QUESTION 1
GS3
12.5 marks
Normally countries shift from agriculture to industry and later to services, but India shifted directly from agriculture to services. What are the reasons for the huge growth of services vis-a-vis industry? Can India become a developed country without a strong industrial base?
WRITE IN
9 min
200 words
What the examiner wants
Explain why India's services grew faster than industry and whether India can develop without a strong industrial base.
Explain + DiscussMake clear how and why it happens: causes, process, and an example for each point. Explain the different sides of the issue, use evidence, and finish with a balanced view.
Demand-wise check
- 1Reasons for services boom: English-speaking skilled workforce, IT revolution and outsourcing, 1991 reforms, low capital needs, telecom liberalisation≈35 words
- 2Why industry lagged: rigid labour laws, land acquisition, infrastructure gaps, licence raj legacy, high logistics cost, small firm size≈35 words
- 3Why industry still needed: services absorb skilled not mass labour; agriculture employs a large share; manufacturing gives jobs, exports, technology spillovers, strategic autonomy≈35 words
- 4Way forward: Make in India, PLI, labour codes, logistics policy, services-led manufacturing synergy≈35 words
Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.
Answer plan
India's unusual pathReasons for services growthReasons for industrial lagNeed for manufacturingPolicy measures
Where marks usually go
- Answering only the first part and skipping 'can India become developed'
- No employment data to show the mismatch
Draw this
- Bar chart: sector share in GVA vs share in employment
Value addition
- ThinkerDani Rodrik's 'Premature Deindustrialization' (2016) shows countries like India peaking in manufacturing at lower income levels.Rodrik, 2016
- DataAgriculture still employs about 46% of workers but contributes under 20% of GVA.PLFS 2022-23; NSO
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Devyanshi Kaura · Page 13 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Rahul Patil · Page 19 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Tushar Chauhan · Page 19 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Mayank Purohit · AIR 33 · Page 15 ↗Same syllabus reference
Links open original public sources. MainsBuddy does not host these answer sheets.
Next: plan for one minute, write it in 9 minutes, then get it checked.