UPSC Mains PYQs on Farm Subsidies, MSP and PDS (GS Paper 3)
Every UPSC Mains question on Farm Subsidies, MSP and PDS between 2013 and 2025 is listed below, newest year first, with the marks it carried. Filter by microtheme to see one idea across all the years.
By Team MaargX UPSC · UPSC Mains 2013-2025
Short answer: UPSC has asked 12 questions on Farm Subsidies, MSP and PDS (syllabus item 8 of GS Paper 3) between 2013 and 2025, worth 150 marks in all, about 1.2 questions a year. The most-asked microthemes are PDS (3), Agriculture Subsidy (3), Buffer stock & food security (2), Agriculture Vulnerability & Crop Insurance (1). The busiest year was 2017 (2 questions, 25 marks).
UPSC syllabus, GS Paper 3, item 8: Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and MSP; PDS (objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping, issues of buffer stocks & food security), Technology Missions
Find Questions by GS Paper, Syllabus Topic and Microtheme
Step 1 paper → Step 2 syllabus topic → Step 3 subject → Step 4 microtheme. Each step opens after the one before it.
Farm Subsidies, MSP and PDS: questions year-wise with marks
2024 1 question · 15 marks
-
Elucidate the importance of buffer stocks for stabilizing agricultural prices in India. What are the challenges associated with the storage of buffer stock? Discuss.
2023 1 question · 15 marks
-
What are the direct and indirect subsidies provided to farm sector in India? Discuss the issues raised by the World Trade Organization(WTO) in relation to agricultural subsidies.
2022 1 question · 10 marks
-
What are the major challenges of Public Distribution System (PDS) in India? How can it be made effective and transparent?
2021 1 question · 15 marks
-
What are the salient features of the National Food Security Act, 2013? How has the Food Security Bill helped in eliminating hunger and malnutrition in India?
2019 1 question · 15 marks
-
What are the reformative steps taken by the government to make food grain distribution system more effective?
2018 1 question · 10 marks
-
What do you mean by Minimum Support Price (MSP)? How will MSP rescue the farmers from the low income trap?
2017 2 questions · 25 marks
-
How do subsidies affect the cropping pattern, crop diversity and economy of farmers? What is the significance of crop insurance, minimum support price and food processing for small and marginal farmers?
-
Explain various types of revolutions, took place in Agriculture after Independence in India. How these revolutions have helped in poverty alleviation and food security in India?
2016 1 question · 12.5 marks
-
Given the vulnerability of Indian agriculture to vagaries of nature, discuss the need for crop insurance and bring out the salient features of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)
2015 1 question · 12.5 marks
-
In what way could replacement of price subsidy with Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) change the scenario of subsidies in India? Discuss.
2013 2 questions · 20 marks
-
What are the different types of agriculture subsidies given to farmers at the national and state levels? Critically analyze the agriculture subsidy regime with the reference to the distortions created by it.
-
Food security bill is expected to eliminate hunger and malnutrition in India. Critically discuss various apprehensions in its effective implementation along with the concerns it has generated in WTO.
No question matches these choices. Try another year or microtheme, or reset.
Farm Subsidies, MSP and PDS at a Glance
| Syllabus item | GS Paper 3, item 8 (Agriculture) |
|---|---|
| Questions asked | 12 (2013-2025), about 1.2 a year |
| Total marks | 150 marks |
| Last five years | 4 questions, 55 marks (2021-2025) |
| Usual weight | 15 marks (5 questions) |
| Directive words | Discuss (5), Explain (1), Analyse (1) |
| Busiest year | 2017 (2 questions, 25 marks) |
Year-Wise Summary
| Year | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | 15 marks |
| 2023 | 1 | 15 marks |
| 2022 | 1 | 10 marks |
| 2021 | 1 | 15 marks |
| 2019 | 1 | 15 marks |
| 2018 | 1 | 10 marks |
| 2017 | 2 | 25 marks |
| 2016 | 1 | 12.5 marks |
| 2015 | 1 | 12.5 marks |
| 2013 | 2 | 20 marks |
| Total | 12 | 150 marks |
Microthemes in Farm Subsidies, MSP and PDS
These are the ideas inside this topic, most asked first. Select one to see all its questions year-wise with marks.
- PDS 3 · 40 marks
- Agriculture Subsidy 3 · 37.5 marks
- Buffer stock & food security 2 · 25 marks
- Miscellaneous 1 · 15 marks
- Agriculture Vulnerability & Crop Insurance 1 · 12.5 marks
- MSP 1 · 10 marks
- Revolutions and Missions 1 · 10 marks
Other Topics in GS Paper 3
- 01. Indian Economy: Growth and Development 22 · 272.5 marks
- 02. Inclusive Growth 12 · 145 marks
- 03. Government Budgeting 8 · 97.5 marks
- 04. Major Crops and Cropping Patterns 12 · 157.5 marks
- 05. Irrigation 6 · 72.5 marks
- 06. Agricultural Storage, Transport and Marketing 5 · 57.5 marks
- 07. E-Technology for Farmers 4 · 50 marks
- 09. Animal Rearing 1 · 12.5 marks
- 10. Food Processing Industries 7 · 82.5 marks
- 11. Land Reforms 7 · 77.5 marks
- 12. Liberalisation and Industrial Policy 14 · 160 marks
- 13. Infrastructure and Investment Models 15 · 177.5 marks
- 14. Science and Technology in Everyday Life 14 · 147.5 marks
- 15. Indian Achievements and Indigenisation in S&T 5 · 57.5 marks
- 16. IT, Space, Robotics, Nano and Biotechnology, IPR 23 · 282.5 marks
- 17. Conservation, Pollution and EIA 32 · 395 marks
- 18. Disaster Management 16 · 205 marks
- 19. Development and Extremism 8 · 97.5 marks
- 20. External State and Non-State Actors 5 · 62.5 marks
- 21. Cyber Security, Media and Money-Laundering 16 · 190 marks
- 22. Border Areas and Organised Crime 20 · 242.5 marks
- 23. Security Forces and Agencies 4 · 57.5 marks
How to Use Mains PYQs Topic Wise
- Start with the microthemes. Open a topic and read its microtheme list. The ones with the most questions are the ideas UPSC returns to.
- Read the demand words. Note how questions begin: discuss, examine, critically analyse, comment. Each asks for a different answer structure.
- Write by marks. A 10-mark question needs a tight answer of about 150 words, and a 15-mark question about 250 words.
- Cover all years of a microtheme. Write the oldest and the latest question on the same microtheme, and see how the angle changed.
- Revise and rewrite. Revise the topic from the notes, and write the same question again after a week.
For the method in full, read the Mains answer writing strategy. The official papers are on our UPSC PYQs page.
Questions are shown as printed in the UPSC Civil Services (Main) General Studies papers of 2013-2025. The grouping into topics and microthemes is by Team MaargX UPSC. Check any wording against the official paper on upsc.gov.in.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many UPSC Mains questions have been asked on Farm Subsidies, MSP and PDS?
12 questions on Farm Subsidies, MSP and PDS appeared in UPSC Mains GS Paper 3 between 2013 and 2025, worth 150 marks in all. That is about 1.2 questions a year. Every one of them is listed on this page, year-wise with its marks.
Which Farm Subsidies, MSP and PDS microthemes does UPSC ask most often?
The most-asked microthemes in Farm Subsidies, MSP and PDS are PDS (3), Agriculture Subsidy (3), Buffer stock & food security (2), Agriculture Vulnerability & Crop Insurance (1). The number in brackets is how many questions each has had since 2013. Use the microtheme filter to see all of them together, year by year, with marks.
In which year was Farm Subsidies, MSP and PDS asked the most in UPSC Mains?
The busiest year for Farm Subsidies, MSP and PDS was 2017 (2 questions, 25 marks). The lightest was 2024 (1 questions, 15 marks). Treat these swings as noise: UPSC does not repeat a fixed pattern, so cover the whole topic.
How many marks do Farm Subsidies, MSP and PDS questions carry?
Of the 12 questions on Farm Subsidies, MSP and PDS, 5 of 15 marks, 2 of 12.5 marks, 5 of 10 marks. Plan your word limit by marks: 10-marker answers run to about 150 words and 15-marker answers to about 250 words.
What kind of questions does UPSC ask on Farm Subsidies, MSP and PDS?
The directive words in the 12 questions on Farm Subsidies, MSP and PDS are Discuss (5), Explain (1), Analyse (1). Match your answer to the word: discuss and examine want both sides with a conclusion, while comment and critically analyse want a reasoned stand.
Is Farm Subsidies, MSP and PDS important for UPSC Mains?
In the last five years (2021-2025) UPSC asked 4 questions on Farm Subsidies, MSP and PDS, worth 55 marks. In the first five years (2013-2017) it asked 6, worth 70 marks.
Which GS paper does Farm Subsidies, MSP and PDS belong to?
Farm Subsidies, MSP and PDS belongs to UPSC Mains GS Paper 3, titled Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management. The questions on this page are all from that paper.
How should I use these Farm Subsidies, MSP and PDS PYQs?
Read the microtheme list first, then pick one and write two or three answers in the time limit. Compare each with what the question demands (discuss, examine, critically analyse). Revise the topic from the Maarg Manthan notes and write the same question again after a week.
Official Sources
These are the primary sources behind this page. Rules, dates and papers can change, so confirm them on the official pages.
- UPSC: Previous Year Question Papers
- UPSC: Previous Year Question Papers (Archives)
- UPSC: Revised Syllabus and Scheme
- UPSC: Civil Services Examination Rules