2020 · GS Paper 3 · Q6 · 10 marks
How is science interwoven deeply with our lives? What are the striking changes in agriculture triggered off by the science-based technologies?
In short
Science runs through daily life in health, communication and disaster warning, and in agriculture it turned India from food-importing to food-secure. Foodgrain output rose from 51 million tonnes in 1950-51 to over 314 million tonnes in 2022.
Model answer
Ghissu Editorial · Verified 4 Oct 2026 · 286 words
Health
Vaccines and antibiotics lifted life expectancy from about 32 years in 1951 to about 70 (SRS 2016-20), and India was certified polio-free in 2014.
Communication and money
Smartphones, cheap data and UPI let a vegetable seller take digital payments and a student attend online classes.
Disaster safety
Satellite-based IMD forecasts cut deaths from about 10,000 in the 1999 Odisha cyclone to under 50 in Phailin (2013).
Scarcity to surplus
Borlaug's dwarf wheat and M.S. Swaminathan's work, with fertiliser and irrigation, ended dependence on PL-480 imports.
Biotech traits
Bt cotton covers most of the cotton area, and ICAR's genome-edited rice varieties (2025) promise higher yields and better stress tolerance.
Digital farming
Kisan e-Mitra has answered over 95 lakh farmer queries (PIB, 2025), and AI monsoon forecasts reached 3.88 crore farmers (PIB, 2025).
Ecological cost
The same technologies drained Punjab's aquifers and bred pink bollworm resistance to Bt cotton.
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Question from the official UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination 2020 paper. Answer written by Ghissu's engine and checked against our editorial standards. Found an error? Tell us and we correct it within 48 hours.