Gujarat: Social Sector, Poverty and Welfare · GPSC (Gujarat)

This page applies the official lines on the social sector, poverty and hunger to Gujarat. Schemes are named only where they are long-standing; check the current version of any scheme in the State's own documents.

What the official syllabus says

GPSC Main Examination, Paper V: General Studies-II, (B) Governance and Social Justice:
Development processes: the role of civil society, SHG, NGOs, pressure groups and other stakeholders.
Development and Social Sector Management: Challenges in health, education, and human resource development, Role of governance and policy-making in strengthening social sectors.
Poverty and Hunger: Poverty, inequality, and their developmental implications. Causes, consequences, and strategies to tackle poverty and hunger.

Topics in detail

Departments and institutions

Health and Family Welfare Department; Education Department; Women and Child Development Department; Social Justice and Empowerment Department; Tribal Development Department; Panchayats, Rural Housing and Rural Development Department
Directorate of Developing Castes Welfare (the term 'developing castes' is used in Gujarat's administration, as in the post of Social Welfare Officer (Developing Castes))
Gujarat Livelihood Promotion Company, the State's agency for the rural livelihoods mission

Health in Gujarat

Public health network: sub-centres, primary and community health centres, district hospitals, medical colleges
Chiranjeevi Yojana (2005): partnership with private obstetricians for institutional deliveries of poor women
Mukhyamantri Amrutum (MA) Yojana (2012): cashless hospital treatment for poor families, later linked with Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY
108 emergency ambulance service
School health programme and child health screening
Issues: maternal and child health, malnutrition and anaemia, tribal health, sickle cell disease in tribal areas, shortage of specialists in rural areas

Education in Gujarat

Shala Praveshotsav and Kanya Kelavani (from 2003): enrolment drives, especially for girls
Gunotsav (from 2009): assessment of school quality and learning
Vidya Samiksha Kendra: a centre in Gandhinagar that monitors school data
Implementation of the RTE Act, 2009 and the National Education Policy, 2020 in the State
Issues: learning levels, dropouts in tribal areas, teacher availability, girls' secondary and higher education

Livelihoods, SHGs and poverty

Mission Mangalam: Sakhi Mandals (women's self-help groups) and their bank linkage
MGNREGA in Gujarat
Garib Kalyan Melas: distribution of benefits under several schemes at one place
Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana: development package for tribal areas
Housing for the poor under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (rural and urban)
Regional contrasts within Gujarat: tribal east, arid Kutch and north Gujarat, coastal Saurashtra

Food and nutrition in Gujarat

National Food Security Act, 2013 in Gujarat; fair price shops and the Public Distribution System
Anganwadis under ICDS; take-home rations and supplementary nutrition
Doodh Sanjivani Yojana: milk for children in tribal areas
PM POSHAN (mid-day meals) in schools

Weaker sections

Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, socially and educationally backward classes and the economically weaker sections
Scholarships and hostels for students of these groups
Welfare of persons with disabilities, senior citizens and widows: pensions and assistance
Gujarat's development corporations for weaker sections (finance and loans)

Civil society in Gujarat

Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA), Ahmedabad: organising women in the informal sector
The co-operative movement as a stakeholder in development (dairy co-operatives; covered in General Studies-III)
Gandhian institutions and voluntary organisations working in rural and tribal areas

Overlaps

The national framework is on Development and Social Sector Management and Poverty and Hunger. Gujarat's economy, agriculture and co-operatives are in General Studies-III.