# Human Capital and Poverty for UPSC: MPI (12 indicators), World Bank USD 3 Line, NEP 2020, Ayushman Bharat and Social Security (2025-26) Source: https://tracknation.in/story/human-capital-and-poverty-for-upsc-mpi-12-indicators-world-bank-usd-3-line-nep-2020-ayushman-bharat-and-social-security-2025-26 (TrackNation β€” free UPSC notes with PYQs) > Poverty, human capital and social security for UPSC β€” the World Bank's USD 3.00 line, NITI Aayog's MPI (12 indicators, 11.28%), why poverty lines differ by State, NEP 2020 (5+3+3+4), school GER, MMR and IMR gains, Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY and ABDM, APY, NPS, UPS, PMJJBY, PMSBY and PMJDY β€” with Survey 2025-26 data, practice questions, real PYQs and exact Mains questions. ## Measuring Poverty: Lines, the World Bank and the MPI 🎯 **Exam priority: Tier-2, rising.** *Social security gave 4 Prelims questions in ten years and human development and poverty 4 more; the 2016 paper asked the Atal Pension Yojana, 2019 why poverty lines differ by State, 2022 the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission and 2026 the Multidimensional Poverty Index. UPSC loves the 'who and what is measured' angle: which institution computes it, how many indicators, which scheme guarantees what. Mains asks whether growth has reduced poverty and whether the welfare state is delivering.* Human capital is the economy's stock of health, education and skills; poverty and social security show who is left out. This note takes poverty measurement first, then schools, health and pensions β€” each with the number that decides a question. ## Measuring poverty: lines, the World Bank and the MPI - **A poverty line is price-dependent.** It is the per-person expenditure needed for a basket of food and non-food goods. Official lines differ across States because the **price levels differ** from State to State (a 2019 Prelims question); the Tendulkar Committee line is the one that researchers still use for comparisons with 2011-12. - **International lines.** In June 2025 the World Bank raised its international poverty line from USD 2.15 to **USD 3.00 a day** (2021 purchasing-power prices). On the new line India's 2022-23 poverty rates were **5.3% for extreme poverty** and **23.9% on the lower-middle-income line**. - **Multidimensional poverty.** Income is not the whole story, so the **Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI)** counts deprivations in health, education and living standards using the **Alkire-Foster** method. **NITI Aayog's national MPI has 12 indicators** β€” two more than the UNDP's global MPI (10): *maternal health and bank account* are the two additions (a 2026 Prelims question). NITI's MPI shows a fall from **55.3% (2005-06) to 14.96% (2019-21)** and an estimated **11.28% in 2022-23**; the World Bank's own multidimensional measure for India was 15.5% in 2022-23. - **Poverty lines versus welfare:** a household just above the line can be pushed back by a health shock, which is why the Survey stresses social mobility and protection (Chapter 13). ## Education and Health: Outcomes, NEP 2020 and Ayushman Bharat Poverty falls when people can learn and stay healthy. Education and health are the two foundations. ## Education: scale, NEP 2020 and what has to change - **Scale.** India runs one of the world's largest school systems: **24.69 crore students, 14.71 lakh schools and over 1.01 crore teachers** (UDISE+ 2024-25). Government schools are 69% of schools and enrol nearly half of students; private schools are 26% of schools but 41% of enrolment. - **NEP 2020** replaced the 10+2 structure with **5+3+3+4** (foundational, preparatory, middle and secondary stages) and brings **Early Childhood Care and Education from age 3** into formal schooling. Its target is a **100% gross enrolment ratio from pre-primary to secondary by 2030**. GER now: 41.4 (foundational), 95.4 (preparatory), 90.3 (middle) and 68.5 (secondary) β€” the weak points are the earliest and the last stages. **APAAR IDs**, Aadhaar-authenticated academic records, are used to track students across school, higher and skill education. - **Schemes.** Samagra Shiksha (school education), **PM SHRI** (over 14,500 model schools aimed; 13,076 established), **PM POSHAN** (school meals), **NIPUN Bharat** (foundational literacy and numeracy), **DIKSHA** (digital content), **PARAKH** (assessment), **ULLAS** (adult literacy) and Atal Tinkering Labs. The **Right to Education Act, 2009**, under Article 21A, makes elementary education a fundamental right for ages 6-14. - **The quality gap.** The Survey says the focus must shift from enrolment to learning outcomes; India's expected years of schooling trail peers, and NEP's target is 15 years. ## Health: outcomes, Ayushman Bharat and the new burdens - **Outcomes.** Since 1990, India has cut its **maternal mortality ratio by 86%** (global average 48%), the **under-five mortality rate by 78%** (global 61%) and neonatal mortality by 70% (global 54%). The **infant mortality rate** fell from **40 per thousand live births in 2013 to 25 in 2023**; Kerala, Manipur, Sikkim and Goa have single-digit rates. - **Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY** β€” the cashless health insurance scheme for secondary and tertiary care β€” had generated **42.78 crore Ayushman cards** and recorded **10.98 crore hospital admissions** by January 2026; 49% of beneficiaries are women and about 6 crore senior citizens are covered. The **Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM)** provides digital health IDs and portable health records; joining is voluntary (a 2022 Prelims question). **e-Sanjeevani** offers tele-consultation; the NP-NCD programme has screened tens of crores for hypertension, diabetes and cancers. - **The new burden.** The Survey flags non-communicable diseases, obesity, mental health and the psychological effects of digital exposure as the emerging threats to the demographic dividend. ## School, Skills and Higher Education: Where the Pipeline Leaks Enrolment is no longer the problem; staying on, learning and being employable are. The Survey's education chapter is a list of where the pipeline leaks. ## School and skills: where the pipeline leaks - **A young country.** Nearly **27%** of India's population was in the school-going age (3-18 years) in 2024, and it will still be over 20% in 2047 β€” a demographic advantage that pays off only if schooling converts into learning and skill. - **The secondary cliff.** The net enrolment ratio at secondary age is only **52.2%**. In rural areas just **17.1%** of schools offer secondary education (38.1% in urban areas) and **54%** of schools stop at the foundational-preparatory level, so rural pupils face transition losses and dropout after Grade VIII. - **Learning is recovering.** The **PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024** (the renamed National Achievement Survey, run by NCERT; 21.15 lakh students from over 74,000 schools in 781 districts) found Grade III proficiency up to **65% in mathematics (42% in 2021)** and **57% in language (39%)**, with State government schools doing best at foundational outcomes β€” credited to NIPUN Bharat. - **Out of school and unskilled.** Nearly **two crore** adolescents aged 14-18 are out of school (PLFS 2023-24); the largest reason, **44%**, is the need to supplement household income (boys especially), and domestic chores for girls. Only **0.97%** of 14-18-year-olds have formal skilling and nearly **92%** have none; among those formally trained, over 52.9% are in IT/ITeS β€” a mismatch with the economy's range of jobs. ## Higher education: scale, regulation and brain drain - **Scale.** Higher education institutions rose from 51,534 (2014-15) to **70,018** (June 2025). The **Gross Enrolment Ratio** was **29.5%** in 2022-23 (AISHE; 28.4% a year earlier) against NEP 2020's target of **50% by 2035**. The Academic Bank of Credit covers 2,660 institutions; the National Credit Framework blends academic and skill credits. - **Regulation.** The **Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025** (introduced 15 December 2025) would replace the UGC, AICTE and NCTE with one apex body having three councils β€” **Regulatory, Accreditation and Standards** β€” in line with NEP's 'light but tight' regulation. State public universities, 495 of them, enrol about 81% of all higher-education students. - **Brain drain.** Indians studying abroad rose from 6.85 lakh (2016) to over 18 lakh (2025); for every international student coming to India, **28** Indian students go abroad. NEP aims at internationalisation, with 100% FDI allowed in higher education and campuses of foreign universities under UGC's 2023 regulations. ## Health and Nutrition: The Epidemiological Transition India's health story has moved from childbirth and infection to chronic disease and nutrition. The numbers show a country in the middle of the epidemiological transition. ## Health: from infections to non-communicable diseases - **Longer lives.** Life expectancy at birth rose from **49.7 years (1973) to 70.3 years (2023)**. India now carries a **double burden** β€” communicable diseases such as tuberculosis persist while **non-communicable diseases account for more than 57%** of deaths; cardiovascular disease is the leading cause for both men and women. - **Obesity and ultra-processed food.** In NFHS-5 (2019-21), **24% of women and 23% of men** were overweight or obese; over 3.3 crore children were obese in 2020, projected to reach 8.3 crore by 2035. Ultra-processed food sales surged from USD 0.9 billion (2006) to nearly USD 38 billion (2019). Under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of NCDs, 31.5 crore adults have been screened and 8.47 crore found overweight or obese. - **Primary care.** The **Ayushman Arogya Mandirs** (health and wellness centres) number 1,82,944, with a footfall of 506.50 crore and 42.66 crore teleconsultations; digital health tools include the Hospital Management Information System, ABDM and e-Sanjeevani. ## Nutrition: from food security to nutrition security - The **National Food Security Act, 2013** is one of the world's largest food-security programmes; nutrition security adds **Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0**, **PMMVY** (maternity benefit) and **PM POSHAN** (school meals). The Survey finds calorie intake converging between rural and urban India across income groups, but diets are heavy in cereals and light in pulses, milk, fruit and vegetables. - **Behaviour change works with cash.** Rajasthan's **Cash Plus model** pairs direct benefit transfers with behaviour-change communication to tackle child and maternal undernutrition β€” the Survey's example of social and behaviour change communication. ## Pensions, Insurance and Financial Inclusion Social security is what stands between a shock and destitution β€” old age, illness, accident, unemployment. ## Pensions, insurance and financial inclusion | **Scheme** | **What it is** | | Atal Pension Yojana (APY) | Guaranteed minimum pension for unorganised-sector workers; each eligible person (a spouse can also join) subscribes separately; the pension continues to the spouse for life after the subscriber's death (a 2016 Prelims question) | | National Pension System (NPS) | Market-linked pension for government employees, private workers, corporates and minors (NPS Vatsalya); 211.7 lakh subscribers at 31 December 2025 | | Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) | Government-backed assured-pension option launched in 2025 for Central government employees | | PMJJBY and PMSBY (May 2015) | Life insurance and accident insurance at very low premium; cumulative enrolment of about 26.32 crore and 56.15 crore (January 2025) | | PMJDY (2014) | Zero-balance bank accounts: 55.02 crore accounts by March 2025, of which 36.63 crore in rural and semi-urban areas | | Stand-Up India / PM SVANidhi | Bank loans of β‚Ή10 lakh-β‚Ή1 crore for SC, ST and women entrepreneurs; collateral-free working capital for street vendors (2020) | | NSAP (15 August 1995) | Pensions for the old, widows and disabled below the poverty line, under Article 41 (Directive Principle on public assistance) | Overall, **social protection coverage has risen from 19% (2015) to 64.3% (2025)** on the ILO measure β€” Article 23. The Survey's concern is that coverage is wide but benefits are thin and unevenly delivered. ## Inclusion: Tribal Groups, Sanitation Workers and Marginalised Communities Averages hide the groups that start furthest behind. The Survey's chapter on social progress names the programmes aimed at them. ## Inclusion: tribal groups, sanitation workers and marginalised communities - **PM-JANMAN** (Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan) targets **75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)** in 18 States and one Union Territory, aiming for saturation of government schemes in 28,700 habitations covering about 48.22 lakh people (12.28 lakh households). The **Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan** (launched 2 October 2024), which converges with PMGSY-IV, covers more than 63,000 tribal villages through 25 interventions across 17 ministries. - **NAMASTE** (National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem, July 2023) aims to formalise and rehabilitate persons engaged in hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks and promote mechanised cleaning; 89,104 sewer and septic tank workers have been validated and profiled, and over 70,000 have been covered by Ayushman Bharat. - **Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes.** A venture capital fund for SC and Backward Class start-ups has supported over 160 enterprises; the **VISVAS Yojana** offers credit support and interest subvention in convergence with MUDRA and NRLM; and senior citizens get **AVYAY** (Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana). ## Social Spending, Poverty Estimates and the Rural Safety Net How much the state spends, and what reaches the village, decides whether poverty reduction lasts. ## Spending, coverage and the changing rural safety net - **Poverty estimates.** Researchers using the **Tendulkar line** estimate poverty fell from **21.9% (2011-12)** to 4.7% (2022-23) and **2.3% (2023-24)**. States with higher multidimensional poverty in 2015-16 saw the biggest falls, so State differences are narrowing. - **State models.** Bihar's **Satat Jeevikoparjan Yojana** (2018) uses the **'Graduation approach'** for ultra-poor women β€” asset transfer, training, livelihood support and mentoring over 24 months. Kerala's extreme-poverty programme identifies the most vulnerable households through local governments, ASHAs, Anganwadi workers and Kudumbashree and gives each family a micro-plan. - **Coverage.** On the SDG National Indicator Framework the population covered by social protection rose from 22% (2016) to **64.3% (2025)**; improved drinking water reaches 99.6% of rural population (94.6% in 2015-16); household electrification was universal by 2021-22; all districts were declared open-defecation-free in 2019-20. - **Spending.** General-government social-services spending grew at 12% a year in FY22-FY26 (BE) β€” education at 11%, health at 8%. - **The rural safety net is changing.** With 6.65 lakh villages and 2.68 lakh Gram Panchayats, rural India is the core of inclusion. Work under MGNREGS fell from a pandemic peak of 389.09 crore person-days (FY21) to about 183.77 crore in FY26 (to December), while rural unemployment fell from 3.3% to 2.5% β€” evidence that rural households have more non-farm options; the VB-G RAM G Act, 2025 now rewrites the guarantee (see Article 23). - **Property rights as inclusion.** SVAMITVA drone surveys have covered 3.28 lakh villages and produced 2.76 crore property cards; 99.8% of rural land records are digitised and 36.67 crore land parcels carry a ULPIN (Bhu-Aadhaar). ## How UPSC Could Ask This Next ## How UPSC could ask this next - **The 'who computes it' stem.** MPI (national: NITI Aayog; global: UNDP and OPHI), poverty lines (earlier the Planning Commission, now NITI/NSO data and World Bank estimates), UDISE+ (Ministry of Education), PLFS (MoSPI), NFHS (Health Ministry via IIPS). Know the issuer of each index. - **The 'how many indicators' stem.** NITI MPI: **12** indicators in three dimensions; UNDP global MPI: **10**. The NITI additions: maternal health and bank account. The method: Alkire-Foster. - **The scheme-fine-print stem.** APY: guaranteed pension, unorganised workers, spouse gets the same pension; PMJJBY/PMSBY: insurance schemes; ABDM: voluntary; PM-JAY: secondary and tertiary care, cashless; NEP: 5+3+3+4 and ECCE from age 3. - **The headline-number stem.** World Bank line USD 3.00/day (2025); extreme poverty 5.3% (2022-23); NITI MPI 11.28% (2022-23) vs 55.3% (2005-06); IMR 25 (2023); MMR down 86% since 1990. - **Mains angles.** (1) Poverty and malnutrition form a vicious cycle that damages human capital β€” how can it be broken? (a 2024 Mains question). (2) Evaluate the Right to Education Act, 2009 and NEP 2020. (3) How can the State contain the marketisation of public healthcare and extend it to the grassroots? (a 2024 Mains question). (4) Is multidimensional poverty a better measure than the income line? (5) Why does a country with a young population have low expected years of schooling and high dropout at secondary level? - **The scheme-parentage stem (2018-2024 pattern).** PMKVY β€” Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, not Labour; PM-SYM β€” ages 18-40, assured β‚Ή3,000 after 60, family pension for the spouse only; PMSMA β€” antenatal care on the 9th of each month; Anaemia Mukt Bharat β€” iron and folic acid, not calcium; Janani Suraksha Yojana β€” institutional delivery. ## Further Reading - NCERT Economics textbooks (Class 11–12), the Economic Survey, the Union Budget documents and RBI publications cited in this note β€” the primary sources behind every figure above. ## Test Yourself: Practice Questions & PYQs Twelve practice questions on poverty measures, education, health and social security, followed by real UPSC questions and exact Mains questions. ## Practice Questions **Q1.** In June 2025 the World Bank raised its international poverty line from USD 2.15 to - (a) USD 2.50 a day - (b) USD 6.85 a day - (c) USD 3.00 a day - (d) USD 4.20 a day **Answer: (c)** β€” The new line is USD 3.00 a day in 2021 purchasing-power prices; on it India's 2022-23 extreme poverty rate was 5.3 per cent. **Q2.** Consider the following statements about the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI): 1. It uses the Alkire-Foster method. 2. NITI Aayog's national MPI has twelve indicators. 3. Maternal health and bank account are indicators of the national MPI that are not in UNDP's global MPI. Which of the statements given above are correct? - (a) 1 and 2 only - (b) 2 and 3 only - (c) 1 and 3 only - (d) 1, 2 and 3 **Answer: (d)** β€” All three are correct: the national MPI adds maternal health and bank account to the global MPI's ten indicators. (Compare the 2026 Prelims question, which put these two indicators in both indices.) **Q3.** According to the Economic Survey 2025-26, NITI Aayog's MPI shows multidimensional poverty falling from 55.3 per cent in 2005-06 to an estimated - (a) 32.4 per cent in 2022-23 - (b) 2.8 per cent in 2022-23 - (c) 11.28 per cent in 2022-23 - (d) 45.5 per cent in 2022-23 **Answer: (c)** β€” The index fell to 14.96 per cent in 2019-21 and is estimated at 11.28 per cent in 2022-23. **Q4.** Official poverty lines in India are higher in some States than in others mainly because - (a) poverty rates vary across States - (b) the quality of the public distribution system varies - (c) price levels vary across States - (d) the gross State product varies **Answer: (c)** β€” The line is the expenditure needed for a basket of goods, which costs more in some States than others β€” a 2019 Prelims question. **Q5.** The NEP 2020 school structure is - (a) 8+4 - (b) 6+3+3 - (c) 10+2 - (d) 5+3+3+4 **Answer: (d)** β€” NEP 2020 uses 5+3+3+4 (foundational, preparatory, middle and secondary) and brings early childhood education from age 3 into formal schooling; it targets 100 per cent GER from pre-primary to secondary by 2030. **Q6.** According to the Economic Survey 2025-26, which stage of school education has the lowest gross enrolment ratio? - (a) Middle stage (Grades VI-VIII) - (b) Preparatory stage (Grades III-V) - (c) Secondary stage (Grades IX-XII) - (d) Foundational stage (pre-primary to Grade II) **Answer: (d)** β€” GER is 41.4 at the foundational stage, 95.4 preparatory, 90.3 middle and 68.5 secondary β€” the foundational stage is the lowest. **Q7.** Consider the following statements about the Atal Pension Yojana: 1. It is a guaranteed minimum pension scheme mainly for unorganised-sector workers. 2. Only one member of a family can join the scheme. 3. The same pension continues for the spouse for life after the subscriber's death. Which of the statements given above are correct? - (a) 1 only - (b) 1 and 3 only - (c) 2 and 3 only - (d) 1, 2 and 3 **Answer: (b)** β€” 1 and 3 are correct. Each eligible person, including a spouse, can subscribe separately, so statement 2 is wrong. **Q8.** Which of the following statements about the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission is correct? - (a) It is an insurance scheme for secondary care - (b) Every hospital must adopt it - (c) It provides seamless portability of digital health records across the country, and joining is voluntary - (d) Every citizen must obtain a digital health ID **Answer: (c)** β€” ABDM creates digital health IDs and portable records; it is voluntary. The insurance scheme is AB PM-JAY. **Q9.** Since 1990, India's maternal mortality ratio has fallen by about 86 per cent against a global average fall of about - (a) 28 per cent - (b) 78 per cent - (c) 48 per cent - (d) 8 per cent **Answer: (c)** β€” The Survey records a global average of 48 per cent; the under-five mortality rate fell 78 per cent in India against 61 per cent globally. **Q10.** The infant mortality rate in India fell from 40 per thousand live births in 2013 to - (a) 25 in 2023 - (b) 38 in 2023 - (c) 32 in 2023 - (d) 12 in 2023 **Answer: (a)** β€” The IMR was 25 per thousand live births in 2023; Kerala, Manipur, Sikkim and Goa have single-digit rates. **Q11.** The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, according to the Economic Survey 2025-26, had opened about how many accounts by March 2025? - (a) 5.5 crore - (b) 155 crore - (c) 15.5 crore - (d) 55.02 crore **Answer: (d)** β€” PMJDY (launched 2014) had opened 55.02 crore accounts, 36.63 crore of them in rural and semi-urban areas. **Q12.** The National Social Assistance Programme, which came into effect on 15 August 1995, is in fulfilment of which Directive Principle of State Policy? - (a) Article 44 (Uniform Civil Code) - (b) Article 48 (agriculture and animal husbandry) - (c) Article 39 (equal pay for equal work) - (d) Article 41 (public assistance in unemployment, old age, sickness and disablement) **Answer: (d)** β€” Article 41 directs the State to provide public assistance in unemployment, old age, sickness and disablement and in other cases of undeserved want, within its economic capacity. ### UPSC Previous Year Questions (PYQs) *Real UPSC Prelims questions, checked against the official paper and answer key.* **Q1.** (2019) In a given year in India, official poverty lines are higher in some states than in others because - (a) Gross State Product varies from State to State - (b) price levels vary from State to State - (c) poverty rates vary from State to State - (d) quality of public distribution varies from State to State **Answer: (b)** β€” Official poverty lines differ across States because price levels differ: the line is the per-person expenditure needed to buy a basket of food and non-food goods, and that basket costs more in some States than in others. It is not set by the poverty rate, the size of the economy (GSP) or the quality of the public distribution system. **Q2.** (2016) Regarding 'Atal Pension Yojana', which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. It is minimum guaranteed pension scheme mainly targeted at unorganized sector workers. 2. Only one member of a family can join the scheme. 3. Same amount of pension is guaranteed for the spouse for life after subscriber's death. Select the correct answer using the code given below. - (a) 1 and 3 only - (b) 1, 2 and 3 - (c) 2 and 3 only - (d) 1 only **Answer: (a)** β€” Atal Pension Yojana is a guaranteed minimum pension scheme aimed mainly at unorganised-sector workers (statement 1 is right), and the same pension continues to the spouse for life after the subscriber's death (3 is right). It is not limited to one member per family β€” each eligible person (including a spouse) can join separately β€” so statement 2 is wrong. **Q3.** (2022) With reference to Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, consider the following statements: 1. Private and public hospitals must adopt it. 2. As it aims to achieve universal health coverage, every citizen of India should be part of it ultimately. 3. It has seamless portability across the country. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? - (a) 1 and 2 only - (b) 3 only - (c) 1 and 3 only - (d) 1, 2 and 3 **Answer: (b)** β€” The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission gives each citizen a digital health ID (ABHA) and links health records across providers, with seamless portability across the country (statement 3 is right). Joining is voluntary β€” hospitals are not obliged to adopt it and no citizen has to be part of it β€” so statements 1 and 2 are wrong. **Q4.** (2026) Consider the following statements about Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI): 1. MPI is calculated using Alkire-Foster methodology. 2. MPI calculated by NITI Aayog has a total of twelve indicators. 3. Maternal Health and Bank Account are common indicators in the MPI of NITI Aayog and MPI of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Which of the statements given above is/are correct? - (a) 1 and 3 only - (b) 1, 2 and 3 - (c) 1 and 2 only - (d) 2 only **Answer: (c)** β€” The Multidimensional Poverty Index uses the Alkire-Foster method (statement 1 is right) and NITI Aayog's national MPI has twelve indicators, two more than the global MPI's ten (2 is right). The two extra national indicators β€” maternal health and bank account β€” are not in the UNDP global MPI, so statement 3 is wrong. (Based on the provisional 2026 key.) **Q5.** (2018) Consider the following statements: Human capital formation as a concept is better explained in terms of a process which enables 1. individuals of a country to accumulate more capital. 2. increasing the knowledge, skill levels and capacities of the people of the country. 3. accumulation of tangible wealth. 4. accumulation of intangible wealth. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? - (a) 2 and 4 - (b) 1, 3 and 4 - (c) 1 and 2 - (d) 2 only **Answer: (a)** β€” Human capital formation is the process of raising the knowledge, skills and capacities of people (statement 2) β€” and, because that stock has no physical form, it is accumulation of intangible wealth (4). It is not the accumulation of tangible wealth (3) or simply of more physical capital by individuals (1). So 2 and 4. **Q6.** (2018) With reference to Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, consider the following statements: 1. It is the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Labour and Employment. 2. It, among other things, will also impart training in soft skills, entrepreneurship, financial and digital literacy. 3. It aims to align the competencies of the unregulated workforce of the country to the National Skill Qualification Framework. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? - (a) 2 and 3 only - (b) 1 and 3 only - (c) 2 only - (d) 1, 2 and 3 **Answer: (a)** β€” Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana is the flagship skilling scheme of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, not the Ministry of Labour and Employment (statement 1 is wrong). It adds soft skills, entrepreneurship, financial and digital literacy (2 is right) and aligns the competencies of the unregulated workforce with the National Skill Qualification Framework (3 is right). **Q7.** (2023) Consider the following statements in the context of interventions being undertaken under Anaemia Mukt Bharat Strategy: 1. It provides prophylactic calcium supplementation for pre-school children, adolescents and pregnant women. 2. It runs a campaign for delayed cord clamping at the time of child-birth. 3. It provides for periodic deworming to children and adolescents. 4. It addresses non-nutritional causes of anaemia in endemic pockets with special focus on malaria, hemoglobinopathies and fluorosis. How many of the statements given above are correct? - (a) All four - (b) Only two - (c) Only three - (d) Only one **Answer: (c)** β€” Anaemia Mukt Bharat gives prophylactic iron and folic acid supplements, not calcium (statement 1 is wrong). It also promotes delayed cord clamping (2), periodic deworming (3) and action on non-nutritional causes of anaemia such as malaria, haemoglobinopathies and fluorosis (4). So three statements are correct. **Q8.** (2023) Consider the following statements: Statement-I: India's public sector health care system largely focuses on curative care with limited preventive, promotive and rehabilitative care. Statement-II: Under India's decentralized approach to health care delivery, the States are primarily responsible for organizing health services. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements? - (a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I - (b) Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct - (c) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I - (d) Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect **Answer: (a)** β€” Both statements are true: the public health system leans towards curative care, and health is a State subject, so the States organise services. But the State-level organisation of services is not the reason the system is curative-heavy β€” Statement II does not explain Statement I. **Q9.** (2024) With reference to the 'Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan', consider the following statements: 1. This scheme guarantees a minimum package of antenatal care services to women in their second and third trimesters of pregnancy and six months post-delivery health care service in any government health facility. 2. Under this scheme, private sector health care providers of certain specialities can volunteer to provide services at nearby government health facilities. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? - (a) 1 only - (b) Both 1 and 2 - (c) Neither 1 nor 2 - (d) 2 only **Answer: (d)** β€” PMSMA offers a free, assured antenatal check-up by a doctor on the 9th of every month to women in their second and third trimesters; it does not guarantee a six-month post-delivery package, so statement 1 is wrong. Private-sector obstetricians, gynaecologists and physicians can volunteer to serve at government facilities, so statement 2 is right. **Q10.** (2024) With reference to the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-dhan (PM-SYM) Yojana, consider the following statements: 1. The entry age group for enrolment in the scheme is 21 to 40 years. 2. Age specific contribution shall be made by the beneficiary. 3. Each subscriber under the scheme shall receive a minimum pension of β‚Ή3,000 per month after attaining the age of 60 years. 4. Family pension is applicable to the spouse and unmarried daughters. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? - (a) 1, 3 and 4 - (b) 2 and 3 only - (c) 1, 2 and 4 - (d) 2 only **Answer: (b)** β€” PM-SYM, the pension scheme for unorganised-sector workers, enrols workers aged 18-40 (not 21-40), takes an age-specific contribution from the subscriber and assures a minimum pension of β‚Ή3,000 a month after age 60. The family pension goes to the spouse only, not to unmarried daughters. So statements 2 and 3 are correct. ### Mains Practice Questions Use these to frame full-length answers. You don't have to answer one exactly β€” they show the angles UPSC tests, so let them guide which points you cover. - Poverty and malnutrition create a vicious cycle, adversely affecting human capital formation. What steps can be taken to break the cycle? - Compare the income-based poverty line with the multidimensional poverty index. Why do the two give different pictures of progress? - Evaluate National Education Policy 2020 and the Right to Education Act, 2009. What must change for learning outcomes to match enrolment? - How can the State contain the adverse impact of the marketisation of healthcare and extend public healthcare at the grassroots level? Assess Ayushman Bharat in this light. - Examine the architecture of social security for unorganised workers in India β€” APY, PMJJBY, PMSBY, e-Shram and the Code on Social Security. What are the gaps? ### UPSC Mains β€” Previous Years’ Questions on this topic (last 10 years) These are the **actual GS Mains questions** UPSC has asked on this theme β€” real proof of how, and when, it is tested. Try to write a full answer to each. - 2026 (GS-II): Malnutrition in India is not merely a public health concern; it is also a challenge of social equity, human development and effective welfare governance. Discuss. - 2024 (GS-II): Poverty and malnutrition create a vicious cycle, adversely affecting human capital formation. What steps can be taken to break the cycle ? - 2024 (GS-II): In a crucial domain like the public healthcare system the Indian State should play a vital role to contain the adverse impact of marketisation of the system. Suggest some measures through which the State can enhance the reach of public healthcare at the grassroots level. - 2022 (GS-II): 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. - 2021 (GS-II): Can the vicious cycle of gender inequality, poverty and malnutrition be broken through microfinancing of women SHGs? Explain with examples. - 2020 (GS-II): 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. - 2020 (GS-II): 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.