UPSC General Studies 2025

Discuss the salient features of the Harappan architecture. (Answer in 150 words) 10

Examine the main aspects of Akbar's religious syncretism. (Answer in 150 words) 10

'The sculptors filled the Chandella artform with resilient vigor and breadth of life.' Elucidate. (Answer in 150 words) 10

How are climate change and the sea level rise affecting the very existence of many island nations ? Discuss with examples. (Answer in 150 words) 10

What are non-farm primary activities ? How are these activities related to physiographic features in India ? Discuss with suitable examples. (Answer in 150 words) 10

Explain briefly the ecological and economic benefits of solar energy generation in India with suitable examples. (Answer in 150 words) 10

What are Tsunamis ? How and where are they formed ? What are their consequences ? Explain with examples. (Answer in 150 words) 10

How does smart city in India, address the issues of urban poverty and distributive justice ? (Answer in 150 words) 10

The ethos of civil service in India stand for the combination of professionalism with nationalistic consciousness – Elucidate. (Answer in 150 words) 10

Do you think that globalization results in only an aggressive consumer culture ? Justify your answer. (Answer in 150 words) 10

Mahatma Jotirao Phule's writings and efforts of social reforms touched issues of almost all subaltern classes. Discuss. (Answer in 250 words) 15

Trace India's consolidation process during early phase of independence in terms of polity, economy, education and international relations. (Answer in 250 words) 15

The French Revolution has enduring relevance to the contemporary world. Explain. (Answer in 250 words) 15

Give a geographical explanation of the distribution of off-shore oil reserves of the world. How are they different from the on-shore occurrences of oil reserves ? (Answer in 250 w…

How can Artificial Intelligence (AI) and drones be effectively used along with GIS and RS techniques in locational and areal planning ? (Answer in 250 words) 15

Discuss how the changes in shape and sizes of continents and ocean basins of the planet take place due to tectonic movements of the crustal masses. (Answer in 250 words) 15

Discuss the distribution and density of population in the Ganga River Basin with special reference to land, soil and water resources. (Answer in 250 words) 15

How do you account for the growing fast food industries given that there are increased health concerns in modern society ? Illustrate your answer with the Indian experience. (Answ…

Achieving sustainable growth with emphasis on environmental protection could come into conflict with poor people's needs in a country like India – Comment. (Answer in 250 words) 15

Does tribal development in India centre around two axes, those of displacement and of rehabilitation ? Give your opinion. (Answer in 250 words) 15

Discuss the 'corrupt practices' for the purpose of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. Analyze whether the increase in the assets of the legislators and/or their associate…

Comment on the need of administrative tribunals as compared to the court system. Assess the impact of the recent tribunal reforms through rationalization of tribunals made in 2021…

Compare and contrast the President's power to pardon in India and in the USA. Are there any limits to it in both the countries? What are 'preemptive pardons'? (Answer in 150 words…

Discuss the nature of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly after the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019. Briefly describe the powers and functions of the Assembly of the…

"The Attorney General of India plays a crucial role in guiding the legal framework of the Union Government and ensuring sound governance through legal counsel." Discuss his respon…

Women's social capital complements in advancing empowerment and gender equity. Explain. (Answer in 150 words) 10

e-governance projects have a built-in bias towards technology and back-end integration than user-centric designs. Examine. (Answer in 150 words) 10

Civil Society Organizations are often perceived as being anti-State actors than non-State actors. Do you agree? Justify. (Answer in 150 words) 10

India-Africa digital partnership is achieving mutual respect, co-development and long-term institutional partnerships. Elaborate. (Answer in 150 words) 10

"With the waning of globalization, post-Cold War world is becoming a site of sovereign nationalism." Elucidate. (Answer in 150 words) 10

"Constitutional morality is the fulcrum which acts as an essential check upon the high functionaries and citizens alike...." In view of the above observation of the Supreme Court,…

Indian Constitution has conferred the amending power on the ordinary legislative institutions with a few procedural hurdles. In view of this statement, examine the procedural and…

Discuss the evolution of collegium system in India. Critically examine the advantages and disadvantages of the system of appointment of the Judges of the Supreme Court of India an…

Examine the evolving pattern of Centre-State financial relations in the context of planned development in India. How far have the recent reforms impacted the fiscal federalism in…

What are environmental pressure groups? Discuss their role in raising awareness, influencing policies and advocating for environmental protection in India. (Answer in 250 words) 15

Inequality in the ownership pattern of resources is one of the major causes of poverty. Discuss in the context of 'paradox of poverty'. (Answer in 250 words) 15

"In contemporary development models, decision-making and problem-solving responsibilities are not located close to the source of information and execution defeating the objectives…

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights has to address the challenges faced by children in the digital era. Examine the existing policies and suggest measures the C…

"Energy security constitutes the dominant kingpin of India's foreign policy, and is linked with India's overarching influence in Middle Eastern countries." How would you integrate…

"The reform process in the United Nations remains unresolved, because of the delicate imbalance of East and West and entanglement of the USA vs. Russo-Chinese alliance." Examine a…

Distinguish between the Human Development Index (HDI) and the Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI) with special reference to India. Why is the IHDI considered a bett…

What are the challenges before the Indian economy when the world is moving away from free trade and multilateralism to protectionism and bilateralism ? How can these challenges be…

Explain the factors influencing the decision of the farmers on the selection of high value crops in India. (Answer in 150 words) 10

Elaborate the scope and significance of supply chain management of agricultural commodities in India. (Answer in 150 words) 10

The fusion energy programme in India has steadily evolved over the past few decades. Mention India's contributions to the international fusion energy project – International Therm…

How can India achieve energy independence through clean technology by 2047 ? How can biotechnology can play a crucial role in this endeavour ? (Answer in 150 words) 10

What is Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) ? What is the potential role of CCUS in tackling climate change ? (Answer in 150 words) 10

Seawater intrusion in the coastal aquifers is a major concern in India. What are the causes of seawater intrusion and the remedial measures to combat this hazard ? (Answer in 150…

Terrorism is a global scourge. How has it manifested in India ? Elaborate with contemporary examples. What are the counter measures adopted by the State ? Explain. (Answer in 150…

The Government of India recently stated that Left Wing Extremism (LWE) will be eliminated by 2026. What do you understand by LWE and how are the people affected by it ? What measu…

Explain how the Fiscal Health Index (FHI) can be used as a tool for assessing the fiscal performance of states in India. In what way would it encourage the states to adopt prudent…

Discuss the rationale of the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme. What are its achievements ? In what way can the functioning and outcomes of the scheme be improved ? (Answer…

Examine the factors responsible for depleting groundwater in India. What are the steps taken by the government to mitigate such depletion of groundwater ? (Answer in 250 words) 15

Examine the scope of the food processing industries in India. Elaborate the measures taken by the government in the food processing industries for generating employment opportunit…

How does nanotechnology offer significant advancements in the field of agriculture ? How can this technology help to uplift the socio-economic status of farmers ? (Answer in 250 w…

India aims to become a semiconductor manufacturing hub. What are the challenges faced by the semiconductor industry in India ? Mention the salient features of the India Semiconduc…

Mineral resources are fundamental to the country's economy and these are exploited by mining. Why is mining considered an environmental hazard ? Explain the remedial measures requ…

Write a review on India's climate commitments under the Paris Agreement (2015) and mention how these have been further strengthened in COP26 (2021). In this direction, how has the…

What are the major challenges to internal security and peace process in the North-Eastern States ? Map the various peace accords and agreements initiated by the government in the…

Why is maritime security vital to protect India's sea trade ? Discuss maritime and coastal security challenges and the way forward. (Answer in 250 words) 15

(a) In the present digital age, social media has revolutionised our way of communication and interaction. However, it has raised several ethical issues and challenges. Describe th…

(a) Carl von Clausewitz once said, "War is a diplomacy by other means." Critically analyse the above statement in the present context of contemporary geo-political conflict. (Answ…

Given below are three quotations of great thinkers. What do each of these quotations convey to you in the present context? (a) "Those who in trouble untroubled are, Will trouble t…

(a) "For any kind of social re-engineering by successfully implementing welfare schemes, a civil servant must use reason and critical thinking in an ethical framework." Justify th…

(a) "One who is devoted to one's duty attains highest perfection in life." Analyse this statement with reference to sense of responsibility and personal fulfilment as a civil serv…

(a) It is said that for an ethical work culture, there must be code of ethics in place in every organisation. To ensure value-based and compliance-based work culture, what suitabl…

Vijay was Deputy Commissioner of remote district of Hilly Northern State of the country for the last two years. In the month of August heavy rains lashed the complete state follow…

In line with the Directive Principles of State Policy enshrined in the Indian Constitution, the government has a constitutional obligation to ensure basic needs – "Roti, Kapda aur…

Subash is Secretary, PWD in the State Government. He is a senior officer, known for his competence, integrity and dedication to work. He enjoys the trust and confidence of Ministe…

Rajesh is a Group A officer with nine years of service. He is posted as Administrative Officer in an Oil Public Sector undertaking. As an Administrative Officer he is responsible…

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Program, MGNREGA was earlier known as National Rural Employment Scheme, NREGA. It is an Indian Social Welfare Program that aimed…

Ashok is Divisional Commissioner of one of the border districts of the North East State. A few years back, Military has taken over the neighbouring country after overthrowing the…