BPAG 174 Solved Question Paper June 2026 gives you complete, exam-length answers to every item IGNOU set in this June’s Sustainable Development term-end paper, from the economic concepts of sustainable development to green technologies and food security. Two answers are open below so you can judge the depth before you message us.
BPAG 174 key facts for the June 2026 term-end exam
- Course code: BPAG-174
- Course title: Sustainable Development
- Programmes: BAG and BAPAH (printed on the June 2026 paper); also a Generic Elective in BCOMG, BSCG, BAECH, BAHIH, BASOH, BAPSH, BAEGH and BAHDH
- Course type: Generic Elective (GE), School of Social Sciences
- Credits: 6
- Blocks and units: 4 blocks, 14 units
- Maximum marks: 100 (term-end exam weightage 70%, assignments 30%)
- Duration: 3 hours
- Questions in the June 2026 paper: 8 numbered questions, 10 answerable items (Q4 and Q8 each have two short notes)
- Answers shown on this page: 2 (Q3 and Q7)
- Answers in the full paid file: All 10 (8 of them not shown on this page)
Inside the BPAG 174 Solved Question Paper for June 2026
BPAG 174 Sustainable Development is a 6-credit IGNOU Generic Elective on the meaning, goals, global climate rules and policy tools of sustainable development, studied in the Bachelor of Arts (General) and BA (Honours) Public Administration programmes.
The June 2026 paper ran for 3 hours and 100 marks. It had 8 numbered questions in two sections, and two of them (Q4 and Q8) split into a pair of 200-word short notes, so the paper holds 10 separately answerable items. You attempt any five questions, with at least two from each section.
Section A stayed with Blocks 1 and 2: the economic concepts of sustainable development, the integrated system approach, the Sustainable Development Goals, the UNFCCC and the concept of development. Section B moved to Blocks 3 and 4, with education, policy innovations, environmental justice and tribal rights, green technologies with food security, and the role of universities.
Every answer in our file follows the IGNOU self-learning material for this course, which is published unit by unit on eGyanKosh (BPAG-174 Block 1). Where a question needs dates, treaties or Acts, we have checked them against official sources rather than guide-book summaries.
BPAG 174 Sustainable Development Sample Answers from the June 2026 Paper
Two of the ten answers are shown in full here: Q3 on the Sustainable Development Goals from Section A and Q7 on environmental justice and tribal rights from Section B.
We picked one question from each section so you can see how a Block 1 answer and a Block 4 answer are built. Both are written to the 400-word length the paper asks for, with an introduction, clear headings and a conclusion an examiner can mark quickly.
Section A Question 3 20 marks
Q3. Write a note on sustainable development goals. (20 marks)
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 global goals adopted by all 193 member states of the United Nations on 25 September 2015 as the heart of the document Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. They came into force on 1 January 2016 and are meant to be achieved by 2030. The SDGs replaced the eight Millennium Development Goals that ran from 2000 to 2015.
Background
The process began at the Rio+20 Conference of 2012, whose outcome document The Future We Want called for a new set of goals. An Open Working Group of the UN General Assembly then drafted them through wide consultation. Unlike the MDGs, which were aimed mainly at developing countries, the SDGs are universal and apply to rich and poor nations alike.
The 17 goals
- No Poverty
- Zero Hunger
- Good Health and Well-being
- Quality Education
- Gender Equality
- Clean Water and Sanitation
- Affordable and Clean Energy
- Decent Work and Economic Growth
- Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
- Reduced Inequalities
- Sustainable Cities and Communities
- Responsible Consumption and Production
- Climate Action
- Life Below Water
- Life on Land
- Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
- Partnerships for the Goals
Main features
- Comprehensive: 17 goals carry 169 targets, tracked through a global indicator framework of more than 230 indicators.
- Universal: every country, developed or developing, is expected to act at home.
- Integrated and indivisible: progress on one goal depends on others; clean energy (Goal 7), for instance, supports climate action (Goal 13).
- Leave no one behind: the poorest and most excluded groups are to be reached first.
- Five Ps: the agenda is organised around People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnership.
- Balanced: the goals join the economic, social and environmental pillars of sustainable development.
- Voluntary review: countries report progress through Voluntary National Reviews at the UN High-Level Political Forum.
SDGs in India
In India, NITI Aayog coordinates SDG work and has published the SDG India Index since 2018, ranking states and union territories on their progress. National schemes are linked to particular goals, such as the Swachh Bharat Mission to Goal 6, Ujjwala Yojana to Goal 7 and Poshan Abhiyaan to Goal 2.
Limitations
Critics argue that 169 targets are hard to monitor, that the money needed far exceeds the funds available, and that the goals are not legally binding. Data gaps in many countries also make progress difficult to measure.
Conclusion
The SDGs turn the broad idea of sustainable development into measurable commitments with a fixed deadline. Their success up to 2030 depends on national policy, adequate finance and real partnership among governments, business and civil society.
Section B Question 7 20 marks
Q7. Discuss the relationship between environmental justice and rights of tribals. (20 marks)
Environmental justice means that the benefits and burdens of using nature are shared fairly, and that every community has a real say in decisions about its land, water and forests. In India the idea is closely tied to Scheduled Tribes, who form 8.6 per cent of the population (Census 2011) and live largely in forest, hill and mineral-rich regions.
Meaning and dimensions
Environmental justice is usually explained through three dimensions: distributive justice (who gains and who loses from a project), procedural justice (who takes part in the decision) and recognition justice (whose knowledge and way of life is respected). The term grew out of a 1982 protest in Warren County, North Carolina, against a toxic waste landfill sited near a poor Black community.
Why tribal communities face injustice
Tribal areas hold much of India’s forests, coal, iron ore and bauxite, so dams, mines and industries are often located there. Tribal communities bear displacement and lost livelihoods while electricity, minerals and profits flow to cities and industry. Displacement by the Sardar Sarovar dam, resisted by the Narmada Bachao Andolan from 1985, is a well-known example.
Legal safeguards
The Constitution protects tribal land through the Fifth and Sixth Schedules read with Article 244. The Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA) makes the gram sabha competent to safeguard community resources and requires consultation before land is acquired in Scheduled Areas.
The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 recognises individual and community forest rights, and its preamble openly admits the ‘historical injustice’ done to forest-dwelling communities.
Role of the courts
In Samatha v. State of Andhra Pradesh (1997), the Supreme Court held that tribal land in Scheduled Areas cannot be leased to private mining companies. In Orissa Mining Corporation v. Ministry of Environment and Forests (2013), it left the decision on bauxite mining in the Niyamgiri hills to the local gram sabhas, and all twelve gram sabhas rejected the project.
Tribals as protectors of the environment
Tribal rights are not only a question of fairness. Forest-dependent communities often conserve nature through sacred groves and customary rules. Principle 22 of the Rio Declaration (1992) recognises the vital role of indigenous people in environmental management, and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007) supports their free, prior and informed consent.
Continuing tensions
Relocation from protected areas, slow recognition of community forest rights and diversion of forest land for projects show that legal rights do not always become justice on the ground.
Conclusion
Environmental justice and tribal rights are two sides of the same coin. Sustainable development stays incomplete unless tribal communities share in the gains from resource use, take part in decisions and are recognised as stewards of the environment.
Questions answered only in the full file
These eight items from the June 2026 paper are printed below exactly as IGNOU set them. Their answers, including the economic concepts question that many students find tricky, are in the full solved file only.
- Q1. Describe the economic concepts of sustainable development. (20)
- Q2. Discuss the important features of integrated system approach. (20)
- Q4. Write short notes on the following in about 200 words each : (a) United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (10) (b) Concept of Development (10)
- Q5. ‘Education plays an important role in promoting sustainable development.’ Elaborate. (20)
- Q6. Elucidate the policy innovations required for sustainable development. (20)
- Q8. Write short notes on the following in about 200 words each : (a) Green technologies and food security. (10) (b) Role of universities in sustainable development. (10)
BPAG 174 Block and Unit Syllabus at a Glance
BPAG 174 has 4 blocks and 14 units, and the June 2026 paper drew its questions from 9 of those 14 units.
The topics listed against each unit come from the unit titles and from what IGNOU has actually asked in past papers, so you can see which parts of each unit carry marks. If you are still reading the course, our BPAG 174 Study Material follows the same block order.
| Block | Unit | Topics examined |
|---|---|---|
| Block 1 Concept of Sustainable Development | Unit 1 Meaning, Nature and Scope of Sustainable Development | Brundtland definition of 1987, principles and characteristics, need for sustainable development |
| Unit 2 Major Components of Sustainable Development | Economic, social and environmental components; the three pillars | |
| Unit 3 Approaches to Sustainable Development | Status-quo, integrated system, community and industrial sector approaches; human development and green accounting | |
| Unit 4 Goals of Sustainable Development | The 17 SDGs and 2030 Agenda, shift from the MDGs, ways to achieve the goals | |
| Block 2 Development, Sustainability and Climate Change | Unit 5 Concept of Global Commons and Climate Change | Global commons, meaning and impacts of climate change, global governance of climate change |
| Unit 6 International Conventions on Sustainable Development | UN conferences and conventions including the UNFCCC, role of international conferences | |
| Unit 7 Interrelationship among Development, Sustainability and Climate Change: Case for Differentiated Responsibilities | Concept of development, link between development and sustainability, Common but Differentiated Responsibilities | |
| Block 3 Health, Education and Food Security | Unit 8 Relationship between Sustainable Development and Food Security | Concept and dimensions of food security, issues shaping its link with sustainable development |
| Unit 9 Role of Green and Converging Technologies in Health, Sanitation and Food Security | Meaning, characteristics and categories of green technology; uses in health and sanitation | |
| Unit 10 Role of Education in Sustainable Development | Vision of Education for Sustainable Development, role of universities | |
| Block 4 Sustainable Development: A Way Forward | Unit 11 Role of Policy Innovations in Sustainable Development | Policy innovations needed for sustainable development and how they can be pursued |
| Unit 12 Recognition of Ecological Limits of Equity and Justice | Environmental justice, tribal rights, indigenous people and environmental protection | |
| Unit 13 Alternative Ways of Resource Generation and Capacity Enhancement | Alternative resource use and its environmental benefits, sustainable choices | |
| Unit 14 Role of Non-State Stakeholders in Sustainable Development | NGOs, corporates and labour unions as partners in sustainable development |
Units 1, 5, 8, 13 and 14 were not tested in June 2026. All five have come up in earlier papers, which is a strong reason to keep them in your revision for the next session.
BPAG 174 Question Paper Pattern and Marks Split
The BPAG 174 question paper carries 100 marks over 3 hours: you answer any five of eight questions, at least two from each section, and each question is worth 20 marks.
The term-end exam carries 70% weightage in your final result and the three assignments carry 30%. To compare this pattern with earlier sessions, open our IGNOU Previous Year Question Paper collection.
| Section | Questions | Type | Word limit | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Section A | Q1, Q2, Q3 | Long answers on Blocks 1 and 2 | About 400 words each | 20 each |
| Section A | Q4 (a) and (b) | Short notes on the UNFCCC and the concept of development | About 200 words each | 10 + 10 |
| Section B | Q5, Q6, Q7 | Long answers on education, policy innovations and tribal rights | About 400 words each | 20 each |
| Section B | Q8 (a) and (b) | Short notes on green technologies with food security and on universities | About 200 words each | 10 + 10 |
| Whole paper | Any 5 of 8 | At least 2 from each section | 3 hours | 100 |
The word limit has changed over time. The December 2021 and December 2022 papers asked for about 500 words per long answer and 250 per short note; from December 2023 onward IGNOU has printed about 400 and 200 words, and our answers follow the newer limits.
Sustainable Development Topics That Keep Returning in BPAG 174
Across six official IGNOU papers from December 2021 to December 2025, the meaning and nature of sustainable development appeared in all six, and five other topics appeared in five.
We counted a topic once per paper, whether it came as a long answer or a short note. The papers used are December 2021, December 2022, December 2023, June 2024, December 2024 and December 2025, all taken from ignou.ac.in or webservices.ignou.ac.in. We could not locate official June 2022, June 2023 or June 2025 papers for this course, so the table does not claim a full five-year run.
Two patterns stand out. Policy innovations (Q6) and tribal rights (Q7) in June 2026 repeat December 2024 almost word for word, and education has now come up in three sessions running. Our IGNOU Important Questions sets are built from the same kind of count.
| Topic (unit) | Papers out of 6 | Sessions where it appeared | In June 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meaning, nature and scope of sustainable development (Unit 1) | 6 | Dec 2021, Dec 2022, Dec 2023, Jun 2024, Dec 2024, Dec 2025 | Not asked |
| Components of sustainable development (Unit 2) | 5 | Dec 2021, Dec 2022, Jun 2024, Dec 2024, Dec 2025 | Q1 economic concepts |
| Global commons, climate change and its governance (Unit 5) | 5 | Dec 2022, Dec 2023, Jun 2024, Dec 2024, Dec 2025 | Not asked |
| Green technologies (Unit 9) | 5 | Dec 2021, Dec 2022, Dec 2023, Jun 2024, Dec 2024 | Q8(a) with food security |
| Environmental justice, tribal and indigenous rights (Unit 12) | 5 | Dec 2022, Dec 2023, Jun 2024, Dec 2024, Dec 2025 | Q7 |
| NGOs, corporates and labour unions (Unit 14) | 5 | Dec 2021, Dec 2023, Jun 2024, Dec 2024, Dec 2025 | Not asked |
| Approaches to sustainable development (Unit 3) | 4 | Dec 2022, Dec 2023, Jun 2024, Dec 2024 | Q2 integrated system approach |
| Food security (Unit 8) | 4 | Dec 2021, Dec 2022, Dec 2023, Dec 2025 | Only inside Q8(a) |
| Sustainable Development Goals (Unit 4) | 3 | Dec 2023, Dec 2024, Dec 2025 | Q3 |
| Education for sustainable development (Unit 10) | 3 | Dec 2021, Dec 2024, Dec 2025 | Q5 and Q8(b) |
| International conventions and conferences (Unit 6) | 2 | Dec 2021 (UNFCCC), Jun 2024 | Q4(a) UNFCCC |
| Development, sustainability and CBDR (Unit 7) | 2 | Dec 2021, Dec 2023 | Q4(b) concept of development |
| Alternative resource use (Unit 13) | 2 | Dec 2021, Dec 2025 | Not asked |
| Policy innovations (Unit 11) | 1 | Dec 2024 | Q6 |
How Our BPAG 174 Answers Are Written and Checked
Each BPAG 174 answer is drafted from the IGNOU unit it belongs to, matched to the printed word limit and checked by our reviewer Sheetal Kirola before it goes into the file.
Prateek Talwar and our subject team first map every question to its unit, so the Q2 answer uses the integrated system approach exactly as Unit 3 explains it, and Q4(b) draws on the development debate in Unit 7 rather than a general economics textbook.
Facts are checked at source. Treaty years such as the UNFCCC of 1992, the dates of the 2030 Agenda, and Indian laws such as PESA 1996 and the Forest Rights Act 2006 are verified before they go into an answer, because a wrong date costs marks in a 20-mark question.
Every long answer follows an introduction, headed points and a conclusion, while short notes open with a one-line definition followed by four or five crisp points. This is the structure IGNOU evaluators can scan quickly when they award marks.
BPAG 174 Solved File Index Question by Question
The solved file covers all 10 answerable items of the June 2026 paper: 2 are on this page and 8 are in the full file only.
Use this index to see which unit each answer comes from before you revise. Students who also want the wider programme papers can browse our BAG Question Paper page.
| Question | Question text | Course unit | Marks | Where to find the answer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | Describe the economic concepts of sustainable development. | Unit 2 Major Components of Sustainable Development | 20 | Full file only |
| Q2 | Discuss the important features of integrated system approach. | Unit 3 Approaches to Sustainable Development | 20 | Full file only |
| Q3 | Write a note on sustainable development goals. | Unit 4 Goals of Sustainable Development | 20 | On this page |
| Q4(a) | United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change | Unit 6 International Conventions on Sustainable Development | 10 | Full file only |
| Q4(b) | Concept of Development | Unit 7 Interrelationship among Development, Sustainability and Climate Change | 10 | Full file only |
| Q5 | ‘Education plays an important role in promoting sustainable development.’ Elaborate. | Unit 10 Role of Education in Sustainable Development | 20 | Full file only |
| Q6 | Elucidate the policy innovations required for sustainable development. | Unit 11 Role of Policy Innovations in Sustainable Development | 20 | Full file only |
| Q7 | Discuss the relationship between environmental justice and rights of tribals. | Unit 12 Recognition of Ecological Limits of Equity and Justice | 20 | On this page |
| Q8(a) | Green technologies and food security. | Unit 9 Role of Green and Converging Technologies in Health, Sanitation and Food Security | 10 | Full file only |
| Q8(b) | Role of universities in sustainable development. | Unit 10 Role of Education in Sustainable Development | 10 | Full file only |
Programmes That Carry BPAG 174 Sustainable Development
BPAG 174 is a Generic Elective, so students from several IGNOU bachelor’s programmes sit the same paper.
The June 2026 paper was printed for the IGNOU Bachelor of Arts (General) and the BA (Honours) Public Administration, and the same course is offered as an elective across the programmes below.
- Bachelor of Arts (General) (BAG)
- Bachelor of Commerce (General) (BCOMG)
- Bachelor of Science (General) (BSCG)
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Public Administration (BAPAH)
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Economics (BAECH)
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours) History (BAHIH)
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Sociology (BASOH)
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Political Science (BAPSH)
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours) English (BAEGH)
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Hindi (BAHDH)
On eGyanKosh the course material is filed under the Generic Elective lists of programmes such as BAPSH and BAECH, where it appears in Semester IV for BAECH. Whichever programme you are in, the BPAG 174 Sustainable Development paper and its marking are the same.
Get the Full BPAG 174 Solved Question Paper on WhatsApp
Message 9899436384 on WhatsApp with the code BPAG 174 and we will share the complete solved file with all 10 answers.
- Open WhatsApp and message 9899436384.
- Write “BPAG 174 June 2026” so we send the right session.
- Our team confirms the details and shares the full file with all 10 answers, including the 8 not shown here.
If your exam is close, ask us which units to revise first. The IGNOU BPAG 174 Solved Question Paper is one file covering both sections, so you do not need separate parts for Section A and Section B.
BPAG 174 Sustainable Development FAQs
These answers cover the questions BPAG 174 Sustainable Development students ask us most often about the June 2026 paper and the solved file.
What does the BPAG 174 Solved Question Paper June 2026 include?
It includes complete answers to all 10 answerable items in the June 2026 BPAG 174 paper: six long answers of about 400 words and four short notes of about 200 words. Each answer is mapped to its unit in the IGNOU course material, uses checked facts such as treaty dates and Acts, and follows the introduction, main points and conclusion structure that examiners expect.
How do I get the full BPAG 174 solved file on WhatsApp?
Send a WhatsApp message to 9899436384 with the course code BPAG 174 and the session June 2026. Our team will confirm your request and share the complete solved file. It contains all 10 answers from the paper, including the 2 shown on this page and the 8 that appear only in the full file, so every question is covered before your exam.
Which BPAG 174 questions are answered on this page?
Two answers are shown in full on this page. From Section A we have answered Q3, a note on the Sustainable Development Goals, and from Section B we have answered Q7, on the relationship between environmental justice and the rights of tribals. The other eight items, including the economic concepts question and both pairs of short notes, are answered only in the full file.
Is the BPAG 174 Sustainable Development paper hard to pass?
It is very manageable if you prepare the repeated topics. In the six official papers we checked, the meaning and nature of sustainable development came up every time, and five other themes came up in five papers each. Because you choose any five of eight questions, a student who knows these core units well usually has enough choice to write full-length answers.
How many questions must I attempt in the BPAG 174 exam?
You must attempt any five questions, selecting at least two from each section. Section A has Questions 1 to 4 and Section B has Questions 5 to 8. Every question carries 20 marks, so the paper totals 100 marks over 3 hours. Questions 4 and 8 are each split into two short notes of about 200 words, worth 10 marks apiece.
Which BPAG 174 topics repeat most often?
The meaning, nature and scope of sustainable development is the most repeated topic, appearing in all six official papers from December 2021 to December 2025 that we checked. Components of sustainable development, global commons and climate change, green technologies, tribal rights and environmental justice, and the role of NGOs and corporates each appeared in five of those six papers.
Can BAG and BAPAH students use the same BPAG 174 solved paper?
Yes. IGNOU sets one common BPAG 174 paper for every programme that offers this Generic Elective, and the June 2026 paper was printed for both BAG and BAPAH students. Learners from BCOMG, BSCG and the BA Honours streams that take this elective also sit the same paper, so the same solved file works for all of them.
How many credits and units does BPAG 174 Sustainable Development have?
BPAG 174 is a 6-credit course divided into 4 blocks and 14 units. Block 1 covers the concept of sustainable development, Block 2 covers development, sustainability and climate change, Block 3 covers health, education and food security, and Block 4 looks at the way forward through policy innovations, equity and justice, resource use and non-state stakeholders.