UPSC Mains 2019 GS3 Q5 — Science and Technology
How was India benefitted from the contributions of Sir M. Visvesvaraya and Dr. M. S. Swaminathan in the fields of water engineering and agricultural science respectively? (Answer in 150 words)
Question Decoded — examiner's intent
- Directive verbs
- How was
- Scope keywords
- Sir M. VisvesvarayaDr. M. S. Swaminathanwater engineeringagricultural sciencebenefitted
- Implicit sub-parts
- The engineering contribution of Visvesvaraya to flood control, dam design, and industrialization (The Mysore Model).
- The scientific contribution of Swaminathan to the Green Revolution, crop genetics, and farmer-centric policy.
- The long-term impact of their combined legacies on India's self-reliance and modernization.
- Common pitfalls
- Writing a biography or listing birth dates and awards instead of focusing on 'benefits' to India.
- Failing to mention specific technologies like the 'automatic sluice gates' or 'High Yielding Varieties' (HYV) seeds.
- Focusing only on Swaminathan's Green Revolution role while ignoring his later focus on sustainable 'Evergreen Revolution'.
- Spending too much time on the introduction and exceeding the word limit before reaching the second personality.
- Dimensions required
- Technological InnovationSocio-economic DevelopmentFood SecurityInfrastructure and IndustrializationPolicy and Institutional Building
- Marks allocation hint
Allocate approximately 70-75 words for each personality. For Visvesvaraya, focus on the Krishnaraja Sagara Dam and flood management in Hyderabad. For Swaminathan, emphasize the transition from 'ship-to-mouth' to food surplus and the National Commission on Farmers.
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