What is the BGS-013 December 2025 Question Paper?
The BGS 013 December 2025 question paper is the official IGNOU Term-End Examination paper for Gender and Governance held in December 2025. It carries 100 marks across eight essay questions, students attempt any five, and each long answer runs around 600 words.
For BAGS and CGSL students whose own Term-End Exam is still some weeks or months away, this paper is unusually useful. The same paper repeats themes across cycles with small wording shifts. Women in the informal economy, judicial reforms, Panchayati Raj, the IPC-CrPC framework, and intersectionality have all appeared multiple times. The IGNOU Term-End Examination December 2025 official schedule confirms this paper sat on the calendar.
About IGNOU BGS-013 Gender and Governance
About This Solved Paper
| Prepared by | Unnati Education academic team, IGNOU-experienced content writers |
|---|---|
| Qualification | Postgraduate in Gender Studies and Public Administration with specialization in Local Governance and Feminist Political Theory |
| Programme | IGNOU Certificate Programme in Gender in Law (CGSL) and Bachelor of Arts in Gender Studies (BAGS) |
| Institution Reference | IGNOU Term-End Examination, December 2025 |
| Last updated | April 2026 |
About the Course
BGS-013 sits in IGNOU's BAGS programme as a core paper and in CGSL as a key one. The syllabus moves between three things: how governance institutions work in India, how gender shapes participation in those institutions, and how feminist scholarship has redefined the very idea of governance. Topics span the informal economy, women in legal practice, judicial reforms, elected women representatives, the Panchayati Raj committees, the IPC and CrPC framework, and the class-caste-gender intersection.
BGS 013 Question Paper December 2025: Exam Pattern and Marks Breakdown
Glance at this before opening the booklet. It saves you ten minutes of structuring time inside the hall.
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Duration | 3 hours |
| Total marks | 100 |
| Total questions printed | 8 (Q1 to Q8) |
| Questions to attempt | Any 5 out of 8 |
| Marks per question | 20 marks each (equal weight) Q8 structure | Short notes, write any 4 of 5 sub-parts (5 marks each) Word limit | Long answers around 600 words, short notes around 200 to 250 words |
| Calculator policy | Not applicable, theoretical paper |
| Missing data assumption | Not applicable, no quantitative problems involved |
All Questions in the BGS 013 Question Paper December 2025 (Complete List)
This paper covers women's challenges in the Indian informal economy, women lawyers and patriarchy, judicial reforms and women in the justice system, elected women representatives globally, Balwantrai Mehta and Ashok Mehta committees on Panchayati Raj, characteristics of the IPC and CrPC, intersectionality and class-caste-gender debates, plus short notes on Labour Force Survey, Criminal Courts, Civil Society, Gender Justice, and Engendering Curriculum. Below is the verbatim text.
Note : Answer any five of the following questions. All questions carry equal marks.
Discuss the challenges for women in the informal economy of India with suitable examples. 20
Do you agree that women lawyers challenge patriarchy ? Support your argument with suitable examples. 20
Discuss the judicial reforms in India in the backdrop of women and the justice system. 20
Analyse the role of elected women representatives across the globe with suitable examples. 20
Discuss the contribution of Balwantrai Mehta Committee and Ashok Mehta Committee in the formation of the Panchayati Raj System. 20
Discuss characteristics of the Criminal Procedure Code and Indian Penal Code in India. 20
Evaluate the debates on class, caste and gender from an inter-sectionality approach. 20
Write short notes on any four of the following : 4×5=20
(a) Labour Force Survey
(b) Criminal Courts
(c) Civil Society
(d) Gender Justice
(e) Engendering Curriculum
Syllabus Topics Covered
Run down this list before practising. Mapping your weak topics here saves time inside the exam hall.
Concept of governance: government versus governance, the World Bank's good governance framework, feminist critique of "good governance" as gender-neutral Women in informal economy: PLFS data showing roughly 88 percent of Indian women workers in informal jobs, SEWA's organising model, the Code on Wages 2019 Women in legal profession: Indira Jaising's work on legal aid, the 2023 Supreme Court Bar Association data on women advocates (around 15 percent), the Law Commission's 230th Report Judicial reforms and women: Vishakha 1997, the Mediation Act 2023, the Justice Verma Committee 2013, fast-track courts after Nirbhaya, family court statistics Elected women representatives globally: Rwanda (around 61 percent women MPs, the world's highest), Nordic quota models, Naari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam 2023 in India Panchayati Raj: 73rd Constitutional Amendment 1992, Balwantrai Mehta Committee 1957, Ashok Mehta Committee 1978, women's reservation in PRIs at 33 percent (later raised to 50 percent in many states) IPC and CrPC structure: now replaced by BNS 2023 and BNSS 2023, but historical IPC 1860 and CrPC 1973 still tested, key sections on women's offences, criminal court hierarchy Intersectionality: Crenshaw 1989, Uma Chakravarti's Brahmanical patriarchy, Sharmila Rege on Dalit feminist standpoint, the class-caste-gender triple lens Civil society and gender: women's movement organisations (AIDWA, JAGORI, Lawyers Collective), feminist NGOs, the role of Mahila Samakhya Education and curriculum: National Curriculum Framework, the engendering of textbooks, NEP 2020 references, gender in higher education enrolment (AISHE)
Sample Answer Preview: BGS-013 Gender and Governance Explanation
Pick Question 5 for the sample, "Discuss the contribution of Balwantrai Mehta Committee and Ashok Mehta Committee in the formation of the Panchayati Raj System". It's a 20-marker, around 600 words. Most students treat the two committees as a list and lose marks. Here's how examiners actually distribute the score.
Open with a clean framing line (about 2 marks). One sentence: the Panchayati Raj system in India did not arrive ready-made through the 73rd Constitutional Amendment in 1992, it was built across three decades of committee reports, of which Balwantrai Mehta in 1957 and Ashok Mehta in 1978 were the two foundational ones. State this thesis up front.
Build the Balwantrai Mehta block (about 6 marks). Year: 1957, set up by the Government of India to examine the working of the Community Development Programme (1952) and the National Extension Service (1953). Recommendation: a three-tier structure, Gram Panchayat at village level, Panchayat Samiti at block level, Zilla Parishad at district level. The Samiti was the executive body in their model. Note that Rajasthan in 1959 became the first state to implement this, with Andhra Pradesh following soon after. Add one critical line: the committee did not address gender, women's representation was assumed to follow class and caste pathways.
Build the Ashok Mehta block (about 6 marks). Year: 1978, set up under the Janata government to review why Panchayati Raj had stagnated. Recommendation: a two-tier structure, Mandal Panchayat (covering 15,000 to 20,000 people) and Zilla Parishad. The committee argued for direct constitutional status, compulsory elections, and the entry of political parties. Note that Karnataka, West Bengal, and Andhra Pradesh implemented versions of this. Add one critical line: again, women's reservation was not central, but the Mandal Panchayat approach influenced later thinking.
Connect to the gender-governance frame (about 4 marks). Mention how subsequent committees, G.V.K. Rao (1985) and L.M. Singhvi (1986), built on these foundations and led to the Rajiv Gandhi reforms. Quote that the 73rd Constitutional Amendment 1992 finally introduced 33 percent reservation for women in PRIs, with many states later raising it to 50 percent. Cite Bina Agarwal or Nirmala Buch on women in PRIs to anchor the gender argument.
Close with a critical evaluation (about 2 marks). Acknowledge that the Mehta committees built the architecture, but it took feminist mobilisation over decades to translate that architecture into actual women's participation. End with one line on Naari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam 2023 as the next constitutional step. With this structure plus two committee years and one feminist scholar, you'll cross 16 out of 20.
How to Write High-Scoring Answers
Three habits separate a 60% script from an 85% one in BGS-013.
Date your committees and statutes precisely. Balwantrai Mehta 1957, Ashok Mehta 1978, 73rd CAA 1992, Naari Shakti Vandan 2023, Mediation Act 2023, BNS and BNSS 2023. Getting one wrong is a credibility hit you can't recover. Examiners scan for these.
Pair every theoretical claim with one Indian committee or case. Crenshaw's intersectionality with Uma Chakravarti's Brahmanical patriarchy. The informal economy debate with PLFS data and SEWA. Judicial reforms with the Justice Verma Committee 2013. Theory plus Indian anchor is what scores.
Attack the question word. "Analyse" wants causes plus mechanisms plus effects. "Evaluate" demands both strengths and weaknesses with your own position. "Discuss" wants multiple perspectives. The Question 4 prompt about elected women representatives globally, for instance, expects comparison across at least three countries, not just an India-only essay.
Who Should Use This Solved Question Paper
This paper fits you if any of these match your situation.
- You're a BAGS or CGSL student with the next BGS-013 Term-End Exam in June 2026 or December 2026, and you want a real reference paper to drill on.
- You're attempting BGS-013 as a backlog and last attempt the Panchayati Raj committee question or the intersectionality essay caught you without committee dates or scholar names.
- You're a working professional, perhaps in legal aid, panchayat support, NGO work, or civil services prep, juggling distance education, who needs a focused resource you can revise on the metro instead of carrying the full IGNOU block set.
- You're tired of free PDFs that confuse Balwantrai Mehta with Ashok Mehta, mis-date the 73rd Amendment, or skip the Naari Shakti Vandan reference. You want one verified version with a named subject expert behind it.
Why This is Better Than Free PDFs and Telegram Files
Free PDFs are easy to find. Telegram channels, WhatsApp groups, recycled Drive links shared by seniors. The problem isn't the price, it's the content. Most have outdated case lists (no Naari Shakti Vandan 2023, no BNS 2023), missing scholar names, and theoretical framing that confuses governance with government.
Here's what's different. Every essay is checked against the BGS 013 Gender and Governance Solved Question Paper standard and the official IGNOU syllabus. Committees are dated, statutes are correctly cited (BNS 2023 and BNSS 2023 alongside historical IPC and CrPC), and feminist scholars are placed in their actual debates.
You also get a real human you can email. Stuck on the difference between the Mandal Panchayat model and the three-tier Mehta model the night before? Write back. Free PDFs don't reply.
Student Reviews
Anushka, Bhopal, sat BGS-013 in the December 2024 cycle and used this set on her second attempt. The Panchayati Raj committee answer with Balwantrai Mehta 1957 and Ashok Mehta 1978 dated separately was the cleanest treatment she'd seen. Cleared the paper at 63.
Yashodhan, Aurangabad, BAGS final-year student attempting the June 2025 cycle. The intersectionality essay linking Crenshaw 1989 to Uma Chakravarti's Brahmanical patriarchy gave him the structure he had been missing. Scored 18 out of 20 in his next paper.
Faiza, Lucknow, working at a panchayat capacity-building NGO and finishing CGSL in evening sessions. The elected women representatives essay with Rwanda, Nordic quotas, and the Naari Shakti Vandan 2023 reference was exactly the comparative framing the examiner wanted.
How to Get the Solved Paper, Step by Step
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the actual December 2025 paper or a guessed version?
Yes, this is the actual IGNOU paper from December 2025. Our team works only with verified Term-End Examination papers, never reconstructed or rumour-based versions floating in Telegram groups. The questions in Section 7 of this page match the original word for word, including section instructions, the short-note sub-parts, and the marks distribution. Cross-check against any classmate's question paper from the same December 2025 cycle.
How useful is this for my 2026 Term-End Exam?
Very useful, because IGNOU rotates a steady pool of essay questions across cycles. Topics like the informal economy, judicial reforms, Panchayati Raj committees, women's representation, and intersectionality appear repeatedly with small wording changes. If your Term-End Exam falls in June 2026 or later, working through this paper exposes you to the actual essay style, scholar expectations, and committee-citation demand for serious marks.
Are all the long questions and internal choices fully solved?
Yes, all eight questions are fully solved, even though students only attempt five. That gives you full coverage so you can pick whichever five feel easier on the day. Each long answer follows the 600-word target, names the relevant scholars (Crenshaw, Chakravarti, Agarwal, Jaising), and includes Indian committees and statutes with correct years. All five sub-parts in Question 8's short notes section are also fully drafted.
Can I use these answers in my IGNOU assignments?
Use it as a reference, not a copy-paste source. The answers here are exam-style essays, while BAGS and CGSL TMA assignments expect slightly more developed argument with full citations. Lift the structure, the named scholars, the committee years, and the data points, then expand each into your TMA in your own voice. That way you actually learn the topic, your assignment stays original, and you avoid plagiarism flags during evaluation.
How quickly do I receive the solved paper after payment?
Instant. The moment your payment goes through, the PDF link arrives in your registered email and on the success page. Most students download it in under two minutes. If anything gets stuck because of a network issue or wrong email entry, our support team resends it manually within working hours. No overnight wait, no chasing follow-ups, no missing files when your exam is days away.
What if there's an issue or I need a refund?
If the file fails to download or the content doesn't match what's described on this page, write to us within 48 hours and we'll either fix the issue or refund the full amount. Doubt clearing on specific questions, including theory-heavy ones like intersectionality or the Panchayati Raj committees, is included free, just email us with the question number. Replies come on working days, usually same day for paid resources.
About Unnati Education
Unnati Education is a study resources platform built for IGNOU students. We work on solved papers, assignment guidance, and topic notes across BAGS, CGSL, CGSCI, BAG, BCOMG, BSCG, and other IGNOU programmes. Every paper is reviewed by a subject mentor before it goes live. We don't outsource to anonymous freelance writers. If a student writes in with a doubt, a real person replies, usually the same day. That's the standard, every paper, every cycle.
Explore More IGNOU BGS-013 Study Material
More resources you can pair with this paper:
Solved assignments for the latest BGS-013 TMA cycle Topic notes on Balwantrai Mehta, Ashok Mehta, intersectionality, and the 73rd Amendment Previous year solved papers for BGS-013 (June 2024, December 2024, June 2025) Statute and committee sheet covering BNS 2023, BNSS 2023, Naari Shakti Vandan 2023, Mediation Act 2023, and PLFS data
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