Revision summary
Indian cities depend on village food, water, labour, and land. A smart municipal core on a neglected hinterland produces slums, tankers, and waste belts. Rural–urban integration is already a fact of census towns and migration. A smart village means services and farm livelihoods, not a copy of city towers. City plans must include panchayats, or “smart” will not last.
Model answer
Flow diagram
flowchart TD V[Capable village] --> F[Food water labour] F --> C[Sustainable city] D[Distress village] --> S[Slum sprawl tanker conflict] S --> C I[Rurban planning portable welfare] --> V I --> C
Conclusion
- Plan city regions with panchayats, protect floodplains and mandi links, portable welfare for migrants, and jobs in the hinterland so the smart city is not a magnet for despair.
Smart cities cannot sustain themselves if villages stay unserviced, unpriced fairly, and used as labour and dump yards. Rural–urban integration is the condition of urban success in India. Make villages capable partners—food, water, work, and local government—or the smart city will choke on its own hinterland.
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Students also ask
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What are the economic significance of discovery of oil in Arctic Sea and its possible environmental consequences?
Next question in the 2015 paper (Q20). View answer →
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Can technology alone make a city smart?
Sensors help services. Without a living hinterland for food, water, and labour, the city still fails.
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Does every village need to become a city?
No. Villages need quality services and fair markets. Integration is partnership, not identical form.
PYQ trend
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More from this paper
Q1 · UPSC Mains 2015 · GS I · 12 marks
The ancient civilization in Indian sub continent differed from those of Egypt, Mesopotamia and Greece in that its culture and traditions have been preserved without breakdown to the present day. Comment.
Indian Heritage and Culture
India kept Sanskrit–Prakrit–vernacular, pilgrimage, and dharma as living practice. Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Greece lost their old public cults after conversion and empire. Harappan script is still unread, so the oldest urban layer is not a proven straight line. Islam, colonialism, and Partition remade custom even while older forms survived. The comment is fair as relative continuity, not as zero breakdown.
Q2 · UPSC Mains 2015 · GS I · 12 marks
Mesolithic rock cut architecture of India not only reflects the cultural life of the times but also a fine aesthetic sense comparable to modern painting. Critically evaluate this comment.
Indian Heritage and Culture
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Q3 · UPSC Mains 2015 · GS I · 12 marks
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The Freedom Struggle
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