QUESTION 17
GS2
15 marks
“Poverty alleviation programmes in India remain mere showpieces until and unless they are backed up by political will.” Discuss with reference to the performance of the major poverty alleviation programmes in India.
WRITE IN
11 min
250 words
What the examiner wants
Discuss with programme evidence whether poverty schemes succeed only when political will backs them.
DiscussExplain the different sides of the issue, use evidence, and finish with a balanced view.
Demand-wise check
- 1With strong will: Chhattisgarh PDS reforms, Tamil Nadu universal PDS, MGNREGA in Rajasthan with social audit, JAM-DBT reducing leakages≈50 words
- 2Showpiece cases: delays in MGNREGA wages, leakages in old IRDP, ghost beneficiaries≈50 words
- 3Other factors: administrative capacity, community participation, technology, funding≈50 words
- 4View: political will is necessary but not sufficient≈50 words
Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.
Answer plan
StatementProgramme performance with examplesRole of political willOther factorsConclusion
Where marks usually go
- Only describing schemes
- Not using examples of state-level political will
Draw this
- Table: programme → outcome → driver
Value addition
- QuoteRajiv Gandhi (1985) said only about 15 paise of every rupee spent reached the poor.Rajiv Gandhi, 1985
- LawChhattisgarh Food Security Act (2012) and PDS reforms became a model for leakage reduction.Chhattisgarh, 2012
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 15 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Aditya Srivastava · AIR 1 · Page 15 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 38 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Aditya Srivastava · AIR 1 · Page 5 ↗Same syllabus reference
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