QUESTION 11
GS3
15 marks
Most of the unemployment in India is structural in nature. Examine the methodology adopted to compute unemployment in the country and suggest improvements.
WRITE IN
11 min
250 words
What the examiner wants
Explain why most Indian unemployment is structural, examine how unemployment is measured, and suggest improvements.
ExamineGo into the details, test each point against evidence, and conclude on what it shows.
Demand-wise check
- 1Structural: skill mismatch, slow shift from agriculture, low manufacturing jobs, regional and gender gaps≈65 words
- 2Methodology: PLFS (since 2017) with usual status (PS+SS) and current weekly status; quarterly urban estimates; earlier NSSO rounds; CMIE as private source≈65 words
- 3Improvements: monthly rural+urban data (launched 2025), better capture of underemployment, informal and women's work, time-use data≈65 words
Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.
Answer plan
Structural natureMeasurement methodsLimitationsImprovementsConclusion
Where marks usually go
- Not explaining PLFS concepts like usual status vs current weekly status
- Answering only the structural part
Draw this
- Table: approach → reference period → what it captures
Value addition
- FactPLFS began monthly estimates using current weekly status from 2025.MoSPI
- ConceptDisguised unemployment in agriculture: more workers than needed, so marginal productivity is near zero.Standard economics (Arthur Lewis)
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Aniket Ranjan · AIR 48 · Page 26 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 23 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Ritika Chitlangia · Page 44 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Mayank Purohit · AIR 33 · Page 13 ↗Same syllabus reference
Links open original public sources. MainsBuddy does not host these answer sheets.
Next: plan for one minute, write it in 11 minutes, then get it checked.