PRS · Parliamentary Affairs ·

Government of Bihar’s response to COVID-19 (till Apr 19, 2020)

Distilled Policy Brief

  • Welfare interventions during the crisis included sponsoring treatment costs from the Chief Minister Medical Assistance Fund, providing direct cash transfers in place of food under the Mid-Day Meal scheme and at Anganwadi centres, and offering four lakh rupees assistance to families of deceased patients.

🎯 Prelims High-Yield Examination Points

Provisions of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 and state-level regulatory powers during public health emergencies.

⚖️ Mains Analytical & Syllabus Linkages

Analyze the role of state governments and local administrations in managing public health crises under the federal framework of India.

🎯 UPSC Prelims Practice Drill

Social Justice & Schemes

With reference to the welfare interventions and early measures undertaken by the Government of Bihar in response to the COVID-19 pandemic (till April 19, 2020), consider the following statements: 1. Treatment costs for COVID-19 patients were sponsored from the Chief Minister Medical Assistance Fund. 2. Direct cash transfers were provided in place of food under the Mid-Day Meal scheme and at Anganwadi centres. 3. The Bihar Epidemic Diseases, COVID-19 Regulation 2020 was issued under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. Which of the statements given above are correct?

  • [A] 1 and 2 only
  • [B] 2 and 3 only
  • [C] 1 and 3 only
  • [D] 1, 2 and 3
▶ Reveal Official Answer & Analytical Explanation
✓ Correct Option: [A] 1 and 2 only

Statements 1 and 2 are correct: Welfare interventions included sponsoring treatment costs from the Chief Minister Medical Assistance Fund and providing direct cash transfers in place of food under the Mid-Day Meal scheme and at Anganwadi centres. Statement 3 is incorrect because The Bihar Epidemic Diseases, COVID-19 Regulation 2020 was issued under The Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, not the Disaster Management Act, 2005.

Tark High-Yield Question Bank ⚡ Practice Full Test in Testing Arena ↗

🏛️ Historical Twin PYQ Anchor (2021)

UPSC Prelims 2021

Consider the following statements regarding the "National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)": 1. It is implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. 2. Central Pollution Control Board acts as the sole regulatory executive body.

Forensic Anchor: Cabinet Allocation of Business Rules & NCAP Framework
Examiner Trap Takeaway: UPSC swapped Central Pollution Control Board role with State Pollution Control Boards for state-level monitoring.

📚 Static Syllabus & Constitutional Linkages

Seventh Schedule and Public Health: Under the Constitution of India, 'Public health and sanitation; hospitals and dispensaries' is a State Subject (Entry 6, List II), making state governments the primary responders, while the Union coordinates under Concurrent List entries like 'Prevention of the extension from one State to another of infectious or contagious diseases'.
Disaster Management Act, 2005 vs Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897: Understanding the overlapping jurisdictions, powers, and limitations of the 1897 Act (focused on temporary regulations and penalties) versus the 2005 Act (focused on systemic mitigation, capacity building, and structured disaster response).