont’s purity-pollution ideology. Even Gandhi’s term ‘Harijan’ was later rejected by Ambedkar as patronizing. The adoption of ‘Dalit’ (oppressed) transformed victimhood into conscious resistance, uniting various sub-castes under a single political identity.

Construction of Assertive Identity

– Ambedkar’s ideological foundation: Reframed caste from socio-religious problem to political question of rights and representation through “Annihilation of Caste”
– Religious rupture: Mass conversion to Buddhism (1956) represented complete break from Hindu hierarchy, offering egalitarian identity
– Cultural assertion: Dalit literature by writers like Namdeo Dhasal and Omprakash Valmiki created counter-narratives, fostering unique cultural memory

Political Mobilization

The Dalit Panthers (1970s) reflected militant assertion inspired by Black Panthers. Kanshi Ram’s ‘Bahujan’ concept broadened identity to unite Dalits, OBCs, and minorities for political power through BSP. This shift from protest to power marked the maturation of Dalit political consciousness.

Conclusion: Dalit movements facilitated transformation from passive, ritually-defined status to active political agency. As Gopal Guru notes, Dalits evolved from objects to subjects of history, fundamentally reshaping India’s socio-political landscape.

Model Answer:

Educational development is undeniably a powerful instrument for social transformation, but labeling it as the sole panacea for all national ills represents an oversimplification. NEP-2020, while ambitious and progressive, must be examined within this critical framework.

Education as Catalyst: NEP-2020’s Vision

Education remains foundational to addressing societal problems, and NEP-2020 targets key areas:

• Economic Development: Through vocational training, skill development, and flexible learning pathways (multiple entry/exit), NEP-2020 builds what Theodore Schultz termed ‘human capital’, enhancing employability and reducing poverty.

• Social Equality: The Gender Inclusion Fund and support for Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs) directly target inequalities rooted in patriarchy and caste discrimination, while mother tongue instruction democratizes access.

• National Integration: Promoting multilingualism and Indian knowledge systems while instilling constitutional values counters regionalism and communalism, fostering social cohesion as Durkheim envisioned.

Structural Limitations and Constraints

However, education’s efficacy remains constrained by larger structural realities that NEP-2020 alone cannot resolve:

• Deep-rooted Inequalities: As Pierre Bourdieu argued, educational success depends on pre-existing ‘cultural capital’ that disadvantaged groups lack, with poverty and caste prejudice preventing access regardless of policy provisions.

• Implementation Gaps: NEP-2020’s success requires political will, adequate funding (6% GDP allocation remains unrealized), and bureaucratic efficiency, but infrastructure deficits, teacher shortages, and corruption render progressive policies ineffective.

• Socio-cultural Barriers: Social evils like patriarchy and casteism are embedded in social structures beyond illiteracy, as Paulo Freire’s critique reveals how education can perpetuate existing power hierarchies—educated individuals often perpetrate gender violence and caste atrocities.

Conclusion:  While NEP-2020 positions educational development as a cornerstone of progress, it cannot singularly address all societal ills. True transformation demands synergistic reforms across economic policies, social justice initiatives, healthcare, and governance alongside educational development.

Model Answer:

India’s demographic transition has created a growing elderly population, necessitating robust support systems that combine traditional private networks with evolving public mechanisms.

Private Support Networks

Private networks remain the primary caregiving infrastructure:

• Family and Kinship: The joint family system, rooted in filial piety, continues as the cornerstone of elderly care. As sociologist M.S. Gore observed, traditional joint families provided an in-built security system, though nuclearization and migration have weakened this structure

• Community Networks: Neighborhood associations, caste groups, and religious institutions (temples, gurudwaras) offer social integration and emotional support, fostering belonging through what Durkheim called “mechanical solidarity”

• Non-Governmental Organizations: NGOs like HelpAge India operate old age homes, daycare centers, and mobile medical units, bridging critical care gaps

Public Support Systems

State-sponsored mechanisms include:

• Legal Framework: The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 legally obligates children to provide parental maintenance

• Policy Interventions: The*National Policy on Older Persons (NPOP), 1999 ensures elderly well-being through schemes like Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS) and Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana

• Healthcare Provisions: Dedicated geriatric care under Ayushman Bharat and specialized health insurance schemes

Challenges for Caregivers

Caregivers face significant “emotional labour” (Hochschild’s concept), experiencing physical strain, financial burden, and psychological stress. The “sandwich generation” particularly struggles, managing both children and aging parents simultaneously.

Suggested Measures

• Financial Support: Caregiver allowances, tax benefits, and subsidized healthcare services
• Respite Care: State-supported daycare facilities providing temporary relief from caregiving duties
• Workplace Flexibility: Paid care leave, flexible hours, and work-from-home options
• Skill Development: Geriatric care training programs and counseling services
• Community Participation: Support groups and intergenerational solidarity programs

Conclusion: Strengthening both formal and informal support systems through convergent approaches is essential for ensuring dignified aging while supporting caregivers in India’s transforming social landscape.