UPSC Mains Answer Writing Practice – Insights SECURE: 20 February 2025

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General Studies – 1

Topic: Art and Culture

Q1. The inscriptions found across India serve as a primary source of history. Examine how inscriptions from different regions and periods provide insights into India’s socio-political and economic landscape. (10 M)

Difficulty Level: Medium

Reference: InsightsIAS

Why the question
Inscriptions serve as a primary source of history, offering direct evidence of India’s socio-political and economic evolution. Analyzing inscriptions from different regions and periods provides insights into governance, trade, and societal structures.

Key Demand of the Question
The question requires an examination of how inscriptions contribute to understanding India’s history, with a focus on their socio-political and economic aspects across different periods and regions.

Structure of the Answer

Introduction
Mention how inscriptions serve as primary historical records, providing direct evidence of governance, economy, and society across time.

Body

• Socio-political insights: Discuss how inscriptions reveal details about administration, legal systems, religious patronage, and social structures.
• Economic insights: Explain how inscriptions provide information on taxation, trade, infrastructure, and economic transactions.

Conclusion
Highlight the importance of inscriptions in reconstructing history and their role in complementing literary and archaeological sources.

Topic: Art and Culture

Q2. The “National Mission for Manuscripts” aims to document, digitize, and preserve India’s manuscript heritage. Analyze the challenges and effectiveness of such initiatives in conserving India’s written traditions. (15 M)

Difficulty Level: Medium

Reference: InsightsIAS

Why the question
India has the world’s largest manuscript collection, but their preservation faces multiple challenges. The National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) is a key initiative, and analyzing its impact is crucial for heritage conservation.

Key demand of the question
The question requires evaluating the objectives and efforts of NMM, identifying key challenges in manuscript conservation, and assessing its effectiveness in preserving India’s written traditions.

Structure of the Answer

Introduction
Mention the significance of India’s manuscript heritage, highlighting the vast collection and its cultural value. Briefly introduce NMM and its objectives in preservation and digitization.

Body

• National Mission for Manuscripts: Objectives and Scope – Explain the key goals of identification, digitization, training, and public accessibility in manuscript conservation.
• Challenges in manuscript conservation – Discuss issues such as fragmentation, funding constraints, environmental threats, legal hurdles, and shortage of skilled professionals.
• Effectiveness of such initiatives – Assess the achievements of NMM, including digitization progress, revival of ancient knowledge, increased public engagement, training programs, and global recognition.

Conclusion
Acknowledge the progress made but emphasize the need for stronger legal frameworks, increased funding, and better coordination for long-term preservation. Suggest a National Digital Repository and policy support as a way forward

General Studies – 2

Topic: Indian Constitution- historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure.

Q3. “The imposition of gag orders as a condition for bail amounts to a prior restraint on free speech”. Discuss the constitutional validity of such restrictions in light of judicial pronouncements. (15 M)

Difficulty Level: Medium

Reference: TH

Why the question

The top court has repeatedly cautioned against imposing onerous restrictions that unduly curtail personal liberty while granting interim relief

Key demand of the question

The question requires an analysis of whether gag orders as bail conditions constitute a prior restraint on free speech and an evaluation of the constitutional validity of such restrictions, with references to relevant judicial pronouncements.

Structure of the answer

Introduction:

Define prior restraint and establish its connection to Article 19(1)(a). Briefly introduce the issue of gag orders and the judicial role in safeguarding free speech.

Body

• How gag orders as bail conditions impose prior restraint: Explain how bail conditions like gag orders impact speech before it occurs and limit freedom of expression, citing constitutional provisions.
• Constitutional and legal validity: Discuss how restrictions under Article 19(2) must be proportional and justified by public interest. Reference relevant Supreme Court judgments on prior restraint and proportionality.
• Judicial precedents on bail conditions and speech restrictions: Summarize cases where the Supreme Court struck down excessive bail conditions and gag orders that violated free speech.
• Way Forward: Propose that bail conditions should be narrowly tailored, ensuring that speech restrictions are specific and proportionate. Suggest the need for clearer guidelines to prevent arbitrary judicial restrictions on freedom of expression.

Conclusion:

Conclude by reinforcing the importance of protecting fundamental rights, especially free speech, and ensuring proportionality in judicial actions like bail conditions.

Topic: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests

Q4. Examine how the US–India COMPACT fits into the broader Indo-Pacific strategic framework and its implications for regional power dynamics. (10 M)

Difficulty Level: Medium

Reference: IE

Why the question
The “US–India COMPACT for the 21st Century”, launched recently, aims to boost bilateral trade from $200 billion to $500 billion by 2030.

Key Demand of the Question
The question requires an examination of how the US–India COMPACT integrates with the Indo-Pacific strategic framework and its implications for regional power dynamics, including its effect on alliances, economic networks, and geopolitical balance.

Structure of the Answer

Introduction
Briefly highlight how economic agreements like COMPACT influence strategic alignments in the Indo-Pacific and reinforce India’s role in countering regional hegemonies.

Body

• US–India COMPACT in the Indo-Pacific Strategic Framework: Discuss how the agreement aligns with India’s Indo-Pacific vision, strengthens trade, defense, and supply chain resilience, and integrates with regional partnerships like QUAD and IPEF.
• Implications for Regional Power Dynamics: Examine how COMPACT challenges China’s influence, impacts ASEAN’s centrality, affects India’s strategic autonomy, and contributes to a shifting power balance in the Indo-Pacific.

Conclusion
Emphasize the dual opportunity and challenge for India—leveraging the COMPACT for economic and strategic gains while ensuring it does not compromise its multi-alignment approach in global diplomacy.

General Studies – 3

Topic: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment

Q5. The ‘last mile’ of disinflation is becoming increasingly challenging in the current global economic environment. Discuss the implications of this phenomenon for India’s monetary policy. (10 M)

Difficulty Level: Medium

Reference: TH

Why the question
As per RBI Bulletin- Trade-related policies to stroke inflation, heighten market turbulence

Key demand of the question
The question requires analyzing why the last phase of disinflation is difficult globally, followed by a discussion on how this impacts India’s monetary policy decisions in areas like interest rates, exchange rates, and financial stability.

Structure of the Answer

Introduction
Briefly explain disinflation and why its final phase is particularly challenging, highlighting global and domestic factors that complicate inflation control.

Body

• Challenges in the ‘last mile’ of disinflation – Discuss factors like sticky core inflation, global trade disruptions, strong dollar, climate shocks, and energy volatility that make inflation control harder.
• Implications for India’s monetary policy – Explain how RBI’s policy decisions on interest rates, forex management, liquidity control, and supply-side interventions are affected by global inflationary trends.

Conclusion
Highlight the need for a balanced approach between inflation control and economic growth, emphasizing coordinated fiscal and monetary strategies to maintain stability.

Topic: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways

Q6. Transmission infrastructure is often considered the ‘Achilles’ heel’ of India’s power sector. Evaluate the challenges in power transmission and distribution, and suggest reforms to enhance efficiency and reliability. (15 M)

Difficulty Level: Medium

Reference: DTE

India’s power sector has transformed over the past decade, shifting from chronic shortages to surplus capacity. The Union Ministry of Power to Rajya Sabha during the recently concluded Budget Session revealed underlying structural inefficiencies, transmission constraints and the challenge of integrating renewable energy.

Why the question

India’s power sector has transitioned from shortages to surplus, yet transmission and distribution inefficiencies remain a major challenge. Addressing these structural issues is critical for energy security, renewable integration, and economic growth.

Key demand of the question

The question requires an evaluation of challenges in power transmission and distribution and demands practical reforms to enhance efficiency, reliability, and sustainability.

Structure of the answer

Introduction:

Briefly highlight India’s energy surplus status but emphasize T&D bottlenecks as the key hurdle in ensuring universal and reliable power supply.

Body

• Challenges in power transmission and distribution: Discuss infrastructure deficits, high AT&C losses, DISCOM financial distress, weak policy implementation, and renewable integration issues.
• Reforms to enhance efficiency and reliability: Suggest expansion of transmission networks, smart grid adoption, financial restructuring of DISCOMs, regulatory streamlining, and private sector participation.

Conclusion:

Emphasize the need for urgent structural reforms, integrating policy stability, infrastructure expansion, and digital solutions to ensure a resilient and sustainable power sector.

General Studies – 4

Q7. Spreading misinformation for political gains is often seen in public discourse. Discuss the ethical challenges misinformation poses to democracy and suggest ways to ensure ethical political discourse. (10 M)

Difficulty Level: Medium

Reference: TH

Why the question
Misinformation has become a significant challenge to democracy, influencing public perception, elections, and governance. Ethical political discourse is crucial to maintaining democratic integrity and public trust.

Key Demand of the Question
The question requires an analysis of the ethical challenges misinformation poses to democracy and a discussion of measures to ensure ethical political discourse through legal, institutional, and societal interventions.

Structure of the Answer

Introduction
Briefly mention how misinformation impacts democratic principles, weakens public trust, and creates ethical dilemmas in governance and political communication.

Body

• Ethical challenges posed by misinformation: Discuss how misinformation erodes public trust, influences elections, causes social polarization, weakens institutions, and degrades political ethics.
• Ways to ensure ethical political discourse: Suggest legal safeguards, fact-checking mechanisms, responsible political leadership, social media regulations, and civic education to counter misinformation.

Conclusion
Emphasize the need for truth-driven governance, ethical leadership, and media accountability to protect democratic values and ensure an informed citizenry.

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