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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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2022

  1. 2022 · GS3 · 10 marksWhat are the major challenges of Public Distribution System (PDS) in India? How can it be made effective and transparent?
  2. 2022 · GS3 · 10 marksWhat are the maritime security challenges in India? Discuss the organisational, technical and procedural initiatives taken to improve maritime security.
  3. 2022 · GS3 · 10 marksExplain the mechanism and occurrence of cloudburst in the context of the Indian subcontinent. Discuss two recent examples.
  4. 2022 · GS3 · 15 marksNaxalism is a social, economic and developmental issue manifesting as a violent internal security threat. In this context, discuss the emerging issues gest a multilayered strategy to tackle the menace of Naxalism.
  5. 2022 · GS3 · 10 marksWhy is Public Private Partnership (PPP) required in infrastructural projects? Examine the role of PPP model in the redevelopment of Railway Stations in India.
  6. 2022 · GS3 · 10 marksElaborate the scope and significance of the food processing industry in India
  7. 2022 · GS3 · 15 marksDo you think India will meet 50 percent of its energy needs from renewable energy by 2030? Justify your answer. How will the shift of subsidies from fossil fuels to renewables help achieve the above objective? Explain.
  8. 2022 · GS3 · 10 marksDiscuss the types of organised crimes. Describe the linkages between terrorists and organised crime that exist at the national and transnational levels.

2021

  1. 2021 · GS3 · 10 marksDiscuss about the vulnerability of India to earthquake related hazards. Give examples including the salient features of major disasters caused by earthquakes in different parts of India during the last three decades.
  2. 2021 · GS3 · 15 marksDo you agree that the Indian economy has recently experienced V-shapes recovery? Give reasons in support of your answer.
  3. 2021 · GS3 · 15 marksAnalyse the complexity and intensity of terrorism, its causes, linkages and obnoxious nexus. Also suggest measures required to be taken to eradicate the menace of terrorism.
  4. 2021 · GS3 · 10 marksDescribe the key points of the revised Global Air Quality Guidelines (AQGs) recently released by the World Health Organisation (WHO). How are these different from its last update in 2005? What changes in India’s National Clean Air Programme are required to achieve these revised standards?
  5. 2021 · GS3 · 15 marksDescribe the major outcomes of the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). What are the commitments made by India in this conference?
  6. 2021 · GS3 · 15 marksDescribe the various causes and the effects of landslides. Mention the important components of the National Landslide Risk Management Strategy.
  7. 2021 · GS3 · 10 marksHow did land reforms in some parts of the country help to improve the socio-economic conditions of marginal and small farmers?
  8. 2021 · GS3 · 10 marksExplain the difference between computing methodology of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) before the year 2015 and after the year 2015.
  9. 2021 · GS3 · 10 marksDistinguish between Capital Budget and Revenue Budget. Explain the components of both these Budgets.
  10. 2021 · GS3 · 10 marksDiscuss how emerging technologies and globalisation contribute to money laundering. Elaborate measures to tackle the problem of money laundering both at national and international levels.
  11. 2021 · GS3 · 10 marksHow and to what extent would micro-irrigation help in solving India’s water crisis?
  12. 2021 · GS3 · 15 marks“Investment in infrastructure is essential for more rapid and inclusive economic growth. ”Discuss in the light of India’s experience.
  13. 2021 · GS3 · 10 marksKeeping in view India’s internal security, analyse the impact of cross-border cyber attacks. Also discuss defensive measures against these sophisticated attacks.
  14. 2021 · GS3 · 15 marksAnalyse the multidimensional challenges posed by external state and non-state actors, to the internal security of India. Also discuss measures required to be taken to combat these threats.
  15. 2021 · GS3 · 15 marksThe Nobel Prize in Physics of 2014 was jointly awarded to Akasaki, Amano and Nakamura for the invention of Blue LEDs in the 1990s. How has this invention impacted the everyday life of human beings?
  16. 2021 · GS3 · 15 marksWhat are the present challenges before crop diversification? How do emerging technologies provide an opportunity for crop diversification?
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