UPSC Mains 2014 GS-3 Question Paper

All 20 questions from this paper, with real topper answers where available.

• Q1. "In the villages itself no form of credit organisation will be suitable except the cooperative society." – All Indian Rural Credit Survey. Discuss this statement in the background of agriculture finance in India. What constraints and challenges do financial institutions supplying agricultural finances face? How can technology be used to better reach and serve rural clients? How can the ‘Digital India’ programme help farmers to improve farm productivity and income? What steps has the Government taken in this regard?12.5 marks · Agriculture Finance
• Q1. Scientific research in Indian universities is declining, because a career in science is not as attractive as our business operations, engineering or administration, and the universities are becoming consumer-oriented. Critically comment.12.5 marks
• Q2. There is also a point of view that agriculture produce market committees (APMCs) set up under the state acts have not only impeded the development of agriculture but also have been the cause of food inflation in India. Critically examine.12.5 marks · APMC
• Q2. The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 has come into effect from 1 January 2014. What implications would it have on industrialization and agriculture in India?12.5 marks · The Land Acquisition Act, 2013
• Q2. With a focus on the September 2010 NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) guidelines, discuss the mechanism for preparedness to deal with the El Nino and La Nina fallouts in India.12.5 marks
• Q2. International 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.12.5 marks · Airspace Security
• Q3. Capitalism has guided the world economy to unprecedented prosperity. However, it often encourages shortsightedness and contributes to wide disparities between the rich and the poor. In this light, would it be correct to believe and adopt capitalism as a means to achieve inclusive growth in India? Discuss.12.5 marks · Capitalism vs Inclusive Growth
• Q3. Should the pursuit of carbon credit and clean development mechanism set up under UNFCCC be maintained even though there has been a massive slide in the value of carbon credit? Discuss with respect to India’s energy needs for economic growth.12.5 marks · UNFCCC
• Q3. The diverse nature of India as a multireligious and multi-ethnic society is not immune to the impact of radicalism which has been in her neighbourhood. Discuss along with the strategies to be adopted to counter this environment.12.5 marks · Radicalisation
• Q4. While we find 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.12.5 marks · Demographic Dividend & Employability
• Q4. National urban transport policy emphasizes on moving people instead of moving vehicles. Discuss critically the success of various strategies of the government in this regard.12.5 marks · Urban Transport Policy
• Q4. Normally 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?12.5 marks · Sectoral Shift to Services
• Q4. Environmental impact assessment studies are increasingly undertaken before a project is cleared by the government. Discuss the environmental impacts of coal-fired thermal plants located at pitheads.12.5 marks · EIA
• Q4. How does illegal transborder migration pose a threat to India’s security? Discuss the strategies to curb this, and bring out the factors which give impetus to such migration.12.5 marks · Transborder Migration
• Q5. Explain how private public partnership agreements, in longer gestation infrastructure projects, can transfer unsuitable liabilities to the future. What arrangements need to be put in place to ensure that successive generations’ capacities are not compromised?12.5 marks · PPP & Intergenerationa l Equity
• Q5. Foreign direct investment in the defence sector is now said to be liberalised. What influence this is expected to have on Indian defence and economy in the short and long run?12.5 marks · Foreign Defence Sector)
• Q5. In 2012, the longitudinal marking of the high-risk areas for piracy was moved from 65° East to 78° East in the Arabian Sea by the International Maritime Organisation. What impact does this have on India’s maritime security concerns?12.5 marks · Maritime security
• Q6. In a globalised world, intellectual property rights assume significance and are a source of litigation. Broadly distinguish between the terms – copyrights, patents and trade secrets.12.5 marks · IPR
• Q6. China and Pakistan have entered into an agreement for the development of an economic corridor. What threat does it pose for India’s security? Critically examine.12.5 marks · Border security( CPEC)
• Q7. Can overuse and the availability of antibiotics without doctor’s prescription be the contributors to the emergence of drug-resistant diseases in India? What are the available mechanisms for monitoring and control? Critically discuss the various issues involved.12.5 marks · Resistance (AMR)