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Practice UPSC New previous year questions on Anantam IAS: 0 Prelims MCQs and 596 Mains Q&A with answer keys, explanations and topic-wise links.
Prelims MCQs 0
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Mains Q&A 596
Department-Related Standing Committees are the engine room of parliamentary scrutiny but their effectiveness has weakened in recent Lok Sabhas. Discuss.
The collegium system is a judicial invention to protect independence but it has been criticised for opacity. With reference to the Memorandum of Procedure deadlock since 2015, comment.
The President of India is a constitutional head bound by aid and advice under Article 74, but the office retains real discretionary power in specific circumstances. Discuss.
The 2024 Supreme Court verdict striking down the Electoral Bonds Scheme has reopened the question of how political parties should be funded. With reference to the Association for Democratic Reforms judgment, examine.
The GST Council under Article 279A is a constitutional experiment in pooled sovereignty but its ‘recommendatory’ character has been tested by the Mohit Minerals judgment. Critically analyse.
The Finance Commission under Article 280 is the constitutional umpire of fiscal federalism, but the rising share of cesses and surcharges outside the divisible pool is eroding its mandate. Examine.
Inter-state water disputes have outlived the constitutional and statutory machinery designed to resolve them. With reference to Article 262 and the ISRWD Act 1956, examine.
Tribunals were created to deliver speedy specialised justice but the L. Chandra Kumar judgment kept the High Courts as the ultimate constitutional check. Discuss.
Article 142 gives the Supreme Court a power ‘as is necessary for doing complete justice’ but its expansive use raises separation-of-powers questions. Comment.
The Inter-State Council under Article 263 is an under-used instrument of cooperative federalism. Comment.
The Preamble of the Indian Constitution is its identity card and a key to its interpretation. With reference to the words ‘Socialist’, ‘Secular’ and ‘Integrity’ inserted by the 42nd Amendment 1976, examine.
The 44th Constitutional Amendment 1978 was an attempt to rebalance the Constitution after the Emergency, but several of its safeguards remain unenforced. Examine.
The abrogation of Article 370 has been upheld by the Supreme Court but its constitutional method continues to raise basic-structure questions. In the light of In re Article 370 (2023), critically analyse.
The Ninth Schedule was designed to protect agrarian reform from judicial review but has become a refuge for laws of every kind. With reference to I.R. Coelho v. State of Tamil Nadu (2007), examine.
President’s Rule under Article 356 is meant to be the Constitution’s safety valve, not a routine political instrument. In the light of the eleventh imposition in Manipur in 2025, discuss the S.R. Bommai guardrails.
Critical minerals — lithium, cobalt, nickel, rare earths — concentrate in a handful of countries, posing fresh resource-geography challenges. Examine the global distribution and India’s response under the Critical Minerals Mission.
India’s mineral wealth is concentrated in the south-eastern peninsular shield — Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh. Examine this distribution and its socio-economic consequences.
India’s forest cover is 7,15,343 sq km — 21.76% of the geographical area (ISFR 2021), but its distribution is uneven. Examine the regional pattern and the trade-offs between conservation and development.
India’s groundwater accounts for 62% of irrigation and 85% of rural drinking water (CGWB), but the resource is being depleted faster than recharge. Examine the spatial pattern of groundwater stress.