UPSC Editorials Quiz : 20 April 2026

Solution: B

• The NAVYA (Nurturing Aspirations through Vocational Training for Young Adolescent Girls) initiative was launched by the Government of India to empower adolescent girls.
• Statement 1 is correct; it focuses on providing vocational training to girls in the 16–18 age group, particularly in non-traditional job roles, to break gender stereotypes in the workforce.
• Statement 2 is correct as the scheme draws on existing frameworks like PMKVY and PM Vishwakarma to formalize inter-ministerial coordination and optimize resources.

Statement 3 is incorrect. NAVYA is a broader governmental initiative for adolescent girls and is not exclusive to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs or tribal girls, although it aims for inclusive growth. The significance of the scheme lies in its alignment with the Viksit Bharat@2047 vision, positioning young girls as agents of socio-economic transformation through skill development and self-reliance.

Solution: A

• De-notified Tribes (DNTs), also known as Vimukta Jati, are communities that were historically targeted by the British Raj through the Criminal Tribes Act (1871), which branded entire groups as “born criminals”. After independence, this draconian law was repealed in 1952, and the communities were “denotified”.
• Statement 3 is incorrect. DNTs are not uniformly categorized; they are fragmented across different constitutional categories, including Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC). The Idate Commission (2018) identified nearly 267 DNT communities that are not included in any of these lists, leaving them without any reservation benefits or constitutional protection.
• To address their destitution, the government launched the SEED scheme (Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs), providing coaching, health insurance, and housing assistance.

Solution: D

The Hatti community of Himachal Pradesh was granted Scheduled Tribe (ST) status in 2022. They primarily inhabit the Trans-Giri area of Sirmaur district, which shares cultural and social similarities with the Jaunsari community of Uttarakhand.

• Statement 1 is The Hattis are largely concentrated in the Trans-Giri region of the Sirmaur district. The Giri River divides the district into Trans-Giri and Cis-Giri regions, and the Hattis predominantly reside in the Trans-Giri belt.
• Statement 2 is The community traditionally functions through a council known as Khumbli, which plays a key role in resolving disputes and regulating social customs. It is a powerful customary institution influencing marriage norms, property disputes, and community decisions.
• Statement 3 is The term “Hatti” is believed to originate from the word ‘haat’, referring to small rural markets where members historically sold agricultural produce and other goods. This trading practice became a defining socio-economic characteristic.

Solution: B

• Statement 1 is correct. The National MPI utilizes the Alkire-Foster methodology, which is the global standard for assessing acute poverty across multiple deprivations.
• Statement 2 is correct; the three dimensions—Health, Education, and Standard of Living—are equally weighted at one-third each.
• Statement 3 is incorrect. Deprivation in ‘Years of Schooling’ occurs if no household member has completed six years of schooling, not ten.

The National MPI incorporates 12 indicators, including two (Maternal Health and Bank Accounts) that are not present in the Global MPI. India has seen a massive reduction in its MPI value largely due to improvements in cooking fuel, sanitation, and electricity access.

Solution: B

• Statement 1 is correct; it has deployed “Gandiva”, an advanced analytics engine, which uses Artificial Intelligence for entity resolution (linking different records of the same person across datasets) and facial recognition.
• Statement 2 is incorrect. There is currently no statutory framework or independent parliamentary/judicial oversight for NATGRID. Critics have specifically called for the establishment of a Standing Committee on Intelligence to audit its logs and prevent misuse, but this has not yet been implemented.
• Statement 3 is correct. NATGRID has been integrated with the Passport Seva Programme and the Bureau of Immigration, allowing agencies real-time access to travel and identity records. The expansion of NATGRID into routine policing and individual profiling has raised significant concerns about its proportionality and potential for algorithmic bias.