upsc essay by drishti ias

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WEEKLY UPSC IAS ESSAY WRITING CHALLENGE

Following are the topics on which our followers have written (and writing essays) every Sunday to hone their essay writing skills. The topics are chosen based on UPSC previous year topics. Writing one essay on each Sunday will help you get better marks in this paper.

ESSAY STRATEGY by Topper – Rank 1 CSE 2017

ESSAY STRATEGY by Topper – Rank 25 CSE 2015

ESSAY STRATEGY by Topper – Rank 40 CSE 2015

• [VIDEO] How to Improve Marks in Essay and Ethics Papers?
• [VIDEO] How to Write Philosophical Essays

WEEKLY UPSC IAS ESSAY WRITING CHALLENGES – 2024

• 18 August, 2024 : A Budget Tells Us What We Cannot Afford, But It Doesn’t Keep Us from buying it
• 11 August, 2024 : The world is not magic and that is the most magical thing about it. 
• 4 August, 2024 : Art is I; Science is We. 
• 28 July, 2024 : History, in general, only informs us what bad government is
• 21 July, 2024 : Sarcasam : the last refuge of the chaste-souled individuals when their privacy is coarsely invaded.
• 14 July, 2024 : Wound is the place where light enters you
• 7 July, 2024 : What is Religion to One is Superstition To Another
• June 30, 2024 : Gender Is Spectrum
• June 23, 2024 : Those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.
• June 16, 2024 : Saint Has A Past. Sinner Has A Future
• June 9, 2024 : The worst disease in the world today is corruption and the cure for it is transparency.
• June 2, 2024 : Escape Competition Through Authenticity.
• May 26, 2024 : Creativity Is Allowing Yourself to Make Mistakes. Art Is Knowing Which Ones to Keep.
• May 19 2024 : In No Man’s Land, the only way to survive is to adapt.
• May 12, 2024 : Economics is concerned with what emerges, not what anyone intended.
• May 5, 2024 : A right is not what someone gives you; it’s what no one can take from you.
• April 28, 2024 : We come nearest to the great when we are great in humility.
• April 21, 2024 : Well done is better than well said.
• April 14, 2024 : Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative. 
• April 07, 2024 : Came from plant, use it; made in plant, don’t.
• March 30, 2024 : A Business That Makes Nothing More Than Money Is Poor Business
• March 24, 2024 : If Voting Really Made Difference, They Would Not Let Us Do It
• March 17, 2024 : Cinema Is Not A Slice Of Life, But A Piece Of Cake. 
• March 10, 2024 : Education Can give skill, but a liberal education can give dignity
• March 3, 2024 : Sometimes when you lose your way you find yourself
• February 25, 2024 : Who Looks Inside Awakes, Who Looks Outside Dream
• February 18, 2024 : Never Let School Interfere With Your Education
• February 11, 2024 : Whoever Controls the Media Controls the Mind
• February 04, 2024 : A certain darkness is needed to see the stars
• January 28, 2024 : Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it
• January 21, 2024 : Subtle Is powerful
• January 14, 2024 : The power of community to create health is far greater than any physician, clinic or hospital. 
• January  07, 2024 : Give them Quality. That’s The Best Kind of Advertising

WEEKLY UPSC IAS ESSAY WRITING CHALLENGES – 2023

• December 31, 2023 : The only antidote to mental suffering is physical pain
• December 24, 2023 : All Great Changes Are Preceded By Chaos
• December 17, 2023 : We are drowning in information, but starved for Knowledge
• December 10, 2023 : Violence Is the last resort of the incompetent
• December 03, 2023 : Be a Voice, Not an Echo
• November 26, 2023 : A Society that has more justice is the society that needs less charity
• November 19, 2023 : Sell Your Cleverness and Buy Bewilderment
• November 12, 2023 : love takes off the masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within
• November 5, 2023 : Clothes Make The Man
• October 29, 2023 : Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.
• October 22, 2023 : Mathematics is the music of reason
• October 15, 2023 : Girls are weighed down by restrictions, boys with demands – two equally harmful disciplines
• October 08, 2023 : Inspiration for creativity springs from the effort to look for the magical in the mundane.
• October 01, 2023 : Not All Who Wander Are Lost
• September 24, 2023 : Visionary Decision-Making happens at the intersection of intuition and logic
• September 17, 2023 : Thinking Is Like A game. It does not begin unless there is an opposition team.
• September 10, 2023 : Unless we have well-educated people, we are vulnerable on National Security
• September 03, 2023 : Harsh Laws are, at times, better than No laws
• August 27, 2023 : Nations Do Not Die From Invasion. They Die From Internal Rottenness
• August 20, 2023 : In Individuals, insanity is rare; In groups, parties and nations, it is the rule.
• August 13, 2023 : Economics Is Too Important To Leave To The Economists.
• August 06, 2023 : A self without a book-shelf is naked.
• July 30, 2023 : Wrong Choices Lead To Right Places
• July 23, 2023 : Credit where credit is due.
• July 16, 2023 : A right is not what someone gives you; it’s what no one can take away from you.
• July 9, 2023 : The measure of intelligence is the ability to change
• July 2, 2023 : Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. 
• June 25, 2023 : In the long run , the sword will always be conquered by the spirit
• June 18, 2023 : The company you keep determines your Success
• June 11, 2023 : A disciplined mind brings happiness.
• June 4, 2023 : Our moral responsibility is not to stop the future but to shape it
• May 28, 2023 : Action breeds confidence and courage
• May 21, 2023 : A library is a hospital for the mind
• May 14, 2023 : Self-Education is Life-Long Curiosity
• May 7, 2023 : Silence is Spurious Golden
• April 30, 2023 : The price of greatness is responsibility
• April 23, 2023 : Progress is impossible without change
• April 16, 2023 : The Impact of Artificial Intelligence.
• April 9, 2023 : People would rather believe than know.
• April  2, 2023 : Prioritizing education technology for global growth
• March 26, 2023 : Technology is a weapon against poverty
• March 19, 2023 : Every choice you make makes you
• March 12, 2023 : Patience is a virture ; virtue is a grace
• March 5, 2023 : Before any fight, it is the fight of mind
• February 26, 2023 :  The Measure of a man is what he does with Power.
• February 19, 2023 : When you kill time, you kill life.
• February 12, 2023 : Delayed success mostly stays forever.
• February 05, 2023 : The wound is the place where the Light enters you.
• January 29, 2023 : Doubt is an uncomfortable condition, but certainty is a ridiculous one.
• January 22, 2023 : I am what I am, so take me as I am
• January 15, 2023 : Real learning comes about when the competitive spirit has ceased
• January 08, 2023 : Time hurts but it also heals. It punishes but it rewards too- it is the greatest teacher ever for a human.
• January 01, 2023 : The Beginning is the End and the End is The Beginning.

WEEKLY UPSC IAS ESSAY WRITING CHALLENGES – 2022

• December 25, 2022 : To tolerate is purely an act of mind
• December 18, 2022 : The arc of moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice
• December 11, 2022 : Religion is a culture of faith; Science is a culture of doubt.
• December 04, 2022 : My best friend is a person who will give me a book I have not read
• November 27, 2022 : Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits
• November 20, 2022 : We are always blind as we want to be
• November 13, 2022  : By your stumbling, the world is perfected.
• November 6, 2022 : You cannot step twice in the same river
• October 30, 2022 : Just because you have a choice, it does not mean that any of them has to be right.
• October 23, 2022 : A smile is the chosen vehicle for all ambiguities
• October 16, 2022 : The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining
• October 9, 2022 : A ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what ship is for
• October 2, 2022 : History is a series of victories won by the scientific man over the romantic man
• September 25, 2022 : Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world
• September 18, 2022 : Forests are the best case studies for economic excellence
• September 11, 2022 : Culture changes with economic development.
• September 4 2022 : We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.
• August 28 2022 :  The obstacle is the path.
• August 21 2022 : What is to give light must endure burning.
• August 14 2022 : “He who has never learned to obey cannot be a good commander.” Aristotle.
• August 7 2022 : Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” Albert Einstein
• July 31, 2022 : A bad conscience is easier to cope with than a bad reputation. Friedrich Nietzsche.
• July 24, 2022 : Time is all we have and don’t
• July 17, 2022 : Life fritters away when distractions become your lifestyle
• July 10, 2022 : After every darkness comes the dawn July 10, 2022 : After every darkness comes the dawn
• July 3, 2022 : Mind – a beautiful servant? Or a dangerous master?
• June 26, 2022 : Education Breeds Peace
• June 19, 2022 : A great leader is never angry
• June 12, 2022 : That which hurts, instructs; That which instructs, creates; Creates Wonders!
• June 05, 2022 : Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do
• May 29, 2022 : The journey is a reward as well as destination
• May 22, 2022 : Imagination creates reality
• May 15, 2022 : The curious paradox is, only if we accept things as they are, things can change
• May 08, 2022:  The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are so certain of themselves, while wiser people are so full of doubts
• May 01, 2022:  Loyalty To Country Always. Loyalty To Government Only When It Deserves
• April 24, 2022: Successful Investing Is Anticipating The Anticipations of Others
• April 17, 2022: Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear
• April 10, 2022 : Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn
• April 03, 2022 : Forgiveness is the final form of love
• March 27, 2022 : The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is boundless
• March 20, 2022 : Reason has always existed, but not always in a reasonable form.
• March 13, 2022 : Everything we hear is an opinion; not a fact
• March 5, 2022 : There are better practices to “best practices”
• February 27, 2022 : History repeats itself first as a tragedy second as a farce.
• February 20, 2022 : What is research, but a blind date with knowledge!
• February 13, 2022 : Hand that rocks the cradle rules the world
• February 6, 2022 : The real is rational and the rational is real.
• January 30, 2022 : Philosophy of Wantlessness Is Utopian, while the philosophy of materialism is chimera.
• January 23, 2022 : Your perception of me is a reflection of you; my reaction to you is an awareness of me.
• January 16, 2022 : The process of self-discovery has now been technologically outsourced.
• January 09, 2022 : Knowing oneself is the beginning of all wisdom
• January 02, 2022 : Biased Media Is A Real Threat To Indian Democracy

WEEKLY UPSC IAS ESSAY WRITING CHALLENGES – 2021

• December 26, 2021 : What Gets Measured Gets Managed
• December 19, 2021 : The enemy of stability is complacency
• December 12, 2021 : A clear conscience fears no accusation
• December 05, 2021 : Power of vested interests is vastly exaggerated compared with the gradual encroachment of ideas
• November 28, 2021 : The whole is more than a sum of its parts
• November 21, 2021 : Scientific and technological progress cannot be equated with the progress of humanity
• November 14, 2021 : The price of our vitality is the sum of all our fears
• November 7, 2021 : Lawlessness is the result of failure to cultivate a sense of self-evaluation
• October 30, 2021 : What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make
• October 24, 2021 : Science for the economic freedom of humanity
• October 17, 2021 : An interdependent world cannot be an inequitable world
• October 03, 2021 : Strength comes from an indomitable Will
• SEPTEMBER 26, 2021 : Ethnocracy and concentration of power can derail even an affluent nation
• SEPTEMBER 19, 2021 : Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land.
• SEPTEMBER 12, 2021 : Culture of entitlement comes with unreasonable expectations and insecurities 
• SEPTEMBER 5, 2021 : Literacy is a vital skill that enhances dignity, improves health outcomes, empowers people to access their rights and bolsters opportunities
• AUGUST 29, 2021 : A parliamentary system of government rests on a functioning opposition as ‘no democracy can do without it’.
• AUGUST 22, 2021 : Development must lead to dismantle all kinds of human unfreedom
• AUGUST 15, 2021 : Sport is a reflection of larger social phenomena
• AUGUST 8, 2021 : Every social stratum has its own Common Sense and its own good sense
• AUGUST 1, 2021 : Capitalism without competition is not Capitalism. It is Exploitation.
• JULY 25, 2021 : We don’t have to sacrifice a Strong Economy for a Healthy Environment
• JULY 18,2021 : We Need not a social conscience, but a social consciousness.
• JULY 11, 2021 : The cure for evils of democracy is more democracy.
• JULY 04, 2021 : No Constitution by itself achieves perfect justice
• JUNE 27, 2021 : Our world has achieved brilliance without conscience.
• JUNE 20, 2021 : Our common humanity demands that we make the impossible possible.
• JUNE 13, 2021 : Without courage we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.
• JUNE 06, 2021 : The political problem of mankind is to combine three things: economic efficiency, social justice and individual liberty.
• MAY 30, 2021 : Economics without ethics is a caricature & ethics without economics is a fairy tale.
• MAY 23 , 2021 : Indecisiveness is the rival of Progression
• MAY 16 , 2021 : Time changes everything except something within us which is always surprised by change.
• May 09, 2021 : The possession of arbitrary power has always, the world over, tended irresistibly to destroy humane sensibility, magnanimity, and truth
• May 02, 2021 : The truth of character is expressed through choice of act ions
• April 25, 2021 : It is not our differences that divide us; It is our inability to recognise, accept, and celebrate those differences.
• April 18, 2021 : Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
• April 11, 2021 : Solutions emerge if situations are not forced
• April 04, 2021 : Morality is subservient to materialistic values in present times
• March 28, 2021 : Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible
• March 21, 2021 : Our major social problems are not the cause of our decadence but are a reflection of it
• March 14, 2021 : The Future of Multilateralism : Towards a responsible Globalization
• March 07, 2021 : Subtlety may deceive you; Integrity never will
• February 28, 2021 :Technology as the silent factor in international relations
• February 21, 2021 :Patriarchy is the least noticed yet the most significant structure of social inequality
• February 14, 2021:There can be no social justice without economic prosperity but economic prosperity without social justice is meaningless
• February 07, 2021: Culture is what we are civilization is what we have
• January 31, 2021: Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication
• January 24, 2021: Ships do not sink because of water around them , ships sink because of water that gets into them
• January 17, 2021: Mindful manifesto is the catalyst to a tranquil self
• January 10, 2021: Life is long journey between human being and being humane
• January 03, 2021: The Covid pandemic has revealed the urgent need for effective governance everywhere”
• December 27, 2020: Challenges of 21st Century – insurmountable?
• December 20, 2020: Too much Democracy is Detrimental to Development
• December 13, 2020: Happiness is not an ideal of reason, but of imagination.

WEEKLY UPSC IAS ESSAY WRITING CHALLENGES – 2020

• December 06, 2020 : As you Start to walk on the way, the Way appears
• November 29, 2020: Need of the Hour is to Maximise Possibilities of Agriculture in India
• November 22, 2020: The survival of democracy depends on its ability to lower social uncertainty
• November 15, 2020: There is no greatness where there is no simplicity
• November 08, 2020: Inequality can be Reduced by the Power of the Market rather than the Government
• November 01, 2020: Civil liberties are fundamental to the functioning of modern democracies
• October 25, 2020: Artificial Intelligence is Not All Evil – It can Promote Social Good Too
• October 18, 2020: Wherever law ends, tyranny begins
• October 11, 2020:Hyper-globalism is threat to human prosperity
• September 27, 2020: Our World is in a Surplus of Multilateral Challenges and a Deficit of Solutions
• September 20, 2020: In India Agriculture and the Farmer are both the Victims of Narrow Political Vision
• September 13, 2020: India Needs Aggressive and Pragmatic Neighbourhood Policy
• September 6, 2020: “The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his  attitude .
• August 30, 2020: The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal
• August 23, 2020: Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.
• August 16, 2020: Life without liberty is like a body without spirit.
• August 09, 2020: Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value
• August 02, 2020: New Education Policy 2020: A Progressive Policy with Diverse Challenges
• July 26, 2020: In a democracy, the individual enjoys not only the ultimate power but carries the ultimate responsibility
• July 19, 2020: Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance
• July 12, 2020: The human spirit must prevail over technology
• July 05, 2020: When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.
• June 28, 2020: Today India Needs ‘Harmony in Diversity’, Not Unity in Diversity.
• June 21, 2020: A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.
• June 14, 2020: Post Independence, the Issue of Land is at the Core of India’s Non-Achievement of Its Development Aspirations
• June 7, 2020: Never Let a Good Crisis Go to Waste
• May 31, 2020: Despite Challenges, To be a Healthy and Successful Nation, India must Ensure Universal Health Coverage 
• May 24, 2020: Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.
• May 17, 2020:The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little
• May 10, 2020: Urban Exclusion of Migrant Workers in India is a Reality and Needs Urgent Robust Policy Measures
• May 03, 2020: Uncertainty should ignite creativity, not depravity
• April 26, 2020: The fool doth think he is wise but the wise man knows himself to be a fool
• April 19, 2020: Social Harmony, not Social Distancing, is the final solution to all our problems
• April 12, 2020: It is our choices, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities
• April 05, 2020: Education must also train one for quick, resolute and effective thinking
• March 29, 2020: “Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them”
• March 22, 2020: In order to understand the world one has to turn away from it on occasion
• March 15, 2020: Pandemics such as COVID-19, though Catastrophic, are in the end Meant to Reset Humanity and its Priorities
• March 08, 2020: Those who have wisdom have all: Fools with all have nothing
• March 01, 2020: Indifferentism is the worst kind of disease that can affect people.
• [VIDEO] Perspectives on Essay Topic of Feb 23
• February 23, 2020: To ease another’s heartache is to forget one’s own.
• February 16, 2020 : When civil services does its job, people will not need social service
• February 09, 2020 : The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.
• February 02, 2020: Ability will get you success, Character will keep you successful.
• January 26, 2020: Media’s duty is to inform public, not manufacture opinion.
• January 19, 2020: Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes
• January 12, 2020 : Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition
• J anuary 5, 2020 : All war is a symptom of man’s failure as a thinking animal
• December 29, 2019 : There cannot be daily democracy without daily citizenship
• December 22, 2019: War is the ultimate Price we pay for lasting Peace
• December 15, 2019 : Inclusivity and Plurality are the hallmarks of a peaceful society
• December 08, 2019: Justice Loses Character if it becomes Revenge
• December 01. 2019: Economic Growth and Development are Shaped by the Societies in which they Operate
• November 24, 2019: Social Media is the Fourth Pillar of Democracy
• November 17, 2019: Media is No More a Fourth Pillar of Democracy
• November 10, 2019: Rise of Artificial Intelligence: the threat of jobless future or better job opportunities through reskilling and upskilling
• November 03, 2019:Biased media is a real threat to Indian democracy
• October 27, 2019: Neglect of primary health care and education in India are reasons for its backwardness
• October 20, 2019: South Asian societies are woven not around the state, but around their plural cultures and plural identities
• October 13, 2019: Courage to accept and dedication to improve are two keys to success
• October 06, 2019: Best for an individual is not necessarily best for the society
• September 29, 2019: Values are not what humanity is, but what humanity ought to be
• September 22, 2019: Wisdom finds truth

WEEKLY UPSC IAS ESSAY WRITING CHALLENGES – 2019

• September 15, 2019: Kashmir Problem – Historical Injustice or Misguided Geopolitics?
• September 08, 2019: India’s Space Ambitions – Are they Welfarist?
• September 01, 2019: India – $5 Trillion Economy: Dream or Reality?
• August 25, 2019 Knowledge will give you power, but character respect.
• August 18, 2019 The mind is everything. What you think you become.
• August 11, 2019: Virtue is Knowledge
• August 04, 2019: Inclusive governance begets Inclusive growth
• July 28, 2019: India’s headache: Unemployment or Underemployment?
• July 21, 2019: The road to science and spirituality are opposite, but we should tread both
• July 14, 2019: India is a leading power, rather than just a balancing power
• July 07, 2019: Should the world embrace democratic socialism or progressive capitalism?
• June 30, 2019: Impact of Digital Revolution on Human Wellbeing
• June 23, 20 19: Contentment is natural wealth, luxury is artificial poverty
• June 16, 2019: The definition of happiness is the full use of your powers, along the lines of excellence.
• June 09, 2019: Not Corruption, Communalism is the Greatest Threat India is facing Today
• May 19, 2019: First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.
• May 12, 2019: Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake
• May 05, 2019: Happiness equals reality minus expectations
• April 28, 2019: Political correctness is tyranny with manners
• April 21, 2019: The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
• April 07, 2019: Dogma is the sacrifice of wisdom to consistency
• March 31, 2019: The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.
• March 24, 2019: Terrorism has No Religion
• March 17, 2019: Money and Religion – Great Unifiers of Humankind?
• March 10, 2019: Tradition becomes our security, and when the mind is secure it is in decay
• March 03, 2019: Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower
• February 24,2019: Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens
• February 17, 2019: Problems worthy of attack prove their worth by fighting back
• February 10, 2019: Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
• February 03, 2019: You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality
• January 27, 2019: Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever
• January 20, 2019: All that we are is the result of what we have thought.
• January 12, 2019: All differences in this world are of degree, and not of kind, because oneness is the secret of everything.
• January 06, 2019: National security is Irreversibly linked to good economic growth

WEEKLY UPSC IAS ESSAY WRITING CHALLENGES – 2018

• December 28, 2018: To plan for smart development, governments and business must recognize nature’s role in supporting economic activity
• December 23, 2018: Government Surveillance – Good or Bad?
• December 16, 2018: Trade Wars – Economic or Geopolitical?
• December 02, 2018: Immigration is Not a Threat, but Fundamentally it’s an Economic Issue
• November 25, 2018: A people that values its privileges above its principles loses both
• November 18, 2018: “The past’ is a permanent dimension of human consciousness and values
• November 11, 2018: A good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge
• November 04, 2018: Management of Indian border disputes – a complex task
• October 28, 2018: Alternative technologies for a climate change resilient India
• October 21, 2018: Poverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere
• October 14, 2018: Reality does not conform to the ideal, but confirms it
• October 07, 2018: Customary morality cannot be a guide to modern life
• September 30, 2018: Commercialization of Space : Importance and the need for regulation
• September 23, 2018: E-commerce as a new form of trade and its challenges to India.
• September 16, 2018: Ability is nothing without opportunity
• September 09, 2018: Death Penalty eliminates Criminals, not Crime.
• September 02, 2018: Dissent is the foundation of democracy.
• August 26, 2018: Mars Mission and Mob lynchings are two obverse faces of India
• August 19, 2018: Strengthening Land Rights Strengthens Development
• August 12, 2018: Age of Big Data: Data is the New Oil, History is its oldest bank
• August 05, 2018: Strong Institutions and fair procedures, not personalities constitute the fundamentals of good governance
• July 29, 2018: Social reform is a myth if places of worship are open only to all castes and not to all genders.
• July 22, 2018: Section 377, not the carnal acts banned under it is ‘against the order of nature ‘
• July 15, 2018: Schooling Is Not Education
• July 08, 2018: Sometimes it takes a natural disaster to reveal a social disaster.
• July 01, 2018: Normal human activity is worse for nature than the greatest nuclear accident in history
• June 24, 2018: Gender Sensitive Indian Society is Prerequisite for Women and Child Empowerment
• June 17, 2018: Where Should India Invest More – Human Capital or Human Development?
• June 10, 2018: Has Democracy Taken Backseat Due to the Rise of Populists and Demagogues?
• June 03, 2018: We won’t have a society ,if we destroy the environment
• May 27, 2018: Can Development and Environment Protection Go Together?
• May 20, 2018: Governor is the Choke Point of Federal Circuit of India
• May 13, 2018: Anonymity is the Best and the Worst Feature of Urbanism
• May 06, 2018: A man is but the product of his thoughts; what he thinks, he becomes
• April 29, 2018: Guaranteeing Right to Vote may Establish a Democracy, But Ensuring it’s Right Use Only Will Bring a True Democracy
• April 22, 2018: Stereotyping is an Ideological Force Which Hinders and Endangers Consolidation of India
• April 15, 2018: Can Education and legislation Address Violence Against Women and Children in India?
• April 8, 2018: Banking Crisis in India – Failure of Governance and Regulation?
• April 1, 2018: Privacy is the fountainhead of all other rights
• March 25, 2018: Impact of Technology on Human Relations and Human Productivity
• March 18, 2018: India’s Focus should be on Ease of Living, not on Easy of Doing Business
• March 11, 2018: A friend to everybody is a friend to nobody
• March 04, 2018: Capitalism can not Bring Inclusive Growth
• February 25, 2018: The unprecedented advance of technologies facilitate individual empowerment but at the cost of Institutions and Democratic societies
• February 18, 2018: Threats being Faced by Liberal Democratic Systems are both Dangerous and Permanent
• February 11, 2018: For India, Stigmatised Capitalism is Better than Crony Socialism
• February 04, 2018: Art, freedom and creativity will change society faster than politics.
• January 28, 2018: Politics of Identity is the Politics of the Weak
• January 21, 2018: Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime
• January 14, 2018: Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding
• January 07, 2018: The Root Cause of Agrarian Distress in India – Failure of Policies or Failure of Governance?

WEEKLY UPSC IAS ESSAY WRITING CHALLENGES – 2017

• December 31, 2017: Impact of the new economic measures on fiscal ties between the union and states in India
• December 24, 2017: Fulfilment of ‘new woman’ in India is a myth
• December 17, 2017: Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.
• December 10, 2017: Farming has lost the ability to be a source of subsistence for majority of farmers in India
• December 03, 2017: Destiny of a nation is shaped in its classrooms
• November 19, 2017: Has the Non- Alignment Movement(NAM) lost its relevance in a multipolar world
• November 12, 2017: Social media is inherently a selfish medium.
• November 04, 2017: We may brave human laws but cannot resist natural laws
• October 29, 2017: Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.
• October 22, 2017: Harith Diwali, Swasth Diwali : What measures are needed to deal with Festivity and Air Pollution?
• October 15, 2017: Biggest Threat to Humanity – Moral Crisis or Climate Change?
• October 08, 2017: The monsoon is a defining aspect of India’s nationhood
• October 01, 2017: India’s Infrastructure Story – Why is India not able to Build like China?
• September 24, 2017: Impact of Digital Technologies on Globalisation
• September 17, 2017: Urbanisation and Solid Waste Management in India – Challenges and Opportunities
• September 10,2017: Gender Equality and Peace: Are They Connected?
• September 03, 2017: Recent Natural Disasters – What do they Reveal about Humanity?
• August 27, 2017: Godmen – A Threat to Indian Society and Culture
• August 20, 2017: Corruption in India: Neither Systemic Reforms nor Surgical Strikes would End it
• August 13,2017: Interrelationship between Gender Equality and Sustainable Development
• August 06, 2017: Utility and relevance of Parliament in our polity
• July 30, 2017: Caste System – Source of India’s Eternal Inequality?
• July 23, 2017: Indian Democracy, Media and Public Opinion – Does Public Opinion Matter in Policymaking?
• July 16, 2017: Poverty and Environment – Their Interrelationship is the Key to Sustainable World
• July 09, 2017: Soft Power is India’s Strength, not its Weakness
• July 02, 2017: Technology and Jobs – Is Technology a Curse?
• June 25, 2017: Democracy’s Relevance in the Face of New Global Threats
• June 18, 2017: Federalism in India – Competitive or Cooperative?
• June 11, 2017: Peace, Environment and Development: Are these Interrelated?
• June 04, 2017: Role of Technology in Development – Is Technology Helping or Hindering Development?
• May 28, 2017: Poverty is a State of Mind
• May 21, 2017: Does India Need Superpower Status?
• May 14, 2017: India’s Achilles Heel – Lack of Ambition or Lack of Leadership in Achieving Greatness?
• May 07, 2017: Don’t limit a child to your own learning, for he was born in another time.
• April 29, 2017: The greatest happiness of the greatest number is the foundation of morals and legislation
• April 23, 2017: To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom
• April 16, 2017: One-Party-Dominant System – Is it Good for India?
• April 09, 2017: Should Youth in India Consider Politics as Career?
• April 02, 2017: Can World Save Succeeding Generations from the Scourge of War?
• March 26, 2017: Low, stagnating female labour-force participation in India: An anomaly or an outcome of economic reforms?
• March 19, 2017: When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw
• March 12, 2017: The marks humans leave are too often scars
• March 05, 2017: Environmental Challenges and Geopolitics: How to save our Environment?
• February 27, 2017: Radical Solutions are Needed to Address Today’s Radical Problems
• February 19, 2017: India’s Importance in the Post-truth World
• February 12, 2017: The Role of Politics in Development
• February 05, 2017: Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored
• January 29, 2017: Building Walls and Banning Refugees – Does this Help Humanity?
• January 22, 2017: Digital economy: A leveller or a source of economic inequality
• January 15, 2017: Cyberspace and internet: Blessing or curse to the human civilization in the long run
• January 08, 2017: Water disputes between states in federal India
• January 01, 2017: Need brings greed, if greed increases it spoils breed

WEEKLY UPSC IAS ESSAY WRITING CHALLENGES – 2016

• (December 25, 2016) – Cooperative federalism: Myth or reality
• (December 18, 2016) – Innovation is the key determinant of economic growth and social welfare
• (December 11, 2016) – Near jobless growth in India: An anomaly or an outcome of economic reforms
• (December 04, 2016) – If development is not engendered, it is endangered
• (November 27, 2016) – Social media is better at breaking things than at making things
• (November 20, 2016) – Deglobalization is good for the world
• (November 12, 2016) – Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others
• (November 06, 2016) – It is not inequality which is the real misfortune, it is dependence
• (October 30, 2016) – Reducing Poverty while also Conserving Nature is an Impossible Task
• (October 23, 2016) – Poverty can be eliminated by putting science at the heart of development
• (October 16, 2016) – People shouldn’t be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people
• (October 09, 2016) – Better Access is Key to Inclusive Cities
• (October 02, 2016) – The weaker sections of Indian society – Are their Rights and Access to Justice Getting Better?
• (September 25, 2016) – Imagination is more important than intelligence
• (September 18, 2016) – Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life
• (September 11, 2016) – Not what we have But what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance
• (September 04, 2016) – It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it
• (August 28, 2016) – If one can Address Moral Crisis, many of World’s Problems can be Solved
• (August 21, 2016) – Overdependence on Technology will Advance Human Development
• (August 14, 2016) – Geography may remain the same ; history need not
• (August 07, 2016) – Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom
• (July 31, 2016) – To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all
• (July 24, 2016) – True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing
• (July 17, 2016) – We Can Not Fight Terrorism – We have to Live With it
• (July 10, 2016) – A house divided against itself cannot stand
• (July 02, 2016) – When the going gets tough, the tough get going
• (June 26, 2016) – India a Reluctant Participant in the New Global Order?
• (June 19, 2016) – Inclusiveness in India – Still a Dream?
• (June 12, 2016) – No one can make you feel inferior without your consent
• (June 05, 2016) – Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted
• (May 29, 2016) – It is hard to free fools from the chains they revere
• (May 22, 2016) – Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress
• (May 15, 2016) – Fire is a good servant but a bad master
• (May 08, 2016) – The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence
• (May 01, 2016) – Labour Reforms in India and its Role in Economic Development
• (April 24, 2016) – It takes a whole village to raise a child
• (April 17, 2016) – Trust take years to Build, Seconds to Break
• (April 10, 2016) – Cleanliness is next to Godliness
• (April 03, 2016) – Honesty is the Best Policy
• (March 27, 2016) – Before criticizing a man, walk a mile in his shoes
• (March 20, 2016) – Caste System – India’s Enduring Curse
• (March 13, 2016) – Fortune favors the bold
• (March 06, 2016) – Quick but steady wins the race
• (February 28, 2016) – Dreams which should not let India sleep
• (February 21, 2016) – Lending hands to someone is better than giving a dole
• (February 14, 2016) – Technology cannot replace manpower
• (February 7, 2016) – Character of an institution is reflected in its leader
• (January 31, 2016) – Can Capitalism bring Inclusive Growth?
• (January 24, 2016) – Crisis Faced in India – Moral or Economic?
• (January 17, 2016) – Too many cooks spoil the broth
• (January 10, 2016) – The Best Things in Life are Free
• (January 3, 2016) – Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.

WEEKLY ESSAY WRITING CHALLENGES – 2015

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Mains Answer Writing : Essay

Covering Syllabus through Themes

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• Mains Answer Writing

An Open Answer Writing Initiative by GS SCORE

To participate in answer writing program, Register yourself for the test. Copies will be evaluated only for the registered students. Registration will be closed before the scheduled date.

6 Days Answer Improvement Cycle

• Day 1: Questions will be uploaded on the portal on the scheduled date at 11:00 AM.
• Day 2 and 3: You have to write your answers on an A4 size sheet leaving margins on both sides based on UPSC pattern. Mention your name on 1st page and page number on each page. After writing the answer, Click pictures of each page of the answer sheet and upload them altogether (in JPG/JPEG/PNG format) in the comment section of the same question.
• Day 4 and 5: After evaluation, copies will be re-uploaded on the same thread on 5th day. Based on these answers and feedback, aspirants can ask their doubts in the comment box and our experts will guide. The model hint will be uploaded on the site on Day 4.
• Day 6: Discussion of the question and one to one answer improvement session of evaluated copies will be conducted through Google Meet with concerned faculty.

Essay (Dimension Developing)  by Manoj K. Jha

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Essay (Essay Paper Discussion 2023) by Manoj K. Jha

Essay (Philosophical) by Manoj K. Jha

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Essay (Philosophical Topics) by Manoj K Jha

Essay Writing by Manoj K Jha 

Essay Contemporary Topic by Manoj K. Sir

Essay Optional (Philosophical Topic) by Manoj K Jha Sir

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Essay Paper UPSC 2022 (Mains): Question Paper and Analysis

Last updated on September 16, 2022 by ClearIAS Team

The Essay Paper in UPSC CSE 2022 was easy compared to previous years. Please find the questions in the Essay Paper of the UPSC 2022 Civil Services Mains Examination (written).

UPSC conducted the Essay Paper , as part of the Civil Services Main Exam 2022 on 16-09-2022. The question paper was not as shocking as last year.

There were 8 Essay topics, out of which candidates were asked to write on two topics in 3 hours.

Candidates were supposed to answer about 1000 words for each essay (about 10-12 pages).

Table of Contents

Essay Paper UPSC 2022 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 a medium other than the authorized one.
• Word limit, as specified, should be adhered to.
• Any page or portion of the page left blank, must be struck off clearly.

Essay Question Paper – UPSC Civil Services Main Exam (Written) 2022

Write two essays, choosing one topic from each of the following Sections A and B, in about 1000-1200 words each:

• Forests are the best case studies for economic excellence.
• Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.
• History is a series of victories won by the scientific man over the romantic man.
• A ship in the harbour is safe but that is not what a ship is for.
• The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.
• You cannot step twice in the same river.
• Smile is the chosen vehicle for all ambiguities.
• Just because you have a choice, it does not mean that any of them has to be right.

UPSC , as always, has ensured that the essay topics were much different from the GS questions.

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A philosophical theme is clearly evident in most of the essay topics in Section A as well as Section B. This was the case in 2020 and 2021 as well. It is a clue about what UPSC expects from the essay paper.

Rather than asking candidates to write on topics most aspirants are familiar with or trained with, UPSC is now evaluating the essay writing skills of aspirants by providing them with abstract or philosophical topics. 

This year, most of the topics were either proverbs or famous quotes.

All 8 topics presented this year will test the spontaneous thinking, comprehension, writing skills, and time management of aspirants.

Thinkers, Philosophers, and their Quotes

Let’s analyse the source of some of the question topics.

POETS ARE THE UNACKNOWLEDGED LEGISLATORS OF THE WORLD 

This essay topic is one of the best-known and most frequently quoted lines from the Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822).

Shelley thinks that poets can institute laws and create new materials for knowledge, determining the role of poets as legislators. 

Shelley’s account of poetic language seeks to find an order to the chaos, which, possibly, Shelley sees in human society: the mess that only poets can fathom. 

Therefore, he thinks, the poets’ enhanced poetic language can re-institute order in human society. 

A SHIP IN HARBOUR IS SAFE BUT THAT IS NOT WHAT A SHIP IS FOR 

This essay topic is connected with John A Shedd , an author and professor, who is attributed to this quote. Reference: his book Salt from My Attic , a collection of quotes and sayings (1928).

This phrase means, that getting out of your comfort zone is key to experiencing new things and broadening your horizons.

Only taking risks helps us grow as people—to either achieve our goals or do the things we’ve always wanted to do.

THE TIME  TO REPAIR THE ROOF IS WHEN THE SUN IS SHINING 

This essay topic was connected with John F. Kennedy. In his 1962 State of the Union Address, John F. Kennedy declared, “The best time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining”.

The primary message of the quote is fixing a leak is best done when the weather is good, rather than when it is not.

Ideally, you should begin the work of fixing the roof as soon after the leak was found. The first sunny day would be ideal. It is not easy to fix a roof when it is raining.

This statement is being used to remind us to do the right things at the right time. It also points us to take the advantage of favourable time.

YOU CAN NOT STEP TWICE IN THE SAME RIVER 

This essay topic was quoted by Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher born in 544 b.c.

This means that you cannot step into the same river twice because the flow of the river will change each second. You will also change each second.

It is not possible to repeat past experiences, as time changes all things. You won’t get the exact experience twice. You need to live in the present and enjoy each moment.

A SMILE IS A CHOSEN VEHICLE FOR ALL AMBIGUITIES 

This essay topic was quoted by Herman Melville, an American novelist.

JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE A CHOICE DOES NOT MEAN THAT ANY OF THEM HAS TO BE RIGHT 

This essay topic was quoted by Norton Juster, an American academic, architect, and writer in his book The Phantom Tollbooth

What should aspirants preparing for next year do for an essay paper?

First of all, you should take the essay paper seriously.

Unless properly trained, it is not easy to write 10-12 pages on an abstract or philosophical topic.

You need to polish your comprehension and analytical skills.

Read different kinds of essays – particularly philosophical essays.

Give stress to the thoughts of philosophers like Immanuel Kant, Thomas Aquinas, John Locke, Friedrich Niche, Karl Marx etc. Start writing essays on famous quotes.

Also, be prepared to write essays touching on other areas like society, politics, economy, or technology. UPSC is known for surprises.

Remember that there is nothing like a constant trend with respect to UPSC questions.

What you get by analysing the previous year’s question papers are clues. And only those are what you need from UPSC questions!

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Home » Mains Practice Questions » Essay

This exam necessitates a lot of serious study and devotion. Every applicant who understands the UPSC’s trends and expectations and works diligently toward achieving a rank under suitable supervision has a chance to succeed.

This year’s Mains – 2021 questions in GS, Essay, and even Optional papers need in-depth examination of trending topics as well as certain key static topics that may or may not be in the news.

Analytical skills can only be enhanced by regularly thinking and writing. Regular writing, in particular, is essential for improving your analytical abilities. Writing answers after reading other people’s answers or reading a synopsis will get you nowhere.

You must adhere to the standards outlined in the preceding article. You can get knowledge but not wisdom by consulting a summary.

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Writing a good Essay in UPSC Mains, Explained by Anudeep Durishetty

ForumIAS announcing GS Foundation Program for UPSC CSE 2025-26 from 10th August. Click Here for more information.

Novelist Stephen King put it beautifully when he said, “I write to find out what I think.”

Writing is a window to your thought process. What you write on paper will tell the reader how you think, how you argue and the way you substantiate your viewpoint. This is why for most competitive examinations and academic entrance tests, essay is mandatory.

In the Civil Services Exam too, we have a paper worth 250 marks, equivalent to a General Studies paper. Despite its importance, essay paper often does not get the attention it deserves from aspirants. First timers think they will write an excellent essay in the final exam itself, whereas experienced aspirants believe that since they had already studied a ton for GS, it will alone be enough to write a good essay. This is a fatal miscalculation.

I was one of those who made these errors in the past, and it is not a coincidence that I scored only 100 in CSE 2015. But in 2017, I devoted adequate time to this paper. I collected useful quotes, prepared notes and even made rough essay drafts for frequently asked topics. All this effort in essay paper helped me score 155.

What follows is an elaborate post on how you should tackle the Essay paper. I’ve organised the content as follows:

What UPSC says about the essay paper

How and from where to prepare?

Improving language and expression

• On subheadings and rough drafts
• What you must avoid
• How to write a powerful introduction?
• Developing the content of an Essay

Substantiating your arguments

• How to conclude an Essay
• My notes, quote collection and sample essays

“Candidates may be required to write essays on multiple topics. They will be expected to  keep closely to the subject of the essay,   to arrange their ideas in an orderly fashion, and to write concisely . Credit will be given for  effective and exact expression .”

Essay distinguishes itself from GS in the sense that in GS, marks will be awarded purely for content. But in essay, examiners will pay special attention to not just the content, but also the language, coherence and the way you organise your write-up.

So you must take adequate care to arrange your ideas properly and not commit any fundamental spelling or grammatical errors.

Most of the content you write in Essay will come from your GS preparation. Apart from this, the following sources will help:

• Reading non-fiction  helps you develop a matured thought process. Apart from imparting knowledge, they will also let you come across good figures of speech, art of argumentation, powerful rhetoric and unique content etc. For example, in an essay on Artificial Intelligence, I took arguments from Yuval Harari’s  Homo Deus  to argue that AI is an imminent threat to humanity. Or if you read  Why Nations Fail,  a book replete with examples, you will understand the importance of innovation, political and economic freedoms in propelling a nation forward. So my suggestion is, apart from UPSC related material, develop the hobby of reading non-fiction books. I do not mean to suggest that you should start reading one  non-fiction book per topic to get good scores in Essay, but reading them occasionally in your free time will benefit you in the long run.
• Referring to specific magazines:  For certain topics, you can refer to specific issues of Yojana/EPW/Economic Survey etc. Example: for an essay on tribal issues or public health, you can go through specific issues of these magazines for getting the latest statistics (IMR, MMR, malnutrition levels etc) and also about the positives and criticisms of govt schemes in that sector.
• Collecting good stories/anecdotes and quotes: Anecdotes, quotes and real life stories you see in newspapers and books which can be used in essay should be noted down. In most of my essays, I used to start with a relevant story or an anecdote that has the essay topic as its underlying theme. Apart from these, I also used a couple of quotes of eminent persons.

         List of quotes, anecdotes I collected are available in the link at the end of this article.

Language in essay must be simple and clear with as little jargon as possible. If you want to use complex definitional terms such as, say, ‘Constitutionalism’ or ‘Sanskritisation’ please define it in sentence just before you use it. Examiner will also understand clearly what you want to convey. Clear writing is clear thinking. And that is what any reader looks for.

Keep your sentences short and powerful. Long, winding sentences makes it difficult to read and understand. If you tack on one clause after another through conjunctions, what you get is a bad sentence sprawl.

Example of a bad sentence sprawl:

At the end of World War 2, on the one hand, while capitalism was successfully championed by the nations in North America and Europe, on the other hand, it was USSR that put Communism at the forefront due to which there was an ideological clash between the the two superpowers which had led to proxy wars in various parts of the globe, a nuclear arms race and a rapid deterioration of the security of the world.

(By the time readers finish reading it, they will lose their breath and the point of the sentence)

So I had a simple rule: If you run out of your breath while  reading a sentence, then probably you will have to break it into two.

Rewriting the aforementioned example after breaking it into two (which makes it much easier to read and comprehend):

After World War 2, while the North American and European nations championed capitalism, USSR put communism at the forefront. This ideological clash between the superpowers led to several proxy wars, a nuclear arms race and a rapid deterioration of world security.

There is no need to memorise complex words for writing a good essay. But an occasional use of a powerful word, or a good phrase definitely gives your write-up an edge.

Also, I believe that learning numerous words by rote will not make them stick in your brain for long. The best way to build your vocabulary is by reading non-fiction and English newspapers. While reading these, if you come across a good turn of phrase, or a word that you don’t recognise, please note it down in a book, find its meaning and understand the context in which the word was used. This helps in long term memory. Having a dictionary app on your phone also helps.

Building vocabulary is a slow process, but with consistency, anyone can become better at using an expansive set of words.

Subheadings & Rough Drafts

We can be a little innovative in our subheadings. Instead of bland subheadings such as ‘ Benefits of Nuclear Energy’  we can use “ Nuclear Energy: Promise or Peril?’  Similarly, for the essay on Social Media, instead of writing ‘ Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media ’, I wrote  “Social Media: A Double Edged Sword”

You can find my collection of a few such subheadings in the link to my notes, given at the end of the article.

I also prepared a rough draft for a few essay topics (link given at the end). You may need to modify the structure as per the demand of the question.

What you must avoid in Essay

• Do not focus excessively only on one point, or one dimension (such as the historical or political aspect) Your essay needs to be expansive and multi-dimensional.
• During preparation, we read a lot and it’s understandable that we feel strongly about certain topics. And since essay offers freedom to write, it’s very easy to get carried away with such a topic. But make sure that you write what is asked, not what you know or feel like. No  mann ki baat . Always stick to the subject of the topic. It helps to read the question in the midst of your essay to ensure that you are not steering away from the topic.
• If you are not comfortable writing about abstract philosophical topics (I am terrible at writing them), avoid such questions. Your choice of topic has no bearing on the marks and that is why, selecting an unpopular topic just for the sake of it is unwise. Also, if there’s a technical term in the question, be doubly sure that you understand it correctly. For instance, in 2014, there was a question on ‘standard tests’, which is a technical term. I misunderstood it and wrote a generic essay. I got 112.
• When you take a final stand on an issue, it’s best to avoid extreme or highly unpopular opinions. We are free to have any opinion in the privacy of our minds, but in UPSC essay why take that risk? For instance, in an essay on Capital Punishment, in the main body content, you should present a case for both abolition and retention. But when you take a stance, it’s best to be an abolitionist.
• No ranting. You might be a great fan of Karl Marx, but if there’s a question on Capitalism, do not rant or rail against it ? You must present both the positives and negatives of Capitalism and end the essay on a balanced note.
• Do not dedicate disproportionate amount of time for the first essay and scamper through the second. Both carry equal marks, so please invest equal time.

How to transition smoothly from one para to the next

This can be done in three ways.

Through a link sentence at the end of a para:

Here, at the end of a para, you write a sentence that signals to the examiner what’s coming next. For example, let’s say you have just written a para about the threat posed by Artificial Intelligence (AI) to jobs. At the end of that para you can write a link sentence—   “Further, we must be mindful of the fact that Artificial Intelligence poses a major challenge not just economically, but also ethically.”  And in the next para, you can write about the ethical issues concerning AI.

Through a question:

Instead of a link sentence, you can also add a question at the end of a para so that examiner’s attention is helplessly carried to the next. To take the similar example as above, the question can be something like—   “Thus we have examined the threat posed by AI to our economy, but what about the challenges brought by AI to our ethics and morals?”  And in the next para, you can write about the ethical issues concerning AI.

Signalling the shift at the start of next paragraph:

Here you can simply add a word or two at the beginning of a para that signals a shift in your subtopic. For example in an essay on  Globalisation , let’s say you have just written a para about its historical evolution and impact. You can start the next para with something like—  “Politically too, globalisation has had a tremendous impact……” This way examiner immediately knows what to expect.

These steps will ensure that the transition between paragraphs is not abrupt.

How to write a good Introduction to your Essay?

Essay introduction can be:

a fictitious incident or story (where you introduce a character); a real life anecdote; a quote; or a simple definition of the words in the question (not recommended in Essay)

In GS, definitional approach is a great way to introduce your answers. But in essay, they are rather stale, lacking in any human element. I always believe that a good way to start your essay is to have that touch of humanity and warmth in your introduction.

In my Mains exam, this was my introduction to the essay ‘Destiny of a nation is shaped in its classroom’

“The year was 1945. Towards the end of a gruesome world war, the world powers decided to carve up the Korean peninsula along the 38th parallel.

“Before partition, North and South Korea might have been homogeneous in every respect, but after the division, they steered onto different paths. While schools in the North chose to ‘educate’ their children in the worship of a cult leader, ideological indoctrination and servility, its southern counterpart focused on liberal education, innovation and economic growth.

“Today, almost seven decades later, the difference in the fates of these people and the trajectories of both these nations cannot be more stark. One is known for gross violation of human rights, while the other a champion of liberal democracy. One is known for gut-wrenching poverty, while the other unbridled prosperity.

“This only proves the age old adage that the destiny of a nation is indeed shaped in its classrooms.”

Similarly, for the Social Media essay, my introduction sought to bring to the fore the paradox of Social Media. I wrote on how social media was leveraged to crowdsource help and rescue during Chennai floods in 2015. At the same time, I mentioned how it was used nefariously in 2012 to cause mass exodus of northeast people from Bangalore. And taking cue from this introduction, in the main body, I discussed about the inherent selfishness and altruism associated with social media.

These real life stories, anecdotes and incidents are everywhere in our books and newspapers. So when you come across them, note down and ponder as to how you can use them in your essay.

Developing the Main Content from the Topic

This is like spinning the web from a thread. Depending on the topic, you can choose among the following options that fits best.

• Temporal: Past, present and future
• Sectoral: Media, Science & Tech, Business, Sports, Religion, Politics, Administration etc
• Walks of Life : Individual, Family, Professional workplace, Society, Community, National, Global
• Problem & Solution:  Concept (historical evolution+status), benefits, problems, solutions
• Standard : Social, Political, Economical, Administrative, International, Environmental, Historical, Scientific, Security/Defence, Legal

Example: for a topic like  “Has Globalisation delivered on its promise?”  I find the problem & solution method an apt way to develop your narrative. So choose as per the question.

In the main body of the essay, each para must have an argument or an idea and a reasoning to back that argument. You can substantiate it through a real life example, a statistic, an authentic committee or organisational report etc.

For example, if you are arguing that Capital punishment is an expensive form of justice, you should be able to given an example or a statistic or Law Commission’s opinion as to how the subjects of death penalty are overwhelmingly from poor communities.

Statistics, examples, expert opinions and constitutional provisions are crucial and they make your arguments authoritative.

Concluding an Essay

Conclusion needs to be on  a futuristic, optimistic note. You need to summarise the complete essay in 3-4 sentences, after which you can write your vision for future.

You can source some useful terms from the speeches of PM Modi. Phrases like  Sabka saath sabka vikas ,  Reform-Perform-Transform, Building A New India  etc can come handy.  Rhetoric, lofty expressions, constitutional ideals, sanskrit slokas and quotes are a good way to conclude your essay.

But suppose in your introduction, if you had written about a fictitious character, then it’s always advisable to end your write-up with a reference to that character. It gives a sense of completeness to the essay.

Readers should keep in mind that these notes are written rather haphazardly (I mean who makes notes thinking that in future, they might have to upload them publicly :D)

They are fragmented in certain pages, so you may not be able to comprehend them completely, but nevertheless I hope you take home something useful.

Link to handwritten notes:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1jmVMGOzAk2d9B5Y0HQ9XpVF5Mh2IXGku

Quote collection:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1jk71jLao60hHwJoTuGYaIDgJWccxa5Xn

List of Topics one needs to prepare:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1q0W0PeH-80EKt6ucJTFOVPUlmXvCIzd-

Sample Essays:  

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1jqfUi1FXdG0icBdJpdQvwH1wlAizCMvo

Read More at: https://anudeepdurishetty.in/ 

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Prelims 2024 current affairs.

• Art and Culture
• Indian Economy
• Science and Technology
• Environment  & Ecology
• International Relations
• Polity &  Nation
• Important Bills and Acts
• International Organizations
• Index, Reports and Summits
• Government Schemes and Programs
• Miscellaneous
• Species in news

All India Open Test(Simulator X)

• IAS Preparation
• UPSC Preparation Strategy
• Topic Wise Essay Questions From UPSC Mains 1994 2018

Last 25 Years Topic-wise Essay Questions From UPSC Mains (1994 - 2018)

Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services mains exam is the Essay. Here, prelims-qualified IAS aspirants have to write two essays out of a few given topics. The paper is for a total of 250 marks and its marks are taken into consideration for the Final Merit List. In this article, we have listed all the essay topics asked in the UPSC mains exam from 1994 to 2018. We have also classified the last 25 years essay questions into topics to make your preparation easier.

Latest – See the UPSC Essay Topics in the IAS Mains 2020 Essay Paper. Download UPSC Mains 2020 Essay Paper from the linked article.

Explore The Ultimate Guide to IAS Exam Preparation

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UPSC Essay Topics

Administration.

• Politics, bureaucracy and business – fatal triangle. (1994)
• 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)
• How should a civil servant conduct himself? (2003)

Democracy/India since independence

• Whither Indian democracy? (1995)
• What we have not learnt during fifty years of independence. (1997)
• Why should we be proud of being Indians? (2000)
• What have we gained from our democratic set-up? (2001)
• How far has democracy in India delivered the goods? (2003)
• National identity and patriotism. (2008)
• 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)
• Is the colonial mentality hindering India’s success? (2013)
• Dreams which should not let India sleep. (2015)
• Management of Indian border disputes – a complex task. (2018)

Economic growth and development

• Resource management in the Indian context. (1999)
• GDP (Gross Domestic Product) along with GDH (Gross Domestic Happiness) would be the right indices for judging the wellbeing of a country. (2013)
• Was it the policy paralysis or the paralysis of implementation which slowed the growth of our country? (2014)
• Crisis faced in India – moral or economic. (2015)
• Near jobless growth in India: An anomaly or an outcome of economic reforms. (2016)
• Digital economy: A leveller or a source of economic inequality. (2016)
• Innovation is the key determinant of economic growth and social welfare. (2016)
• Impact of the new economic measures on fiscal ties between the union and states in India. (2017)

Federalism, Decentralisation

• The language problem in India: its past, present and prospects. (1998)
• Water resources should be under the control of the central government. (2004)
• Evaluation of panchayati raj system in India from the point of view of eradication of power to people. (2007)
• Is autonomy the best answer to combat balkanization? (2007)
• Creation of smaller states and the consequent administrative, economic and developmental implication. (2011)
• Cooperative federalism: Myth or reality. (2016)
• Water disputes between States in federal India. (2016)

Indian Culture & Society

• The Indian society at the crossroads. (1994)
• New cults and godmen: a threat to traditional religion. (1996)
• The composite culture of India. (1998)
• Youth culture today. (1999)
• Modernism and our traditional socio-ethical values. (2000)
• Indian culture today: a myth or a reality? (2000)
• As civilization advances culture declines. (2003)
• From traditional Indian philanthropy to the gates-buffet model-a natural progression or a paradigm shift? (2010)
• Judicial activism. (1997)
• Judicial activism and Indian democracy. (2004)
• Justice must reach the poor. (2005)

Social justice/Poverty

• Reservation, politics and empowerment. (1999)
• Food security for sustainable national development. (2005)
• The focus of health care is increasingly getting skewed towards the ‘haves’ of our society. (2009)
• Farming has lost the ability to be a source of subsistence for the majority of farmers in India. (2017)
• Poverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere. (2018)

Media & Society

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

Environment/Urbanisation

• Urbanization is a blessing in disguise. (1997)
• Protection of ecology and environment is essential for sustained economic development. (2006)
• Urbanisation and its hazards. (2008)
• Should a moratorium be imposed on all fresh mining in tribal areas of the country? (2010)
• We may brave human laws but cannot resist natural laws. (2017)

Economic sectors/MNCs

• Multinational corporations – saviours or saboteurs. (1994)
• Globalization would finish small-scale industries in India. (2006)
• BPO boom in India. (2007)
• Special economic zone: boon or bane? (2008)
• Are our traditional handicrafts doomed to a slow death? (2009)
• 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)
• Tourism: Can this be the next big thing for India? (2014)
• Restructuring of Indian education system. (1995)
• Literacy is growing very fast, but there is no corresponding growth in education. (1996)
• Irrelevance of the classroom. (2001)
• Privatization of higher education in India. (2002)
• Modern technological education and human values. (2002)
• What is real education? (2005)
• “Education for all” campaign in India: myth or reality. (2006)
• Independent thinking should be encouraged right from the childhood. (2007)
• Is an egalitarian society possible by educating the masses? (2008)
• Credit – based higher education system – status, opportunities and challenges. (2011)
• Is the growing level of competition good for the youth? (2014)
• Are the standardized tests good measure of academic ability or progress? (2014)
• Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make a man more clever devil. (2015)
• Destiny of a nation is shaped in its classrooms. (2017)
• The new emerging women power: the ground realities. (1995)
• Greater political power alone will not improve women’s plight. (1997)
• Woman is god’s best creation. (1998)
• Women empowerment: challenges and prospects. (1999)
• Empowerment alone cannot help our women. (2001)
• Whither women’s emancipation? (2004)
• If women ruled the world. (2005)
• The hand that rocks the cradle. (2005)
• Women’s reservation bill would usher in empowerment for women in India. (2006)
• Managing work and home – is the Indian working woman getting a fair deal? (2012)
• If development is not engendered, it is endangered. (2016)
• Fulfillment of ‘new woman’ in India is a myth. (2017)

Quotes-based/Philosophy

• Youth is a blunder, manhood a struggle, old age a regret. (1994)
• Useless life is an early death. (1994)
• Disinterested intellectual curiosity is the lifeblood of civilisation. (1995)
• When money speaks, the truth is silent. (1995)
• Our deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds. (1995)
• Truth is lived, not taught. (1996)
• True religion cannot be misused. (1997)
• Search for truth can only be a spiritual problem. (2002)
• The paths of glory lead but to the grave. (2002)
• If youth knew, if age could. (2002)
• There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so. (2003)
• Be the change you want to see in others. (2013)
• With greater power comes greater responsibility. (2014)
• Words are sharper than the two-edged sword. (2014)
• Lending hands to someone is better than giving a dole. (2015)
• “The past’ is a permanent dimension of human consciousness and values. (2018)
• Reality does not conform to the ideal, but confirms it. (2018)
• Attitude makes habit, habit makes character and character makes a man. (2007)
• Discipline means success, anarchy means ruin. (2008)
• Character of an institution is reflected in its leader. (2015)
• Need brings greed, if greed increases it spoils breed. (2016)
• Joy is the simplest form of gratitude. (2017)
• A good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge. (2018)
• A people that values its privileges above its principles loses both. (2018)
• Customary morality cannot be a guide to modern life. (2018)

Globalisation

• Modernisation and westernisation are not identical concepts. (1994)
• The world of the twenty-first century. (1998)
• The implications of globalization for India. (2000)
• My vision of an ideal world order. (2001)
• The masks of new imperialism. (2003)
• Globalizations and its impact on Indian culture. (2004)
• ‘Globalization’ vs. ‘nationalism’. (2009)
• Preparedness of our society for India’s global leadership role. (2010)

Science & Tech

• The modern doctor and his patients. (1997)
• Value-based science and education. (1999)
• The march of science and the erosion of human values. (2001)
• Spirituality and scientific temper. (2003)
• The lure of space. (2004)
• Science and Mysticism: Are they compatible? (2012)
• Science and technology is the panacea for the growth and security of the nation. (2013)
• Technology cannot replace manpower. (2015)
• Alternative technologies for a climate change resilient India. (2018)

Internet/IT

• The cyberworld: its charms and challenges. (2000)
• Increasing computerization would lead to the creation of a dehumanized society. (2006)
• Cyberspace and Internet: Blessing or curse to the human civilization in the long run. (2016)
• Social media is inherently a selfish medium. (2017)

International organisations/relations

• Restructuring of UNO reflect present realities. (1996)
• India’s role in promoting ASEAN cooperation. (2004)
• Importance of Indo-US nuclear agreement. (2006)
• Has the Non- Alignment Movement (NAM) lost its relevance in a multipolar world. (2017)
• Terrorism and world peace. (2005)
• Are we a ‘soft’ state? (2009)
• Good fences make good neighbours. (2009)
• In the Indian context, both human intelligence and technical intelligence are crucial in combating terrorism. (2011)

Miscellaneous

• India’s contribution to world wisdom. (1998)
• The pursuit of excellence. (2001)
• Geography may remain the same; history need not. (2010)
• Fifty Golds in Olympics: Can this be a reality for India? (2014)
• Quick but steady wins the race. (2015)

When preparing for IAS Mains, aspirants must focus on UPSC Mains Answer Writing Practise as this will improve one’s speed, efficiency and writing skills. It will automatically help in essay writing as well. 

Also, read:

Frequently Asked Questions on UPSC Essay Topics for UPSC Mains

Q 1. how can i write a good essay in upsc, q 2. does handwriting matter in upsc.

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Essay on Women Empowerment: UPSC Essay Paper Sample to Understand

IAS Essay writing is not an easy task for many. This article talks about essay topics for UPSC and how you can improve UPSC essay paper by going through the example of an essay on Women Empowerment for UPSC.

The first step in IAS essay writing should be to introduce the topic. In this case, it is Women empowerment essay for UPSC. So start with an introduction paragraph for the article.

Introduction Para

Women empowerment is defined as empowering women, meaning that women can get power in decision making whether it is at the domestic level or national level. The autonomy of women is very important in order to bring advancement in the political, social and economical aspects of society. Women have been deprived of basic rights for centuries now and it is time to create change in this generation. To be able to create any change, the participation of every woman and man of the nation is important.

The united force of both genders is the only possible way of eradicating the social evils of the past that prevailed in our nation. Women’s empowerment starts at home, men should start taking up responsibility and should relieve women of the household duties the society expects them to do. It is believed that men should not cook or clean, and it is solely the responsibility of the wife or mother to do these activities. The change in such ideology is very important to move towards sustainable development. Men do not need to do every job, even small help at home goes a long way. The need of the hour is to create a change, and every small step counts for that.

Second Para

Your second para for your UPSC essay paper will now move from introducing the topic and will lay focus on the causes of the issue (if any). This will help to talk about the topic as a whole and you will be able to cover all the bases required for IAS essay writing.

Continuation of Second Para

Women have been deprived of every basic right ever since the dawn of civilisation. Women could not vote, could not work, and they had no say in any family matters.  The society has been discriminating against women even though they are the ones who take care of everyone. They might be respected in religious texts, but the same amount of respect is not given in real life. Females are expected to cook for everyone in the family and they are not allowed to work outside their homes even in this generation.

The society sets a lot of restrictions on women. They are expected to walk a certain way, talk a certain way and behave in a certain way. This degrades the self-respect of women and this behaviour is carried down from generation to generation.

Continuation of Para

Now that you have introduced the topic and talked about the cause for women empowerment essay of UPSC, focus this para on the effects of the problems and the impact.

With women not being able to make decisions on their own, society has not been able to develop. The economic sector of the country is the most impacted. How? With women not being allowed education or being allowed to work, they sit at home and just keep doing household duties. This results in a wastage of human capital and resources that could be used for the betterment of society. In the past, women were not even allowed to vote, and this resulted in a false perception of majority voting.

The major issue that arises due to oppression is the toll on mental health. Everyone deserves the freedom and when women are deprived of it, the mental stress on them increases. Their goals are shattered and life changes drastically. A lot of sudden changes take place and it is a very common practice in India to marry a girl off if she asks to be educated after her grade 12th. These practices have led to an under-educated society, and the literacy ratio is the biggest proof. The literacy rate of women in India according to the 2011 census is 64.6% whereas the literacy rate of men is 80.9%.

Also Read: Best Answer Writing Practice Tips for UPSC Exams

The Conclusion Para

This is the final paragraph in IAS essay writing. Concentrate on suggesting solutions and concluding the topic.

Understanding the need for women empowerment is essential but what is more essential is the action taken to ensure this. As stated earlier, the first and foremost step is starting at households. If there is a change in the household then slowly society changes and with that, the government too will have to create stricter laws for the same. The government has already set laws for equality and reservation of women in many areas but it has to ensure that these laws are being followed appropriately.

Educating society on this topic is an important tool. When society has knowledge about right and wrong, decisions can be made to improve the life of not only women but every person in the society that has been a victim of societal expectations and standards. Each and every person should look to participate in the issue of women empowerment. When the country acts united, the purpose of the movement becomes stronger. Governments should not be afraid of interfering in religion if it deprives women of any constitutional right and the abolishment of triple talaq is just the first step towards it.

The ever-changing modern world may be a colourful place to live in but it is not the best! The issues of sexual discrimination continue to this day. To bring changes, women empowerment is needed. Women empowerment is the answer to many problems the society faces in current times. It definitely is time to create major changes!

Also Read: List of Exams Conducted by the UPSC

If you are trying to prepare for IAS essay writing then this article provides you with a sample essay.

This Women Empowerment essay for UPSC practice can help you understand how to write your UPSC essay paper and how you can score maximum marks. All the best to everyone!

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I was searching through the internet and this was the first search and this was very helpful and the essay is what i find the tough part, can you also some tips to boost your vocabulary?

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India’s Water Crisis – How to Solve it?

From Current Affairs Notes for UPSC » Editorials & In-depths » This topic

Water is the most valuable natural resource as it is essential for human survival and life on earth. However, the availability of freshwater for human consumption is highly under stress because of a variety of factors. This crisis of water scarcity is most visible in India as well as in other developing countries.

This topic of “India’s Water Crisis – How to Solve it?” is important from the perspective of the UPSC IAS Examination , which falls under General Studies Portion.

What is water scarcity?

• Water scarcity is the lack of freshwater resources to satisfy water demand.
• It is manifested by partial or no satisfaction of expressed demand, economic competition for water quantity or quality, disputes between users, irreversible groundwater depletion, and negative effects on the environment.
• It affects every continent and was categorised in 2019 by the World Economic Forum as one of the largest global risks with respect to its potential impact over the next decade.
• One-third of the global population (2 billion people) live under situations of severe water scarcity at least one month of the year.
• Half a billion people in the world affected by severe water scarcity all year round.
• Half of the world’s largest cities have been facing water scarcity.

Express Learning Programme (ELP)

• Optional Notes
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How is the water scarcity measured?

• The absolute minimum water requirement for domestic usage is 50 litres per person per day, though 100-200 litres is often recommended.
• Considering the needs of agriculture, industry and energy sectors, the recommended minimum annual per capita requirement is about 1700 cubic meters .
• If a country like India has only about 1700 cu. meters water per person per year, it will experience only occasional or local water distress .
• If the availability falls below this threshold level, the country will start to experience periodic or regular water stress .
• If the water availability declines below 1000 cu. meters, the country will suffer from chronic water scarcity . Lack of water will then start to severely affect human health and well-being as well as economic development.
• If the annual per capita supply declines below 500 cu. meters, the country will reach the stage of absolute scarcity .

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What is the status of water availability in India?

• India receives 4000 bcm (billion cubic metres) rainfall each year. Out of this, 1869 bcm remains after evaporation = The actual availability is only 1137 bcm.
• Even in that 1137 bcm of water, there is a lot of temporal as well as regional variations in the availability.
• For instance, on the one side, there are water surplus states such as Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and on the other side, there are water scarce states such as Maharashtra (Vidarbha, Beed), Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and parts of Gujarat.
• Moreover, some states that are known to be water abundant such as Punjab, Haryana have their own issues.

What is the magnitude of the water crisis in India?

• Currently, the annual availability of water is 1123 bcm in India and the demand is around 750 bcm. However, by 2050 the annual demand for water will be 1180 bcm which will exceed the water availability = wide ramifications for the country.
• 70% of India’s water is contaminated.
• 75% of households do not have drinking water on its premises.
• 84% of rural households do not have access to piped water.
• 54% of the country’s groundwater is declining rapidly than it is being replenished.
• India’s water table is declining in most regions. Also, there is a presence of toxic elements like fluoride, arsenic, mercury, even uranium in our groundwater.
• Water levels in India’s major reservoirs have fallen to 21% of the average of the last decade.
• Hundreds of small and seasonal rivers are perishing permanently.
• Almost all the major perennial rivers remain stagnant.
• Cauvery and its tributaries haven’t met the ocean for decades; the upstream dams choke its flows downstream, affecting people in Tamil Nadu.
• Krishna river runs dry in her delta region for most of the year.
• According to NITI Aayog’s water quality index, India ranks 120 th among 122 countries.

What is the recent water crisis in India?

• Maharashtra is facing a water crisis of unprecedented proportions. After years of drought, the river currents have ebbed, water in dams and reservoirs have depleted and over-exploitation of groundwater has raised concerns regarding the long-term availability of water.
• Meanwhile, media reports claim IT firms in Chennai are asking employees to work from home. The reason is that they don’t have enough water to sustain their operations. It hasn’t rained for almost 200 days in the city and it may not get adequate rain to get over the water crisis for the next 3 months.
• In North India, the people of arid Thar Desert of Rajasthan are spending Rs. 2500 for getting 2500 litres of water which they share with their cattle.
• With Punjab facing the threat of desertification and the state struggling to break away from the wheat-paddy cycle, farmers in the state have been adopting a decade-old scheme to utilise underground pipeline system for irrigation.
• In light of this crisis, Central government on its part has created a Jal Shakti Ministry under a full-fledged cabinet minister to resolve the water crisis but a lot more needs to be done.

What are the reasons for this crisis?

Monsoon dependence:.

There is a huge dependence on monsoon rains to replenish most of India’s important water sources such as underground aquifers, lakes, rivers, and reservoirs . But monsoon is vulnerable to factors such as climate change, El-Nino , etc.

Uneven distribution of water and Rainfall pattern :

Certain regions have surplus amounts of water for their need while others face perennial droughts for most of the year. For instance, Drought is a recurrent phenomenon in Andhra Pradesh where no district is entirely free of droughts. Rajasthan is one of the most drought-prone areas of India.

Increasing demand :

Population growth, industrialization, rapid urbanisation, rising needs of irrigation and increase in domestic water usage have accelerated the demand for water. Since urbanization increases in India at a rapid pace = water demand will increase rapidly as city dwellers consume more water than rural people.

Urbanisation & Water scarcity:

• Currently, about 285 million or 33% of India’s total population resides in urban areas. By 2050 this figure will reach 50%.
• Rapid urbanisation is adding to the water scarcity issue in the country.
• Presence of buildings, tar, and cement roads = even if a city like Mumbai gets good rains, the rainwater is not retained in the area as the water is not allowed to percolate underground.
• Therefore, water required for cities is largely drawn from neighbouring villages and far-off rivers and lakes = threatening the availability in those areas.
• Large cities also generate large quantities of urban sewage which pollutes the freshwater sources and ocean waters. However, only about 20% of urban wastewater is currently treated globally. In India, the figure is even lower.

Overexploitation :

• In developing countries like India, groundwater fulfills nearly 80% of irrigation requirement = resulted in a fast depletion of groundwater sources.
• Free power and inefficient utilisation of water by farmers has added to the issue of groundwater depletion.
• The groundwater and sand extraction from most river beds and basins has turned unsustainable.
• Tanks and ponds are encroached upon.
• Dug-wells and borewells are carelessly built to slide deeper and deeper to suck water from greater depths.

Shift to cash-crops:

Water is being diverted from food crops to cash crops that consume an enormous quantity of water.

Inefficient cultivation practices:

• In India, around 70% of the population is still dependent on agriculture for its livelihood.
• Since the adoption of Green Revolution in the 1960s, nearly 50% of the food production comes from irrigated land.
• But inefficient cultivation practices have led to the flooding of fertile land which in turn has caused salinization, siltation of reservoirs, etc = causing groundwater reserves of major agricultural states to be depleted at an alarming rate.

Water Pollution :

• Release of industrial and domestic waste, including urban sewage, into rivers, lakes, and estuaries has polluted freshwater sources at an alarming rate in India = those fresh water sources are not fit for drinking or other activities.
• Eutrophication of surface water and coastal zones is expected to increase almost everywhere leads to nitrogen pollution .

What are the impacts of the water crisis?

Economic growth: A Niti Aayog report predicted that water demand will be twice the present supply by 2030 and India could lose up to 6% of its GDP during that time.

Power supply: Water shortages are hurting India’s capacity to generate electricity because 40% of thermal power plants are located in areas where water scarcity is high.

Agricultural crisis: Indian agriculture is heavily dependent on monsoon (not dependable) + Ineffective agricultural practices in irrigated areas = Water stress in agriculture = Poor Cultivation = Farmer suicides .

Drinking water scarcity: Not only farmers are affected by the water crisis, urban dwellers in cities and towns across India are also facing a never seen before drinking water scarcity.

Conflicts over water : In India, there are conflicts between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over sharing of Cauvery waters, between Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh over sharing of Narmada waters, between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana over sharing of Krishna waters, etc.

What are the measures taken by the government?

Across the country, states are taking the lead:.

• In Rajasthan, there is a scheme named ‘Mukhya Mantri Jal Swavlamban Abhiyan’. One of its objectives is to facilitate effective implementation of water conservation and water harvesting related activities in rural areas.
• Maharashtra has launched a project called ‘Jalyukt-Shivar’, which seeks to make 5000 villages free of water scarcity every year.
• accelerating the development of minor irrigation infrastructure,
• strengthening community-based irrigation management and
• adopting a comprehensive programme for restoration of tanks.

Jal Shakti Abhiyan:

• It is a collaborative initiative of various Union Ministries and State Governments, being coordinated by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS).
• Focus Area: is water-stressed districts (256) and blocks (1592).
• Team: Central government officers, headed by joint secretaries and additional secretaries, are assigned to these 256 districts and district administration will also select 2 members to join the team. This team of officers from the central government and district administration will visit and work on water-stressed districts and blocks to ensure water conservation initiatives.
• The campaign is centered on 5 aspects
• Water conservation and rainwater harvesting
• Renovation of traditional and other water bodies/tanks
• Reuse of water and recharging of structures like bore well
• Watershed development
• Intensive afforestation
• Significance: With this initiative, the government seeks to provide drinking water to all households on a priority and in a sustainable way. It is also expected to bring a positive mindset in people for water conservation. The campaign will assist people to work for rainwater harvesting, maintenance, and upkeep of ponds and village tanks and conservation of water.

Jal Shakti Mantralaya

• The government has created a new Ministry named ‘Jal Shakti’after merging Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation with the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
• Providing clean drinking water,
• International and inter-states water disputes,
• Namami Gange project aimed at cleaning Ganga and its tributaries, and sub-tributaries.
• The ministry will launch the government’s ambitious plan (‘Nal se Jal’ scheme under jal jivan plan) to provide piped drinking water supply to every household in India by 2024.
• This Move seeks to consolidate the administration and bringing water-related issues such as conservation, development, management, and abatement of pollution under a single ministry.
• National River Conservation Directorate (NRCD) is responsible for implementing the centrally sponsored national river conservation plan for all rivers across the country except river Ganga and its tributaries (as issues regarding Ganga and its tributaries are taken up by National Mission for Clean Ganga).

Jal Jeevan Mission *

Atal Bhujal Yojana *

•  It is a world bank funded central scheme that aims to improve groundwater management at the national level… Read More .

Can a new water ministry tackle the worst water crisis in Indian history?

• Experts are of the opinion that an exclusive ministry can only bring about a cosmetic but not a real change.
• Water is a state subject = Unless states make specific requests the centre cannot intervene.

What are the solutions to the water crisis in India?

Good water management practices :

• India receives adequate annual rainfall through the south-west monsoon. However, most regions of the country are still water deficient mainly because of inefficient water management practices.
• Rainwater harvesting should be encouraged on a large scale, especially, in cities where the surface runoff of rainwater is very high.
• Roof-top rainwater harvesting can also be utilised to recharge groundwater by digging percolation pits around the house and filling it with gravel.
• Indian cities need to learn from Cape Town of South Africa which when faced with the water crisis in 2018 had announced “ Day Zero “. During that day, water-taps in the city turned off = people had to use communal water-taps to conserve water. Restrictions on water use per person were also fixed.
• Since water is a state subject in India state governments should take active measures and create awareness for the minimal use of water.

Interlinking of rivers :

• Interlinking of rivers is a topic that has been discussed and debated for several years as a possible permanent solution to the water crisis in the country.
• The 3 primary advantages mentioned in favour of the scheme are (1) droughts will never occur (2) there will be no more floods in the major rivers and (3) an additional 30,000 MW of hydropower will be generated.

Coordination in aquifer usage: There is an urgent need for coordination among users for aquifers. There should be laws and contracts for sharing of aquifers. Groundwater aquifer mapping has started only recently in India which is a welcome step.

River basin authority: There should be a River Basin Authority for sharing information among states since most of the rivers in India pass through different states.

Coordinated efforts among states for management of groundwater at a localized level.

Community-level management: At the village level, there can be decentralized management of water at the community level.

Charging money for efficient use of water (like electricity). For example- Water ATMs at Marathwada provide water @25 paisa per litre a day.

Good Cultivation practices:

• Changing the cropping pattern, crop diversification and encouraging water use efficiency in agriculture by moving towards food crops from cash crops.
• Innovative farming practices like precision farming , zero budget natural farming , etc. could be employed for efficient water utilisation.

Incentive-based water conservation in rural parts of the water-stressed regions is another solution.

• For example, if a particular level of groundwater level is maintained, higher MSP can be provided to the farmers of that region.
• MSP can also be provided based on crop’s water usage = Crops that consume a high amount of water will get less MSP.

Way forward

India is not a water deficit country, but due to severe neglect and lack of monitoring of water resource development projects, many regions in the country face water stress from time to time. Therefore balancing water demand with available supply is the need of the hour for future economic growth and development as well as for the sustenance of human life.

New National Water Policy (NWP)

In November 2019, the Ministry of Jal Shakti had set up a committee to draft the new National Water Policy (NWP). This was the first time that the government asked a committee of independent experts to draft the policy.

Highlights of NWP

1) demand-side: diversification of public procurement operations.

• Irrigation utilizes 80-90% of India’s water , most of which is used by rice, wheat, and sugarcane.
• Therefore, crop diversification is the single most crucial step in addressing India’s water crisis.
• The policy recommends diversifying public procurement operations to include Nutri-cereals, pulses, and oilseeds.
• This would incentivize farmers to diversify their cropping patterns, resulting in huge savings of water.

2) Reduce-Recycle-Reuse

• Reduce-Recycle-Reuse has been suggested as the basic mantra of integrated urban water supply and wastewater management, with the treatment of sewage and eco-restoration of urban river stretches, as far as possible via decentralised wastewater management.
• All non-potable use like flushing, fire protection, vehicle washing should mandatorily shift to treated wastewater.

3) Supply-side measure: Using technology to use stored water in dams

• Within supply-side options, the NWP points to trillions of litres stored in big dams, that are still not reaching farmers.
• NWP recommends how the irrigated areas could be considerably expanded at very low cost by using pressurised closed conveyance pipelines, in addition to Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)  systems and pressurised micro-irrigation.

4) Supply of water through “nature-based solutions”

• The NWP places major importance on the supply of water via “nature-based solutions” like the rejuvenation of catchment areas, to be incentivised through compensation for ecosystem services.
• Specially curated “blue-green infrastructure” like rain gardens and bio-swales, restored rivers with wet meadows, wetlands constructed for bio-remediation, urban parks, permeable pavements, green roofs etc are suggested for urban areas.

5) Sustainable and equitable management of groundwater

• Information on  aquifer boundaries , water storage capacities and flows provided in a user-friendly manner to stakeholders, assigned as custodians of their aquifers, would allow them to create protocols for effective management of groundwater.

6) Rights of Rivers

• The NWP accords river protection and revitalisation prior and primary importance.
• Steps to restore river flows include: Re-vegetation of catchments, regulation of groundwater extraction, river-bed pumping and mining of sand and boulders.
• The NWP outlines a process to draft a  Rights of Rivers Act,  including their right to flow, to meander and to meet the sea.

7) Emphasis on water quality

• The new NWP considers water quality as the most serious un-addressed issue in India today.
• It proposes that every water ministry, at the Centre and states,  include a water quality department.
• The policy advocates adoption of state-of-the-art, low-cost, low-energy, eco-sensitive  technologies for sewage treatment.
• Widespread use of  reverse osmosis has led to huge water wastage  and adverse impact on water quality.
• The policy wants  RO units to be discouraged  if the total dissolved solids count in water is less than 500mg/L.
• It suggests a  task force on emerging water contaminants  to better understand and tackle the threats they are likely to pose.

8) Reforming governance of water

• The policy makes radical proposals for improving the governance of water, which suffers from three kinds of issues: That between irrigation and drinking water, surface and groundwater, as also water and wastewater.
• Government departments, working in silos, have generally dealt with just one side of these binaries.
• Dealing with drinking water and irrigation in silos has meant that aquifers providing assured sources of drinking water dry up because the same aquifers are used for irrigation, which consumes much more water.
• And when  water and wastewater are separated in planning,  the result is a fall in water quality.

9) Creation of National Water Commission

• The NWP also suggests the creation of a unified multi-disciplinary, multi-stakeholder National Water Commission (NWC), which would become an exemplar for states to follow.
• Governments should build enduring  partnerships with primary stakeholders of water , who must become an integral part of the NWC and its counterparts in the states.

How Gujarat transformed from Water-deficit state to surplus state?

• The Gujarat government created the state-level Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geoinformatics (BISAG) to aid in the supply of services and solutions for the deployment of map-based GeoSpatial Information Systems.
• Micro-level check dams.
• Macro-level projects particularly in the Saurashtra, Kutch, and North Gujarat areas.
• Gujarat launched the Kutch branch canal from the Narmada Main canal, which helps provide water to the most distant parts.
• Sujalam Sufalam Yojana: to irrigate the areas of North Gujarat.
• The SAUNI Yojana (Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation Yojana), which means literally “reincarnation of the Narmada River in the region,” was thus introduced.
• Administrative and Governance reforms.

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Drishti IAS Fees 2024, Fee Structure and Academic Counselling Review - GS (Prelims + Mains) + Optionals

November 30, 2023

Introduction

My name is Shivom Sharma and I work at Josh Talks. As a UPSC Content Strategist and someone who tried the UPSC exam before, I was tasked with reviewing the admission process and the fee structure of various UPSC coaching institutes in Delhi and outside. I decided to review Drishti IAS fees and the admission process. Even though almost all the details of their courses were on their website, I felt a review wouldn't be honest unless I experienced it myself. So, I decided to go to Drishti IAS’s Karol Bagh center to see how a fresh graduate, who doesn't know much about the exam, would feel on their first visit. In this blog, I’ll tell you about my experience at Drishti IAS.

The First Glimpse

As I walked down the lively street filled with hopefuls aspiring to become IAS officers, the Drishti IAS institute building stood out. Nestled in Old Rajinder Nagar, known as the UPSC hub, it seemed like Drishti IAS had painted the town in its colors. The area was full of their numerous hoardings, and even the Karol Bagh metro station displayed their logo. I must say that Drishti has truly made its mark and stands as one of the best ias coaching in Delhi . Upon entering, I was directed to the basement for admission-related inquiries. Before reaching the institute, I thought of booking a telephonic appointment. I called their official number twice but surprisingly, nobody answered. The building had elevators, and I used one to reach the main office. The office was impressive, featuring a spacious waiting area with a large sofa and tables. As soon as I stepped in, a staff member confirmed that it was my first visit and guided me to the waiting area. He handed me an inquiry form, which required basic details, including name, DOB, contact details, preferred mode of preparation and preferred language. After a brief wait, the staff member returned and escorted me to a counsellor named Lokendra Singh.

Drishti IAS Admission Counselling

To get the best idea at the counselling process, I mentioned that I was a 29-year-old employed in a company with flexible working hours. I explained that I was a UPSC aspirant who had attempted the exam once through self-preparation but couldn’t continue due to personal reasons. To gather detailed information about the institute's courses, I emphasised having only two attempts left and expressed the need for a comprehensive program covering all GS papers, Essay, CSAT, Optional, Mains, and Current Affairs within a limited timeframe. He analysed my position and recommended a course titled General Studies Foundation Course - Prelims and Mains.

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Drishti IAS Fees 2024, Fee Structure and Payment Modes

For the course recommended by the counsellor, the fee structure is listed below. Please note that this course does not include a CSAT course or an Essay course. Since there are various course combinations available, I'll share the Drishti IAS fee structure with you. Notably, this data has been directly taken from the hard copy of the fee structure provided to me by the counsellor.

Here’s the fee breakdown of the course, titled General Studies Foundation Course - Prelims and Mains , that was offered to me by the counsellor:

Drishti IAS offers a variety of courses for UPSC preparation, such as CSAT courses, Essay courses, Test Series, other Foundation courses, and optional courses. You can check the table below to find the most suitable course for you and see its corresponding fee.

Fee Structure (Including GST) - Karol Bagh (English Medium) Applicable from April 1st, 2023

Additionally, the institute provides combo courses that bring together different aspects of UPSC preparation. You can check the table below to learn more about these combined courses.

On asking, the counsellor agreed that he can get the installment deadline extended by 5 days but not more than that. It's important to note that if a student fails to pay the installment on specified time, they won't be allowed in the classroom, and they'll lose access to the online portal.

I'll also include pictures of the Drishti IAS fee structure hard copies at the end of this blog for your reference. Those copies were provided to me by the counsellor.

Drishti IAS Fee Payment Modes

Drishti IAS fees can be paid through multiple channels, including

• Credit/Debit Card.
• Demand Draft.
• Net Banking.

Drishti IAS Fee Discounts and other Details

The institute doesn't have a tie-up with external installment providers, but it does offer installment options for students, allowing them to pay the fee over the first four months of preparation, as shown in the table and pictures above.

In terms of discounts, there was a straightforward discount of 10,000/- in Drishti IAS fees, clearly visible in the fee structure printout. Furthermore, opting for a one-time payment entailed an additional discount of 15,000/-.

I got home and tried asking the counsellor for a better deal, but he said no extra discounts were allowed, just the ones mentioned in the fee details.

Drishti IAS Regional Centres Fee Structure and Admission Counseling

Drishti IAS Prayagraj Fees

Drishti IAS Lucknow fees

Drishti IAS Jaipur fees

Drishti IAS Indore fees

Key Points from Discussion with Drishti IAS Regional Centers

• Batch Commencement: The upcoming online batch for 2026 will commence on May 29 and will feature live sessions broadcasted from Karol Bagh.
• Recorded Lectures: Enrolled candidates will gain access to recorded lectures for a duration of 3 years, providing them ample time for revision and review.
• Monthly Current Affairs Magazine: Aspirants will receive a monthly current affairs magazine delivered to their address, ensuring they stay updated with the latest news and events relevant to the UPSC exam.
• Prelims Test Series: The course encompasses a comprehensive Prelims Test series comprising 90 tests, including 75 Prelims tests and 15 CSAT Tests, designed to assess and enhance the candidates' preparation for the preliminary stage of the UPSC exam.
• Mains Test Series: Following the completion of the syllabus, candidates will have the opportunity to take part in 24 Mains Full-length tests, which will help them gauge their preparedness for the mains examination.
• Answer Writing Assessment: Drishti IAS also offers the unique feature of getting 500 Mains Answers checked by invigilators, providing valuable feedback and insights to improve answer writing skills.
• Doubt Clearing: To assist candidates in resolving their queries and concerns, Batch Coordinators are appointed for each batch, ensuring personalized support and guidance throughout the preparation journey.
• Optional Subjects: Optional subject fees vary but generally range around Rs. 50,000, with CSAT fees set at Rs. 10,000, making the program accessible to a wide range of aspirants.
• No live lectures for Ethics & Essay Preparation: Lectures on Ethics, delivered by Dr. Vikas Divyakirti, will be in recorded form, as he is currently not actively taking lectures. Similarly, Essay lectures will also be available in recorded format.
• Faculty: While specific faculty members were not named, the counselor mentioned that the teachers will be different from those at Drishti Delhi.

My Notable Observations from Drishti IAS Counseling

After conducting thorough research on different UPSC coachings, I found Drishti's admission counseling to be exceptional. However, my experience with their regional centers was less than satisfactory. When inquiring about their regional centers, I discovered a significant problem. Calls made from distant cities to Drishti's regional centers were being routed to Delhi. While the counselors in Delhi were knowledgeable and explained everything well, they seemed unaware of the local challenges faced by aspirants in other cities.

For instance, I mentioned my intention to move from Ujjain to Indore, but the counselor, being based in Delhi, was unable to provide specific information about accommodation, nearby libraries, and the best places to live after enrolling. Similarly, I encountered the same issue with other branches, including Jaipur, Prayagraj, and Lucknow. It was clear that if someone from the respective institute had answered my call, they would have been able to provide much more relevant information tailored to the local context.

Overall, while Drishti's counseling services are commendable, there is room for improvement in ensuring that aspirants receive location-specific advice and support when contacting regional centers.

Study Strategy

Listening to my situation, the counsellor, who was also an aspirant, suggested a coaching strategy tailored for me.

• He recommended enrolling in their General Studies Foundation Course for Prelims and Mains , curating an 18-month plan.
• According to his plan, I could join the latest batch of Drishti IAS General Studies Foundation Course - Prelims and Mains , starting on November 29, 2023, with classes scheduled from Monday to Saturday, 6 pm to 8:30 pm.
• Hybrid Course: The counsellor highlighted that the course included live classroom lectures and the option to attend remotely if needed. He emphasised that recorded lectures, with unlimited viewing, would be accessible until December 2025.
• His Strategy: His plan involved starting GS preparation immediately, joining the next Optional Batch, and continuing both prelims and mains coaching for six months. The next six months would focus on GS coaching, allowing ample time for optional revision and preliminary exam preparation.
• Resource Guidance: During the discussion, the counsellor highlighted that Drishti IAS enphasizes leaving all external books and resources aside and asks students to study their books exclusively. While this strategy might work for some, I don’t think it’ll work for everyone. Explore our detailed guide to discover the best books for UPSC preparation .
• CSAT preparation was recommended after the Prelims of 2024 for a better understanding of the paper. Essay classes, comprising 12 lectures, were all advised for later.
• Mentorship: Throughout the course, dedicated mentors with a minimum of 3 UPSC Mains exams under their belt would guide and assess regularly through weekly tasks, clearing doubts, and providing guidance via Whatsapp, voice calls, and Zoom sessions.
• Course Timeline: The counsellor assured that batches, designed for 12-15 months, generally finish on time. Even if there are delays, essential subjects are covered first to avoid complications for the students in prelims. Subjects like Ethics, Essay, and International Relations, exclusive to the mains syllabus, are covered later.
• Other Inclusions: The course features 29 subject modules, 7 books of Previous Year Questions (Prelims Practice Series), 5 books (Mains Capsule Series) covering the entire Mains syllabus, two 3-year current affairs crash courses for prelims and mains, weekly current affairs classes, and a monthly magazine, Drishti Current Affairs Today. This course also offers doubt sessions and guidance on answer writing for UPSC .

Towards the end of the session, I asked him about Dr Vikas Divyakirti’s role in the course and the counsellor told me that he will be the one teaching Ethics in this course.

Preparation and Coaching Strategy prepared by Drishti IAS Counsellor

Although taking guidance from a counsellor can come handy, you can also curate a personalized strategy for yourself using my detailed blog titled Expert’s guide on How to Prepare for UPSC . Check it out for more information.

Drishti IAS Trial Class Experience

The counsellor gave me a chance to attend a live class to get a feel for their teaching style. It was 10:45 am, and the class was set for 11:30. I entered the room, choosing a seat in the front row.

• The room was big, having a capacity of around 250 people , with screens for those in the back.
• The teacher, Mr. Sanjay Moga, had a digital whiteboard with two large screens on each side for better visibility.
• It was an Indian Economy class, and even though you can't judge teaching quality in one session, I found the 150-minute class satisfying. Mr. Moga entered with a smile, addressing all the doubts before starting. Some students asked directly by raising their hands, while others had written their questions on paper and placed them on his desk. He announced that he’ll start the class only after all the doubts have been addressed.
• He not only cleared doubts on economics but also on time management and other concerns. One student had asked that she was feeling demotivated while preparing. Mr Moga recommended several ways to get rid of that feeling, like meeting the people who motivate her or include some hobbies into the study schedule. He also told her to meet him after the class for a few minutes. Although I am unsure if he knew someone was there for a demo, he shared useful tips for effective UPSC preparation after the doubts were cleared.
• The topic was Income Tax in India, and he covered all the important points, not allowing writing while explaining. He recited class notes and had students write down a few important things, including several abbreviations that had appeared in the news recently. Overall, I liked the teaching method, but it's worth noting that students didn't receive any printed material or handouts after the class. The chairs were comfortable, with bag holders at the bottom, a thoughtful touch that avoided the hassle of placing bags on laps, something I had noticed in crowded classes. Kudos for that.

Drishti IAS Demo Card for Trial Class

As a UPSC aspirant seeking counselling and admission, I had a smooth and well-planned experience at Drishti IAS. The infrastructure, including the waiting area, counselling section, building, washrooms, and classrooms, was nice. I appreciated that the counsellor understood my position and didn't push for a more expensive combo course, which included CSAT or Essay, even though batches with those combinations were available at this point. This decision felt like a positive aspect of their approach.

I found Drishti IAS fees to be competitive, aligning with other top UPSC coaching centres but they prioritise student experience and make sure it remains great.

However, with a batch strength of 250, the classrooms can get crowded when full, limiting opportunities for students to stand up, ask questions, and engage interactively with teachers. This can defeat the whole purpose of the traditional offline classes. To enhance the classroom experience, Drishti IAS could consider increasing the number of batches and reducing batch sizes, providing students with a more interactive and personalised learning environment.

Coaching is just an added advantage in UPSC preparation. This exam can be cracked without coaching classes. Check out my detailed blog on Arpit Gupta IAS and how he successfully cleared the exam without coaching. Watch Arpit Gupta’s UPSC

Arpit Gupta 's Josh Talk on Josh Talks Hindi

Reference pictures showing the hard copies of Drishti IAS fee structure

Drishti IAS Fee Structure (Courses)

Drishti IAS Fee Structure (Combo Packages)

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Paper -1(GS) Total Papers : 2 Paper -2 (CSAT) Total Papers : 1