GS Paper I — Q18
Discuss the main objectives of Population Education and point out the measures to achieve them in India in detail. (Answer in 250…
Discuss the main objectives of Population Education and point out the measures to achieve them in India in detail. (Answer in 250 words) 15 marks
हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें
जनसंख्या शिक्षा के प्रमुख उद्देश्यों की विवेचना करते हुए भारत में इन्हें प्राप्त करने के उपायों पर विस्तृत प्रकाश डालिए । (250 शब्दों में उत्तर दीजिए)
Model answer
Drafted with AI by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 250-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key. How we build rubrics and answers.
Population education develops an informed understanding of population dynamics and their links with development and quality of life.
Objectives It seeks to build awareness of population change and resource pressure; promote the small-family norm and responsible parenthood; delay marriage and first birth, reducing adolescent pregnancy and maternal and infant mortality; foster gender equality by challenging son preference and strengthening girls' reproductive agency; and encourage sustainable consumption and intergenerational equity.
Measures in India Formal education: The National Population Education Project, now subsumed in NCERT's Adolescence Education Programme, integrates population and life-skills concepts into the school curriculum; DIETs and SCERTs train teachers and develop material.
Non-formal outreach: The Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan and the National Service Scheme reach out-of-school youth, and the Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram uses peer educators and adolescent-friendly clinics to spread reproductive-health information.
Policy and media: The National Population Policy, 2000 frames the goals; Mission Parivar Vikas focuses counselling and contraceptive access on high-fertility districts; the Jansankhya Sthirata Kosh supports community advocacy; Doordarshan and All India Radio carry awareness messages.
How this answer will be evaluated
Framework: null
What earns full marks: Clear objectives linked to specific Indian policies and mechanisms.
Evaluation rubric
Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.
- The answer Analyze the aims of Population Education and the specific strategies India uses to implement them. 15 marks · 250 words
discuss— intro → 3-4 dimensions → example → balanced close
Must cover
- Define Population Education as a multidisciplinary approach
- List 3-4 core objectives (e.g., awareness, family planning, gender equity)
- Identify specific Indian measures (e.g., National Population Policy 2000, school curriculum)
- Link measures to the stated objectives
Loses marks
- Narrating history of population control without linking to education
- Using emotive language instead of analytical terms
- Listing measures without explaining how they achieve objectives
Earns more
- Mention specific schemes like Mission Parivar Vikas
- Reference NCERT's Adolescence Education Programme (successor to NPEP)
- Discuss the role of media and NGOs in India
- Mention the integration of PE in school textbooks
Extra mark
- Cite a specific statistic on India's population growth rate
- Reference the National Commission on Population report
What "Discuss" is asking you to do
Lay the issue out from more than one side — how it arose, what is claimed for it, what is held against it, and where it now stands. UPSC attaches discuss to broad topics with several live dimensions, so coverage of the dimensions earns more than the strength of your opinion.
Structure that answers it
Set the issue up → the case as it is made → the case against → the dimension both sides leave out → where the balance now lies
Where marks are lost
Listing facts with no thread between them, or arguing one side throughout and calling it a discussion.
Practice this exact question
Write your answer and it is marked point by point against the model answer above — what you covered, what you missed, what you got wrong.
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