Green Growth and Energy Transition — How Indian Economic Service PYQ Topics Are Becoming More Relevant

A Different Kind of Growth Story

Not too long ago, India’s growth story was all about speed. The goal was simple — keep the GDP rising, build roads, expand factories, push exports. It was exciting, even inspiring, but also a little one-sided.

Somewhere in that rush, we started noticing cracks. The air got harder to breathe, summers grew longer, and the land didn’t seem to rest anymore. Growth, it turned out, had a cost.

That’s when the idea of green growth began to matter. It’s the simple thought that growth shouldn’t come at the planet’s expense. That we can build, produce, and prosper — but with a sense of care.

This shift in thinking hasn’t just changed policies or speeches. It’s also changed the kind of economics that students now need to understand. Even the Indian Economic Service (IES) exam has started reflecting it.

If you go through the Indian Economic Service PYQ papers from the past few years, the change is easy to spot. The questions that once revolved around deficits and inflation now talk about renewable energy, sustainability, and green finance.

That tells you something: this isn’t a passing trend — it’s the new language of economics in India.

What Green Growth Actually Means

“Green growth” sounds like one of those neat policy phrases, but it’s really quite straightforward. It means finding a way to grow without wrecking what supports that growth.

For India, it’s about ensuring that the next stage of development doesn’t repeat the mistakes of the past — that we don’t end up trading clean air and stable weather for a few more percentage points of GDP.

And we’re not just talking anymore; we’re acting.

• India has set itself the goal of reaching Net Zero by 2070.

• The National Green Hydrogen Mission is trying to build an entirely new energy industry.

• Recent Union Budgets have started putting serious money into renewables, electric vehicles, and green infrastructure.

These aren’t isolated moves. They’re the start of a long-term economic re-design.

How PYQs Reflect the Change

If you sit down with a bunch of old IES papers, the pattern is obvious.

Ten years ago, questions focused on fiscal policy and monetary tools. Now they ask:

• “What are the challenges in achieving sustainable growth in India?”

• “Discuss the role of renewable energy in shaping India’s long-term development.”

• “Evaluate the significance of climate finance for emerging economies.”

These are big, open questions — the kind that force you to think. They’re less about remembering a definition and more about connecting dots between theory and the real world.

The exam is slowly training students to think like economists who will work in the next few decades — in a world where every major policy decision will have a climate angle.

How It Fits into the IES Syllabus

Green growth doesn’t sit in one chapter of the syllabus. It’s spread throughout.

In Microeconomics, you’ll find it when studying externalities and market failures — the classic case where the cost of pollution isn’t built into the market price.

In Macroeconomics, it links to fiscal spending, employment, and growth models. Green investment is now seen as a growth engine, not just an environmental fix.

In Public Finance, the connections are everywhere — carbon taxes, green bonds, subsidy reforms, and budget allocations for sustainable projects.

In the Indian Economy paper, you’ll see it in everything from Make in India’s cleaner manufacturing goals to India’s international climate commitments.

So, preparing for green growth topics isn’t extra work. It’s part of understanding how India’s economy actually functions today.

India’s Policy Direction

If you follow recent policy moves, it’s easy to see how seriously India is taking this transition.

• The Union Budget 2024–25 introduced big-ticket spending for renewable energy corridors and battery storage.

• The RBI has begun analysing climate risk in its financial frameworks.

• NITI Aayog is working on policies to create “green jobs” and train workers for sustainable industries.

None of this feels experimental anymore. It’s mainstream policy.

And that’s why questions related to green growth in the IES exam make perfect sense. They’re not add-ons; they reflect how India is planning its future.

Energy Transition — The Heart of It All

Energy transition is really the backbone of green growth. It’s the slow, deliberate shift away from coal and oil toward renewables like solar, wind, and hydrogen.

For India, it’s an opportunity as much as a challenge.

• It can create millions of jobs.

• It can reduce our oil import bill.

• It can attract international investment into new technologies.

But transitions are never easy. Traditional sectors still employ large numbers of people. Infrastructure takes time to adapt. Technology can be expensive. Balancing these pressures is where economics meets policy in the most practical way possible.

If you can write about this complexity clearly, showing both sides of the equation, you’re already thinking like a policy economist.

How to Use PYQs the Smart Way

PYQs aren’t just old questions. They’re clues. They tell you how the exam — and the economy — are evolving.

A few tips:

1. Group questions by theme. See how often environment-related topics appear; the frequency says a lot.

2. Use fresh examples. Pull in current data from the Economic Survey or NITI Aayog reports.

3. Be direct. Don’t hide behind jargon. Explain your argument as if you’re writing for someone curious but not an economist.

4. Stay balanced. Mention both benefits and trade-offs; real economics lives in that middle ground.

Good writing in the IES exam isn’t about sounding perfect — it’s about sounding thoughtful.

Beyond Energy: The Circular Economy

Once we’ve made progress with renewable energy, the next big idea is the circular economy — a system that treats waste as a resource.

It’s a simple concept: reuse, recycle, repurpose. Build products that last longer and can be disassembled or reused instead of dumped.

India’s already moving in that direction through EV battery recycling, e-waste management, and sustainable packaging. It’s early days, but this shift could redefine how industries function.

Expect to see this theme appear more often in policy discussions — and soon, in IES papers.

The Bigger Picture

At its core, the Indian Economic Service exam doesn’t just test how much you know — it tests how you think.

And today, thinking like an economist means understanding that the environment isn’t separate from the economy; it isthe economy.

India’s growth is now about durability as much as speed. Green growth and energy transition aren’t side topics anymore; they’re the backbone of how development is being planned.

So, when you study a Indian Economic Service PYQ, look beyond the question. Ask what it says about where India is headed.

Because in the coming years, the real measure of success won’t be just growth in numbers — it’ll be growth that lasts, growth that includes, and growth that sustains.