1) Faster economic growth requires increased share of the
manufacturing sector in GDP, particularly of MSMEs. Comment on the present policies of the
government in this regard. (10 Marks, 150 Words)
2) What is the status of digitalization in the Indian
economy? Examine the problems faced in this regard and suggest improvements. (10 Marks, 150
Words)
3) State the objectives and measures of land reforms in
India. Discuss how land ceiling policy on landholding can be considered as an effective reform
under economic criteria. (10 Marks, 150 Words)
4) Most of the unemployment in India is structural in
nature. Examine the methodology adopted to compute unemployment in the country and suggest
improvements. (15 Marks, 250 Words)
5) Distinguish between ‘care economy’ and ‘monetised
economy’. How can care economy be brought into monetised economy through women empowerment? (15
Marks, 250 Words)
UPSC Mains Economic Development - 2022
1) Why is Public Private Partnership (PPP) required in
Infrastructural projects? Examine the role of PPP model in the redevelopment of Railway Stations
in India. (10 Marks, 150 Words)
2) Is inclusive growth possible under market economy?
State the significance of financial inclusion in achieving economic growth in India. (10 Marks,
150 Words)
3) What are the major challenges of Public Distribution
System (PDS) in India? How can it be made effective and transparent? (10 Marks, 150 Words)
4) “Economic growth in the recent past has been led by
increase in labour productivity”. Explain this statement. Suggest the growth pattern that will
lead to creation of more jobs without compromising labour productivity. (15 Marks, 250 Words)
5) The increase in life expectancy in the country has led
to newer health challenges in the community. What are those challenges and what steps need to be
taken to meet them? (10 Marks, 150 Words)
UPSC Mains Economic Development - 2021
1) Explain the difference between the computing
methodology of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) before the year 2015 and after the year
2015. (10 Marks, 150 Words)
2) Distinguish between Capital Budget and Revenue Budget.
Explain the components of both these Budgets. (10 Marks, 150 Words)
3) Discuss how emerging technologies and globalisation
contribute to money laundering. Elaborate measures to tackle the problem of money laundering
both at national and international levels. (10 Marks, 150 Words)
4) Do you agree that the Indian economy has recently
experienced V- shapes recovery? Give reasons in support of your answer. (10 Marks, 150 Words)
5) “Investment in infrastructure is essential for more
rapid and inclusive economic growth.” Discuss in the light of India’s experience. (15 Marks, 250
Words)
6) What are the salient features of the National Food
Security Act, 2013? How has the Food Security Bill helped in eliminating hunger and malnutrition
in India? (15 Marks, 250 Words)
UPSC Mains Economic Development - 2020
1) Explain intra-generational and inter-generational
issues of equity from the perspective of inclusive growth and sustainable development. (10
Marks, 150 Words)
2) Define potential GDP and explain its determinants.
What are the factors that have been inhibiting India from realizing its potential GDP? (10
Marks, 150 Words)
3) Explain the meaning of investment in an economy in
terms of capital formation. Discuss the factors to be considered while designing a concession
agreement between a public entity and a private entity. (15 Marks, 250 Words)
4) Explain the rationale behind the Goods and Services
Tax (Compensation to States) Act of 2017. How has COVID-19 impacted the GST compensation fund
and created new federal tensions? (15 Marks, 250 Words)
5) What are the major factors responsible for making
rice-wheat system a success? In spite of this success how has this system become bane in India?
(15 Marks, 250 Words)
6) Describe the benefits of deriving electric energy from
sunlight in contrast to the conventional energy generation. What are the initiatives offered by
our Government for this purpose? (15 Marks, 250 Words)
7) 7. What are the key features of the National Clean Air
Programme (NCAP) initiated by the Government of India? (15 Marks, 250 Words)
UPSC Mains Economic Development - 2019
1) It is argued that the strategy of inclusive growth is
intended to meet the objectives of inclusiveness and sustainability together. Comment on this
statement. (15 Marks, 250 Words)
2) The public expenditure management is a challenge to
the Government of India in context of budget making during the post liberalization period.
Clarify it. (15 Marks, 250 Words)
3) What are the reformative steps taken by the Government
to make food grain distribution system more effective? (15 Marks, 250 Words)
4)Elaborate the policy taken by the Government of India
to meet the challenges of the food processing sector. (15 Marks, 250 Words)
5)Enumerate the indirect taxes which have been subsumed
in the goods and services tax (GST) in India. Also, comment on the revenue implications of the
GST introduced in
India since July 2017. (10 Marks, 150 Words)
6) 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. (10 Marks, 150 Words)
UPSC Mains Economic Development - 2018
1) How would the recent phenomena of protectionism and
currency manipulations in world trade affect macroeconomic
stability of India? (15 Marks, 250 Words)
2) “Access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and
modern energy is the sine qua non to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).” Comment on
the progress made in India in this regard. (10 Marks, 150 Words)
3) How are principles followed by the NITI Aayog
different from those followed by erstwhile Planning
Commission in India? (15 Marks, 250 Words)
4)Comment on the important changes introduced in respect
of the Long Term Capital Gains Tax (LTCGT) and Dividend Distribution Tax (DDT) in the Union
Budget for 2018-2019. (10 Marks, 150 Words)
UPSC Mains Economic Development - 2017
1) Account for the failure of manufacturing sector in
achieving the goal of labour-intensive exports.Suggest measures for more labour-intensive rather
than capital-intensive exports. (10 Marks, 150 Words)
2) “Industrial growth rate has lagged behind in the
overall growth of Gross-Domestic-Product (GDP) in the post-reform period” Give reasons. How far
the recent changes in Industrial Policy are capable of increasing the industrial growth rate?
(15 Marks, 250 Words)
3) What are the salient features of ‘inclusive growth’?
Has India been experiencing such a growth process? Analyse and suggest measures for inclusive
growth. (15 Marks, 250 Words)
4) Among several factors for India’s potential growth,
savings rate is the most effective one. Do you agree? What are the other factors available for
growth potential? (10 Marks, 150 Words)
5)Examine the development of Airports in India through
joint ventures under Public – Private Partnership (PPP) model. What are the challenges faced by
the authorities in this regard. (10 Marks, 150 Words)
6) What are the reasons for poor acceptance of
cost-effective small processing unit? How the food processing unit will be helpful to uplift the
socio-economic status of poor farmers? (10 Marks, 150 Words)
7) One of the intended objectives of Union-Budget 2017-18
is to ‘transform, energize and clean India’. Analyze the measures proposed in the Budget 2017-18
to achieve the objective. (15 Marks, 250 Words)
UPSC Mains Economic Development - 2016
1) Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) is necessary
for bringing unbanked to the institutional finance fold. Do you agree with this for financial
inclusion of the poor section of the Indian society? Give arguments to justify your opinion.
(12.5 Marks, 200 Words)
2) Justify the need for FDI for the development of the
Indian economy. Why there is gap between MoUs signed and actual FDIs? Suggest remedial steps to
be taken for increasing actual
FDIs in India. (12.5 Marks, 200 Words)
3) Comment on the challenges for inclusive growth which
include careless and useless manpower in the Indian context. Suggest measures to be taken for
facing these challenges. (12.5 Marks, 200 Words)
4) Give an account of the current status and the targets
to be achieved pertaining to renewable energy sources in the country. Discuss in brief the
importance of National Programme on Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). (12.5 Marks, 200
Words)
5) How globalization has led to the reduction of
employment in the formal sector of the Indian economy? Is increased informalization detrimental
to the
development of the country? (12.5 Marks, 200 Words)
6) Women empowerment in India needs gender budgeting.
What are the requirements and status of gender budgeting in the Indian context? (12.5 Marks, 200
Words)
7) What are ‘Smart Cities’? Examine their relevance for
urban development in India. Will it increase rural-urban differences? Give arguments for ’Smart
Villages’ in the light of PURA and RURBAN Mission (12.5 Marks, 200 Words)
UPSC Mains Economic Development - 2015
1) How can the ‘Digital India’ programme help farmers to
improve farm productivity and income? What steps has the Government taken in this regard? (12.5
Marks, 200 Words)
2) “Success of ‘Make in India’ programme depends on the
success of ‘Skill India’ programme and radical labour reforms.” Discuss with logical arguments.
(12.5 Marks, 200 Words)
3) To what factors can the recent dramatic fall in
equipment costs and tariff of solar energy be attributed? What implications does the trend have
for the thermal power producers and the related industry? (12.5 Marks, 200 Words)
4) There is a clear acknowledgement that Special Economic
Zones (SEZs) are a tool of industrial development, manufacturing and exports. Recognising this
potential, the whole instrumentality of SEZs require augmentation. Discuss the issues plaguing
the success of SEZs with respect to taxation, governing laws and administration. (12.5 Marks,
200 Words)
5) The nature of economic growth in India in recent times
is often described as jobless growth. Do you agree with this view? Give arguments in favour of
your answer (12.5 Marks, 200 Words)
6) In what way could replacement of price subsidy with
Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) change the scenario of subsidies in India?
Discuss. (12.5 Marks, 200 Words)
7) What are the impediments in marketing and supply chain
management in developing the food processing industry in India? Can e-commerce help in
overcoming these bottlenecks? (12.5 Marks, 200 Words)
8) Craze for gold in Indians has led to a surge in import
of gold in recent years and put pressure on balance of payments and external value of rupee. In
view of this, examine the merits of Gold Monetization Scheme. (12.5 Marks, 200 Words)
UPSC Mains Economic Development - 2014
1) The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in
Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 has come into effect from 1st
January, 2014. What are the key issues which would get addressed with the Act in place? What
implications would it have on industrialization and
agriculture in India? (12.5 Marks, 200 Words)
2) National Urban Transport Policy emphasises on ‘moving
people’ instead of ‘moving vehicles’. Discuss critically the success of the various strategies
of the Government in this regard (12.5 Marks, 200 Words)
3) Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the defence sector
is now set to be liberalized. What influence this is expected to have on Indian defence and
economy in the short and long run? (12.5 Marks, 200 Words)
4) Should the pursuit of carbon credits and clean
development mechanisms set up under UNFCCC-be maintained even though there has been a massive
slide in the value of a carbon credit? Discuss with respect to India’s energy needs for
economic growth. (12.5 Marks, 200 Words)
5) Normally countries shift from agriculture to industry
and then later to services, but India shifted directly from agriculture to services. What are
the reasons for the huge growth of services vis-à-vis industry in the country? Can India become
a developed country without a strong industrial base? (12.5 Marks, 200 Words)
6) The nature of economic growth in India in recent times
is often described as jobless growth. Do you agree with this view? Give arguments in favour of
your answer (12.5 Marks, 200 Words)
7) “While we flaunt India’s demographic dividend, we
ignore the dropping rates of employability.” What are we missing while doing so? Where will the
jobs that India desperately needs come from? Explain. (12.5 Marks, 200 Words)
8) Capitalism has guided the world economy to
unprecedented prosperity. However, it often encourages short-sightedness and contributes to wide
disparities between the rich and the poor. In this light, would it be correct to believe and
adopt capitalism for bringing inclusive growth in India? Discuss (12.5 Marks, 200
Words)
9) Explain how Private Public Partnership arrangements,
in long gestation infrastructure projects, can transfer unsustainable liabilities to the future.
What arrangements need to be put in place to ensure that successive generations’ capacities are
not compromised? (12.5 Marks, 200 Words)
UPSC Mains Economic Development - 2013
1)(a) Discuss the impact of FDI entry into Multi-trade
retail sector on supply chain management in commodity trade pattern of the economy. (5 Marks,
100 Words)
(b) Though India allowed Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in what is called multi-brand retail
through the joint venture route in September 2012, the FDI, even after a year, has not picked
up. Discuss the reasons (5 Marks, 100 Words)
2) With a consideration towards the strategy of inclusive
growth, the new Companies Bill, 2013 has indirectly made CSR a mandatory obligation. Discuss the
challenges expected in its implementation in right earnest. Also discuss other provisions in the
Bill and their implications. (10 Marks, 200 Words)
3) What were the reasons for the introduction of Fiscal
Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act, 2003? Discuss critically its salient features
and their effectiveness (10 Marks, 200 Words)
4) Food Security Bill is expected to eliminate hunger and
malnutrition in India. Critically discuss various apprehensions in its effective implementation
along with the concerns it has generated in WTO (10 Marks, 200 Words)
5) Examine the impact of liberalization on companies
owned by Indians. Are they competing with the MNCs satisfactorily?
Discuss. (10 Marks, 200 Words)
6) Discuss the rationale for introducing Goods and
Services Tax (GST) in India. Bring out critically the reasons for the delay in roll out for its
regime. (10 Marks, 200 Words)
7) Write a note on India’s green energy corridor to
alleviate the problem of conventional energy. (10 Marks, 200 Words)
8) Adoption of PPP model for infrastructure development
of the country has not been free of criticism. Critically discuss pros and cons of the model.
(10 Marks, 200 Words)
9) What is the meaning of the term ‘tax expenditure’?
Taking housing sector as an example, discuss how it influences the budgetary policies of the
government. (10 Marks, 200 Words)
