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General Studies 2025 GS Paper I 15 marks 250 words Compulsory Evaluate

GS Paper I — Q20

Does tribal development in India centre around two axes, those of displacement and of rehabilitation ? Give your opinion. (Answer…

Does tribal development in India centre around two axes, those of displacement and of rehabilitation ? Give your opinion. (Answer in 250 words) 15 marks

हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें

क्या भारत में जनजातीय विकास दो धुरियों, विस्थापन और पुनर्वास के इर्द-गिर्द केंद्रित है ? अपने विचार व्यक्त कीजिए। (उत्तर 250 शब्दों में दीजिए) 15 marks

Q20 of the 2025 UPSC Mains General Studies GS Paper I, as printed
The question as printed in the 2025 General Studies paper
Evaluate your answer to this question → See all 2025 General Studies questions

Model answer

Written 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.

Tribal development in post-independence India has undeniably been shaped by the twin axes of displacement and rehabilitation, yet characterizing it solely through this binary is reductive as it overlooks progressive rights-based and self-governance frameworks.

The Dominance of the Dual Axes Historically, national developmental imperatives have disproportionately burdened Scheduled Tribes. Mega-infrastructure projects like the Sardar Sarovar and Polavaram dams, intensive mineral extraction in Odisha, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh, alongside conservation-induced evictions, have caused extensive developmental and conservation-induced displacement. Rehabilitation has predominantly functioned as a reactive, compensatory mechanism. Despite legislative measures like the RFCTLARR Act 2013 and Supreme Court judgments mandating "land-for-land" compensation, implementation gaps persist, resulting in loss of cultural identity, community cohesion, and customary livelihoods.

Counter-Perspectives: Autonomous and Rights-Based Pathways However, tribal development cannot be restricted to this cycle. The state has also instituted distinct pathways of autonomous empowerment:

  • Constitutional and Statutory Agency: The Fifth and Sixth Schedules, the PESA Act 1996, and the Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006 empower Gram Sabhas with self-rule and ownership over minor forest produce.
  • Livelihood and Human Development: Mechanisms such as the Tribal Sub-Plan, Van Dhan Vikas Yojana, and decentralized participatory development models (seen in Kerala) promote socio-economic growth without structural uprooting.

Evaluation and Verdict Tribal policy reflects an ideological evolution from colonial isolation and post-colonial integrationist assimilation toward an empowerment paradigm rooted in Nehru’s Tribal Panchsheel. While displacement and deficient rehabilitation remain critical structural vulnerabilities, reducing tribal development entirely to these two axes ignores institutional gains in tribal agency. Genuine development must definitively pivot from reactive compensatory welfare to rights-based, self-determined, and participatory growth.

What "Evaluate" is asking you to do

Judge how well something has performed against the standard it set for itself — its stated aim, mandate or promise — and commit to a verdict. Name the yardstick before you judge; an unanchored judgement reads as opinion.

Structure that answers it

Name the yardstick — stated aim, mandate or benchmark → performance against it → shortfall against it → why the gap exists → verdict

Where marks are lost

Presenting both sides and then declining to decide, or delivering a verdict against a standard you never stated, which makes it look arbitrary.

All UPSC directive words, compared →

How this answer will be evaluated

Approach

Framework: GS1 Society: Continuity, Data, Intersectionality, Solution. comment: context > arguments both sides > judgment > close Full marks: Nuanced critique of the dichotomy with specific statutory and case law references.

Key points expected

  • Define displacement and rehabilitation in tribal context
  • Identify causes of displacement (infrastructure, mining, dams)
  • Critique rehabilitation mechanisms (resettlement, compensation)
  • Provide a balanced judgment on the 'two axes' claim

Evaluation rubric

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

  1. The answer Contextualize tribal development, argue for/against the displacement-rehabilitation dichotomy, and provide a judgment. 15 marks · 250 words

    comment— context → arguments both sides → judgment → close

    Must cover

    • Define displacement and rehabilitation in tribal context
    • Identify causes of displacement (infrastructure, mining, dams)
    • Critique rehabilitation mechanisms (resettlement, compensation)
    • Provide a balanced judgment on the 'two axes' claim

    Loses marks

    • Narrating chronology of tribal history
    • Emotive language without analytical depth
    • Ignoring the 'rehabilitation' aspect entirely

    Earns more

    • Mention specific schemes (e.g., PESA, FRA)
    • Cite specific examples (e.g., Narmada, Vedanta)
    • Discuss intersectionality (gender, caste, ecology)
    • Suggest alternative development models

    Extra mark

    • Cite a specific Supreme Court judgment
    • Reference a specific committee report

Practice this exact question

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