General Studies III

Economy, agriculture, science and technology, environment, security, disasters. Filter by topic or year.

20 questions

2024 · Question 1 · 10 marks · 150 words
Examine the pattern and trend of public expenditure on social services in the post-reforms period in India. To what extent this has been in consonance with achieving the objective of inclusive growth?
- Inequality and inclusive growth
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Main) 2024, General Studies III (opens in a new tab)
2024 · Question 2 · 10 marks · 150 words
What are the causes of persistent high food inflation in India? Comment on the effectiveness of the monetary policy of the RBI to control this type of inflation.
- Banking and finance
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Main) 2024, General Studies III (opens in a new tab)
2024 · Question 3 · 10 marks · 150 words
What were the factors responsible for the successful implementation of land reforms in some parts of the country? Elaborate.
- Land records and tenancy
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Main) 2024, General Studies III (opens in a new tab)
2024 · Question 4 · 10 marks · 150 words
Explain the role of millets for ensuring health and nutritional security in India.
- Nutrition transition
- Malnutrition and food security
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Main) 2024, General Studies III (opens in a new tab)
2024 · Question 5 · 10 marks · 150 words
What is the present world scenario of intellectual property rights with respect to life materials? Although, India is second in the world to file patents, still only a few have been commercialized. Explain the reasons behind this less commercialization.
- IPR and technology transfer
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Main) 2024, General Studies III (opens in a new tab)
2024 · Question 6 · 10 marks · 150 words
What is the technology being employed for electronic toll collection on highways? What are its advantages and limitations? What are the proposed changes that will make this process seamless? Would this transition carry any potential hazards?
- Infrastructure financing
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Main) 2024, General Studies III (opens in a new tab)
2024 · Question 7 · 10 marks · 150 words
Industrial pollution of river water is a significant environmental issue in India. Discuss the various mitigation measures to deal with this problem and also the government's initiatives in this regard.
- Marine pollution
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Main) 2024, General Studies III (opens in a new tab)
2024 · Question 8 · 10 marks · 150 words
What role do environmental NGOs and activists play in influencing Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) outcomes for major projects in India? Cite four examples with all important details.
- Civil society and NGOs
- Forest governance
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Main) 2024, General Studies III (opens in a new tab)
2024 · Question 9 · 10 marks · 150 words
Explain how narco-terrorism has emerged as a serious threat across the country. Suggest suitable measures to counter narco-terrorism.
- Narco-terror
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Main) 2024, General Studies III (opens in a new tab)
2024 · Question 10 · 10 marks · 150 words
Describe the context and salient features of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.
- Data protection versus transparency
- Cyber security
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Main) 2024, General Studies III (opens in a new tab)
2024 · Question 11 · 15 marks · 250 words
Discuss the merits and demerits of the four 'Labour Codes' in the context of labour market reforms in India. What has been the progress so far in this regard?
- Labour Codes in force (Nov 2025)
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Main) 2024, General Studies III (opens in a new tab)
2024 · Question 12 · 15 marks · 250 words
What is the need for expanding the regional air connectivity in India? In this context, discuss the government's UDAN Scheme and its achievements.
- Infrastructure financing
- Tourism and the creative economy
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Main) 2024, General Studies III (opens in a new tab)
2024 · Question 13 · 15 marks · 250 words
What are the major challenges faced by Indian irrigation system in recent times? State the measures taken by the government for efficient irrigation management.
- Water for agriculture
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Main) 2024, General Studies III (opens in a new tab)
2024 · Question 14 · 15 marks · 250 words
Elucidate the importance of buffer stocks for stabilizing agricultural prices in India. What are the challenges associated with the storage of buffer stock? Discuss.
- MSP and procurement
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Main) 2024, General Studies III (opens in a new tab)
2024 · Question 15 · 15 marks · 250 words
The world is facing an acute shortage of clean and safe freshwater. What are the alternative technologies which can solve this crisis? Briefly discuss any three such technologies citing their key merits and demerits.
- River linking and water disputes
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Main) 2024, General Studies III (opens in a new tab)
2024 · Question 16 · 15 marks · 250 words
What are asteroids? How real is the threat of them causing extinction of life? What strategies have been developed to prevent such a catastrophe?
- Human spaceflight and space stations
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Main) 2024, General Studies III (opens in a new tab)
2024 · Question 17 · 15 marks · 250 words
What is disaster resilience? How is it determined? Describe various elements of a resilience framework. Also mention the global targets of Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030).
- Community-based DRR
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Main) 2024, General Studies III (opens in a new tab)
2024 · Question 18 · 15 marks · 250 words
Flooding in urban areas is an emerging climate-induced disaster. Discuss the causes of this disaster. Mention the features of two such major floods in the last two decades in India. Describe the policies and frameworks in India that aim at tackling such floods.
- Urban floods
- Urban flooding and heat islands
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Main) 2024, General Studies III (opens in a new tab)
2024 · Question 19 · 15 marks · 250 words
India has a long and troubled border with China and Pakistan fraught with contentious issues. Examine the conflicting issues and security challenges along the border. Also give out the development being undertaken in these areas under the Border Area Development Programme (BADP) and Border Infrastructure and Management (BIM) Scheme.
- Border management and illegal migration
- India–China thaw
- India–Pakistan after Operation Sindoor
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Main) 2024, General Studies III (opens in a new tab)
2024 · Question 20 · 15 marks · 250 words
Social media and encrypting messaging services pose a serious security challenge. What measures have been adopted at various levels to address the security implications of social media? Also suggest any other remedies to address the problem.
- Hybrid warfare and disinformation
- Cyber security
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Main) 2024, General Studies III (opens in a new tab)

Examine the pattern and trend of public expenditure on social services in the post-reforms period in India. To what extent this has been in consonance with achieving the objective of inclusive growth?

What are the causes of persistent high food inflation in India? Comment on the effectiveness of the monetary policy of the RBI to control this type of inflation.

What were the factors responsible for the successful implementation of land reforms in some parts of the country? Elaborate.

Explain the role of millets for ensuring health and nutritional security in India.

What is the present world scenario of intellectual property rights with respect to life materials? Although, India is second in the world to file patents, still only a few have been commercialized. Explain the reasons behind this less commercialization.

What is the technology being employed for electronic toll collection on highways? What are its advantages and limitations? What are the proposed changes that will make this process seamless? Would this transition carry any potential hazards?

Industrial pollution of river water is a significant environmental issue in India. Discuss the various mitigation measures to deal with this problem and also the government's initiatives in this regard.

What role do environmental NGOs and activists play in influencing Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) outcomes for major projects in India? Cite four examples with all important details.

Explain how narco-terrorism has emerged as a serious threat across the country. Suggest suitable measures to counter narco-terrorism.

Describe the context and salient features of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.

Discuss the merits and demerits of the four 'Labour Codes' in the context of labour market reforms in India. What has been the progress so far in this regard?

What is the need for expanding the regional air connectivity in India? In this context, discuss the government's UDAN Scheme and its achievements.

What are the major challenges faced by Indian irrigation system in recent times? State the measures taken by the government for efficient irrigation management.

Elucidate the importance of buffer stocks for stabilizing agricultural prices in India. What are the challenges associated with the storage of buffer stock? Discuss.

The world is facing an acute shortage of clean and safe freshwater. What are the alternative technologies which can solve this crisis? Briefly discuss any three such technologies citing their key merits and demerits.

What are asteroids? How real is the threat of them causing extinction of life? What strategies have been developed to prevent such a catastrophe?

What is disaster resilience? How is it determined? Describe various elements of a resilience framework. Also mention the global targets of Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030).

Flooding in urban areas is an emerging climate-induced disaster. Discuss the causes of this disaster. Mention the features of two such major floods in the last two decades in India. Describe the policies and frameworks in India that aim at tackling such floods.

Social media and encrypting messaging services pose a serious security challenge. What measures have been adopted at various levels to address the security implications of social media? Also suggest any other remedies to address the problem.