UPSC Mains Answer Writing Practice – Insights SECURE: 13 May 2025

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General Studies – 1

Topic: Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country.

Q1. Discuss how land reform initiatives in post-independence India reflected a complex interplay of political will, legal resistance, and socio-economic hierarchy. (10 M)

Difficulty Level: Easy

Reference: InsightsIAS

Why the question:
Land reforms remain central to India’s post-independence socio-economic justice agenda. The question is relevant due to recent discourse on agrarian inequality, caste-class dominance in rural areas, and digital land record reforms.

Key demand of the question:
The question requires an analysis of how land reforms were influenced by political motivations, resisted through legal means, and constrained by entrenched socio-economic hierarchies in post-independence India.

Structure of the Answer:

Introduction
Briefly state the constitutional vision and transformative intent behind post-independence land reforms.

Body

• Political will: Address the role of state capacity, leadership ideology, electoral interests, and implementation focus.
• Legal resistance: Discuss constitutional property rights, judicial setbacks, constitutional amendments, and land record ambiguities.
• Socio-economic hierarchy: Explain caste dominance, gender exclusion, evasion tactics, and tribal land alienation.

Conclusion
Provide a concise futuristic statement about the need for integrated, equity-driven land governance reforms.

Topic: Role of women and women’s organization

Q2. Women often sustain resistance movements but remain excluded from leadership in development negotiations. Analyse the sociological causes of this exclusion. Examine policy gaps and suggest measures for inclusive leadership. (15 M)

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Reference: TH

Why the question:
Across India and South Asia, women have long been at the forefront of movements resisting unjust development, extractivism, and climate degradation. They have led protests against destructive mining, dams, and infrastructure projects. Yet, when it comes to decision-making, these women are largely invisible.

Key Demand of the question:
The question demands an analysis of the sociological reasons behind women’s exclusion from leadership roles in development negotiations, identification of gaps in existing policy frameworks, and a discussion of measures to ensure inclusive leadership.

Structure of the Answer:

Introduction
Briefly mention the contradiction between women’s central role in resistance and their exclusion from leadership in development outcomes.

Body

• Sociological causes: Highlight how patriarchy, informal leadership bias, lack of land rights, and male-dominated forums perpetuate exclusion.
• Policy gaps: Discuss implementation failure of land laws, FPIC flaws, gender-neutral rehabilitation, lack of representation in institutions.
• Measures: Suggest reforms like gendered FPIC, legal recognition, quotas, capacity-building, and inclusive governance design.

Conclusion
Call for structural empowerment and policy redesign to transform women from passive participants to formal decision-makers.

General Studies – 2

Topic: Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure

Q3. Centrally sponsored schemes are increasingly becoming instruments of policy centralisation. Examine the structural and procedural factors driving this trend. Assess its implications for cooperative federalism. Propose mechanisms to reconcile national priorities with subnational autonomy in shared domains. (15 M)

Difficulty Level: Medium

Reference: IE

Why the question:
The Kerala government has decided to approach the Supreme Court against the Centre’s decision to withhold the release of Rs 1,500 crore to the state under various centrally sponsored education schemes, according to Kerala’s Education Minister

Key Demand of the question:
The question requires an examination of the institutional and procedural causes behind centralisation through CSS, an analysis of its federal consequences, and feasible mechanisms to balance national imperatives with state-specific autonomy.

Structure of the Answer:

Introduction
Briefly define CSS and its role in India’s quasi-federal system; mention growing concerns over central dominance in shared domains.

Body

• Examine factors driving centralisation: Highlight how fiscal asymmetry, conditional transfers, and uniform scheme design lead to centralised control.
• Assess implications for cooperative federalism: Discuss how it reduces state autonomy, fuels political frictions, and undermines participatory governance.
• Propose mechanisms for balance: Suggest strengthening intergovernmental bodies, revising CSS design for flexibility, and ensuring transparent, equitable fund allocation.

Conclusion
Reinforce the idea that true cooperative federalism requires not just shared responsibility, but shared authorship of national policies.

Topic: Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.

Q4. “Global financial institutions are increasingly performing security functions in South Asia”. Comment. (10 M)

Difficulty Level: Medium

Reference: IE

Why the question
The recent bailout underscores how the international system continues to accommodate a geopolitically pivotal yet structurally fragile state

Key Demand of the question
The question demands an examination of how global financial institutions are acting beyond economic roles to influence regional security in South Asia and a critical analysis of the issues emerging from this trend.

Structure of the Answer:

Introduction
Briefly explain the evolving security role of global financial institutions in politically unstable regions, with South Asia as a case in point.

Body

• Highlight ways in which these institutions are increasingly performing security functions in South Asia.
• Analyse key issues arising from this shift, such as credibility loss, moral hazard, and weakened regional frameworks.
• Suggest actionable reforms and institutional mechanisms to ensure neutrality, accountability, and regional consultation.

Conclusion
Call for a balanced approach where financial institutions uphold neutrality while ensuring their instruments support long-term regional stability without becoming tools of power politics.

General Studies – 3

Topic: Major crops cropping patterns in various parts of the country.

Q5. “Stubble burning is no longer a seasonal crisis restricted to North India but a symptom of unsustainable agricultural practices”. Examine. Suggest structural reforms to address this issue beyond penalisation. (15 M)

Difficulty Level: Medium

Reference: DTE

Why the question
Policy response to stubble burning crisis is mostly centered around Delhi while Madhya Pradesh is the worst offender.

Key demand of the question
The question requires analysing stubble burning as a structural issue rooted in unsustainable agricultural practices and suggesting long-term institutional and economic reforms beyond just bans or punishments.

Structure of the Answer:

Introduction
Use a data point or recent example showing spread of stubble burning and connect it to structural causes like monoculture and mechanisation.

Body

• Explain how stubble burning reflects deeper unsustainable patterns like monoculture, mechanisation, and policy incentives.
• Suggest structural reforms such as MSP realignment, bioeconomy linkages, integrated farming promotion, and ecological zoning.

Conclusion
Suggest a futuristic shift towards circular agriculture and sustainable rural economies as a long-term solution.

Topic: Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth.

Q6. Export restrictions on niche minerals like germanium and gallium reflect a shift from market-based to coercion-based trade. Comment. Also assess India’s vulnerability in this context. (10 M)

Difficulty Level: Medium

Reference: TH

Why the question
The Indian embassy in Beijing said that representations have been received on the issue of germanium export restrictions, and the matter has been brought up with the Chinese side in written representations and meetings.

Key Demand of the question
It requires an analysis of how export bans on niche minerals reflect coercive trade practices and an evaluation of India’s specific vulnerabilities in this shifting trade paradigm.

Structure of the Answer:

Introduction
Mention the global trend of securitising mineral exports and its implications for technology-dependent economies.

Body

• Explain how recent export restrictions reflect a move from free trade to strategic coercion.
• Assess India’s weaknesses—such as import dependence, cost impact, and lack of reserves—in the face of such curbs.

Conclusion
Call for a strategic roadmap including stockpiling, mineral diplomacy, and domestic capability building to reduce exposure.

General Studies – 4

Q7. What are the core principles of just war theory? Analyse their relevance in counterinsurgency operations. (10 M)

Difficulty Level: Medium

Reference: TH

Why the question
Burkina Faso forces killed 100 civilians in March attack; all victims were Fulani, Human Rights Watch says.

Key Demand of the question
The question requires outlining the fundamental principles of Just War Theory and evaluating their ethical relevance in the conduct of counterinsurgency operations, especially in asymmetric warfare scenarios.

Structure of the Answer:

Introduction
Define Just War Theory briefly and its ethical role in regulating state violence.

Body

• List core principles like just cause, legitimate authority, proportionality, and non-combatant immunity.
• Analyse how these principles apply in counterinsurgency operations, with relevance to militia control, constitutional safeguards, and civil-military relations.

Conclusion
Emphasise that ethical warfare ensures not only peace but also the moral legitimacy of the state’s actions.

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