Monday 28 December 2015

UPSC Mains 2015 -General Studies Paper 3 Analysis

Hi friends ,

Here is the analysis of General Studies Paper 3.



Topic
No.of questions
Total marks
Economic development
10
125
Science and technology
4
50
Biodiversity and Environment
1
12.5
Disaster Management
1
12.5
Security
4
50

General Observations about the Question Paper
  1. One question from Disaster Management since 2013.
  2. Importance of economic development (Indian economy and Agriculture) remains around 50% since 2013.
  3. Most of the questions triggered from Current Affairs.


Here is how -


1.Economic Survey since 2013 has been terming India's growth as "jobless growth ". And this has been cited as one of the reasons for need of growth in manufacturing sector.
  1. The nature of economic growth in India in described as jobless growth. Do you agree with this view? Give arguments in favour of your answer.
2.NABARD launched an initiative to improve livestock rearing.
  1. Livestock rearing has a big potential for providing non-farm employment and income in rural areas. Discuss suggesting suitable measures to promote this sector in India.
3. Contract farming and Land leasing have been advocated by the policy makers in the last two to three years,i.e 2013 and 2014 .(Model APMC Act ,LARR Act,etc
  1. In view of the declining average size of land holdings in India which has made agriculture non-viable for a majority of farmers, should contract farming and land leasing be promoted in agriculture? Critically evaluate the pros and cons.
4.Celebration of Digital India week and launch of a National Agricultural market online .
  1. How can the ‘Digital India’ programme help farmers to improve farm productivity and income? What steps has the Government taken in this regards?
5.DBT has been in news since 2013.
  1. In what way could replacement of price subsidy with Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) change the scenario of subsidies in India? Discuss.
6.Growth of ecommerce companies like flipkart and amazon in India. A report estimated the potential of Indian ecommerce market to be $300billion by 2030.
  1. What are the impediments in marketing and supply chain management in industry in India? Can e-commerce help in overcoming these bottlenecks?
7.Gold Monetization Scheme launched.
  1. Craze for gold in Indians have led to a surge in import of gold in recent years and put pressure on balance of payments and external value of rupee. In view of this, examine the merits of Gold Monetization Scheme.
8.Make in India ,Skill India and labour reforms have been continuously emphasized in the media.
  1. “Success of ‘Make in India’ programme depends on the success of ‘Skill India’ programme and radical labour reforms.” Discuss with logical arguments.
  1. To what factors can the recent dramatic fall in equipment costs and tariff of solar energy be attributed? What implications does the trend have for the thermal power producers and the related industry?
10. Special Economic Zones are set to lose tax incentives ,in the new approach of government.
  1. There is a clear acknowledgement that Special Economic Zones (SEZs) are a tool of industrial development, manufacturing and exports. Recognizing this potential, the whole instrumentality of SEZs requires augmentation. Discuss the issues plaguing the success of SEZs with respect to taxation, governing laws and administration.


11.IRNSS 1-D launched in March 2015
  1. What do you understand by ‘Standard Positioning Systems’ and ‘Protection Positioning Systems’ in the GPS era? Discuss the advantages India perceives from its ambitious IRNSS programme employing just seven satellites.


12.What are the areas of prohibitive labour that can be sustainably managed by robots? Discuss the initiatives that can propel research in premier research institutes for substantive and gainful innovation.


13.Major announcements by Microsoft,Google and IBM to use cloud computing services.

  1. Discuss the advantage and security implications of cloud hosting of servers vis-a-vis in-house machine-based hosting for government businesses.


14.India’s Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) which has a database containing formatted information on more than 2 million medicinal formulations is proving a powerful weapon in the country’s fight against erroneous patents. Discuss the pros and cons making this database publicly available under open-source licensing.


15.Efforts to preserve Ganga in news
  1. The Namami Gange and National mission for clean Ganga (NMCG) programmes and causes of mixed results from the previous schemes. What quantum leaps can help preserve the river Ganga better than incremental inputs?
16.Nepal earthquake in April 2015, Earthquake in Hindukush in October 2015.
  1. The frequency of earthquakes appears to have increased in the Indian subcontinent. However, India’s preparedness for mitigating their impact has significant gaps. Discuss various aspects.
17.Tripura withdraws AFSPA.
Amnesty International slams India on AFSPA in June 2015.
  1. Human rights activists constantly highlight the view that the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) is a draconian act leading to cases of human rights abuses by the security forces. What sections of AFSPA are opposed by the activists? Critically evaluate the requirement with reference to the view held by the Apex Court.
18.Paris attacks -November 2015
News reports on ISIS trying to woo youth through online sites.
  1. Religious indoctrination via digital media has resulted in Indian youth joining the ISIS. What is ISIS and its mission? How can ISIS be dangerous for the internal security of our country?
19.Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra kalyan Yojana launched by Government of India.
  1. The persisting drives of the government for development of large industries in backward areas have resulted in isolating the tribal population and the farmers who face multiple displacements with Malkangiri and naxalbari foci, discuss the corrective strategies needed to win the left wing extremism (LWE) doctrine affected citizens back into the mainstream of social and economic growth.


  1. Considering the threats cyberspace poses for the country, India needs a “Digital Armed Force” to prevent crimes. Critically evaluate the National Cyber Security Policy, 2013 outlining the challenges perceived in its effective implementation.
To check the analysis of General Studies Paper 2-Mains 2015 ,click here.
To check the analysis of General Studies Paper 1-Mains 2015 ,click here


All the best !

PS -This is a part of series of blogs on IAS preparation.

Here is the list of blogs in this series so far -

Here is the list of blogs ,on my experience as an IAS officer:


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4 comments:

  1. this is so perfect sir.It helps us a lot.

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    Thank you for this selection of topics.

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