UPSC 2024 Mains GS3 - All Model Answers

1. Difficulty level: The GS3 2024 paper is relatively easy to moderate. Topics in Economy, Agriculture, Environment and Disaster Management were based on recurring themes from the syllabus. However, current affairs-oriented questions in Science & Tech and Security have added a layer of complexity. Awareness of contemporary issues from the past 3 years, such as the Digital Data Protection Act, Labour codes, and the UDAN scheme, was crucial this year.

2. Subject wise analysis:

● The questions in the Economy section are based on key syllabus topics and current affairs from the past 2-3 years, like public expenditure, the UDAN scheme, land reforms, labour codes, and inflation management. Having well-organized and concise notes will significantly aid in addressing them.

● The topics asked in the Agriculture section focus on pressing issues such as millets, irrigation, and buffer stock management, which require a deep understanding of contemporary challenges. Unfortunately, the Food Processing section is ignored this year. Data-driven answers with specific statistics are far more effective than generic responses, as the questions are more straightforward.

● Similarly, in the Environment section, relevant issues such as industrial pollution and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) have been asked. To effectively address these, it is crucial to use relevant examples and data to enhance your responses and make them more impactful.

● In the Science & Tech section, topics like Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), space (asteroid), electronic toll systems and freshwater technologies are closely tied to current affairs. In these areas, relying solely on static notes won't suffice. Instead, staying updated with recent developments and trends is essential for framing insightful answers.

● The questions in the Disaster Management section like urban flooding and disaster resilience (Sendai framework) are among the easiest, as they are directly drawn from previous year questions (PYQs). Since these topics have been repeated, preparing through PYQs proves highly beneficial in tackling them effectively.

● The Security questions reflect from the core themes of the syllabus, such as narcoterrorism, cybersecurity, border security, and social media. However, a noticeable shift in the trend from the previous years is observed, where direct questions are no longer asked. Instead, they are now intertwined with current affairs, like the Digital Personal Data Protection Act and Social media security.

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1. Examine the pattern and trend of public expenditure on Social Services in the post-reforms period in India. To what extent this has been in consonance with achieving the objective of inclusive growth?

2. What are the causes of persistent high food inflation in India? Comment on the effectiveness of the monetary policy of RBI to control this type of inflation. 

3. What were the factors responsible for the successful implementation of land reforms in some parts of the country? Elaborate.

4. Explain the role of millets for ensuring health and nutritional security in India.

5. What is the present world scenario of intellectual property rights with respect to life materials? Although, India is second in the world to file patents, still only afew have been commercialized. Explain the reasons behind this less commercialization. 

6. What is the technology being employed for electronic toll collection on highways. What are its advantages and limitations? What are the proposed changes that will make this process seamless? Would this transition carry any potential hazard?

7. Industrial pollution of river water is a significant environmental issue in India. Discuss the various mitigation measures to deal with this problem and also the government’s initiative in this regard.

8.What role do environmental NGOs and activists play in influencing Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) outcomes for major projects in India? Cite four examples with all important details.

9. Explain how narco-terrorism has emerged as a serious threat across the country. Suggest suitable measures to counter narco-terrorism.

10. Describe the context and salient feature of Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023.

11. Discuss the merits and demerits of the four Labour Codes’ in the context of labor market reforms in India. What has been the progress so far in this regard? 

12. What is the need for expanding the regional air connectivity in India? In this context, discuss the government’s UDAN Scheme and its achievements.

13. What are the major challenges faced by Indian irrigation system in recent times?State the measures taken by the government for efficient irrigation management. 

14. Elucidate the importance of buffer stocks for stabilizing agricultural prices in India. What are the challenges associated with the storage of buffer stock? Discuss.

15. The world is facing an acute shortage of clean and safe alternative freshwater. What are the technologies which can solve this crisis? Briefly discuss any three such technologies, citing their key merits and demerits.

16. What are asteroids? How real is the threat of them causing extinction of life? What strategies have been developed to prevent such a catastrophe?

17. What 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).

18. Flooding in urban areas is an emerging climate-induced disaster. Discuss the causes of this disaster. Mention the features of two such major floods in the last two decades in India. Describe the policies and frameworks in India that aim at tackling such floods. India 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.

19. India 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.

20. Social media and encrypting messaging services pose a serious security challenge. What measures have been adopted at various levels toaddress the security implications of social media? Also suggest any other remedies to address the problem.

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