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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
No Prelims MCQs from New yet.
Mains Q&A 596
Civil servants in India face a paradox: the Constitution mandates their accountability to elected representatives, yet good governance often requires them to resist short-term political pressures. How should this tension be resolved, and what institutional design can support it?
“The crisis of ethical values in modern times is traced to a narrow perception of the good life.” Discuss.
The IndiaAI Mission represents the transition of e-governance from passive digitisation to active intelligence. But without addressing some crucial issues, AI in governance risks deepening existing inequities.” Comment.
Despite their pivotal role in the democratic process, political parties in India operate within a limited framework of legal accountability. Discuss.
The criminalisation of politics is not only a problem of tainted candidates, but a crisis of constitutional governance.” Discuss.
Domain specialisation in the civil services has been recommended by committees since the First ARC (1966), yet implementation remains partial and contested. Analyse the causes of this persistent gap between recommendation and reform, and assess the consequences for India’s development outcomes.
The Citizens’ Charter was conceived as a compact between the state and the citizen, yet a decade of evidence shows a persistent gap between commitments and outcomes. Identify the structural reasons for this failure and evaluate whether the Right to Service Acts enacted by states offer a more credible alternative.
Centrally Sponsored Schemes, conceived under Article 282 as a fiscal bridge between Centre and states, have increasingly become a fiscal rope tethering states to Central policy preferences rather than bridging developmental gaps. Critically examine.
In light of recent judicial pronouncements and empirical evidence, critically examine the state of tribunals in India and the path to their reform.
Assess the role of formal and informal pressure groups in Indian democracy, with particular reference to their methods of influence and the regulatory vacuum they operate in.
Decentralisation without accountability produces not local democracy but local autocracy. In light of this, critically assess the functioning of Gram Sabha as a democratic institution in India.
The Governor under the Constitution has no functions which he can discharge by himself: no functions at all. While he has no functions, he has certain duties to perform. How far do you agree?
The real constitution of Indian federalism is not written in Articles 245 to 263 but in the structure of the party system at any given moment.” Critically examine.
Public Interest Litigation has democratised access to justice, but it has also expanded judicial power into domains of governance. Discuss.
The Finance Commission is no longer merely a tax-sharing body; it is increasingly shaping the behaviour of States. Examine in the light of recent Finance Commission recommendations.
Should the Sixth Schedule model be extended beyond the North-East to protect fragile ecological and cultural regions? Discuss with reference to Ladakh.
Basic Structure Doctrine is not a bar on change, but is a device that keeps Constitutional change constitutional hence enabling peaceful social transformation without allowing constitutional self-destruction. Critically examine.
India’s next delimitation exercise will test not merely arithmetic representation, but the political morality of federalism. Discuss.
Judicial independence is a basic feature of the Constitution, but independence without accountability risks becoming institutional opacity. Examine.