UPSC Mains 2025 GS1 Q5: model answer
What are non-farm primary activities? How are these activities related to physiographic features in India? Discuss with suitable examples.
What the question wants
Define non-farm primary activities and link each to the landform or physical setting that enables it, with Indian examples.
How to structure it
Intro: definition. Body: activity-by-activity link to relief (mining, fishing, forestry, quarrying, animal rearing). Conclusion.
- 1Activity-by-activity link to relief (mining, fishing, forestry, quarrying, animal rearing)
Model answer
Primary activities draw directly on nature. Non-farm primary activities exclude crop cultivation: mining, quarrying, fishing, forestry, gathering and animal rearing.
- Mining and plateaus: the old crystalline rocks of the Peninsular plateau hold coal (Damodar valley Gondwana basins), iron ore (Odisha–Jharkhand belt, Bellary), bauxite on laterite caps (Odisha, Chhattisgarh).
- Quarrying and hills: marble and sandstone from the Aravallis and Vindhyas (Makrana, Dholpur).
- Fishing and coasts: the wide continental shelf off Gujarat and Kerala supports marine fishing; Chilika and Vembanad lagoons and the Sundarbans support inland and brackish fisheries.
- Forestry and highlands: Western Ghats and North-East hills for timber, bamboo and minor forest produce; tendu leaves in central India.
- Pastoralism and mountains: Gaddis and Bakarwals follow transhumance in the Himalaya; camel and sheep rearing in the Thar.
- Salt making: flat, dry coasts and the Rann of Kutch.
Relief, rock type and climate together decide where each activity is possible. That is why planning should be region-specific.
Keywords, cases and data to drop in
non-farm primary Gondwana coal laterite bauxite continental shelf transhumance Gaddis Rann of Kutch salt minor forest produce
Where most answers lose marks
- Including agriculture, which the question excludes.
- Not linking each activity to a physiographic feature.
- Giving no Indian examples.
Fresh examples from current affairs
Domestic Tourism Expenditure Survey 2025-26: pilgrimage tops overnight trips
MoSPI released the Domestic Tourism Expenditure Survey, July 2025 to June 2026, on 23 September 2026. Pilgrimage and religious travel made up 48% of overnight trips over the last 365 days. Uttar Pradesh had the highest share of visitor-trips, 15.7%. Business trips had the highest average spend per trip, Rs. 5,949.
UPSC angle: Prelims: which agency runs DTES (NSO, MoSPI).
23 Sep 2026
56 critical and strategic mineral blocks auctioned so far
The Mines Ministry said on 23 June 2026 that recent auctions took critical and strategic mineral blocks successfully auctioned by the Centre to 56 out of 88 unique blocks (over 63%). The Seventh Tranche auctioned 10 blocks, a first for Gujarat, Uttarakhand and Telangana. Exploration Licence blocks auctioned reached 11, newly covering Arunachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha.
UPSC angle: Prelims: critical minerals list, auction powers.
23 Jun 2026
India–UK Critical Minerals Global Supply Chain Observatory launched
India's Mines Minister and the UK Foreign Secretary launched the India–UK Critical Minerals Global Supply Chain Observatory in New Delhi on 4 June 2026. Built by TEXMiN, IIT (ISM) Dhanbad and the University of Cambridge, it is a data platform to monitor global critical mineral supply chains and flag risks. It supports the National Critical Mineral Mission.
UPSC angle: Prelims: critical minerals partnerships.
4 Jun 2026
Coal production starts at Urtan and Dhirauli mines in MP
Coal production began at Urtan (Anuppur, MP) on 15 May 2026 and Dhirauli (Singrauli, MP) on 17 May 2026. Urtan (JMS Mining) is the first underground mine to start under commercial coal auctions. Dhirauli is allocated to Mahan Energen Limited. The Ministry frames both as boosts to domestic coal supply.
UPSC angle: Prelims: coalfields of MP.
19 May 2026Learn the concept
Question text as printed in the official UPSC question paper: https://www.upsc.gov.in/sites/default/files/GENERAL-STUDIES-PAPER%20I-QP-CSM-25-010925.pdf The model answer is original Battle IAS work; use it to learn structure, not to memorise.