General Studies I · Subtopic
Poverty and developmental issues
Official syllabus
Role of women and women’s organization, population and associated issues, poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems and their remedies.
UPSC CSE 2026 notification
What this covers
Poverty is a condition of constrained capabilities and insecure access to income, nutrition, health, education, housing, work, assets, voice and protection from shocks. Measurement choices change who is counted and which intervention appears appropriate. Developmental issues arise when growth, public services, institutions and distribution fail to expand substantive opportunities. Study chronic and transient poverty, rural and urban forms, social exclusion, informal work, vulnerability to shocks and intergenerational transmission. Evaluate policy through coverage, accessibility, adequacy, implementation, agency and durable exit from deprivation.
Key ideas
- Income consumption and multidimensional poverty
- Capability and human development
- Inequality exclusion and discrimination
- Livelihood and informal work
- Vulnerability shocks and resilience
- Rural and urban poverty
- Social protection and public services
- Measurement implementation and outcomes