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General Studies 2023 GS Paper III 10 marks 150 words Compulsory Comment

GS Paper III — Q10

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by our adversaries across the borders to ferry arms/ammunitions, drugs, etc., is a…

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by our adversaries across the borders to ferry arms/ammunitions, drugs, etc., is a serious threat to the internal security. Comment on the measures being taken to tackle this threat. (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks

हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें

सीमा पार से शत्रुओं द्वारा हथियार/गोला-बारूद, ड्रग्स आदि मानवरहित हवाई वाहनों (यू० ए० वी०) की मदद से पहुँचाया जाना हमारी सुरक्षा के लिए गंभीर खतरा है। इस खतरे से निपटने के लिए किए जा रहे उपायों पर टिप्पणी कीजिए। (उत्तर 150 शब्दों में दीजिए)

Q10 of the 2023 UPSC Mains General Studies GS Paper III, as printed
The question as printed in the 2023 General Studies paper
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Model answer

Written by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 150-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key.

The weaponisation of UAVs by adversaries for cross-border airdrops of arms in Jammu & Kashmir and narcotics in Punjab marks a grave asymmetric internal security threat. India's multi-pronged response spans technological, regulatory, and tactical domains.

Detection and Neutralization: Surveillance is strengthened through upgraded Battlefield Surveillance Radars (BFSR-SR), RF scanners, and acoustic sensors, integrated with intelligence platforms like NATGRID. For neutralization, indigenous assets like DRDO’s D4 System and the Garuda anti-drone system deploy soft-kill (RF jamming, spoofing) alongside laser-based hard-kill capabilities.

Regulatory and Institutional Architecture: The Drone Rules 2021 enforce No Permission No Take-off (NPNT), geofencing, and Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) to secure sovereign airspace. Operationally, the Ministry of Home Affairs' Counter-Drone Guidelines steer coordinated frontline deployments between the BSF and Indian Army.

While current measures have curbed rogue incursions, combating low-RCS, autonomous UAVs demands enhanced inter-agency synergy and sustained R&D indigenisation to ensure an impregnable counter-drone security grid.

What "Comment" is asking you to do

Take a position on the statement and support it. Comment usually attaches to a quoted line in the short slots, so the reasoning must be compressed — an opening view, a few load-bearing reasons, and the limit of the claim.

Structure that answers it

Unpack what the statement asserts → your stance → two or three supporting reasons → the qualification that limits it

Where marks are lost

Neutral summary; a comment without a stance has not answered. Equally costly is accepting the quoted line wholesale and never testing where it fails.

All UPSC directive words, compared →

How this answer will be evaluated

Approach

Framework: Security: classify threat, vulnerability, response; stay calm. comment: context > arguments both sides > judgment > close Full marks: Contextualizes threat, identifies specific measures, provides balanced judgment, uses precise terminology.

Key points expected

  • Contextualize the threat of UAVs for smuggling arms/drugs
  • Identify specific measures being taken (e.g., technology, policy)
  • Provide a judgment on the effectiveness of these measures
  • Maintain a balanced, analytical tone (not dramatic)

Evaluation rubric

Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.

  1. The answer Contextualize the UAV threat and provide a judgment on the measures being taken to tackle it. 10 marks · 150 words

    comment— context → arguments both sides → judgment → close

    Must cover

    • Contextualize the threat of UAVs for smuggling arms/drugs
    • Identify specific measures being taken (e.g., technology, policy)
    • Provide a judgment on the effectiveness of these measures
    • Maintain a balanced, analytical tone (not dramatic)

    Loses marks

    • Dramatic or emotional security writing
    • Vague, aspirational solutions without implementation details
    • Ignoring the 'measures being taken' aspect

    Earns more

    • Mention specific technologies (e.g., RF jammers, drones)
    • Reference specific policies or committees (e.g., CDS, MoD)
    • Discuss the role of border infrastructure (e.g., fencing)
    • Mention international cooperation or intelligence sharing

    Extra mark

    • Cite a specific recent incident or data point
    • Mention a specific committee or report (e.g., Kaul Committee)

Practice this exact question

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