QUESTION 8
GS2
10 marks
Can the vicious cycle of gender inequality, poverty and malnutrition be broken through microfinancing of women SHGs? Explain with examples.
WRITE IN
7 min
150 words
What the examiner wants
Explain with examples whether microfinance for women's SHGs can break the cycle of gender inequality, poverty and malnutrition.
Explain with examplesAnswer exactly what the question asks.
Demand-wise check
- 1The cycle: low income and agency → poor nutrition of women and children → low productivity≈30 words
- 2How SHGs help: credit, savings, livelihoods, bargaining power in household, collective action, nutrition awareness≈30 words
- 3Examples: Kudumbashree, Jeevika (Bihar), DAY-NRLM≈30 words
- 4Limits: debt traps, high interest MFIs, elite capture; credit alone not enough without health, education, markets≈30 words
Open in about 20 words and close in about 20.
Answer plan
Explain the cycleHow SHGs break each link with examplesLimitsConclusion
Where marks usually go
- Praising SHGs without linking to malnutrition
- No named model, e.g. Kudumbashree or Jeevika, with income or nutrition outcomes
Draw this
- Circle diagram of the vicious cycle with SHG interventions at each link
Value addition
- DataOver 10 crore women are members of about 90 lakh SHGs under DAY-NRLM.Ministry of Rural Development
- ExampleBihar's Jeevika SHGs ran community kitchens and nutrition campaigns; evaluations show better food security and women's decision-making.JEEViKA / World Bank evaluation
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 11 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Aditya Srivastava · AIR 1 · Page 44 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 38 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Aditya Srivastava · AIR 1 · Page 5 ↗Same syllabus reference
Links open original public sources. MainsBuddy does not host these answer sheets.
Next: plan for one minute, write it in 7 minutes, then get it checked.