UPSC Mains 2025 GS4 Q13 — Economic governance
India is an emerging economic power of the world as it has recently secured the status of fourth largest economy of the world as per IMF projection. However, it has been or misutilised. What specific measures would you recommend for ensuring accountability in this regard to stop leakages and gaining the status of third largest economy of the world in near future? (Answer in 150 words)
Question Decoded — examiner's intent
- Directive verbs
- recommend
- Scope keywords
- fourth largest economymisutilisedaccountabilitystop leakagesthird largest economy
- Implicit sub-parts
- Brief analysis of how resources are currently being misutilized or leaked in the economic system.
- Institutional and ethical measures to enforce accountability at the bureaucratic and political level.
- Technological and systemic interventions specifically aimed at plugging fiscal leakages.
- Linking accountability mechanisms to the macroeconomic goal of achieving the 'third largest economy' status.
- Common pitfalls
- Spending too many words celebrating India's 'fourth largest' status instead of addressing the 'misutilised' prompt.
- Providing a generic list of economic reforms (like GST or FDI) without focusing on the 'accountability' and 'ethics' aspect required for GS4.
- Failing to define what 'leakages' means in this context—ignoring corruption, administrative inefficiency, or subsidy diversion.
- Ignoring the forward-looking part of the question regarding the transition to the third largest economy.
- Dimensions required
- Ethical/GovernanceTechnological (FinTech/DBT)Administrative/InstitutionalLegal/RegulatoryFiscal/Economic
- Marks allocation hint
Spend 30 words acknowledging the economic milestone and identifying 2-3 specific areas of leakage. Devote 90 words to concrete accountability measures across technological, institutional, and ethical dimensions. Use the final 30 words to bridge these measures to the national goal of becoming the third largest economy.
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