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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
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 old-age population will more than double from 14.9 crore in 2022 to 34.7 crore by 2050 (UNFPA). Examine the ‘ageing without a care system’ thesis and outline a long-term care architecture.
The world’s iron and steel industry has shifted decisively eastward: China alone produced 1,019 million tonnes of crude steel in 2023, over half the global total. Examine the location factors of the steel industry with reference to raw-material, market and energy axes.
Crude oil and natural gas reserves are geographically concentrated, but consumption patterns are inverted. Examine the location of major hydrocarbon producers and the chokepoints that link them to consumers.
The global automobile industry has clustered into a handful of mega-producers, with China alone making 30.16 million vehicles in 2023. Examine the location factors that explain the world’s automobile capitals.
The textile industry exemplifies the global shift of manufacturing from high-wage to low-wage geographies. Examine the location of the world’s textile and apparel hubs and India’s place in this map.
India’s tribal population at 10.43 crore (Census 2011) includes 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups concentrated in 18 states. Examine the constitutional framework — Fifth Schedule, Sixth Schedule, PESA and the FRA — and the gap in PVTG implementation.
India’s mental-health treatment gap stands at 84.5% — only one in six people with a diagnosable disorder reaches care. Examine the structural drivers and the promise of task-sharing under the District Mental Health Programme.
India’s official disability prevalence stands at 2.21% (Census 2011) against the WHO’s global estimate of around 16%. Examine the data undercount and assess the gap between the RPwD Act, 2016 and lived exclusion.
Women’s organisations in India have historically led both social reform and rights-based legislation. Trace this lineage from the 19th-century reformers to contemporary self-help group federations.
‘Indian secularism is sui generis — neither French laïcité nor American wall-of-separation.’ Examine with reference to constitutional articles, the Sachar Committee and recent debates over personal laws.
Indian society draws diversity not only from religion but from a vast linguistic, ethnic and dietary spectrum. Examine how the Eighth Schedule and Article 350 institutionalise linguistic diversity.
Census 2011 put India’s urban population at 31.16%; the 2027 enumeration is expected to record over 37%. Examine the structural drivers of Indian urbanisation and the limitations of the 5,000-population census-town definition.
India’s urban housing shortage was estimated at 1.88 crore units in 2012; PMAY-Urban has sanctioned 1.18 crore homes as of 2024. Critically analyse the demand-supply gap and the case for an Urban Employment Guarantee.
Globalisation has rewritten India’s middle-class consumption, work culture and family life — but it has not produced uniform gains. Examine its differentiated impact with reference to job markets, traditional crafts and cultural homogenisation.
Regionalism in India is the politics of perceived neglect of resources, identity and recognition. Discuss with reference to demands for sub-state autonomy, river-water disputes and the Sixth Schedule areas.
Child stunting in India fell only from 38.4% to 35.5% between NFHS-4 and NFHS-5, while child anaemia rose from 58.6% to 67.1%. Examine the 20-80 driver split and the convergence challenge facing POSHAN 2.0.
The Code on Social Security, 2020 names ‘gig worker’ and ‘platform worker’ in Indian statute for the first time. Examine the recognition-versus-disbursement gap and the structural challenges of social security for India’s 90% informal workforce.
Multidimensional poverty in India has fallen sharply — NITI Aayog estimates 24.82 crore people escaped poverty between 2013-14 and 2022-23 — but the bottom states still lag. Examine the Alkire-Foster method and the policy implications.