1) How do public facilities promote equal opportunity in society?
Answer:
Public facilities give everyone access to basic services.
Government schools allow poor children to get education like the rich.
Hospitals provide healthcare at low or no cost.
Public transport helps people reach work and school affordably.
Piped water and sanitation improve health and reduce disease.
This reduces inequality and improves social mobility.
People get a fair chance to study, work, and live with dignity.
2) Explain how clean water and sanitation improve health and productivity. Give examples.
Answer:
Clean water and sanitation stop the spread of diseases.
They reduce diarrhea, cholera, and typhoid.
Fewer illnesses mean better school attendance and work productivity.
Families spend less money on medical treatment.
Women and girls gain safety and dignity with proper toilets.
The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan pushed toilet building and cleanliness.
Healthy people learn and work better, which boosts development.
3) Why is per capita income not enough to measure development? What else should we look at?
Answer:
Per capita income is an average. It hides income inequality.
It ignores public facilities like schools, hospitals, and water.
It does not show health, education, or gender equality.
It misses quality of life and safety.
We should also see literacy rate, life expectancy, infant mortality, and net attendance.
We should track access to water, electricity, sanitation, and public transport.
These show real well-being, not just money.
4) What is the Public Distribution System (PDS)? How does it support real development?
Answer:
The PDS gives essential food like rice and wheat at subsidised prices.
It protects the poor from hunger and malnutrition.
In droughts and floods, PDS prevents starvation.
Well-nourished people are more healthy and productive.
Children with nutrition learn better in school.
PDS supports food security, which is key to development.
With digitisation and monitoring, PDS can reduce leakages.
5) Why should the government provide public facilities instead of leaving them to the market?
Answer:
Many public facilities are basic needs, not just goods.
Private providers may focus on profit, not access for all.
Clean water, sanitation, and roads benefit everyone.
These have positive externalities like better health and learning.
The poor cannot pay high prices; subsidies ensure equity.
Government ensures universal coverage and quality standards.
This builds trust, inclusion, and long-term development.
Section B: High Complexity (Analysis & Scenario-based)
6) Two countries have the same per capita income, but different levels of public facilities. Analyse the likely differences in quality of life.
Answer:
Country with universal schools will have higher literacy.
Country with public hospitals will have lower infant mortality.
Clean water and sanitation raise life expectancy.
Public transport improves access to jobs and schools.
The other country may see disease, dropouts, and low productivity.
The first shows real development; the second shows income without welfare.
Equal average income can hide unequal outcomes.
7) A drought hits a state. Explain how PDS, public healthcare, and sanitation together can reduce damage to development indicators.
Answer:
PDS ensures food security when crops fail.
It prevents hunger, malnutrition, and distress migration.
Public healthcare controls disease outbreaks and treats dehydration.
Vaccination and maternal care protect children and mothers.
Clean water and sanitation stop water-borne epidemics.
Together they protect life expectancy, school attendance, and work days.
They stabilise the economy and support recovery.
8) A city plans to privatise water supply to improve efficiency. Evaluate the pros and cons. Suggest safeguards for equity.
Answer:
Pros: Better management, less leakage, quicker repairs.
Cons: Higher tariffs, risk of exclusion of the poor.
Public health may suffer if poor households use unsafe sources.
Inequality can widen without affordable access.
Safeguards: Lifeline free/low-cost slabs, strong regulation, and quality standards.
Keep public taps and community standposts in low-income areas.
Ensure transparent contracts and grievance redressal.
9) You are given a small budget for a rural block. Choose three priorities among: toilets, primary health centres, school buses, village roads, water purification units. Justify to maximise development.
Answer:
Choose toilets to improve sanitation and reduce disease.
Choose water purification to provide safe drinking water.
Choose primary health centres for basic care and prevention.
These three directly raise health, attendance, and productivity.
Health gains will also improve learning outcomes in schools.
Roads and buses are useful, but health and water are foundational.
Start with basics, then expand as funds increase.
10) How can better public transport improve GDP and reduce inequality? Explain the chain of effects.
Answer:
Affordable transport cuts travel time and costs.
Students reach schools and colleges more regularly.
Workers access more jobs and higher wages.
Businesses get reliable supply of labour and lower logistics costs.
Fewer private vehicles mean cleaner air and better health.
The poor save money and gain mobility, reducing inequality.
