QUESTION 1
GS3
10 marks
“Access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy is the sine qua non to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).” Comment on the progress made in India in this regard.
WRITE IN
7 min
150 words
What the examiner wants
Comment on India's progress towards affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy (SDG 7) as the base for other SDGs.
CommentGive your own view on the statement and back it with facts and examples.
Demand-wise check
- 1Why sine qua non: energy drives health (clean cooking), education, jobs, water, gender (SDGs 3, 4, 5, 8)≈30 words
- 2Access: 100% village electrification (April 2018), Saubhagya household connections, PM Ujjwala LPG≈30 words
- 3Sustainable/modern: renewable expansion (175 GW target, now 500 GW non-fossil by 2030), UJALA LEDs, PM-KUSUM, rooftop solar≈30 words
- 4Gaps: reliability and supply hours in rural areas, DISCOM losses, LPG refill rates, coal dependence≈30 words
Open in about 20 words and close in about 20.
Answer plan
SDG 7 as enablerAccess gainsClean/efficient gainsGaps in reliability and affordabilityConclusion
Where marks usually go
- Treating village electrification as household electrification (a village counted as electrified at 10% of households)
- Listing schemes without linking energy to other SDGs
Draw this
- Ladder: no access → connection → reliable supply → clean and affordable supply, with schemes at each rung
Value addition
- DataLeisang in Manipur, electrified on 28 April 2018, completed 100% village electrification under DDUGJY.Ministry of Power, 2018
- DataNon-fossil sources crossed 50% of India's installed power capacity in June 2025, five years ahead of the NDC target.Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, 2025
- DataUjjwala reached its target of 8 crore LPG connections in September 2019.Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Mayank Purohit · AIR 33 · Page 15 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 23 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Aniket Ranjan · AIR 48 · Page 26 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Mayank Purohit · AIR 33 · Page 13 ↗Same syllabus reference
Links open original public sources. MainsBuddy does not host these answer sheets.
Next: plan for one minute, write it in 7 minutes, then get it checked.