3 November: poverty and malnutrition
Tuesday 3 November 2026
GS Paper 2 · 150 words · 10 marks
Poverty and malnutrition create a vicious cycle, adversely affecting human capital formation. What steps can be taken to break the cycle?
(UPSC Mains 2024, GS Paper 2, Q7)
You have seven minutes. Write your answer before you read anything below.
Open only after you have written
How to approach this question
The directive. There is no directive word. The question asks what steps, so most of your words go on steps. Explain the cycle in two or three lines first.
A shape that works in 150 words.
| Part | Words | What to write |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction | 35 | The cycle, with one NFHS-5 figure |
| Steps | 95 | Four or five, each acting on a different part of the cycle |
| Conclusion | 20 | How to make the steps reach the same families |
Material you can use.
| Measure (NFHS-5, 2019-21) | Value |
|---|---|
| Children under five who are stunted | 35.5% |
| Children under five who are wasted | 19.3% |
| Children under five who are underweight | 32.1% |
| Women aged 15 to 49 with anaemia | 57.0% |
| Where the cycle breaks | Scheme |
|---|---|
| First 1,000 days of life | POSHAN Abhiyaan (2018), Poshan 2.0, anganwadis, Poshan Tracker |
| Food at home | National Food Security Act 2013, fortified rice in the public distribution system |
| Household income | VB-G RAM G Act 2025 (replaced MGNREGA), self-help groups under DAY-NRLM |
| Infection | Swachh Bharat Mission, Jal Jeevan Mission |
| School years | PM POSHAN school meals |
Mistakes to avoid.
| Mistake | What to do instead |
|---|---|
| A long account of the causes | Two or three lines on the cycle, then steps |
| Listing schemes with no link to the cycle | Say which part of the cycle each step breaks |
| Ending on awareness | End on how to measure whether the steps work |
A model answer
Poor families cannot afford nutritious food. Undernourished children learn less and earn less as adults, so their own children start life poor. NFHS-5 (2019-21) found 35.5% of children under five stunted.
The first 1,000 days. Poshan 2.0 reaches pregnant women and young children through anganwadis. The Poshan Tracker records each child's growth.
Food security. The National Food Security Act, 2013 covers up to 75% of the rural and 50% of the urban population. Fortified rice adds iron, folic acid and vitamin B12.
Income. The VB-G RAM G Act, 2025 replaced MGNREGA and guarantees 125 days of rural work. DAY-NRLM self-help groups add women's earnings.
Clean water and sanitation. Repeated diarrhoea stops children absorbing food. Swachh Bharat and Jal Jeevan Mission address this.
School meals. PM POSHAN gives a hot meal in government schools.
These steps work best together in the same households. District stunting data would show the gaps.
Word count: 149.
| Where | What earns credit |
|---|---|
| Opening | The cycle in three lines, with a sourced figure |
| Body | Each step acts on a different part of the cycle |
| Conclusion | A way to check the steps are working |