UPSC GS Paper II: Social Justice, Poverty and Hunger, Measures, Programmes, Committees

Must?Know

• National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 – covers up to 75% of rural and 50% of urban population; provides 5 kg of foodgrains per person per month at ?1–3/kg; legal entitlement under Section 4.
• Public Distribution System (PDS) – oldest food security programme; evolved from rationing during World War II; currently managed by Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state governments.
• Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), 1997 – bifurcated beneficiaries into Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Above Poverty Line (APL); replaced by NFSA in 2013.
• Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), 2000 – targets "poorest of the poor"; provides 35 kg foodgrains per household per month at highly subsidized rates; later integrated into NFSA as Priority Households.
• Annapurna Scheme, 2000 – provides 10 kg free foodgrains per month to indigent senior citizens not covered under NFSA; implemented through state governments.
• Mid-Day Meal Scheme (now PM-POSHAN), 1995 – statutory backing under NFSA; covers children in Classes I–VIII in government and government-aided schools; aims to improve nutritional intake and school attendance.
• Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), 1975 – world’s largest community-based programme; provides supplementary nutrition, immunization, health check-ups, and pre-education to children under 6 and pregnant/lactating mothers.
• ICDS covers Anganwadi centres; administered by Ministry of Women and Child Development; expanded under Mission Poshan 2.0 (2021) to converge nutrition delivery.
• National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP), 1995 – provides cash assistance to elderly, widows, and persons with disabilities; funded 100% by central government.
• NSAP includes Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS), National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS), and National Maternity Benefit Scheme (NMBS, now subsumed under PMMVY).
• Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), 2017 – conditional cash transfer of ?5,000 to pregnant women for first live birth; aims to compensate wage loss and improve maternal health.
• Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005 – guarantees 100 days of wage employment per rural household annually; includes provisions for unemployment allowance.
• MGNREGA mandates at least one-third participation of women; includes works like water conservation, drought proofing, and rural connectivity.
• National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), 2011 – restructured from Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY); promotes Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to reduce poverty through sustainable livelihoods.
• Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), 2013 – focuses on urban poor through shelter, skill development, and self-employment.
• Saffron Revolution (Operation Flood), 1970s – led by Verghese Kurien; established cooperative dairy model via Amul; increased milk production and rural incomes.
• National Nutrition Mission (POSHAN Abhiyaan), 2018 – targets reduction of stunting, undernutrition, anemia, and low birth weight by 2022 (later extended); uses ICT-based monitoring.
• National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-5 (2019–21) – shows stunting in children under 5 declined to 35.5% from 38.4% (NFHS-4); underweight reduced to 32.1%.
• Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2023 – India ranked 111 out of 125 countries; score of 28.7 (serious category); methodology includes undernourishment, child stunting, wasting, and mortality.
• GHI ranking controversy – Ministry of Women and Child Development rejected 2022 report citing "perception-based" data; India did not feature in 2023 due to data unavailability.
• Tendulkar Committee (2009) – estimated poverty line at ?816 (rural) and ?1000 (urban) per capita per month (2011–12 prices); used Mixed Reference Period (MRP) consumption data.
• Rangarajan Committee (2014) – recommended higher poverty line: ?972 (rural) and ?1,407 (urban) per capita per month; estimated poverty at 29.5% (2011–12), higher than Tendulkar’s 21.9%.
• Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC), 2011 – first caste-based census since 1931; identified 10.74 crore poor households in rural areas using deprivation and occupational criteria.
• World Bank poverty line – $2.15 per day (PPP, 2017 prices); India reduced extreme poverty from 22.5% (2011) to ~10% (2019 estimate, NCAER/World Bank studies).
• Supreme Court in PUCL vs Union of India (2001) – issued continuing mandamus for food security; directed implementation of mid-day meals, ICDS, and PDS reforms.

Difficulty Level

Intermediate – requires integration of schemes, committees, and data trends; questions often test interlinkages and recent updates.

Common UPSC Traps

Trap: NFSA covers 75% rural and 50% urban population as a fixed number – Fact: It is a coverage ceiling based on population estimates; actual beneficiaries depend on state-wise identification under SECC data (NFSA Section 3).

Trap: MGNREGA is only for unskilled manual work – Fact: It allows skilled and semi-skilled work; wage rates are based on skill level as per Schedule of Rates (SoR) set by states.

Trap: POSHAN Abhiyaan and PM-POSHAN are the same – Fact: POSHAN Abhiyaan (2018) targets nutrition; PM-POSHAN (2022) is the restructured Mid-Day Meal Scheme with expanded coverage and funding.

Trap: Tendulkar Committee used calorie-based poverty line – Fact: It moved away from calorie norm and used mixed reference period (MRP) consumption expenditure including food and non-food items.

Practice MCQs

Question: Which of the following schemes provides foodgrains to the "poorest of the poor" and was later integrated into the National Food Security Act?
A) Annapurna Scheme
B) Antyodaya Anna Yojana
C) Mid-Day Meal Scheme
D) Integrated Child Development Services
Answer: B
Explanation: AAY (2000) targeted the poorest households with 35 kg foodgrains/month; subsumed under NFSA as priority households.
Why others fail: Annapurna Scheme targets indigent elderly, not the broader "poorest of the poor" group.

Question: The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana is associated with:
A) Rural housing for the poor
B) Urban livelihoods and skill development
C) Health insurance for BPL families
D) Free LPG connections to rural women
Answer: B
Explanation: DAY-NULM (2013) promotes self-employment and skill development for urban poor.
Why others fail: PMAY-G is for rural housing; PMUY provides LPG; both are different schemes.

Question: Which committee estimated the poverty line using a uniform reference period (URP) and later recommended shifting to mixed reference period (MRP)?
A) Lakdawala Committee
B) Tendulkar Committee
C) Rangarajan Committee
D) Y.K. Alagh Committee
Answer: B
Explanation: Tendulkar Committee (2009) rejected URP and adopted MRP for more accurate consumption estimation.
Why others fail: Lakdawala (1993) used URP; Rangarajan accepted MRP but revised norms.

Question: The "Saffron Revolution" in India is associated with:
A) Organic farming in Kashmir
B) Cooperative dairy development
C) Pulses production increase
D) Spices export promotion
Answer: B
Explanation: "Saffron Revolution" is a misnomer; refers to Operation Flood (1970s) led by Verghese Kurien for dairy cooperatives.
Why others fail: Saffron cultivation is in Kashmir but not linked to "revolution" in policy context.

Question: Which of the following is NOT a component of the Global Hunger Index?
A) Prevalence of undernourishment
B) Child stunting
C) Infant mortality rate
D) Child wasting
Answer: C
Explanation: GHI uses undernourishment, child stunting, wasting, and under-5 mortality (not infant mortality alone).
Why others fail: Under-5 mortality is used; infant mortality is a subset and not directly used.

Question: The continuing mandamus related to food security in India was issued by the Supreme Court in:
A) Olga Tellis vs Bombay Municipal Corporation
B) Vishaka vs State of Rajasthan
C) PUCL vs Union of India
D) Kesavananda Bharati vs State of Kerala
Answer: C
Explanation: PUCL case (2001) led to court monitoring of food security schemes like PDS, mid-day meals, and ICDS.
Why others fail: Olga Tellis dealt with right to livelihood; Vishaka with sexual harassment.

Question: Mission Poshan 2.0, launched in 2021, aims to converge:
A) MGNREGA and PMAY-G
B) ICDS and PM-POSHAN
C) NSAP and PMMVY
D) NRLM and DAY-NULM
Answer: B
Explanation: Mission Poshan 2.0 integrates ICDS and PM-POSHAN (Mid-Day Meal) for holistic nutrition delivery.
Why others fail: Other options are livelihood or housing schemes, not nutrition-focused.

Last?Minute Revision

• NFSA enacted in 2013, implemented from 2014.
• TPDS introduced in 1997 to target BPL families.
• AAY launched in 2000 for poorest of the poor.
• MGNREGA enacted in 2005, implemented from February 2006.
• ICDS launched in 1975 on Republic Day.
• NSAP launched in 1995 on Independence Day.
• PMMVY replaced NMBS in 2017.
• POSHAN Abhiyaan launched in 2018, target year 2022 extended.
• NFHS-5 conducted 2019–21; NFHS-6 expected 2024–25.
• GHI 2023: India not ranked due to data non-submission.
• Tendulkar Committee report submitted in 2009.
• Rangarajan Committee report submitted in 2014.
• SECC 2011 data used for NFSA beneficiary identification.
• World Bank $2.15/day poverty line based on 2017 PPP.
• FCI established in 1965 under Food Corporations Act.
• Operation Flood started in 1970, completed in 1996.
• Verghese Kurien known as "Father of White Revolution".
• PUCL vs Union of India: PIL filed in 2001, still under monitoring.
• Annapurna Scheme introduced in 2000, targets destitute elderly.
• MGNREGA mandates unemployment allowance if work not provided within 15 days.
• NFSA covers up to 67% of population (75% rural + 50% urban).
• ICDS serves children 0–6 years, pregnant & lactating women.
• DAY-NULM is for urban poor; NRLM for rural poor.
• PM-POSHAN is new name for Mid-Day Meal Scheme (from 2022).
• Tendulkar poverty line: ?816 (rural), ?1000 (urban) per month (2011–12 prices).
• Rangarajan poverty line: ?972 (rural), ?1,407 (urban) per month (2011–12 prices).