UPSC Essentials | Mains answer practice — GS 3 : Questions on revision of India’s GDP series and counter-insurgency (Week 144)

QUESTION 2

Discuss the strategy of “clear, hold and develop” in counter-insurgency operations and assess its role in reducing Left-Wing Extremism in India.

QUESTION 1: Discuss the significance of rebasing a country’s GDP series. How did the revision of India’s GDP base year to 2022-23 affect the nominal GDP figures and growth estimates?

Relevance: This question is relevant under GS-3 (Indian Economy) as GDP measurement directly affects fiscal deficit, debt-to-GDP ratio, and macroeconomic stability analysis. It tests conceptual clarity on national income accounting and statistical revisions. It also connects to budgeting, fiscal consolidation targets, and India’s growth trajectory.

Note: This is not a model UPSC answer. It only provides you with a thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation’s (MoSPI) revamp of the GDP data has thrown up several interesting changes from what we previously thought of the Indian economy, chief among them being that growth in 2023-24 is now not as high as estimated earlier (9.2% in the old series, 7.2% in the new).

— The new series with 2022-23 as the base year for prices has led to a reduction in the GDP in nominal terms by 3-4% in 2025-26, as well as in the previous three years. This is because of changes in the sources of data used to compile the GDP, as well as the methods.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer:

— Globally, revisions have changed GDPs by a far greater magnitude. Just take the example of Nigeria. In 2024, the African nation’s economy was the 58th largest in the world. But a rebasing exercise in July 2025 – which changed the base year to 2019 from 2010 – led to Nigeria’s nominal GDP in 2024 being re-estimated at $243 billion as it added more than $50 billion, or roughly 30% of its GDP, in 2024.

— The new series of GDP estimates incorporates major revisions to properly reflect the economy’s development over time. The compilation is based on Benchmark-Indicator approach, which involves extrapolating estimates from the previous fiscal year using pertinent indicators that indicate the performance of various economic and institutional sectors.

— The base year is revised on a regular basis to account for fundamental changes in the economy and to improve the accuracy of economic forecasts. Such updates enable methodological modifications and the incorporation of more comprehensive and dependable data sources.

— India’s economy has changed dramatically over the last decade, with the growth of renewable energy and digital services, as well as shifts in consumption and investment patterns. Rebasing allows GDP and associated indexes to better reflect the impact of developing sectors, price movements, and technological and productivity gains.

— Real-time systems like e-Vahan (car registrations), the Public Financial Management System (PFMS), and the GST network now provide detailed economic insights that improve the accuracy of GDP calculations.

— The upgraded GDP series improves estimates by including numerous new and improved data sources. The enhancements reduce reliance on proxy measures and ensure that national income estimates better reflect the changing structure of the economy.

Conclusion:

— Calculations show nominal growth of 10% in 2026-27 will leave the ratio at 57.5% – well above the target of 55.6% set out by the finance ministry in the Budget.

(Source: New GDP series makes meeting fiscal targets, $4-trillion economy aim more difficult, pib.gov.in)

Points to Ponder

Why is periodic rebasing of GDP necessary in a dynamic economy?

What is the difference between real GDP and nominal GDP?

Related Previous Year Questions

Explain the difference between computing methodology of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) before the year 2015 and after the year 2015. (2021)

Define potential GDP and explain its determinants. What are the factors that have been inhibiting India from realizing its potential GDP? (2020)

QUESTION 2: Discuss the strategy of “clear, hold and develop” in counter-insurgency operations and assess its role in reducing Left-Wing Extremism in India.

Relevance: This question is relevant under GS-3 (Internal Security) as Left-Wing Extremism has been a major internal security challenge. It evaluates understanding of integrated security-development strategy and Centre–State coordination. It also links governance reforms and infrastructure expansion with sustainable peace in LWE-affected regions.

(Express Photo)

Note: This is not a model UPSC answer. It only provides you with a thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— The collapse of the CPI (Maoist) leadership, capped by the recent surrender of Politburo member Thippiri Tirupathi alias Devuji, is being read by many as the inevitable end of India’s longest-running communist insurgency.

— Over the past decade, the Maoist movement has been squeezed simultaneously from the top and bottom. Heavy attrition of the Central Committee and Politburo—through killings, arrests and high-profile surrenders. Tactical innovations such as district-level reserve forces, better intelligence networks and the expanded use of local police auxiliaries have eroded the guerrillas’ traditional advantages in terrain and surprise.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer:

— In 2006, the government identified Maoist violence as India’s single biggest internal security threat. A comprehensive strategy was later developed by the Ministry of Home Affairs. This involved a massive infusion of central armed police forces into Maoist-affected districts, funds for training and modernising state police, and a phased “clear, hold and develop” approach.

— Chhattisgarh’s approach for defeating the Maoist insurgency is ‘Clear Hold and Develop’. This plan needed security personnel to take control of an area to stabilise its security condition.

— Security forces were tasked with entering Maoist bastions and pushing guerrillas out, building camps to hold territory, and enabling civil administration to follow with roads, schools and hospitals.

— Over 15,000 km of roads have been built to take forces deep into forested interiors of central India, more than 9,000 mobile towers installed, and 656 police stations in Maoist areas fortified. Nearly 200 new security force camps have come up in core Maoist zones, particularly across Chhattisgarh and the Andhra–Odisha border region.

— Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-related incidents and resultant deaths have fallen by over four-fifths since 2010. The number of LWE-affected districts has shrunk from nearly 200 in the early 2000s to just 38 by the end of 2025. A February 2026 review by the Ministry of Home Affairs shows that only seven districts—five in Chhattisgarh, one in Jharkhand and one in Odisha—are now categorised as “LWE Affected”.

Conclusion:

— The next phase will test whether the Indian state can turn a hard-won security victory into durable legitimacy, and whether far-left politics can still find space in a more connected, yet deeply unequal, India.

(Source: How did India’s Maoist insurgency collapse, and can it rise again?)

Points to Ponder

How did improved infrastructure (roads, telecom, banking) weaken Maoist influence?

Can excessive militarisation alienate local tribal populations?

Related Previous Year Questions

The Government of India recently stated that Left Wing Extremism (LWE) will be eliminated by 2026. What do you understand by LWE and how are the people affected by it? What measures have been taken by the government to eliminate LWE? (2025)

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. (2022)

Previous Mains Answer Practice

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 142)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 143)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 142)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 141)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 142)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 143)

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