In July 2023, we had published 256 posts.
GS-I: Indian Culture
1. Elaborate the works of Kalidasa in Sanskrit Drama and poetry.
2. Critically discuss the impact of partition on India's popular art, particularly Cinema and Theatre with suitable examples.
3. Examine the factors that led to development of two genres of Imperial Mughal art and Provincial Mughal art during the medieval India.
4. "Because of its unique geographical location the Kashmir Valley has been a meeting ground of diverse races and cultures through the centuries". Examine how Kashmir has contributed to India's art and culture.
5. Examine the contribution of Aryabhatta in the field of science and technology in medieval India.
6. Discuss the various literary sources which inspired Mahatma Gandhi to adopt the idea of Satyagraha.
7. Discuss the modern trends in Indian classical music.
8. With reference to women, despite being one of the earliest and most authoritative law texts, there are several contradicting verses in manusmriti. Discuss the stand of Manu giving your arguments.
9. Discuss the contribution of Baba Farid and Bulleshah in the development of Vernacular literature in India.
10. The panorama of Indian painting is enriched with a large number Rock-paintings found in Central India. Discuss what information do we get about the art of the Late Stone Age people from the rock paintings of that area?
11. The Jatakas furnish us valuable material not only for literature and art, but also for the study of economic condition of ancient India. Critically discuss with suitable examples.
12. Differentiate between the Purva and Agama texts of Jainism.
13. In context of the diversity of India, can it be said that regions form cultural units rather than the States? Give reasons with examples for your view point.
14. Critically analyze how the Bhava-Rasa theory, as expounded by Abhinavagupta, has shaped the understanding and appreciation of Indian art.
15. Upanishadas are often called Vedanta. Why?
16. Elaborate the Charyapadas tradition and Mangal-Kāvya tradition in Indian vernacular literature.
17. What are criteria used by UNESCO to put a language into four levels of language endangerment? Discuss while enumerating two examples of Indian languages placed in each of these levels.
18. Examine the various kinds of Sutras as a part of Kalpa tradition of ancient Indian literature.
19. Elaborate the four phases of the Adhunik kal or the Modern Period in Hindi literature.
20. Discuss the changes in the Indian architecture and sculpture after demise of the Maurya rule. How this art was different from the Maurya art?
GS-I: Indian Society
1. “The growing population problem calls for a definite population policy and its effective implementation.”Discuss.
2. "For a diverse country like India with so much of regional inequality, the concept of competitive federalism seems to be unrealistic."Critically discuss.
3. Apart from a few notable individual achievements, the overall participation of women in scientific research has been very low. Examine the steps taken by the government in this regard.
4. Should the Government repeal the Section 377 of IPC? Opine.
5. While elucidating Article 25 and 26, critically examine the Supreme Court judgement on appointment of archakas (priests) in Tamil Nadu Hindu temples.
6. In light of the recent debate on Hindi vs English, examine the status of vernacular in India. What are some benefits of using vernacular in education?
7. To what extent globalisation has influenced the core of cultural diversity in India? Explain.
8. Differentiate the relationship between religion and state in India and the world. How has Indian secularism impacted society?
9. The diverse nature of India as a multireligious and multi-ethnic society is not immune to the impact of radicalism which has been in her neighbourhood. Discuss along with the strategies to be adopted to counter this environment.
10. In view of the BCCI recently announcing a ‘pay equity policy’, discuss the challenges faced by women athletes and the possible ways to make professional sports more inclusive.
11. Critically examine the recent trends in labour force and workforce participation rates of women in India.
12. Economic empowerment of women is the key to ensure their social empowerment. Discuss in context of India.
13. What do you understand by Agama Shastras? What role do they play in religious practices in India? Discuss.
14. “India’s national population policies have failed to achieve their objectives as we remain world’s second largest populated country.” What are the shortcomings? Discuss.
15. What is the basis of regionalism? Is it that unequal distribution of benefits of development on regional basis eventually promotes regionalism? Substantiate your answer.
16. "The recently released religious data in Census 2011 had stripped up a controversy with respect to the growth of the minority population in India."Critically examine the issue.
17. India continues to perform poor in global hunger index despite adequate food stocks and statutory laws to ensure food security. Analyze and provide solutions to deal with this problem.
18. Discuss the impacts of globalisation on unorganized sector jobs and wages in India.
19. Examine the issues related to child sexual abuse in India. What initiatives India has taken to tackle the issue?
20. “Migration, fertility and mortality are the basic fundamental elements determining population growth and demographic structure of a country.” Elucidate.
GS-I: Modern World History
1. How accurate is it to talk about a 'thaw' in the Cold War in the years after 1953?
2. How important was the Marshall Plan in bringing about the recovery of Western Europe between 1947 and 1951?
3. In what ways did the Marshall Plan, the dividing of Berlin, the communist takeover of power in Czechoslovakia, and the formation of NATO contribute to the development of the Cold War?
4. 'Hitler alone caused the Second World War in 1939'. How far do you agree?
5. To what extent would it be true to say that the UN has been more successful in dealing with conflicts since 1990 than it was during the Cold War?
6. How far was appeasement to blame for the outbreak of the Second World War?
7. What were the causes of the Cuban missiles crisis? How was the crisis resolved and what were its consequences?
8. 'Retreats and defeats marked the first two years of the war for Britain. How far would you agree with this opinion?
9. Explain why the Cold War came to an end, and show how this affected international relations.
10. Examine the evidence for and against the view that Hitler had no clear long-term plans for war.
11. Explain why you agree or disagree with the view that the Allied victory in the Second World War was secured mainly because of the contribution of the USSR.
12. Why was there a period of detente during the 1970s and 1980s and in what ways did detente manifest itself?
13. Explain why Germany was successful in the Second World War up to the end of 1941, but suffered ultimate defeat in 1945.
14. 'Hitler's foreign policy successes between 1935 and 1939 were the result of his own tactical skills and his ability to exploit the weaknesses of his opponents.' How far would you agree with this view?
15. (a) Explain why war broke out in Korea in June 1950 and why the USA became involved? (b) What were the outcomes and the effects of the war in Korea?
16. How similar were the causes and consequences of the Hungarian uprising of 1956 and the Prague Spring of 1968?
17. Assess the reasons why Berlin was a major source of tension in the Cold War from 1948 to 1961.
18. How did the fact that Russia was a Communist state affect international relations between 1920 and 1939?
19. 'There can be little doubt that the social, economic and humanitarian work of the UN has been far more successful and valuable than its peacekeeping role.' Assess the validity of this verdict on the work of the United Nations Organization.
20. 'Hitler had one simple over-riding aim in foreign policy – expansion in the East. 'Explain why you agree or disagree with this statement.
GS-I: World Geography
1. Give an account of the deposits of different types of minerals found in ocean relief across the world.
2. Draw out a comparison between Savannah and steppe types of climate in terms of economic and geographical aspects.
3. What are the findings of the IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate?
4. Explain the phenomenon of Western disturbance and discuss its impact on the Indian weather system.
5. Do you agree that the demand for a separate time zone for North East has valid reasons? Looking at India's size, discuss the plausible solution to the problem faced by residents of North East due to IST.
6. The rapid decline of water resources in India is not just due to geographical factor, rather there are political and economic factors too. Discuss along with its implications.
7. Global Climate Risk Index 2020 Published
8. Examine the reasons behind Arabian sea becoming cyclone hotbed, which otherwise is a cyclone shy water body.
9. What are rossy waves? Discuss the role played by them in shaping the climate of the earth.
10. Examine the relationship between the availability of natural resources and the location of heavy industries. Using specific example, illustrate how this relationship has evolved over the past century due to changes in technology and resource availability.
11. Peninsular India is a stable region with very less seismic activities, however the region has witnessed several earthquakes. Discuss with examples.
GS-II: Constitution of India & Polity
1. The reforms and decision-making of government can be greatly improved and accelerated with the help of cabinet committees. Critically evaluate.
2. Do you agree with the argument that the Anti-defection law violates the right to free speech? Highlight the key issues related to law and suggest reforms.|
3. ‘Tribunalization’ of justice may lead to ‘Trivialization’ of justice. In this context, discuss the objectives and issues associated with tribunals. Also suggest measures.
4. Throw some Light on the issues associated with functioning of the central information commission. Suggest measures to address these issues.
5. Throw some light on the need of a National Court of Appeal for reducing the pendency of cases and returning to the Supreme Court’s original role as final appellate court.
6. The local bodies remain subordinate to the respective state governments, despite being given the constitutional status as the third tier of the government. Analyse.
7. In context of using discretionary powers, the scope for the governor is higher than that of the President of India. Comment.
8. Highlight the significance of online dispute resolution in India and how it differs from traditional court of justice.
9. Election manifesto helps to understand the priorities of a political party and it enables the voter to make informed choices. In this context the election manifesto needs to be regulated. Comment.
10. The manner in which presidential elections take place, the complexity of vote counting defeats the real idea of proportional representation for, every person of a given area is practically represented thrice- through one MLA and two MPs. Examine the validity of this statement.
11. Justice delayed is justice denied, therefore unnecessary delay in judicial proceeding is a denial of justice. In this context, discuss how judicial backlogs can be reduced to ensure timely justice.
12. The Aspirational District Programme not only mark a change in the policy focus from output to outcome but also from a top-down approach to a collaborative form of governance. Analyse.
13. The imposition of emergency in 1975 has been one of the greatest challenges faced by the Indian Democracy. However, democracy has endured it and emerged stronger. Analyse.
14. The power to punish for contempt of courts is necessary for rule of law and supremacy of law. Critically analyse.
15. Mention the key objective of the foreign contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). The recent amendments in the Act have faced criticism from various sections. Analyse.
16. Cooperative federalism is mere talk. The trend towards centralization of authority is still continued in India as evident from migration of various subjects from state list to concurrent list and concurrent to union list. Critically discuss this statement.
17. The Panchayati Raj institutions (PRIs) have not been able to achieve the objectives for which they were given constitutional status even after 30 years. Enumerate the reasons behind the problem and suggest measures to tackle it.
18. Explain delegated legislation and administrative adjudication. Also discuss issues associated with them.
19. Highlight the significance of the Gram Nyayalayas in providing inexpensive and speedy justice to people in rural areas. Also discuss the hurdles faced by them.
20. The present constitution of India is a blend of spirit of Indian freedom struggle and various administrative provisions during the British rule in India. Elaborate.
GS-II: Governance
1. To what extent forcing airlines to accept social obligation of flying to remote part of the country is justifiable? Discuss in the light of Route Dispersal Guidelines.
2. Features of the Draft Labour Code on Industrial Relations Bill, 2015 while throwing light on various concerns raised by the Trade Unions.
3. National urban transport policy emphasizes on moving people instead of moving vehicles. Discuss critically the success of various strategies of the government in this regard.
4. Discuss the composition and functions of the GST Council as proposed in the Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill, 2014.
5. Social auditing can be used as an efficient tool for addressing the monitoring and implementation bottlenecks in success of government schemes in India. Enumerate the steps that have been taken by the government recently in this regard.
6. The New Code on Industrial Relations (2019) was brought to reduce labour disputes and improve ease of doing business but it has restricted the collective bargaining power of the workers. Analyse.
7. The true potential of e-governance cannot be realized by solely focusing on the technological aspect, rather it involves ushering reforms in governance itself. Discussing the statement, suggest what should be done to address the situation.
8. Discuss the concerns of the states with respect to the Goods and Services Tax. To what extent, these concerns have been addressed in the current GST model as proposed in Constitution 122nd amendment Bill.
9. Highlight the potential of recent technological advancements to usher into an era of good governance using the tool of e-governance.
10. "For the betterment of Indian Railways, numerous committees and panels have been created from time to time."Examine the important committees and their recommendations.
11. The demand for an independent GST Dispute Settlement Authority seems to be more logical in comparison to GST Council. Analyze.
12. Bring out arguments surrounding the debate of legalising lobbying in India to promote transparency.
13. What do you understand by evidence based policy making? In your view, how NITI Aayog would provide a good platform for a shift towards evidence-informed policy making?
14. "Budget transparency and accountability are two of the eight basic indicators of good governance as propounded by United Nations."With this reference, critically discuss the principles followed in budgetary process in India.
15. To what extent the proposed Railway Regulatory Authority of India is different from earlier proposal of the Rail Tariff Committee. Critically examine its potential implications for Indian Railways.
16. In the light of poor road safety conditions in India, discuss the measures taken by the government in this regard.
17. Elaborate the various stages of preparation of budget in India before it is presented in the parliament.
18. "Open and participatory budget making is imperative for good governance; yet by international standards India fares badly on this count."Discuss critically.
19. Discuss the aims & objectives of NITI Aayog. To what extent, it is different from the erstwhile Planning Commission?
20. Why there is a need to pass public procurement laws in India?
GS-II: International Relations
1. India-China relations are haunted with structural issues. For tangible gains in bilateral relations India must address these structural problems. Discuss
2. Why India has chosen not to sign the Hague Convention despite being pressurised by US, UK and other countries? Give arguments in support or against the government stand.
3. As India prepares to welcome the Prime Minister of Mauritius explain how New Delhi views its relationship with the island nation and what can be done to further develop it?
4. Will India-Russia S-400 deal jeopardize India-US relations?
5. ‘The time has come for India and Japan to build a strong contemporary relationship, one involving global and strategic partnership that will have a great significance for Asia and the world as a whole.’ Comment
6. “The long-sustained image of India as a leader of the oppressed and marginalised Nations has disappeared on account of its new found role in the emerging global order” Elaborate
7. Discuss how the India-Japan defence partnership can be a win-win situation for both the countries.
8. India is yet to ratify UN Convention against Torture and enact a law on torture. Can the law serve as a panacea against torture by police in India?
9. Describe the various challenges being faced by the Communist Party of China and how it may affect President Xi Jinping?
10. What is RCEP? What are the concerns raised against the RCEP deal?
11. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali has won the Nobel peace Prize for his role in addressing the Ethopia-Eritrea conflict. What was the conflict about? What was the role of Abiy Ahmed Ali in ending the decades old conflict?
12. Too little cash, too much politics, leaves UNESCO fighting for life.’ Discuss the statement in the light of US’ withdrawal and its accusation of the cultural body as being ‘anti-Israel bias’.
13. What are Informal Summits? How they give a new dimension to the diplomacy?
14. How the Unified approach proposed by the OECD seeks to expand the tax base?
15. The Asian region’s rise is linked to peace, stability and cooperation between India and China. Elucidate
16. Describe the current state of India-Sri Lanka ties in the wake of Gotabaya Rajapaksa becoming the new Sri Lankan President and how can India repair those ties in order to maximize our interests?
17. Describe the current geo-political situation in the European Union and the threats that the bloc faces in the future.
18. Sweden is one of the world’s oldest monarchies. Write a note on the areas of cooperation and their potential between India and Sweden.
19. “What introduces friction into the ties between India and the United States is that Washington is still unable to find for India a position in its global strategy, which would satisfy India’s National self-esteem and ambitions” Explain with suitable examples.
20. Who Are the Kurds? Explain the genesis of the tussle between Kurds and Turkey?
GS-II: Social Justice
1. Medicine : India’s dependence on API
2. In the absence of scientific planning and implementation, measures like Jal Shakti Abhiyan may fall short of being successful. Analyze.
3. To what extent does the Draft National Education Policy 2019 address the challenge of preparing the Indian workforce for the transformation brought by the fourth industrial revolution and what enhancements could be proposed?
4. Leakages in the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana scheme
5. India’s Policy Towards Trans Fats
6. Ujjwala scheme has the potential to be transformative but only if effective monitoring is done to prevent leakages. Comment.
7. Tackling Malnutrition with Biofortification
8. There is a need for realizing projects under ‘open source’ license for the welfare of society at large. Critically examine the above statement in the context of intellectual property rights.
9. National Population Register & its linkage with National Register of Citizens
10. Tackling mental health issues
11. Pharamaceutical Policy & India’s Dependence
12. In light of the recent incidents of rape and abuse against women in the country, discuss the provisions of Andhra Pradesh Disha Bill 2019.
13. RTI & Locus Standi
14. Ten years of Competition Commission of India
15. Inclusivity in Health, Education & Employment
16. Is Right to Internet a Fundamental Right ?
17. Citizenship Act : Comparing India & Pakistan
18. Transforming India’s Higher Education
19. Capital Punishment & Rape
20. Good Governance Index as a tool to improve governance
GS-III: Economy & Economic Development
1. "The skewed utilization of fertilizers is mainly due to pricing of subsidized fertilizers."Examine the issue throwing light on current policy framework.
2. "Although Fertilizer industry has made rapid progress; India's indigenous Fertilizer production is still not able to keep pace with the growth in consumption."Discuss
3. First Green Revolution ran out of steam mainly because it was focused only on grain production, with this context; present a conceptual framework upon ushering India into Second Green revolution.
4. “The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act 2001 not only gives intellectual property protection to the plant breeders, but also upholds the legal space for farmers to save, use, exchange and sell the farm saved seeds.”Discuss citing salient features of the act.
5. What do you understand by Food Insecurity? Differentiate between Chronic and Transitory Food Insecurity.
6. “In the resource constrained and dry areas, the farming is a survival mechanism rather than a growth oriented activity.”With this reference bring out various problems faced by farmers in Rainfed Areas
7. Discuss various phases of Green revolution and their impacts on social economy of India.
8. What are buffer norms and Buffer stocks? Why they are needed?
9. Discuss the key thrust areas of National Seed Policy and seed bill in India
10. Discuss the need and importance of Soil Health Card. Evaluate the progress done by government in Soil Health Card scheme so far.
11. What are Foundation Seeds, Breeders Seeds and Certified Seeds? Examine the importance of Breeder's seeds in seed development and multiplication.
12. Differentiate between Straight, Complex and Mixed Fertilizers. Briefly explain the use of various chemical fertilizers in Indian Agriculture.
13. What is BGREI Programme? Evaluate its role in Indian agriculture in recent times.
14. Differentiate between Minor, Medium and Major Irrigation Schemes. Bring out their relative importance.
15. Examine the different methods of irrigation practiced in India and bring out their relative importance.
16. What do you understand by Micro-irrigation? Discuss its importance to a country like India.
17. Centre had circulated the Model Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act in 2003 and asked them to amend their APMC laws accordingly. However ,many states are reluctant to do so. Examine the issue.
18. Bring out the various problems of Agricultural Marketing System in India.
19. Differentiate between Dryland Farming and Rainfed Farming. Discuss the relative importance of both for India agriculture.
20. Discuss the current institutional framework around food grain management and public distribution system.
21. In India, the seed development in case of staple crops is confined to public sector. Discuss the reasons why the private companies avoided staple crops such as wheat despite they are high volume crops.
22. What do you understand by seed Replacement Rate? Despite of a plethora of Government and Private Agencies developing certified seeds in the country, why India suffers from dismal Seed Replacement Ratio? Examine.
23. To what extent New Urea Policy 2015 is able to address the skewed use of fertilizers in the country. Discuss citing key features of this policy.
24. What do you understand by Command Area Development? Why successive governments have failed in Command Area Development?
25. Rather than import parity price (IMPP); the Gas Price Pooling Policy seems to be a better deal for Urea Manufacturers. Do you agree with this view? Discuss.
26. What do you understand by operational land holding? Discuss various types of Land Holdings in India.
27. What do understand by Contract Farming? Discuss the provisions made in APMC act for promotion of Contract Farming in India.
28. The soul of any government scheme lies in its implementation. With this reference, critically discuss the drawbacks of Command Area Development Programme and Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP).In your view , how the recently launched Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayi Yojana addresses these issues? Discuss.
29. To what extent, it is justified to call Green revolution as an agriculture revolution? Examine.
30. What do you understand by Command Area? Objectively differentiate between Gross Command Area and Cultural Command Area.
31. Discuss the key recommendations of Shanta Kumar Committee in restructuring of FCI.
32. "Despite of heavy public expenditure on canals, our governments have not been able to reduce the groundwater depletion."Critically examine the issue.
33. “The Cost Risk structure in Indian agriculture must be paid attention while framing policies.” Discuss.
34. What is drip irrigation? Why is it considered the most efficient method of irrigation?
35. What is Plant variety Protection? Examine the role of Pressure Groups and NGOs in ensuring the Farmer's Rights in the legislation of Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmer's Rights Act 2001.
36. Present a roadmap for improving farm productivity and profitability in perpetuity without ecological harm in India.
37. Government has mandated all indigenous producers of Urea to produce 100% of urea as Need coated urea only. What are advantages of Need Coated Urea? Examine.
38. What do you understand by precision Farming? Discuss the key challenges to Precision Farming in India.
39. "Agricultural produce undergoes a series of exchanges from one hand to another before it finally reaches the consumer."With this reference discuss the facilities needed for efficient agricultural marketing?
40. Both demand and supply of agriculture produce are inelastic."Explain throwing light on importance of agricultural marketing in India.
GS-III: Environment & Disaster Management
1. Account for variations in oceanic salinity and discuss it's multi-dimensional effects.
2. What is Stampede? Why are humans prone to stampede?
3. Harmful pesticides are one of the major reasons behind farmer's deaths. Critically discuss the provisions of Pesticide Management Bill in this context.
4. Arsenic pollution has become a severe environmental problem in India. Enumerate its various source, also discuss the consequences and measures to tackle it.
5. In context of the significance of the Himalayan mountain system for South Asia, explain the factors responsible for melting of glaciers and its impact on the region.
6. In what way, can floods be converted into sustainable source of irrigation and all-weather inland navigation in India?
7. Nor many years ago, river linking was a concept but it is becoming a reality in the country. Discuss the advantages of river linking and its possible impacts on environment.
8. How does the Cryosphere affect global climate?
9. Use of technology and tools like GIS and Remote Sensing in disaster management can help to mitigate and reduce the impact of disasters. Throw some light on their application.
10. In various parts of India, one or the other animal species are used as part of either tradition or for entertainment purpose. In this context, critically examine the issues arising out of cruelty against animals.
11. One of the greatest environmental challenges that the world is facing today is desertification and it is getting worse because of climate change. Discuss.
12. What are the main triggers of Stampede? How these triggers make crowd management important?
13. It has been argued that the proposed amendments to the Forest conservation act (FCA) will go against the Forest Rights Act (FRA), and may create hurdles for India in achieving its commitments on climate change. Discuss.
14. What are the NDMA's guidelines on Crowd Management?
15. Explain the term land degradation neutrality. Highlight its significance and the steps required to achieve it.
16. The Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) by IPCC is being termed as the ‘code red’ for humanity. Examine the concerns raised in the report focussing on India. Enlist remedial measures given by the report.
17. In the light of risks posed by hazardous chemicals (HAZCHEM) in India, examine India’s preparedness in Chemical Disaster Management (CDM).
18. "The subjective definition of "wise use" in the Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules 2017 does not seem to make any change in our treatment of wetlands as waste lands." Discuss critically.
19. What are the worst stampede tragedies in India in recent years?
20. What should government learn from Elphinstone Road Incident and how it should respond?
GS-III: Internal & External Security
1. In recent decades, religion has gained stronghold in India's North East as a factor of political mobilization. Examine the issue from the internal security perspective.
2. The introduction of Sections 70A and 70B in IT Act, 2000 had brought in some corrective measures in India's cyber security establishments. Few years down the line, do you think that these measures have been implemented in letter and spirit? Discuss critically.
3. Despite being the most peaceful border in Asia, the Indo-Nepal border is not free of critical problems. Discuss while suggesting way forward.
4. India has been experiencing several attempts to attack over the Critical Information Infrastructure (CII), both by state and non state actors. What are the factors behind increased instances of attacks? Also, enumerate the steps taken by the Indian government to secure its CII.
5. Examine the rationale behind creation of different and diverse Central Armed Police Forces for guarding international borders. Also, highlight the contribution of these forces in ensuring security of India.
6. India's Border Area Development Programme (BADP) not only provides comprehensive approach to Border Management, but also focuses on socio-economic development of the people living in border areas. Critically discuss the success and failures of this programme with respect to India's borders on eastern and western front.
7. While throwing some light on the dual control structure of armed forces in India, discuss the role played by Assam Rifles in internal security of India.
8. The lack of nuances on social media arises from the limitations of the medium itself. Comment.
9. The increasing popularity of virtual assets is also increasing the risk of its misuse for money laundering activities. Elaborate. Also, suggest measures to mitigate the risk.
10. The roots of Naga insurgency lies in issues associated with Identity and ethnicity. But it has become a complex problem over time with political, social & economic ramifications. Elaborate.
11. The development of technology has enhanced the challenge of asymmetric warfare for India. Analyse.
12. "What do you understand by Narco-terrorism? Discuss the extent of the problem in India while throwing light upon the legal framework to tackle narco-terrorism."
13. “NTRO (National Technical Research Organisation) was conceived as a Premier scientific organization, yet it continues to be more or less in a state of limbo.” Discuss.
14. 2019 has been ranked as the worst years in terms of losses to IAF. Comment.
15. "Though the Mizo Accord has been most successful agreement with insurgents in India yet the Hmar insurgency finds its roots in the same accord. Who are Hmars and why they are restive?"Discuss.
16. India is developing as a state of fear for the journalists as there are increased number of attacks on journalists. Comment.
17. The problem of trafficking of women and children is huge in India, highlight the factors behind it and steps taken in recent times to combat it.
18. North East India continues to face several security threats despite its strategic importance. Discuss. What steps have been taken by the government to ensure peace and stability in the region?
19. What is Money laundering? How it is different from Black Money? Discuss salient provisions of the Anti Money Laundering law in India.
20. With respect to the maritime security threats, elucidate the meaning and components of the Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) while discussing India's efforts towards achieving complete Maritime Domain Awareness.
GS-III: Science & Technology
1. While the National IPR {Intellectual Property Rights} policy has tried to address a number of gaps in India's IPR system, it has number of flaws. Discuss.
2. What do you understand by "Data Science" and "Big Data"? Discuss while analyzing their potential in changing the way politics and governance is conducted.
3. In recent times, ISRO has become a role model for a plethora of other public sector agencies which suffer from severe challenges in terms of capacity and execution. What are the factors behind ISRO's high performance? What are the lessons the other public sector organisations should learn from ISRO? Discuss.
4. Discuss the key aspects of current debate on reconstituting / restructuring India's higher defence organization.
5. The efforts of government for indigenization of defence technologies in India has delivered suboptimal results. Examine reasons behind it and suggest measures to accelerate the pace of indigenization in the defence sector.
6. What may be the most profound impacts of Artificial Intelligence on economy? Can artificial intelligence help in India's economic transformation? Discuss.
7. Explain the properties and applications of superconductors. What are the constraints in its practical use?
8. “India’s defence budget suffers from not only under-allocation but also under-utilization.” Discuss.
9. Throw some light on the characteristics and significance of Project MANAV launched by the Department of biotechnology.
10. What do you understand by cognitive computing? How can cognitive computing help human thinking and decision-making process?
11. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly being seen as a new factor of production in recent times. What are the credentials of AI which make it suitable as a new factor of production apart from land, labour and capital? Discuss.
12. What is the so called missile programme of North Korea? While explaining the international concerns regarding its recent missile launch using solid fuel technology, discuss reactions of the international community regarding the same.
13. Highlight the multifaceted role played by ISRO in diversified developmental activities of the nation apart from its core work of launching satellites.
14. Define Data portability. Keeping in view the new European Law on data portability, discuss the relevance and potential of such law in India.
15. Explain the cashless transaction mechanisms by (1) Bharat QR Code (2) UPI based banking applications.
16. Differentiate between biologics, biosimilars and generics.
17. The Bhim Aadhaar Pay system allows money transfers using biometrics even without phones. How does it work? What are main advantages of this payment system?
18. What are the key disruptive trends of the so called Industry 4.0 (Fourth Industrial Revolution)? Discuss while highlighting the importance of innovation, Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data for Industry 4.0.
19. “The ministry of agriculture’s draft licensing guidelines released in May 2016 have adverse implications for Intellectual Property in seed and bio-tech industry. Examine.
20. What is cloud seeding? How it can help in failing rainfall? Can cloud seeding help in mitigating climate change also? Discuss. ]
GS-IV: Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude
1. Analyze how the pursuit of philosophical wisdom can conflict with societal measures of success. Discuss with examples.
2. While keeping public services in focus, examine how can the pursuit of metaphysical knowledge influence a public servant’s perception of material wealth and personal success?
3. Examine the role of critical questioning in ethical decision-making in public services, referencing historical philosophers’ approaches.
4. Can the principles of epistemology enhance ethical decision-making in public administration? Discuss with suitable examples.
5. Establish the link between emotional intelligence and mental health, pointing out its significance in handling stress and promoting resilience.
