UPSC Mains PYQs
1053 questions
Every General Studies question since 2013, ready to attempt. Model answers arrive week by week.
79 questions
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- 2016 · GS3 · 12.5 marksGiven the vulnerability of Indian agriculture to vagaries of nature, discuss the need for crop insurance and bring out the salient features of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).
- 2016 · GS3 · 12.5 marksHow globalization has led to the reduction of employment in the formal sector of the Indian economy? Is increased informalization detrimental to the development of the country?
- 2016 · GS3 · 12.5 marksJustify the need for FDI for the development of the Indian economy. Why there is a gap between MOUs signed and actual FDIs? Suggest remedial steps to be taken to increase actual FDIs in India.
- 2016 · GS3 · 12.5 marksPradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) is necessary for bringing the unbanked to the institutional finance fold. Do you agree with this for the financial inclusion of the poor section of the Indian society? Give arguments to justify your opinion.
- 2016 · GS3 · 12.5 marksWhat are ‘Smart Cities’? Examine their relevance for urban development in India. Will it increase rural-urban differences? Give arguments for ’Smart Villages’ in the light of PURA and RURBAN Mission.
- 2016 · GS3 · 12.5 marksWomen empowerment in India needs gender budgeting. What are the requirements and status of gender budgeting in the Indian context?
2015
- 2015 · GS3 · 12.5 marksThere is a clear acknowledgement that Special Economic Zones (SEZs) are a tool for industrial development, manufacturing and exports. Recognising this potential, the whole instrumentality of SEZs requires augmentation. Discuss the issue plaguing the success of SEZs with respect to taxation, governing laws and administration.
- 2015 · GS3 · 12.5 marksThe Craze for gold in India has led to a surge in the import of gold in recent years and put pressure on the balance of payments and the external value of the rupee. In view of this, examine the merits of the Gold Monetization scheme.
- 2015 · GS3 · 12.5 marksHow can the Digital India program help farmers to improve farm productivity and income? What step has the government taken in this regard?
- 2015 · GS3 · 12.5 marksTo what factors can the recent dramatic fall in equipment cost and tariff of solar energy be attributed? What implications does the trend have for thermal power producers and related industries?
- 2015 · GS3 · 12.5 marksLivestock rearing has a big potential for providing non-farm employment and income in rural areas. Discuss suggesting suitable measures to promote this sector in India.
- 2015 · GS3 · 12.5 marksThe nature of economic growth in India in recent times is often described as jobless growth. Do you agree with this view? Give arguments in favour of your answer.
- 2015 · GS3 · 12.5 marks“Success of Make in India program depends on the success of Skill India programme and radical labour reforms.” Discuss with logical arguments.
- 2015 · GS3 · 12.5 marksIn what way could the replacement of price subsidy with direct benefit Transfer (DBT) change the scenario of subsidies in India? Discuss.
2014
- 2014 · GS3 · 12.5 marksCapitalism has guided the world economy to unprecedented prosperity. However, it often encourages short-sightedness and contributes to wide disparities between the rich and the poor. In this light, would it be correct to believe and adopt capitalism to bring inclusive growth in India? Discuss.
- 2014 · GS3 · 12.5 marksForeign Direct Investment (FDI) in the defence sector is now set to be liberalized: What influence this is expected to have on Indian defence and economy in the short and long run?
- 2014 · GS3 · 12.5 marksIn a globalised world, Intellectual Property Rights assume significance and are a source of litigation. Broadly distinguish between the terms—Copyrights, Patents and Trade Secrets.
- 2014 · GS3 · 12.5 marksInternational civil aviation laws provide all countries complete and exclusive sovereignty over the airspace above their territory. What do you understand by ‘airspace’ What are the implications of these laws on the space above this airspace? Discuss the challenges which this poses and suggest ways to contain the threat
- 2014 · GS3 · 12.5 marksNational Urban Transport Policy emphasises ‘moving people’ instead of ‘moving vehicles’. Discuss critically the success of the various strategies of the Government in this regard.
- 2014 · GS3 · 12.5 marksNormally countries shift from agriculture to industry and then later to services, but India shifted directly from agriculture to services. What are the reasons for the huge growth of services vis-a-vis industry in the country? Can India become a developed country without a strong industrial base.
- 2014 · GS3 · 12.5 marksExplain how Private Public Partnership arrangements, in long gestation infrastructure projects, can transfer unsustainable liabilities to the future. What arrangements need to be put in place to ensure that successive generations’ capacities are not compromised?
- 2014 · GS3 · 12.5 marks“In the villages itself no form of credit organization will be suitable except the cooperative society.” – All India Rural Credit Survey. Discuss this statement in the background of agricultural finance in India. What constraints and challenges do financial institutions supplying agricultural finance face? How can technology be used to better reach and serve rural clients?
- 2014 · GS3 · 12.5 marks“While we flaunt India’s demographic dividend, we ignore the dropping rates of employability.” What are we missing while doing so? Where will the jobs that India desperately needs come from? Explain.
2013
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