Social Development

Which one of the following statements about Mission Indradhanush, launched by the Government of India in 2014, is correct ?

[amp_mcq option1=”It relates to provision for Child Health Screening and Early Intervention Services.” option2=”It meets the diverse health needs of adolescents.” option3=”It aims to increase the full immunisation coverage for children.” option4=”Its objective is to achieve universal access to equitable, affordable, and quality healthcare services.” correct=”option3″]

Mission Indradhanush was launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India in December 2014. Its primary aim is to increase the full immunization coverage of children and pregnant women against seven vaccine-preventable diseases (diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, tuberculosis, measles, and Hepatitis B). It focuses on increasing coverage in areas with low immunization rates.

– The mission targets partial or unvaccinated children and pregnant women.
– It uses a systematic approach involving special immunization drives in identified areas.
– Subsequent phases and intensifications (e.g., Intensified Mission Indradhanush) have been launched to accelerate progress.

Option A describes the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK). Option B describes the Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK). Option D is a broad statement related to universal health coverage, which is a larger goal reflected in policies like the National Health Policy, but not the specific defined objective of Mission Indradhanush.

SWAYAM is

[amp_mcq option1=”a network that aims to tap the talent pool of scientists and entrepreneurs towards global excellence” option2=”a Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) initiative on a national platform” option3=”an empowerment scheme for advancing the participation of girls in education” option4=”a scheme that supports differently abled children to pursue technical education” correct=”option2″]

SWAYAM stands for Study Webs of Active–Learning for Young Aspiring Minds. It is a national initiative by the Government of India designed to achieve the three cardinal principles of Education Policy: access, equity, and quality. The objective is to take the best teaching-learning resources to all, including the most disadvantaged. SWAYAM hosts Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), covering school level (9th to 12th) to post-graduation level across various disciplines.

– SWAYAM is a Government of India initiative for online education.
– It stands for Study Webs of Active–Learning for Young Aspiring Minds.
– It is a platform for Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).

SWAYAM is developed and maintained by the Ministry of Education (formerly MHRD) and National Co-ordinators like UGC, AICTE, NPTEL, etc., who offer courses through the platform. It provides courses in various subjects from different universities and institutions across India.

Infant mortality ratio of which one of the following countries is comparable to that of India ?

[amp_mcq option1=”China” option2=”United States of America” option3=”Sri Lanka” option4=”None of the above” correct=”option4″]

None of the above.

Based on available data from international organizations (like World Bank, UNICEF) over the past few decades, India’s Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) has been significantly higher than that of China, the United States of America, and Sri Lanka. While India has made considerable progress in reducing its IMR, the rates in these other countries have been consistently lower. Therefore, the IMR of these countries is not comparable to India’s in terms of being close in value.

Infant Mortality Rate is the number of deaths of infants under one year old per 1,000 live births. It is a key indicator of a country’s health status, socioeconomic conditions, and quality of healthcare. Countries like Sri Lanka have historically performed much better than India in terms of social indicators like IMR, despite similar levels of economic development in earlier periods.

The Shompens are the vulnerable tribal group of

[amp_mcq option1=”Jharkhand” option2=”Odisha” option3=”West Bengal” option4=”Andaman and Nicobar Islands” correct=”option4″]

The correct answer is D) Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The Shompens are a vulnerable tribal group who are indigenous to the Great Nicobar Island, which is part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Union Territory of India.

The Shompens are one of the six Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) residing in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, others being Jarawas, Onge, Sentinelese, Great Andamanese, and Nicobarese (though Nicobarese is not always listed as PVTG). They inhabit the interior of Great Nicobar Island, maintaining a traditional lifestyle largely dependent on hunting and gathering.

Which Indian social theorist had argued that the idea of a homogenized Hinduism was constructed through the ‘cultural arrogance’ of post-enlightenment Europe?

[amp_mcq option1=”Ashis Nandy” option2=”Partha Chatterjee” option3=”T. K. Oommen” option4=”Rajni Kothari” correct=”option1″]

Ashis Nandy is the Indian social theorist who has argued that the idea of a homogenized Hinduism was constructed through the ‘cultural arrogance’ of post-Enlightenment Europe.

Ashis Nandy’s work critically examines the impact of colonialism and Western categories on Indian identity and culture. He argues that the colonial gaze and the post-Enlightenment Western framework of understanding religion as a unified, systematic entity contributed to the redefinition and homogenization of the diverse practices, beliefs, and traditions known as Hinduism into a single, uniform religion.

Nandy suggests that this homogenization served colonial administrative purposes and also influenced Indian nationalist thought, leading to the adoption of a more unified identity that did not fully reflect the historical and regional diversity of religious practices in India. Partha Chatterjee has written on colonial power, nationalism, and civil society, T. K. Oommen on social movements, identity, and religion, and Rajni Kothari on Indian politics and democracy, but Nandy is particularly known for this specific critique regarding the colonial construction of categories like Hinduism.

Who amongst the following organized the All India Scheduled Castes Federation?

[amp_mcq option1=”Jyotiba Phule” option2=”Periyar” option3=”B. R. Ambedkar” option4=”M. K. Karunanidhi” correct=”option3″]

The correct answer is C) B. R. Ambedkar.

Dr. B. R. Ambedkar was a towering figure in the movement for the rights of Dalits (Scheduled Castes). He founded the All India Scheduled Castes Federation (AISCF) in 1942 as a political party to represent the interests and rights of the Scheduled Castes. This party was a successor to his earlier Independent Labour Party.

Jyotiba Phule was a pioneering social reformer from Maharashtra in the 19th century who worked for the upliftment of lower castes and women. Periyar E.V. Ramasamy was a prominent leader of the anti-caste Self-Respect Movement in Tamil Nadu. M. K. Karunanidhi was a long-serving Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and a leader of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), a party stemming from the Dravidian movement. While all these figures worked for social justice, the All India Scheduled Castes Federation was founded by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.

The National Policy for Children, 2013 recognizes every person as a child below the age of :

[amp_mcq option1=”12 years” option2=”14 years” option3=”16 years” option4=”18 years” correct=”option4″]

The National Policy for Children, 2013, explicitly defines a child as any person below the age of 18 years. This aligns with the definition of a child used in various international conventions like the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which India is a signatory to, and national laws like the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act.

Policies and laws in India generally define a child as a person up to the age of 18 years.

The National Policy for Children, 2013, is based on the principle that children are citizens of the nation and their needs must be addressed from a rights-based perspective. It outlines commitments across four key areas: Survival, Health and Nutrition; Education and Development; Protection; and Participation.