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UPSC Mains PYQs

1053 questions

Every General Studies question since 2013, ready to attempt. Model answers arrive week by week.

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2024

  1. 2024 · GS2 · 10 marksExplain and distinguish between Lok Adalats and Arbitration Tribunals. Whether they entertain civil as well as criminal cases?
  2. 2024 · GS2 · 10 marksThe Doctrine of Democratic governance makes it necessary that the public perception of the integrity and commitment of civil servants becomes absolutely positive. Discuss.
  3. 2024 · GS2 · 10 marks“The duty of the Comptroller and Auditor General is not merely to ensure the legality of expenditure but also its propriety.” Comment.
  4. 2024 · GS2 · 15 marksE-governance is not just about the routine application of digital technology in service delivery process. It is as much about multifarious interactions for ensuring transparency and accountability. In this context, evaluate the role of the “Interactive Service Model” of e-governance.
  5. 2024 · GS2 · 15 marksDiscuss the geopolitical and geostrategic importance of Maldives for India with a focus on global trade and energy flows. Further also discuss how this relationship affects India's maritime security and regional stability amidst international competition?
  6. 2024 · GS2 · 10 marks“The growth of the cabinet system has practically resulted in the marginalization of parliamentary supremacy.” Elucidate.
  7. 2024 · GS2 · 10 marksCritically analyze India's evolving diplomatic, economic and strategic relations with the Central Asian Republics (CARs) highlighting their increasing significance in regional and global geopolitics.
  8. 2024 · GS2 · 15 marksDiscuss India as a secular state and compare it with the secular principles of the US constitution.
  9. 2024 · GS2 · 10 marksExamine the need for electoral reforms as suggested by various committees with particular reference to the “one nation-one election” principle.
  10. 2024 · GS2 · 10 marksPoverty and malnutrition create a vicious cycle, adversely affecting human capital formation. What steps can be taken to break the cycle?
  11. 2024 · GS2 · 10 marksPublic charitable trusts have the potential to make India’s development more inclusive as they relate to certain vital public issues. Comment.
  12. 2024 · GS2 · 15 marksExplain the reasons for the growth of PILs in India. As a result of it, has the India supreme court emerged as the most powerful judiciary?
  13. 2024 · GS2 · 15 marksRight to privacy is intrinsic to life and personal liberty and is inherently protected under Article 21 of the constitution. Explain. In this reference discuss the law relating to D.N.A. testing of a child in the womb to establish its paternity.
  14. 2024 · GS2 · 10 marksAnalyze the role of local bodies in providing good governance at local level and bring out the pros and cons of merging the rural local bodies with the urban local bodies.
  15. 2024 · GS2 · 15 marksTerrorism has become a significant threat to global peace and security. Evaluate the effectiveness of the United Nations Security Council's Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC) and its associated bodies in addressing and mitigating this threat at the international level.
  16. 2024 · GS2 · 10 marks“The West is fostering India as an alternative to reduce dependence on China's supply chain and as a strategic ally to counter China's political and economic dominance.” Explain this statement with examples.
  17. 2024 · GS3 · 15 marksWhat are asteroids? How real is the threat of them causing extinction of life? What strategies have been developed to prevent such a catastrophe?
  18. 2024 · GS3 · 10 marksWhat are the causes of persistent high food inflation in India? Comment on the effectiveness of the monetary policy of the RBI to control this type of inflation.
  19. 2024 · GS3 · 10 marksDescribe the context and salient features of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.
  20. 2024 · GS3 · 15 marksWhat is disaster resilience? How is it determined? Describe various elements of a resilience framework. Also mention the global targets of Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030).
  21. 2024 · GS3 · 15 marksElucidate the importance of buffer stocks for stabilizing agricultural prices in India. What are the challenges associated with the storage of buffer stocks? Discuss.
  22. 2024 · GS3 · 10 marksWhat were the factors responsible for the successful implementation of land reforms in some parts of the country? Elaborate.
  23. 2024 · GS3 · 15 marksFlooding in urban areas is an emerging climate-induced disaster. Discuss the causes of this disaster. Mention the features of two such major floods that occurred in India in the last two decades. Describe the policies and frameworks in India that aim at tackling such floods.
  24. 2024 · GS3 · 15 marksIndia has a long and troubled border with China and Pakistan fraught with contentious issues. Examine the conflicting issues and security challenges along the border. Also give out the development being undertaken in these areas under the Border Area Development Programme (BADP) and Border Infrastructure and Management (BIM) Scheme.
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