Human Development and Sustainable Development: UPSC Previous Year Questions (Indian Economy)

Explanation

Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) are community health workers under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), trained to promote maternal and child health, facilitate access to healthcare services, and provide basic health education on nutrition, immunisation, and hygiene.

Statement 1 is correct: ASHAs assist women in accessing healthcare facilities for antenatal check-ups, delivery, and post-natal care.

Statement 2 is correct: ASHAs are trained to use pregnancy test kits for early detection and guiding women accordingly.

Statement 3 is correct: One of the core responsibilities of ASHAs is to educate the community about nutrition, immunisation, family planning, and hygiene.

Statement 4 is incorrect: ASHAs are not trained to conduct deliveries. They are responsible for facilitating access to skilled birth attendants and institutional deliveries but do not perform the deliveries themselves.

Explanation

Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) is a safe motherhood intervention under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).

Statement 1 is correct: The primary goal of Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) is to reduce maternal and infant mortality by encouraging pregnant women to opt for institutional deliveries in healthcare facilities, ensuring safe childbirth under professional supervision.

Statement 2 is correct: JSY is a centrally sponsored scheme, which integrates cash assistance with delivery and post-de-livery care to help cover expenses related to childbirth, making institutional deliveries more accessible.

Statement 3 is incorrect: JSY does not compensate for wage loss during pregnancy or confinement. Its focus is on promoting safe deliveries through financial support for delivery costs, not income replacement.

Explanation

The Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) Scheme is a social security and health insurance program for Indian workers, managed by the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) under the Ministry of Labour and Employment. Launched in 1952 under the ESI Act, 1948, it provides financial protection to employees against sickness, maternity, disability, and work-related injuries. This Act applies, in the first instance, to non-seasonal factories employing 10 or more persons. Statements 1, 2, 3 and 4 are correct: The ESI Scheme initially covered factories but has expanded to include hotels and restaurants, motor transport undertakings, newspaper establishments, private medical institutions, shops, cinemas, educational institutions, and more. It applies to establishments with 10 or more employees (20 in some states) and covers employees earning up to 21,000/month (25,000 for persons with disabilities).

Explanation

National Water Mission is one of the eight missions launched under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) for combating the threats of global warming. The main objective of NWM is "conservation of water, minimising wastage and ensuring its more equitable distribution both across and within States through integrated water resources devel-opment and management". Statements 1 and 2 are correct: It seeks to ensure that a considerable share of the water needs of urban areas are met through recycling of waste water and ensuring that the water requirements of coastal cities with inadequate alternative sources of water are met through adoption of new and appropriate technologies such as low temperature desalination technologies that allow for the use of ocean water.

Statement 3 is incorrect: All the rivers of Himalayan origin will be linked to the rivers of peninsular India is part of the Interlinking of Rivers Project, not the National Water Mission.

Statement 4 is incorrect: The NWM focuses on water conservation and efficiency but does not provide reimbursements for bore-wells or pump-sets.

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect: DRDAs does not act as Panchayati Raj Institutions. They are autonomous bodies that coordinate rural development programs, while Panchayati Raj Institutions are separate local self-governance bodies.

Statement 2 is incorrect: No such provisions are there for DRDAs to undertake an area-specific scientific study of the causes of poverty and malnutrition and prepare detailed remedial measures.

Statement 3 is correct: One of the key roles of DRDAs is to coordinate efforts across sectors and departments to ensure the effective implementation of various rural development schemes.

Statement 4 is correct: DRDAs are responsible for monitoring and ensuring the proper utilization of funds allocated to anti-poverty and rural development programs.

Explanation

Aam Admi Bima Yojana (AABY) is a Government of In-dia Social Security Scheme administered through Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) that provides Death and Disability cover to persons between the age group of 18 yrs to 59 yrs, under 48 identified vocational/ occupational groups /rural landless households.

Statement 1 is correct: The scheme covers the head of the family or an earning member in a rural landless household. It provides life and disability insurance benefits to economically weaker sections.

Statement 2 is incorrect: The age eligibility for this scheme is 18 to 59 years, not 30 to 65 years. It provides insurance cover for a sum of Rs 30,000/- on natural death, Rs. 75,000/- on death due to accident, Rs. 37,500/- for partial permanent disability (loss of one eye or one limb) due to accident and Rs. 75,000/- for total permanent disability (loss of two eyes or two limbs or loss of one eye and one limb) due to accident.

Statement 3 is correct: The scheme provides a scholarship of 100 per month for up to two children of the insured, studying in classes 9 to 12. The scholarship is meant to support education expenses for children of insured individuals.

Explanation

In India, female literacy is defined as the percent-age of females aged 7 years and above who can read, write, and understand a simple message in any language. As per the 2001 Census of India, the correct sequence of the descending order of female literacy rates for the states mentioned is:

Kerala (87.86%) Mizoram (86.75%) Goa (75.51%) Nagaland (61.46%)

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect: The Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility(PRGF) was actually established by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), not the International Development Association (IDA). The PRGF was the IMF’s concessional lending facility for low-income countries, aimed at supporting programs that foster durable growth and poverty reduction.The PRGF focuses on promoting sustainable economic growth and reducing poverty through concessional loans with low interest rates. It has been replaced by the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT).

Statement 2 is correct: The Singapore Regional Training Institute (STI) is the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) regional training center for the Asia-Pacific region. Established in 1998, the STI aimed at enhancing the capacity of officials from the region in areas by providing training in macroeconomic analysis and policy and related subjects as a part of a programme of the IMF institute.

Explanation

The passage, "instil into the vast millions of workers, men and women, who actually do the job, a sense of partnership and of cooperative performance," pertains to the Community Development Programme in India. Community Devel-opment Programme (CDP) was launched in 1952 which aimed to promote holistic rural development by encouraging active participation from local communities. The initiative sought to empower villagers by involving them in decision-making processes and fostering a sense of ownership and cooperation in implementing development projects. The emphasis was on collective effort and partnership among community members to achieve sustainable development goals.

Explanation

A is matched with 4: The UNDP publishes the Human Development Report, which provides comprehensive analyses on global human development issues. HDI is a composite index that measures average achievement in human devel-opment based on three dimensions:

Long and Healthy Life-Life expectancy at birth Knowledge-Education Index Expected years of schooling Mean years of schooling A Decent Living Standard-Gross national income (GNI) per capita at PPP in the US dollars. B is matched with 2: NCAER is an independent economic think tank in India which publishes the India Development Report. The report provides in-depth analysis and data on the Indian economy. C is matched with 1: IGIDR is an advanced research institute in India and contributed significantly to the development of the UN India Human Development Report which focuses on human development within India. D is matched with 3: The World Bank releases the World Development Report, an annual publication that examines global economic development topics.