UPSC Civil Services Mains GS Paper 2: Important Solved Questions

UPSC Civil Services Mains GS Paper 2: Important Solved Questions: UPSC CSE IAS: The General Studies (GS) 2 Paper of UPSC Civil Services (Mains) Examination comprises Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations (IR.) This article will provide you with the set of GS-II Questions asked in UPSC Mains.

UPSC Mains GS 2 Solved Questions

UPSC Civil Services IAS Mains GS Paper 2: Important Practice Questions: The general studies paper 2 of the UPSC Civil Services Mains comprises Polity; Governance; Social Issues; and International Relations. In this article, you will get a set of subject-wise questions asked in Mains GS 2 of the UPSC IAS Exam.

UPSC Mains GS Paper 2 Questions: Topic Wise Analysis

UPSC Civil Services Mains GS Paper 1: Important Solved Questions, solved paper,

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The table below mentions the number of questions asked from each topic in UPSC Mains GS 2:

GS 2 Questions – Polity
YearNumber of Questions
20134
20142
20154
20164
20176
201810
20196
GS 2 Questions – Constitution
YearNumber of Questions
20134
20144
20153
20164
20172
20180
20192
GS 2 Questions – Governance
YearNumber of Questions
20135
20146
20154
20165
20175
20183
20196
GS 2 Questions – Social Justice
YearNumber of Questions
20135
20143
20154
20164
20173
20183
20192
GS 2 Questions – International Relations
YearNumber of Questions
20137
20145
20154
20164
20174
20185
20194

UPSC Civil Services Mains GS Paper 2: Important Solved Questions


  • Briefly enlist the constitutional provisions related to tribunals in India. Critically analyze the role of tribunals in the Indian judicial system.

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  • It is argued that the internet should be regarded as an essential service and access to it as a fundamental right. Discuss.

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  • Discuss various features of Indian secularism. Also, mention various threats to secular democracy in India.

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  • Discuss whether Death penalty is a solution towards ending violence against women or not.

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  • An independent judiciary is of critical importance, as it provides checks and balances in a political democracy. Critically examine.

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  • The elements of conflict and discord are common to Union Territories with elected legislatures in India. In light of this, discuss various reasons for creating Union Territories in India and what should be done to prevent such conflicts.

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  • Elaborate the process of legislation in the Indian Parliament for an ordinary bill. How is a money bill different from an ordinary bill?

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  • Article 51 A of our constitution which deals with fundamental duties makes it a duty of every citizen to develop a Scientific Temper. In light of this, discuss the progress made by Indians towards inculcating a scientific temper.

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  • Tracing the evolution of basic structure doctrine in India highlights its salient features.

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  • What is John Stuart Mill’s idea on freedom of thought and expression? Also discuss Mill’s views on representative democracy.

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  • ‘Right to self-identification is a part of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution’. In light of this critically examine various provisions of Transgender (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019.

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  • What do you understand by the term ‘right to due process’? Discuss its significance in a democracy.

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  • None of the above (NOTA) system although enables voters ‘right not to vote’ but is toothless in spirit. Comment.

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  • What is the difference between fundamental duties and legal duties? Why are the fundamental duties as important as legal duties?

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  • An independent and integrated judiciary is the basic pillar of parliamentary democracy. Comment.

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  • Comment on the relevance of Directive Principles of State Policy in an era of liberalization and globalization.

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  • What are the issues related to urban local bodies in India? Suggest measures to strengthen urban local bodies in India.

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  • Critically examine the role of media as a watchdog in a democracy.

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  • Despite the constitutional mandate, the inter-state council has not come of age. Discuss

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  • What is a quasi-judicial body? Explain with the help of concrete examples.

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  • In light of various controversies, critically examine the role of speaker in Parliamentary Democracy.

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  • What is cooperative federalism?  Discuss various roadblocks to cooperative federalism in India. How can it be strengthened in India?

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  • Freedom of expression enshrined under Article 19 (1) of the Constitution is not an absolute right; it comes with safeguards outlined under Article 19 (2). What are these safeguards? Discuss their need and significance.

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  • Explain the pardoning powers of the President. How is it different from the Governor’s pardoning power?

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  • Examine the role of the Supreme Court as the final interpreter and guardian of the Indian Constitution.

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  • In a democratic polity the fundamental rights and duties of citizens are correlated. Comment in the Indian context.

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  • Discuss the significance of Article 131 of the Indian constitution. Can States challenge the validity of central laws? Examine.

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  • What are parliamentary standing committees? Discuss their need and significance in Parliamentary democracy.

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  • What is quasi-federalism? Is India a quasi-federal state?

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  • Access to the Internet must be recognized as a fundamental right to free speech, basic freedoms, and the right to life. Do you agree? Justify.

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  • Bring out the philosophy of the Indian polity as enshrined in the preamble of the Indian constitution. Also, discuss various changes made to the preamble since its adoption in the Indian Constitution.

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  • Discuss the need and significance of police reforms in the recent context of rising in crime.

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  • What are Lok Adalats? Why were they established? Discuss the role of Lok Adalats and their limitations.

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  • Discuss the structure, functioning, and objective of the ‘Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ (OHCHR).

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  • Data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) show that the number of sedition cases filed has gone up every year in the last four years, only four cases actually resulted in a conviction. In light of this, discuss the usefulness of the sedition law.

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  • Discuss the role of tribunals in delivering justice. Also, critically examine the ‘Tribunal, Appellate Tribunal and other Authorities, Rules, 2020’.

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  • Discuss the structure, powers and limitations of the National Human Rights Commission.

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  • Discuss various reasons for the prevalence of corruption in the implementation of welfare programs. Suggest some measures to reduce it.

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  • Government intervention, sometimes though well-intended, often ends up undermining the ability of the markets and leads to outcomes opposite to those intended. Illustrate.

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  • What is Red Tapism? Discuss its consequences and suggest some measures to reduce it.

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  • “Traditional bureaucratic structure and culture have hampered the process of socio-economic development in India.” Comment.

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  • Discuss in brief the role of the National Commission of Women. Do you think it is a toothless organization?

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  • Critically examine the effectiveness of electoral bonds to make Indian elections more transparent. What other reforms are needed to make the Indian election process more fair.

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  • What do you understand by the term ‘participatory democracy’? How important is the participation of people in a democratic setup?

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  • Discuss various provisions of disqualifications under the Representation of the people’s Act. Do you think these provisions have helped in decriminalizing Indian politics?

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  • In the coming decade, India’s cities need to focus on governance and sustainable development. In light of this, discuss various reasons for the poor performance of urban local bodies in India. What should be done to improve urban local governance?

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  • Discuss the importance of NGOs in India’s development process. Do you think present legal and regulatory mechanisms are adequate for the efficient working of NGOs?

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  • Discuss various provisions of Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana’ (SAGY). What are the various challenges in realizing the goals of this scheme?

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  • Discuss the role of CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General) as an anti-corruption body.

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  • What is good governance? Discuss recent findings of the Good Governance Index report in India. Suggest some measures to improve governance in Indians states.

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  • Discuss how focusing public policy on bio-fortification, sanitation, and women’s education can resolve India’s malnutrition problem.

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  • In the recent event of coronavirus epidemics, there is an urgent need for effective social security measures in place. Discuss.

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  • What does a pandemic mean? How is it different from the terms ‘epidemic’ and ‘endemic’? Illustrate with an example.

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  • What do you understand by the term ‘social justice’? Explain why it is imperative for a society to promote social justice.

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  • Give an account of recent steps taken by the government to improve the Indian healthcare system.

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  • What is ‘One Health’? Discuss its need and significance in the context of rising zoonotic infections.

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  • Discuss the importance and limitations of Part IV of the Indian Constitution.

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  • Health budgetary allocation must go up if India is to prepare for an unpredictable epidemic. Comment.

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  • Increasing the number of women recruits alone will not be enough; institutional changes are also important. Comment.

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  • Indian public schools suffer from poor infrastructure facilities, especially in rural areas. Comment.

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  • Discuss the salient features of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Rules, 2020.

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  • Give an account of progress made by India in improving gender equality in the education system. Mention various government efforts towards women’s education in India.

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  • Discuss various issues in the Indian higher education system. Suggest some measures to improve it.

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  • Discuss the need for and significance of skill development among women in India. What measures have been taken by the government for the same?

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  • Discuss the role of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes to curb violence against Dalits.

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  • What is Integrated Nutrient Management (INM)? Discuss various advantages and Constraints in the Adoption of the INM System.

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  • Examine the progress made so far by India in achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of reducing infant mortality.

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  • Involving women in the economy is not a social cause, rather it is a source of efficiency gains and economic growth. Comment.

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  • Despite the law in place to prevent manual scavenging, it still persists in India. Discuss various reasons for it.

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  • What do you understand by the term ‘what are anthropometric failures’? Discuss why despite various efforts, India continues to suffer from some form of anthropometric failures.

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  • The traditional Indian systems of medicine like Ayurveda, Homeopathy and Unani can provide for a sustainable and more affordable healthcare system. Elaborate.

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  • Hunger and Poverty are the biggest challenges for good governance in India still today. Evaluate how far Indian governments have progressed in dealing with these humongous problems. Suggest measures for improvement.

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  • Critically examine salient features of Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020.

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  • Critically examine various provisions of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020. Do you think it will enable women’s right to health?

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  • Discuss the issue of rising in suicidal deaths among Indian youth. Suggest some measures to prevent such tendencies among Indian youth.

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  • What do you understand by manual scavenging? Why does it still persist in India? Do you agree that state governments have failed to stop manual scavenging altogether?

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  • Do the government’s schemes for up-lifting vulnerable and backward communities by protecting required social resources for them, lead to their exclusion in establishing businesses in urban economies? Examine.

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  • What are the various malpractices in the medical and healthcare system in India? Discuss its consequences.

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  • What are self-help groups? Discuss various socio-cultural hurdles faced by Self Help Groups (SHGs) in promoting increased participation in development programs.

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  • Recent NCRB report has shown a rise in crimes against women over the years. Discuss various reasons for this. Suggest some measures to improve the situation.

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  • What is the importance of good early childhood education in child development? Discuss various provisions regarding primary education in the draft National Education Policy.

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  • What are the reasons for the high child mortality rate in India? Suggest some measures to control child mortality in India.

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  • Discuss the reasons behind the success of Swachh Bharat mission. How the success of this campaign against open-defecation can act as a model for other schemes and policies?

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  • Poor sanitation is a major reason for the poor health of the population in Indian cities. Elaborate. Also, suggest some measures to improve the situation.

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  • What are functional foods? How functional foods can help in resolving India’s malnutrition and farmer’s issues?

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  • Why is the US adamant on the redefinition of ‘developing country’ status in WTO?

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  • What is WHO’s funding process and why has the US withdrawn its contribution?

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  • What do you understand by the term ‘diaspora diplomacy’? Discuss the usefulness and limitations of ‘diaspora diplomacy’.

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  • Discuss the potential and issues of SAARC as an organization to emerge as a successful model of cooperation among nations in a region.

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  • Discuss the strategic significance of Afghanistan for India. Also, discuss various implications of the recent Afghanistan deal for India.

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  • Discuss India’s policy towards Afghanistan. Why is peace in Afghanistan important for India?

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  • India needs to engage with its neighbors for the realization of its global ambitions. Comment.

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  • Discuss India’s concept of Indo-Pacific. Why the Indo-Pacific region has strategic significance for India?

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  • What are various roadblocks to India-EU Free Trade Agreement? How these roadblocks can be removed?

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  • Discuss various features of India’s Neighbourhood First’ policy.

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  • Critically examine the impact of tagging of India as a developed nation by the United States Trade Representative (USTR).

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  • How deeper cooperation between the United States and India in trade can help India achieve a $5 trillion economic status?

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  • Discuss the role and mandate of the International Maritime Organization. Discuss its strategic importance for Indian maritime interests.

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  •  Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is important for Indian security. In light of this, discuss India’s policy of ‘Security and Growth for All in the Region’ (SAGAR) for IOR islands.

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  • Brexit provides an opportunity for both Britain and India to work for common interests and resolving various issues. Comment.

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  • Discuss various issues in the Indo-Australian relationship. How bilateral relations among the two nations can be strengthened?

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  • Assess the need and significance of strengthening intra-BRICS trade for the Indian economy. What should be done to boost Indian trade with other BRICS countries?

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  • The ‘Act East’ policy has not brought the expected gains for India. Do you agree?

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  • What is meant by middle powers in international relations? How aligning with other middle powers would help India rise in the new global order?

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  • What do you understand by ‘The String of Pearls’? How does it impact India? Briefly outline the steps taken by India to counter this.

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  • Despite differences, India and China need to come together for multilateral, rules-based world order. Comment.

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  • What are the key areas of reforms if the WTO has to survive in the present context of unilateralism and protectionism?

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