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General Studies 2026 GS Paper I 10 marks 150 words Compulsory Explain

GS Paper I — Q10

Do you think digital technology promotes social empowerment? Explain with examples. (Answer in 150 words) 10

हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें

क्या आप ऐसा सोचते हैं कि अंकीय (डिजिटल) तकनीकी सामाजिक सशक्तता को बढ़ावा देती है? उदाहरणों के साथ समझाइए। (उत्तर 150 शब्दों में दीजिए)

Q10 of the 2026 UPSC Mains General Studies GS Paper I, as printed
The question as printed in the 2026 General Studies paper
Evaluate your answer to this question → See all 2026 General Studies questions

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.

Digital technology promotes social empowerment by eliminating intermediaries and democratising service access. The JAM (Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile) trinity enables Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) into bank accounts, curbing leakages and securing financial inclusion for the poor. E-governance platforms like UMANG and DigiLocker decentralise administrative delivery, while telemedicine via eSanjeevani directly bridges rural healthcare deficits. Furthermore, mobile access and digital literacy drive women’s empowerment by fostering micro-entrepreneurship through digitized Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and female-operated Common Service Centres (CSCs).

Countervailing Limits: However, the structural digital divide—marked by gender gaps in mobile ownership alongside rural-urban and caste disparities—perpetuates inequality. Biometric authentication failures in Aadhaar-linked Public Distribution System (PDS) delivery have caused critical exclusion errors among the ultra-poor. Additionally, acute digital literacy gaps leave the elderly and marginalized groups vulnerable to exclusion.

Digital technology is thus a potent catalyst for social empowerment, but its transformative potential remains conditional on addressing underlying access, digital literacy, and affordability gaps.

What "Explain" is asking you to do

Make the working of something clear — what sets it off, what follows from what, and what it produces. Explain is the Commission's mechanism word: it dominates the technical papers and the “explain why” stems, where the marks sit in the causal chain and not in the label.

Structure that answers it

State what it is → the initiating condition → the chain of cause, step by step → an instance where it plays out → what the chain produces

Where marks are lost

Describing what something looks like instead of why it works that way. Naming the stages without linking them reads as description too.

All UPSC directive words, compared →

How this answer will be evaluated

Approach

Framework: GS1 Society: Continuity, Data, Intersectionality, Solution. explain: definition/context > points in order > small example > short close Full marks: Analytical dimensions with specific, named examples and data.

Key points expected

  • One-line context on digital access
  • 2-3 distinct dimensions of empowerment
  • Specific examples (e.g., UPI, e-governance)
  • Short closing line

Evaluation rubric

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

  1. The answer Contextualize digital empowerment and substantiate with specific examples. 10 marks · 150 words

    explain— definition/context → points in order → small example → short close

    Must cover

    • One-line context on digital access
    • 2-3 distinct dimensions of empowerment
    • Specific examples (e.g., UPI, e-governance)
    • Short closing line

    Loses marks

    • Emotive words without substance
    • Narrating chronology of tech
    • Ignoring the 'how' of empowerment

    Earns more

    • Mention of specific schemes (e.g., Digital India)
    • Reference to intersectionality (gender/rural)
    • Use of one robust statistic
    • Balanced view on digital divide

    Extra mark

    • Named committee or report
    • Specific data point on penetration

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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