1999 General Studies, all questions
UPSC Prelims 1999 · General Studies
Question 10: Economy and Social Development
Persons below the poverty line in India are classified as such based on whether
athey are entitled to a minimum prescribed food basket
bthey get work for a prescribed minimum number of days in a year
cthey belong to agricultural labourer household and the scheduled caste/tribe social group
dtheir daily wages fall below the prescribed minimum wages
AnswerThe answer is (a).
India's poverty line is drawn from a minimum food basket: the spending a person needs to buy about 2,400 calories a day in rural areas and 2,100 in urban areas. People whose consumption spending falls below that amount are counted as below the poverty line. It is not set by days of work, caste group or minimum wages. Remember: a calorie norm converted into a rupee amount.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Right (as worded, the closest): the line rests on a prescribed minimum food basket, converted into a spending level.
- (b) Wrong. Days of work are not used to define poverty.
- (c) Wrong. Occupation and social group are not the test; consumption spending against the line is.
- (d) Wrong. Minimum wages are not the basis of the poverty line.
Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 1999, General Studies. UPSC's own paper isn't online; the words are from a published compilation. The paper on upsc.gov.in.