UPSC Essentials brings to you its initiative for the practice of Mains answer writing. It covers essential topics of static and dynamic parts of the UPSC Civil Services syllabus covered under various GS papers. This answer-writing practice is designed to help you as a value addition to your UPSC CSE Mains. Attempt today’s answer writing on questions related to topics of GS-2 to check your progress. 🚨Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for August 2025. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com🚨 QUESTION 1 Discuss the impact of recent U.S. federal funding cuts and visa policy changes on Indian students pursuing higher education in the United States. QUESTION 2 Discuss the potential benefits of replacing imprisonment with administrative penalties in the Jan Vishwas 2.0 Bill for ease of doing business and judicial decongestion. General points on the structure of the answers Introduction — The introduction of the answer is essential and should be restricted to 3-5 lines. Remember, a one-liner is not a standard introduction. — It may consist of basic information by giving some definitions from the trusted source and authentic facts. Body — It is the central part of the answer and one should understand the demand of the question to provide rich content. — The answer must be preferably written as a mix of points and short paragraphs rather than using long paragraphs or just points. — Using facts from authentic government sources makes your answer more comprehensive. Analysis is important based on the demand of the question, but do not over analyse. — Underlining keywords gives you an edge over other candidates and enhances presentation of the answer. — Using flowcharts/tree-diagram in the answers saves much time and boosts your score. However, it should be used logically and only where it is required. Way forward/ conclusion — The ending of the answer should be on a positive note and it should have a forward-looking approach. However, if you feel that an important problem must be highlighted, you may add it in your conclusion. Try not to repeat any point from body or introduction. — You may use the findings of reports or surveys conducted at national and international levels, quotes etc. in your answers. Self Evaluation — It is the most important part of our Mains answer writing practice. UPSC Essentials will provide some guiding points or ideas as a thought process that will help you to evaluate your answers. THOUGHT PROCESS You may enrich your answers by some of the following points QUESTION 1: Discuss the impact of recent U.S. federal funding cuts and visa policy changes on Indian students pursuing higher education in the United States. Note: This is not a model answer. It only provides you with thought process which you may incorporate into the answers. Introduction: — At Stanford University in the US, one of the world’s premier educational institutes, hundreds of staff members have recently been laid off, labs are slowing down, and graduate students are left scrambling as funding streams dry up. — This is a product of a challenging fiscal environment shaped in large part by federal policy changes affecting higher education. At Harvard, the Trump administration’s decision to freeze more than $2 billion in long-term research grants has put a halt to work across a wide range of medical, engineering, and scientific fields. The action came in response to the rejection of White House demands for changes that the University argues infringes on its independence and constitutional rights and exceeds the administration’s lawful authority. Body: You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer: — For Indian students, who comprise one of the largest international student groups in the United States, the turmoil affects three crucial areas: funding, immigration, and potential job stability. — Visa monitoring has increased. This year, the US State Department revoked more than 6,000 student visas, with around 4,000 linked to alleged criminal offences and 200-300 attributed to "support for terrorism," often in conjunction with pro-Palestinian action. US immigration officials are already screening visa applicants' social media accounts for "anti-American" or "antisemitic" language, making each post a potential risk. — In numerous situations, people's Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) records were abruptly terminated, only to be reinstated by federal courts, even if no formal lawsuits had been filed. — In response to a State Department decision, consulates have delayed scheduling new appointments for F-1 visas, leaving many applicants stranded or forced to postpone their plans. Meanwhile, when interviews are permitted, candidates undergo greater scrutiny: they are frequently obliged to make their social media profiles public, and consular officers may interpret any privacy setting or post as suspicious. — The results of these initiatives are evident in the numbers. From March to May this year, the US issued 9,906 F-1 visas to Indian students, the lowest total since the pandemic and a 27% decrease from the previous year. During the same window in 2023, over 15,000 visas were issued. Conclusion: — When a student is on an F-1 visa, their legal ability to stay in the United States is based on one basic requirement: they must remain a full-time student with proper enrolment and financial support. For many Indian students, particularly at the graduate level, enrolment is directly related to research assistantships (RAs) or teaching assistantships (TAs), which are sponsored by federal research grants. — The H-1B process needs students to demonstrate that they have the necessary qualifications and a job offer in hand. If research labs and departments close, international students may have less possibilities to publish, obtain work experience in the United States, or secure high-profile internships, all of which help boost their H-1B applications. (Source: Fund cuts, visa scrutiny: What is happening in US varsities, how Indian students are affected) Points to Ponder Read about India-US relations Read about Indian diaspora in US Related Previous Year Questions Indian diaspora has scaled new heights in the West. Describe its economic and political benefits for India. (2023) ‘Indian diaspora has a decisive role to play in the politics and economy of America and European Countries’. Comment with examples. (2020) QUESTION 2: Discuss the potential benefits of replacing imprisonment with administrative penalties in the Jan Vishwas 2.0 Bill for ease of doing business and judicial decongestion. Note: This is not a model answer. It only provides you with thought process which you may incorporate into the answers. Introduction: — The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025, introduced in Lok Sabha last week, seeks to amend 16 Central Acts in order to decriminalise and rationalise certain offences and penalties. — This is the second Jan Vishwas legislation brought in by the government. The first, the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023, decriminalised 183 provisions in 42 central acts administered by 19 ministries The 2025 Bill expands this reform agenda to cover 16 Central Acts administered by 10 ministries/departments… to further enhance trust-based governance for ease of living and doing business Body: You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer: — A database put together by the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy contains 882 central laws, 370 of which have criminal provisions for 7,305 crimes. More than 75% of all crimes are defined under laws that regulate areas beyond core criminal justice, such as shipping, taxation, financial institutions, and municipal governance, Vidhi’s research found. — The Bill introduces concepts of “warning” and “improvement notice” for first-time offenders in 76 offences under 10 acts, including the MVA, the Apprentice Act, and the LMA. — For instance, a first time offender will be served an improvement notice for the use of non-standard weights and measures, an offence which currently carries a penalty of upto Rs 1 lakh. This will require the offender to rectify the non-compliance within a specified time, failing which they will be punishable with a fine. — The Bill, like its predecessor, removes imprisonment clauses for minor, technical or procedural defaults for a number of offences, and replaces them with penalties or warnings. For instance, it proposes a fine (between Rs 10,000 and Rs 10 lakh) instead of the existing three-month imprisonment for non-compliance with orders under the Electricity Act, 2023. — The Bill also proposes rationalisation of penalties. It proposes higher penalties for repeated offences through an automatic 10% increase in the penalty every three years. This is aimed at achieving “deterrence without legislative amendments”. Conclusion: — The goal of Jan Vishwas is to create a more business-friendly environment and promote ease of living by eliminating unnecessary legal hurdles and simplifying the regulatory landscape. (Source: Jan Vishwas 2.0: Why Centre’s Bill to amend 355 provisions across 16 laws matters) Points to Ponder Read about Jan Vishwas Act, 2023 (first part) Read about ease of doing business Related Previous Year Questions What are the aims and objects of the recently passed and enforced, The Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024? Whether University/State Education Board examinations are also covered under the Act? (2024) Explain the significance of the 101st Constitutional Amendment Act. To what extent does it reflect the accommodative spirit of federalism? (2023) Previous Mains Answer Practice UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 116) UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 117) UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 116) UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 115) UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 114) UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 115) Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.
