UPSC Prelims 2021 CSAT Paper II · Q21 of 79 Comprehension medium

Passage

Directions for the following 4 (four) items : Read the following four passages and answer the items that follow. Your answers to these items should be based on the passages only. Passage – 1 India faces a challenging immediate future in energy and climate policy-making. The problems are multiple : sputtering fossil fuel production capabilities; limited access to electricity and modern cooking fuel for the poorest; rising fuel imports in an unstable global energy context; continued electricity pricing and governance challenges leading to its costly deficits or surplus supply; and not least, growing environmental contestation around land, water and air. But all is not bleak: growing energy efficiency programmes; integrated urbanisation and transport policy discussions; inroads to enhancing energy access and security; and bold renewable energy initiatives, even if not fully conceptualised, suggest the promise of transformation.

Which one of the following statements best reflects the critical message conveyed by the passage given above ?

  1. (a) India's energy decision-making process is ever more complex and interconnected. ✓ UPSC's answer
  2. (b) India's energy and climate policy is heavily tuned to sustainable development goals.
  3. (c) India's energy and climate actions are not compatible with its broader social, economic and environmental goals.
  4. (d) India's energy decision-making process is straightforward supply-oriented and ignores the demand side.

Why the answer is (a)

• The passage opens by stating that India faces a 'challenging immediate future' in energy and climate policy-making due to 'multiple' problems.

• It lists diverse issues including fossil fuel production, access to electricity, fuel imports, pricing, and environmental contestation, indicating a wide range of interconnected factors.

• The text highlights that these problems are not isolated but involve economic, social, and environmental dimensions simultaneously.

• The mention of 'integrated urbanisation and transport policy discussions' further supports the idea that energy policy is linked to broader structural changes.

• Therefore, the critical message is that the decision-making process involves managing these multiple, complex, and interconnected challenges.

Why the other options are wrong

(b) India's energy and climate policy is heavily tuned to sustainable development goals.
The passage does not explicitly state that policy is 'heavily tuned' to sustainable development goals, but rather lists specific challenges and emerging initiatives.
(c) India's energy and climate actions are not compatible with its broader social, economic…
The passage suggests a 'promise of transformation' through efficiency and renewables, implying potential compatibility rather than stating that actions are currently incompatible with broader goals.
(d) India's energy decision-making process is straightforward supply-oriented and ignores the…
The passage mentions 'growing energy efficiency programmes' and 'demand side' issues like access and pricing, contradicting the claim that the process ignores the demand side.

Asked in the CSAT Paper II of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2021, held on 10 October 2021. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.

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