UPSC Prelims 2011·CSAT·Reading Comprehension·Passage Comprehension

Passage-I For achieving inclusive growth there is- a critical need to rethink the- role of the State. The early debate among economists about the size of the Government can be misleading. The need of the hour is to have an enabling Government. India is too large and complex a nation for the State to be able to deliver all that is needed. Asking the Government to produce all the essential goods, create all the necessary jobs, and keep a curb on the prices of all goods is to lead to a large cumbersome bureaucracy and widespread corruption. The aim must be to stay with the objective of inclusive growth that was laid down by the founding fathers of the nation and also to take a more modern view of what the State can realistically deliver. This is what leads to the idea of an enabling State, that is, a Government that does not try to directly deliver to the citizens everything that they need. Instead, it (1) creates an enabling ethos for the market so that individual enterprise can flourish and citizens can, for the most part, provide for the needs of one another, and (2) steps in to help those who do not manage to do well for themselves, for there will always be individuals, no matter what the system, who need support and help. Hence we need a Government that, when it comes to the market, sets effective, incentive- compatible rules and remains on the sidelines with minimal interference, and, at the same time, plays an important role in directly helping the poor by ensuring that they get basic education and health services and receive adequate nutrition and food. What is essential message being conveyed by the author of the passage?

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  1. AThe objectives of inclusive growth laid down by the founding fathers of the nation should be remembered
  2. BThe Government needs to make available more schools and health services
  3. CThe Government needs to establish markets and industries to meet the needs of the poor strata of the society
  4. DThere is a need to rethink the role of the State in achieving inclusive growth.Correct

Explanation

The essential message of the passage is introduced in its very first sentence and elaborated throughout: there is a critical need to rethink the role of the State for achieving inclusive growth. The passage then explains what this rethought role entails (an enabling Government that fosters markets and provides a safety net). A) The objectives of inclusive growth laid down by the founding fathers of the nation should be remembered. While the passage mentions this as a context, it's not the *essential message*. The passage is not just about remembering, but about *how* to achieve those objectives through a modern approach to governance. B) The Government needs to make available more schools and health services. This is a specific action mentioned as part of the enabling State's role in helping the poor, but it's only one component of the broader message. It doesn't encompass the entire argument about rethinking the State's overall role, especially concerning the market. C) The Government needs to establish markets and industries to meet the needs of the poor strata of the society. This option contradicts the passage. The passage advocates for the Government to "create an enabling ethos for the market" and "remain on the sidelines with minimal interference" regarding the market, not to directly establish markets and industries. D) There is a need to rethink the role of the State in achieving inclusive growth. This statement perfectly captures the central theme and the overarching argument of the entire passage. The passage begins with this premise and then details what this "rethinking" means in practice.
Reading Comprehension: Passage-I For achieving inclusive growth there is- a critical need to rethink the- role of the State. The early debate a

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