Social Justice MCQs for UPSC Prelims
Q1. In ILO statistical usage, 'employment in the informal sector' is distinguished from 'informal employment' in that the former is:
- A. An enterprise-based concept, covering jobs located in unincorporated enterprises that are unregistered or fall below a size threshold
- B. A job-based concept, covering any job that lacks social protection or employment benefits, whatever the enterprise
- C. A residence-based concept, covering workers in rural areas engaged outside registered establishments
- D. An income-based concept, covering workers whose earnings fall below the statutory national minimum wage
Q2. According to ILO global estimates, which one of the following economic sectors records the highest level of informal employment worldwide?
- A. Construction, where informality is estimated at more than 90 per cent
- B. Wholesale and retail trade, where informality is estimated at about 50 per cent
- C. Domestic work, where informality is estimated at about 68 per cent
- D. Agriculture, where informality is estimated at more than 90 per cent
Q3. According to the ILO's third-edition global estimates on the informal economy, how many people worldwide make their living in the informal economy, and what proportion of the world's employed population do they constitute?
- A. About 3 billion, roughly 75 per cent of global employment
- B. About 2 billion, roughly 61 per cent of global employment
- C. About 1.5 billion, roughly 45 per cent of global employment
- D. About 1 billion, roughly 40 per cent of global employment
Q4. With reference to the International Labour Organization's global estimates of informal employment published in its 'Women and Men in the Informal Economy: A Statistical Picture (Third edition)', consider the following statements:
1. Africa records a higher share of informal employment in total employment than Asia and the Pacific.
2. Globally, the share of employed men in informal employment exceeds the corresponding share of employed women.
3. When agriculture is excluded, the share of informal employment in global employment falls below one-third.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Africa records a higher share of informal employment in total employment than Asia and the Pacific.
- Globally, the share of employed men in informal employment exceeds the corresponding share of employed women.
- When agriculture is excluded, the share of informal employment in global employment falls below one-third.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q5. With reference to the PM SHRI Schools scheme, consider the following:
1. It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme approved by the Union Cabinet in September 2022 for strengthening more than 14,500 existing schools.
2. Schools managed by the Central Government, State/UT Governments or local self-government bodies, and possessing a UDISE+ code, are eligible for selection.
3. States and Union Territories are required to sign a Memorandum of Understanding committing themselves to implementing NEP 2020 before their schools can be selected.
4. The scheme is implemented by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship with a total project cost of Rs 27,360 crore.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme approved by the Union Cabinet in September 2022 for strengthening more than 14,500 existing schools.
- Schools managed by the Central Government, State/UT Governments or local self-government bodies, and possessing a UDISE+ code, are eligible for selection.
- States and Union Territories are required to sign a Memorandum of Understanding committing themselves to implementing NEP 2020 before their schools can be selected.
- The scheme is implemented by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship with a total project cost of Rs 27,360 crore.
- A. 1 and 3
- B. 2 and 4
- C. 3 and 4 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q6. The curricular and pedagogical structure adopted by NEP 2020, and elaborated in the National Curriculum Framework for School Education, divides the whole of schooling into how many stages?
- A. Four stages, replacing the earlier 10+2 arrangement of schooling
- B. Three stages, all of which are of exactly equal duration in years
- C. Five stages, covering the entire span of schooling within formal schools only
- D. Two stages, corresponding precisely to the earlier 10+2 arrangement
Q7. NEP 2020 proposed a single umbrella body for higher education operating through four independent verticals. The vertical entrusted with the disbursal of finances to higher educational institutions was to be which one of the following?
- A. The Higher Education Grants Council
- B. The National Higher Education Regulatory Council
- C. The National Accreditation Council
- D. The General Education Council
Q8. Consider the following statements comparing the National Education Policy, 2020 with the policy framework it superseded:
1. NEP 2020 replaced the National Policy on Education, 1986, which had been in force for over three decades.
2. NEP 2020 replaces the 10+2 curricular and pedagogical arrangement of schooling with a 5+3+3+4 design.
3. NEP 2020 lowers the higher-education Gross Enrolment Ratio target to 26.3 per cent, to be attained by 2035, from the 50 per cent target of the earlier policy.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- NEP 2020 replaced the National Policy on Education, 1986, which had been in force for over three decades.
- NEP 2020 replaces the 10+2 curricular and pedagogical arrangement of schooling with a 5+3+3+4 design.
- NEP 2020 lowers the higher-education Gross Enrolment Ratio target to 26.3 per cent, to be attained by 2035, from the 50 per cent target of the earlier policy.
- A. 1 and 3 only
- B. 1 and 2 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q9. Consider the following statements about the 2026 Ken-Betwa protests at Kupi village:
1. The protestors were predominantly tribal families from the Panna and Chhatarpur districts.
2. Amit Bhatnagar suspended his fast in July 2026 after an assurance of fresh verification of families excluded from rehabilitation.
3. The protest site was located on the banks of the Barana river stream.
4. Amit Bhatnagar is the founder of the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan.
Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?
- The protestors were predominantly tribal families from the Panna and Chhatarpur districts.
- Amit Bhatnagar suspended his fast in July 2026 after an assurance of fresh verification of families excluded from rehabilitation.
- The protest site was located on the banks of the Barana river stream.
- Amit Bhatnagar is the founder of the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan.
- A. 2 and 4 only
- B. 1 only
- C. 4 only
- D. 3 and 4 only
Q10. Which one of the following statements about the July 2026 protests against the Ken-Betwa Link Project at Kupi village is correct?
- A. The protestors demanded the complete and permanent scrapping of the entire river-interlinking programme across India.
- B. The protest was led by Amit Bhatnagar of the Jai Kisan Sangathan, who undertook an indefinite hunger strike.
- C. The agitation was called off only after the government agreed to relocate the Panna Tiger Reserve.
- D. All the affected families had unanimously accepted the rehabilitation package before the protest began.
Q11. According to the UNFPA India Ageing Report 2023, the share of the population aged 60 and above in India is projected to reach approximately what percentage by 2050?
- A. About 20.8 per cent
- B. About 10.8 per cent
- C. About 15 per cent
- D. About 25 per cent
Q12. With reference to the parliamentary disclosure of the medical seat expansion, consider the following institutional identifications:
1. The underlying seat and registration data was sourced from the National Medical Commission.
2. The nodal ministry for the disclosure is the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
3. The information was conveyed through a written reply in the Lok Sabha.
4. The underlying data was sourced from the NITI Aayog.
Which of the statements given above is/are correctly identified?
- The underlying seat and registration data was sourced from the National Medical Commission.
- The nodal ministry for the disclosure is the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
- The information was conveyed through a written reply in the Lok Sabha.
- The underlying data was sourced from the NITI Aayog.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2, 3 and 4 only
- C. 1, 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q13. Consider the following statements about the Cabinet-approved Phase-III Centrally Sponsored Scheme (2025-26 to 2028-29) for medical education:
1. It aims to add roughly 10,000 UG and PG seats by strengthening existing government medical colleges.
2. Its total outlay is of the order of Rs 15,000 crore.
3. Unlike the earlier scheme that built new colleges attached to district hospitals, this scheme funds only private medical colleges.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- It aims to add roughly 10,000 UG and PG seats by strengthening existing government medical colleges.
- Its total outlay is of the order of Rs 15,000 crore.
- Unlike the earlier scheme that built new colleges attached to district hospitals, this scheme funds only private medical colleges.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q14. The statutory body that regulates undergraduate and postgraduate medical education and reports the multi-year seat-expansion data was established under which of the following statutes?
- A. The Indian Medical Council Act, 1956
- B. The National Medical Commission Act, 2019
- C. The Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010
- D. The Indian Medical Degrees Act, 1916
Q15. According to the reported multi-year trend, how many additional MBBS seats were added in the country between AY 2020-21 and AY 2025-26?
- A. 29,080 seats
- B. 19,861 seats
- C. 48,563 seats
- D. 55,175 seats
Q16. The Centrally Sponsored Scheme for establishment of new medical colleges attached to existing district/referral hospitals is operationalised by which ministry, and dates to which launch year?
- A. Ministry of Health & Family Welfare; 2014
- B. Ministry of Health & Family Welfare; 2019
- C. Ministry of Education; 2014
- D. Ministry of AYUSH; 2020
Q17. With reference to the growth of medical colleges in India, consider the following statements:
1. The number of medical colleges rose from 387 before 2014 to 704, an increase of about 82%.
2. The Centrally Sponsored Scheme for new colleges attaches them to existing district/referral hospitals.
3. Under that scheme, funding is shared 60:40 between the Centre and States for general-category states.
4. The 82% growth raised the number of medical colleges from 387 to 818.
Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?
- The number of medical colleges rose from 387 before 2014 to 704, an increase of about 82%.
- The Centrally Sponsored Scheme for new colleges attaches them to existing district/referral hospitals.
- Under that scheme, funding is shared 60:40 between the Centre and States for general-category states.
- The 82% growth raised the number of medical colleges from 387 to 818.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 3 only
- C. 2 and 4 only
- D. 4 only
Q18. Consider the following statements about the National Medical Commission (NMC) and its boards:
1. The NMC replaced the Medical Council of India under the National Medical Commission Act, 2019.
2. The National Medical Register of licensed practitioners is maintained by the Under-Graduate Medical Education Board.
3. The Medical Assessment and Rating Board can levy monetary penalties on medical colleges that fail to maintain minimum standards.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The NMC replaced the Medical Council of India under the National Medical Commission Act, 2019.
- The National Medical Register of licensed practitioners is maintained by the Under-Graduate Medical Education Board.
- The Medical Assessment and Rating Board can levy monetary penalties on medical colleges that fail to maintain minimum standards.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 1 and 3 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q19. Under the National Medical Commission Act, 2019, the National Register of licensed medical practitioners is maintained by which of the following bodies?
- A. The Under-Graduate Medical Education Board
- B. The Medical Assessment and Rating Board
- C. The Ethics and Medical Registration Board
- D. The Post-Graduate Medical Education Board
Q20. With reference to how India's doctor-population ratio of 1:778 is computed, consider the following statements:
1. It assumes 80% availability of registered practitioners.
2. It includes registered AYUSH practitioners in the count.
3. The WHO ratio used as the comparison benchmark is 1:1000.
4. It counts only registered allopathic doctors and excludes AYUSH practitioners.
Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?
- It assumes 80% availability of registered practitioners.
- It includes registered AYUSH practitioners in the count.
- The WHO ratio used as the comparison benchmark is 1:1000.
- It counts only registered allopathic doctors and excludes AYUSH practitioners.
- A. 1 and 3 only
- B. 2 only
- C. 3 and 4 only
- D. 4 only
Q21. Consider the following statements regarding India's doctor-population ratio:
1. At 1:778, India's ratio is better than the WHO benchmark of 1:1000.
2. The 1:778 figure represents an improvement over earlier reported ratios of 1:834 and 1:811.
3. The WHO benchmark of 1:1000 represents the maximum number of doctors per population that a country is permitted to have.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- At 1:778, India's ratio is better than the WHO benchmark of 1:1000.
- The 1:778 figure represents an improvement over earlier reported ratios of 1:834 and 1:811.
- The WHO benchmark of 1:1000 represents the maximum number of doctors per population that a country is permitted to have.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q22. The doctor-population ratio of 1:778 reported for India is arrived at by counting which body of practitioners?
- A. 80% of registered allopathic practitioners together with 80% of registered AYUSH practitioners
- B. the entire body of registered allopathic practitioners on the Indian Medical Register only
- C. registered allopathic, dental and nursing practitioners taken together
- D. MBBS and PG graduates produced by medical colleges since the year 2014
Q23. Given that PG medical seats stood at 31,185 in AY 2023-24 and 86,360 in AY 2025-26, by approximately how many seats did the PG capacity increase over this period?
- A. 48,563 seats
- B. 55,175 seats
- C. 29,080 seats
- D. 19,861 seats
Q24. In the context of the recent release of its key findings, the 'National Family Health Survey (NFHS)' is best defined as which one of the following?
- A. a continuous civil registration system that records every birth and death as it occurs
- B. a large-scale, multi-round sample survey of households providing data on population, health, family welfare and nutrition
- C. a decennial complete enumeration of the country's population and housing
- D. a sample-based system that generates annual estimates of birth rate, death rate and infant mortality
Q25. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's analysis of NFHS-6 (2023-24) flagged which one of the following as the emerging public-health challenge, in contrast to the broadly improving maternal and child health indicators?
- A. a rising burden of non-communicable diseases and lifestyle-related risks among adults
- B. a sharp decline in full childhood immunization coverage among children aged 12-23 months
- C. a reversal of the long-term gains recorded in institutional deliveries
- D. a steep rise in stunting among children under five years of age
Q26. The routine childhood immunization whose coverage NFHS measures (for example, full immunization of children aged 12-23 months) is delivered in India primarily under which one of the following?
- A. Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan
- B. Integrated Child Development Services
- C. Universal Immunization Programme
- D. Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana
Q27. Regarding childhood immunization coverage reported in NFHS-6 (2023-24), consider the following:
1. Full immunization among children aged 12-23 months rose to 87.1%.
2. Rotavirus vaccine coverage rose to only 58.6%.
3. Measles second-dose coverage rose to 71.8%.
4. More than 96% of children aged 12-23 months received at least one (any) vaccine.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- Full immunization among children aged 12-23 months rose to 87.1%.
- Rotavirus vaccine coverage rose to only 58.6%.
- Measles second-dose coverage rose to 71.8%.
- More than 96% of children aged 12-23 months received at least one (any) vaccine.
- A. 2, 3 and 4
- B. 1, 3 and 4
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q28. NFHS-6 (2023-24) recorded India's Total Fertility Rate (TFR) at which one of the following values?
Q29. According to NFHS-6 (2023-24), the Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) in India rose to its highest recorded level of which one of the following?
- A. 56.5%
- B. 66.7%
- C. 69.1%
- D. 65.2%
Q30. Regarding maternal-health indicators that improved from NFHS-5 to NFHS-6, consider the following:
1. Postnatal care within 2 days of delivery increased from 79.1% to 85.3%.
2. Consumption of iron-folic acid for 180+ days rose from 26.0% to 37.8%.
3. Institutional deliveries declined from 90.6% to 88.6%.
4. Mothers receiving 4+ ANC visits rose from 58.5% to 65.2%.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- Postnatal care within 2 days of delivery increased from 79.1% to 85.3%.
- Consumption of iron-folic acid for 180+ days rose from 26.0% to 37.8%.
- Institutional deliveries declined from 90.6% to 88.6%.
- Mothers receiving 4+ ANC visits rose from 58.5% to 65.2%.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 4 only
- C. 1, 2 and 4
- D. 1, 3 and 4