Poverty, inclusion, demographics & social sector

Answer: (d) the average number of live births a woman would have by the end of her child-bearing age.

Total fertility rate (TFR) is the average number of children a woman would have by the end of her child-bearing years, given the fertility rates of a particular period. It is counted per woman, not per couple and not per 1,000 people.

• ✓ (d) The WHO defines TFR as the average number of children a hypothetical group of women would have at the end of their reproductive period if they experienced the fertility rates of a given period. NCERT reads a TFR of 1.7 as the average woman having 1.7 children.
• ✗ (a) Births per 1,000 people in a year is the crude birth rate, which is measured against the whole population, not against women.
• ✗ (b) TFR is measured per woman and is not a count of children per couple.
• ✗ (c) Birth rate minus death rate is the natural rate of population growth.

Remember · TFR = average children per woman over her child-bearing years; replacement level is about 2.1, and India's TFR fell to 2.0 in NFHS-5 (2019-21).

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 12 Indian Society, Ch 2 (practise this chapter)

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2024, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error

Answer: (b) 2 only

Under Article 342 it is the President, not the Governor, who specifies the Scheduled Tribes by public notification, consulting the Governor where a State is concerned. The specification is made 'in relation to' a particular State or Union territory, so a community can be a Scheduled Tribe in one State and not in another.

• ✗ 1. Article 342(1) gives the power to the President, who acts by public notification after consulting the Governor of the State. The Governor only gives his views. Once notified, the list can be changed only by Parliament through law (Article 342(2)).
• ✓ 2. A tribe is deemed a Scheduled Tribe 'in relation to that State' (or Union territory). The status is therefore State-specific and does not automatically carry over to another State.

Remember · Scheduled Tribes are specified by the President (after consulting the Governor) under Article 342, State by State. Only Parliament can alter the list; the Governor does not declare them.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2024, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error

Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only

Statements 2 and 3 are correct: PM-SYM is a contributory pension scheme for unorganised workers that assures ₹ 3,000 a month from age 60. The entry age is 18 to 40 years, not 21 to 40, and family pension goes only to the spouse.

• ✗ 1. Workers aged 18 to 40 years, earning ₹ 15,000 a month or less, can enrol. The lower limit is 18, not 21.
• ✓ 2. It is a voluntary, contributory scheme on a 50:50 basis: the worker pays an age-specific amount and the Central Government matches it.
• ✓ 3. Each subscriber receives a minimum assured pension of ₹ 3,000 per month after turning 60.
• ✗ 4. If the pensioner dies, the spouse receives 50% of the pension as family pension. It is applicable only to the spouse, not to unmarried daughters.

Remember · PM-SYM (2019): unorganised workers aged 18–40, income up to ₹ 15,000; 50:50 contribution; ₹ 3,000 monthly pension from 60; family pension only to spouse (50%).

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2024, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error