1) The crucial aspect of development process has been the
inadequate attention paid to Human Resource Development in India. Suggest measures that can
address this adequacy.
(10 Marks, 150 Words)
2) Explain the constitutional perspectives of Gender
Justice with the help of relevant Constitutional Provisions and case laws.
(15 Marks, 250 Words)
3) “Development and welfare schemes for the vulnerable,
by its nature, are discriminatory in approach.” Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer. (15
Marks, 250 Words)
4) Skill development programs have succeeded in
increasing human resources supply to various sectors. In the context of the statement analyze
the linkages between education, skill and employment. (15 Marks, 250 Words)
UPSC Mains Social Justice - 2022
1) Besides the welfare schemes, India needs deft
management of inflation and unemployment to serve the poor and the underprivileged sections of
the society. Discuss.(15 Marks, 250 Words)
2) Do you agree with the view that increasing dependence
on donor agencies for development reduces the importance of community participation in the
development process ? Justify your answer.
(15 Marks, 250 Words)
3) The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education
Act, 2009 remains inadequate in promoting incentive-based system for children’s education
without generating awareness about the importance of schooling. Analyse. (15 Marks, 250
Words)
UPSC Mains Social Justice - 2021
1) Discuss the desirability of greater representation to
women in the higher judiciary to ensure diversity, equity and inclusiveness.
(10 Marks, 150 Words)
2) “Pressure groups play a vital role in influencing
public policy making in India.” Explain how the business associations contribute to public
policies.(10 Marks, 150 Words)
3) “Besides being a moral imperative of Welfare State,
primary health structure is a necessary pre-condition for sustainable development.” Analyze. (10
Marks, 150 Words)
4) “‘Earn while you learn’ scheme needs to be
strengthened to make vocational education and skill training meaningful.” Comment. (10 Marks,
150 Words)
5) Can the vicious cycle of gender inequality, poverty
and malnutrition be broken through microfinancing of women SHGs? Explain with examples. (10
Marks, 150 Words)
6) “Though women in post-Independent India have excelled
in various fields, the social attitude towards women and feminist movement has been
patriarchal.” Apart from women education and women empowerment schemes, what interventions can
help change this milieu?
(15 Marks, 250 Words)
7) Can Civil Society and Non-Governmental Organizations
present an alternative model of public service delivery to benefit the common citizen. Discuss
the challenges of this alternative model.(15 Marks, 250 Words)
UPSC Mains Social Justice - 2020
1) 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.
(10 Marks, 150 Words)
2) Micro-Finance as an anti-poverty vaccine, is aimed at
asset creation and income security of the rural poor in India”. Evaluate the role of Self-Help
Groups in achieving the twin objectives along with empowering women in rural India.
(15 Marks, 250 Words)
3) 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. (15 Marks, 250 Words)
UPSC Mains Social Justice - 2019
1) The need for cooperation among various service sector
has been an inherent component of development discourse. Partnership bridges bring the gap among
the sectors. It also sets in motion a culture of ‘Collaboration’ and ‘team spirit’. In the light
of statements above examine India’s Development process.
(15 Marks, 250 Words)
2)Performance of welfare schemes that are implemented for
vulnerable sections is not so effective due to the absence of their awareness and active
involvement at all stages of policy process – Discuss
(15 Marks, 250 Words)
3)How is the Government of India protecting traditional
knowledge of medicine from patenting by pharmaceutical companies?
(15 Marks, 250 Words)
4)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
(10 Marks, 150 Words)
5)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
(10 Marks, 150 Words)
6)Implementation of information and Communication
Technology (ICT) based Projects / Programmes usually suffers in terms of certain vital factors.
Identify these factors, and suggest measures for their effective implementation (10 Marks, 150
Words)
7)‘In the context of the neo-liberal paradigm of
development planning, multi-level planning is expected to make operations cost-effective and
remove many implementation blockages.’-Discuss(15 Marks, 250 Words)
UPSC Mains Social Justice - 2018
1)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?
(15 Marks, 250 Words)
2)Appropriate local community-level healthcare
intervention is a prerequisite to achieve ‘Health for All’ in India. Explain.
(10 Marks, 150 Words)
UPSC Mains Social Justice - 2017
1)Does the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016
ensure effective mechanism for empowerment and inclusion of the intended beneficiaries in the
society? Discuss
(10 Marks, 150 Words)
2)‘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.
(10 Marks, 150 Words)
3)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.(10 Marks, 150
Words)
UPSC Mains Social Justice - 2016
1)Examine the main provisions of the National Child
Policy and throw light on the status of its implementation.
(12.5 Marks, 200 Words)
2)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?
(12.5 Marks, 200 Words)
UPSC Mains Social Justice - 2015
1)Public health system has limitations in providing
universal health coverage. Do you think that private sector could help in bridging the gap? What
other viable alternatives would you suggest?
(12.5 Marks, 200 Words)
2)The quality of higher education in India requires major
improvements to make it internationally competitive. Do you think that the entry of foreign
educational institutions would help improve the quality of technical and higher education in the
country? Discuss.
(12.5 Marks, 200 Words)
3)Though there have been several different estimates of
poverty in India, all indicate reduction in poverty levels over time. Do you agree? Critically
examine with reference to urban and rural poverty indicators.(12.5 Marks, 200 Words)
UPSC Mains Social Justice - 2014
1)Do government’s schemes for up-lifting vulnerable and
backward communities by protecting required social resources for them, lead to their exclusion
in establishing businesses in urban economies?
(12.5 Marks, 200 Words)
UPSC Mains Social Justice - 2013
1)The concept of Mid Day Meal (MDM) scheme is almost a
century old in India with early beginnings in Madras Presidency in pre-independent India. The
scheme has again been given impetus in most states in the last two decades. Critically examine
its twin objectives, latest mandates and success (10 Marks, 200 Words)
2)Identify the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that
are related to health. Discuss the success of the actions taken by the Government for achieving
the same (12.5 Marks, 200 Words)
