Writing the MPSC Essay: National and Maharashtra Themes — Practice

Question 1

How is the MPSC Essay paper structured?

Accepted Answer

Two sections of four topics each; the candidate writes one essay from each section, each carrying 125 marks, for 250 marks in three hours, in Marathi or English.

Question 2

How should you divide 90 minutes for one essay?

Accepted Answer

About 5 minutes to choose, 15 to plan, 65 to write and 5 to review.

Question 3

List the parts of a multidimensional essay frame.

Accepted Answer

Introduction with a concrete opening and thesis; meaning of the key terms; dimensions (social, economic, political, environmental, ethical, historical); levels (individual, society, state, world); counterview; way forward with actors; conclusion returning to the opening.

Question 4

Give three dated Maharashtra examples for an essay on women's empowerment.

Accepted Answer

Savitribai Phule's school for girls at Bhide Wada (1848); Maharashtra's State Policy for Women (1994), the first in India; and the reservation of half of local body seats for women (2011).

Question 5

Give three dated Maharashtra examples for an essay on inclusive growth.

Accepted Answer

The Employment Guarantee Act (1977), model for MGNREGA; Pravara, Asia's first cooperative sugar factory (1950); and Shahu Maharaj's reservation order (1902) as an early instrument of inclusion.

Question 6

Write an introduction for an essay on 'Cities are built by those they forget'.

Accepted Answer

Every morning, lakhs of construction workers, domestic helpers and vendors keep Mumbai running, and every evening many of them return to settlements without secure water or sanitation. In 2011, Maharashtra had about 1.18 crore people living in slums, the most of any state. The city depends on these workers yet rarely plans for them. This essay argues that a city that forgets its builders undermines its own future, and that inclusive planning is both fairer and wiser.

Question 7

Outline an essay on 'Development that leaves regions behind is not development'.

Accepted Answer

Introduction: Maharashtra produces about 14 per cent of India's GDP, yet districts such as Gadchiroli and Nandurbar have among the lowest incomes; thesis: development must be judged by its reach. Meaning: development as expanded capabilities, not only output. Dimensions: economic (investment concentrated in the Mumbai-Pune belt), social (malnutrition in Adivasi districts), political (the Nagpur Pact and Article 371(2)), environmental (mining in Gadchiroli), ethical (justice between regions). Counterview: growth must concentrate before it spreads. Answer: concentration without deliberate spread entrenches gaps. Way forward: taluka-level planning (Kelkar Committee), protected backlog funds, infrastructure such as the Samruddhi Mahamarg, skills and water for lagging regions, Gram Sabha consent for resource projects. Conclusion: return to the contrast between Mumbai and Gadchiroli, and a vision of a state where every region shares in growth.

Question 8

Write a conclusion for an essay on 'Water is Maharashtra's first development question'.

Accepted Answer

Maharashtra does not lack dams, plans or examples of success. What it has lacked is the discipline to distribute water fairly, use it frugally and store it in the ground as well as behind walls. If the villages of Ralegan Siddhi and Hiware Bazar could turn scarcity into security, so can the state. The day no train needs to carry water to Latur will be the day Maharashtra's development has answered its first question.

Practice — Writing the MPSC Essay: National and Maharashtra Themes

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