Prelims GS I
Prelims GS I · 276 questions · 2011–2026
Economy & social development: every Prelims question, by topic
UPSC syllabus: “Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.” Below, the topics inside it — most asked first — and how often each came up year by year.
Economy & social development in Prelims 2017: 21 questions
All years →- Q11 · Money, banking & monetary policyWhich of the following statements is/are correct regarding the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)? It decides the RBI's benchmark interest rates. It is a 12-member body including the Governor of RBI and …
- Q20 · Budget, taxation & public financeWith reference to the ‘Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions Act, 1988 (PBPT Act)’, consider the following statements: A property transaction is not treated as a benami transaction if the owner …
- Q27 · External sector & international economic bodiesThe term ‘Domestic Content Requirement’ is sometimes seen in the news with reference to…
- Q29 · Poverty, inclusion, demographics & social sectorWho among the following can join the National Pension System (NPS)?…
- Q32 · Industry, infrastructure & investmentConsider the following statements: The Standard Mark of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is mandatory for automotive tyres and tubes. AGMARK is a quality Certification Mark issued by the Food and Agri…
- Q33 · Agriculture economy, MSP & food securityWhat is/are the advantage/advantages of implementing the ‘National Agriculture Market’ scheme? It is a pan-India electronic trading portal for agricultural commodities. It provides the farmers access …
- Q34 · Industry, infrastructure & investmentWith reference to the ‘National Intellectual Property Rights Policy’, consider the following statements: It reiterates India’s commitment to the Doha Development Agenda and the TRIPS Agreement. Depart…
- Q39 · Industry, infrastructure & investmentWith reference to ‘Quality Council of India (QCI)’, consider the following statements: QCI was set up jointly by the Government of India and the Indian Industry. Chairman of QCI is appointed by the Pr…
- Q40 · Money, banking & monetary policyWhat is the purpose of setting up of Small Finance Banks (SFBs) in India? To supply credit to small business units To supply credit to small and marginal farmers To encourage young entrepreneurs to se…
- Q43 · Money, banking & monetary policyWhich of the following is a most likely consequence of implementing the ‘Unified Payments Interface (UPI)’?…
- Q55 · Industry, infrastructure & investmentWith reference to ‘National Investment and Infrastructure Fund’, which of the following statements is/are correct? It is an organ of NITI Aayog. It has a corpus of ₹ 4,00,000 crore at present.…
- Q56 · Industry, infrastructure & investmentThe Global Infrastructure Facility is a/an…
- Q61 · Poverty, inclusion, demographics & social sectorWith reference to ‘National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF)’, which of the statements given below is/are correct? Under NSQF, a learner can acquire the certification for competency only through …
- Q64 · Money, banking & monetary policyWhich of the following statements best describes the term ‘Scheme for Sustainable Structuring of Stressed Assets (S4A)’, recently seen in the news?…
- Q72 · Agriculture economy, MSP & food securityConsider the following statements: The nation-wide ‘Soil Health Card Scheme’ aims at expanding the cultivable area under irrigation. enabling the banks to assess the quantum of loans to be granted to …
- Q77 · External sector & international economic bodiesWhich of the following has/have occurred in India after its liberalization of economic policies in 1991? Share of agriculture in GDP increased enormously. Share of India’s exports in world trade incre…
- Q79 · Money, banking & monetary policyConsider the following statements: National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) helps in promoting the financial inclusion in the country. NPCI has launched RuPay, a card payment scheme.…
- Q81 · Budget, taxation & public financeWhat is/are the most likely advantages of implementing ‘Goods and Services Tax (GST)’? It will replace multiple taxes collected by multiple authorities and will thus create a single market in India. I…
- Q82 · External sector & international economic bodies‘Broad-based Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA)’ is sometimes seen in the news in the context of negotiations held between India and…
- Q83 · External sector & international economic bodiesConsider the following statements: India has ratified the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) of WTO. TFA is a part of WTO’s Bali Ministerial Package of 2013. TFA came into force in January 2016.…
- Q94 · Budget, taxation & public financeConsider the following statements: Tax revenue as a percent of GDP of India has steadily increased in the last decade. Fiscal deficit as a percent of GDP of India has steadily increased in the last de…
Economy & social development in UPSC Prelims at a glance
UPSC has asked 276 questions on Economy & social development in GS Paper I from 2011 to 2026 — about 17 a year, the most in 2011 (24). The most-asked topic is Money, banking & monetary policy (60 questions).
| Year | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Questions | 24 | 14 | 17 | 11 | 21 | 17 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 |
Counted from UPSC's own papers in the Vault, each question under its main subject · updated 8 Nov 2026.
- Money, banking & monetary policy60 questions · asked in 16 of 16 years
- Budget, taxation & public finance41 questions · asked in 15 of 16 years
- External sector & international economic bodies37 questions · asked in 15 of 16 years
- Poverty, inclusion, demographics & social sector32 questions · asked in 13 of 16 years
- Capital markets, insurance & financial instruments28 questions · asked in 11 of 16 years
- Agriculture economy, MSP & food security28 questions · asked in 10 of 16 years
- Industry, infrastructure & investment26 questions · asked in 12 of 16 years
- National income, growth & inflation24 questions · asked in 9 of 16 years
Latest questions
- 2026 · Q24 · Industry, infrastructure & investmentIn what way(s) does the Vizhinjam International Seaport represent a structural shift in India's maritime trade and logistics policy?…
- 2026 · Q28 · Agriculture economy, MSP & food securityWhich among the following is/are the objective(s) of the Rainfed Area Development (RAD) initiative under the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)?…
- 2026 · Q29 · Industry, infrastructure & investmentWhich of the following is/are the most significant implication(s) of obtaining Oeko-Tex certification for Eri Silk in the global textile industry?…
- 2026 · Q56 · Poverty, inclusion, demographics & social sectorWhich of the following statements with regard to the persons with disabilities in India is/are correct?…
- 2026 · Q83 · Industry, infrastructure & investmentWhich one of the following pairs of semiconductor plants in India and their locations is not correctly matched?…
The same ground in Mains
These official Mains syllabus lines cover Economy & social development. Prelims facts become Mains arguments.
- Economy: planning, growth & employment
- Inclusive growth
- Investment models
- Government budgeting
- International institutions
- Farm subsidies, MSP, PDS & food security
- Food processing
- Land reforms
- Liberalisation & industrial policy
- Infrastructure
- Welfare of vulnerable sections
- Health, education & human resources
- Poverty & hunger
Economy & social development PYQs as a PDF — free
All 48 PDFs →Every Economy & social development question from 2011 to 2026, topic-wise, with answers and explanations — 146 pages. Free; sign up once.
Economy & social development PYQs: quick answers
How many Economy & social development questions has UPSC asked in Prelims from 2011 to 2026?
276 questions in GS Paper I — about 17 a year, the most in 2011 (24). Every one is on this page, under its topic, with UPSC's answer and an explanation.
Which Economy & social development topic does UPSC ask most in Prelims?
Money, banking & monetary policy: 60 questions between 2011 and 2026, asked in 16 of 16 years. The topics are listed above, most asked first, each with its year-by-year trend.
Are the answers UPSC's official answer keys?
From 2016, yes: every answer is from UPSC's final answer key (2016–2025); for 2011–2015, where UPSC published no key online, each answer is worked out from official sources and reviewed independently; for 2026 UPSC has so far published a provisional key, and those answers are labelled. Explanations cite official sources — NCERT and government pages first.
Can I download the Economy & social development PYQs as a PDF?
Yes — a print-ready PDF of every Economy & social development question with answers and explanations (146 pages, 2.7 MB), free after a one-time sign-up, from the Vault's downloads page.
Counted from UPSC's own papers in the Vault; answers are UPSC's keys.
