UPSC Mains Answer Writing Practice – Insights SECURE: 13 December 2024

The Insights IAS Secure Initiative for UPSC Mains Answer Writing practice enables you to practice daily answer writing, enhancing your skills and boosting your scores with regular feedback, expert tips, and strategies. Let consistency be the hallmark of your preparation and utilize UPSC Mains Answer Writing practice initiative wisely

Click on EACH question to post/upload you answers.

How to Follow Secure Initiative?

How to Self-evaluate your answer? 

MISSION – 2025: YEARLONG TIMETABLE

Join IPM 4.0 to get an assured review of 2 secure answers everyday

General Studies – 1

Topic: Role of women and women’s organization, population and associated issues

Q1. Discuss how access to clean drinking water through initiatives like Jal Jeevan Mission contributes to women’s empowerment in rural India. (10 M)

Difficulty Level: Medium

Reference: PIB

Why the question?
The Prime Minister emphasised that Jal Jeevan Mission was furthering women mpowerment, especially in our rural areas.

Key Demand of the Question:
Analyze the role of clean drinking water in empowering rural women, discuss associated challenges, and suggest a way forward.

Structure of the Answer:

Introduction:
Briefly introduce Jal Jeevan Mission and its focus on providing functional tap water connections to rural households, highlighting its relevance to women’s empowerment.

Body:

• Contribution of clean drinking water: Suggest improvements in time management, health, safety, and economic participation of rural women due to accessible water.
• Challenges in achieving empowerment: Highlight issues such as infrastructure gaps, contamination, and societal barriers that limit the full realization of the benefits.

Conclusion:
Provide a forward-looking, solution-oriented conclusion emphasizing the need for targeted infrastructure upgrades, quality checks, and awareness campaigns to ensure sustainable empowerment.

Topic: Distribution of key natural resources across the world (including South Asia and the Indian subcontinent)

Q2. What drives the persistence of destructive fishing practices such as bottom trawling in the Palk Bay? Evaluate its harmful effects on the marine ecosystem and suggest steps for sustainable fisheries management. (15 M)

Difficulty Level: Medium

Reference: TH

Why the question?
Sri Lanka’s Fisheries Minister-Bottom trawling by Indian fishermen must stop

Key Demand of the Question:
Identify reasons for continued bottom trawling, evaluate its ecological consequences, and propose actionable solutions for sustainable fisheries management.

Structure of the Answer:

Introduction:
Briefly define bottom trawling and its significance in the Palk Bay fisheries conflict, highlighting its economic and ecological impact.

Body:

• Drivers of bottom trawling: Discuss economic dependency, weak enforcement, and lack of sustainable alternatives.
• Harmful effects on the marine ecosystem: Highlight biodiversity loss, habitat destruction, and fish stock depletion.
• Steps for sustainable fisheries management: Suggest solutions like eco-friendly fishing practices, regional cooperation, and community-based approaches.

Conclusion:
Provide a forward-looking solution emphasizing the need for sustainable practices and cooperative efforts to balance livelihoods and marine conservation.

General Studies – 2

Topic: Devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein.

Q3. Examine the reasons for delays in conducting elections to Urban Local Governments (ULGs) despite constitutional mandates. What measures can be taken to address these delays and strengthen urban governance? (15 M)

Difficulty Level: Medium

Reference: TH

Why the question?
The reasons behind the frequent delays in Urban Local Government (ULG) elections and suggest measures to ensure their timely and effective implementation, given their critical role in decentralization and urban governance.

Key Demand of the Question:
Identify reasons for delays in ULG elections, analyze their impact on governance, and suggest actionable measures to strengthen local democracy and urban governance.

Structure of the Answer:

Introduction:
Briefly introduce the importance of ULGs in the context of the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act and their role in decentralization and urban development. Highlight the constitutional mandate for timely elections.

Body:

• Reasons for delays in ULG elections: Mention factors like state control, delays in ward delimitation, reservation disputes, and lack of SEC autonomy.
• Measures to address delays: Propose empowering SECs, mandatory timelines, decentralizing powers, leveraging technology, and enhancing citizen participation.

Conclusion:
Summarize the need for timely ULG elections as a cornerstone of urban governance and suggest a forward-looking, sustainable approach to ensure vibrant local democracy.

Topic: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health

Q4. “Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is not just about building hospitals but ensuring systems that guarantee equitable care”. Discuss the challenges and steps needed for India to achieve UHC. (10 M)

Difficulty Level: Medium

Reference: IE

Why the question?
To analyze the challenges faced by India in achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and propose actionable solutions for equitable healthcare delivery.

Key Demand of the Question:
Identify and discuss the structural and systemic challenges in achieving UHC and provide actionable steps for its effective implementation.

Structure of the Answer:

Introduction:
Define UHC and its significance for equitable healthcare. Highlight India’s current healthcare gaps briefly.

Body:

• Challenges in achieving UHC: Discuss issues like low public health spending, rural-urban disparity, OOPE, shortage of healthcare resources, and lack of preventive care focus.
• Steps needed for UHC: Suggest solutions like increasing public health funding, strengthening primary healthcare, reducing OOPE, addressing social determinants, and improving governance and accountability.

Conclusion:
Emphasize the importance of a systemic, equity-focused approach to UHC and its role in ensuring inclusive health outcomes and sustainable development for India.

General Studies – 3

Topic: Ecological Niche

Q5. “The concept of the ecological niche is crucial for understanding species interactions and competition in ecosystems”. Explain with relevant examples from Indian biodiversity. (10 M)

Difficulty Level: Medium

Reference: InsightsIAS

Why the Question
The concept of ecological niche in understanding biodiversity dynamics, including species interactions and competition, relevant for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management.

Key Demand of the Question
To explain the ecological niche concept with emphasis on its role in species interactions and competition, using specific and relevant Indian examples.

Structure of the Answer

Introduction
Define ecological niche briefly and mention its importance in maintaining ecosystem stability, referencing Indian biodiversity.

Body

• Species interactions: Highlight how niches facilitate interactions like mutualism, specialization, or food web dynamics, with relevant Indian examples.
• Competition in ecosystems: Explain how niches mitigate or exacerbate competition, using principles like competitive exclusion and resource partitioning, supported by Indian case studies.

Conclusion
Conclude with the role of understanding ecological niches in conserving biodiversity, with a futuristic note on sustainable practices and climate adaptation.

Topic: Ecosystem

Q6. Explain the various types of ecosystems found in India and discuss their unique characteristics and significance in maintaining ecological balance. (15 M)

Difficulty Level: Medium

Reference: InsightsIAS

Why the Question
The diversity of ecosystems in India, their unique roles, and their contribution to maintaining ecological balance, aligning with the importance of biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.

Key Demand of the Question
The question requires explaining the types of ecosystems found in India, their distinct characteristics, and analyzing their significance in ensuring ecological balance through relevant examples.

Structure of the Answer

Introduction
Briefly highlight India’s ecological diversity and its global significance as a megadiverse nation, setting the context for the discussion on ecosystems.

Body

• Types of ecosystems and their unique characteristics: Cover major ecosystems like forests, wetlands, grasslands, deserts, coastal and marine ecosystems, mountain regions, and island ecosystems with examples.
• Significance in maintaining ecological balance: Discuss their roles in biodiversity conservation, climate regulation, disaster mitigation, water cycle management, and livelihood support with Indian examples.

Conclusion
Emphasize the need for ecosystem preservation through effective policies and sustainable practices, highlighting its importance for environmental security and human well-being.

General Studies – 4

Q7. A deadly stampede in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras resulted in over 120 fatalities during a congregation led by Baba Narayan Hari, also known as ‘Bhole Baba.’ Formerly a government official, Baba Narayan Hari transitioned into a religious preacher two decades ago and has since garnered a significant following in the state. The tragic incident occurred as people were leaving a ‘satsang'(prayer meeting), leading to suffocation and a pile-up of bodies, marking one of the most severe tragedies of its kind in recent years. Thousands attended the ‘satsang’ (prayer meeting), which was privately organized and had received permission from the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM). This incident is part of a tragic pattern of stampedes at religious gatherings in India, which have claimed numerous lives over the years. Notable incidents include the 2005 stampede at Maharashtra’s Mandhardevi temple that resulted in over 340 deaths, the 2008 tragedy at Rajasthan’s Chamunda Devi temple with at least 250 fatalities, and another 2008 stampede at the Naina Devi temple in Himachal Pradesh, which killed 162 people.  [20M]

Given the situation, answer the following:

1. Identify the key stakeholders involved in this incident and their respective roles.
2. Evaluate the responsibilities of religious leaders and event organizers in ensuring the safety of participants in large-scale gatherings.
3. Propose a comprehensive action plan to prevent such incidents in the future.

Difficulty Level: Medium

Why the Question

This question evaluates the ethical responsibilities of stakeholders in managing safety during religious gatherings, examines the accountability of organizers, and seeks proactive solutions to prevent similar tragedies.

Key Demand of the Question

Analyze the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders in the incident, assess the ethical duties of religious leaders and organizers, and suggest a robust preventive action plan.

Structure of the Answer:

Introduction
Briefly introduce the ethical dimensions of public safety in religious congregations, citing the tragic stampede incident to highlight its relevance.

Body

• Key Stakeholders and Roles: Identify stakeholders such as the religious leader, event organizers, local administration, law enforcement, and participants, explaining their respective roles.
• Responsibilities of Leaders and Organizers: Highlight the moral and legal duty of religious leaders and organizers to prioritize safety, including crowd management and adherence to regulations.
• Action Plan for Prevention: Propose measures like regulatory frameworks, advanced crowd control mechanisms, public awareness campaigns, and strict monitoring by authorities.

Conclusion
Conclude with the need for collective accountability and ethical governance to prevent such incidents, emphasizing the importance of human lives over administrative or religious oversight.

Join our Official Telegram Channel HERE

Please subscribe to Our podcast channel HERE

Subscribe to our YouTube ChannelHERE

Follow our Twitter Account HERE

Follow our Instagram ID HERE

Follow us on LinkedIn : HERE