Geography 2025 Paper II 50 marks Explain

Q7

(a) Explain the factors that contribute to droughts in India with specific reference to food production, distribution and availability. Can Indian agricultural policies resolve the issue ? 20 (b) What are the causes and consequences of land degradation due to desertification in India ? Examine with reference to various regional issues. 15 (c) Examine the validity of Blue Economy initiatives of India. Elaborate the impacts of this economy on country's development. 15

हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें

(a) खाद्य उत्पादन, वितरण और उपलब्धता के विशिष्ट संदर्भ में भारत के सूखे में योगदान करने वाले कारकों की व्याख्या कीजिए । क्या भारतीय कृषि नीतियाँ इस मुद्दे का समाधान कर सकती हैं ? 20 (b) भारत में मरुस्थलीकरण से होने वाले भू-क्षरण के क्या कारण और प्रभाव हैं ? विभिन्न क्षेत्रीय मुद्दों के संदर्भ में जाँच कीजिए । 15 (c) भारत के नीली अर्थव्यवस्था में कदम बढ़ाने के पहल की वैधता की जांच कीजिए । देश के विकास में इस अर्थव्यवस्था के प्रभावों की विस्तार से व्याख्या कीजिए । 15

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Directive word: Explain

This question asks you to explain. The directive word signals the depth of analysis expected, the structure of your answer, and the weight of evidence you must bring.

See our UPSC directive words guide for a full breakdown of how to respond to each command word.

How this answer will be evaluated

Approach

The directive 'explain' demands causal reasoning with clarity on processes and linkages. Structure: Introduction defining drought, desertification and Blue Economy as interconnected challenges to India's sustainable development. Body: Allocate ~40% words to part (a) on drought-food security nexus and policy critique; ~30% to part (b) on desertification's regional manifestations; ~30% to part (c) on Blue Economy validity and development impacts. Use maps/diagrams for each part. Conclusion: Synthesize with integrated land-ocean governance perspective.

Key points expected

  • Part (a): Meteorological (rainfall variability, El Niño), hydrological (groundwater depletion) and agricultural drought factors; impacts on food production (yield declines, crop failure), distribution (FCI buffer stock strain, PDS challenges) and availability (price volatility, nutritional access); critical evaluation of MGNREGA, PMFBY, PMKSY and MSP limitations
  • Part (a): Policy critique linking input subsidies vs. sustainable water use, drought-proofing through watershed development and crop diversification
  • Part (b): Natural causes (climate aridity, rainfall variability) and anthropogenic drivers (overgrazing, deforestation, unsustainable irrigation) of desertification; consequences: soil fertility loss, biodiversity decline, forced migration
  • Part (b): Regional specificity: Thar Desert expansion (Rajasthan), ravine degradation (Chambal, Yamuna), salinization in Punjab-Haryana, lateritic degradation in Karnataka-Kerala
  • Part (c): Validity assessment of SAGAR policy, Sagarmala, O-SMART, Deep Sea Mission; economic impacts (fisheries, ports, marine manufacturing, seabed mining), social impacts (coastal community livelihoods), environmental trade-offs (coastal erosion, marine pollution)
  • Part (c): Critical examination of Blue Economy as development pathway: employment generation, climate resilience through mangroves, versus implementation gaps in coastal regulation and community participation

Evaluation rubric

DimensionWeightMax marksExcellentAveragePoor
Concept correctness20%10Precisely distinguishes meteorological, hydrological and agricultural drought; correctly defines desertification as land degradation in arid/semi-arid/sub-humid areas (UNCCD); accurately conceptualizes Blue Economy beyond fisheries to include marine biotechnology, renewable energy and sustainable tourism; no conflation of desertification with desert expansionBasic definitions of drought and desertification present but conflates types; treats Blue Economy narrowly as only maritime trade or fisheries; minor conceptual errors in linking land degradation to climate changeConfuses desertification with desert formation; mischaracterizes drought as only rainfall deficiency ignoring groundwater dimension; describes Blue Economy as mere extraction economy without sustainability framework
Map / diagram20%10Three distinct visual elements: (a) drought-prone area map showing chronically affected districts (Rayalaseema, Marathwada, Bundelkhand) with rainfall isohyets; (b) desertification severity map (ISRO Desertification Atlas) showing hotspot categories; (c) Blue Economy schematic showing coastal economic zones, major ports and exclusive economic zone; all properly labelled, scaled and integrated with textOne or two relevant maps/diagrams with basic labelling; missing scale or legend; generic India map without specific drought/desertification/Blue Economy overlays; flowcharts without spatial dataNo maps or diagrams; or irrelevant sketches; poorly drawn figures without labels; copies question diagram without value addition
Indian regional examples20%10Rich regional specificity: for (a) - Marathwada sugarcane-water paradox, Bundelkhand distress migration, Cauvery delta Tamil Nadu conflicts; for (b) - Jaisalmer wind erosion, Shivalik foothill boulder streams, Chambal ravines, Punjab's groundwater-fertilizer treadmill; for (c) - Gujarat Mundra port zone, Kerala fisheries cooperatives, Tamil Nadu Gulf of Mannar coral stress, Andaman deep sea mission siteSome regional examples but generic (Rajasthan desert, Maharashtra drought) without specific districts or processes; repeats same regions across parts without distinction; missing east/northeast coastal references for Blue EconomyNo Indian examples or only passing mention; foreign case studies (Sahel, California) dominating; examples factually wrong (locating Thar in Gujarat, confusing Western Ghats with desertification)
Spatial analysis20%10Demonstrates spatial thinking: drought vulnerability mapping against agro-ecological zones; analysis of desertification's eastward expansion from arid to semi-arid transition zones; Blue Economy's coastal-inland connectivity through port-rail corridors; recognizes teleconnections between upstream land degradation and downstream coastal siltation; scale sensitivity from farm-level to watershed to regionalDescriptive regional listing without spatial process explanation; mentions 'spatial variation' without analyzing drivers; treats drought, desertification and Blue Economy as isolated silos without land-ocean continuumNo spatial analysis; purely temporal or sectoral treatment; confuses spatial scales (treating district and state level interchangeably); ignores physiographic-climate interactions
Application / policy20%10Critical policy evaluation: for (a) - critiques MSP's water-intensive crop bias, suggests PMKSY-AIBP integration with aquifer mapping; for (b) - evaluates MGNREGA's potential for desertification control, critiques WDPSCA implementation gaps; for (c) - assesses Coastal Regulation Zone 2011 vs. 2019 amendments, Sagarmala's community displacement issues, suggests Integrated Coastal Zone Management with climate adaptation; proposes drought-desertification-Blue Economy policy coherenceLists policies (PMFBY, MGNREGA, Sagarmala) without critical assessment; describes schemes without evaluating effectiveness; generic suggestions without implementation pathway; misses recent policy shifts (2020 farm laws context, new CRZ norms)No policy discussion or only outdated schemes (DPAP, DDP); purely theoretical treatment; policy suggestions irrelevant to Indian context; confuses central and state responsibilities

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