Contemporary Social Issues: 2025-26 | IASPage

Overview


Contemporary Social Issues Landscape	Modern social challenges in India arise from the collision of traditional hierarchies (caste, gender, tribe) and rapid technological/economic shifts. This creates new vulnerabilities like the digital divide, gig-worker precarity, and geriatric isolation, while offering new pathways for empowerment through rural female micro-entrepreneurship and target-oriented tribal welfare missions.

1. Women, Technology & Entrepreneurship


Lakhpati Didi Mission	Flagship scheme aiming to enable 3 crore members of women's Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to establish micro-enterprises and earn a sustainable annual income of at least ₹1 lakh per household. Focuses on financial literacy, market linkages, and technical skills.
Namo Drone Didi Scheme	Empowers rural women by training them to operate and maintain agricultural drones for crop monitoring and precision spraying of liquid fertilizers and pesticides, bridging the traditional gender-technology gap.
Care Dividend (Care Economy)	Focuses on recognizing, reducing, and redistributing unpaid domestic and caregiving work performed predominantly by women, valued at up to 30% of India's GDP but excluded from official national income accounting.

2. Tribal Interventions & Governance


PM-JANMAN Mission	Mission-mode initiative launched to provide 11 basic amenities (pucca housing, piped water, electricity, solar lighting, road connectivity, mobile medical units, skill centers) to 75 PVTGs living in remote, unconnected habitations.
Traditional Self-Governance Systems	Continued local relevance of historical customary institutions such as Manki-Munda system of Ho tribe in Jharkhand (resolving local disputes and managing land records under Wilkinson Rules) and Gaon Buras (village elders) in North-East, serving as channels for community conflict resolution.
Sarna Religion Code	Mobilization by tribal groups (especially in Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar) demanding a separate religious classification code in Census, arguing that nature-worshiping tribal traditions are distinct from mainstream religions.

3. Silver Economy & Geriatric Care


Geriatric Demographic Transition	Over-60 population in India is expanding rapidly and expected to reach nearly 20% of population by 2050, requiring a massive policy shift from child health (pediatrics) to elder care (geriatrics).
SAGE Initiative	Seniorcare Aging Growth Engine program launched by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to support and fund startups providing innovative, tech-enabled products and services for elderly care (health, travel, finance, legal aid), promoting the Silver Economy.
Social Isolation	Breakdown of joint family networks in urban areas has led to rising rates of loneliness and depression among elderly ("Empty Nest" syndrome), driving need for community assisted-living models.

4. Digital Society & Gig Economy Precarity


Digital Divide 2.0	Transitioned from a gap in physical access to digital devices to a gap in quality of usage and digital literacy. Marginalized groups lack skills required for digital banking, online jobs, e-governance services, and cyber-fraud protection.
Gig Economy Precarity	Rise of a new class of contract workers (delivery executives, ride-share drivers) who are formally self-employed but lack access to traditional labor rights, minimum wages, and social security benefits (provident fund, gratuity, health insurance), creating a vulnerable "precarious class" (precariat).
Online Harassment	Digital violence, cyberbullying, and doxxing disproportionately target women and minorities, restricting their participation in the digital public square and online labor market.

UPSC High-Yield Recall


Lakhpati Didi	Targets 3 crore women by 2026-27.
PM-JANMAN	Specifically targets the 75 PVTGs across 18 States and UTs.
Silver Economy	Refers to economic opportunities and challenges associated with aging population.