UPSC Mains Answer Writing Practice – Insights SECURE: 31 March 2025

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General Studies – 1

Topic: Population and associated issues

Q1. The growing drug menace in India is no longer a law enforcement issue but a societal emergency. Analyse the socio-cultural drivers behind this crisis. Examine its implications on social cohesion. Suggest a comprehensive community-based strategy. (15 M)

Difficulty Level: Medium

Reference: NIE

Why the question:
There is a silent epidemic that has gripped the Indian youth and is threatening to derail not just their future but also that of the country. The drug menace has reached frightening proportions, and it is scary that this hasn’t become the most talked about subject in the country.

Key Demand of the question:
The question requires an analysis of the societal causes behind rising drug use, its impact on social cohesion, and a solution-oriented community strategy to tackle it effectively.

Structure of the Answer:

Introduction:
Begin with a striking fact or observation highlighting the growing drug crisis and its shift from criminality to a societal emergency.

Body:

• Mention socio-cultural factors like alienation, popular culture, or family breakdown fueling the crisis.
• Discuss consequences such as rising violence, educational disruption, and marginalisation that weaken social bonds.
• Suggest a decentralised, participatory, and culturally sensitive community response involving institutions and civil society.

Conclusion:
End with a forward-looking note on the need for societal ownership and a preventive ecosystem to protect India’s youth and social fabric.

Topic: Role of women and women’s organization,

Q2. Social constructs such as colour and gender invisibly shape access to dignity. Discuss. Evaluate the possibilities of reshaping societal lenses over structural prisms. (10 M)

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Reference: IE

Why the question:
Colour, gender and other identities are social constructs, the patterns that the prism of society throws when we let ourselves pass through it. We may not be able to change the prism overnight, but can we change the lens to begin with

Key Demand of the question:
The question demands an analysis of how invisible biases rooted in colour and gender affect social dignity, and a critical evaluation of how perceptual change (lens) can be a first step in challenging structural barriers .

Structure of the Answer:

Introduction:
Start with how social identity affects dignity in everyday life, supported by a powerful contemporary reference.

Body:

• Address how constructs like skin tone and gender influence access to dignity in social, cultural, and institutional spaces.
• Examine whether perceptual change through education, representation, or law can shift societal attitudes even when structures remain rigid.

Conclusion:
End with a forward-looking idea that perceptual change is the first crack in the wall of structural bias.

General Studies – 2

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

Q3. “Judicial interventions may protect free speech in form but fail to secure it in substance”. Examine. Suggest measures to ensure robust constitutional protection for democratic dissent. (10 M)

Difficulty Level: Medium

Reference: IE

Why the question:
Rising instances where judicial rulings uphold free speech, yet state actions continue to stifle dissent, as seen in recent cases involving comedians, poets, and Opposition leaders.

Key demand of the question:
The question asks to critically examine the gap between judicial pronouncements and on-ground realities regarding free speech, and to suggest institutional measures to ensure stronger constitutional protection for democratic dissent.

Structure of the Answer:

Introduction:
Begin by highlighting the paradox of formal judicial support for free speech amidst increasing on-ground suppression, using a recent example.

Body:

• Discuss how judicial interventions remain symbolic due to selective enforcement, delay, or lack of systemic impact.
• Suggest institutional reforms like legal safeguards, accountability mechanisms, and civil society oversight to ensure genuine protection of dissent.

Conclusion:
Conclude by asserting that only a multi-institutional commitment, beyond courts, can protect the spirit of free and fearless speech in a democracy.

Topic: Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary

Q4. What are the systemic flaws in the current Collegium-based judicial appointments process? How have recent judicial controversies revealed structural opacity and ethical lapses? Evaluate how an Indian Judicial Service can address these issues. (15 M)

Difficulty Level: Medium

Reference: TH

Why the question:
Recent judicial controversies involving High Court judges and revival of the Indian Judicial Service (IJS) debate have brought urgent attention to the need for transparent, accountable, and merit-based judicial appointments.

Key Demand of the question:
The question requires examination of structural flaws in the Collegium system, linking them with recent controversies, and assessing the feasibility and effectiveness of the Indian Judicial Service as a reform model.

Structure of the Answer:

Introduction:
Introduce with the critical role of judicial legitimacy in a constitutional democracy and mention recent developments prompting debate.

Body:

• Systemic flaws in Collegium: Briefly highlight issues like opacity, nepotism, lack of accountability, and federal tension.
• Revelation through controversies: Use examples to show how recent events exposed ethical and structural gaps.
• Evaluation of IJS as a solution: Discuss how IJS could address transparency, representation, and post-selection oversight while noting key implementation challenges.

Conclusion:
Conclude with a balanced outlook suggesting that institutional independence must evolve alongside democratic accountability.

General Studies – 3

Topic: National Income Accounting

Q5. Despite the robustness of GDP as a measure, it fails to capture the informal sector adequately. Discuss the implications of this limitation. Suggest alternatives for more inclusive national income accounting. (15 M)

Difficulty Level: Medium

Reference: InsightsIAS

Why the question
The informal sector, which forms the backbone of India’s employment landscape, remains inadequately represented in GDP figures, raising questions about the accuracy and inclusivity of national income accounting, especially in the post-pandemic recovery phase.

Key Demand of the question
The question demands an analysis of the limitations of GDP in capturing the informal sector, the implications of this gap, and suggestions for alternative methods to ensure more inclusive national income accounting.

Structure of the Answer:

Introduction:
Briefly mention the dominance of the informal sector in India’s economy and how its invisibility in GDP metrics distorts national assessment.

Body:

• Highlight why GDP fails to adequately account for the informal sector, focusing on issues like lack of formal data, cash transactions, and unregistered employment.
• Discuss the consequences of this limitation, such as policy misdirection, social security lapses, and flawed employment data.
• Suggest broader and alternative measures like satellite accounts, big data use, survey enhancements, and inclusion of unpaid work.

Conclusion
Emphasize the need for data reforms and inclusive measurement tools to enable equitable policymaking and holistic economic planning.

Topic: Money and Banking

Q6. Public sector banks have seen significant recapitalization, yet credit delivery to priority sectors remains sluggish. Examine the reasons behind this paradox. Suggest structural reforms to address it. (10 M)

Difficulty Level: Easy

Reference: InsightsIAS

Why the question:

In light of massive PSB recapitalization over the past few years, yet persistent inefficiencies in delivering credit to vital sectors like agriculture, MSMEs, and weaker sections remain a policy concern.

Key Demand of the question:
The question demands an analysis of the contradiction between high recapitalization and poor credit flow to priority sectors, along with practical structural reforms to address this issue.

Structure of the Answer:

Introduction:
Briefly highlight the scale of recapitalization and the contradiction with continued PSL underperformance.

Body:

• Discuss structural and operational reasons like risk aversion or inefficient systems that cause low credit flow despite recapitalization.
• Suggest reforms like digital credit models, decentralization of targets, and incentivization mechanisms to improve credit outreach.

Conclusion:
Call for a shift from capital infusion to systemic transformation focused on inclusive and responsive banking.

General Studies – 4

Q7. What does the following quotation convey to you in the present context? 

“If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed” – Albert Einstein

Difficulty Level: Medium

Why the question
The quote challenges the external motivations behind ethical behaviour, making it relevant in today’s context of increasing regulatory oversight but declining moral conscience.

Key Demand of the question
The question requires interpreting the philosophical essence of the quote and examining its relevance in today’s socio-administrative, institutional, and personal ethical contexts.

Structure of the Answer:
Introduction
Begin with a reflection on the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations in ethics and their implications on moral behaviour.

Body:

• Explain how the quote criticizes ethics driven solely by fear or reward, emphasizing the role of internal moral compass.
• Discuss the contemporary relevance of this idea across governance, public service, digital conduct, and civic behaviour.

Conclusion:
Conclude by underlining the need for ethics education and moral cultivation to build a society that is self-regulated, not fear-regulated.

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