GS Paper 3 practice questions for UPSC Mains 2026.

Introduction: Gross NPAs of scheduled commercial banks fell to a 12-year low of 2.6% in March 2025 (RBI Financial Stability Report, June 2025); credit growth at ~13.7% outpacing deposit growth ~10.8%.

Body: 1) IBC 2016 and 4R framework (Recognition, Resolution, Recapitalisation, Reforms). 2) Credit-deposit gap and reliance on certificates of deposit. 3) Governance — PSB Reform Agenda EASE, RBI PCA framework.

Way forward: Strengthen IBC resolution timelines (Section 12), expand digital deposits via UPI-linked products, complete privatisation roadmap per NITI Aayog.

Introduction: Digital Agriculture Mission 2024 has an outlay of ₹2,817 crore; AgriStack builds a federated farmer ID linked to land records and Krishi Decision Support System.

Body: 1) Stack components — Farmer Registry, Geo-referenced village maps, Crop Sown Registry. 2) Use cases — PM-KISAN targeting, KCC, PMFBY claim settlement, advisories via Kisan Sarathi. 3) Exclusion risks — tenancy invisibility, female cultivators, internet access in tribal blocks.

Way forward: Anchor AgriStack to DPDP Act 2023 consent norms; co-design with Krishi Vigyan Kendras; subsidise Kisan Drone use under SMAM.

Introduction: India's food processing GVA contributes ~1.7% of GVA and ~7.7% of manufacturing GVA (MoFPI Annual Report 2024-25); processing levels at ~10% vs 30%+ in Thailand.

Body: 1) Constraints — cold-chain gap, fragmented sourcing, APMC frictions, low R&D. 2) Schemes — PLI for Food Processing (₹10,900 crore), PMKSY mega food parks and cold-chain. 3) Aggregation — FPOs and One District One Product.

Way forward: Operationalise 10,000 FPOs scheme; revise APMC Acts under e-NAM; expand PMFME for micro units.

Introduction: India's non-fossil installed capacity crossed 200 GW in 2024 (MNRE); the National Green Hydrogen Mission targets 5 MMT of green hydrogen by 2030 with an outlay of ₹19,744 crore.

Body: 1) Capacity additions — solar 90+ GW, wind 47 GW. 2) Grid integration — round-the-clock RE, BESS auctions under VGF, Green Energy Open Access Rules 2022. 3) Storage and transmission — PSP pipeline 47 GW, Green Energy Corridor phase II.

Way forward: Scale SIGHT incentives under NGHM; auction 13 GWh BESS under VGF; complete Green Energy Corridor and ISTS waiver extension.

Introduction: India recorded its longest heatwave ever in summer 2024 with 536 heatwave days (IMD); over 40 cities now have Heat Action Plans (HAPs), but only 11 are state-level.

Body: 1) Health burden — 11,000+ suspected heat deaths since 2013 (NCDC). 2) HAP gaps — single-season focus, weak cooling-centre network, no labour rules. 3) Disaster Management Act 2005 silence on heat as 'notified disaster'.

Way forward: Notify heatwave under DM Act 2005; mandate cool-roof and white-paint norms via MoHUA; integrate with NDMA Heat Wave Guidelines 2019 and Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres.

Introduction: Inclusive growth — economic expansion that spreads opportunity, reduces inequality and reaches marginal groups (NITI Aayog framing).

Body: 1) Income — MGNREGA (right to 100 days wage), PM-KISAN (₹6,000/year to 11+ crore farmers). 2) Financial inclusion — PMJDY (53+ crore accounts), Stand-Up India. 3) Health-nutrition — Ayushman Bharat PMJAY ₹5 lakh cover, POSHAN 2.0. 4) Skill-credit — PMKVY 4.0, PM SVANidhi for street vendors.

Way forward: Strengthen DBT plumbing via PFMS; scale Lakhpati Didi to 3 crore; gender-budget every scheme above ₹500 crore.

Introduction: Article 112 mandates the Annual Financial Statement; Budget presented 1 February since 2017.

Body: 1) Revenue Budget — receipts and expenditure not creating assets. 2) Capital Budget — borrowings, asset creation. 3) Demand for Grants — voted by Lok Sabha (Article 113). 4) Finance Bill — taxation proposals (Article 110). Charged vs Voted expenditure distinction.

Way forward: Strengthen outcome budgeting; align Public Financial Management System (PFMS) with Demands; widen pre-Budget consultations under FRBM Strategy Statement.

Introduction: Core CPI excludes food and fuel; RBI Monetary Policy Report April 2025 placed core inflation at ~3.5% even as headline ranged 4-5%.

Body: 1) Definition — non-food non-fuel CPI; better gauge of underlying demand. 2) Use — MPC anchors expectations on core trajectory; food shocks treated as supply-side. 3) Limits — large food weight (45.9%) in CPI Combined dilutes core signal.

Way forward: Periodic CPI base revision (NSO has begun 2024 base review); supply-side coordination with Ministry of Consumer Affairs on tomato-onion-pulse chains.

Introduction: CRR currently 4% of NDTL (Banking Regulation Act Sec 42), SLR 18% (Sec 24); RBI Bulletin January 2025 details liquidity management.

Body: 1) CRR — sterilises liquidity, no interest paid; cut released ₹1.16 lakh crore in Dec 2024 50-bps move. 2) SLR — in G-Secs, gold, cash; supports government borrowing programme. 3) Distinction from repo/SDF (price tools).

Way forward: Modulate CRR for durable liquidity; OMO operations to support YTM stability; align with Basel III LCR requirements.

Introduction: IBC 2016 — unified, time-bound insolvency framework; IBBI Quarterly Newsletter Q2 FY25 records ~32% recovery for financial creditors, 745+ resolutions to date.

Body: 1) Pillars — IBBI regulator, NCLT/NCLAT adjudicator, IPs, IUs. 2) CIRP timeline — 330 days (incl. litigation). 3) Outcomes — 28,800+ CIRPs admitted, ₹3.55 lakh crore realised. 4) Pre-pack for MSMEs (Aug 2021).

Way forward: Operationalise Cross-Border Insolvency (UNCITRAL Model Law); group insolvency rules; NCLT capacity augmentation.

Introduction: DPIIT FDI Statistics show FY24 gross FDI inflows $70.95 billion; FDI policy consolidated under Consolidated FDI Policy 2020 (latest review 2024); FEMA-governed.

Body: 1) Routes — Automatic (most sectors 100%), Government (defence beyond 74%, telecom beyond 49% pre-2024 reform). 2) Capped sectors — insurance 74% (FDI Act 2021), banking private 74%, defence 74%/100% case-by-case, single-brand retail 100% automatic with conditions. 3) Prohibited — lottery, gambling, atomic energy, chit funds.

Way forward: Liberalise space (allowed 100% Apr 2024) and nuclear; PLI-linked FDI promotion; bilateral investment treaty renegotiation under 2016 Model BIT.

Introduction: Kharif sown with south-west monsoon (June-Oct), harvested Sep-Oct; Rabi sown Oct-Dec, harvested Mar-May; Ministry of Agriculture's 4th Advance Estimates 2023-24 records 332.3 MT foodgrain.

Body: 1) Kharif — rice, jowar, bajra, cotton, soybean; depends on monsoon; supported by Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY). 2) Rabi — wheat, mustard, gram, peas; depends on residual moisture and irrigation; supported by Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).

Way forward: Crop diversification under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana; align MSP with sustainability incentives; expand PMKSY 'per drop more crop'.

Introduction: Food Corporation of India Act 1964; Section 17 mandates price stability via procurement and buffer; current buffer norms — wheat 21 LMT (Jan 1) to 275 LMT (Apr 1), rice scaling similarly.

Body: 1) Functions — price support, market stabilisation, PDS supply, strategic reserve. 2) Operations — MSP procurement from Punjab-Haryana, intra-state transport, storage at 1,800+ depots. 3) Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) for price moderation.

Way forward: Cost optimisation under Shanta Kumar Committee 2015; outsource procurement to states (DCP expansion); modernise depots via steel silos.

Introduction: National Food Security Act 2013 covers 67% of population; POSHAN Abhiyaan launched 2018; POSHAN 2.0 (Mission Saksham Anganwadi) merged ICDS, POSHAN, Scheme for Adolescent Girls in 2021.

Body: 1) Pillars — entitlement (5 kg/person), AAY 35 kg/household, Mid-Day Meal/PM POSHAN. 2) POSHAN 2.0 — Saksham Anganwadis (2 lakh upgraded), Take Home Ration, IT-Poshan Tracker (10+ crore beneficiaries). 3) NFHS-5 stunting 35.5%, wasting 19.3%.

Way forward: Millet inclusion in PDS under International Year of Millets 2023 follow-through; fortify wheat-rice; convergence with Jal Jeevan Mission for nutrition outcomes.

Introduction: India produced 230.58 MT of milk in 2022-23 (DAHD Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics 2024), world's largest producer (~24% global); Operation Flood (1970-96) under V. Kurien and NDDB.

Body: 1) Achievements — Anand pattern cooperatives, milk per capita 459 g/day. 2) Schemes — Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM, ₹2,400 crore), National Dairy Plan-II, e-Gopala app, IVF Mission Sex-Sorted Semen. 3) Constraints — low productivity (4-5 kg/day vs global 25 kg), feed costs, climate stress.

Way forward: Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act amendment for inter-state cooperatives; Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (₹29,610 crore) deployment.

Introduction: NPCI reported 18.4 billion UPI transactions in March 2025, worth ₹24.77 lakh crore — the world's largest real-time retail payments rail.

Body: 1) Global rollout — UPI live in UAE, Singapore PayNow link, France (Eiffel Tower), Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Bhutan. 2) Concentration risk — PhonePe and Google Pay together ~85% market share against NPCI's 30% cap (deferred to Dec 2026). 3) Zero-MDR sustainability vs incentive scheme of ₹1,500 crore (Budget 2025-26).

Way forward: Operationalise the 30% market-share cap; expand UPI-PayNow style linkages; price small-merchant MDR transparently.

Introduction: Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander touched down at 69.37°S near the lunar south pole on 23 August 2023 — India became the fourth country to soft-land on the Moon and first at the south pole; SpaDeX achieved its first docking on 16 January 2025, making India the fourth nation in the docking club.

Body: 1) Strategic significance — south-pole water-ice access for future habitats; docking is a prerequisite for the Bharatiya Antariksh Station targeted for 2035. 2) Commercial spillover — IN-SPACe authorisations crossed 300; NSIL handled the LVM3-OneWeb contracts worth ~₹1,000 crore. 3) Talent and industry stack — ~190 space startups (2025).

Way forward: Operationalise the BAS roadmap; accelerate Gaganyaan H1 launch; scale NSIL's commercial portfolio.

Introduction: ABDM launched 27 September 2021 by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; 76+ crore ABHA IDs and 4.5+ lakh linked health facilities by 2025 (NHA dashboard).

Body: 1) Architecture — ABHA (health ID), HPR (healthcare professional registry), HFR (health facility registry), Unified Health Interface. 2) Privacy challenges — federated data, no central health locker; DPDP Act 2023 children-and-disabled safeguards. 3) Adoption gap — private hospitals slow to integrate.

Way forward: Mandate ABHA-linked claims under PMJAY; strict HMIS interoperability standards; explicit health-data fiduciary regime under DPDP Rules.

Introduction: Nano Mission launched by DST in 2007 with ₹1,000 crore Phase II (2014-25); India ranks 3rd globally in nano-science publications (Scopus 2024); 2023 Nobel in Chemistry recognised quantum dots — semiconductors at nanoscale.

Body: 1) Achievements — IIT-Bombay Nanofabrication Facility, Centres of Excellence at IISc and JNCASR, nano-urea by IFFCO commercialised 2021. 2) Gaps — no dedicated nano-safety regulation; FSSAI guidelines pending; occupational exposure standards thin. 3) Strategic value — nano-coatings for stealth, batteries.

Way forward: Notify Nano-Safety Guidelines under EPA 1986; mandatory labelling of food/cosmetics; expand Nano Mission Phase III with industry co-funding.

Introduction: India has 89 Ramsar sites (2025) and four biodiversity hotspots — Himalaya, Indo-Burma, Western Ghats, Sundaland; Khasi Hills REDD+ became India's first Plan Vivo community carbon project; All India Tiger Estimation 2022 reported 3,682 tigers.

Body: 1) Successes — Project Tiger 1973, Project Elephant 1992, MISHTI mangrove scheme. 2) Community model — Khasi Hills REDD+ aggregates 62 villages, generates carbon credits. 3) Gaps — wetland degradation, human-wildlife conflict.

Way forward: Scale community carbon projects; strengthen Wetland Rules 2017; expand Project Cheetah and CAMPA-funded restoration.