Social Justice and Welfare — Practice Questions
UPSC Prelims-pattern practice questions on social justice and welfare with full explanations — protective laws, NALSA, ICDS, Article 340 and child labour law.
Questions
These are original UPSC-pattern practice questions. Attempt each one before revealing the answer.
Consider the following pairs:
| Law | Year of enactment |
|---|---|
| 1. Protection of Civil Rights Act | 1955 |
| 2. SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act | 1989 |
| 3. Forest Rights Act | 2006 |
| 4. Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act | 2016 |
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
Solution
All four are correct. The PCR Act began in 1955 as the Untouchability (Offences) Act (renamed in 1976); the RPwD Act, 2016 replaced the 1995 Act.
Answer: D
In which of the following judgments did the Supreme Court recognise transgender persons as a “third gender” entitled to Fundamental Rights?
Solution
NALSA (April 2014). Navtej Singh Johar decriminalised consensual same-sex relations; Puttaswamy recognised privacy; Vishaka laid down workplace sexual harassment guidelines.
Answer: A
With reference to the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), consider the following statements:
- It was launched in 1975.
- Pre-school non-formal education is one of its services.
- It is implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development through anganwadi workers.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Solution
Statements 1 and 2 are correct (launched 2 October 1975; six services). Statement 3 is wrong — ICDS is run by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
Answer: B
The Backward Classes Commission headed by B.P. Mandal was appointed under which Article of the Constitution of India?
Solution
Article 340 — used for both the Kalelkar (1953) and Mandal (1979) Commissions. Article 338 is the NCSC; Article 339 concerns Union control over Scheduled Areas and ST welfare; Article 342 is the ST list.
Answer: D
With reference to the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016, consider the following statements:
- It prohibits the employment of children below fourteen years in all occupations, subject to exceptions such as helping the family enterprise after school hours.
- It prohibits the employment of adolescents aged fourteen to eighteen years in hazardous occupations and processes.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Solution
Both are correct. The 2016 amendment extended the ban for children below 14 to all occupations (with limited exceptions for family enterprises outside school hours and child artists) and created the “adolescent” category barred from hazardous work.
Answer: C
Mains
Direct Benefit Transfer has improved the efficiency of welfare delivery but has also raised concerns of exclusion. Discuss.
Solution
Introduction: Direct Benefit Transfer (launched on 1 January 2013) sends subsidies and benefits straight to beneficiaries’ bank accounts, using the JAM trinity — Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and Mobile (Economic Survey 2014-15).
Body:
- Efficiency gains: fewer intermediaries and leakages; removal of duplicate and ghost beneficiaries; faster, traceable payments; real-time monitoring.
- Empowerment: financial inclusion through bank accounts; choice for beneficiaries; potential for women’s control over transfers.
- Exclusion concerns: authentication failures, especially for the elderly and manual workers; poor connectivity; distance to banking points; errors in databases; legal guardrails set by Puttaswamy (Aadhaar, 2018).
- Limits of cash: cash cannot substitute for public goods (schools, health, food supply in remote areas); inflation erodes fixed transfers.
Way forward: offline and alternative authentication; grievance redress at the last mile; social audit; strengthening banking correspondents; choosing cash or kind by context.
Conclusion: DBT is a powerful delivery tool when paired with safeguards that keep the most vulnerable inside the system.