PYQ Vault · Paper 2 · India & the UN System

“India has been the largest and consistent country contributing to the UN peacekeepers worldwide.” Examine India’s role in this perspective. (2017/10 marks)

How the answer moves

The flow snapshot — the routes in, the body, the counter-view and the routes out.

Flow snapshot — how the answer moves
Intro routes

Route 1 field is where India’s commitment shows most Nambiar “second to none” / Korea 1950 claim rests on two unequal legs

Route 2 founding member, non-permanent, punches above weight weigh the two halves: “largest” vs “consistent”

Body flow

consistency = sounder leg 2,90,000 personnel / 50+ missions / highest fatalities / every African operation Thakur: steady involvement operational success qualify “largest”: cumulative-largest over seven decades, not single-largest in current deployment

Counter-view

Bahadur: goodwill in UN circles ≠ influence power play driven by funding + permanent-member interests

Conclusion routes

Route 1 India reworking numbers into governance sustained Security Council + committee work, voice for TCCs 2025 UNTCC Conclave, Jaishankar: field-driven, tech-enabled mandates, peacekeeper safety convert field credibility into agenda-setting voice

Route 2 field credibility = moral standing + policy content of the reform case close the contribution–recognition gap by strategy, not merit alone

Model answer

Handwritten, in the form it would be written in the examination hall.

Handwritten model answer — UPSC PSIR 2017, India & the UN System