[Download] UPSC Mains-2017: Essay Paper including Topicwise Last 25 years’ Papers (1993-2017)

1. Instructions
2. Section-A: 125 Marks
3. Section-B: 125 Marks
4. Analysis of Essay-2017 Paper
5. Essay-list: Topic wise last 25 years (1993-2017)
   1. 1) India: Democracy, administration, Society, culture
   2. 2) Economy, Development
   3. 3) Education
   4. 4) Quote based, Philosophy, Ethics
   5. 5) Women empowerment
   6. 6) International issues, Internal Security
   7. 7) Science-Technology

Instructions to Essay 2017

• On 28^th October 2017, UPSC conducted the Essay paper for the civil services mains examination, with following instructions:
• Total Marks: 250 marks, Time duration: 3 hours.
• The essay must be written in the medium authorized in the admission certificate which must be stated clearly on the cover of this question-cum-answer (QCA) booklet in the space provided.
• No marks will be given for answers written in medium other than authorized one.
• Word limit, as specified, should be adhered to.
• Any page or portion of the page left blank, must be struck off clearly.

Section-A: 125 Marks

Write any one of the following essay in 1000-1200 words.

1. Farming has lost the ability to be a source of subsistence for majority of farmers in India.
2. Impact of the new economic measures on fiscal ties between the Union and States in India.
3. Destiny of a nation is shaped in its classrooms.
4. Has the Non-Alignment Movement (NAM) lost its relevance in a multipolar world?

Section-B: 125 Marks

Write any one of the following essay in 1000-1200 words.

1. Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.
2. Fulfilment of ‘new woman’ in India is a myth.
3. We may brave human laws but cannot resist natural laws.
4. ‘Social media’ is inherently a selfish medium.

Essay-2017 Paper Compared to Previous Years

Essay and GS In recent years	Essay-2017
Since 2014: Total 8 essay topics divided equally in two sections and you’ve to write one essay from each section	System continued
2016: Nothing directly from globalization.	Asked about relevance of NAM in multipolar word
Both 2014, 15 they focused on value education. 2016: shifted focused to ‘innovation’	Reverted back to education and its role in shaping the destiny of the nation.
2016: cooperative federalism myth or reality	Asked about federalism in context of new economic measures.
2016: asked about engenderment of development.	Examiner’s concern for women empowerment continues under the new essay on ‘new women’s fulfillment’.
Fear of technology 2015: Technology cannot replace manpower. 2016: 1) Cyberspace- blessing/Curse? 2) Digital economy creates  inequality?	Trend continues with new essay on “social media is a selfish medium”.
Fear of capitalism, need for inclusivity 2015: (1) Can capitalism bring inclusive growth? (2) Crisis faced in India – moral or economic. 2016: (1) Near jobless growth: in India An anomaly or an outcome of economic reforms. (2) Digital economy: A leveler or a source of economic inequality.	The fear becomes ‘sector-specific’ i.e. Agriculture can’t provide subsistence to majority of the farmers. Nitiayog 3 year document & Eco.Survey 2016-17 v2. Both highlighted the problems behind this phenomenon, and how to address it. And I had covered it in my three parts summary article series.
GSM4-2014: “All human beings aspire for happiness. Do you agree? What does happiness mean to you? Explain with examples.”	Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.

Essay-list: Topic wise last 25 years (1993-2017)

Each year, along with essay paper, I also upload topicwise compilation of all essays asked since 1993. However, this time, I’ve further refined the internal classification of the topics. Here it goes:

1) India: Democracy, administration, Society, culture

1.1India Since Independence

• Is the Colonial mentality hindering India’s Success? -2013
• In the context of Gandhiji’s views on the matter, explore, on an evolutionary scale, the terms ‘Swadhinata’, ‘Swaraj’ and ‘Dharmarajya’. Critically comment on their contemporary relevance to Indian democracy -2012
• Dreams which should not let India sleep. -2015
• Why should we be proud of being Indians? -2000
• Whither Indian democracy? -1995
• How far has democracy in India delivered the goods? -2003
• What we have not learnt during fifty years of independence. -1997
• What have we gained from our democratic set-up? -2001
• My vision of India in 2001 a.d. -1993

1.2Federalism, Decentralization

• Impact of the new economic measures on fiscal ties between the union and states in India. -2017
• Water disputes between States in federal India. -2016
• Cooperative federalism : Myth or reality. -2016
• Creation of smaller states and the consequent administrative, economic and developmental implication -2011
• Evaluation of panchayati raj system in India from the point of view of eradication of power to people.  -2007
• Water resources should be under the control of the central government. -2004
• The language problem in India: its past, present and prospects. -1998

1.3Administration

• How should a civil servant conduct himself? -2003
• Politics without ethics is a disaster. -1995
• The VIP cult is a bane of Indian democracy -1996
• Need for transparency in public administration -1996
• The country’s need for a better disaster management system. -2000
• Politics, bureaucracy and business – fatal triangle. -1994

1.4Judiciary

• We may brave human laws but cannot resist natural laws. -2017
• Justice must reach the poor -2005
• Judicial activism and Indian democracy. -2004
• Judicial activism. -1997

1.5Poverty, Social Justice

• Economic growth without distributive justice is bound to breed violence. -1993
• The focus of health care is increasingly getting skewed towards the ‘haves’ of our society. -2009
• Food security for sustainable national development -2005
• Reservation, politics and empowerment. -1999

1.6Indian Culture and Values

• Indian culture today: a myth or a reality? -2000
• Modernism and our traditional socio-ethical values. -2000
• The composite culture of India. -1998
• The Indian society at the crossroads. -1994
• From traditional Indian philanthropy to the gates-buffet model-a natural progression or a paradigm shift? -2010
• New cults and godmen: a threat to traditional religion -1996

1.7Media, TV & Cinema

• Responsibility of media in a democracy. -2002
• Role of media in good governance -2008
• Does Indian cinema shape our popular culture or merely reflect it? -2011
• How has satellite television brought about cultural change in Indian mindsets? -2007
• Is sting operation an invasion on privacy? -2014
• Mass media and cultural invasion. -1999
• The misinterpretation and misuse of freedom in India. -1998

2) Economy, Development

2.1Growth vs Development

• Digital economy: A leveller or a source of economic inequality. -2016
• Innovation is the key determinant of economic growth and social welfare. -2016
• Near jobless growth in India: An anomaly or an outcome of economic reforms. -2016
• Crisis faced in India – moral or economic. -2015
• Was it the policy paralysis or the paralysis of implementation which slowed the growth of our country? -2014
• GDP (Gross Domestic Product) along with GDH (Gross Domestic Happiness) would be the right indices for judging the wellbeing of a country-2013
• Can capitalism bring inclusive growth? -2015
• Resource management in the Indian context. -1999

2.2Environment vs Development

• Ecological considerations need not hamper development. -1993
• Protection of ecology and environment is essential for sustained economic development. -2006
• Should a moratorium be imposed on all fresh mining in tribal areas of the country? -2010
• Urbanization is a blessing in disguise. -1997
• Urbanisation and its hazards -2008

2.3MNCs

• Globalization would finish small-scale industries in India. -2006
• Multinational corporations – saviours or saboteurs -1994
• Special economic zone: boon or bane -2008
• Is the criticism that the ‘Public-Private-Partnership’ (PPP) model for development is more of a bane than a boon in the Indian context, justified ?-2012

2.4Sectors of Economy

• Farming has lost the ability to be a source of subsistence for majority of farmers in India. -2017
• BPO boom in India.   -2007
• Tourism: Can this be the next big thing for India? -2014
• Are our traditional handicrafts doomed to a slow death? -2009

3) Education

3.1Values in Education

• Destiny of a nation is shaped in its classrooms. -2017
• Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make a man more clever devil-2015
• Independent thinking should be encouraged right form the childhood. -2007
• Are the standardized tests good measure of academic ability or progress? -2014
• Irrelevance of the classroom. -2001
• Is the growing level of competition good for the youth? -2014
• Literacy is growing very fast, but there is no corresponding growth in education. -1996
• Is an egalitarian society possible by educating the masses ? -2008
• What is real education? -2005

3.2Scheme implementation

•  “Education for all” campaign in India: myth or reality. -2006
• Restructuring of Indian education system. -1995

3.3Higher education

• Privatization of higher education in India. -2002
• Credit – based higher education system – status , opportunities and challenges -2011

4) Quote based, Philosophy, Ethics

4.1Character, honesty

• We may brave human laws but cannot resist natural laws. -2017
• Need brings greed, if greed increases it spoils breed. -2016
• Character of an institution is reflected in its leader. -2015
• With greater power comes greater responsibility. -2014
• Words are sharper than the two-edged sword. -2014
• Attitude makes, habit makes character and character makes a man.  -2007
• He would reigns within himself and folds his passions and desires and fears is more than a king. -1993

4.2Knowledge

• There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so. -2003
• Disinterested intellectual curiosity is the lifeblood of civilisation. -1995

4.3Compassion

• Joy is the simplest form of gratitude. -2017
• Compassion is the basic of all morality would -1993
• Lending hands to someone is better than giving a dole. -2015
• Be the change you want to see in others (Gandhi)-2013

4.4Truth

• Truth is lived, not taught -1996
• When money speaks, the truth is silent. -1995
• Search for truth can only be a spiritual problem. -2002

4.5Youth, Discipline

• Discipline means success, anarchy means ruin -2008
• Youth is a blunder, manhood a struggle, old age a regret -1994
• If youth knew, if age could. -2002
• Youth culture today. -1999
• Fifty Golds in Olympics: Can this be a reality for India? -2014

4.6Towards excellence

• Quick but steady wins the race. -2015
• Useless life is an early death. -1994
• Our deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds. -1995
• The paths of glory lead but to the grave. -2002
• The pursuit of excellence. -2001

5) Women empowerment

5.1@National Politics

• Greater political power alone will not improve women’s plight. -1997
• Women’s reservation bill would usher in empowerment for women in India. -2006
• The new emerging women power: the ground realities. -1995

5.2@World / Quote type

• If women ruled the world -2005
• The hand that rocks the cradle -2005

5.3Empowerment overall

• Fulfilment of ‘new woman’ in India is a myth. -2017
• If development is not engendered, it is endangered. -2016
• Whither women’s emancipation? -2004
• Empowerment alone cannot help our women. -2001
• Women empowerment: challenges and prospects. -1999

5.4Compared to men

• Woman is god’s best creation. -1998
• Men have failed: let women take over. -1993
• Managing work and home – is the Indian working woman getting a fair deal ?-2012

6) International issues, Internal Security

6.1Globalization

• Geography may remain the same ; history need not. -2010
• Modernisation and westernisation are not identical concepts. -1994
• ‘ globalization’ vs. ‘ nationalism’ -2009
• National identity and patriotism -2008
• Globalizations and its impact on Indian culture. -2004
• The masks of new imperialism. -2003
• As civilization advances culture declines. -2003
• The implications of globalization for India. -2000
• My vision of an ideal world order. -2001
• India’s contribution to world wisdom. -1998
• The world of the twenty-first century. -1998
• Preparedness of our society for India’s global leadership role. -2010

6.2International Org./ Bilateral

• Has the Non-Alignment Movement (NAM) lost its relevance in a multipolar world ? -2017
• Restructuring of UNO reflect present realities -1996
• The global order: political and economic -1993
• India’s role in promoting ASEAN co-operation. -2004
• Importance of Indo-US nuclear agreement -2006

6.3Security

• Good fences make good neighbours -2009
• Terrorism and world peace -2005
• True religion cannot be misused. -1997
• In the Indian context , both human intelligence and technical intelligence are crucial in combating terrorism -2011
• Is autonomy the best answer to combat balkanization? -2007
• Are we a ‘soft ’ state ? -2009

7) Science-Technology

7.1Science and Religion

• Spirituality and scientific temper. -2003
• Science and Mysticism : Are they compatible ?-2012

7.2Science and Education

• Modern technological education and human values. -2002
• Value-based science and education. -1999
• The march of science and the erosion of human values. -2001

7.3Computer and internet

• ‘Social media’ is inherently a selfish medium. -2017
• Cyberspace and Internet : Blessing or curse to the human civilization in the long run -2016

• Increasing computerization would lead to the creation of a dehumanized society. -2006
• The cyberworld: its charms and challenges. -2000
• Computer: the harbinger of silent revolution. -1993

7.4Sci-Tech: others

• Technology cannot replace manpower. -2015
• Science and technology is the panacea for the growth and security of the nation-2013
• The modern doctor and his patients. -1997
• The lure of space. -2004

visit Mrunal.org/download for more papers.