UPSC Mains 2026 GS3 Q17: model answer
What are the challenges to solid waste management in India? Discuss the governmental policy framework on solid waste management. Discuss the success/failure cases of Delhi and Indore cities highlighting the salient feature of their solid waste management initiatives.
What the question wants
Challenges; policy framework (rules, missions); a comparison of Indore (success) and Delhi (struggle) with the specific features that explain the difference.
How to structure it
Intro: scale. Body: challenges; framework; Indore vs Delhi (table). Conclusion: lessons that transfer.
- 1Challenges
- 2Framework
- 3Indore vs Delhi (table)
Model answer
Indian cities generate over 1.5 lakh tonnes of solid waste a day. Swachh Bharat improved collection; processing lags, so dumps keep growing.
| Feature | Indore | Delhi |
|---|---|---|
| Segregation | Six streams at source | Low |
| Processing | Composting, bio-CNG plant | Waste-to-energy struggling with mixed waste |
| Legacy dumps | Devguradia cleared | Ghazipur, Bhalswa, Okhla still high |
| Citizens | Strong campaigns, user fees | Weak buy-in |
| Governance | Single municipal lead | Multiple agencies |
Challenges: little source segregation; burning, leaking legacy landfills; weak municipal finances; unrecognised waste pickers; rising plastic and e-waste.
Policy framework
- SWM Rules, 2016: wet-dry-hazardous segregation, bulk-generator duties, user fees, waste-picker integration; 2024 draft rules widen EPR.
- Plastic, e-waste and construction-waste rules.
- SBM-Urban 2.0 (2021): garbage-free cities, legacy dump remediation.
- GOBARdhan; Swachh Survekshan rankings.
Indore: success
- Door-to-door collection in compartmented vehicles; six-stream segregation.
- Decentralised composting; a bio-CNG plant fuelling city buses.
- The Devguradia dump cleared into green space.
- Citizen campaigns and user fees; top of Swachh Survekshan for years.
Delhi: largely failing
- Ghazipur, Bhalswa and Okhla landfills tower like hills; a Ghazipur slide killed two in 2017, and fires recur.
- Low segregation; waste-to-energy plants choke on wet mixed waste; split agency responsibility.
- Biomining is slow.
Smaller cities such as Ambikapur (Chhattisgarh), where women's SHGs run segregation centres, show the Indore model does not need Indore's budget.
Lesson: segregation and citizen buy-in matter more than costly plants. Delhi shows the price of skipping that step.
Keywords, cases and data to drop in
SWM Rules 2016 source segregation bulk generators EPR SBM-U 2.0 (2021) garbage-free cities legacy waste biomining Swachh Survekshan Indore bio-CNG plant Ghazipur landfill collapse 2017 waste-to-energy
Where most answers lose marks
- Describing Indore and Delhi generally, without the specific features asked for.
- Leaving out the policy framework.
- Calling waste-to-energy a solution without noting mixed-waste problems.
Same theme in Prelims
Which of the following statements with regard to Green Hydrogen is/are correct ?
- 1. It is decarbonized hydrogen obtained from natural gas reforming combined with carbon capture and storage (CCS).
- 2. It is produced using electrolysis of water with electricity generated by renewable energy.
- 3. National Green Hydrogen Mission of India aims for abatement of nearly 50 MMT of annual greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
Select the answer using the code given below :
Answer (b) & explanation
Statements 2 and 3 are correct (b). Statement 2 is right: green hydrogen comes from splitting water by electrolysis, using renewable power. Statement 3 is right: the National Green Hydrogen Mission (2023) targets 5 MMT of green hydrogen a year by 2030 and about 50 MMT of avoided CO₂-equivalent emissions each year. Statement 1 is wrong: hydrogen from natural gas with carbon capture is blue hydrogen. So options (a), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice the colours: grey hydrogen from gas without capture (most hydrogen today), brown from coal, and pink from nuclear power. The mission's SIGHT programme supports electrolyser making. Uses include fertilisers, refineries, steel and shipping fuel.
1 says "decarbonized", which sounds green. Gas with CCS is blue.
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Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which of the following statements in relation to NIRANTAR (National Institute for Research and Application of Natural Resources to Transform, Adapt and Build Resilience), a platform of institutions under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, is/are correct ?
- 1. Ecosystem Survey and Analysis is a vertical under this platform, the lead institute of which is Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata.
- 2. Research and Management of Ecosystem Service is a vertical under this platform, the lead institute of which is Central Zoo Authority, New Delhi.
- 3. Capacity Development Support is a vertical under this platform, the lead institute of which is Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal.
Select the answer using the code given below :
Answer (b) & explanation
Statements 1 and 3 are correct (b). NIRANTAR groups the Environment Ministry's institutes into verticals. Statement 1 is right: Ecosystem Survey and Analysis is led by the Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata, with bodies like the FSI and ZSI. Statement 3 is right: Capacity Development Support is led by the Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal. Statement 2 is wrong: Research and Management of Ecosystem Service is led by ICFRE, Dehradun; the Central Zoo Authority is only a member. So options (a), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice the purpose: pooling institutes avoids duplicate work and links research to climate adaptation and resilience. Other Ministry bodies include the Wildlife Institute of India (Dehradun) and GBPNIHE for the Himalaya.
the Central Zoo Authority does sit in that vertical, but as a member, not the lead.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements :
- Statement I : Studies indicate that carbon dioxide emissions from cement industry account for more than 5% of global carbon emissions.
- Statement II : Silica-bearing clay is mixed with limestone while manufacturing cement.
- Statement III : Limestone is converted into lime during clinker production for cement manufacturing.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
Answer (b) & explanation
Both II and III are correct, but only III explains I (b). Statement I is right: cement gives about 7–8% of the world's CO₂. Statement II is right: silica-bearing clay is mixed with limestone to make cement, but that step releases no carbon. Statement III is right and is the reason: heating limestone (CaCO₃) in a kiln gives lime (CaO) and CO₂. This calcination step, plus the fuel burnt for the high heat, causes most of the emissions. So options (a), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice the fixes: blending in fly ash or slag, LC3 (limestone calcined clay cement), and carbon capture. India is the world's second-largest cement producer after China, and its carbon market covers cement.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Fresh examples from current affairs
Financial inclusion saturation campaign in 2.70 lakh panchayats and ULBs from 21 October
The Department of Financial Services will run a nationwide campaign from 21 October to 31 December 2026 to saturate financial inclusion schemes in 2.70 lakh gram panchayats and urban local bodies. Bank camps will enrol people in PMJJBY, PMSBY and APY, open Jan Dhan accounts, finish re-KYC and nominations, and spread awareness on digital frauds and unclaimed deposits.
UPSC angle: Prelims: scheme parameters of PMJJBY, PMSBY, APY, PMJDY. · Mains GS-III: inclusive growth and financial inclusion.
20 Oct 2026
Khet Bachao Abhiyan: Centre reviews 22 October to 30 November farm campaign with States
On 17 October 2026 Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan reviewed preparations for the Khet Bachao Abhiyan with agriculture ministers of 11 States and UTs. The campaign runs from 22 October to 30 November 2026. About 4,150 teams of Krishi Vigyan Kendra and ATMA staff, with over 12,000 scientists and officials, plan around 1.5 lakh meetings with farmers on soil health, crop residue, balanced fertiliser use and key schemes.
UPSC angle: Prelims: Khet Bachao Abhiyan dates, KVK, ATMA, Soil Health Card. · Mains GS-III: agricultural extension and sustainable farming.
17 Oct 2026
PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana at one year: Gaya, Nagaur and Umaria top the ranking
PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY) completed its first year on 11 October 2026. At a national conference in New Delhi the next day, Gaya, Nagaur and Umaria were ranked the best-performing districts. The scheme covers 100 lagging farm districts and pulls 36 Central schemes of 11 Ministries into one district plan.
UPSC angle: Prelims: PMDDKY facts, Khet Bachao Abhiyan, cropping intensity. · Mains GS-III: agricultural productivity, convergence, farm credit.
13 Oct 2026
Pulses Mission at one year: output 274 lakh tonnes, imports down 31%
The Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses, launched on 11 October 2025 with ₹11,440 crore till 2030-31, completed one year. Output rose to 274.09 lakh tonnes in 2025-26 and imports fell 31.52% in value. The aim is 350 lakh tonnes by 2030-31, backed by assured purchase of tur, urad and masoor.
UPSC angle: Prelims: 350 lakh tonne target, NAFED/NCCF 100% procurement, SATHI portal. · Mains GS-III: self-reliance in pulses, MSP and procurement, food processing.
11 Oct 2026Learn the concept
Question text as printed in the official UPSC question paper: https://www.upsc.gov.in/sites/default/files/QP-CSM-26-010926-GENERAL-STUDIES-PAPER-III.pdf The model answer is original Battle IAS work; use it to learn structure, not to memorise.