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 2011: 24 questions
All years →- Q16 · Budget, taxation & public financeThe authorization for the withdrawal of funds from the Consolidated Fund of India must come from:…
- Q17 · Budget, taxation & public financeAll revenues received by the Union Government by way of taxes and other receipts for the conduct of Government business are credited to the:…
- Q19 · Budget, taxation & public financeWhat is the difference between “vote-on-account” and “interim budget”? The provision of a “vote-on-account” is used by a regular Government, while an “interim budget” is a provision used by a caretake…
- Q23 · Poverty, inclusion, demographics & social sectorIndia is home to lakhs of persons with disabilities. What are the benefits available to them under the law? Free schooling till the age of 18 years in government-run schools. Preferential allotment of…
- Q24 · National income, growth & inflationIn the context of Indian economy, consider the following statements: The growth rate of GDP has steadily increased in the last five years. The growth rate in per capita income has steadily increased i…
- Q25 · National income, growth & inflationIndia has experienced persistent and high food inflation in the recent past. What could be the reasons? Due to a gradual switchover to the cultivation of commercial crops, the area under cultivation o…
- Q26 · Budget, taxation & public financeWhy is the Government of India disinvesting its equity in the Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs)? The Government intends to use the revenue earned from the disinvestment mainly to pay back the …
- Q27 · Industry, infrastructure & investmentWith what purpose is the Government of India promoting the concept of “Mega Food Parks”? To provide good infrastructure facilities for the food processing industry. To increase the processing of peris…
- Q28 · Agriculture economy, MSP & food securityIn India, which of the following have the highest share in the disbursement of credit to agriculture and allied activities?…
- Q29 · Poverty, inclusion, demographics & social sectorWhich of the following can aid in furthering the Government’s objective of inclusive growth? Promoting Self-Help Groups Promoting Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. Implementing the Right to Educati…
- Q30 · Poverty, inclusion, demographics & social sectorMicrofinance is the provision of financial services to people of low-income groups. This includes both the consumers and the self-employed. The service/services rendered under microfinance is/are: Cre…
- Q31 · Budget, taxation & public financeWhich one of the following is not a feature of “Value Added Tax”?…
- Q32 · External sector & international economic bodiesIn terms of economy, the visit by foreign nationals to witness the XIX common Wealth Games in India amounted to:…
- Q33 · External sector & international economic bodiesConsider the following actions which the government can take: Devaluing the domestic currency. Reduction in the export subsidy. Adopting suitable policies which attract greater FDI and more funds from…
- Q35 · External sector & international economic bodiesBoth Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Foreign Institutional Investor (FII) are related to investment in a country. Which one of the following statements best represents an important difference betw…
- Q37 · National income, growth & inflationEconomic growth is usually coupled with:…
- Q38 · Money, banking & monetary policyThe lowering of Bank Rate by the Reserve Bank of India leads to:…
- Q39 · Budget, taxation & public financeWhich one of the following statements appropriately describes the “fiscal stimulus”?…
- Q40 · National income, growth & inflationA rapid increase in the rate of inflation is sometimes attributed to the “base effect”. What is “base effect”?…
- Q41 · Poverty, inclusion, demographics & social sectorIndia is regarded as a country with a “Demographic Dividend”. This is due to:…
- Q42 · National income, growth & inflationA “closed economy” is an economy in which…
- Q63 · Agriculture economy, MSP & food securityWith reference to micro-irrigation, which of the following statements is/are correct? Fertilizer/nutrient loss can be reduced. It is the only means of irrigation in dryland farming. In some areas of f…
- Q94 · Poverty, inclusion, demographics & social sectorAmong the following who are eligible to benefit from the “Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act”?…
- Q95 · Industry, infrastructure & investmentIn the Union Budget 2011-12, a full exemption from the basic customs duty was extended to the bio-based asphalt (bioasphalt). What is the importance of this material? Unlike traditional asphalt, bio- …
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 & investmentविझिनजाम अंतर्राष्ट्रीय समुद्री पत्तन, भारत के समुद्री व्यापार और संभार तंत्र (लॉजिस्टिक्स) नीति में संरचनात्मक परिवर्तन को किस रूप/किन रूपों में निरूपित करता है ?…
- 2026 · Q28 · Agriculture economy, MSP & food securityराष्ट्रीय सतत कृषि मिशन (NMSA) के अंतर्गत वर्षा सिंचित क्षेत्र विकास (RAD) पहल का/के उद्देश्य निम्नलिखित में से कौन-सा/कौन-से है/हैं ?…
- 2026 · Q29 · Industry, infrastructure & investmentवैश्विक वस्त्र उद्योग में एरी रेशम (सिल्क) के लिए ओको-टेक्स प्रमाणन (Oeko-Tex certification) प्राप्त करने का सर्वाधिक महत्त्वपूर्ण तात्पर्य निम्नलिखित में से कौन-सा/कौन-स…
- 2026 · Q56 · Poverty, inclusion, demographics & social sectorभारत में दिव्यांगजनों के संबंध में निम्नलिखित में से कौन-सा/कौन-से कथन सही है/हैं ?…
- 2026 · Q83 · Industry, infrastructure & investmentभारत में सेमीकंडक्टर संयंत्रों और उनके अवस्थानों के निम्नलिखित युग्मों में से कौन-सा सही सुमेलित नहीं है ?…
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.
