BharatNotes Affirmative Action
noun (uncountable)Usage in a UPSC answer
The 103rd Constitutional Amendment extending 10% EWS reservation revived the debate on whether affirmative action in India should address economic deprivation independently of caste-based historical disadvantage.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
affirmative (adjective), affirm (verb), affirmation (noun), affirmatively (adverb)
Root
Latin affirmare (to make firm) + Latin actio (a doing) ← agere (to drive, to do)
Etymology
The phrase emerged in American political discourse following US Executive Order 10925 (1961) under President Kennedy, combining Latin affirmare (assert positively) with actio (action, legal proceeding). Adopted globally to describe compensatory state policies addressing structural inequality.
Memory Hook
AFFIRMATIVE = AFFIRM + ACTIVE: the state actively affirms the rights of the marginalised instead of passively watching. Visualise a hand lifting up a suppressed group.
How This Word Works in UPSC Writing
Positive measures taken to improve the position of groups that have suffered historic disadvantage. In the Indian constitutional scheme it takes the form of reservation and other special provisions, and the framing that earns marks is that these are an expression of substantive equality rather than an exception to equality. The standing debates, on creamy layer, on adequacy of representation and on periodic review, all follow from that framing.
Don’t Confuse It With
Affirmative action is the general category of positive measures. Reservation is the specific Indian form, quota-based and constitutionally provided. Protective discrimination is the older descriptive term for the same idea. Equality of opportunity is the goal, and affirmative action is one instrument for reaching it.
Hindi Meaning
सकारात्मक कार्रवाई (sakārātmak kārravāī); आरक्षण (ārakshan) is reservation specifically.
Common Questions
- What is affirmative action?
- Positive measures designed to improve the position of groups that have faced historical disadvantage or discrimination.
- Is affirmative action an exception to equality?
- It is better understood as an expression of substantive equality, since treating unequals identically would perpetuate rather than correct disadvantage.
Seen in UPSC Question Papers
- Prelims 2011 — Public Finance & Fiscal Policy
- Mains 2024 · GS1 · 15 marks — Indian Society
Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Affirmative Action” — proof this word earns its place on your list.
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