General studies paper III

In the Civils mains examination – General studies paper III contains the following topics. Indian economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation of resources, growth, development and employment. Inclusive growth and issues arising from it. Government budgeting, major crops, cropping patterns in various parts of the country, different types of irrigation and irrigation systems etc.

Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices, public distribution system, technology missions, economics of animal rearing. Food processing and related industries in India. Land reforms in India. Effects of liberalisation on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth.

Infrastructure – energy, ports, roads, airports and railways. Investment models. Science and technology. Achievements of Indians in science and technology. Awareness in the fields of IT, space, computers.

Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, disaster and disaster management. Linkages between development and spread of extremism. Role of external state and nonstate actors in creating challenges to internal security. Security challenges and their management in border areas. Various security forces and agencies. This is a wide spectrum. This paper mainly discusses the economy and science and technology besides environmental issues.

Questions asked in 2019

There are 20 questions. 10 questions carry 10 marks each and another 10 questions 15 marks each, total being 250 marks. There is no choice. So, the candidates should be thorough with all sub-topics. Let us discuss the questions on economy.

1. Enumerate the indirect taxes which have been subsumed in the GST in India. Also comment on the revenue implications of the GST introduced in July 2017.

2. Do you agree with the view that steady GDP growth and low inflation have left the Indian economy in good shape? Give reasons in support of your arguments.

3. The public expenditure management is a challenge to the government of India in the context of budget making during the post-liberalisation period. Clarify it.

4. It is argued that the strategy of inclusive growth is intended to meet the objectives of inclusiveness and sustainability together. Comment on this statement.

While answering these questions the candidate should have statistics with him to supplement his argument. GST has several plus points. Some of the state governments during the meetings of GST have raised several objections. One should know about them and enumerate. Similarly, the GDP growth rate and the inflation rate ought to be observed. The finance minister with her team prepares the budget estimates in consultation with the industry and commerce. The details sought to be studied.

Farming sector and food processing

1. How far is an integrated farming system helpful in sustaining agricultural production?

2. Elaborate the impact of national watershed project in increasing agricultural production from water stressed areas.

3. How India benefited from the contributions of Shri M Visvesvaraya and Dr MS Swaminathan in the fields of water engineering and agricultural science respectively.

4. What are the reformative steps taken by the government to make the foodgrain distribution system more effective?

5. Elaborate the policy taken by the government of India to meet the challenges of the food processing sector?

6. How can biotechnology help to improve the living standards of farmers?

The recent legislations made by the government of India towards the welfare of farmers is to be stressed in the answers. The agitation by farmers to roll back the farmers laws is another point to be kept in mind. PDS system is a welfare measure taken by Centre and state governments. In recent years the Food processing industry has made inroads into development.

Science and technology and environment

1. What is India's plan to have its own space station and how will it benefit our space program?

2. Coastal sand mining, whether legal or illegal, poses one of the biggest threats to our environment. Analyse the impact of sand mining along the Indian coast, citing specific examples.

3. How is the government of India protecting traditional knowledge of medicine from patenting by pharmaceutical companies?

4. How can biotechnology help to improve the living standards of farmers?

5. Define the concept of carrying capacity of an ecosystem as relevant to an environment. Explain how understanding this concept is vital while planning for sustainable development of a region.

To answer the above questions candidates hould have sufficient knowledge about the basics of science and technology. During the last eight years of the NDA government several steps were taken to protect the traditional knowledge of medicine under the Ministry of Ayush. Inclusive growth and sustainable development are the slogans of Modi wherever he goes. The man Ki Baat programme over all India radio is a success in this direction to propagate the government schemes. The common man is aware of the schemes introduced by the government of India.

The state governments also have adopted schemes like Aarogya Setu in their agenda.

Disaster management and Terrorism

Major threat to the government is terrorism on one side and disaster management. The National Institute of Disaster Management at Delhi manages the Calamities across the country. The following questions on terrorism are to be examined threadbare.

1. Vulnerability is an essential element for defining disaster impacts and its threat to people. How and in what ways can vulnerability to disasters be characterised?

2. Disaster preparedness is the first step in any disaster management process. Explain how hazard zonation mapping will help in disaster mitigation in the case of landslides..

3. The Indian government has recently strengthened the antiterrorism laws by amending the unlawful activities prevention act, 1967 and the NIA act. Analyse the changes in the context of the prevailing security environment while discussing the scope and reasons for opposing the UAPA by human rights organisations.

4. Cross-border movement of insurgents is only one of the several security challenges facing the policing of the border in Northeast India. Examine the various challenges currently emanating across the India – Myanmar border. Also discuss the steps to counter the challenges.

5. The banning of 'Jamaat-e-Islami in Jammu and Kashmir brought into focus the role of overground workers in assisting terrorist organisations. Examine the role played by OGW's in assisting terrorist organisations in insurgency affected areas. Discuss measures to neutralise influence of OGWs

6. What is the Cyber Dome project? Explain how it can be useful in controlling internet crimes in India?

When we examine these questions on terrorism and disaster management it is evident that the candidate should have thorough knowledge about these aspects in detail to answer questions with reliability. Since all the questions are compulsory one should attempt all questions with fairness. These marks in general studies for 1000 marks helps the candidate in securing a good rank. So he should be prepare well to answer such questions. All the best.

(The author is retired additional director general Doordarshan. Delhi)