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General Studies 2025 GS Paper II 10 marks 150 words Compulsory Examine

GS Paper II — Q7

e-governance projects have a built-in bias towards technology and back-end integration than user-centric designs. Examine…

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

हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें

ई-गवर्नेंस परियोजनाओं में उपयोगकर्ता-केंद्रित डिजाइनों की तुलना में प्रौद्योगिकी और बैक-एंड एकीकरण के प्रति अंतर्निहित पूर्वाग्रह है। परीक्षण कीजिए। (उत्तर 150 शब्दों में दीजिए)

Q7 of the 2025 UPSC Mains General Studies GS Paper II, as printed
The question as printed in the 2025 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.

E-governance in India has historically prioritized technological architecture and back-end integration over front-end usability, driven by a technocratic administrative approach.

Drivers and Manifestations of Tech Bias Public procurement systems heavily favor hardware acquisition, software licenses, and technical metrics (such as server uptime and database interoperability) over user-experience (UX) research. The absence of institutionalized user testing and service design thinking results in complex navigation, language barriers, and digital literacy assumptions, as seen in early compliance hurdles with GSTN and initial access bottlenecks in web-only portals.

Emerging User-Centric Shifts However, modern delivery models are actively rebalancing this bias:

  • Mobile-first accessibility: The UMANG platform consolidates multi-departmental services into a single, intuitive interface.
  • Citizen feedback: MyGov incorporates crowdsourcing and continuous user feedback.
  • Assisted access: Kerala’s Akshaya centers and Common Services Centers (CSC 2.0) bridge interface complexities for rural citizens.

Way Forward To transition from mere computerization to true citizen-centricity, governments must mandate participatory service design, institutionalize independent UX audits, prioritize vernacular and mobile-first frameworks, and replace purely technical SLAs with outcome-based citizen satisfaction indices.

What "Examine" is asking you to do

Test the proposition the question puts to you and return a finding on how far it holds. Examine stems carry a claim, or ask whether something has happened, and expect evidence weighed both ways before the extent is stated — often with remedial measures attached.

Structure that answers it

Restate the claim as the question frames it → evidence that supports it → evidence that undercuts it → the conditions under which it holds → verdict on how far it stands

Where marks are lost

Stopping at description. An examination has to reach a finding, and “examine with justification” means the extent must be stated, not implied.

All UPSC directive words, compared →

How this answer will be evaluated

Approach

Framework: GS2 Governance. examine: intro > how/why with reasoning > evidence > conclusion Full marks: Deep analysis of the tech-first paradigm with specific examples and a clear critique of the user experience gap.

Key points expected

  • Define the 'built-in bias' toward tech over user needs
  • Explain the role of back-end integration in driving design
  • Identify the disconnect between IT logic and citizen experience
  • Provide a specific example of a failed or biased project

Evaluation rubric

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

  1. The answer Analyze the structural reasons for the technology-first bias in e-governance projects. 10 marks · 150 words

    examine— intro → how/why with reasoning → evidence → conclusion

    Must cover

    • Define the 'built-in bias' toward tech over user needs
    • Explain the role of back-end integration in driving design
    • Identify the disconnect between IT logic and citizen experience
    • Provide a specific example of a failed or biased project

    Loses marks

    • Reciting features of e-governance without analyzing the bias
    • Focusing only on the benefits of technology
    • Ignoring the 'user-centric' aspect of the prompt

    Earns more

    • Mention the 'digital divide' or accessibility issues
    • Reference the 'last mile' delivery failure
    • Discuss the lack of user-centricity in procurement
    • Cite the Digital India or MyGov initiatives

    Extra mark

    • Cite a specific Supreme Court judgment on digital rights
    • Reference a specific Law Commission report on e-governance

Practice this exact question

Write your answer and it is marked point by point against the model answer above — what you covered, what you missed, what you got wrong.

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