We have listed all of the essay topics asked in the UPSC Mains Test from 1994 to 2018.
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)
Judiciary
- 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)
Education
- 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)
Women
- 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)
Character
- 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)
Security
- 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)