GS Paper I 2018 · Q9
10 marks · 150 words Women, population, poverty & urbanisation X-Ray · Core #34‘Despite implementation of various programmes for eradication of poverty by the government in India, poverty is still existing.’ Explain by giving reasons.
Approach · directive: “explain”
What it asks · Explain why poverty persists despite decades of anti-poverty programmes, pointing to weaknesses in design, delivery and the wider economy.
It asks 2 things — answer each
- Explain the reasons within the programmes: targeting, delivery and design
- Explain the reasons beyond the programmes: growth pattern, health shocks, social barriers and regional gaps, with the way forward
Open with · The Tendulkar poverty ratio fell from 45.3 per cent in 1993–94 to 21.9 per cent in 2011–12, yet many stayed poor or near-poor.
Cover
- Targeting: inclusion and exclusion errors; overlapping schemes with benefits too small to cross the line.
- Delivery: corruption, delayed wages, weak local capacity; DBT, Aadhaar and Jan Dhan have cut leakage.
- Design: consumption support with few durable assets, skills or incomes.
- Growth: job-poor growth and a large informal workforce with weak wages.
- Health shocks: out-of-pocket spending 39.4 per cent of health expenditure in 2021–22.
- Social and regional barriers: caste, gender and tribal disadvantage; less developed States with thin capacity.
- Way forward: jobs and skills, convergence, health cover and social security, independent evaluation.
Close with · NITI Aayog estimates 24.82 crore people escaped multidimensional poverty in nine years; sustaining that pace serves SDG target 1.2.
Add value (verified)
- NITI Aayog: multidimensional poverty fell from 29.17% in 2013-14 to 11.28% in 2022-23; 24.82 crore people escaped it in nine years.NITI Aayog discussion paper on multidimensional poverty — PIB, 15 January 2024 ↗“24.82 crore Indians escape Multidimensional Poverty in last 9 years. Steep decline in Poverty Headcount Ratio from 29.17% in 2013-14 to 11.28% in 2022-23.”
- India is likely to achieve SDG target 1.2 (halving multidimensional poverty) well before 2030.NITI Aayog discussion paper on multidimensional poverty — PIB, 15 January 2024 ↗“likely to achieve SDG Target 1.2 (reducing multidimensional poverty by at least half) much ahead of 2030”
- National Health Accounts 2022-23 (NHSRC report, 2026): out-of-pocket spending was 43.4% of total health expenditure in 2022-23, up from 39.4% in 2021-22 but far below 64.2% in 2013-14.National Health Accounts Estimates for India 2022-23 (NHSRC, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare), Table 3 ↗“Out-of-Pocket Expenditures (OOPE) as a percent of THE 64.2 62.6 60.6 58.7 48.8 48.2 47.1 44.4 39.4 43.4”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2018, GS Paper I — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 16 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer· 225words · Minimalist IAS
On the Tendulkar line, poverty fell from 45.3 per cent in 1993–94 to 21.9 per cent in 2011–12 (Planning Commission). Yet many stayed poor or near-poor, for reasons inside and beyond the programmes.
Weaknesses within the programmes
- Targeting errors: faulty identification causes inclusion and exclusion errors; benefits are often too small to cross the line.
- Leaky delivery: corruption, delays and weak local capacity; DBT, Aadhaar and Jan Dhan have cut, not ended, leakage.
- Relief over assets: many schemes fund consumption but build few assets, skills or incomes.
Reasons beyond the programmes
- Job-poor growth: a large low-productivity farm and informal workforce with weak wages limits gains for the poor.
- Health shocks: out-of-pocket spending was 43.4 per cent of total health expenditure in 2022–23, so one illness can undo years of gains.
- Social barriers: caste, gender and tribal disadvantage, with poor schooling, pass poverty across generations.
- Regional gaps: poverty concentrates in less developed States with weak infrastructure and administrative capacity.
| Measure | Earlier | Later |
|---|---|---|
| Tendulkar poverty ratio | 45.3% (1993–94) | 21.9% (2011–12) |
| Multidimensional poverty (NITI) | 29.17% (2013–14) | 11.28% (2022–23) |
Way forward
- Beyond transfers: quality jobs and skills, convergence of schemes, wider health cover, social security and independent evaluation.
Since then, NITI Aayog estimates 24.82 crore people escaped multidimensional poverty in nine years; holding that pace keeps India on course for SDG target 1.2, halving poverty in all its dimensions.
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 16 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.
