Public Administration 2025 Paper II 50 marks 150 words Compulsory Evaluate

Q5

Answer the following in about 150 words each: (a) Low cyber awareness among officials is causing cyber security issues in the administration. Comment. (10 marks) (b) The 'guillotine' hastens the budgetary process to meet the timeline. Evaluate the procedure. (10 marks) (c) New localism plays a crucial role in empowering the local actors. Expand. (10 marks) (d) Gram Sabha aims to enlist community participation. Explain. (10 marks) (e) Identify the implementation challenges and issues of the Government e-Marketplace (GeM). (10 marks)

हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें

निम्नलिखित में से प्रत्येक का लगभग 150 शब्दों में उत्तर दीजिए : (a) अधिकारियों में निम्न साइबर जागरूकता प्रशासन में साइबर सुरक्षा समस्याओं का कारण बन रही है। टिप्पणी कीजिए। (10 अंक) (b) 'गिलोटिन' बजटीय प्रक्रिया को समय-सीमा पर पूर्ण करने में गति देती है। इस क्रियाविधि का मूल्यांकन कीजिए। (10 अंक) (c) नवीन स्थानीयतावाद स्थानीय लोगों को सशक्त बनाने में महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका निभाता है। विस्तार कीजिए। (10 अंक) (d) ग्राम सभा सामुदायिक सहभागिता को प्राप्त करने का लक्ष्य रखती है। स्पष्ट कीजिए। (10 अंक) (e) सरकारी ई-मार्केटप्लेस (GeM) के क्रियान्वयन में चुनौतियों और विवादों की पहचान कीजिए। (10 अंक)

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Directive word: Evaluate

This question asks you to evaluate. 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

This multi-part question requires balanced treatment across five 10-mark sub-parts within 150 words each. For (a) 'comment' demands analytical observation on cyber awareness gaps; (b) 'evaluate' requires balanced assessment of guillotine's efficiency versus democratic scrutiny trade-offs; (c) 'expand' needs elaboration of new localism's decentralization thesis; (d) 'explain' calls for clarifying Gram Sabha's participatory mechanisms; (e) demands critical identification of GeM implementation barriers. Allocate approximately 30 words per sub-part, using concise definition-critique-conclusion structure for each.

Key points expected

(a) Cyber awareness: Cites specific vulnerabilities (phishing, ransomware, weak passwords), links to human factor in NCIIPC/ CERT-In data, and mentions capacity-building initiatives like Cyber Surakshit Bharat
(b) Guillotine: Defines as Speaker's closure device for pending demands, notes Article 113/ Lok Sabha Rule 209 context, evaluates time efficiency versus reduced legislative scrutiny and financial accountability
(c) New localism: References Giddens/ Blairite concept, distinguishes from old localism, connects to 73rd/74th Amendment empowerment and 'co-production' of public services with local actors
(d) Gram Sabha: Anchors to Article 243A, distinguishes from Gram Panchayat, cites PESA/ FRA roles in tribal areas, notes Kerala's People's Plan Campaign as exemplar
(e) GeM challenges: Identifies MSME exclusion, bid rigging, quality verification gaps, digital divide among vendors, and integration issues with PFMS/ GSTN

Evaluation rubric

Dimension	Weight	Max marks	Excellent	Average	Poor
Concept correctness	20%	10	Precisely defines all five concepts: cyber hygiene (not just 'hacking'), guillotine as procedural device not budget cut, new localism's networked governance, Gram Sabha's constitutional status under 73rd Amendment, and GeM's procurement platform function; no conflation between Gram Sabha and Gram Panchayat	Broadly accurate definitions with minor errors—e.g., treating guillotine as expenditure reduction, or conflating Gram Sabha with general village meetings; misses constitutional/statutory anchoring for 2-3 concepts	Fundamental definitional errors—e.g., describing guillotine as French Revolution reference without budgetary meaning, or treating GeM as e-governance portal rather than procurement marketplace; multiple concept confusions
Theoretical anchor	20%	10	Deploys appropriate frameworks: for (a) human error theory/ weakest link in security chain; (b) legislative control theory versus efficiency trade-off; (c) multi-level governance/ subsidiarity principle; (d) participatory democracy/ Arnstein's ladder; (e) e-governance maturity models/ digital inclusion frameworks	Implicit theoretical awareness without explicit naming—e.g., describes participation benefits without citing participatory democracy, or efficiency gains without public choice theory; 2-3 parts lack theoretical grounding	Purely descriptive with no theoretical scaffolding; misses opportunity to connect (c) to decentralization theory or (e) to digital divide literature; reads as isolated fact-listing
Indian administrative examples	20%	10	Rich specificity: (a) cites NIC/ MeitY initiatives, specific breach incidents; (b) references 2023-24 Budget session guillotine application; (c) names Kerala People's Plan, West Bengal panchayat empowerment; (d) cites PESA areas (Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand); (e) quotes GeM 4.0 features, MSME procurement mandates	Generic Indian references—e.g., 'many cyber attacks,' 'some states implemented,' 'GeM helps small businesses'—without specific schemes, years, or state names; 2-3 parts lack concrete exemplification	No Indian examples or irrelevant foreign illustrations; fails to ground any sub-part in Indian administrative reality—e.g., discusses Gram Sabha without PESA/ FRA context, or GeM without government procurement rules
Reform / policy angle	20%	10	Critical reform orientation: (a) proposes CERT-In expansion, cyber drills; (b) suggests pre-budget committee scrutiny reforms; (c) links to 15th Finance Commission urban grants; (d) recommends social audit integration; (e) advocates API standardization, MSME onboarding reforms—demonstrates policy literacy across all five	Mentions some reforms—e.g., 'training needed' or 'technology should improve'—without specific policy instruments; 2-3 parts lack reform suggestions or offer generic 'awareness campaigns' without institutional mechanisms	No reform suggestions or purely aspirational statements ('government should do more'); fails to engage with ongoing policy debates—e.g., misses GeM's Make in India linkage or Gram Sabha's Aspirational Districts convergence
Conclusion & forward look	20%	10	Synthesizes five sub-parts into coherent administrative reform narrative—e.g., digital governance requires simultaneous attention to cybersecurity (a), procurement efficiency (e), and local participation (c,d); concludes with integrated vision for tech-enabled, participative, accountable administration	Separate conclusions for each sub-part without cross-linking; or generic closing statement ('these are important for good governance') that fails to integrate themes; misses opportunity for holistic administrative reform vision	No conclusion or abrupt termination; or repetitive summary without forward look; fails to address 'comment' and 'evaluate' directives' requirement for balanced judgment and future orientation

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