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Predicted Questions with Model Answers
Q1. [5 marks — 50 words] What is PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan? State its objectives.
Model Answer: PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan (launched October 2021) is a GIS-based digital platform integrating 16 central ministries for coordinated infrastructure planning. Objectives: eliminate inter-ministerial project delays, reduce logistics cost from 13% of GDP to 8% by 2030, ensure multi-modal connectivity from project inception, and map all infrastructure projects (roads, railways, ports, pipelines, telecom) to enable holistic greenfield planning.
Q2. [5 marks — 50 words] What is the UDAN scheme? State its achievements.
Model Answer: UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik), launched October 2016 by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, makes air travel affordable on regional routes through Viability Gap Funding (VGF) to airlines. Half the seats are at a capped fare. By 2024: 479 UDAN routes operational, 89 airports developed/operationalised. India is now the world's 3rd largest civil aviation market with 13.3 crore domestic passengers (2022–23).
Q3. [5 marks — 50 words] Name the Eight Core Infrastructure Industries. What is their significance?
Model Answer: The Eight Core Industries are: Coal, Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Refinery Products, Fertilizers, Steel, Cement, and Electricity. Together they carry 40.27% weight in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), making them the key barometer of India's industrial health. Monthly data is published by the Ministry of Commerce. Their performance determines input availability for construction, manufacturing, and energy-intensive sectors across the economy.
Q4. [10 marks — 150 words] Discuss the status of India's transport infrastructure. What major initiatives has the government taken to improve it?
Model Answer: India has the world's 2nd largest road network (63.32 lakh km) and 4th largest railway network (68,702 km). Yet transport infrastructure remains a bottleneck: high logistics costs (~13% of GDP), poor last-mile connectivity, and inadequate port capacity have hurt export competitiveness.
Road initiatives: Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase-I (Rs 5.35 lakh crore; 34,800 km National Highways) is India's largest highway programme. The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway (1,386 km, operational in phases from 2023) will cut travel time from 24 to 12 hours.
Railways: Dedicated Freight Corridors — Eastern DFC (1,337 km) and Western DFC (1,468 km) — became fully operational in 2022, doubling freight speed and freeing passenger routes. Three new rail corridors (Energy-Mineral-Cement, Port Connectivity, High Density) announced in 2023–24 Budget. Vande Bharat Express (40 trainsets by 2024) upgrades passenger services.
Aviation: UDAN scheme (479 regional routes; 89 airports) democratised air travel. India is the world's 3rd largest civil aviation market.
Ports: Sagarmala Programme (802 projects, Rs 5.48 lakh crore) modernises India's 12 major ports and builds port-led industrial zones.
Coordination: PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan (2021) integrates 16 ministries on a single GIS platform to eliminate planning duplication and reduce logistics cost to 8% of GDP by 2030.
Q5. [5 marks — 50 words] What is BharatNet? What are its objectives and current status?
Model Answer: BharatNet is India's flagship programme to connect all 2.5 lakh gram panchayats with high-speed optical fibre broadband (minimum 100 Mbps). Launched under national optical fibre network programme (2011, accelerated post-2014), it uses government-funded optical fibre cable. Total project cost: Rs 61,109 crore. Status (2024): 2.07 lakh gram panchayats connected; 14.8 lakh km of OFC laid. It serves as the backbone for digital governance and rural internet access.
Q6. [10 marks — 150 words] Discuss India's energy security challenges and policy responses to promote renewable energy.
Model Answer: India faces a structural energy security challenge: it is the world's 3rd largest energy consumer (1,025 Mtoe, 2022–23) but 85%+ dependent on fossil fuel imports — oil imports alone cost ~$232 billion annually. This makes the economy vulnerable to global oil price shocks.
Renewable energy push: India's total renewable energy capacity reached 220+ GW by April 2025 — solar (89.9 GW), wind (47.5 GW), and bio-power. National Solar Mission target: 280 GW solar by 2030; overall non-fossil capacity target: 500 GW. India is on track with the 2030 trajectory.
Key schemes: (1) PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana (2024): rooftop solar for 1 crore homes, providing 300 units/month free electricity — Rs 75,021 crore support. (2) PM-KUSUM (2019): solar pumps for 35 lakh farmers. (3) National Green Hydrogen Mission (2023, Rs 19,744 crore): 5 MMTPA green hydrogen by 2030 — decarbonising fertiliser, refinery, and steel sectors. (4) FAME India Phase-II (2019, Rs 10,000 crore): electric vehicle adoption to reduce oil demand.
India's Updated NDC (2022) commits to 50% non-fossil electricity by 2030, and net-zero by 2070. Achieving these targets requires $222 billion in renewable investment over 2023–2030. India must simultaneously ensure energy access (per capita consumption at 1,357 kWh vs. world average 3,400 kWh) while reducing carbon intensity.