General Studies III Mains Question Paper and Analysis

Government Budgeting

1. Enumerate the indirect taxes which have been subsumed in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in India. Also, comment on the revenue implications of the GST introduced in India since July 2017. (150 words; 10 Marks)

Indian Economy and issues relating to growth

2. Do you agree with the view that steady GDP growth and low inflation have left the Indian economy in good shape? Give reasons in support of your arguments. (150 words; 10 Marks)

Economics of animal-rearing

3. How far is Integrated Farming System (IFS) helpful in sustaining agricultural production? (150 words; 10 Marks)

Different types of irrigation and irrigation systems storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints

4. Elaborate the impact of National Watershed Project in increasing agricultural production from water-stressed areas. (150 words; 10 Marks)

Achievements of Indians in science & technology

5. How was India benefitted from the contributions of Sir M. Visvesvaraya and Dr. M. S. Swaminathan in the fields of water engineering and agricultural science respectively? (150 words; 10 Marks)

Awareness in the field of Space

6. What is India’s plan to have its own space station and how will it benefit our space programme? (150 words; 10 Marks)

Environmental pollution and degradation

7. Coastal sand mining, whether legal or illegal, poses one of the biggest threats to our environment. Analyze the impact of sand mining along the Indian coasts, citing specific examples. (150 words; 10 Marks)

Disaster management

8. Vulnerability is an essential element for defining disaster impacts and its threat to people. How and in what ways can vulnerability to disasters be characterized? Discuss different types of vulnerability with reference to disasters. (150 words; 10 Marks)

Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security

9. The banning of ‘Jamaat-e – islaami’ in Jammu and Kashmir brought into focus the role of over-ground workers (OGWs) in assisting terrorist organizations. Examine the role played by OGWs in assisting terrorist organizations in insurgency affected areas. Discuss measures to neutralize influence of OGWs. (150 words; 10 Marks)

Challenges to Internal Security- Basics of cyber security

10. What is CyberDome Project? Explain how it can be useful in controlling internet crimes in India. (150 words; 10 Marks)

Inclusive growth and issues arising from it

11. It is argued that the strategy of inclusive growth is intended to meet the objectives of inclusiveness and sustainability together. Comment on this statement. (250 words; 15 Marks)

Government Budgeting

12. The public expenditure management is a challenge to the Government of India in the context of budget making during the post-liberalization period. Clarify it. (250 words; 15 Marks)

Public Distribution System- objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping

13. What are the reformative steps taken by the Government to make food grain distribution system more effective? (250 words; 15 Marks)

Food processing and related industries in India

14. Elaborate the policy taken by the Government of India to meet the challenges of the food processing sector. (250 words; 15 Marks)

 Issues relating to intellectual property rights

15. How is the Government of India protecting traditional knowledge of medicine from patenting by pharmaceutical companies? (250 words; 15 Marks)

Awareness in the field of bio-technology 

16. How can biotechnology improve the living standards of farmers? (250 words; 15 Marks)

Issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources and development 

17. Define the concept of carrying capacity of an ecosystem as relevant to an environment. Explain how understanding this concept is vital while planning for sustainable development of a region. (250 words; 15 Marks)

Disaster management

18. Disaster preparedness is the first step in any disaster management process. Explain how hazard zonation mapping will help in disaster mitigation in the case of landslides. (250 words; 15 Marks)

Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages of organized crime with terrorism

19. Indian government has recently strengthened the anti-terrorism laws by amending the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967 and the NIA Act. Analyze the changes in the context of prevailing security environment while discussing the scope and reasons for opposing the UAPA by human rights organizations. (250 words; 15 Marks)

Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages of organized crime with terrorism

20. Cross-border movement of insurgents is only one of the several security challenges facing the policing of the border in North-East India. Examine the various challenges currently emanating across the India-Myanmar border. Also, discuss the steps to counter the challenges. (250 words; 15 Marks)

 

 

 

 

The below given table gives you an insight regarding the number of questions asked and the weightage of the topics in GS III Paper.

 

GS 1 Topic	Number of Questions	Total Marks
Government Budgeting	2	25
Indian Economy and issues relating to growth	1	10
Economics of animal-rearing	1	10
Different types of irrigation and irrigation systems storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints	1	10
Achievements of Indians in science & technology	1	10
Awareness in the field of Space	1	10
Environmental pollution and degradation	1	10
Disaster management	2	25
Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security	1	10
Basics of cyber security	1	10
Inclusive growth and issues arising from it	1	15
Public Distribution System- objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping	1	15
Food processing and related industries in India	1	15
Issues relating to intellectual property rights	1	15
Awareness in the field bio-technology	1	15
Issues relating to planning and develop	1	15
Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages of organized crime with terrorism.	2	30

 

UPSC GS III paper 2019 covered topics from Economy, Environment, Science and Technology, Security, and Disaster Management. It has five questions from Indian economy, growth and government budgeting. Five questions belonged to topics like economics of animal rearing, irrigation systems, food processing and Public Distribution System. Three questions were from Science and Technology. Only one question was from environmental pollution and degradation and one from intellectual property rights. Two questions were from disaster management, and three questions were from cyber and internal security.

UPSC GS III paper2019 contained analytical questions as well as direct and easy questions. Analytical questions required knowledge of current issues and challenges.