QUESTION 19
GS1
15 marks
Critically examine the challenges of demographic transition in contemporary India.
WRITE IN
11 min
250 words
What the examiner wants
Analyze India’s simultaneous youth-bulge and ageing/low-fertility challenges across states.
Critically examineWeigh the strengths and the weaknesses, then give a balanced verdict.
Demand-wise check
- 1Regional variation in fertility, age structure and dependency≈50 words
- 2Near-term challenges: jobs, skills, migration, urban services and gender gaps≈50 words
- 3Emerging challenges: ageing, care economy, pensions, health and shrinking labour forces in some regions≈50 words
- 4Why the demographic dividend is conditional rather than automatic≈50 words
Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.
Answer plan
Uneven transitionYouth-side challengesAgeing-side challengesFederal/regional policy implicationsJudgment
Where marks usually go
- Writing only about high population growth
- Treating demographic dividend as guaranteed
Value addition
- Population-pyramid transition with dual challenge
→ Draw it in the body, next to the point it supports.
Official source anchors
These are authoritative sources selected for this exact PYQ. Where a card is an official-domain anchor rather than a fact-level citation, verify the precise provision, definition or data point on the linked source before using it.
Next: plan for one minute, write it in 11 minutes, then get it checked.