UPSC Mains 2018 GS Paper 3 Q1: model answer
“Access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy is the sine qua non to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).” Comment on the progress made in India in this regard.
What the question wants
Comment on India's progress towards affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all, as a precondition for the SDGs.
How to structure it
Four words of SDG 7, one by one.
- Why energy is the base
- Access
- Affordability and reliability
- Sustainability and modern energy
- Gaps
How to think it through
SDG 7. Access: 100% village electrification April 2018; Saubhagya ~2.86 crore households; Ujjwala 10.3 crore LPG connections. Reliability: supply hours up; One Nation One Grid; peak met. Affordability: subsidised tariffs, LPG refills an issue. Sustainable: non-fossil 50% capacity 2025. Modern: smart meters, e-cooking. Gaps: refill rates, discom losses, energy intensity, clean cooking.
Model answer
On 28 April 2018, Leisang in Manipur became the last village in India to be connected to the grid. Electrifying every village was a milestone, but SDG 7 asks for much more than a wire.
Why energy comes first
- Health, education, jobs and gender equality all depend on light, clean cooking and power for work.
Access
- 100% village electrification (2018) and about 2.86 crore households connected under Saubhagya.
- PM Ujjwala Yojana: over 10 crore LPG connections for poor women.
Affordability and reliability
- Rural supply hours have risen to over 20 a day in most states.
- One Nation, One Grid since 2013.
- But LPG refills remain low among poor households, and discom losses push up tariffs.
Sustainable and modern
- Non-fossil sources reached 50% of installed capacity in June 2025.
- PM Surya Ghar for rooftop solar and smart meters under RDSS.
Gaps
- Coal still produces most electricity.
- Discom losses (AT&C) remain high in several states.
- Clean cooking is not universal.
- Energy intensity must keep falling as incomes rise.
Wires reach every village; the next goal is clean, round-the-clock power that people can afford.
Draw: Four boxes: affordable, reliable, sustainable, modern, with one Indian scheme in each.
Keywords, cases and data to drop in
SDG 7, Leisang 2018, Saubhagya 2.86 crore, Ujjwala 10 crore, One Nation One Grid, RDSS, smart meters, PM Surya Ghar, 50% non-fossil capacity.
Where most answers lose marks
- Only listing schemes. 'Comment on progress' needs gaps too.
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Question text as printed in the official UPSC Civil Services (Main) question paper. The model answer is original Battle IAS work; use it to learn structure, not to memorise.
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