Topic-wise Essay Questions - UPSC Mains (1994 - 2020)

                             Topic-wise Essay Questions - UPSC Mains (1994 - 2020)

Quotes-based/Philosophy

·         Youth is a blunder, manhood a struggle, old age a regret. (1994)

·         Useless life is an early death. (1994)

·         Disinterested intellectual curiosity is the lifeblood of civilisation. (1995)

·         When money speaks, the truth is silent. (1995)

·         Our deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds. (1995)

·         Truth is lived, not taught. (1996)

·         True religion cannot be misused. (1997)

·         The pursuit of excellence. (2001)

·         Search for truth can only be a spiritual problem. (2002)

·         The paths of glory lead but to the grave. (2002)

·         If youth knew, if age could. (2002)

·         There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so. (2003)

·         Attitude makes habit, habit makes character and character makes a man. (2007)

·         Discipline means success, anarchy means ruin. (2008)

·         Geography may remain the same; history need not. (2010)

·         Be the change you want to see in others. (2013)

·         With greater power comes greater responsibility. (2014)

·         Words are sharper than the two-edged sword. (2014)

·         Lending hands to someone is better than giving a dole. (2015)

·         Character of an institution is reflected in its leader. (2015)

·         Quick but steady wins the race. (2015)

·         Need brings greed, if greed increases it spoils breed. (2016)

·         Joy is the simplest form of gratitude. (2017)

·         A good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge. (2018)

·         A people that values its privileges above its principles loses both. (2018)

·         Customary morality cannot be a guide to modern life. (2018)

·         “The past’ is a permanent dimension of human consciousness and values. (2018)

·         Reality does not conform to the ideal, but confirms it. (2018)

·         Wisdom finds truth (2019)

·         Values are not what humanity is, but what humanity ought to be (2019)

·         Best for an Individual is not necessarily best for the society (2019)

·         Courage to accept and dedication to improve are two keys to success (2019)

        Life is long journey between human being and being humane (2020)

·         Mindful manifesto is the catalyst to a tranquil self (2020)

·         Ships do not sink because of water around them ,  ships sink because of water that gets into them (2020)

·         Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication (2020)

Women

•                     The new emerging women power: the ground realities. (1995)

•                     Greater political power alone will not improve women’s plight. (1997)

•                     Woman is god’s best creation. (1998)

•                     Women empowerment: challenges and prospects. (1999)

•                     Empowerment alone cannot help our women. (2001)

•                     Whither women’s emancipation? (2004)

•                     If women ruled the world. (2005)

•                     The hand that rocks the cradle. (2005)

•                     Women’s reservation bill would usher in empowerment for women in India. (2006)

•                     Managing work and home – is the Indian working woman getting a fair deal? (2012)

•                     If development is not engendered, it is endangered. (2016)

•                     Fulfillment of ‘new woman’ in India is a myth. (2017)

•                     Patriarchy is the least noticed yet the most significant structure of social inequality (2020)

Judiciary/Social justice/Poverty

•                     Judicial activism. (1997)

•                     Reservation, politics and empowerment. (1999)

•                     Judicial activism and Indian democracy. (2004)

•                     Food security for sustainable national development. (2005)

•                     Justice must reach the poor. (2005)

•                     The focus of health care is increasingly getting skewed towards the ‘haves’ of our society. (2009)

•                     Farming has lost the ability to be a source of subsistence for the majority of farmers in India. (2017)

•                     Poverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere. (2018)

•                     There can be no social justice without economic prosperity but economic prosperity without social justice is meaningless (2020)

 

Science & Technology

•                     The modern doctor and his patients. (1997)

•                     Value-based science and education. (1999)

•                     The cyberworld: its charms and challenges. (2000)

•                     The march of science and the erosion of human values. (2001)

•                     Spirituality and scientific temper. (2003)

•                     The lure of space. (2004)

•                     Increasing computerization would lead to the creation of a dehumanized society. (2006)

•                     Science and Mysticism: Are they compatible? (2012)

•                     Science and technology is the panacea for the growth and security of the nation. (2013)

•                     Technology cannot replace manpower. (2015)

•                     Cyberspace and Internet: Blessing or curse to the human civilization in the long run. (2016)

•                     Alternative technologies for a climate change resilient India. (2018)

•                     Rise of Artificial Intelligence: the threat of jobless future or better job opportunities through reskilling and upskilling (2019)

•                     Technology as the silent factor in international relations (2020)

Education

•                     Restructuring of Indian education system. (1995)

•                     Literacy is growing very fast, but there is no corresponding growth in education. (1996)

•                     Irrelevance of the classroom. (2001)

•                     Privatization of higher education in India. (2002)

•                     Modern technological education and human values. (2002)

•                     What is real education? (2005)

•                     “Education for all” campaign in India: myth or reality. (2006)

•                     Independent thinking should be encouraged right from the childhood. (2007)

•                     Is an egalitarian society possible by educating the masses? (2008)

•                     Credit – based higher education system – status, opportunities and challenges. (2011)

•                     Is the growing level of competition good for the youth? (2014)

•                     Are the standardized tests good measure of academic ability or progress? (2014)

•                     Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make a man more clever devil. (2015)

•                     Destiny of a nation is shaped in its classrooms. (2017)

•                     Neglect of primary health care and education in India are reasons for its backwardness (2019)

Economic growth and development

•                     Resource management in the Indian context. (1999)

•                     GDP (Gross Domestic Product) along with GDH (Gross Domestic Happiness) would be the right indices for judging the wellbeing of a country. (2013)

•                     Was it the policy paralysis or the paralysis of implementation which slowed the growth of our country? (2014)

•                     Crisis faced in India – moral or economic. (2015)

•                     Near jobless growth in India: An anomaly or an outcome of economic reforms. (2016)

•                     Digital economy: A leveller or a source of economic inequality. (2016)

•                     Innovation is the key determinant of economic growth and social welfare. (2016)

•                     Impact of the new economic measures on fiscal ties between the union and states in India. (2017)

•                     Forests are the best case studies for economic excellence (2022)

 

Economic sectors

•                     Multinational corporations – saviours or saboteurs. (1994)

•                     BPO boom in India. (2007)

•                     Special economic zone: boon or bane? (2008)

•                     Are our traditional handicrafts doomed to a slow death? (2009)

•                     Is the criticism that the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) model for development is more of a bane than a boon in the Indian context, justified? (2012)

•                     Tourism: Can this be the next big thing for India? (2014)

 

Environment/Urbanisation

•                     Urbanization is a blessing in disguise. (1997)

•                     Protection of ecology and environment is essential for sustained economic development. (2006)

•                     Urbanisation and its hazards. (2008)

•                     Should a moratorium be imposed on all fresh mining in tribal areas of the country? (2010)

•                     We may brave human laws but cannot resist natural laws. (2017)

Administration

•                     Politics, bureaucracy and business – fatal triangle  (1994)

•                     Politics without ethics is a disaster. (1995)

•                     The VIP cult is a bane of Indian democracy. (1996)

•                     Need for transparency in public administration. (1996)

•                     The country’s need for a better disaster management system. (2000)

•                     How should a civil servant conduct himself? (2003)

 

Federalism, Decentralisation

•                     The language problem in India: its past, present and prospects. (1998)

•                     Water resources should be under the control of the central government. (2004)

•                     Evaluation of panchayati raj system in India from the point of view of eradication of power to people. (2007)

•                     Is autonomy the best answer to combat balkanization? (2007)

•                     Creation of smaller states and the consequent administrative, economic and developmental implication. (2011)

•                     Cooperative federalism: Myth or reality. (2016)

•                     Water disputes between States in federal India. (2016)

 

Democracy/India since independence

•                     Whither Indian democracy? (1995)

•                     What we have not learnt during fifty years of independence. (1997)

•                     Why should we be proud of being Indians? (2000)

•                     What have we gained from our democratic set-up? (2001)

•                     How far has democracy in India delivered the goods? (2003)

•                     National identity and patriotism. (2008)

•                     In the context of Gandhiji’s views on the matter, explore, on an evolutionary scale, the terms ‘Swadhinata’, ‘Swaraj’ and ‘Dharmarajya’. Critically comment on their contemporary relevance to Indian democracy. (2012)

•                     Is the colonial mentality hindering India’s success? (2013)

•                     Fifty Golds in Olympics: Can this be a reality for India? (2014)

•                     Dreams which should not let India sleep. (2015)

 

Indian Culture & Society

•                     The Indian society at the crossroads. (1994)

•                     New cults and godmen: a threat to traditional religion. (1996)

•                     The composite culture of India. (1998)

•                     Youth culture today. (1999)

•                     Modernism and our traditional socio-ethical values. (2000)

•                     Indian culture today: a myth or a reality? (2000)

•                     As civilization advances culture declines. (2003)

•                     From traditional Indian philanthropy to the gates-buffet model-a natural progression or a paradigm shift? (2010)

•                     Culture is what we are, civilization is what we have (2020)

 

Media & Society

•                     Misinterpretation and misuse of freedom in India. (1998)

•                     Mass media and cultural invasion. (1999)

•                     Responsibility of media in a democracy. (2002)

•                     How has satellite television brought about cultural change in Indian mindsets? (2007)

•                     Role of media in good governance. (2008)

•                     Does Indian cinema shape our popular culture or merely reflect it? (2011)

•                     Is sting operation an invasion on privacy? (2014)

•                     Social media is inherently a selfish medium. (2017)

•                     Biased media is a real threat to Indian democracy (2019)

 

Globalisation

•                     Modernisation and westernisation are not identical concepts. (1994)

•                     The world of the twenty-first century. (1998)

•                     The implications of globalization for India. (2000)

•                     My vision of an ideal world order. (2001)

•                     The masks of new imperialism. (2003)

•                     Globalizations and its impact on Indian culture. (2004)

•                     Globalization would finish small-scale industries in India. (2006)

•                     ‘Globalization’ vs. ‘nationalism’. (2009)

•                     Preparedness of our society for India’s global leadership role. (2010)

 

 

International Issues

•                     Restructuring of UNO reflect present realities. (1996)

•                     India’s contribution to world wisdom. (1998)

•                     India’s role in promoting ASEAN cooperation. (2004)

•                     Terrorism and world peace. (2005)

•                     Importance of Indo-US nuclear agreement. (2006)

•                     Are we a ‘soft’ state? (2009)

•                     Good fences make good neighbours. (2009)

•                     In the Indian context, both human intelligence and technical intelligence are crucial in combating terrorism. (2011)

•                     Has the Non- Alignment Movement (NAM) lost its relevance in a multipolar world. (2017)

•                     Management of Indian border disputes – a complex task. (2018)

•                     South Asian societies are woven not around the state, but around their plural cultures and plural identities (2019)

•                     Technology as the silent factor in international relations (2020)