OCT 2018 (Main Test Series) - Comprehensive Test 1 Model Answers

OCT 2018 (Main Test Series) -
Comprehensive Test 1 Model Answers

1. Decline of Buddhism in the post-Gupta era was a complex process with multiple factors and
forces at work. Elaborate. (10 Marks, 150 Words)
Answer:
Buddhism encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and spiritual practices largely based on original
teachings of Buddha and resulting interpreted philosophies.
Decline of Buddhism in the post-Gupta era was a complex process because there was not a single but
multiple factor. Also, it was not a spontaneous, rather a gradual process. Decline was due to various
internal as well as external factors.
Multiple factors and forces responsible for its decline:
1. Corruptions in Buddhist Sanghas: In course of time, the Buddhist ‗Sangha‘ became corrupt. The
monks and followers came to be drawn towards luxury and enjoyment. They came to lead a life of
indiscipline. Their perverted life-style bring popular hatred.
2. Reform in Hinduism:
a) Hinduism, which focused on the worship of deities like Shiva and Vishnu, became more popular
among the common people while Buddhism, being focused on monastery life, got disconnected
from public life.
b) The rites and rituals of Hinduism were simplified. It also incorporated Buddhist principle of non-
violence and accepted Buddha as a Hindu incarnation.
3. Division among the Buddhists: Division into various splinter groups like ‗Hinayana‘, ‗Mahayana‘,
‗Vajrayana‘, ‗Tantrayana‘ and ‗Sahajayana‘ led Buddhism to lose its originality. Also the influence of
tantricism made people hate it. The simplicity of Buddhism was lost and it was becoming complex.
4. Use of Sanskrit Language: The simple and spoken Pali and Prakrit language was replaced by
complex Sanskrit language. So, few people were able to understand it.
5. Role of Hindu Preachers: Adi Shankaracharya revived and strengthened Hinduism. He defeated
Buddhist scholars in religious discourses in course of his tour of the whole of India.
6. Rifts in Buddhist Order: The decline of Buddhism came in the absence of dynamic preachers and
reformers. The earlier examples of Ananda, Sariputta and Maudgalayana became very rare.
7. Buddha Worship: Mahayana Buddhists started worshipping the image of the Buddha. This mode
of worship was a violation of the Buddhist principles of opposing complex rites and rituals of
Brahminical worship. This paradox led the people to believe that Buddhism is tending towards the
fold of Hinduism
8. Loss of Royal Patronage: No king, worthy of note, came forward to sponsor Buddhism after
Asoka, Kaniska and Harsavardhan.
9. Huna Invasion: Huna leaders like Toamana and Mihirakula opposed non-violence completely.
They killed the Buddhists residing in the north-western part of India. This frightened the Buddhists
of the region either to give up Buddhism or go into hiding.
10. Emergence of Rajputs: Kings of such dynasties as Bundela, Chahamana, Chauhan, Rathore etc.
were militant rulers and loved warfare. The Buddhists feared persecution from these rulers and fled
from India
OCT 2018 (Main Test Series) - Comprehensive Test 1 Model Answers 1

11. Islamic Invasion: Their invasions of India became regular and repeated from 712 A.D. onwards.
Such invasions forced the Buddhist monks to seek asylum and shelter in Nepal and Tibet.
12. Disintegration of central power: This fragmentation of power into feudal kingdoms was
detrimental for Buddhism, as royal support shifted towards other communities and Brahmins
developed a strong relationship with Indian states.
13. Economic factors: Buddhist monasteries with large land grants focused on non-material pursuits.
Loss in internal discipline in the sangha, and a failure to efficiently operate the land they owned,
resulted in losing the control of land revenue by them.
Thus, the decline of Buddhism in the post-Gupta era was a complex process with multiple factors and
forces at work.
2. What are the distinctive characteristics of Indian classical dances? Elaborate in detail on the
features of Sattriya dance. (10 Marks, 150 Words)
Answer:
The principle of Indian classical dances is derived from the Bharata Muni's famous work "Natya
Shastra". There are 8 Indian classical dances namely Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathakali,
Mohiniattam, Odissi, Manipuri, Kathak and Sattriya.
Distinctive characteristics of the Indian classical dances are:
1. They are governed by the basic rules and guidelines laid down in the Natya Shastra.
2. The Guru-Shisya parampara forms the basic core of these dance forms.
3. They are called as complete art as it encompasses other art forms too i.e. music, sculpture, poetry
and drama.
4. All these forms can be classified into two different dance categories viz. lasya and tandava. Strong
or ―masculine‖ tandava is related to the god Shiva‘s creative and destructive cosmic dance, while
graceful or ―feminine‖ lasya is said to have been created by Shiva‘s spouse, the goddess Parvati.
5. The Natyashastra gives four different styles of natya or stylised acting: (1) the graceful, (2) the
energetic, (3) the grand, and (4) the verbal.
6. Every dance consists of Mudra (poses) and Rasa. There are total 108 Mudras and 9 Rasas. The 9
rasas are sorrow, happiness, anger, fear, disgust, wonder, peace, courage and compassion.
7. An act in these dances is broken into 3 basic elements namely Nritta (basic dance steps), Natya
(dramatic representation) and Nritya (combination of Nritta and Natya).
8. They contain elements of all 4 vedas in the form of Natya veda:
a) Pathya (words) taken from Rigveda
b) Abhinya (gestures) taken from Yajurveda
c) Geet (music) from Samaveda
d) Rasa (emotions) from Atharveda

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9. The facial muscles, eyes, eyebrows, etc., are trained and developed as consistently as the body,
hands, and feet. Facial technique is central to the expression of the rasa mood.
Sattriya Dance: The Sattriya dance form was introduced in the 15th century A.D by the great
Vaishnava saint and reformer of Assam, Mahapurusha Sankaradeva as a powerful medium for
propagation of the Vaishnava faith. It derives its name from the Vaishnava monastries known as
Sattras. Features of the dance are:
1. It is a fusion of mainly two dance forms prevalent in Assam, viz. Ojapali and Devdasi.
2. The Sattriya dance form can be placed under 2 categories; Paurashik Bhangi, which is the
masculine style and ‗Stri Bhangi‘, which is the feminine style.
3. There are various musical instruments used in this dance, some of which include Khol (drum), Bahi
(flute), Violin, Tanpura, Harmonium and Shankha (Conch Shell). The songs composed by
Shankardeva known as Borgeets are sung to accompany dancing.
4. The one feature of this dance which stands out is the costume and the entire ensemble that looks
like a unification of various colours. Pat Silk and Muga Silk are the two kinds of sarees used by the
dancers.
5. A large red bindi on the forehead, dark kohled eyes stretched to form dramatic looking eyes, red or
coral coloured lips and flowers to adorn the hair are some of the basic embellishments used during
dancing.
6. A mix of Gold and Silver jewellery is used, which forms a head gear, waist belt, earrings and heavy
neckpieces.
7. The dance is generally performed in group by male monks (called as Bhokots) as part of the daily
rituals.
8. Sattriya dance tradition is governed by strictly laid down principles in respect of hastamudras,
footworks, aharyas, music etc.
9. It consists of two distinctly separate streams-the Gayan-Bhayanar Nach and the Kharmanar Nach.
10. The dance has devotional aspect and the Sattriya recitals narrates mythological stories of Vishnu.
Usha Rani Baishya, who is a popular Sattriya expert across Assam, has graced this age-old
dance technique in several shows which have also strengthened the popularity of this dance
style.
3. Write the differences between the approach of the moderates and the extremists. (10 Marks,
150 Words)
Answer:
Indian National congress was mainly founded by the moderates like Dada bhai Nourozi, Pherozshah
Mehta, Badruddin Taybji, Surendranath Banarjee etc. But with the gradual association of Bal
Ganagadhar Tilak, Madan Mohan Malviya, Lala Lajpat Rai and Bipin Chandra Pal a sort of different
faction, termed as extremist started taking shape inside the Congress. This group dominated the
Congress platform in later years.
Their approaches had many dissimilarities and sometimes they were found to be at loggerheads.
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Moderates Extremists
1. Moderates believed in constitutional reforms 1. They believed in ―Swaraj‖.
and share for Indians in services.
2. Followed the principal of self-reliance
2. Followed the principal of 3Ps- petition, prayers (Atmashakti) and sacrifice.
and protest.
3. Extra constitutional methods like boycott and
3. Methods adopted were- enter into the passive resistance were adopted.
legislature and expose the government on
4. Had immense faith in masses to participate
crucial issues, more association with the
and to make sacrifices.
government.
5. Social base constituted educated middle and
4. Moderates lacked faith in common people and
lower middle classes.
did not work among them, kept movement
limited to middle class intelligentsia. 6. They believed that British crown was
unworthy of claiming Indian loyalty.
5. Social base constituted Zamindars and upper
middle classes in town. 7. Rejected providential mission as illusion.
6. They professed loyalty to the British Crown. 8. Inspiration was drawn from Indian history,
cultural heritage and Hindu traditions. E.g.
7. They believed in England‘s providential
Shivaji, Ganpati festival, Kali, Durga puja etc.
mission in India.
9. They wanted to take the Swadeshi
8. Drew inspirations from western liberal
movement in outside the Bengal and boycott
thoughts and European history e.g. Mill,
even government services, honours and
Burke, Spencer and Geremy Bentham.
titles.
9. They wanted Swadeshi movement to be
10. Believed that political connections with
limited only to the Bengal and their boycott
Britain would perpetuate British exploitation
was only limited to the British Goods.
of India.
10. They believed political connection with the
11. Their main contributions were- Demand of
Britain to be in India‘s social, political and
swaraj, Mass movement, Spread of national
cultural interest.
education, upliftment of downtrodden,
11. Their main contributions were- Economic support to revolutionary movements,
critique of British imperialism, Constitutional encouragement to cooperatives and setting
reforms and propaganda in legislature, up of charitable oraganizations.
Defence of Civil rights, Campaign for general
12. Rejected Morley-Minto reforms.
administrative reforms.
12. Remained content with the petty concessions
provided by the government .e.g. they
welcomed Morley-Minto Reforms.
Difference in approaches of Moderates and Extremists: -

These differences between the two groups led to the Surat Split in 1907 on the immediate question of
whether Swadeshi, Boycott and National education to be included in the resolution or not?
Even after the unification of Congress in Lucknow Session in 1916, fault lines on the question of mode
of further national movement, emerged many times.


After Non-Cooperation movement being called off Congress got divide into two groups of ―Swarajists‖
and ―No-Changers‖, on the question of legislature entry. Apart from it Subhash Chandra Bose made his
own separate party named as Forward Block after developing some differences with Gandhiji. Nehru
also came head on with Gandhiji and with other leaders on the question of‖ Poorna Swaraj‖ and ―Class
struggle‖.
4. American contribution in the post-war reconstruction of Europe has been phenomenal.

Explain the role of the Marshal Plan in this context. (10 Marks, 150 Words)
Answer:
USA provided major economic aid Post World War II to affected countries in Europe, Asia (Japan,
China, Philippines, Israel, India etc). The aid to Europe was known as Marshall Plan.
Officially European Recovery Program, it was passed in April 1948 under President Truman. It was
the brainchild of US Secretary of State George C. Marshall
i. Situation of Europe Post World War II:
1. Millions killed, wounded in the war, atrocities like Holocaust etc
2. Leading industrial and cultural centres destroyed-UK, France etc.
3. Transportation-railways, roads, bridges, ports-suffered extensive damage
4. Agriculture, food production had drastically declined, threats of famine
ii. Aims of Marshall Plan:
1. To rehabilitate the economies of Southern and western European countries (France, W.
Germany, Belgium, UK, etc) by reconstructing cities, industries, infrastructure; removing trade
barriers between European neighbours; fostering commerce between US and these countries;
boosting agriculture and meeting immediate needs of food, housing, medicine
2. Prevent the spread of communism
3. Creating stable conditions for democratic institutions to survive, by ensuring ―individual liberty,
free institutions and genuine independence‖
iii. Methods: Economic Cooperation Administration (ECA), a specially created bureau, distributed
around $13 billion (about 5% USA's GDP at that time) worth of economic aid from 1948-1952,
majority as direct grants and rest as loans. Major industrial powers like France, UK were given
larger amounts as they were deemed to be essential for overall recovery of Europe
iv. Impact:
1. Economically very successful - countries experienced a rise of 15-25% in their GNP, rapid
renewal of the chemical, engineering, and steel industries (industrial production increased by
35%); increase in trade and exports. By end of 1952, economic growth had surpassed pre-war
levels.
2. Dramatic rise in standard of living of people-poverty, starvation disappeared
3. Political impact:


a. Communist parties lost influence in these countries. After Czechoslovakia, no country fell
to communism
b. Sighted as beginning of the Cold War between USA and USSR (Molotov Plan as an
answer to Marshall Plan)
c. Paved the way for the formation of EU
d. Catalyst for the formation of military alliance-NATO-in 1949
e. CIA received 5% of funding to establish "front" businesses and further US interest in the
region.
4. Some problems still remained-inflation, countries still importing around 30% of food in 1952.
Also, some critics suggest that its role in European reconstruction is exaggerated, as a
general recovery was already underway.
Today, "Marshall Plan" has become a metaphor for any very large-scale government program. Thus, it
was a laudable initiative by USA to boost the European reconstruction. George Marshall received Nobel
Peace Prize in 1953 in recognition of this work
5. Although Nehru was considered the political successor to Mahatma Gandhi, there were
many points of departure between the two. Discuss. (10 Marks, 150 Words)
Answer:
In 1941, Gandhi himself acknowledged Nehru as his political heir. There were major ideological
similarities between him and Nehru because of which he was well-suited to be Gandhi's heir. But there
were some significant points of departure too.
a. Nehru as a political successor: Various convergences include-
i. Both were charismatic, popular, visionary statesmen and believed in participatory and
democratic leadership
ii. Gandhi's idea of non-violence was promoted by Nehru at world stage. Eg-NAM
iii. Both were staunch supporters of women empowerment and wanted to end poverty, inequality,
untouchability
b. Points of departure:
Points of Gandhi Nehru

departure
Economic Gandhi was a critic of western Nehru was enamoured of western science
Policy civilization based on science and and technology. He was a Fabian socialist,
technology. He favoured Cottage followed "democratic socialism" and
industry with emphasis on hand supported heavy and large-scale
spinning, hand-weaving, Khadi, industrialization. It was to be achieved
trusteeship to create a self-sufficient through centralized planning (5-year plans).
economy. He opposed economic In his view, villages were intellectually and


modernization. technologically backward.
Political 1. Favoured autonomous, 1. State was necessary for welfare of the

thought decentralized village republic- people and to achieve socialistic goals.
Panchayats to be the legislative, Villages to be a subordinate organ in the
judicial and executive organs. He State. Stateless society is a utopia
propagated the idea of a Stateless
2. Supported representative democracy-
society. "Swaraj" or self-rule was the
Parliamentary system was democratic
ultimate aim.
and acceptable
2. Parliamentary model was also
criticized. He favoured direct
democracy.
Social thought Indian society should remain traditional. Favoured western modernization and
He advocated for the root and branch criticized conservatism, traditionalism,
eradication of untouchability, but did not religiosity. He believed caste system should
want to abolish the castes as such be abolished.
Secularism Gandhi saw religion as an integral part Nehru favoured the western notion of
of one's life and inseparable from secularism-complete separation of religion
morality, and hence propagated the total and politics. He supported secular morality.
fusion of religion and politics.
Strategies to 1. Use of violence: For Gandhi, non- 1. Nehru strongly criticized the suspension
be adopted in violence was the breath of life. of Non-Cooperation Movement.
the national Suspended Non-Cooperation
2. Nehru criticized this, stating that the
movement Movement because of the violence
truce period is not required and a
during the Chauri Chaura Incident.
continuous confrontation and conflict
2. Gandhi favoured the "Struggle- was necessary to defeat imperialism. He
Truce-Struggle" strategy. Withdrawal advocated a "Struggle-Victory" strategy.
of Civil Disobedience Movement was That is why he considered withdrawal of
an example to provide truce period. Civil-Disobedience Movement a
"spiritual defeat".
Personality Gandhi was spiritual, laid great Nehru was pragmatic, rational, scientific and
emphasis on truth, non-violence, purity did not attach much importance to
spirituality
Both Gandhi and Nehru contributed immensely to the freedom struggle. Gandhi was a spiritual leader
and can rightly be called the "Father of the Nation", while Nehru was an able, charismatic and
pragmatic administrator who can rightly be called as the "architect of modern India".


6. Write a short note on the impact of climate change on water resources in India. (10 Marks,
150 Words)
Answer:
According to a NITI Ayog report India is facing its first ever water crisis, with some 600 million of people
facing acute water shortage. The report also warns that 21 cities are likely to run out of groundwater by
2020.
Major water resources of India and effect of climate change on them: -
1) Rivers-
India is drained by 12 major river systems with several smaller rivers and streams. Flow in these
rivers is influenced by monsoon. The northern rivers have an additional source of snowmelt in
springs.
Effect of Climate Change on Indian Rivers: -
● As northern rivers are also fed by, snowmelt Global Warming has caused faster melting of
glaciers which in turn has resulted into floods, sea level rise, drought etc. E.g. Bihar and Assam
have seen frequent floods in recent times.
● Climate change has led to the establishment of El-Nino which has caused severe drought
situations in Indian subcontinent.
● Due to a faster rate of heating rivers in southern parts get dried up in summers. E.g.
Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have faced severe drought situations in recent
times.
2) Groundwater-
The groundwater resource has two components 1) Static and 2) Dynamic. National Water Policy
forbids extraction of the static reserves to prevent groundwater mining. Static reserve is estimated
to be 10812-Billion-meter cube and dynamic reserve has been assessed as 432-Billion-meter cube.
Effect of Climate Change on Groundwater: -
● Groundwater also depends upon rain for its recharge and monsoon has become quite irregular
in India because of climate change.
● Irregular pattern of rain has made agriculture a tough job which is heavily dependent on
groundwater for irrigation purposes thereby taking water table further below.
● Due to global warming and consequent sea level rise, sea water has ingressed in ground waters
of many coastal areas making it saline and unpotable.
● Due to climate change fertile land is shrinking and deserts are expanding. So, to compensate
for this loss an intense form of agriculture is being practiced whereby more groundwater is
extracted and more inorganic fertilizers are used. This in turn further deteriorates the situation.
3) Lakes-
Lakes are spread almost all across the India specially in high Himalayan region, in North-East,
semi-arid desert of Rajasthan, coastal zones etc. It serves water for drinking, agriculture and even
for the industries. It acts as sewage absorber, flood cushions and recharge zones for ground water
aquifers.

Effect of climate change on lakes-
● Due to warming at a faster rate lake are getting dried up.
● Agricultural woes, causing more migrations to cities in turn causes more urbanization which
encroaches natural lakes and erects settlements.
● Drying lakes affects recharge of ground water and causes floods e.g. Chennai floods.
Way Forward
These affected water resources would cause cataclysmic events in future, as many can be seen in
the recent pasts. So, to reverse the situation following measures can be taken.
● Use of fossil fuels should be minimized and alternative form of renewable energy should be
incorporated in our lives to mitigate the effects of climate change.
● Interlinking of rivers can be a method to distribute water in dry regions from the surplus regions.
● Artificial recharge of natural aquifers can be taken up.
● Use of technology e.g. Cloud seeding etc.
● Preparing an aquifer maps can help immensely.
● Organic farming should be promoted as it would not pollute the groundwater.
● Traditional wisdom of water harvesting should be utilized.
● International agreements must be achieved at the earliest.
7. Describe the development of textile industry in India from geographical perspective. (10
Marks, 150 Words)
Answer:
Textile industry includes cotton, jute, wool, silk, and synthetic fiber textiles. Its contribution forms 20 per
cent of the industrial production, 10 per cent of the excise collection, 18 cent of employment in the
industrial sector, 20 percent of the country‘s total export earnings and 4 per cent of the GDP.
Localization of cotton industry
Cotton industry is primarily raw material oriented as processing requires same climatic condition in
which it is grown. However, with availability of humidifiers, market location is also preferred.
Maharashtra
Availability of raw material: Maharashtra is one of the leading producers of cotton.
Climate: has a mild climate with enough moisture in the air; so, the thread does not break frequently.
Mumbai is close to Egypt, Sudan and east African countries from where the long staple cotton is
imported for the production of good quality of cloth.
Availability of cheap labour, electricity and large market.
Seaport: The seaport of Mumbai is well connected by rails and highways.
Investment: There is no dearth of money investment in this industry.


Early Start: The state of Maharashtra and the city of Mumbai got the advantage of an early start in
cotton textile. Due to the high concentration of cotton mills Mumbai is called the ―Cottonopolis of India‖.
Gujarat
Producing about 35 per
cent of the total cotton
goods of the country.
Ahmedabad: Manchester
of North India.
Tamil Nadu: Coimbatore,
considered as Manchester
of South India
Localization of jute
industry
India is the largest
producer and second
largest exporter of jute
goods in the world,
contributing about 35 per
cent of the total output of
the world.
Jute is mainly a raw
material-based industry.
West Bengal alone
accounts for 85 percent
of the total jute
production of the
country.
1. Jute cultivation needs
highly productive, well-
drained soils and hot and
humid climate. These conditions are ideally available in many tracts of Vest Bengal and Lower Assam.
2. Cheap and skilled labour is available in West Bengal, one of the most densely populated state of
the country.
3. Cheap water transport through the Hugli river.
4. Availability of coal from the Raniganj coal-mines.
5. Export facility through the port of Kolkata and Haldia.
Jute mills are also located in Eluru, Guntur, Ongole and Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh); Kanpur,
Gorakhpur, Deoria (Uttar Pradesh) to provide raw material for paper mills.
Woolen Textile industry
Near Raw Material

Srinagar: Kashmiri Shawl using Kashmiri goats.
Punjab: raw material from Ludhiana, Dhariwal, Amritsar
Jamnagar: raw material Kathiawar (and parts of Rajsthan)
Rajasthan: Bikaner, Barmer
Market
Winter in North
India is brutally
cold, thus
good demand.
~75% of
industries
concentrated
in Northern
States
because of
market factor.
Wearing
apparel:
Mumbai,
Kanpur
Hosiery:
Ludhiana,
Panipat
Silk textile
industry
India‘s position
in silk
production is
number two in
the world after
China,
contributing
18% of the
total silk
production of
the world.
Distribution
Non-Mulberry silk: Tasar, Oak Tasar, Eri and Mulberry
Muga
Jharkhand mainly in Southern states


Chhattisgarh Karnataka
Odisha TN
NE AP
Raw Material: Mulberry plants can be grown in any + WB and JK
type of soil even in forest fringes, hill slopes and
The state of Karnataka is the largest producer
can withstand drought thus, works well in non-
of silk textile. Bangalore, Belgaum, Gokak,
green revolution, non-irrigated areas of East and
Kolar, Mandya, Mysore and Tumkur are the
NE India.
main producing centres.
Labour: does not involve hard labor. Silkworms
Factors:
can be reared by women and old people thus, side
income. In Eastern States, Farmers earlier used to Apart from raw material, labour and capital
grow Jute but Jute demand declined so they shifted ● Presence of Central Silk Board, Bengaluru,
to Sericulture.
● availability of soft water,
Capital: works on simple technology, no
sophisticated equipment needed, can be done by ● uses hybrids which can be harvested 5-6
small and marginal farmers, tribal. times a year.
8. Indian Ocean current has a strong bearing on India‟s blue economy. Substantiate. (10 Marks,
150 Words)
Answer:
Ocean currents are
most important
movement which have
bearing on the
climatology of various
regions. Ocean currents
are influenced by:
1. Heating by solar
energy
2. wind
3. gravity
4. Coriolis force
5. temperature
6. salinity
Ocean currents are
found in all oceans. The
Indian ocean current is
peculiar because of its
seasonal changes and the enclosed land geography.


Under the influence of the changing wind pattern, the Indian ocean current in northern hemisphere
changes pattern. It moves anti clock wise from east to west during the winters under the influence of
easterly trade winds during the winters. And during summers, they are influenced by the SW monsoon
winds and move from west to east.
These movements add to the exciting prospects of blue economy. Blue Economy, which is defined by
the World Bank as the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, ocean ecosystem,
health, improved livelihood and jobs.
Impact of Indian Ocean Currents on India‟s Blue Economy
Shipping: a. Currents can assist in navigation and thereby reduce logistics cost.
b. Lower logistic cost enhances trade and has significant impact on Indian ocean trade
routes accounts for 60% of good trade.
Fisheries: a. Mixing of cold current (west wind) with the warm current (Madagascar, Agulhas
current) results in formation of profitable fishing grounds
b. Currents assists in mixing fresh water with saline water around the river deltas, results
in fishing grounds due to nutrient mixing. It also enhances fish diversity Ex-
Sundarbans
Costal a. Currents act as natural dredges and remove river deposits along the deltas.
Infrastructure This results in
1. assists in port construction
2. makes river navigable, makes can assist in inland water ways and enhances
possibility of river port construction. Eg- Varanasi
Renewable a. Currents caused due temperature differences can be utilized in generating
Energy ocean thermal energy. Ex- project proposed in Lakshadweep and A&N islands
b. Currents also reinforce the planetary winds which help in generating wind energy. Ex-
TN coast, Gujarat
Tourism a. Currents moderates local weather of and assists in year-round tourism
b. Their tangential movement clean the coasts, create lagoons.
c. They also help in conducting water sports. Ex- scuba diving etc.
d. This also helps in enhancing people to people ties, which also forms a part of blue
economy
The Indian government has taken initiative like SAGAR (security and growth for all in the region), the
SAGARMALA project (port led development for enhancing trade, transit and tourism), formation of
Coastal Economic zone to maximize its potential of blue economy. However, India faces challenges of
over exploitation of living (fishes) and non-living (polymetallic nodules) oceanic resources, unplanned
coastal urbanization and increased vulnerability to cyclones and sea water rise. Therefore,
sustainability aspect of blue economy should not be overlooked.


9. Though #Metoo movement is an attempt to give recognition to the violence one has faced, it
fails to include downtrodden women group of Indian Society. Comment. (10 Marks, 150
Words)
Answer:
#MeToo is a global campaign originating on social media against sexual harassment and assault
where women from all over the world open up and share their stories throwing light on sexual abuse
prevalent in our society.
India is experiencing its wave of the #Metoo movement in which women, some of the public figures,
have levelled sexual harassment charges against certain men, many of whom occupy powerful
positions.
The #MeToo movement has brought the pervasiveness of the issue of sexual harassment into the
mainstream. It has also highlighted the inadequacy of the social and legal institutions to deal with
sexual violence against women.
But the question is, who is ‗me‘ in the #MeToo movement? The women who have come out with their
stories mostly belong from urban areas and higher socio-economic locations. The movement do not
include in its discourse the voices of downtrodden women of the Indian society and seems
exclusionary in nature.
Exclusion of the Marginalised:
● Women from conflict-ridden areas like parts of Kashmir, LWE affected areas are particularly
vulnerable to sexual violence and their narrative is largely missing from the Metoo movement.
The perspectives by Kashmiri women and women from the North East highlight the challenges
of coming out with experiences of sexual harassment and asking for justice from the state.
● The voice of persons with disabilitiesis also largely missing from the #MeToo movement despite the
continued abuse, torture, rape, and human rights violations they face in institutions, schools, public
spaces, and their homes. Women with disabilities are often seen as being asexual or sexually less
desirable, and hence, their harassment often goes unacknowledged.
● There have been no stories from people in the unorganised sector, the largest population of
labour, in the #MeToo movement either. This could be because the lack of access to technology or
the instability of the nature of employment. For instance, in the absence of an official contract of
transactions, everything from one‘s job to wages or allocation of duties, depends upon the
supervisor. Under such circumstances, the supervisor can use their power to sexually exploit the
worker and there is no redressal mechanism to turn to.
● The urban poor and rural women have no voice in the #MeToo movement till now. Being in an
already vulnerable socio-economic situation, they are the ones to bear the worst brunt of
patriarchy and the sexual violence it ensues.
● Even after being declared as the third gender and given civil rights by the SC in the NALSA
Judgement, the issue of sexual harassment of Transgenders is still not talked about in the larger
society. Transgenders are out of the purview of #MeToo movement in India right now.
● After the SC has read down section 377, thus decriminalising homosexuality, now the time has
come to talk about the sexual harassment faced by the homosexual women in our society.


The socio-economic position of the woman/victim of the sexual violence determines the support she
gets from the society under Metoo movement. Herein, it is seen that the downtrodden women are
the ones with least support from the movement.
● If the perpetrator of their sexual harassment comes from a higher socio-economic position, even if
they gather the courage to speak about the violence, they are not believed and often shamed. This
has been seen in cases like those of Bhanwari Devi in Rajasthan.
● And when these downtrodden women mostly from Dalit, OBC, or Adivasi communities comes
forward to share her experience of harassment within the community itself, they often asked by
members of her own community to not take the complaint forward or face backlash. Given that the
power structure already villainises men from marginal communities, their first instinct is to protect
the men who have been systematically marginalised, even if they are aggressors.
While the movement has started the conversation about the menace of sexual harassment it runs
the risk of becoming elitist and a movement from above. True change is brought by a movement
when it is wide-ranging and includes people from the whole socio-economic spectrum of the
society. The Metoo campaign must address sexual abuse in the informal sector where abuse and
labour violations are rife. The campaign must create resources and support for Dalit and Adivasi
women who have very poor access to justice. It should include the voices of trans-women,
homosexual women and non-binary people as well. The Metoo movement can make a good case
for revamping the sexual harassment and rape laws which are completely cis-heterosexual in
nature. There must be a way to widen the platform of Metoo movement to include the most
vulnerable sections, for this movement to bring any lasting positive change in our society.
10. What are the major problems of the elderly population in India? Suggest some measures to
address them. (10 Marks, 150 Words)
Answer:
The elderly or senior citizen is a person aged 60 and above. India will have one out of every six of the
world‘s older persons. This change in demography will result in too little no of young people‘s for taking
care of the elderly, which is a cause of concern for the policy makers in India. With feminisation of
elderly and around 30 % of them below poverty line, the problems get even worse.
Social problems-
1. Grand Dumping – Phenomena called 'grand dumping' is becoming common in urban areas these
days as children are being increasingly intolerant of their parents' health problems the no. Of elderly
are increasing, so are the destitute among them. Need more old age homes. Delhi has nearly 11
lakh senior citizens but there are only 4 governments' run homes for them and 31 by NGOs, private
agencies and charitable trusts. The facilities are lacking in government run homes.
2. Rural to Urban Migration - Due to increasing population land under cultivation is decreasing due
to demand for housing, leading to incremental and disguised unemployment. As a result, masses
are forced to migrate to urban areas in search of livelihood. Higher living cost combined with
inability of rural elderlies to live in city lead to fragmented families. At the same time the insurance
motive of the joint family system has declined .
3. Joint to nuclear family-Traditional joint family is fragmenting and formation of nuclear families.
Increasing numbers Of Double-income-no-kid (DINK) families, they may experience a higher

degree of physical and mental strain in the future. In smaller families they are marginalised and
them rely on society at large for care
4. Changing Value System-Their position and status is undermined by changing values, growing
individualism, westernisation and industrialisation, lesser no. of children leads to greater
vulnerability in matter of dependence. In traditional Indian society aged persons were given
deference and enjoyed position of authority. Penetration of modern technology has created a
feeling of neglect, dependency, loneliness, powerlessness and meaninglessness.
5. Women Empowerment Participation of women in employment in cities in hotels collar jobs leaving
the old, unattended during day time creating stress situation of prompting the younger to go for
separate residence.
6. Economic dependency -The total economic dependency status of most of the old people due to
their inability to work and in absence of old age security benefits.
7. Modern technology-Elderly women suffer more due to lesser importance assigned to Socio-
religious ceremonies and child rearing (due to greater reliance on modern medicines, technology
and information in which her knowledge and experience were valued
8. Generation Gap- Absence of common interests and lack of extensive and regular interaction with
younger members in the family naturally results in isolation and loneliness
9. Abuse by Children - There are 81million older people in India-11 lakh in Delhi itself. According to
an estimate nearly 40% of senior citizens living with their families are reportedly facing abuse of one
kind or another, but only 1 in 6 cases actually comes to light.
10. Vulnerable to Crime- Due to Physical decline old age people are vulnerable to crime, especially
when they are living away from their family.
11. Many people develop disabilities in later life related to the wear and tear of ageing (e.g., arthritis) or
the onset of a chronic disease, (e.g., lung cancer, diabetes and peripheral vascular disease) or a
degenerative illness (e.g., dementia). But disabilities associated with ageing and the onset of
chronic disease can be prevented or delayed.
Measures to address the problems
1. Vulnerability of dependence necessitate the provision of substitutive safety net and a provision of
social service for the elderly persons.
2. The Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act say an aged parent can demand maintenance from
children in the same way that a wife can demand it from her husband.
3. The Domestic Violence Act too provides parents with the right to seek relief from any kind of abuse.
4. Awareness can be generated amongst the old age people to become dependable for each other
and form old age clubs for interaction and recreation. Where they can continue their hobbies.
5. Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act which punishes children who abandon
parents with a prison term of three months or a fine, situation is grim for elderly
6. National Policy on Older Persons' in January 1999. The policy provides broad guidelines to the
State governments for taking action for the welfare of older persons in a proactive manner. It
defines ‗senior citizen' as a person who is 60 years or above and strives to ensure their well-being


and improve the quality of their lives by providing specific facilities, concessions, relief and services
and helping them cope with problems associated with old age.
7. Government should take steps to make agriculture lucrative by providing better MSP, competitions,
awards etc., so that rural to urban migration can be stopped. This can help reducing number of
destitute elderly in villages.
8. Lifestyle choices for Active Ageing should start early in life and include participating in family and
community life, eating a balanced, healthy diet, maintaining adequate physical activity, avoiding
smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.
9. Psychological consultation.
10. Ensure availability, accessibility and affordability of healthcare.
11. Social security schemes
11. The Revolt of 1857 was “Neither first nor war of Independence.” Comment. Also throw light
on the steps taken by the English empire to control the after effects. (15 Marks, 250 Words)
Answer:
Revolt of 1857 was the first serious challenge to East India Company's rule. The cumulative effect of
British expansionist policies, economic exploitation and administrative innovations over the years ahead
adversely affected the position of all- rulers, peasants, artisans etc.
Why the revolt was neither first nor war of independence?
Neither First - Before the revolt of 1857, there had been many sepoy mutinies, peasant revolts.
Example Sanyasi revolt (1763-1800), Rangpur rebellion 1783 etc. All the segments that participated in
the revolt had their specific grievances which they sought to redress.
Nor war of independence-
● The motives of segments of Indian society that participated in the revolt had been material interest
and religious considerations and in very few cases the rulers were motivated by the disinterested
and patriotic motive of freeing the country of foreign rule.
● The idea of nationalism was emerging in the country though the imagination did not crystalize to a
point that people would fight with the idea of a modern nation-state.
● Various groups engaged in the revolt had their own reasons and they wanted to establish pre-
British rule in their areas.
● The popular support of the revolt remained limited to the Upper India alone. The revolt did not get
support of the middle class and the regions which benefited from the British rule.
● The rulers of princely states as a whole kept aloof and helped the British fearing to risk what they
have managed to retain.
However, they have been some other views also based on differing interpretation of revolt of
1857.
However, for the first time there was concerted action against the British by the various sections of the
society. In earlier revolts and uprisings few sections mainly peasants, tribal or sepoys participated in the

Uprising. However, during the revolt of 1857, we find greater spread temporally and spatially, earlier
uprisings were mainly sporadic, localized and short lived in nature.
It cannot be denied that the Rebels of 1857 had the conception of nation in the modern sense of the
term. Unlike the earlier peasant revolts there was greater interconnection between the territories, there
was coordination and communication between the Rebels from different parts. It cannot be doubted,
however that the Rebels were trying to free Hindustan of foreign yoke.
The Rebels of 1857 wanted to go back to the old familiar order and by this they meant the
decentralized political order of 18th century India.
Steps taken by the English Empire to control the After Effects.
1. Queen Victoria after being proclaimed sovereign of India, issued a proclamation which promised
religious toleration and proposed to govern Indians according to their established customs and
traditions.
2. Victorian liberalism faded away and was replaced by conservative liberalism which rested upon the
principle of non-interference in Indian society and upon the solid support of conservative and
aristocratic classes.
3. The Army was reorganized on the balance- counterpoise principle after it was held to be the main
culprit behind the mutiny.
4. The princely states were assured of protection from annexation in the Queen‘s proclamation as a
reward for their valuable services to the British during the revolt.
5. British government assumed direct control of India by ending the rule of EIC, a cabinet member of
the British parliament was to be Secretary of State for India.
Thus, the revolt of 1857, although a failure, created a tradition of resistance against the British. This
was to be appropriated by the national movement later as a symbol of struggle against the foreign rule.
12. Industrial revolution in Germany followed a distinct path of its own instead of imitating the
British template. Elaborate. (15 Marks, 250 Words)
Answer:
Industrial Revolution: It was characterized using machines and new technology to expedite the
manufacturing process. This transition to new manufacturing process included increasing use of steam
power, rise of factory system, new iron production processes etc.
IR in Germany – Despite having huge coal reserves located in the areas of Saar, Ruhr etc and iron
deposits in the areas of Harz mountains, Upper Silesia; Germany lagged Britain, France etc before
1850. Before its unification in 1871 Germany was divided into dozens of small states which made a
concerted effort towards industrialization difficult.
From 1830s and 1840s German states like Prussia, Saxony etc started reorganizing agriculture by
introducing high yielding crops like potatoes etc. With the railroad development in the 1840s IR got a
significant boost in Germany.
Zollverein - The customs union of German states under the leadership of Prussia helped in fiscal and
economic integration of various states before unification.


After the unification in 1871 the German government played a powerful role in industrialization of
Germany.
How industrial revolution in Germany followed a distinct path of its own instead of imitating the
British template.
1. German banks played Central role in financing German industry by forming cartels in different
industries. The cartel contract was illegal in Britain but they were legal in Germany.
2. After the German unification in 1871 the government stimulated consolidation, nationalization into
state owned companies, where is in Britain capitalists were the main driving force behind the
industrial revolution.
3. Imperialism played an important part in Britain's industrial revolution, it drew heavily on its colonies
for the raw materials for industrial revolution. where is in Germany it was mainly brought about by
indigenous raw materials.
4. At later stage in 20th century German industrialization was motivated by Extreme nationalism, but in
Britain it was mainly motivated by the profit motive.
5. Enclosure Movement in Britain Freed up a lot of labour but it was not witnessed in Germany on
such a large scale.
Thus, Germany emerged as one of the leading industrialized Nations in the 20th century surpassing
Britain and France. After heavy devastation in World War 2 Germany recover quickly within two to three
decades and regained its position as a leader in automobiles and Chemicals Industry.
13. Trace the evolution of Dalit movement and changes in the ideologies of it in the post-
independent India. (15 Marks, 250 Words)
Dalit is an acquired political identity and an umbrella term to bring all the marginalised caste groups,
given ritually impure social status, to eliminate the caste hierarchy among them. Dalit movement refers
to the struggle of a community to reassert its identity and lay claim to the rights that were denied to
them for centuries.
The origin of the modern Dalit movement can be traced back to the 19th century when Dalits began
making efforts to change their lives, as a result of which, their concerns and aspirations began to be
taken seriously.
Factors responsible for the rise of the modern Dalit movement are as follows: 1. Military Service 2. Dalit
Reform Movements 3. Dalit Education 4. Conversions 5. Missionary Activity 6. Islamic Revivalism 7.
Hindu Reformers.
Evolution of Dalit Movements in Independent India
● Ambedkar Era: Dr B.R. Ambedkar emerged as a major leader of Depressed Classes by late
1920s. He formed All Indian Scheduled Caste Federation in 1942. He called for democratic politics
for the emancipation of Dalits in the independent India and established the Republican Party of
India.
o In 1956, Ambedkar reverted to his position of "conversion being necessary" after experiencing
the failures of constitutional guarantees and led around 6 million Dalits to become Buddhists
(reservation was not denied to Buddhists as they were to Christians and Muslims), thus giving

rise to a Dalit Buddhist movement (also known as Neo-Buddhist movement). It radically re-
interpreted Buddhism and created a new school of Buddhism called Navayana-it rejected
Hinduism, its caste system as well as traditional Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana sects of
Buddhism. After his death in 1956, the movement saw many clashes and splits, and mostly
merged with the Congress.
● Post-Ambedkar Movement: In the initial Phase, these movements also tried for ―democratisation
of democracy‖ by the inclusion of Dalit representatives in the legislature.
● In 1972, Dalit Panthers emerged in Maharashtra. It mixed the ideology of Marx and Buddhism,
being militant and radical in its outlook. It leaned ideologically on Ambedkar's thought (destroy the
caste system), and its support base comprised mainly youth and students in urban centres.
● Dalit Panthers led a renaissance in Marathi literature, art and politics. This movement popularised
the use of the term as a political identity, said the word ‗Dalit‘ ―denotes a sense of pride‖. Their
demands included effective implementation of reservation, abolition of untouchability etc. Due to
their sustained efforts, Govt enacted the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of
Atrocities) Act, 1989. By the 1980s, clashes started emerging and most factions joined Congress
over time.
● In the 1980s, the Bahujan Samaj Party emerged in North India under the leadership of Kansiram.
He understood Dalit as a community which is racially subjugated, economically exploited, culturally
marginalised and politically untouchable in the realms of power. Therefore, his strategy was to
capture power from elites to emancipate Dalits.
● Though in theory, "Bahujan" identity encompasses all the SCs, STs, BCs, OBCs and religious
minorities other than ‗Dalit‘, in practice it has become a Dalit-based party. It declared electoral
power as its basic aim and strategy, with an often-abusive stance towards upper castes in general.
It has sufficient electoral base among SCs in UP, Punjab, MP. However, it could not provide a
social milieu for Dalits.
● Mayawati created a new imaginative community of ―Sarvajan‖, where antagonistic castes came
under one umbrella and in 2007, it came to power in UP on its own without support from other
parties, making it a first-ever achievement of its kind, with Mayawati taking oath as CM.
● Creation of a Counterculture: During the decades of 1970s and 1980s, Dalit movement tried to
reassert their identity through Dalit literatures. Through these literary works, they wanted to define
authentic ―Dalit Consciousness‖ and the aspirations and deprivations of the community. Its main
regions of development are Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh e.g. Joothan by Om
Prakash Valmiki and the foundational Work Poisoned Bread.
● Contemporary Development: Bhim Army in Uttar Pradesh is working for the emancipation of
Dalits through education. It runs around three hundred fifty schools in the state and organises
protests against the atrocities on Dalit community. The development of ―Dalit Capitalism‖ is another
trend e.g Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Organised political mobilisation in the form of BSP has given a sense of self-confidence to the Dalit
community. However, that empowerment needs to find expression in a new manifesto extending
beyond reservations and quotas, to make Dalits equal partners in India‘s development story. In the light
of deepening caste fissures in the country and continued exploitation of the Dalits, the government
needs to bring forward policies and laws for their upliftment and protection, only then can true
empowerment of this historically excluded social group can happen.

14. Discuss the thought of Raja Ram Mohan Roy on Caste system, Status of women, mode of
education and industrialization of India. (15 Marks, 250 Words)
Answer:
Raja Ram Mohan Roy, known as ‗Father of Modern India‘, is considered as the pioneer of modern
Indian Renaissance for the remarkable reforms he brought in the 18th and 19th century India. He
worked relentlessly for social, religious, intellectual and political regeneration of Indian society which
was at that time caught in vicious web of religious superstition, social obscurantism and deplorable
social conditions especially of women and Dalits.
Caste system:
1. The influence of caste system which perpetuated social distinctions and restricted social mobility
was recognized by Ram Mohan Roy as an urgent area of reform. Atmiya Samaj in 1814 and later
Brahmo Samaj in 1828, voiced against the rigidities of caste system. According to Roy, democratic
society was possible only if caste system was eliminated.
2. He believed that caste system was ‗doubly evil‘- it created inequality and divided people and
deprived them of patriotic feeling. For Roy, the rigidities of caste system, he declared, ―has been
source of want of unity among us‖. Thus, for him, aim of social reform was also associated with
political upliftment.
Status of women:
1. As a firm believer of Human dignity and social equality, Roy led a determined crusade against
practice of Sati, which included appealing to reason, humanity, textual disapproval and petitions to
government. As a result, in 1829, the practice of Sati was made illegal by British government.
2. He condemned subjugation of women and opposed the prevailing idea that women were inferior to
men in intellect or in a moral sense. To raise status of women, he demanded the right of inheritance
and property for women.
Mode of education:
1. Ram Mohan Roy believed in modern, scientific, rational, British style education. He pressed for
substitution of English for Persian as official language. However, he advocated use of vernacular for
spreading modern education. For Roy, modern education was an indispensable tool to transform
society.
2. He had great respect for traditional philosophical system of East but at same time believed that
modern culture alone could help regenerate Indian society. He wanted India to learn from west but
this learning was to be an intellectual and creative process through which Indian culture and
thought were to be renovated and not an imposition of western culture on India. For this, he set up
Hindu college at Calcutta in collaboration with David Hare in 1817 to disseminate modern
education. In 1826, he set up Vedanta college which combined his monotheistic doctrines with
western education, in a synthesis of Western and Indian learning.
Industrialization of India:
1. Raja Ram Mohan Roy wanted the introduction of modern capitalism and industry in country.
However, he believed that it should be done by the permanent settlement of the British
entrepreneurs in the country with the help of Indian skill force. So that the reinvestment of the profit
earned by the Britishers will accelerate the pace of development of industries in India.

2. He supported the import of the British goods in the country. Further, he welcomed foreign capital in
the country for the development of industries.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy was the brightest star in Indian sky during the 1 st half of 19th century. His
contribution in terms of reform of Hinduism, support for women rights, attack on caste system paved
way for even more reforms in Indian society to be carried out in 2nd half of 19th century by reformers like
Dayanand Saraswati. Rammohan Roy‘s contribution to synthesis of thought of East and West was
finally crystallized by Swami Vivekananda. Roy‘s views on freedom of press, emphasis on rationality
and representation of rise of national consciousness truly makes him first great leader of modern India.
15. What do you mean by desertification? What are its causes? Suggest some remedial
measures. (15 Marks, 250 Words)
Answer:
Desertification is defined as ―a type of land degradation in which a relatively dry land region becomes
increasingly arid, typically losing its bodies of water as well as vegetation and wildlife.‖ As per United
Nations Convention for Combating Desertification (UNCCD), Desertification is defined as ―land
degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors including climatic
variations and human activities‖. India is signatory to the UNCCD.
According to a UNCCD report, land degradation due to drought and desertification affects about 1.9
billion hectares of land and 1.5 billion people globally. In terms of severity, North America and Africa are
the worst off, because nearly three-quarters of their drylands are affected.
According to State of India‟s Environment-2017 report of Centre for Science and Environment, nearly
30 per cent of India is degraded or facing desertification. In eight states—Rajasthan, Delhi, Goa,
Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Nagaland, Tripura and Himachal Pradesh—around 40 to 70 per cent of land
has undergone desertification in past decade.
Desertification not only leads to loss of biodiversity but can also negatively affect food production
leading to poverty, hunger, economic instability, competition for scarce land and water resources and
migration. In Africa, 60 million people face displacement within five years as their land turns into desert.
(UNCCD report).
Causes for desertification:
1. Water erosion, that is loss of soil cover mainly due to rainfall and surface runoff, is one of the
biggest reasons for desertification. It is responsible for 10.98 percent of desertification in India.
2. Vegetation degradation, is observed mainly as deforestation, shifting cultivation and degradation
in grazing /grasslands as well as in scrubland. Sahel region of Africa is worst affected due to
overgrazing. (FAO report)
3. Wind erosion, removes the topsoil, which is rich in all plant nutrients and bacterial activities. It
reduces the capacity of the soil to function and restricts its ability to sustain future uses. Example:
Algerian steppe‘s degradation.
4. Salinity, in irrigated land can occur due to over irrigation and excess use of fertilizers and other
chemicals, thus making soil infertile. Example: Punjab plains of North west India.

5. Human-made/settlement, includes developmental activities such as mining/quarrying and
urbanisation. Mangolian Plateau facing land degradation due to mining.
6. Other, include water logging, frost shattering, frost heaving, mass movement affecting the topsoil
whereas barren and rocky land having negligible soil cover is itself susceptible to desertification.
Remedial measures:
1. Identifying suitable areas for afforestation with the selection of suitable climate-resilient
multipurpose tree species, perennial forage and fodder species.
2. Planting of soil binding grasses can check soil erosion, floods and water logging.
3. Crop rotation and mixed cropping improve the fertility of the soil. It would increase production which
can sustain large population.
4. Shifting of sand can be controlled by mulching.
5. Salinity of the soil can be checked by improved drainage. Saline soil can be recovered by leaching
with more water, particularly where water table of the ground is not very high.
6. Turning to alternative livelihoods that do not depend on traditional land uses, such as dryland
aquaculture, greenhouse agriculture and tourism-related activities, is less demanding on local land
and natural resources, and yet provides sustainable income.
Converging these activities with the ongoing national and state government programmes like Joint
Forest Management, Integrated Watershed Management Programme and Mahatma Gandhi
National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, etc. will provide the policy boost and strengthen India‘s
commitment to achieve the land degradation neutral status by 2030.
16. There is a vast regional diversity in the type of irrigation practices in India. What are the
various irrigation practices in India? Discuss their relative merits and demerits. (15 Marks,
250 Words)
Answer:
Water is the most critical input for enhancing agricultural productivity, hence irrigation has been a key
strategy in the development of monsoon dependant agriculture in the country. The total irrigated land in
India is 68.1 million hectares (2013-14, Min. of Agriculture).
In different parts, different means of irrigation are used, depending upon topography, fertility of soil,
amount and distribution of rainfall, availability of surface and groundwater, perennial or non-
perennial rivers, etc. The gentle slope of northern plains and soft soil makes it easy to dig canals and
sink wells. The hard rocks and uneven surface relief, of peninsular plateau makes tank irrigation
effective.
Various irrigation practices in India are, Canal, Tank, and Well and Tube Well irrigation.
Well and Tube Well irrigation covers largest area of the total irrigated land. They are found in a large
number in the Ganga-Sutlej plain from Punjab to West Bengal in north, black soil area of Maharashtra
and deltaic areas of south.
Merits:
1. Well is simplest and cheapest source of irrigation.
2. Less evaporative and seepage loses.
3. Addresses the issue of salinity by checking over irrigation.
Demerits:
1. Limitation in the catchment area, normally a well can irrigate 1 to 8 hectares of land.
2. In the event of drought, the ground water level falls and enough water is not available in the well.
3. Over exploitation of water leading to lowering of groundwater level.
Canal irrigation is widely practiced in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar and Rajasthan
accounting for about half of the canal irrigated area in India. Upper ganga, Indira Gandhi canal are
some examples of canals in northern plains.
Merits:
1. Most of the canals provide perennial irrigation and save the crops from drought conditions.
2. Sediments brought by the canals are deposited in the fields, thus improving the fertility of the soil.
3. Canals are multi-purpose having additional usability of navigation and fishery development.
Demerits:
1. Crops get more than enough water which is wastage of water.
2. Evaporative and seepage loss of water and problem of channel siltation.
3. Problem of waterlogging in some areas makes the soil unproductive as harmful underground salts
and alkalies come to the surface level.
Tanks commonly used in rocky plateau of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
Tamil Nadu has largest numbers of tanks.
Merits:
1. It is easy to collect rain water in natural or artificial pits because of impermeable rocks.
2. Due to scattered settlements, the farmers favour tank irrigation.
3. Expenditure is much less as compared to canals.
Demerits:
1. Tanks dry up during the dry season and fail to provide irrigation when it is needed the most.
2. It requires de-silting from time to time, which is costly.
3. It is difficult to carry water to the fields due to rocky terrain.
Irrigation systems in North-East region are, traditional reflecting their cultural diversity, practiced by
different communities of the region. Bamboo Drop Irrigation in Meghalaya, Zabo and Cheo-ozihi in
Nagaland, Pukhris or Ponds in Manipur, Dong in Lower Assam, Tuikhur in Mizoram, Apatani
system of wet rice irrigation in Arunachal are practiced.
Recently it has been seen that tank irrigated area has been declining, special efforts are needed to
revitalize the tank irrigation. Groundwater irrigated area has been increasing but this increase should be
done in more sustainable way. Gap between created and utilized irrigation potential alarms the

necessity of completion of canal network as well as need of minimizing the losses. Project Neeranchal
and Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayi yojana are some government initiatives determined for proper
development and utilization of its surface and groundwater resources.
17. Write a short note on issues associated with dam safety in India. To what extent the
proposed Dam Safety Bill is a step in the right direction? (15 Marks, 250 Words)
Answer:
There are 5254 large dams in India and another 447 under-construction ones in India. In addition to
these, there are thousands of medium and small dams. most of these structures are maintained by
states, while some of the bigger ones are managed by autonomous bodies such as the Damodar
Valley Corporation and the Bhakra Beas Management Board (no uniform safety procedures
nationwide). About 75 percent of them are more than 25 years old and about 164 dams are more than
100 years old. A badly maintained, unsafe dam can be a hazard to human life, flora and fauna, public
and private assets and the environment. India has had 36 dam failures in the past – 11 in Rajasthan, 10
in Madhya Pradesh, 5 in Gujarat, 4 in Maharashtra, 2 in Andhra Pradesh and one each in Uttar
Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu and Odisha.
Issues related to the dam safety in India-
1. Majority of them exceeded their lifespan of 50 to 60 years and about 200 large dams are over
100 years of age.
2. Since most of the old dams are constructed with mud, clay or other locally available materials,
they are far more vulnerable to collapsing compared to the new generation concrete dams.
3. The multi-state ownership and inter-state disputes over the maintenance and benefit-sharing of
dams also contributing to this hazard. The Mullaperiyar dam, located in Kerala, but owned by Tamil
Nadu, is the best example.
4. There is also a case for reservoir induce seismicity (RIS) from the weight of the dams.
5. Role of dams in flood control has always been ignored. Dam authorities store the surplus monsoon
water in dams and released during summer months for irrigation and power generation. But it is
risky since the excess quantity leads to flooding, as happened in Kerala.
6. Corruption - There are 5254 large dams in India, around 40% of them are in Maharashtra, but still
it is suffering from scarcity of water on one hand and floods on the other, in different areas. It is said
that these dams are not build according to the need of the peoples and keeping safety issues on
priority, but for the convenience of the Politicians and the government official involved with vested
interests.
7. The Central Water Commission (CWC, the apex organisation), in 2006, asked the states to come
up with an emergency action plan for large dams and laid down guidelines for that purpose. But
many states had chosen to ignore such strategies
8. The Ministry of Water Resources, too, in 2011 came up with crisis management plans for states
to handle dam related contingencies and asked them to set up dam safety organisations. But, so
far, not even half of the states complied with the directions.

9. CWC is running a six-year Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) with financial
support from the World Bank. But it covers only 5% of the unsafe dams spread across of seven
states.
Dam Safety Bill (A step in the right direction)
The Bill provides for proper surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of all dams to ensure
their safe functioning. It also envisages the establishment of a National Committee on Dam Safety
which shall evolve dam safety policies and recommend necessary regulations, National Dam Safety
Authority, a regulatory body to implement the policy, guidelines, and safety standards. The Bill
proposes the constitution of state-level committees on dam safety. The nodal authority is also
empowered to examine unresolved points of issue between the state dam safety organizations of two
states, or between the state dam safety organization and the owner of a dam in that state.
Thus, it provides uniform safety regulations nationwide and penalties and punishment in case of non-
compliance.
Criticism-
1. There is still no inclusion of compensation to the victims of dam failures or dam incidents, which
was a key recommendation of the June 2011 report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee (15th
Lok Sabha) on ―Dam Safety Bill, 2010‖.
2. The safety of the dams can be further ensured by putting all structural and operational decisions in
the public domain, and only then will it be easier to focus on the flaws. This is not difficult:
Karnataka (for some dams) and Madhya Pradesh (for all dams) update daily information on their
websites.
3. The whole dam safety mechanism is dominated by the Central Water Commission (CWC) with
Chairperson of CWC being the chairman of National Committee on Dam Safety (NCDS), a
representative of CWC being member of each State Committee on Dam Safety (SCDS).However,
the CWC is also involved in policymaking about dams, in their approval, guiding designs, financing,
monitoring, approving seismic parameters, flood forecasting, lobbying for dam projects and so on.
However, Dam Safety is essentially a regulatory function and thus CWC has clear conflict of
interest in being involved in the Dam Safety mechanism.
4. The CWC also has had very poor track record in dam safety and has always rushed to ensure that
dam operators do not get blame for the wrong or unsafe operation of dams. The Kerala episode is
the latest instance, where within weeks of the disaster, the CWC delegation went to Kerala and
came up with a report that rather predictably claimed that dams cannot be blamed for worsening the
Kerala flood disaster of August 2018, when all evidence pointed to the contrary.
5. Secondly, dam safety mechanism has to essentially work in public interest and the people at risk
are the biggest stakeholders (unfortunately, the Bill does not even define who are the stakeholders
of Dam Safety, though the term stakeholder is used in the DSB 2018) in ensuring safe design,
planning, construction, operation and maintenance of dams.
6. This implies that all the information about dam safety should be promptly placed in the public
domain and the Bill itself should mandate this. This is not difficult: Karnataka (for some dams) and
Madhya Pradesh (for all dams) update daily information on their websites. .
7. The Bill requires appointment of up to three (out of a total of 21 members) ―specialists in the field of
dam safety and allied fields‖. Their track record and qualification are not defined.
8. DSB 2018 suggests that State Dam Safety Organisation is subservient to the National Dam
Safety Authority (NDSA). This clubbed with the apparent lack of sufficient consultation with the
States on the Bill seems to suggest that States would regard the DSB 2018 with suspicion, as is
already happening- TN.
Conclusion- The Dam Safety Bill is a step-in right direction, however the issues unaddressed need to
be discussed and resolved with all the stakeholders on board.
18. What do you mean by Large Igneous Provinces (LIP)? Write a short note on the origin of
Deccan Traps in this context? (15 Marks, 250 Words)
Answer:
LIP is an extremely
large accumulation of
igneous rocks,
including intrusive
(sills, dikes) and
extrusive (lava flows),
arising when magma
travels through the
crust towards the
surface.
Large igneous
provinces (LIPs)
represent anomalously
high magmatic fluxes.
The magma is usually basaltic, but may
be rhyolitic. They are large in area,
covering many thousands if not millions
of square kilometres, and they testify to
unusual geological processes, involving
large amounts of thermal energy.
The term LIP has been applied almost
exclusively to continental flood basalt
(CFB) provinces such as the Deccan,
Siberian, and Columbia River basalt
provinces, as well as basalt plateaus
such as the Ontong Java in the
oceans. It should also include large-
volume felsic provinces such as the
Sierra Madre Occidental in Mexico,
given their areal (and usually also
volumetric) dimensions.

LIP should also include the huge granitic–granodioritic batholiths, such as those of Tibet–
Himalaya, western North America, and the Andes, large mafic (magnesium and ferric) layered
intrusions, such as the Bushveld Intrusion. The Deccan Traps are a large igneous province located
on the Deccan Plateau of west-central India and are one of the largest volcanic features on Earth.
It began forming
66.25 million years
ago, at the end of the
Cretaceous period.
The bulk of the
volcanic eruption
occurred at the
Western Ghats. This
series of eruptions
may have lasted
fewer than 30,000
years.
The Deccan trap
origin is related to the
hotspot eruption.
During cretaceous
period when Indian
plate was moving over Reunion island, the hotspot eruption of basaltic lava flow covered the western
part.
Subsequent eruption and cooling of lava formed the present landscape.
The original area covered by the lava flows is estimated to have been as large as 1.5 million km2
approximately half the size of modern India. The Deccan Traps region was reduced to its current size
by erosion and plate tectonics; the present area of directly observable lava flows is around 500,000
km2.
19. “Urban expansion in India will happen at a speed quite unlike anything the country or the
world has seen before.” Analyze the challenges of Urbanization and state the steps to be
taken by government. (15 Marks, 250 Words)
Answer:
In India, as per the 2011 census, 31% people live in urban areas. India‘s urban population is expected
to grow from 410 million in 2014 to 814 million by 2050. According to United Nations estimates, India
will be one of the three countries to witness maximum urban growth by 2050 along with China and
Nigeria. As per Mckinsey, by 2030, the number of cities with populations of more than 1 million will
grow from 42 to 68. Challenges due to the increasing rate of urbanization in India:
● Policy challenges: the continuous distress circular migration from rural to urban during erratic
monsoon times and urban to rural areas during good rainfall, makes it difficult for policy makers to
make stable policies.

● Calculation related challenges: According to the Agglomeration Index of World Bank, the share of
India‘s population living in urban areas in 2010 was 55.3 percent as compared to an official urban
share of the population of just over 31 percent, suggesting the existence of considerable hidden
urbanization.
● Funding challenges:
a) Funding constraints: Government data estimates that India‘s cities would need $1.2 trillion in
capital funding over the next 20 years to keep up with the demands of their growing populations.
But the country has nowhere near that amount to spend
b) Underspending: India requires around $134 per capita to support urbanization capital
expenditure, but it spends around $20 per capita
● Quality of life deteriorating: 24 percent of the urban population lives in slums
● Transit issues: public transit usage is declining and last mile connectivity and people mobility is
getting worsened.
● Social challenges:
a) Feminisation of agriculture
b) Due to the phenomena of gated communities, social capital is decreasing in urban areas.
● Environmental and health challenges:
a) Due to the urban heat island effect, life is getting tough in urban areas.
b) Due to the poor hygienic conditions, epidemics like dengue, swine flu etc. are commonly
witnessed.
c) Lifestyle diseases are increasing rapidly in urban areas.
● Other miscellaneous challenges:
a) Increasing pollution levels and waste management are also the major challenges.
b) Urban Terrorism is seen as a new trend.
c) Urban flooding due to the encroachment of flood plains.
Steps Need to be taken:
● Use competition to improve quality of planning and to encourage innovative funding sources like
land monetization, public-private partnerships, and other sources of revenue like developmental
charges.
● Focus should be on making both smart cities and smart villages so that distress migration can be
minimized. It will also be helpful for making stable policies.
● Last mile connectivity should be improved through intelligent transport systems
● Mobility of schemes should be improved to lift the urban poor from poverty e.g. transfer of benefits
of Public distribution system to migrated poor to urban areas.
● Rehabilitation process for slums should be fastened through affordable housing and skilling.
● Focus should be on making a greater number of tier2 and tier3 cities.

● Environmental sensors to be installed to monitor critical parameters such as air quality and noise
pollution.
Government schemes like Smart city mission, AMRUT, SKILL INDIA, RURBAN, Affordable housing etc
are good step in this direction.
20. Providing reservation by economic criteria dilutes the notion of “historical injustice” as a
pre-condition for positive discrimination. Critically analyse the pros and cons of a recently
made constitutional amendment to provide reservation to the EWS of our society. (15 Marks,
250 Words)
Answer:
Parliament recently passed the 124th Constitutional amendment bill to provide 10 per cent reservation
in government jobs and educational institutions to ―the economically weaker sections in the general
category who are not covered by any of the existing schemes of reservation‖. Before this Act, the
reservation was available to SC, ST communities and OBC populace of the country in government jobs
and in admission to public and aided private institutes of the country.
The Notion of “Historical Injustice” as a criterion to be called „marginalised‟
Indian society, based on caste norms, perpetuated a system of division of labour laden with hierarchical
inequality from ancient times reproduced to the next generations. The notion of historical injustice
applied to certain communities situated outside the varna system was applied to provide them
reservations in the legislature for their representation in the Government of India Act 1935. The basis
for the reservation does not lie in this history rather in the contemporary manifestations of the historical
injustice, which can be seen in the representation of these groups in various domains of our societal
institutions.
Therefore, it cannot be said that the precondition for the reservation lies in the notion of historical
injustice rather in the perpetuation of social closure for some groups in the contemporary times.
Reservation Based on Economic Criteria
After seven decades of independence and subsequent changes in the economic and social structure,
the idea of marginalisation and discrimination also changed and one of the manifestations of it can be
seen in the acceptance of Mandal Commission recommendations in 1994 to provide reservations to
Other Backward Classes in government Jobs and the passage of a constitutional Amendment in 2005
to provide them reservation in educational institutes. One of the new concepts of marginalisation
emerged in the contemporary times is the idea of relative deprivation or relative inequality, which has
both psychological impacts and material impacts on the social mobility of an individual in a society.
Positives of 124th Constitutional Amendment
● It will provide equality of outcomes to those sections of our society, who do not have enough
resources to be a part of class education and compete with people belonging to higher echelons of
our society.
● The probability of social mobility of poor people from general caste will increase.

● This amendment is not impacting the seats reserved for other marginalised groups and it will
provide benefits to people belonging to different minority communities who so far cannot avail the
benefits of the social security net.
● It can have the potential to eradicate the notion of social stigma attached with the term reservation
as the members of every group can be the beneficiaries.
Negatives
● Economic marginalisation cannot and should not be equated with social marginalisation based on
caste norms and laws. Reservation is not a welfare promise so it should be limited to social
marginalisation.
● The solution for poverty is job creation in society. However, the number of government jobs are
decreasing due to wide scale privatisation of various government run sectors. Therefore, the way
forward should be better employment opportunities in public and private sectors.
● Before the introduction of this Bill, the government did not present empirical evidence to show lack
of representation of economically weaker section in government jobs. Further, NSSO data shows
that 95% of population have household income less than eight lakhs so the present amendment will
have very less impact on social mobility of poor people.
● The philosophical basis behind the idea of reservation is the eradication of caste monopoly on the
societal resources. Reservation on the basis of economic criteria can make some poor, non-poor
but it will delay the long-drawn process of social engineering to remove people out of untouchability
and marginalisation.
Way Forward
The state should focus on creating more jobs in public and private sectors and expand the process of
universalisation of education to higher levels. The marginalisation due to skewed gender norms, caste
rules and economic inequalities should be seen holistically to fulfil the constitutional dream of equality.
Extra Information
Negatives:
RESERVATION IS NOT A WELFARE BENEFIT. In the background of why reservation exists, we
understand that it cannot be equated to being a welfare benefit, since it is intended to be something
incomparably larger — the promise of full citizenship, the promise of inclusion to the historically
oppressed and socially excluded caste-based communities.
RESERVATION FOR CLASSES, NOT INDIVIDUALS It is argued is that it is not the `upper' castes
groups, but the poor individuals in the groups who should be entitled to reservation. But, reservation
has been provided in the Constitution for `classes', not individuals. The existing reservation in state
employment under Article 16(4) is in favour of such backward classes, which, in the opinion of the
state, are "not adequately represented" in the services. It is clear from this provision that it is to give the
"classes" adequate representation in state administration that reservation has been made.
ECONOMIC BACKWARDNESS RUNS THROUGH ALL THE SOCIAL GROUPS. IT IS NOT A
BACKWARD CLASS OF ITS OWN. The present system of reservation is in favour of `classes', and not
individuals. And in order that the individuals may qualify for them, they must belong to those classes.
EWS itself is not a class. However, There is no one or particular `class' which is economically

backward. All classes and social groups have economically backward individuals. But on that account
alone, a group does not qualify to be called a backward class.
RIGHT TO EQUALITY. If the individuals have to be provided with reservation on the economic
criterion, then those satisfying the said criterion and belonging to any caste and social group,
irrespective of any distinction will be entitled to it, including the individuals belonging to the backward
classes and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes. For, such reservation will fall in the
general category and all will be entitled to it whether there is reservation on other grounds or not. A
backward class person may choose to apply for reservation on economic criterion, instead of the
reservation made for his class, or if he does not get a seat on the basis of class reservation, he may
claim a seat on economic grounds and if he is qualified for it, he cannot be denied the same. Since
economic criteria, whatever these may be, will run common through all the social groups, it will be
contrary to the right to equality (if poor of general category gets the reservation, why not poor of OBC or
SC/ST) and therefore unconstitutional to keep them confined to any particular social group or groups.
INDRA SAWHNEY CASE 1992- 3 things,
● The constitution bench of the Supreme Court in had interpreted the expression `backward classes'
in Article 16 (4) to mean the "socially and educationally" backward. It also emphatically rejected
"economic backwardness" as the only or the primary criterion for reservation under article 16 (4)
and observed that economic backwardness has to be on account of social and educational
backwardness.
● The bench in its judgement declared 50% quota as the rule unless extraordinary situations ―inherent
in the great diversity of this country and the people‖ happen. Even then, the court stated that
extreme caution is to be exercised and a special case should be made out.
● Also, SC said that according to article 16(4), state has to prove first that this economically backward
class is not adequately represented in the services under it. Only then, the state can provide for its
reservation.
HAPHAZARD IMPLEMENTATION
● Similarly, an objection is raised about the procedure that the government adopted in order to fix the
criteria for educational and economic backwardness.
● There is lack of clarity as to how the government has arrived at the figure of 10%, without any
proper and thorough documentation by a duly constituted commission.
HIGH INCOME LIMIT. Until now, those with an annual household income of up to ₹3 lakh were
generally considered part of the economically weaker section (EWS), particularly for welfare schemes,
such as housing in urban areas under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. The expansion of the definition
of EWS, by increasing the income cap by 2.6 times, could bring about 90 per cent of income-tax payers
into its fold, if the return filers data are used as the base.
Positives:
● If the Court assents to the legislation and it is implemented by the government, it is expected to help
the needy among the higher castes.
● Reduces social friction- Reservation divides the society which culminates into discrimination.
Inclusion of General category will reduce discrimination as they will be on equal footing with
SC/ST/OBC beneficiaries.

● Inclusive move- General category EWS includes Christian, Muslims and Sikhs, which surely are in
need of some kind of positive discrimination to improve their socio-economic indicators.
● It is also expected to eliminate the desperation of those who, in the past, would resort to obtaining
fake Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificates that were used to seek entry into
professional courses.
● SC in Jat Reservation case said that while ―caste may be a prominent and distinguishing factor for
easy determination of backwardness of a social group‖, such determination must not be made
―solely on the basis of caste‖, and that identifying the ―most deserving‖ groups ―must necessarily be
a matter of continuous evolution,‖ requiring the state to look beyond caste
● Poverty is a secular criterion cutting across communities and religions. Poverty as a criteria for a
carve out does not in any way contravene the basic structure of the Constitution. A modern society
needs to move ahead with secular parameters for proving positive discrimination.
● The preamble of the Constitution expressed the intent of its framers when it mentioned equality of
opportunity and justice for all whether political, social or economic was to be ensured by the State.
Social justice is not possible if we exclude the economically backward sections of our society.
There are both positives and negatives of this 10% reservation for the EWS in the general category.
The intent of the government is of welfare. But the various Constitutional questions arising from the
move need to be deliberated and sorted out. Only good intentions cannot be the rationale for such a
move by the government in a Constitutional polity. The logic should be sound and in coherence with
the principles of the Constitution of India. Another thing to keep in mind is that though affirmative
action is needed to uplift the marginal communities, it is not enough on its own. We need to
question the equation of reservation with the redressal of inequality not because reservation is no
longer needed but because it is no longer enough. So, the government needs to find other ways
along with this step of providing Reservation to the EWS to ensure true justice for the marginal
population of India.

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