Malnutrition in India is not merely a public health concern; it is also a challenge of social equity, human development and…

Malnutrition in India is not merely a public health concern; it is also a challenge of social equity, human development and effective welfare governance. Discuss. (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks

हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें

भारत में कुपोषण मात्र एक सार्वजनिक स्वास्थ्य समस्या नहीं है, बल्कि यह सामाजिक समता, मानव विकास एवं प्रभावी कल्याणकारी शासन के समक्ष भी एक गंभीर चुनौती है। विवेचना कीजिए। (उत्तर 150 शब्दों में दीजिए)

The question as printed in the 2026 General Studies paper

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Model answer

Drafted with AI 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. How we build rubrics and answers.

Malnutrition in India reflects socio-economic deprivation and administrative bottlenecks, not mere biological deficiency. NFHS-6 (2023–24, released 2026) shows under-five stunting down to 29.3% from 35.5% in NFHS-5, but wasting stuck near 19%.

Social Equity and Human Development: Nutrition is intrinsic to the right to life with dignity under Article 21 (PUCL v. Union of India right-to-food orders) and Article 47, operationalised through the National Food Security Act, 2013. Yet intra-household gender discrimination in food disadvantages women and girls, perpetuating an inter-generational cycle of maternal and child undernutrition. Stunting is concentrated among poorer, SC/ST and rural households, and it lowers cognition, schooling and adult productivity, eroding human capital.

Welfare Governance: ICDS (Saksham Anganwadi), POSHAN Abhiyaan 2.0 and PM POSHAN (Mid-Day Meal) provide the delivery architecture, but face last-mile monitoring gaps, weak convergence and poor dietary diversity.

Accelerating progress requires decentralised governance, dietary diversification, and convergence across health, sanitation, water and women’s empowerment.

How this answer will be evaluated

Framework: GS2 Social Justice / Governance

What earns full marks: Integrates health, equity, and governance with specific institutional critique.

Evaluation rubric

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

The answer Discuss malnutrition as a challenge of social equity, human development and welfare governance, beyond a public health issue. 10 marks · 150 words

discuss— intro → 3-4 dimensions → example → balanced close
Must cover
- Link malnutrition to social equity and inequality
- Connect to human development (health, education, productivity)
- Critique welfare governance (implementation, targeting, convergence)
- Balanced conclusion with a forward-looking perspective
Loses marks
- Treating it solely as a medical/health issue
- Reciting statistics without analytical context
- Ending without a governance or policy reform angle
Earns more
- Mention specific schemes (ICDS, PDS, Mid-day Meal)
- Reference NFHS data or specific regional disparities
- Discuss the 'hidden hunger' or micronutrient deficiency aspect
- Link to constitutional rights (Article 21, Right to Food)
Extra mark
- Cite PUCL v. Union of India (2001) right-to-food orders or Article 47
- Use the NFHS-6 (2023–24) trend: stunting down to 29.3% but wasting stagnant near 19%

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.

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