UPSC Mains 2024 GS2 Q7 — Human Capital Development
Poverty and malnutrition create a vicious cycle, adversely affecting human capital formation. What steps can be taken to break the cycle? (Answer in 150 words) 10
Question Decoded — examiner's intent
- Directive verbs
- What steps can be taken
- Scope keywords
- Poverty and malnutritionvicious cyclehuman capital formationbreak the cycle
- Implicit sub-parts
- Mechanism of the 'Vicious Cycle': How poverty causes malnutrition and how malnutrition reinforces poverty (e.g., lower productivity, cognitive stunts).
- Impact on Human Capital: Specific effects on labor productivity, health expenditure, and educational outcomes.
- Interventional Strategies: Multi-sectoral steps ranging from immediate food security to long-term economic empowerment.
- Common pitfalls
- Writing a generic essay on poverty without linking it specifically to the 'malnutrition' and 'human capital' aspects.
- Failing to explain the 'cycle'—aspirants often treat poverty and malnutrition as parallel problems rather than a self-reinforcing loop.
- Focusing only on 'Government Schemes' (like PDS/ICDS) while ignoring 'Steps' related to healthcare, sanitation, and skill development.
- Neglecting the economic cost of malnutrition (e.g., GDP loss) which is central to the 'human capital' part of the question.
- Dimensions required
- Economic (Livelihoods)Biological/Health (Nutrition & Stunting)Educational (Cognitive development)Infrastructural (Sanitation & Clean Water)Policy/Governance
- Marks allocation hint
Allocate 30 words (2 marks) to briefly illustrate the bidirectional link between poverty and malnutrition. Spend 40 words (3 marks) explaining the erosion of human capital. Devote the remaining 80 words (5 marks) to a multi-pronged strategy to break the cycle, ensuring a mix of direct nutrition interventions and structural economic reforms.
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