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General Studies 2022 GS Paper II 10 marks 150 words Compulsory Comment

GS Paper II — Q7

The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 remains only a legal document without intense sensitisation of government…

The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 remains only a legal document without intense sensitisation of government functionaries and citizens regarding disability. Comment. (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks

हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें

दिव्यांगता के संदर्भ में सरकारी पदाधिकारियों और नागरिकों की गहन संवेदनशीलता के बिना दिव्यांगजन अधिकार अधिनियम, 2016 केवल विधिक दस्तावेज बनकर रह जाता है। टिप्पणी कीजिए। (150 शब्दों में उत्तर दीजिए)

Q7 of the 2022 UPSC Mains General Studies GS Paper II, as printed
The question as printed in the 2022 General Studies paper
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Model answer

Written by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 150-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key.

The Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 marked a paradigm shift by expanding recognized disabilities from 7 to 21 and establishing a rights-based framework aligned with the UNCRPD. However, without widespread sensitisation, progressive legislation risks remaining a paper tiger.

Attitudinal and Administrative Gaps: Society persistently clings to a pity-charity model rather than a rights-based approach, perpetuating stigma in education, marriage, and employment. Among government functionaries, low disability budgeting (under 2% of scheme outlays), tardy creation of accessible public infrastructure, and under-resourced State Disability Commissioners severely impede implementation.

Citizen and Institutional Deficits: Citizens and employers remain largely unaware of statutory mandates like "reasonable accommodation" and grievance redressal avenues. Simultaneously, governance lacks structural empathy due to the absence of disability etiquette training for bureaucrats, sign language interpreters in courts, and inclusive education modules for schoolteachers.

Way Forward: Translating the Act into ground reality requires mandatory disability audits, community-based rehabilitation, and strengthening District Disability Rehabilitation Centres (DDRCs) to build an inclusive society anchored in empathy rather than mere legal compliance.

What "Comment" is asking you to do

Take a position on the statement and support it. Comment usually attaches to a quoted line in the short slots, so the reasoning must be compressed — an opening view, a few load-bearing reasons, and the limit of the claim.

Structure that answers it

Unpack what the statement asserts → your stance → two or three supporting reasons → the qualification that limits it

Where marks are lost

Neutral summary; a comment without a stance has not answered. Equally costly is accepting the quoted line wholesale and never testing where it fails.

All UPSC directive words, compared →

How this answer will be evaluated

Approach

Framework: GS2 Social Justice / Disability Rights. comment: context > arguments both sides > judgment > close Full marks: Clear context, strong arguments both sides, sharp judgment, balanced close

Key points expected

  • Context: Act 2016 as legal framework
  • Argument: Law is insufficient without sensitization
  • Judgment: Sensitization is the real implementation gap
  • Close: Balanced view on law vs. social change

Evaluation rubric

Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.

  1. The answer Context > arguments both sides > judgment > close 10 marks · 150 words

    comment— context → arguments both sides → judgment → close

    Must cover

    • Context: Act 2016 as legal framework
    • Argument: Law is insufficient without sensitization
    • Judgment: Sensitization is the real implementation gap
    • Close: Balanced view on law vs. social change

    Loses marks

    • Reciting Act provisions without analysis
    • Activist tone without balanced judgment
    • Ending without a clear conclusion

    Earns more

    • Mention of specific sensitization mechanisms
    • Reference to implementation challenges
    • Balanced view on law's role
    • Concrete examples of lack of sensitization

    Extra mark

    • Cite specific sensitization programs or failures
    • Reference to specific government initiatives

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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