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General Studies 2022 GS Paper III 10 marks 150 words Compulsory Enumerate

GS Paper III — Q5

The increase in life expectancy in the country has led to newer health challenges in the community. What are those challenges and…

The increase in life expectancy in the country has led to newer health challenges in the community. What are those challenges and what steps need to be taken to meet them? (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks

हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें

देश में आयु संभाविता में आई वृद्धि से समाज में नई स्वास्थ्य चुनौतियाँ खड़ी हो गई हैं। यह नई चुनौतियाँ कौन-कौन सी हैं और उनके समाधान हेतु क्या-क्या कदम उठाए जाने आवश्यक हैं? (150 शब्दों में उत्तर दीजिए)

Q5 of the 2022 UPSC Mains General Studies GS Paper III, 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.

India’s rising life expectancy (over 70 years) has shifted the epidemiological burden toward complex, long-term geriatric conditions.

Emerging Health Challenges

  • NCDs and Functional Decline: High prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, and neurodegenerative disorders like dementia and Alzheimer’s, compounded by physical disabilities including osteoporosis, falls, and vision/hearing impairments.
  • Mental Health and Social Vulnerabilities: Rising rates of depression, loneliness, elder abuse, and suicide, exacerbated by urbanization, the breakdown of traditional intergenerational family support, and gendered vulnerabilities (higher destitution among elderly widows).
  • Systemic Gaps: Acute shortages of trained geriatric specialists, inadequate specialized infrastructure, and catastrophic out-of-pocket expenditure.

Steps Needed

  • Healthcare Strengthening: Scale up the National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly (NPHCE) across primary centers and widen comprehensive geriatric packages under Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY).
  • Social and Financial Protection: Enhance targeted old-age pension schemes and promote silver economy initiatives for productive, active aging.
  • Community-Based Care: Develop local day-care networks, assisted-living models, and certified home-caregiver cadres.

Transitioning from mere longevity to healthy aging requires institutionalizing an integrated continuum of preventive, curative, and palliative care.

What "Enumerate" is asking you to do

Produce the complete set of items asked for, countable and correctly named. The examiner marks against a checklist, so a missing item costs and an elaborated one gains nothing — where discussion is wanted the stem asks for it as a separate sub-part.

Structure that answers it

One line naming the basis on which the set is drawn → items numbered, each in a phrase or a single line → the discussion sub-part taken up separately, after the list is complete

Where marks are lost

Treating it as an essay. Six items named in six lines score better than three items explained at length.

All UPSC directive words, compared →

How this answer will be evaluated

Approach

Framework: Situation > Analysis > Measures: legal, institutional, developmental > Assessment. challenges: 3-4 challenges > solutions mapped to them > conclusion Full marks: Identifies 3-4 specific challenges with clear mapping to implementable steps, includes current scheme/data, and maintains logical flow.

Key points expected

  • Identify 3-4 specific challenges (e.g., NCDs, geriatric care, mental health)
  • Map specific steps to each identified challenge
  • Steps must be implementable (legal, institutional, or developmental)
  • Maintain logical link between the challenge and the proposed solution

Evaluation rubric

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

  1. The answer Identify 3-4 specific health challenges arising from increased life expectancy and map implementable steps to meet them.  · 150 words

    challenges— 3-4 challenges → solutions mapped to them → conclusion

    Must cover

    • Identify 3-4 specific challenges (e.g., NCDs, geriatric care, mental health)
    • Map specific steps to each identified challenge
    • Steps must be implementable (legal, institutional, or developmental)
    • Maintain logical link between the challenge and the proposed solution

    Loses marks

    • Generic, aspirational solutions without implementation details
    • Newspaper summary style without analytical depth
    • Ignoring the specific link to increased life expectancy

    Earns more

    • Mention of specific schemes (e.g., Ayushman Bharat, AB-PM-JAY)
    • Reference to specific institutional mechanisms (e.g., ASHA, PHC)
    • Inclusion of data or statistics on NCD burden
    • Balanced assessment of current gaps

    Extra mark

    • One current scheme with a specific number/statistic
    • Simple flowchart or diagram illustrating the health system response

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