Embarking on the journey to crack the UPSC Civil Services examination is a monumental task, and one of the crucial decisions candidates face is the selection of their optional subjects. For many aspirants, Public Administration stands out as a strategic choice owing to its relevance, practical applicability, and the comprehensive understanding it provides of the administrative machinery. In this blog series, we delve into the heart of UPSC Mains preparation by meticulously analyzing the previous year questions for the Public Administration optional paper from 2013 to 2023. By unraveling the patterns, trends, and evolving themes in these questions, we aim to equip aspirants with a strategic approach to tackle this optional subject effectively. Whether you’re a seasoned aspirant seeking to fine-tune your preparation or a newcomer navigating the vast landscape of Public Administration, this series is designed to be your compass, guiding you through the nuances of the subject and enhancing your chances of success in the prestigious UPSC examinations.
Navigating the labyrinth of Public Administration optional questions is akin to deciphering the code to success in the UPSC Mains. Aspirants often grapple with understanding the examination’s pulse, and the quest for reliable resources becomes paramount. In this comprehensive blog series, we not only decode the intricacies of the Public Administration optional syllabus but also provide a roadmap based on a decade’s worth of previous year questions. By dissecting the evolving patterns, scrutinizing question trends, and identifying the core themes, we empower aspirants to streamline their preparation effectively. Whether it’s the dynamic challenges posed by contemporary governance or the timeless principles of administrative theory, each previous year question serves as a beacon illuminating the path to success in the UPSC Mains. Join us on this insightful journey as we unravel the layers of Public Administration optional questions, unraveling the blueprint for success in one of the most esteemed examinations in the country.
Civil Services – Public Administration – Previous Year Questions (UPSC CSE Mains Psychology Optional)
Constitutional position
1. Emerging developmental aspirations of the society necessitate the constitutional amendment to change the present safeguards available to the civil servants. Evaluate the pros and cons of such amendment. (2019)
2. Article 320 states that the Government shall consult the U.P.S.C. on certain specific matters.” Comment. (1999)
3. “Independence of the Public Service Commissions has been ensured under specific provisions of the Constitution.” Examine. (1996)
4. “The public services in India have been conferred a Constitutional status.” Comment. (1996)
5. ‘Though the legislature and the executive rule as well as administer, the Civil Servants only administer and do not role.’ Comment. (1987)
Structure, recruitment, training & capacity-building
1. “The objective of Mission Karmyogi is to enhance capacity building of Indian Civil Servants and improve governance.” Discuss. (2022)
2. Examine the lateral entry recruitment in government in the context of Part XIV of the Indian Constitution. (2022)
3. Well planned and goal-oriented training programmes are the backbone of the civil service system in India. Examine the statement. (2021)
4. Recruitment is the cornerstone of the whole public personnel structure and it revolves around the problem of attracting the best. Discuss the essential elements of a good recruitment system. (2021)
5. Immediate post – retirement appointments of high officers of government have become a new trend. Discuss its pros and cons. (2020)
6. Civil servants are trained to follow rules and procedures so much that they become bureaucrazy. Do you agree? Justify. (2020)
7. Capacity issues relating to employees have hampered the implementation of several Government programmes. Trace the reasons in the context of the provisions of the National Training Policy, 2012. (2019)
8. It is apprehended that lateral entry will lead to politicisation of bureaucracy. Do you agree? Justify. (2018)
9. “Competency mapping is important for effective allocation of responsibilities to administrations.” Do you think that a generalist administrator can handle all issues as effectively as a specialist? Discuss. (2018)
10.“The idea of lateral entry into the Civil Services would energise Indian administration.” What are its possible advantages and limitations? (2017)
11. “Autonomy granted to higher civil servants tends to increase their creativity and productivity.” Argue the case to make the civil service more accountable as well as innotative. (2016)
12. Assess the role of honest and upright civil servants in regulatory and development administration in India. Give examples to substantiate your arguments. (2014)
13. Do State Services suffer in comparison with the All-India and Central Services? Suggest measures for enhancing the role, competence and impact of State Services. (2009)
14. ‘Training of civil servants for capacity building should be in consonance with the needs of the socioeconomic and technological development of the country.’ Explain. (2008)
15. “A well-designed module-based training for Civil Servants is the best way to achieve the goals of good government.” Analyse. (2007)
16. “The generalist character of I.A.S. is its chief characteristic as well as its chief criticism.” Comment. (2006)
17. “In-service training of officers belonging to higher civil services has been perhaps the most conspicuous development in Indian administration.” Discuss with reference to training designed for the Indian Administrative Service officers. (2003)
18. “All India Services as an institution – is the result of history.” Comment. (2002)
19. “All India Services play a crucial unifying role in the whole administrative system of the country.” Explain. (2000)
20. “The All-India Services have, naturally to be remunerated on a higher level than services recruited purely on a local basis.” Comment. (1999)
21. It is argued that the recruitment and training of All India and Central Services have not kept pace with the changing needs and time. Give suggestions for improving these processes in order to make administrators more effective, committed and honest. (1998)
22. “Central Services are more ‘All-India’ in character than are the All-India Services.” Comment. (1998)
23. “The Satish Chandra Committee made a valiant attempt to correct the imbalances unnecessarily introduced in the selection process for civil servants during the late 1970s.” Comment. (1995)
24. “Although training in development administration, on the surface, appears to be a straight, simple matter a close hard look reveals its manifold complexities and interrelated problems.” Elucidate the statement. (1994)
25. “Professionalisation Civil Services demand that their training programmes should be tagged with the Personnel policies of promotion, placement and career planning at each level.” Comment. (1993)
26. ‘The recruitment of recruiters in the Public Service Commissions of India needs streamlining.’ Examine the statement. (1992)
27. ‘Systematic training of higher Civil Servants has been conducive to promote ability, skills and integrity of the Civil Services, but the objectives of training have not been realised to the desired extent.’ Comment. (1991)
28. ‘Training is viewed as a paid holiday by a large number of public officials in India. It essentially betrays a crisis of motivation: in the process of administration, and on the part of both the trainers and trainees.’ Comment. (1990)
29. ‘The Union Public Service Commission should have an integrative and coordinating role vis-à-vis State Public Service Commissions in more or less the same way as in the Case of Supreme Court of India visà-vis the High Courts in the States. A sound case exists for an institutional linkage between UPSC and SPSCs for evolving a National Policy, a uniform approach and common work procedures.’ Discuss. (1989)
30. “Higher Civil Service Training in India is too pedagogic to be result-oriented, too Casual to be promotion-linked and too generalistic to be professionally relevant.” Discuss. (1988)
31. ‘Generalism in Civil Service is a powerful bulwark against committed bureaucracy.’ Comment. (1987)
32. ‘The objective and methods of higher Civil service training hardly match with the personnel policies and man-power planning by government of India.’ Discuss. (1987)
Good Governance initiatives
1. Responsibility and accountability are two major goals of Good Governance. Discuss the statement in the context of Indian administration. (2021)
2. ‘Sevottam Scheme’ had great potential to reform service delivery, but opportunity is frittered away. Comment. (2019)
3. “The ‘enablers’ and ‘facilitators’ are yet to replace the ‘inspectors’ and ‘controllers’ in the civil service in India.” Do you agree? Justify. (2018)
4. “There is a need for greater inclusion of technocrats in bureaucracy to ensure effective governance in India.” Do you agree? Elucidate. (2017)
5. “The Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence on Public Administration encourage good governance initiatives.” Discuss some such initiatives by the Civil Servants in this context. (2017)
6. ‘Minimum government, maximum governance’ is not just a slogan but a philosophy of administration with enormous potentialities.’ Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer. (2015)
7. “Most Civil Servants in India are competent administrators, but they pay little attention to encourage people’s participation in decision-making.” Comment on the statement. (2015)
8. Supreme Court ruling on 31st October, 2013 in respect of bureaucracy’s functioning would help achieve good governance. Analyze this ruling and add your comments on it. (2014)
9. “Gandhian model of decentralization is similar to the process of reinventing governance.” Analyse in the context of good governance. (2013)
10. ‘Good governance is closely aligned with effective democratic governance.’ Elaborate. (2012)
11. Indian administration is yet to fully appreciate and adopt the benefits of Information Technology. Elucidate. (2012)
12. ‘Performance Appraisal Systems’ with special reference to the Performance Management and Evaluation System (PMES) are expected to transform the bureaucratic culture of Indian administration. Do you agree? Give reasons. (2011)
13. Comment on the following statements: – (2010)
(i) “The more developed an administrative system became the greater the likelihood that it would have developmental effects.”
(ii) “The thrust of development administration failed to energise the Indian bureaucracy.”
14. “A fixed tenure in Civil Service postings can increase productivity, accountability, and probity in Government.” Comment. (2009)
15. Discus the relationship between governance and development in any one Indian State, giving illustrations. (2009)
16. “Social (Welfare) Administration in India is witnessing specialization and faster expansion of its administrative agencies.” Evaluate. (2007)
17. Define civil Society. Is it an effective organ to control administrative machinery? Comment. (2007)
18. “If information is power, nothing can perhaps empower a citizen more that the secret and developmental informations held by various public authorities.” Analyse the merits and demerits of RTI Act, 2005 in the light of this statement. (2007)
19. “Information technology, if properly used, can bring about sweeping changes in the nature of governance in India.” Discuss the current status and future possibilities about the use of information technology in the governance of India. (2003)
20. “The Central Social Welfare Board has become an anomalous institution.” In light of this statement, examine the functions and role of the Central Social Welfare Board and suggest measures for making it an effective institution. (2001)
21. “Indian administration is yet to fully appreciate and adopt the benefits of the information technology.” Elucidate. (2001)
22. “The need and significance of all-India services has been well recognized in political as well as administrative circles.” Comment. (2001)
23. “A middle way should be worked out to utilize the services of both generalists and specialists for the national development.” Comment. (2000)
24. “People’s participation in administration, being a part of the political mobilisation process in India, is determined by the elite groups at each level of administration.” Comment. (1993)
Code of Conduct and discipline
1. Discuss the major highlights of the reforms introduced from time-to-time in Central Civil Services Conduct Rules and add your own Comments. (2015)
2. “Values, more than techniques are the eventual determinants of the actions of the administrators.” Comment. (2004)
Grievance redressal mechanism
1. “Effective public grievance redressal requires administrative commitment. But process reengineering can help prevent some grievances.” Discuss. (2018)
2. “Pro-Active Governance And Timely Implementation (PRAGATI) is an innovative project of the Union Government.” Discuss its features and modalities. (2017)
3. “Civil Servants should svold airing grievances in the media.” In this context, discuss the grievance redressal mechanism available to the Civil Servants in India. (2017)
4. Elaborate the features of the grievance redressal mechanism of the civil services in India. Does this mechanism satisfy the objectives of its creation? (2014)
5. “Judicial review of administrative tribunal’s decisions defeats the very objective of establishing tribunals.” Comment with reference to Central Administrative Tribunal. (2013)
6. “Grievance redressal system is perhaps the weakest link in India’s civil service management.” Comment. (2011)
7. “The weakest aspect of Indian administration is the grievance redressal machinery.” Discuss. (2009)
8. Do you think that our administration is sensitive to public grievances? Discuss the existing grievances redressal mechanism and give suggestions for enhancing its capabilities. (2000)
9. Peoples participation in administration is a democratic rhetoric, which when translated into action, tends to become mere redressal of citizen’s grievances.’ Discuss. (1992)
10. The Ombudsman, The Parliamentary Commissioner, The People’s Procurator General, the Consell d’etat and the Lokpal represent some of the major experiments in designing a “Machinery for Redress of Citizen’s Grievances.” Comment. (1989)
11.What do you understand by ‘Peoples’ participation in administration’? Suggest measures to sensitize administrators to citizen’s grievances and enlist co-operation from voluntary agencies. (1987)
Civil service neutrality; Civil service activism
1. Do you agree with the view that the civil service in India is losing its neutral and anonymous character? Argue your case. (2021)
2. Political neutrality of civil servants has been regarded as one of the cardinal principles in democratic governments. Is its sanctity being maintained in practice in India? Elucidate. (2020)
3. Effective ‘Performance Management System’ needs to precede ‘taking deadwood out’ from bureaucracy. Comment. (2019)
4. Discuss the need for civil service neutrality in development administration. Suggest some measures for achieving and strengthening it in practice. (2014)
5. “Civil service neutrality is founded on the application of the principles of Rule of Law.” Comment. (2013)
6. ‘Bureaucrats should not play politics, but understand how politics Works.’ Comment. (2012)
7. “Civil service neutrality is a fiction. How any thinking person can be neutral?” Comment. (2010)
8. “There is no basic contradiction between Civil Service neutrality and Civil Service activism.” Comment. (2009)
9. “It is axiomatic that a country’s public administration system, including its bureaucracy, must fit into and respond to its overall political system.” In the mutual relations between the civil servants and the ministers since Independence. (2001)
10. ‘The Politician-Civil Servant relationship in India has been a much complex phenomenon; it just cannot be tackled through mere structural remedies.’ Comment. (1991)
11. ‘The line of demarcation between the spheres of Jurisdiction of the political executive and the Civil Servants get blurred more vividly as we descend from the Union to the State and further to the local level.’ Comment. (1990)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What is the Civil Services Examination (CSE) in India?
The Civil Services Examination (CSE) is a highly competitive and prestigious examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in India. It serves as the gateway for recruitment to various civil services, including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and Indian Foreign Service (IFS), among others. The CSE is a three-stage process comprising the Preliminary Examination, Main Examination, and Personality Test (Interview).
Q: How can I choose the right optional subject for the Civil Services Main Examination?
Choosing the right optional subject is a crucial decision in the Civil Services preparation. It is recommended to opt for a subject that aligns with your interests, background, and the scoring trends observed in previous examinations. Additionally, candidates should consider the availability of study materials, guidance, and their own comfort level with the subject. Popular optional subjects include Public Administration, History, Geography, and Sociology.
Q: What is the role of current affairs in the Civil Services Examination?
Current affairs play a pivotal role in the Civil Services Examination, especially in the Preliminary and Main stages. Questions related to national and international events, government policies, and socio-economic issues are frequently asked. Aspirants should stay updated with current affairs through newspapers, magazines, and online sources, and integrate this knowledge into their preparation strategy.
Q: How many attempts do I have for the Civil Services Examination?
The number of attempts for the Civil Services Examination is limited. General category candidates can attempt the exam six times, while OBC candidates have nine attempts. There are no restrictions on the number of attempts for SC/ST candidates, provided they meet the age criteria. It’s essential for aspirants to plan their attempts wisely and make the most of each opportunity.
Q: Is coaching necessary for success in the Civil Services Examination?
While coaching is not mandatory, it can be beneficial for candidates seeking structured guidance and a better understanding of the examination pattern. Many successful candidates have cleared the exam without formal coaching, relying on self-study and online resources. The decision to opt for coaching depends on individual preferences, resources, and the availability of reliable study materials. Self-discipline, dedication, and a well-structured study plan are crucial regardless of whether one chooses coaching or self-study.
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