How is science interwoven deeply with our lives? What are the striking changes in agriculture triggered off by the science-based technologies?
Approach · directive: “how / what”
What it asks · Show with examples how science shapes daily life, then pick the biggest science-driven changes in agriculture, including their limits.
The question has 2 parts — answer each
- Show how science is interwoven with our daily lives
- Identify the striking changes that science-based technologies have brought to agriculture
Open with · From the food we eat and the medicines we take to the phones we use, science and its technologies shape daily life, usually without being noticed.
Cover
- Daily life: vaccines and diagnostics, mobile phones and UPI, electricity and LEDs, water purification, weather forecasts, transport and household devices.
- Mind and society: scientific temper (Article 51A(h)), evidence-based policy, data-driven governance, and space and remote-sensing services from ISRO.
- Green Revolution: high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice, with fertiliser and irrigation, made India self-sufficient in foodgrains.
- Biotechnology and breeding: Bt cotton (2002), hybrids, tissue culture and better livestock breeds; Operation Flood helped make India the largest milk producer.
- Precision and digital farming: drones, satellite crop and soil monitoring, soil health cards, weather advisories, e-NAM and mobile advisory apps.
- Water and inputs: drip and sprinkler irrigation, bio-fertilisers, integrated pest management, cold chains and climate-resilient seeds.
- Concerns: soil and groundwater damage, pesticide residue, monoculture and loss of biodiversity, and unequal access; science must serve sustainable, inclusive farming.
Close with · Science is woven into every part of life; in agriculture it must now move from raising yield alone to sustainable and shared gains.
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2020, GS Paper III — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer · 222 words (UPSC limit 150) · Minimalist IAS
From the food on the plate and the vaccine in the arm to the phone in the hand, science and its technologies shape daily life, usually without being noticed.
Science in everyday life
- Health: vaccines, antibiotics and diagnostics have lengthened lives; clean water and sanitation rest on chemistry and microbiology.
- Connectivity and money: mobile phones, the internet and UPI payments run on semiconductors and satellites.
- Energy and home: electricity, LEDs, refrigeration and household appliances; weather forecasts and ISRO's remote-sensing services guide farmers, fishermen and disaster response.
- Mind and State: scientific temper, a fundamental duty under Article 51A(h), and evidence-based, data-driven governance.
Striking changes in agriculture
- Green Revolution: high-yielding dwarf wheat and rice, with fertiliser and assured irrigation, turned food deficit into self-sufficiency in foodgrains.
- Biotechnology and breeding: Bt cotton (2002), hybrids, tissue culture and improved livestock breeds; Operation Flood helped make India the largest milk producer.
- Precision and digital farming: drones, satellite crop and soil monitoring, soil health cards, weather advisories, e-NAM and mobile advisory apps.
- Water and inputs: drip and sprinkler irrigation, bio-fertilisers, integrated pest management, cold chains and climate-resilient seeds.
- The cost: soil and groundwater damage, pesticide residues, monoculture and biodiversity loss, and unequal access.
Science is woven into every part of life; in agriculture its next task is to move from raising yield alone to sustainable and shared gains.
Written by Minimalist IAS from facts checked at source (how we verify) — a little fuller than exam length, so every part of the question is covered; in the hall, keep the structure and trim the detail. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.