Mains · GS Paper III · 11 questions

Security forces & agencies

Every question UPSC has set on this line of the GS Paper III syllabus, newest first — with an approach for each.

Asked in 2 of 11 years

UPSC syllabus (verbatim): “Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate.” Sub-topics in the detailed syllabus →

2025

GS Paper III 2025 · Q9

10 marks · 150 words X-Ray · Core #54

Terrorism is a global scourge. How has it manifested in India? Elaborate with contemporary examples. What are the counter measures adopted by the State? Explain.

Approach · directive: “how / elaborate / explain”

What it asks · Show the forms terrorism has taken in India with recent examples, then explain the State’s legal, institutional, operational and diplomatic responses.

It asks 2 things — answer each

Elaborate how terrorism has manifested in India, with contemporary examples
Explain the counter-measures adopted by the State — legal, institutional, operational and diplomatic

Open with · The Pahalgam attack of 22 April 2025, which killed 26 people, mostly tourists, showed terrorism remains India's most persistent threat, faced in nearly every form: cross-border, separatist, left-wing and urban.

Cover

Cross-border, state-sponsored terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir: the Pahalgam attack of 22 April 2025 killed 26 people, mostly tourists.
Radicalisation and modules: online recruitment, ISIS-inspired cells and IED plots in the hinterland; lone actors are hard to detect.
Narco-terror and financing: drones dropping arms and drugs across the Punjab border, hawala, fake currency, crypto-assets.
Insurgency-linked violence in parts of the North-East and Maoist violence in central India, now sharply reduced.
Legal and institutional: UAPA (2019 amendment allows designating individuals), NIA Act amendment (2019), PMLA, NATGRID, Multi-Agency Centre, NSG hubs.
Operational: intelligence-led operations and border fencing; Operation Sindoor (May 2025) struck terror infrastructure across the border after Pahalgam.
Diplomatic and social: FATF pressure on terror financing, UN listings, ‘No Money for Terror’, deradicalisation and community policing.

Close with · Zero tolerance must pair hard security with intelligence, financial tracking and social resilience, and the global legal consensus India seeks through the CCIT, building the peaceful and inclusive societies SDG 16 envisages.

Add value (verified)

On 7 May 2025 the armed forces launched Operation Sindoor against nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.PIB, Ministry of Defence — Operation Sindoor: precision strike at terrorist camps (7 May 2025) ↗“the Indian Armed Forces launched ‘OPERATION SINDOOR’, hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed. Altogether, nine (9) sites have been targeted.”
India proposed the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) at the UN General Assembly in 1996.Permanent Mission of India to the UN, New York — statement at the UNGA Sixth Committee ↗“we would like to remind that in 1996 India brought the proposal of a Comprehensive Convention against Terrorism (CCIT) before forward the General Assembly. It was aimed at strengthening the international legal framework”
Government reply in Parliament (December 2024): the NIA's conviction rate stands at 95.23% (national newspaper report).Deccan Herald, December 2024 — NIA records conviction rate of 95.23%: Govt (newspaper report of a parliamentary reply) ↗“NIA records conviction rate of 95.23%: Govt Responding to a question, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said 109 cases of the anti-terror agency are under "active investigation"”
SDG 16 in the UN's official wording.United Nations, Sustainable Development Goals — Goal 16 ↗“Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2025, GS Paper III — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer· 223words · Minimalist IAS

The Pahalgam attack of 22 April 2025, which killed 26 people, mostly tourists, showed terrorism remains India's most persistent threat, faced in nearly every form: cross-border, separatist, left-wing and urban.

How terrorism has manifested in India

Cross-border, state-sponsored terror in Jammu and Kashmir, from infiltration to attacks on civilians like Pahalgam.
Radicalisation and modules: online recruitment, ISIS-inspired cells and IED plots.
Narco-terror and financing: drones dropping arms and drugs across the Punjab border; hawala, fake currency and crypto-assets.
Insurgency-linked violence in the North-East and Maoist violence in central India, now sharply reduced.

The full answer goes on to cover

Counter-measures adopted by the State

Read the full model answer (223 words) →

Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 3 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.

GS Paper III 2025 · Q20

15 marks · 250 words

Why is maritime security vital to protect India’s sea trade? Discuss maritime and coastal security challenges and the way forward.

Approach · directive: “why / discuss”

What it asks · Explain why secure seas matter for India’s trade and energy, set out the maritime and coastal threats, and propose a way forward.

It asks 3 things — answer each

Explain why maritime security is vital to protect India's sea trade
Discuss the maritime and coastal security challenges
Discuss the way forward — institutions, capacity, partnerships and resilience

Open with · Nearly 95% of India's trade by volume and about 70% by value moves by sea (PIB, 2025); the sea lanes of the Indian Ocean are the arteries of the economy, so their security is a national interest, not only a naval task.

Cover

Why vital: oil, LNG and container trade pass chokepoints (Hormuz, Bab-el-Mandeb, Malacca); disruption raises freight and insurance costs, as in the Red Sea crisis.
Non-traditional threats: piracy off Somalia, attacks on merchant ships, illegal fishing, drug and arms smuggling by sea.
Strategic threats: growing extra-regional naval presence, dual-use ports and research vessels in the Indian Ocean, grey-zone tactics.
Coastal gaps: long coastline and islands; seaborne infiltration as in 26/11; tracking lakhs of small boats; coordination among Navy, Coast Guard, marine police.
Climate and disaster: cyclones, sea-level rise and oil spills threaten ports and coastal communities.
Way forward — institutions: coastal radar chain, IFC-IOR at Gurugram, transponders on fishing boats, National Maritime Security Coordinator, stronger marine police.
Way forward — capacity and partners: blue-water navy and shipbuilding, deep-water ports, Andaman and Nicobar Command; SAGAR/MAHASAGAR, IORA, Quad, Colombo Security Conclave.

Close with · A secure Indian Ocean is the precondition for the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047; integrated maritime governance and partnerships can make India the region's preferred security partner.

Add value (verified)

Nearly 95% of India’s trade by volume and about 70% by value moves through maritime routes.PIB Backgrounder — Maritime India: From Vision 2030 to Amrit Kaal 2047 (26 October 2025) ↗“Nearly 95% of India’s trade by volume and about 70% by value moves through maritime routes, underlining the sector’s centrality to India’s economy and competitiveness.”
Coastal Security Scheme Phase I (2005–11, ₹646 crore): 73 coastal police stations, 204 interceptor boats; Phase II (2011–20, ₹1,579.91 crore).MHA Annual Report 2025-26, Chapter 3 (Coastal Security) ↗“The CSS (Phase-I) was implemented from 01.04.2005 to 31.03.2011 with an outlay of Rs.646 Cr. Under the Scheme, Coastal States/UTs were provided with 73 Coastal Police Stations (CPS), 97 check posts, 58 outposts, 30 barracks, 204 interceptor boats, 153 jeeps, 312 motor cycles and 10 Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIBs). The CSS (Phase-II) was implemented w.e.f. 01.04.2011 to 31.03.2020 with an approved outlay of Rs. 1579.91 Cr.”
Coastal Security Scheme Phase II provided 131 coastal police stations, 37 jetties and 6 marine operational centres.MHA Annual Report 2025-26, Chapter 3 (Coastal Security) ↗“Under the Phase-II, the coastal States/UTs were provided with 131 CPS, 37 jetties, 06 Marine Operational Centres, 131 four wheelers and 242 motorcycles”
National Academy of Coastal Policing, Devbhoomi Dwarka (outlay ₹441 crore): 18 batches of the Marine Police Foundation Course and 1,914 coastal police personnel trained.MHA Annual Report 2025-26, Chapter 3 (para 3.41) ↗“National Academy of Coastal Policing (NACP) at Devbhoomi Dwarka, Gujarat with an outlay of Rs. 441 Cr. To date, the project is 53% completed and is likely to be fully functional by early 2027. A temporary campus of the Academy started functioning in October 2018. So far, 18 batches have completed the Marine Police 44 Foundation Course (MPFC) and 1914 coastal police personnel have completed their training.”
Sagarmala, a core pillar of Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047: 840 projects worth ₹5.8 lakh crore being implemented by 2035.PIB backgrounder, Maritime India: From Vision 2030 to Amrit Kaal 2047 (26 October 2025) ↗“Sagarmala Programme, a flagship initiative to transform India into a global maritime hub is a core pillar of the Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047. The programme focuses on cutting logistics costs, enhancing trade efficiency, and creating employment through smarter, greener transport networks. Under its sphere, 840 projects worth ₹ 5.8 lakh crore are being implemented by 2035”
PIB (2025): a ₹25,000 crore Maritime Development Fund to expand shipping tonnage and shipbuilding capacity.PIB backgrounder, Maritime India: From Vision 2030 to Amrit Kaal 2047 (26 October 2025) ↗“With a ₹ 25,000 crore corpus, the Maritime Development Fund (MDF) is set to provide long-term financing to expand India’s shipping tonnage and shipbuilding capacity.”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2025, GS Paper III — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer· 363words · Minimalist IAS

Nearly 95% of India's trade by volume and about 70% by value moves by sea (PIB, 2025). The sea lanes of the Indian Ocean are the arteries of the economy, so their security is a national interest, not only a naval task.

Why maritime security is vital to protect India's sea trade

Energy and trade lifelines: crude, LNG and container traffic pass the chokepoints of Hormuz, Bab-el-Mandeb and Malacca; disruption raises freight and insurance costs, as the Red Sea crisis showed.
Ports and the blue economy: Sagarmala's 840 projects worth ₹5.8 lakh crore to 2035 and the ₹25,000 crore Maritime Development Fund all presume secure waters.
Strategic weight: a secure Indian Ocean underpins India's role as a net security provider and its Indo-Pacific partnerships.

The full answer goes on to cover

Maritime and coastal security challenges
The way forward

With 1 table you can reproduce in the exam.

Read the full model answer (363 words) →

2023

GS Paper III 2023 · Q19

15 marks · 250 words

What are the internal security challenges being faced by India? Give out the role of Central Intelligence and Investigative Agencies tasked to counter such threats.

Approach · directive: “what / give out”

What it asks · List India's main internal-security challenges and explain the roles of the central intelligence and investigative agencies in countering them.

It asks 3 things — answer each

List the internal security challenges India faces, traditional and emerging
Give out the role of the central intelligence agencies
Give out the role of the central investigative agencies, and how they are coordinated

Open with · Left-wing extremist violence fell from 1,936 incidents in 2010 to 374 in 2024, and affected districts from 126 to 38: proof that intelligence, policing and development can beat an internal threat together, and India's other challenges demand the same chain.

Cover

Traditional challenges: cross-border terrorism and infiltration in J&K, left-wing extremism (1,936 incidents in 2010 to 374 in 2024; districts 126 to 38, six most affected), North-East insurgency, communal and caste violence.
Emerging challenges: cyber attacks and online radicalisation, drug trafficking and narco-terror, terror financing and fake currency, drone and maritime threats.
Intelligence agencies: IB (domestic, runs the Multi Agency Centre, rebuilt 2025), R&AW (external), NTRO (technical), FIU-IND (financial); NATGRID links databases.
Investigative agencies: NIA (terror; 2019 amendment added trafficking, prohibited arms, cyber-terrorism, explosives and extra-territorial jurisdiction), CBI, ED (PMLA), NCB; CERT-In and I4C on cyber crime.
Coordination: MAC and state SMACs, NATGRID, state Special Branches and police as first responders.
Gaps: overlapping mandates, weak Centre-State coordination, no statutory basis or parliamentary oversight for intelligence bodies, limited cyber capacity.
Way forward: statutory charter, real-time Centre-State fusion, cyber and drone capacity; Naxal-free target of 31 March 2026.

Close with · The target of a Naxal-free India by 31 March 2026 shows what coordinated agencies can aim for; the same seamless chain must now meet the cyber, narco and hybrid threats of the coming decade.

Add value (verified)

MHA (PIB backgrounder, April 2025): LWE violence fell from a peak of 1,936 incidents in 2010 to 374 in 2024 (81% down); deaths of civilians and security forces fell from 1,005 to 150 (85%).PIB backgrounder: Left Wing Extremism, decline in violence (April 2025) ↗“Incidents of violence by LWE which reached its highest level of 1936 in 2010 have reduced to 374 in 2024 i.e. a reduction of 81%. The total number of deaths (civilians + security forces) has also reduced by 85% during this period from 1005 deaths in 2010 to 150 in 2024.”
MHA (PIB backgrounder, April 2025): LWE-affected districts fell from 126 to 90 (April 2018), 70 (July 2021) and 38 (April 2024); most-affected districts from 12 to 6, four in Chhattisgarh, one each in Jharkhand and Maharashtra.PIB backgrounder: Left Wing Extremism, affected districts (April 2025) ↗“The number of LWE affected districts reduced from 126 to 90 in April 2018, 70 in July 2021 and further to 38 in April-2024. Out of total Naxalism-affected districts, number of most affected districts has been reduced from 12 to 6, which include four districts from Chhattisgarh (Bijapur, Kanker, Narayanpur, and Sukma), one from Jharkhand (West Singhbhum), and one from Maharashtra (Gadchiroli).”
MHA (PIB backgrounder, April 2025): the government is committed to eliminating Naxalism completely by 31 March 2026.PIB backgrounder: Left Wing Extremism, government commitment (April 2025) ↗“committed to completely eliminate Naxalism by 31st March 2026, since Naxalism is seen as the biggest obstacle in the development of remote areas and tribal villages”
MHA (Rajya Sabha reply, 3 August 2022): the NIA Act was amended in 2019 to add human trafficking, manufacture and sale of prohibited arms, cyber-terrorism and Explosive Substances Act offences, and to extend the NIA's jurisdiction beyond India.PIB: Functioning of NIA (Ministry of Home Affairs, 3 August 2022) ↗“The NIA Act was amended in year 2019 to enlarge the mandate of the NIA by inclusion of offences related to human trafficking, manufacture & sale of prohibited arms, cyber-terrorism and offences under the Explosive Substances Act, 1908 and expand its jurisdictions beyond India.”
New Multi Agency Centre inaugurated at North Block (May 2025): a seamless, integrated platform to synergise the efforts of all security and intelligence agencies.PIB: Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah inaugurates the new Multi Agency Centre (MAC) at North Block, New Delhi ↗“The new MAC will synergise the efforts of all agencies and provide a seamless and integrated platform”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2023, GS Paper III — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer· 331words · Minimalist IAS

Left-wing extremist violence fell from 1,936 incidents in 2010 to 374 in 2024, and affected districts from 126 to 38 (MHA): proof that intelligence, policing and development can beat an internal threat together. India's other challenges now demand the same chain.

Internal security challenges India faces

Traditional: cross-border terrorism and infiltration in Jammu and Kashmir; left-wing extremism, concentrated, as of April 2025, in six most-affected districts of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Maharashtra; insurgency in parts of the North-East.
Emerging: cyber attacks on critical infrastructure, online radicalisation, drug trafficking and narco-terror, terror financing, and drone and maritime threats.

The full answer goes on to cover

Role of the central intelligence agencies
Role of the central investigative agencies
Gaps and way forward

Read the full model answer (331 words) →

2022

GS Paper III 2022 · Q10

10 marks · 150 words

What are the maritime security challenges in India ? Discuss the organisational, technical and procedural initiatives taken to improve the maritime security.

Approach · directive: “what / discuss”

What it asks · Set out India's maritime security challenges and discuss the organisational, technical and procedural steps taken to improve coastal and maritime security.

It asks 4 things — answer each

What: the maritime security challenges India faces
Discuss the organisational initiatives taken to improve maritime security
Discuss the technical initiatives
Discuss the procedural initiatives

Open with · With a long coastline, island territories and busy sea lanes, India faces threats from the sea ranging from terrorism to piracy; the 26/11 attack came by sea and exposed how thin coastal security was.

Cover

Challenges: sea-borne terrorism as on 26/11, piracy, smuggling of arms, drugs and people, illegal fishing and migration, maritime boundary disputes and a growing extra-regional naval presence.
Vulnerabilities: ports and offshore assets, cyber attacks on port systems, oil spills and marine disasters.
Organisational: a three-tier structure, the Navy for overall maritime security, the Coast Guard for coastal waters and Marine Police for the shallows, coordinated by the National Committee for Strengthening Maritime and Coastal Security and joint operations centres.
Technical: coastal radar chain, AIS transponders and vessel tracking, the National Command Control Communication and Intelligence network, and the Information Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean Region.
Procedural: identity cards for fishermen and registration of boats, exercises such as Sea Vigil, first held in January 2019 as the largest coastal defence exercise, and Sagar Kavach, ISPS Code port security and information-sharing protocols.
Regional and gaps: the SAGAR vision, joint patrols and anti-piracy cooperation; gaps remain in manpower, coordination among many agencies and asset maintenance.

Close with · Fixing the weakest links, intelligence sharing, State marine police and fishing communities as the eyes of the coast, is how SAGAR begins at India's own shore.

Add value (verified)

The first coastal defence exercise Sea Vigil, conducted by the Navy and Coast Guard with State Governments and Union Territories, concluded on 23 January 2019 as the largest such exercise the country had witnessed.PIB (23 January 2019), Ministry of Defence: Two-Day Coastal Defence Exercise Sea Vigil Concludes ↗“The first coastal defence Exercise Sea Vigil, conducted by the Navy and Coast Guard, in close coordination with State Governments and Union Territories concluded today, 23 Jan 2019. It was the largest such exercise the country had ever witnessed in recent times”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2022, GS Paper III — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer· 223words · Minimalist IAS

With a long coastline, island territories and busy sea lanes, India faces threats from the sea ranging from terrorism to piracy; the 26/11 attack came by sea and exposed how thin coastal security was.

Maritime security challenges

Threats: sea-borne terrorism as on 26/11, piracy, smuggling of arms, drugs and people, illegal fishing and migration.
Strategic and systemic: boundary disputes, a growing extra-regional naval presence, vulnerable ports and offshore assets, cyber attacks on port systems.

The full answer goes on to cover

Organisational initiatives
Technical initiatives
Procedural initiatives

With 1 table you can reproduce in the exam.

Read the full model answer (223 words) →

GS Paper III 2022 · Q20

15 marks · 250 words

Naxalism is a social, economic and developmental issue manifesting as a violent internal security threat. In this context, discuss the emerging issues and suggest a multilayered strategy to tackle the menace of Naxalism.

Approach · directive: “discuss / suggest”

What it asks · Discuss the new issues in tackling Left-wing extremism and propose a multilayered strategy across security, development, rights and outreach.

It asks 2 things — answer each

Discuss the emerging issues in tackling Naxalism, seen as a social, economic and developmental problem with a violent security face
Suggest a multilayered strategy to tackle it: security, development, rights and governance, outreach

Open with · Naxalism thrives where poverty, land and forest grievances and weak governance meet; LWE-affected districts fell from 126 to 38 by April 2024 and incidents by 77% over 2009-2021 (MHA), yet the grievance remains the disease.

Cover

Root causes: tribal alienation, displacement for mines and dams, unimplemented forest and land rights, poor services and exploitation by contractors and officials.
Emerging issues: a shrinking but entrenched core in areas such as Dandakaranya and Jharkhand, use of IEDs and forest terrain, extortion funding, urban support networks and human-rights concerns in operations.
Security layer: intelligence-led operations with State and central forces working together, better-trained State police, fortified posts and the SAMADHAN principles, including actionable intelligence, technology and cutting access to finance.
Development layer: roads, mobile connectivity, schools, health and banking in affected districts, with the Aspirational Districts programme and central assistance for LWE areas.
Rights and governance layer: implement the Forest Rights Act and PESA, fair land acquisition and rehabilitation, accountable local administration and quick redress of tribal grievances.
Outreach layer: dialogue, surrender and rehabilitation policy, community policing and counter-narrative, and stopping the flow of funds and arms.

Close with · Security pressure, visible development, rights delivery and community trust can end the movement's appeal; the test of the March 2026 deadline is whether schools, roads and PESA gram sabhas hold the ground after it.

Add value (verified)

MHA (Rajya Sabha reply, 9 February 2022): only 46 districts reported LWE-related violence in 2021 against 96 in 2010, and incidents fell 77% from 2,258 in 2009 to 509 in 2021.Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 81 on Left Wing Extremism — Ministry of Home Affairs, 9 February 2022 ↗“The geographical spread of the violence has also been reduced and only 46 districts reported LWE related violence in 2021 as compared to 96 districts in 2010.”
MHA/PIB (May 2025): LWE-affected districts fell from 126 to 90 (April 2018), 70 (July 2021) and 38 (April 2024); the most-affected districts fell from 12 to 6: Bijapur, Kanker, Narayanpur, Sukma, West Singhbhum and Gadchiroli.PIB backgrounder, Ministry of Home Affairs (May 2025): Left Wing Extremism: status, districts and development schemes ↗“The number of LWE affected districts reduced from 126 to 90 in April 2018, 70 in July 2021 and further to 38 in April-2024. Out of total Naxalism-affected districts, number of most affected districts has been reduced from 12 to 6, which include four districts from Chhattisgarh (Bijapur, Kanker, Narayanpur, and Sukma), one from Jharkhand (West Singhbhum), and one from Maharashtra (Gadchiroli).”
MHA/PIB (May 2025): the six 'Districts of Concern' are Alluri Sitarama Raju (Andhra Pradesh), Balaghat (Madhya Pradesh), Kalahandi, Kandhamal and Malkangiri (Odisha) and Bhadradri-Kothagudem (Telangana).PIB backgrounder, Ministry of Home Affairs (May 2025): Left Wing Extremism: status, districts and development schemes ↗“These 6 districts are: Andhra Pradesh (Alluri Sitarama Raju), Madhya Pradesh (Balaghat), Odisha (Kalahandi, Kandhamal, and Malkangiri), and Telangana (Bhadradri-Kothagudem).”
MHA/PIB (May 2025): the Government is committed to eliminating Naxalism completely by 31 March 2026.PIB backgrounder, Ministry of Home Affairs (May 2025): Left Wing Extremism: status, districts and development schemes ↗“The government of India is committed to completely eliminate Naxalism by 31st March 2026, since Naxalism is seen as the biggest obstacle in the development of remote areas and tribal villages”
MHA/PIB (May 2025): 17,589 km of roads sanctioned under the two LWE road schemes, of which 14,618 km have been built.PIB backgrounder, Ministry of Home Affairs (May 2025): Left Wing Extremism: status, districts and development schemes ↗“17,589 km of roads have been sanctioned under these two schemes. Of these, 14,618 km have been constructed.”
MHA/PIB (May 2025): 48 ITIs, 61 Skill Development Centres and 178 Eklavya Model Residential Schools are functional in LWE-affected districts.PIB backgrounder, Ministry of Home Affairs (May 2025): Left Wing Extremism: status, districts and development schemes ↗“For Skill development 48 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and 61 Skill Development Centres (SDCs) have been made functional in LWE affected districts. For quality education in tribal blocks of LWE affected districts 178 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) have been made functional”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2022, GS Paper III — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer· 370words · Minimalist IAS

Naxalism thrives where poverty, land and forest grievances and weak governance meet. LWE-affected districts fell from 126 to 38 by April 2024 and incidents by 77% over 2009-2021 (MHA), yet violence is only the symptom; the grievance is the disease, so the response must go beyond policing.

The emerging issues

Root causes persist: tribal alienation, displacement for mines and dams, unimplemented forest and land rights, poor services and exploitation by contractors and officials.
Shrinking but entrenched: six most-affected districts were left by April 2024, Bijapur, Kanker, Narayanpur and Sukma in Chhattisgarh, West Singhbhum in Jharkhand and Gadchiroli in Maharashtra (MHA, 2024), where a hard core still uses forest terrain and IEDs.
Finance and support: extortion from contractors and mining interests funds the movement, and urban networks supply ideology and logistics.
Rights concerns: operations that harm civilians or misuse the law deepen alienation and feed the insurgents' narrative.
The deadline test: the Government's target of ending Naxalism by 31 March 2026 raised the stakes for due process in the final phase.

✏️ Map to sketch in the exam · LWE-affected districts, April 2024

districts: Bijapur (Chhattisgarh), Kanker (Chhattisgarh), Narayanpur (Chhattisgarh), Sukma (Chhattisgarh), West Singhbhum (Jharkhand), Gadchiroli (Maharashtra) = most-affected (MHA 2024)
districts: Alluri Sitarama Raju (Andhra Pradesh), Balaghat (Madhya Pradesh), Kalahandi (Odisha), Kandhamal (Odisha), Malkangiri (Odisha), Bhadradri-Kothagudem (Telangana) = districts of concern (MHA 2024)

Draw on India's official outline (Survey of India boundary).

The full answer goes on to cover

A multilayered strategy to tackle the menace

Read the full model answer (370 words) →

2021

GS Paper III 2021 · Q5

10 marks · 150 words

How is S-400 air defence system technically superior to any other system presently available in the world ?

Approach · directive: “how”

What it asks · Explain what gives the S-400 its technical edge (range, layering, multi-role capability, radars, mobility) and test the claim that it is better than every other system.

It asks 2 things — answer each

Explain the technical features that give the S-400 its edge: range, layered missiles, multi-role engagement, radars, mobility, against peer systems
Test the claim of superiority over every other system: untested aspects, the need for layering, and India's context

Open with · The S-400 Triumf is Russia's long-range surface-to-air missile system; India contracted five squadrons in October 2018 to shield its western and northern fronts. Its edge is doing several jobs in one system.

Cover

Layered reach: four missile types for different bands, the longest about 400 km, covering short, medium and long-range threats in one system.
Multi-role: engages aircraft, cruise missiles, drones and tactical ballistic missiles through one network of radars, command posts and launchers.
Sensors track many targets at once; road-mobile launchers and radars redeploy fast.
Against peers: Patriot has shorter reach and THAAD is built mainly for ballistic missiles; the S-400's mix of range and roles is its distinction.
The claim is untested against stealth, saturation attacks and electronic warfare; the deal carries CAATSA risk and dependence on Russian supply.
No single shield: Operation Sindoor (May 2025) showed layered air defence, with the indigenous Akash credited with 'stellar performance' (PIB).

Close with · The S-400 is among the most capable long-range systems, but India's sky is held by networked layers; the 'technological self-reliance in military operations' PIB saw in Operation Sindoor is the way to depend less on any single import.

Add value (verified)

PIB's Operation Sindoor backgrounder (May 2025) describes layered air defence and calls the operation a milestone in technological self-reliance.PIB backgrounder: Operation SINDOOR, the rise of Aatmanirbhar innovation in national security, 14 May 2025 ↗“Whether in drone warfare, layered air defence, or electronic warfare, Operation SINDOOR marks a milestone in India's journey towards technological self-reliance in military operations.”
The same PIB note lists the air-defence systems used, legacy Pechora and OSA-AK with the indigenous Akash short-range SAM, which it says showed stellar performance.PIB backgrounder: Operation SINDOOR, the rise of Aatmanirbhar innovation in national security, 14 May 2025 ↗“Battle-proven AD (Air Defence) systems like the Pechora, OSA-AK and LLAD guns (Low-level air defence guns). Indigenous systems such as the Akash, which demonstrated stellar performance AKASH is a Short Range Surface to Air Missile system to protect vulnerable areas and vulnerable points from air attacks.”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2021, GS Paper III — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer· 225words · Minimalist IAS

The S-400 Triumf is Russia's long-range surface-to-air missile system; India contracted five squadrons in October 2018 to shield its western and northern fronts. Its edge is doing several jobs in one system.

What makes the S-400 technically superior

Layered reach: four missile types for different bands, the longest about 400 km, so one system covers short, medium and long-range threats.
Multi-role engagement: combat aircraft, cruise missiles, drones and tactical ballistic missiles, handled through a single network of radars, command posts and launchers.
Sensors: long-range surveillance and engagement radars track many targets at once.
Mobility: road-mobile launchers and radars redeploy fast, so they are hard to pre-empt.

System	Strength	Limit
S-400	Range plus multi-role mix	Thin combat record
Patriot	Widely fielded, proven	Shorter reach
THAAD	Ballistic-missile interception	Narrow role

The full answer goes on to cover

Testing the claim 'superior to any other system'

Read the full model answer (225 words) →

2020

GS Paper III 2020 · Q19

15 marks · 250 words

What are the determinants of left-wing extremism in Eastern part of India? What strategy should Government of India, civil administration and security forces adopt to counter the threat in the affected areas?

Approach · directive: “what / what strategy”

What it asks · Explain why left-wing extremism persists in eastern India (land, forest and livelihood grievances, governance gaps, terrain) and set out a coordinated strategy for the Centre, the civil administration and the forces.

It asks 2 things — answer each

Explain the determinants of left-wing extremism in eastern India
Set out the strategy that the Government of India, the civil administration and the security forces should adopt in the affected areas

Open with · Left-wing extremism (LWE) incidents, 1,936 at their 2010 peak, have since fallen to 374 in 2024 and affected districts from 126 to 38 (MHA); yet its core endures in the forested, mineral-rich tribal belt of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar and West Bengal, where the State arrived late and grievances found an armed outlet.

Cover

Determinants: land and forest alienation, displacement without rehabilitation, weak PESA 1996 and FRA 2006 enforcement; poverty and missing services; governance vacuum; forest terrain and extortion money.
CPI (Maoist), formed in 2004 by merging the People's War and the MCCI, is the main outfit, banned under UAPA (MHA).
Government of India: SAMADHAN (2017), SRE and Special Infrastructure schemes, Special Central Assistance of Rs 30 crore per most-affected district; 17,589 km roads sanctioned, 10,505 mobile towers planned (PIB 2025).
Civil administration: FRA titles, PESA gram sabhas, fair rehabilitation; 178 Eklavya schools, 48 ITIs and 61 skill centres already functioning; grievance redress.
Security forces: joint CAPF-State police operations, intelligence, fortified police stations, surrender and rehabilitation, strict respect for rights; goal of an LWE-free India by 31 March 2026.

Close with · Security creates the space; land and forest rights, roads, schools and responsive panchayats fill it, the path to the Government's declared goal of an LWE-free India by 31 March 2026.

Add value (verified)

MHA (PIB backgrounder, May 2025): LWE incidents fell from 1,936 in 2010 to 374 in 2024; most-affected districts get Rs 30 crore and districts of concern Rs 10 crore under Special Central Assistance.PIB backgrounder, Ministry of Home Affairs, May 2025: Left Wing Extremism ↗“given financial assistance of Rs. 30 crore and Rs. 10 crore, respectively, by the Government of India under a special scheme, Special Central Assistance (SCA), to fill the gaps in public infrastructure. Apart from this, special projects are also provided for these districts as per the need. Incidents of violence by LWE which reached its highest level of 1936 in 2010 have reduced to 374 in 2024”
The same backgrounder: LWE-affected districts fell from 126 to 38 (April 2024); the six most-affected are Bijapur, Kanker, Narayanpur, Sukma, West Singhbhum and Gadchiroli; the Government aims to eliminate Naxalism by 31 March 2026.PIB backgrounder, Ministry of Home Affairs, May 2025: Left Wing Extremism ↗“The government of India is committed to completely eliminate Naxalism by 31st March 2026, since Naxalism is seen as the biggest obstacle in the development of remote areas and tribal villages, as it prevents education, healthcare, connectivity, banking, and postal services from reaching these villages. The number of LWE affected districts reduced from 126 to 90 in April 2018, 70 in July 2021 and further to 38 in April-2024.”
The same backgrounder: 17,589 km of roads sanctioned under the two LWE road schemes, 14,618 km built; 10,505 mobile towers planned (7,768 commissioned).PIB backgrounder, Ministry of Home Affairs, May 2025: Left Wing Extremism ↗“17,589 km of roads have been sanctioned under these two schemes. Of these, 14,618 km have been constructed. • Telecom Connectivity: 3 telecom projects, namely, Mobile Connectivity Project Phase-I & Phase-II, Provision of 4G mobile services in uncovered villages of Aspirational Districts and Saturation of 4G mobile services, are being implemented in LWE affected areas to improve telecom connectivity. A total of 10,505 mobile towers have been planned”
The same backgrounder: 48 ITIs, 61 Skill Development Centres and 178 Eklavya Model Residential Schools are functional in LWE-affected districts.PIB backgrounder, Ministry of Home Affairs, May 2025: Left Wing Extremism ↗“For Skill development 48 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and 61 Skill Development Centres (SDCs) have been made functional in LWE affected districts. For quality education in tribal blocks of LWE affected districts 178 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) have been made functional in LWE affected districts.”
MHA: in 2004 the People's War (Andhra Pradesh) and the Maoist Communist Centre of India (Bihar) merged to form the CPI (Maoist), the main LWE outfit, banned under the UAPA, 1967.Ministry of Home Affairs: Left Wing Extremism Division (Background) ↗“In a significant development in 2004, the People’s War (PW), then operating in Andhra Pradesh, and the Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCCI), then operating in Bihar and adjoining areas, merged to form the CPI (Maoist) Party. The CPI (Maoist) Party, is the major Left Wing Extremist outfit responsible for a majority of incidents of violence and killing of civilians and security forces”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2020, GS Paper III — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer· 377words · Minimalist IAS

Left-wing extremism (LWE) incidents, 1,936 at their 2010 peak, have since fallen to 374 in 2024 and affected districts from 126 to 38 (MHA, May 2025). Yet its core endures in the forested, mineral-rich tribal belt of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar and West Bengal, where the State arrived late and grievances found an armed outlet.

Determinants in eastern India

Land and forest alienation: displacement by mines, dams and industry with poor rehabilitation, tribal land lost to outsiders, and weak enforcement of PESA, 1996 and the Forest Rights Act, 2006.
Development deficit: poverty, thin schools, health care, roads and telecom, jobless youth, and exploitation by contractors and moneylenders.
Governance vacuum: absent or corrupt local administration and weak policing let the CPI (Maoist), formed in 2004 by merging the People's War and the MCCI, pose as a parallel authority.
Terrain and money: dense forest and hills straddling State borders give cover; extortion from mines and contractors funds the insurgency.

✏️ Map to sketch in the exam · Left-wing extremism in eastern India

Shade: Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal = LWE-affected eastern states
districts: Bijapur (Chhattisgarh), Kanker (Chhattisgarh), Narayanpur (Chhattisgarh), Sukma (Chhattisgarh), West Singhbhum (Jharkhand), Gadchiroli (Maharashtra) = most-affected districts (MHA 2025)

Draw on India's official outline (Survey of India boundary).

The full answer goes on to cover

Strategy for the Government of India
Strategy for the civil administration
Strategy for the security forces

Read the full model answer (377 words) →

GS Paper III 2020 · Q20

15 marks · 250 words

Analyze internal security threats and transborder crimes along Myanmar, Bangladesh and Pakistan borders including Line of Control (LoC). Also discuss the role played by various security forces in this regard.

Approach · directive: “analyse / discuss”

What it asks · Analyse the threats and crimes border by border (Pakistan and the LoC, Bangladesh, Myanmar), then explain which forces guard which frontier and how they cooperate.

It asks 2 things — answer each

Analyse the internal security threats and transborder crimes along the Pakistan border and the LoC, the Bangladesh border and the Myanmar border
Discuss the role played by the various security forces on these borders, and the way forward

Open with · India guards 3,323 km with Pakistan, including the Line of Control, 4,096.7 km with Bangladesh and 1,643 km with Myanmar (MHA); each frontier breeds its own mix of threats and crimes, and each is held under the principle of 'One Border, One Border Guarding Force'.

Cover

Pakistan and LoC: infiltration under cover of ceasefire violations; heroin, arms and fake currency through tunnels and drones; hawala financing terror.
Bangladesh: illegal migration, cattle, gold and drug smuggling, trafficking, fake currency across riverine, unfenced stretches.
Myanmar: insurgent sanctuaries (563 insurgents apprehended, 47 killed in 2015-18), Golden Triangle drugs, misuse of the 16-km Free Movement Regime, which MHA decided to scrap in February 2024.
Forces: BSF on the Pakistan and Bangladesh borders, Assam Rifles on Myanmar's, Army on the LoC; patrols, nakas, fencing, floodlighting, floating BOPs, CIBMS; IB, NIA, NCB, customs, State police; DGMO hotlines, flag meetings, ICPs.
Way forward: technology for unfenced and riverine gaps, anti-drone systems, manpower, clear command, Border Area Development Programme.

Close with · Borders are secured not by fences and forces alone but by the goodwill of the people who live on them: development, legal trade through integrated check posts and cooperation with neighbours turn a frontier from a vulnerability into a bridge.

Add value (verified)

MHA: India's border with Bangladesh is 4,096.70 km (West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram) and with Pakistan 3,323 km (Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, J&K, Ladakh).Ministry of Home Affairs: Border Management-I Division ↗“(i) Bangladesh - 4096.70 kms running along West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. (ii) Pakistan - 3323 kms running along Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh.”
MHA: the Myanmar border is 1,643 km, along Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram.Ministry of Home Affairs: Border Management-I Division ↗“(vi) Myanmar - 1643 kms running along Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram.”
MHA Annual Report 2023-24: deployment follows 'One Border, One Border Guarding Force'; the BSF holds the Bangladesh and Pakistan borders.Ministry of Home Affairs, Annual Report 2023-24, Chapter 3: Border Management ↗“3.5 Deployment of forces along the borders is based on the principle of One ' Border, One Border Guarding Force (OBOBGF)'. Accordingly, domination of each border has been entrusted to a particular Border Guarding Force (BGF) as under: - 28 Name of Border Name of BGF India-Bangladesh and India-Pakistan Borders Border Security Force (BSF)”
MHA (Lok Sabha, January 2019): the Myanmar border is open with a 16-km Free Movement Regime; 563 insurgents apprehended and 47 killed there in 2015-18; Assam Rifles deployed; Pakistan and Bangladesh borders fenced where feasible, with riverine gaps covered by technology and floating BOPs.PIB, Ministry of Home Affairs, 8 January 2019: Infiltration of Terrorists (Lok Sabha reply) ↗“Indo-Myanmar border is an open border with free movement regime (FMR) within 16 kms on both sides of the border. 563 insurgents have been apprehended and 47 insurgents have been killed along the Indo-Myanmar Border during the years 2015 to 2018. Assam Rifles (AR) has been deployed along this border to monitor and check infiltration across the border.”
MHA decided on 8 February 2024 to scrap the Free Movement Regime with Myanmar for internal security and to maintain the demographic structure of the North Eastern States.PIB, Ministry of Home Affairs, 8 February 2024: MHA decides to scrap Free Movement Regime (FMR) between India and Myanmar ↗“Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has decided to scrap the Free Movement Regime (FMR) between India and Myanmar to ensure the internal security of the country and to maintain the demographic structure of India’s North Eastern States bordering Myanmar.”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2020, GS Paper III — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer· 373words · Minimalist IAS

India guards 3,323 km with Pakistan, including the Line of Control, 4,096.7 km with Bangladesh and 1,643 km with Myanmar (MHA). Each frontier breeds its own mix of threats and crimes, and each is held under the principle of 'One Border, One Border Guarding Force'.

Pakistan border and the LoC: terror and narcotics

Infiltration under fire: terrorists cross the LoC under cover of ceasefire violations that keep the Army's counter-infiltration grid under pressure.
Narco-terror economy: heroin, arms and fake currency moved through tunnels and dropped by drones over the Punjab border; hawala launders the proceeds.

The full answer goes on to cover

Bangladesh border: migration and smuggling
Myanmar border: insurgency and drugs
Role of the security forces
Way forward

With 1 map you can reproduce in the exam.

Read the full model answer (373 words) →

2019

GS Paper III 2019 · Q19

15 marks · 250 words

Indian Government has recently strengthened the anti-terrorism laws by amending the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967 and the NIA Act. Analyze the changes in the context of prevailing security environment while discussing the scope and reasons for opposing the UAPA by human rights organizations.

Approach · directive: “analyse / discuss”

What it asks · Set out what the 2019 amendments to the UAPA and the NIA Act changed, why the Government sought them given the security environment, and why human-rights groups oppose the UAPA.

It asks 2 things — answer each

Analyse the 2019 changes to the UAPA and the NIA Act in the context of the prevailing security environment
Discuss the scope of and reasons for human-rights organisations' opposition to the UAPA

Open with · Weeks after the 2019 amendment the Centre named Masood Azhar, Hafiz Saeed, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and Dawood Ibrahim as terrorists under Schedule 4 of the UAPA, reasoning that when organisations were banned their leaders simply changed names; the amendments gave the State that tool and reopened the debate on liberty.

Cover

UAPA changes: individuals can be designated (Schedule 4) with de-notification via the Government and a Review Committee; NIA Inspectors investigate; NIA chief approves attachment.
NIA Act: schedule adds human trafficking, counterfeit currency, prohibited arms, cyber-terrorism and explosives offences, and offences abroad against Indians.
Security case: banned groups reappear under new names, lone online-radicalised actors, and the UN's listing of Masood Azhar in May 2019 with no Indian equivalent.
Opposition: executive designation without trial; vague terms risking Articles 14, 19 and 21; Section 43D(5) read strictly in Watali (2019); cases up to 1,005 (2022).
Federal concern: NIA's expanded reach cuts into States' police powers.
Way forward: K.A. Najeeb (2021) lets constitutional courts grant bail where custody breaches Article 21; time-bound trials, reasoned designations, periodic review.

Close with · A law that can name a Masood Azhar must not jail a dissenter for years without trial; the amendments are legitimate only as far as the Najeeb principle, fair and speedy trial as the touchstone of stringent bail provisions, governs their use.

Add value (verified)

MHA's note on the first designations under the amended UAPA: Masood Azhar, Hafiz Saeed, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and Dawood Ibrahim added to Schedule 4, because individuals simply changed names when their organisations were banned.Ministry of Home Affairs (PIB note), Sept 2019 — Declaration of certain individuals as terrorists under the UAPA ↗“Earlier when terrorist organizations were banned, the individuals associated with it simply changed names and continued to carry out terrorist activities.”
NCRB data in a Rajya Sabha reply: UAPA cases registered all-India were 796 (2020), 814 (2021) and 1,005 (2022).PIB (MHA), 31 Jul 2024 — Cases registered under UAPA (Rajya Sabha reply) ↗“TOTAL (ALL INDIA) 796 814 1005 This was stated by the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Nityanand Rai in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.”
In NIA v Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali (2019) the Supreme Court held that the 'degree of satisfaction' for a prima facie case under Section 43D(5) is 'lighter' under the UAPA than in other laws.Supreme Court Observer — Bail under UAPA: Court in Review (legal news and analysis) ↗“the Bench held that the ‘degree of satisfaction’ the Bench must have while determining if a prima facie case exists for bail is ‘lighter’ under the UAPA than in other”
Union of India v K.A. Najeeb (2021): the Supreme Court held that the constitutionality of stringent bail provisions rests on the touchstone of fair and speedy trial, so constitutional courts may grant bail for violation of Part III rights.Oxford Human Rights Hub (University of Oxford), 18 Jun 2021 — The Supreme Court of India reads Article 21 protection into the stringent UAPA bail jurisprudence ↗“the court has aptly held, in paragraph 13 , that the constitutionality of such stringent bail provisions could only be justified on the touchstone of fair and speedy trial to ensure the protection of innocent civilians.”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2019, GS Paper III — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer· 373words · Minimalist IAS

Weeks after the 2019 amendment, the Centre named Masood Azhar, Hafiz Saeed, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and Dawood Ibrahim as terrorists under Schedule 4 of the UAPA, reasoning that when organisations were banned their leaders simply changed names. The amendments gave the State that tool and reopened the debate on liberty.

What the 2019 amendments changed

Provision	Before 2019	After 2019
Terrorist designation	Only organisations	Individuals too (Schedule 4), with review
Property attachment in NIA cases	State police chief's approval	NIA Director-General's approval
NIA Act schedule	Core terror offences	Adds trafficking, counterfeit currency, cyber-terrorism; offences abroad

Investigation: NIA officers of Inspector rank may now investigate UAPA cases; a person named may seek de-notification from the Government and then a Review Committee.

The full answer goes on to cover

The security environment that drove them
Scope of and reasons for human-rights opposition
Way forward

Read the full model answer (373 words) →

2018

GS Paper III 2018 · Q10

10 marks · 150 words

Left Wing Extremism (LWE) is showing a downward trend, but still affects many parts of the country. Briefly explain the Government of India’s approach to counter the challenges posed by LWE.

Approach · directive: “briefly explain”

What it asks · Explain in brief the Government of India's multi-pronged approach to LWE: security, development, rights and entitlements, and community outreach.

It asks 2 things — answer each

Note the context: LWE declined from 126 affected districts in 2014 to 11 in 2025, and India became effectively free from LWE on 31 March 2026
Briefly explain the Government of India's multi-pronged approach: security, development, rights and entitlements, and outreach, with the remaining challenges

Open with · LWE-affected districts fell from 126 in 2014 to 11 in 2025 (MHA), and on 31 March 2026 India became effectively free from Left Wing Extremism (PIB); the approach behind this merits explanation.

Cover

Context: LWE-affected districts 126 (2014) to 11 (2025), most affected 36 to 3 (MHA, December 2025); India effectively free from LWE on 31 March 2026 (PIB, June 2026).
Policy frame: police is a State subject; National Policy and Action Plan 2015 joins security, development, rights and entitlements.
Security: CAPFs, Security Related Expenditure scheme, fortified police stations 66 to 586, helicopters, intelligence-sharing; SAMADHAN doctrine 2017.
Development: over 12,000 km roads, 8,500-plus mobile towers, Special Central Assistance to worst districts, Aspirational Districts.
Rights: Forest Rights Act 2006, PESA 1996, MGNREGA, PDS and schooling to remove grievances; surrender and rehabilitation, nearly 2,000 surrenders in 2025.
Challenges: land alienation and displacement, uneven governance, weak inter-State coordination; the vacuum must be filled by governance.

Close with · Security cleared the space; development and rights must now fill it, so the end of violence becomes Scheduled Area governance in letter and spirit, through PESA gram sabhas, forest titles and roads that stay open.

Add value (verified)

The Home Ministry describes the approach as integrated and holistic, addressing security and development while promoting good governance, under its National Policy and Action Plan to Address Left Wing Extremism.Annual Report 2023-24, Chapter 2 (Internal Security: Left Wing Extremism, para 2.18), Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India ↗“The Government of India (GoI) has adopted an integrated and holistic approach to deal with the LWE by addressing the areas of Security and Development and simultaneously promoting good governance.”
PIB (13 December 2025): LWE-affected districts fell from 126 (2014) to 11 (2025) and most-affected districts from 36 to 3; over 12,000 km of roads, 586 fortified police stations and 8,500-plus mobile towers were built.PIB backgrounder: From Red Corridor to Naxal-Free Bharat: A Decade of Decisive Gains (2014-2025), 13 December 2025 ↗“Naxal-affected districts slashed from 126 (2014) to only 11 (2025), with most-affected districts down from 36 to just 3, marking the near-collapse of the Red Corridor.”
The same PIB backgrounder lists over 12,000 km of roads, 586 fortified police stations, 361 new camps and 8,500-plus mobile towers, and notes fortified police stations rose from 66 until 2014 to 586.PIB backgrounder, 13 December 2025: key takeaways and infrastructure ↗“Over 12,000 km roads, 586 fortified police stations, 361 new camps, 8,500+ mobile towers operational”
PIB, December 2025: in 2025 nearly 2,000 Naxals surrendered, with the Government targeting a Naxal-free India by March 2026.PIB backgrounder, 13 December 2025: operational achievements 2025 ↗“800+ arrested, and nearly 2,000 surrendered, driving the highest-ever attrition and demonstrating irreversible momentum toward a Naxal-free India by March 2026.”
PIB's June 2026 backgrounder says that on 31 March 2026 the country 'became effectively free from Left-Wing Extremism' after nearly six decades of violence; this is the Government's own claim, not an independent audit.PIB backgrounder: Naxal-Free India: Integrated Strategies Defeated Left-Wing Extremism (June 2026) ↗“On 31 March 2026, India achieved a historic milestone. After nearly six decades of violence, the country became effectively free from Left-Wing Extremism.”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2018, GS Paper III — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer· 226words · Minimalist IAS

LWE-affected districts fell from 126 in 2014 to 11 in 2025 (PIB, December 2025); the target was a Naxal-free India by 31 March 2026, when PIB (June 2026) says the country "became effectively free from Left-Wing Extremism".

The full answer goes on to cover

The Government of India's approach to counter LWE
Remaining challenges

With 1 timeline you can reproduce in the exam.

Read the full model answer (226 words) →

2016

GS Paper III 2016 · Q19

12½ marks · 200 words

Border management is a complex task due to difficult terrain and hostile relations with some countries. Elucidate the challenges and strategies for effective border management.

Approach · directive: “elucidate”

What it asks · Explain the terrain, political and security challenges along India's land and coastal borders and the strategies that can make border management effective.

It asks 2 things — answer each

Elucidate: the challenges of border management arising from difficult terrain and hostile relations
Elucidate: the strategies for effective border management

Open with · Data: India guards 15,106.7 km of land border and an 11,098.81 km coastline (MHA), including 4,097 km with Bangladesh, 3,488 km with China and 3,323 km with Pakistan; each stretch pairs hard terrain with hard politics.

Cover

Terrain: high Himalayan heights, deserts, marshes and creeks, riverine and forested tracts make fencing, patrolling and surveillance difficult and costly.
Politics and disputes: unsettled boundaries such as the Line of Actual Control, hostile relations with some neighbours, and hostile actors using the border for infiltration.
Illegal movement: cross-border terrorism, smuggling of arms, drugs and fake currency, human trafficking, illegal migration and insurgent camps across the border, in some places an open border.
Institutional gaps: several forces and agencies with overlapping roles, gaps in coordination and intelligence sharing, thin infrastructure and manpower and slow work on roads and fences.
Strategies, physical: fencing, floodlighting, roads and border outposts, integrated check posts, and technology under an integrated border management system: sensors, radars, drones and cameras.
Strategies, institutional: clear force-to-border responsibility (BSF, ITBP, SSB, Assam Rifles, Coast Guard), joint intelligence, and specialised training for each terrain.
Strategies, people and diplomacy: development of border areas and villages to give locals a stake, dialogue and boundary settlement, such as the land boundary agreement with Bangladesh (1974 agreement, 2011 protocol, implemented in 2015).

Close with · A fence watches a line, a connected border village watches a region; CIBMS and ICPs with VVP and settled boundaries turn hostile borders into managed ones, in the spirit of SDG 16.a on institutions that prevent violence and combat terrorism and crime.

Add value (verified)

MHA: India's land borders run 4,096.7 km with Bangladesh, 3,323 km with Pakistan and 3,488 km with China, the three longest stretches; useful to open a border-management answer with precise lengths.Ministry of Home Affairs, Border Management-I Division ↗“Bangladesh - 4096.70 kms running along West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. (ii) Pakistan - 3323 kms running along Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh. (iii) China - 3488 kms”
MHA: 15,106.7 km of land border and 11,098.81 km of coastline; the Department of Border Management was created on the Group of Ministers' recommendations.MHA: Border Management-II Division page ↗“India has 15106.7 Km of land border and a coastline of 11098.81 Km including island territories. In pursuance of Group of Ministers recommendations on Border Management, the Department of Border Management was created in the Ministry of Home Affairs”
MHA's border infrastructure scheme: Rs 13,020 crore for 2021-22 to 2025-26 for fences, roads, floodlights, BOPs, helipads and foot tracks.MHA: Border Management-I Division page, infrastructure scheme ↗“The approved cost of the scheme during the period 2021-22 to 2025-26 is Rs. 13,020 crore. The scheme aims to enhance the security along the borders of the country and involve implementing a number of projects for the development of border infrastructure such as Border Fence, Border Roads, Border Floodlights, Border Out Posts (BOPs), Helipads and foot tracks”
CIBMS defined by MHA: integration of manpower, sensors, networks, intelligence and command-control on the Pakistan and Bangladesh borders.MHA: Border Management-I Division page, CIBMS ↗“a Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS) has been conceptualized which is the integration of manpower, sensors, networks, intelligence and command control solutions.”
MHA BM-II: Vibrant Village Programme (VVP-I and VVP-II) and Integrated Check Posts through the Land Ports Authority of India.MHA: Border Management-II Division page, VVP and ICPs ↗“initiatives such as the Vibrant Village Programme (VVP-I and VVP-II) and establishment and maintenance of Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) through the Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI).”
SDG 16.a wording: strengthen national institutions to prevent violence and combat terrorism and crime.UN SDG 16 targets (sdgs.un.org) ↗“Target 16.a Strengthen relevant national institutions, including through international cooperation, for building capacity at all levels, in particular in developing countries, to prevent violence and combat terrorism and crime”

Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2016, GS Paper III — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·

Model answer· 298words · Minimalist IAS

India guards 15,106.7 km of land border and an 11,098.81 km coastline (MHA), including 4,097 km with Bangladesh, 3,488 km with China and 3,323 km with Pakistan; each stretch pairs hard terrain with hard politics.

Challenges of difficult terrain and hostile relations

Terrain: Himalayan heights, the Thar desert, the Rann's creeks and forested north-eastern hills make fencing and patrolling costly and porous.
Hostile and unsettled lines: infiltration on the Line of Control, an undemarcated Line of Actual Control, porous Bangladesh and Myanmar borders.
Cross-border crime: terrorism, arms, drugs from the Golden Crescent and Golden Triangle, fake currency, cattle and human trafficking.
Institutional gaps: overlapping forces, weak intelligence sharing, thin roads and slow land acquisition for fences.

Border	Force	Main challenge
Pakistan	BSF	Infiltration, drugs
Bangladesh	BSF	Riverine gaps, cattle and human trafficking
China	ITBP	Undemarcated LAC, high altitude

The full answer goes on to cover

Strategies for effective border management

Read the full model answer (298 words) →

The Syllabus X-Ray of this syllabus line

2 of its 7 sub-topics are High

0 Core · 2 High · 2 Steady · 3 Rare

HighMandates in action: maritime security & LWE · 5 questions
HighIntelligence & investigation agencies · 3 questions

The X-Ray ranks all 928 sub-topics of the UPSC syllabus by what UPSC has asked since 2016. The 78 Mains Core sub-topics are behind 66% of Mains questions.

See the whole X-Ray →

The same ground in Prelims

Defence, nuclear & energy technologyPrelims PYQs
Security, defence & exercisesPrelims PYQs

From the UPSC Blog

More of GS Paper III

Quick answers

How many UPSC Mains questions have been asked on Security forces & agencies?

11 questions in GS Paper III from 2016 to 2026, asked in 2 of 11 years, most recently in 2023. Each is above, newest first, with the demand, an approach and a model answer.

What does the UPSC syllabus say on Security forces & agencies?

The GS Paper III syllabus line reads, in UPSC's words: “Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate.”

Where are the GS Paper III PYQs topic-wise as a free PDF?

The GS Paper III syllabus-wise PDF — every question since 2016 under its syllabus line, with an approach — is a free download on the Vault's downloads page (one sign-up, no cost).

Free · Daily Updates Join Minimalist IAS on Telegram or WhatsApp A PYQ every morning, the Daily Brief and the Sunday quiz. Free, no sign-up. Join Telegram Join on WhatsApp →