Social Policy and Planning Questions and Answers

Answer: B

The trickle-down theory of development holds that development spreads downwards through a greater demand for labour. Growth that begins with the rich or with industry creates jobs, which raises the income of poorer people in time.

Global prosperity spreading to the domestic economy and the link between growth and taxation are different ideas. Since the key accepts the statement about the demand for labour, 'none of the above' is not the answer.

Answer: C

The main source of India's social policy is the Directive Principles of State Policy. They are in Part IV of the Constitution and direct the state to promote the welfare of the people, so policy on education, health, labour and the weaker sections follows from them.

Social legislation and the Five Year Plans are ways of carrying out the policy and they draw on the Directive Principles, so they are instruments and not the main source. 'None of the above' is wrong because the Directive Principles are the source.

Answer: B

The World Summit for Social Development was held in Copenhagen in March 1995, so the year is 1995. It produced the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action, built around the eradication of poverty, the expansion of productive employment and the promotion of social integration. The years 1994 and 1996 are the neighbouring years in which other UN conferences and observances took place, and 1963 has no connection with the summit, so none of these three can be chosen.

Answer: C

The Panchayati Raj institutions have given weaker sections a formal representation in village governance, mainly through the seats reserved for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women under the 73rd Amendment. They did not by themselves eradicate untouchability, which needs social change and legislation, nor give land ownership to depressed classes, which is a land reform matter. Spread of education is a result of other programmes. Formal representation is the direct and defining effect.

Answer: B

Both statements are correct and the reason explains the assertion. The Panchayati Raj institutions, through the one-third reservation of seats for women, have given women representation in local self-government. That representation is made possible because the institutions create the space for training, participation and empowerment, which is capacity building. Hence (R) is the correct explanation of (A). The options saying both are incorrect, or that (R) fails to explain (A), are therefore wrong.

Answer: A

Both statements are correct and the reason explains the assertion. Many development programmes have failed to benefit the target groups, as evaluations show leakage and exclusion. The administrators who run them often lack the right approach and commitment, which is a direct cause of that failure. Since (R) explains (A), the options calling both incorrect, or saying (R) does not explain (A), are wrong.

Answer: C

The Human Development Report is published every year by the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, which introduced the Human Development Index in 1990. The World Bank publishes the World Development Report, the Asian Development Bank publishes Asian Development Outlook, and UNICEF publishes The State of the World's Children, so these three are the common wrong choices.

Answer: A

The National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme dates from 2005, the World Trade Organisation from 1995, and the Millennium Development Goals from 2000, so (ii) goes to (4), (iii) to (2) and (iv) to (3). Only one year, 1992, is left for the Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana, which was in fact launched in 1999, so the list has no exact year for it, but the keyed code is the only one that places the other three correctly: (1) (4) (2) (3).

Answer: D

Equality, social justice and inclusive growth are all objectives of social policy in India, reflected in the Constitution's Directive Principles and in the Five Year Plans. Population growth is not an objective of policy; if anything, policy aims at stabilising it through family welfare programmes. The answer is population growth, option D.

Answer: A

The Sachar Committee was the Prime Minister's High Level Committee set up in 2005 under Justice Rajindar Sachar, and its theme was the social, economic and educational status of the Muslim community in India; its report was submitted in 2006. Option B describes regional imbalance in development, option C double taxation and the domestic economy, and option D the Rajput community, none of which was the committee's subject. The answer is option A.