May-018 (Insight Secure Compilation) PDF

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SECURE SYNOPSIS: 01 MAY 2018

insightsonindia.com/2018/05/05/secure-synopsis-01-may-2018
InsightsIAS May 5, 2018
NOTE: Please remember that following ‘answers’ are NOT ‘model answers’. They are NOT
synopsis too if we go by definition of the term. What we are providing is content that both
meets demand of the question and at the same time gives you extra points in the form of
background information.
General Studies – 2
Topic – Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States
and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted
for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.
1)Critically examine the implications of providing energy-dense, factory-made

nutrient packets as take-home ration under Anganwadi Services Scheme. (250
words)
The Hindu
The Hindu
1/22
https://t.me/UPSC_Zone_Official
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why this question
Child nutrition is one of the key development parameter as well as an asset, which translates
into human resource. Recently, the idea of providing readymade food under Anganwadi
Services Scheme was forwarded by the minister of Women and Child Development. The idea
was however opposed by the top officials from the same ministry. The question is related to
GS-2 syllabus under the following heading-
Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the
performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the
protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.
Key demand of the question.
The question wants us to bring forth the implications, both positive as well as negative arising
out of providing energy-dense, factory-made nutrient packets as take-home ration under
Anganwadi Services Scheme (ASS).
Directive word
Critically examine- we have to get into the details and find out what will be the result of
providing readymade food under ASS. After bringing out all the pros and cons of such a
measure, we have to form and present our opinion on the issue.
Structure of the answer
Introduction- write about the National Food Security Act, 2013,Schedule II and the
Supplementary Nutrition (Integrated Child Development Services Scheme) Rules, 2017.

Mention that they aim to raise nutritional standards of the food provided. Earlier there were no
legal provisions.
Body- divide the body into two main parts.
Discuss in points, the benefits of providing energy dense readymade food under ASS. e.g
uniformity of standards, easy monitoring, economy of scale, flexible and able to cater to
specific needs etc.
Discuss in points, the cons. E.g risk of commercialization of a critical social responsibility,
more prone to corruption, nutritious but not healthy way of eating, undermines the role of
other factors which impact our health etc.
Conclusion– give your unbiased, objective and fair opinion on the ultimate acceptability of
readymade food under ASS; and then suggest briefly in 1-2 lines, the way forward.
Background:-
National Family Health Survey-4 shows a drop in underweight and stunted children
under five years of age compared to the previous survey. An estimated 35.7%
children are underweight and 38.4% are stunted in that age group.
These figures cause alarm that even after a long period of robust economic growth,
India has not achieved a transformation.
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The National Food Security Act, 2013,Schedule II and the Supplementary Nutrition
(Integrated Child Development Services Scheme) Rules, 2017 aim to raise nutritional
standards of the food provided.
Proposal :-
There was a proposal that energy-dense, factory-made nutrient packets will be take-
home ration for pregnant women and lactating mothers as well as children between
the age of six months and three years
Ready to use therapeutic foods
RUTF, also referred to as energy dense nutritious food (EDNF), consists of a
paste of peanuts, oil, sugar, vitamins, milk powder and mineral supplements.
Positives:-
Each state can make its own mash with local ingredients. These can be in
powdered form and mixed with regular meals. This will be a good initiative
The take-home ration given today is mostly a non-nutritious mix which can be
rectified by the energy dense foods.
Energy dense foods are already commonly used in Africa where the United
Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) supports community-based provision of RUTF.
A small scale study in Mumbai put RUTF’s efficacy at 65-70 per cent.
In 2013, a UNICEF report observed that if properly used, RUTF is safe, cost-
effective, and has saved hundreds of thousands of children’s lives.
Packed Food is flexible in Nature as it can be changed according to the needs of
the society.
As post office is supposedly to be involved in delivery monitoring and inspection
can be easier.
Negatives :-
Commercialisation:-
Attempts to substitute meals or rations with factory-made nutrients will inject
commercialisation into a key mission, and upset the nutritional basis of the
scheme.
It is a move towards centralisation and corporatisation of anganwadi food.
Packaged food would also mark a shift to centralised control by private
contractors, which has been banned by the Supreme Court
NFSA act ,2013:-
There is a need for continuance of the existing practice of hot cooked meals for
children (3-6 years) age group and take-home ration (THR) for children (6
months-3 years) and pregnant women and lactating mothers as decided by the
State governments in conformity with the National Foods Security Act,
2013, and the Supplementary Nutrition Rules, 2017. The view was
endorsed unanimously by the national nutrition Council.
It does not emphasise the importance of empowering anganwadi workers to
ensure proper delivery of services as well as engaging local self-help groups to
ensure region-location based recipe and dietary diversification.
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National nutrition council:-

The decision of the council emphasised the need to ensure that children and
women get nutritious food through ICDS and warned against the move to go
for processed foods, which have been linked to rise in non-
communicable diseases
Problems with energy dense foods:-
Use of RUTF may replace family foods that children should normally be
eating.
Enough evidence is not available for the use of RUTF vis-à-vis other
interventions for the management of Severe acute malnutrition
Caretakers thought that their job was done by giving children RUTF, and hence
children were not cared for properly.
RUTF may not benefit the common household in developing appropriate food
habits for children as against home augmented food.
Cost is a major concern.
Given that well over a third of all children aged under five years are
stunted or underweight, the implementation of an RUTF regime will
impose a massive financial burden on the government.
A small study showed that children who were given RUTF found it too heavy to
eat anything else afterward. Also, once RUTF was stopped, children often
slipped back into malnutrition.
Corruption:-
Such centralised commercial production and distribution is prone to corruption
and poor quality.
Unholy nexus between the contractors and politicians/bureaucrats might result
in central contracts worth hundreds of crores for supply of food to ICDS.
The quality of food supplied to the centres is compromised while companies
make profits from the meagre allocation on supplementary nutrition .This will
only be complicated if the proposal is accepted.
Dietary diversity:-
Introduction of nutrient packets will be against the objective of moving towards
dietary diversity.
Local awareness :-
The provision of nutritious, cooked meals at the Anganwadi is a form of
nutrition education as it helps to convey what a nutritious meal looks like,
and to spread the notion that children require a regular and balanced intake of
various nutrients.
It provides the opportunity to create employment for local women as well as
demand for local product such as vegetables, eggs, etc. All of this is possible
only when the food is produced and distributed in a decentralised
manner which is not possible in this scenario
Intervention to replace locally made food compromises decentralised
autonomy and community control. They also detract from local livelihoods and
take away the option of using local foods and recipes many of which have good
nutritional value.
4/22
Way forward:-
If the ICDS scheme, now called the Anganwadi Services Scheme, is to achieve
better outcomes, it must focus on the provision of physical infrastructure and
funding, besides closer monitoring of the nutrition mission.
To accelerate the pace of progress, POSHAN Abhiyaan should rigorously
measure levels of access and quality of nutrition, and publish the data
periodically.
Management of children with Severe acute malnutrition requires a comprehensive
family-centric approach involving caregivers, instead of a food-centric
approach
The civil society groups also called for a system that provides training and support to
local groups to deliver nutritious and hygienic food.
A more holistic solution is needed, which includes counselling on breastfeeding
and family planning to ensure low birth weight babies are not born, and proper
functioning of anganwadis so that at least regular meals are provided to children.
TOPIC: Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance-

application, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency &
accountability and institutional and other measures.
2)What do you understand by social audit? Discuss the impediments to

institutionalizing social audits in India. Also, highlight the recent steps being taken
by the legislative and the judiciary in this direction.(250 words)
5/22
The Hindu
The Hindu
Wikipedia
why this question
Social audit has a special origin and huge impact on the governance of a society. Social audit
can dramatically improve quality of service delivery and decision making. It increases
accountability like none other. It has been promoted by institutions ranging from CAG to
Supreme Court of India. The issue is related to GS-2 syllabus under the following heading-
Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance- application,

models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability
and institutional and other measures.
The question wants us to describe social audit and discuss its implementation in India and
identify the major problems arising in its implementation. Then it wants us to highlight the
legislative and judicial initiatives taken in this regard.
Directive word
Discuss- we have to write in detail about the meaning and history of social audit and then all
the impediments to implementing social auditing in India- identify the challenges involved.
Highlight- we have to briefly describe the recent legislative and judicial measures undertaken
in this direction.
Introduction- define social audit and discuss its origin and link with India. Try to mention
names of places associated with the origin.
Body-
discuss in points, about all the impediments faced in institutionalizing social audits in India.
E.g opposition by political parties, government officials, and other vested interests, lack of
required skills and knowledge among the people, need for a legal mandate, problems like
delays in getting justice delivered etc.
Discuss in points about the recent steps taken by the government in this direction. E.g mention
SC directions and CAGs role in development social audit standards- for the first time in world
history etc.)
Conclusion- form a concise and fair evaluation of scope of social auditing in India and provide
some suggestions for institutionalizing the same.
Social audit :-
Social auditing is a process by which an organization / government accounts for its

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social performance to its stakeholders and seeks to improve its future social
performance.
A social audit helps to narrow gaps between vision/goal and reality; and between
efficiency and effectiveness. It allows us to measure, verify, report on and to improve
the social performanceof any government effort or organization.
Impediments to institutionalising social audits in India :-
Lack of support from government machineries has side-lined social audits:-

The lack of adequate administrative and political will in institutionalising social
audit to deter corruption has meant that social audits in many parts of the
country are not independent from the influence of implementing
agencies.
Social audit units, including village social audit facilitators, continue to face
resistance and intimidation and find it difficult to even access primary records
for verification.
Most Indian states have delayed conducting social audits, despite these being
in place since 2006. They are held back by a lack of political will and
entrenched vested interests.
There has been no delivery on legal accountability frameworks such as the
Lokpal Bill and the Whistle Blowers Protection Bill
Lack of any legal proceedings for not following social audit principles:-
Unless there is a stringent penalty on authorities for not implementing social
audit, they will not give up control because it reduces their kickbacks and
authority
Lack of education among the common masses:-
Since common people are not that educated, they do not know their rights.
Untimely transfer of functionaries makes it difficult to have appropriate
responsibility fixation
Lack of people participation
Most of the people still think themselves as being ruled by the politicians, while
politicians think that they are the rulers. Due to this reason, common people do
not get involved in the developmental activities
Timely meetings are not held
No follow up:-
The analysis of administrative data on social audit findings in Andhra Pradesh
suggests that follow-up and enforcement of punishments was weak
Corruption has not reduced:-
It hasn’t led to reduced corruption and improved MGNREGA delivery
Analysis of data from official audit reports of almost 100 mandals during 2006-
10, however, shows that repeated social audits of MGNREGA projects did not
reduce the number of corruption-related labour complaints, while there was a
substantive rise in material-related complaints.
The impact of audits on other programme outcomes like employment
generation, targeting of the SC/ST population was absent.
Failure of the social audit process to deter leakage of programme fund
Systematic and regular audits with beneficiary participation have not taken off in
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other parts of the country.
Problem of difference in work culture
Recent steps by legislature and judiciary :-
Legislature:-
Right to information Act, 2005: This is also a key pillar of support for Social
Audit system in India. This was enacted by Parliament of India to provide for
setting out the practical regime of the right to information for citizens.
National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005\ (NREGA): Section 17 of this Act
provides for regular “Social Audits” so as to ensure transparency and accountability
in the scheme.
Meghalaya became first state in country to operationalize The Meghalaya Community
Participation and Public Services Social Audit Act, 2017, a law that makes social
audit of government programmes and schemes a part of government practice.
Institutionalised social audits have begun to make real progress only recently, with
the interest and support of the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG),
and the orders of the Supreme Court.
Office of the CAG developed social audit rules for the MGNREGA in 2011,
conducted a performance audit in 2015, and finally a year later formulated
social audit standards in consultation with the Ministry of Rural Development
the first time in the world.
If these are followed, it can be ensured that the social audit process is viable,
credible and true to first principles of social accountability.
The recent report of a joint task force on social audit has made unanimous
recommendations that have opened the possibilities of social audit becoming a
vibrant, independent and citizen-based monitoring system
Judiciary:-
The Supreme Court has recently passed a series of orders to give social
audits the robust infrastructural framework they need.
Citing the statutory requirements in the MGNREGA and the National Food
Security Act, the court has ordered that the CAG-formulated Social Audit
Standards be applied to set up truly independent state-supported State
Social Audit units.
It has also ordered that social audits be conducted of Building and other
Construction Workers Cess, and the implementation of the Juvenile Justice
Act.
Social audits, if properly implemented, will help address the impunity of the system in
delivery and implementation.
Way forward:-
The system of social audits needs synergetic endorsement and a push by multiple
authorities to establish an institutionalised framework which cannot be undermined by
any vested interests. Citizens groups need a campaign to strengthen social
audits, and make real progress in holding the political executive and
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implementing agencies to account.
Organization of a mass campaign to increase public awareness about the meaning,
scope, purpose and objectives of social audit.
Establishment of a team of social audit experts in each district who are responsible
for training social audit committee members (stakeholders).
Implementation of training programmes on social auditing methods conducting and
preparing social audit reports, and presentation at Gram Sabha.
Conclusion:-
In an age where phrases such as open data and open government are used in any
conversation around governance, social audits should serve as a critical point of
reference.
An open and transparent system involves the presence of real platforms for people to
be informed by official statements and records, with an opportunity to compare that
with ground realities.
TOPIC: Indian Constitution- historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments,

significant provisions and basic structure ; Government policies and interventions for
development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
3)The latest recommendations by the European Commission that balances free

speech and accountability on online medium should serve as a model for India to
reform how it regulates online communication. Analyze.(250 words)
9/22
The Hindu
Why this question
There are several problems that have dropped up due to deeper penetration of digital
technology such as fake news, privacy, online crimes etc. Presently the government is reacting
rather than dealing with these issues in a holistic manner. Thus policy reforms and legal
reforms required need to be discussed. The EX report provides a good model which can be
utilised in other answers as well.
Key demand of the question
Following are the issues that need to be discussed in the question:
Issues faced on account of problems in regulating online communication

The present regulatory structure in India
The reforms suggested by EC
The reforms which are applicable to India and how will it help in solving the unique
problems that India faces
Directive word
Analyze – When asked to analyze, you have to examine methodically the structure or nature
of the topic by separating it into component parts and present them as a whole in a summary.
Introduction – discuss the various high profile cases in India and abroad like Cambridge
analytica which has necessitated brainstorming over regulations.
Body
Mention the issues faced currently such as cyber bullying, defamation, incitement to
violence etc (now repealed section 66A), Section 69A of IT Act, poor understanding of
the technology etc
Detail out the present regulatory structure – mention the salient features of IT Act ,
mention how we try to deal with emergency situations by shutting down internet etc
List down the reforms suggested by EC which you feel are relevant for India and
discuss how it will help improve status quo
Conclusion – Summarise your answer and suggest a way forward – like the reforms required
in IT Act and how we need to come out with a policy document etc
Background:-
Recent Facebook/Cambridge Analytica revelations demonstrated exactly how

personal data can be exploited in electoral contexts, and are a timely reminder that
more is needed to secure resilient democratic processes.
A regulatory framework that balances free speech and accountability is one of the
hallmarks of a mature democracy. The latest study on press freedom by Reporters
Without Borders in which India is placed at a low 138 out of 180 countries. This is
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raising issue of freedom of expression in India.
India’s regulation of online communication:-
While the Indian government has not yet devised a comprehensive policy to tackle
the growth of fake news, in times of communal tension, the governments have
responded to such rumours and disinformation, in two distinct ways: by imposing
Internet shutdowns in affected districts or states, and by disseminating credible
counter-speech.
IT act:-
IT act is the primary law in Indiadealing with cybercrime and electronic
commerce.
It also defines cyber crimes and prescribed penalties for them.
It also established a Cyber Appellate Tribunal to resolve disputes rising from
this new law
A major amendment was made in 2008.
It introduced the Section 66A which penalized sending of “offensive
messages”.
It also introduced the Section 69, which gave authorities the power of
“interception or monitoring or decryption of any information through any
computer resource”.
It also introduced for child porn, cyber terrorismand voyeurism.
Why India needs to consider the European commission’s recommendation to reform

how it regulates online communication:-
In India, the present information ecology is vitiated by many factors:

Undue pressure on mainstream news organisations and journalists
Strategic deployment of trolls
Planting suspicion regarding legitimate reports by indulging in whataboutery, and
amplifying disinformation through social media networks.
Whenever the issue reaches a tipping point, the government comes up with
restrictive mechanisms which not only fail to curb the spread of disinformation
but end up hurting the dissenting voices more, like the now-repealed Section
66A of the Information Technology Act.
India is also one of the few countries where defamation is both a civil and a
criminal offence.
Self-censorship is growing in the mainstream media and journalists are
increasingly the targets of online smear campaigns by the most radical
nationalists, who vilify them and even threaten physical reprisals.
Benefits of the European proposals:-
The business model of platform companies, which collect data for
monetisation, is central to the crisis. Hence, the EC recommendation
focusses more on the role of platform companies.
It demands a more transparent, trustworthy and accountable online ecosystem
in which it is necessary to promote adequate changes in platforms conduct, a
more accountable information ecosystem, enhanced fact-checking capabilities
and collective knowledge on disinformation, and the use of new technologies to
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improve the way information is produced and disseminated online.

One of the areas where the EC communication makes a breakthrough is to
come up with protocols that harness technologies across platforms to
play a central role in tackling disinformation over the longer term. Central
to this idea is to invest in high-quality journalism
Code of Practice on Disinformation:
Online platforms should develop and follow a common Code of Practice
with the aim of:
Ensuring transparency about sponsored content, in particular political
advertising
Providing greater clarity about the functioning of algorithms and enabling
third-party verification
Making it easier for users to discover and access different news sources
representing alternative viewpoints
Introducing measures to identify and close fake accounts
An independent European network of fact-checkers:
This will establish common working methods, exchange best practices,
and work to achieve the broadest possible coverage of factual
corrections across the EU
Enhancing media literacy:
Higher level of media literacy will help Europeans to identify online
disinformation and approach online content with a critical eye.
Support for Member States in ensuring the resilience of elections against
increasingly complex cyber threats, including online disinformation and cyber
attack
Promotion of voluntary online identification systems to improve the traceability
and identification of suppliers of information and promote more trust and reliability in
online interactions and in information and its sources.
Way forward:-
At the most fundamental level, policymakers will have to define news and fake news
with utmost precision.
A distinction must be made between a harmless propaganda and a disinformation
having the ability to cause imminent social harm, in order to keep intact freedom of
speech at the same time punish the notorious act.
Mandating social media websites to check fake news may render in attaching
accountability.
International experiences:-
Germany enacted a new law, The Network Enforcement Act, which
imposes fines on social media companies if they continuously fail to
remove illegal content including those that constitute hate speech and
fake news.
Israel is mooting the so-called “Facebook Bill” which would enable the
state to issue injunctions to force social media companies to remove
content that has been assessed by the police to be inciting hatred and
violence
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The US in 2017 announced the mooting of the bipartisan Senate bill, Honest
Ads Act that would give the state the powers to compel companies to disclose
information on buyers, and their expenditure and dissemination of online
advertising that may be political in nature. All the above states are trying to
tackle the issue by way of attaching accountability to the social media giants.
Governments should promote news literacy and strong professional
journalism in their societies.
Technology companies should invest in tools that identify fake news, reduce financial
incentives for those who profit from disinformation, and improve online accountability.
Topic: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues
arising out of their design and implementation.
4)Putting restrictions on the use of Aadhar will defeat the very purpose it is designed
for. Examine in light of the various cases being heard in SC regarding the use of
Aadhar.(250 words)
Financial express
13/22
Why this question
Aadhar has a huge role to play in targetted delivery of government subsidies. However, it has
also led to various debates including those of privacy and exclusion errors which is being
heard in the courts. It is important for us to keep track of the court judgements and orders
regarding the use of Aadhar.
The question demands us to examine whether making Aadhar compulsory for targetting of
service delivery makes sense. The article also highlights that putting restrictions on the use of
Aadhar will hamper targetted delivery of subsidies. We have to examine the veracity of this
claim by highlighting the various debates surrounding the issue in light of SC judgments.
Directive word
Examine – When you are asked to examine, you have to probe deeper into the topic, get into
details, and find out the causes or implications if any . In this question the topic is making
Aadhar compulsory for targetted delivery of government services.
Introduction – Highlight the role that government expects Aadhar to play and mention that the
usage of Aadhar has come under the courts scanner due to concerns raised by Civil society
organisations.
Body
Mention about Aadhar Act to highlight government’s point of view. Mention the areas
where Aadhar has been made mandatory
Discuss the pros and cons of the above step. Divide your answer into broad heads like
constitutionality, privacy, effectiveness etc to examine the hypothesis.
While explaining the above point, quote liberally from various cases regarding Aadhar
which are pending in the court or has been decided by the court.
Conclusion – Summarise the arguments presented and give a way forward.
Background:
Aadhaar which was just another identification document for people and a solution to
pilferage and duplication of subsidies and rations for government has given way to
banks, telecom companies, mutual funds, insurance companies, railways, airports,
schools, hospitals, and workplaces linked for Aadhaar.
The subsidies affected by these announcements include food grain and horticultural
subsidies, crop insurance schemes and benefits offered under Federal government
programs such as the National Rural Livelihood Mission and National Career
Services.
The Lok Sabha also passed the Finance Bill of 2017, makes holding and using one’s
Aadhaar card mandatory for the filing of income tax returns as well as obtaining and
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keeping a PAN card.
Why restrictions on Aadhar need to be there :-
Cyber attacks:-
RBI report points out that an enormous integrated database where everything
is linked to Aadhaar opens up the country to incalculable loss, whereby
Indian businesses and administration could be crippled, through cyber warfare
Aadhaar data also offers valuable intelligence, which can be harvested by
penetrating Aadhaar-enabled applications
India deals with frequent cyber attacks from China and Pakistan. Hacking the
Aadhaar database would be an easy way for other countries to create
disruption within India.
Privacy issues:-
Apart from foreign hackers, domestic criminals would also have a golden
target of opportunity even as citizens privacy and security are endangered.
Invasive power to the state:-
The first concerns whether the state can at all compel a person to part with his
or her biometric information without securing the person’s informed consent
The second involves questions over the surveillance apparatus that the
Aadhaar Act creates
The third raises questions over the level of exclusion caused by the use of
Aadhaar, for example, concerns over the extent to which the programme meets
its purported objectives
The fourth questions the degree of protection offered to the data that the UIDAI
collects, stores and operates.
Freedom:-
The essence of individual freedom, of the right to life that Article 21 of the
Constitution guarantees, is that every person has a basic entitlement to
bodily integrity, to decide for themselves how they want to lead their lives. But
this is compromised by Aadhar.
Supreme court :-
The Supreme Court reaffirmed an earlier ruling from 2013, stating that
Aadhaar can only be a voluntary decision of the individual and that as
long as a person is eligible to avail benefits and subsidies, the
government cannot deny them those benefits and subsidies because on
the basis that they do not have an Aadhaar card. Despite this ruling, the
federal government decided to push through with these moves.
The sheer size of the Aadhaar database wherein its issues lie :-
Aadhaar system doesn’t have the strongest track records when it comes to the
deliverance of subsidies and benefits.
For instance, according to a report in the Economic and Political Weekly
based on data made released by the Unique Identification Authority of
India (UIDAI) itself, the probability of the identities of two different people
matching was 1/112 for India’s 1.3 billion population.
A survey conducted by Andhra Pradesh’s government itself saw 48 per cent
respondents citing Aadhaar issues as a reason for them missing out on
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subsidies and benefits.
Pervasive Aadhaarisation brings together systems and platforms in a digital
ecosystem without interoperable standards for security.
Aadhaar database has not been defined as “critical infrastructure” by the
Indian government.
Even Google and Apple have been wary about taking to Aadhaar due to security
concerns.
There is the question of whether or not the government’s bureaucracy is
equipped to handle the Aadhaar database .
Internet users reported how easy it was to access Aadhaar card information
from government websites.
There is the issue of the legal framework and privacy when it comes to
Aadhaar cards.
Critics have argued that safeguards in place in the Aadhaar Act itself do not go
as far as they should to ensure the protection of privacy of citizens.
Restrictions are not needed as it defeats the purpose of aadhar :-
The Aadhaar system’s positives will not only be limited to the government, but spread
to the private business sector too as with an Aadhaar backed identity, banks will
be more confident in giving out loans and businesses, both big and small more
secure in knowing who they’re working with.
Aadhaar biometrics being unique has ensured the 50% plus levels of theft in
PDS rations has all but been eliminated. In the case of LPG, similarly, using the
Aadhaar de-duplication software helped eliminate those with more than one LPG
connection.
There are a very large number of fake PAN numbers. When the PAN are fake, the
taxman does not get the data. Mandating the linking of PAN with Aadhaar was
the logical thing to do.
Given the fact that terrorists and other criminals use mobile phones as the SIMs are
bought using fake Ids it makes perfect sense to ensure the owner can be traced
by using Aadhaar that cannot be faked since, when the purchase is made, a
biometric check is performed.
The Aadhar system ensures privacy through design, as it uses a federated
architecture. In other words, the biometric data is never shared by UIDAI
The core bio-metric informationcannot be shared with any person even with
the consent of the Aadhaar card holder. Even, the general information cannot
be unlawfully shared.
With a flourishing population and varying demographics, this system allows the state
to maintain a central database keeping track of its nationals. Unlike the passport
or any other identification document, the Aadhaar card also supplements the
running of national welfare schemes by identifying those who need them the
most.
Way forward:-
If the Indian government sees Aadhaar as a gateway to its services or entitlement

schemes, it should move immediately to designate UID as critical infrastructure
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and set up a dedicated Computer Emergency Response Team to monitor

attacks or intrusions on the database.
Crafting an encryption policy that specifically addresses encryption for Aadhaar-
enabled apps
Security testing of all Aadhaar-enabled applications
Encouraging device-level encryption for mobile phones and laptop computers
Creating a Computer Emergency Response Team to monitor attacks on Aadhaar
Working with the private sector at forums like the International Electronic and
Electrical Engineers (IEEE) and the Internet Engineering Task Force to create
interoperable security standards for platforms relying on national identity databases.
Topic: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth,
development and employment. Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.
5)Multiple rate structure of GST makes the tax structure more flexible and not
complex. Discuss citing global experiences. (250 words)
Financial Express
17/22
Why this question
Implementation of gst has thrown up several challenges which has enabled us to refine GST
laws. One of the striking feature of the new tax law is the multiple rate structure which was
included for the purpose of equity. The experience of multiple rate structure needs to be
examined in light of global best practices to understand whether it makes the tax structure
flexible or complex.
The focus of the question is on analysing the pros and cons of multiple rate structure and
whether it simplifies or makes the gst structure more complex. There have been several issues
that have cropped up due to this provision such as classification of sanitary napkins etc which
has caused controversy. In this light, multiple slab provision has to be examined. The question
also asks us to analyze the experience of other countries and institutions to understand what
the global best practice is.
Directive word
Discuss – This is an all-encompassing directive – you have to debate on paper by going

through the details of multiple rate structure in gst concerned by examining each one of them.
You have to give reasons for both for and against arguments.
Introduction – Explain the multiple rate structure of GST.
Body
Highlight India’s economic performance since implementation of gst. That will lead to
examining the provisions of GST such as multiple rate structure.
Highlight the impact and benefits that has accrued out of this provision – equity,
protecting revenue etc. The benefits should be seen in the context of whether they bring
greater flexibility. Here quote from the reports of international institutions.
Highlight the issues with such a regime. Analyze whether they bring in more
complexity.
Bring out the global experience with multiple rate structure to show that India is acting
as a pioneer when it comes to implementing GST
Conclusion – Highlight that still a long way to go in adjusting to this massive reform in the
indirect tax regime. Also provide a conclusion to highlight whether it
Background:-
GST is an outcome of a political process in which 29 States and seven Union

Territories agreed to give up their right to impose sales tax on goods (VAT) and the
Centre gave up its right to impose excise and services taxes
Multiple rate structure of GST:-
GST has been fixed for more than 1,200 categories of goods and services consumed
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in the country at 0.25%, 3%, 5%, 12%, 18% and 28%, along with cesses to be
imposed additionally in some cases.
Benefits:-
The World Bank in its March bi-annual India Development Report had endorsed
the GST as a historic reform with the long-term benefits far outweighing the short-
term adjustment costs.
Other countries experiences:-
Most large countries that implemented VAT have now settled on having
multiple rates.
A multiple-rate structure is less regressive, with the higher rates on some
commodities compensating for reduced rates on others.
Amongst similarly placed federations, Argentina has six rates, from 0% to 27%;
Brazil has four rates, from 4% to 18%; China has eight rates, from 3% to 17%.
Between 1999 and 2015, Portugal had 10 VAT reform periods affecting the
standard rate on 242 commodities.
Changes in the rate structure to simplify the framework or on equity and efficiency
considerations are not uncommon and demonstrate the flexibility and
responsiveness of the tax system.
GST collections are expected to increase further in the coming months due to
an expanding tax base and better compliance, with more states using the e-way
bill system.
While a single-rate structure might have made the tax system simpler, it would
neither have been equitable and revenue-neutral nor would it have been
acceptable to all states
Problems:-
It is too complex:-
A modern tax system should be fair, uncomplicated, transparent and easy to
administer. It must yield revenues sufficient to cover the cost of government
services and public goods. India’s GST does not pass these tests
convincingly.
Indian GST system is even more complex due to the number of different GST
rates applicable on different categories of goods and services.
The present taxation system has not been given the boot yet leading to
complications:-
Electricity, real estate and alcohol will remain in it, exempt from the GST.
Petroleum products will be in both systems, old and new, but with zero-rate
GST.
Over half the items will be taxed at 18% or 28% GST, the steepest rates in the
multi-rate structure. This skew violates the basic principle of revenue
collection: the lower the taxation rate, the higher the compliance.
India has the highest standard GST rate in Asia, and second highest in the world after
Chile.
High compliance costs are also arising because the prevalence of multiple tax rates
implies a need to classify inputs and outputs based on the applicable tax rate.
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Along with the need to apply the correct rate, firms are required to match
invoices between their outputs and inputs to be eligible for full input tax credit,
which increases compliance costs further.
Multiple rates create problems of classification, inverted duty structure and
large-scale lobbying.
It enormously complicates the technology platform to ensure input tax credit
mechanism.
Conclusion:-
Despite the initial hiccups, the introduction of GST is having a far-reaching impact on
reducing tax-related barriers to trade barriers, which was one of the primary goals of
the introduction.
It reintroduces cascading where an exempted good or service is an input into another
taxable good or service, create incentives for vertical integration to keep the exempt
status.
TOPIC : Ethics and Human Interface: Essence, determinants and consequences of Ethics in
human actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics in private and public relationships.
6)Ethics for ancient Greeks referred not only to the theoretical discussion about the
topic but essentially the actual practice of it. Comment.(250 words)
Reference
Reference
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The question wants to know our opinion on,” whether ancient Greeks not only discussed
ethics but also incorporated them into their daily life “. we have to justify our opinion.
Directive word
Comment-we have to take a stand and form a personal opinion on the given statement. We
have to justify our answer with arguments/ examples/ facts.
Introduction– mention the core philosophy of ancient greeks- Aretē, which means an
excellence of strength or ability, and is ultimately bound up with the notion of the fulfillment
of purpose or function: the act of living up to one’s full potential.
Body– discuss in points, how Greek philosophers were practically ethical in their life.
E.g Socrates drank poison but did not give up what he felt was the truth, Aristotle’s analyses
of the good life in the Nicomachean Ethics and the Eudemian Ethics, in which he focuses on
the central topic of good and bad character traits that is virtues and vices, the Greek cynics
who live practically the life of a beggar, Socratian frugality, condemnation of sophists,
medical ethics- Hippocratic oath etc.
Conclusion- present a fair, concise and unbiased conclusion on the given statement and briefly
mention the resemblances with ancient Indian philosophy.
Ethical theory in Greek culture predates philosophical reflection. The main ethical category
for ancient Greeks was Arete or virtue .Arete means an excellence of strength or ability,
and is ultimately bound up with the notion of the fulfilment of purpose or function: the act
of living up to one’s full potential. Ancient ethics is about living a good and virtuous life
according to the ethical virtues, that is, to become a virtuous person.
The meaning of the word changes depending on what it describes since everything has its
own peculiar excellence; the arete of a man is different from the arete of a horse. This way
of thinking comes first from Plato. In particular, the aristocratic class was presumed,
essentially by definition, to be exemplary of arête
By the 5th and 4th centuries BC, arete as applied to men had developed to include quieter
virtues, such as dikaiosyne (justice) and sophrosyne (self-restraint). Plato attempted to
produce a moral philosophy that incorporated this new usage but it was in the work
of Aristotle that the doctrine of arete found its fullest flowering.
Aristotle analyses the good life in the Nicomachean Ethics and the Eudemian Ethics, he
therefore focuses on the central topic of good and bad character traits that is virtues and
vices. In this original sense, ethics means an analysis about the character or character
traits.
All the philosophical schools in ancient greek ethics being at odds with each other are still
united by the fact that they are deeply concerned with the most important ethical
questions of how to live a good life and how to achieve happiness.
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The Cynics, in general, lived a beggar’s life and were probably the first real cosmopolitans
in human history a feature that the Stoics wholeheartedly adopted later. They were also
against the common cultural and religious rites and practices, a main feature which they
shared with the Sophists. They took Socratian frugality to extremes and tried to be as
independent of material goods as possible, like Diogenes of Sinope who lived in a barrel.
The vital question of how to live a good life cannot be separated from the essential
question of how one should act. Conceptually and phenomenologically, both questions are
intimately interwoven and a complete ethical theory will always be concerned with both
issues, independently of whether the theory is of ancient or modern origin.
Copyright (C) INSIGHTS ACTIVE LEARNING
22/22

TOPIC: Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the
present- significant events, personalities, issues.
1) Gandhi’s decision to withdraw from Civil Disobedience Movement and participate

in second round table conference was controversial. Examine the controversies that
arose as a result of Delhi Pact?(250 words)
1/24
From Plassey to Partition : page 320
The question asks us to examine the controversies that emerged out of Gandhi Irwin Pact. We
have to mention the controversies, examine the causes of the controversies and assess whether
the controversies made sense
Directive word
details, and find out the causes or implications if any . In the case of above question, you have
to discuss the issues as discussed above.
Introduction – Discuss the contents of the Delhi pact and mention the controversies that it
caused such as
Decision to withdraw was taken under bourgeoisie pressures

Several leaders like Nehru, Bose etc were dissatisfied with the decision to withdraw the
movement
Body
Examine the controversies one by one. First of all, examine the claim that the decision
to withdraw was taken under bourgeoisie pressures.
Mention the reason why this controversy arose
Examine whether the capitalist class presented a unified front and whether
Congress was actually concerned with their worries
Examine the controversy that Congress’s withdrawal signalled defeat
Mention that similar things had happened post chauri chairs
Mention that people’s capacity for protest is limited
Mention the use of superior force by British
Etc
Highlight the actual impact and significance of Delhi pact and the reasons behind
aggreing to participate in RTC
Conclusion – mention your point of view on Delhi pact by summarising your answer.
Background :-
Gandhi described his 11 points as being very simple but vital needs of India which
would fill out the word Independence and give it meaning to ordinary people.
The 11 points combined such issues of general interest as 50% cuts in army
expenses and civil service salaries, total prohibition, release of political prisoners with
specific bourgeois demands such as the lowering of the rupee-sterling exchange ratio
,textile protection and reservation of coastal shipping for Indians and basically
agrarian themes including a 50% cut in land revenue and abolition of the salt tax and
government salt monopoly.
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This came as a surprise to many and was considered as acting under bourgeoise
pressure and even some of the leaders of congress were not entirely supportive of
this move.
Why was withdrawing of the movement controversial:-
The philosophical content of his civil disobedience movement was anathema not only
to the British authorities but also to the majority of the Congress who were taken by
surprise, for instance, by his formulation of 11 points before the mass campaign was
launched.
Bourgeoise pressure-
Subhash Bose felt that Gandhi’s formulation was intended to placate some of
the big business groups who might have been alarmed by some of the Lahore
resolutions.
Gandhi had indeed assured businessmen that he would take no hasty step in
inaugurating the civil disobedience movement.
Also the proposal gave Gandhi the basis on which he could sound the
Government later on compromise possibilities. Nehru felt exasperated that
Gandhi’s list of obvious social and political reforms had taken the place
of independence.
Congress leaders reactions:-
Gandhi’s peace talks with Irwin leading to the truce took the left wing and
the conservatives within the Congress equally by surprise. The abrupt
brake applied on the increasing momentum of the norevenue/no-tax campaigns
in Gujarat and UP caused dismay to both Patel and Nehru and both had to be
persuaded by Gandhi to accept the terms of the truce.
Seeing the angry reaction of the people against the arrest of Congress leaders,Lord
Irwin made a pact with Gandhiji that if the Civil Disobedience movement would
be called off, then the political prisoners would be released. Hence Gandhiji
decided to call off the movement.
The sudden withdrawal of movement was similar to Chauri Chaura incident of non
cooperation movement as masses were mobilised well and were actively
participating in movements .
Gandhi was of the idea that continuous moss movement cannot be sustainable.
Reasons why Gandhi went to second round table conference:-
After the conclusion of the First Round Table Conference, the British
government realized that the cooperation of the Indian National Congress was
necessary for further advancement in the making of the Indian constitution. Thus Lord
Irwin extended an invitation to Gandhi for talks.
Gandhi agreed to end the Civil Disobedience Movement without laying down
any preconditions.
The agreement between Gandhi and Irwin was signed in1931. Following are the
salient points of this agreement:
The Congress would discontinue the Civil Disobedience Movement.
The Congress would participate in the Round Table Conference.
In return British accepted the following:-
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Political prisoners not convicted for violence should be immediately released

The Government expressed its approval of the encouragement of Indian’s
industries.
What are the controversies that arose as a result of the Delhi pact?
Many felt unhappy that Gandhi stopped his movement when the people were in high
spirit of victory and while the Government stood demoralized. Gandhi gave his logic
that the nation had suffered to a great extent and needed an interval to fight the next
phase of the struggle with more vigour and vitality.
Lord Irwin was succeeded by Willington who was unlike Irwin very rigid and ignored
many provisions of the Gandhi-Irwin Pact.
The Viceroy, Lord Willingdon, in the absence of Gandhiji, adopted the policy of
repression, the Gandhi-Irwin Pact was violated and the Viceroy took to the
suppression of the INC.
Gandhiji failed to convince the Government that Bhagat Singh,Rajguru and
Sukhdev also should be considered as the political prisoners and must be released
The Second Round Table Conference in London which Gandhiji attended with
Sarojini Naidu, proved to be futile as the British did not honour their demands.
Conclusion:-
Despite criticism Delhi pact is one of the important landmark moment in Indian history
as it was for the first time that Indians were put on an equal front with Britishers.
Topic: The Freedom Struggle- its various stages and important contributors /contributions
from different parts of the country.
2) Bhagat Singh espoused a nationalism without any divisions and this makes him
acceptable across religions, nationalities and cultures. Comment.(250 words)
The Hindu
The Culturalindia
4/24
Why this question
this question is related to GS-1 syllabus under the following heading- The Freedom Struggle-
its various stages and important contributors /contributions from different parts of the country.
the question wants us to ponder over the life of the legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh
and discuss his achievements, thoughts to extract the nature of his nationalism. we have to
justify our standing on whether Bhagat Singh espoused a nationalism without any divisions
and that makes him acceptable across religions, nationalities and cultures.
Directive word
Comment- we have to ponder over the issue and form an opinion on the given statement about
Bhagat Singh. we have to justify our opinion by related facts/ reasons/ arguments.
Introduction- briefly mention Bhagat Singh, his background and his martyrdom at a young
age.
Body-
1. Describe Bhagat Singh’s political ideology and organizations he was attached with-
Naujawan Bharat Sabha, Hindustan Republican Association, Kirti Kisan Party, Kranti
Dal.
2. discuss Bhagat Singh’s sayings/ thoughts which depict his views on nationalism and
form a opinion based on those evidences. e.g his dream of a non sectarian, egalitarian
world, his religious thoughts and views on atheism,
Conclusion- form a fair, concise and balanced opinion on the given statement based on the
above discussion.
Background:-
Bhagat Singh is one of the only national heroes, perhaps after Gandhi, who is
venerated across India. This could be attributed to his appeal as a martyr, which cuts
across political ideologies.
Political ideology:-
His azaadi freedom was not limited to the expelling of the British; instead he desired
azaadi from poverty, azaadi from untouchability, azaadi from communal strife,
and azaadi from every form of discrimination and exploitation
The struggle in India would continue so long as a handful of exploiters go on
exploiting the labour of the common people for their own ends. It matters little
whether these exploiters are purely British capitalists, or British and Indians in
alliance, or even purely Indians.
Naujawan Bharat Sabha was a public platform of the revolutionaries founded by
Singh, and had a categorical position on the slogans to be used. T hey raised two
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slogans: “Inquilab Zindabad” and “Hindustan Zindabad,” hailing the revolution and
the country.
Committed to inquilab (revolution), but not merely a political revolution. He
wanted a social revolution to break age-old discriminatory practices such as
untouchability, communalism and gender discrimination.
He was also associated with Hindustan Republican Association, Kirti Kisan Party,
Kranti Dal.
Bhagat Singh’s nationalism:-
He grew up to appreciate nationalism and crave a British-free independent India.

Extensive reading of European literature propelled him towards forming a
socialist outlook strongly desiring a democratic future for India.
Atheism:-
Bhagat Singh veered towards Atheism after witnessing several Hindu-Muslim
riots and other religious outbreaks.
Armed revolution:-
Singh believed that something as precious as Independence can only be
achieved by a thorough cleansing of the exploitative nature of imperialism.
He opined that such change can only be brought forward by means of an
armed revolution, in similar lines to the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. He
introduced the slogan “Inquilab Zindabad” which sort of transformed into the
war cry of the Indian Independence movement.
Why he is accepted across all religions,nationalities and cultures :-
Bhagat Singh differed from most other revolutionaries on two important aspects:
He was an atheist and went to the gallows with full awareness of his atheism
He had a vision of the Indian society that he envisaged post-independence and could
articulate its essential characteristics.
He found fulfillment through serving humanity and liberating it from sufferings and
distress. He equated that cause to that of India’s freedom.
Working towards building an India where poverty, socio-economic disparity and
exploitation did not exist, rather than achieving freedom from the British alone, was
his goal.
He even favoured untouchables that they must have their own elected
representatives.They must demand greater rights for themselves.
Bhagat Singh, his intense patriotism coupled with cultivated idealism, made him an
ideal icon for the youth of his generation. Through his written and vocal
admonition of the British Imperial Government, he became the voice of his
generation.
His vehement departure from the Gandhian non-violent route to Swaraj has often
been criticized by many, yet through the fearless embracing of martyrdom he inspired
hundreds of teens and youths to join the freedom struggle wholeheartedly.
His eminence in current times is evident from the fact that Bhagat Singh was voted
as the Greatest Indian, ahead of Subhash Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi, in a
poll conducted by India Today in 2008.
6/24
Conclusion:-
Bhagat Singh saw his fight for India’s freedom as well as his life’s fulfilment in
selflessly working towards the goal of removing these inequalities, injustices and
absence of opportunities faced by his fellow citizens. This was his ‘nationalism’ and
this was his ‘patriotism.’ It was universal and not confined by boundaries of
religion, caste, race, creed or even nation.
Topic – History of the world – redrawal of national boundaries ; India and its bilateral
relations.
3) The tensions and disputes between Pakistan and India are fundamentally
different to the issues between the Koreas, which make an India Pakistan thaw
unlikely. Critically analyze.(250 words)
Indian express
7/24
Why this question
There are few supposedly intractable conflicts in the world – India Pakistan and Korean
peninsula figure prominently in that list. The possibility of a thaw in Korean peninsula
provides an opportunity to draw parallels between the two conflicts and examine whether an
India Pakistan thaw is probable.
The question makes two assertions both of which have to be critically analysed. They are
That there are dissimilarities between the India Pakistan conflict and the Korean
conflict. We have to examine whether it is indeed so
Because of the dissimilarities, an India Pakistan thaw is unlikely – we have to examine
whether we can take learnings from the Korean thaw to normalise India Pakistan
relationship.
Our opinion on the two assertions is to be provided.
Directive word
Critically analyze – When asked to critically analyze, you have to examine methodically the
structure or nature of the topic by separating it into component parts and present them as a
whole in a summary. You need to conclude with a fair judgement, after analyzing the nature
of each component part and interrelationship between them.
Introduction – discuss the current development in Korean peninsula and how that has proved
that there are no permanent friends or enemies in international relations, what matters is
national interest.
Introduction
Critically analyze the first assertion. Bring both sides of the picture in focus – mention
the similarities and dissimilarities in the two conflicts. Provide your opinion on whether
the situation is similar or not.
Critically analyze the second statement. Discuss whether India Pakistan relations can
be improved by a leap of faith taken by our leaders or the issues are much deep rooted.
Analyze the issue from various perspectives like
Historical – mistrust due to past experiences etc
Geopolitical – role of great powers in the conflict
Strategic – terrorism, nuclear weapons etc
Economic – trade
Cultural – P2P relations etc
Role of leadership
Ideological etc
Conclusion – provide a balanced judgment and what lessons can we draw from the thaw.
Background:-
8/24
India Pakistan conflict and the Korean conflict have been one of the most disputed
issues of the world. The latest success of Korean summit which made its step
towards peace raised questions of similar agreement in the India Pakistan relations.
Issues between Pakistan and India are different than between both the Korean
countries:-
The religious and voluntary basis of the South Asian partition stands in contrast to
the primacy of the geopolitical in the division of the Korean Peninsula.
Unification:-
Both the North and South Korea are formally committed to the idea of
unification.
In the Subcontinent, though, the idea of unification is not even considered.
Identity:-
Current peace process is certainly animated by the idea that Korean people are
one.
Idea of a shared identity, of course, faces much resistance from the deep state
in Pakistan.
Nuclear focus:-
In Korea, the entire focus is on the denuclearisation of the Peninsula. While
the North that has its own nuclear weapons, the South depends on the
extended deterrence offered by the US nuclear arsenal.
On top of it, India has been nearly integrated into the global nuclear order
and Pakistan wants the same status accorded.
Relationship between nuclear weapons and peace is also framed
differently in the two regions.
In Korea, denuclearisation is seen as a precondition for peace.
In South Asia, political reconciliation between India and Pakistan, will
help reduce the salience of nuclear weapons.
An equally important difference relates to the way North Korea and
Pakistan have defined the strategic value of nuclear weapons.
North Korea is seeing nuclear weapons as the key to unlocking peace,
the Pakistan army saw them as providing the impunity to conduct a low
intensity conflict against its neighbours India and Afghanistan through
cross-border terrorism.
Role of great powers:-
A major difference between the two regions is the role of great powers.
Although no region in Asia was immune from the great power rivalry
during the Cold War, the degree of that intervention varied quite a bit.
The Peninsula was a frontline theatre in the conflict between the East
and West which was not the case with India.
Similarities:-
Both the regions were partitioned after the Second World War.
Nuclear weapons loom large over them.
Assessing the military aspects of the agreement, commonalities too would stand out.
The first is to cease all acts of hostilities against each other.
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The second is to convert the border (demilitarised zone) into one of peace by
stopping all hostile acts.
The third is to resolve the sea border to prevent accidental clashes. In India-
Pakistan case, it would involve avoiding arrest of fishermen who inadvertently
stray across.
Finally, hold frequent defence ministerial and working level meetings to discuss
and resolve military issues. In India-Pakistan context, this could aim at
resolving ceasefire violations while enhancing confidence building measures.
Under the peace regime, the only common factor is strictly adhering to a non-
aggression agreement that precludes the use of force.
Thawing of India Pakistan relationship is not possible:-
Korean case is different:-

The reason why the Korean agreement would succeed and bring about an era
of peace is because the two leaders, who met and negotiated the
settlement, hold complete sway over their nation.
Their words and decisions would be implemented in letter and spirit.
More importantly it is their belief and trust that civil and military diplomacy can
move forward simultaneously thereby reducing tensions and enforcing peace.
Hence, thaw in the Korean peninsula would come at the same pace as
tensions which rose to a peak in the last one year
Historical:-
Memories of historical incidents like partition leading to riots, wars fought has
instilled a sense of insecurity in the public mind .
Kashmir issue and terrorism:-
The proxy war in Kashmir, infiltration of militants, terror strikes and
building an anti-India hype has alienated India-Pakistan
Every Indian government has taken a step forward to reach out to its Pakistan
counterpart, only to be pushed back by a terror strike. The Pakistan civilian
government lacks control over its own army, hence chances of success
remain bleak.
Geopolitical:-
The difference in perception remains on the involvement of other powers
in Kashmir Pakistan is keen for involving other nations, including the UN in
negotiations, whereas India desires only bilateral meetings based on the
Shimla agreement.
Multiple issues:-
India-Pakistan has unsettled territorial issues, political incompatibility,
irreconcilable positions on national identity, and the absence of significant
economic and trade relations between the two states which cause the rivalry to
persist.
The role of world powers is slowly visible in south Asia with China actively
involving in CPEC corridor,US proximity towards India etc.This again
makes both sides sceptical about the outcomes.
Yes,India Pakistan friendship is possible :-

10/24
Observing the nature of agreement signed between the Koreans, there is a ray of
hope that if the right approach is adopted, an era of peace could emerge even in
India-Pakistan case.
If the two governments can interact at a discreet level, seeking to push a common
framework of peace while letting working groups, including the Pakistan and
Indian army negotiate military aspects, it could usher in a change.
While the civilian leadership negotiates peace and stability and decides the broad
framework, military leaders negotiate ceasefire and terrorism related issues.
Ignoring military diplomacy as at present would result in continued tensions .
There are always limits to which civil and military diplomacy can succeed in isolation.
However when combined, much more can be achieved.
Conclusion:-
There is always room for creative diplomacy. Pakistan need to realise that nuclear
weapons are not an end in themselves. And that the leverage offered by nuclear
weapons could be traded for economic benefit and normalisation of relations with
adversaries.
Akin to the Koreans, we need to consider a combined civil-military diplomacy model
for a solution in the Indian sub-continent.
Topic – Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary Ministries
and Departments of the Government; pressure groups and formal/informal associations and
their role in the Polity.
4)Critically analyze the process of selection of the supreme court judges in

India. Suggest measures to prevent the executive’s unnecessary intervention into
the judiciary. (250 words)
The Hindu
The Quint
The Hindu
11/24
why this question
The recent controversy around selection of a SC judge whose name has been recommended by
the collegium but opposed by the govt, revolves around fundamental queries regarding the
distribution of powers between the executive and legislative. The question is related to GS-2
syllabus under the following heading- Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive
and the Judiciary Ministries and Departments of the Government; pressure groups and
formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity.
key demand of the question.
we have to describe the provisions dealing with the appointment of SC judges and discuss
those provisions critically. We also have to suggest measures to rectify the arrangement.
Directive word
critically analyze- we have to identify and briefly discuss the key provisions dealing with the
appointment of SC judges in India and form an opinion on them, particularly on their
shortcomings. then we have to simply enlist measures required to prevent the executive’s
unnecessary intervention into the judiciary.
introduction- briefly describe article 124 of the constitution and mention NJAC .
Body-
1. enlist the eligibility and procedure of selection of SC judges in detail.

2. describe the first, second and third judges cases
3. discuss the shortcomings in the process. e.g lack of time-limit for the govt. to approve
the collegium’s recommendations.
4. suggest necessary amendments required in the legal provisions. e.g prescription of time
limit and also bringing transparency and logic in the process of selection of judges etc.
Process of selection of judges of supreme court :-
The method of selection of judges by a collegium of Supreme Court judges finds no

place in the Constitution.
The Constitution confers the power of appointment of judges on the President of
India i.e. the Government of India to be made in consultation with the Chief Justice of
India and other judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts.
The collegium method was created as a result of two judgments of the Supreme
Court, first in 1993 and by a follow-up President’s Reference to the Court in 1998.
With the best of intentions of securing the independence of the judiciary, the
Supreme Court rewrote the provisions of the Constitution for appointment of
judges and appropriated the power to appoint judges by the judges.
By the first case the power was vested in the Chief Justice of India in whom it
was held the primacy lay in appointments assisted by two judges of the
Supreme Court.
In the second case the court took away the primacy of the Chief Justice of India
12/24
and vested the power in a collegium of the Chief Justice of India and some
senior-most judges of the Supreme Court.
Third Judges Case
The Collegium was expanded to include the CJI and the next four (up from
two) senior-most judges. It was concluded that the CJI could only recommend
judges for appointment after consultation with the other four judges, and any
candidate has to be supported by a majority of the Collegium.
Once the Collegium makes a recommendation to the President, the
President can either accept it or send it back to the Collegium for
reconsideration. If the Collegium once again recommends that candidate for
appointment with unanimous agreement the President is bound by the
recommendation.
General rule of thumb when it comes to appointing existing High Court judges is
seniority more senior judges in these courts should be considered for elevation to the
Supreme Court. However, where a particular judge has demonstrated exceptional
ability or character, the order of superiority can be superseded. The reasons behind
that particular judge being appointed need to be recorded in such cases.
The final position is thus that even though the formalities need to be performed by the
President, the actual decision-making power when it comes to appointment of
Supreme Court judges rests with the Collegium
Criticism :-
Controversial appointments:-
The conduct of the Justice Karnan ever since his elevation to the bench has
been controversial.
There is a failure to make an assessment of the personality of the contemnor
at the time of recommending his name for elevation.
The controversy over the proposed elevation of Justice P.D. Dinakaran of the
Karnataka High Court to the Supreme Court by the collegium of the Chief
Justice and four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court was criticised for
overlooking apparently suitable judges by the collegiums
The executive has little or no role in the appointment of judges as a result
Supreme court is overburdened:-
The Supreme Court did not realise the burden it was imposing on the collegium
of selecting judges for the Supreme Court and High Courts and transferring
them from one High Court to another.
An administrative task of this magnitude must necessarily detract the
judges of the collegium from their principal judicial work of hearing and
deciding cases.
Lacking this infrastructural backup the collegium resorts to ad hoc informal
consultations with other judges in the Supreme Court who are expected to
know the merits of a proposed appointee from a High Court or occasionally by
sounding a member of the Bar.
These methods are poor substitutes for a full time intensive collection of data
about an incumbent, his work, standing, merit, integrity and potential which
requires to be made considerably in advance for filing in the vacancy.
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Besides, the collegium’s deliberations are secret, the system is opaqueand the
choice of a judge is only known when his name is forwarded to the Government for
formal appointment
The collegium has necessarily limited its field of choice to the senior-most
judges from the High Court for the appointments to the Supreme Court,
overlooking the several talented junior judges in the High Courts or members of the
bar.
Skewed representation of socio economic backward classes like
women,scheduled castes and tribes in the supreme court.
Executive intervention in judiciary :-
Recent controversy about government’s opposition to the elevation of the Chief

Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court, Justice K.M. Joseph, to the Supreme Court,
as recommended by the Supreme Court collegium.
NJAC:-
With NJAC the commission was meant to ensure that the Judiciary wouldn’t
get sole control over appointments by including the Law Minister and two
“eminent persons” decided by the PM, Leader of Opposition and CJI together.
Only three judges (CJI + 2 others) were automatically part of the commission.
New memorandum of procedure:-
After the Second and Third Judges Cases, a Memorandum of Procedure had
been formulated to govern how the process of how the Collegium would make
recommendations to the Executive.
The government therefore suggested that a new MOP be drafted and finalised
for appointment of SC judges and the Executive to get a veto over candidates
for national security reasons in this new MOP.
Neither the old memorandum of procedure nor the Constitution of India set out
any time limits for the Executive to approve the Collegium’s recommendations.
Consequently, the government has been able to frustrate the judges by just sitting on
the files and doing nothing about them.
Chief justice is not being consulted by the president when the latter appoints
additional judges to the High Court Division for a two year term. After the two year
term, additional judges are either confirmed as permanent or may be appointed
for another term as additional judges.
Way forward:-
In several countries of the Commonwealth, National Judicial Appointment

Commissions have been established to select judges. Such judicial commissions
have worked with success in the U.K., South Africa and Canada.
The advantage of judicial commissions are that they are independent, broad
based and they represent not only the views of the judiciary but also of the
executive and other sections of society.
They are transparent in their working even to the extent that applications are
invited by public advertisement, as was the case when judges were appointed
to the new Supreme Court of the U.K. recently.
With the size of the Indian superior judiciary, it may be necessary to have two judicial
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commissions in India, one for the Supreme Court and another for the High Courts.
There Should be a Fix time limit for approval of recommendations.
5)Apni Dharohar Apni Pehchan Project will ensure better upkeep of monuments and
boost tourism. Analyze.(250 words)
Financial express
Economic times
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Why this question
Dalmia group adopting Red Fort has led to a debate over the move. Many people see the
transfer of responsibility of management of nationally important monuments to private parties
as a bad move, while others understand the benefit that it will provide. It is important to
discuss the pros and cons of the policy of the government that enabled this move.
The focus of the question is on determining whether apni dharohar scheme through which
private parties will adopt monuments will enable better facilities being developed there, better
maintenance and management etc. The question also asks us to determine how will it help in
boosting tourism.
Directive word
Here we have to explain the scheme, examine the debates that it raises, assess the impact that
the scheme will have, mention the precautions that need to be taken and finally a way forward.
Introduction – explain apni dharohar scheme.
Body
Mention the status quo. Why is such a scheme necessary.

Examine whether involvement of private companies in handling national monuments
will help in better upkeep and management, or whether the furore generated is justified.
Highlight the provisions of the scheme such as the project is a non-revenue-generating
one and no financial bids were involved. It envisages limited access to non-core areas
and monuments won’t be handed over
Highlight the precautions that need to be taken – involvement of ASI in maintenance
etc
Discuss the positive impact that it might have on tourism and the indirect benefits from
the scheme – more revenue, more employment etc
Conclusion – Summarise your arguments and provide a way forward.
Background:-
According to Global Financial Integrity illegal trade in paintings, sculptures, and other
artefacts is one of the world’s most lucrative criminal enterprises, estimated at $6
billion a year.
India has been witnessing theft from State-protected monuments and museums over
the years so this brings to the fore the fraught issue of pilferage and smuggling of art
treasures from Indian shores. This brings on to the forefront the significance of
conserving heritage.
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Apni darohar apni pehchan project:-
Adopt a heritage: Apni Dharohar, Apni Pehchaan is a collaborative effort among

the tourism ministry, culture ministry, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI),
states and union territories.
It aims to involve companies to take up the responsibility for making our
heritage and tourism more sustainable through development, operation, and
maintenance of world class tourist infrastructure and amenities at ASI/state heritage
sites and other important tourist sites in India.
Monument mitras are picked through a ‘vision bidding’ process in which those with
the best plan for the heritage sites are chosen.
It is part of responsible tourism where the ‘Monument Mitra’ essentially spends
his CSR funds for upkeep and maintenance etc., and gets limited visibility.
The project primarily focusses on providing basic amenities that includes cleanliness,
public conveniences, drinking water, ease of access for differently abled and senior
citizens, standardized signage.
‘The Adopt a Heritage’ is essentially a non-revenue generating project
Significance of this project:-
Tourism:-
Adopt a Heritage project is meant to address the challenges that the
Archaeological Survey of India and other government bodies are facing in
operating tourism infrastructure at heritage sites.
By allowing private players to build, operate and maintain “tourist-friendly” and
“world class amenities at these sites, the expectation is that the project will
boost domestic and international tourism.
Preserving monuments:-
Aga khan trust success on Humayun’s Tomb led to restoration of large
number of adjoining monuments
IT giant Infosys Ltd is also involved in restore monuments and organizing
cultural shows in south India. In 2016, Infosys Foundation restored
Somanatheswara temple complex in Karnataka’s Lakshmeshwara and around
Rs 5 crore were spent over last four years.
Even in many countries conservation has improved when private entities were
involved .
Concerns:-
Experts believe the government needs to tread with extreme caution as monuments
can be exploited in this manner
Private companies are concerned about their revenues, and they don’t know much
about conservation work. So the responsibility of the state increases in terms of
supervising these companies closely.
Way forward:-
Every school must have age-group heritage clubs which will look at the built,
natural and cultural of heritage of the district it is in through lectures, field trips and
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exhibitions.
Humanities must be a compulsory subject in undergraduate education
Research into and documentation of lost or vanishing heritage (particularly into
building materials, techniques etc.) and of the State’s historical past must be
encouraged in higher educational institutions through liberal funding.
Conclusion:-
Instead of allowing continued defacing and desecration of Indian heritage, one should
encourage the Monument Mitra Programme and hope more and more companies
come forward to save and salvage our collective national inheritance.
Topic: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday
life
6)Explain how blockchain differs from any normal online database? Discuss its
application in the telecom sector. (250 words)
Financial Express
18/24
Why this question
Blockchain has recently been called disruptive technology by our PM. It finds application in
several areas of which we must be aware.
The first part asks us to explain the differentiating factors between blockchain and any normal
online database. Here we will have to mention additional advantages provided by blockchain
which makes it a disruptive technology. In the second part, we need to discuss the application
of blockchain in telecom sector.
Directive word
Explain – We have to make the examiner understand the differences between a normal online
database and blockchain
Discuss – we have to mention how blockchain can be utilised in telecom sector and the impact
that it will have.
Introduction – Explain blockchain
Body
Discuss the differences

Discuss its application in telecom sector – use ideas from the article
Conclusion – mention that blockchain has been called disruptive technology by the PM and
has huge potential to transform economy.
Background:-
Telecom industry today has the most complex operations framework, involving many
partners, vendors, customers, distributors, network providers, VAS providers. There
are a lot of trust issues and transparency challenges due to the involvement of
multiple entities. So blockchain plays an important role .
Block chain:-
Blockchain is a type of software that powers a database for verifying transactions

made online.
The idea is that by making the database public, no one can cheat the system by
editing records because everyone using the system spots them in the act.
The decentralized and distributed nature of blockchain prevents one person or
company from reigning supreme over system; instead, everyone can help run,
manage and secure it.
How is it different from normal online database :-
It is blocks of digital information that are linked together in a chain. It is different

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from online database, because every transaction is tracked and the entities
involved have full visibility into the details.
Unique “digital fingerprints” are generated for each data point, and leave digital
trails behind as they exchange hands.This makes it impossible for anyone, including
banking middlemen, to erase or modify information without affecting the parties
involved, including the customer
Blockchains are simply a new type of database. That is, a database which can be
directly shared, in a write sense, by a group of non-trusting parties, without requiring a
central administrator. This contrasts with traditional databases that are controlled
by a single entity, even if some kind of distributed architecture is used within its
walls.
A key property of blockchain technology, which distinguishes it from traditional
database technology, is public verifiability, which is enabled by integrity and
transparency.
Blockchain databases consist of several decentralized nodes. Each node participates
in administration.Traditional databases use client-server network architecture.
CRUD vs Read & Write Operations
In a traditional database, a client can perform four functions on data: Create,
Read, Update, and Delete (collectively known as the CRUD commands).
The blockchain is designed to be an append only structure. A user can only
add more data, in the form of additional blocks. All previous data is
permanently stored and cannot be altered. Therefore, the only operations
associated with blockchains are:
Read Operations: these query and retrieve data from the blockchain
Write Operations: these add more data onto the blockchain
Replication :-
Blockchain stores a copy on every computer in the network. This helps ensure
that Several copies of the database exist even in case of a node failure.
Applications in telecom sector:-
Costs
Blockchain could lower network costs in more ways than one. In addition to the
price reduction expected through efficiency gains, service providers could save
money with the technology by relying less on third parties to complete a
transaction.
Security
Blockchain also brings a decentralized approach to telecom systems, which
complements the open source philosophy driving several communities within
the industry.
The decentralization of blockchain could help better secure the privacy of the
end user experience. By the same token, blockchain could provide some much
needed security in an industry ridden with cyber breaches using a process of
identity verification.
Customer trust:-
Telcos looking to sustain their business over a long term, therefore, need to
maintain their customers trust in themselves. Blockchain also provides a
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greater level of automation and leads to more streamlined processes
within organisatio
Analysing such vast amounts of accurate customer data can provide leaders
with greater insights into customer behaviour and guide their strategy.
Internal processes:
The processes such as OSS (Operation Support System) and BSS processes
(Business Support System) such as billing and number portability databases
can be streamlined using blockchain
Roaming
Blockchain can solve the issue to integrate high-cost systems and provide
access/authentication settings for enabling roaming calls across networks and
operators.
Blockchain can enable complex datasets across multiple parties, in real time
with high trust and security, particularly for establishing subscriber identity.
Smart connection:
With the help of Blockchain, device connection can be provided to multiple
local hotspots and WIFI’s based on permission and adherence to certain terms
and conditions.
It also helps with automatic generation of billing amount and payments.
Smart transactions:
Blockchain has enabled purchasing of digital assets, including music, mobile
games, gift cards and loyalty points.
Mobile money:
Blockchain has enabled cost-effective international remittances across the
globe with very minimal transaction charges. Telecom operators can become
global remittance providers.
Identity management
Operators could develop identity management tool that are accessible to
organizations, devices and applications.
Checking fraud:-
Blockchain solutions are instrumental in enabling interoperability
between internal as well as external systems for telecom companies. This
can bring down infrastructure as well as compliance cost, and save operators
from roaming/identity fraud.
Telecom industry today faces the challenge of eroding margins. There is a high
pressure to cut down the cost and at the same time adopt service innovations.
Blockchain is the right tool to not only bring in service efficiencies and
innovation, but also keep a check on fraudulent practices.
Concerns :-
Blockchain is poised to disrupt typical business operations. Unanswered questions

about how private blockchain relates to regulatory frameworks, in addition to
security and privacy issues, exist too.
Arguably the biggest challenge, however, is identifying the optimal entry point for
blockchain into the telecom industry, which may require service providers to
streamline internal operations.
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TOPIC : Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: Status and problems;
ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions; laws, rules, regulations
and conscience as sources of ethical guidance; accountability and ethical governance.
7)A dilemma is something wider and more demanding than a problem, however
difficult or complex the latter may be. Comment.(250 words)
Reference
Why this question
Ethics, particularly the practical aspect of it, more or less revolves around dilemmas of various
sorts. However the concept is often confused with “problem”, which has a very different
meaning altogether. This is one of the basic concepts in ethics and is related to GS-4 syllabus
under the following heading- Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration:
Status and problems; ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions;
laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance; accountability and
ethical governance.
The question wants us to explain and bring out the difference between a problem and a
dilemma and explain how dilemma is more wider and demanding than a problem.
Directive word
comment- we have to take the stand on the given statement and then present justifications in
favour of that answer.
Introduction- define a problem
Body-
1. define a dilemma
2. discuss its meaning in relation to a problem- e.g caught on the horns of a dilemma,
opposed and perhaps equally unwelcome alternatives, sacrifice of one alternative in
favour of another etc.
3. Discuss how to solve a dilemma- i.e the terms of reference should be altered and the
whole situation is reformulated and redefined so that full account is taken and due
respect paid to the warring value options, which are then ordered and linked among
themselves in a more systematic and coherent manner.
Conclusion- present your conclusion of the above discussion in relation to the demand of the
question.
Answer:-
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A problem is a situation in which a gap is found between what is and what ought to be .How
a problem is framed depends on who is doing the defining. Dilemmas are messy,
complicated, and conflict-filled situations that require undesirable choices between highly
prized values that cannot be simultaneously or fully-solved. In short,problems can be
solved, but dilemmas only managed.
Example:-
A classroom teacher wants to video, digitize and then upload as a videocast his classes so
students who are absent or want to review can download and watch the lesson. The tech
director is concerned that students’ privacy rights (and board policy) will be violated if
students can be recognized in the videocast.
The above example shows that dilemmas are conditions that can only be managed,
not solved because they involve conflicts in values. Because of individual priorities and
problem frames, it is impossible to deal with these issues so that everyone gets what
she/he desires.
It is not surprising that organizations, especially those suffering from bureaucratic

deficiencies in their reasoning and decision-making procedures, tend to confuse
problems with dilemmas, and treat them indiscriminately
Usually, problems can be solved with a single, discrete solution. Dilemmas do not present
a clear solution and in most cases are unable to be solved, but have to be managed over
time towards a resolution.
Dilemmas, unlike problems, cannot be solved in the terms in which they are initially
presented to the decision-maker. Caught on the horns of a dilemma the decision-maker
is not only faced with opposed and perhaps equally unwelcome alternatives; even
worse their incompatible juxtaposition also implies that they are mutually exclusive in the
sense that the satisfaction of the one can only be made if the other is sacrificed.
It is then the case that solving a dilemma resembles a zero sum game, whereby the choice
of one value alternative is necessarily followed by the negation of the other. ‘Solving’ the
dilemma in such a way would, therefore, be a contradiction since the solution reached
likewise would seem to be no more than a a dichotomic split of the intertwined aspects of
the issue at hand.
Dilemma is content specific where as problem is target specific and so in case of problem
always a desired set of target is achieved whereas in case of dilemma a set of targets are
sacrificed in lieu of a befitting one which not very often leads to accomplishment.
A dilemma may be dealt with in a more effective and appropriate way if the terms of
reference are altered and the whole situation is reformulated and redefined so that full
account is taken and due respect paid to the warring value options, which are then ordered
and linked among themselves in a more systematic and coherent manner.
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TOPIC:Salient features of Indian Society
1)Despite affirmative action policies, caste consciousness is a part of everyday lives

of Indians. Analyze.(250 words)
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Indian Express
Why this question
Recently, there are have been a lot of agitations by certain sections particularly dalits. SC has
also given a judgment that has polarized opinions. Reservation is an ongoing issue that
continues to divide sections of Indian population. This it’s important to analyze whether we
have managed to get rid of our casteist mindset.
Following issues have to be discussed in this question
The policies which are being talked about
The impact of those policies in the context being asked in the question
Whether those policies have accentuated or motivated caste discrimination
The levels of discrimination faced on the basis of caste
Directive word
Analyze – When asked to analyze, you have to examine methodically the structure or nature of
the topic by separating it into component parts and present them as a whole in a summary.
When you are asked to analyze, you have to examine each part of the problem which in this
case is caste identity is still strong despite affirmative action policies.
Introduction – Mention the nature of society in India where caste identities have been strong
right since the beginning.
Body
The policies of the government and the provisions of the constitution that would come
under the category of affirmative action like reservation of seats in education,
employment etc, FR against discrimination, constant review by govt etc
Whether these policies have made the dent expected of them. Discuss under various
heads like constitutionally, legally, economically. We have to examine whether
discrimination or reverse discrimination happens as a result of these heads
Whether reservation has polarized public opinion and made caste identity stronger
Whether laws protecting dalits have been misused
Etc
Examine the levels of discrimination faced by the dalits in economic, social etc fields.
Conclusion – mention the goal of an egalitarian society and how we can move towards it.
Background:-
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Affirmative action has been at the heart of public policies towards the socially
disadvantaged in India . In India, affirmative action is interchangeably used for
‘reservation’ which is a contested terrain. It tries to redress the historical injustices
and disadvantages suffered by some groups/communities.
The recent mass Dalit protests reflect a dramatic shift in the subaltern response to
oppression. It was the catalyst that brought to a boil the deep-seated Dalit rage at the
iniquities in the system..
Affirmative action policies against caste:-
Constitution:-
India has been a democracy in search of both formal and substantive equality,
hence, there has been efforts to address on an urgent basis the cause and
plight of the historically disadvantaged groups.
Article 15 (4) (added by the 1st Amendment to the Constitution), 16 (4),
46, 330, 332,341 and 342 form the core of the affirmative action policies in
India’s Constitution.
Broadly speaking, three types of preferences are sanctioned by the
Constitution.
First are reservations which cover (a) special representation rights of
SCs and STs by way of reserved seats in the legislatures, and (b) quotas
in government jobs and educational institutions. The reservation device is
also used to a lesser extent in ‘the distribution of land allotments, housing
and other scarce resources
Second, preferences target a few groups- SCs, STs, and women- with
regard to the provision of certain expenditures, services, and ameliorative
schemes such as scholarships, grants, loans, land allotments, health
care and legal aid.
Third, certain preferences take the form of special protections that
safeguard vulnerable groups from oppression and exploitation, like
measures to prohibit forced labour, measures to curb caste atrocities,
etc.
The early 1990s, through a revision in the list of the group beneficiaries,
affirmative action policies have been extended to include OBCs as well.
Legal provisions:-
Many acts have been passed like prevention of SC/ST atrocities act ,73rd and
74th constitutional amendment act etc
Schemes:-
Social:-
Educational scholarships
Health schemes targeted on women
Economic:-
Stand up India, NREGA, employment ,subsidies ,social welfare schemes
have been intended for the lower castes.
Success:-
Reservations were expected to provide opportunities in higher education and jobs to

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the identified backward classes and excluded populations. This did not happen
immediately, but by the 1990s significant changes were happening.
Between 1994 and 2004 in the premier all-India services (Indian Administrative
Services (IAS), Indian Police Services (IPS), Indian Foreign Services (IFS)), which
rank among the most coveted and sought after jobs in the country, on an average 12-
15% vacancies were filled by SCs, and 6-8% by STs. At the beginning of 2005,
Representation of SCs, and STs in central government services, Group A, was
11.9% and 4.3% respectively; in group B they were 13.7% and 4.5% respectively.
These numbers are significant as they show that identified beneficiaries now
hold some prestigious positions in society and this has provided them the
avenues for social mobility which didn’t exist earlier.
Due to reservations many students from lower castes could get access to high quality
education in top institutes of India leading to social mobility
Due to stand up India Dalit entrepreneurs got a boost and confidence to take
business as a career
Even in social indicators there have been significant improvement in health and
educational outcomes of the lower castes.
Failure is leading to increase in caste consciousness:-
Criticism of reservation policy:-

The existing reservation policy that has failed to assimilate lowest castes/tribes
within the mainstream economy and society, has created a sense of
dissatisfaction and injustice among those who are denied the benefits of
reservation.
The policy has ended up as a tool that discriminates against the high caste
youths in favour of the low caste youths, sometimes coming from the same
economic background. The tool of reservation has failed miserably in
removing caste differences and has promoted the caste divide and caste
conflicts.
It ended up giving preference to more or less the same class of SC/ST/OBC in
school/college admission, in jobs and in promotions as well as subsidies in
innumerable programmes and schemes, leaving out the poorer sections among
them at the bottom.
Recent study in Gujarat has shown that the SC, OBC and ST households at the
bottom are still left out of the benefits of the rapid growth of the State.
Legal:-
73rd constitutional amendment act:-
In some places in Tamil Nadu, for instance, rich and powerful caste
Hindu groups either forced Dalit aspirants to keep off the polls, or fielded
handpicked farm workers as candidates, or ‘auctioned’ the PRI posts to
the highest bidder.
In many villages across the country, Dalit candidates who manage to win
are very often denied cooperation from their caste Hindu masters elected
to the post of vice president or as panchayat members.
Though a law was passed in 1993 to prohibit manual scavenging, there
are 794,390 dry latrines cleaned by manual scavengers, mostly women, in
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India (2011 census).
Despite the positive effects of reservations/affirmative action policies, it has not been
able to completely mitigate the worst forms of social and economic inequality and
discrimination.
Social indicators:-
In India, the Dalits/Scheduled Castes are the worst-off group that has been at
the lowest rung of the society for centuries. They are lagging far behind
almost in all indicators, be it literacy, land ownership, to landlessness etc.
Living standards in SC, ST and OBC households are much lower than the
mainstream population,
Woefully little has been done to recognise and ensure their dignity and self-
respect.
Dalits are everyday victims of lynchings, rapes and violence.
Not much social mobility:-
There is just one officer from the Scheduled Castes among the 85 secretaries
in the central government. Of the 747 officers holding the rank of director and
above, less than 10 per cent belong to the SC/SC community.
However, out of all central government employees, 23 per cent are SC/STs,
but they are mainly in the bottom-most rung, occupying more than 45 per cent
of the safai karmachari posts in keeping with the tradition of assigning the most
menial jobs to them.
Judiciary:-
Supreme Court and other courts have, time and again, used the
questionable arguments of merit, administrative efficiency and creamy
layer to stall affirmative action in favour of the Dalits, ignoring the the social
and cultural stigmatisation associated with being a Dalit
The latest Dalit movement protesting against Supreme court judgment has a visceral
link with Rohith Vemula, with Una, with the inhuman intransigence of the caste
structure. The country-wide protests were a damning indictment of a centuries-old
ruthless hierarchical system.
Political:-
The clear-cut hierarchies and divisions in the caste system, offer the political
parties ready-made target groups. Therefore, politicization of caste has
become one of the convenient tools in the hands of the politicians and
hence affects the formulation, execution and implementation of policies
that seek to promote equality and justice.
The ‘Vote-bank’ phenomenon, based on caste-politics, has become one of
the most significant way in which the political parties have corrupted the policy
of reservation. Simply by increasing the quantum of reservations by extending it
to more castes in order to garner a larger vote bank is a weapon being used by
politicians for party’s interests.
Way forward:-
The radical rethinking on reservation should aim at

(i) excluding the entire creamy layer from reservation
(ii) developing the capabilities of the deprived and excluded beyond offering
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them admission to higher education or jobs
Reservation is a policy tool that is used not only in India. In many countries,
reservation or other types of affirmative action are used to try to overcome
human prejudice .One way to make these measures more acceptable would be to
educate children in schools about caste, ethnic, gender and regional diversities
and the need for public policy interventions to make society more equal and
fair.
Conclusion:-
To ensure social harmony, India needs to squarely confront the pathologies

regarding caste and address the relentless socially-sanctioned oppression of lower
castes.
Topic: Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the
2)The main purpose of regulating acts was to absorb wealth from the banks of
ganges and deposit it on the banks of Thames. Evaluate. (250 words)
The main focus of the question is on understanding how the economic exploitation of India
was carried through the provisions of the regulating act.
Directive word
Evaluate – When you are asked to evaluate, you have to pass a sound judgement about the
truth of the given statement in the question or the topic based on evidences. You have to
appraise the worth of the statement in question. There is scope for forming a personal opinion
here.
Introduction – explain the regulating acts, the purpose they were designed for and other
details
Body
Explain the views of scholars like dada bhai Naoroji etc who had explained how British
policies were designed to exacerbate economic exploitation of India.
Mention the provisions of the regulating acts which led to economic exploitation of
India
Mention facts and figures of trade like export and import data, share of India in world
trade in general and textile trade in particular, absence of industries in India etc
Conclusion – Mention your view on the veracity of the above statement
Background:-
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The administrative policy of the Company underwent frequent changes during the
long period between 1751 and 1857. However, the regulatory acts never lost sight of
its main objects which were:-
To increase the Company’s profits.
To enhance the profitability of its Indian possessions to Britain.
To maintain and strengthen the British hold over India.
The Regulatory acts were designed and developed to serve these ends. The
main emphasis in this respect was placed on the maintenance of law and order so
that trade with India and exploitation of its resources could be carried out without
disturbance.
Main intention was exploitation:-
Provisions of regulatory acts which show economic exploitation of India in favour of

British
Regulating Act of 1773
The first important parliamentary act regarding the Company’s affairs was
the Regulating Act of 1773.
The Company remained extremely vulnerable to the attacks of its enemies as
the administration of its Indian possessions continued to be corrupt,
oppressive, and economically disastrous.
Pitts India act :-
With the Pitt’s Act, a new phase of the British conquest began in India. While
the East India Company became the instrument of British national policy, India
was to be made to serve the interests of all sections of the ruling classes of
Britain.
The Company having saved its monopoly of the Indian and Chinese trade was
satisfied
Charter Act of 1813:-
By the Charter Act of 1813, the trade monopoly of the Company in India was
ended and trade with India was thrown open to all British subjects.
Charter Act of 1833:-
The Charter Act of 1833 brought the Company’s monopoly of tea trade and
trade with China to an end. At the same time, the debts of the Company were
taken over by the Government of India, which was also to pay its shareholders
a 10.5 per cent dividend on their capital.
The Government of India continued to be run by the Company under the strict
control of the Board of Control.
India was to be made to bear the full cost of its own conquest as well as of the
foreign rule.
British imposed a policy of one way free trade on India after 1813 and the
invasion of British manufactures, in particular cotton textiles, immediately
followed.
Impact:-
Totally disrupted the traditional structure of the Indian economy.
Ruin of Artisans and Craftsmen:-
There was a sudden and quick collapse of the urban handicrafts industry.
7/22
This collapse was caused largely by competition with the cheaper
imported machine made goods from Britain.
The railways enabled British manufactures to reach and uproot the traditional
industries in the remotest villages of the country.
The high import duties and other restrictions imposed on the import of Indian
goods into Britain and Europe during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries,
combined with the development of modern manufacturing industries in Britain
led to the virtual closing of European markets to Indian manufacturers
after 1820.
British conquest led to the de-industrialisation of the country and
increased dependence of the people on agriculture. Increasing pressure on
agriculture was one of the major causes of the extreme poverty in India under
British rule.
Yet as the British cotton industry underwent a technological revolution
during the late 18th to early 19th centuries, the Indian industry stagnated
and deindustrialized.
India also underwent a period of deindustrialization in the latter half of the
18th century as an indirect outcome of the collapse of the Mughal
Empire.
In fact, India now became an agricultural colony of manufacturing Britain
which needed it as a source of raw materials for its industries.
During the years of the British Raj, from 1858 to 1947. During this period, the
Indian economy essentially remained stagnant, growing at the same rate
(1.2%) as the population.
India’s share of world income collapsed from 22.6% in 1700, almost
equal to Europe’s share of 23.3% at that time, to as low as 3.8% in 1952.
Indeed, at the beginning of the 20th century, “the brightest jewel in the
British Crown” was the poorest country in the world in terms of per capita
income.
During the period between 1757-1813 the east India company used its political
power to monopolize trade and dictate terms to traders of Bengal.
Imposition of inflated prices of goods led to buccaneering
capitalism whereby wealth flowed out of barell of the a British trader’s
gun
Revenues of Bengal were used to finance exports to England.
In the period between 1813-1858 India was exploited as a market for British
goods.
Act of 1813 allowed one way trade for the British as a result the Indian
markets flooded with cheap and machine made imports. Indian traders
lost foreign as well as home market. Also Indians were forced to export
raw material and import finished goods
Dadabhai nouroji criticised that the company servants extorted fortuned
from rulers, zamindars, merchants and common man
Hefty interests were paid to British investors
Home charges or cost of salaries and pensions of the company officials
in India were paid from the treasury of India.
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Stunted the growth of Indian enterprise and checked and retarded capital
formation in India.
India was kept as a zone of free trade without allowing it to develop the
ability to compete.
Topic: Investment models. Science and Technology- developments and their applications and
effects in everyday life Achievement of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of
technology and developing new technology.
3)What do you understand by mobile communication on aircraft (MCA) and onboard

connectivity (OBC). Discuss their benefits and various concerns associated with
these technologies. (250 words)
PIB
Economic times
Times of India
9/22
Why this question
Recently TRAI gave approval of deploying mobile communication on aircraft (MCA) and
onboard connectivity (OBC) on all class of air-flights. This will have huge benefits for
businesses and consumers alike. However, there is a difference between the two and there are
certain issues involved. The question is related to GS-3 syllabus under the following heading-
Investment models. Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects
in everyday life Achievement of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology
and developing new technology.
The question wants us to give a brief description of the two given technologies, their benefits
and also discuss various concerns regarding their deployment and use.
Directive word
Discuss- we have to write in length about all the core demands of the question- description of
terms, discussion on benefits and concerns involved.
Introduction- mention the recent TRAI approval for mobile communication on aircraft (MCA)
and onboard connectivity and also the concerned ministries welcome of the approval.
Body-
Describe MCA (be brief and concise)
Describe OBC
Discuss the benefits under two subheadings;consumers and businesses.
Discuss the concerns revolving around them. E.g 3000 metre restriction for MCA, need
for a satellite gateway in order to allay India’s security apprehensions, lack of
regulations, noise pollution etc.
Conclusion- present your conclusion for the given technologies in the form of an approval but
with certain safeguards.
Background:-
Air passengers will soon be able to make calls and browse the internet while flying in
Indian airspace, with the telecom regulator recommending that domestic and
international airlines be permitted to offer both services.
Telecom regulator recommended allowing mobile telephony and Internet services for
passengers during air travel in the country through both satellite and terrestrial
network as In-Flight Connectivity (IFC) in the Indian airspace
Mobile Communications on board Aircraft (MCA):-
It is a system which allows air passengers to use their own mobile devices on board
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aircraft.
Mobile Communication services on board Aircraft (MCA) system
can be installed directly on an airplane and is now available to prevent any
interference, and has already been deployed successfully in many countries around
the world without any adverse incidence.
Mobile Communication services on board Aircraft’ (MCA) systems are used to
minimize the potential for airborne wireless devices interfering with terrestrial
networks.
On-board connectivity
Refers to providing the internet connectivity in a ship, aircraft, railways or any other
transportation system. On board connectivity services offers wireless internet
access, group internet packages, mobile phone internet access and data sharing
services.
Benefits:-
Businesses :-
The facility would help Indian airlines to compete with foreign carriers. Globally,
more than 30 airlines allow voice calls and internet access during flights.
Study predicts that the number of aircraft offering wireless connectivity will rise
to 14,000 by 2022
The availability of a quality IFC system is becoming a determining factor when
business travellers select an airline.
It shows the success of mobile penetration, internet services and success of digital
India .
Transparency and efficiency will be increased leading to better revenues.
Travellers:-
Analysts said the service will help travellers immensely
Business travellers greatly value the use of IFC systems on board as they can
continue their work commitments without deterrence in flights itself.
Travellers can be in touch with their near and dear even during flight
Concerns:-
Installing equipment to offer WiFi would be

Noise levels within aircraft may rise.
Regulatory issues:-
One big issue is who will provide the service and how will the entity be
regulated.
Some of the questions raised are:-
If MCA services are permitted in the Indian airspace, what measures should be
adopted to prevent an airborne mobile phone from interfering with terrestrial
cellular mobile network
Should it be made technology and frequency neutral or restricted to GSM
services in the 1800MHz frequency band, UMTS in the 2100MHz band and
LTE in the 1800MHz band in line with EU regulations
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Most airlines provide in-flight communication services at a minimum height of

3,000 metres above the ground level to ensure that flight safety isn’t hampered
because of interference with ground-based mobile networks.
Security issues cannot be brushed aside:-
Signals can be tracked and can become a threat to domestic security as
hijacking is even possible
Revenue and restrictions:-
IFC service may not generate much revenue at least in the initial stage. If the
IFC service provider enters into a commercial agreement with a telecom entity,
there is the added burden of being subject to a licence fee and spectrum
use charge.
Conclusion:-
Trai said that for mobile services, there should be flexibility to IFC service providers
in terms of use of technology and frequencies inside the aircraft cabin that should be
consistent with international standards, provided no harmful interference is caused.
This measure shows the growing success of Indian aviation Industry.
Topic:Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.
4)Getting affordable power to every Indian household needs sustained efforts.

Comment in the light of achieving the feat of electrifying all Indian villages.(250
words)
The Hindu
Livemint
12/22
Why this question
India achieved universal electrification when Leisang village in the Senapati district of
Manipur, the last unelectrified village of India was electrified. However, there are several
more challenges ahead that need to be overcome to provide meaningful electricity to all the
Indian population. The question is related to GS-3 syllabus under the following heading-
Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.
The question wants us to discuss why even after overcoming the gargantuan task of
electrifying all villages in India, a lot more needs to be done in order to provide a meaningful
access to electricity in India.
Directive word
Comment- we have to delve deep into the issue and make our opinion on the need of sustained
efforts in order to provide access to affordable power to every Indian household. We have to
support our opinion with the help of valid and proper arguments/ facts/ examples.
Introduction- mention the universal electrification feat and Lesiang village in Manipur, the
last Indian unelectrified village which was recently electrified.
Body- discuss in points, why there is a lot more to be done in order to provide affordable
continuous power to every Indian household. e.g
Discuss the flaws in the very definition of electrification and how it is not inclusive and
does not capture the whole picture.
Inter-regional disparities in power availability and consumption.
Rural- urban disparity in power consumption.
Problems in relying on renewable sources only.
Anticipated increase in demand of electricity in future etc.
Conclusion- provide a concise conclusion in 2-3 lines, on what should be the way forward
e.g hybrid projects, cheaper renewables etc.
Background:-
Recently Indian government announced that all inhabited villages now enjoy
electrification. This signalled a significant milestone in the country’s development. It is
an achievement that will raise aspirations in the remotest districts.
According to the government data, all of India’s 597,464 census villages have
been electrified
Several more challenges lie ahead that need to be overcome to provide meaningful
electricity to all the Indian population:-
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Disparities across states in rural electrification:-

Rural household electrification has a wide range across States, from 47% to
100%.
The average hours of power supplied in a day to rural areas in January 2018
ranged from 11.5 in Mizoram to 24 hours in Kerala, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.
These anomalies are often the result of infrastructure deficits and
administrative inefficiency and the Power for All 24×7 goal adopted by
States and Union Territories with a deadline of 2019 is far from realistic.
Rural vs urban consumption:-
The per capita consumption between rural and fast-rising urban India also
represents a challenge, since there is a divergence between the two. There are
twin challenges to be faced in improving access and equity.
Renewable energy constraints:-
The evidence from States such as Maharashtra, which made an claim to full
electrification six years ago relying partly on solar power, shows that theft,
damage and lack of technical capacity can pose serious hurdles.
Vagaries/realities in actual electrification:-
Existing definition to declare a village electrified is coverage of a mere 10% of
households and common facilities such as schools, panchayats and health
centres .Bloomberg report said that less than 8 per cent of the newly electrified
villages had all homes electrified. That means a majority are still a long way
off from enjoying access to electricity.
Electrifying mere power poles and transformers is not the essence of
electrification but access to electricity has to be backed by reliability,
quality and duration of supply for the hinterlands which is a still not
covered.
According to a 2015 study covering six of the most energy deprived
states of the country – Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar
Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal there is typically a significant lag
between the time when electricity was first brought to the villages and the
households in these villages actually getting electrified. The median lag
in the report ranged from two years over 25 years .
Significantly, the CEEW study had found that among the 50 per cent of
households without an electricity connection, a whopping two thirds had not
taken an electricity connection despite having the electricity grid in the vicinity.
Households cited main reasons as affordability of the connection
charges and monthly charges, and unreliable supply
According to media reports, only half of the connected rural households are
metered currently.
Way forward:-
The answer may lie in a hybrid solution that ensures

Continued scaling up of both grid-connected and standalone solar systems in
appropriate areas
Augmenting conventional sources of electricity with a clear emphasis on
rooftop solutions for cities.
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Cheaper renewables will enable differential pricing for households in remote

areas, a key determinant of wider social benefits of electricity.
The next step now is to provide electricity connections to more than 40 million
families in rural and urban areas by March 2019 under the Pradhan Mantri
Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (Saubhagya), wherein all households will be targeted.
Conclusion:-
India has traversed a long, hard, impressive journey towards achieving 100 per cent
electrification. In fact, according to the International Energy Agency, by providing
energy access to over 500 million people since 2000, India has become one of the
greatest-ever success stories in electrification.
Topic – changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth.
5)Reforming labour laws and achieving greater flexibility in their implementation can
greatly help enhance the ease of doing business. Critically examine the labour
reforms undertaken and proposed by the government in this light.(250 words)
Financial express
Financial Express
15/22
Why this question
Improving Ease of Doing Business is a major focus of the government. Labour reforms are an
essential reform agenda pending since long considering the political sensitivity of the issue. In
this light, the proposed labour reforms need to be discussed and examined whether they would
help in facilitating business.
The question asks us to critically examine whether the proposed labour reforms would help
achieve the purpose mentioned in the question. Thus the following points need to be
discussed.
The contents of the proposed reforms
The pros and cons of the reforms
The labour reforms required to improve EODB
Directive word
Critically examine – Here one has to examine the various labour reform measures undertaken
by the government to see whether they help improve EODB. Since critically is prefixed, we
also have to provide our opinion on the issue and mention a way forward.
Introduction – Discuss the importance of labour reforms and the attempts of the government
to bring a minimum wage code.
Body
Discuss the various steps taken by the government which can be categorised as labour
reforms – wage code bill, amended the Industrial Establishment (Standing Order)
1946, amendments in Contract Labour Act and the Factories Act etc
Examine the reforms to figure out whether or not they will facilitate business. You may
also mention other benefits or harms of the steps.
Provide your opinion
Conclusion – Mention the importance of bringing in comprehensive labour reforms and

suggest how to go about it broadly.
Need for labour reforms:-
Employment is impacted:-
When the economy has been slowing, the government should have made
it easier for business enterprises to hire.
The KLEMS India database shows a contraction in the workforce between
2013-14 and 2015-16, with about 1.2 million jobs being lost and the total
employment down from 483.9 million to 482.7 million.
16/22
Flexible labour laws :-

They will allow firms to grow larger and reap economies of scale, raise
productivity, create jobs and spur higher growth.
Right time:-
China is fast losing its advantage as manufacturing hub as labour cost has
trebled there in last one decade.
The Government of India is committed to ‘Make in India’ and attracting the
investors and large businesses to set up their manufacturing bases in the
country.
Success of ‘Make in India’ will depend on how soon and how fast labour
reforms are taken further.
Constraints due to present labour laws:-
A large number of firms in labour intensive sectors report that finding skilled
workers, hiring contract labour and firing employees was a major
obstacle.
On an average it took enterprises about two years to resolve a legal
dispute and there is wide disparity across states.
On an average, firms faced around 46 hours of power shortage in a typical
month. It took firms 118 days to set up a business.
The World Bank’s Doing Business survey shows that it takes 26 days to set up
a business but this is restricted to Delhi and Mumbai.
Demographic dividend if upgraded through skill development, and supported by
labour market flexibility, will help to attract investments and create jobs.
Unorganised sector:-
Only a minuscule proportion of the total workforce, which is part of the
organized sector, enjoys some protective coverage.
Except for the Minimum Wages Act in some states, informal sector activities
remain unaffected by the labour laws which were enacted to address the
organized sector.
For workers in informal employment, there is an urgent need to ensure
universal social protection that improves their conditions of work and helps
them live a life with dignity.
Countries with more practical labour laws such as Bangladesh have been
growing their share in the global textile market at India’s cost.
Present reforms so far:-
The Unorganized Workers Social Security Act 2008 was enacted to provide social
security and welfare of unorganized workers.
There is the Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act, 1970 to regulate the
employment of contract labour. A bill to amend Contract Labour Act will also be
pushed for passage in Parliament next year. The bill seeks to distinguish between
contract labour and work labour.
Various schemes have been introduced with the objective of universalization of
social security cover to the informal workers such as the Atal Pension Yojana,
Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana
and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.
17/22
Pradhan Mantri Rozgar Protsahan Yojana to encourage small firms to take in more
workers and provide them social security benefits.
To encourage employers to take in apprentices the National Apprenticeship
Promotion Scheme was launched.
Under the Skill India Mission, through the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana
and skill development programmes being implemented so that new entrants
get better paying jobs.
Under the Ease of Doing Business initiative the process of registration,
compliance to labour laws,inspection etc has been simplified to encourage more
number of enterprises to be set up and provide quality jobs
Draft Code on Wages, 2017, seeks to usher in the concept of a statutory minimum
wage, and could soon become law.
The codification of the labour laws will remove the multiplicity of definitions and
authorities leading to ease of compliance without compromising wage security
and social security to workers
A recent amendment to the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Rules,
1946:-
It has introduced a seventh category of fixed-term employees in addition
to the extant six classifications of workers under Schedule 1-A of the
Rules, for which conditions of service may be separately prescribed by the
employer.
The amendment lays down that fixed-term workers would enjoy the same
emoluments and allowances as permanent workers, albeit pro-rated for the
period of their employment.
This places them in a category superior to contract workers who are
generally paid less and do not enjoy any of the statutory allowances and
benefits available to regular workers.
In this sense the government has tried to balance the wages, social
security and welfare of fixed-term employees, but because their term is
fixed, their termination with notice is inherent in their employment contract.
Fixed-term employment will provide employers with flexibility to adjust
the workforce in response to changing market conditions, which has been
a longstanding demand to aid ease of doing business.
The Trade Unions Act, 1926, the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946,
and the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, would be combined into the code on
industrial relations.
The Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill, 2017 is likely to see the light of the
day in 2018
The bill seeks to enable central government to enhance ceiling of the maximum
amount of gratuity payable to an employee. It is Rs 10 lakh. The government
has planned to double it. After this amendment, the government would be able
to increase the maximum amount of gratuity by an executive order.
Constraints with present reforms:-
The crucial Labour Code on Industrial Relations is already diluted to pacify labour
unions .The government had first sought to allow companies to lay off 300 workers
18/22
without approval but later abandoned the idea saying it would stay with the
current level of 100 workers.
The much-touted rationalisation and consolidation of 44 labour laws into four
omnibus codes is yet to become reality.
Attempts at reforming Indian labour market have been rather slow. Even the
globalization and liberalization process impacted labour market in limited manner.
India missed the opportunity of being manufacturing hub of the world due to
rigidities in labour market, archaic labour laws and glaring skill deficit.
Significant skill shortage across the country makes the labour market quite
unattractive especially for foreign direct investment.
In terms of vocational skills, India fares worse than some of the developing
countries such as Mexico where the percentage of youth having vocational training
is 28 per cent.
Lack of a holistic labour policy is a major obstacle in the way of developing a
liberal labour market which can contribute towards making a competitive
manufacturing and service industry ecosystems in the country
Way forward:-
The legislation must be aimed at protecting the rights of labour e.g. to form unions
for purposes of collective bargaining, laying down minimum obligations which
employers must meet with regard to social benefits, health and safety of workers,
provision of special facilities for women workers, establishing grievance redressal
mechanisms, etc.
Labour laws need to be simplified and brought in line with contemporary
economic realities, including especially current international practice.
The labour enforcement machinery needs to be further strengthened in the
interest of better enforcement of labour laws.
It is important to eliminate absurdities, dualities and ambiguities from existing labour
laws so that industry is in a better position to leverage full potential of labour market.
Labour laws should foster an enabling environment so far as employment
practices are concerned.
Faster reforms in the power sectors, facilitation of entry and exit of firms, level
playing field for small and large firms, improvement in access to finance and
informing firms will lead to improvements in ease of doing business norms.
TOPIC : Information sharing and transparency in government, Right to Information, Codes of

Ethics, Codes of Conduct, Citizen’s Charters, Work culture, Quality of service delivery,
Utilization of public funds, challenges of corruption. Case Studies on above issues.
6)Examine the need for having a ethical work culture in any organization. Discuss,
how to create a culture of ethics in an organization.(250 words)
psychologytoday
19/22
Why this question
Work culture is an important determinant of performance, desirability and success/ failure of

an organization. It has an important bearing on employee-employee and employee-consumer
relationship. It is desirable to instill and nurture an ethics based culture in an organization.
The question is related to GS-4 syllabus under the following heading-
Information sharing and transparency in government, Right to Information, Codes of Ethics,

Codes of Conduct, Citizen’s Charters, Work culture, Quality of service delivery, Utilization of
public funds, challenges of corruption. Case Studies on above issues.
The question wants us to simply discuss the role and importance of work culture in the overall
functioning and performance of a company/ organization. It then wants us to chart out a
strategy to create a culture of ethics in an organization.
Directive word
Examine- we have to write in detail along with explanations in support of our answer.
Discuss- we have to write in length about a general strategy that could be adopted for
creating a culture of ethics in an organization.
Introduction- describe work culture in 1-2 lines.
Body–
Discuss the importance of work culture in determining the performance of the

employees and how it impacts their ethical compliance.
Discuss how to instill and nurture ethical values and ensure their compliance in an
organisation. you have to discuss the strategy in a coherent and chronological order.
You can take help from the below article and modify the steps as per your own
understanding and demand of the question.
conclusion– bring out a concise, fair judgement of ethical values in any organisation. or you
can mention the challenges involved in realizing the ethical compliance in an organization.
Answer:-
The reputation and profits of any organisation rests on the ethics and values of its
employees. Promoting ethics in the workplace creates a positive culture for managers and
employees, as well as a successful business. So developing an ethical culture is
imperative.
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) notes that the stock price
growth of the 100 firms with the most ethical cultures outperformed stock market and peer
indices by almost 300 percent, based on the most widely used measure of ethical
20/22
workplace culture. The evidence indicates that a positive workplace culture predicts
shareholder value by enabling superior value-creation.
Need for ethics work culture :-
Having an organizational culture that emphasizes ethical behaviour can cut down on
misbehaviour of organizations. Research shows that Leaders with a moral
compass set the tone when it comes to ethical dilemmas.
A business perceived to lack integrity or to operate in an unethical, immoral, or
irresponsible manner soon loses the support of customers, suppliers and the
community at large.
By creating a culture and environment which has values that are meaningful and
aligned with those of staff, people are more motivated to work and will bend over
backwards for things that they believe in.
Businesses with strong workplace ethics add value to the organization and
support an environment where employees feel safe and valued. Leaders can
help create an ethical workplace culture that benefits shareholders, the organization
and people in the company
How to create a culture of ethics in an organisation:-
Clear expectations for behaviour among all members of an organization is the

first step towards a more ethical organizational culture.
Organizational leaders must be mindful of their actions as others in the
organization will likely follow their lead when it comes to ethical behaviour and
attitudes.
Offering opportunities for recognition, awards, and social reinforcements for
desirable ethical behaviours can go a long way to promote the types of ethical culture
desired in any organization.
Workshops, easy to use reference materials, ongoing and readily available
consultation from peers or mentors are just some of the many ways
institutions can assist in training students and staff to best use the tools that are
available to them to participate in better and more thoughtful ethical decision making.
Ethical ambiguities can be reduced by creating and disseminating an organizational
code of ethics. It should state the organization’s primary values and the ethical
rules that employees are expected to follow.
Reinforcement for behaviour that is desired and corrective feedback for
behaviour that is not desired is critical to help create and sustain a culture of ethical
behaviour and consideration. This corrective feedback needs to be conducted in the
spirit of collaboration and education rather than in terms of punishment or
chastisement.
Provide protective mechanisms:-
The organization needs to provide formal mechanisms so that employees can
discuss ethical dilemmas and report unethical behaviour without fear of
reprimand. This might include creation of ethical counsellors,
ombudsmen, or ethical officers.

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22/22

TOPIC: Salient features of world’s physical geography.
1) Discuss the ideal conditions for formation of coral reefs. Also discuss the theories
of coral-reef formation.(250 words)
1/25
Reference
Reference
Wikipedia
Why this question
In UPSC mains exam, question demanding a direct explanation and importance of a particular
geographic entity/ phenomena are commonly asked. The issue is related to GS-1 syllabus
under the following heading-
Salient features of world’s physical geography.
the question wants us to describe the ideal environmental conditions for growth of coral reefs
and then discuss the overall theories of coral reef formation.
Directive word
Discuss- we have to write in detail about all the key demand of the question but be concise
and illustrative in our approach. Draw diagrams wherever possible.
Introduction- give a simple definition of coral reefs and mention their constituents.
Body-
A-discuss in points about the ideal conditions for coral reef growth- temperature, quality of
water, depth of water etc.
B- discuss the main theories of coral reef formation- Darwin’s and D. Murray’s theories.
Conclusion- briefly mention the importance of coral reefs and threats faced by them.
Background:-
Corals are nothing but calcareous rocks, formed from the skeletons of minute sea
animals, called polyps. The polyps extract calcium salts from sea water to form hard
skeletons which protect their soft bodies. These skeletons give rise to corals.
Ideal conditions for formation of coral reefs:-
Sunlight:
Corals need to grow in shallow water where sunlight can reach them. Corals
depend on the zooxanthellae(algae) that grow inside of them for oxygen and
other things, and since these algae needs sunlight to survive, corals also need
sunlight to survive.
Corals rarely develop in water deeper than 165 feet (50 meters).
Clear water:
Corals need clear water that lets sunlight through; they don’t thrive well when
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the water is opaque. Sediment and plankton can cloud water, which decreases
the amount of sunlight that reaches the zooxanthellae.
Corals in order to grow also need plentiful supply of plankton and enough
oxygen. This is important because like any other living organism corals polyps
need food and oxygen so as to grow and be able to reproduce
Warm water temperature:
Reef-building corals require warm water conditions to survive. Different corals
living in different regions can withstand various temperature fluctuations.
However, corals generally live in water temperatures of 68–90° F or 20–32° C.
Clean water:
Corals are sensitive to pollution and sediments. Sediment can create cloudy
water and be deposited on corals, blocking out the sun and harming the polyps.
Wastewater discharged into the ocean near the reef can contain too many
nutrients that cause seaweeds to overgrow the reef.
Saltwater:
Corals need saltwater to survive and require a certain balance in the ratio of
salt to water. This is why corals don’t live estuaries.
Ocean currents and waves are favourable for corals because they bring necessary
food supply for the polyps. Corals grow in open seas and oceans but they die in
lagoons and small enclosed seas because of lack of supply of food. Currents and
waves also determine the shapes of coral reefs.
There should be extensive submarine platforms for the formation of colonies by
the coral polyps. Such platforms should not be more than 50 fathoms (300 feet or 91
m) below sea-level.
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Theories:-
1.Darwin subsidence theory:-
Darwin assumes that along a suitable platform, coral polyps flocked together and
grew upward towards a low water level. The resulting reef, in this stable
condition, would be a fringing reef.
But, at the same time, Darwin assumes, the sea floor and the projecting land in coral
seas started submerging, and the living corals found themselves in deeper waters.
Hence, an urge to grow upward and outward would be balanced by the
subsidence of the land.
As a result of this, Darwin postulated that the fringing reef, barrier reefs and
atolls are only three stages in the evolutionary growth of a reef.As the land
subsides, the fringing reef would grow upwards and outwards, resulting in the
formation of a shallow lagoon.
Further subsidence would convert it into a barrier reef with wide and comparatively
deeper lagoon.
The theory implies that the barrier reef and atoll can occur only in the areas of
submergence, and the great amount of vertical thickness of coral material is primarily
due to the subsidence of land and consequent upward growth of coral polyps. There
is much evidence of subsidence in coral areas. For example, submerged valleys in
the east of Indonesia and the coastal areas of Queensland
Only subsidence can explain existence of corals at this depth because, generally,
corals cannot grow below 100 metres.
Criticism:-
Corals have developed in places where there is no evidence of subsidence.
For instance Timor .
Also, the question arises as to why there is uniform subsidence in the tropical
and sub-tropical areas and not so in other areas.
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2. Murray’s non subsidence theory:-
According to him coral polyps can live upto the depth of 30 fathoms (180 feet). Sea-
level and submarine platforms are stable. Several submarine platforms, volcanic
peaks, islands are present below sea-level.
If the submarine land platforms are above the permissible depth for the survival of
coral polyps (180 feet) they are subjected to wave erosion so that their heights are
lowered down.
Thus, the continuously outward growing fringing reef is transformed into barrier reef in
due course of time. The lagoon is formed between the land and barrier reef because
of dissolution of dead corals. Atolls are formed due to outward growth of corals in all
directions at the top of submarine platforms. Thus, a ring of coral reef is formed
around the solution lagoon
Criticism:-
Murray’s theory requires the existence of numerous suitable submarine
platforms the depth of 180 feet but the existence of such features is not
possible.
Murray has described two contradictory views of marine erosion and deposition
at the depth of 30 fathoms (180 feet) at the same time over different submarine
peaks. Such proposition is not possible.
A limit of 30 fathoms for deposition and erosion cannot be accepted
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3.Daly’s Glacial Control Theory:
When the ice age ended, the temperature started rising and the ice sheet melted.
The water returned to the sea, which started rising. Due to the rise in temperature
and sea level, corals again started growing over the platforms which were lowered
due to marine erosion.
As the sea level rose, the coral colonies also rose. The coral colonies developed
more on the circumference of the platforms because food and other facilities
were better available there than anywhere else.
Hence, the shape of coral reefs took the form of the edges of submerged platforms.
The greatest merit of this hypothesis is that it needs no subsidence of the crust,
as is the case with Darwin’s hypothesis. Finally, the sea waves and currents could
have easily cut down the islands and converted them into low platforms.
Criticism:-
Daly could not explain the existences of coral colonies at depths of 100 metre.
4.Davis’ Application of Physiography to the Problem of Origin of Coral Reefs:-
Davis reasserted the validity of submergence.

Davis has also taken into consideration the facts of changing sea level. According to
him, lowered sea level on subsiding islands would also create cliffs and spurs, but
most of them would be protected by reefs along the shores from wave attack, hence
cliffs would not be seen. Further, subsidence would also drown such cliffs if they
were formed.
Thus, this theory advocates the old idea of subsidence with renewed
application of physiography. It is also comprehensive in its application as it
includes the changes of the sea -level as well as the tectonic changes of the
landmass.
Criticism:-
In spite of the above evidence, one fact is left unexplained, the assumed equal
depth of the lagoons.
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Conclusion:-
Coral reefs protect coastlines from the damaging effects of wave action and tropical
storms. provide habitats and shelter for many marine organisms. So protecting them
is imperative
2)Indian constitution and the laws critical to administration of country borrow heavily
from the various British provisions and Acts introduced in 19th and 20th century by
the British. Analyse. (250 words)
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The question asks us to analyze the statement that indian laws and constitution borrows
heavily from British laws and provisions. Thus we need to examine the following points –
How the constitution borrows from the various government of India act.
Discuss which laws that are “critical to the administration of the country” are borrowed
from pre independence.
Also analyse whether the laws resemble just the letter of the law or the spirit of the law
as well
Discuss whether these laws require reforms to keep them in line with the current
demand of administration.
Directive word
Introduction – mention that Indian constitution is called a bag of borrowings – borrows

heavily from pre independence laws. Similarly many British laws continued post
independence as well.
Body
Mention the provisions of the constitution which are borrowed from the government of
India act. Division of subjects etc
Identify laws which are critical to the administration of the country like Indian police
act, nature or judiciary etc
Examine whether the letter as well as the spirit of the law have been borrowed from pre
independence era.
Conclusion – Mention the need of reforms in Indian police act, sedition act etc to ensure that
administration of the country is in line with the present needs.
Background:-
Though 1200 archaic laws were scrapped in bulk, Indians are still following many
obsolete laws that have been prevalent from the time of British colonial rule.
Constitutional provisions borrowed :-
From Govt. of India Act 1935

The majority of the today’s constitution has been drawn from this.
It delivers to the establishment of an All India Federation.
The previous names transferred and reserved subjects are changed as federal
and provincial lists and concurrent list is definitely an addendum.
It Abolished diarchy and introduced provincial autonomy.
Established the RBI, federal court, Provincial PSUs and Joint PSUs.
The federal structure of government, provincial autonomy, a bicameral
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central legislature consisting of a federal assembly and a Council of States
and the separation of legislative powers between the centre and states are
some of the provisions of the Act which are present in the Constitution of
India.
Office of Governor
Judiciary
Emergency
Pre independence laws still used in post Independent India are :-
Indian Police Act, 1861:-

This act was framed by British after the revolt of 1857. The main aim of the
British Government before passing this law was to establish a
Police forcewhich can tackle any revolt against the Government.
Post independent police are encouraged to tackle law and order and work
towards society. Community policing and police sensitivity are
encouraged now.
Indian Evidence Act, 1872:
This Act was passed by the British Government in 1872. It is applicable on
all the proceedings of the law including court marshal. Though it is not valid on
arbitration. This Act elaborates upon the items that can be used as evidences
and to be informed to the court of law in advance. Therefore, this Act is
playing an important role in various legislations even after 144 years of
its implementation though may be in amended forms.
Income Tax Act, 1961:
On the basis of this act, income taxis imposed in India. Though the
Government had planned to remove this Act along with the Wealth Tax Act,
1957 by bringing in the Direct Tax Code, however after theremoval of Wealth
Tax it is not reverted back.
Indian Penal Code, 1860:
Indian Penal Code was prepared based on the recommendations ofthe first
law commission of 1860.There have been many changes
Criminalisation of homosexuality:-
The criminalisation of homosexuality or what is popularly referred to as
Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) dates back to 1860 when the
British introduced it as sexual activities against the “order of nature.
The Supreme Court overturned the decision of lower court and
homosexuality continues to be a criminal offence in India.
Blasphemy law:-
Controversial for curtailing freedom of speech, Section 295A of the IPC
has been time and again imposed for banning publication of several
books and other content.
The British government introduced the Dramatic Performance Act in
1876, which prohibited dramatic performances of “scandalous” and
“defamatory” nature. Performances that would excite feelings among
people against the government in power or likely to corrupt persons at
the performance were prohibited.
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Most recently, this so-called “blasphemy law” was used to target Wendy
Doniger, the American professor whose book on Hinduism was in effect
banned by a single complainant who said he disagreed with its content.
Seventy years after independence, the law still exists and post-1947
many states introduced the law and amended it accordingly with the
exception of Delhi and West Bengal.
Another section, 295a, seeks to protect religious minorities from hate speech,
but is often used to intimidate and silence artists, critics and scholars
Sedition law:-
Colonial-era law intended to suppress the voice of freedom continues in
force in India, but Britain itself abolished sedition as a criminal offence in
2009.
Conclusion:-
The spirit for adopting the laws even after post independence has been not for
repression as was under the British rule but mainly to provide justice to the citizens of
India. More changes are necessary in light of changing needs of the society so
reforms with respect to judiciary, police, administrative aspects etc are necessary
Despite adopting some of the laws many changes have been made suitable to the
needs of changing Indian society like official secrets act 1923 is being amended to
make a seamless transition from the secrecy period of the 20th century to a modern
and democratic transparency regime
Topic – Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues
3)Critically examine whether the provisions of draft national telecom policy resemble
a wishlist without addressing the key issues plaguing the telecom sector?(250
words)
Reference
Financial express
10/25
Why this question
The government has come out with the draft national telecom policy which has several
ambitious targets like ‘Connect India’ , ‘Propel India’, ‘Secure India’ which aim to
revolutionize the telecom sector in India. However, it remains to be examined whether the
provisions of the policy facilitate the easing of concerns like lack of finances, infrastructural
bottlenecks etc. Hence this topic becomes important.
The question asks us to bring out the aims of the policy and examine whether these aims are
merely a bunch of wishes or whether the provisions are sufficient to achieve the aims and
address the issues. We are also required to analyze the provisions in the light whether they
help in resolving the issues faced by the telecom sector in India.
Directive word
Critically examine – When you are asked to examine, you have to probe deeper into the topic,
get into details, and find out the causes or implications if any . In the case of above question
on draft telecom policy , you have to examine the issue in line with the key demand of the
question.
Introduction – Mention the status quo of telecom sector in India and the need for coming out
with a policy.
Body
Mention the aims of the policy. ‘Connect India’ , ‘Propel India’, ‘Secure India’.
Discuss whether they are in line with what we need.
Discuss the issues faced by the sector. Pricing of spectrum, ensuring profitability,
infrastructural improvement
Discuss the provisions designed to achieve our vision. Discuss whether they are
adequate in light of the issues faced. To support your stand quote from the studies
mentioned in the article
Mention the changes that should be brought in the policy to make it more effective.
Conclusion – reiterate the importance of a policy and the refining needed in it.
Background:-
Recently the draft of National Telecom Policy (NTP) 2018 i.e.,National Digital
Communications Policy 2018 has been released for public consultations by the
government.
Draft telecom policy:-
The key strategies in the draft talks of recognizing spectrum as a key natural
resource for public benefit to achieve India’s socio-economic goals
The policy aims to accomplish some of the strategic objectives by 2022 including:
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1. Provisioning of Broadband for all

2. Creating four million additional jobs in the digital communications sector
Enhancing the contribution of the digital communications sector to eight percent of

India’s GDP from around six percent in 2017
1. Enhancing India’s contribution to global value chains

2. Ensuring digital sovereignty
It has a three point action plan

1. ‘Connect India’ under which it plans to set up a robust digital communications
infrastructure
2. ‘Propel India’ where the power of emerging digital technologies, including 5G,
artificial intelligence (AI), Internet Of Things (IoT) will be harnessed
‘Secure India’ to focus on ensuring individual autonomy and choice, data ownership,
privacy and security
Features of the draft policy:-
There would be the optimal pricing of the spectrum to ensure sustainable and
affordable access to digital communications
Enabling light touch licensing/ de-licensingfor broadband proliferation
Promoting the co-use/ secondary use of spectrum
It also outlined roadmap for high in demand backhaul spectrum for transmitting
signals between mobile towers in E and V band as per international best practices.
Constituting a Spectrum Advisory Team (SAT) consisting of experts, industry, and
academia to facilitate the identification of new bands, applications and efficiency
measures to catalyze innovation and efficient spectrum management
It proposes identifying and making available new spectrum bands for access
and backhaul segments for timely deployment and growth of 5G networks and
making available harmonized and contiguous spectrum required for deployment of
next-generation access technologies
Setting up National Broadband Mission
The draft talks of establishing a ‘National Broadband Mission -Rashtriya
Broadband Abhiyan’ to secure universal broadband access for implementation
of broadband initiatives, to be funded through USOF and PPP:
BharatNet for providing 1Gbps to Gram Panchayats upgradeable to 10
Gbps
GramNet for connecting all key rural development institutions with
10Mbps upgradeable to 100 Mbps
NagarNet for establishing one- million public Wi-Fi Hotspots in urban
areas
JanWiFi for establishing two-million Wi-Fi Hotspots in rural areas
Implementing a ‘Fibre First Initiative’ to take Optical fiber to the home, to
enterprises, and to key development institutions in tier I, II and III towns
and to rural clusters
Setting up Telecom Ombudsman
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It talks about establishing effective institutional mechanisms to protect

consumers’ interests including a Telecom Ombudsman and a centralized
web-based complaint redressal system
The Telecom Commission has already approved setting up of the
Telecom Ombudsman and has asked TRAI to take care of it
Roadmap for Green Telecom in India
The Policy talks of incentivizing the use of renewable energy
technologies in the communications sector
This includes utilization of small cell fuel batteries, lithium-ion batteries or
other similar technologies and promoting research and development of
green telecom
Benefits:-
High spectrum price and related charges have been main concern of telecom
services segment which is reeling under a debt of around Rs 7.8 lakh crore. The
draft policy also proposes recognising of mid-band spectrum, particularly the 3
GHz to 24 GHz range, for next-generation networks.
The policy recognises the importance of continued improvement in the
regulatory framework for attracting investments and ensuring fair competition,
to serve the needs of Indian citizens.
Given the sector’s capital-intensive nature, the policy aims to attract long-term,
high quality and sustainable investments
It aims to pursue regulatory reforms to ensure that the regulatory structures and
processes remain relevant, transparent, accountable and forward-looking.
Policy promises to remove regulatory barriers and reduce the regulatory
burden that hampers investments, innovation and consumer interest.
Draft of the policy is progressive and the government is keen to deliver widest
range of new services and technologies to the Indian consumers at affordable
costs.
It has placed significant emphasis on building a strong fiber network in India.
Criticism:-
Government did not do anything about spectrum prices which were increased due to
restricted supply.
Implementation could be a big challenge in the light of existing licensing
regime.
Proposals in the draft National Digital Communications Policy 2018 policy have
found mention in earlier regulations and vision statements of the telecom
regulator or the Department of Telecom.
For example ,making broadband access available to every citizen. This was
already the stated objective of the Centre when the National Telecom
Policy was rolled out in 2012.
Restructuring C-DOT as a premier telecom research and development centre:-
This was the intent with which C-DOT was set up in 1984
Similarly, there is mention of finding synergies between telecom public sector
undertakings. This exercise was first started in 2002 but nothing has come
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of it till date.
Woes of telecom industry:-
Telecom industry is in the middle of a massive crisis
On the one hand operators are under a massive financial strain, with declining
profits and growing debt while on the other there is tremendous pressure on
them to invest more into building networks to satiate the growing
demand for data services.
The 2018 policy very emphatically states that it envisions investments of $100
billion in the digital communications sector but the reality is that none of the
existing players is in a position to put that money on the table
There is no clarity or any roadmap on reduction of the financial stress of the
industry.
Way forward:-
Government should focus on putting together a roadmap explaining how it will

execute these initiatives.
For instance, the new policy states that incentivising manufacturing of
semiconductor chips is one of the top priority areas. The Centre has already
rolled out a policy in this regard which has failed to attract any player so far due
to a number of reasons.
The new policy should have gone into these reasons and proposed a plan
to fix the shortcomings.
Need to offer a clear roadmap of how it plans to provide fiscal relief to the industry
rather than merely restating that the plan is to rationalise government taxes and
levies for the sector in addition to giving critical infrastructure status to the industry.
Topic – India and its bilateral relations
4)India’s China policy is inadequate and suffers from the baggages of history.
Analyze and discuss the changes required in our China policy.(250 words)
Financial express
Indian express
14/25
Why this question
With the recent conclusion of Wuhan Summit, India China relationship has progressed from
the nadir it found itself in the recent past. Going forward, it becomes important to take stock of
our existing China policy and examine whether our antagonistic stance is principled or
clouded by history.
The question asks us to discuss the following issues
Evaluation of India’s current China policy and examine whether it is in line with our
national interest or whether it is on account of trepidation of history. Here we will have
to analyze the policy from all possible angles and evaluate its pros and cons
Thereafter, we need to discuss the changes we think are required. Here , if we feel that
no change is required, one can justify that stand while explaining why changes would
be bad. Similarly in the other case.
Directive word
of India China relations by separating it into component parts and present them as a whole in a
summary. When you are asked to analyze, you have to examine each part of the problem. It is
a broader term than ‘Examine’.

through the details of the issues concerned by examining each one of them. You have to give
reasons for both for and against arguments.
Analysing India’s China policy

Geostrategic – power imbalance, border infrastructure etc. Discuss that despite a
war in the past, Doklam issue etc India’s border preparedness is low
Geopolitical – whether our policy is principled equidistance or whether it
wouldn’t make sense to not side with China. Discuss the violation of trust by
Chinese in 1962
Economic – discuss that trade imbalance issue not addressed
Etc
Discuss whether India’s China policy ignores present reality because it is clouded by
history
Discuss what changes are required. Examine what will be the advantages from those
changes and the losses of status quo prevails. Eg opposition to BRI. Whether it should
change or whether our stance to oppose CPEC is correct. Discuss whether India should
use its leverage as a swing state to ensure it is heard by China. Etc
Conclusion – provide a summary of the discussion above
India’s China policy and why changes are needed in it:-

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Several factors have led to a questioning whether India’s policy is adequate,

beginning with the baggage of history a post-1962 policy that focused on placing the
territorial dispute at the centre with trade and people-to-people contacts at the
periphery. India’s China policy was tactical in intent and may have well-suited the
times and climes so far.
But, a long-term strategy and vision is needed to guide India’s engagement with
China.
India’s China policy is no longer adequate to address China’s key power status
cemented by its dramatic rise and emergence as the world’s second most important
player.
Neighbours moving away from India :-
Nepal:-
The China-Nepal bus service along the 736-km Kodari Highway was
started .Recently China- Nepal are considering multiple areas of
cooperation be it trade, projects etc.
China’s dominance in Pakistan, Srilanka, Maldives is a concern to India.
China’s relationship with Pakistan has been a major source of concern in India.
Its role in strengthening Pakistan’s conventional, missile and nuclear
capabilities is especially highlighted. India also disapproves of China’s
assistance to Pakistan in developing projects and infrastructure in area
disputed between India and Pakistan.
Border infrastructure still abysmal:-
China is becoming more aggressive as is already seen in the disputes in the
South China Sea. The Doklam crisis only confirmed that but yet Indian
approach towards border management has not improved.
Differences are not restricted to the boundary dispute. Tibet remains a key
source of tension between the two countries though the two countries have
found a way to manage their differences on the issue for now.
Water is the resource that has become the subject of tension specifically
Chinese dam construction on its side of the Brahmaputra River.
Technological:-
Indian companies also privately express concerns about cyber-espionage.

Overall, reports of cyber-attacks on Indian government and military networks
allegedly emanating from China have done nothing to decrease distrust that
persists, especially among the public.
The lack of trust in China and its intentions:-
The legacy of history remains a problem. Every time there is a border incident it
reinforces the narrative that has prevailed in many quarters in India since the
1962 China-India war that China cannot be trusted.
This problem is made worse by limited connectivity and communications, and
little knowledge about the other country even though these have improved.
Economic:-
There’s much concern about the trade imbalance

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India’s china policy has become practical in the recent years:-
Based on some reports, India is not inviting Australia to the Malabar naval
exercises this year so the next logical step in crystallising the quad process
has been stalled for the time being.
While India has not changed its stand on the Chinese Belt Road Initiative (BRI), the
report of a joint India-China development project in Afghanistan does soften
the Indian opposition.
Both the countries are taking some visible steps to energise their economic and
commercial relationship, given the threat of rising protectionism from the US.
In the Wuhan consensus joint commitment to maintain peace and tranquillity
over the entire India-China border is stated and the direction is given by the
leaders to their respective militaries to observe restraint, scrupulously implement
Confidence Building Measures and strengthen communication links at all levels.
The avoidance of provocative behaviour by both militaries deployed at the
border is critical to maintaining the overall relationship on an even keel. This
understanding augurs well for the future.
There is a reversion to the policy of abjuring any official relationship with Dalai
Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile.
In spite of the Doklam stand-off, differences over issues like the China Pakistan
Economic Corridor (CPEC), China’s continuous blocking of efforts to declare JeM
leader Masood Azhar as a global terrorist at the UN, trade between the two
countries went up to reach $84.44 billion USD in 2017 (an 18 per cent rise from
the previous year).
What changes are needed:-
India-China relations must be managed through a mix of competitive and

cooperative policies and regular leadership-level interaction.
The only effective instrument for managing India-China relations will be a significant,
sustained and rapid development of India’s economic and security capabilities, thus
narrowing the power gap between the two Asian giants.
The two sides need to build mutual strategic trust based on the fact that their
common understanding and shared interests are greater than their divergences.
The two countries should realize that they offer each other opportunities without
posing any threat, and that peaceful co-existence and win-win cooperation are the
right choice for them.
The two countries should prudently and discreetly deal with sensitive issues,
including the border dispute, and should not allow such issues to restrain the
further development of bilateral ties.
There are several areas, apart from trade and investment, in which the two sides can
strengthen cooperation, such as infrastructure construction, urbanization, food
security and climate change.
The two countries militaries should maintain regular high-level and non-
confrontational dialogues, in order to reduce strategic miscalculations and
enhance strategic trust.
The two sides should also build a communication and coordination mechanism
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to manage their overseas interests, and organize dialogues at academic, media
and cultural levels, as well as exchanges between NGOs as a way to improve
bilateral ties.
Conclusion:-
China and India are two bodies, one spirit. So long as the two sides deepen their
exchanges and reduce suspicion the strategic value of cooperation would be evident
and people would be confident of China-India relations.
Topic: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact

assessment, Disaster and disaster management.
5)India must realise that its problems are larger than the WHO estimates, and take
the call to action seriously. Examine in the light of the recent WHO report on air
pollution. (250 words)
The Hindu
Reference
18/25
Why this question
the problem of air pollution is not new to Indian cities. However, this is a very serious public-
health problem that needs to be addressed at the earnest, especially given that the situation is
not better even in rural areas. The question is related to GS-3 syllabus under the following
heading-
Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment,
Disaster and disaster management.
The question simply wants us to give reasons in support of the statement that, Indian air
pollution problem is worse than the recent WHO estimates and why there is a dire need to
take call to action.
Directive word
Examine- we have to put forward justifications in the form of facts/ examples/ arguments in
support of the given statement. we have to bring out the urgency of the problem that warrants
immediate action.
Introduction– briefly mention some key facts from the recent WHO report on air pollution.
Body– Divide the body into two main parts.
Part A- discuss why the problem of air pollution is more severe in India than apparent state.
Justify your stand. e.g very low number of air quality monitoring infrastructure, disparity in
their distribution- (rural vs urban, urban vs metros), burning of agricultural residues in rural
areas, use of pesticides,mining and other such areas not covered under monitoring etc.
Part B- discuss the urgency of the problem.
e.g its health effects on vulnerable people, economic effects of prevention and treatment, very
bad situation already etc.
Conclusion– present a concise, fair and balanced opinion on the above issue and mention the
importance and need of programmes like PM Ujwala Yojana
Background:-
According to a new report of World Health Organization, toxic levels of pollution led to
the early annual death of an estimated 7 million people.
WHO report on air pollution:-
The report highlights not only how widespread air pollution is in urban India, but also
how deficient air quality monitoring is. The report, which summarised 2016 data for
4,300 cities, ranks 14 Indian cities among the 20 most polluted ones globally.
Pollution-choked cities have only one PM 2.5 monitoring station each, while
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Delhi has several.

Air pollution is not a problem of large metropolises alone, even though they have
traditionally been the focus of mitigation efforts
In 2016 alone around 4.2 million people died owing to outdoor air pollution, while 3.8
million people succumbed to dirty cooking fuels such as wood and cow dung. About
a third of these deaths occurred in Southeast Asian countries, which include
India.
India’s problems :-
Rural India:-
As the recently published draft National Clean Air Programme noted, there are
currently no air pollution monitoring stations in rural India.
This does not mean outdoor air pollution is not a problem here. Studies have
shown that ozone levels are higher in rural areas, as is pollution from
insecticide use and crop-burning.
Lack of monitoring:-
Only 303 cities out of 6,166 census cities and towns that is a mere five per cent
are monitored for pollution.
Of the 303, only 57 cities have continuous real-time monitoring stations.
The rest follow manual monitoring that does not allow daily reporting of real-
time air quality data.
For the manual monitoring stations, there is simply no way of trusting the data
as there is no transparency about when that data is collected, whether it is
collected daily, et al.
Health impact:-
2017 state level Global Disease Burden report shows that air pollution has
moved up the ranks as a major killer in nearly all states across India
The 35-60 age group is the most vulnerable to non-communicable diseases
and has witnessed increased vulnerability to air pollution.
While air pollution is hurting the country’s exchequer, it’s also associated with
certain cancers, lower birth weight, premature birth, strokes and respiratory
disease.
Lack of policy:-
There is little evidence that either the central or Delhi government has any
effective policy strategy for air pollution.
India’s political inefficiency is making regional air pollution a nearly intractable
problem.
Lack of coordination:-
Although the states of Haryana and Punjab have banned farmers from burning
straw, implementation has been minimal.
Policy coordination is also weak across states governed by rival political
parties.
For example, the leaders of Delhi and Haryana have
publicly clashed about who is to blame for air pollution. They have also
failed to hold discussions about the problem or to find feasible
solutions.
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Level of apathy among the government and general public.

In India, public outrage over air pollution is still seasonal and rarely swells
beyond social media.
Don’t know the sources of air pollution:
2008 was when data on pollution sources was last collected in cities.
Study by IIT Kanpur for Delhi revealed that the contribution of each
source of pollution vehicles, waste burning, construction dust
changes with the seasons, but most cities don’t have this
information.
Multidimensional issue:-
Environmentalists were blaming urbanisation, incessant construction, the
rising number of cars and two wheelers, lengthening traffic jams, Diwali
firecrackers and the burning of garbage for most of the pollutants that
now regularly hang in the Delhi air.
Problem is also with the rice straw and husk left behind after
threshing and milling.
Punjab harvested a colossal 18 million tonnes of paddy in 2016,
but with it came 34 million tonnes of straw and husk. Since rice
straw is no longer fed to cattle in Punjab and Haryana, it too is
being burned.
Measures needed :-
Central government must intervene to coordinate collaborative policy among

states and hold officials accountable for inaction.
Central government should also reinforce state-level initiatives to minimise
burning and promote sustainable farming.
Public role:-
Landfills are constantly on fire exposing lakhs of people to carcinogenic
emissions. This is a common problem in all cities. If people segregated
garbage at home, there would be no burning of waste. People can also
choose public transport, or pick electric and CNG vehicles.
Gasification of rice straws can solve the problem of air pollution.
Gasifying the straw and stubble in a two-stage process that yields a fuel gas
that can be used for cooking, heating and power generation, and any type of
transport fuel
WHO praises for India’s Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana scheme, which has
provided 37 million women living below the poverty line with LPG (liquefied petroleum
gas) connections. Such schemes will also help cut the indoor air pollution that
plagues much of rural India, which is not covered in the WHO analysis
Adopt Chinese model:-
Chinese government has taken a systematic and coordinated approach to
managing air pollution. It has adopted a suite of policies that promote
alternative energy and punish regulatory breaches.
The country is rapidly scaling back capacity for coal-fired
power and steel. China is also soliciting foreign investment in green
energy technologies, and has intensified inspections of major polluters.
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Fines for pollution topped USD$ 28 million in 2015 in Beijing alone

To combat vehicle exhaust smoke, an annual quota of 150,000 new cars was
established for 2017, with 60,000 allotted only to fuel efficient cars.
TOPIC :Human Values – lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and
administrators; role of family, society and educational institutions in inculcating values.
6) What do you understand by open source intelligence(OSI). Discuss the key ethical
issues involved in the field of OSI.(250 words)
wikipedia
Reference
22/25
Why this question
OSI is a comparatively new but rapidly rising field of data collection for the purposes of
gathering intelligence to be used further. The field poses certain ethical questions and
concerns. The question is related to GS-4 syllabus under the following heading- Human
Values – lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators;
role of family, society and educational institutions in inculcating values.
the question wants us to describe the concept of OSI. Then it wants us to discuss the key
ethical issues involved in OSI.
Directive word
Discuss- we have to dig deep into the given issue and write in detail about all the key ethical
issues involved therein.
Introduction– Give a simple but complete definition of OSI.
Body-
A- discuss the sources from which data is gathered under OSI
B- discuss the key issues involved- lack of knowledge and consent of the person whose data is
gathered, prone to misuse, threat to privacy and personal liberty. Also responsibility of
netizens to protect their data, role of government etc
Conclusion– present your opinion on the deployment of OSI and what safeguards need to be
placed to prevent unethical use of open source data.
This is an all-encompassing directive – you have to debate on paper by going through the
details of the issues concerned by examining each one of them. You have to give reasons for
both for and against arguments.
Answer:-
Providing for safety and security is a core task of the state. The rapid development of
technology has, in many ways, affected the dynamics of this responsibility. Intelligence- and
security agencies and the police increasingly rely on information technology that facilitates
the collection of Open Source Information (OSINF).
Open source intelligence :-
OSINF forms the basis of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), which is gathered
through publicly available sources that are unclassified and include sources ranging
from (foreign) newspapers, governmental reports, public data, maps, academic sites
to blogs, social networking sites, apps and web-based communities
It is information that is not classified nor under any property constraints. It doesn’t
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matter if the data has been produced for a broad audience or for a selected one.
Open source intelligence is used because:-
It also provides extra information which sometimes cannot be gained by other

intelligence sources (e.g. human intelligence).
In addition, as a result of the wide availability of (local) news coverage throughout the
internet, the use of online open sources enables security and intelligence agencies
to be more up-to-date.
Simultaneously, online open sources may in times of crisis g. a war be a more
reliable and safe way of acquiring intelligence than by polarized human intelligence.
The large scale usage of (online) open sources has created new contexts and
perspectives that assist intelligence and security agencies to better understand the
complexity of certain security developments within local or national contexts.
It enables intelligence and security agencies to verify (classified) information with
various open media sources and data.
Ethical issues:-
Legitimacy of the growing use of OSINF cannot be derived solely from the pursuit
of security or safety concerns.
Effects for human rights:-
Freedom of internet and the rights to privacy and data protection:-
Important dilemma with the processing of the information that is collected from
the social media relates to the storage of large datasets that contain quantities
of digital personal information.
Subsequently, data analysis tools are used to discover previously unknown,
valid patterns and relationships.
Lack of consent:-
Data mining tools in relation to collected information from e.g. social networking
sites can be used by law enforcement and security and intelligence agencies
to develop risk profiles and label individuals as potential security risks. For
most people this profiling takes
place without the data subject even knowing that he or she is being
profiled.
This development has led to significant concerns about privacy and data-
protection as well as the right to a fair trial
Violation of personal liberty and privacy:-
Data mining of social networking sites for security and intelligence purposes is
therefore a violation of privacy.
Ensuring accountability is more complex if the information is not collected by the
security agency itself, but by other public or private entities.
Therefore there is a need to encourage strong legal frameworks, a global set of standards
that can make all organisations in this area of domain accountable.
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TOPIC: salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture from ancient to modern
times.
1) A close analysis of art and culture of medieval India points to the cultural
syncretism, which has been a distinguishing feature of Indian society and polity.
Examine.(250 words)
Indian Express
1/22
Why this question
The recognition of the importance of upholding the core value of Indian state ie unity in
diversity is a core concern today. An analysis of the art and culture of medieval India will go
well to show that the society and polity of India has always been inclusive and should continue
to be so.
Following points are to be highlighted in your answer
1. What do you mean by cultural syncretism in society and polity

2. How does literature, religion, art and architecture , music of the time imbibe the ideal of
syncretism to present an organic whole
Directive word
details, and find out the causes or implications if any . You are required to discuss the main
points discussed above.
Introduction – Highlight the need of revising the lesson of unity in diversity in the present
situation where caste, religion and gender based violence are being highlighted more.
Body
Mention the one core value of India which had remained constant through time – unity
in diversity as a result of cultural syncretism
Highlight the presence of this value in medieval India – give examples from social
situation to the effort made by Mughal rulers to introduce secular laws
Examine the art and culture of the era to support this argument
Literature – system of administration in Ain I Akbar
Literature of bhakti and Sufi saints
Religion – bhakti and Sufi movements
Architecture – Indo Islamic style
Painting – intermingling of provincial and royal school
Etc
Conclusion – Highlight the need of continuing with this tradition of cultural syncretism for it
leads to enrichment of our culture like it happened in medieval times.
Background:-
The current narrative of intolerance and mutual distrust can only be wiped out if the
interactive cultural and literary history of medieval India is put together
Cultural syncretism is a distinguishing feature of Indian society and polity of

Medieval period:-
Medieval period India witnessed a creative synthesis of Hindu and Islamic

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civilizations and thus grew a composite tradition, a pluralistic synthesis of the

Indo-Islamic tradition including inter-faith convergence.
There are two interrelated dimensions of the Indo-Islamic tradition. On the one
hand, it manifested itself in syncretistic traditions of music, art, literature
and architecture, and on the other, it found expression in folklore, dress
patterns, food habits, names and surnames.
Indian culture is synthetic in character:-
It comprehends ideas of different orders.
It embraces in its orbit beliefs, customs, rites, institutions, arts, religions and
philosophies belonging to society in different stages of development.
It eternally seeks to find a unity for the heterogeneous elements which make up its
totality.
State craft:-
This was reflected, among other things, in the composition of the Mughul
governing class where by 1707, the Rajputs and other Hindus came to have
a share in the resources as well as positions of authority within the state
roughly to the extent of a third of those available.
Political Rule:-
Same like mughals was the policy in the Deccan kingdoms where in the
philosophy of governance the necessity of a pragmatic approach towards
the subjects of the state prevailed. Very little differentiation was made
between the Hindus and the Muslims so far as the affairs of the state were
concerned.
While religious communities, and caste sections within each, lived in segments,
compulsions of daily life led to normal cooperation. A study of the pre-Moghul
period has observed that it was somewhat difficult to distinguish the lower classes of
Muslims from the masses of Hindus and that even in the case of conversions the
average Muslim did not change his environment which was deeply influenced
by caste distinctions and a general social exclusiveness.
Paintings:-
Same was the case with painting in which the refined Persian style was
combined with the lively vision of Indian artists.
The Hindu art of mural painting underwent a remarkable change with the arrival
of the Mughals.
The themes of the paintings were varied and often focused on religion and
mythology.
Though Rajput school was indigenous by nature, after coming in contact with
Muslim painting it was completely transformed and gave birth to Kangra School
of painting in the 18th century.
Literature:-
The cultural intermingling in Persian and Sanskrit literatures was a
characteristic of the age and has been dwelt upon by scholars.
Abul Faizi and Allama Abul Fazal had rendered the Bhagwad Gita in Persian.
From Akbar’s reign to the middle of the 19th Century, Ramayan was rendered
into Persian more than 50 times.
“Yoga-Vasisth” was translated into Persian more than 15 times, and 80
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manuscript copies are referred to by the compiler.
Almost all the fundamental works of India on history, archaeology, religion,
mysticism culture fiction art, science etc. were rendered into or adopted in
Persian.
Whatever happened in the medieval India was not just peaceful co-existence, it was
heartfelt and organised cooperation of Hindu and Muslims
Bhakti and Sufi movements:-
Their teachings had an impact on the development of local languages.
The two trends imbibed each other’s thoughts, traditions and customs.
Both minimized the differences and distinctions between the Hindus and the
Muslims and promoted mutual understanding and had a perceptible impact in
the cultural domain.
and the
performance of these schemes; Environmental pollution and degradation
2)The benefits accrued on account of Saubhagya scheme should be utilised to

address the issue of clean cooking fuel once and for all. Examine.(250 words)
Financial express
4/22
Why this question
India is catching up on providing access to basic services like clean water, electricity to all
sections of population which would help alleviate poverty as defined under MPI. Access to
clean cooking fuel is a major service whose access so far has been limited in India. Hence this
issue needs examination.
The question expects us to bring out the following issues
What are the benefits accrued on account of Saubhagya scheme

What are issues related to access to clean cooking fuel
What steps are being taken to provide access to clean cooking fuel
How can benefits accrued through Saubhagya scheme help
Directive word
details, and find out the causes or implications if any . You are required to discuss the main
points discussed above.
Introduction – Mention the criticality of providing access to clean cooking fuel and also
explain Saubhagya scheme in brief.
Body
Benefits of Saubhagya scheme

Access to electricity
Latest figures
Issues faced due to lack of access to cooking fuel
Health
Pollution
Gender issue
Etc
Steps taken by government so far
Ujjwala scheme
Issues with this step
How can Saubhagya scheme help – take ideas from the article
Conclusion – Mention the need of solving this issue by highlighting its impacts . End with a
way forward.
Background:-
India has been gradually succeeding in the provision of basic needs to its citizens
from safe drinking water, to food security, to schooling. Access to electricity for all is
now nearing completion, with about 1,25,000 villages and over 50 crore people
having gotten access over the last decade. All remaining households in the country
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are expected to get electricity by 2020.
Saubhagya scheme:-
Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana –“Saubhagya” aim is to ensure
electrification of all willing households in the country in rural as well as urban areas
here.
Under the scheme, government will provide free electricity to all households identified
under Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) data 2011.
The one of the expected outcomes of the Scheme is as follows:
Environmental upgradation by substitution of Kerosene for lighting purposes
Benefits accrued on account of Saubhagya scheme:-
Saubhagya does not envisage any subsidy for electricity consumption. That is,
consumers will have to pay the bill as per their utilisation.
The government said that the scheme will ensure a substitute to kerosene. By
substituting kerosene use in rural areas it would save import expenditure.
Stepa taken to provide access of clean cooking fuel and issue s:-
According to some estimates, there are about 5 lakh avoidable deaths every year
as a result in India. In addition, there is the impact on overall air pollution, which
affects the health of all.
Most of the indoor pollution impact is on women so clean cooking fuel is essential for
them .
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana:-
The below poverty line (BPL) rural households are being given a cooking gas
connection and a cylinder for free.
Issues with Ujjwala yojana:-
Unlike urban areas where there usually is home delivery of the gas
cylinder to the consumer, in rural areas the consumer is required to go to
the dealer to collect the gas cylinder, and this needs at least half a day,
which is a real additional cost.
The related issue is the one of affordability. The refill rate, according to
some sources, is only two to four cylinders in a year, against the
estimated needs of nine refills in a year.
Further, the creation of a distribution network to cover all the rural
households is a gigantic task, with petroleum companies having drawn
up investment plans of Rs 30,000 crore to develop the needed
infrastructure.
Benefits accrued on account of Saubhagya scheme should be utilised to address the

issue of clean cooking fuel in the following ways :-
It is an alternative, immediate and cheaper option to that of extending LPG

cooking gas supply to cover all the rural households.
The electricity network has already been expanded to cover all the villages, and all
the remaining households are being electrified with additional central financial
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assistance under the Saubhagya scheme.
These electrified rural households can be encouraged to use electricity
for cooking which is already the case in many developed countries.
Electric induction stove is cheaper than a gas stove. Bulk procurement by EESL
(Energy Efficiency Services Limited) should drive down prices significantly, going by
the past experience.
The required investment in improving the electricity distribution infrastructure
would be lower and can be done faster than for LPG.
The actual cost of using electricity for cooking is similar to that of gas.
Whereas the cost of electricity is relatively stable, the cost of LPG goes up with the
rise in oil prices as well as with the depreciation of the rupee.
With increased capacity utilisation from the existing plants and generation from the
new plants in the pipeline, the additional demand for cooking could be met without
much difficulty.
The state governments could choose between a mix of cross-subsidy and
direct subsidy. This is both manageable as well as affordable.
Conclusion:-
From a gender perspective, this deserves the highest priority due to the
transformation in the health and the quality of life of rural women that would be
brought about as a result of this step.
Topic – India and its neighborhood- relations. Bilateral, regional and global groupings and
agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests Effect of policies and politics of
developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.
3) India should not join China’s OBOR initiative, until the issues regarding CPEC are
resolved. Critically analyse.(250 words)
The Hindu
7/22
Why this question
Despite recent hints (like Wuhan Summit) from both India and China for greater cooperation
in their mutual interest, OBOR remains the key issue of contention between the two countries.
The main reason behind India’s opposition of the project is CPEC. The question is related to
India and its neighborhood- relations. Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements
involving India and/or affecting India’s interests Effect of policies and politics of developed
and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.
The question wants us to bring forward reasons, why India should not join OBOR until the
issue of CPEC is resolved. It also demands us to talk about the disadvantages of not joining
CPEC and OBOR.
Directive word
Critically analyse- we have to dig deep into the question and identify the key issues involved.
We have to justify why India should not join OBOR unless concerns around CPEC are
allayed. And it wants us to discuss the repercussions of not joining OBOR, CPEC.
Introduction- Briefly describe CPEC project and relate it to the broader OBOR initiative.
Body–
1. Discuss the key issues involved in CPEC-
E.g sovereignty and territorial integrity issues, investment issues etc.
1. Discuss the cons of not joining CPEC and OBOR
E.g development of J and K could be better by joining CPEC, development in PoK

will legitimise Pakistan’s stand, furtherance of China-India rivalry and Pak-China friendship,
pressure from other countries joining OBOR etc.
Conclusion– give a clear, justified and balanced opinion on India’s joining of CPEC and
mention India’s initiatives like Sagarmala project etc.
Background:
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is China’s ambitious project for increasing
connectivity and economic cooperation within Eurasia. OBOR strategy is often
reported as China’s ambitious push to take a bigger role in global affairs and expand
its friend circle
India’s present stand on OBOR:
Its principal objection was that CPEC passed through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir
(PoK)
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The ‘China-Pakistan Economic Corridor’ violates India’s sovereignty and

territorial integrity.
Why India should not join OBOR:-
OBOR seems to be primarily driven by broad geostrategic and geopolitical aim.

CPEC will provide China strategic access to the Arabian Seaand enhance its
presence in the region.
It would enable China to wield much more powerful influence in the Indian
Ocean.
Kashmir:-
Once completed, CPEC project would mean that the Chinese presence
in entire Pakistan including Pakistan Occupied Kashmir becomes all
pervasive and powerful.
The route of CPEC passes through POK and makes China an
indirect stakeholder in Kashmir conflict between India and Pakistan.
OBOR is a unilateral ideational of China and there is a lack of transparency
in its working. The process is not participatory and collaborative in
nature.
String of pearls:-
Under Maritime Silk Route (MSR) China is developing ports in
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan and is trying to enlarge its
influence using its economic might in the Bay of Bengal and the
Arabian Sea.
Thus MSR is nothing but an economic disguise to the “Strings of Pearls”
Theory. China is investing a huge amount of money in India’s
immediate neighbourhood and these countries tend to use the China
card against India.
Through OBOR, China is countering the strategies of India in North East region
and is promoting its greater presence in North East India, part of which China
claims as its own territory. This may have a security impact on India.
Tense bilateral relations with China, deep mistrusts and India’s growing
concerns over Chinese hegemonic intentions in South Asia and Indo-
Pacific region make it practically unlikely that India will ever consider joining
this project.
Military deployment:
The fact that the Chinese have begun to deploy 30,000 security
personnel to protect the projects along the CPEC route makes it an
active player in the politics of the Indian sub-continent. Clearly, this is a
case of double standards.
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Why India should join :-
India will not be able to stop China in

carrying on this initiative nor can it
stop its neighbours from joining this
initiative. So whether India joins
this initiative or not, the project
will take place and not join may
harm India’s interests.
India may become isolated in this region since all of its neighbours (except
Bhutan) have joined One Belt One Road. Leaving any regional platform may hamper
India’s credentials and may hasten the end of its regional hegemony.
Some analysts say that this initiative will be a win-win situation for India since it
will increase the connectivity of the region. There may emerge mutually beneficial
swap where India protecting Chinese interests in the Indian Ocean and China
securing India’s essential undertakings in their part of the waters.
Regional transport, energy security, and blue economy are key to OBOR
initiative which will be helpful for India.
Some analysts feel that countries like Russia and others in SCO would want
Indian participation in OBOR as a counterweight to Chinese influence.
Regardless of economic interests, India cannot ignore the symbolic significance
as it was along the Silk Route that Indian trade and philosophy (Buddhism)
travelled to the rest of Asia. Thus, China may gain cultural hegemony in the region
which may prove counter-productive to India.
China has the financial capital, technology to accelerate the development of other
countries and India also need resources and funds for its own development.
The initiative could be seen as viable, particularly given that many of the projects
envisaged under the BCIM (Bangladesh China India Myanmar) corridor and the
Asian Highway project would dovetail into OBOR
Trade:
The OBOR project will open more links of trade between India and other
countries. Further, India does not enjoy much leverage to guide ocean trade
markets despite having proximity to the sea and a strong navy.
Through OBOR project India will get access to more business in an
environment which promote friendly reforms.
Way forward:-
India need to come up with a concrete plan on PoK.

Japan and India can build rail and road connectivity across the Eurasian
landmass running parallel to OBOR.
Project mausam, chabahar ports projects need to be implemented effectively.
India now needs to match ambition with commensurate augmentation of its
capacities that allows it to be a net security provider in the Indian Ocean region
10/22
Chinese railways, highways, ports and other capacities can serve as catalysts and
platforms for sustained Indian double-digit growt
Therefore, for the time being, it may be worthwhile to carefully evaluate those
components of the BRI which may, in fact, improve India’s own connectivity to major
markets and resource supplies and become participants in them just as we have
chosen to do with the AIIB and the NDB.
Topic: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to

Health,Education, Human Resources.
4) Discuss how the recently proposed Higher Education Evaluation and Regulation
Authority aims to transform the higher education in India.(250 words)
11/22
Economic times
Why this question
The incumbent government recently suggested its plan to reform higher education in India by
forming a common higher education authority, Higher Education Evaluation and Regulation
Authority. The draft guidelines define the aims and functioning of the authority. The proposed
changes in higher education will bring sweeping reforms. The issue is related to GS-2 syllabus
Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to

Health,Education, Human Resources.
The question wants us to discuss the powers and functioning of the newly proposed Higher
Education Evaluation and Regulation Authority and discuss in detail how it will transform the
higher education sector in India.
Directive word
Discuss- we have to write in detail about all the key aspects of the Higher Education
Evaluation and Regulation Authority which enable it to act as an engine of transformation in
India’s higher education sector.
Introduction- mention the committees which suggested forming an authority on the lines of
Higher Education Evaluation and Regulation Authority. E.g Yashpal committee, National
Knowledge Commission.
Body– discuss in points the structure, functioning and powers of the Higher Education
Evaluation and Regulation Authority. Compare them with the present authorities viz. UGC,
AICTE etc wherever required. The attached article would help in collecting those points, but
organize them into following heads- structure, functioning and powers.
Conclusion- briefly discuss the need of reforms in higher education in India and to what
extent the Higher Education Evaluation and Regulation Authority will solve the problem.
Background:-
Policy analysts and experts have been advocating replacement of AICTE and UGC
with a more efficient regime for a long time.
The National Knowledge Commission (NKC) found that there was a multiplicity of
regulators prescribing standards and minimum norms for higher education
institutions. Accordingly, NKC recommended creation of an Independent
Regulatory Authority for Higher Education (IRAHE), which would function at an
arm’s length from all concerned stakeholders
12/22
Higher Education Evaluation and

Regulation Authority:-
HEERA Bill says that the new

authority will focus on setting
quality standards for institutions,
specify learning outcomes, lay
down standards of teaching
assessment and research and
evaluate the yearly academic performance of the institutes on clearly laid criteria.
New regulator will mentor institutes, besides defining academic standards.
While it won’t have grant giving powers, HEERA will be armed with zero tolerance
mechanisms for violations, including provisions to terminate the affiliation of an
institute.
Once the new regulator is created, existing regulatory authorities such as the
University Grants Commission (UGC), All India Council for Technical
Education(AICTE) and the National Council for Technical Education(NCTE) will
be scrapped.
The jurisdiction of AICTE and UGC often tends to overlap:-
Given that UGC governs universities and prescribes minimum standards for
higher education, and AICTE performs similar functions for the stream of
‘technical education’, there are many cases where institutions fall under the
domain of both UGC and AICTE
For example, a college affiliated to a university which is recognised by the UGC
may also be called upon by AICTE to obtain its approval. This is where the
problem of multiplicity arises leading to lack of clarity over which
regulations to conform to.
It appears that often the idea of conforming to two sets of norms set out
by both regulatory bodies can be a huge barrier for setting up of nascent
institutions.
The multiple sets of rules and sub-regulations prescribed by UGC and AICTE,
unfortunately, seem to have acted as a deterrent to the development of
premier educational institutions
UGC has also on many occasions impeded institutional autonomy at top
notch universities and institutions for instance, its handling of the Delhi
University’s four-year undergraduate programmes (FYUP).
Functions:-
HEERA may provide expert advice to any institution or its departments
for promoting excellence.
If any university is found to grant affiliation to a course in contravention of
regulations of the HEERA, it may be faced with a penalty, fine, withdrawal
of degree granting powers and in dire cases, even a direction to cease all
operations.
A three year imprisonment has been proposed for those that fail to comply with
the penalty imposed.
HEERA, like UGC, will specify and notify degrees and their nomenclature, have
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the right to bring a variety of regulations for maintenance of standards at
varsities. It will come under CAG’s scanner and will also take directions from
the Centre on policy matters.
How will it transform higher education:-
The multiple sets of rules and sub-regulations prescribed by UGC and AICTE,
unfortunately, seem to have acted as a deterrent to the development of premier
educational institutions would be done away with by setting up of a single body.
Unlike the UGC Act, the new single education regulator will be backed by more
teeth.
It will be able to bar an institute from admitting new students in a particular
course if it is established that it has violated the quality benchmarks.
It will also be able to terminate affiliation of such an institute and provide for
measures to safeguard interest of the enrolled students.
The introduction of a unified regulator would minimise administrative delays
and remove jurisdictional ambiguity.
Sponsoring bodies of institutes of higher education would no longer be required
to approach multiple authorities for clearances, which is likely to promote ease
of development of institutions of higher learning.
Furthermore, HEERA is expected to have sharper teeth than the extant AICTE and
UGC: the HEERA Law is likely to empower HEERA to take strict penal action
against defaulting institutions.
HEERA is expected to eliminate the overlaps in the jurisdiction and remove
irrelevant regulatory provisions.
Having a single statutory body for higher education will simplify and consolidate
the mass of regulations and compliances that currently operate in the sector.
It will bring the regulation of both technical and non-technical higher education
institutions under one umbrella.
The way UGC and AICTE have been roundly criticised for their poor handling of
higher education so far, HEERA is likely to be structured in a manner that
addresses these deficiencies.
The introduction of a unified regulator for both UGC and AICTE woulddo away with
regulatory provisions that may no longer be relevant.
Way forward:-
International example:-
In the US, for instance, regulation is based on a system of self-reporting by
institutions and monitoring by regional accreditors. Accreditors evaluate
institutions based on the latter’s assessment of themselves which means
a one-size-fits-all approach is shunned. Institutions failing to earn
accreditation are not given support for research, infrastructure and other
needs.
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Topic:Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources ; Inclusive

growth and issues arising from it.
5) Discuss whether priority sector lending norms need to be done away with?(250
words)
Livemint
Reference
15/22
Why this question
Banking sector in India is reeling under several challenges. Access to credit for certain sectors
is a huge challenge too. This makes the issue of PSL slightly complicated. In this backdrop,
the decision of RBI to tighten PSL norms for foreign banks in India makes it imperative for us
to discuss the issue.
The question is fairly straightforward. We have to analyze the pros and cons of PSL and
evaluate whether the scheme needs to continue in its present form , needs to be scrapped or
modified.
Directive word

Introduction – Explain the move of RBI which necessitates an evaluation of the effectiveness
of PSL norms.
Body
Explain PSL norms in detail along with the sub categories and the reforms brought in
over the course of last three years. The aim has been to address credit woes of
vulnerable section
Mention the benefits of the scheme
boosts inclusive growth reducing inequality and helps in capacity building of
masses
Etc
Mention the disadvantages
Accentuate the banking crisis – bad loans
Role of specialist agencies in giving loans to sector like agriculture. Eg nabard
IMF report
Etc
Discuss what should be the way forward. What kind of reforms are required should be
mentioned here
Conclusion – mention the advantages that access to credit would have for Indian economy
and inclusive growth and the need to re-examine PSL norms to make it more effective.
Background:-
In a recent report the IMF, raised concerns regarding the role of the public sector in
the financial system and has advised the RBI to review its PSL policy to allow for
greater flexibility in meeting targets
Priority sector lending norms:-

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Currently, all domestic and foreign banks with at least 20 branches are required to
lend a minimum of 40 per cent of their total loans (Adjusted Net Bank Credit (ANBC)
or credit equivalent amount of off-balance sheet exposure (whichever is higher)) to
the priority sector (agriculture, micro enterprises, education, social housing, etc).
They are also required to meet sub-targets, such as 18 per cent for agriculture (8 per
cent for small and marginal farmers), 7.5 per cent for micro enterprises and 10 per
cent for weaker sections.
Those with less than 20 branches will also need to fulfil the overall PSL norms of
40% of adjusted net bank credit (ANBC) in a phased manner by 2020
PSL norms are needed because:-
Those who are directly affected comprises of mainly weaker sections of society like
farmers and small scale industries.
PSL was created to ensure support for sectors of the economy that do not receive
adequate credit or support from financial institutions due to questions of profitability.
It is also claimed that PSL results in social returns and improved lending portfolios of
the banks.
The directed lending promotes social equity and facilitates increase in employment
and investment in less developed regions and the vulnerable sections of the society.
Average PSL ratio overall is well above the target over the entire period, with some
degree of variation. However, the average lending to agriculture and weaker
sections is much below the RBI target. All banks have defaulted on their sub-
sectoral targets, especially that of 18% for agriculture, in most years.
Priority sector loans have contributed far less to the gross non-performing
assets (NPAs) .priority sector lending may not be responsible for compromising
banks’ credit risk minimization strategies, or risk accumulation.
Removal of existing loan limits of up to ₹5 crore to micro and small units and up
to ₹10 crore to medium enterprises, will help banks make good the shortfall in
MSME loans that qualify as priority sector lending.
They need to be done away with:-
It diverts funds from the productive sectors, imposes economic burdens on the
banks in the form of loan losses and payment defaults and also imposes opportunity
costs of lending to non-priority sectors of the economy.
These negative effects are increased transaction costs, increased NPAs and the
decreased deposit mobilization. Since the subsidized nature of loans under the
directed credit forces the banks to pay lower interest rates on deposits, this
makes the deposits a less attractive avenue for the people which ultimately
impacts the banks.
Foreign banks
They have cited their lack of knowledge, and fear of stressed assets, as reasons for
their reluctance to lend to these sectors.
A foreign bank, desirous of opening a bank branch in some remote area to service
agricultural borrowers, neither understands its borrower, nor is clearly aware of the
legal provisions to recover stressed assets.
Agriculture and credit risk:-
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Problem with priority sector loans is the lack of understanding of the sub-
sectoral target groups, especially agriculture and the small and medium
sector, as also weaker sections.
Further, given the vagaries of the monsoon that agriculture is susceptible to
and the undiversified risk portfolios in such rural areas, the credit risks for
such banks from such PSL would be extremely high.
The guidelines for agricultural credit and lending to weaker sections are
extremely complex the commercial banks may not be the best equipped to
handle beneficiary identification, credit risk assessment and loan disbursement
to these sectors.
Same would be the case for PSL to the micro, small and medium enterprise
(MSME) secto The sector, with its unorganized operations and lack of proper
accounting records and financial statements, poses higher costs and greater risks in
credit disbursement.
IMF recommendations:-
It also suggests a gradual reduction in PSL as a means to move funds into
more productive activities and greater participation of the private sector in
capitalizing public sector banks, together with full capitalization.
Since all banks need to follow guidelines and meet targets on PSL, it
compromises their independent, risk-based credit allocation policies and
strategies.
At a time when non-performing assets (NPAs) are weighing heavily on banks’
balance sheets, this poses a challenge to attract credit to productive sectors
and enterprises that the economy desperately needs.
As the IMF report suggests, sectoral lending targets should be in the
exclusive domain of specialised institutions such as NABARD, regional
rural banks, small finance banks and other development finance
institutions, and not general commercial banks as is currently the case.
Way forward:-
Banks should be allowed to choose the category they wish to lend to.Foreign
banks may then choose to lend in the form of export credit rather than to agriculture.
Creation of a development finance institution that would provide a mix of
grants and loans to under-served sectors and geographies.
The new institution can raise capital from commercial banks through existing
innovative instruments like the PSL certificates, specify minimum sectoral
disbursement targets and choose projects based on independent risk
assessment and intended outcomes.
This will support the policy objectives of increased credit and reduce systemic
risk, making PSL work in the long run
Similarly, private sector banks may choose to lend housing credit in urban
areas, rather than being forced to lend agricultural finance. The government
may rely on specialized institutions such as the National Bank for Agriculture
and Rural Development (Nabard) to fulfil sectoral lending targets, while at the
same time ensuring structural reforms in these sectors to make lending to them more
viable.
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TOPIC : Human Values – lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and
administrators; role of family, society and educational institutions in inculcating
values. Probity in Governance: Concept of public service; Philosophical basis of governance
and probity;
6)“Indian philosophy is essentially a philosophy of values.” Comment.(250 words)
Reference
19/22
Why this question
Indian philosophies is one of the oldest philosophies in the world with certain peculiar traits
and lines of thought. Indian philosophy has a lot to share with the western and eastern
philosophies but also differs from them in certain key respects. The issue is related to GS-4
syllabus under the following heading-
Human Values – lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and
Probity in Governance: Concept of public service; Philosophical basis of governance and

probity;
The question simply wants us to brainstorm on the above statement and decide whether Indian
philosophy is essentially a philosophy of values. Whatever our stand, we have to justify it with
proper and valid arguments/ facts/ examples.
Directive word
Comment-we have to present our personal opinion on the given statement and bring-out
justifications in support of our answer.
Introduction- briefly discuss Indian philosophies roots in vedas and their link with morality.
Body –
1. Discuss main schools of Indian Philosophy and differentiate between orthodox and
heterodox schools of thought.
2. Discuss the similarities of Indian philosophies and their stress on linking philosophy
with practice. E.g Indian ethics is based on Purusarthas i.e. ultimate goal of life. The
Indian conception of values- viz the four connote as the goals of human life to be
achieved through activities or practice, Indian philosophy is mainly axiological and
additionally, cosmological and epistemological etc.
Conclusion– present a balanced and fair opinion on the given statement and mention lack of
attention towards scientific study of ethics
Answer:-
India has been described by some traditional texts as Sa Prathama Sanskrati Vishvavara,
the first and supreme culture in the world. To this day, the South Asian country remains a
hotspring of ancient wisdom on mind-body health and spirituality.
Indian philosophy:-
Dharma, moksha, karma, and atman are important concepts of Indian philosophy. All
these four concepts are interrelated. e.g. the indiscriminate destruction of nature by
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man has led to an imbalance in nature which has created problems of global warming
and unusual natural disasters.
Since man has not performed his/her duties (karma) in preserving nature, there is
imbalance of nature and the cosmic whole (dharma) is affected. A person is reborn
to make amends for the wrong done in the earlier life. This brings us to the idea of
sustainable development which also takes on a spiritual dimension.
Indians do not believe in value or a collection of values but in a value- system which
in classical terminology is called purusarthas that is four fold ideals of human life.
Performing of the duties of institutions (varnasrama dharmas), a number
of sanskaras, household life, marriage, earning wealth, enjoying sex for
begetting an offspring, sacrifices, meditation, pilgrimage, all are value
and virtuous only because of them instituted in the system.
Purusarthas are enumerated generally as four namely wealth (artha), desire
(kama), dharma (virtues) and liberation (moksa).
How is it a philosophy of values:-
Indian philosophy is often referred to as a ‘darshana’ .It is assumed that one, who
follows
it, should be able to “see” the truth and lead life in accordance with the truth
perceived.
Some schools of Indian philosophy are pro-Vedic like Sankhya, Yoga, Nyaya and
Vaishesika, etc: The anti-Vedic schools of thought include Charvaka, Buddha and
Jain philosophies.
However, Indian philosophy has certain common features. For instance, its quest
for spiritual progress is a predominant characteristic. Thus many
Indian Philosophical schools believe in soul and the need for its
enlightenment.
It transcends thoughts, based on religion and those upholding merely ethics. Apart
from seeking higher attainments like ‘moksha’, i.e. spiritual progress, Indian
philosophy also seeks truth and knowledge, explains and upholds ethics.
Thereby
it is a source of morals and values to guide human life.
Happiness is a key value and Indian philosophy offers strategies to ensure
happiness.
Though Indian philosophy emphasizes the need for individual (meditation)
Sadhana for liberating the mind, at the same time it seeks universal Values
Enshrined in Indian wellbeing.
Emancipation from miseries and ignorance is the common pursuit of both
Darshan and Dharma. There is synergy between philosophy and religion. The
Vedas are a rich source of values for all and especially for the teaching community.
The Nyaya school of Logic introduced a method based on scientific rules of
reasoning, by which certain knowledge could be arrived at regarding the object of
enquiry. Therefore the skill of logic and reasoning is developed and the values of
verification, fairness, caution are encouraged.
Vaisesika school :-
Values of uniqueness and individualism are recognized and a strong sense of
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identity develops. Through both synthesis and analysis we can understand both
ourselves and the world around us.
Samkhya philosophy claims that the effect lies in the cause, e.g. drop a glass and it
breaks
into pieces. If you had not dropped it, then the glass would not have broken.
From this example, it can be inferred that an individual has to take
responsibility for his/her own action.
Yoga increases self-discipline, self-control, concentration, reduces stress and
enables one to control emotions.
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NOTE: Please remember that following ‘answers’ are NOT ‘model answers’. They are NOT synopsis too if we go by definition of the term. What we are
providing is content that both meets demand of the question and at the same time gives you extra points in the form of background information.
TOPIC: The Freedom Struggle – its various stages and important contributors
/contributions from different parts of the country.
1)Breaking the Salt law during Dandi March was a deceptively innocuous move that proved devastatingly effective. Analyze.(250 words)
Bipan Chandra – India’s struggle for independence Pg 263
Two terms are important in the question which needs to be analysed. Firstly we have to explain how breaking the salt law was a deceptively innocuous move. Here
we have to explain why Gandhi ji chose to break the seemingly innocuous salt law. Secondly, we have to analyze how the move proved to be effective – the impact of
Dandi March. Analyze both the hits and the misses.
Directive word
Analyze – When asked to analyze, you have to examine methodically the structure or nature of the topic by separating it into component parts and present them as
a whole in a summary.

Introduction – explain the context in which Dandi March took place
Body
Mention about the 11 demands submitted by Gandhiji, how a specific demand for granting independence was not there. Breaking the salt law was a relatively
innocuous law to break, the reasons why it was chosen.
Discuss the impact of Dandi March
Hits like enormous publicity, boycott of foreign goods which was one of the most visible display of support, local revolts etc
Misses like lack of support of intelligentsia, lack of Hindu Muslim unity, no major labour participation etc
Conclusion – present the whole summary by summing up the two parts. Mention how breaking the salt law took forward the national movement.
Background:-
Mahatma Gandhi was authorized by the Congress Working Committee to determine the time, place and issue on which the Civil Disobedience was
to be launched.
He took the decision to break the salt law first, on which the British had imposed a duty, affecting the poorest of the poor.
Salt Satyagraha began with the Dandi March on March 12, 1930 and was the part of the first phase of the Civil Disobedience Movement.
Reasons for choosing salt as the symbol of protest during Dandi satyagraha:-
Gandhi placed an 11 point demand before Irwin and a failure to accept them would necessitate the launch of the movement. abolition of
salt tax and government monopoly on salt. Breaking the salt laws of the government non-violently was the basic activity of civil
disobedience.
These points were declined. Since salt was an emotional issue with universal appeal, he chose to launch Civil disobedience movement by
violating the salt law.
Making salt was state monopoly
Salt was a basic necessity for any household but people had to purchase it at higher prices
Salt was the most common item of consumption and imposition of salt duty would amount to taxing every section of the society.
Salt was manufactured from sea water through labour intensive techniques hence imposition of duty immoral.
Masses could be aroused on the issue of salt duty and would symbolise the defiance to the British colonial rule.
Violation of salt laws would amount to the violation of British lawsthat were unethical and repressive in nature.
Impact:-
This triggered the Civil Disobedience Movementand millions of Indians jumped in the tumult.
Breaking of the salt law was the formal inauguration of the Civil Disobedience Movement. A programme was outlined, which included the following:
Violation of the laws such as Salt Law
Non payment of Land Revenue, Taxes and Rent
Boycott of courts of law, legislatures, elections, Government functionaries, Schools and Colleges.
Peaceful picketing of shops that sold foreign goods.
Mass strikes and processions.
Picketing of shops that sold liquor.
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Boycott of Civil Services, Military and Police services.
Popular across the country:-
Salt satyagraha was organised at many places all over India.
This gave impetus to other kinds of satyagraha and approaches like the breaking of forest laws,strikes and lock outs by the miners and
industry workers, no rent no revenue campaign at many places by tenants and zamindars.
Wide variety of sections of the society got involved:-
For the first time, the workers and labourers indulged in the movement on such a massive scale.
Also saw the involvement of the business class and zamindars .
Women actively participated in the movement.
Youth participation was so much that government in Assam had to issue Cunningham circular to prevent the students from movement.
People also got psychological boost from this satyagraha as for the first time British were forced treat Indians as equals
Provided major recruiting ground for young people leading to emergence of new leaders like Subhash, Nehru.
It gave wide publicity to new political ideas and methods and created new political awareness even in the remote villages
Topic: Events from 18th century such as industrial revolution, world wars, redrawal of national boundaries, colonization, decolonization, political philosophies
like communism, capitalism, socialism etc.- their forms and effect on the society.
2)The global capitalist system’s periphery and semi-periphery is economically, politically, and militarily subordinate to its centre. Critically
comment.(250 words)
Reference
Why this question
This is a general socialism vs capitalism question demanding a sharp understanding and clear opinion on the issue. The twist here is the focus on the present global
capitalist system rather than the historical narrative. The question is related to GS-1 syllabus under the following heading-
Events from 18th century such as industrial revolution, world wars, redrawal of national boundaries, colonization, decolonization, political philosophies like
communism, capitalism, socialism etc.- their forms and effect on the society.
the question wants us to dig deeper into the present globalist capital system and see how it is related to the peripheral and semi-peripheral bodies ( countries,
international and regional organizations/ bodies/ unions). we have to present a personal opinion on the given statement.
Directive word
Critically comment- we have to form an opinion on the issue/ statement and give justifications in support of our opinion. But we also have to see the other side of the
question and highlight the blessings of capitalist system, particularly the present global capitalist system.
Introduction– give a general description of present global capitalist system and their spread- e.g google, amazon, facebook, Apple, Alibaba, Samsung, Lockheed
martin, adidas, etc.
Body- divide the body into main parts. Take the help of the comprehensive article attached as the link.
discuss the economic share of such corporations in the world economy and highlight the unequal distribution of revenue and difference in labour wages
between central ( America, Europe, China) and peripheral economies (most of developing and underdeveloped world.
Discuss their power to shape and alter political decisions in the peripheral countries and how they have shaped the global military conflicts and weaponization
programmes.
Conclusion– Form a personal opinion on the given issue and mention the good points about capitalism and reasons why it is still surviving and more accepted than
socialism.
Background:-
Today capitalism is undergoing on a global scale with both physical and technological presence. The usage of global internet networks
like Google, social media platforms like Facebook, online shopping websites like Amazon shows the extent to which the companies have
made their presence felt in the developing and the under developed countries.
How centre is dominating periphery and semi-periphery in multiple aspects:-
Political:-
The spread of social network platforms led to rise of Arab Spring and never ending protests in West Asia .
Concentration of wealth will lead to concentration of power.This will generate tremendous anger at the bottom, and that anger will disrupt
everything. Brexit is the outcome of this anger.
A much higher rate of exploitation in the periphery and semi-periphery, and an unequal sharing of the system’s surplus, with the
ruling classes and professional elites of the centre getting the hindmost, forms the core of the system’s exploitative institutional
structure.
Unethical behaviour of political leaders in the greed of money from the tycoons leads to some decisions for the sake of those business
companies and sideline the welfare the common citizens.
Economical:-
Leading to concentration of wealth in a few hands .Oxfam report says that eight people own more wealth than the bottom 50 percent of
the world.
The capitalist system is a machine which sucks up wealth from the bottom to send it to the top.
With stagnation (slow economic growth, high unemployment/underemployment and excess capacity) at the centre, a worldwide
proliferation of oligopolistic multinational corporations, and “financialisation of the capital accumulation process a large, relatively
independent financial superstructure towers over the real part of the world economy and most of its national units.
This financial superstructure has, in turn, influenced the structure and functioning of the world’s major “real” economies and the
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corporations therein, obliging their managements to also engage in financial speculation.
With retained earnings not finding profitable outlets in real capital formation, they are diverted into speculative financial channels.
Multinational corporations are also culprits of facilitating illicit financial outflows through the manipulation of trade transactions. Trade
misinvoicing, transfer pricing, payments between parent companies and their subsidiaries, and profit-shifting mechanisms designed to conceal
revenues are all common practices by companies seeking to maximise profits.
Companies use tax evasion and tax avoidance, taking advantage of legal loopholes of the international corporate taxation system.
With growing financial liberalisation, the rates of return to wealth overtook the rates of return to all types of work. Global economic growth is
slowing down while wealth inequality is accelerating.
State capture by the wealthy in advanced capitalist economies is easily documented in terms of numerous policies against the public interest
which serve the interests of the elite.
The growth of high-skilled jobs and the automation of medium-skilled jobs means, on the central projection, that inequality will rise by 30%.
The more a country’s economy shifts to a post-industrial stage, the more its dependence on imports grows, in the process gobbling up other
countries resources.
Militarily:-
Without conflicts amongst countries the business of weapon making will not survive. So capitalist system creates a sense of insecurity that
countries would want to enhance their military technologies as deterrence.
They also increasingly exploit the resources of the rest of the world in the form of raw materials used to make the products they import.
The environmental impact in the exporting countries includes the use of open areas for raising animal feed as well as large-scale use of water
resources.
Positives :-
By 2015, the World Bank estimated that less than 10 percent of the world’s population was living in extreme poverty. Capitalism has
demonstrably improved the lives and general welfare of millions of people.
The capitalism has opened free trade between countries. The better economic interaction among countries has opened new avenues of
employment opportunities. With surge in foreign investment, the developing countries now get access to better technologies and skills.
Capitalists enjoy a high degree of legitimacy today because they have found ways of co-opting thought leaders and the managerial class, as well as
ways of keeping the labour class weak and divided.
Technology made possible by the greater capital invested by American and other Western firms, which raises the productivity of each
worker. Similarly, the more modernized plants of the American companies translate to better and safer working conditions.
Technology and industrial mechanization the achievements of the minds of men made possible by freedom are raising living standards in
21st century Asia.
The growing influence of capitalism brings countries together and this significantly impacts defence and military strategy of the countries as well.
Due to this growing cooperation war might not a reality and countries look to resolve issues amicably through diplomacy
Topic – Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health
3)NHPS is a critical step in improving the status of healthcare in India, however, the way ahead is fraught with challenges. Examine the
challenges and suggest measures to tackle them. (250 words)
Financial express
Livemint
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Why this question
NHPS is a critical step in achieving the vision of universal healthcare in India. In light of the challenges associated with poor healthcare, out of pocket expenditure
etc, the idea of health insurance to deal with these issues is a long debated one. Now that we are moving ahead on this, it becomes imperative to be aware of the
challenges and discuss a way forward.
The question expects us to discuss the following issues
Details of NHPS and what advantages it will bring
The challenges in the implementation of the scheme and the impacts it is likely to have in the effectiveness of NHPS
Learn from global experiences, experiences of states like TN etc, reports etc in writing a way forward
Directive word
Examine – When you are asked to examine, you have to probe deeper into the topic, get into details, and find out the causes or implications if any .
In the case of above question on challenges in implementation of NHPS, we have to examine different aspects like finances , regulations, capacity building etc and
the impact those challenges are likely to have on the future of NHPS.
Suggest measures – Suggestions should be based on reports, opinion pieces, global and state’s experiences.
Introduction – Write details about NHPS and how implementation of such a scheme is fraught with challenges.
Body
Discuss why NHPS is important
Universal healthcare
Out of pocket expenditure
Improving hdi etc
Examine the challenges. Discuss challenges under broadheads like
Financing
Regulatory architecture
Infrastructural shortcomings particularly at primary and secondary level
Capacity building
Etc
Also mention the impact that these challenges would have on the future of NHPS , if left unresolved
Suggest way forward based on experiences of South East Asian countries in providing healthcare, quote from the opinions expressed in the articles , along
with your own views
Conclusion – Give the issue a larger context by linking it to question of socio economic justice and the role of government in providing a better life to the citizens to
establish that the issue deserves utmost importance.
Background:-
India is concerned with many health issues be it malnutrition, infant mortality, rising non communicable diseases, growing number of deaths due to
cancer etc. The national health protection scheme or the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme is the step in the right direction which can give
impetus to healthcare in India.
Features:-
The scheme seeks to provide health cover to 10 crore economically vulnerable families.
Every family will be provided Rs. 5 lakhs annually for secondary and tertiary health care.
2000 crore are allocated for the scheme in the budget 2018.
The overall investment required for the scheme is estimated to be around Rs. 10,000 crores to Rs. 12,000 crores.
The Premium for every household is expected to be Rs.1000 to Rs. 1200 annually.
The scheme is acentrally sponsored scheme. The centre intends to bear 60 percent of the cost. Remaining 40 percent will be borne by the states.
The scheme will replace Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana under which, the government provided Rs.30,000 annually for healthcare. Under NHPS,
Rs.30,000 is increased to Rs. 5 lakhs.
The centre will face an annual burden of around Rs. 5000- 6000 crores towards premium. The rest will be come from state governments.
NITI Aayog expects that at least 50% of the beneficiaries will use the scheme in the first year.
It is a very critical scheme because:-
The NHPS will be financially viable, despite a high coverage offered to the few who fall sick in any year, because the rest in the large pool do not
need it that year.
Will bring healthcare system closer to the homes of people.
It can achieve its goal as only 40 per cent of India’s population will be covered under this insurance scheme. If the National Health Protection
Scheme is properly implemented and monitored we would have taken an important step in creating a Swasth Bharat.
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State governments have the main responsibility of health service delivery and also need to bear the major share of the public expenditure on
health. The National Health Policy (NHP) asks the States to raise their allocation for health to over 8% of the total State budget by 2020,
requiring many States to double their health spending.
Challenges remain:-
The amount of Rs 5 lakh per family is a massive and unexpected hike from the existing fund of Rs 1 lakh per family. This amount is 17 times
bigger than the RSBY scheme and will cover 40% of India’s population.
Though it improved access to health care, it did not reduce out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE), catastrophic health expenditure or health
payment-induced poverty.
The NHPS addresses those concerns by sharply raising the coverage cap, but shares with the RSBY the weakness of not covering outpatient
care which accounts for the largest fraction of OOPE.
The NHPS too remains disconnected from primary care.
Universal health insurance through private hospitals has not worked for the poor anywhere.Biggest beneficiaries are the private hospitals and insurance comp
The government’s proposals do little to prevent poor health in the first place. India is plagued by increasing levels of water and air pollution, some of
it worsened by pro-business policies. Malnutrition, poor sanitation and lack of proper housing also remain major problems.
Earlier programme failures cast new doubts:-
In its final iteration in 2016-2017, the RSBY also targeted 5.9 crore families, and managed to enroll 3.6 crore families.Thus the government’s
announcement today of reaching ten crore families is also vastly ambitious
There is evidence to show that despite efforts towards pushing for increased insurance coverage, neither have the poorest been reached out
to nor has there been efficient financial protection.
In real terms and as a percentage of GDP, there is a decline in the health budget this year.
It would take six more months to finalise the scheme and then perhaps a few more months to contract insurance agencies and providers.So it is
uncertain if the scheme will be fully implemented this year
Challenges with states:-
Questions arise when centre has not raised its public expenditure on health will the states be inspired to raise their allocation for health to over
8%
The NHPS needs a buy-in from the States, which have to contribute 40% of the funding. Even with the low cost coverage of the RSBY, several
States opted out. Some decided to fund their own State-specific health insurance programmes.
The southern states have vibrant and mature insurance schemes with Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka virtually racing
towards universal health coverage. The scheme may enable them to avail of financial assistance from the central government and use
the resultant savings for other health needs in the primary healthcare segment to avert disease and keep costs low.
Way forward:-
Universal health coverage is widely practised in the world. So India needs to accept it too.
Also the public healthcare needs to be strengthened especially in rural areas.
The government needs to provide adequate funding to improve the quality of services as well.
In a federal polity with multiple political parties sharing governance, an all-India alignment around the NHPS requires a high level of cooperative
federalism, both to make the scheme viable and to ensure portability of coverage as people cross State borders.
The government should purchase healthcare services from the private players, wherever the government doesn’t have the wherewithal to cater to
the demand.
International examples:-
Government needs to increase the overall spending on the healthcare sector.
Important for the government to increase the spending on primary and preventive healthcare
Among the developing countries, Brazil and Thailand have achieved close to universal health coverage. In Thailand, the government health
expenditure, as a percentage of total healthcare expenditure, stands at 78%
Topic: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
4)The crisis in India’s higher education system has only deepened with time. Analyse in the light of various ills plaguing our higher education
system.(250 words)
Reference
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Why this question
Education is a critical indicator of human development and an important issue for policymakers and academics alike. Indian education including the higher
education is in poor form as can be assessed from our performance in world rankings. There are demands for various reforms and the government has taken
several initiatives to address the issue, including the present decision to provide more autonomy to more than 60 institutions of eminence. However the malaise
affecting the higher education in India is much worse than to be solved by band-aid solutions. The issue is related to GS-2 syllabus under the following heading-
Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
the question wants us to highlight and briefly describe all the major problems affecting India’s higher education. We have to trace the historical evolution of
India’s higher education sector and analyse how the problem has worsened with time despite many attempts to reform it.
Directive word
Analyse- we have to look into the key aspects of the question (crisis has deepened with time and ills plaguing India’s higher education) and discuss in detail about
them. We have to provide justifications and examples wherever required.
introduction- Mention the change in higher education sought before independence, and the priorities and vision of the newly independent India.
Body- Discuss in points about the various problems plaguing India’s higher education ( e.g Lack of quality, adhocism, erosion of autonomy, unnecessary
bureaucratization and politicization,stress on exam process, grading, rot learning, employability etc.) and highlight how the problem has worsened over time (
dilution of aims and values of higher education, over-regulation with time, adhocism, budget cuts, erosion of vital institutes or their autonomy, wrong direction of
reform like rating universities/ institutes among themselves and ignoring the larger problem).
Conclusion- based on the above discussion, form a clear, fair and balanced opinion and present it as your conclusion. Also highlight the need for major reforms in
India’s higher education
Background:-
Since independence one of the priorities that has been given by the Indian state is to provide free and compulsory education to all the citizens of the
country as a part of its normative understanding of the idea of well-being.
Although education as a right, came as late as in 2009, the essence of focusing on human capital development was always in the blood
stream of the policies that surrounded and operated at the peripheries of development related policies.
India since independence understood the need for education, and the responsibility to provide it was taken up by the central government.
It was realized that, in order to have an enlightened citizenry the country had to have an educated population, specially the youth. The education of
adult became imperative as ninety percent citizens were not educated.
They have worsened over a period of time:-
The issues range from quality to accountability from lack of widespread innovation to marketing quality of Indian schools globally Since
Independence
Fairly quickly after independence, higher education governance came to be exercised in different ways between the centre and the states.
Control over the system’s governance was to later become an arena of contest between the national (central) government and the
provinces (states), leading to disagreements on strategies, such as on funding and regulation.
In later phases, particularly in the third phase that began in 1984 and continues to the present, the disagreements intensified because
educational priorities started changing due to the changes in the relative influence of stakeholder groups and new forces such as globalization.
What is ailing Indian higher education system :-
India’s focus on expanding the higher education sector to provide access has led to a situation where research and scholarship have been
neglected.
Funding issues:-
The Central government’s slant toward premier institutions has continued ever since the Eleventh Five Year Plan where in spite of a
nine-fold increase in Budget allocation State institutions have been left to fend for themselves with funding mainly directed towards
starting more premier institutes.
Investment by State governments has been also dwindling each year as higher education is a low-priority area. The University Grant
Commission’s system of direct releases to State institutions which bypasses State governments also leads to their sense of alienation.
There has been a demand to take spending on education to 6% of gross domestic product for decades.
Low enrolment:-
The gross enrolment ratio (GER) in higher education is 24.5 meaning out of every 100 youths eligible for higher education, less than 25 are
pursuing tertiary education.
Desired levels of research and internationalization of Indian campuses remain weak points
It follows a largely linear model with very little focus on specialization. Both experts and academics feel Indian higher education is tilted
towards social sciences.
Only 1.7% colleges run Ph.D programmes and a mere 33% colleges run postgraduate-level programmes.
Regulatory issues:-
The country has a poor record with both the University Grants Commission (UGC) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) being
seen more as controllers of education than facilitators.
As a regulator of India’s higher education, coordinator of vastly different kinds of institutions, and custodian of standards, the UGC had begun
to look ill-equipped.
Regulatory bodies with licensing powers hurt the autonomy of professional higher education, leading to serious imbalance in the diarchy they
were under, and partitioning general from professional higher education in several crucial areas of knowledge.
Privately set-up institutions in medicine, engineering, and other fields created the ground conditions in which strict regulation acquired
justification. The power to license led to corruption.
The existing model is based on deep and pervasive distrust among regulators over the possibility of universities doing things on their own, and
doing it well. The current framework that require universities to be constantly regulated by laws, rules, regulations, guidelines and policies set
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by the government and the regulatory bodies have not produced the best results.
Lack of autonomy:-
All aspects of academic life, including admission norms, syllabus design, and examination were controlled by the affiliating university.
In colleges set up and run by the government, recruitment of faculty was the state government’s prerogative.
When certain state governments stopped fresh recruitment altogether and moved over to the practice of hiring contractual or ad hoc teachers,
no college could practise autonomy to alleviate its suffering.
Autonomy to function through their own structures of governance first began to diminish in many provincial or state universities in the sphere of
appointment of vice chancellors. State universities could not resist the imposition by those with political power of poorly qualified and
unsuitable individuals as vice chancellors.
The vacancy crisis broke the sense of professional community among teachers and their organisations. Even teacher quality was abysmal
Ranking systems:-
Additional autonomy granted on the basis of NAAC rating and status in NIRF begs questions about these systems of evaluation. They are
neither authentic nor valid. The reason they lack authenticity lies in the processes through which they are derived.
The NAAC is based on an inspectorial process. Its reliability suffers from both ends involved in any inspectorial system in our ethos.
NIRF’s need arose from India’s poor performance in global ranking systems but the question is if Indian institutions of higher learning were
found to be generally too poor to be noticed globally, how would they get any better if ranked among themselves
Roots of Vulnerability
Currently there is a dominant ideology of commercialisation of knowledge and teaching.
Higher education is not leading to graduates entering the work sector as the education is not in sync with the needs of the companies.
Way forward:-
Role needs to significantly change from the existing model to a more progressive approach where universities are allowed to take greater
responsibility on their
There is a need to develop a framework of Earned Autonomy for universities where new forms of regulatory models are created.This
model can have a system in which universities could be identified on the basis of indicators and assessment criteria so that a number of them,
public and private, could be allowed to function more autonomously than others.
The regulatory framework ought to make an important distinction between the role of colleges in promoting access to higher education on the one
hand and the larger focus of universities in India, which should be to create knowledge and promote research and scholarship leading to
publications.
A systematic, coherent, and transparent approach is needed to determine the suitability of universities to pursue objectives of excellence.
Government can help define standards for universities via its ranking frameworks and accreditation surveys, or students can decide based on cut-
offs, as is done in the case of Common Admission Test (CAT) for management courses.
A more robust and transparent admission system would not only lend credibility to the selection process, but it would also ensure quality.
HEERA needs to established soon
Topic – Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the
performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the
protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections
5)Critically analyze whether the ‘Transformation of Aspirational Districts’ initiative would help India India address the growing inter state and
inter district disparities?(250 words)
Reference
Reference
7/13
Why this question
The rising inequality in India makes it imperative for us to ensure regional parity in development. Transformation of aspirational district initiative is a key focus
area of the government as evident by the focus accorded by Niti Ayog and PMO. Hence learning about the strategy, impacts etc of the initiative becomes important.
The focus of the answer should be on bringing out the following points
Bring out the problem of inter region inequality in India and the need of addressing this issue
Details of the initiative. What is the initiative about etc
Strategy of the initiative. How the initiative plans to achieve its objective of reducing inequality and achieving prosperity in districts
Highlight the strengths and weakness of the initiative and provide your opinion on the same
Directive word
Critically analyze – When asked to analyze, you have to examine methodically the structure or nature of the topic by separating it into component parts and present
them as a whole in a summary. You need to conclude with a fair judgement, after analyzing the nature of each component part and interrelationship between them.
Introduction – Highlight the problem of glaring inter regional inequality in India and how the said initiative aims to change the status quo.
Body
Facts and figures to prove that inter regional inequality is an issue that requires intense focus
Details of transformation of aspirational districts – what is the initiative, how it plans to achieve its aims , areas where it aims to make an impact etc
Analyze whether the areas chosen for the projects would help achieve a transformational change. Analyze whether the baseline ranking methodology and the
focus on data collection and monitoring would ho achieve development in these regions. Etc
Conclusion – Based on your arguments above, mention your stand.
Background:-
India will not be able to sustain robust growth without focusing on all states and regions. Ensuring progress in areas facing the most severe
challenges and improving conditions in remote and rural regions are prerequisites for India to reach the next stage of its economic and human
development.
Through its massive scale and innovative use of data, the aspirational districts programme (ADP) will help India move towards its goals.
Aspirational district programme :-
The Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) is a radical departure from the country’s previous development strategies in its scale, scope and
ownership.
The 115 districts were chosen by the Union government in consultation with State officials on the basis of a composite index of the following:
Education, health and nutrition, financial inclusion, agriculture, skill development and basic infrastructure.
A minimum of one district was chosen from every State.
The largest concentration of districts is in the States which have historically under-performed such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, or which are afflicted
by left-wing extremism such as Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.
These 115 districts account for more than 20% of the country’s population and cover over 8,600 gram panchayats.
How it would help in resolving Inter state and Inter district disparities:-
The programme shifts the focus away from output and draws attention to socio-economic outcomes. Through its large-scale efforts to collect,
distil and disseminate data, the programme is grounded thoroughly in evidence.
The programme is informed by the failures of the past and therefore has a more contemporary vision of how public services are best delivered to
those who need them most.
Sensitive approach:-
Deliberately, the districts have been described as aspirational rather than backwardso that they are viewed as islands of opportunity and
hope rather than areas of distress and hopelessness.
Utilization of resources:-
There is no financial package or large allocation of funds to this programme. The intent is to leverage the resources of the several
government programmes that already exist but are not always used efficiently.
Competitive federalism:-
This programme takes the principle of competitive federalism down to district administrations. Each district will be ranked on the focus areas
which are disaggregated into easily quantifiable target areas. So as not to bias the rankings on historical achievements or lack of them,
the rankings will be based on deltas or improvements. The rankings will be publicly available.
With continuously updated data dashboards, those running the programme on the ground can alter strategies after accurate feedback.
Up-to-date statistics on health, education and other dimensions of development lend the programme a rigour that an observational
approach could not. Through ADP, data is advancing policymaking in three important ways: strengthening analysis and monitoring, enhancing
accountability and transparency, and taking into account the heterogeneity across districts and states.
Data from these districts will help government and other organisations grasp the complexities of a given district better.They will help assess
outcomes and monitor progress.
They also facilitate rankings, spurring competition between districts.
The programme is pioneering the democratisation of development data in India.
Till date, no other developing country has undertaken a data-driven programme of this massive scale to advance the holistic
development of one-fifth of its population.
Cooperative federalism:-
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The composite district-level data allows government to take into account the huge variation within India. With districts as diverse as Dantewada
and Bastar in Chhattisgarh that are affected by leftwing extremism and Baksa in Assam where access to education is a challenge, a one-size-
fits-all strategy will not work.
The ADP brings together all levels of government, from central and state officers driving operations, to the district collectors implementing
innovative measures on the ground. It also tracks progress through real-time data collection. A critical aspect of the programme’s approach is
its focus on district-specific strengths.
The ADP echoes the government’s belief that states and districts should have a greater voice in their development.
It truly embodies India’s shift toward cooperative federalism. The local, state and central governments work together to design, implement and
monitor measures to drive development in the districts.
The strong belief that underlies this strategy is that each district’s advantages and challenges are different.
The ADP has opened its door to civil society and leveraged the tool of corporate social responsibility to form partnershipswhich will bring
new ideas and fresh energy with boots on the ground from non-government institutions to join the official efforts. The force multiplier on outcomes
from such participation is potentially massive.
For example, NITI Aayog is working with Piramal Foundation to strengthen public systems particularly in health and education.
Challenges:-
Local government is in a unique position to understand the complexities of the districts. They can experiment with different measures to
enhance socio-economic development on the ground. Panchayats are neglected.
Some of the states (West Bengal, Kerala and Odisha) have already opted out of the scheme,reducing the total number of identified backward
districts from 115 to 102. This further reduces any limited benefit that ranking of districts may offer.
The three states have objected to the criteria set up by the centre for identifying backward districts without taking states into
confidence.
Orissa also objected appointment of ‘prabhari officers’citing the move would infringe country’s federal structure.
State government in its conditions has also demanded allocation of more fundsfor the most backward districts.
Data collection and analysis on monthly basis is a very hectic processwhich needs resources and efficient workforce.
The districts which are backward need to compete with the best performing so quick transformation might be difficult and be flawed as well.
Also there might be conflicts between centre and states.Work might be affected during elections etc
Way forward:-
For the programme to succeed there is a need for effective monitoring which can be done bysocial auditing
Increase the awareness amongst the peopleand even some of them can be given work as volunteers.
With lack of digital literacy and infrastructure at local level compiling the enormous data and updating it is a humongous task.
Seeking rapid transformation of these districts on specific parameters such as health, education and nutrition need to happen alongside unlocking of
their development potential.
In this context, recognising development trajectory of each district, relentlessly tracking district’s progress on its chosen interventions and
indicators is probably a better approach.
Conclusion:-
Without improving human development and strengthening the economic situation of these regions, India as a whole cannot achieve significant
progress. So this programme is moving in the right direction.
Topic: Indian Economy and issues relating to employment ; Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life
6)The nature of post industrial ecosystem has created newer and more complex challenges for job creation. Examine these challenges in Indian
context and suggest ways to address them.(250 words)
Reference
Livemint
9/13
Why this question
The rising use of technology like AI in economy, governance etc has put the future of human labour at peril. Recently our PM has also envisioned greater use of AI
in governance etc. At a time, when job creation in the economy is under the scanner, this development will make the issue more complex. Hence it needs to be
examined.
Following are the points that need to be discussed in the answer
What is the nature of post industrial ecosystem and the nature of challenges created by it
Examine the employment scenario in India
Examine how this development is bound to put India in a difficult spot – the need of providing jobs to reap the demographic dividend and the fast loss of
traditional jobs in manufacturing and services.
Discuss the challenges in front of India
Suggest measures to help deal with the situation
Directive word
Examine – When you are asked to examine, you have to probe deeper into the topic, get into details, and find out the causes or implications if any.
Introduction – Highlight the technological developments that have taken us in a post industrial ecosystem
Body
Explain nature of the post industrial ecosystem and how it changes the nature of work. More automations etc
Discuss in brief the employments situation in India – lack of jobs in manufacturing sector, lack of skills etc
Discuss how the status quo is going to get aggravated in future with job losses occurring in even well performing sectors like IT, Banking etc
Discuss the challenges in front of India – poor skilling, poor infrastructure , lack of human capacity development, outdated system of education etc – all of
which make it more difficult and complex for us to achieve the transformation
Suggest way forward such as the need for constantly upgrading our skills and others as mentioned in the article.
Conclusion – Bring out the need for adapting to rapidly changing technology and the need for government to recognise this challenge and work on the way
forward.
Background :-
World is in the midst of the most transformative age in human history where technological leaps could make possible a world of limitless food, water,
and energy.
Although world has attained the ability to produce any resource at any speed or in any quantity,human capital requirement is on a steep decline
owing to the advent of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics which are threatening jobs.
Post industrial ecosystem and its nature:-
A post-industrial society is a stage in a society’s evolution when the economy shifts from producing and providing goods and products to one that
mainly offers services. In a post-industrial society, technology, information and services are more important than manufacturing actual goods.
The following shifts are associated with post-industrial societies:
Production of goods (like clothing) declines and the production of services (like restaurants) goes up.
Manual labor jobs and blue collar jobs are replaced with technical and professional jobs.
Society experiences a shift from focusing on practical knowledge to theoretical knowledge. The latter involves the creation of new, invention
solutions.
There is a focus on new technologies, how to create and utilize them as well as harness them.
New technologies foster the need for new scientific approaches like IT and cybersecurity.
Society needs more college graduates with advanced knowledge who can help develop and advance technological change.
Deepening levels of worker anxiety about retaining a job affects large swathes of the developed economies.
A large number of workers will lose jobs due to automationin the next two decades.
Five high-technology firms find themselves among the list of the top seven most valuable companies in the world, with a cumulative
market capitalisation of almost $3 trillion
It is distressing to note that that they employ just under 700,000 people among them.
The inevitable widespread adoption of next generation technologies indicates a future of mass unemployment, and concentration of wealth in
the hands of a few enterprises capable of providing minuscule job openings.
Indian employment scenario:-
Indian scenario already looks grim with the Labour Bureau stating that India added just 1.35 lakh jobs in eight labour-intensive sectors in 2015,
against a backdrop of almost 1.5 crore annually entering the job market.
Challenges for creating jobs in India :-
Informal employment:-
India is largely informal and ineffectively regulated for work standards and safeguards. Out of a workforce of around 427 million, formal
employment is just 14 per cent at 60 million.
Women participation:-
Lack of opportunity in the workplace and cultural constraints keep 56 per cent of them (a vast majority of them being women) at home.
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Automation:-
With latest technologies like artificial intelligence people are concerned about mass unemployment. Automation will lead to the substitution of
labour in those tasks.
Automation is expected to gain further steam in 2018, rendering nearly 70 per cent of the Indian workforce irrelevant.
Lack of skilled labour:-
Most people today are acquiring skills that will be far less valuable in an AI-first economy, and the process of retraining and finding suitable
jobs could be slow and painful.
Quality of education and system of examination system is not in sync with the changing needs of the society.
Failure of government schemes:-
The ‘Mudra Yojana’ is just one tool in the form of a loan scheme and that by itself it will not create jobs.
Even with Skills India scheme short term courses have been created which churn out skilled labour that is not able to meet industry needs.
Apprenticeship programs help bridge the gap between the unemployed freshers and the industries. The Indian apprenticeship policy is
in urgent need of reforms.
Lack of vision, roadmap And framework To enhance employability.
Dilapidated Employment Exchange
The employment exchanges in most states have been reduced to issuing employment cards for government jobs. They lack a decent
website where citizens can enrol and seek information about jobs and vacancies. They do not conduct any survey or record any
information about employment in the state.
The Employment Exchange must be upgraded with providing online services and real-time information about employment in the state.
Lack Of Reforms In Labour Laws
According to an Ease of Doing Business report by Niti Ayog in 2017, firms in labour-intensive sectors find compliance with labour-related
regulations particularly onerous. This fact translates into enterprises avoiding the labour-intensive sectors.
Indicates a shift in the pattern of employment from permanent jobs to casual and contract employment. This temporary nature of work
has adversely affected the wages, employment stability and social security of the workers.
Stagnant manufacturing sector:-
Stringent land acquisition laws and inflexible labour regulations make it difficult for India to attract investors in the manufacturing
sector.
Others believe the lack of support to local manufacturers has led to the failure of the project.
Lack of innovation and lack of skilled labour resulted in the shutdown of many new startups.
Way forward :-
In the enhancing employability, 2016 report a policy was proposed to enhance workforce employability. It presented the following policy framework as
follows:
Enhancing Post Metric Education
Anticipating emerging skill needs and adopting policies accordingly
Reinforcing the role of training and work-based learning
Enhancing the adaptability of workplaces
Promoting labour mobility
The overall approach to education needs to shift from knowledge dissemination to skills training, with students having the option to drop out
after high school to pursue formal vocational training.
Reduce the expectation from manufacturing as a provider of non-agricultural jobs as due to technological advancements it might lead to less
employment
Shift from informal sector employment to formal sector employment.
Technically skilled and business-oriented youth should be encouraged to explore the entrepreneurship option, and create jobs.
In the long run, less well educated workers could be particularly exposed to automation, emphasising the importance of increased investment in
lifelong learning and retraining.
Reforms in informal sector:-
The informal economy employs more than 90% of our workforce. Efforts to structure the informal sector, by encouraging them to adopt
modern-day tools and best practices, and by giving them adequate access to capital for expansion, would stimulate the economy and the job
market.
Focussed government planning and spending, along with the creation of an environment that would encourage private investments into
these potentially large-scale projects, could create immediate openings for millions in sectors like construction.
If leveraged to create essential and permanent assets, employment-guaranteeing schemes like MGNREGA would also effectively absorb
a large slice of job seekers.
Skills councils are independent organisations that provide a platform for the discussion of the skills-related challenges of specific sectors or regional
areas, as well as the development of joint policy responses.
They provide recommendations on education and labour market policy, which can be general in nature, or specific to a certain region, sector or
individual education and training institution and its programmes.
Special packages are needed for labour-intensive industries to create jobs. There should be cluster development to support job creation in
micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
Align urban development with manufacturing clusters to create jobs.
Public investments in health, education, police and judiciary can create many government jobs
TOPIC : Public Distribution System- objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping; issues of buffer stocks and food security; Technology missions; economics of
animal-rearing.
7)What do you understand by Highest Priority Critically Important Antimicrobials (HPCIAs). Also, discuss role of livestock rearing in antibiotic
resistance among humans.(250 words)
Reference
Reference
11/13
Why this question
Antibiotic resistance is a serious issue and more so for India, given its poor health infrastructure, a large population of unprivileged and vulnerable people and
widespread misuse of antibiotics in animal rearing. The question is related to GS-3 syllabus under the following heading-
Public Distribution System- objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping; issues of buffer stocks and food security; Technology missions; economics of animal-
rearing.
The question wants us to give a proper and complete-in-meaning description of HPCIAs. Then it wants us to discuss how animal rearing is associated with
antibiotic resistance among humans.
Directive word
What- we have to provide a description of the term.
Discuss- we have to look into the details and identify the prevalence of and reasons behind antibiotic abuse in livestock rearing.
Introduction- give a proper, concise and complete-in-meaning description of HPCIAs along with some examples of class of drugs.
Body– divide the body into three parts.
discuss the prevalence of use and major uses of antibiotics in livestock rearing. e.g for treating diseases, as growth stimulators, environmental sources etc.
discuss why there is misuse of antibiotics- e.g lack of knowledge about proper usage, over the counter sale of antibiotics, necessary for extracting decent
profit from large intensive poultry and pig farms, etc.
briefly discuss the effects of antibiotic resistance in humans.
Conclusion– briefly mention alternatives to antibiotics usage in livestock rearing- e.g better health and hygiene, scientific management, incentivization of organic
products, harnessing traditional knowledge on livestock medicine etc.
Background:-
The World Health Organization has classified certain antimicrobial classes as Highest priority critically important antimicrobials for human medicine in
the so called WHO list of critically important antimicrobials for human medicine recently.
A report out of the United Kingdom found that, worldwide, antibiotic-resistant bacteria could kill more people per year by 2050 than cancer kills today.
Highest Priority Critically Important Antimicrobials (HPCIAs) :-
In the latest version of the CIA list the “Highest Priority Critically Important Antimicrobials“ are :- Quinolones, 3rd and higher generation
Cephalosporins, Macrolides and Ketolides, glycopeptides, and Polymyxins.
These have been classified by the World Health Organization (WHO), as they are of the only few available therapies for some of the most serious
bacterial infections in human health.
Antibiotics in livestock rearing why are they used :-
The issue of antibiotic use in livestock is particularly for non-therapeutic use such as mass disease prevention or growth promotion of poultry, pigs
etc.
Studies conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment has shown the use of important antimicrobials, including critically important ones in
poultry and aquaculture.
Why rampant usage of antibiotics continues in livestock rearing industries:-
Unregulated sale of the drugs for human or animal use accessed without prescriptionor diagnosis has led to unchecked consumption and
misuse.
Of tested birds destined for meat consumption, 87% had the super germs based on a study published in the journal Environmental Health
Perspectives.
Farms supplying India’s biggest poultry-meat companies routinely use medicines classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as
“critically important” as a way of staving off disease or to make them gain weight faster, so that more can be grown each year for greater profit.
One drug typically given this way is Colistin which is used to treat patients critically ill with infections that have become resistant to nearly all
other drugs.
In India, the poultry industry is booming. The amount of chicken produced doubled between 2003 and 2013. Chicken is popular because it can
be eaten by people of all religionsand affordable. Experts predict the rising demand for protein will cause a surge in antibiotic use in
livestock. India’s consumption of antibiotics in chickens is predicted to rise fivefold by 2030 compared to 2010.
Lax regulation:-
India does not have an effective integrated policy to control the use of antibiotics in livestock and poultry with a viewpoint of
containing antibiotic resistance
2007: The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) recommends not using systemic antibiotics in poultry feed. The recommendation is voluntary and
does not extend to gut-acting antibiotics, which BIS planned to cover by 2012
2011:The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) sets maximum residue limits for four antibiotics in sea food and prohibits the
use of certain others in seafood processing units. It does not prescribe standards for domestic poultry industry. The national policy on
containment of antimicrobial resistance is finalised but does not focus on antibiotic resistance emanating from the large-scale use of
antibiotics in animals
2013:-The Directorate General of Health Services issues a circular, asking state drug controllers to ensure that the withdrawal period of drugs
meant for poultry and livestock are mentioned on packet. While it talks about regulating drugs, antibiotics as feed supplement remain
out of its purview.
In 2014 the Agriculture Ministry sent an advisory letter to all State governments asking them to review the use of antibiotic growth
promoters. However, the directive was non-binding, and none have introduced legislation to date.
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Even the guidelines of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)on poultry waste management do not adequately address ABR.
In India, at least five animal pharmaceutical companies are openly advertising products containing Colistin as growth promoters.
Chickens are fed antibiotics so that they gain weight and grow fast.
Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has found residues of antibiotics in 40 per cent of the chicken samples it tested.
In Europe, Colistin is available to farmers only if prescribed by a vet for the treatment of sick animals. In India there isno such thing.
India, level of awareness regarding antibiotic resistance is very low.
Antibiotics are also coming from China as the imports are not regulated
Poultry farmers also ignore the mandatory withdrawal period, time gap between the use of antibiotics and when it is slaughtered that helps
ensure that high levels of antibiotic residues do not pass on to humans.
While many poultry farmers are aware of other options or antibiotic-free growth promoter feed supplements, their high cost is prohibitive for
smaller players. Bigger farmers are less keen because there is no incentive to make antibiotic-free chickens.
Effects of antibiotic resistance on humans :-
Public health experts have suspected that such rampant use of antibiotics could be a reason for increasing antibiotic resistance in India.
These mutated robust strains bypass toxic effects of antibiotics, making them ineffective. They can easily spread among the flock and contaminate
the food chain.They can also alter the genetic material of other bacteria, often pathogenic ones, making them resistant to several drugs and
resulting in a global pandemic.
Antibiotic residues present in the meat can directly unleash an assault on microbes in humans.
The mutated robust microbe strain can invade the body and cause diseases that are difficult to treat.Even mild infections require stronger
dosage.
These drug-resistant bacteria could nullify the gains of modern medicine by compromising the success of organ transplants, high-end surgeries and
cancer chemotherapy.
With drugs losing their effectiveness, the world would need newer antibiotics. Unfortunately, no new class of antibiotic has hit the market since
late 1980s.
Annual healthcare cost due to antibiotic resistanceis estimated to be as high as $20 billion, with an additional productivity loss of up to $35 billion
in the US.
Treating fatal diseases like sepsis, pneumonia and tuberculosis (TB) are becoming tough because microbes that cause these diseases
are increasingly becoming resistantto fluoroquinolones.
Farmhandswho handle the birds often wear open-toe shoes, providing a conduit of entry for resistant bacteria and resistance genes into the
community and hospitals, where further person-to-person transmission is possible.
Way ahead:-
Ban the use of antibiotics for growth promotion and mass disease prevention. It should only be used to cure the sick animals based on
prescription of veterinarians
Antibiotics should not be allowed in feed and feedThe government should set standards for animal feed and regulate the business
Encourage development, production and use of alternative antibiotic-free growth promoters, such as herbal supplements
All animal antibiotics should be traceable from manufacturing site to user. Implement stringent control on import of antibiotics and feed
supplements
Good farm management practices should be followed to control infection and stress among the flock.
Veterinarians should be trained and educated on judicious use of antibiotics and infection prevention.The government should ensure that
veterinarians do not get incentives for prescribing more antibiotics
There is a need to introduce a labelling system wherein poultry raised without use of antibiotics should be labelled through reliable
certified schemes to facilitate consumer choice.
It is necessary to create an integrated surveillance system to monitor antibiotics use and antibiotics resistance trends in humans, animals
and food chain. A national-level database should be developed and kept in the public domain.
Citizens should be educated about what they are eating, what does their food contain, and what are the consequences.
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1) Discuss the significance of Individual Satyagraha in Indian freedom movement.

Why did Congress working committee decide to suspend Individual
Satyagraha?(250 words)
Bipan Chandra – India’s struggle for independence pg 459
1/21
The question demands us to answer how individual Satyagraha helped take the national
movement forward. The second part demands us to answer the reason why the movement was
suspended.
Directive word
Discuss – The focus should be on detailing the significance of individual Satyagraha for our
freedom movement. One can also bring out the limitations of the movement and how the
movement failed to achieve anything tangible.
Introduction – explain briefly about individual Satyagraha
Body
Discuss the background in which the decision was taken to launch individual
Satyagraha
Discuss how it took the national movement forward – channelize the masses political
energy, highlight their grievances in front of the British etc ; the leadership question got
resolved etc
Discuss the limitations of the movement
Examine the reason why CWC decided to end the movement – questions over the safety
and defence of India etc
Conclusion – summarise the significance of individual Satyagraha.
Background:-
Individual Satyagraha was direct result of August Offer.

The Congress was in a confused state again after the August Offer. The radicals and
leftists wanted to launch a mass Civil Disobedience Movement, but here Gandhi
insisted on Individual Satyagraha.
Individual Satyagraha:-
The Individual Satyagraha was not to seek independence but to affirm the right of
speech.
The non-violence was set as the centerpiece of Individual Satyagraha. This was done
by carefully selecting the Satyagrahis.
The first Satyagrahi selected was Acharya Vinoba Bhave, who was sent to Jail when
he spoke against the war.
Second Satyagrahi was Jawahar Lal Nehru.
Aims ofIndividual Satyagraha:-
To show that nationalist patience was not due to weakness.
To express people’s feeling that they are not interested in the war and that they
made distinction between Nazism and double autocracy that ruled in India.
2/21
To give another opportunity to the Government to accept congress demands

peacefully. The demand of the Satyagrahi was using freedom of Speech
against the war through an anti-war declaration. If government did not arrest
the Satyagrahi, he or she will move repeating it in villages and start march
towards Delhi (Delhi Chalo Movement)
Significance :-
The campaign started again in January 1941, this time, thousands of people joined
and around 20 thousand people were arrested.
Though the aim of Satyagraha was limited one, it was successful in displaying unity
and patience in masses of India.
This Satyagraha forced to bring Cripps Proposal which was much different from
August offer as it provided way for Constituent Assembly and Option to any Province
to withdraw a blue print for India’s partition.
Individual Satyagraha had a dual purpose while giving expression to the Indian
people’s strong political feeling, it gave the British Government further opportunity to
peacefully accept the Indian demands.
More importantly, Gandhi was beginning to prepare the people for the coming
struggle. The Congress organization was being put back in shape opportunist
elements were being discovered and pushed out of the organization and above all
the people were being politically aroused, educated and mobilized.
It had been carried on for fourteen months and although it did not put any great
political pressure on the Government, it had psychological and symbolical effect on
the people.
Political Parties were not united over the question of Civil Disobedience.
Why was it suspended :-
Since it was not a mass movement, it attracted little enthusiasm and in December
1940, Gandhi suspended the movement.
Indian leaders, released from prisons were worried about the safety and defence of
India as world war II was at its doorstep.
Anxious to defend Indian territory and to go to the aid of the Allies, the Congress
Working Committee overrode the objections of Gandhi and Nehru and passed a
resolution offering to fully cooperate in the defence of India and the Allies if Britain
agreed to give full independence after the War arid the substance of power
immediately.
The Japanese threat was increasing and there were air raids on Assam and Bengal.
Naturally, it was not thought expedient that, at such a critical time the Congress
leaders should be, again, in prison. Hence the Individual Satyagraha movement was
suspended.
3/21
Topic –India and its neighborhood- relations. Bilateral, regional and global groupings and
2)India should not be a party to Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of

International Child Abduction. Examine. (250 words)
Reference
Hindustantimes
Why this question
The centre had set up a committee to prepare a report on the issue of inter-country parental
child abduction. In its report, it has questioned one of the basic principles of the Hague
Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. The issue is related to GS-1
India and its neighborhood- relations. Bilateral, regional and global groupings and
The question wants us to bring out the reasons why India should and should not sign the
Hague Convention and support our answer with necessary justifications.
Directive word
Examine- We have to to dig deep into the question and find out the implications of not signing
the Hague Convention. We have to justify it with proper arguments/ facts/ examples.
Introduction- Give a brief introduction of Hague Convention, its year of coming into force,
vision etc.
Body-
Take a stand on the above issue- why India should not formally accede to Hague Convention
in its present form. Briefly discuss the reasons/ arguments in points.
E.g mention statistics about Indian diaspora- intercountry marriages, data about cases of
parental abduction- who is generally the victim, judicial remedies available and how they
affect the rights of the women (mother), misuse of the law by the husbands in alimony cases
etc.
Conclusion- mention the Japan experiment and mention the need for a similar law in India.
Background:-
Over three crore Indians living abroad have cross-border marriages. When such a
diverse family unit breaks down, children suffer as they are dragged into an
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international legal battle between their parents. India has not signed the Hague treaty
yet.
Hague convention:-
The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction is an

international treaty that establishes procedures that provide for the prompt return of
children wrongfully retained or removed from their habitual residence.
According to the treaty, a child will be said to have been wrongly removed when the
move is in violation of the rights of custody attributed to someone by the authorities
of the country where the child has been living.
Reasons why India should not sign this convention:-
The Convention deals with what has come to be known as “international child
abduction”. The word “abduction” when used by a parent is misplaced as no
parent can ‘abduct’ her own child.
Indian law does not automatically recognise foreign judgments. Now by signing
the Hague Convention, India will be compelled to recognise a foreign judgment
regardless of the justness of the decision on custody under Indian law or whether
was delivered ex-parte.
Gender issue:-
India’s original reason for not signing the treaty was because the government
felt that most cases of child removal are committed by women trying to
escape a bad or abusive marriage in another country.
Criminalising the act and forcing her to return to the country of habitual
residence would therefore add to her problems.
The convention would amount to victimising women escaping a bad
marriage.
The convention shows no recognition of the role domestic violence plays
in compelling a mother to go back to her country of origin. If India adheres
to the provisions of the convention, the woman, just to be with her children, will
be forced to go back to a violent relationship.
If India’s proposed move to sign the Hague Convention goes through she will
not only become a child abductor but will also be denied the protection of the
Indian courts which she now has.
Normally, as per the framework of the Hague Convention, the Requested state
is expected to adhere to or comply with such requests from the Requesting
State, irrespective of its own laws regarding child abduction.
If India were to sign the Hague Convention and thereafter were to receive
requests from another Contracting State for return of an abducted child, the
Indian Courts would be requested to comply with such requests
notwithstanding the fact that as per existing Indian law.
In effect, signing the Hague Convention would mean bowing down to foreign
pressure and accepting a foreign interpretation of law which is contrary to law
as interpreted in India. This would also amount to an attack on the very sovereignty
of India as an independent democratic nation.
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It would even nullify Section 13 of the Code of Civil Procedure, in so far as

foreign decrees/orders in child abduction cases from Contracting Parties are
concerned.
Children will not benefit:-
India becoming a signatory to the Hague Convention would never prove
to be beneficial for the interests of persons and children of Indian origin
or to citizens of India, because there are very few instances of Indian children
being taken away from India to a foreign country by either one of the child’s
parents.
Even if such incident were to occur, the question of India making such
requests of return of such Indian children from a Contracting Party to which the
said children have been so removed, would never arise.
The signing of the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction will
enable the government to force children away from their mothers and
immediate family, and be sent to a foreign country without considering
whether this is in the ‘best interest of the child’.
Indian judiciary:-
The Indian Supreme Court is already empowered to provide recourse and
remedies to aggrieved parents in such cases
India should consider being part of the convention:-
Present status is very complicated:-

India is not only not a signatory of the Convention, but also does not yet
recognise removal of child by a parent as an offence. Thus the only legal
route open to the left-behind parent is to initiate legal proceedings in the
country of habitual residence and then armed with the order from that court,
come to India and file a case of Habeas Corpus in India. Once the child is
produced in court, the case turns into a custody battle.
Foreign pressure:-
According to US government data, there were more than 80 cases of parental
child abduction cases from the US to India.
Besides the law commission, there was also pressure from the US, which
reported maximum cases of child abduction, mostly by mothers, for India to join
the treaty.
There has been a steady rise in parental abductions as more and more Indians
go abroad to work or study. Children often bear the brunt of their parents marital
disputes and are often forced to return to India by one of the quarelling parents.
Signing the treaty will ensure that the child is sent back to his/her country of
residence with the parent, who would be tried for abduction in the country he or she
fled from.
Over the years, the number of Indians marrying and staying abroad and giving
birth to children abroad have increased. Therefore, India should be forward-
looking and should change itself and sign the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects
of International Child Abduction.
If India becomes a signatory to the Convention, it will help in the return of those
Indian children who have been abducted and taken abroad.
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The argument in favour of signing the convention has been that it will benefit mothers
as well when fathers abduct children
Way forward:-
Before India becomes party to the Hague Convention, India has to put in place a
strong mechanism with built-in checks and balances. Creating a central authority,
with a judge to head it, which will receive all applications on parental child abduction
and removal and facilitate return and exchange is in the interest of India.
To be a signatory to the Hague Convention, a country needs to have a domestic law
on wrongful removal and retention of a child. In 2016 the Ministry of Women and
Child Development drafted a Bill against parental child abduction. The Bill is available
on the department’s website. But it is yet to be passed. The Law Commission of
India has also advised that India become a signatory of the Hague Convention.
Japan has shown awareness of domestic violence while signing the convention
through the Act on Implementation of Convention on the Civil Aspects of International
Child Abduction. India can follow this approach.
Topic: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth,
development and employment.
3) “Decline in manufacturing jobs is not necessarily a cause of concern”. Critically

examine the issues created due to premature deindustrialization in India and ways to
address them. (250 words)
Financial express
Why this question
Creation of jobs is one of the most critical step required for India in light of its demographic
situation. The lack of growth in manufacturing sector raises many issues for Indian economy.
The focus of the government on programmes like make in India and skill India makes it
imperative for us to analyze why despite sustained efforts, commensurate benefits are not
being reaped.
The question demands us to examine the issues created by premature deindustrialization in

India, whereas also stating that decline of manufacturing jobs is not necessarily a matter of
concern. Following points are to brought out in the answer
Status quo – lack of productive jobs
Why the lack of productive jobs is a problem
Also need to examine how non creation of jobs in manufacturing sector is not that big
an issue
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The new challenges that employment situation in India poses to us
Ways to deal with the challenge
Directive word
get into details, and find out the causes or implications if any. When ‘critically’ is suffixed or
prefixed to a directive, all you need to do is look at the good and bad of something and give a
fair judgement.
Introduction – Discuss in brief about premature deindustrialization and the problem of

employment in India, particularly acute due to lack of new jobs creation.
Body
Present the status quo of employment in the country – sectoral division, nature of jobs
etc
Examine the issues raised by premature deindustrialization in the country
Examine in light of WEO and IMF report, whether the assertion made makes sense for
India. Whether transitioning to service sector jobs directly is sustainable.
Discuss the concerns that we have to be mindful of in light of lack of manufacturing

jobs – productivity of jobs, social security etc
Discuss the steps by government to deal with unemployment and ensuring the health of
our economy – make in India , Skill India and what more can be done to boost
employment
Conclusion – mention your view on whether manufacturing jobs is critical or not in Indian
context.
Background:-
India could serve as growth engines for the world as all of those people creating new
households provide almost unlimited consumer demand. But for consumer demand
to flourish there must be a strong economy endowing consumers with
spending power. History teaches that a strong economy begins with a viable
manufacturing base.
Premature deindustrialization happens as manufacturing shrinks in poor countries
that never industrialized much in the first place. India with its armies of low wage
workers could have gone on a manufacturing binge like China, but its manufacturing
output is actually declining as a percentage of the economy.
Issues due to premature deindustrialization:-
Lack of infrastructure:-
Manufacturing needs a solid infrastructure to enable efficient transfer of raw
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materials and shipment of finished goods to market. The roads, rails, ports
and air service in India are woefully inadequate.
Unskilled labour:-
India like the rest of the world are today flooded with low cost manufactured
goods made in China and other Asian nations, and with the advent of the robot
age the value of unskilled labour is declining everywhere.
Why decline in manufacturing sector is not that of concern ?
A smaller manufacturing sector implies slower economic growth and a scarcity of

well-paying jobs for low- and middle-skilled workers therefore contributing to
worsening inequality might not hold true.
Declining share of manufacturing jobs need not hurt growth or raise inequality,
provided the right policies are in place.
Some services sub-sectors can match the productivity levels of manufacturing.
Bypassing traditional industrialisation and shift of employment from the agriculture
sector directly to the services sector need not hurt growth.
But this approach is not valid for India:-
The share of agriculture in employment has not come down drastically, with the
sector still accounting for almost 50% of overall employment.
In the recent decades, the manufacturing sector has been a laggard in capturing
the share in employment and has lost it to the services sector.
Skewed labour and output distribution has implications for India’s labour
productivity.
Lack of labour productivity:-
Data by the Conference Board the global business membership and research
association shows that while India’s labour productivity has improved by 70%
over the last decade, the overall productivity levels still lag behind those of
other developing Asian economies.
Average growth in labour productivity at an aggregate level for India during the
period 2011-12 to 2015-16 stood at 5.8%, as against 7.4% in the preceding five
years.
While Make-in-India is trying to focus on improving the country’s manufacturing
base with a special focus on labour-intensive sectors, data shows that labour
productivity growth fell during the 2011-12 to 2015-16 period across major
manufacturing sectors.
Barring business services, the growth in labour productivity in the rest of the
sectors has remained negative. This essentially means that India kept pushing
employment in unproductive sectors. While the country is undergoing a structural
transformation, the economy is not benefiting to the full extent.
Movement of labour from manufacturing and agricultural to services may not
be a positive trend for India.
In fact, movement to low-skill and low-income services such as security guards
and hyperlocal delivery personnel will not benefit India in raising the income
levels and labour productivity at an aggregate level in the long run.
Growth of high productivity sectors can be constrained by skill shortage.
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Ways to address them :-
There is a need to re-look at the Make-in-India initiative and realign the focus
on manufacturing as well as services.
Government policy should focus on promoting productivity enhancement
across all sectors through technology adoption and skill development.
The blurring of lines between manufacturing and services sectors further necessitates
the need to focus on a broad range of sectors, rather than a few.
While there is a growing wave of protectionism across the globe, research has shown
that increased trade and financial integration can help in faster convergence of
sectors.
Best way forward would be to align “Skill India” and “Make-in-India” with a
focus on India’s comparative advantag As mentioned in the IMF WEO and the
Economic Survey, a single-minded pursuit of increasing India’s manufacturing base
might not yield the best results.
Topic: Investment models. Science and Technology- developments and their applications and
effects in everyday life Achievement of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of
technology and developing new technology.
4)What are hybrid instruments. Discuss why there is a need to have a wider choice of
hybrid instruments that would provide flexibility in terms of control and holding .(250
words)
Economic times
Investopedia
Wikipedia
10/21
Why this question
Raising financial capital is a critical step in operationalization and success of any startup.
Indian startups have been facing problems in raising capital and dearth of hybrid securities
catering to the needs of the investors and entrepreneurs alike is one of the main reasons
behind that. In this regard,the GoI has decided to introduce more sorts of hybrid securities in
Indian financial market. The question is related to GS-3 syllabus under the following heading-
Investment models. Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects
in everyday life Achievement of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology
and developing new technology.
The question wants us to describe the meaning of hybrid securities, their purpose and need in
the context of Indian financial market.
Directive word
What- we have to provide a brief and complete-in-meaning description of hybrid securities.
Discuss- We have to write in detail about the need to have more kinds of hybrid securities in
Indian financial market.
Introduction- define hybrid securities/ instruments, along with examples of a few hybrid
securities e.g convertible bonds, preferred stocks etc.
Body- Discuss in points about the need for providing flexibility in terms of ownership and
holding and how customized financial instruments will help in that regard, so that foreign and
domestic investment is spurred. E.g need for attracting foreign investment, providing
entrepreneurs with necessary capital, existence and exploitation of different hybrid
instruments in countries like China, US etc, innovation in finance is required to cater to
industry’s needs and to create meaningful employment etc.
Conclusion– mention that as per existing regulations, only equity based instruments, that is,
instruments vesting ownership rights on the holder are allowed under FDI, which needs to be
changed and new types of hybrid securities introduced.
Hybrid instruments :-
India will soon unveil a wide array of hybrid instrumentson the lines of those available
in developed markets.
Hybrid instruments have the characteristics of debt and equity and come with
differential voting rights. In a number of IT companies overseas, promoters hold less
than 15% equity but exercise full control.
The most common type of hybrid security is a convertible bondthat has features of an
ordinary bond but is heavily influenced by the price movements of the stock into
which it is convertible.
They also give the holders an option to convert into equity at a later date
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Why there is a need to have a wider choice of hybrid instruments :-
Foreign investments:-
Hybrid instruments are suitable for attracting foreign investments in several
niche areas, especially for the startups and venture capital firms
To attract foreign investment to spur job generation and economic growth.
Innovation:-
The policy would address the requirements of industry now and reflect the
innovations in finance.
It will allow promoters to retain control of an entity even with a minority stake a
move that will make fundraising easier, particularly for startups.
The US has different classes of shares with differential control. China has a variable
interest instrument that allows foreign investors to have only an economic interest
in companies in restricted sectors.
Instruments that are fully and mandatorily convertible into equity within a specified
period are regarded as equity under the FDI policyand eligible to be issued to
persons residing outside India.
Any instrument that is not mandatorily converted is considered debt and governed by
external commercial borrowing rules. The proposed policy is expected to go
beyond this categorisation with built-in pricing freedom.
Present issues can be resolved:-
The window is not available if economic interest to foreign investors goes
beyond 49%.
Company law provisions make it further complex and limit the ability to decide
and negotiate commercial returns, priority distribution, optionality etc on
investment, which is important for high-risk capital.
It helps in providing entrepreneurs with necessary capital.
Way forward:-
The current policy allows Indian-owned and Indian-controlled companies (with less
than 50% foreign holding) to invest in any activity, without being subjected to FDI
policy conditions. Amendments would be required in exchange control
regulations, FDI policy and the Companies Act.

assessment, Disaster and disaster management.
5)A multi-pronged strategy needs to be adopted to drive the behavioural change in

farmers’ community for extracting more value out of the farm waste. Discuss in the
light of the NITI Aayog’s report on biomass management.(250 words)
Reference
Reference
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Why this question
India generates a huge amount of biomass annually, especially from the agricultural sector.
Burning of this biomass creates air pollution problem in the northern states of India, where
the practice is more prevalent. Recently, a task force on biomass management submitted its
report. The task force has suggested a two-pronged approach to tackle the issue: a) ploughing
the residue back into the field and; b) extraction and usage for other purposes. The issue is
related to GS-3 syllabus under the following heading-
Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment,

Disaster and disaster management.
The question wants us to discuss the need for and course of action for imparting behavioural
change in farmer’s community, for better use and management of farm waste.
Directive word
Discuss- we have to dig deep into the given issue and write in length about the reasons for the
particular behaviour, why there is need for behavioural change and how to impart it.
Introduction- mention India’s plan to achieve 10GW capacity of energy generation from
biomass and current installed capacity of around 5 GW.
Body-
Discuss the reasons for burning of farm waste by farmers- e.g lack of knowledge about
alternate use, very less time for farm preparation, unorganized nature of biomass
market, which is characterized by lack of mechanization in agriculture sector,
fragmented land holdings, and vast number of small or marginal farmers etc.
Briefly discuss some of the ex-situ and in-situ methods of farm waste utilization. E.g
prali char, compositing, Bio-Power, Bio-CNG, Pelletisation Plant, Briquetting Plant,
Pyrolysis (biochar), biogas Plant etc.
Mention and briefly discuss in points, about the strategies suggested by the task force of
NITI Aayog- e.g subsidies on various technologies, regulatory support to businesses,
creating awareness by field visits and by using ICT tools, reward scheme for individual
farmers and for panchayats, creating efficient monitoring mechanisms etc.
Conclusion- bring out a fair, concise balanced conclusion out of the above discussion.
Background:-
Disposal of farm waste, either from farm as residues or from crop residues, has
always been an issue to dispose them , after crop residues are consumed as fodder
by the livestocks , besides posing an invitable environmental threat , popularly known
as crop residue burning.
About 32% of the total primary energy use in the country is derived from biomass and
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more than 70% of the country’s population depends upon it for their energy needs.
Biomass from agriculture is available only for a short period after its harvesting, which
can stretch only for 2-3 months in a year. So there is a need to have robust
institutional and market mechanism for efficient procurement of the required
quantity of biomass, within this stipulated short time, and safe storage till it is
finally used.
Farm waste in India and why is it burned :-
The reason why farmers burn paddy stubble is that they do not have an option.
Earlier, when harvesting was manual, the crop waste was sold by farmers to paper
mills for use as raw material.However, with most harvesting becoming
mechanical, the waste is left in the fields.
Farmers have the option of burying the crop waste in the fields and turning it into
manure. But it is an expensive option, which few are willing to try.
Primary reason to burn is pathogen control. Without burning, there is an increased
reliance on chemicals to control these unwanted pests and diseases.
The stubble needs to be removed before farmers prepare the farm for the winter
crop.
With cost concerns, the short gap between summer and winter crops, lack of
incentives from the government and shortage of equipment, most farmers
resort to residue burning
Most of the farmers are small and marginal with extremely small landholdings
and they lack awareness.
Methods already undertaken:-
Bio-char is readily available in cities but it still needs to be promoted as an integral

part of rural economy.
The ‘Paddy-straw to bio-ethanol’ has the potential to achieve zero-burning in rural
areas and contribute to availability of cleaner fuels in urban areas.
Paddy straw is converted into Prali char and Biochar through the process of
pyrolysis which involves burning straw in controlled manner in Prali brick (clay
kiln) or top lift up-draft gasifier.
The briquette and pellet are produced by compressing paddy straw to 5-6
times using mechanical / hydraulic press or other techniques depending on
scale of the plant
This makes the biomass much more compact to storage, handle and transport
for using in various end-use applications.
Bio-ethanol could become viable for commercial deployment in future and has
potential to address the air-pollution in rural and urban areas at the time by diverting
paddy straw to ethanol production and blending ethanol for cleaner transport fuel.
Suggestions to change the farmers behaviours :-
1500 lakh tonne agro waste is produced in India every year. India needs to promote
entrepreneurship development in the field of agro-waste management. This will
result in a boost to the rural economy, help farmers earn more with the same crop
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and other people in the village can also be gainfully employed in the industries based
on these products,
Making pellets and briquettes to be used as alternative to coal, firewood, cooking
gas
Generating power through biomass
Turning into ethanol as alternative to fossil fuels
NITI Aayog report on biomass management :-
Individual farmers are provided with financial support for implementing some of
the in-situ and on-farm straw management techniques.
Awareness campaigns should be conducted to raise farmer’s awareness and
educate them on viable options for either utilising the farm residue in-situ or
convert it into other useful products using on-farm management techniques.
Recommended that impact fund could be created (with a dedicated fund
manager) for promoting future investments in clean technologies . The
aforesaid impact fund is recommended to receive financial resource from the
National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF).
Making the shared infrastructure affordable to farmers in the long run should
be given the due focus.
These efforts can be supplemented by leveraging the existing local
governance structures and providing them sense of ownership and
participation in the ongoing efforts to stop farm fires.
Reward scheme needs to be designed for the villageswhich do not burn
their waste and become a role model for other villages.
In-situ use of crop-residue for mulching
Utilisation of crop residue in bio-ethanol, biochar, briquettes, pellets, etc. The
reports evaluates the cost-effectiveness of each solution proposed
Provision of storage facilities in the form of warehouses and better farm
equipment which could be shared among farmers
In addition to technical solutions to the problem of paddy straw burning, the
report explains the need for strengthening of state level remote sensing to
keep a track on crop burning cases.
Re-assess the fuel quality criteria for briquettes/pellets made out of crop
residue:
Directive for power plants to procure paddy-straw briquette/pellet
Remove the size limitation for Bio-power captive generation

assessment
6)Examine the reasons behind acute groundwater shortage in India and suggest
steps to deal with the situation?(250 words)
15/21
Reference
Reference
Why this question
Groundwater is a critical resource whose sound management is absolutely necessary. Various

reports have pointed out the alarming drop in groundwater levels across the country. The
issue compels us to examine the root cause behind this shortage and suggest steps to deal with
the issue
Following points are to be highlighted in the answer
Paint the picture of acute shortage of groundwater in the country
Probe deeper into the various factors that have led to this crisis
Ways to deal with the crisis
Directive word
details, and find out the causes or implications if any.
Introduction – highlight studies that point towards the rapidly declining groundwater level in
the country which forces us to examine this issue in greater detail.
Body
The problem of groundwater shortage in India is to be highlighted. Take cues from the
down to earth article
Examine the reasons behind groundwater shortage under various heads – policy
lacunae, overexploitation, lack of legal provisions, indiscriminate pollution etc
Suggest ways to deal with the crisis. Quote from research articles, policy strengthening,
legal provisions like groundwater management bill etc
Conclusion – Re-emphasize on the importance of groundwater as a natural resource and the

necessity to manage it well for our own good – keeping into account the growing water crisis.
Background:-
India faces an acute shortage of safe and sustainable water, specifically

groundwater, a crisis that will exacerbate with factors like indiscriminate use and
climate change,
According to a 2012 World Bank report, India is the largest user of groundwater in the
world
Punjab is the highest groundwater exploited state, where 76 per cent of the
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assessment units being overexploited
Reasons behind acute groundwater shortage in India :-
Successive droughts and erratic rainfall have led to excess extraction of

groundwater. That explains 61 per cent decline in groundwater level in wells in India
between 2007 and 2017.
Farmers are digging more and more borewells, but the sources of the problem are
many, including transition to water-intensive crops and spate of construction
activity along catchment areas.
A recent Down To Earth story highlighted how Bengaluru is losing its capacity to
recharge groundwater as the number of water bodies like lakes has reduced by 79
per cent.
India’s huge groundwater-dependent population, uncertain climate-reliant
recharge processes and indiscriminate land use changes with urbanization are
among the many factors that have rendered the Indian groundwater scenario to
become a global paradigm for water scarcity, for both quantity and quality.
Trans-boundary upstream water sources and archaic irrigation methods for the
water shortage.
Government failure:
The government finance for well digging and pump installation with capital
subsidies, massive rural electrification and pervasive energy subsidies all have
enabled this process to aggravate.
In the north western parts of India and southern peninsula, the early and rapid
rural electrification, free or subsidised power to the farm sector, large
productive farmers and attractive procurement prices for major cereals led to
intensive use of groundwater.
Zero marginal cost of pumping and lack of restriction on volume of water
resulted in inefficient and unsustainable use of the resource.
Lack of adequate planning, crumbling infrastructure, indiscriminate drilling of
borewells, large-scale consumption of water, and a false sense of entitlement in
using water carelessly are causing water shortages.
Steps to deal with the situation :-
Crisis can be tackled by restoring and enhancing groundwater recharge areas,

stopping polluted water from recharging groundwater, rainwater and roof top
harvesting and the restoration of ponds, lakes and other river systems.
Most empirical studies are in favour of pricing electricity on the basis of actual
consumption. They show that the energy prices at which the farmers start
responding to tariff changes in terms of reducing the demand for water and electricity
would be socio-economically viable.
With metering, there would be no need for restricting power supply, as done now.
More efficient irrigation, growing less water-intensive crops in the dry season
and transitioning away from irrigation-intensive systems where there is little water.
India needs better policies that directly help small-holders and labourers to adapt
and adjust to risks associated with groundwater depletion and a more variable future
climate.
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World Bank’s Water Scarce Cities Initiative seeks to promote an integrated

approach to managing water resources and service delivery in water-scarce cities as
the basis for building resilience against climate change.
Government has come up with a ₹6,000-crore World Bank-aided Atal
Bhujal Yojana with community participation to ensure sustained groundwater
management in overexploited and ground water-stressed areas in seven
States.
In urban areas putting in place an efficient piped supply system has to be top on
the agenda of policymakers and planners.
Micro irrigation practices like drip and sprinkler systems have to be promoted
in a big way for efficient use of water for agriculture. Both in urban and rural areas,
digging of rainwater harvesting pits must be made mandatory for all types of
buildings.
Conscious efforts need to be made at the household level and by communities,
institutions and local bodies to supplement the efforts of governments and
non-governmental bodies in promoting water conservation.
Sustained measures should be taken to prevent pollution of water bodies,
contamination of groundwater and ensure proper treatment of domestic and industrial
waste water. Reduce, reuse, and recycle must be the watchwords if we have to
handover a liveable planet to the future generations.
TOPIC : Human Values – lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and
7)Discuss the role of the family in inculcating values. The dilemma for a modern
society is how to preserve family values in a nation of diverse tastes. Comment.(250
words)
Reference
18/21
Why this question
The first part of the question is a direct excerpt from the mains syllabus while the second part
is its extension to conflict between diversity of tastes vs family values. the issue is related to
Human Values – lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and
The question wants us to bring out the role of family in inculcating values in a person and then
form a personal opinion on the dilemma of the society to preserve family values in the face of
diverse tastes.
Directive word
Discuss- we have to write in detail about the role of a family in inculcating values in a child.
Comment- we have to present the the present structure and nature of a modern society and
how it influences a family’s capacity of inculcation and transmission of values.
Introduction- give a brief definition of values and family.
Body-
Discuss in points the role of family in inculcating values in a child.
E.g discuss individual values of truthfulness, sense of responsibility, happiness, peace, etc are
inculcated without any conscious effort.
1. present the current scenario of nuclear families, single parents and how it affects the
transmission and inculcation of values.
E.g stress on materialism/ consumption, high competition, presence of superstructures like

globalization, nations, social media etc.
Conclusion– Based on the above discussion, form a fair, balanced and concise opinion on the
second part of the question.
Answer :-
Family is the foundation on which values are built. Moral values like truthfulness,
happiness, peace, justice are instilled in children’s thoughts, feelings and actions and they
function as ideals and standards that govern their actions in their life.
The value system practised in the family becomes automatic to the young family members
if they are taught moral values systematically. The family, shapes the child’s attitude
towards people and society, and helps in mental growth in the child and supports his
ambitions and values. Blissful and cheerful atmosphere in the family will develop the
love, affection, tolerance, and generosity.
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A child learns his behaviour by modelling what he/she sees around him/her Family
plays a major role in helping a child socialize and has great influence and bearing on the
emotional and physical progress of the child.
Joint family system, the presence of elders in the family plays the effective role in
social and moral development of the children. It also helps young generation of the
family to imbibe human values and eradicate their negative mental tendencies when they
are among elders.
The behavioural problems are set correct only by the involvement of family in the child’s life
as they spend most of their time in adolescence with the parents. Family is the first social
organisation that provides the immediate proximity from which the child can learn
his behaviour.
Customs And Traditions followed and taught by the family leads a disciplined and
organized life. Families values helps the child to stand strong on his views despite others
efforts to break through with opposing beliefs. In addition,
Thus, family is important in developing the moral values of child. There is a close contact
between the parents and children, which determine the personality of child.
Dilemma is to preserve family values :-
Modern families are undergoing transformations as they adapt to an everchanging world,

which brings changes in the family functions, forms and structures as well as the family
education model
In the modern society the traditional joint family system is rarely seen and many new
versions of families are cropping up like single parent families, nuclear families, same sex
families etc.
Materialism and pursuit of money have turned the people especially the youth into cold and
callous machines in search of worldly comforts. Man has lost peace of mind and
quietude. In the past social norms bound the society together but now the attitudes
are changing. These disturbing trends are eating up the vitals of the families and the
society.
The amount of time parents spend with their children has been dropping
dramatically. As a result, education responsibility has been taken over by
institution and other people, which may lead to the deterioration of family constituting the
basis of the proper upbringing of children.
Increasing consumerism has gradually led to the materialization of society
and perception of values formed on the basis of one’s own possessions. As a result,
interpersonal relationships have been weakened mainly due to an increased focus on
one’s own individual needs as well as self-realization.
20/21
The deepening widening processes of globalization have changed the family

structures, relationships among family members and parents perception of parental
responsibility. Parents spend more time reaching their goals, which causes a decrease in
family interaction.
The children seem to have difficulty in learning and understanding the importance of
the moral values determining a child’s attitudes and behaviour.
Modern parents decision to have children is associated with their belief about
prestige, life satisfaction and important investment.
Children are considered both parents tools to fulfil their dreams or plans and evidence
of social status and economic possibilities of the family. Parents in today’s society are also
restricted as to how to discipline their children in many cases parents are getting sued.
In the modern family material goods, family traditions or moral values are not traditionally
handed down from generation to generation. Limitations of contacts between grandparents
and grandchildren have a negative effect on children’s development, depriving them of
many valuable experiences.
Spending the time with people from the older generation children can broaden their
knowledge, get to know moral norms, learn empathy and understanding for others.
Weak bonds with the family may lead young people to emotional instability and
moral confusion. That, in turn, may result in dangerous activities, self-destruction,
aggression and brutal behaviours.
However a modern family is a basis preparing a young generation for independent life it
helps to gain education, supports individual development of a person taking into
consideration the person’s talents, needs and interests.
Only a well axiologically prepared young person can resist such negative influences of the
modern world. That is why entering the world of values must take place from the earliest
years of life of the child in its family environment, and should be based on normal
relationships between all its members.
Despite the changing face of the family, it is still the way in which most people live. The
family remains an institution that plays a key role in the way society is organised and
controlled, and which adapts, not to the whims of individuals, but to the conflicting priorities
placed upon it by the world at large.
21/21

General Studies –1
TOPIC: Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity,

cyclone etc
1)Discuss how dust storms are formed? Examine the impact of climate change in
formation of dust storms?(250 words)
Timesnownews
Reference
Mongabay
1/20
Why this question
Several regions of North India have been hit by dust storms and squall recently which makes
it important for us to understand this natural phenomena from a geographical perspective.
The question is fairly straightforward. Firstly, we have to explain the mechanism of formation
of thunderstorms. Thereafter, we have to delve deeper into the impact climate change has had
on dust storms. The frequency of dust storms, how climate change impacts dust storms, the
regions of the world where the impact will be greater and how to deal with the situation are
aspects to be mentioned.
Directive word
Discuss – here the mechanism of formation of dust storms is to be discussed
Examine – When you are asked to examine, you have to delve deeper into the topic and
analyze it’s causes and impacts. The points as discussed in the section above need to be
brought out.
Introduce – introduce your answer by highlighting the spate of dust storms that have hit north
India recently.
Body
Explain the mechanism of formation of dust storms (mentioned in detail in the first
article). The mechanism of downdraft has to be explained
Examine the impact of climate change on dust storms
The frequency of its formation
How climate change impacts the formation of dust storms
Regions of the world where the impact will be greater
Conclusion – Mention how to deal with the situation as it will lead to greater loss of life and
property in the future.
Background:-
Over the past few years, rise in the global temperature has set new records and that
is leading to increase in the number of extreme weather events.
India may also witness an increase in the severity and frequency of the dust storms
and thunderstorms similar to what the northern Indian states experienced recently.
Dust storm :-
Dust storm can be explained as a phenomenon when strong winds carry dust over an
extensive area.
2/20
A dust stormis a meteorological phenomenon common in arid and semi-arid

regions. Dust storms arise when a gust front or other strong wind blows loose sand
and dirt from a dry surface. Fine particles are transported by saltation and
suspension, a process that moves soil from one place and deposits it in another.
They are usually caused by thunderstorms or strong pressure gradients associated
with cyclones which increase wind speed over a wide area.
These strong winds lift large amounts of sand and dust from bare, dry soils into the
atmosphere, transporting them hundreds to thousands of kilometres away.
How are they formed :-
Dust storms are a result of nearly similar weather conditions, like intense heat. Areas
which don’t have moisture experience dust storms.
Reason for this particular ‘severe dust storm and thunderstorm’ activity in India was
due to very high temperatures in Rajasthan and presence of western disturbance that
led to the atmosphere becoming unstable.
Moreover, easterly winds from the Bay of Bengal were also increasing the moisture
over the area. The combination of all these factors resulted in this severe dust storm
and thundershower activity
Scientists say high temperatures, moisture and an agitated atmosphere make a
perfect combination for storms of this type.
As the force of wind passes over loosely held particles and increases its pace, the
particles of sand first start to vibrate and then start to saltate. Since they repeatedly
strike the ground due to the wind, they loosen and break off into smaller particles of
dust that begin to travel in the suspension.
On the other hand, at wind speeds above this pace, it causes even the smallest
particles to suspend and there will be a population of dust grains which will be moving
by a range of mechanisms known as suspension, saltation, and creep.
The initial saltation between sand particles induces a static electric field through
friction. Saltating sand acquires a negative charge which is relative to the ground that
in turn loosens more sand particles, all of which then begin saltating. This process is
said to double the number of particles which were predicted by previous theories.
In such situations, particles become loosely held due to drought or arid conditions
along with varied wind causes. Gust fronts might be produced by the outflow of air
cooled by recent rains from an intense thunderstorm. However, the wind gusts might
also be produced by a dry cold front which is a cold front that moves into a dry air
mass while producing no precipitation, which is similar to the recent storm in
Delhi/NCR.
Impact of climate change on the formation of dust storm :-
Increase in the sudden increase of surface temperature:-

As the climate gets warmer the temperature gradient is going to become very
steep. This steep increase in temperature gradient will lead to heat waves and
sand storms.
In the context of climate change, we can say that in north India the temperature
is increasing more compared to south India. Increase in temperature means an
increase in heating which means there will be more heat wave days and more
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reasons for occurrence of dust storm and thunderstorms.

With the rise in global temperature the soil is going to become drier:-
So, the amount of soil that wind can carry is also increasing. With both the
intensity of the wind and dryness of the soil increasing, the intensity of dust
storm is going to further increase in the future.
Drought and wind also contribute to the emergence of dust storms along with
poor farming and grazing practices which expose the dust and sand to the high-
speed winds.
Increasing desertification would mean more intense and damaging dust storms.
Poor management of the Earth’s drylands, such as neglecting the fallow system,
are increasing dust storms size and frequency from desert margins and changing
both the local and global climate, and also impacting local economies.
Dust storm that blanketed seven nations in the Middle East in late summer 2015 was
caused by climate factors and unusual weather.
2)All sections of Indian population and polity paid heed to the Gandhi’s clarion call of
“Do or Die”. Critically analyze(250 words)
4/20
The question is making an assertion that there was unflinching support for Quit India
Movement, which needs to be analysed. We need to provide our opinion on whether there was
unanimous support for the movement from the public and polity. If there were differing
opinions, those have to be brought about.
Directive word
Critically analyze – When asked to analyze, you have to examine methodically the structure
or nature of the topic by separating it into component parts and present them as a whole in a
summary. You need to conclude with a fair judgement, after analyzing the nature of each
component part and interrelationship between them.
Introduction – Introduce by explaining the significance of Quit India movement – final and
most impactful Gandhian mass movement.
Body
First discuss whether all sections of population such as farmers, industrialists,

students, civil servants, women etc participated in the movement on the same scale like
they did earlier
Thereafter, discuss whether there was unanimous political support for the movement.
Examine the viewpoint of communists, Hindu nationalists, BR Ambedkar etc on the
movement.
Conclusion – present your view on the assertion made in the question by summarising the
arguments made above.
Background:-
The Quit India movementwas an important landmark in India’s struggle for freedom
from British colonization. It instilled a new confidence among the Indian masses and
aroused a spirit of total sacrifice in them.
Most of the Indian population obliged to Gandhi’s call:-
The movement attracted participation from a large number of people including such
varied professions as farmers ,lawyers , workers, teachers, soldiers, civil servants
etc.
Men and women of all age groups formed the cadres in the movement.
The most important effect of the quit India movement was that it made the British
realise that in the crippling effects of second world war on British resources and the
bitter opposition to its rule in India., It would be difficult for them to rule Indians .
It kept the Congress Party united all through these challenging times. The movement
was accompanied by a mass protest on non-violent lines.
All sections of people, including even women participated in huge numbers.
5/20
Some sections have not supported:-
One of the powerful sections of congress by led byJaya Prakash Narayan openly
repudiated the policy of Gandhi. There were sporadic events of violence in all parts of
India and the leaders preached the cult of violence and mass revolution.
The revolutionary movement and the non-violent satyagraha launched by Gandhi,
both came to an end, almost simultaneously, without achieving freedom.
The communists had opposed this movement and it virtually damaged the labour
movement also. Labour Unions under Communist influence had apparently decided
against participation in the movement.
Lack of leadership did not lead to well-coordinated guidance and progress of the
movement, with the intensity restricted to a few pockets.
Muslim League did not participate as Jinnah Believed that if British Government left
India in current state, the Majority Hindus would oppress Muslim minorities.
Hindu Mahasabha opposed the Quit India Movement. More importantly, the
Scheduled Caste Federation (SCF) opposed the Quit India Movement.
Hindutvacamp not only opposed the movement but also supported British rulers in
suppressing this historic mass upsurge.
Topic –Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance-

applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency &
accountability and institutional and other measures.
3)Aadhar poses several privacy concerns, which need to be allayed, so that it’s
benefits can be harnessed in the best possible way. Analyse. (250 words)
6/20
Indian Express
Why this question
Recently Bill Gates made a public statement saying that Aadhar does not pose any privacy
concerns. However, Aadhar raises several issues related to privacy of an individual. The act
of denying the problem is akin to an ostrich burying its head in the sand. Although Aadhar
offers immense opportunities for improving public service delivery and governance, it is vital
to allay the critical concerns attached with it. The question is related to GS-2 syllabus under
the following heading-
Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance-

applications,
models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability
and institutional and other measures.
The question wants us to highlight the benefits associated with the Aadhar and bring out the
privacy concerns surrounding it.
Directive word
Analyse- we have to identify the key aspects of the question- privacy concerns with Aadhar
and benefits associated with it, and then discuss these aspects in detail. We have to bring out
reasons in support of the statement that, Aadhar poses several privacy concerns. Also we
have to bring out the benefits of Aadhar.
Introduction- briefly discuss the importance of privacy and data protection in modern world.
Body-
Discuss in points, what are the privacy concerns posed by Aadhar- e.g security of data,
sharing of data with third parties, large discretionary powers of UIDAI and least
accountability, leakage of information, surveillance etc.
Briefly mention the benefits of Aadhar- efficient PDS, better targeting for social sector
schemes, antiterrorism, detection economic frauds and offenders etc.
Conclusion- mention the importance and scope of Aadhar in better governance and more
efficient service delivery. Also mention the need to protect and guard personal data collected
under Aadhar act. You can also mention need for accountability of UIDAI and creation of an
overseeing body for UIDAI which would be responsible for checking any irregularities and
misconceived regulations.
Background:
Aadhaar was another identification document for people to pilferage and duplication
of subsidies and rations for government .Slowly it has given way to banks, telecom
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companies, mutual funds, insurance companies, railways, airports, schools,
hospitals, and workplaces linked for Aadhaar.
However recently many concerns have been raised regarding the security
mechanism of biometric database.
Several privacy concerns :-
Cyber attacks:-
RBI reportpoints out that an enormous integrated database where everything
is linked to Aadhaar opens up the country to incalculable loss, whereby
Indian businesses and administration could be crippled, through cyber warfare
Aadhaar data also offers valuable intelligence, which can be harvested by
penetrating Aadhaar-enabled applications
India deals with frequent cyber attacks from China and Pakistan. Hacking the
Aadhaar database would be an easy way for other countries to create
disruption within India.
Privacy issues:-
Apart from foreign hackers, domestic criminals would also have a golden
target of opportunity even as citizens privacy and security are endangered.
Invasive power to the state:-
The first concerns whether the state can at all compel a person to part with his
or her biometric information without securing the person’s informed consent
The second involves questions over the surveillance apparatus that the
Aadhaar Act creates
The third raises questions over the level of exclusion caused by the use of
Aadhaar, for example, concerns over the extent to which the programme meets
its purported objectives
The fourth questions the degree of protection offered to the data that the UIDAI
collects, stores and operates.
Freedom:-
The essence of individual freedom, of the right to life that Article 21 of the
Constitution guarantees, is that every person has a basic entitlement to
bodily integrity, to decide for themselves how they want to lead their lives. But
this is compromised by Aadhar.
Supreme court :-
The Supreme Court reaffirmed an earlier ruling from 2013, stating
that Aadhaar can only be a voluntary decision of the individual and that
as long as a person is eligible to avail benefits and subsidies, the
government cannot deny them those benefits and subsidies because on
the basis that they do not have an Aadhaar card. Despite this ruling, the
federal government decided to push through with these moves.
The sheer size of the Aadhaar database wherein its issues lie :-
Aadhaar system doesn’t have the strongest track records when it comes to the
deliverance of subsidies and benefits.
For instance, according to a report in the Economic and Political Weekly
based on data made released by the Unique Identification Authority of
India (UIDAI) itself, the probability of the identities of two different people
8/20
matching was 1/112 for India’s 1.3 billion population.
A survey conducted by Andhra Pradesh’s government itself saw 48 per cent
respondents citing Aadhaar issues as a reason for them missing out on
subsidies and benefits.
Pervasive Aadhaarisation brings together systems and platforms in a digital
ecosystem without interoperable standards for security.
Aadhaar database has not been defined as “critical infrastructure” by the
Indian government.
Even Google and Apple have been wary about taking to Aadhaar due to security
concerns.
There is the question of whether or not the government’s bureaucracy is
equipped to handle the Aadhaar database.
Internet users reported how easy it was to access Aadhaar card information
from government websites.
There is the issue of the legal framework and privacy when it comes to
Aadhaar cards.
Critics have argued that safeguards in place in the Aadhaar Act itself do not go
as far as they should to ensure the protection of privacy of citizens.
Confidentiality of Aadhaar numbers:
Aadhaar numbers are not supposed to be “displayed or posted publicly”
(Aadhaar Act, Section 29(4)). However, this has happened many times, and
keeps happening. When Aadhaar numbers are displayed along with other
sensitive information such as bank account numbers, it makes the victims
vulnerable to various types of fraud.
Huge number of players involved in the Aadhaar system:-
The outsourcing of enrolment centres by the UIDAI, which was put on hold in
June 2017 following reports of illegalities, is one such example.
This case reveals the lack of impressing upon third parties and private parties
of the importance of maintaining the confidentiality of the data and of the
consequences of not doing so.
If harnessed properly there are huge benefits:-
The Aadhaar system’s positives will not only be limited to the government, but spread
to the private business sector too as with an Aadhaar backed identity, banks will
be more confident in giving out loans and businesses, both big and small more
secure in knowing who they’re working with.
Aadhaar biometrics being unique has ensured the 50% plus levels of theft in
PDS rations has all but been eliminated. In the case of LPG, similarly, using the
Aadhaar de-duplication software helped eliminate those with more than one LPG
connection.
There are a very large number of fake PAN numbers. When the PAN are fake, the
taxman does not get the data. Mandating the linking of PAN with Aadhaar was
the logical thing to do.
Given the fact that terrorists and other criminals use mobile phones as the SIMs are
bought using fake Ids it makes perfect sense to ensure the owner can be traced
by using Aadhaar that cannot be faked since,when the purchase is made, a
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biometric check is performed.
The Aadhar system ensures privacy through design, as it uses a federated
architecture. In other words, the biometric data is never shared by UIDAI
The core bio-metric informationcannot be shared with any person even with
the consent of the Aadhaar card holder. Even, the general information cannot
be unlawfully shared.
With a flourishing population and varying demographics, this system allows the state
to maintain a central database keeping track of its nationals. Unlike the passport
or any other identification document, the Aadhaar card also supplements the
running of national welfare schemes by identifying those who need them the
most.
Way forward:-
If the Indian government sees Aadhaar as a gateway to its services or entitlement

schemes, it should move immediately to designate UID as critical infrastructure
and set up a dedicated Computer Emergency Response Team to monitor
attacks or intrusions on the database.
Crafting an encryption policy that specifically addresses encryption for Aadhaar-
enabled apps
Security testing of all Aadhaar-enabled applications
Encouraging device-level encryption for mobile phones and laptop computers
Creating a Computer Emergency Response Team to monitor attacks on Aadhaar
Working with the private sector at forums like the International Electronic and
Electrical Engineers (IEEE) and the Internet Engineering Task Force to create
interoperable security standards for platforms relying on national identity databases.
Conclusion:-
There is little doubt that India needs to streamline the way it delivers benefits, and
to empower citizenswith a basic identification document. But this cannot be done
without ensuring the strictest protection of privacy
Topic:India and its neighborhood- relations. Bilateral, regional and global groupings and
4)The “Paris-Delhi-Canberra axis” should become an established regional structure,

reflecting an Indo-Pacific “geo-strategic reality in the making”. Discuss.(250 words)
Indian Express
10/20
Why this question
Indo-pacific is one of the most important trade zone with immense strategic significance. The
area becomes more important given India’s proximity to the region, huge trade activity and
China’s assertiveness in the region. The issue is related to GS- 2 syllabus under the following
heading-
agreements
involving India and/or affecting India’s interests Effect of policies and politics of developed
and
developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.
The question wants us to deliberate upon the potential, scope and feasibility of a trilateral
cooperation framework involving India, Australia and France, in the Indo-pacific region.
Directive word
Discuss- we have to write in detail about the issue- need for such cooperation, its scope and
potential and also plausibility of such an arrangement.
Introduction- give a brief mention of the importance of Indo-pacific region, especially for
India.
Body-
Discuss in points (and separately for each country) about the stakes, capacities and
interests of the three countries and bring out a convergence of the individual priorities
and ambitions- take the help of the article attached with the question.
e.g French territory and population in Indo-Pacific, its maritime capacity, sharing of
common values among the three nations, scope of sharing of data etc.
Discuss the related activities already being undertaken by the three countries and
discuss how these efforts can be better put/ directed by a trilateral cooperation.
Conclusion– form a balanced, fair and clear conclusion on the need and prospects of a
trilateral organisation catering to the needs and aspirations of all.
Background :-
In multipolar international order there is a need for alliances in the form of bilateral
and trilateral relations with like minded countries to play a greater role in the
international arena. In this light there is a need to explore opportunities in the
relationship of France, India and Australia.
Why it should become an established regional structure :-

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Convergence of security interests:-

India, France and Australia have a striking convergence of security interests,
defence capabilities and maritime geography.
Three countries are ideally placed to share data to form a common operating
picture of the Indian Ocean, watching for environmental stresses, illegal fishing
and other and maritime crimes. This could build on existing cooperation
between France and Australia in the Pacific.
In time, they could formalise three-way information sharing on seaborne traffic
of all kinds. Between their island territories France’s Reunion and Mayotte,
Australia’s Cocos and Christmas islands and India’s Andaman and Nicobar
islands they possess a triangle of some of the most strategic maritime
surveillance real estate in the Indian Ocean.
Political interest:-
These three democracies are also drawn together by values. All three respect
a rules-based order informed by the sovereign equality of nations and the need
to guard against coercion and interference, whether from states or from
terrorism.
France is thus the European country most engaged and most capable of
contributing to a balanced and layered diplomatic architecture to reduce
tensions in this most global of regions.
It can do so as a leader in the European Union, a compelling voice in the liberal
democratic order globally, and an enduring strategic power in its own right.
India-france:-
Political:-
Over the last two decades, the partnership has steadily grown no major
political differences have darkened the sky between Paris and New
Delhi.
International:-
France has been constantly supportive of India, particularly so for a
permanent seat for India in the UN Security Council, and has shown
comprehension for India’s nuclear policy.
International Solar Alliance (ISA):-
Launched at the UN Climate Change Conference in 2015, ISA
wants to create a coalition of solar resource-rich countries and
address each participant’s special energy needs
Defence:-
Even in defence the relations are strong with Rafale .
France, a long-standing military ally of the United States, is also looking

beyond NATO to forge security partnerships with Asian democracies like
India.
Geopolitical:-
France has substantial equities in the Indian Ocean, with territory and force
presence. The bilateral military logistic cooperation agreement signed during
French President’s recent visit to India is a sign of how rapidly a partnership
can evolve when there is will.
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Shared maritime vision
It seeks to uphold the law of the sea in the Indian Ocean
Prevent the kind of military unilateralism that has come to grip the Western
Pacific
Secure the sea lines of communication
Respond to humanitarian disasters
Promote sustainable blue economy
Indo pacific:-
France is not only an Indian Ocean player: It has an appreciation of the wider
Indo-Pacific as the global centre of gravity. France has territory in the Pacific
and a naval role in both oceans.
It has 85 per cent of its huge maritime economic exclusive zone in the Indo-
Pacific, along with 8,000 defence personnel and 1.6 million citizens.
The Indo-Pacific is crucial to the future of all powers. It is made for multipolarity:
Too vast for hegemony to be sustained or successful.
China factor:-
China is extending its interests and influence across the Indian Ocean and also
now in the South Pacific. The geoeconomic overlay of its Belt and Road
infrastructure will bring naval access and military presence. That raises great
anxieties.
India-Australia:-
India and Australia bilateral relations have fundamentally improved over the
past decade, allowing them to collaborate at the core of emerging middle power
coalitions.
New opportunity is posed by their parallel ties with France. This involves deep
technology cooperation, such as Australia’s historic deal with France to
build 12 next-generation submarines. But much more can be done, in
capability, defence exercises and managing environmental risks.
Economic:-
India is Australia’s ninth largest trading partner, with boundless
potential for growth.
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank which Australia and India
joined as founding members has a role to play in funding infrastructure.
Australia’s strategic orientation has been clarified by a series of defence
white papers, the uranium ban has been lifted
Australia’s position as a major exporter of liquefied natural gas is
underappreciated
Cultural:-
Indian-origin residents are the fourth largest group of overseas-born
Australians, representing close to 2% of our total population.
Building on our historic ties, cultural links and extensive people-to-
people connections, our bilateral relationship is strengthening.
Security and maritime:-
Strong naval ties when the Australia-India Exercise (AUSINDEX) was
conducted
Australia and India share converging interests and similar outlooks on the
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strategic changes taking place in the Indo-Pacific region and globally.
Australia’s naval investments, particularly in submarines, give it
significant maritime reach in the Indian Ocean, where the entirety of its
submarine fleet is based.
Political:-
As democracies, Australia and India have systems of government where
leaders are accountable and the rights of citizens are respected.
Australia remains a preferred destination for Indian university students
looking to go overseas.
Challenges:-
India –Australia:-
Identifying areas beyond natural resources and education where Australia can
play an oversized role in India’s development remains a challenge.
On the strategic side, the challenge involves jointly finding ways to engage and
cooperate in the Indian Ocean to mutual benefit.
However, existing multilateral mechanisms such as the Indian Ocean Rim
Association (IORA) and ASEAN-based entities are unwieldy and inadequate.
Instead, smaller groupings that can help ensure shared objectives in the
Indian Ocean region may be necessary.
Way forward:-
The prospective Quadrilateral (Quad) alliance among the United States, India, Japan
and Australia to counter China’s military assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific space
could be extended to France and Britain
India and Australia need to increase our bilateral cooperation and our collective
efforts with other like-minded countries.
life
5)Examine the advantages of and issues involved in creation of DNA database for
India? (250 words)
The hindu
14/20
Why this question
Creation of a DNA database has several advantages but raises several issues as well. The
government has been making efforts in making a law on the subject with the DNA profiling
Bill. DNA technology has also progressed a lot in recent years. All this has made it imperative
for us to examine the issues and advantages in detail.
The advantages of DNA profiling has to be brought about. Thereafter the various issues that it
raises like – civil liberties, efficiency in solving crimes, database management, issues with the
technology etc need to be brought out.
Directive word
details, and find out the causes or implications if any .
Introduction – bring out the fact that DNA profiling is increasingly being used as a means of
tackling crime and India is also making efforts to regulate DNA profiling.
Body
Explain how DNA profiling or creation of DNA database works
Explain the advantages of doing so
Examine the issues from various perspectives as discussed above.
Highlight the experiences of other countries and the lessons we can draw from them
Examine the impact if these issues are not addressed through a suitable legislation
Mention some ways to deal with this in light of SC judgement in K puttaswamy case etc
Conclusion – Mention the immense scope of these technologies but at the same time the need
for an effective regulation.
Background :-
India’s Human DNA Profiling Bill 2015 proposes to set up a national DNA database of
criminals that will include rapists, murderers and kidnappers.
What is DNA profiling technology?
DNA fingerprinting or DNA profiling is method of isolating and identifying variable

elements within the base-pair sequence of DNA.
DNA fingerprinting technology is utilised by police all over the world for fool-proof
identification of criminals who leave their traces at crime scene while committing
crime.
The technology plays a crucial role in solving crimes as it has potential to link a series
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of crimes by placing the suspects by linking them with the crime scene.
Advantages :-
Ensure justice:-
Identifying the rapist is the first step to serving justice and this can be ensured if
India has a sex offenders database.
Crimes:-
Having everyone’s DNA in the database would be a good thing, since anyone
can be apprehended if matched to a crime scene.
Almost all the heinous crime sites have some form of evidence which can be
collected and some form of DNA samples can be extracted from them. These
sample can be used to search on existing DNA data to find a match.
Identifying culprits:-
Extremely useful and accurate technology in ascertaining the identity of a
person from his/her DNA sample, or establishing biological relationships
between individuals.
As a result, DNA technology is being increasingly relied upon in
investigations of crime, identification of unidentified bodies, or in determining
parentage.
But information from DNA samples can reveal intrusive information like their
allergies, or susceptibility to diseases.
Issues :-
Making the database too big and poorly regulated will not help solve more
crimes. Larger that data the greater the chances of human error and fraud.
Lack of manpower and infrastructure:-
Lack of Equipments and Knowledge in Forensic Experts regarding collection of
DNA samples from Accident Sites.
If the police are not trained to prevent contamination of evidence at crime
scenes and laboratories lack quality assurance, it would mean that DNA
samples can be mixed up or contaminated.
DNA evidence is only as good as the system in place to handle it. Even in
Europe and the US, past mistakes have led to tighter regulations of laboratories
and better oversight, although mistakes still occur.
Based on experience in other countries, building such a database is not easy,
does not always offer justice, and is an ethical landmine of sorts.
Experience with the U.K. and U.S. databanks has shown that having more
innocent people’s DNA stored increases the chances of a false positive and
has not increased the chances of finding a guilty match.
There are chances that a wrong match is generated.
If the DNA result is taken as the ultimate evidence, no recourse will be availableto
an individual who has been wrongly matched.
Privacy-related objections:-
Main concerns are whose DNA can be collected and under what
circumstances, who can access the database etc.
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Protecting innocent people’s privacy and their civil liberties and rights are the
main concerns.
Aftermath of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, people will have a better
appreciation of how their DNA information could be misused
Information like ancestry or susceptibility to a disease, or other genetic traits, is liable
to be misused.
No improvement in conviction:-
DNA tests have not led to an improvement in conviction ratesin countries
where it is already being followed.
Misinterpretation:-
Still, planting of DNA in a crime scene, misinterpretation of tests, and errors in
analyses have all taken place in cases where DNA has been used to implicate
a suspect, resulting in the miscarriage of justice.
The expansion of this technology to include potentially innocent people
squashes their constitutional rights with the assumption of guilt.
These methods are simply an expansion of the ‘stop and search’ approach to
target particular groups of people on the basis of race, ethnicity or class, even
though most of their members would be innocent. Such samples later get included in
forensic DNA databanks, thus violating people’s civil liberties.
Police misuse:-
In a number of cases, the police may follow persons they suspect and then
gather their DNA surreptitiously and without warrants. Collecting this so-called
“abandoned DNA” has been challenged as being clearly unethical and
unlawful..
Law enforcement is responsible for gathering DNA for forensics, and police
bias towards minorities leads to the latter’s over-representation.
Way forward:-
Absolutely essential that the people from whom DNA is taken give their informed
consent
Taking DNA surreptitiously should be prohibited.
A court order should be required for obtaining DNA without informed consent and the
DNA should only be compared with the crime scene DNA for the suspect.
Those who are cleared for a crime should not have their DNA information stored, and
DNA gathered from offenders should be destroyed after identification so that such
information is not used for profiling in future.
A court order should be necessary to access medical records for genetic data.
Manpower and DNA experts
Increase the investment in courses of DNA Forensic research to provide quality
Professionals to collect Data from Crime Scenes.
Special Training for Police Officials on how to handle sensitive data.
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and conscience as sources of ethical guidance;
6)The idea that there is a clear and easy distinction between ancient ethics and
modern moral theories is premature and misleading. Comment.(250 words)
Reference
The question wants us to brainstorm on the given statement, form an opinion and justify the
opinion with proper justifications. We have to justify that ancient and modern ethics and
moral theories are not clearly distinct and have some common features, aspects.
Directive word
Comment- we have to delve deeper into the given statement and form a personal opinion over
it. We need to justify our opinion with valid and proper arguments/ examples/ facts etc.
introduction- mention the important ancient and modern theories of ethics and morals- e.g
ancient stoicism, modern hedonism, utilitarianism etc
Body-
Discuss briefly and individually the main propositions of important ancient and modern
ethical and moral theories. Take the help of the article attached with the question to identify
and highlight what is common between the two, even though they differ in their approach and
aims.
Conclusion– Form a concise, fair and balanced opinion on the similarities and differences
between the modern and ancient ethical and moral theories and mention how they are alike in
several key aspects.
Answer:-
Proper understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of virtue ethics and modern moral
theories can be used to overcome current ethical problems and to initiate fruitful
developments in ethical reasoning and decision-making.
Ancient theories:-
Epicurus’ school of epicureanism standing in the tradition of the Cyrenaics and, secondly,
Zeno’s school of the Stoics which partly developed from the Cynics. All the philosophical
schools being at odds with each other are still united by the fact that they are deeply
concerned with the most important ethical questions of how to live a good life and how to
achieve happiness
Modern theories:-
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The two main moral theories of modern virtue ethics are Kant’s deontological ethics and
utilitarianism. Both theories have been adopted and modified by many scholars in recent
history in order to make them compatible with the latest demands in ethical reasoning and
decision-making, in particular, by meeting the objections raised by modern virtue ethics
There is clear distinction :-
Modern morality is different in that its focus is on the basic question of how one
should act. The ancient question of how should one live is secondary appears to be
a vital difference between virtue ethics and the modern moralities of deontological
ethics (Kantianism) and consequentialism (utilitarianism).
Traditional moral theories are not sufficiently well equipped to deal with
completely new problems such as issues concerning nuclear power, gene
technology, and cloning and so forth. Therefore, there is constant interest in updating
and enhancing a particular moral theory in order to make it compatible with the latest
demands.
Ancient ethics is about living a good and virtuous life according to the ethical
virtues, that is, to become a virtuous person, while the modern notion of
morality is primarily focused on the interests of other people and the idea of
deontological constraints. That is, one acts morally because one has to meet
certain standards and not because it supports one’s own good life.
Ancient ethics is self-centred because it only focuses on the agent’s interests in living
a good life and becoming a virtuous person and, on the other hand, that modern
morality is other-regarding by only focusing on the interests of other people.
However the distinction is not that visible:-
Both ethical approaches have more in common than their stereotypes may suggest.
Oversimplification, fallacious interpretations, as well as a broad variation
within a particular ethical theory make it in general harder to determine the real
differences and similarities between ancient ethics and modern morality.
Modern morality in particular Kantianism and utilitarianism did not start from
scratch but already had some important and highly influential ancient
predecessors.
For example, the Kantian idea of doing the right thing because reason dictates it has
its roots in stoicism and the utilitarian idea of living a happy life according to pleasure
has its roots in the teachings of the Cyrenaics and Epicureans .The history of ideas
conveyed important ethical insights handed down from Antiquity to modernity.
Modern morality, in particular contemporary morality, is characterized by the
fact that quite a few important scholars elaborated modern versions of
Aristotle’s classical virtue ethics in the twentieth century. These scholars argue
that virtue ethics was quite successful in solving ethical problems in Antiquity and
they believe that adhering to a refined version of virtue ethics is not only useful but
also superior in solving our modern moral problems.
People in Antiquity already employed a very efficient way of ethical reasoning and
decision-making and this particular way got lost in modernity without having been
properly replaced. Hence it follows that one should overcome the deficient modern
ethical theories and again adhere to virtue ethics as a viable alternative without, of
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course, abandoning the existing ethical developments.
Therefore the vital question of how to live a good life cannot be separated from the
essential question of how one should act. Conceptually and phenomenologically,
both questions are intimately interwoven and a complete ethical theory will always
be concerned with both issues, independently of whether the theory is of ancient or
modern origin
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1) Quit India Movement was the most different from all Gandhian mass movements.
Critically analyze.(250 words)
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From Plassey to Partition, Pg 414
The question expects us to analyze the strategies followed in quit India movement and analyze
whether they were in line with the principles espoused by Mahatma Gandhi, whether the
clarion call of Do or Die was in accordance with Gandhian principle of non violence etc.
Directive word
Critically analyze – Here we have to bring out the distinguishing features of quit India
movement, the various principles espoused by Gandhi and analyze whether the movement was
in line with those principles. The question expects us to provide our view on the assertion
made in the question at the end.
Introduction – Give a brief background of quit India movement – last mass movement for
independence, call of Do or Die given by gandhi, World war 2 had heightened fears and
sensitivities.
Body
Examine the direction to the movement given by gandhi.
Disciplined anarchy vs complete lawlessness
Freedom to regional movements to take control
Difference evident from NCM where Chauri Chaura led to termination of movements
but in QIM, no such directive by Gandhi
Etc
Examine the key features of QIM which made it distinctive
Examine whether QIM was really different from other mass movements
Mention that gandhi ji was a very smart tactician who knew how to galvanize people.
Earlier he was trying to take the freedom struggle to masses, now that popular
sentiment was with him, he wanted to make a final push for independence. War of
position vs ear of manoeuvre of Gandhi
Conclusion – summarise your arguments and present your view
Background:-
The Quit India Movement, also known as ‘August Kranti’, was a freedom movement
led by Mahatma Gandhi.
It began on 8th August, 1942 and turned out to be one of the most popular and
powerful mass movements for independence.
How is it different from other movements :-

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The Quit India Movement was mainly a non-violent movement. However, it became
violent at some places. Rails were uprooted, post offices were set on fire and offices
were destroyed.
Social radicalism of Gandhi:-
In a sharp contrast to Non cooperation movement, where Gandhi withdrew after
Chauri Chaura incident, in Quit India movement he not only refused to
condemn the people’s resort to violence but unequivocally held
government responsible for it.
Though the need for non-violence was always reiterated, Gandhi’s mantra of
Do or Die represents the militant mood of Gandhi.
Gandhi also gave a call to all sections of the people, the princes, the Jagirdars,
the Zamindars, the propertied and moneyed classes, who derive their wealth
and property from the workers in the fields and factories and elsewhere, to
whom eventually power and authority belong.
This indicates Gandhi’s social radicalism and shift in the philosophy of
the Congress, by now people with the goals of socialism and communism
have become a part of the broad-based Congress organization.
The spontaneous participation of the masses in the Quit India movement made it
one of the most popular mass movements.
Even before the formal launching of the movement, the government in a single
sweep arrested all the top leaders of the Congress. This led to spontaneous
outburst of mass anger against the arrest of leaders.
This historic movement placed the demand for independence on the immediate
agenda of the national movement.
The spirit unleashed was carried further by Indian National Army of Subhas
Chandra Bose.After ‘Quit India’ there could be no retreat. Independence was
no longer a matter of bargain. It accelerated and sustained the urge for
freedom and enabled India to achieve freedom in 1947.
The movement had a local impact in some areas, especially at Satara in
Maharashtra, Talcher in Odisha, and Midnapore.
In Tamluk and Contai subdivisions of Midnapore in West Bengal, the local
populace were successful in establishing parallel governments, which
continued to function.
QIM surpassed all previous mass movements organized by Congress in its level of
anti-British militancy.
It exhibited people’s fighting spirit and their longing for freedom. It also
demonstrated determined attitude of Indian masses of accepting nothing less
than the realization of freedom.
It was a historic event. It was not merely a movement against foreign

occupation but also awakening of Indian masses.
The history of this movement is full of unsung heroes. There are untold stories
of farmers, factory workers, journalists, artists, students, educationists, religious
saints and dalits.
Quit India movement was unique in the sense that it saw women participation
where they not only participated as equals but also led the movement. There
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was Matangini Hazra, who lead a procession of 6,000 people, mostly women, to
ransack a local police station.
Conclusion:-
Quit India Movement was a watershed movement in the sense, that it prepared the
ground for future politics in India. It is in the Quit India Movement that freedom
struggle was owned by’We the People’ who fought for India’s freedom.
TOPIC: Events from 18th century such as industrial revolution, world wars, redrawal of
national boundaries, colonization, decolonization, political philosophies like communism,
capitalism, socialism etc.- their forms and effect on the society.
2)Vietnam War was a part of the larger cold war rivalry between capitalism on one
side and communism on the other. Discuss.(250 words)
World History by Norman Lowe
Wikipedia
Britannica
4/25
Why this question
Vietnam War was one of the most protracted modern wars in which the world’s most powerful
country suffered defeat at the hands of a small newly independent country. Question is related
to GS 1 syllabus under the following heading-
Events from 18th century such as industrial revolution, world wars, redrawal of national
boundaries, colonization, decolonization, political philosophies like communism, capitalism,
socialism etc.- their forms and effect on the society.
The question wants us to write in detail about the background, reasons and progress of the
war and discuss how the war was a part of the larger rivalry between US and allies on one
side and Russia along with its allies on the other.
Directive word
Discuss – we have to write in detail about the main cause of the war, goals of the warring
groups and how the rivalry between communism and capitalism shaped the war.
Introduction- give a brief description of the duration of the war along with the main parties
involved and battlegrounds involved.
Body –
1. discuss the parties to the war in detail. e.g Army of the Republic of Vietnam and US
army vs People’s army of Vietnam and Viet Cong.
2. discuss the main reasons behind the war ( communism vs anti-communism headed by
US).
3. discuss the main goals of the warring groups and their level of involvement.
Conclusion– mention the effect of the war on Vietnam- politically strengthened but
economically shattered, build up of American anti-war opinion etc and ultimately the
withdrawal of US and victory for Vietnam.
Background:-
Vietnam War was a long, costly and divisive conflict that pitted the communist
government of North Vietnam against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United
States. The conflict was intensified by the ongoing Cold War between the United
States and the Soviet Union.
Parties involved:-
There were 4 military organizations total that were involved in this war, however, they
can be divided into 2 sides based on their common goals, the communist side and
the anti-communist side.
On the anti-communist side, there were the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)
and the U.S. military
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On the other side, the People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN) (more commonly called the
North Vietnamese Army, or NVA, in English-language sources), and the National
Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam (NLF, more commonly known as the Viet
Cong in English language sources).
Vietnam war was part of larger cold war:-
All of the key moments in the process emerged from different contexts and the
thinking of various players, but there were three threads that unified
them: communism, the Cold War, and credibility.
The global context is also important because Cold War tensions between the
U.S., the Soviet Union, and China also shaped events related to the Vietnam
War.
The Vietnam conflict also played into Cold War superpower rivalries,
which, in turn, shaped superpower decision making.
As the U.S., the Soviet Union, and China vied for alliances with newly
independent countries, Vietnam became one of the proving grounds on which
all three countries tried to make their mark.
The U.S. gave economic and military aid to South Vietnam, while the Soviet
Union and China offered similar assistance to North Vietnam. Although
authorities in both Vietnams tried to assert themselves and resist superpower
control, the Cold War power struggle between the U.S., the Soviet Union, and
China was key in shaping the Vietnam War.
The North Vietnamese government and the Viet Cong were fighting to reunify
Vietnam. They viewed the conflict as a colonial war and a continuation of the First
Indochina War against forces from France and later on the United States. The U.S.
government viewed its involvement in the war as a way to prevent a communist
takeover of South Vietnam. This was part of the domino theory of a
wider containment policy, with the stated aim of stopping the spread of
communism.
Southeast Asia was so important in the minds of America policymakers and their
allies that the U.S., along with Britain, France, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, the
Philippines, and Thailand, established the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization
(SEATO) in September 1954.
SEATO’s purpose was to prevent communism from gaining ground in the
region, and although South Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos couldn’t join
because the Geneva Accords prevented them from joining international military
alliances, they were included as SEATO protectorates.
This designation provided a justification for U.S. involvement in Vietnam
because SEATO members pledged to act to prevent the spread of
communism in Southeast Asia.
In the context of the Cold War power struggle, and in the context of U.S. efforts to
court allies in the decolonizing world, Americans had to prove that their
pronouncements about containing communism, supporting non-communist
governments, and aiding democracy building were credible.
Johnson’s anxieties about U.S. credibility, combined with political instability in
Saigon, China’s resistance to negotiations, and Hanoi’s refusal to remove
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troops from South Vietnam and stop aiding the National Liberation Front led
him to escalate the U.S. military presence in Vietnam from 1964 through 1967.
Conclusion:-
Vietnam was unified but the social and economic cost for Vietnam was enormous
with an estimated 2 million people were killed and ultimately US pulled out of the war.
Topic –India and its neighborhood- relations. Bilateral, regional and global groupings and
3)India’s neighborhood policy should include Pakistan as well. Discuss, in the light
of recent improvement in relations between India and its neighbours. (250 words)
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The hindu
Why this question
India has shown a recalibration in its foreign policy as can be deduced from the recent Wuhan
summit and the Nepal PM visit to India. This was a much needed reform given the spiralling
down of the relationship with these countries, which was yielding no results and stifling
mutual progress. However, the relationship with Pakistan has deteriorated which is also
hampering our several diplomatic and developmental efforts. The issue is related to GS-2
The question wants us to deliberate upon the recent events which show a change in approach
of our foreign policy towards our neighbours like Nepal and China and then discuss why it is
also necessary to ease our relationship with Pakistan.
Directive word
Discuss- we have to write in detail about the given issue i.e recent events which testify
betterment of relations between India and its neighbours. We have to connect this part of the
answer with India’s relationship with Pakistan and discuss the need for accommodating it.
Introduction- Briefly discuss the economic and political reality of South Asia and China as a
whole. e.g GDP, dominance of India and China in the region, low cross border connectivity
and trade, terrorism issues, boundary disputes etc.
Body–
Discuss the negative effects of a bad relationship with Pakistan ( escalation of

terrorism, cross border shelling, kashmir problem, loss of trade and investment
opportunities, china-pak nexus strengthened, Afghanistan problem worsened
threatening Indian investment etc) while briefly mentioning the reasons behind the
current scenario( Pathankot attack, Hafiz Saeed, Kashmir and terrorism support).
Discuss the recent events which depict easing of the relationship between India and its
neighbours. e.g China (Wuhan Summit), Nepal (PM visit), Bangladesh (land
agreement)etc. And positive implications of these initiatives.
Conclusion- Briefly discuss the need for peace, greater economic and physical integration,
mutual prosperity between India and its neighbours and mention the higher responsibility on
part of China and India.
Background:-
Issues with Indian neighbours range from lack of connectivity and trade to boundary
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disputes, terrorism ,India China Pakistan rivalry ,hydrological issues, illegal migrants
issue, Nepal constitution making issue etc
Present status of relations with Pakistan:-
Bilateral relations stalled in 2016 following the Pathankot and Uri attacks.
Firing across the Line of Control (LoC) has intensified leading to higher casualties on
both sides, both civilian and military. In September 2016, India launched ‘surgical
strikes’ as retaliation for the Uri attack but this has not reduced infiltration.
Since Burhan Wani’s death, local recruitment by radical groups is also on the rise.
India has successfully stalled the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
(SAARC) summit since 2016
But limits to the policy of isolating Pakistan are also apparent.
Pakistan needs to be included / issues if Pakistan did not included :-
There was resumption of the stalled Track II Neemrana Dialogue which indicates
that a shift may be likely.
Building good relations can provide insight into issues like terrorism,militancy
,Kashmir issue etc.
Also China Pak axis is apparently becoming stronger if Pakistan is isolated it
would only be detrimental to India due to the CPEC corridor.
Without Pakistan the solution to Afghanistan issue and India’s development there
would be always insecure.
It does not make sense for Indian policy makers to start declaring India as a major
world power unless it builds peace in South Asia by resolving its major disputes
with its neighbours including Pakistan. In this regard India should develop
tension-free friendly relations with Pakistan as a neighbouring nuclear power.
Energy:-
The route for the pipelines through Afghanistan and Pakistan will be the
shortest and cheapest as compared to the route through Afghanistan and Iran
using Chahbahar seaport and then by pipelines to be constructed under the
sea, avoiding exclusive economic zone of Pakistan.
The same is true for India regarding importing iron ore and other minerals from
Afghanistan where it is investing heavily and also for large scale trading of
goods with
The trade route through Afghanistan and Pakistan will also be beneficial to
India for trading with Russia, western China and even with Turkey and the EU
countries in a long-term perspective.
Therefore to meet its higher military and economic objectives to become a
major world power, India will need to fully open up with Central Asia, Russia,
West Asia and the Middle East through land routes for which it will need to
improve its relations with Pakistan in a major way in the next 10 to 15 years.
Building better relations with Pakistan will also help India in further deepening
its relations with the Gulf countries.
Recent initiatives towards neighbours:-
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The informal summit at Wuhan, China and a visit to Nepal by Indian PM reflect a
change aimed at reviving the ‘neighbourhood first’ policy announced in 2014.
China:-
The recent move by India advising officials to stay away from events
commemorating 60 years of Dalai Lama’s exile in India and declining
Australia’s suggestion to participate in Malabar naval exercises indicated Indian
interest in a reset.
It is clear that messages have gone out to the Army to improve
communications and understanding and prevent the stand-offs that were
becoming frequent.
Both sides have agreed to undertake a joint project in Afghanistan.
Nepal:-
Nepal PM in keeping with tradition, made Delhi his first foreign destination
after being elected PM.A return visit by India to Nepal within a month indicates
that both sides are keen to show positive movement highlighting the historical,
cultural and religious ties between the peoples of the two countries.
The recent land agreement with the Bangladesh also shows that India’s priorities
towards neighbours is a priority
Conclusion:-
There is a need to embrace an overarching strategic stability regime and to shun

aggressive security doctrines to reduce the possibility of a nuclear conflict
The problems of terrorism and Non-State Actors need to be addressed jointly through
institutionalised mechanisms
Water issues should be resolved through the mechanisms provided by the Indus
Basin Treaty and should not be allowed to degenerate into a serious source of
conflict.
Confidence-building measures should be pursued to alleviate the “trust deficit” but
should not be used as a substitute for the resolution of disputes.
Economic co-operation and trade should be facilitated to develop mutuality of interest
India and Pakistan need to understand each other’s legitimate interests in
Afghanistan and pursue them without coming into conflict with each other.
Topic:India and its neighborhood- relations. Bilateral, regional and global groupings and
4)Withdrawing from Iran nuclear deal by US is a serious mistake and has many
possible ramifications for India. Analyse.(250 words)
The hindu
10/25
Why this question
The US recently unilaterally pulled out of the Iran Nuclear deal, formerly known as the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The move will reverse the progress of Iran- US
relationship and complemented by economic sanctions it will have serious ramifications for
Iran. It will also have several ramifications for India. Questions related to GS 2 syllabus
The question wants us to bring out the possible implications, particularly the negative ones
associated with withdrawing of US from the Iran Nuclear deal. It also wants us to dig deep
into the topic and discuss the ramifications of this event on India.
Directive word
Analyse- we have to identify the key aspects of the question- why the withdrawal of US from
the Iran Nuclear deal is a serious mistake and what would be the possible ramifications of this
act on India.
Introduction- briefly describe the JCPOA, its signatories, and status after US withdrawal.
Body-
1. Discuss in points, why the US withdrawal from Iran Nuclear deal is a mistake.
e.g unilateral nature of action, Iran was complying with the agreement, Iran’s capabilities to
build nuclear weapons had been severely curtailed, etc.
1. Discuss the possible implications of the US decision on India.
e.g oil prices may go up, investment and potential of Chabahar Port may be affected,
International North-South Transport corridor may be affected etc.
Conclusion- mention the futility, irrational nature and a biased approach of the US in the
above issue and need for a fair, effective agreement with Iran and more importantly need to
respect the provisions of the agreement and also other international obligations.
Background:-
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was meant to stall Iran from
developing a nuclear weapon, was finalized in 2015. The deal was concluded
between Iran and the P5 (United States, Russia, France, China, and United Kingdom)
plus Germany and the European Union.
Despite United States decision to pull out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
(JCPOA), the nuclear deal itself won’t be scrapped as long as Iran and the other
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signatories: the U.K., France, Russia, China, Germany and the European Union
remain committed to it.
US withdrawal from Iran nuclear deal is a mistake:-
The United States pulling out does create more than a few uncertainties for
regional security, for nonproliferation, and for American credibility more
generally.
American credibility lost:-
Decision could undermine the US’s credibility on the international stage, former
president.
Arms race:-
Undermining it despite no clear evidence of Iranian violations could hasten an
arms race or outright regional conflict.
JCPOA has been successful:-
JCPOA has worked to halt Iran’s progress toward a nuclear weapon,
highlighting its international inspections and noting that some of its provisions
were permanent.
The JCPOA is in America’s interest – it has significantly rolled back Iran’s
nuclear program.
The JCPOA does not rely on trust as it is rooted in the most far-reaching
inspections and verification regime ever negotiated in an arms control deal.
Iran’s nuclear facilities are strictly monitored. International monitors also have
access to Iran’s entire nuclear supply chain, so that we can catch them if they
cheat. Without the JCPOA, this monitoring and inspections regime would
go away.
Iran is complying with the JCPOA. The United States intelligence community
has continued to find that Iran is meeting its responsibilities under the deal, and
has reported as much to Congress.
The JCPOA does not expire:-
The prohibition on Iran ever obtaining a nuclear weapon is permanent.
Some of the most important and intrusive inspections codified by the
JCPOA are permanent.
The JCPOA was never intended to solve all of US problems with Iran. Every
aspect of Iranian behaviour that is troubling is far more dangerous if their
nuclear program is unconstrained. US ability to confront Iran’s destabilizing
behaviour and to sustain a unity of purpose with its allies is strengthened with
the JCPOA, and weakened without it.
Without the JCPOA, the United States could eventually be left with a losing
choice between a nuclear-armed Iran or another war in the Middle East as it
knows dangers of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon. It could embolden an
already dangerous regime pose unacceptable dangers to America’s own
security and trigger an arms race in the world’s most dangerous region.
North Korea:-
The JCPOA is a model for what diplomacy can accomplish its inspections and
verification regime is precisely what the United States should be working to put
in place with North Korea. Indeed, at a time when world is rooting for diplomacy
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with North Korea to succeed, walking away from the JCPOA risks losing a deal
that accomplishes with Iran the very outcome that world is pursuing with the
North Koreans.
S. allies and adversaries that are party to the agreement had urged the US
administration not to tear it up.
Britain has appealed to US not to abandon the Iran nuclear deal as a key
deadline approaches, saying that while it is not perfect there is no better
alternative.
Iran:-
Keeping the deal’s constraints on Iran’s nuclear program will also help counter
Tehran’s aggressive regional behaviour.
Implications for India :-
Even though India was not party to the deal, India supported it. India had watched
the growing tensions between Iran and the United States before the deal was
reached with some trepidation because a war could have had multiple negative
consequences for India, including threats to the very large Indian expatriate
population, disruption of oil supplies, and being forced to pick sides between
Iran and the United States, to name just a few.
Oil prices:
The impact on world oil prices will be the immediately visible impact of the U.S.
decision. Iran is presently India’s third biggest supplier (after Iraq and Saudi
Arabia), and any increase in prices will hit both inflation levels as well as the
Indian rupee, which breached ₹67 to the U.S. dollar this week.
Non-oil trade with Iran, which stood at about $2.69 billion of the total trade figures of
$12.89 billion in 2016-17 may not be impacted as much, as New Delhi and Tehran
have instituted several measures in the past few months, including allowing Indian
investment in rupees, and initiating new banking channels, between them.
Chabahar:
India’s moves over the last few years to develop berths at the Shahid Beheshti
port in Chabahar was a key part of its plans to circumvent Pakistan’s blocks on
trade with Afghanistan, and the new U.S. sanctions could slow or even bring
those plans to a halt depending on how strictly they are implemented.
S. sanctions could affect this timeline and delay the handing over of the project
further.
A broader concern is about the general stability of the region.
If the increasing tension in the region should ignite into a full-scale war, India
faces a number of challenges. Millions of Indian expatriates live in the Arab
states of the Gulf, and they would be in the direct line of fire.
Politically, it will become very difficult for India to continue playing the balancing
game between Iran on one side and Israel, the Arab states and the United
States on the other.
Finally, India will also have to balance its other interests with the developments
in the Gulf as this could impact India in a range of areas, including overseas
projects, exports, payments for oil, and even international relations.
During the era of sanctions, India had major backlogs in terms of payments
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towards oil imports from Iran. When the sanctions were lifted, both New Delhi and
Tehran heaved a sigh of relief, and payments could be made.
China has been considering the induction of Iran into the Shanghai
Cooperation Organisation (SCO) .If Iran is inducted after the re-imposition of US
sanctions, India could be seen as being part of an anti-America bloc.
INSTC:
Beyond Chabahar, India has been a founder of the International North South
Transport Corridor (INSTC) since it was ratified in 2002. Plans for INSTC sped
up after the JCPOA was signed in 2015 and sanctions on Iran were lifted.
New U.S. sanctions will affect these plans immediately, especially if any of the
countries along the route or banking and insurance companies dealing with the
INSTC plan also decide to adhere to U.S. restrictions on trade with Iran.
Rules-based order:
India has long been a proponent of a rules-based order that depends on
multilateral consensus and an adherence to commitments made by countries
on the international stage.
By walking out of the JCPOA the U.S. government has overturned the precept
that such international agreements are made by States not just with prevailing
governments or regimes. This could also impact all agreements India is
negotiating both bilaterally and multilaterally with the U.S.
Topic – Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact

assessment
5)Examine the performance of National Forest Policy 1988. Discuss whether the draft
forest policy will address the issues faced by forest sector in India?(250 words)
Financial express
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Why this question
The data on forest area released by state of forest report (SFR) highlights the less than
adequate increase in the forest cover of India. Due to declining forest cover, India is facing
several environmental challenges and natural hazards which make it imperative for us to
evaluate the performance of last forest policy and suggest changed in the new draft forest
policy.
The question expects us to bring out the following points in our answer
The performance of forest policy 1988
In protection and enhancement of forest cover
Involvement of people in conservation efforts
Etc
The issue faced by forest management in India
Whether those issues have been adequately handled in the draft forest policy. If yes,
how and if not, what changes should be brought in.
Directive word

Introduction – mention that India has recently come out with a draft forest policy and the SFR
data has highlighted the problems plaguing forests in India.
Body
Discuss the broad principles of forest policy of 1988 and examine its impact on areas
like forest area coverage, community participation in conservation etc
Examine the issues that are still plaguing the forests despite NFP 1988
Examine whether the draft forest policy will help in resolving the issues faced. Discuss
the key provisions, principle and aims and objectives of the policy to see whether it is
line with the changes required
Conclusion – Present your view on the efficacy of draft forest policy and suggest way
forward.
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Background:-
Forests are very important economically, ecologically and even for the survival of the
human kind. The new draft policy seeks to replace the country’s 30-year-old national
forest policy.
In the light of the contemporary challenges like climate change, human-wildlife
conflict, intensifying water crisis, increasing air and water pollution and deteriorating
environment a new policy is necessary.
National forest policy 1988:-
The NFP 1988 was enacted with the aim of preserving the remaining natural forests
and for increasing substantially the forest/tree cover in the country.
It debarred the private sector from raising plantation on forestland and encouraged
them to source raw materials directly from farmers.
It promoted substitution of wood with other materials.
It also envisaged vesting in individuals, particularly from the weaker sections, certain
ownership rights over trees for protecting and enhancing forests.
The goal of increasing tree cover outside Recorded forest area and promoting
agroforestry has been notable, though much more needs to be done to realise
the full potential of agroforestry.
Similarly, the policy of substituting wood with plastic and metals has been successful.
Criticism:-
Most of the increase in dense forests is just plantations on private land, changes in
dense forest cover inside Recorded forest area are insignificant.
The increase in total forest cover is also largely because of trees grown outside
forests, mostly under social and farm forestry.
Recorded forest area has experienced significant degradation in the last 30
years. Thus, India has had significant loss of ecologically diverse forests and major
gains in plantations outside forests.
There is a general decline in the growing stock:-
Growing stocks in forests have declined of 12% in a little over a decade from
2002-15. This indicates significant degradation of forest.
Forest cover inside recorded forest area
State forest reports have data on forest cover inside the recorded forest areas
(RFAs), and outside, since 2011. The data in the last four SFRs indicates
that the forest cover inside the RFAs has reduced while it has increased
outside. So, forest cover is increasing on the private land and not in
forests managed by the foresters.
Draft forest policy :-
The overall objective and goal of the present policy is to safeguard the ecological and
livelihood security of people, of the present and future generations, based on
sustainable management of the forests for the flow of ecosystem services.
Features:-
Public private participation for afforestation in degraded forest areas
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Public-private participation models will be developed for undertaking

afforestation and reforestation activities in degraded forest areas and
forest areas available with forest development corporations and outside
forests
Promoting urban greens
It says the management plans for urban green will be prepared and
implemented in consonance with the development plan of cities.
Measures to safeguard ecosystems from forest fire (map the vulnerable areas;
develop and strengthen early warning systems)
It proposes to restrict schemes and projects which interfere with forests
that cover steep slopes, catchments of rivers, lakes, and reservoirs,
geologically unstable terrain and such other ecologically sensitive areas
It also suggests setting up of two national-level bodies
National Community Forest Management (CFM) Mission and National
Board of Forestry (NBF) for better management of the country’s forests
The draft calls for state boards of forestry headed by state ministers in
charge of forests to be established for ensuring inter-sectoral
convergence, simplification of procedures, conflict resolution, among
other things
Afforestation in catchment areas for river rejuvenation and water recycling
The ecologically sensitive catchment areas shall be stabilized with
suitable soil and water conservation measures, and also by planting
suitable trees and grass like bamboo
Economic valuation of forests
Forest certification to provide premium on forest produce
Integration of climate change concerns in forest management
Promote agro-forestry and farm forestry
Management of north-eastern forests
Besides, it had suggested launching a national forest streams revival
programme in mission mode to tackle the water crisis.
Positives:-
It addressed the issue of forest fires, stating that adequate measures would be
taken to safeguard ecosystems from forest fires, map the vulnerable areas and
develop and strengthen early warning systems and methods to control fire, based on
remote sensing technology and community participation.”
The latest draft of National Forest Policy has omitted any reference to a green tax
or a national stream revival programme.
It emphasized on integrating climate change concerns into forest
managementwhile noting that forests acts as a natural sink of carbon dioxide
thereby assisting in climate change mitigation.
Contributes to the forestry-related Nationally Determined Contribution Targets
and by integrating, climate change mitigation and adaptation measures in
forest management through the mechanism of REDD+ (Reducing Emissions
from Deforestation and Forest Degradation plus) so that the impacts of the
climate change is minimised.
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To tackle rising human-wildlife conflict, the draft outlined short-term and long-term
actions.
The draft policy document also talks about degraded landand how it can be
improved by undertaking afforestation activities using public private partnership
models.
It seeks to sync it with the country’s forestry-related ‘Nationally Determined
Contribution’ targets under the Paris Agreement where India has promised to
rapidly increase its forest cover so that an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion
tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent is created by the year 2030.
The draft policy also talks about the need to stimulate growth in the forest based
industry sector. This sector being labour intensive can help in increasing green jobs.
Forest corporations and industrial units need to step up growing of industrial
plantations for meeting the demand of raw materials
Apart from these, the policy has a sprinkling of good objectives like promoting
agroforestry by loosening control over farmers and reversing the wood-substitution
policy.
Failure :-
The draft NFP 2018 mentions major forestry issues ailing the forest sector, but it
doesn’t provide answers to them as to how these objectives will be achieved
considering the competitive demands for forestlands.
New draft also says efforts will be made to achieve harmonization between policies
and laws like Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006 . People may see it as an attempt to
weaken role of gram sabhas (village councils)
While the role of forests as climate change mitigation factor has been recognised, the
draft NFP is vague on the issue of forests rights for forest dwelling
communities as it reasserts the control of the forest department over the forests by
undermining the Forest Rights Act.
Continues to speak about private participation in forest management, which
was criticized in 2016.
This policy is in direct conflict with the policy of promoting social/farm forestry.
As industries get forestlands cheap, they will raise captive plantations of
monoculture species, bringing down their production costs. Farmers growing
the same tree species will not be able to compete against such low prices.
Bringing the private sector into production forestry will completely
undermine farmers.
There is ample evidence to show that Community forest resource can transform
the livelihoods of communities and conserve and regenerate forests.
The draft policy has chosen to undermine CFR by proposing a new community-
forest-management mission. This parallel mission will control the CFR process,
taking power from the communities and vesting it with the forest department.
Way forward:-
A production forestry system in place in the form of Forest Development

Corporations (FDC), is needed
With close to 1.3 million ha of forestland under their control, FDCs need
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technical and financial support to improve the productivity of their

plantations. The private sector can partner with FDCs and increase the
productivity of this land.
Agroforestry can be further scaled up by removing restrictive regulations and
providing incentives and operational support systems. FDCs and agroforestry can
meet India’s wood demands.
International experiences :-
In Brazil and Colombia the deforestation rate has been reported to be two times
lower in community controlled forests as compared to those not under
community management.
The forest departments in these countries have reversed their roles from being
owners and regulators of forests to becoming facilitators in community-
managed forests. This is the paradigm shift required in India’s forest
administration.
Topic – Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday
life
6)Briefly explain the role of deep learning neural networks in AI technology. Discuss
features of Google Duplex which makes it a revolutionary technology.(250 words)
Financial express
Googleblog
Reference
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Why this question
The recent demonstration of Google assistant making phone calls and reservations for us
opens our eyes to the potential of deep learning and neural networks. It is expected of us to
know about this remarkable development in the case of virtual assistants.
The questions expects us to explain in brief what deep learning and neural network. Only it’s
working principle and the non technical aspects to be discussed. Thereafter we need to bring
out the features of Google Duplex which has made it the talk of the town.
Directive word
Explain – Briefly highlight what it is, how it is useful in AI
Discuss – Here we don’t have to bring out the pros and cons but just explain the use of Google
duplex, the technology of Google duplex and the real world advantages of the same.
Introduction – highlight the technological advancement taking place in the field of AI which is
making the idea of man vs machine a reality
Body
Explain machine learning and neural network in brief
Explain its application in Google duplex
Explain what Google duplex is
Discuss the advantages it has and the risks that it poses
Conclusion – Mention the overall debates that is going on wrt AI and your view on the
Google duplex technology.
Background:-
Artificial intelligence (AI), deep learning, and neural networksrepresent incredibly

exciting and powerful machine learning-based techniques used to solve many real-
world problems.
Role of deep learning neural networks in AI technology :-
Artificial neural networks (ANNs) and the more complex deep learning technique are
some of the most capable AI tools for solving very complex problems, and will
continue to be developed and leveraged in the future.
Deep learning is a term to describe certain types of neural networks and related
algorithms that consume often very rawinput data. They process this data
through many layers of nonlinear transformations of the input data in order to
calculate a target output.
Unsupervised feature extractionis also an area where deep learning
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excels. Feature extraction is when an algorithm is able to automatically derive

or construct meaningful features of the data to be used for further learning,
generalization, and understanding.
Neural networks use software to mimic the function of the many neurons in the
human brain. These functions can be tuned over time.This means man-made neural
networks can learn.
Deep learning refers to the use of multiple layers of neural networks.
To develop these approaches, scientists and programmers have turned to the
mysterious human brain and the trillion neurons inside it that transmit and process
information, as the model for analyzing data. They have developed networks of cells
that mimic the function of neurons.
Google has integrated a deep-learning machine with its Street View platform to
enable the identification of nearly every location, and the company is also using its
own Deep Mind AI technology to reduce the energy used to cool its data centre by
40%.
A deep neural network (DNN) is an artificial neural network (ANN) with multiple
hidden layers between the input and output layers.
Google duplex:-
Google introduced a new feature called Google Duplex as a part of the revamped
Google Assistant. It is essentially a service that works in the background without
involving the user. Google Duplex is an offline service powered by Google Assistant
that make a booking on your behalf at the vendors and shops that have no or little
online presence.
Features:-
Google Duplex, a new technology for conducting natural conversations to carry out
real world tasks over the phone.
The technology is directed towards completing specific tasks, such as
scheduling certain types of appointments. For such tasks, the system makes the
conversational experience as natural as possible, allowing people to speak normally,
like they would to another person, without having to adapt to a machine.
One of the key research insights was to constrain Duplex to closed domains, which
are narrow enough to explore extensively.
Duplex can only carry out natural conversations after being deeply trained in
such domains. It cannot carry out general conversations.
Google Duplex technology is built to sound natural, to make the conversation
experience comfortable.
How is it a revolutionary technology:-
Google Duplex comes with a more practical bent for the users who do not want
the superfluous results from all the high-priced places from far away.
The Google Assistant will make the conversational experience for the person
taking up the bookings more comfortable and as natural as possible.
Google Duplex uses a natural voice to make reservations at a restaurant with the
help of AI to offer contextual and deeply trained answers.
It is a system that allows AI understand complex sentences, fast speech so it can
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respond naturally in a phone conversation, Google sees a future where humans

will not longer have to make calls to book an appointment.
People expect to talk to people and not a bot. Conversations are not just
exchange of spoken words. They are more than that. Currently, when humans
talk to bots they know it because bots are bad at talking. Duplex changes that.
Concerns:-
There are several challenges in conducting natural conversations: natural

language is hard to understand, natural behavior is tricky to model, latency
expectations require fast processing, and generating natural sounding speech, with
the appropriate intonations, is difficult.
When people talk to each other, they use more complex sentences than when
talking to computers.
In natural spontaneous speech people talk faster and less clearly than they do
when they speak to a machine, so speech recognition is harder and we see
higher word error rates. The problem is aggravated during phone calls, which
often have loud background noises and sound quality issues.
The most thorny is the way it mimics humans.
Conclusion:-
AI is an extremely powerful and exciting field. It’s only going to become more
important and ubiquitous moving forward, and will certainly continue to have very
significant impacts on modern society.
TOPIC : Ethics and Human Interface: Essence, determinants and consequences of Ethics in
human actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics in private and public relationships.
7)Divorced from ethics, leadership is reduced to management and politics to mere

technique.(250 words)
Reference
Reference
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Why this question
UPSC generally asks questions about commenting on a particular quote/ statement. The
question is related to GS 4 syllabus under the following heading-
Ethics and Human Interface: Essence, determinants and consequences of Ethics in human
actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics in private and public relationships.
Plus two discuss the importance of ethics in management and political leadership. We have to
discuss, what happens when management and leadership are devoid of the ethics.
Directive word
Comment- we have to brainstorm on the given statement and form an opinion on it. The
opinion here would be in favour of the statement and we have to provide the justifications in
the form of arguments/ examples etc.
Introduction- briefly discuss how ethics is related to the management of a person’s life and
mention some leaders who led a life of ethics e.g Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin
Luther King etc.
Body–
1. Discuss the importance of imbibing ethics in management.
e.g need to serve the customers/ consumers in the best way, good for the long-run survival of
the firms, need to fulfill social obligations, improve organizations image/ brand etc.
1. Discuss the importance of ethics in politics.
Take help of the reference article attached with the question to form the discussion.
1. Discuss the controversies like unfair practices among big established corporations (e.g
Volkswagen controversy), bad economics and ethics is good politics ( distribution of
freebies, fiscal mismanagement etc)
Conclusion– form a balanced, fair, concise conclusion based on the above discussion.
Answer :-
The function of leadership is to engage followers, not merely to activate them, to

commingle needs and aspirations and goals in a common enterprise and in the process to
make better citizens of both leaders and followers.
Leadership is power governed by principle, directed toward raising people to their highest
levels of personal motive and social morality. This role has been practised by business
leaders and political leaders equally well in the past for instance role of Freedom struggle
leaders in India.
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Ethics in management:-
Building on a foundation of ethical behaviour helps create long-lasting positive effects for a
company, including the ability to attract and retain highly talented individuals, and building
and maintaining a positive reputation within the community.
Running a business in an ethical manner from the top down builds a stronger bond between
individuals on the management team, further creating stability within the company.
Employees make better decisions in less time with business ethics as a guiding principle;
this increases productivity and overall employee morale. When employees complete work
in a way that is based on honesty and integrity, the whole organization benefits
Ethics in politics :-
For Aristotle, and for most subsequent thinkers about politics, political thinking is grounded
in ethical thinking. Our assumptions and beliefs about politics or individual policies are
inseparable from our ethical principles, and political debate necessarily requires ethical
debate.
How ethics is being diluted in politics and management:-
There are many instances of Good economics is bad politics like popular schemes like
giving laptops, televisions, giving unemployment bonus instead of creating jobs, etc.
Politicians giving hate speeches rising communal fervor .Other examples include horse
trading of MLA’s in Uttarakhand, taking money for asking questions in Parliament,
criminalization of politics as more than 30% of current MP’s have criminal cases against
them, use of money and muscle power to win elections, booth capturing, intimidation, use
of liquor ,corruption etc.
Some argue that ethics has no place in politics. If politicians are to be effective in the real
world, they cannot be bound by moral rules. They have to pursue the national interest. The
recent scams by various industrialists shows that there is leadership crisis.
International examples also show that ever since the advent of the Gupta Leaks, and a
growing body of evidence implicating KPGM, Bell Pottinger, McKinsey and SAP, it has
become clear that corruption is not confined to the public sector, political leaders and the
executives of state-owned companies in Africa.
Recent admission by Volkswagen executives that at least a half-million of their diesel-

powered models have been rigged to pass vehicle emissions ,the non repayment of loans
by business organisations in India show s that ethics is degrading in businesses as well.
Constant communication between the management and employees is of utmost

importance in inculcating workplace ethics, children need to be educated about what
is right and wrong from the young age itself ,ethical committee need to be
established in businesses to enforce ethics.
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TOPIC: Role of women and women’s organization. Social empowerment, communalism,

regionalism & secularism.
1)Indian women artists, have emphasised gender issues and discrimination in the
form of paintings, sculptures, and installations since pre-independence times.
Examine.(250 words)
Reference
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Why this question
The discourse around the fight against gender discrimination is largely focused on the role of
men, and women are usually denied any recognition of their contribution. Because it is
related to GS 1 syllabus under the following heading-
The person wants us to bring out the role of women in highlighting gender issues and gender
discrimination through the medium of art.
Directive word
Examine- we have to support our answer with the help of examples/ arguments/ facts i.e we
have to justify that the Indian women highlighted gender issues and gender discrimination
through art forms like painting, sculpture etc.
introduction- mention the discrimination faced by Indian women for centuries and countless
attempts made to highlight an address the issue. Mention that women also played a significant
role in this respect.
Body-
1. Describe in points, the contribution of various women artists and their works with
highlight gender issues and gender discrimination prevalent in India. e.g Amrita Sher
Gill, Nilima Sheikh etc.
Conclusion– mention the need to recognise and channelise the contribution of women
towards women empowerment add a better society.
Background:-
Art has always been one of the most widely used mediums for expressing the plight
of women in India. Despite women artists dealing with multiple issues since pre
independence times most of the same issues are still prevalent in today’s society.
Contribution:-
Their paintings areoften introspective, and reveal the social hardships and tensions
faced by many female artists.
They challenge social oppression and gender discrimination, and provides new
models for the empowerment of women.
The most famous woman artist from India’s pre-independence era, Amrita Sher-Gil
is responsible for influencing entire generations of painters with her artwork.
Nilima Sheikh’swork revolves around woman-centric themes.. Her most famous
work, ‘When Champa Grew Up’ (1984), is a series of 12 tempera paintings that detail
a true story of a young girl who gets married and then suffers torture and immolation
at the hands of her husband’s family.
Arpita Singhportrays the everyday problems faced by women in a range of
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emotions from suffering and sorrow to joy and hope.
One of the most significant developments over the last 30 years has been the
emerging prominence of self-conscious female artists willing to challenge social
norms.
The artworks are culturally specific and address the current and historical
concerns within the Indian context.
At the same time, they resonate with global concerns and introduce a woman’s
subjectivity, which has been excluded from Indian art until now.
Vasudha Thozhur’s “Untouchable” recalls the Hindu practice of sati, in which
a widow commits suicide on her husband’s funeral pyre. In her transgressive
treatment of this patriarchal horror, Thozhur paints herself seated defiantly on a
burning pile of wood, inviolable and untouched by the flames.
In the recent times Tayeba Lipi, a multimedia artist broaches hard-hitting
topics like feminism and transgender rights.
Photographer Gauri Gill, explored women’s personal safety on the streets
and public transport in her exhibition.
Conclusion:-
With support from the government and awareness among the Indian public about art
exhibitions these artists work can become popular and achieve further success.
TOPIC: Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture
from ancient to modern times ; Government policies and interventions for development in
various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation
2)Discuss critically the role played by Archeological Survey of India (ASI) in

preserving India’s art and architecture. Examine whether Apni Dharohar scheme
should be extended to all World Heritage sites in India?(250 words)
Reference
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Why this question
The first part of the question demands us to critically analyze the role of ASI in maintaining
and preserving the monuments of historical significance in India. Here the hits and misses of
the role of ASI is to be brought out along with our own view on the significance and efficacy of
ASI’s role. In the second part, we have to examine apni dharohar scheme, the discoloration of
Taj Mahal and whether entrusting private parties with upkeep of world heritage site makes
more sense.
Directive word
Discuss critically – The role of ASI has to be discussed. Since critically is suffixed, we need to
provide our stand based on balanced arguments on how successfully ASI has played it’s
mandated role.
Introduction – Mention in brief about ASI, SC’s observation on the role of ASI which has
brought this topic in news.
Body
Discuss the role and functions of ASI
Discuss how successful ASI has been in fulfilling those roles and functions. Provide
your view here
Explain apni dharohar scheme
Examine whether the upkeep of UNESCO world Heritage sites should be entrusted to
private players in view of Taj experience. Provide both pros and cons of taking such a
step.
Conclusion – Highlight the importance of preserving our heritage and the summary of your
view on how it should be preserved based in your arguments above.
Background:-
Recently SupremeCourt (SC) came down heavily on the Archaeological Survey of

India (ASI) for its failure to take appropriate steps to protect and preserve of the
iconic Taj Mahal. In this context there is a need to analyse the role of archeological
survey of India.
Archeological survey of India:-
Archaeological Survey of India is an attached office of department of Culture with

headquarters in New Delhi. It has 24 regional Circles and 5 Regional Directorates.
Its main functions are
preservation, conservation and environmental development of centrally
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protected monuments and sites, including World Heritage Monuments and
antiquities
maintenance of gardens & development of new gardens surrounding centrally
protected monuments and sites
exploration and excavation of ancient sites
specialized study of inscription and various phases of Indian architecture
maintenance of Archaeological site Museums
Operation of the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act
Research and Training in different areas of Archaeology
Role played by archeological survey of India :-
ASI had made the following contributions:-

Discoveries of existence of Harappan culture in places such as Kalibangan in
Rajasthan and Dholavira in Gujarat
Excavations at Buddhist sites in Kanaganhali in Karnataka and Boxanagar in
Tripura
Salvage operations at Nagarjunakonda, Andhra Pradesh, and conservation
efforts in Hampi, Karnataka, are some of its remarkable projects.
The ASI protects 3,677 monuments and has copied more than 74,000 inscriptions.
It has shaped the discipline of archaeology, history and heritage conservation in the
country through these significant contributions.
Criticism:-
Plagued by funds crunch :-

Art and culture received only a meagre 0.16 per cent of the total Central Plan of
the government in the Eleventh Five-Year plan allocation. As a result, the
Ministry of Culture, which the ASI is a part of, received only a fraction of what it
needed.
This would neither help expand the investigation of the unexplored historical
landscape nor lead to greater investment in archaeological science.
The casual approach to publication of reports also reflects the declining
importance of excavation.
ASI spends less than one per cent of its total expenditure on excavations. As a
result, it has not been be able to take up explorations in the manner and scale
it has to.
Incompetence:-
Negligence has characterised the conservation efforts of most historical
structures in the country, many of which are in advanced stages of decay and a
few others lost forever.
State apathy:-
The CAG pointed to connivance by ASI officials as well. As the files of the ASI reveal,
there are also numerous instances where politicians have proactively protected those
who have illegally occupied the prohibited zone around monuments.
Despite all this, the fact remains that the ASI has not institutionally innovated to
meet emerging challenges.
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Apni darohar apni pehchan project:-
Adopt a heritage: Apni Dharohar, Apni Pehchaan is a collaborative effort among

the tourism ministry, culture ministry, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI),
states and union territories.
Itaims to involve companies to take up the responsibility for making our
heritage and tourism more sustainable through development, operation, and
maintenance of world class tourist infrastructure and amenities at ASI/state heritage
sites and other important tourist sites in India.
Monument mitrasare picked through a ‘vision bidding’ process in which those with
the best plan for the heritage sites are chosen.
It is part of responsible tourism where the ‘Monument Mitra’ essentially spends
his CSR funds for upkeep and maintenance etc., and gets limited visibility.
The project primarily focusses on providing basic amenities that includes cleanliness,
public conveniences, drinking water, ease of access for differently abled and senior
citizens, standardized signage.
‘The Adopt a Heritage’ is essentially a non-revenue generating project
The project should be extended to all world heritage sites because:-
Tourism:-
Adopt a Heritage project is meant to address the challenges that the
Archaeological Survey of India and other government bodies are facing in
operating tourisminfrastructure at heritage sites.
By allowing private players to build, operate and maintain “tourist-friendly” and
“world class amenities at these sites, the expectation is that the project will
boost domestic and international tourism.
Preserving monuments:-
Aga khan trust success on Humayun’s Tomb led to restoration of large
number of adjoining monuments
IT giant Infosys Ltd is also involved in restore monuments and organizing
cultural shows in south India. In 2016, Infosys Foundation restored
Somanatheswara temple complex in Karnataka’s Lakshmeshwara and around
Rs 5 crore were spent over last four years.
Even in many countries conservation has improved when private entities were
involved .
Concerns:-
Experts believe the government needs to tread with extreme caution as monuments
can be exploited in this manner
Private companies are concerned about their revenues, and they don’t know much
about conservation work. So the responsibility of the state increases in terms of
supervising these companies closely.
Way forward:-
Every school must have age-group heritage clubswhich will look at the built,
natural and cultural of heritage of the district it is in through lectures, field trips and
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exhibitions.
Humanities must be a compulsory subject in undergraduate education
Research into and documentation of lost or vanishing heritage (particularly into
building materials, techniques etc.) and of the State’s historical past must be
encouraged in higher educational institutions through liberal funding.
The government should enhance funding and confer the status of a scientific
institution on the ASI to meet its special needs.
For its part, the ASI should decentralise and make its five regional directorates
autonomous. They in turn, with active participation of local governments, should
unravel more of the hidden past and protect them better.
Conclusion:-
Instead of allowing continued defacing and desecration of Indian heritage, one should
encourage the Monument Mitra Programme and hope more and more companies
come forward to save and salvage our collective national inheritance.
Topic -Indian Constitution- historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments,

significant provisions and basic structure.
3)The cabinet mission plan seemed to open an avenue for the reconciliation of a
united India with Muslim autonomy. Examine.(250 words)
7/17
The question expects us to discuss about the following
How did the plan reject the demand for Pakistan
Recommendations of the cabinet mission which had elements of united India with
Muslim autonomy
The impact of the plan, whether the Hindu and Muslim leaders agreed with the
provisions of the plan
Directive word
In the case of above question on Cabinet Mission Plan, you have to probe the details of the
provisions of the plan, find that if it really tried to create a united India with Muslim
autonomy, how such a provision was received, and provide a balanced view. All within a
given word limit.
Introduction – details about Cabinet Mission Plan and the status quo in India at that time
Body
How did the plan reject the demand for Pakistan
Bring out the provisions of the plan which rejected such a demand
What were the recommendations of the future constitution – which are in sync with
united India with Muslim autonomy
How the provisions were received by various sections of political spectrum
Conclusion – provide a balanced view based on your arguments above.
Background:-
Cabinet Missionof 1946 to India aimed to discuss the transfer of power from
the British government to the Indian leadership, with the aim of preserving India’s
unity and granting it independence.
How it rejected the demand for Pakistan and seemed to open an avenue for the
reconciliation of a united India with Muslim autonomy:-
The cabinet mission plan of 1946 proposed that there shall be a Union of India
which was to be empowered to deal with the defense, foreign affairs and
communications.
The cabinet mission recommended an undivided Indiaand turned down the Muslim
league’s demand for a separate Pakistan. The Cabinet mission restricted the
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Communal representation
The representation of the Provincial legislatures was to be break up into 3 sections.
Section A: Madras, UP, Central provinces, Bombay, Bihar & Orissa
Section B: Punjab, Sindh, NWFP, Baluchistan
Section C: Assam and Bengal.
These groups were entitled to have their own separate legislatures and to draw
up their constitutions according to their own will with the help of the Constituent
Assemblies to be elected by the popular electorate.
Though the Cabinet Mission plan rejected the idea of separate Pakistan, yet it
grouped the provinces in such a way that it gave weightage to the idea of
Pakistan, because the Section B would get almost complete autonomy.
One of the main reasons of rejection of Pakistan was somewhere linked to the
justice to the Non Muslims particularly Sikhs.
The Mission had the views that the larger part of the proposed Pakistan
including the Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan , NWFP and Bengal would have a
large number of Non Muslims.
Then a smaller truncated Pakistan was also give thought but it was also
rejected because , it was thought that Sikhs would be cut in two parts and their
clusters of populations will get scattered around the borders.
Princely states were independent over the question of there participation in Indian
constitutional assembly.
Impact:-
The Congress accepted the proposals related to the Constituent assembly.

But since, the Muslim league had been given disproportionate representation; it
rejected the idea of the Interim Government.
Congress also rejected the idea of a weak centre and division of India in small states.
Congress was against decentralization and the idea was to have a strong centre.
The Muslim league first approved the plan. But when Congress declared that it could
change the scheme through its majority in the Constituent Assembly, they rejected
the plan and called the Muslims to resort to “Direct Action” to achieve “Pakistan”.
Topic: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or
affecting India’s interests
4)Pokhran-II and what followed has given India the right to claim the tag of a
responsible power — a valuable diplomatic asset. Analyze. (250 words)
Indian express
The hindu
9/17
Why this question
After Pokhran-II tests, India declared itself as a full-fledged nuclear weapon state. But it
brought adverse reaction from US, Japan, Australia etc. However, India has successfully
managed to establish itself as a responsible power and is presently party to three out of four
multilateral weapon export control regimes.The question is related to GS 2 syllabus under the
following heading-
The question wants us to throw light on the Pokhran II tests and analyse the Indian response
and how India managed to establish itself as a responsible power.
Direct word
Analyse- we have to dig deep into the question, identify key demands viz. Description of
Pokhran II tests, their impact and how India managed to steer itself out of the adverse
response of world powers and how it established itself as a responsible power.
Introduction- briefly describe the Pokhran II tests- date, type and number of bombs etc.
Body-
1. Briefly discuss the aftermath of the tests- how world powers responded.
2. Briefly discuss in points, factors which necessitated the development of nuclear
weapons by India. e.g conflict with China and Pakistan, declaration of China as a
nuclear state etc.
3. Briefly discuss in points, how India managed to steer itself out of the controversy. e.g
India’s no first use policy, adherence to the non-proliferation treaty without even being
a signatory etc.
Conclusion– mention that India is presently a member of 3 out of 4 export control regimes
and an established responsible nuclear power.
Background:-
Between May 1th – 13th of 1998 India took a leap into the unknown world of nuclear
weapon powers with the five tests at Pokhran
How did the world powers respond:-
The tests shocked the world, particularly because they were done with utmost
secrecy and the India-U.S. ties hit rock bottom.
For nearly two months, the U.S. refused to have any dialogue with India and
implemented the Glenn Amendment for the first time.
Newer sanctions were imposed. The US, China, and the UK were critical of India’s
nuclear tests, but Russia and France and even Britain were not in favour of
sanctions.
India had to move towards nuclear weapons under the following circumstances :-
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Idea of nuclear weapons was to neutralise conventional Chinese military

superiority .
Having them was an enabler and equaliser .It is a weapon not necessarily
intended for use, but the threat of whose use could achieve political and military
goals.
By the late 1990s, India was faced with a situation in which two neighbours with
whom it had fought wars, Pakistan and China, already had nuclear weapons, and
were working together to build their capabilities and proliferate them in Asia. By
conducting the tests, India was able to insulate itself from nuclear threats.
Maintain peace and Stability in the region.
India is a responsible power:-
Indian diplomacy triumphed in turning a grave crisis into an opportunity by securing

legitimacy for its nuclear arsenal and removing obstacles in generating nuclear
power.
Nuclear deals have brought India to the nuclear mainstream and opened up the
global nuclear market for development of nuclear power without signing the Treaty
on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) or the Comprehensive
Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
India refused to sign the CTBT, but declared a moratorium on testing, agreed to
join the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty negotiations without halting fissile material
production
India reaffirmed minimum deterrent without giving any number of warheads and
agreed to strengthen export controls.
Additionally, India declared no-first-use and commitment to disarmament:-
It would not be the first to use nuclear weapons against other countries. But if
nuclear weapons were used against India, it would retaliate, and inflict
unacceptable pain on the adversary.
This nuclear weapons doctrine has since become the cornerstone of India’s
diplomatic, military and political policy in the international arena.
Even though India placed its civilian nuclear facilities under perpetual safeguards, its
nuclear assets remained fully insulated against external scrutiny and interference.
India secured rights to receive uninterrupted nuclear fuel supplies as a trade-
off against safeguards.
It kept open its right to acquire advanced enrichment and reprocessing
technologies, although it would require bilateral negotiations with the U.S. and
others.
India’s sovereign right to test a nuclear device in the future has remained
intact.
India is now a member of three out of four multilateral export control regimes
MTCR, Wassenaar Arrangement, Australia Group and is in the reckoning for
membership of the NSG.
There is no Evidence of India’s involvement in illegal nuclear proliferation. This
has earned India Civil nuclear deals with nations like Japan.
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Conclusion:-
Pokhran-II gave India the strategic space to manoeuvre at the world stage, and to
showcase its international behaviour on the rules-based system and what followed
has given India the right to claim the tag of a responsible power and a valuable asset
in times when powers like the US and China are perceived to be not adhering to
international commitments.
Topic – Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to

Health
5) Critically examine whether making healthcare affordable through capping of

prices would solve the problem of Out of Pocket Expenditure in health in India?(250
words)
Financial express
12/17
Why this question
Capping or prices is a usual policy recourse of the government in trying to make healthcare
more affordable. However, such quick fixes raises more questions than the answers it provide.
Thus it is best to analyze whether this penchant of the government to cap prices helps in
improving healthcare delivery and affordability.
The question expects us to incorporate the following points in our answer
Highlight the instances where price capping has been used as a tool
Debate on the principles of such a move – whether capping of price is a well

intentioned move which will make healthcare more affordable or whether it creates
issues of quality, private sector apathy etc
Conclude with your view
Directive word
Critically examine – Here we have to get into the depth of price capping method of the
government, examine its pros and cons, causes and impacts, views of all stakeholders and
come to a fair and balanced stand.
Introduction – discuss some recent move by the government introduction price controls in
healthcare and the debates that it raises.
Body
Highlight some of the instances of price capping – stents, medicines (NLEM) etc .
Bring out the impacts of such a move
Flowing from that discuss about the pros and cons of instituting price controls
Discuss why the government goes for such a move and the impact it has on delivery of
healthcare
Identify some other steps that can be taken to ensure healthcare becomes more
affordable
Conclusion – provide your view on the usefulness of price controls and the way forward.
Background:-
Health sector saw major initiatives to bring down and cap prices of essential
medicines through price control, coupled with moves to expand a network of cheaper
drug dispensaries in the recent years.
Capping of prices will reduce out of pocket expenditure:-
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Price control played a major role in enhancing savings on medicines, which

constitute at least 40% of an household’s expenditure on health.
Apart from price capping, the government also worked on opening AMRIT and Jan
Aushadhi stores to make generic drugs available at a discounted price.
Government has also brought stents under price control, providing a major relief to
patients suffering from heart disorders.
No, capping of prices is not the solution:-
In a country where two-thirds of the population is denied access to quality healthcare

today, it is important to quickly guarantee universal health coverage.
A large part of the population is denied access due to poor availability of
hospitalisation, specialists and drugs.
In the absence of a fully functioning public health system, it is the private sector
that people must depend upon.
If capping of prices is done through government-ordered arbitrary price fixing,
it could only result in drug firms pulling out products and, thereby, stocks will run
dry.
If hospitalisation costs are capped, patients will suffer long waiting periods and
other hidden costs.
Criticism to government’s stand on pricing of stents and other medical
implants:-
Stent price capping has resulted in eliminating the choice of stents
Furthermore, there have been multiple reports that hospitals have cited no
significant increase in the number of angioplasty procedures performed, after
the move on stent price control.
Despite price control reducing costs, overall medical bills remain a challenge as
procedure costs continue to be high and insurance coverage is low
Way forward:-
Centralised drug procurement has been effectively used in states like Tamil Nadu
to bring down costs. Rest of the states can emulate that.
A well-functioning generics market is required to give the poor access to
inexpensive drugs.
Primary health centres must be well-staffed, public health improved and supply
chains should be made functional.
The state must first realise that primary healthcare and public health are the
government’s responsibility and must be guaranteed to all. The private sector can, at
best, supplement this effort.
Drug firms must be incentivised to innovate and invest in research and
development. India needs to increase GDP being spent by the government on
healthcare.
Only way to decrease out-of-pocket expenses on health by the average Indian is to
hold true to the promise of universal, affordable, and accessible healthcare in a
welfare state.
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and conscience as sources of ethical guidance; accountability and ethical governance;
strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance; ethical issues in international
relations and funding; corporate governance.
6) There is an ample yet subtle difference between ethics, morals and laws.
Discuss.(250 words)
Reference
Reference
Why this question
Morals and ethics are closely related concepts, which although similar in many respects have
very subtle differences between them. Both are one of the basic concepts in the study of ethics
and law is often compared to them. The question is related to GS 4 syllabus under the
following heading-
The question wants us to simply differentiate between morals, laws and ethics; their source,
meaning, aim etc.
Directive word
Discuss- we have to write in detail about the given issue i.e difference between morals, laws
and ethics.
Structure of the answer-
Introduction- mention that ethics, morals and laws are closely related concepts but they differ
from each other in many respects.
Body–
Discuss and differentiate between Laws morals and ethics in points- (origins, what they mean,
what they intend, repercussions of not following them etc.).
Conclusion– form a fair, balanced and concise conclusion based on the above-held
discussion and on the basis of similarities between them .
Answer:-
The state is founded on the minds of its citizens, who are moral agents .Bad people means
a bad state and bad laws. Law and morality are complementary to each other. Ethics
teaches citizens the code of conduct. Moral and ethical issues occur at both a local and a
global level, and laws and other legal instruments have been developed at both levels to
implement the moral and ethical standards of society.
15/17
Ethics refer to rules provided by an external source, e.g., codes of conduct in workplaces
or principles in religions. Morals refer to an individual’s own principles regarding right and
wrong. Laws, on the other hand, reflect the collective conscience of a nation. As such, they
apply uniformly to all who fall within their jurisdiction.
Ethics shows them the distinction between truth and a falsehood. It makes us aware of the
wrongness and rightness of our actions. Ethics enables us to think in moral terms and
upgrades us in moral terms. It helps us in raising our moral standard. Laws framed by the
state also aim at the same.
Laws Vs ethics :-
Ethics are moral philosophy where a person makes a specific moral choice and sticks
to it, whereas law is a system that comprises of rules and principles to govern a
society. Though, ethics are based on the goodwill of law, ethics completely differ
in their foundation, basis and purpose.
Law is a derivative of ethics, law does not focus on promoting social ideas, it merely
promotes the convention of a good society.
Laws help shape politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a
social mediator of relationships between people. Ethics, being about actions and
decisions, helps to shape an individual’s conscience and character.
The connection between law and ethics depends on perception, because often what
is perceived as unethical is usually considered illegal.
Law does not prohibit many acts that would widely be condemned as unethical.
For example, lying or betraying the confidence of a friend is not illegal, but most
people would consider it unethical. Also, speeding is illegal, but many people may not
have any ethical conflict with exceeding the speed limit. So, law is more than simply
codifying ethical norms.
There is valid punishment for breaking the law which is not the case with ethics.
Ethics Vs morals:-
Ethics are external standards that are provided by institutions, groups, or culture to
which an individual belongs. Morals are also influenced by culture or society, but they
are personal principles created and upheld by individuals themselves.
Consistency and Flexibility
Ethics are very consistent within a certain context, but can vary greatly between
contexts. For example, the ethics of the medical professionin the 21st century are
generally consistent and do not change from hospital to hospital, but they are
different from the ethics of the 21st century legal profession.
An individual’s moral code is usually unchanging and consistent across all contexts,
but it is also possible for certain events to radically change an individual’s personal
beliefs and values.
A person strictly following Ethical Principles may not have any Morals at all.
Likewise, one could violate Ethical Principles within a given system of rules in order
to maintain Moral integrity.
A Moral Person although perhaps bound by a higher covenant, may choose to follow
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a code of ethics as it would apply to a system. Ethics are governed by professional
and legal guidelines within a particular time and place. Morality transcends cultural
norms.
Law Vs morals :-
Laws are concerned with external acts of man and not motives .
Laws are enforced by the state whereas canons of morality are followed at the call
of institution. If one disobeys the commands of law or violates the laws, he is liable to
be punished by the state but if one fails to observe the scruples of morality, he is
not liable to be awarded physical punishment.
Morality is concerned with both internal and external affairs of man whereas law
is concerned only with the external affairs of man. Hence, law punishes only those
persons who violate laws by their external actions.
There are many things which are not illegal according to law but are
unacceptable to morality. For example, telling lies, showing disgrace to others,
feeling greedy, being ungrateful and not helping the poor, are not against the spirit of
law.
Not only this, sometimes the adoption of immoral policies by the state for the
cause of common welfare is not illegal in the eyes of laws.
Laws are certain and universal and they are universally applicable to all
citizens whereas the canons of morality are quite uncertain.
Laws which are not based on the sentiment of morality are less effective and less
permanent
17/17

TOPIC: Role of women and women’s organization. Social empowerment, communalism,

regionalism & secularism.
1) Temple movements in India have shifted focus from being caste based to gender
based. Examine. (250 words)
1/23
The question makes an assertion that the focus of temple entry movements has shifted from
ensuring non discrimination on the basis of caste to non discrimination on the basis of gender.
This issue also gains importance in terms of the protests and court’s involvement required in
Sabarimala etc. We have to first examine how the temple entry movements of early years
were caste based and how they are placing greater emphasis on gender now.
Directive word
details, and find out the causes or implications if any. Here we have to probe deeper into the
aims and objectives of the temple entry movement of past and present.
Introduction – Mention about the various fault lines in Indian society which gets exacerbated
when religion is introduced into the picture leading to demands for reforms.
Body
Examine the temple entry movements such as Aravipuram, Sikh Gurudwara reform
movements etc and how caste was the dominant theme in those movements
Examine the recent demands for reforms in case of Sabarimala etc and how gender is
also becoming a major issue
Examine whether caste is no longer relevant in temple reform movements now – talk
about discrimination still persisting etc
Conclusion – Mention your view on the assertion made in the question based on your
arguments above.
Background:-
India is a country of temples and people have been congregating at temples for
various reasons. Different religions have their own temple .Over of period of
time, because of wealth and influence temple had on masses, it was a seat of power
struggle. Certain classes or castes were not let entry in temples. These led to
different kind of movements in the country.
Temple movements in India were earlier caste based:-
The Aravipuram movement was of far-reaching importance in South India. Inspired

by its success, a number of socio-religious reform movements were launched in the
South. The Temple Entry Movement is the more prominent among them.
The struggle against the disabilities imposed on the avarnasor members of
depressed classes in various parts of South India was being waged since the end of
the 19th century. In Kerala, leading the struggle were several reformers and
intellectuals such as Sri Narayana Guru, N. Kumaran Asan and T.K. Madhavan. In
1924, another beginning was made for opening the doors of the temples for the
avarnas.
2/23
The temple entry movement was the Gandhian or nationalist approach to fight caste
oppression.
As a result of the movement, in November 1936, the Maharaja of Travancore issued
a proclamation throwing open all government controlled temples to all Hindus
irrespective of caste. Madras also followed suit.
Vaikom Satyagraha :-
First systematically organized agitation in Kerala against orthodoxy to secure the
rights of the depressed classes.
The agitation brought forward the question of civil rights of the low caste people into
the forefront of Indian politics.
Gurdwara Reform Movement,which was actually a legislation passed by the
Punjab Legislative Council which marked the culmination of the struggle of the Sikh
people from 1920-1925 to wrest control of their places of worship from the mahants
or priests into whose hands they had passed during the eighteenth century.
Now the shift is towards gender based:-
Preventing women’s entry to the Sabarimala temple with an notion of “purity” clearly
offends the equality clauses in the Constitution.
It denotes a patriarchal and partisan approach.The entry prohibition takes away the
woman’s right against discrimination guaranteed under Article 15(1) of the
Constitution
It curtails her religious freedom assured by Article 25(1)
Prohibition of women’s entry to the shrine solely on the basis of womanhood and the
biological features associated with womanhood is derogatory to women, which Article
51A(e) aims to renounce
The classification based on age is, in essence, an act of discrimination based on sex
Trimbakeshwar temple, Nashik

The Shiva temple is also one of the places that restrict entry to women in the
core area.
Even now, some women are discouraged from approaching their temples at home or
even entering the kitchen while menstruating.
Yielding to campaign by activists, the Shani Shingnapur temple trust allowed women
to enter the sanctum sanctorum, breaking the tradition followed for several decades.
Still caste discrimination persists:-
Many temples around still practice casteism, discrimination and untouchability in the
name of ‘ancient tradition.
Lakshmi Ranganatha Swami temple in Karnataka serves as a good example of this
practice. When the idol of the presiding deity is taken out for a procession during
the Utsava , Dalit households are exempted.
Though this issue can be solved if instruments like education ,rationality ,and proper
implementation of law and order act as bulwark against them.
The Travancore Proclamation was not the be-all and end-all of social reforms. Nor
did things dramatically change for the better for Dalits immediately after 1936. But
there is no doubt that the Proclamation indeed was a big step in establishing
3/23
the rights of the lower castes in Kerala, and indeed the nation as a whole.
Way forward:-
Judiciary is playing a significant role in upholding constitutional guarantees of

equality for women and dalits by allowing them to enter temples .The temple being a
place of faith needs to not discriminate prejudices but treat everyone equally.
Enactment and enforcement of atrocities laws and the steps taken by temples in
Maharashtra and Kerala which allowed women and persons from depressed class to
be priests that there is social transformation
It is essential to prevent monopolisation of religious rights by a few under the guise of
management of religious institutions
Topic – Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or
2) Critically analyze whether India needs a modification in its nuclear doctrine to

secure national interest?(250 words)
4/23
Hindustantimes
Why this question
20 years post Pokhran II, and the prevailing geopolitical and geostrategic flux provides an
opportune moment for India to analyze whether its current nuclear doctrine is best suited to
secure India’s national security.
Following points needs to be covered in your answer
What is India’s nuclear doctrine

How the current doctrine helps India achieve India’s national security interests
How the current doctrine falls short
Expert opinion on modifications required in India’s nuclear doctrine
Your own view
Directive word
Introduction – Highlight the changes happening in geopolitical and geostrategic status quo
which makes it prudent to revise our nuclear doctrine. Also mention that global disarmament
is a distant dream and securing national interest is the priority.
Body
Discuss India’s nuclear doctrine, discuss India’s national interest and how the current
doctrine helps in fulfilling it.
Discuss how the current doctrine falls short. Examine it from various angles such as as
a deterrent, in line with foreign policy objectives , geopolitical status quo, technological
advancement such as strategic nuckes etc
Discuss the changes that can be brought in
Summarise your arguments by providing your view
Conclusion – Highlight the need for constant review of India’s nuclear doctrine and the way
forward.
Background:-
Last year the defence minister’s statement questioning the need and desirability of
the ‘no first use’ of nuclear weapons policy has spurred a flurry of commentaries
reviewing India’s nuclear doctrine, even though it does not reflect any change in
India’s no first use commitment per se
India’s nuclear doctrine:-

5/23
India’s nuclear doctrine was first enunciated following a Cabinet Committee on

Security (CCS) meeting in January 2003.
Some of the main features of India’s nuclear doctrine are :-
Building and maintaining a credible minimum deterrent
A “No First Use” posture; nuclear weapons to be used only “in retaliation
against a nuclear attack on Indian territory or on Indian forces anywhere
Nuclear retaliation to a first strike will be “massive” and designed to inflict
“unacceptable damage”
Nuclear retaliatory attacks to be authorized only by civilian political
leadership through the Nuclear Command Authority.
Non use of nuclear weapons against non nuclear weapon states.
India to retain option of retaliating with nuclear weapons in the event of a major
attack against it with biological or chemical weapons;
Continuance of strict controls on export of nuclear and missile related materials
and technologies, participation in FMCT negotiations, continued moratorium on
testing;
Continued commitment to goal of nuclear weapon free world, through global,
verifiable and non discriminatory disarmament
No change is necessary:-
India’s current doctrine has helped India secure crucial international deals, such the
Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG) waiver as part of the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal in 2008.
More recently, India signed a nuclear cooperation agreement with Japan, which
is quite surprising as Japan is known for its staunch anti-nuclear stance and
India is not a signatory of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
India is currently also seeking to join the NSG as a permanent member which
is a doctrinal shift and is only going to give China more reason to delay India’s
entry. This posture would also play into the hands of Pakistan, which
has long accused India of duplicity over its no first use policy and called
India’s expanding arsenal a threat to the region’s stability.
No First Use works well:
It builds stability into deterrence by credibly promising nuclear retaliation
in the face of extreme provocation of a nuclear first strike by one’s
adversary.
Change in stance will create issues:-
All the gains enjoyed by India in the international community by the restraint of
India nuclear posture would be frittered away if there is change in stance of
nuclear doctrine
It would enormously complicate and increase the expenditure incurred by us in
regard to our command and control mechanisms which would have to be
reconfigured to engage in calibrated nuclear war fighting.
It would weaken the possibility of our engaging in conventional warfare
insulated from the nuclear overhang.
It would encourage the use of tactical nuclear weapons against under the
illusion of no massive response.
6/23
It would facilitate the painting of South Asia as a nuclear flashpoint and thereby
encourage foreign meddling.
Change is needed :-
No first use :-
Such an approach unnecessarily kept India on the back foot and on the
defensive and made it axiomatic that India would have to face the
consequences of a first strike before being able to respond. Moreover, it
prevented India from keeping a potential adversary off balance.
There is increasing evidence of Pakistan’s proclivity to use tactical nuclear
weapons against India.
Pakistan’s acquisition of a TNW such as the Hatf IX missile, with a range of 60
kilometres and capable of carrying a nuclear warhead of an appropriate yield,
has attracted widespread attention in various Indian debates on strategic
stability.
It has been argued that Pakistan’s acquisition of TNWs has lowered the
deterrence threshold and thereby affected the overall strategic stability in the
region.
Emphasising this change in India’s strategic environment, the proponents of
doctrinal review argue that India’s existing doctrine is ill-suited to deter Pakistan
from using TNWs against India
Advocates of a change in India’s NFU policy would like its nuclear doctrine mimic
those of most of the established Nuclear Weapon States which contemplate the
use of nuclear weapons even in sub nuclear conflicts.
Way forward:-
Periodic statements about the nurturing and upgradation of India’s nuclear arsenal
and systems including alternate command structure.
An indication that India’s nuclear arsenal will be large enough to take care of all
adversaries and will have to be in the mid triple digits.
Appointment of a Chief of Defence Staff and upgradation of the NTRO as a capable
apex techint organization which would in a fool proof manner provide indicators of any
attack on us and ensure swift and massive nuclear retaliation inflicting unacceptable
damage.
Nuclear testing:-
Two things need to be done to configure and laboratory-test sophisticated
thermonuclear weapons designs.
The laser inertial confinement fusion facility at the Centre for Advanced
Technology, Indore, needs to be refurbished on a war-footing, and a dual-axis
radiographic hydrodynamic test facility constructed.
3) In order to make Paris Climate deal successful, it is essential to create a fair and
equity based rule book at the earnest. Comment.(250 words)
7/23
Reference
Why this question
Paris Climate deal is a historic agreement that aims to address climate change and global rise
in ambient temperatures. The rule book under the Paris agreement, which will lay down the
rules for operation of the agreement is to be finalised by this year end. The issue is related to
Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting
India’s interests
The question wants us to deliberate on the rule book under the Paris agreement, its
significance, key issues involved and present our opinion on the need to finalise it by the year
end.
Directive word
Comment- we have to present our opinion on the given issue and put behind a context and a
body of arguments in its support.
Introduction- Give a brief description of the meaning of rule book under Paris agreement and
different subsidiary parties to be formed.
Body–
Discuss in points various issues responsible for disagreement and slow progress.
e.g issues of Stocktake, accounting, finance, enhanced transparency framework, adaptation

communications etc.
Opposition by developed countries to launch a process on deciding new quantitative goal for
finance by 2025, to provide ex-ante biennial communication under Article 9.5 of the Paris
Agreement and to operationalise the Adaptation Conclusion- Mention the overall imperative
of addressing Climate Change and global warming and need for the developing and developed
countries to work together to frame a fair and equity based rule book under the Paris
agreement.
Background:-
The recentsession of Subsidiaries Bodies concluded in Bonn with very slow progress
on formation of rule book for implementation of Paris Agreement.
Paris climate deal:-
The Paris Agreement was adopted in December 2015. After its coming into force a
year later, Parties started working on negotiating bodies
Subsidiary Body for Finance (SBI), Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technical
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Advice (SBSTA) and Ad-hoc working group on Paris Agreement (APA) under the
Paris Agreement Work Programme (PAWP) for detailing the modalities, procedures
and guidelines (MPGs) or the ‘rule book’ of various elements under the climate deal.
The mandate is to create the rule book by the end of this year
Issues regarding disagreement :-
Parties struggled to have a comprehensive text which could form the basis of
discussions resulting in the rule book.
Discussions took place on different agenda items related to Global
Stocktake, Transparency Framework, Information on NDCs (nationally
determined contributions), new market mechanisms, adaptation fund and
other issues related to Paris Agreement.
Instead, informal consultations resulted in emergence of informal texts with
successive iterations that do not have any legal standing.
Developed countries vs developing countries divide:-
The same old divide between developed and developing countries continued
over the issue of differentiation across a range of issues, including
accounting, finance, enhanced transparency framework, global stocktake,
adaptation communications.
Parties also discussed issues like common time frames for NDCs, capacity
building, and information to be reported in adaptation communications
that should not be duplicated under transparency framework.
Developed countries, led by the US and EU, opposed constructive
outcomes on pre-2020 actions.
They also opposed to launch a process on deciding new quantitative goal
for finance by 2025, to provide ex-ante biennial communication under Article
9.5 of the Paris Agreement and to operationalise the Adaptation Fund.
Regarding technology transfer, developing countries underlined the lack of
discussion on institutional arrangements domestically.
Finance is the most significant element for implementation of Paris
Agreement:-
Developing countries are pushing for predictable and sustainable finance and
developed countries arepushing for increasing donor base.
There needs to be clarity on achieving the mandate of US$100 billion by 2020
and discussions need to be initiated for increasing the amount by 2025.
Since finance is cross cutting in nature, its operationalisation in
Adaptation Fund and loss and damage gains paramount importance as
both adaptation and loss and damage issues suffer for lack of funds.
Therefore to not discredit the process and follow the mandate that Parties themselves
agreed, it is essential to prepare the rule book by 2018 to build trust, identify areas of
cooperation and raise ambition
and the
performance of these schemes
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4) Mere construction of toilets to achieve ODF status will not lead to improvement in
access to basic sanitation for Indians. Critically Examine.(250 words)
Reference
10/23
Why this question
Under the transformation of aspirational districts initiative, government is pushing for

fulfillment of target of toilet construction under SBM. Whether or not this will help in
achieving improvement in SDG targets etc needs to be analyzed in greater depth, now that
2019 is near. Status of toilet construction, other shortcomings in sanitation etc needs to be
analyzed in greater depth.
Following points have to be incorporated in the answer
Details about SBM, the status of toilet construction and what it is trying to achieve
Examine why construction of toilets is not going to be sufficient – associated issues of
maintenance etc, related issues of improving sanitation that includes solid and liquid
waste management, clean water availability, behaviour change etc needs to be brought
about
Also analyze the penchant of government to implement policies by a target based
approach which shifts the focus away from the broader problem and instead makes us
myopic in our vision
Discuss the way forward
Directive word
get into details, and find out the causes or implications if any. When ‘critically’ is suffixed or
fair judgement.
Introduction – Discuss about the ODF target of the government under SBM and the current
focus on achieving numbers prior to 2019 through transformation of aspirational districts
initiative. Also mention what the government is trying to achieve – improvement in sanitation
Body
Mention how far India has come in construction of toilets – mention the benefits that
will accrue through this step
Probe deeper to bring out the issues linked to improving sanitation that is being ignored
– solid and liquid waste management, behavioural change etc.
Discuss why these issues are critical in improving India’s ranking in SDG and
improving the sanitation situation in rural India
Discuss the shortcoming of adopting a target based policy approach
Summarise your arguments and present your point of view
Conclusion – highlight the need for broadening our outlook when it comes to questions of
sanitation and discuss way forward.
Background:-
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As on April 2018, the number of households not having toilets is just 27.8 million. By
March 2019, all these households will have toilets, if the current pace of construction
sustains.
Focusing on constructing toilets will not lead to improvement in sanitation:-
The rate of construction in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha in the last 10 months
was approximately 15 toilets, 12 toilets and four toilets per minute, respectively.
Such construction spree makes one wonder whether the whole idea of SBM is
just about having toilet in every household.
Unable to reach target:-
Access to free toilets has not helped resolve open defecation in India.The
programme is unlikely to succeed in its primary task of eliminating open
defecation by October 2019.
The rate of open defecation is not decreasing much:-
India has far higher levels of open defecation than other countries of the same
GDP per capita. For example, India has a higher GDP per capita than
Bangladesh, but in Bangladesh only 8.4% households defecate in the open,
compared to 55% in India.
Purity and pollution:-
The key reason for this is that basic latrines that need to be emptied out
manually or pumped by simple machines are unacceptable to higher
caste Hindus.
It is considered polluting to the individual and the home, and historically
associated with untouchability. So people rather defecate in open than having a
toilet at home.
It is not just a matter of access but a problem of perceptions of pollution, ritual
purity, and caste.
Even if the government builds free toilets without any leakage or corruption,
India will at best have 80 million new toilets that a large proportion of Indians do
not want to use.
By 2015, India had missed the target of reducing number of people without
sustainable access to basic sanitation by 50 per cent under Millennium Development
Goal (MDG) No 7 by a wide margin
States are yet to spend on solid liquid waste management (SLWM), which is a
major part of safe sanitation.
Way forward:-
Deeply entrenched cultural contexts must be taken into account for successful policy
outcomes. India needs to change perceptions of ritual purity through education and
awareness in rural areas. This can be done by investing in sewage systems.
Enabling local governments to construct sewage systems will solve the purity
issue :-
A toilet that flushes away human waste into the sewage and waste
management system solves the problem. If there is a functional sewage
system, it is relatively low cost for households to build a toilet in every home
that is connected to the sewage system.
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Developing proper sewage system in village would also have wider impact with
water not stagnating any more, lesser vector borne diseases etc so the wider
objective of sanitation will be achieved.
Also it would not put stress on manual scavenging and this occupation can
slowly fade away giving sense of dignity and equality to the most vulnerable
sections.
Pursuit of Swachh Bharat also requires strengthening public health services.

Services such as good drainage systems, absence of swamps and ponds that are
home to stagnant water, and the supply of safe drinking water all of which reduce
exposure to and spread of diseases are classic examples of public goods and
require effective government intervention.
TOPIC:Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth,

Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.
5) Discuss the reasons behind farmer suicides in some of the agriculturally most
productive regions of India like Punjab.(250 words)
EPW
13/23
Why this question
Farmer and farming distress is one of the burning issues for India, which witnesses one of the
highest farmer suicide rates in the world. However, not only agriculturally impoverished states
but also agriculturally productive ones like Punjab are grappling with the situation. The issue
is related to GS-3 syllabus under the following heading-
Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth,

Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.
The question wants us to highlight and explain the reasons behind farmer suicides in
agriculturally productive regions of India.
Directive word
Discuss- we have to write in detail about the given issue- reasons behind farmers suicide in
regions which are agriculturally very productive, like Punjab.
Introduction– Give a brief description of farmer suicides in India, worst affected states, share
of agriculture in GDP and employment etc.
Body– Discuss in points, about the probable causes of farm suicides in agriculturally
prosperous regions like Punjab and briefly elaborate each point.
e.g Low per capita land, financial intermediaries, high loan rates, high costs of production and
labour, inability to pool up resources, need for hiring labor due to shortage of time, low
agriculture products prices and low MSPS, decreasing water tables and increasing costs of
pumping water out, economic exploitation by dealers selling agriculture equipment, seeds,
fertilizers etc.
Conclusion– Suggest some measures to ameliorate the situation. e.g Waiving off loan of
small and marginal landholders, enhancing institutional credit, Zero Budget natural farming
etc.
Background:-
The changed pattern of land holdings, changed cropping pattern due to shift from
light to cash crops, liberalisation policies which pushed Indian agriculture into the
global markets without a level playing field, growing cost of cultivation, uncertainty of
crop output, lack of profitable prices, indebtedness, neglect of agriculture by the
government and its agencies, decline of public investment, individualisation of
agricultural operations, so on and so forth. This constitutes the vicious cycle a
farmer is trapped in.
Punjab farmer crisis:-
Due to unseasonal rains and hailstorms since mid-February last year Rabi crops like
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wheat, cereals, mustard, vegetables (potato) have been damaged greatly.

Consequently, many Farmers in the state have ended their lives
Magnitude and seriousness of the farm crisis can be gauged from the fact that
6,926 farmers and agricultural labourers committed suicide in the state during
2000–10 as per the census-based study .Among the victim farmers, about 79%
were small farmers cultivating up to two hectares of land.
Reasons behind farmer suicides in India in agriculturally productive regions :-
The high debt burden was the primary reason behind 75% of farmer suicides.
Large chunk of persons were underemployed or disguisedly unemployed
during 2016–17 in Punjab.
In Punjab, the annual income of farmers from crop farming is found to be
insufficient to meet their expenditure and debt servicing.
The mismatch between farm inputs and output prices, crop failures, and
unfavourable terms of trade between prices paid and received by the
farmers have contributed fairly to declining farm incomes.
Cost of cultivation:-
The MSP of wheat and paddy increased at the rate of 2% per annum while the
cost of cultivation increased at the rate of 7.9% during the last one and a half
decades.
With a growth rate of around 1.6% (during 2012–17) and the stress on natural
resources, the farm sector is trapped in a vicious circle of crisis. Expectedly,
small farmers are the worst sufferers.
Due to the declining water table, the cost of irrigation structures has increased as
the farmers have to replace centrifugal pumps by costly submersible pumps.
The farmers are being exploited by traders and dealers providing them spurious
seeds and agrochemicals.
Plummeting incomes, mounting debt, and high interest rates (particularly of non-
institutional sources) have pushed the peasantry towards deprivatio
Agriculture in Punjab suffers from mono-crop culture of mainly wheat and paddy.
With this cropping pattern, farming itself is becoming an unviable occupation, due to
rising fixed and variable input costs, and low remuneration leading to falling profit
margins.
Cost of inputs:-
Variable costs increase due to rising prices of inputs like fertilisers, pesticides,
weedicides, diesel etc.
Fixed costs like installation and deepening of submersible pumps due to the
dipping water table increase the financial woes of farmers.
For a small and marginal farmer, it is economically unviable to make such
investments, especially by borrowing from informal sources at high rates of
interest
Way forward:-
The “Scheme for Debt Swapping of Borrowers” should be made more effective for
converting the non-institutional debt into institutional debt.
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Also, the MSP as per the Swaminathan report (cost plus 50%) needs to be
honoured and implemented
The AMSCs should be set up at every village to provide custom-hiring services
to small farmers on a priority basis.
Quality farm inputs like seed, fertilisers, and pesticides must be supplied to the
farmers at subsidised prices.
Rationalisation of subsidies, especially in favour of small farmers may control
appreciating farm costs and making small farming viable.
For alternative employment, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
Guarantee Scheme should be effectively implemented by ensuring stipulated
annual employment of 100 days, rather than the existing 30 days, to each family in
the state.
Identifying and developing crop niches that will encourage allied activities in
appropriate agro-climatic zones of the state, and developing cooperative
primary processing and marketing units for crops and activities in these zones can
help improve the economic well-being of the farmers.

assessment
6) Critically analyze the health and environmental effects of using water and air
purifiers.(250 words)
EPW
16/23
Why this question
Air and water purifiers have become quite common and their demand has also been increasing
across India. However, there are many issues associated with their usage, as they affect the
health and environment. The issue is related to GS-3 syllabus under the following heading-
Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment
The question wants us to delve deeper into the issue and bring out the effects of using water
and air purifiers- positive and negative, and then form an opinion on their efficacy and
desirability.
Directive word
Critically analyze- We have to discuss the pros and cons of using water and air purifiers, and
form an opinion on their use based on the discussion.
Introduction- Mention the growing popularity of air and water purifiers and reasons behind
that- growing pollution, growing population, growing income, growing consciousness about
pollution etc.
Body–
1. discuss the pros of using air and water purifiers.
e.g air purifiers- recommended in highly polluted areas for children, asthma patients and
patients suffering from some cardiovascular disease etc.
water purifiers- recommend in areas where untreated water is supplied etc.
1. discuss the cons of using water and air purifiers.
e.g air purifiers- no indicator for ensuring proper working of the equipment, outdoor
pollution remains same and even aggravates, outdoor pollution can’t be avoided altogether
etc.
water purifiers- no indicator, wastage of water, pollution of outdoor water, irrational use
like in areas getting supply of treated water etc.
Conclusion- mention the lack of BIS standards and need to educate people about the usage of
water and air purifiers, and the imperative to holistically address pollution at individual and
collective levels.
Background:-
In recent years, purifiers have captured the imagination of people as a solution to the
pollution menace despite not doing much to alleviate the situation. Two of the most
prominent types of purifiers used at the household level to alleviate the influence of
pollution are air and water purifiers.
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Health and environmental impacts:
Water purifier :-
Positives:-
One of the primary reasons people need to shift from tap water to filtered
water is to ensure the least amount of exposure to water borne
disease such as diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, etc. About 1.8 million
people die every year of diseases like cholera. Millions of others are
seriously sickened by a variety of water-related ailments many of which
are easily preventable.
Having a true HEPA filter air purifier does not produce ozone as a
biproduct like Ionic air cleaners do.
In essence, a good air purifier can keep the air indoors much cleaner and
healthier to breathe no matter if you have pre existing respiratory
conditions or not.
RO water purifier removes toxin such as lead, mercury, Fluoride, Arsenic,
Chlorine which case human body to be ill. Lead metal can cause brain
damage and anaemia.
Negatives:-
HEPA filters get choked with dust, and have to be replaced every few
months. “If they are not replaced, they can actually cause far more harm.
While RO water purifier removes dissolved impurities it removes natural
mineral such as iron, magnesium, calcium and sodium which are
essential to the human body and cause a mineral deficiency in the body
No such standards are available for purification devices. This leaves
the users in a dilemma as they cannot test the quality of the water that
they get from source or even after purification from the device. They can
only test the taste and appearance of the water that they get.
Home water filters may help remove chlorine and other heavy metals
such as mercury, but they may not be able to remove pesticides
Does not kill bacteria, viruses:
RO water purifier does not kill waterborne disease-causing bacteria
and viruses. There is high probability that microorganisms can pass
through RO membrane( It is advisable to pass RO water through
the UV water purifier to treat microorganisms )
Water taste altered:
As natural minerals are removed water gets de-mineralized as a
result water taste affected, it becomes tasteless.
More time to purify:
RO water purifier takes too long to the purification of water.
Water wastage:
Approximately much more water compared to filtered out water
flushed down as waste water.
Air purifiers:-
Positives:-
Air purifiersare especially important in houses because they
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quickly and quietly clear allergens and other particles,
effectively remove odor, pollen, smoke, dust, pet dander, and
almost all other pollutants present in the air.
Control unwanted odors in the home like smoke, lingering
cooking smells, pet odors (especially great for cat box
odors), kitchen garbage odors, etc.
Filters mold spores out of the air :-
It is known that mold can be extremely detrimental to
your health and can aggravate respiratory conditions
like asthma, sinusitis, and hay fever. Mold is also
dangerous for those with compromised immune
systems or those who suffer from more serious
respiratory conditions like COPD, emphysema, chronic
bronchitis, and pneumonia.
Removes other asthma and allergen triggers from the air like
dry skin cells, second-hand smoke, asbestos particles, radon
gas, fumes, volatile organic compounds, and other pollutants.
Negatives:-
Some purifiers do, in fact, bring down particulates, have also
cautioned that many purifiers emit negative ions and ozone
as byproducts of the filtering process, which are hazardous
to health.
Carbon filters do little to control gaseous pollutants. They do
not address pollutants like benzene, other hydrocarbons and
NO2.
They shift the pollutants from inside the house to the outside,
contributing to overall pollution
The utility of air purifiers to asthma patients, children, and the
elderly cannot be denied, even when they might not serve
well to prevent pollution or saving people from the harmful
effects of pollution
Purifiers have a threshold of clearing the air depending on
their size, size of the room, pollutant levels, etc, leading to
their usage being restricted to specific environs.
There may also be certain contaminants, dangerous, but not
being removed by the purifier that one uses.
The purifier might also not work efficiently all the time leading
to contamination
The problems of leakages will always be eminent. Finally,
being in an overly purifier environment might lead to
reduction in the adaptability to endure one’s outside
environment.
Absence of regulation or standardisation of any kind in
India
It is very difficult to ascertain the quality and usability of
these devices, which are quite popular, especially after
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the increase of pollutants in air to dangerous levels in
most parts of India
Conclusion:-
Only solution to the current air quality problems is an improvement in the ambient air
quality
Topic: Infrastructure: Energy
7)100% village electrification is a huge achievement but not sufficient to end India’s
energy poverty. Discuss(250 words)
The hindu
20/23
Why this question
100% village electrification is a huge milestone. India has been making rapid strides in the
power sector with steps like UDAY, Saubhagya scheme etc. This historic milestone needs to
be discussed in greater detail to appreciate how far we have come and how far we still have to
go.
The question makes an assertion that despite 100% village electrification, the energy woes
from India are not going to get over. Thus we have to first explain the significance of
achieving 100% electrification and thereafter discuss the problems that still plague the energy
sector in India. We should also discuss some way forward.
Directive word

Introduction – Discuss the huge challenge that was before India in connecting every village to
the grid. Discuss Saubhagya scheme as a way out of this problem.
Body
Explain in detail the achievement of achieving 100% village electrification. How many
villages have been connected and other such detail
Explain the benefits of the move in brief
Discuss the improvement in power he generation and distribution that made it
possible
Etc
Explain the other issues that lead to India’s energy poverty – continuous supply of
affordable electricity, cooking fuel etc – discuss how they contribute to energy poverty
Discuss why these problems persist, what needs to be done for resolving this problem
Conclusion – Emphasize that many more miles are yet to be covered and discuss way forward
Background:-
Recently Indian government announced that all inhabited villages now enjoy
electrification. This signalled a significant milestone in the country’s development. It is
an achievement that will raise aspirations in the remotest districts.
According to the government data, all of India’s 597,464 census villages have
been electrified
Subnational endeavours and the Centre’s pump priming seem to have addressed the
regional imbalances in electrical development which concerned India’s early planners
Not sufficient to end India’s energy poverty:-

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India continues to harbour energy poverty as 31 million rural households and

about five million urban households are still to be connected to the grid the
highest in any single country.
The per capita consumption between rural and fast-rising urban India also
represents a challenge, since there is a divergence between the two. There are
twin challenges to be faced in improving access and equity.
A significant portion of connected rural households is yet to get adequate
quantity and quality of supply.
Regional imbalances in electricity access have persisted:-
Seven States (Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Assam, Rajasthan
and Madhya Pradesh) account for 90% of un-electrified households.
Rural household electrification has a wide range across States, from 47% to
100%.
The average hours of power supplied in a day to rural areas in January 2018
ranged from 11.5 in Mizoram to 24 hours in Kerala, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.
These anomalies are often the result of infrastructure deficits and
administrative inefficiency and the Power for All 24×7 goal adopted by
Cost of supply :-
Electricity distribution companies (discoms) in these seven States are already
highly indebted.Their debts account for 17% of accumulated liabilities of the
States.
Despite continued State subvention (except by Odisha), all these discoms
have been consistently running at a loss, accounting for about 47% of the
loss in electricity distribution business.
Existing subsidised lifeline tariffs in these States appear unaffordable to the
poor and certainly higher than in States with universal (or high) access.
Distribution network capacity:-
Distribution infrastructure is overburdened, as the demand has grown,
causing a high level of technical losses and frequent breakdowns.
The distribution network capacity in several States is inadequate to carry
available electricity. Subsequently, discoms have been resorting to load
shedding while their contracted generation capacities are underutilised.
Adding new load to the existing fragile distribution network will only
compromise the quality and reliability of supply. It could result in continued
blackouts for the rural poor during peak hours.
Many States have failed to utilise the limited funding:-
Current allocations under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana
(DDUGJY) and Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS), to augment
rural and urban distribution networks, respectively, are only a fraction of the
requirement. Moreover, disbursement of these grants has been much slower,
17% under DDUGJY and 31% under IPDS, reflecting sluggish implementation.
Low achievement of earlier electrification schemes has often been blamed on
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incompatibility and a lack of cooperation between the Centre and States.
The evidence from States such as Maharashtra, which made an claim to full
electrification six years ago relying partly on solar power, shows that theft,
damage and lack of technical capacity can pose serious hurdles.
Way forward:-
The answer may lie in a hybrid solutionthat ensures

Continued scaling up of both grid-connected and standalone solar systems in
appropriate areas
Augmenting conventional sources of electricity with a clear emphasis on
rooftop solutions for cities.
Cheaper renewables will enable differential pricing for households in remote
areas, a key determinant of wider social benefits of electricity.
The next step now is to provide electricity connections to more than 40 million
families in rural and urban areas by March 2019 under the Pradhan Mantri
Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana(Saubhagya), wherein all households will be targeted.
Conclusion:-
India has traversed a long, hard, impressive journey towards achieving 100 per cent
electrification. In fact, according to the International Energy Agency, by providing
energy access to over 500 million people since 2000, India has become one of the
greatest-ever success stories in electrification.
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NOTE: Please remember that following ‘answers’ are NOT ‘model answers’. They are NOT synopsis too if we go by definition of the term. What we are
providing is content that both meets demand of the question and at the same time gives you extra points in the form of background information.
1)The Vaikom Satyagraha was the first systematically organized agitation in Kerala against orthodoxy to secure the rights of the depressed
classes. Analyze.(250 words)
The key phrase in the question is “first systematically organised agitation”. Thus we have to analyze how vaikom Satyagraha took forward the reform movements
aimed at eliminating caste discrimination by making it more systematic, organising their charter of demands and systematically protesting. Basically we have to
contrast the earlier reform movements against Vaikom Satyagraha and examine how the latter was an improvement.
Directive word
Analyze – When asked to analyze, you have to examine methodically the structure or nature of the topic by separating it into component parts and present them as a
whole in a summary.
Introduction – Introduce with details about vaikom Satyagraha such as the nature of the movement, the aims and objectives, leaders involved etc
Body
Analyze the nature of the reform movements – both vaikom and others and how all the reform movements were in similar vein
Analyze what made vaikom Satyagraha different from the other reform movements – how it was more organised and systematic.
Discuss whether all the important leaders were involved
Linkages with national politics
The way the movement was managed and handled
Involvement of the masses and organisational capacity etc
Conclusion – Summarize how the said movement differed from other reform movements
Vaikom Satyagraha :-
The famous agitation took place there in 1924, known as Vaikom Satyagraha is the first organised movement against untouchability in India.
It occupies a major position in the renaissance movement in Kerala. It was triggered in the Kakinada Congress meeting in 1923, TK Madhavan
presented a report on the discrimination in Kerala and the plights of backward Hindus. The meeting decided to promote movements against
untouchability.
Agitation was borne out of the extreme injustice done to Dalits.
The Satyagraha aimed at securing freedom of movement for all sections of society through the public roads leading to the Sri Mahadevar
Temple at Vaikom.
First organised agitation in Kerala against orthodoxy :-
It paved the way for the Temple Entry Proclamation of the Travancore government, symbolised a movement for justice and equality across the
country during the freedom struggle.
Gandhi and Congress involvement:-
The issue at Vaikom needed handling at a higher and wider level. Instead of being just a fight for gaining access to road,Panikkar suggested
making it a symbolic battle against atrocities in the name of caste, giving it a national and cosmopolitan look to gain the attention of
the entire world.
The Congress along with Gandhi agreed to include the eradication of untouchability in their constructive programs and resolved to lend full
support to the Vaikom Movement.
Widespread support:-
All newspapers in India flashed headlines about the Satyagraha. Money flowed from different states to Vaikom.
The Akalis of Punjab came to Vaikom to open a free kitchen for the Satyagrahis.
Non-Hindus came forward to offer Satyagraha. But Gandhiji did not accept any of these.
This was the first time that an organised movement was being conducted on such a large scale for the civil rights of the untouchables and
other backward castes in Kerala.
The Vaikom Satyagraha was not an agitation for political freedom, it was a movement to purify the Hindu society of its blemishes, and this
was what Narayana Guru also attempted through his actions and messages.
Impact :-
Gandhi’s non-violent weapon of Satyagraha had been evolved from agitations such as Vaikom.
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Vaikom Satyagraha was a testing ground for the Gandhian principles of Satyagraha. It was tested and proved as the most effective
means for the first time.
It became a key event in the civil rights movements during the freedom struggle.
It was cosmopolitan in character and people from various religious communities, castes and provinces took part in it.
It heralded the mass participation of women in public action. The struggle helped to define the later social identity of Kerala.
In 1925, all except the eastern gate of the temple was opened to all Hindus.
In 1928, another royal proclamation gave backward castes the right to walk on public roads leading to all temples in Travancore.
This movement was a watershed in the history of emancipation of the depressed classes especially in Kerala.
Another achievement of Vaikom agitation is certainly communal harmony. Progressive minded Savarnas and Avarnas came together with
Christians, Muslims and even Sikhs. It is to be remembered that many Savarnas played the role of active leaders, till the withdrawal of
the Satyagraha, and this has demonstrated the basic unity of the people.
The streets in the temple area were opened to Harijans or Untouchables. In 1936, they were allowed to enter the temple. TheSatyagraha paved
the way for subsequent Temple Entry Act.
Topic – Salient features of world’s (including India) physical geography
2)The severity of air pollution over Northern India is primarily due to the inherent geographical disadvantages that the region faces. Critically
examine.(250 words)
Indian express
Why this question
The recent WHO report has brought into focus the problem of severe air pollution, particularly in North India. The first step in dealing with any problem is
identification of the causes. Thus this question becomes important.
Following points are to be mentioned in your answer
Detail out the severity of air pollution in India in general and over North India in particular
Examine the causes behind air pollution over North India
Analyze whether the causes are all due to geographical limitations that the region has or due to man made issues
Mention in brief suggestions to address the situation
Directive word
Critically examine – When you are asked to examine, you have to probe deeper into the topic, get into details, and find out the causes or implications if any. When
‘critically’ is suffixed or prefixed to a directive, all you need to do is look at the good and bad of something and give a fair judgement.
Introduction – Detail out the magnitude of the problem of air pollution with emphasis over the severity of the situation in North India.
Body
Examine the various causes

Analyze whether the reason is on account of geographical disadvantages or man made reasons or a combination of the two
Suggest some ways to mitigate this challenge
Conclusion – Provide your view based on arguments made.
Background:-
According to latest WHO report 14 of the 15 worst cities with respect to air pollution were from north India.
Severity of air pollution in North India:-
In 2014, the WHO listed Delhi the worst in the world in terms of particulate matter (PM) 2.5, 30 times less than the width of human hair, and most
hazardous.
General Reasons:-
Burning of crop residue:-

One of the main reasons of increasing air pollution levels in Delhi is crop burning by the farmers in these states. Farmers burn rice stubbles in
Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. It is estimated that approximately 35 million tonnes of crop are set afire by these states.
Dust from construction debris:-
Large scale construction is another culprit that is increasing dust and pollution in the air.
Vehicle exhaust:-
Vehicular emission is increasing the hazardous effects of air pollution and smog.
Rapid increase in pollution sources due to urbanisation.
Proliferation of industrial units using extremely dirty fuels without pollution control
Extensive use of solid fuels for cooking
Enormous problem of waste mismanagement and big dust impacts.
Over-population only adds up to the various types of pollution.
Investing less on public infrastructure is another reason of air pollution. In India, investment in public transport and infrastructure is low which
leads to congested roads, and hence air pollution.
Geographical disadvantages:-
Indo-Gangetic plains are sandwiched between the Himalayas and the Vindhyas and are home to more than 600 million people with winds blowing
from north-west to east, especially in winter, which carry pollutants from other regions.
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As the winter season sets in, dust particles and pollutants in the air become unable to move. Due to stagnant winds, these pollutants get locked in
the air and affect weather conditions, resulting in smog.
Meteorology:
Temperature inversions and stable wind conditions are characteristic features of winters in North India. While calm wind conditions prevent the
dissipation of pollutant emissions, the temperature inversion layer tends to trap pollution, thereby increasing the observed pollutant
concentrations.
Wind convergence zone:
The Indo-Gangetic plain is essentially landlocked. The Himalayas prevent polluted air from escaping to the north creating the so called
“valley effect”.
Other studies have pointed out that the formation of low pressure troughs across this region causes winds to converge, resulting in trapping of
local, as well as pollution from outside.
Loose Alluvial Soil:
The Indus-Ganga belt is the world’s largest stretch of uninterrupted alluvium deposits. As fertile as alluvium is, it is composed of loose
unconsolidated particles. Thus, dry alluvial soil significantly contributes to wind-blown dust.
Seasonal variation of particulate matter composition:
Studies that have been carried out for the cities situated in the Indo-Gangetic basin point out that the relative proportion of dust exceeds the
contribution from anthropogenic sources.
Dust accounts for 40 per cent of total PM10 in summer, it accounts for only 13 per cent in winter.
Widespread dust events are a common phenomenon in the northern part of the country during summers. There is no denying the fact
that wind–blown dust contributes significantly to the pollution problem.
This region does not have the advantage of a coastline.
Way forward:-
Think regionally, but act locally. Beijing, Shanghai and other Chinese cities have demonstrated that where there is the political will, there is a
way to tackle air pollution.
More efficient means of treating crop residue are needed
Replace smoky chulhas with efficient models
Cracking down on construction debris and polluting thermal power stations
Restricting the number of vehicles and switching to mass public transport in cities
While local-level policy and technological interventions are certainly the call of the hour, a national-level integrated plan needs to be put in place.
Topic – Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to
local levels and challenges therein.
3)The terms of reference of the 15th Finance commission seriously undermine Indian federalism. Discuss.(250 words)
The hindu
Why this question
The terms of reference (TOR) of the 15th finance commission have been under criticism from the states, especially the southern states, for various reasons. The
question is related to GS-2 syllabus under the following heading-
Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local
levels and challenges therein.
The question wants us to bring out the salient provisions of the TOR of the 15th finance commission and discuss how they would affect federalism in India.
Directive word
Discuss- we have to write in detail about the important provisions of the TOR of the 15th finance commission and how they would affect the federal structure of
India.
Introduction– give a brief description of the finance commission, its constitutional powers and mandate.
Body- Discuss in points, how the TOR of 15th finance commission will affect federalism.
e.g. change in population base and consequent change in resources allocation,
power of the commission to review the award of its predecessor i.e 14th finance commission, increase in share of centrally sponsored schemes, reversing the 14th
Finance Commission’s efforts to ensure that the discretionary element in the grant given by the Commission is totally eliminated etc.
Conclusion- mention the imperative of fiscal federalism and diverse nature of states which demands devolution of sufficient powers- legal and financial.
Background:-
The terms of reference of the 15th Finance Commission are a matter of utmost importance to the resources available to the States of India. The
terms of reference of this Commission have created apprehension among States about principles of fairness and equity in the distribution of public
resources for development.
Terms of 15 th finance commission undermine federalism:-
The ToR want to curtail borrowing by States from the present 3% of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) to 1.7% fi the Fiscal
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Responsibility and Budget Management Review Committee has its way with its recommendation.
India has just started exercising borrowing rights as recommended by the 14th Finance Commission. If this is reversed, this will severely curtail
capital expenditure of States
The foremost objective of the Finance Commission is an equitable distribution of financial resources between the two units of the Union. The States
in India today neither have the resources to fulfil their tasks as laid down in the Constitution, nor do they have the right to raise such
resources due to the government policy and GST reduced states independence even further.
Revenue grants:-
The terms of reference state that the Commission may also examine whether revenue deficit grants be provided at all.
Revenue deficits are offshoots of the path of development followed by States and cannot be brought down in the short term.
To discontinue post-tax devolution of revenue deficit grants would go against the principle of cooperative federalism.
Vertical devolution:-
The terms of reference explicitly privilege the committed expenditures of the Centre.
The Finance Commission should not take a residual approach to the question of vertical devolution.The approach should not be that of
distributing what is left over after providing for the requirements of the Centre.
The terms of reference are unprecedented in asking the 15th Finance Commission to consider proposing performance-based
incentives beyond those relating to fiscal responsibility, population and devolution to local bodies.
It is not the duty of the Finance Commission to venture into the realm of day-to-day governance. The elected governments of States will decide
what policies are appropriate for people.
Fiscal consolidation:-
They intensify efforts to use the Finance Commission as an instrument of fiscal consolidation and to impose the ideological and economic
agenda of the Central government on the States
This aspect is criticised as it is not the task of a Finance Commission to recommend road maps for fiscal management
The Centre’s direction to use the 2011 Census instead of the 1971 Census for population data has concerned the southern states. As the
population in these States has stabilised, the concern is that their share of tax allocation would reduce.
The terms of reference for the 15th Finance Commissionhave brought the south together in making a strong case for fiscal federalism.
Using 2011 census data will give states with the greatest increase in population an advantage in their share of revenue, relative to prior
revenue allocations.
Using the 2011 census would mean that the policy successes is states like TN, Kerala are punished and the policy failures of badly governed
states are rewarded.
Taking away the resources of successful states at this crucial juncture of their development also affects their future development and welfare
outcomes.
The use of the 2011 census in the 15th FC is merely revealing the symptoms caused by the problem of centralizing fiscal decisions.
Way forward:-
Long-term solution is to foster genuine fiscal federalismwhere states largely raise their own revenue and face hard budget constraints, i.e. fiscal
autonomy accompanied by fiscal responsibility.
Creating a fiscal structure where the states have greater revenue-raising authority, as well as greater decision making power on spending, implies a
lower reliance on the Union government in fiscal matters as well as governance decisions.
India needs to move away from centralization-decentralization thinking, and embrace genuine fiscal federalism by permanently creating a fiscal
power centre in the states.
Topic: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health ; Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by
the Centre and States and the
performance of these schemes
4)Discuss how Ayushman Bharat is an improvement over RSBY? Examine the challenges that lie ahead in fulfilling the mandate of Ayushman
Bharat?(250 words)
Financial express
Reference
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Why this question
Ayushman Bharat is a flagship scheme in healthcare which has to be prepared in detail.
The first part of the question requires us to compare the provisions of Ayushman Bharat with RSBY in which detailed comparison of the provisions of the two
scheme is to be written. The second part of the question demands us to delve deeper into the challenges that might be faced in the implementation of the scheme.
Directive word
Discuss – Here we need to compare the provisions of the two scheme, highlight how one is an improvement of the other and provide a fair view at the end.
Examine – We have to delve deeper into the challenges of implementing Ayushman Bharat, the impacts these challenges might have on the future of the scheme
and way forward.
Introduction – Briefly explain the aims and objectives of Ayushman Bharat and RSBY.
Body
Compare and contrast the provisions of Ayushman Bharat and RSBY to determine whether the former is an improvement over the latter.
Discuss the challenges under various heads like financial, capacity building, infrastructure etc. Discuss the impact these challenges would have on the future
of the scheme if left unresolves.
Discuss the ways in which these challenges can be mitigated by taking learnings from the implementation of RSBY
Conclusion – mention the need for such a scheme for solving the health woes of a large section of the population.
Background:-
India is concerned with many health issues be it malnutrition, infant mortality, rising non communicable diseases, growing number of deaths due to
cancer etc. The national health protection scheme or the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme is the step in the right direction which can give
impetus to healthcare in India.
Ayushman Bharat:-
Ayushman Bharat is National Health Protection Scheme, which will cover over 10 crore poor and vulnerable families (approximately 50 crore
beneficiaries) providing coverage upto 5 lakh rupees per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization.
Ayushman Bharat – National Health Protection Mission will subsume the on-going centrally sponsored schemes – Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana
(RSBY) and the Senior Citizen Health Insurance Scheme (SCHIS).
Benefits of the scheme are portable across the country and a beneficiary covered under the scheme will be allowed to take cashless benefits from
any public/private empanelled hospitals across the country.
How is it improvement over RSBY :-
Each individual gets an annual allocation of Rs 5 lakh for secondary and tertiary hospitalisation.The move is expected to benefit as many as 500
million people, going much beyond a total of 36 million families who have been enrolled so far under RSBY.
The scheme will replace Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana under which, the government provided Rs.30,000 annually for healthcare.Under NHPS,
Rs.30,000 is increased to Rs. 5 lakhs.
Priority is being given to strengthening primary healthcare with 70% of allocated funds being spent on it, which means a better basic
healthcare package for the people. It is envisioned that health centres will be upgraded to 1.5 lakh health and wellness centres.
The new focus aims to take primary health centres from providing only limited services that represent less than 10% of all morbidities, as in the past,
to comprehensive healthcare close to the community.
Will have major impact on reduction of Out of Pocket (OOP) expenditure on ground of:
Increased benefit cover to nearly 40% of the population, (the poorest & the vulnerable)
Covering almost all secondary and many tertiary hospitalizations. (except a negative list)
Will bring healthcare system closer to the homes of people:-

This will lead to increased access to quality health and medication.
This will lead to timely treatments, improvements in health outcomes, patient satisfaction, improvement in productivity and efficiency, job
creation thus leading to improvement in quality of life.
This mission enables increased access to in-patient health care for the poor and lower middle class. The access to health care is cashless and
nationally portable.
It spurs increased investment in health and generate lakhs of jobs, especially for women, and will be a driver of development and growth. It is
a turning point for the health sector.
The new program would be a vast expansion of health coverage, allowing people tovisit the country’s many private hospitals for needs as
varied as cancer treatment and knee replacements.
The scheme involves engagement with the state governments because the scheme will be delivered by the states. The states are the custodians
and the implementers of the scheme.
Challenges:-
Challenge is in equipping the centres with trained health personnel for not only providing diagnostic and treatment services for communicable
and non-communicable diseases, but also for promoting disease prevention and community-based health facilities
Attracting and retaining human resources in rural and remote areas, and within public services.
The amount of Rs 5 lakh per family is a massive and unexpected hike from the existing fund of Rs 1 lakh per family.This amount is 17 times
bigger than the RSBY scheme and will cover 40% of India’s population.
Though it improved access to health care, it did not reduce out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE), catastrophic health expenditure or health
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payment-induced poverty.
The NHPS addresses those concerns by sharply raising the coverage cap, but shares with the RSBY the weakness of not covering outpatient
care which accounts for the largest fraction of OOPE.
Universal health insurance through private hospitals has not worked for the poor anywhere.Biggest beneficiaries are the private hospitals and insurance comp
The government’s proposals do little to prevent poor health in the first place. India is plagued by increasing levels of water and air pollution,
some of it worsened by pro-business policies. Malnutrition, poor sanitation and lack of proper housing also remain major problems.
Earlier programme failures cast new doubts:-
In its final iteration in 2016-2017, the RSBY also targeted 5.9 crore families, and managed to enroll 3.6 crore families.Thus the government’s
announcement today of reaching ten crore families is also vastly ambitious
There is evidence to show that despite efforts towards pushing for increased insurance coverage, neither have the poorest been reached out
to nor has there been efficient financial protection.
Way forward:-
The public healthcare needs to be strengthened especially in rural areas.

The government needs to provide adequate funding to improve the quality of services as well.
In a federal polity with multiple political parties sharing governance, an all-India alignment around the NHPS requires a high level of cooperative
federalism, both to make the scheme viable and to ensure portability of coverage as people cross State borders.
India needs a powerful human resource strategy:-
One way is to have regular appointments at medical personnel home districts, with attractive incentives that are enforced and delivered, and
not have contractual employment or leniency in making these posts mandatory for a certain term.
This has worked in some of the Asian countries and there seems to be no reason why it should not in India.
There is strong requirement for regulating the private healthcare market as universal health coverage will bring a neat nexus between public
and private healthcare institutions.
The relevance of technology and digitisation is imperative as we look at newer ways of healthcare delivery services. So while the potential is
immense, the government now needs to put in strong emphasis on the adoption of technology by the entire healthcare ecosystem to provide
accessible and affordable patient care to the last mile of the country.
TOPIC:Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment.
5)Discuss how India can use its market power to create rules that will produce home-grown, locally-owned internet economy giants.(250 words)
Economic times
Why this question
India us a huge marketplace and as the economy grows, it will become even more lucrative. The recent deal between Flipkart and Walmart highlights the
significance of Indian market and also points out the inadequacies on part of indian businesses.
Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment.
The question wants us to write in detail about the importance of having homegrown internet giants and how India could use its sheer marker power to achieve that.
Directive word
Discuss- we have to write at length that how can India use its market power to facilitate creation of homegrown internet giants, what are the tools / strategies
through which Indian can achieve that.
Introduction- Highlight India’s economic potential, human resource availability and market size which make it likely to have homegrown internet giants like
facebook, google, amazon etc.
Body- Discuss in points, what strategies and tools could be deployed by India to achieve the same target.
e.g corporate structures which allow promoters with minority stake a proportionately greater say in the decision making, restrictions at foreign e-commerce agents
selling at negative margins or involved in deep discounting at the back of the foreign capital, incentivising investment in domestic ventures, protecting internet
privacy etc.
Conclusion- mention the importance of home grown internet giants and possibility of achieving the afore discussed goal.
Background :-
Recent deal between Flipkart and Walmart highlights the significance of Indian market .Smartphone penetration, data transmission capacity and
vernacular interfaces for internet transactions are all growing rapidly. Per-capita income and, therefore, consumers’ spending power will also keep
growing. That means India’s ecommercemarket has staggering growth potential.
Need to create rules :-
Stakes for the Indian technology sector are high. Last year, $13.5 billion was invested in Indian tech startups.
Stakes for Indian consumers are higher still.
India’s middle class participates in 325 million monthly mobile wallet transactions. The digital divide is being overcome as mobile penetration
increases.
By 2020, half of India’s internet users will be rural.
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Rules needed are:-
There must be restrictions on foreign e-commerce companies selling at negative margins by using capital sourced from other
geographies. This will help level the playing field substantially.
Corporate structures used by US and Chinese internet giants, where promoters own a minority of stock but still call the shots, must be allowed
in India.
There must be incentives for Indian investors who bet big in home-grown internet firms and new technologies. Indiancapital should be
incentivised to invest in such local technology ventures.
Government should hold firm and put in adequate privacy controls so that Indian law enforcementagencies can’t abuse locally stored digital
data, and just go ahead and mandate data localisation.
Increasingly, countries are fixated on government access and mandating data storage in local servers. China has been undertaking data
security legislation since 2006.
France, Germany, Malaysia, South Korea all have consent requirements for critical data transfer outside their borders. India needs to take
heed.
Giving incentives in investment in domestic ventures to start-ups under Start-up India and Make in India scheme.
Topic: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc., Investment models.
6)The aspiration for access to clean, reliable and affordable power for all is not free from barriers and fallibility. Examine.(250 words)
The hindu
Reference
Why this question
Recently India achieved universal electrification as per the official definition of electrification. This is a big milestone for India but there are several issues involved
which hamper the access to clean, reliable and affordable electricity for all. The issue is related to GS 3 syllabus under the following heading-
Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc., Investment models.
The question wants us to put reasons in support of the given statement i.e The aspiration for access to clean, reliable and affordable power for all is not free from
barriers and fallibility and justify the same with the help of facts/ arguments.
Directive word
Examine- we have to dig deeper into the issue and bring out reasons in support of the given statement. We have to justify that universal electrification will not be
enough to provide a reliable and affordable power for all.
Introduction- mention India’s recent achievement of universal electrification.
Body- discuss the definition of electrification and then discuss in points about, why a reliable and affordable power for all is a distant dream.
e.g 33 million rural households still not electrified, inadequate distribution and transmission infrastructure, concurrence between energy poverty and economic
poverty like in states of UP, MP, Bihar, Odisha etc, weak financial position of state discoms and huge debts etc.
Conclusion- bring out a fair and balanced opinion based on the above discussion and highlight the importance of electrification for development.
Background:-
Recently Indian government announced that all inhabited villages now enjoy electrification. This signalled a significant milestone in the country’s
development. It is an achievement that will raise aspirations in the remotest districts.
According to the government data, all of India’s 597,464 census villages have been electrified
Barriers:-
Problems with Discoms:-

Actual supply of electricity to households rests with the state discoms. These discoms are already facing huge financial losses and
hence are unable to supply electricity to the villages.
Discoms continue to supply subsidised power to agricultural and residential consumers, resulting in revenue losses.
Further, the average technical and commercial losses (theft and pilferage of electricity) (AT&C losses) are at around 25%.
Cost of supply :-
Electricity distribution companies (discoms) in these seven States are already highly indebted. Their debts account for 17% of accumulated
liabilities of the States.
Despite continued State subvention (except by Odisha), all these discoms have been consistently running at a loss, accounting for
about 47% of the loss in electricity distribution business.
Existing subsidised lifeline tariffs in these States appear unaffordable to the poor and certainly higher than in States with universal (or high)
access.
Distribution network capacity:-
Distribution infrastructure is overburdened,as the demand has grown, causing a high level of technical losses and frequent breakdowns.
The distribution network capacity in several States is inadequate to carry available electricity. Subsequently, discoms have been resorting
to load shedding while their contracted generation capacities are underutilised.
Adding new load to the existing fragile distribution network will only compromise the quality and reliability of supply. It could result in continued
blackouts for the rural poor during peak hours.
Many States have failed to utilise the limited funding:-
Current allocations under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) and Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS), to
augment rural and urban distribution networks, respectively, are only a fraction of the requirement.
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Moreover, disbursement of these grants has been much slower, 17% under DDUGJY and 31% under IPDS, reflecting sluggish
implementation.
Low achievement of earlier electrification schemeshas often been blamed on incompatibility and a lack of cooperation between the Centre and
States.
Disparities across states in rural electrification:-
Rural household electrification has a wide range across States, from 47% to 100%.
The average hours of power supplied in a day to rural areas in January 2018 ranged from 11.5 in Mizoram to 24 hours in Kerala, Gujarat and
Tamil Nadu.
These anomalies are often the result of infrastructure deficits and administrative inefficiencyand the Power for All 24×7 goal adopted by
The per capita consumption between rural and fast-rising urban India also represents a challenge, since there is a divergence between the
two. There are twin challenges to be faced in improving access and equity.
The evidence from States such as Maharashtra, which made an claim to full electrification six years agorelying partly on solar power,
shows that theft, damage and lack of technical capacity can pose serious hurdles.
Vagaries/realities in actual electrification:-
Existing definition to declare a village electrified is coverage of a mere 10% of households and common facilities such as schools, panchayats
and health centres .Bloomberg report said that less than 8 per cent of the newly electrified villages had all homes electrified. That means a
majority are still a long way off from enjoying access to electricity.
Electrifying mere power poles and transformers is not the essence of electrification but access to electricity has to be backed by reliability,
quality and duration of supply for the hinterlands which is a still not covered.
According to a 2015 study covering six of the most energy deprived states of the country – Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh,
Odisha and West Bengal there is typically a significant lag between the time when electricity was first brought to the villages and the
households in these villages actually getting electrified. The median lag in the report ranged from two years over 25 years .
Significantly, the CEEW study had found that among the 50 per cent of households without an electricity connection, a whopping two thirds had not
taken an electricity connection despite having the electricity grid in the vicinity. Households cited main reasons as affordability of the
connection charges and monthly charges, and unreliable supply
According to media reports, only half of the connected rural households are metered currently.
Way forward:-
The answer may lie in a hybrid solutionthat ensures

Continued scaling up of both grid-connected and standalone solar systems in appropriate areas
Augmenting conventional sources of electricity with a clear emphasis on rooftop solutions for cities.
Cheaper renewables will enable differential pricing for households in remote areas, a key determinant of wider social benefits of electricity.
The next step now is to provide electricity connections to more than 40 million families in rural and urban areas by March 2019 under the
Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana(Saubhagya), wherein all households will be targeted.
Conclusion:-
India has traversed a long, hard, impressive journey towards achieving 100 per cent electrification. In fact, according to the International Energy
Agency, by providing energy access to over 500 million people since 2000, India has become one of the greatest-ever success stories in
electrification.
Topic:Attitude: content, structure, function; its influence and relation with thought and behaviour; moral and political attitudes; social influence and persuasion.
7)Discuss the relationship between attitude change and social persuasion.(250 words)
Reference
Why this question
Attitude: content, structure, function; its influence and relation with thought and behaviour; moral and political attitudes; social influence and persuasion.
The question wants us to write in detail about the relationship between attitude and social persuasion.
Directive word
Discuss- we have to write in detail about,how social persuasion influences the attitude of a person.
Introduction- Define attitude and in 1-2 lines, highlight its importance.
Body- Discuss to what extent and how social persuasion affects the attitude of a person. Take help of the article attached with the question to gather points to form
your answer.
Conclusion– Bring out a fair, concise and balanced conclusion on the above issue and discuss some areas where it can be practically applied e.g Swachh Bharat,
Environmental conservation etc.
Answer :-
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Persuasion is symbolic process in which communicators try to convince other people through transmission of a message to change their attitudes or
behaviours. Thus, Persuasion is one form of social influence on attitude.
Speakers who are credible, or have expertise on the topic, and who are deemed as trustworthy are more persuasive than less credible speakers. In 2007,
iphone quickly revolutionized the smartphone industry and changed what consumers came to expect from their phones. Much of this shift in
attitude can be credited to the impressive use of tactics of persuasion employed by smartphone manufacturers like Apple and Samsung. This
clearly elaborates the relationship between attitude and social persuasion.
Attitude is our evaluation of a person, an idea, or an object. We have attitudes for many things ranging from products that we might pick up in the
supermarket to people around the world to political policies. Typically, attitudes are favourable or unfavourable: positive or negative
Persuasion is also employed to change individuals attitude towards an object or an issue. It basically refers to categorisation of an object or the
issue as per evaluative dimension which stretches from negative to positive.
Persuasion can also have more positive outcomes. Persuasion is used to encourage people to donate to charitable causes, to volunteer to give
blood, and to engage in healthy behaviours. More attractive speakers are more persuasive than less attractive speakers. The use of famous actors and
athletes to advertise products on television and in print relies on this principle. The dramatic decrease in cigarette smoking is due in large part to
effective advertising campaigns.
Central route is logic driven and uses data and facts to convince people of an argument’s worthiness. For example, a car company seeking to persuade
you to purchase their model will emphasize the car’s safety features and fuel economy. This is a direct route to persuasion that focuses on the quality of
the information. The central route to persuasion works best when the target of persuasion, or the audience, is analytical and willing to engage in processing
of the information.
The peripheral route is an indirect route that uses peripheral cues to associate positivity with the message. Instead of focusing on the facts and a product’s
quality, the peripheral route relies on association with positive characteristics such as positive emotions and celebrity endorsement. For example, having a
popular athlete advertise athletic shoes is a common method used to encourage young adults to purchase the shoes.
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1) It is argued, credibly, that Gandhi “feminized” nationalist politics. Evaluate. (250

words)
The Indian Women’s Movement in Historical Perspective – unpan1.un.org, 24.07.2012

PDFunpan1.un.org › apcity › unpan051009 (Pg 18)
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The question makes an assertion that Mahatma Gandhi played a crucial role in feminizing the
national politics during our freedom struggle. Thus we need to examine whether or not this
statement is true by analysing the modes of protest that Gandhi incorporated, the role that
women played in Gandhian Satyagraha, the gender perspective of several demands of INC etc.
Ultimately, we have to comment on the veracity of the statement.
Directive word
here.
Introduction – Mention that freedom struggle was a time when great many experiments were
taking place in the domain of civil and gender rights.
Body
Mention that Gandhi was deeply inspired by tolstoy farm which talked about equal
treatment of men and women
Mention how Gandhian strategies allowed more women to come to the political centre
stage
Mention the active role that women played in national movement post Gandhi’s arrival
Also mention that women did play a role earlier as well ( rani laxmi bai etc) but the
numbers increased manifold during Gandhian struggle
Mention the civil rights demands of INC and how Gandhian philosophy had a role to
play in it
Conclusion – Mention your own view on the veracity of the assertion made in the question.
Background:-
Women issues have always taken the centrepoint in the Indian freedom struggle
since 19th century itself. The women slowly gained confidence from the patriarchal
hold and took part in the national struggle effectively.
Even before Gandhi women participation in politics was visible but the scale of
influence was limited:-
Individual efforts:-
Women like Rani Laxmi Bai, Pandita Ramabhai,Savitra Bhai phule were
active in uplifting women nd fighting against British
Kamini Roywas active in the Ilbert Bill agitation, organising girls at the Bethune
School to hold meetings and wear badges supporting the Bill.
Women’s organisations:-
The primary goals of most women’s associations were to improve women’s
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literacy and health by abolishing child marriage, enforced widowhood, and
purdah.
By the late nineteenth century several women’s organisations began to be
formed in several parts of India such as the Banga Mahila Samajand
the Aghorekamini Nari Samiti in Bengal, the Satara Abalonnati Sabha in
Maharashtra, the Mahila Seva Samaj in Bangalore etc.
Women’s Indian Association and the National Council of Indian Women
claimed to represent all Indian women, but they were far removed from the
masses of women whom they confidently sought to benefit.
Indian national congress:-
From the 1920s the Indian National Congress began to forge linkages with
peasant, worker, and women’s organizations to demonstrate mass support.
Women’s political participation was socially legitimized, completely altering
equations within the women’s movement. Some women were already engaged
in a variety of political activity.
From 1889 every meeting of the Indian National Congress included some
women, a few delegates and many observers.
The leadership of the Indian National Congress, for instance, became
committed to the civil rights program of women’s associations.
Their participation was often token and symbolic, but the women were educated and
politically knowledgeable and were seeking new public roles. The Partition of
Bengal (1905) and the Swadeshi movement attracted much larger numbers,
including uneducated rural women.
Increased post Gandhi:-
Mahatma Gandhi extended the logic of feminine modes of protest to the whole of the
nationalist movement. Gandhi “feminized” nationalist politics by emphasizing
satyagraha and passive resistance and creating a special space for women.
He drew to the nationalist movement groups and numbers of women as never
before.
Non cooperation:-
The Bengal women showed the way during the non-cooperation protests of
1921. Basanti Debi, Urmila Debi, and Suniti Debi joined picketing lines, courted
arrest, and precipitated a broadening of the movement.
Gandhi exhorted women to take part in Satyagraha movement on par with men. That
17,000 of around 30,000 persons who courted arrest during the Salt Satyagraha
were women volunteers is a conspicuous example of their equal role under the
leadership of Gandhi.
It shows that the upliftment of women was given an important place in Gandhi’s
constructive programme.
Women came out in large numbers giving up their sheltered and secluded
existence to play their role in the national movement. Aristocratic women also
marched to prison wearing coarse handspun khadi and handmade chappals.
Kamala Nehru, Sarojini Naidu, Anasuya Sarabhai, Sushila Nayyar and Miraben are a
few of the illustrious women associated with the Gandhian movement.
Activities women participated:-
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The picketing of liquor, opium and foreign cloth shops in the thirties was almost
exclusively done by women.
Impact:-
Women’s participation legitimized the Indian National Congress and Gandhian
politics.
It bolstered claims of Indian unity against foreign rule.
It also undermined the civilizing mission of the British and the
government’s claim to be a protector of women.
Police violence toward and sexual abuse of female political
activists helped prove the illegitimacy of colonial rule.
Saraladevi, Muthulakshmi Reddy, Amrit Kaur, and others were committed to Gandhi
and his non-cooperation and civil disobedience,
but they did not abandon the struggle for civil rights.
Women leaders who remained active in demands for
social reform or in the franchise movement were aware that the agenda for
women and that for the nation diverged.
In 1931 Saraladevi, by then a veteran leader, led a move for a separate
women’s Congress
Conclusion:-
Mahatma Gandhi has played an important role in the participation of women in

political activities in India. Gandhi becomes uncompromising in the matter of
women’s rights. According to him woman is companion of man and gifted with equal
rights of freedom and liberty. This idea needs to be made reality in India.
Topic -Indian Constitution- historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments,

2)Discuss the key issues involved in the Citizenship amendment bill, 2016 and how it
will only widen the old fault lines in Assam.(250 words)
4/20
Indian express
Reference
Why this question
Although an old yet an important issue, Citizenship amendment (CA) bill raises several
important concerns. Recently a Joint Parliamentary committee visited Assam to review the
work done. The issue is related to GS 2 syllabus under the following heading-
Indian Constitution- historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant

provisions and basic structure.
Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising
out of their design and implementation.
The question simply wants us to discuss the key issues involved in CA bill and analyse how it
will widen the old fault lines in Assam.
Directive word
Discuss- we have to write in detail about all the important issues involved in the CA bill and
relate them with the old fault lines in Assam.
Introduction- Briefly discuss the aim and context (illegal migration, internal security etc) of
the CA bill, 2016.
Body-
1. discuss the key issues involved. ( e.g violation of article 14 i.e right to equality, wide
grounds for cancellation of OCI etc.)
2. Mention the fault lines (Hindu-Muslim, Barak valley Bengalis vs insiders) in Assam
and explain how they will be widened by the CA bill, 2016.
Conclusion– present a fair and balanced opinion on the CA bill, 2016 and suggest a way
forward.
Background:-
Politics in Assam has always been dominated by the discourse of citizenship and the
‘insider-outsider’ conundrum. Recently Joint Parliamentary Committee on the
Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, is having discussions before deciding on a
report to be presented before Parliament on the Bill .
Citizenship amendment bill 2016:-
The Bill amends the Citizenship Act, 1955 to make illegal migrants who are Hindus,
Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and
Pakistan, eligible for citizenship.
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Under the Act, one of the requirements for citizenship by naturalisation is that the
applicant must have resided in India during the last 12 months, and for 11 of the
previous 14 years. The Bill relaxes this 11 year requirement to six years for
persons belonging to the same six religions and three countries.
The Bill provides that the registration of Overseas Citizen of India (OCI)
cardholders may be cancelled if they violate any law.
Issues it creates:-
Endorsing Hindus:-
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 imagines India as a Hindu homeland,
which is a refutation of the constitutional idea of the republic.
Experts see it as a move to endorse Hindus from Bangladesh who migrated to
Assam after 1971.
The Bill makes illegal migrants eligible for citizenship on the basis of religion.
This may violate Article 14 of the Constitution which guarantees right to equality.
OCI:-
The Bill allows cancellation of OCI registration for violation of any law. This is a
wide ground that may cover a range of violations, including minor offences
Breaching Assam accord:-
Would breach the clauses of the historic Assam Accord, which states that all
illegal foreigners who came to the state after 1971 from Bangladesh,
irrespective of their religion, have to be deported.
Discrimination of Muslims:-
Alleged illegal migration from Bangladesh has been at the heart of Assam’s
discontent .Not just the Muslim Bengali, but the Hindu Bengali has also been a
reason for political mobilisation in the state. But only Hindu Bengalis are being
favoured by the bill.
While Hindus and Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists and Christians might be naturalised,
Muslims will not be offered the same advantage even if they are persecuted
Conclusion:-
India’s citizenship provisions are derived from the perception of the country as a
secular republic. In fact, it is a refutation of the two-nation theory that proposed a
Hindu India and a Muslim Pakistan. Independent India adopted a Constitution that
rejected discrimination on the basis of religion and the birth of Bangladesh
undermined the idea that religion could be the basis of a national community. So
citizenship bill amendments need to be on this line.
3) President Trump’s JCPOA withdrawal creates new challenge for Indian diplomacy.
Analyze. (250 words)
Hindubuisnessline
6/20
Financial express
Reference
Why this question
Culling of the Iran deal from USA’s side puts India in a tough spot again. The nuclear deal
and the impact that USA’s withdrawal will have to India needs to be analyzed in greater
detail.
Following points need to be brought out in your answer
What is the JCPOA deal

Why is it in news currently
What are the challenges that withdrawal from JCPOA pose for india
How should India deal with those challenges
Directive word
Introduction – Mention what is JCPOA and why is it news currently
Body
Discuss the challenges that USA’s withdrawal from the deal would have on India Iran
relations, India USA relations, energy security, regional connectivity etc
Discuss how should India deal with these challenges
Conclusion – mention the need for maintaining a policy of principled equidistance and the
need for securing national interest. In that respect, Iran’s importance in Indian strategic and
geopolitical objectives can not be overstated.
Background:-
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was meant to stall Iran from
developing a nuclear weapon, was finalized in 2015. The deal was concluded
between Iran and the P5 (United States, Russia, France, China, and United Kingdom)
plus Germany and the European Union.
Despite United States decision to pull out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
(JCPOA), the nuclear deal itself won’t be scrapped as long as Iran and the other
signatories: the U.K., France, Russia, China, Germany and the European Union
remain committed to it.
Creates new challenges for India:-
Even though India was not party to the deal, India supported it. India had watched
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the growing tensions between Iran and the United States before the deal was
reached because a war could have had multiple negative consequences for
India, including threats to the very large Indian expatriate population,
disruption of oil supplies, and being forced to pick sides between Iran and the
United States, to name just a few.
Oil prices:
The impact on world oil prices will be the immediately visible impact of the U.S.
decision.
Iran is presently India’s third biggest supplier and any increase in prices will hit
both inflation levels as well as the Indian rupee, which breached ₹67 to the
U.S. dollar this week.
Higher inflation might prompt central banks of developed economies,
particularly the US, to follow a monetary policy tighter than expected before.
This can have a negative spillover on capital flows into emerging
markets, including India.
Chabahar:
India’s moves over the last few years to develop berths at the Shahid Beheshti
port in Chabahar was a key part of its plans to circumvent Pakistan’s blocks on
trade with Afghanistan, and the new U.S. sanctions could slow or even
bring those plans to a halt depending on how strictly they are
implemented.
Sanctions could affect this timeline and delay the handing over of the project
further.
A broader concern is about the general stability of the region.
If the increasing tension in the region should ignite into a full-scale war, India
faces a number of challenges. Millions of Indian expatriates live in the Arab
states of the Gulf, and they would be in the direct line of fire.
Politically, it will become very difficult for India to continue playing the
balancing game between Iran on one side and Israel, the Arab states and
the United States on the other.
Finally, India will also have to balance its other interests with the developments
in the Gulfas this could impact India in a range of areas, including overseas
projects, exports, payments for oil, and even international relations.
During the era of sanctions, India had major backlogs in terms of payments
towards oil imports from Iran. When the sanctions were lifted, both New Delhi and
Tehran heaved a sigh of relief, and payments could be made.
China has been considering the induction of Iran into the Shanghai
Cooperation Organisation (SCO).If Iran is inducted after the re-imposition of US
sanctions, India could be seen as being part of an anti-America bloc.
INSTC:
Beyond Chabahar, India has been a founder of the International North South
Transport Corridor (INSTC) since it was ratified in 2002. Plans for INSTC sped
up after the JCPOA was signed in 2015 and sanctions on Iran were lifted.
New U.S. sanctions will affect these plans immediately, especially if any of the
countries along the route or banking and insurance companies dealing with the
INSTC plan also decide to adhere to U.S. restrictions on trade with Iran.
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Rules-based order:
India has long been a proponent of a rules-based order that depends on
multilateral consensus and an adherence to commitments made by countries
on the international stage.
By walking out of the JCPOA the U.S. government has overturned the
precept that such international agreements are made by States not just
with prevailing governments or regimes. This could also impact all
agreements India is negotiating both bilaterally and multilaterally with the U.S.
However impact can be minimal:-
Trade between India and Iran is unlikely to suffer on account of re-imposition of US

sanctions as these have been in place for long and India has maintained good trade
relations with Iran. Re-imposition of the sanctions might actually give India
better bargaining power when trading with Iran.
Non-oil trade with Iran which stood at about $2.69 billion of the total trade figures of
$12.89 billion in 2016-17 may not be impacted as much,as New Delhi and Tehran
have instituted several measures in the past few months, including allowing Indian
investment in rupees, and initiating new banking channels, between them.
Way forward:-
India needs to have private discussions with U.S. counterparts for a more
effective way of safeguarding its Iran-related interests.
Oil and fertilisers are key strategic import items, and India should try to diversify
its trading partners to shield itself from any adverse consequences.
Topic – Parliament and State Legislatures – structure, functioning, conduct of business,

powers & privileges and issues arising out of these
4) Discuss whether creation of post poll alliances is in line with the spirit of
democracy?(250 words)
dnaindia
9/20
Why this question
The fractured mandate post Karnataka elections will reignite the debate over post poll
alliances and hence needs to be discussed.
The question demands us to analyze the pros and cons of post poll alliances – the
constitutional, legal, by convention perspective along with role of governors etc needs to be
analyzed in this question.
Directive word

Introduction – Highlight why this topic is in news. Mention some past incidents which has
already caused controversy.
Body – Discuss the pros and cons of post poll alliances in democracy by bringing out the
diverse perspective on the necessity ( or not) of post poll alliances.
Conclusion – present a balanced view and way forward.
Background:-
Recent Karnataka assembly elections along with past instances from Goa,
Meghalaya etc showed post poll alliances have become the new normal for the
political parties for forming the government .
Post poll alliances is undemocratic:-
Having chief minister from a party that did not have the majority at the hustings both
in terms of seats and vote percentages seems ‘undemocratic’.
Undemocratic on the grounds that voters had no inkling about it when they cast
their votes.
Some criticise it as a breach of the promises made by the political parties during
the election campaigns.
However there are many precedents which justify post poll alliances:-
Avoid another election:-

There were several national and regional parties and often such alliances have
to be entered into to ensure a government is formed as it would not be
feasible to conduct elections till one party has an absolute majority.
Due to post poll alliances going into elections, every party will think twice before
launching forth a barrage of personal attacks on its adversaries. So, this could jolly
well usher a new climate of polite electoral politics.
Sarkaria commission:-
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Commission report specifically dealt with the situation where no single

party obtained absolute majority. It provided the order of preference the
Governor should follow in selecting a Chief Minister in such a fluid
situation:
An alliance of parties that was formed prior to the elections.
The single largest party staking a claim to form the government with the
support of others, including independents.
A post-electoral coalition of parties, with all the partners in the coalition
joining the government.
A post-electoral alliance of parties, with some of the parties in the
alliance forming a government and the remaining parties, including
independents, supporting the government from outside.
Supreme court:-
The precedent that’s been set by the Supreme Court is that the Governor
invites the largest pre-poll alliance, then the single-largest parties.
In 2015, hearing a public interest litigation, SC had expressed its inability
to step-in an act against two political parties that chose to form a post-poll
alliance. SC observed that a promise made by a political party was not a
promise enforceable by law.
TOPIC:Linkages between development and spread of extremism; Role of external state and
non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security.
5) Under the present circumstances, a unilateral ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir is

not only fraught with dangers, but also difficult to secure. Analyse.(250 words)
The hindu
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why this question
Militant recruitment and terrorist attacks in J & K have increased in recent years and so have
the incidents like stone pelting, student protests etc. The local representatives have called for a
ceasefire in the wake of the Ramadan, but there are several issues involved. The question is
Linkages between development and spread of extremism; Role of external state and non-state
actors in creating challenges to internal security.
The question wants us to deliberate upon the present situation in J&K and analyse why it will
be difficult or even a wrong to secure a ceasefire ( unilateral or bilateral).
Directive word
Examine- we have to bring out all the necessary facts/ arguments to see why securing a
ceasefire agreement in J&K would be dangerous and difficult.
Introduction– Mention the present proposal of the political parties in J&K to secure a
ceasefire and the previous time when such an agreement could be secured ( under AB
Vajpayee).
Body–
1. Discuss the dangers involved in securing such agreement. ( e.g increase in attacks on,
and casualty of security forces, decrease in morale of security forces etc).
2. Discuss in points why it would be difficult to achieve. ( e.g To BJP, talks are not
acceptable with separatists, separatist camp dominated by hardliners, absence of parallel
talks with Pakistan etc).
Conclusion– Summarize your discussion in a concise manner and suggest some measures to
ameliorate the situation ( e.g peace building measures like relaxation in AFSPA, release of
first time offenders etc.).
Background:-
The Indian government has finally instructed its forces to halt military operations in
Kashmir and observe a ceasefire during the month of Ramazan.
Unilateral ceasefire would not help:-
Past experience:-
During the first three months of the 2000 ceasefire, casualties amongst security
forces rose sharply.
There might be continuing attacks on security forces under a unilateral
ceasefire.
Time is not right for ceasefire:-
There is little public pressure on the armed groups. The impetus for peace
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has been replaced by communal stand-offs, anger and hatred.

More civilians, militants and security forces have died in the first five months of
2018 than in corresponding periods for the previous decade.
In the Valley, alienation from India is as high as it was in the early 1990s,
when insurgency took root.
Why ceasefire is imperative:-
Curtail violence:-
It is imperative to curtail the violence that people in Jammu and Kashmir suffer,
and a ceasefire might provide the best opportunity to de-escalate.
As the rising number of youth turning to arms attests, the last four years of
counterinsurgency have not succeeded in ending insurgency. So ceasefire
might provide that opportunity.
From past experience it is visible that even though the counterinsurgency of the
1990s did not end insurgency, it did pave the way for a peace process that made
progress towards ending armed conflict .
There will be immediate relief to the beleaguered residents of the State.
Can give way for further discussions:-
The ceasefire can only provide an opportunity for other steps to be taken, such
as India-Pakistan talks, dialogue with the Hurriyat and allied groups, and
backchannel negotiations for a reciprocal ceasefire by armed groups.
This initiative has the potential to end the deadlock and facilitate a larger
engagement and dialogue, not only between the governments of India and
Pakistan but also among civil society groups which exist on both sides of the
Line of Control.
It is clearly evident that the Kashmir dispute can neither be settled through
military means nor is war a viable option. So ceasefire can lead to dialogues.
International pressure:-
Ceasefire would put considerable international pressure on Pakistan’s civil-
military leadership to restore the 2003 ceasefire along the International
Boundary and the Line of Control.
Way forward:-
The 2000’s ceasefire experience also showed that casualties among the security
forces could have been minimised had more urgent attention been paid to
tightening defence of security installations and personnel. This needs to
looked into now.
Externally, wide-ranging peace talks between India and Pakistan, the Indian
administration and ‘azaadi’ groups is needed and internally, peace-building on the
ground by multiple stakeholders involved is necessary.

assessment
6) Oceans are claimed to be ‘last frontiers’ of growth and development, however,

this potential needs to be utilised in a balanced manner. In this backdrop, examine
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whether creation of Marine protected areas is in sync with India’s Blue economy
strategy?(250 words)
Reference
Financial express
14/20
Why this question
The discussion on global conservation accord for the oceans brings into focus the blue
economy strategy of various countries. India has off late taken a lead in creating awareness
and implementing blue economy strategies for itself and indian ocean littoral countries. Thus
the balance between usage of ocean resources and sustainable management of oceans has to be
found.
The following points are to brought out in your answer
The immense potential of ocean resources

The need to maintain a balance and what is understood by balance
What is blue economy and how the creation of Marine protected areas is linked to blue
economy
Examine whether for a country like india, having several pressing developmental needs,
creation of protected areas will lead to issues in growth. How to reconcile the two
Strategy that should be followed
Directive word
details, and find out the causes or implications if any . Here discuss the issues as discussed
above.
Introduction – Highlight the growing emphasis on Blue economy, explain blue economy in
brief.
Body
Highlight the immense potential of ocean resources, which enhances the risk of over
exploitation and hence the need for maintaining a delicate balance. Talk about the
problems faced on account of ocean pollution.
Discuss the global accord on ocean conservation and the debates that it raises for
countries like india
Probe deeper into india’s blue economy strategy and discuss the pros and cons of
creating MPAs. In cons, one can discuss cases like the opposition to Meenakumari
committee on deep sea fishing which advocated creation of protected areas to boost fish
population.
Discuss what should be a balanced strategy for india
Conclusion – provide your view and way forward on MPAs
Background:-
India has the seventh longest coastline in Asia at 7,516.6 km, covering nine states
and two union territories. These states are not only highly vulnerable to natural
disasters, lacking in resilience and adaptive capacity, but are also faced with
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development deficits, to begin with.
This can change when India focuses on being blue economy and begin to take a
more proactive role in global discussions on ocean resources.
Blue economy:-
The ‘Blue Economy’ or the ‘Oceans Economy’ is defined by the United Nations
Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) as
A subset of, and complement to, the evolving development paradigm
emphasising greener and more sustainable and inclusive economic paths.
It seeks to expand the economic frontiers of coastal countries beyond their land
territories.
Blue Economy is based on the idea to use locally available resources and
employ renewable inputs, for example, “ocean-as-a-resource” that addresses the
problems of resource scarcity and enables sustainable development .
This marine-based economic development will reduce environmental risks and
mitigate ecological challenges. As a result, the optimized and responsible resource
utilization will enable to achieve balanced socio-economic development.
Significance of oceans and their exploitation:-
International waters, account for two-thirds of Earth’s oceans and provide 90% of the
habitat for life.
They also are the bedrock of up to $16 billion worth of fishing every
Oceans are abundant with resources, particularly in the sectors of fisheries,
aquaculture, ocean energy, sea-bed mining and minerals, and provides tremendous
economic opportunities to develop marine tourism and shipping activities.
Among these resources, fisheries and minerals are the most commercially viable
industries. Commercial and artisanal fisheries sustain the livelihoods of more than 38
million people worldwide.
Polymetallic nodules and polymetallic massive sulphides are the two mineral
resources of commercial interest to developers in the Indian Ocean.
The Indian Ocean Region is of strategic importance to India’s economic growth as
the most of the country’s oil, and gas is imported through the sea.
They already account for significant trade and commerce in the fields of shipping,
offshore oil and gas, fishing, undersea cables, and tourism. Besides these areas,
there are other emerging industries such as aquaculture, marine biotechnology,
ocean energy and sea-bed mining that have the potential to create jobs and spur
worldwide economic growth.
Exploitation of oceans and why a balanced strategy is needed:-
Only the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
regulates activity in international waters, including sea-bed mining and cable
laying while 20-odd organisations regulate shipping as also fishing, whaling
and local conservation.
As per a Nature report, there is scientific consensus that nearly 30% of the
global ocean needs to be “cordoned off” to stave off mass extinction of marine
populations.
Global accord on conservation of the oceans will, apart from establishing
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safeguards for the ocean, lay down rules on resource-sharing and commercial
activity, including mining, research, etc.
A major concern of the negotiations will agreement on creation of marine
protected areas (MPAs)
Even though a new strategy is being considered other challenge will be
to get the treaty, along with punitive provisions, enforced.
Challenge is to get countries to make ambitious commitments on creation
of MPAs. This will mean large-scale giving up on exploration of oceanic
resources
India’s blue economy strategy :-
The development of Blue Economy can serve as a growth catalyst in realizing the
vision to become a $10 trillion economy by 2032.
Blue economy initiative was launched in 2015 is a multi-disciplinary approach for the
exploitation of hydrocarbons and other marine resources, deep sea fishing,
preservation of marine ecology, mitigating climate change by addressing
environmental issues and disaster management.
As a green-oriented effort, it can facilitate a circular economy with zero-waste
and zero-pollution and more employment.
Employment:-
Marine biotechnology and services also open the vistas for a new cadre of
technical workforce with immense opportunities.
Marine industries such as boat and ship building along with sea
product processing firms join the “blue agenda.” Marine industrialization brings
coastal urbanization in its train.
It helps minimize environmental risks and ecological scarcity with
optimization of natural resources within ecological limits.
Blue economy guarantees a green perspective to maritime economy and takes into
cognisance the cost of all negative externalities including environmental
degradation and ecological imbalance.
Blue economy as a strategy is not devoid of challenges for India.
Despite the demand for marine food products on a global scale, India would
find it harder to identify the consumers owing to the competition among
other blue economies such as Mauritius, Maldives, Australia, Sri Lanka,
Bangladesh and China.
Besides, the lack of culture of storage and adequate facilities for the
same pose another hindrance in the process.
Marine protected areas:-
MPAs include marine reserves, sanctuaries, parks, and no-take zones, are areas
designated to protect marine species and habitats from both global and local threat
Concerns:-
MPAs can’t ward off the effects plastic dumping in oceans, or the impact of
climate change on oceans such as increasing acidity, temperatures, etc.
Widespread lack of personnel and funds are preventing MPAs from reaching
their full potential.
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The risk is that MPAs proliferate without further investment in MPA

management, leaving new sites without the resources they need to deliver on
their promises.
There was a united fight against the Meenakumari committee report by the
fishermen which advocated creation of protected areas to boost fish
population.
Positives:-
They can give marine populations a protected area.
At MPAs with sufficient staffing, increases in fish populations were nearly three
times greater than those without adequate personnel.
Way forward :-
Indian Ocean region needs a sustainable and inclusive framework for

international partnerships. Countries in the region need to not only coordinate and
manage the growing security challenges in the region but also realize the substantial
economic potential the Indian Ocean area presents.
India’s commitment to strengthen its cooperation with the regional partners
and build a sustainable ocean economy aligns well with its domestic mega-
modernisation projects that will enable the nation to harness the full potential of the
Ocean based Blue Economy.
Conclusion:-
Ocean’s potential needs to be harnessed in a balanced manner, where the

preservation and health of Oceans are given their due importance, along with
adherence to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 14 that states
“Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for
sustainable development .“
Topic: Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and world.
7) Discuss the contribution of Immanuel Kant to the field of moral philosophy.(250

words)
Reference
18/20
Why this question
The question is related to GS 4 syllabus under the following heading-
Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and world.
The question wants us to write in detail about the contribution of Immanuel Kant to the field
of moral philosophy.
Directive word
Discuss- we have to write at length about the contribution of Immanuel Kant- his books,
works, thoughts, quotation etc.
Introduction– Mention Kant’s role to effect Copernican revolution in philosophy and his
overall status as a philosopher.
Body– Discuss in points, about the contribution of Immanuel Kant to the field of moral
philosophy. Mention the important works of Immanuel Kant and discuss their moral
philosophy. Take help of the article attached with this question to frame the answer.
e.g Critique of Practical Reason, Critique of Judgement, Metaphysics of Morals etc.
Conclusion– Bring Out the relevance and overall importance of Kant’s works and mention
some of his favourite quotation on morals and ethics.
Answer:-
Having mastered epistemology and metaphysics, Kant believed that a rigorous

application of the same methods of reasoning would yield an equal success in
dealing with the problems of moral philosophy.
Kant believed that people’s actions should to be guided by moral laws, and that
these moral laws were universal. He held that in order to apply to all rational beings, any
supreme principle of morality must itself be based on reason.According to Kant a good
person is someone who always does their duty because it is their duty. It is fine if
they enjoy doing it, but it must be the case that they would do it even if they did not enjoy
it. The overall theme is that to be a good person you must be good for goodness sake.
Kant believed that certain types of actions (including murder, theft, and lying) were
absolutely prohibited, even in cases where the action would bring about more happiness
than the alternative.Kant’s theory is an example of a deontological moral theory–
according to these theories, the rightness or wrongness of actions does not depend on
their consequences but on whether they fulfill our duty.
Kant believed that there was a supreme principle of morality, and he referred to it
as The Categorical Imperative. The CI determines what our moral duties are.
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Kant argues, the moral value of the action can only reside in a formal principle or “maxim,”
the general commitment to act in this way because it is one’s duty. So he concludes that
“Duty is the necessity to act out of reverence for the law.”According to Kant, then, the
ultimate principle of morality must be a moral law conceived so abstractly that it is capable
of guiding us to the right action in application to every possible set of circumstances.
Basis of Moral Knowledge
The mission of moral philosophy is to determine how we are able to arrive at

principles of behaviour that are binding upon all people.
Kant did not believe that induction was a suitable method for determining these
principles since that would simply tell the people do behave not how they ought to
behave.
For Kant the moral judgment, “we ought to tell the truth” is arrived at in the same way
as the scientific statement, “every effect has a cause.”
These judgments are derived from reason not experience. According to him,
theoretical reasoning brings the category of causality whereas, practical reason
brings the “ought to be”.
He states that in science and in moral philosophy the concepts should go beyond any
particular facts like science, practical reason employs a priori judgments.
The basis of obligation must not be sought in human nature or in the circumstances
of the world but a justified argument in the concepts of reason.
Postulates on morality:-
The postulate of immortality was that the belief in immortality has to be based on the
moral disposition and not one hope of future rewards.
Criticism
Kant’s system, neglects to identify or, rather, to justify the existence of the moral law.
It neglects the value of nature
Kant’s moral philosophy is still largely relevant in the present modern world.
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1)Congress despite its early hesitation, played a crucial role in shaping the labour
movements of the country. Critically analyze.(250 words)
1/20
Following points are to be outlined in the question
What is the meaning of initial hesitation of Congress

How Congress helped in forward movement of the labour movement
The role that other political outfits played in labour movements in pre freedom era
Your view on the assertion made in the question backed with sound arguments
Directive word
Introduce – Briefly outline the labour movements in india – the beginning of it, the modus
operandi, their relationship with national struggle and the overall outcome
Body
Highlight the initial hesitation of INC – not get associated with any divisive issue of
economic nature
Highlight the later role that Congress played – AITUC, CSP, view of Nehru and his
efforts to bring this perspective in mainstream etc
Highlight the role that left and other political outfits played and the lack of support
from Congress ( took action against strikes when in power in provinces)
Based on the arguments made come to the conclusion – should be on the lines of that
labour movement in India despite the favourable conditions could never really grow.
Whatever it grew, Congress had a role to play in the ideological development of the
movement. Implementation of ideology done mostly by local leaders.
Conclusion – Mention the overall achievement of the labour movement during national
movement and how it carried the freedom struggle forward.
Background:-
The process of the disparate groups of workers in various parts of country emerging
as an organized, self-conscious, all India class is inextricably linked with the growth
of the Indian national movement and the process of the Indian ‘nation-in-the-making’
because the notion of the Indian working class could not exist before the notion
of the Indian ‘people’ had begun to take root.
Early hesitation by Congress:-
The early nationalists in the beginning paid relatively little attention to the question
of workers despite the truly wretched conditions under which they existed at that time.
Reason for the relatively lukewarm attitude was that the nationalists did not
wish to weaken the common struggle against British rule which was the
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primary task to be achieved in a colonial situation. So they did not want to
create any divisions within the ranks of the Indian people..
Most of the nationalist newspapers denied the need for
any Government legislation to regulate working conditions and
actively opposed the Factories Act of 1881 and 1891.
Similarly, strikes in Indian textiles mills were generally not supported.
Congress wanted to confine to questions in which the entire nation has a
direct participation .
The early nationalists saw rapid industrialisation as the panacea for the
problems of Indian poverty and degradation and were unwilling to countenance
any measure which would impede this process.
Crucial role in shaping labour movements :-
British owned enterprises:-

The scenario completely altered when the question was of Indian labour
employed in British-owned enterprises. Here the nationalists had no hesitation
in giving full support to the workers.
The fact that the exploiter in signalers strike in May 1899 in the Great Indian
Peninsular (GIP) Railway was foreign was enough to take agitation against it a
national issue and an integral part of national movement.
Print media:-
The Indian National Congress and the nationalist newspapers began a
campaign against the manner in which the tea plantation workers in Assam
were reduced to virtual slavery, with European planters being given powers,
through legislation to arrest, punish and prevent the running away of labour.
An appeal was made to national honour and dignity to protest against this
unbridled exploitation by foreign capitalists aided by the colonial state..
At the turn of the century, with the growth of the working class, there emerged a
new tendency among the nationalist intelligentsia. B.C. Pal and G. Subramania
Iyer, for example, began to talk of the need for legislation to protect the
workers, the weaker section, against the powerful capitalists.
In 1903, Subramania Iyer urged that workers should combine and organize
themselves into unions to fight for their rights and the public must give every help
to the workers in achieving this task.
AITUC:-
The most important development was the formation of the All India Trade
Union Congress (AITUC) in 1920 and congress formed a committee consisting
of prominent Congressmen to assist its work.
Congress governments:-
During the tenure of the Congress Provincial Governments the trade union
movement showed a phenomenal rise.
Between 1937 and 1939 the number of trade unions increased from 271 to 562
.
The number of strikes also increased considerably.
One of the principal factors which gave a fillip to the trade union movement
in this period was the increased civil liberties under the Congress
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Governments and the pro-labour attitude of many of the Congress
ministries.
It is significant that a peculiar feature of the strikes in this period was that a
majority of them ended successfully, with full or partial victory for the workers.
Influenced government to recognise Trade unions as legal entity by Trade Union act,
1926
Other parties also provided support:-
Workers under Communist and radical nationalist influence participated in a large

number of strikes and demonstrations all over the country between 1927 and 1929.
Communists since 1934 re-enacted the mainstream of nationalist politics. They also
rejoined the AITUC in 1935. Left influence in nationalist politics and the trade union
movement once again began to grow rapidly.
The Communists, the Congress Socialists and the Left nationalists led by Jawaharlal
Nehru and Subhash Bose now formed a powerful Left consolidation within the
Congress and other mass organizations.
Topic: Salient features of world’s physical geography.
2)Discuss Koppens climate classification scheme and also discuss its limitations.
(250 words)
Reference
4/20
Why this question
Koppens climate classification scheme is one of the most widely used climate classification
schemes. However it has also been criticized on various fronts. The question is indirectly
The question wants us to describe Koppens climate classification scheme, major climate
regions and then discuss its limitations.
Directive word
Discuss- we have to write in detail about Koppens climate classification scheme. It is better if
we can a diagram of the world climates as per the scheme. We also have to discuss the
limitations of the scheme.
Introduction- Mention the proponent, year and further developments in Koppens climate
classification scheme.
body–
1. Discuss the scheme in detail- make a table of the world climates and draw a rough
diagram for illustration purposes.
2. Discuss its limitations. ( e.g estimated rather than measurable variables involved,
symbol system difficult to interpret, other factors not taken into account, too simplistic
etc)
Conclusion– mention the few advantages/ pros of the Koppens climate classification scheme
and mention that despite the above discussed limitations, it is one of the most widely used
climate classification schemes, although with modifications.
Koppen’s Classification of Climate

Koppen Climate Classification System is the most widely used for classifying the
world’s climates. Most classification systems used today are based on the one
introduced in 1900 by the Russian-German climatologist Wladimir Koppen.
Koppen divided the Earth’s surface into climatic regions that generally coincided with
world patterns of vegetation and soils.
Average annual precipitation and monthly temperature & precipitation values are
the criteria
It is empirical (based on observation) and not genetic (based on origin)
The Koppen system recognizes five major climate types based on the annual and
monthly averages of temperature and precipitation. Each type is designated by a
capital letter.
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A – Moist Tropical Climates are known for their high temperatures year round
and for their large amount of year round rain.
B – Dry Climates are characterized by little rain and a huge daily temperature
range.
C – In Humid Middle Latitude Climates land/water differences play a large part.
These climates have warm,dry summers and cool, wet winters.
D – Continental Climates can be found in the interior regions of large land
masses. Total precipitation is not very high and seasonal temperatures vary
widely.
E – Cold Climates describe this climate type perfectly. These climates are part
of areas where permanent ice and tundra are always present. Only about four
months of the year have above freezing temperatures.
Other letter code
f: rain throughout the year
w: winter dry
m: monsoon
s: summer dry
h: hot
k: cold
Subgroups:-
Type A:-
Af: Equitorial rainforest (A= tropical, f= always rain)
Aw: Savanna type (winter dry tropical region)
Am: Monsoon type (short dry season, adequate rainfall)
As: Summer Dry (rare)
Type B
BS: Steppe Type semi-arid (less extreme)
BSh: annual temperature >18 degrees (tropical Steppe)
BSk: annual temperature <18 degrees (mid-latitude Steppe)
BW: dry desert climate (more extreme)
BWh: annual temperature >18 degrees
BWk: annual temperature <18 degrees
Type C
Cf: Western European Type
Cs: Dry summer, 3x precipitation in winter. Mediterranean Climate
Cw: Dry Winter. 10x ppt. in summers. China type climate
Type D
Df: no dry season
Dw: winter dry season
Type E
ET: Tundra type, 0-10 degrees
EF:Permafrost zone, below 0 degree
All Koppen types
Major Koppen types
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Pros of Koppen Classification

Quantitative: easier to understand and measure
Co-incides with vegetation pattern
gave importance to effective precipitation (evapotranspiration)
Cons of Koppen Classification

Difficult to memorize.
Too much emphasis on average values
Ignored precipitation intensity, cloud cover, daily temperature variations, number of
rainy days etc.
Ignored role of air masses
Was not a genetic classification
Estimated rather than measurable variables involved
Topic -Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues
3)To enable greater efficacy of public policies, it is necessary to ensure meaningful

public participation. Discuss.(250 words)
dnaindia
7/20
Why this question
A lot of policies have been made public for comments and feedback, however a very limited
set of people particularly organised civil society are able to register their feedback and
response. Ways to ensure greater public participation needs to be devised so as to enable
formulation of better policies.
The following points have to be brought out
The present situation – how public participation is sought to be ensured etc

the advantages and ways of ensuring greater public participation
The impracticality and disadvantages of greater public participation in case of public
policies
Instances of public policies which have had a buy in of all stakeholders and the impact
that it has created such as RTI
Way forward
Directive word

Introduction – Highlight the recent policies which have been brought out for public response
and relate that to the issue being discussed in the question.
Body
Bring out the present situation – highlight that formal mechanisms exist but are
unutilized or underutilized
Highlight the advantages of ensuring greater public participation
Highlight the disadvantages of the same
Highlight ways in which the situation can be improved
Highlight case study of RTI where there was a lot of genuine public participation and
how the policy has strengthened democracy and the experience should be replicated
across
Conclusion – stress on the importance of the issue in ensuring formulation of better policies
and the way forward.
Background:-
Recently government has put draft forest policy, amendments to the 2011 Coastal
Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification and the draft National Clean Air Programme
(NCAP) in public domain for public opinion however the approach followed is
criticised.
8/20
Public policies available for public participation but approach is criticized:
Strict time frame:-

The government has put out these three documents, seeking written comments
within the proposed tight timeframe. However, these documents are fully
formed drafts that are based on a number of assumptions and make very
specific suggestions on how to move forward.
Not open ended:-
Such documents are not open-ended and seem already invested with
ministerial backing. This makes it difficult to critique the fundamental premise
in them.
No accountability :-
The call for public comments in the present form creates an illusion that
anyone with access to these documents can become a part of reforming
environment law and policy. But there is no obligation on the part of the
government to tell citizens how their comments were dealt with.
This has a negative effect on public participation itself in the long run as fewer
and fewer citizens find such processes a worthwhile exercise.
When government wanted public opinion to discuss new education policy , the
website limited comments to 500 characters and to an already provided list of
issues. This partly censored opinion generation could at best generate only
fragmented and disparate views, and contradictory recommendations from the
public.
The problem is that leading questions and pre-decided themes limit the
possibilities of an in-depth and fair discussion.
Public participation is necessary because:-
Deliberative discussions on the main issues, gaps or problems would allow greater
public engagement and generate a wider set of perspectives that would be
otherwise unavailable to the government.
For example, the 2011 CRZ notification was drafted, following a series of public
meetings to discuss various aspects of coastal governance.
Advantage of these processes is that there is greater acceptability of the final
outcomes.
Participatory processes also involve accountability of those who have engaged in
it.
Public participation is a sign of a healthy democracy. It means going beyond the
events of elections to genuinely collaborate on policymaking and governance.
Pre-legislative scrutiny enhances democratic governance. It has been done in a
number of other countries well accustomed to transparent legislative processes.
People who are potentially affected by a proposed legislation whether
adversely or favourably should be able to have a say in the law-making process
at an early stage.
Negatives:-
Too much public participation will delay the decision making process leading to
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confusion.
Also the quality of discussion is significant when India is still struggling with literacy
there are high chances that most of the citizens are not aware about the topic .
Way forward:-
India has seen some good examples including the Right to Information Act, often the
only forum for inputs for legislation is behind the closed doors of a parliamentary
committee.
Follow Kerala model:-
The mode of consultation must be made well-known, and the instruments for
consultation will have to go beyond the Internet and electronic media.
A robust model of pre-legislative consultation might resemble that carried out
by Kerala in relation to police legislation. In 2011, the State government went
all out to ensure true public participation in drafting its police law where
inclusive approach was followed with district and town wide hall meetings.
Notices were placed in leading newspapers publicising the committee, its visit
and its mandate.
Many of public suggestions were accepted and passed
TOPIC: Effects of liberalization on the economy
4)The provisions of Agreement on Agriculture relating to subsidies are impractical

for developing countries particularly India. Examine(250 words)
Financial express
10/20
Why this question
United States (US) submitted a document in the World Trading Organization (WTO)
questioning the compatibility of India’s agricultural subsidies with the relevant provisions of
the Agreement on Agriculture (AoA). Hence the provisions need to be examined
The question demands answers to the following points:
The provisions have to be explained

The pragmatism of these policies, particularly for developing countries needs to be
examined
The stand of developed and developing countries need to be mentioned
How should India respond is to be brought out
Directive word
details, and find out the causes or implications if any . in the above case, the discussion has to
be centred around the points outlined above.
Introduction – Stress on explaining that this is an oft repeated controversy, highlight the recent
case and outline the debates that it raises
Body
Explain the provisions and why is there a controversy on this issue

Explain the perspective (in brief) of developed countries
While outlining the perspective of developing countries like India – explain how it is
impractical for India to limit itself to the 10% limit based on 1986-88 prices due to
reasons of food security, livelihood protection etc
Examine India’s stand on the issue and way forward
Conclusion – Mention the need for modification in the subsidy regime to ensure that there is
greater buy in from the developing countries when it comes to WTO policies.
Background:-
Recently the United States (US) submitted a document in the World Trading
Organization (WTO) questioning the compatibility of India’s agricultural subsidies with
the relevant provisions of the Agreement on Agriculture (AoA).
The document targets the minimum support price (MSP) granted to wheat and rice,
the two key food crops. The US contention is that the MSP of these two crops
(market price support, according to AoA), are well above the limits set by the AoA.
Agreement on agriculture:-
WTO’s agreement on agriculture was concluded in 1994, and was aimed to remove
trade barriers and to promote transparent market accessand integration of
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global markets.
Subsidies regime included in the AoA has three forms of subsidies, ranging from
those that were considered “non-distorting” or “minimally distorting” (the “Green
Box” and “Blue Box” subsidies), to those that seriously “distorted” markets
(the “Amber Box” subsidies).
Impractical to India because :-
Developed countries interest:-

The AoA was crafted primarily by the US and the members of the European
Union (EU), to serve their interests, while developing countries like India were
reduced to mere bystanders.
Subsidies that wealthy countries give their farmers and agribusinesses are
mostly classified as “non-distorting” measures, and remain high.
A few multinational agribusinesses have increased their domination of global
trade and food distribution.
Most developed countries have shifted towards green box subsidies for
agriculture, so they continue to provide enormous support to their farmers
without breaching WTO
To calculate the level of current subsidies, the WTO uses prices of 25
years ago (the average 1986-88 global prices). This is criticised since food
prices have shot up since then, so recent prices should be used as the
reference. But developed countries currently refuse to agree to this
because “it will open up the agreement.”
Since the WTO’s Agreement on Agriculture took effect in 1995, world trade patterns
have changed, and there are forces distorting food trade that are not being
adequately addressed.
Speculation in commodity futures markets is creating volatile price movements
that do not reflect true changes in demand and supply.
Small producers and consumers:-
The interests of small farmers have almost been completely ignored.
Bad for small producers, who do not benefit from price increases and lose out
when prices decline with import surges.
It is also bad for poor consumers, who face much higher prices for their food.
In many developing countries this has created two linked problems: food
insecurity because of high and volatile food prices, and livelihood insecurity of
food producers because of rising costs and uncertain supply.
India’s concerns:-
India flagged the important issue of food security and argued that the sovereign
states must have the right to decide the manner in which the poor should be
provided subsidised food.
This issue arose after questions were raised as to whether public stockholding
of food, which is at the heart of India’s Public Distribution System (PDS), meets
the WTO disciplines on agricultural subsidies.
Many countries try to protect farmers by introducing measures to make food
affordable for low-income consumers or by encouraging domestic food
production, particularly through supporting small farmers.
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India’s recent law that seeks to provide food security to one of the largest
undernourished populations in the world has been challenged by the US in the
WTO, even though India’s scheme would cost a fraction of what the US
provides in food subsidies.
AOA is criticised on being insensitive to human development or improving
standards of living, and being too insistent on liberalization.
The model of agricultural trade liberalization promoted by the AOA also
encourages industrialized and export-oriented agricultural production, favouring
transnational commodity traders and processors over small-scale farmers
Way forward:-
Developing countries trying to ensure food security may need more flexibility
than global trade rules allow. To that end, the G33, a coalition of developing
countries at the WTO, has suggested broadening the green box to include
policies such as land reform programmes, the provision of infrastructure, and
rural employment initiatives.
Government purchases of crops at fixed or administered prices can be an
essential policy instrument.
Under WTO rules, however, if governments pay farmers at rates that are even
slightly above market prices when they are stockpiling food, those payments
count toward the country’s 10% amber box ceiling.
But grain reserves can be essential to domestic food security, allowing
countries to guard against sudden movements in global food prices. So
such payments should also be classified in the green box.
Peace clause that would temporarily suspend WTO actions against countries
that exceed their amber box limit is being suggested as a fallback negotiating
strategy. But such an outcome should be accepted only as a transitional measure
towards full recognition of the legitimacy of such policies to ensure food security.
Conclusion:-
WTO rules make a travesty of the first millennium development goal, to reduce
hunger. If the world community is truly concerned about hunger, then it should not let
unfair trade rules reduce developing countries ability to do something about it.
Topic: Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices; Public
Distribution System- objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping; issues of buffer stocks
and food security; Technology missions; economics of animal-rearing.
5) Use of antibiotics in poultry poses health risks to all and should be strictly
banned. Critically analyse.(250 words)
Indian express
13/20
Why this question
Poultry production and consumption in India has been growing steadily and most of the
domestic production is under intensive system. Poultry industry is heavily dependent on the
use of antibiotics, which poses several health concerns. The question is related to GS 3
Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices; Public
Distribution System- objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping; issues of buffer stocks
and food security; Technology missions; economics of animal-rearing.
The question wants us to highlight the reasons behind antibiotics use in poultry and discuss its
adverse effects on the health. We have to form a personal opinion based on that discussion.
Directive word
Critically analyse- we have to see all the aspects of the question- why antibiotics are used in
raising poultry and what are its health effects. We have to present our personal opinion on the
issue also.
Introduction- Present some statistics about use of antibiotics in poultry or mention the growth
in production and consumption of poultry meat in India.
Body–
1. discuss the need of using antibiotics in raising poultry. (e.g as growth promoter it
improves feed conversion ratio, thereby decreasing costs of production.
2. discuss the health effects. ( e.g increased antibiotic resistance, allergy, environmental
pollution and hence risk to non meat eaters also etc.)
3. Discuss the efforts directed to reduce or stop antibiotics use in poultry. Mention
national action program on antibiotics etc.
Conclusion- mention the imperative to stop antibiotics use and present a way forward- stricter
standards, use of probiotics and prebiotics in place of antibiotics etc.
Antibiotics in poultry are used for the following reasons :-
The issue of antibiotic use in livestock is particularly for non-therapeutic use such as
mass disease prevention or growth promotion of poultry, pigs etc.
Studies conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment has shown the use of
important antimicrobials, including critically important ones in poultry and
aquaculture.
Indian chicken producers claim that antibiotics are used only for treating sick birds.
Why rampant usage of antibiotics continues in Poultry and why it should be strictly
banned :-
Unregulated sale of the drugs for human or animal use accessed without
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prescriptionor diagnosis has led to unchecked consumption and misuse.

Of tested birds destined for meat consumption, 87% had the super germs
based on a study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
Farms supplying India’s biggest poultry-meat companies routinely use medicines
classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “critically important” as a
way of staving off disease or to make them gain weight faster, so that more can be
grown each year for greater profit.
One drug typically given this way is Colistin which is used to treat patients
critically ill with infections that have become resistant to nearly all other drugs.
In India, the poultry industry is booming. The amount of chicken produced
doubled between 2003 and 2013. Chicken is popular because it can be eaten by
people of all religionsand affordable. Experts predict the rising demand for
protein will cause a surge in antibiotic use in livestock. India’s consumption of
antibiotics in chickens is predicted to rise fivefold by 2030 compared to 2010.
Lax regulation:-
India does not have an effective integrated policy to control the use of
antibiotics in livestock and poultry with a viewpoint of containing
antibiotic resistance
In 2014 the Agriculture Ministry sent an advisory letter to all State governments
asking them to review the use of antibiotic growth promoters. However, the
directive was non-binding, and none have introduced legislation to date.
Even the guidelines of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)on
poultry waste management do not adequately address ABR.
In India, at least five animal pharmaceutical companies are openly advertising
products containing Colistin as growth promoters.
Chickens are fed antibiotics so that they gain weight and grow fast.
Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has found residues of antibiotics in
40 per cent of the chicken samples it tested.
In Europe, Colistin is available to farmers only if prescribed by a vet for the
treatment of sick animals. In India there is no such thing.
India, level of awareness regarding antibiotic resistance is very low.
Antibiotics are also coming from China as the imports are not regulated
Poultry farmers also ignore the mandatory withdrawal period, time gap between
the use of antibiotics and when it is slaughtered that helps ensure that high levels of
antibiotic residues do not pass on to humans.
While many poultry farmers are aware of other options or antibiotic-free growth
promoter feed supplements, their high cost is prohibitive for smaller players.
Bigger farmers are less keen because there is no incentive to make antibiotic-free
chickens.
Health and other risks :-
Because resistance blunts the effectiveness of drugs designed to cure or

prevent infection.
The bacteria survive and continue to multiply rendering ineffectual treatment for
serious illnesses like pneumonia and tuberculosis, even prophylaxis in, say,
caesarian deliveries. It hampers recovery in post-operative surgery.
15/20
Public health experts have suspected that such rampant use of antibiotics could
be a reason for increasing antibiotic resistance in India.
These mutated robust strains bypass toxic effects of antibiotics, making them
ineffective. They can easily spread among the flock and contaminate the food
chain.
They can also alter the genetic material of other bacteria, often pathogenic
ones, making them resistant to several drugs and resulting in a global
pandemic.
Antibiotic residues present in the meat can directly unleash an assault on
microbes in humans.
The mutated robust microbe strain can invade the body and cause diseases
that are difficult to treat.Even mild infections require stronger dosage.
These drug-resistant bacteria could nullify the gains of modern medicine by
compromising the success of organ transplants, high-end surgeries and cancer
chemotherapy.
With drugs losing their effectiveness, the world would need newer antibiotics.
Unfortunately, no new class of antibiotic has hit the market since late 1980s.
Annual healthcare cost due to antibiotic resistanceis estimated to be as high as
$20 billion, with an additional productivity loss of up to $35 billion in the US.
Treating fatal diseases like sepsis, pneumonia and tuberculosis (TB) are becoming
tough because microbes that cause these diseases are increasingly becoming
resistantto fluoroquinolones.
Farmhandswho handle the birds often wear open-toe shoes, providing a conduit of
entry for resistant bacteria and resistance genes into the community and hospitals,
where further person-to-person transmission is possible.
Way ahead:-
Ban the use of antibiotics for growth promotion and mass disease prevention.
It should only be used to cure the sick animals based on prescription of veterinarians
Antibiotics should not be allowed in feed and feedThe government should set
standards for animal feed and regulate the business
Encourage development, production and use of alternative antibiotic-free growth
promoters, such as herbal supplements
All animal antibiotics should be traceable from manufacturing site to user. Implement
stringent control on import of antibiotics and feed supplements
Good farm management practices should be followed to control infection and
stress among the flock.
Veterinarians should be trained and educated on judicious use of antibiotics
and infection prevention.The government should ensure that veterinarians do not
get incentives for prescribing more antibiotics
There is a need to introduce a labelling system wherein poultry raised without
use of antibiotics should be labelled through reliable certified schemes to
facilitate consumer choice.
It is necessary to create an integrated surveillance system to monitor
antibiotics use and antibiotics resistance trends in humans, animals and food
chain. A national-level database should be developed and kept in the public domain.
16/20
Citizens should be educated about what they are eating, what does their food
contain, and what are the consequences.
Herbal feeds:-
Other countries are importing herbal animal feeds from India. The
effectiveness of these herbal feeds should be studied for Indian conditions.
And if these feeds pass the test, Indian farmers should be advised to use them.
The government must issue advisories asking poultry farmers to stop the use
of Colistin and maintain records of the overall use of all drugs given to poultry.
This should become a strict requirement for the poultry industry.
Topic: Emotional intelligence-concepts, and their utilities and application in administration

and governance
6)What do you understand by emotional intelligence. Discuss the five components

of emotional intelligence as given by Holeman.(250 words)
Reference
Reference
17/20
Why this question
This question is related to GS 4 syllabus under the following heading-
Emotional intelligence-concepts, and their utilities and application in administration and

governance.
The question simply wants us to define the concept and importance of emotional intelligence.
It also wants us to discuss the five components of emotional intelligence as given by Holeman.
Directive word
Discuss- we have to write in detail about the given topic- emotional intelligence and its five
components.
Introduction- Define emotional intelligence.
Body.
1. Discuss the importance and relevance of emotional intelligence.

2. Discuss the five components of emotional intelligence as given by Holeman.
Take the help of the above attached article and other such articles/ sources to frame your
answer.
Conclusion– mention in 1-2 linea how we can improving our emotional intelligence vis a vis
public services.
Answer:-
Emotional intelligence or EI is the ability to understand and manage your own emotions,
and those of the people around you. Emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive
emotions, to access and generate emotions so as to assist thought, to understand
emotions and emotional knowledge, and to reflectively regulate emotions so as to promote
emotional and intellectual growth.
Especially in administration emotional intelligence is necessary because:-
Social responsibility
When a leader cares about others, he is not a centre of attention and keeps
everyone in the loop by making their intentions known.
Stress tolerance
To stay focused, stress should be managed and it involves own reactions to
stress or the reactions of others to the stress.
Impulse control
Independent people evaluate the alternatives and initiate the work by taking
appropriate action by executing the right options. People who manage their
impulses avoid being distracted and losing control of the situation.
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Optimism
Optimistic people have a target that they’re aiming toward. These people are
confident in their ability to carry out the required actions and meet the target by
looking for successful solutions to problems.
Five components of emotional intelligence
According to Daniel Goleman, an American psychologist who helped to popularize

emotional intelligence, there are five key elements to it:
Self-awareness:-
The ability to recognize and understand personal moods and emotions
and drives, as well as their effect on others.
Hallmarks of self-awareness include self-confidence, realistic self-
assessment, and a self-deprecating sense of humour.
Emotional awareness:This deals with knowledge of one’s emotions and
their effects. People having this competency are more aware of their
feelings and performance.
Accurate self-assessment:This involves being aware of one’s strengths
and weaknesses. One is open to feedbacks, new viewpoints, etc.
Self-confidence:This relates to complete affirmation of one’s worth and
abilities. They are usually more confident and are able to make sound
decisions despite any uncertainties or pressures
Self-regulation:-
Ability to control or redirect disruptive impulses and moods, and the
propensity to suspend judgment and to think before acting. Hallmarks
include trustworthiness and integrity; comfort with ambiguity; and
openness to change.
Adaptability:This involves flexible attitude towards change. People with
this competency find it easy to handle changing routines, multiple roles
and even shifting priorities.
Innovativeness:This involves getting easy with and open to new
information and ideas. People who possess this are able to gather new
ideas from multiple sources, set challenging roles and are able to take
calculated risks. They evolve original solutions to various problems.
Motivation:-
A passion to work for internal reasons that go beyond money and status -
which are external rewards, – such as an inner vision of what is important
in life, a joy in doing something, curiosity in learning, a flow that comes
with being immersed in an activity
Empathy:-
The ability to understand the emotional makeup of other people. A skill in
treating people according to their emotional reactions.
Empathy does not necessarily imply compassion. Empathy can be ‘used’
for compassionate or cruel behaviour. Serial killers who marry and kill
many partners in a row tend to have great emphatic skills.
Social skills:-
Proficiency in managing relationships and building networks, and an
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ability to find common ground and build rapport. Hallmarks of social skills
include effectiveness in leading change, persuasiveness, and expertise
building and leading teams.
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1)Examine the role that All India Trade Union Congress played in labour movements
in the country?(250 words)
The question demands us to explain in depth the role AITUC played in furthering the labour
movements in the country.
Directive word
Introduction – Give a brief into the history of AITUC
Body
Mention about the leadership, aims and objectives of AITUC

Mention how AITUC was instrumental in the labour movements taking place in the
country . Bring out the impacts like supply of leadership, intellectual heft, organising
protests etc
Mention where AITUC fell short in developing a sharp labour consciousness
Conclusion – Summarize the role that AITUC played in shaping the labour movements of the
country.
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Background :-
The national movement after home rule league and Rowlatt satyagraha reached a
crescendo in the Non- Cooperation and Khilafat Movement in 1920-22. It was in
this context that there occurred a resurgence of working class activity in the years
from 1919 to 1922.
The working class now created its own national level organisation to defend its class
rights. It was in this period that the working class also got involved in the mainstream
of nationalist politics to a significant extent.
The most important development was the formation of the All India Trade Union
Congress (AITUC) in 1920.
All India trade union congress :-
The All India Trade Union Congress (A.I.T.U.C.) was set up in 1920
To represent and protect the interest of workers and to make necessary co-
ordination between the activities of different labour organisations
To penetrate into the unorganised areas of the country.
To represent India at the League of NationsInternational Labor
Organization (ILO).
In 1926, the government passed the Trade Union Act to provide legal status to the
registered trade unions.
The leadership included Lala Lajpat Rai, Joseph Baptista, M. Joshi, Diwan Chaman
Lalland a few others and, until 1945 when unions became organised on party lines, it
was the primary trade union organisation in India.
Role it played :-
The manifesto issued to the workers by the AITUC urged them not only to organize
themselves but also to intervene in nationalist politics.
It ushered in an unprecedented upsurge of working-class struggles
and organization. Strike struggles became better organized than ever with the
worker elements taking their rightful place in the leadership.
Trade unions became stable organizations with worker-leaders beginning to
come into their own.
The workers under Communist and radical nationalist influence participated in a
large number of strikes and demonstrations all over the country between 1922
and 1929.
The AITUC in 1927 took a decision to boycott the Simon Commission and many
workers participated in the massive Simon boycott demonstrations.
There were also numerous workers meetings organized on May Day, Lenin Day,
the anniversary of the Russian Revolution, and so on.
When the campaign for the 1937 elections began, the AITUC, barring a few centres,
gave its support to the Congress candidates. The Congress election manifesto
declared that the Congress would take steps for the settlement of labour
disputesand take effective measures for securing the rights to form unions and go
on strike.
During the tenure of the Congress Provincial Governments the trade union
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movement showed a phenomenal rise. Between 1937 and 1939 the number of
trade unions increased from 271 to 362 .
Criticism :-
During 1930s, trade union movement in India faced unfavourable situation

aggravated by economic depression leading to further split in the movement.
Although, little bit of unity was restored in the movement before the second world war
but the emergency during the war again confused the trade unionist, leading to
further split in the movement.
Government launched a-two-pronged attack on the labour movement.
It enacted repressive laws like the Public Safety Act and Trade Disputes Acts
and arrested virtually the entire radical leadership of the labour movement and
launched the famous Meerut Conspiracy Case against them.
Topic: Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies, Government policies and
interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and
implementation.
2)Centre’s draft scheme to monitor Cauvery water sharing is insufficient to ensure

equitable distribution of water. Examine while suggesting alternative paradigms for
river water management.(250 words)
The hindu
Reference
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Why this question
The submission of the draft scheme is another step in the never ending saga of inter state river
water disputes and needs to be prepared.
Following points are required in the answer
The details of the scheme

The pros and cons of the draft scheme and the impact of creation of overseeing body
Alternatives to resolving this intractable dispute
Directive word
details, and find out the causes or implications if any. Centre’s draft scheme brought out
recently is to be examined here.
Introduction – mention in brief about the long history of the dispute and explain what
prompted the centre to come out with this scheme
Body
Mention the details of the scheme, compare and contrast it with the tribunal’s
recommendation
Highlight the pros and cons of the body in terms of its effectiveness and efficiency in
monitoring the implementation of the award. Talk about the composition, mandate,
decision making etc
Explore some alternatives like decentralization committee, community participation etc
which would help resolve this dispute in a better manner (take ideas from the down to
earth article)
Conclusion – Mention the need of urgently resolving this long pending issue and paint a
picture of how this body can help in resolution of this long pending issue.
Background:-
Inter-state river water disputes are a symptom of poor water management practices.
India is a water stressed country with per capita water availability reducing from
1,820 to 1,545 cubic metres between 2001 and 2011.
Supreme Court recently approved the Centre’s draft Cauvery Management Scheme
for smooth distribution of water among the four southern riparian states/UT viz.
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry. It ordered Central Government to
notify the scheme before the monsoons.
Centre draft scheme to monitor Cauvery water sharing:
Authority that implements :-

It will be a two-tier structure, with an apex body charged with the power to
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ensure compliance with the final award

It will also have a regulation committee that will monitor the field situation and
water flow.
The powers and functions of the authority are fairly comprehensive. Its powers
would extend to apportionment, regulation and control of Cauvery waters,
supervision of operations of reservoirs and regulation of water releases.
The draft makes the authority’s decisions final and binding.
Only three clauses have been added in the draft scheme.
They refer to the proposed mechanism, which the draft scheme calls
“authority,”
Maintaining an account of cropping pattern, area cropped and area irrigated
The provision for the authority to seek the Centre’s help in the event of non-
cooperation by any State and the authority having to abide by “directions” of
the Central government.
Court finds draft scheme in conformity with Section 6A of Inter-State River Water
Disputes Act.
Issues with this approach:-
There is an ambiguous clause:-

if the authority finds that any one of the States is not cooperative, it can seek the
Centre’s help, and the Centre’s decision will be final and binding.
The draft scheme has included secretaries of Water Resources Departments of
each constituent of the basin at the cost of chief engineers from the respective
States and the Union Territory who were suggested by the Tribunal
Already rampant ground water extraction has direct impact on the flow and pace
the river. Thus the water reservoir will have less water to store with the passing year
failing to meet the future demands . The scheme seems less aware about such
serious distress.
Another point to notice is that the draft only focuses on the conflict and the
administration deviating from the real problem .it may fail to prove the ground of
equitable distribution as very less water availability will be there.
The scheme doesn’t talk about constituting a single tribunal providing a single
way to every state .
Suggestions for river water management:-
International examples give lessons to focus on decentralisation:-

The Good Water Neighbors Project involving Israelis, Jordanians, and
Palestinians is an example of how political differences can be ironed out by
bilateral cooperation.The larger objective was to convince local decision
makers and public that such cooperation, especially pertaining to shared
resources, is in their interests.
Similarly in the Nile Basin Initiative the focus was on developing the Nile
Basin water resources in an equitable way to ensure prosperity and peace in
the region
All these initiatives indicate that water solutions cannot be long-lasting if it
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is not adapted locally. This is precisely why water experts have been
advocating for decentralisation of powers: involving districts, blocks,
municipalities, panchayats, and gram sabhas and making them the owners
of water resources, rather than vesting all powers with the Centre or a
state.
It is important for the states to reduce industrial uses of water and focus more on
water harvesting and use the water intellectually.
Indian states intiitatives:-
Mission Kakatiya of Telangana – Restoring tanks:-
Desilting and restoring village tanks. It also uses remote sensing
satellites for geo-database and dedicated website for transparency.
Haritam Kerala – for greener and cleaner Kerala:
Intends to clean and remove waste from all the water bodies. It also
envisage removal of waste by people’s participation and also literary
water conservation awareness.
River basin commissions, which work in a cooperative manner to manage
trans-boundary conflicts, might offer a more workable solution.
National data gathering agency proposed under the Inter-State Water Disputes
Tribunal bill 2017 has its task cut out.
It should take surface and groundwater into consideration. Besides
improving data on water availability, it is also necessary to align
demand for water with what rivers can bear.
Agriculture, the largest consumer, is unfortunately characterised by wasteful
usage on account of agricultural and electricity subsidy policies that refuse to
account for declining water availability. These must change to incentivise
prudent usage.
Governments also need to handhold farmers to facilitate introduction
of superior micro-irrigation methods such as drip irrigation.
Conclusion:-
Centre’s proposal to set up a single, permanent tribunal, subsuming all existing ad

hoc tribunals, to adjudicate on inter-state river water disputes could be a major step
towards streamlining the dispute redressal mechanism.
But it alone will not be able to address the different kinds of problems legal,
administrative, constitutional and political that plague the overall framework.
Institutional mechanisms should be backed by the political will to make them work.
Topic –Role of civil services in a democracy.
3)Critically analyse the reasons behind the rise in importance of All India Services
vis a vis other Group A services.(250 words)
The hindu
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Why this question
Role of civil services in a democracy.
The question wants us to put forth the reasons behind rise in importance of AIS vis a vis other
similar services. We have to probe deeper into the issue and present our personal opinion.
Directive word
Critically analyse- we have to identify the key reasons behind the above situation and ,discuss
their worthiness and present our personal opinion on the issue.
Introduction– Mention the reappearing of candidates from other services, for AIS.
Body-
1. Discuss the reasons behind the trend. e.g hierarchy of civil services with respect to
seniority and empanelment rules, more social recognition and public interaction in AIS
etc.
2. Discuss the veracity/ worthiness and implications of the factors responsible for the rise
in importance of All India Services vis a vis other Group A services. e.g veracity- it
denotes concentration of power with respect to a common man, growing incomes,
awareness and role of technology will dilute the significance of all the services and
larger public demand will infuse more transparency and accountability in them etc.
Conclusion– form a fair, balanced and concise opinion on the above issue and suggest a way
forward (e.g limiting attempt limits, facilitating lateral entries and movement etc
Background:-
Article 312 provides for the creation of All India Services. All India Services, by their
very nature, are instruments of national integration and national unity. They ensure
the maintenance of common standards all over the country in certain vital fields of
administration. India has created a number of Central Services as well but All India
services have dominated.
Reasons behind rise in importance of All India services vis Vis other group A
services:-
Because of people’s perception that the real “power” lies in these All India
services.
These services will be part of high political and bureaucratic circles so people
believe so they have enormous power
Many young Indians feel that joining the IAS, IPS or IFoS provides them the best
opportunity to serve the country
There is wider interaction with the common man in these posts so there are greater
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opportunities to make an impact.

Indian society considers the people in these jobs with status, respect etc
In these services mostly there is an opportunity to work in multiple domains and not
be confined to a single subject.
The attractiveness to the uniformed service like IPS is a sense of pride to people.
Implications of the factors responsible for the rise in importance of All India Services
vis a vis other Group A services:-
Positive:-
Larger public demand will infuse more transparency and accountability in them
These services create a sense of responsibility to act in public interest and
ensure country moves in a forward direction
Negative:-
It denotes concentration of power with respect to a common man
Role of technology can dilute the significance of all the services
There are many instances of corrupted officers who misuse their positions
There is need for wider knowledge but the ministries at the centre are mostly
dominated by All India services.
Way forward:-
7th Pay Commission has recommended parity between IAS and other services
when it comes to empanelment under central staffing schemes.
Lateral entry into the higher civil services should be welcomed but with some
caveats.
Credit performance:-
If someone is not found suitable in the IAS/IRS/IPS/IFS after about 15 years,
i.e. at the Joint Secretary level, shift them out to non-crucial posts .
Technology:-
Infuse more and more technology into every touch point where a citizen
interacts with the government.
Today with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), global technology leaders such
as IPsoft use virtual assistants to deliver citizens services in the U.K. and
U.S.
In the context of government service delivery, cognitive intelligence can deliver
it with greater superiority, accuracy, consistency and at lower cost than humans
can.
Specific clauses under All India Services and Central Services Conduct Rules
need to be invoked to sack officers on grounds of incompetence and/or corruption.
Limiting attempt limits.
Topic – India and its bilateral relations
4) Improving India Nepal relations requires greater focus on implementation and less
on optics. Analyze.(250 words)
The hindu
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Why this question
The completion of PM Modi’s visit to Nepal provides an opportune time to discuss the
significance of the visit and chalking out the way forward.
The question expects us to focus on following points
Status quo of India Nepal relations

Why optics – religious diplomacy, talk of historical and religious brotherhood etc – will
not go a long way in resolving the teething issues in India Nepal relations
How the focus should be on implementation of projects
Way forward
Directive word
When you are asked to analyze, you have to examine each part of the problem. It is a broader
term than ‘Examine’.
Introduction – Mention about our PM’s visit to Nepal and the important agreements signed
Body
Bring out the status quo in India Nepal relations with more emphasis on bringing out
the issues that plague the relationship
Highlight why merely focussing on optics like historical linkage, religious similarity etc
will hardly resolve the issues that affect our relationship
Highlight the pending projects in infrastructure, hydro projects etc which needs to be
completed soon to ensure meaningful progress of the relationship
Highlight how China is waiting in the wings to fill in the gap that lackadaisical attitude
on part of India can create
Conclusion – mention that Nepal is crucial for India’s foreign policy and mention what
should be the way forward.
Background :-
There have been mutual visits by PM’s of both Nepal and India in 2018.With that the
relations have gained some positive vibe and the 2018 statement prioritises
cooperation in agriculture, inland water-ways, a survey for a railway line from Raxaul
to Kathmandu and increasing air connectivity.
Implementation needs to be the focus:-
Issues with the projects:-

Only one of the earlier commitments, the 900 MW Arun III hydel project,
has progressed
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Of the four planned Integrated Check Posts, one is now functional after
over a decade.
India has been Nepal’s most significant development partner. Yet the pace of
project implementation has been slow, leading to significant time and cost
over-runs.
The idea of four Integrated Check Posts (ICP) on the India-Nepal border to
facilitate movement of goods, vehicles and people was mooted 15 years ago
and an MOU signed in 2005.
While preparation of surveys and project reports moved slowly on the Indian
side, acquisition of land by the Nepali authorities got held up leading to delayed
construction.
As a result, only the Raxaul-Birgunj ICP has been completed .During this time,
the cost of the project went up fourfold.
Misperceptions about the unequal agreements relating to the Kosi
barrage (1954) and Gandak barrage (1959) have grown over the years
preventing any development in this sector. There are also long-pending hydel
projects like Pancheshwar
More emphasis on bringing out the issues that plague the relationship
Political:-
India’s openly stated reservations on the new constitution in support of
the Madhesi cause fuelled resentment.
Economic:-
Nepal blamed India for imposing an economic blockade which was
causing acute shortages of essentials such as petrol, diesel, liquefied
petroleum gas and medical supplies.
Difficult issues, including a review of the contentious 1950 Treaty, recruitment
of Nepali nationals in the Gurkha regiments of the Indian Army, resolving the
fallout of the 2016 demonetisation exercise which has left the Nepal Rastra
Bank holding a stock of Indian currency, resumption of the SAARC summit
process which remains stalled since 2016.
Border:-
There are border disputes pending between the two countries at Susta,
Kalapani and the ‘tri-junction’ of Lipulekh
India has age old unique, time tested ties of friendship with Nepal. The
relationship between the two countries is deeply and intricately intertwined by
geography, civilisational bonds, and cultural and social enmeshing. Merely
focussing on optics like historical linkage, religious similarity etc will hardly
resolve the issues that affect the relationship
China factor :-
Above Kalapani, there is no demarcation (of the boundary) between India

and Nepal till China border. This could lead to problems in the coming
time. After Doklam, Bharat is very concerned about Kalapani dispute. It may
provide an opportunity for China to flare up the issue along with a
Communist government in Nepal.
Military:-
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China invested heavily in Nepal’s security forces, particularly in its

police and paramilitary forces. It even opened up a police academy to
train the APF, the Nepali paramilitary force deployed to guard the Nepal-
Tibet border, in order to check the possible infiltration of “Free Tibet”
activists into Nepal.
China’s activities have been steadily expanding in Nepal after
Kathmandu’s support for OBOR materialized
Economic:-
Recently 10 agreements were signed between the two countries.The
one related to trade and transit and the other on connectivity have
attracted international attention for their security implication in the South
Asian region.
As per the transit treaty with China, Nepal has now secured transit
rights for trade with third countries through the Chinese territory.
China decided to supply petroleum products to Nepal, apart from building
petroleum storage facilities in this country.
Way forward:-
Completion of the ongoing process of updating the 1950 Treaty of Peace and
Friendship:-
India must recognise that as in all other developing economies, Nepal’s
aspirational young population is also looking beyond the open Indian border for
opportunities, and its desire to turn his “land-locked” country into a “land-linked”
country with a merchant navy must be considered positively.
People-to-people inter-dependence must lead the relationship along with civil
society and business-commercial level interactions.
India’s major foray should be in innovation and technology transfer,
multidisciplinary dialogues, educational and technical institutions, local and global
migration management and skills and capacity-building.
India needs to finish the infrastructure projects on time for instance Pancheswar
project has been pending for over 20 years now.
Nepal could be the fountainhead of climate change knowledge and connect to
India’s larger dynamics of the management of the ecology of hills and
mountains.
Effective delivery on the pending projects, the remaining ICPs, the five railway
connections, postal road network in the Terai and the petroleum pipeline so that
connectivity is enhanced and the idea of ‘inclusive development and prosperity’
assumes reality.
India needs to formulate a comprehensive and long-term Nepal policy.
TOPIC: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth,
development and employment.;Inclusive growth.
5)Examine the causes behind India’s decreased merchandised exports and

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depreciating currency. Also discuss various options available to India.(250 words)
The hindu
Why this question
India is presently grappling with a depreciating rupee and weakened merchandise exports. The
issue is complicated by several other factors and there are a only a few and as usual
controversial options available. The question is related to GS 3 syllabus under the following
heading-

The question wants us to bring out the reasons behind depreciating Indian rupee and
weakened merchandise exports and then discuss the options available to manage the present
situation.
Directive word
Examine- we have to describe the causes/ reasons behind the depreciating rupee and
decreased merchandise exports.
Discuss- we have to mention various feasible and available options for India.
Introduction– Present some statistics about India’s recent rupee depreciation and decrease in
value of merchandise exports, despite depreciating currency.
Body-
1. discuss the reasons behind depreciating rupee. e.g rise in oil prices, capital outflows due
to US policy etc.
2. discuss the reasons behind decreased merchandise exports. e.g competition from
apparel sector of Bangladesh, Vietnam; GST and delayed refunds etc.
3. Discuss in points various options available to India. e.g hastening of GST refunds,
diversifying energy basket, higher benchmark interest rates, counter exports from
developed countries etc.
Conclusion- mention the most appropriate and effective option that should be deployed.
Background:-
The rupee, already one of the worst performing Asian currencies, has now weakened
6.2% in 2018. despite a depreciating currency, India’s merchandise exports are
stumbling instead of gaining from the opportunity.
Causes behind India’s decreased merchandised exports and depreciating currency:-
Depreciation of Indian rupee:-

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Rise in crude oil prices through this year, amidst rising geopolitical
tensions in West Asia and dwindling global supply, have obviously hurt the
rupee and the trade balance.
Global oil prices are continuously increasing on the back of tight output
controls marshalled by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting
Countries, Brent crude futures have gained almost 12% through 2018
This in turn has bloated India’s crude import bill and widened the trade
deficit appreciably
The tightening of U.S. monetary policy has almost always spelled trouble for
emerging market economies hooked to Western capital inflows.
The Indian rupee will continue to be affected by factors such as position of
balance of payments, relative inflation and growth differential with the US
and nature of capital flows.
The spectre of fresh tensions(of the US) involving Iran over the nuclear
agreement with Tehran is also almost certain to prevent any significant
softening in oil prices
Signals from the dollar index too offer little reassurance to the rupee
Continued selling of local equity and debt by jittery foreign institutional
investors, and a weak stock market further weighed on the rupee.
Merchandise exports:-
The recent downturn is largely a consequence of the funds crisis faced by
apparel manufacturing and exporting units, a situation created by a
combination of delays in processing of refund of taxes and curtailment of
duty drawback with the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax in
2017.
Competition from apparel sector of Bangladesh, Vietnam
Some relief of duty drawback came when the Union government increased the
drawback rate to four cent for Central taxes under the Merchandise Exports
from India scheme when the mid-term export policy was announced. However,
a status quo on rebate for State levies is worrisome for apparel units.
In the past two years, India has not been able to take advantage of rising world
trade. The disruptions caused by demonetisation and later the hiccups during
the roll out of GST, have been blamed by experts for hitting small exporters in a
number of sectors.
The bigger problem is India’s failure to get become globally competitive in
manufacturing.
So far, most countries that have grown rapidly have depended on
globally competitive manufacturing to power them to high growth.
SMEs are generally not globally competitive when it comes to production of
high value products. Economies of scale and productivity problems plague
them. But merchandise exports will not go up unless the products are
globally competitive and can take a bite out of the global market.
Various options:-
India will have to find means to spur exports whether by facilitating swifter GST
refunds or taking on tariff and non-tariff barriers from the developed world.
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Efforts to diversify India’s energy basket also need greater stress.
Some important measures for improving export figures
Banks should reassess working capital requirements for exports and meet
them on a priority.
Items for which merchandise export incentive scheme (MEIS) was not granted
so far may be revisited.
And attention may be focused on assistance to states for export-related
infrastructure through assistance to states for development of export
infrastructure.
The inverted duty structure must be attended to and negotiations of items
getting hit under current free trade agreements (FTAs) should be focused
upon.

assessment
6)Recently mooted Draft Forest Policy (DFP) will significantly undermine the
provisions of Forest Policy, 1988 and hasten diversion of forest land for
developmental projects. Analyse.(250 words)
The hindu
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Why this question
Recently mooted DFP of India has been severely criticized for its attempts to undermine the
statutory powers of FP, 1988. This will have huge implications on the future of our forests.
The issue is related to GS 3 syllabus under the following heading-
The question wants us to discuss the statutory provisions of DFP, and how the FP attempts to
undermine the DFP provisions.
Directive word
Analyse- we have to identify the key aspects of the question- provisions of DFP, their
statutory nature and how they will be affected by FP.
Introduction- Discuss the Forest (conservation) Act and its power to grant permissions .
Body–
1. Discuss the SC judgements which confer statutory backing to the DFP

2. Discuss the provision of DFP which requires prior careful examination by specialists
for the social and environmental costs and benefits associated with any diversion of
forest land.
3. Discuss the provision mandating total safeguard of Tropical rain / moist forests.
Conclusion- Mention the need to revise the DFP and involve all stakeholders in framing a
scientifically backed, socio-economically sensitive, and long term FP.
Background:-
Forests are very important economically, ecologically and even for the survival of the
human kind. The new draft policy seeks to replace the country’s 30-year-old national
forest policy.
In the light of the contemporary challenges like climate change, human-wildlife
conflict, intensifying water crisis, increasing air and water pollution and deteriorating
environment a new policy is necessary.
Forest policy 1988:-
One of the strongest provisions in the existing NFP is with respect to restrictions on
diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes. Diversion of forest land for any-
non-forest purpose should be subject to the most careful examinations by
specialists from the standpoint of social and environmental costs and benefits
In addition, the policy also says that tropical rain/moist forests, particularly in areas
like Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, should be totally
safeguarded.
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The NFP 1988 was enacted with the aim of preserving the remaining natural forests
and for increasing substantially the forest/tree cover in the country.
It debarred the private sector from raising plantation on forestland and encouraged
them to source raw materials directly from farmers.
It promoted substitution of wood with other materials.
It also envisaged vesting in individuals, particularly from the weaker sections, certain
ownership rights over trees for protecting and enhancing forests.
The goal of increasing tree cover outside Recorded forest area and promoting
agroforestry has been notable, though much more needs to be done to realise
the full potential of agroforestry.
Similarly, the policy of substituting wood with plastic and metals has been successful.
Draft forest policy :-
The overall objective and goal of the present policy is to safeguard the ecological and
livelihood security of people, of the present and future generations, based on
sustainable management of the forests for the flow of ecosystem services.
Features:-
Public private participation for afforestation in degraded forest areas
Public-private participation models will be developed for undertaking
afforestation and reforestation activities in degraded forest areas and
forest areas available with forest development corporations and outside
forests
Measures to safeguard ecosystems from forest fire (map the vulnerable areas;
develop and strengthen early warning systems)
It proposes to restrict schemes and projects which interfere with forests
that cover steep slopes, catchments of rivers, lakes, and reservoirs,
geologically unstable terrain and such other ecologically sensitive areas
Afforestation in catchment areas for river rejuvenation and water recycling
The ecologically sensitive catchment areas shall be stabilized with
suitable soil and water conservation measures, and also by planting
suitable trees and grass like bamboo
Promote agro-forestry and farm forestry
How Draft forest policy hastens diversion of forest land?
Draft policy has completely deleted the section on safeguards to be followed for
diversion of forest land.
Before diversion of forest land there is no requirement of cost-benefit analysis,
no examinations by specialists, no requirement of alternatives and no mention
of the fact that tropical moist evergreen forests as well as forests in hilly States
such as Arunachal Pradesh should be totally safeguarded.
Instead of specialists, Central and State Boards for Forestry are envisaged,
which are to be headed by the respective Forest Ministers with a specific mandate for
ensuring “simplification of procedures”.
Draft policy looks like an attempt to circumvent the Supreme Court’s judgment
in Lafarge.
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The draft NFP 2018 mentions major forestry issues ailing the forest sector, but it
doesn’t provide answers to them as to how these objectives will be achieved
considering the competitive demands for forestlands.
New draft also says efforts will be made to achieve harmonization between policies
and laws like Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006.People may see it as an attempt to
weaken role of gram sabhas (village councils)
While the role of forests as climate change mitigation factor has been recognised, the
draft NFP is vague on the issue of forests rights for forest dwelling
communities as it reasserts the control of the forest department over the forests by
undermining the Forest Rights Act.
Continues to speak about private participation in forest management, which
was criticized in 2016.
This policy is in direct conflict with the policy of promoting social/farm forestry.
As industries get forestlands cheap, they will raise captive plantations of
monoculture species, bringing down their production costs. Farmers growing
the same tree species will not be able to compete against such low prices.
Bringing the private sector into production forestry will completely
undermine farmers.
There is ample evidence to show that Community forest resourcecan transform
the livelihoods of communities and conserve and regenerate forests.
The draft policy has chosen to undermine CFR by proposing a new community-
forest-management mission. This parallel mission will control the CFR process,
taking power from the communities and vesting it with the forest department.
Way forward:-
A production forestry system in place in the form of Forest Development

Corporations (FDC), is needed
With close to 1.3 million ha of forestland under their control, FDCs need
technical and financial support to improve the productivity of their
plantations. The private sector can partner with FDCs and increase the
productivity of this land.
Agroforestry can be further scaled up by removing restrictive regulations and
providing incentives and operational support systems. FDCs and agroforestry can
meet India’s wood demands.
In Brazil and Colombia the deforestation rate has been reported to be two times
lower in community controlled forestsas compared to those not under
community management.
The forest departments in these countries have reversed their roles from being
owners and regulators of forests to becoming facilitators in community-
managed forests. This is the paradigm shift required in India’s forest
administration.
Topic – Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact

assessment
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7)Agriculture is being severely impacted by climate change and extreme weather

events. Discuss ways of mitigating this challenge.(250 words)
Financial express
Why this question
Agriculture is critical for the economy and food security but is coming under immense
pressure on account of climate change. Understanding the pressure and suggesting adaptation
and mitigation steps is important from mains perspective.
The question demands us to highlight the ways in which climate change impacts agriculture
and what steps in terms of policy, scheme etc can be taken to mitigate the negative impacts.
Directive word
Discuss – Here the main impact of climate change on agriculture is to be brought out along
with steps for addressing the situation.
Introduction – highlight the numerous instances of extreme weather events which have led to
crop losses etc and how the frequency and severity of such events are increasing.
Body
Explain that climate change indeed impacts agriculture – highlight the view of experts
and IPCC
Highlight the ways in which climate change is impacting agriculture
Discuss the various adaptation and mitigation steps we can take to ensure that the
negative impacts can be allayed and we are better prepared of handling the adverse
impacts
Conclusion – Mention the criticality of the issue and conclude with a way forward.
Background:-
Climate change, which for India is predicted to result in higher and more erratic
precipitations, will have negative impacts on the productivity of important crops such
as rice and wheat. Beyond general climate change trends, what is more critical is the
need to address the impact of climate variability and extreme weather events.
The Economic Survey for 2017-18 stressed upon the adverse impact of climate
change (or global warming) on agricultural production in India. It has brought greater
urgency to tackle this issue, which has driven nearly 3 lakh poor farmers to commit
suicide in many states of our country.
Climate change and extreme weather events impact on agriculture:-
Crops:-
The production of major crops (rice and wheat) could reduce by 7% and 10%,
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respectively, by 2030, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) assessment report of 2014.
Crops like rice, wheat, maize and sorghum are the worst hit by extreme
weather events
Crops like soybean and gram are likely to benefit from higher level of CO2 in
atmosphere, which helps in CO2 fertilisation
India is inching closer to become a water-stressed region as it is already
surviving with around 1700-1800 cubic metres of water per capita per year
Economic losses:-
Further, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture has asserted
that losses due to climate change account for overall GDP loss of 1.5% of
agricultural economy.
Immediate impact on supply, causing price shocks and volatility that spread
across sectors and borders.
Groundwater:-
Climate change is also affecting groundwater in India and contributing to its
depletion. A study by the Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar, shows
that variable monsoon precipitation, linked to climate change, is likely to be the
key reason for declining groundwater levels.
Ways government is trying:-
Important policy measures such as the minimum support price (MSP) and the
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) are suffering from tardy
implementation and face numerous challenges
National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA), covers 151
villages in different regions of the country that are vulnerable to climate change.
NICRA has also been projected as an integral part of India’s INDCs (Intended
Nationally Determined Contributions) under the Paris climate agreement (2015), and
to fulfil its obligations under the UN Sustainable Development Goals for the
agricultural sector.
Paucity of funds allocated, as a paltry sum of Rs 900-1,000 crore has been
sanctioned under the scheme during the last seven years of its operation
Further, of this, only about Rs 500 crore has been spent so far.
There are not enough strong institutions to increase the availability of
inputs such as seeds, fodder, farm machinery and tools, and access to market
for ease of transactions
Kisan Vigyan Kendras do not have suitable and sufficient trained staff to
teach farmers about various innovative interventions and give demonstrations
to them
There is no linkage of NICRA with several agricultural and rural
programmes of the government and which are meant to provide additional
sources of income to farmers and also to increase agricultural production.
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is
another well-known programme, among others, to boost rural incomes in which asset
creation is one of the main thrust areas.
One such programme is the government’s flagship scheme, the National Rural
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Livelihood Mission (NRLM), which is to cover 1 crore households across states.
There are many things farmers can do themselves to cope with climate change:-
Practices can range from shifting planting dates in response to changing
monsoon onset dates, choosing varieties with different growth duration and adopting
zero tillage to cope with climate shocks (Haryana).
One critical responsibility for the Indian government to help farmers deal with current
climatic risks is to strengthen weather services. A market-based instrument that
proved attractive to many farmers in India is the weather index insurance.
However, weather insurance is not a panacea for all problems faced by
farmers and its effect can be limited in the absence of reliable local information
to support insurance decisions.
What more is needed:-
Technology:-
Government should increase the yield per hectare by using science and
technology
Integrated farming has immense potential to make farmers climate smart
through the cultivation of different crops on the same land and using farm
resources sustainably:
Climate smart agriculture involves integrated resource management for
maximum productivity
Identifying cost-effective methane emission reduction practices in ruminants
and in rice paddy
Need to supplement farmers income by other means so that he doesn’t depend
only upon farm income.
Merging schemes:-
Some coordination among all these programmes so that they can be
implemented in the most beneficial manner for the poor farmer.
The policy-makers should also examine whether the number of such
programmes can be reduced for better monitoring.
In addition, it is suggested that NICRA and NRLM may be merged as the
main focus in both the schemes is to ensure better income to the farmer by
adopting similar innovations..
Drought monitoring and management, especially critical for areas under water
scarcity.
Crop diversification is one of the central pillars of climate resilience that enables
smoothing out climate impacts on food production and income.
Collect data and predict:-
To facilitate decision-making by user communities, predictability and
prediction studies of extreme weather events at lead times from one day to
two weeks and extreme climate events from one season to one decade should
be carried out.
To meet stakeholder needs, developing countries need improved data from
better observation networks (more stations, denser networks, complete data,
near-real time data), and coordinated action across regions and continents.
Standardised criteria and methodologies for defining weather and climate
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extremes, and more consistent reference periods are urgently needed by both
research and applications communities
Ocean and satellite data of consistent quality should be operationalized and
maintained. Systematic efforts should be made to collect soil moisture and
groundwater data worldwide.
Priority should be given to systematic monitoring of the impacts of weather and
climate extremes
Efficient water and nutrient management options to enhance use efficiency
Evaluation of carbon sequestration potential of different land use systems
Understanding opportunities offered by conservation agriculture and agro-
forestry
Better land management practice is one of the ways to fight climate change and
increase resilience of farming systems in the continent.
Reusing of agricultural wastes rather than incineration also reduces greenhouse
gases.
Every climate-smart farmer would incorporate practices like farm ponds, bundings,
trenching, mulching and other practices for conservation of soil moisture, use
appropriate seeds and on-farm inputs (to avoid debt situations) and to have better
access and control over required water resources
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1) Though repressed with force by the British the Royal Indian Navy mutiny deserves
its special place in Indian freedom struggle due to multiple reasons. Trace those
reasons.(250 words)
The question is fairly explicit in the sense that it requires us to bring out the reasons why RIN
revolt was significant for the Indian freedom struggle. Other aspects that are to brought out are
details of the RIN revolt, how force was used to control it and whether it was truly significant.
Directive word
Trace those reasons – The reasons for the significance of RIN revolt for the Indian freedom
struggle is to be brought out. Thereafter our own view on the significance of the RIN revolt is
solicited.
Introduction – Briefly mention about the RIN revolt and was it was suppressed. Mention that
for many scholars it was a turning point for the British decision to leave India.
Body – Bring out the reasons why RIN revolt was significant for the Indian freedom struggle.
Conclusion – After bringing out the reasons , mention your own view on how significant the
RIN revolt was deciding the course of our freedom struggle.
Background:-
The Royal Indian Navy mutiny was arguably the single most important event in
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convincing the British government that it could no longer hold on to India.
RIN revolt:-
RIN revolt started on 18 February 1946 in Bombay.

The naval ratings on HMIS Talwarprotested against the poor quality of food and racial
discrimination by British officers.
The demands advanced by the naval central strike committee combined service
grievances with wider national concerns.
The strike spread to other naval establishments around the country.
It has a special place:-
Massive outpouring of public support for the mutineers.

The RIN strike was a unique example of breaking down the wall of
difference between army and people. The common people rendered all
possible help to the striking ratings.
Threatened British:-
Indian sepoys had been the main instrument through which the British were
able to maintain their hold on the Indian empire.
Seeing that the nationalistic feelings had affected the army they were in serious
doubt whether they could hold India any longer.
The far-reaching and widespread impact of nationalism was made amply clear.
In a way, it expedited the process of transfer of power, with the British
understanding that the means through which they had India subjugated
for close to two centuries, were now beyond their control..
Unity:-
The RIN Revolt showed that it was possible to unite the Hindus and Muslims in
a struggle against the British.
The RIN Revolt encouraged the soldiers in other branches of the British armed
forces in India to express their dissatisfaction.
The British were for the first time forced to adopt a conciliatory stance, and
agreed to redress a number of grievances related to working conditions of the
ratings.
On February 19, the second day of this mutiny, Cabinet Missionwas sent to India.
Despite huge support congress leaders did not support it.
Conclusion:-
Despite severe crackdown and no mutual support from national leaders, naval mutiny
of 1946 was indeed a watershed moment in the history of India’s freedom struggle.
Topic: Effects of globalization on Indian society
2) Discuss the impact of globalisation on Indian tribal communities.(250 words)
Analytical Study of the Impact of Globalization on Tribal

Communities in India with Reference To Economic Justice, All
Inclusive Growth and Social Transformation
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Why this question
Globalization has had an important bearing on humanity cutting across all communities and
social classes. The question is related to GS 1 syllabus under the following heading-
Effects of globalization on Indian society
The question wants us to discuss the effects of globalisation on Indian tribals- how their
social, economic and political have been impacted.
Introduction– Mention the population of tribals in India and diverse socio-cultural settings in
which they live.
Body– Discuss in points how globalization has affected them.
e.g the eroding resource base and socio-cultural heritage of tribal population through a
combination of development interventions, commercial interest, and lack of effective legal
protection; disruption of life and environment of tribal population owing to unimaginative,
insensitive package of relief (Planning Commission, 1990), change in clothing and eating
habits etc.
Conclusion- bring out a fair, balanced and concise opinion on the effect of globalisation on
Indian tribals.
Background:-
Tribal people constitute 8.6% of the nation’s total population, over 104 million people
according to the 2011 census.
The forest occupiers a central position in tribal culture and economy. The tribal way
of life is very much dictated by the forest right from birth to death. Inspite of the
protection given to the tribal population by the constitution of India, tribals still remain
the most backward ethnic group in India. Globalization has various dimensions which
sometimes affect tribal communities positively and sometimes negatively.
Impact:-
Resource exploitation:-
The policy of liberlization and the new state perceptions of utilization of
resources are diametrically opposed to the adivasi worldview of resource
exploitation and this divide has only widened further with the intrusion of
globalization’s market oriented philosophy of development.
The recent rapid technological advancement and unrivalled economic and
political strength of world capitalism have created favourable conditions for the
evasion and extraction of natural resources from the ecologically fragile
territories of tribal people.
All available laws those relating to lands, forests, minor forest produce, water
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resources, etc. restrain people from using forests.
Primary resources such as fuel, fodder and minor forest produce which were
available free to villagers are today either non-existent or have to be brought
commercially.
For the Tribals, globalization is associated with rising prices, loss of job security
and lack of health care.
Displacement:-
Since the emergence of liberalization, privatization and globalization (LPG), the
areas inhabited by tribal population have been subject to various protests
due to involuntary displacement.
Thus, forced evictions of tribals make way for mammoth capital-intensive
development projects have become a distressing routine and ever-increasing
phenomenon.
Vested interests:-
In the name of upgradation of lifestyle of poor indigenous tribal people, the
market forces have created wealth for their interests at the cost of
livelihood and security of these tribes in the areas.
Unemployment:-
There is a heavy concentration of industrial and mining activities in the
central belt. Despite intense industrial activity in the central Indian tribal belt,
the tribal employment in modern enterprises is negligible.
Apart from the provisions of Apprenticeship Act, there is no stipulation for
private or joint sector enterprises to recruit certain percentage of dispossessed
tribal workforce.
They are forced onto the ever-expanding low paid, insecure, transient and
destitute labour market.
About 40 per cent of the tribals of central India supplement their income by
participating in this distorted and over exploitative capitalist sector.
Affecting social life:-
Many more are slowly crushed into oblivion in their homeland or in urban
slums. Their economic and cultural survival is at stake.
The globalization behemoth has added new dimensions to the vulnerability of
India’s downtrodden by exacerbating their social exclusion, and making
large segments of tribal groups also vulnerable and excluded.
Leading to subnational movements:-
Inadequate social and economic infrastructure in areas that have insufficient
resources for participation in mainstream development also has been at the
root of various “sub-national movements” such as the Jharkhand, Uttarkhand
and Bodoland.
Tribal women:-
Tribal forest economy is primarily a women’s economy, and it is women
who are most directly affected by the corporate exploitation of their traditional
lands.
In poverty stricken tribal areas large scale migration has revealed the
increasing movement of young women towards urban centers in search
of work.
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Their living conditions are unhygienic, the salary is poor and tribal women are
vulnerable to
exploitation by unscrupulous agents.
They have become the prime targets of sexual violation by managers,
supervisors and even fellow male workers in the plantation industrial sectors.
Construction sites, such as mines and quarries, and industrial complexes spelt
doom for the local adivasi communities with the influx of immigrant labourers.
Tribals are being forcefully integrated in to the society leading to them losing
their unique cultural features and their habitat threatened.
Topic: Indian Constitution- historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments,

3) Bommai case is one of the most quoted verdicts in the country’s political history.
Discuss its verdict and its implications.(250 words)
The hindu
Wikipedia
5/15
Why this question
President’s rule has been often applied in India , sometimes to fill the vacuum by a due
constitutional process and sometimes unduly. Bommai case is one the historic cases in Indian
history. The question is related to GS 2 syllabus under the following heading-

The question wants us to simply discuss the verdict of Bommai case and what impact it had on
Indian Polity.
Directive word
Discuss- we have to write in detail about the salient provisions of the judgement delivered in
Bommai case, and then discuss the implications of Bommai judgement for Indian polity.
Introduction– give a brief context of the Bommai case. e.g article 356, Sarkaria Commission,
frequent dismissals of state governments for political gains.
Body-
1. Discuss in points about the principles laid down by the court before President’s rule
can be invoked in any state on grounds of article 356. e.g majority to be tested on the
floor, power of court to question the material behind satisfaction of the president, no
dissolution till Parliamentary approval etc.
2. Discuss in points the implications of the judgement. e.g laying of principles,
reinstatement of governments suspended under article 356, power of judicial review
over the matter etc.
Conclusion– Present a fair, balanced and concise opinion on the Bommai case and mention
how it strengthened the federal structure and put a check on arbitrary dismissals.
Background:-
Bommai case judgement is one of the landmark judgments given by the Supreme
court with respect to centre state relations .
The views expressed by the court in this case are similar to the concern showed
by the Sarkaria Commission.
Verdict:-
Supreme Court issued the historic order, which in a way put an end to the arbitrary
dismissal of State governments under Article 356 by spelling out restrictions.
Verdict concluded that the power of the President to dismiss a State government
is not absolute.
The verdict said the President should exercise the power only after his proclamation
(imposing his/her rule) is approved by both Houses of Parliament. Till then the
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President can only suspend the Legislative Assembly by suspending the provisions
of Constitution relating to the Legislative Assembly.
The dissolution of Legislative Assembly is not a matter of course. It should be
resorted to only where it is found necessary for achieving the purposes of the
Proclamation.
In case both Houses of Parliament disapprove or do not approve the Proclamation,
the Proclamation lapses at the end of the two-month period. In such a case, the
government which was dismissed revives.
The Court made it amply clear that a Presidential Proclamation under Article 356 is is
subject to judicial review.
Article 356 could only be resorted to when there was a breakdown of constitutional
machinery, as distinguished from an ordinary breakdown of law and order.
Implications:-
This case put an end to the arbitrary dismissal of State governments by a

hostile Central government.
The verdict also categorically ruled that the floor of the Assembly is the only
forum that should test the majority of the government of the day, and not the
subjective opinion of the Governor.
Whenever the case of a hung Assembly, and the subsequent exercise of
government formation, came up, the Bommai case would be cited, making it one of
the most quoted verdicts in the country’s political history.
Its relevance to the current political scenario in Karnataka emerges from the court’s
assertion that the only relevant forum to test the majority of the government of the
day is on the floor of the house. The opinion of the Governor does not matter.
Still, the judgement delivered by the Supreme Court strengthened the federal
structure of Indian polity which had hitherto been damaged on several occasions
particularly when different political parties were in power at the Centre and the State.
Since the Bommai judgment of 1994 and Narayanan’s interventions of 1997 and
1998, instances of the wanton imposition of President’s rule dwindled considerably.
Reinstatement of governments suspended under article 356 recently has been in
Uttarakhand and arunachal pradesh.
Criticism:-
People criticized that the Court took such a long time to deliver the verdict and
allowed, in the cases of Karnataka and Meghalaya, the illegality to be
perpetuated and ultimately deprive the citizens of those states to be governed
by their chosen representative.
It was also criticized that the concept of secularism had been misinterpreted
only regard to Hindu fundamentalism.
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4) Discuss the steps taken by the government for improving the ease of doing
business in India and what more needs to be done.(250 words)
Livemint
Reference
Why this question
Ease of doing business is an important parameter to gauge the openness of an economy and
prospects of a business. India has significantly improved its ease of doing business rankings
but there is still lot more to do. The issue is related to GS 3 syllabus under the following
heading-

the question simply wants us to discuss various initiatives taken by the government to improve
the ease of doing business in India and what more could be done for the same.
Directive word
Discuss- we have to write in detail about the given issue- what steps have already been taken,
and what more needs to be done.
Introduction– mention the present ranking of India in ease of doing business and mention the
improvement.
Body–
1. discuss in points what has already been done by the government. e.g SWIFT initiative,
GST, Insolvency and Bankruptcy code, National Investment and Infrastructure Fund
(NIIF) with the aim to attract investments from both domestic and international sources
for infrastructure development in commercially viable projects, Foreign Investment
Promotion Board etc.
2. Discuss what more should be done by the government. e.g simplifying FDI policy and
merger and acquisition policy, clearing the concept of control and economic ownership
etc.
Conclusion- mention the importance of ease of doing business for entrepreneurs, businesses
and development.
Background:-
India has jumped 30 places to rank 100th in the World Bank’s ‘ease of doing
business ranking,helped by a slew of reforms in taxation, licensing, investor
protection and bankruptcy resolution
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Steps taken by government:-
The Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) launched Customs Single
Window Interface for Facilitating Trade (SWIFT) for speedier clearance of inbound
shipments.
The clearance time of cargo will now be two to three days only.
This will greatly reduce transaction costs for traders
National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) :-
NIIF was set up in December 2015 to catalyse funding into the country’s
infrastructure sector.
The platform will reduce the cost of moving cargo between port and origin and
destination
Goods and Services Tax is seen as one of the biggest reforms in India’s history
aimed to make complex taxation system easier.
IBC:
The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, under which it has become easier to
take necessary action against failed companies, has also improved India’s
position in ease of doing business as it would lift the confidence of investors
who now have a mechanism in place to recover their money.
Simplification:
The government introduced a lot of simplification measures aimed to attract
more businesses in India. From reducing red-tapism to speeding up
construction permits, the government has undertaken several changes to make
it easier for global players to register and establish their businesses in India.
Ease in the payment of taxes online, the possibility of submitting building plans
in advance of applying for a construction permit, a new form for business
incorporation that combines the permanent account number or PAN with the tax
account number or TAN
Reduction in the time required to complete provident fund and state insurance
applications.
Initiatives taken by Sebi in the area of “ease of doing” business include
Rationalisation of knowing your customer (KYC) norms
Increasing the number of arbitration centers and simplifying FPI (foreign
portfolio investor) norms for investing in the debt market.
Dealing with construction permits:
India made obtaining a building permit faster by implementing an online single-
window system for the approval of building plans.
Getting credit:
India has strengthened access to credit by amending the rules on the priority of
secured creditors outside reorganisation proceedings and adopting a new
insolvency and bankruptcy code.
Trading across borders:
India reduced border compliance time by improving infrastructure at the Nhava
Sheva Port in Mumbai; export and import border compliance costs reduced in
Delhi and Mumbai after removal of merchant overtime fees.
Starting a business:
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India streamlined the business incorporation process by introducing the SPICe

form.
The government abolished the Foreign Investment Promotion Board.
Concerns:-
Foreign investors, Indian entrepreneurs and corporations still find themselves stuck in
archaic laws and regulatory red tape.
Clarity is lacking and piecemeal amendments made to laws haven’t helped.
Major legislative reforms have taken place, led by the goods and services tax (GST)
and the new insolvency law, but these, too, have struggled to make a difference
due to problems in their implementation.
Important concepts for Merger and acquisition deals remain shrouded in
legalese-driven ambiguities. This pushes Indian entrepreneurs and companies
back, despite India jumping 30 places last year in the World Bank’s ease of doing
business rankings.
As per the World Bank, the enforcing contracts indicator measures the time and
cost for resolving a commercial dispute through a local first-instance court
(competent court), and the quality of judicial processes index, evaluating
whether the country has adopted a series of good practices that promote quality and
efficiency in the court system. India ranks very low in this.
India’s ranking in the ‘enforcement of contract’ component is 164 .The report says
that it takes an average of 1,445 days (or nearly four years) to enforce a
contract in India. In this, the distance to frontier (DTF) ranking score is 40.76. The
all-told cost to a litigant to recover amounts legitimately due to him is 31% of
the value of the claim.
The judiciary in India is already plagued with pendency of cases and case disposal is
slow due to multiple factors like:-
More appeals
Low judges to cases ratio
Lack of modernisation of courts
Way forward:-
Government is taking measures like Parliament even passed the Commercial

Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts
Act.
Labour laws should foster an enabling environment so far as employment
practices are concerned.
Faster reforms in the power sectors, facilitation of entry and exit of firms, level
playing field for small and large firms, improvement in access to finance will
lead to improvements in ease of doing business norms.
To secure changes in the remaining areas will require not just new laws and online
systems but deepening the ongoing investment in the capacity of states and
their institutions to implement change and transform the framework of
incentives and regulation facing the private sector. India’s focus on ‘doing
business’ at the state level may well be the platform that sustains the country’s
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reform trajectory for the future.
For attracting new investment, both foreign and domestic, several macroeconomic
issues have to be addressed. These include political and economic stability, law
and order maintenance, quality physical infrastructure, and buoyancy in
financial markets.
Topic: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc, Effects of liberalization on
the economy, changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial
5) The current policy of integrating existing coastal SEZs into the overarching plan
of coastal development under ‘Sagarmala’ can lead to a turnaround for SEZs.
Analyze.(250 words)
Financial express
11/15
Why this question
SEZs are a crucial step for boosting exports, which has not succeeded in India to the extent it
has in other countries like China. Through sagarmala the government has been trying to boost
coastal infrastructure which can be taken advantage of by SEZs. Hence this question
Following points need to be brought out in this question
The current state of SEZs in India.

The reasons behind their under performance
Comparison with the SEZs of other countries to see where we are going wrong
How sagarmala initiative can boost performance
Other overarching changes required
Directive word
When you are asked to analyze, you have to examine each part of the problem. It is a broader
term than ‘Examine’.
Introduction – Explain SEZs , their purpose and design in brief, also mention about how the
government is trying to boost coastal infrastructure through SEZs and the opportunities it
provides for SEZs
Body
Briefly mention about the status quo of SEZs, how they are performing, also compare
their performance with Chinese SEZs as the contrasts in their performance provides an
opportunity to improve our SEZs
Analyze the reasons behind their under performance under heads like policy issues,
infra issues, etc. Analyze why SEZs in out neighbourhood are doing so well, whereas
we aren’t
Analyze how sagarmala initiative will help in addressing the shortcomings faced by
SEZs in India
Conclusion – mention the importance of SEZs for Indian economy and how we should focus
on reaping the benefits of sagarmala to improve SEZs
Background:-
Special Economic Zones (SEZs) are geographically delineated ‘enclaves’ in which

regulations and practices related to business and trade differ from the rest of the
country and therefore all the units therein enjoy special privileges.
The basic idea of SEZs emerges from the fact that, while it might be very difficult to
dramatically improve infrastructure and business environment of the overall economy
‘overnight’, SEZs can be built in a much shorter time, and they can work as
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efficient enclaves to solve these problems.
As of September 2017, 221 SEZs are in operation, and by January 2018, a
massive 423 have received formal approval for operation.
Concerns with present SEZ :-
International:-
Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in India have not been as successful as their
counterparts in many other countries. Several Asian economies, particularly
China, Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore, have greatly benefitted from these
zones.
The vision of SEZ is lost:-
Most of India’s new generation SEZs came up not for exporting, but for
avoiding taxes.
Large fiscal sops, in the form of a bunch of reliefs from central and state taxes,
lured developers into building SEZs.
For many SEZ developers, exports and employment were secondary to
avoiding taxes.
Lack of adequate connectivity :-
Most manufacturing SEZs in India have performed below par due to their
poor linkages with the rest of the economy.
Weak connections of coastal SEZs with their hinterlands inhibited these zones
from utilising their full potential.
Regional imbalance:-
The growth curve of SEZs had indicated a preference for urban
agglomeration by industry, undermining the objective of promoting balanced
regional development
Narrow focus:-
Another significant trend has been the preponderance of the IT/ITES
industry.
In India, 56.64 per cent of SEZs cater to the IT/ITES sector; only 9.6 per cent
cater to the multi-product manufacturing sector.
States did not match the central SEZ Act with State-level legislation, which
rendered the single window system ineffective.
Lack of a robust policy design, efficient implementation and effective
monitoring have seriously jeopardised India’s effort to industrialise through SEZs.
MAT:-
In the original act, there is no MAT (minimum alternative tax).
But the introduction of MAT in 2010 or 2011 has proved a dampener.
Due to this companies are in favour of export-oriented nations such as
Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines.
Acquiring large land parcels has become difficult due to the new land acquisition
policy.
Skill development is a big challenge.
How Sagarmala can lead to turn around of SEZ:-
Sagarmala’s focus on back-end connectivity with the hinterland is what special

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economic zones desperately need.

The few SEZs that have done well, such as the Sri City in Andhra, have benefitted
from strong multi-modal connections they have with the hinterland. These
connections are essential for lowering logistics costs and increasing export
competitiveness. This can be achieved through linking SEZ with Sagarmala
programme.
Topic: Attitude: content, structure, function; its influence and relation with thought and
behaviour; moral and political attitudes; social influence and persuasion.
6) Morality is simply the attitude we adopt towards people, we hate personally.

Comment.(250 words)
Reference
Why this question
Attitude: content, structure, function; its influence and relation with thought and behaviour;
moral and political attitudes; social influence and persuasion.
the question wants us to bring out a relationship between morality and attitude and discuss the
worthiness of the given quotation.
Directive word
Comment- we have to brainstorm on the above issue and form our opinion on the above
quotation. We have to justify our opinion with proper and valid arguments, facts, examples.
Introduction– give a brief definition of morality and attitude.
Body- Discuss how morality and attitude are related. Also discuss how morality can be
changed by change in attitude. Give examples wherever necessary and take
help of the attached article to frame your answer.
Conclusion– bring out a fair, balanced and concise conclusion based on the above discussion.
Answer:-
Morality and attitude both emanates from the core of human value system. While morality is
the rightness or wrongness of an act derived from the conscience based on certain value
system, attitude is mere objectification of our values in the form of belief, emotions and
actions toward others.
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An attitude is a person’s positive or negative evaluation of something, and that “something”

can be anything from a person to an object to an abstract idea.
The person with a positive attitude toward law enforcement would be more likely to vote in
favour law enforcement systems than a person with a negative attitude.
As an Individual people’s bond with other person depends on relationship, mutual respect
and trust. This bond tends to dilute with any harsh effect on mentioned factors. Thus
leading to tectonic shift from morality to attitude as person changed.
When someone people like behaves questionably, they mostly tend to attribute the problem
to circumstances beyond the person’s control and give them the benefit of the doubt. But
when people observe the same behaviour in someone they don’t like, they are often quick
to pin everything on their poor character, on their moral failure, thus holding them to a
standard people might not be so keen to enforce on an ally. There are so many
instances where a family member has gone out of their way to shield a crime committed by
a loved one.
This does not mean people do not apply morality to those they love. Parents, teachers
teach children to imbibe moral values and be a responsible citizen. They punish immoral
behaviour and reward good behaviour.
Thus, although it is true that human beings have a more understanding attitude towards
people they like, it would be incorrect to assume that morality is applied only to those we
dislike.
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1) Examine how Subhash Chandra Bose tried to give the Indian National Congress a
socialist direction?(250 words)
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Bipin Chandra – India’s struggle for independence , Pg 16
Reference
The focus of the question is not on the role played by Bose in the national movement but on
bringing out how he attempted to give the national Congress a socialist direction. We also
need to discuss the impact that this push had on the direction that the freedom struggle took.
Directive word
details, and find out the causes or implications if any. Here the focus has to be on how subash
Bose tried to give the Congress socialist leanings, the impact of it and whether or not he
succeeded.
Introduction – introduce Subash Bose, the role he played in the national movement, the
number of times he became congress president etc
Body
Mention how he managed to give Congress a socialist push – under his chairmanship,
by being involved in left leaning student politics along with Nehru, his views on
economy and industrialization etc
Mention the impact that this had on the course of Congress and national struggle –
discuss about the split and Bose’s attempts at winning freedom through an all out war.
Examine whether Bose succeeded in his attempt to give a socialist push to Congress
Conclusion – conclude by underlining the immense role that Bose played in our freedom
struggle.
Background:-
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bosewas an Indian nationalist whose defiant patriotism

made him a hero in India. Since joining the freedom movement of the country in
1921, Subhash Chandra Bose had been speaking in clear terms in support of
socialism.
How Bose gave Congress a push towards socialism:-
The statements of Bose, both within and outside the Congress platform, coupled with
political radicalisation which was taking shape towards the end of 1920s, paved the
way for the Congress to gradually encompass socialist content within it s
policies and programmes.
Bose along with Nehru and younger section of the congress acted as a pressure
group and insisted for the inclusion of and for making economic issues an
integral part of the Congress policies and programmes.
The AICC at Bombay session held in 1929 stated in a resolution that the poverty and
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misery of the Indian people is not only due to foreign exploitation in India, but also
the economic structure of society which the alien rulers supported so that the
exploitation continues.
In order to remove the poverty it is essential to make revolutionary changes in the
present economic and social structure of society and to remove gross inequality. This
resolution is significant to the extent that within the Congress party the seeds
of a socialist programme were sown for the first time.
Bose had been a leader of the younger, radical, wing of the Indian National
Congress in the late 1920s and 1930s, rising to become Congress President in 1938
and 1939 during with he pursued socialist agenda.
Impact:-
Subhash Chandra Bose declared the formation of a platform within the Congress, the
Forward Bloc, with an aim to consolidate the leftist forces of the country and to march
them forward with the action against the British, in order to achieve Indian
independence.
Bose had launched the National Planning Committee for drawing up a
comprehensive plan of industrialisation and of development .
Bose believed that his launching of the National Planning Committee as the
Congress President, in 1938, for drawing up a comprehensive plan of
industrialisation and of development caused further annoyance to
Mahatma Gandhi who was opposed to industrialization
His radical ideology conflicted with many leaders of congress especially
Gandhi due to which he had to resign from congress presidency in1939 .
He wanted complete independence for India instead of dominion status
especially on the onset of world war 2.
His socialist and patriotism is even respected today as he created a sense of
enthusiasm, made women participated in the Indian national army ,tried to
make India a true place for all castes and classes.
TOPIC: poverty and developmental issues, Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.
2) Gender inequalities in access to formal credit have long manifested in India’s

scarce gender-wise financial statistics. Analyze.(250 words)
Financial express
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Why this question
Global Findex Survey released by World Bank has underlined a critical issue – gender
inequality in access to formal finance. This issue has multiple linkages with GS 1, 2 and 3.
The issue of gender inequality, access of finance to SHGs etc, inclusive growth, gender
empowerment are all linked to this finding. Thus, it becomes important from Mains
perspective.
The question demands us to bring out the issue in its entirety. There are two important
keywords here which have to be explained and connected – “gender inequalities in access to
formal credit” and “scarce gender wise financial statistics”. Following aspects are to be
mentioned in your answer
Status quo – reflecting gender inequality presently

The impacts of gender inequality in access to formal finance
Causes behind the issue – here lack of data highlights the lack of policy focus to
specifically address this issue.
Way forward
Directive word
In the above question, post discussing the issues as highlighted above, Summarize your
answer by linking the points.
Introduction – Give details about Global Findex Survey and highlight the finding linked to
gender inequality in access to formal finance which should set the course of your answer
Body
Highlight the detailed findings of the report both the positives (gender gap is reducing
in opening of accounts) and the negatives (access to formal finance, refer to stats in
article)
Explain the statistics by linking it to real issues on ground such as access to finance for
SHGs, women start ups etc
Highlight the impact of the present situation if it continues to remain so – women are
today seen as agents of development , access to finance is thus critical
Highlight where have we gone wrong – mention that the lack of policy focus is evident
in the lack of finance related statistics from a gender perspective. Mention other causes
too
Conclusion – Briefly Summarize and mention a way forward.
Background:-
World Bank recently published the results of its Global Findex Survey (2017) which
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provides valuable information on financial inclusion and behaviours across countries.
The gap in access and usage is even more telling for females, where evidence
indicates inclusion policies providing entry to formal finance fail to bridge
gender inequalities, for which specific, broader intervention efforts are needed.
Why does female exclusion in finance exist
Numerous demand and supply-side constraints apply specifically to women.

Unbanked and low use of financial services correspond to low incomes and
regions
Low educational attainment
Non-participation in the labour force as well as gender.
gender gaps are large and persistent in unemployment, wages, average years of
schooling, unpaid care work
Safety concerns, socio-cultural restrictions prevent their empowerment,
bargaining and decision-taking strength
Lack of collateral (title or formal ownership of material assets) makes many of them
high-risk borrowers
An overall lack of empowerment therefore reflects in low awareness and demand for
financial inclusion.
Formal credit women are accessing now:-
Findex 2017 estimates that 77% of Indian women now own a bank account
On this basic measure of financial inclusion, females are more financially included
than before.
The male-female difference, or the gender gap, in account ownership narrowed to
6.4 percentage points in 2017
More financially aware about the avenues of formal credit.
Gender inequalities in access to formal credit:-
Evidence on broader inclusion of women into formal finance is disappointing.

Of more than three-fourths who have a bank account, less than a fifth save
formally, i.e., at banks
The low preference for formal savings compares unfavourably with 30% of
their Chinese and 26% global peers who save at a financial institution.
Women trail behind even more in access to formal credit markets.
The extent of their access to bank loans and dependence upon informal sources
remained unchanged between 2014 and 2017 .
Distribution of outstanding credit in small borrower accounts shows 24.5% share of
female account owners against 72% by men as on March 2017;
Interest rates paid by female household heads are on average higher than their
male counterparts. The gender differential reduces with per capita income
improvements, showing poverty accentuates gender divisions.
Considering that about 10% of India’s total entrepreneurs are women, the virtual
lack of access to formal credit is a huge constraint.
They are half as likely to own debit cards than men
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Account usage for remittances, including digitally, by women is low while credit-card
ownership and use is abysmal.
Way forward:-
Broader interventionist efforts are required to enhance female presence in

finance, which must be prioritised if only because of more and more proof that this
has positive growth and employment effects.
Financial inclusion of women was specifically integrated into the G20’s global
development agenda (2012).India can complement these beyond what achieved
through opening bank accounts through complementary policies and actions to
promote access and usage by women.
Being part of SHG’s women can gain greater confidence in approaching banks
and awareness.
Girl education needs to be the focus.
Conclusion:-
As women are today seen as agents of development and for the success of India’s
demographic dividend access to finance for women is thus critical
Topic: Parliament and State Legislatures – structure, functioning, conduct of business,

powers & privileges and issues arising out of these.
3)The ordinance making power of the legislature should be used sparingly and with
due respect to the constitution. Discuss.(250 words)
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epw
Why this question
Recently the Parliament promulgated 3 ordinances and it is a known fact that the state
and the central govt have been resorting to indiscriminate use of ordinances, without
any regard for the constitutional ethos. The question is related to GS 2 syllabus under
Parliament and State Legislatures – structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers

& privileges and issues arising out of these.
The question simply wants us to discuss, why ordinances should not be promulgated
frequently and what are its implications.
Directive word
Discuss- We have to write in detail about the cons of resorting to ordinance route
frequently by the central and state governments.
Introduction– Mention article 123, 213; and some recent ordinances promulgated by
the legislature. e.g Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018, Fugitive Economic
Offenders Ordinance, 2018 etc.
Body–
1. Discuss in points, why ordinances should be promulgated only rarely.
e.g- it is against the constitutional scheme of responsibility of the executive towards the
legislature, it is opposed to two core tenets of the rule of law- stability and consistency,
absence of Parliamentary scrutiny and feedback, ordinances passed in haste are often
ill-designed etc.
1. Discuss in points the need to promulgate ordinances. e.g when parliament is not
in session, during emergency, in cases where immediate action is necessary etc.
Conclusion– Give a fair and concise opinion on the need and desirability of ordinance
making power of the legislature and mention the SC judgements i.e C Wadhwa v State
of Bihar (1987)and Krishna Kumar Singh v State of Bihar (2017).
Background:-
In a parliamentary democracy such as India, the ordinance promulgation power is

supposed to be used as an exception and not as a matter of course. The
constitutional scheme exists to ensure accountability of the political executive to the
elected legislature.
Ordinance making in India:-

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Articles 123 and 213 of the Constitution:-

These state that an ordinance may be promulgated to meet a certain circumstance,
but must be laid before the legislature in question, and will expire within six weeks of
the legislature being convened.
An ordinance is thus, by definition, limited in time, and can cease to have effect even
earlier, if the legislature passes a resolution disapproving the ordinance.
Misuse of ordinance making power:-
The very nature of the ordinance might mean that a frequent resort to it is only self-
defeating
Excessively used:-
Following the washout of the second half of the budget session, three
ordinances have recently been promulgated by the President.
First was the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018 ,followed by the
Fugitive Economic Offenders Ordinance, 2018,amendments to the Commercial
Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts
Act, 2015 (henceforth Commercial Courts Act) were made through an
ordinance. .
Misuse of ordinance power has been questioned:-
Supreme Court acted on concerns about the manner in which the ordinance
promulgating power has been used at the state level.
First, in limiting the manner in which ordinances may be repromulgated
and second, in ensuring that ordinances cease to be in effect, if they are
not placed before the legislature.
Without imposing any substantive limits on when an ordinance may be
promulgated, the Supreme Court has restrained the government’s
ordinance-making power (though somewhat belatedly).
Self limiting:-
Validity and legality of actions taken on the basis of an ordinance will be
in limbo, unless subsequent legislation is passed to the same effect by the
legislature.
Overuse of ordinances goes fundamentally against two core tenets of the
rule of law, stability and consistency
Self defeating due to absence of Parliamentary scrutiny and feedback :-
Governments may favour the “ordinance route” because it makes for good
optics or helps them avoid the difficult task of political negotiation in Lok
sabha and Rajya sabha that is part and parcel of lawmaking. That,
however, is a self-defeating exercise.
Taking the ordinance route may only raise suspicions about the
government’s motives and harden the opposition’s stand towards a
measure, as was seen with the proposed amendments to the land acquisition
law.
The executive’s power to issue ordinances, therefore, goes against separation
of powers; for it acts neither as a check nor as a balance on the authority exercised
by the other branches of government.
Ordinances passed in haste are often ill-designed
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Why ordinance making is needed?
It ought to be Power to legislate when Parliament is not in session.

When legislature is not in session: the President can only promulgate when
either of the House of Parliament is not in session.
Immediate action is needed:
The President though has the power of promulgating the ordinances but same
cannot be done unless he is satisfied that there are circumstances that require
him to take immediate action.
Parliament should approve:after the ordinance has been passed it is required to be
approved by the parliament within six weeks of reassembling. The same will cease to
operate if disapproved by either House.
During emergency
Way forward:-
Even if there is broad consensus that a certain legislative measure is needed,

parliamentary scrutiny is valuable in and of itself.
Reference to the standing committee and open debate about the merits of a bill
and its drafting are likely to address shortcomings or oversights in the law.
Ordinances are not immune from judicial challenge:-
The Supreme Court, in Krishna Kumar Singh v. State of Bihar, made a series
of pronouncements with potentially huge implications for the future of
democratic governance in the country. The case raised intricate
constitutional questions concerning the executive’s power to make law
through ordinance.
Topic: India and its bilateral relationship
4) New challenges confront India and Russia in their bilateral relationship which
requires India to tread cautiously. Examine. (250 words)
Reference
9/27
Why this question
With Modi’s visit to Sochi coming soon, a time to have a relook at the India Russia bilateral
relationship is required. The relationship is passing through tumultuous times on account of
the geopolitical changes taking place. It requires India to tread cautiously in how it deals with
Russia, who has been a time tested partner of India. This question thus becomes important in
preparing for India Russia relationship.
The question expects us to bring out the following points
What are the new challenges that confront India and Russia in their relationship going
forward
What impact would it have on the future of India Russia relationship and India’s overall
foreign policy.
How should India deal with these new challenges
Directive word
details, and find out the causes or implications if any. The issues discussed above need to be
brought out.
Introduction – The overall trend of India Russia relationship is to be brought out with special
emphasis on the fact that India and Russia have been time tested partners so far, and the
emerging divergences are a matter of concern.
Body
Discuss the new challenges confronting India and Russia in their bilateral relationship.
Discuss it under heads like
Geopolitical situation impacts – China factory, Pakistan factor, USA factor
Geostrategic situation impacts – Similarity of interests in central Asia, Indo
Pacific and alliances being formed there
Economic challenges – India Russia trade not picking up
Lack of people to people contacts
Also discuss the strong points of the relationship such as nuclear and defence
cooperation etc to show that the situation is not entirely bleak
Discuss the impacts that the challenges would have on India Russia partnership going
ahead and on India’s overall foreign policy
Discuss in brief the need for India to maintain the balancing act.
Conclusion – Mention that the situation requires India to maintain relations with various
stakeholders and how India should achieve this.
Background:-
In 2017, India and Russia started paying more attention to their bilateral relations
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, reviving a stagnant relationship and recovering some of the momentum
that was lost over the past few years
New challenges:-
Geopolitical:-
India, of course, has a long standing relationship with Russia but that is
undergoing a shift in light of rapidly evolving geopolitical realities.
There is a change in how Moscow views its regional priorities in South Asia.
Shifting geopolitical dynamics driven by the rise of China
International sanctions against the Kremlin, and its never-ending economic
stagnation point to imminent changes for India-Russia relations in the coming
years.
Cold War type rhetoric against Russia is gaining traction in western Europe and
there is a growing consolidation of negative views against Moscow
Russia-China-Pakistan:-
Russia’s increasing tilt towards Pakistan as it seeks to favour with China.
Russia publicly called on India to join China’s Belt and Road initiative .
Indian strategists fear a China-Pakistan-Russia axis. For them, Russia’s
transfer of Mi-35 M attack helicopters to Pakistan in 2017 is a cause of
concern.
Quad:-
Also slowed displeasure over New Delhi’s warming up to the idea of a
quadrilateral engagement involving the US, India, Japan and Australia in the
Indo-Pacific.
Economic:-
Despite augmenting trade volumes, Russia’s exports to India are barely 2
percent of India’s total imports and in an economic sense, Russia’s struggling
economy has little to offer to India in the long-term.
Defence:-
Russia is still the largest supplier of defence equipment(70%) but its share in
overall imports has progressively declined.
Afghanistan:-
On the issue of the Afghan crisis, while Russia appreciates India’s concerns
about Pakistan’s intentions in Afghanistan, it also believes that there cannot
be a solution without involving Pakistan and the Taliban.
Russia, unlike India, views Afghanistan through the prism of its rivalry with the
US.
US- Indian relations:-
The rapidly expanding ties between India and USA after the nuclear deal in
2008.
The growing defence relationship between India-US.
India’s decision to sign the three ”foundational” defence Agreements with
US has surfaced as a cause of serious concern for Russia.
Logistics Support Agreement (LSA)
Communications Interoperability and Security Memorandum of
Agreement (CISMOA)
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Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) for Geo-

spatial Cooperation
Russia feels that India is virtually entering into a military alliance
with USA, which will severely restrict Russia’s ability to share
sophisticated defence technology with it
Strong relations with Russia :-
Economic:-
2017 was a breakthrough in bilateral relations for Moscow and New Delhi. Both
nations experienced impressive 22 percent growth in trade and boosted
cooperation in a number of spheres ranging from agriculture to energy to
pharmaceuticals.
Earlier, Russia’s largest oil producer, Rosneft, closed a $12.9 billion
purchase of India’s second largest private oil refiner, Essar Oil, which marked
one of the biggest foreign investment in India.
Once the Arctic trading routes open and the International
North South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and the India-Eurasian Economic
Union FTA fructify, trade relations could deepen.
Military:-
Two countries likewise seek stronger ties in the military sector.
Russia keeps its competitive edge and remains the largest supplier of weapons
to the Indian market.
Both nations signed an inter-governmental agreement for the purchase of
the S-400 Triumf advanced Air Defense Systems estimated at $4.5 billion.
Moscow and New Delhi also agreed on the import of Kamov Ka 226T light
utility helicopters and collaboration in manufacturing of four Admiral
Grigorovich–class guided-missile stealth frigates.
Close relationship between leaders:-
The personal friendship between premiers of the to countries facilitate an
impression of strategic bilateral relations.
International:-
Russia played a key role in facilitating New Delhi’s membership in the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
There are no fundamental disagreements between Russia and India , unlike
their relations with the other major powers.
Both countries aspire for a multipolar world, in which they are significant
players.
On issues of mutual and paramount importance both countries have
consistently supported each other.
Some recent instances include India’s refusal to join the US-led sanctions
on Russia and Russia’s unwavering support for India’s membership into
the NSG.
Moscow and New Delhi both voted against the US on the Jerusalem
resolution at the UN.
Both the countries signed the St Petersburg Declaration in June 2017,
envisaging an action plan for deepening relations in all areas, including political
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and economic development of the two countries and also to ensure that their
ties contribute to the establishment of a more peaceful and just world order.
Both countries strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and
manifestations.
Both the nations called for early conclusion of negotiations on the
Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism to strengthen the
global counter-terrorism normative and legal framework to combat this
scourge.
Way forward:-
Russia and India need to find new areas of cooperation to preserve their
strategic partnership.
The two countries need to develop a broader economic relationship through joint
development and manufacturing for export particularly of defence equipment to
other countries. This would help India develop its defence industrial base and also
dovetail into its “Make in India” initiative.
Diamond trade is an area where the two countries could improve cooperation.
India has skills in diamond polishing and Russia has resources of diamonds.
Nuclear cooperation is yet another area with high potential.
Human resources:-
Russia faces a serious demographic crisis and to diversify and modernise its
economy it will need skilled and low-skilled labour.
It might be a good for the two countries to think of ways in which Indian labour
can contribute to the Russian economy.
Introduction of more scholarships and investment in exhibitions and cultural
festivals could benefit both countries.
Tourism is yet another sector that can be tapped.
Both countries should strengthen bilateral ties in the spheres of strategic,
political, security, nuclear energy, hydrocarbons, defence procurement, academia
and people to people relations.
Conclusion:-
India-Russia relations seem to have finally made the transition from a nostalgia-
driven relationship to a more transactional one. However, the political leadership in
both countries should seize the moment and work towards a more sustainable
strategic partnership

5) The arbitrary and indiscriminate use of the Public Safety Act, 1978 to stifle political
dissent in the Kashmir Valley shows a blatant disregard for the Constitution and the
right to personal liberty. Critically comment.(250 words)
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epw
Why this question
Along with AFSPA, PSA has been criticized for its human right violations in Kashmir. In
recent years the act has been alleged to be misused more frequently than AFSPA. The
question is indirectly related to GS 3 syllabus under the following heading-

the question wants us to bring out the need for PSA and how it affects the rights of the
individual.
Directive word
Critically comment- we have to see both the sides of the issue here- need for PSA and how it
undermines personal liberty and other rights provided by the constitution.
Introduction– mention the nature, history of PSA. e.g its purpose of legislation, year and
territorial limits involved
Body–
1. Discuss in points, need for PSA.
e.g law and order maintenance, prevention and handling of terrorism, need in case of
emergency e.g during undeclared strikes and protests etc.
1. Discuss in points the cons of PSA, especially with respect to constitutional rights. e.g
Acting in a manner prejudicial to the maintenance of public order has been defined in
extremely broad terms, minors also booked under PSA, vague charges cited, non-application
of mind on part of the executive authority etc.
Conclusion– Present a concise conclusion based on the above discussion and mentioning SC
directives in this regard and suggest the need to apply them in letter and spirit.
Background:-
Along with AFSPA, Public safety act has been criticized for its human right violations
in Kashmir. In recent years the act has been alleged to be misused more frequently
than AFSPA.
Public safety act 1978:
PSA allows the police to take a person into preventive detention without a trial or
the actual commission of an offence.
The grounds on which this can be done include preventing a person from acting in a
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manner prejudicial to the maintenance of public order or security of the state.
In cases in which the conduct is said to be prejudicial to the maintenance of public
order, the period of detention is three months, extendable up to one year, while in
cases involving the security of the state it is six months, extendable up to two years.
The act is still applied in light of
The national security of the state
Keeping in mind the law and order situation in Kashmir
To prevent and handle terrorism
Needed in case of emergency especially during undeclared strikes and protests
etc.
Criticism:-
The act provides for extremely vague offences to be covered and is, thus,
conducive to misuse. Acting in a manner prejudicial to the maintenance of public
order has been defined in extremely broad terms.
Supreme court criticized:-
This law has been described as lawless by the Supreme Court (A K Roy v
Union of India1982) and has been excessively applied with many preventive
detention orders .
Affects personal liberty:-
The arbitrary nature of the use of the PSA has led to a chilling effect.
Nobody knows what conduct attracts detention under the PSA or who may be
the next target. It has been used against political leaders, human rights
activists, protesters, and even common criminals.
Moreover, the uncertainty that comes along with a PSA order is such that
it affects not only the detainee, but his entire family.
In 2011, Amnesty International released a report about the PSA, highlighting its
misuse to stifle political dissent.
Scope for arbitrary detentions under the PSA is tremendous:-
On an average, each person has been identified as having committed
offences under three first information reports (FIRs). However, most of
these FIRs are “open FIRs.”
Against constitution:-
Lack of safeguards:-
Modern criminal justice systems rely on the presumption of
innocence, that is, a person is innocent until proven otherwise
through a free and fair trial. In this act Procedural safeguards to
ensure that innocents are not incarcerated, are absent.
The most important safeguard is the fact that the police cannot
detain a person under the act itself. Under the act, this power is
vested with the district magistrate and divisional commissioner.
However, this safeguard has proven highly ineffective as
magistrates mechanically approve most orders.
In the case of the PSA, all criminals, no matter how minor the
offence, are deprived of these safeguards because of such broad and
vague definitions
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Detentions:-
Supreme Court stating that detainees should be held as close to
their residence as possible to ensure ease of access for their
families and lawyers.
However, not only has this directive been flouted, but also none of
the orders issued have laid down reasons for such transfers. As a
result of this, the detainees are unable to access their families or
lawyers. This severely hampers their right to legal
representation.
Materials Not Supplied
The act itself allows for grounds of detention to be kept secret
from the detainee for up to 10 days. However, this is permitted
only in “exceptional cases.”
In practice, the materials on the basis of which the person has
been detained are never provided.
This violates the right of the detainee to be promptly informed
of the grounds of their detention.
Right to Representation
The right to representation under the PSA is violated at several
levels. The provisions of the act do not explicitly provide for such a
right, and the few rights that are available are also rendered
ineffective in practice.
Under the PSA, there is no judicial recourse or appeal
process.
Delay in issuing PSA orders:-
Logic of preventive detention is that immediate and swift action is
required without wasting time for a trial to take the person into
custody.
However, this is defeated when there are large delays on the part
of the executive itself and, thus, the preventive detention is
not justified.
Detainee in prior custody:
In one-fourth of the cases, detainees had already been formally
arrested for offences under regular criminal laws. However, most
dossiers studied do not mention the prior arrest.
Juveniles:-
Juveniles had been detained. This is against international human
rights laws and the Juvenile Justice Act. However, following the
Amnesty International report in 2011, the PSA was amended to
specifically exclude its application to minors.
In spite of this, juveniles are still being detained under the PSA
and have been sent to prisons in Jammu like other detainees.
Judicial delays:-
The Jammu and Kashmir High Court guidelines as well as those
laid down by the Supreme Court state that a habeas corpuspetition
must be decided within a maximum of 15 days
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However the entire process takes three to four months, which is

even longer than the detention period specified in cases where a
person’s conduct is found to be prejudicial to the maintenance of
public order.
Way forward:-
To prevent the misuse of PSA under the prevailing conditions, the judiciary can be
harnessed to ensure the effective implementation of safeguards provided in the
act itself. This can be done through tailoring judicial guidelines to ensure that
hearings are conducted within the specified time frame.
The higher judiciary can also reprimand magistrates for their failure to apply
their mind or follow the law as opposed to merely reiterating guidelines endlessly.
The administration can simultaneously be sensitised in regard to the
application of the act. A sensitisation programme should be carried out en masse
for magistrates across the state.
Topic:Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday
life; Challenges to internal security
6) Drone use for civilian purposes have immense applications but also poses
regulatory challenges. Examine. Also evaluate whether India needs a policy for
regulating drone use?(250 words)
Reference
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Why this question
Drone technology has advanced significantly and drones are now being used for multiple
purposes. At the same time, these applications are creating challenges for internal security.
Moreover, India’s policy architecture is quite underdeveloped in this area. Thus this issue
becomes important.
The question expects us to highlight the following points in our answer
The applications of drone technology, also touch upon how India is making use of the
technology with greater emphasis on civilian use
The security challenges that India faces due to unregulàted use of drones
The need for a robust policy and how should the contours of the policy look like
Directive word
details, and find out the causes or implications if any. The issues discussed above need to be
brought out.
Evaluate – Based on your examination of the issue conclude on the need of a drone policy for
India.
Introduction – Mention in brief about the growing use of drones for civilian as well as
military purposes.
Body
Talk about the applications of drones for civilian purposes. Highlight the practical
examples of where drones are being used.
Talk about the security challenges that it poses
Discuss the present policy architecture
Examine the lacunae that needs to be filled through a robust drone policy
Conclusion – based on your arguments made above, conclude whether India needs a drone
policy urgently or not
Background:-
Global spending on drones over the next five years will be approximately $100 billion.
A large chunk of this spending is likely to be on the commercial and civil sector.
However, there are still several questions about the legal, regulatory, and policy
aspects, both at the global governance and the national levels, that need to be
addressed.
Drone use for civilian purposes:-
Use of drones for civilian purposes remain underdeveloped, because regulations

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regarding the technology are not yet fully established.
Use of UAVs in the commercial and social sectors has increased.
For instance, Amazon stated in 2013 that it will use drones for delivery of
packages and has been exploring its feasibility since then.
Monitoring critical infrastructure such as ports, power plants, and infrastructure
construction with drones are other important civilian functions that are being
explored.
Possible commercial applications include package delivery, photography or
spraying pesticides on crops.
Various state departments and police forces are also using UAVs for various
activities. Areas like aerial photography, surveying, crop spraying, inspection of
transmission power lines and gas pipelines etc are seeing a huge demand for use of
drones,
Advancements in fields such as automation, robotics, miniaturization,
materials science, spectral and thermal imaging, and light detection and ranging
have resulted in drone-enabled solutions in areas as diverse as the agriculture,
power, infrastructure, and telecom sectors, as well as crowd and disaster
management.
Regulatory challenges:-
Despite a near complete ban on drones, there have been large number of drone
sightings in Indian skies. Indian policymakers need to recognise that blanket bans
do not work.
Prospect of more drones in the sky has also fuelled concerns about consumer
privacy and government surveillance.
Drafting a comprehensive drone regulation needs understanding of various
domains, and given the huge number of stakeholders, this is expected to be a very
complex piece of regulation.
India also has unique problem of accountability and enforcement mechanism,
which needs to be adequately addressed in our framework.
The legal liability for a drone comes under question as it is difficult to ascertain
whether the device malfunctioned or if it was incorrectly handled or operated in the
absence of these guidelines.
The absence of guidelines for drone imports also poses a massive threat to
national security.
There is also the heightened risk of air accidents due to malfunctioning of
drones, which can be dangerous to both life and property.
Another peril of not having such regulations is the vulnerability of these drones to
hacking. For instance, just as malicious software and spyware can be placed on any
number of mobile instruments procured from outside the country, the same can be
easily implanted in drones.
Another parameter that could be used to determine trespass is the intent of the
drone operator. While this might be the toughest to judge, it does provide a moral
basis for ascertaining a case of trespass.
India needs a policy for regulating drone use:-

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New policy framework is needed, which must effectively address issues such as
liability in case of drone-to-drone collisions and interference, regulatory, legal,
and quality control and licensing requirements.
For instance, a conspicuous lacuna is that the DGCA circulators do not
mention anything about import standards, even though the majority of the
drones in India are imported.
The lack of a policy outline on quality control for indigenously manufactured- and
built-drones is equally troubling.
It assumes significance as recent incidents of drones or UAVs flying near
airports have raised safety ,privacy and security concerns.
Currently, India doesn’t have a well-defined law on UAVs, and though any kind of
drone flying is banned in India, due to lack of provisions to book the operators,
authorities can only seize the machines.
Further, there are no rules or policies in place to ensure that they are
operated safely.
Since there are no set regulations, there are a lot of irresponsible usage and
a potential threat to public safety.
No clear guidance exists on the liability standards for midair collisions and
injury to property or persons in the event of untoward incidents.
In the absence of clear common law rules, Indian states could well step in
to regulate UAV activity through a patchwork of rules, resulting in a version
of drone federalism as already witnessed in the United States.
Though the present draft guidelines issued by DGCA purportedly safeguard
citizen interests, several conflict points have gone unidentified or have
been cursorily touched upon by these guidelines.
Stop-gap measures taken by different state and central agencies have not
been effective whether in addressing issues of quality control, or response
mechanism in the event of an incident, questions of privacy and trespass, air
traffic, terrorist threat management, and legal liability.
Most striking absence in the regulations is that of import standardisation. As a
sizable percentage of India’s drones continue to be imported, there is a need to
ensure their quality control and standardisation. No legislation addressing this aspect
has been passed by the DGCA.
Adding to the failure to address import quality standardisation of drones is the
lack of policy on quality control of indigenously-manufactured and -built
drones. There is no focused regulation regarding domestically-produced drones and
the industry is left to its own standards, if at all it has any.
UAV activity will impact proprietary interests because common law has not
clearly demarcated the commons from owned airspaces.
Regulations in India that exist :-
In India, the first true notification regarding drones came as a Public Notice issued by
the Office of the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in 2014.
The document listed out the need for potential operators to take approval and
onerous conditions were put that in reality means a near complete ban on drones.
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Way forward:-
There needs to be a minimum stipulation of height above which drones can fly
in order to prevent operators from trespassing on private property.
It has been provided that no person can fly a drone over a densely-populated area
without prior permission. This needs to be qualified with respect to what constitutes a
densely populated area and the distance at which a drone can be flown.
India must also examine prevailing policy mechanisms in other countries to adopt
their best practices as it formalises its regulatory framework. However, a point to be
underlined is that guidelines alone are not sufficient; key is ensuring implementation
and compliance.

assessment.
7) Critically analyze the process of removal of dams, as witnessed in several

European countries, with special emphasis on India.(250 words)
Reference
21/27
Why this question
Dams exert a huge influence on the environment, especially the rivers on which they are built.
Recently many dams were removed by several countries in Europe. The process has its own
strengths and limitations. The issue is related to GS 3 syllabus under the following heading-
Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
The question wants us to write in detail about the pros and cons/ limitations of the dam
removal. We then have to form an opinion on the issue vis a vis India.
Directive word
Critically analyse- we have to dig deep into the question and identify the reasons/ logic
behind, success of dam removal projects. We have to form a personal opinion on the above
issue.
Introduction– Mention the names of a few dams that were removed recently in Europe like
the Vezons dam.
Body–
1. Discuss the purposes of dam removal. e.g protecting environment, preventing

accidents, prevent maintenance of outdated plants, equipments etc.
2. Discuss the limitations of dam removal. e.g only a few dams are being removed and far
greater no.is being built, updating the plant and equipment will avoid dam removal,
huge costs involved especially for large and viable projects, not a sustainable solution in
energy thirsty world etc.
3. Discuss the prospects of dam removal in India. e.g high costs involved, lack of
availability of alternate sources of energy, no public pressure for dam removal etc.
Conclusion- form a concise, fair and a balanced conclusion based on the above discussion.
Background:-
Dam removal gained momentum after the EU adopted the Water Framework
Directive in 2000 which made it imperative for member states to improve ecological
protection of rivers and lakes.
According to Dam Removal Europe, 3,450 dams have already been removed in
Sweden, Spain, Portugal, UK, Switzerland and France.
Recently the French government and Spain have agreed to protecting environment,
preventing accidents, prevent maintenance of outdated plants, equipments etc.
Advantages of dam removal:-
River restoration:-
Brings life back to their rivers by taking down many small and obsolete dams .
Fish species:-
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Nearly one in 10 of Europe’s fish species could face extinction due to

expanding hydropower dams in the western Balkans.
These dams have blocked fish migration routes for generations, preventing
them from mating.
Dams alter the natural characteristics of a river system. Long stretches of
rivers, which once flowed freely from source to outlet, become a series of
pools, hindering migrating fish from reaching spawning grounds in the upper
reaches.
Costs :-
Costs including environmental, safety, and socio-cultural impacts
Reinstating the natural sediment and nutrient flow
Eliminating safety risks, restoring opportunities for recreation, and saving taxpayer
money.
Positives of dams:-
Dams may provide a variety of benefits, including water supply, power generation,
flood control, recreation, and irrigation.
After the dam formation, the energy security issues of India have been resolved
to an extent. As a part of development it is very important as 53% of land area is rain
fed thus the irrigation through these dams plays a very important role in agriculture
Disadvantages of dam removal:-
Dam removal does result in fundamental changes to the local environment.
The reservoir will be eliminated, and with it the flat-water habitat that had been
created.
Wetlands surrounding the reservoir may also be drained, although new
wetlands are often created both in the newly restored river reach above the
former dam site and in the river below.
Sediment that collects behind a dam, sometimes over hundreds of years, may
contain toxics such as PCBs, dioxide, and heavy metals.
Removal of these toxic materials is often extremely expensive, and the threat
of re-suspending these toxic-laden sediments in the process of dam removal
has the potential to damage downstream water quality and threaten the health
of fish and wildlife and water users.
Short term impacts of the dam removal itself can include increased water
turbidity and sediment build up downstream from releasing large amounts
of sediment from the reservoir, and water quality impacts from sudden releases
of water and changes in temperature.
Only a few dams are being removed and far greater numbers are being
built, updating the plant and equipment will avoid dam removal, huge costs
involved especially for large and viable projects, not a sustainable solution in
energy thirsty world etc.
Indian scenario:-
India, the third largest dam-building nation in the world after China and the US, has
more than 5,000 large dams.
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Why India needs to follow western approach of dam removal?
Conflicts over water have spiralled in India in the last few decades with states
squabbling over reduced share of water due to damming of rivers. Odisha-
Chhattisgarh water conflict is one of the long-raging disputes.
India needs fewer obstacles and more free flowing rivers, without which, the world
will never be able to stem biodiversity loss.
Dams, which interfere with the continuous flow, don’t just lead to depression of
groundwater table in the downstream but also restrict movement of organisms,
nutrients and sand along a river, which has an impact on downstream aquatic
system and biodiversity.
Rivers of West Bengal are heavily damned or irrigation and to provide flood control,
but in effect it upsets hydrological balance.
Dams don’t solve the problem of lack of water storage. On the contrary, the
storage capacity of a river is reduced to 75 per cent due to the problem of silting.
Due to excessive dams on Narmada,in the very last stretch of the river there is
virtually no water, borewells in the river bed are spouting saline water with high levels
of chloride, salinity in the soil has also increased.
Concerns with dam removal in India:-
Because the size and location of dams vary so greatly, the cost to remove an
individual dam can range from tens of thousands of dollars to hundreds of millions
of dollars.
High costs are involved
There is lack of availability of alternate sources of energy so dam removal is not
feasible at present
No public pressure for dam removal
Way forward:-
India needs to follow Japan that have created multiple sub-surface dams. Unlike a
surface dam, water loss by evaporation is minimal in underground dams. In a country
like India, where evaporation rates are very high, this can be the game changer.
Building coastal reservoirs
Storing floodwater during rainy season with the help of coastal reservoirs is the
best solution to overcome water shortage.
Flood control can often be accomplished more effectively and for less money by
restoring wetlands, maintaining riparian buffers, or moving people out of the
floodplain.
Updating antiquated irrigation systems and replacing inappropriate crops can
dramatically reduce the need for dams and reservoirs in the arid West.
Rather than plugging rivers with multiple hydropower dams, a cheaper and less
environmentally harmful solution is to use existing energy efficiency technologies.

assessment
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8) Discuss the problems faced by rivers in India. Examine the factors behind failure
of river rejuvenation programs in India.(250 words)
Reference
The hindu
Why this question
Most of Indian rivers are highly polluted and in stress and the situation is exacerbated by the
Climate Change and a growing population. The question is related to GS 3 syllabus under the
following heading-
The question wants us to write in detail about the problems faced by Indian rivers and why
river rejuvenation programs in India are not successful.
Directive word
Discuss- we have to write in detail about the first part of the question- problems faced by
rivers;
Examine- we have to bring out the reasons behind poor performance of river rejuvenation
programmes in India.
Introduction- mention the health and condition of most of the Indian rivers and programs like
Namami Ganga, Yamuna bachao etc.
Body–
1. discuss in points, problems faced by Indian rivers. e.g pollution, illegal occupation,
sand mining, dams, declining flow in peninsular rivers, agricultural flow etc.
2. Discuss in points, reasons behind failure of river rejuvenation programs. e.g lack of
proper planning and timely disbursement of resources, failure to control entry of
pollutants, insufficient sewage treatment facilities, open defecation etc.
Conclusion– Present a fair, balanced and concise opinion.
Background:-
Rivers are increasingly being treated as lifelines to an ever-growing population, the

realisation of which is still to sink in as far as India is concerned.
Problems faced by rivers in India:-
Pollution:-
More than half the rivers in India are polluted, with the developing economic
power unlikely to meet demand for fresh water from its still-growing population .
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A primary cause is the quantity of sewage generated by cities and towns

along polluted stretches .
Country’s waterways have also suffered badly in recent years, with vast quantities
of municipal and industrial waste discharged into them every day.
Relentless dumping of waste and release of untreated effluents is posing a
serious threat to the over 50 rivers in the country.
Ganga has been dammed, over-drained and sullied by sewage as well as
industrial waste from the numerous towns and cities which dot the river bank.
Even in the mountains, many rivers are said to be disappearing at most of the
locations as hydropower projects divert them into underground tunnels
Overuse:-
Further, the Indus and Teesta are among the eight mighty rivers of the world
that run dry from overuse, according to the National Geographic Society.
The biggest threats to the existence of rivers are big dams, canal diversions,
hydropower projects and pollution.
Huge population in river banks
River rejuvenation programs and their failure:-
With deteriorating quality of water in Ganga and Yamuna in 1985, the Ganga Action
Plan (GAP) Phase I, followed by GAP Phase II, starting in 1993.
Similarly, the Yamuna Action Plan (YAP) was also started in 1993 as a bilateral
project with the Japanese Government.
In 2009, the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) with the Prime
Minister as its Chairman, was formed.
The total expenditure till March 2014 was Rs986.34 crore. In July, 2014, the
Modi Government launched the Namami Gange Project with more or less the
same purpose as the GAP has served.
Government has focussed on cleaning the Ganges but there has been little
progress so far on a project which has defeated successive administrations, despite
substantial funding.
Declaration of the Ganga and the Yamuna as living entities signals a renewed
effort to rescue our rivers.
Reasons for failure:-
River water disputes like Mahadayi dispute are turned into a political issue.
There are different municipal agencies and government bodies, often
working at cross purposes, who are supposed to be working to save
rivers.
Yamuna River Project has not addressed the issue of environmental flow
which is crucial to save a river.
It does not tell the action plans for rejuvenation of the river and its
riparian ecosystem that generate ecological services including the
storage of flood water, enhanced recharging of ground water, flood
regulation, treatment of sewage before and after discharging into river.
Straightening of rivers is entirely opposed to their ecological integrity and
is environmentally destructive and downright dangerous to the river banks and
riverine population.
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There is no understanding of river hydrology and floodplains, which form

diverse habitats for flora and fauna. Here lies the root of the problem,
Water in India is a state government subject and water laws are state-
based. The state has the constitutional power to make laws, to implement and
regulate water supplies, irrigation and canals, drainage and embankments,
water storage and hydropower. This creates conflicts between centre and
state.
There is nothing in the constitution or law that shows an understanding of
what a river is, what services it provides or the conservation of rivers
There is no legal protection for rivers in India. This is the reason
various legal and institutional measures such as the Water Pollution Act,
CPCB, the state pollution control boards, Ganga Action Plan, Yamuna
Action Plan and the National River Conservation Plan have yielded no
results.
Successive governments have ignored river protection and a
proposal for a river regulation zone has been gathering dust for over a
decade.
Government resolution (GR) mentions desilting, straightening and
deepening of rivers. This is not river rejuvenation.
Government is just focusing on pollution and trying to find an engineering
solution while ignoring the core issue, the ecological problem.
Open defecation in the rivers
Way forward:-
All state governments must make it mandatory to have rain water harvesting
techniques in government as well as private buildings and make roof water and
surface harvesting mandatory.
Include embankments, embankment roads, and roads on either side of the river need
to be developed as greenways, with walkways, cycle paths and recreational centres
to facilitate the link between citizens and the river.
Rejuvenation of wetlands:-
These wetlands can store millions of gallons of flood water and recharge
ground water and also enhance the river flow during lean period
Reforestation and protection of forested catchments:-
Forested catchments reduce soil erosion and siltation of the river, they regulate
stream flows and micro climate. A protected catchment automatically means
lesser silt in rivers
Vegetated and protected riparian banks. These protect the river banks, reduce
erosion and maintain water quality
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1) Compare and contrast Gandhi and Bose’s view on the future of the nation in
general and national movement in particular?(250 words)
Reference
The question expects us to highlight the following aspects
View of Gandhi ji on the issues mentioned in the question

View of Subash Chandra Bose on the issues mentioned in the question
Similarity and differences in their views
Directive word
Compare and contrast – Here the similarities and differences in their views are to be discussed.
Introduction – Mention that both were iconic leaders of the freedom movement and explain
how.
Body
Mention the similarities and differences in their view regarding the future economy,
polity, society of India
Mention their similarities and differences in their view on the nature of freedom and
how to achieve freedom, their differences in opinion which led to their split
Conclusion – Highlight that both of them despite their differences contributed immensely to
the freedom struggle and had only the welfare of nation on their mind.
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Background:-
Both Mahatma Gandhi and Subhash Chandra Bose were stalwarts of Indian freedom
struggle. Gandhi and Subhash Chandra Bose differed in their approach and had
different understanding of political reality:
Similarities between Gandhi and Bose view :-
Gandhi and Bose did not differ on their choices between communism and capitalism.
Both were socialists, as per their stated positions, and disassociated themselves
from Communism (Bose certainly did).
Again, unlike what is commonly believed, Gandhi was not opposed to violence per se
as he did not totally oppose violence during Quit India movement.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Subhash Chandra Bose had the same objective
of liberating the country from the yoke of British imperialism.
Until the political clash at Tripuri they worked more or less together under the
common platform of the Indian National Congress for about two decades.
Gandhiji’s struggle i.e., averse mindset in the beginning of the Second World War
and his uncompromising stance during the Quit India Movement, was in a way a
victory of Netaji’s strategy.
Gandhi’s tone and temper clearly smacked of a revolutionary strategy quite akin to
the soul and spirit of Bose. Ideologically they appeared to come nearer.
Differences:-
Violence vs non violence:-

Subhash Chandra Bose adopted violent means for liberation of India and
thus led Indian National Army. Gandhi on the other hand was a firm believer
of non-violence and led peaceful mass protests
Ideology:-
Ideologically Gandhi subscribed to socialist pattern of society where fruits of
labour were evenly distributed and favoured trusteeship pattern of relation
between Capitalist and labourers.
Subhash Chandra was a keen follower of radical leftist ideology and
organized trade unions
Bose wanted to grab the opportunity provided by second world war for India’s
freedom, thus approached Germany, Japan while Gandhi saw facism and Nazism
a greater danger to Indian polity and society thus co-operated with British. Thus
they had a different understanding of same event
Religious teachings had great importance in the life of Gandhi while Subhash
Chandra Bose was a leftist and rationalist.
Gandhi’s idea of freedom was based on self rule and rule over self. Bose viewed
freedom not only in terms of political self rule but also freedom from socio-economic
inequalities, casteism, intolerance etc.
India’s participation in World war II:-
When the Second World War began and Britain got involved in it, Subhash
insisted persistently that England’s difficulty is India’s
opportunity and it is the time opportune to launch struggle for freedom.
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Gandhi at the time was not prepared to oblige Subhash and immediately
launch any struggle to achieve India’s freedom.
Bose sought complete severance from the British empire, while Gandhi’s goal
posts vacillated between Spiritual Swaraj, Dominion Status and complete severance.
Vision:-
Stated visions of Gandhi and Bose differed substantially with respect to their
desired evolution of India and her politics.
Gandhi advocated a vision comprising of spinning, khadi and local self-
sufficiency at village level while Bose held steadfast to a vision of large scale
industrialisation and a politics devoid of irrationality and religiosity.
Industrialisation:-
Bose had launched the National Planning Committee for drawing up a
comprehensive plan of industrialisation and of development .
Bose believed that his launching of the National Planning Committee as the
Congress President, in 1938, for drawing up a comprehensive plan of
industrialisation and of development caused further annoyance to
Mahatma Gandhi who was opposed to industrialization.
Bose was acutely conscious of the role the armed forces play in the political growth
of a nation.
Conclusion :-
Despite the differences both leaders had immense respect for each other and
contributed significantly to the national movement and the nation.
Topic:Separation of powers between various organs dispute redressal mechanisms and

institutions.
2)Examine how organisational barriers and court processes that contribute to case
delay in India, could be resolved. (250 words)
The hindu
Why this question
Indian courts suffer from huge pendency of cases and various attempts to resolve the
same have not been largely successful. Besides, pending vacancies and deficit
infrastructure, a host of issues related to organisational barriers and court processes
delay justice delivery in India. The issue is related to GS-2 syllabus under the following
heading-
Separation of powers between various organs dispute redressal mechanisms and

institutions.
The question wants us to describe briefly the organisational barriers and court
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processes that cause delay in case disposal in India. Then the question wants us to write
in detail about how these barriers can be removed.
Directive word
Examine- We have to describe and explain the ways/ means/ techniques/ technologies
that could be deployed to elicit a reform in organisational barriers and court processes,
in order to decrease case disposal rates in India.
Introduction– Mention the huge pendency of cases in indian courts and mention the
main reasons behind the same- e.g pending vacancies, infrastructure deficit, legal
ambiguities etc.
Body-
Discuss some of the organisational barriers and court processes that hinder case
disposal- e.g case listing process (e.g The uncertainty around which cases will
come up for hearing means neither judges nor lawyers can plan their preparation,
which compels lawyers to cite the simultaneous listing of multiple cases as an
excuse for adjournments) , court infrastructure ( e.g inadequate support staff for
judges to the dearth of basic courtroom facilities due to which judges are unable
to perform their functions in a timely manner).
Discuss how these barriers could be removed.
E.g bringing external support agencies to manage daily managemental

operations of the court, increasing reliance on empirical data and courtroom
technology, e-courts, national judicial data grid, Case Information System, file-tracking
and knowledge management systems, provide Interoperability and compatibility with
National Case Management System; Interoperable Criminal Justice System, National
Legal Services Authority (NALSA) and other programmes to enhance the quantity and
quality of Justice Delivery System. etc.
Conclusion- mention the imperative of a prompt justice delivery system and provide
further suggestions like filling of vacancies, improving court infrastructure,
rationalization of laws etc.
Background:-
As of September 30, 2016, the Supreme Court has nearly 61,000 pending cases,
official figures say. The high courts have a backlog of more than 40 lakh cases, and
all subordinate courts together are yet to dispose of around 2.85 crore cases. On an
average, cases take three years and nine months to get disposed.
Factors leading to case delay:-
Case stuck:-
Usually cases near the final stage of hearing tend to be left over at
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disproportionate rates and often end up getting stuck in the system.
Uncertainty:-
The uncertainty around which cases will come up for hearing means neither judges
nor lawyers can plan their preparation.
This situation compels lawyers to waste time waiting in court and enables them to cite
the simultaneous listing of multiple cases as an excuse for adjournments.
Registry staff must manage the massive task of re-listing leftover matters in an
already bulging docket, instead of streamlining case flow.
Case listing:
It is not uncommon to see more than 100 cases being assigned to judges on a
given day. Such case listing affects the adjudication process and thus the
justice delivery system as the judge rarely gets proper time for research.
Adjournments:-
A pervasive reason for delays is adjournments. A study by the Vidhi Centre for
Legal Policy (VCLP) conducted on Delhi HC found that in 91 per cent of
cases delayed over two years, adjournments were sought and granted.
These encourage delaying tactics, block judicial time, prevent effective case
management and impoverish litigants. They deter many from seeking access to
formal justice.
Though the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 suggests not more than three
adjournments should be given in each case, Vidhi finds the Delhi High Court
gave more than three adjournments in nearly 70% of all delayed cases.
Court infrastructure
Inadequate support staff for judges to the dearth of basic courtroom facilities.
Without research and secretarial support, judges are unable to perform their
functions in a timely manner.
Even though judges managed to hear many cases in a day, it takes time for
the stenographers to finish typing the orders.
Contribution of the courts to the problem by non-adherence to procedural
timeframes.
Lawyers :-
82% of all delays could be attributed to lawyers and not the judges per se.
There is some anecodtal evidence that lawyers end up meeting their clients
only when they are produced in court, thus giving them a very little time to
effectively confer with their clients for their case.
Delays in the legal system are caused not only because of a shortage of judges, but
also because of a shortage of police officers (who have to investigate cases and then
come to court on a regular basis), prosecutors (who are often underpaid and over-
worked), inadequate judicial infrastructure (overcrowded court rooms or inadequate
support staff such as stenographers)
How to resolve:-
Increasing the strength of judges, reducing judicial vacancies, diverting cases from
the courts to alternate dispute resolution forums (such as mediation and Lok Adalats)
and specialised tribunals.
Both jail adalats and plea bargaining, reduce the backlog in courts, by
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encouraging accused in certain cases to plead guilty in exchange for a reduced
sentence.
Specification of time limits has emerged as a distinctive feature of process reforms
across jurisdictions that have been able to quantifiably minimise judicial delay, such
as the UK and Singapore.
Reduce government litigation,simplify procedures, recommending precise capacity
reinforcements and use of technology.
Courts must become more open to applying management principles to optimise case
movement and judicial time. In this, external support agencies competent in
strategic thinking should be allowed to work with judicial officers to
understand and help the institution function better.
Technology:-
Using technology in courts cannot remain limited to digitising records alone but
must affect how cases actually move through the system.
Initiatives such as CIS must be supplemented with file-tracking and knowledge
management systems, to help courts achieve an optimal level of functioning.
Topic: India and its bilateral relationship
3)The informal summit at Wuhan has not managed to achieve much in concrete
terms. Critically analyze. (250 words)
The hindu
6/22
Why this question
The informal summit at Wuhan was an opportunity for India and China to reset their ties
through a novel diplomatic method. A critical analysis of the relationship with an emphasis on
understanding it’s impact on the future of India China ties and geopolitics of the world is
important.
The question makes an assertion that there were very few concrete takeaways from India
China meet at Wuhan. We have to analyze how true this assertion is. Thus following aspects
are important –
Details of the takeaway from the meet

Whether those promises will help transform India China relationship and help India in
managing its power equations with other nation states. We have to bring out both the
hits and misses of the meet.
Our own view based on the arguments made above
Directive word
Introduction – Details of the Wuhan summit will become the introduction.
Body
The content of the takeaways.

Analyze the pros and cons of the takeaway. Take ideas from the article along with other
sources.
Provide a fair and balanced opinion based on your arguments made above
Conclusion – mention about the need for India to maintain good relations to secure its
national aims and objectives. Mention that Wuhan was one single step in a journey of miles.
Background:-
With the recent conclusion of Wuhan Summit, India China relationship has
progressed from the nadir it found itself in the recent past.
Wuhan summit:-
India clearly viewed this ‘informal summit’ as a trust-building exercise, hoping to

quietly sort out problems that existed between the two countries, including the vexed
border issue.
It reiterated the need to cooperate on counter-terrorism, and to strengthen the
dialogue mechanism to deal with contentious issues and concerns. Both have
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agreed on the importance of maintaining peace and tranquillity in all areas of

the India-China border.
The summit appears to have reinforced the validity of the April 2005 Document
on ‘Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for the Settlement of the Boundary
Question’.
In the Wuhan consensus joint commitment to maintain peace and tranquillity
over the entire India-China border is statedand the direction is given by the
leaders to their respective militaries to observe restraint, scrupulously implement
Confidence Building Measures and strengthen communication links at all levels.
The avoidance of provocative behaviour by both militaries deployed at the

border is critical to maintaining the overall relationship on an even keel. This
understanding augurs well for the future.
Agreement between India and China to work together jointly on an economic

project in Afghanistan, with details to be worked out through diplomatic channels.
Criticism:-
No manifest concessions appear to have been made by China. The Doklam

issue (which was not discussed at the summit) remains unresolved,
There are no indications that China has softened its attitudevis-à-vis India’s
position in Arunachal Pradesh, or that it will refrain from accusing India of further
transgressions here.
China’s penetration of India’s neighbourhood is set to continue, with special
emphasis on countries such as Nepal and the Maldives.
China again has not conceded anything with reference to the China-Pakistan
Economic Corridor.
Way forward:-
India-China relations must be managed through a mix of competitive and

cooperative policies and regular leadership-level interaction.
The only effective instrument for managing India-China relations will be a significant,
sustained and rapid development of India’s economic and security capabilities, thus
narrowing the power gap between the two Asian giants.
The two sides need to build mutual strategic trust based on the factthat their
common understanding and shared interests are greater than their divergences.
The two countries should realize that they offer each other opportunities without
posing any threat, and that peaceful co-existence and win-win cooperation are the
right choice for them.
The two countries should prudently and discreetly deal with sensitive
issues, including the border dispute, and should not allow such issues to
restrain the further development of bilateral ties.
There are several areas, apart from trade and investment, in which the two sides can
strengthen cooperation, such as infrastructure construction, urbanization, food
security and climate change.
The two countries militaries should maintain regular high-level and non-
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confrontational dialogues, in order to reduce strategic miscalculations and
enhance strategic trust.
The two sides should also build a communication and coordination mechanism
to manage their overseas interests, and organize dialogues at academic, media
and cultural levels,as well as exchanges between NGOs as a way to improve
bilateral ties.
Conclusion:-
China and India are two bodies, one spirit. So long as the two sides deepen their
exchanges and reduce suspicion the strategic value of cooperation would be evident
and people would be confident of China-India relations.
development
4) Discuss the impact that fluctuations in oil prices have on economy. Also, suggest
steps on how should India prepare itself to deal with fluctuations in oil prices?(250
words)
dnaindia
9/22
Why this question
The Goldilocks phase of Indian economy is under threat on account of rising oil prices. This is
a frequent challenge that indian economy has to deal with. Understanding the impact of rising
oil prices on indian economy and thinking of steps to deal with this recurring challenge is of
utmost importance.
Following aspects are to be highlighted in your answer
The current situation with respect to oil prices along with a brief history of the prices
The impact of the fluctuations in oil price on indian economy – highlight the impact
both when prices are low and high
Mention that price in the future is destined to rise because of so and so reasons
Steps to deal with such a situation
Directive word
Discuss – Here discuss demands you to detail out the impact that changes in oil price bring on
the economy – both the positive and the negative impact along with establishing that this is a
recurring feature of Indian economy.
Suggest measures – Here measures to deal with fluctuations in oil prices are to be highlighted
Introduction – Mention that indian economy has been passing through a Goldilocks phase
largely on account of the low level of oil prices. The situation is about to change which
requires us to understand the impact and stay prepared
Body
The current situation with respect to oil prices along with a brief history of the prices to
establish that the problem has been a recurring one for Indian economy
Bring out the impact of fluctuations in oil prices – the impact of low oil prices as
experienced by the economy so far and the impact of high prices. Discuss the impact on
inflation, balance of payment, exchange rate, fuel subsidy bill etc
Mention that price in the future is destined to rise because of so and so reasons to
emphasize that preparation is required
Suggest steps to be taken to deal with fluctuating oil prices
Conclusion – Mention the critical need of staying prepared and seeing this as an opportunity
to use more renewables etc
Background:-
Oil constitutes one-third of the country’s total imports and is considered to have wide-
ranging impact on its economy.
There are two main reasons for the fluctuation of oil prices at present
For instance IPO of Saudi Aramco, the largest oil company in the world is
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scheduled and the company will get a better valuation if the oil price is high.
This means that Saudi is likely to work in a manner so as to keep oil prices
high.
Second, the United States (US) has just re-initiated sanctions on Iran. So
oil importing countries are likely to move away from buying oil from Iran. This is
likely to drive up global oil prices further.
The rupee has been rapidly losing value against the dollar. This will add to
the country’s oil import bill and pull down the GDP to that extent
Impact :-
Impact of low oil prices:-

Fall in oil prices helped the government so far in two ways:
A fall in oil imports, helped in pushing up the gross domestic product
Led to increase in taxes which helped the central government as well
as the state governments shore up their tax revenues.
Due to falling oil prices India’s macro-economic indicators such as
inflation, current account deficit (CAD), and trade balance improved.
Lower oil prices reduce cost of transport and lead to lower costs for
business, which can increase profitability. Consumers see a reduction in cost
of transport and heating, leading to higher discretionary incomes.
Decline in crude oil price has helped the government to manage its finances
better as it translates into lower subsidies on petroleum products (LPG and
kerosene), thereby resulting in lower fiscal deficit.
Decline in oil prices significantly dampens investor sentiment which in
turn negatively impacts exploration and production activities. Often
existing projects are abandoned and new projects are delayed.
Lower oil prices allow importing nations to advance reforms, rationalize oil
subsidies, and progressively levy carbon taxes
High oil prices:-
Surge in price negatively impacts oil importing nations and helps exporting
nations to strengthen their economic development.
Depreciation of Indian rupee:-
Rise in crude oil prices through this year, amidst rising geopolitical
tensions in West Asia and dwindling global supply, have obviously
hurt the rupee and the trade balance.
Global oil prices are continuously increasing on the back of tight output
controls marshalled by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting
Countries, Brent crude futures have gained almost 12% through 2018
This in turn has bloated India’s crude import bill and widened the trade
deficit appreciably
Economy which also explains the results that oil leads money supply and
interest rate. Additionally, oil leads gold prices implying that as oil price shock
leads to inflation, gold’s demand as an inflation-hedging tool rises.
Way forward:-
Expedite the process of exploring domestic avenues and diversify its sources of oil
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supply.
There is an urgent need for development of non-conventional (including renewable)
sources as a substitute for conventional sources to meet the energy needs.
Energy subsidy reforms along with regulations, standards, and targets directing the
efficient level of utilization of oil as a fuel are important to reduce dependence on oil
imports.
Public Transport should be made available and user friendly so that Individual
vehicles reduce and demand for oil decreases.
Topic: transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints
5)Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana requires an urgent fix. Discuss. (250 words)
Financial express
Indian express
12/22
Why this question
PMFBY was initiated with much fanfare and was expected to resolve the problems related to
agricultural insurance in India. However, the experience so far has been contrary to
expectations which raises the question that what reforms are required in the scheme. Hence
this question becomes important.
The question is enquiring whether PMFBY is in need of a fix. The following points are this
required to be brought out
Details of PMFBY
The performance of PFFBY so far – whether it has helped in improving the situation of
crop insurance and details of the shortcomings
Whether or not and if yes, what reforms are required in PMFBY
Way forward
Directive word

Introduction – mention that agricultural insurance did not pick up in India which was causing
issues for farmers and hence PMFBY was brought in
Body
Details of the scheme

Analyze the performance – how successful has it been in changing the status quo. How
have the new principles in PMFBY performed. Highlight the shortcomings in terms of
achievement
Examine why the scheme has not met expectation which would form the basis of why
reforms are needed
Mention the reforms that are needed to make the scheme successful.
Conclusion – Discuss the significance of the success of PMFBY for agriculture in India and
way forward.
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana
It is aimed at shielding farmers from crop failures and yield losses due to vagaries of
climate through insurance.
It compensates farmers for any losses in crop yield.
In the event of a crop loss, the farmer will be paid based on the difference between
the threshold yield and actual yield.
The scheme is compulsory for farmers who have availed of institutional loans.
The scheme insures farmers against a wide range of external risks like droughts, dry
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spells, floods, inundation, pests and diseases, landslides, natural fire and lightning,
hailstorms, cyclones, typhoons, tempests, hurricanes and tornadoes.
The scheme also covers post-harvest losses up to a period of 14 days.
Positives:-
The PMFBY is an attempt to plug the holes in the older crop insurance schemes
especially being
Their limited risk coverage
For crops where the premiums were steeper insurance companies
proportionally reduced the sum insured.
Compensation fell way short of even the farmer’s cost of production.
The Fasal Bima Yojana has done away with this cap on premium. The sum insured
per hectare for a farmer is now decided by the District Level Technical
Committee and is pre-declared and notified by the State Level Coordination
Committee on Crop Insurance.
The farmer also pays less
The premium is 2 per cent of the sum insured for all kharif crops and 1.5 per
cent of it for all rabi crops.
For horticulture and commercial crops, the premium is 5 per cent of sum
covered.
The remaining premium is paid by the government.
The scheme also envisages using technology
To capture and upload data of crop cutting
To reduce delays in claim payment to farmers
Remote sensing to reduce the number of crop cutting experiments.
Subsidised premiums and prompt claims settlement enabled by remote sensing and
GPS technology should help substantially expand coverage.
An increase in the area insured should also bring down premium rates, through
spreading of risks across more farmers. That would also help contain the
government’s subsidy burden.
Government has further targeted at increasing the coverage. In Budget 2018-19,
allocation to the PMFBY scheme is Rs 13,000 crore and a target of increasing
coverage to 98 million ha gross crop area has been set.
Why the programme needs an urgent fix:
Making the insurance business sustainable with actuarial premium rates is not going
to help raise farmers incomes.
Insufficient reach and the issue of penetration.
Data constraints:-
With just around 45% of the claims made by farmers over the last three crop
seasons data for the last rabi season is not available paid by the insurance
companies
State governments:-
The reason for the very low payout of claims is that few state governments are
paying their share of the premiums on time and till they do, the central
government doesn’t pay its share either. Till they get the premium, insurance
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companies simply sit on the claims.

Most states failed to provide smart phones to revenue staff to capture and
upload data of crop cutting, which continues to come with enormous delay.
There is hardly any use of modern technology in assessing crop damages.
Gaps in assessment of crop loss:
The sample size in each village was not large enough to capture the scale and
diversity of crop losses.
In many cases, district or block level agricultural department officials do not
conduct such sampling on ground and complete the formalities only on paper.
There is lack of trained outsourced agencies, scope of corruption during
implementation and the non-utilisation of technologies like smart phones and
drones to improve reliability of such sampling
Less number of notified crops than can avail insurance
Inadequate and delayed claim payment:
Insurance companies, in many cases, did not investigate losses due to a
localised calamity and, therefore, did not pay claims.
Only 32 per cent of the reported claims were paid out by insurance companies,
even when in many states the governments had paid their part of premium.
High actuarial premium rates
Insurance companies charged high actuarial premium rates
Massive profits for insurance companies
If states delay notifications, or payment of premiums, or crop cutting
data, companies cannot pay compensation to the farmers in time.
There have been farmers protests in various states against compulsory
coverage of loanee farmers under this scheme. Farmer activists fear that this
scheme might end up benefitting insurance companies more than the farmers.
Coverage only for loanee farmers:
PMFBY remains a scheme for loanee farmers who take loans from banks are
mandatorily required to take insurance. Like previous crop insurance
schemes, PMFBY fails to cover sharecropper and tenant farmers
Poor capacity to deliver:
There has been no concerted effort by the state government and insurance
companies to build awareness of farmers on PMFBY.
Insurance companies have failed to set-up infrastructure for proper
implementation of PMFBY.
There is still no direct linkage between insurance companies and farmers.
Insured farmers receive no insurance policy document or receipt.
Delayed notification by state governments
PMBY is not beneficial for farmers in vulnerable regions as factors like low
indemnity levels, low threshold yields, low sum insured and default on loans make it
a poor scheme to safeguard against extreme weather events.
However, merely increasing the budget allocation for PMFBY scheme might not
help the farmers.
CAG report:-
Private companies are not properly monitored and premium subsidy is
released to them simply on the basis of affidavits provided by these companies
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without checking actual situation on the ground.
Way forward:-
There is an urgent need to link the insurance database with Core Banking
Solution (CBS) so that when premium is deducted from a farmer’s bank account, the
bank sends him a message informing about the premium, sum insured and name of
insurance company.
There is a need for a total insurance packagelike seed insurance through
replanting guarantee programme, crop cycle insurance, prepaid insurance card etc
Insurance unit has to be brought down to individual farm level
Use of drone and low-orbit satellites in place of traditional crop-cutting experiments
could also lower payouts
Making claims payment fast and transparent
There should be strict compliance of timelines with regard to the process of
claim settlement to provide adequate and timely compensation to farmers.
Danger of discouraging mixed cropping and crop diversification
A limited number of crops are notified by states under PMFBY. This can act as
an impediment to crop diversification.
PMFBY will have to make insurance relevant to farmers by including more
and more crops under notification and by allowing insurance for mixed
cropping.
Improve scheme monitoring and grievance redressal mechanism
Toll-free number should serve as a one-stop solution for crop insurance.
Farmers should be able to avail of a single window that is accountable to them
for all aspects of the scheme.
Coverage of losses expanded:-
Coverage of tenant and sharecropper farmers should increase
Awareness:-
Farmers must be informed before deducting crop insurance premium. They
must be given a proper insurance policy document, with all relevant details.
Capacity building:-
Panchayati Raj Institutions and farmers need to be involved at different stages
of implementation.
Robust assessment of crop loss should be done through capacity building of
state governments, involvement of PRIs and farmers in loss assessment,
auditing and multi-level checking to ensure credibility of data and testing
incorporating technology such as remote sensing, drones and online
transmission of data.
Topic: Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nanotechnology,

biotechnology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.
6) Discuss the objectives of the Draft National Digital Communications Policy, 2018.
Also discuss how it aims to achieve the objective of digital sovereignty.(250 words)
Livemint
16/22
Reference
Why this question
Growth of digital technologies, and their increased adoption and integration into our daily
lives necessitates revising our Nation Telecommunication Policy. With over a billion mobile
phones and half a billion internet users, India’s mobile data consumption is already the
highest in the world. In order to capitalize the growing digital penetration, adoption and
integration. The Draft National Digital Communications Policy (DNDCP) , 2018 was recently
released in this direction, to gather public comments and suggestions. The issue is related to
GS 3 syllabus under the following heading-
Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nanotechnology, biotechnology and
issues relating to intellectual property rights.
The question wants us to enlist and briefly describe the objectives of DNDCP, 2018 and also
explain how it aims to achieve one of its key objectives- digital sovereignty.
Directive word
Discuss- we have to write about all the stated objectives of DNDCP and also write in detail
about the strategy it envisages to achieve digital sovereignty.
Introduction- mention the increased proliferation of the mobile phone, the internet, social
media platforms, digital payments, data consumption and generation across India. Also
mention the emergence of digital technologies as an enabler and determinant of a country’s
well being.
Body–
Enlist in points and briefly describe the objectives of DNDCP-
E.g Provisioning of Broadband for All 2. Creating 4 Million additional jobs in the Digital
Communications sector 3. Enhancing the contribution of the Digital Communications sector
to 8% of India’s GDP from ~ 6% in 2017 4. Propelling India to the Top 50 Nations in the ICT
Development Index of ITU from 134 in 2017 5. Enhancing India’s contribution to Global
Value Chains 6. Ensuring Digital Sovereignty.
1. Discuss in points the strategy envisaged to achieve the objective of ensuring digital
sovereignty.
E.g Establish a strong, flexible and robust Data Protection Regime, Provide Autonomy and
Choice for every citizen and enterprise, Assure Security of Digital Communications,
Participating in global standard setting organisations to ensure consideration for local needs
of the Indian communications industry etc.
Conclusion– Form a balanced, concise and fair opinion on the DNDCP.
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Background:-
Digital infrastructure and services are increasingly emerging as the key enablers and
critical determinants of a country’s growth and well-being.
With significantly advanced capabilities in both telecommunications and software,
India, more than most countries, stands poised to benefit from harnessing the new
digital technologies and platforms
Recently the draft of National Digital Communications Policy 2018 has been released
for public consultations by the government.
Draft telecom policy:-
The key strategies in the draft talks of recognizing spectrum as a key natural
resource for public benefit to achieve India’s socio-economic goals
The policy aims to accomplish some of the strategic objectives by 2022 including:
Provisioning of Broadband for All
Creating 4 Million additional jobs in the Digital Communications sector
Enhancing the contribution of the Digital Communications sector to 8% of
India’s GDP from ~ 6% in 2017
Propelling India to the Top 50 Nations in the ICT Development Index of ITU
from 134 in 2017
Enhancing India’s contribution to Global Value Chains
Ensuring Digital Sovereignty
It has a three point action plan
‘Connect India’ under which it plans to set up a robust digital communications
infrastructure
‘Propel India’ where the power of emerging digital technologies, including 5G,
artificial intelligence (AI), Internet Of Things (IoT) will be harnessed
‘Secure India’ to focus on ensuring individual autonomy and choice, data
ownership, privacy and security
Features of the draft policy:-
There would be the optimal pricing of the spectrumto ensure sustainable and
affordable access to digital communications
Enabling light touch licensing/ de-licensingfor broadband proliferation
Promoting the co-use/ secondary use of spectrum
It also outlined roadmap for high in demand backhaul spectrumfor transmitting
signals between mobile towers in E and V band as per international best practices
Constituting a Spectrum Advisory Team (SAT) consisting of experts, industry, and
academia to facilitate the identification of new bands, applications and efficiency
measures to catalyze innovation and efficient spectrum management
It proposes identifying and making available new spectrum bands for access
and backhaul segments for timely deploymentand growth of 5G networks and
making available harmonized and contiguous spectrum required for deployment of
next-generation access technologies
Setting up National Broadband Mission
The draft talks of establishing a ‘National Broadband Mission -Rashtriya
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Broadband Abhiyan’ to secure universal broadband access for implementation
of broadband initiatives, to be funded through USOF and PPP:
BharatNet for providing 1Gbps to Gram Panchayats upgradeable to 10
Gbps
GramNet for connecting all key rural development institutions with
10Mbps upgradeable to 100 Mbps
NagarNet for establishing one- million public Wi-Fi Hotspots in urban
areas
JanWiFi for establishing two-million Wi-Fi Hotspots in rural areas
Implementing a ‘Fibre First Initiative’ to take Optical fiber to the home, to
enterprises, and to key development institutions in tier I, II and III towns
and to rural clusters
Setting up Telecom Ombudsman
Roadmap for Green Telecom in India
The Policy talks of incentivizing the use of renewable energy
technologies in the communications sector
This includes utilization of small cell fuel batteries, lithium-ion batteries or
other similar technologies and promoting research and development of
green telecom
Digital sovereignty:-
Digital sovereignty or Data sovereignty is all about storage and protection of an

individual’s personal data in digital form on cloud.
Digital sovereignty means that internet users can freely and independently decide
which data can be gathered, distributed, used and saved about them.
Proponents of Digital sovereignty within India call for it for not only projects such as
Digital India and Make in India but also for security and well being of the country.
How it achieves Digital sovereignty:-
Establish a comprehensive data protection regimefor digital communications that

safeguards the privacy, autonomy and choice of individuals and facilitates India’s
effective participation in the global digital economy
Ensure that net neutrality principlesare upheld and aligned with service
requirements, bandwidth availability and network capabilities including next
generation access technologies.
Develop and deploy robust digital communication network security frameworks.
Build capacityfor security testing and establish appropriate security standards.
Address security issuesrelating to encryption and security clearances.
Enforce accountabilitythrough appropriate institutional mechanisms to assure
citizens of safe and secure digital communications infrastructure and services.
The policy recognises the importance of continued improvement in the
regulatory framework for attracting investments and ensuring fair competition,
to serve the needs of Indian citizens.
Given the sector’s capital-intensive nature,the policy aims to attract long-term,
high quality and sustainable investments
It aims to pursue regulatory reforms to ensure that the regulatory structures and
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processes remain relevant, transparent, accountable and forward-looking.

Policy promises to remove regulatory barriers and reduce the regulatory
burden that hampers investments, innovation and consumer interest.
Draft of the policy is progressive and the government is keen to deliver widest
range of new services and technologies to the Indian consumers at affordable
costs.
It has placed significant emphasis on building a strong fiber network in India.
Criticism:-
Government did not do anything about spectrum prices which were increased due to
restricted supply.
Implementation could be a big challenge in the light of existing licensing
regime.
Proposals in the draft National Digital Communications Policy 2018 policy have
found mention in earlier regulations and vision statements of the telecom
regulator or the Department of Telecom.
There is no clarity or any roadmap on reduction of the financial stress of the industry.
Way forward:-
Government should focus on putting together a roadmap explaining how it will

execute these initiatives.
For instance, the new policy states that incentivising manufacturing of
semiconductor chips is one of the top priority areas. The Centre has already
rolled out a policy in this regard which has failed to attract any player so far due
to a number of reasons.
The new policy should have gone into these reasons and proposed a plan
to fix the shortcomings.
Need to offer a clear roadmap of how it plans to provide fiscal relief to the industry
rather than merely restating that the plan is to rationalise government taxes and
levies for the sector in addition to giving critical infrastructure status to the industry.
7) Virtue theory of ethics is one of the oldest normative traditions in Western

philosophy, having its roots in ancient Greek civilization. Discuss.(250 words)
Reference
20/22
Why this question
The question wants us to delve into the normative ethics theory and probe the ancient Greek
philosophy and philosophers which contributed to normative ethics theory.
Directive word
Discuss- We have to write in detail about the key demand of the given question- describe
normative ethics theory and give an account of ancient Greek philosophers and their
philosophy related to normative ethics.
Introduction– give a brief description of normative ethics theories along with the Golden
principle.
Body- Discuss in points contribution of ancient Greek philosophers in the field of normative
ethics. Quote as many philosophers and works as possible and try to provide a gist of their
works and thoughts on normative ethics. Take help of the link attached with the question to
frame your answer.
Conclusion– Mention other great philosophers like Kant, Locke etc and their duty theories.
Answer:-
Normative ethics involves arriving at moral standards that regulate right and wrong conduct.
In a sense, it is a search for an ideal litmus test of proper behaviour. The Golden Rule is a
classic example of a normative principle: We should do to others what we would want
others to do to us.
The Golden Rule is an example of a normative theory that establishes a single principle
against which we judge all actions. Other normative theories focus on a set of foundational
principles, or a set of good character traits.
Virtue ethics, places less emphasis on learning rules, and instead stresses the
importance of developing good habits of character, such as benevolence .Plato
emphasized four virtues in particular, which were later called cardinal virtues: wisdom,
courage, temperance and justice.
In addition to advocating good habits of character, virtue theorists hold that we should
avoid acquiring bad character traits, or vices, such as cowardice, insensibility,
injustice, and vanity.
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Aristotle argued that virtues are good habits that we acquire, which regulate our emotions.
For example, in response to my natural feelings of fear, I should develop the virtue of
courage which allows me to be firm when facing danger.
Interest in virtue theory continued through the middle ages and declined in the
19thcentury with the rise of alternative moral theories below. In the mid 20th century
virtue theory received special attention from philosophers who believed that more recent
ethical theories were misguided for focusing too heavily on rules and actions, rather than
on virtuous character traits. Alasdaire MacIntyre (1984) defended the central role of
virtues in moral theory and argued that virtues are grounded in and emerge from
within social traditions.
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insightsonindia.com/2018/05/30/secure-synopsis-23-may-2018-2
Topic: urbanization, their problems and their remedies.
1)Discuss the reasons behind migration in women. Examine the issues faced by
female migrants and ways to alleviate their concerns?(250 words)
Indian express
1/18
Why this question
As the pace of urbanization in the country grows, migration will also increase and so will the
associated problems. Understanding the causes of and impacts of migration from a gender
perspective would enable us to understand the issues faced by female migrants much better.
Following issues are to be addressed in your answer
The status quo regarding female migration

The reasons behind female migration
The issues faced by the female migrants
How to address those issues
Directive word
Discuss – Here the causes are to be mentioned which lead to female migration
Examine – Here the issues faced by female migrants and the impact of such issues have to be
examined in detail. In the latter part of the answer way forward is to be provided as well.
Introduction – introduce your answer by explaining that urbanization is leading to greater

migration. Highlight findings of economic survey regarding migration and mention that
gender perspective on the same is missing
Body
Discuss some statistics around teenage migration to show that it is increasing off late
Discuss the various reasons behind female migration – here the focus should be on
explaining that unlike contrary expectations, marriage and personal reasons are not the
only or the most predominant reason for migration
Examine the issues faced by women under various heads like economic, social justice
etc.
Suggest measures to address shortcomings
Conclusion – highlight the need for improving participation of women in LFPR and thus the
issues need to be resolved
Background:-
Women migration has been happening in India and world for centuries. The 2011
Census reveals that women form almost 70 per cent of internal migration.
Reasons for migration of women :-
Marriage:-
Marriage-induced migration or associated migration continues to be the
predominant reason for the overwhelming presence of women among
migrants.
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Education and employment:-

Many middle and upper middle class women migrate to cities for improving
their educational credentials and also to get suitable employment apparently in
a quest for social advancement.
Post liberalisation export-oriented economic development has created demand
for women labour.
Among the semi-literate, young girls migrating to towns/cities to work in export
processing units, garment industry, electronic assembling and
food processing units is continuously on the increase in the recent years
Relay migration:
To augment family income, families which have some land holdings in
the rural area, send the daughters to work mostly as domestic servants
Business:-
Business as a reason for migration increased by 153 per cent during
2001-11, more than four times the rate for men.
Issues faced by women migrants:-
Vulnerable:-
The preference for women employees on the part of employers is
mainly because women accepted lower wage, are not unionised and do not
protest much against unpleasant working conditions
Denial of basic needs and exploitation:-
Women migrants in general face the denial of basic needs such as identity
documentation, social entitlements, housing and financial services.
Women remain mostly discriminated in the workforce and invariably suffer
economic exclusion.
Denied maternity benefits or special care and more vulnerable to sexual
harassment
Wage gap:-
These women migrants are more likely to be paid less than male migrants and
non-migrant women.
Health hazards:-
In addition to low pay and inhuman working conditions, low-skilled women
migrants often get work that is saddled with health hazards.
According to a study by Cividep, garment workers in Bengaluru, comprising 90
per cent women migrants, often suffer from respiratory illness, tuberculosis,
ergonomic problems like back pain, mental health problems such as
depression and reproductive health issues.
Policy failure:-
India does not have a direct exclusionary registration system of migrants
like China’s “hukou” system, it discriminates against them more subtly
through political, administrative, labour market, and socio-economic processes.
For example, the ration card continues to be a person’s primary identity
document, which is issued to the family.
The absence of individual-specific ration cards and the need to surrender
the old card to move to a new ration card poses unique problems for
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women migrants who are only recognised as dependents in a male-headed
household. This also limits women migrants ability to access financial
services.
Despite internal migration being very high and the enactment of Inter-State
Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service)
Act that legally protects labour migrants rights, governments continue to
exclude migrants from urban development policies.
Ways to alleviate women concerns:-
Better data collection:-

Capturing the complex dynamics of gender-specific migration would not only fill
knowledge gaps in the gender dimension of migration but also improve the
visibility of women as economic actors and help the state respond better to
their needs.
Aadhaar card to women migrants can ensure her access to basic needs, opening
of Jan Dhan accounts and availing benefits of the National Health Protection Mission.
India can learn from countries such as Austria, Belgium, Norway, Romania, UK,
etc which provide vocational training to improve employability of women
migrants and access to support services.
“We the Women” programme of Vietnam helped create job opportunities for
women migrants is also worth studying.
States should emulate Kerala which provide insurance and free medical treatment
for its 30 million migrant workers.
Policy :-
An inclusive National Urban Policy should integrate migration and the
needs of migrants, in particular women migrants, their aspirations and
empowerment and ensure their right to the city and better infrastructure, and
gender-friendly service delivery.
The political inclusion of migrants would also democratise urban
governance and ensure the building of cities on the basis of gender
equality.
Topic: Role of civil services in a democracy.
2) Although civil services examination conducted by UPSC needs several reforms,

including the performance during the Foundation Course (FC) for service allocation
is fraught with many dangers. Comment.(250 words)
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Indian express
Why this question
The idea of including performance of the candidate during Foundation course (FC) for
allocation of service in civil services exam conducted by UPSC is not new. The
government has shown its keenness to implement such arrangement. However, the civil
services exam conducted by UPSC needs other reforms as well. And this suggestion of
including FC, has been criticized on various fronts. The issue is related to GS 2 syllabus
Role of civil services in a democracy.
The question wants us to express our opinion on -what are the reforms required in civil
services exam and – what are the dangers/ pitfalls involved in including performance in
FC in deciding service and cadre allocation.
Directive word
We have to brainstorm on the issue and based on the key demand of the question, frame
our answer. We have to briefly discuss the areas where reform is required in civil
services exam. Then we have to present our personal opinion on the issue of including
FC performance.
Introduction– Mention the change in socio-economy of India and emergence of new

hopes, aspirations and expectations from civil services, which demand major reforms in
civil services examination.
Body–
1. Discuss in points reforms required in civil services examination.
e.g restricting number of attempts, duration of exam is too long, problems in

maintaining parity in case of optionals, changing governance paradigms, need for lateral
entry etc.
1. Discuss why the recent move to include performance in FC for the purpose of
allocation of service and cadre is fraught with dangers.
e.g exam process will be further lengthened, high chances of bias and favouritism
during FC, dilution of the basic purpose of FC- inculcation of officer like qualities etc.
Conclusion– Frame a fair, balanced and a concise opinion on the above issue and
suggest a way forward.
Background:-
The civil services are seen as the backbone of governance for the Indian state. Over
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time, and with changes in technology, economy and society, the quality requirements
for selection of civil servants have changed.
Why the examination needs reforms:-
The current civil services examinations need to be thoroughly overhauled if it were to

serve as an effective instrument for selecting suitable candidates for the country’s
premier civil services.
Nearly one-year long process, comprising preliminary screening test followed by
mains and interview for shortlisted candidates, leaves unsuccessful candidates little
time to devote to anything else or to take any break and they find themselves
immersed again into another year devoted solely to preparations for the exam
Colossal waste of human capital in the case of those who unfortunately are not
able to crack the exams.
Raising age limit has resulted in candidates taking multiple attempts without
doing anything else and wasting prime years of their youth.
Considering that most of higher education institutions are funded or subsidised by the
Government, such non-utilisation of the technical degree for the intended
professional purposes amounts to tremendous wastage of Government funds.
It is also a loss of opportunity for someone else who might have utilised the
professional education and degree better by contributing to the much-needed growth
of manufacturing sector and economic development of the country.
A big problem with the present structure of the civil services exam is that it requires
extensive preparations leaving someone pursuing a regular or even part-time
job severely disadvantaged, which explains why candidates either give up their
jobs or decide not to take up any jobs while attempting the civil services exams.
Long descriptive answers required to be given in the answer-sheets encourage rote
learning of selected questions and not in-depth understanding and
comprehension of the subject matter.
Several reforms needed are:-
ARC report observed that most of the optional subjects had no relevance to the
problems that a civil servant may need to address. Even the Alagh Committee on
Civil Services Exam Review in 2001 noted that re-examining the candidates in their
own subjects appears to be of doubtful utility.
Most aspirants feel it would be a game-changer as there is a huge difference in
the award of marks in the optionals, while some subjects have innate
advantages
Government must take immediate steps to simplify the civil services exam
structure and to shorten the whole process to ensure that unduly strenuous
preparatory work is not required to succeed and degree of subjectivity is reduced to
the barest minimum.
If this were done, one would be justified in reducing maximum age limit and the
number of attempts.
Changes proposed recently:-
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Prime Minister’s Office wants to alter that process and allot services and cadres
to candidates only after taking into account how they fare in the Foundation
Course.
Implications of this move:-
Could give rise to a trend where high-ranking candidates will no longer get
services of their choice.
Will destroy the purpose for which officers go through the Foundation Course
as probationers will compete for every mark so that they get the service of their
choice.
Service recruitment rules will have to be amended to accommodate the new idea.
Using a probationer’s performance in the foundation course to decide his or her
service will ruin whatever objectivity the UPSC examination provides and put
pressure on probationers to appeal to the subjective assessments of their examiners.
Technical issues
The proposal raises a whole lot of technical questions that cannot be easily
resolved given the current system of service allocation and training.
The first question is about what the foundation course will consist of.
Constraints with academies:-
Pliant academies with extraordinary powers will open the doors of sought-after
services to people whose ideological outlook suits the government,
creating a loyal or committed bureaucracy over the long haul.
Also the manpower in these academies is not trained to allot service and cadre
to probationers.
This move of deciding service after the foundation course would lead to large-scale
litigation by bureaucrats right at the beginning of their careers.
No probationer will ask questions during the foundation course for fear of getting a
poor assessment and a service they do not want.
In the present system, the moment their cadre is allotted, probationers start
developing a loyalty to that state, start learning its language and history and
interacting with people of that state. All of this will now get upended.
Conclusion:-
Any decision needs to be taken only after dialogue and discussion involving multiple
stakeholders especially aspirants as well whose life is at stake.
Topic: Structure, organization and functioning of the Judiciary
3) Indian judicial system needs several reforms. Examine. (250 words)
The hindu
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Why this question
There have been several reforms undertaken in recent years to improve polity, economy etc,
however no reform has been forthcoming on the functioning of judiciary. There are several
issues that are faced by the judiciary and underlining those issues and the reforms required to
address issues in Judiciary and discussing them is the need of the hour.
Following aspects are to be highlighted in your answer
The issues faced by indian Judiciary which merits reform

The impact if status quo persisted in Judiciary
The reforms required
Way forward for implementing these reforms
Directive word
details, and find out the causes or implications if any. The issues mentioned above are to be
discussed.
Introduction – Highlight some of the controversies in current news which indicate that
judicial reforms are necessary.
Body
Analyze the issues plaguing judicary. Here discuss issues ranging from pendency of
cases to appointment of judges to transparency in judicial functioning to Judicial
standards and accountability bill etc
Examine the impact that persistence of these issues have
Mention the reforms required to improve the functioning of judicary. Discuss reforms
under various heads in the same way that you would describe the issues
Mention how can the reforms be implemented as in the way forward
Conclusion – Mention the need judicial reforms in a democracy for the smooth functioning of
judiciary and how reforms should be implemented as soon as possible.
Background:-
Such is apathy faced by judiciary and hence reforms are necessary
Problems plaguing judiciary:-
Under trials:-
India has one of the world’s largest number of undertrial prisoners. A little
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over two-thirds of India’s roughly 4.2 lakh prisoners await trial.

Cases stuck:-
Uncertainty:-
The uncertainty around which cases will come up for hearing means neither
judges nor lawyers can plan their preparation.
This situation compels lawyers to waste time waiting in court and enables them
to cite the simultaneous listing of multiple cases as an excuse for
adjournments.
Case listing:
Adjournments:-
Legal Policy (VCLP) conducted on Delhi HC found that in 91 per cent of
cases delayed over two years, adjournments were sought and granted.
formal justice.
timeframes.
Lawyers :-
There is some anecdotal evidence that lawyers end up meeting their clients
Other government institutions leading to indirectly affecting judiciary:-
Delays in the legal system are caused not only because of a shortage of
judges, but also because of a shortage of police officers (who have to
investigate cases and then come to court on a regular basis), prosecutors (who
are often underpaid and over-worked), inadequate judicial infrastructure
(overcrowded court rooms or inadequate support staff such as stenographers)
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Reforms needed :-
Vacancies in the Supreme Court and in the High Courts need to be filled up.
Most High Courts are functioning with half or one third the sanctioned strength.
The infrastructure in the courts needs improvement
There needs to be appointment of ad hoc or additional judges to clear pending
cases .
Reforming the system of appointing judges and holding their functioning to account is
another priority.
Accepting applications for appointments as High Court judges:-
This is followed in the U.K. and can be adopted in India too. There must be
full and complete disclosure of relationships and affiliations of applicants
to sitting and retired judges. Minimum eligibility criteria for consideration
need to be laid down, including appearances in important cases.
Three member Permanent Commission to scrutinise the credentials of
candidates and recommend names may be constituted.
These Permanent Commissions should also be vested with the power to
scrutinise complaints of dishonesty and lack of integrity of judges, to make
recommendations to the collegiums to withdraw work from those judges
pending impeachment.
The Law Commission has recommended hearing cases continuously, avoiding
postponements and reaching speedy verdicts. This is possible only when the
caseload per judge is of a reasonable size.
Creating an Indian Judicial Service to create a large pool of trained, dedicated
judges who would enlarge the pool of talent available for elevation to the higher
judiciary would be a big step forward.
Diverting cases from the courts to alternate dispute resolution forums (such as
mediation and Lok Adalats) and specialised tribunals.
sentence.
Specification of time limits has emerged as a distinctive feature of process reforms
Reduce government litigation, simplify procedures, recommending precise capacity
Technology:-
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development
4) The resolution of Bhushan Steel case, should not deflect our attention from the
challenges still plaguing the bankruptcy resolution process. Analyse.(250 words)
The hindu
livelaw
Why this question
The recent takeover of majority stake in Bhushan steel by Tata steel has raised hopes from
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC). Bhushan Steel was one among the 12 major accounts
referred to the National Company Law Tribunal at the behest of the Reserve Bank of India last
year to ease the burden of bad loans on banks. The question is related to GS 3 syllabus under

The question wants us to highlight the Bhushan Steel deal, and then identify and describe in
detail about the challenges still faced by IBC.
Directive word
Analyse- we have to identify the key issues which are hampering the loan-resolution process
under IBC. We have to write in detail about these issues and explain/ describe such issues
individually.
Introduction– mention the aim of IBC and also mention the Bhushan steel deal.
Body– Discuss in points, the problems/ issues still plaguing the loan resolution process under
IBC.
e.g eligibility criteria, strict time limit for resolution process, not a stakeholder approach, etc.
Conclusion- Bring Out a fair, balanced and concise conclusion on the above issue and suggest
a way forward.
Background:-
Recently Tata Steel acquired 73% stake in the bankrupt firm Bhushan Steel for about
₹35,000 crore making it the first major resolution of a bankruptcy case under the new
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).
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Bankruptcy resolution process:-
The IBC is a welcome piece of legislation to the extent that it subsumes a plethora of
laws that confused creditors and instead it now offers a more streamlined way to deal
with troubled assets.
Bhushan steel case:-
Bhushan Steel was one among the 12 major accounts referred to the National
Company Law Tribunal at the behest of the Reserve Bank of India last year to ease
the burden of bad loans on banks.
How it resolves bankruptcy resolution process:-
The proceeds from the acquisition will go towards settling almost two-thirds of
the total outstanding liabilities of over ₹56,000 crore that Bhushan Steel owes
banks.
Bhushan Steel resolution is nevertheless an encouraging sign for banks
because they typically manage to recover only about 25% of their money from
defaulters. In fact, between April 2014 and September 2017, the bad loan recovery
rate of public sector banks was as low as 11%, with non-performing assets worth
₹2.41 lakh crore written off from their books.
Challenges still plaguing the bankruptcy resolution process:-
Issues such as the proposed eligibility criteria for bidders have left it bogged down
and suppressed its capacity to help out creditors efficiently.
Also, the strict time limit for the resolution process as mandated by the IBC is
an area that has drawn much attention.
No other restructuring law in the world has such restrictive thresholds
Adequacy of the resolution professionals management expertise:-
Currently, a resolution professional is either a chartered, cost accountant or a
lawyer with a minimum-10 years in practice and having qualified the exam
conducted by the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI). However,
in most cases, hands-on business experience is missing.
The transparency of the bid evaluation process and the procedural details of
the resolution process :-
Closed-door negotiations, reliance on a small batch of individuals called
insolvency professionals of extremely uneven quality, and a massive
cumbersome regulatory superstructure.
Problems to banks, given the probability of higher hair-cuts and delay in the
resolution process
Resolutions may happen at a lower-than-anticipated valuation because
promoters, in a bid to retain control of existing assets, may have potentially bid
higher, thereby setting a higher benchmark for other bidders
Likelihood of delay in resolution process as fresh bids will have to be called
The lack of strong promoter bids may dilute the competitive process between
the remaining resolution applicants and so, lower the recovery for lenders.
India is short of professional participants in the Insolvency Resolution Process
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of the IBC. For example, as yet foreign capital has been largely blocked. There will
be fewer participants and the highest bid will be a bargain.
The IBC is best applied at an early stage in the difficulties of a company, but
most existing NPAs have been ripening for many years. For those cases, there is
really nothing to be done but to pick at the bones of the corpse.
Way forward:-
Going forward, amendments to the bankruptcy code should primarily be driven by

the goal of maximising the sale price of stressed assets. This requires a robust
market for stressed assets that is free from all kinds of entry barriers
life.
5) Discuss the etiology, transmission, signs, treatment and control of Nipah virus
disease. Also highlight the role of National Centre for Disease Control in controlling
various diseases.(250 words)
Economic times
Reference
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Why this question
Nipah virus (NiV) infection is a newly emerging zoonosis that causes severe disease in both
animals and humans. With over 70% mortality rate, the disease has taken many lives in Kerala
recently. The question is related to GS 3 syllabus under the following heading-
Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.
The question wants us to write at length about the Nipah virus disease- its cause, transmission,
clinical signs, treatment and control. It also wants us to highlight the role NCDC in controlling
various disease- in terms of its functions.
Directive word
Discuss- we have to write in detail about the Nipah virus disease- cause, transmission, signs,
treatment and control.
Highlight- we have to briefly mention the key functions of NCDC and how it works in
controlling various diseases.
Introduction– mention the cause of Nipah virus disease, its history along with first reporting
in India and the recent epidemic in Kerala.
Body–
1. Discuss the transmission- how the infection passes from one individual / animal to
another; Clinical signs and mortality rate, its treatment and how to control the
epidemic- before and after outbreak.
2. Discuss the role of NCDC in controlling various communicable diseases in the country-
e.g to provide expertise to the States and Union Territories (UTs) on rapid health
assessment and laboratory based diagnostic services, Surveillance of communicable
diseases and outbreak investigation etc.
Conclusion– Mention the growing importance of zoonotic diseases in India and highlight the
importance of a robust animal and human healthcare system to handle them.
Background:-
Kerala’s Kozhikode is on high alert as a deadly virus called ‘Nipah’ (NiV) claimed
many lives in the state. The fast-spreading virus Nipah reported has a mortality rate
of 70 per cent.
Etiology:-
Nipah virus (NiV) infection is a newly emerging zoonosis that causes severe disease
in both animals and humans.
Zoonosis means a disease that can be transmitted to humans from animals.
The natural host of the virus is fruit bats of the Pteropodidae Family, Pteropus genus
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(fruit-eating species), according to WHO.
Transmission:-
Fruit bats are considered the main carrier of the virus for which there is no
vaccination, according to the World Health Organization.
Transmission of Nipah virus takes place through direct contact with infected bats,
pigs, or from other NiV-infected people. humans often contracted the disease by
drinking raw date palm sap tapped directly from trees, a sweet treat that fruit bats
also enjoy.
The common triggers of this virus include the following:
If the person is infected, then close contact with that communicate the virus.
If an individual eats any fruit that has come in contact with the saliva of the
infected bats, the virus can spread to them as well.
Drinking or eating (infected) date juice can also infect an individual with this
pathogen.
Signs:-
Nipah induces flu-like symptoms that often lead to encephalitis and coma.
Nipah virus is associated with encephalitis (inflammation of the brain). An infected
person shows symptoms of fever and headache within three-14 days of exposure
and an incubation period of five to 14 days.
The clinical signs are fever, headache, dizziness and vomiting, followed by
drowsiness, disorientation and mental confusion. More than 50 per cent of the
patients faced a reduced level of consciousness and prominent brain-stem
dysfunction.
Some patients have a respiratory illness during the early part of their infections, and
half of the patients showing severe neurological signs showed also pulmonary signs.
Treatment and control:-
According to WHO, there is no vaccine currently available for either humans or

animals and NiV-infected patients are currently limited to supportive care.
People have also been cautioned that they should not consume fruits that have fallen
on to the ground.
It has no treatment and can only be managed through intensive supportive
care. people living in areas inhabited by bats or wildlife animals should be alert as
there can be other infections that can afflict them.
Prevention of Nipah virus infection is important since there is no effective
treatment for the disease.
The infection can be prevented by avoiding exposure to bats in endemic areas
and sick pigs. Drinking of raw palm sap (palm toddy) contaminated by bat excrete
eating of fruits partially consumed by bats and using water from wells infested by bats
should be avoided.
It is important to practice standard infection control practices and proper barrier
nursing techniques to avoid the transmission of the infection from person to person.
All suspected cases of Nipah virus infection should be isolated and given intensive
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supportive care. Ribavirinhas been shown effective in in vitro tests, but has not yet
been proven effective in humans
The ways to prevent exposure to such virus entails the following:
Make sure that you never in close contact with infected people.
Wear high-end gas masks to protect yourself.
Make sure that you wash your hands on a regular basis.
Do not eat half-eaten fruits.
Stay away from anime pens.
Role of national centre for disease control in controlling various diseases :-
This Institute is under administrative control of the Director General of Health

Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India.
It functions as the nodal agency in the country for disease surveillance
facilitating prevention and control of communicable diseases.
In coordination with the State Governments, NCDC has the capacity and capability
for disease surveillance, outbreak investigation, and rapid response to contain
and combat outbreaks.
Entomological expertise is made available by a separate division dealing with
entomology and vector management.
NCDC also provides referral diagnostic support, capacity building and technical
support to States/UTs in the country. It also provides referral diagnostic services to
individuals, community, medical colleges, research institutions and state health
directorates.
The Institute takes leading role in undertaking investigations of disease
outbreaks all over the country employing epidemiological and diagnostic tools.
Outbreak investigations & recommendations on control measures for the out-
break of various communicable diseases in the States/UTs all over the country
Evaluation of chemical compounds & Assessment of biochemical parameters to
establish clinical diagnosis e.g. Thyroid function tests etc.
6) Swami Vivekananda’s thoughts on ethics are essentially practical and based on

normative ethics. Discuss.(250 words)
Reference
16/18
Why this question
The question wants us to give an account of Swami Vivekananda’s thoughts on ethics and
morality and then form an opinion on whether they were based on normative ethics and to
what extent they were practical in nature.
Directive word
Comment- we have to form a personal opinion on the above issue and provide necessary
justification in its support.
Introduction– Mention about the early life and overall contribution of Swami Vivekananda.
Body– Discuss in points, about the teachings, thoughts, quotations, works done by Swami
Vivekananda on ethics and morality. Take help of the article attached with this question to
frame your answer. You can also take help of other related articles to add to your answer.
Conclusion– Form a balanced and fair opinion on the issue of normative ethics and Swami
Vivekananda’s thoughts.
Answer:-
Ethics, according to Vivekananda, is nothing but a code of conduct that

helps a man to be a good citizen of the world. The world needs good citizens for the
betterment of the people. Without good citizens, no system, social or practical can functions
in right ways. The basis of all systems social or political rests upon the goodness of
men.
Ethics is also a mean to reach the goal, but it lies beyond laws. The strength of morality is
greater than those facts.
His ethics is practical and normative:-
It is practical as it throws lights on the practical life of a man. It addresses both the
aspects of ethics containing two vital parts how and why a man will lead an ethical
life.
It is not Meta ethics as it does not deals only with the theoretical meaning and
reference of moral proposition and how their truth values may be determined.
Normative ethics deals with the practical means of determining a moral course of
action. Swami Vivekananda clearly makes distinction between two concepts of moral
and immoral. He says, that which is selfish is immoral, and that which is unselfish is
moral.
A man who wants to behave in accordance with the code of ethics must put himself
last, i.e. he must show his attention for the interest of others first.
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The background of ethics of Swami Vivekananda is The infinite oneness of the soul
is the eternal sanction of all morality.
From this thinking of Swami Vivekananda it is clear that the boundary of morality is
extended to non-human beings also to treat them as ethical beings.
To him, doing good is a secondary consideration. We must have an ideal. Ethics itself
is not the end, but the means to the end
Therefore the concept of ethics of Swami Vivekananda may be designated as holistic

ethics, as it tends to address the whole world. It is the duty of human beings not to show
ethical behavior only to other fellow beings, but also to the whole universe. The whole
universe is the subject matter of Vivekananda‘s ethics.
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Topic: The Freedom Struggle – its various stages and important contributors
1) A real breakthrough in terms of revolutionary ideology and the goals of revolution

and the forms of revolutionary struggle was made by Bhagat Singh and his
comrades. Critically analyze.(250 words)
India’s struggle for independence Pg 245
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The question is making an assertion that the revolutionary ideology espoused by Bhagat Singh
and his comrades were a break from the past revolutionary ideology. We have to critically
analyze this claim by examining how Bhagat Singh made a breakthrough in the ideology. We
also have to bring out those aspects of the ideology which were not transformed. Based on
this, we have to provide our view on whether Bhagat Singh and his comrades actually made a
breakthrough in the revolutionary ideology.
Directive word
component part and interrelationship between them. Here focus on the terms goals of
revolution and the forms of revolutionary struggle and mould your answer under these two
heads.
Introduction – Mention details of the new phase of the revolutionary terrorists which is being
talked about in the question such as where did it behind, what was the overall objective etc
Body
Discuss the changes brought about in the revolutionary ideology by Bhagat Singh and
his comrades. Eg talk about the ideas of socialism like ending exploitation of man by
man, focus on peasant and labour organisation, lesser emphasis on individual acts of
heroism etc
Discuss the things that did not change in the ideology. Eg they could not realise that
gaining mass support was needed, post the lathi charge etc they again resorted to their
tested method of individual acts of heroism etc
Conclusion – Present your view on the assertion based on the arguments made above.
Background:-
Bhagat Singh is one of the only national heroes, perhaps after Gandhi, who is
venerated across India. This could be attributed to his appeal as a martyr, which cuts
across his and his comrades political ideologies.
Revolutionary ideology and goals of revolution:-
Hindustan republican association’s manifesto had been declared in 1925 that it stood
for abolition of all systems which make the exploitation of man by man
possible. Its founding council had decided to preach social revolutionary and
communistic principles.
The HRA had also decided to start labour and peasant organizations and to
work for an organized and armed revolution.
Emphasizing the role of ideas in the making of revolution, Bhagat Singh declared
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that the sword of revolution is sharpened on the whetting-stone of ideas.
This atmosphere of wide reading and deep thinking pervaded the ranks of the
HSRA leadership.
Punjab Naujawan Bharat Sabha :-
Singh had turned to Marxism and had come to believe that popular broad-
based mass movements alone could lead to a successful revolution.
That is why Bhagat Singh helped establish the Punjab Naujawan Bharat
Sabha in 1926 as the open wing of the revolutionaries.
The Sabha was to carry out open political work among the youth, peasants and
workers.
Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev also organized the Lahore Students Union for open, legal
work among the students.
Patient intellectual and political work appealed to be too slow and too
akin to the Congress style of politics which the revolutionaries wanted to transcend.
Revolution:-
Bhagat Singh and his comrades also gave expression to their understanding
that revolution meant the development and
organization of a mass movement of the exploited and
suppressed sections of society by the revolutionary intelligentsia
Bhagat Singh and his comrades also made a major advance in
broadening the scope and definition of revolution. Revolution was no
longer equated with mere militancy or violence. Its first objective was
national liberation the overthrow of imperialism.
But it must go beyond and work for a new socialist social order, it must bend
exploitation of man by man.
Bhagat Singh understood the danger communalism posed to the nation and
the national movement.
Bhagat Singh also saw the importance of freeing the people from the mental
bondage of religion and superstition.
Committed to inquilab (revolution), but not merely a political revolution. He

wanted a social revolution to break age-old discriminatory practices such as
untouchability, gender discrimination etc.
Armed revolution:-
Singh believed that something as precious as Independence can only be

achieved by a thorough cleansing of the exploitative nature of imperialism.
He opined that such change can only be brought forward by means of an
armed revolution, in similar lines to the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. He
introduced the slogan “Inquilab Zindabad” which sort of transformed into the
war cry of the Indian Independence movement.
Criticism:-
Government action gradually decimated the revolutionary terrorist ranks.

Politics of the revolutionary terrorists had severe
limitations :-
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Theirs was not the politics of a mass movement

They failed to politically activate the masses or move them into political actions
They could not even establish contact with the masses.
Post the lathi charge during Simon commission they again resorted to their
tested method of individual acts of heroism etc.
Conclusion:-
Bhagat Singh and his comrades made an abiding contribution to the national freedom
movement. Their deep patriotism,courage and determination, and sense of sacrifice stirred
the Indian people. They helped spread nationalist consciousness in the land.
Topic: India and its neighborhood- relations.
Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or
2) Recent strategic decisions indicate a post-normative turn in India’s foreign policy.

Critically analyse. (250 words)
The hindu
4/22
Why this question
India’s foreign policy has gone some major changes in the recent years, some of which
are in contrast with the norms laid down by our foreign policy in the past. This reshuffle
has positive as well as negative repercussions. The issue is related to GS 2 syllabus
India and its neighborhood- relations.
Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or
The question wants us to provide an account of the major changes witnessed in India’s
foreign policy and then analyse in detail, the pros as well as cons of such change. We
have to form a personal opinion on the issue.
Directive word
Critically analyze- we have to identify the key demand of the question and present our
personal opinion on the issue. Here we have to give an account of, and bring out the
pros as well as cons of the recent change in the foreign policy of India. Based on that
analysis we have to form ou personal opinion on the issue.
Introduction– Briefly discuss the key tenets of India’s traditional foreign policy-
panchsheel and non-alignment etc.
Body–
Discuss the changes in India’s foreign policy- e.g US replacing Russia as major
defence partner, increased cooperation with Israel along with shift in stance on
Israel-Palestine conflict, treatment of Rohingya refugees- in contrast to earlier
instances of handling international migration etc.
Discuss the pros and necessities of such a change in foreign policy.
E.g change in international order and sturdy growth of Indian economy and interests,
realpolitik, wish to join the league of developed nations etc.
1. Discuss the cons of such a policy.
E.g Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement gives comparatively less advantage

to India, fading appeal of SAARC, presence of a politico-ideological narrative in
foreign policy could be counter productive for a diverse country like India etc.
Conclusion– Form a fair and balanced conclusion on the above issue and mention
changing national interests and international order which make foreign policy highly
dynamic etc.
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Background :-
There are some core principles of India’s foreign policylike Panchsheel. It in turn
consists of 5 principles
1. Mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty
2. Mutual non-aggression
3. Mutual non- interference
4. Equality and mutual benefit
5. Peaceful co-existence
Post normative turn in Indian foreign policy :-
India’s evolving foreign policy imagination, the pursuit of power and influence seems
to eclipse the country’s traditions of normative behaviour and principled positions.
Recent strategic decisions that indicate a post normative turn are :-
Rohingya refugee issue:-

India’s response to the Rohingya crisis is in stark contrast to its long tradition of
offering refuge to the region’s homeless.
India-Israel-Palestine:-
1. Through the much-publicised celebration of the India-Israel partnership, the
government has made it clear that it seeks to pursue a foreign policy guided by
realpolitik.
2. From being ideological opponents to maintaining a relationship in the closet,
India and Israel have come a long way.
3. Experts feel that India is not paying much heed to accusations of human rights
violations against Tel Aviv, its blatant refusal to abide by various UN
resolutions, or the manner in which Israel discards the political rights of the
Palestinians.
Non-alignment :-
Once used to be the cornerstone of India’s foreign policy, but now a bit
neglected.
Relations with US and Russia :-
With the U.S. designating India as a Major Defence Partner, it is one India’s
closest strategic partners today. In 2016, India had signed the Logistics
Exchange Memorandum of Agreement with the U.S. which gives both sides
access to designated military facilities for refuelling and replenishment.
In 2014, the U.S. replaced Russia as India’s largest defence supplier, and the
Russians started negotiating arms sales with Pakistan that same year.
Pros of this approach :-
When free from ideological constraints and legacy dilemmas, states can pursue their
self-interest with a free hand. There will be lot more flexibility to determine the
demands of national interest
India’s post-normative approach to external behaviour also is a recognition of the
importance of the pursuit of power in the contemporary international system.
In that sense then, the new foreign policy thinking in the country has some merits.
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Cons of this approach:-
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)is seemed to be

put aside
Signing of LEMOA with US is creating insecurity in Russia and China that India is
part of US alliance even though India denies it.
In 2016, only for the second time ever, India’s Prime Minister was not present at the
Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit. SAARC and NAM, both India-centric
institutions, have been sidelined by India’s own conscious efforts .
. Choosing to exclusively focus on hard power for foreign policy outcomes
sidelines rich soft power attributes
New India’s foreign policy choices also indicates the company it wishes to
keep in the comity of nations and what it wants from the international system. It
seems to neglect fighting towards an equitable international order and the
company of developing nations.
Post-normative India is also an aggressive India, and non-violence has become
less than routine.
Indian leaders now are openly threaten neighbours of military strikes, and
military leaders display a growing fondness for making domestic political
statements.
Confrontation seems to have displaced quiet diplomacy as India’s favoured tool
for conflict resolution
Way forward :-
Pursuit of national interest is a complex affair, and norms, values and soft power
should co-exist with the pursuit of hard power.
Topic: Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive
3) Grassroot bureaucracy in India suffers from several flaws and merits reform.
Examine. (250 words)
The hindu
7/22
Why this question
Implementation challenge is indeed a recurrent theme in Indian administration and

understanding the reasons behind such challenge becomes critical. This is how we can
suggest related reforms to enable alleviation of these issues. Hence this question.
Following points are to be detailed out in your answer
What do you mean by grassroot bureaucracy
What are the flaws in its working and the challenges arising out of these flaws
Whether reforms are required and if yes, the details of the reforms required
Directive word
details, and find out the causes or implications if any . Discuss the issues as highlighted
above.
Introduction – Discuss what grassroot bureaucracy is and why is it important to evaluate

their performance by highlighting some of the challenges arising out of their functioning.
Body
Discuss the issues plaguing grassroot bureaucracy due to which they face challenges in
their functioning
Discuss the causes behind these shortcomings in grassroot bureaucracy – take ideas
from the article as well as any other relevant point you can think of
Analyze the impacts of a less than optimum bureaucracy
Comment briefly on whether reforms are required or not
Highlight the reforms required based on your reading of 2nd ARC etc
Conclusion – Mention the need for an optimum bureaucracy to ensure that the developmental
needs are met and steps that should be taken in this regard.
Grassroots bureaucracy:-
The apex unit of field administration is the district

The district is governed through three streams.
1. State government departments have their separate offices at various levels to
implement departmental programmes.
2. The district collector, responsible for the whole district, is the overall
administrative authority and coordinator. The collector is appointed by the State
government but has close contact with the people and grassroots officials, and
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consequently responds to pressures from the top as well as below.
3. Democratically elected local governments are expected to be autonomous and
act as per local interests.
Several flaws in grass root bureaucracy:-
Structure of administration:-
Structure of administration that is created through the relative powers of these
three streams of authority promotes fragmentation, centralisation, and non-
responsiveness to local needs.
The district offices are controlled tightly by the State departments, which
stipulate programmes and activities, make most decisions about the personnel,
issue detailed directives, and inspect field offices. This promotes
centralisation, with orders from the top taking priority over needs from the
ground.
Role of collector is constrained:-
The district collector has some capacity to coordinate. But his/her authority
over the district departmental offices is much less than that of the state
departments.
The collector has limited authority over personnel and little say in
programmes for socio-economic development.
The collector’s authority varies a great deal across departments.
Consequently, at the district level, sustained, coordinated action for
socio-economic development is difficult.
Coordinated action is very difficult at local level:-
Departments have offices at different geographic units, and there is no
accepted coordinator at all. This further reduces the capacity of
coordinated action and responsiveness to local needs.
Lack of proper role and capacity building:-
Local elected representatives are usually keenly aware of the needs and
problems on the ground, and motivated to address them. But the potential of
local governments to address local needs is not realised, as they are
disempowered.
As per law, local governments are responsible for socio-economic
development, but they exercise little actual authority, and State governments
keep changing their powers.
Role of local governments tends to be unclear, resulting in conflict between
political representatives and officials, which leads to further disempowerment.
The Indian bureaucracy is structured so that the least skilled and lowest paid
personnel actually implement government programmes. However, to
deliver on the ground, a very high order of skills is often required. Success is
unlikely if the person undertaking this task has poor understanding and skills.
Shortage of personnel:-
At the field level, there is an acute shortage of personnel. The availability of
technical personnel is very patchy.
Focus on output and not on outcomes:-
Rigid departmental programmes frame all activities and officials define their
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roles in terms of implementing programmes rather than goals such as reducing
malnutrition.
Failure of technology:-
Technology has also added to centralisation by strengthening links between
the State departments and the field offices, rather than links between the field
officials and the community.
State government officials are able to monitor district officials more closely, but
because of the very limited penetration of technologies such as the internet in
rural areas, the community-government links have not been enhanced
significantly.
The basic flaws of excessive centralisation and authoritarianism have only
been strengthened.
These problems are exacerbated by widespread corruption, which further
reduces professionalism.
In recent years, several measures have been taken to enhance accountability to the
community, such as the Right to Information Act, social audits, and public service
guarantee acts in various States. But no significant change in the administrative
capacity or ethos has been visible, because structural and capacity constraints
and unproductive working processes that bog field-administration remain
unaddressed.
Way forward:-
Second ARC report recommendation :-

There must be a single elected District Council with representatives from
all rural and urban
areas, that will function as a true local government for the entire district. In
such a scheme,
the District Council should be responsible for all the local functions, including
those listed for them in the Eleventh and Twelfth Schedules.
The District Collector- cum-the Chief Officer would have dual responsibility and
would be fully accountable to the elected District Government on all local
matters, and to the State Government on all regulatory matters not delegated
to the District Government.”
The following steps should be taken to modernize the local level bureuracy:-
Management Information System (MIS) should be set-up in the office
of the Collector for effective monitoring and evaluation of
programmes/ projects under his direct control.
A computerized District Grievance Cell should also be set up in the
Collectorate.
Social audits need to be strengthened by educating and make people aware.
During policy formation and implementation both civil society members should
be consulted so that the measures should be taken properly.
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TOPIC: Storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related
constraints.
4)Improving agriculture productivity entails greater focus on agricultural research

and education, along with extension and training (AgRE&XT). Analyse.(250 words)
Financial express
Why this question
Agriculture is the mainstay of Indian economy and question related to agriculture are often
asked in mains. Moreover, agriculture extension is a very important aspect of agriculture on
which much focus has not been given by government so far, which means that India’s
performance is not up to the mark. Hence understanding the issues in AgRE&ST becomes
important.
Following points are to be focused upon in your answer
Explain in brief why improving productivity is necessary and how agricultural

extension services help in improving productivity
Examine India’s performance in providing such services to it’s farmers
Highlight where all are we falling short
Elucidate changes required
Directive word
Introduction – explain why improving productivity is critical and thus focus on extension
services is required.
Body
Explain how agri extension services help in enhancing productivity
Analyze India’s performance so far in providing agri services to the farmers
Analyze where are we falling short – the causes due to which it’s not picking up. Eg
lack of finances , personnel etc
Examine what are the changes required and whether improving productivity has some
other quick fix.
Conclusion – Summarize the arguments above and mention the way forward .
Background:-
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Although agriculture contributes only around 17% to the country’s GDP, nearly half of
India’s labour force (47%) works in the agrarian sector. With a predominantly rural
backbone of the agrarian economy, efforts to improve agricultural labour productivity
are needed to raise the living conditions of the majority of the population.
India’s measures in AgRE&XT:-
Soil and Water Testing Laboratories

These Testing Labs spreads across the country educate the farmers about
various scientific tools for identifying superb soil and water for agricultural
purposes.
Agri-Price Support
Market intervention scheme involving procurement through a notified agency
like Commission for Agriculture Costs and Prices, Agricultural & Processed
Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), and Marketing
Research and Information Network (AGMARKNET) etc, can surely be of great
help in assuring fair returns to farmers.
Education on role of private investment in Agriculture
Efforts are being made to create favourable economic conditions to promote
participation of the private enterprises in the establishment of Agro-based
industries.
Education and awareness on credit facilities to farmers
To meet local credit needs of farmers, many Rural Credit Banks have been
established
Why greater focus on agricultural research and education along with extension and
training are needed :-
Agricultural productivity:-
Agricultural extension agencies provide advice, information, and other support
services to farmers to enable them to improve the productivity of their crop and
animal production and thereby their farm and non-farm incomes.
Education is important to the improvement of agricultural productivity such that
formal education opens the mind of the farmer to knowledge, non-formal
education gives the farmer hands-on training and better methods of farming
and informal education keeps the farmer abreast with changing innovations and
ideas and allows farmer to share experience gained
Farmers require ongoing education to stay aware of fast-moving developments
in technology, science, business management, and an array of other skills and
fields that affect agricultural operations
Training helps farmers to incorporate the latest scientific advances and technology
tools into their daily operations. The results of enhancing their operations with these
tools increases efficiency and can also lead to:
Less harm to the environment
Reduced food contamination
Reduction of the need for water and chemicals for crops
Increased profits
Lack of funding:-
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Despite efforts by the government to improve labour productivity, as per 2014-

15 levels the total amount spent on AgRE&XT is only 0.7% of the GDP
derived from agriculture (GDPA). This is against the minimum level of 2% as
proposed by the World Bank.
Eastern states, which are also some of the poorest in the country, spend the
least on AgRE.
Inefficient use:
Of the total amount devoted to AgRE, about 70% is utilised for crop husbandry
purposes, and only 10% is used for animal husbandry and dairy development.
This is despite the growing importance of animal husbandry and dairy to the
Indian masses.
No communication:-
AgRE&XT sector is plagued by disparate and disjointed entities and
players (NGOs, public and private enterprises, and institutional bodies),
without any channel of communication or synergy between them.
Lack of awareness leading to :-
In remote and disadvantaged areas, farmers are rarely contacted by extension
agents.
Several farmers have committed suicide especially in the states of Andhra
Pradesh and Maharashtra because of indebtedness and repeated crop failures.
Though contract farming performed by agri-business companies do provide some
kind of integrated support, they don’t focus on farmer organizational development.
Research support to better address the needs of small farmers:
Finding better ways of reaching the small & marginal farmers and tenant
farmers especially those in the rainfed and difficult regions and providing them
with integrated technical support would continue to remain as a major
challenge for extension.
Manpower:-
Low manpower resources restrict the reach of KVKs to a limited number
of farmers. Many KVKs are constrained by financial, infrastructural, and
human resource limitations and unable to reach the farming community of a
district
Number of extension personnel in India is, however, only one-sixth of that in
China. With this meagre number of extension personnel, serving widely
dispersed farmers with diversified information needs is a really hard task.
Moreover, most of the extension personnel are overburdened with multiple
roles.
ICAR initiatives failure:-
Though ICAR’s extension initiatives have been important to transformations in
Indian agriculture, their capacity and reach has always been limited
compared to those of first-line extension systems run by State-level
departments of agriculture.
Further, since agriculture is a State subject, the mode of organisation and
operation of public extension systems vary widely across States.
The focus of agricultural extension has been on increasing yield with much
less attention paid to ecosystem health and natural resource conservation.
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Way forward:-
India should have to develop a Human Resource Management Plan at the state
level to
figure out capacity gaps, bringing new expertise and enhancing capacities of existing
human resources.
Under ATMA, extension to some extent has started expanding its mandate. For
instance, it
extension has started organizing commodity interest groups. But again the focus
remains
mostly on provision of technical support. Many of these groups need marketing
support and
hand holding support to evolve as federations to access new markets and develop
new market relationships.
Extension still operates in the Research-Extension-Farmer paradigm that restricts its
linkages
to only research and farmers. Extension needs to embrace systems frameworks
such as
innovation systems framework, which accommodates more number of actors,
their interactions, role of institutions and learning to reinvent its future.
Economies with a developed agrarian structure, such as the US and China,
have recently established private extension services for farmers who produce
on a commercially-viable and enduring scale.
These involve receiving personally-curated information using technology and
consultancy services using real-time data and agricultural inputs.
Although privatisation on a similar scale is not viable in India, the synergy
present between different stakeholders in these developed agricultural
economies can be emulated in India.
First priority of the government towards improving the efficiency of AgRE&XT
should be creating a common channel of information-sharing and
communication between all the stakeholders in the agricultural space.
It is recommended that the government improves the quality of formal education,
extension services and adult literacy classes in the Municipality. Factors that affect
productivity such as transportation, access to input and credit facility to
farmers should be improved.
Effectively capitalising the global competitive advantage, Indian agricultural
institutes have to work out policy with regards to technology, more market access
opportunities, and more transparency.
TOPIC: environmental impact assessment
5) Examine the process related to granting environmental clearances in India and

bring out the shortcomings in the process? (250 words)
Financial express
14/22
Why this question
The recent office memorandum, as highlighted in the article, talked about introducing certain
changes in the process of granting environmental clearances. While the new idea of corporate
environment Responsibility is important in itself, the important thing to be discussed is the
entire process of EIA
The question expects that we detail out the entire process of EIA – both the operational as
well as the legal angles. Thereafter, we are required to examine the status of environmental
clearances in India and whether there are any shortcomings in the process which need to be
eradicated.
Directive word
details, and find out the causes or implications if any . Discuss the issues as highlighted
above.
Introduction – Mention about the need for having a sound environmental clearance process
to ensure sustainable development.
Body
Detail out the entire process including the legal and operational angles.
Discuss the current situation in India with regards to the said process to understand how
the working of the process is.
Examine whether there are any shortcomings in the process which need to be reformed
Way forward
Conclusion – Mention that there is a need of paradigm shift in environmental management

before the water crosses the bridge.
Background:-
The environmental clearance process is required for many types of projects and
covers aspects like screening, scoping and evaluation of the upcoming project.
The main purpose is to assess impact of the planned project on the environment and
people and to try to abate/minimise the same.
Process related to granting environmental clearances in India :-
Environmental clearance is granted by the ministry of environment, and the State

Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), under the Environment Impact
Assessment (EIA) notification of 2006.
This notification details the process for granting EC.
15/22
It includes the structure of the EIA report, process of appraisal, and the
conditions and safeguards that a company has to implement, including what the
environment management plan should be.
The appraisal is carried out by the Expert Appraisal Committees (EACs), which
largely comprise of ‘professionals and experts’. The appraisal procedure clearly
states, ‘in case the project or activity is recommended for grant of EC, then the
minutes shall clearly list out the specific environmental safeguards and conditions.
EIA Notification 2006 was issued under the sub-rule (3) of Rule 5 of the Environment
(Protection) Rules, 1986. This rule gives powers to the central government to
impose certain restrictions and prohibitions on the location of an industry, or
the carrying out of processes and operations in an area, based on their
potential environmental impacts..
Shortcomings :-
EC process in India involves a lot of paperwork with nothing to show on the

ground.
Almost every project is cleared by EACs which consist of peoplenot
accountable to anyone
There is hardly any post-clearance monitoring. Hence, non-compliance of the
safeguards and conditions is rampant.
Projects are granted EC after they have already come up.
Primary goal of the EC process is to ensure that projects are located and constructed
in such a manner that they have the least possible impact on the environment.
Unfortunately, the governments could not uphold this focus
The present clearance process with its sequential hurdles either forces a
project proponent to give up the venture, as was reportedly the case with major
road projects of late, or burdens the project with time and cost overruns.
The mindset underlying the clearance process seems to be two-fold. One, all
projects deserve the same degree of examination and the other being, following
the “Precautionary Principle”, it is better to err on the safe side and withhold
clearance.
CAG:-
It criticized delays at every step in projects getting environment clearances
(ECs) and highlighted that the ministry had not penalized even a single project
for violation of EC conditions.
Way forward:-
CAG recommendations:-
The process of granting ECs by MoEFCC includes grant of ToRs for preparing
EIA reports, public consultations before they are considered for granting or
rejecting environment clearance.
EC letters should clearly mention cost of activities under the Environmental
Management Plan along with the timelines for their implementation.
The capital and revenue expenditure amount to be spent on CSR cost should
be distinctly specified in the EC letter.
EC conditions should be more specific for the area to be developed under
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green belt and species to be planted in consultation with forest/agriculture

department along with post EC third party evaluation.
While prescribing the conditions of environment clearance, the details about
installation of monitoring stations and frequency of monitoring of various
environment parameters in respect of air, surface water, ground water noise,
etc. are clearly mentioned.
It also said that the conditions of environment clearance should be compatible
with the nature and type of project in order to avoid non-uniformity in similar
kinds of projects.
The NCEPC, revived in a form reflecting the times, could be the body entrusted
with the preparation of a workable policy document on “Environment and
Development”.
It could be fashioned on the model of the White House Council on
Environmental Quality functioning in the US directly under the President.
The Indian version could be under the Prime Minister advising him on matters
referred to it by him or taken up by it suo moto for enquiry.
The reason for locating the Committee directly under the Prime Minister is that
environment being an all-embracing term, the issues it would deal with would
often be the concern of more than one ministry and their examination has
necessarily to be undertaken with a perspective larger than what any individual
department or ministry may have.
The revival of the NCEPC need not be at the cost of the MOEF:-
While the former would act as a senior policy adviser to the Prime
Minister, the latter could continue to look after its present duties and
responsibilities
Topic: Major crops cropping patterns in various parts of the country, different types of
irrigation and irrigation systems storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce
and issues and related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers
6) Examine why majority of Agriculture credit provided by Indian banks under

priority sector lending, does not accrue to small and marginal farmers.(250 words)
The hindu
Reference
17/22
Why this question
As per a report submitted by the RBI to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture
in response to its queries, only 42.2% of agricultural credit disbursed in 2016-17 went to
small and marginal farmers. This is a serious issue, given the need for credit by such farmers
and, under the present intensity of agricultural stress. The issue is related to GS 3 syllabus
Major crops cropping patterns in various parts of the country, different types of irrigation and
irrigation systems storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and
related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers
The question wants us give an account of and bring out the reasons for poor disbursal of
credit under priority sector lending to small and marginal farmers in India.
Directive word
Examine- we have to write down the key reasons behind the low disbursal/ accrual rates of
credit to small and marginal farmers under PSL. We have to look into the details and
accordingly frame our answer in alignment with the demand of the question.
Introduction– Mention the recent RBI report which highlights the percentage of agricultural
credit disbursed to small and marginal farmers under PSL.
Body– Discuss in points the main reasons behind the low rates of disbursal. Try to give a
balanced answer, keeping in mind the concerns of all stakeholders, including banks.
E.g poor credit rating and worthiness of small and marginal farmers, high concentration of
banks in agriculturally developed areas and towns and low concentration in areas where most
of the small and marginal farmers live, political pressure to disburse loans to usually big
farmers, shortage of staff and time on part of banks etc.
Conclusion– suggest a way forward- e.g Under the priority sector lending the mandate is not
to reach a particular type of farmer therefore mandating necessary sub-targeting of small and
marginal farmers, nudging private and foreign banks in this direction, motivating bank
employees and relaxing quantitative targets while enhancing qualitative ones, using SECC
and aadhar for proper targeting etc.
Background:-
As per a report submitted by the RBI to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on

Agriculture in response to its queries, only 42.2% of agricultural credit disbursed in
2016-17 went to small and marginal farmers
The small and marginal farmers are missing out on the bulk of agricultural credit, as
per information provided by the Reserve Bank of India, which showed they are
receiving only 30-40% of loans meant for the sector.
18/22
Priority sector lending:-
The RBI’s rules are that 18% of a bank’s Adjusted Net Bank Credit must go to the
agricultural sector and within this, 8% must go to small and marginal farmers
Why it does not accrue to small and marginal farmers:-
Larger farmers accrue loans:-

Some farmers, the larger ones and the ones closer to urban areas, are over-
represented in terms of access to credit. Insofar as the priority sector lending
mandates are concerned, the mandate is not to reach a particular type of
farmer. So, the programme itself is not targeted.”
Costs are huge:-
While the banking sector has overall met this limit, there is still an inherent
targeting problem arising out of the costs of lending to the sector.
Banks choose to lend to those areas where the cost of lending is lower, such
as those close to urban areas, or to those farmers who are more credit-worthy.
That is, the medium and large farmers.
The RBI data backs up this assertion, showing that only 34.5% of agricultural
credit outstanding as of 2017 has gone to rural farmers.
Stress on public sector banks:-
Onus of providing agricultural credit is falling on the public sector banks, with
12 out of 23 of the private sector banks for which data is available having failed
to meet the 18% lending target for the agricultural sector in 2017.
Since the subsidized nature of loans under the directed credit forces the
banks to pay lower interest rates on deposits, this makes the deposits a
less attractive avenue for the people which ultimately impacts the banks.
Agriculture and credit risk:-
Problem with priority sector loans is the lack of understanding of the sub-
sectoral target groups, especially agriculture and the small and medium
sector, as also weaker sections.
Further, given the vagaries of the monsoon that agriculture is susceptible to
and the undiversified risk portfolios in such rural areas, the credit risks for
such banks from such PSL would be extremely high.
The guidelines for agricultural credit and lending to weaker sections are
extremely complex the commercial banks may not be the best equipped to
handle beneficiary identification, credit risk assessment and loan disbursement
to these sectors.
Recovery in Agriculture PSL sector is difficult:-

Because small and marginal farmers use the loan money for other purpose
than it is actually taken. They use the loan money for social ceremonies like
marriage, functions etc and sometime it is also used for paying old debts.
There is also wilful default in Agriculture PSL
Overload of work to bank employees:-
Due to Agriculture PSL work burden of bank officials also increase because the
number of accounts are more and accounts are of small amount. So pre
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sanction visit, post sanction visit, instalment reminder, recovery reminders and
paper work increase.
In Agriculture PSL there is lot of social, political and target pressure on bank
officials. Apart from it due to target pressure of RBI, bank officials categorise
non Agriculture PSL loans as Agriculture PSL loans.
The biggest problem in Agriculture PSL is that there is no motivation for
increasing such lending. Bank’s official’s performance is not considered for
how many loans they have given, but it is considered on total amount of
loans. Bank officials are not given any kind of monetary benefit or reward for
increasing such type of loan.
Way forward:-
Diversion of loans can be stopped if there will be tight monitoring of the bank officials
on the use of loans.
Work burden of bank officials can be reduced if a separated employee is recruited
for this type of loans in all agriculture branches.
Bank managers should be assigned qualitative rather than quantitative targets.
Bank employees can be motivated if:
Despite of considering total amount of loans as a percentage target, it should
be on the basis of number of accounts.
Incentives should be provided for more Agriculture PSL.
Reward should be there for more Agriculture PSL.
Creation of a development finance institution that would provide a mix of
grants and loans to under-served sectors and geographies.
The new institution can raise capital from commercial banks through existing
innovative instruments like the PSL certificates, specify minimum sectoral
disbursement targets and choose projects based on independent risk
assessment and intended outcomes.
This will support the policy objectives of increased credit and reduce systemic
risk, making PSL work in the long run
Similarly, private sector banks may choose to lend housing credit in urban
areas, rather than being forced to lend agricultural finance. The government
may rely on specialized institutions such as the National Bank for Agriculture
and Rural Development (Nabard) to fulfil sectoral lendingtargets, while at the
same time ensuring structural reforms in these sectors to make lending to them more
viable.
Topic: Aptitude and foundational values for Civil Service , integrity, impartiality and
nonpartisanship, objectivity, dedication to public service, empathy, tolerance and compassion
towards the weaker sections
7) In itself, toleration/ tolerance is not a virtue or value; it can only be a value if

backed by the right normative reasons. Comment.(250 words)
20/22
Reference
Why this question
Aptitude and foundational values for Civil Service , integrity, impartiality and
nonpartisanship, objectivity, dedication to public service, empathy, tolerance and compassion
towards the weaker sections.
The question wants us to deliberate on the value of tolerance and present our opinion on
whether it is useful only if backed by right normative reasons.
Directive word
Comment- we have to describe tolerance as a value and then form a personal opinion on the
issue- whether tolerance by itself is a value or does it require normative reasoning to be of
any value.
Introduction– briefly define and describe the meaning of the value of tolerance.
Body- discuss in points about how tolerance as a value is meaningless when viewed in
isolation from normative logic/ reasoning.
E.g mention in points the three paradoxes- paradox of the tolerant racist, paradox of moral
tolerance, paradox of drawing the limits. Explain these paradoxes. Take help of the article
attached with the question to frame your answer.
Conclusion– Bring out a fair, concise and balanced opinion on the above issue
Answer:-
Tolerance is a prerequisite to exercising the liberties of free speech and freedom of

religion. Tolerance preserves the dignity of each person as it accommodates and explores
a rich diversity in ideas, cultures, and beliefs through civil discourse and dialogue.
Tolerance promotes learning because, as John Stuart Mill tells that received opinion may
be wrong and the heretic right. Adopting an open mind represents a commitment to the
pursuit of knowledge through dialogue.
Tolerance is the virtue that makes peace possible:-Tolerance allows people the liberty
and personal freedom of self-determination. Toleration promotes the free exchange of
ideas, including criticism and debate of public policy in the interest of the people. Despite
India being a culturally diverse country multiple religions live harmoniously.
Vigorous deliberation of disagreement and moral evaluation is promoted by

tolerance and moves us toward a common understanding of the good .Tolerance
does not extend to aggressive intolerance ,the coercive suppression of other points of
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view. Tolerance provides the space for a culture of dialogue, where we can all benefit.
Tolerance respects context .For instance If your grandmother makes a racial slur at a
family gathering we can tolerate it as a reminder of the progress made during her lifetime. If
a politician makes a racial slur at a town hall meeting, it is intolerable.
However for tolerance to be a virtue there need to be normative support . There are two
boundaries involved in this interpretation of the concept of toleration
The first one lies between the normative realm of those practices and beliefs one
agrees with and the realm of the practices and beliefs that one finds wrong but can
still tolerate
The second boundary lies between this latter realm and the realm of the intolerable
that is strictly rejected.
There is the paradox of the tolerant racist. For instance sometimes people argue that
someone who believes the members of which do not deserve equal respect should be
“more tolerant.” Thus the racist would be called tolerant if he curbed his desire to
discriminate against the members of such groups, say, for strategic reasons. Thus if
tolerance is considered to be a moral virtue, the paradox arises that an immoral attitude
would be turned into part of a virtue. It thus turns an unacceptable prejudice into an
ethical judgment.
The paradox of moral tolerance, arises in connection with the acceptance component .If
both the reasons for objection and the reasons for acceptance are called “moral,” the
paradox arises that it seems to be morally right or even morally required to tolerate what is
morally wrong. The solution of this paradox therefore requires a distinction between various
kinds of moral reasons, some of which must be reasons of a higher order that ground and
limit toleration.
Last there is the paradox of drawing the limits, which concerns the rejection component.
This paradox is inherent in the idea that toleration is a matter of reciprocity and that
therefore those who are intolerant need not and cannot be tolerated. No toleration of
the intolerant is not just vacuous but potentially dangerous, for the characterization of
certain groups as intolerant is all too often itself a result of one-sidedness and intolerance
Therefore toleration is a normatively dependent concept. This means that by itself it cannot
provide the substantive reasons for objection, acceptance, and rejection. It needs further,
independent normative resources in order to have a certain substance, content, and limits
and in order to be regarded as something good at all.
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InsightsIAS June 7, 2018

1)The post of the Governor, by constitutional design, acts as a check upon both
federalism and popular democracy. Critically comment.(250 words)
The hindu
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Why this question
The post of the governor has been criticized on various fronts and there have been calls to
abolish the office altogether. In the evolving federal structure of India the abolishing of the
office or maintaining status quo will have an important bearing on our polity. The question is
The question wants us to dig deep into the constitutional status and logic behind the post of
governor and; discuss how the office is affects the federalism and popular democracy in the
country. We have to analyse both the positive and negative aspects of the office and form a
personal opinion.
Directive word
Critically comment- We have to form a personal opinion on the issue after taking into account
both the positive aspects/ need, as well as negative aspects of the office of governor. We have
to discuss how the office shapes/ has shaped the federal structure and popular democracy in
India.
Introduction– Mention the articles of the constitution related to the office of governor and its
powers.
Body–
1. Discuss the logic behind retaining the office by the constitution assembly and how the
office has been misused for political gains and how that affects the federal structure of
India and its popular democracy.
e.g discuss the discretionary power of governor which offers huge scope for blatant
misuse, discuss the need for protecting national integrity and sovereignty
in a newly formed democratic republic etc
1. Discuss the importance of the office in present times.
e.g during emergency, secessionist movements in various parts of the country etc.
Conclusion– Form a fair and balanced opinion on the need and desirability
of the office of the governor and suggest a way forward
Background :-
With the Karnataka elections held recently the role of governor has come under
question again
Necessity of the post of governor:-
The Constituent assembly chose to retain the post, and continue to vest it with
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discretionary power.
As there was a dearth of competent legislators in the States a certain amount of
centralisation of power was necessary in a nascent state such as India.
Concerned members of the CA were assured that the Governor would remain only a
constitutional post, and would have no power to interfere in the day-to-day
administration of the State.
Founding fathers were anxious about political unity and, therefore, willing to
weaken the principle of federal autonomy to strengthen Central authority.
They endorsed the retention of the office of governor. For them, a governor was the
guardian of republican authority and its continuity.
How is it acting as a check upon federalism and democracy :-
In colonial India not only was the governor’s office unaccountable to the people of
that province or presidency, it was designed to be unaccountable.
The office of the Governor represented a choke point in the Constitution (ordinances
and emergencies are others), where federalism and the popular will were to be
kept in check from above, if the occasion ever arose.
Karnataka has just been the most recent example demonstrating that the Governor
has enough discretion to skew the political process in the direction that the
Central government desires.
Far from safeguarding constitutional propriety, governors have acted as the
Central government’s partisan agents. They have dismissed inconvenient
governments, subverted democratic verdicts, thwarted the functioning of elected
state governments hostile to the ruling party at the Centre .
Problem with constitutional design :-
The governor is merely appointed by the president on the advice of the Central
government.
Unlike the president, a governor does not have a fixed term. He/she holds office at
the pleasure of the ruling party in the centre.
Both the manner of the appointment and the uncertainty of tenure conspire to make
the incumbent an object of the Central government in politically charged
circumstances
Australian governors sometimes sparked political controversies similar to the
ones provoked by their Indian counterparts by using their reserve powers to
dismiss state governments or by refusing to notify their recommendations.
These controversies were minimized once elected premiers were given the
right to propose the governors they wanted for their provinces.
The Australian example illustrates the extent to which the office of governor is
an imperial hold-over that survives because the concerted constitutional energy
needed to abolish it is hard to muster.
Way forward:-
German Länder or states only have heads of governments, chief minister-
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equivalents known as minister-presidents. Germany’s political structure
demonstrates that there is no constitutional need to mirror the office of the
head of state at the provincial level. It is only in countries with histories of
authoritarian colonial rule that this position even exists.
Editorialists have called upon the apex court to codify the processes to be followed
by the governor in the event of a hung assembly.
It would be an even better one if the task of implementing these guidelines was taken
away from the governor and handed over to the Election Commission. The statutory
body that conducts and supervises the largest and most challenging democratic
processes in the world is self-evidently the institution best equipped to steward those
processes to their political conclusion.
Topic: Parliament and State Legislatures – structure, functioning, conduct of business,

2)One year one election would be more appropriate for India rather than one nation
one election. Examine.(250 words)
Indian express
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Why this question
Elections in India signify the world’s largest democratic exercise but on the other hand
frequent elections across the country consume a significant amount of resources and divert
much of the time of the political parties at the central level. The present PM has suggested
many times, the idea of one nation one election. And recently Election Commission presented
the idea of one year one election in place of one nation one election. The question is related to
GS 2 syllabus under the following heading-
The question wants us to contrast the idea of “one nation one election” vs “one year one
election”. We have to explain why the later is better suited for India in the present
circumstances.
Directive word
Examine- We have to give explanation in support of the given stand i.e one year one election
is better. We have to support our answer with proper arguments/ facts etc.
Introduction– Mention the EC’s idea of one year one election, and also mention the other
option of one nation one election.
Body– Discuss in points, why the EC’S idea is better.
e.g it will require fewer amendments to the constitution, it will respect the essence of the
exercise of popular will, unlike one nation one election which prioritizes economic costs of
elections over the exercise itself, it will avoid clubbing of national and state issues, it will not
disturb federalism much, not much issues generated by emergencies like need to hold by-
election etc.
Conclusion– Mention the importance of the exercise of the election, and the diverse structure
and aspirations of India which necessitate respect for popular will and democracy.
Background:-
While the EC has reiterated its support for holding simultaneous polls, provided the
legal and financial challenges are overcome, it has alternatively suggested that all the
elections due in a year may be held together.
Benefits of one year one election:-
Accomplishing one year one election will be easier as it doesn’t require as many
legal amendments as simultaneous polls for which the Centre will have to
make five amendments to the Constitution.
One year one election can be executed by amending Section 15 of the RP Act 1951.
If the six-month stipulation is extended to nine or 10 months, elections to all states,
whose term is expiring in one year, can be held together.
The proviso to Section 73 of the RP Act 1951 clearly says that even if the poll results
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are declared before the actual expiration date, the concerned state assembly can
complete its term. So, if all elections in a year are clubbed together, the terms of
state assemblies, which are expiring later in the year, need not be curtailed. They
can complete their term that year and the new government can be sworn in
after that.
Not much issues generated by emergencies like need to hold by-election in this case
Does not affect federalism much
Frequent elections have multiple merits in providing momentary employment,
boosting domestic consumption.
Problems with Simultaneous polls:-
According to the EC, Article 83, which deals with the duration of Houses of
Parliament, will have to be tweaked, along with Article 85 (dissolution of Lok
Sabha by the President), Article 172 (duration of state legislatures), Article 174
(dissolution of state assemblies) and Article 356 (President’s Rule), to facilitate
simultaneous polls.
Simultaneous elections impinge on the political autonomy of States.
Today, any elected State government can choose to dissolve its Assembly and
call for fresh elections. If elections are to be held simultaneously, States will
have to give up this power and wait for a national election schedule.
There is clear empirical evidence that most Indian voters tend to choose the
same party when elections are held simultaneously to both Centre and State.
The sheer logistics of holding simultaneous elections could be unmanageable
to implement, given that the electorate exceeds 670 million voters and 7,00,000
polling stations spread across varying geographic zones that will have to
consider localised weather conditions, festivals and events.
Also, local and national issues could get subsumed by each other and fears would
abound on the misuse of Article 356 by the Union Government, making One nation,
One election an impractical concept to cater to a diverse polity such as India.
Topic – Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive
3)The recent outcry over proposed changes in the civil services allocation procedure
only goes on to show that the observation of 2nd ARC regarding civil servants, that
they resist change as they are wedded to their privileges and prospects, is true.
Critically examine(250 words)
Indian express
Second arc about civil servants :-
In the political field, the 73rd and 74th Amendments to the Constitution have brought
about major changes. In order to make it meaningful, the existing system of
administration of departments and the District Collectorate has to undergo
fundamental changes. This has not happened to the extent envisioned.
One of the principal reasons is the marked reluctance on the part of the civil service
to accept the changes in control and accountability as well as the altered roles and
responsibilities.
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This is because of the fact that most of the civil servants have been socialised to act
in a manner that accentuates command and control methods rather than respond to
people’s needs and aspirations.
Believes that its authority and legitimacy is derived not from the mandate of the
people but from an immutable corpus of rules that it has prescribed for itself, without
any correspondence to the needs and aspirations of the people it serves and the
democratic ethos.
That is why the functioning of the civil service is characterised by a great deal of
negativity, lack of responsiveness to what the people want and the dictates of
democracy.
The systemic rigidities, needless complexities and over-centralization in the policy
and management structures within which the civil service functions are too complex
and often too constraining
The structures are based on hierarchies and there are a large number of veto points
to be negotiated for a decision to eventually emerge.
Recent outcry is valid:-
The UPSC must not be converted into an institution that merely provides a bunch of
probationers who will be fitted into various services later after completion of the
foundation course.
There could be allegations of capture of the selection process by politicians and
bureaucrats and of discrimination on the basis of region, religion, caste and
community.
The foundation course is no longer entirely done in the LBS National Academy of
Administration as in the past but in various places. So there are questions about what
the course would be, Regarding the manpower in these academies etc
Doubtful as to whether the quality of administration will improve as a consequence of
this change. All officers learn more on the job than during training.
Changing allotment procedures at the point of entry can make no difference to work
output.
Way forward:-
The real need is for a change in performance review and for recognition of
performance as officers go up the ladder.
2nd ARC’s 10th Report
Every government servant should undergo a mandatory training at the
induction stage and also periodically during his/her career. Successful
completion of these trainings should be a minimum necessary condition for
confirmation in service and subsequent promotions.
The objective of mid-career training should be to develop domain knowledge
and competence required.
The Committee to Review In-Service Training of IAS officers, (Yugandhar
Committee, 2003) recommended the need for three mid-career training
programmes in the 12th, 20th and 28th years of service. Trainings at these 3
stages was suggested as there is a “major shift” in the nature of work of the
officer, at these stages of their career.
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There is a need to emphasise on the changing needs of the society and make the
civil servants accountable and transparent using technology
Topic – Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues
4)Anti Sterlite protests in Thoothukkudi is the signal of civil society’s anger against
our policy apathy towards environmental issues. Critically analyse.(250 words)
Indian express
Why this question
Civil society protests in India have had a history of agitation for environmental causes such as
in the case of Chipko movement. The current protest is also indicative of the rising anger
against increasing urban pollution, poor implementation of policies related to pollution control
in factories etc. In this light analyzing this protest would give us an idea of how the
environmental regulations in India work and whether they should be improved. Hence this
question.
The question data that the civil society protests in TN are on account of the poor regulatory
architecture
Background:-
Environmental governance in India is becoming increasingly contentious.

Environmental quality is declining sharply on indicators such as air, water and forest
cover. At the same time, there are calls for regulatory flexibility to enable pursuit of a
“development agenda”.
Anti sterlite protests :-
Protests against the establishment of the plant due to its potential to cause damage
to the environment, and affect the lives of people, as early as the mid-1990s.
Civil society’s anger against policy apathy towards environment:-
Sterlite plant:-
The agitation has continued all these years, even as the smelter went on
to supply half of India’s copper needs. The fact that copper smelters are
among the worst polluting industries, that emit a number of toxic and corrosive
chemicals, has been proven right time and again by agitators and activists.
However, the plant continued to remain operational, despite the
occasional legal setbacks and roadblocks.
Despite a series of objections, closures and reprimands from various quarters
including a Rs 100 crore penalty imposed by the Supreme Court for polluting the
environment it remained operational.
Protesters have alleged that the smelter was polluting ground water in their area. An
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activist group has accused pollution board of allowing the company to operate its
smelter with shorter chimney stacks than permitted which helped the company
reduce costs but harmed the environment.
Despite policy initiatives like forest policies India has still not adequately increased its
forest cover and moving towards neglection of forest rights act.
There are instances of ground water exploitation, water scarcity , pollution triggering
deaths all over India but policy apathy is largely visible.
The river rejuvenation programmes like Namami Ganga have failed in upholding their
objectives.
Extreme weather events like dust storms, erratic monsoons, heat waves etc have
increased their intensity and government’s efforts are negligible.
Environment Protection Act, 1986 needs to be amended to incorporate all
stakeholders. especially the people getting affected by degradation of soil, air or
water need to be involved in decision making.
Strategic Resource efficiency needs to be adopted, newer technology needs to be
incorporated.
No proper EIA is being done. EIA needs to be mandatory for all big projects
One of the underlying reasons for the failure of environmental regulation has been
the adhocism of the State; the persistent search for quick fixes to complicated
problems and difficult trade-offs.
Some of the major concerns in Indian environmental governance, such as the
declining quality of the environment:-
Piecemeal legislation and ad hoc decision-making
Rent-seeking propensity of the government
Lack of faith in the executive
The dominant role played by the judiciary
The complete failure of monitoring and enforcement mechanisms under the
various environmental laws
There have been reports that government is diverting unspent funds, no questions
were raised about why the funds were lying unspent
For instance, India did vie for more funding at the climate change negotiations,
but the problem is not of insufficient funds but of the fact that India have not
prioritised its environmental imperatives.
Violations:-
Extensive violations of rules by thermal plants, in terms of sulphur and nitrogen
oxide emissions, excessive water consumption and impermissible levels of
particulate matter. No progress was made in retrofitting existing power plants to
new standards
Not formulating regulations for industries and power plants, which emit majority
of sulphur and nitrogen oxides in the air, has also contributed to air pollution in Delhi,
which earned India wide disrepute.
Pro-active initiatives to phase out coal and other polluting substances have
been missing.
Conclusion:-
In addition, systematic data collection and developing of public archives on the

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compliance of projects over time, sectors and regions can go a long way in reframing
the knowledge and regulatory structures for environmental governance.
Topic – Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to

Health
5) Examine whether WHO’s essential diagnostic list would help India in better rolling
out of its free diagnostic services. Discuss how diagnostic services help improve
primary healthcare?(250 words)
Hindustantimes
Why this question
The release of the first ever WHO’s Essential diagnostic list (EDL) will enable India to
incorporate the learnings in its own efforts at rolling out free diagnostic service.
Understanding what diagnostic service is, how is it related to primary healthcare are all issues
that need discussion
Following points are to be emphasized on in your answer
What is essential diagnostic service

Contents of WHO’s first ever EDL
What are the aims and objectives of India’s attempts at rolling out free diagnostic
service
How will EDL help the country implement it
The impact that EDL will have on improving primary healthcare
Directive word
Discuss – Here the impact of improvement in diagnostic services on the delivery of primary
health care is to be explained
Background :-
Technological advancements has led to the diagnostic sector growing and evolving
very rapidly. India must grab the opportunity to use this resource to its advantage and
strengthen the diagnostics component in the health care system and make it
available at affordable prices to improve outcomes.
WHO essential diagnostic list :-
WHO published its first Essential Diagnostics List which is a catalogue of the tests
needed to diagnose the most common conditions as well as a number of global
priority diseases
Essential diagnostics are defined as diagnostics that satisfy the priority health-care
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needs of the population and are selected keeping in mind the disease burden and
public health relevance, evidence of efficacy and accuracy and comparative cost-
effectiveness.
The first EDL, compiled by a WHO expert advisory group on in-vitro diagnostics,
contains 113 tests of which 58 are basic tests (haemoglobin, blood glucose,
complete blood count, urine dipstick etc). The remaining 55 tests are designed for the
detection, diagnosis and monitoring of “priority” infections such as HIV, TB, malaria,
hepatitis B and C, human papillomavirus (HPV) and syphilis.
India must boost its laboratory infrastructure to offer comprehensive diagnostic
services that cover a wider range of conditions, including antimicrobial resistance and
non-communicable diseases to help the country move away from a syndrome-based
approach to targeted therapy approach.
National efforts with ICMR in the lead are being initiated to develop an India-specific
essential diagnostics list in the foreseeable future.
How will it help India in rolling out its free diagnostic services :-
Essential Diagnostics List is intended to serve as a reference for countries to update

or develop their own list of essential diagnostics.
In order to truly benefit patients, national governments will need to ensure
appropriate and quality-assured supplies, training of health care workers and safe
use. To that end, WHO will provide support to countries as they adapt the list to the
local context.
WHO will update list on regular basis and will also issue call for applications to add
categories to next edition. It is expected to expand significantly over next few years to
incorporate other important areas including emerging pathogens, neglected
tropical diseases, antimicrobial resistance and additional non-communicable
diseases.
Essential Diagnostics List will provide uniform tool that can be useful to all
countries, not only to test and treat health complications better but also to use
health funds more efficiently by concentrating on the truly essential tests.
It also provides an essential package that can form the basis for screening and
management of patients. It is similar to WHO’s essential medicines list, which
serves as reference for countries to update or develop their own list of essential
diagnostics.
Limited affordability and access to quality medical services are among the major
challenges contributing to delayed or inappropriate responses to disease control and
patient management. Diagnostics, at 15.56%, make up the second largest
component on hospital bills. With EDL diagnosis would become easier.
Concerns:-
Inspired by WHO list Indian government is moving towards making a list of
essential diagnostics, quite like the National List of Essential Medicines
(NLEM). Similar to the NLEM, the government is considering the possibility that
the diagnostics on this list would also be subject to price-capping. However
industry bodies are likely to push-back on the government on this.
Cost of diagnostics cannot currently be regulated by bodies like the NPPA or
the central government. Only individual states can take the initiative, if they
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adopt laws like the Clinical Establishments Act, 2010, which prescribes
transparency in costing.
The use of the word essential can invoke various precedents in Indian law on
the right to life (Article 21 of the Indian constitution).
How diagnostic services help improve primary healthcare :-
An accurate diagnosis is the first step to getting effective treatment. Diagnostics

provide information needed by service providers to make informed decisions about
patient care and public health actions.
Today, many people are unable to get tested for diseases because they cannot
access diagnostic services. Many are incorrectly diagnosed. As a result, they do
not receive the treatment they need and, in some cases, may actually receive the
wrong treatment.
For example, an estimated 46% of adults with Type 2 diabetes worldwide are
undiagnosed, risking serious health complications and higher health costs. Late
diagnosis of infectious diseases such as HIV and tuberculosis increases the
risk of spread and makes them more difficult to treat.
Some of the tests are particularly suitable for primary health care facilities,
where laboratory services are often poorly resourced and sometimes non-
existent.
Essential diagnostics list could improve patient care, help detect outbreaks, increase
affordability of tests, reduce antibiotic abuse, improve regulation and quality of
diagnostic tests, strengthen accreditation and quality of laboratories, improve the
supply chain and inspire new research.
An EDL should help amplify the impact of the EML. After all, patients need access
to both diagnosis and treatment.
Access to critical medicines is important for patients, care providers, and health
systems. It is a key component of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), and
included in Goal 3 of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Without diagnosis, good medicines can be wasted, misused or simply not used.
Diagnosis has important implications for prognosis. Member States and
countries might seek advice about which technologies to prioritize, how to shift from
one technology to another, and which technologies should accompany essential
medicines since they are strongly interconnected.
6) India should seek to publish “green GDP” figures that take into account
depreciation of natural capital stock due to economic exploitation and environmental
degradation. Critically analyse.(250 words)
The hindu
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Why this question
Environment provides us with the necessities of life and basic material for development. In the
pursuit of more development, most nations have ignored the economic aspects of the
exploitation of environment. Green GDP aims to capture the true position of a country as it
includes the condition of the natural resources of the country, which in fact affect the quantum
as well as pace of development. The question is related to GS 3 syllabus under the following
heading-
The question wants us to discuss in detail about the concept of Green GDP and how it will be
a better indicator than simple GDP. We also have to see the other side of publishing the Green
GDP and then form a personal opinion on the issue.
Directive word
Critically analyse- we have to dig into the details of the Green GDP concept and highlight its
important aspects and advantages over simple GDP figures. We have to see if there are any
cons/ issues/ obstacles involved in publishing Green GDP figures and thereafter form a
personal opinion on the issue.
Introduction– Briefly give a description of the concept of Green GDP.
Body-
1. Discuss the need for prioritising Green GDP over GDP.
1. Discuss the importance of natural capital and how its quality determines the
development potential in the real sense and in the long run.
2. Discuss the effects of loss of natural capital due to overexploitation of resources and
disregard for the sustainability of the system.
3. Discuss the culture of consumerism and materialism evoked by the GDP race and how
it leads to unsustainable use of natural capital.
2) Discuss the limitations/ obstacles involved in using green GDP.
1. e.g difficulty in estimation of the value, lack of micro level data on capital formation
and exploitation, pressure for improving GDP- internationally and domestically, lack of
empirical studies on the value of natural capital etc.
Conclusion– Mention how the current GDP estimates include some of the natural capital
exploited ( e.g minerals extracted; timber, fuelwood and non-timber forest products; natural
growth of cultivated assets for some crops; and the output from dung manure etc. ) and
mention how they underestimate the value and don’t include most of the services offered by
natural capital. Also suggest a way-forward.
Green GDP :-
Green GDP is expected to account for the use of natural resources as well as the
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costs involved. This includes medical costs generated from factors such as air and
water pollution, loss of livelihood due to environmental crisis such as floods or
droughts, and other factor
Efforts by India towards Green GDP and issues :-
In 2009, the Centre announced that it would publish a “green GDP” that would
include the environmental costs of degrading and depleting forests, grasslands and
natural stocks.
An expert programme, sponsored by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme
Implementation, released a Compendium of Environment Statistics 2013.
Experts have recommended that India shift to a system of measuring comprehensive
national wealth, which includes items such as human capital, capital equipment and
natural capital. However, implementation of such well-founded recommendations
has been constrained by the lack of micro-level data on capital formation,
particularly in a natural context.
While the 12th Five Year Plan undertook groundwater resource mapping at the
national level, a similar focus is essential for data on land usage, forests and mineral
wealth.
India’s current national accounts incorporate such environmental
considerations in a limited fashion.
GDP includes the value of: minerals extracted; timber, fuelwood and non-timber
forest products; natural growth of cultivated assets for some crops; and the output
from dung manure. In addition, gross fixed capital formation contains output
estimates from the improvement of land along with irrigation works and flood control
projects.
However, even in GDP estimates of timber value, there is significant under-
estimation of non-monetised goods and services provided from timber forests
are not considered.
Why India should publish green GDP figures:-
Pollution:-
The higher costs for outdoor/indoor air pollution are primarily driven by
an elevated exposure of the young and productive urban population to
particulate matter pollution that results in a substantial cardiopulmonary and
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease mortality load among adults.
The problems without considering green GDP are huge:-
Further, a significant portion of diseases caused by poor water supply,
sanitation and hygiene is borne by children under 5.
About 23% of child mortality in the country could be attributed to
environmental degradation
The savings from reduced health damages range from $105 billion in the 30%
case to $24 billion with a 10% reduction. This, to a large extent, compensates
for the projected GDP loss.
Green growth is measurable and important as India is a hotspot of unique biodiversity
and ecosystems.
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Conventional measures of growth do not adequately capture the environmental costs,

which have been found to be particularly severe at the current rapid growth rates.
Tools available:-
There are also tools available now to estimate the significant contribution of
natural capital in the form of ecosystem services. Therefore, it is imperative to
calculate green Gross Domestic Product (green GDP) as an index of economic
growth with the environmental costs and services factored in
The importance of natural capital has grown:-
GDP computations indicate the economic activity in a country, with rising GDP
growth rate often leading to international prestige. However, such estimates
often exclude the variations in natural capital by assuming them to be constant
and indestructible.
Such natural capital is often self-generating (water, clean air) but needs to be
handled in a sustainable way in order to avoid depletion.
GDP fails to take into account the externalities of such economic growth.
For example, India routinely suffers from high levels of air pollution that impose
costs on local transport, health and liveability in urban and rural areas.
India suffered a cost of $550 billion, about 8.5% of GDP, due to air pollution,
according to a World Bank report. The cost of externalities such as water
pollution and land degradation were possibly far higher. Through commodity
exports, India is effectively transferring natural capital to trade partners, raising
the risk of desertification and land being degraded significantly.
Without concentrating on Green GDP, within a century, India’s food production
could see a loss of 10-40% if these trends continue.
Challenges in computation:-
Natural capital can cover entire ecosystems such as fisheries and forests, besides
other hidden and overlooked services . For example, the regeneration of soil,
nitrogen fixation, nutrient recycling, pollination and the overall hydrological cycle.
Valuing such ecosystems can be challenging, with their market value often
termed as zero.
When pollution happens, it is actually a depletion of natural capital as, for example,
acid rain damages forests and industrial seepage affects water quality. In a modern
economy, the challenge is to estimate such depreciation to natural capital.
Even the environment kuznets inverted U curve is found primarily for local pollutants
that lead to short-term damages (sulphur, particulates) and not for pollutants that lead
to long term and dispersed costs (carbon dioxide). In addition, the inverted U curve
hides systemic consequences of emissions.
Complexity of the exercise as well as the need for enhanced budgets to bridge the
data gaps.
There is no information on issues such as the total volume of surface water or the
different sectors where water is used and the quantum used
Way forward:-
India can make green growth a reality by putting in place strategies to reduce
environmental degradation at the minimal cost of 0.02% to 0.04% of average annual
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GDP growth rate. According to a new World Bank report, this will allow India to
maintain a high pace of economic growth without jeopardizing future environmental
sustainability.
India should seek to publish “green GDP” figures that take into account depreciation
of natural capital stock due to economic exploitation and environmental degradation.
This can follow the template provided by the UN’s System of Environmental-
Economic Accounting.
7) Raja Ram Mohan Roy was a tireless social reformer who revived interest in the
ethical principles of the Vedanta school as a counterpoise to the Western assault on
Indian culture. Comment.(250 words)
Reference
Reference
Why this question
The question wants us to discuss in detail about the achievements of the first modern man of
India. It wants us to describe his work on Vedanta and how he aimed to develop it as a
counterpoise to Western schools.
Directive word
Comment- we have to form a personal opinion on the issue. We have to provide necessary
arguments/ facts/ examples in support of our opinion.
Introduction– give a brief introduction about Raja Ram Mohan Roy and his contribution
towards the Indian society.
Body– Discuss the concept of neo-vedanta and how yoga emerged from it along with fruitful
comparison vs Western philosophy. Mention his other works like the essay on Vedantasara,
his book- a gift to monotheism, his beradar (brother) groups, his another book- The Precepts
of Jesus: The Guide to Peace and Happiness etc.
Conclusion– Form a fair and concise conclusion based on the above discussion.
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Rammohun Roy is a janus figure in Indian Renaissance. The elements of modernity in him
and the break
with tradition are of help to discover Rammohun Roy’s image as the ‘father of Modern
lndia’.
He looked back to a tradition in search of monotheism, and looked forward to a sort of

Protestant reformation within the Hindu milieu. Rammohun found a firm footing in the
Vedanta with Samkara’s
interpretation, in the light of the course, of his own understanding.
His crusade against idol-worship was categorical and straight forward. In the preface to his
translation of the Isa Upanishad Ram mohan refuted all the arguments against image-
worship.
Ram mohan’ s monotheism can be attributed to his training in three separate strands
·of philosophy.
His acquaintance with the Perso-Arabic literature of the seventeenth and eighteenth
century, the study of Vedanta and other philosophical works in Sanskrit and his close
contact with the Unitarians and other Christian missionaries among the-
European inhabitants of India-all these had their influence in the formative period of his
thought.
He implied that every religion has a philosophical core, and as for Hinduism it was
Vedanta .
The Vedanta provided him with the cultural category while his interpretation of it as
monotheistic yielded a comprehensive, holistic theory, which provided a comprehensive
critique of culture, society and ideology.
Raja’s monotheistic Vedanta provided people with an idea of the paradigms of

social change i.e.. ,why one paradigm is better than another. It enabled people to consider
the comparative adequacy of ways of life that might claim people’s allegiance. In such
humanitarian vision lies Raja’s lure and his share in
India’s modernity.
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TOPIC: Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India.
1)There are systemic issues that act as barriers against entry of minorities like Dalits
and Muslims in Indian cricket. Analyse. (250 words)
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Why this question
Indian cricket is poorly represented by the Dalits and other minorities like Muslims. The
question is more of a sociological question rather than highlighting a expedient action
required. The issue is related to GS 1 syllabus under the following heading-
Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India.
The question wants us to bring out the reasons behind poor representation of minorities in
Indian Cricket. We have to look into all the aspects of the issue.
Directive word
Analyse- we have to look deep into the issue and identify the key aspects of the which need to
be addressed- systemic issues that act as barriers against entry of minorities in cricket. We
also have to see if there are any other related aspects also.
Introduction– mention the low number of cricketers from India’s minority communities
especially Dalits, Muslims and also Sikhs.
Body-
Discuss in points the systemic issues behind this.
The princes and the British had multiple motives to encourage diversity. This included the
belief that cricket would “civilise the natives” and that it could be a unifying factor. But
corporate patronage ended this diversity and laid stress on player’s qualifications (e.g
TATAs),
non-sweaty, non-contact and slow nature of the sport which is better suited to Brahminical
tastes,
relegation of dalits and muslims to bowling only,
hockey among SIkhs was more popular, cricket is not as developed in Kashmir and Noth-east-
where most of non-Hindu population lives etc.
Conclusion– mention the inadequacy of data regarding representation of minorities in

Cricket and other associated factors which affect representation like regional and urban
development of Cricket,
Background:-
In India’s 85-year-long Test history, only four of the 289 male Test cricketers have
reportedly been Dalits. Even Muslims have been under-represented in Indian cricket
since independence, though not quite to the extent of the Dalits.
Lack of Dalits in Indian cricket is due to the presence of systemic barriers can be
seen from the decline in Dalit representation in professional cricket in India since
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independence.
Systemic issues:-
Several reasons for these disparities have been put forth, ranging from bias in
selection, to the slow nature of cricket being more suited to the Brahminical
way of life.
Corporate patrons:-
The game that thrived on the patronage of the princes and the colonial
administrators was now taken over by corporate patrons.
Corporate patronage, however, resulted in the sport being concentrated
in urban areas.
Corporate patrons preferred educated cricketers who would be employable
post their retirement from cricket. For instance, the Tatas insisted on hiring
cricketers with graduate degrees and the players’ qualifications would also
influence their rank and salary.
The norms laid down by the Tatas also served as a model for other corporate
patrons of cricket. This resulted in players from affluent, educated
backgrounds having an advantage over those who did not have access to
higher education, quite often those from the lower castes.
Cricket is a time-consuming sport, and is thereby limited to people who could
afford to spare the time or the fact that cricket has typically been the preserve of the
elite
Urban focus:-
As many as 48% of the total Indian Test cricketers in the 1970s–1980s hailed
from merely six cities, namely Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad
and Kolkata.
Shift to smaller towns has coincided with a significant increase in the
number of Muslims playing for India.
Patronage determines the nature of feeder tournaments:-
The men’s game is primarily dependent on interprovincial tournaments such
as the Ranji Trophy, inter-corporate tournaments and the lucrative Indian
Premier League (IPL). While several of the teams were run by public sector
undertakings they employed the same models of employment as the Tatas
so lower castes did not benefit much
On the other hand, women’s cricket in India thrives on the patronage of state
bodies thus ensuring more diverse employee pool.
Minorities focused on bowling:-
Bowling was the most physically taxing part of the game which was left to the
professionals in England and was even visible in India and south Africa where
dalits, muslims and blacks have been bowlers rather than batsmen .
There is a complete dearth of Dalit role models in Indian cricket.
Lack of data:-
Unfortunately, at present, there is no publicly available data about the number
of Dalits playing in the domestic structure in India. Even at the international
level, most of the data is speculative.
The lack of support for students from disadvantaged classes in institutions of primary
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education, specifically after the age of 14 means that even though students are
admitted into institutions of higher educations, they face structural barriers
which translate into high dropout rates and failures
Regional development of the sport:-
For instance, cricket is not as well developed in the North East and Kashmir,
which have larger than average non-Hindu populations.
Minorities like Sikhs had more popularity with the sport of hockey rather than cricket.
Way forward:-
Given the fact that the barriers are often invisible and are not isolable, a quota is
perhaps the best way to address these simultaneously.
Further, the example of South Africa shows that reservations have indeed been
effective.
The first benefit has been an increased black interest and participation in
cricket.
Equally important, it is significantly changing the school cricket system on
which South African cricket thrives.
In South Africa, the quota for cricketers of colour was introduced at the lower
levels of the sport long before its introduction at the national level This ensured
that there was no sudden dip in the quality of cricket being played.
2) Implementation of RERA leaves a lot to be desired. Critically analyze.(250 words)
The hindu
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Why this question
RERA was introduced with much fanfare and was expected to transform the real estate sector
dealings. Implementation of RERA however raises a lot of question and need to be examined
in detail.
The question basically expects us to provide whether the implementation of RERA has
resolved the problems of real estate dealings. Or else, we are expected to get into depth of the
challenges in the implementation of RERA that need to be tackled.
Directive word
Introduction – Explain in brief about RERA.
Body
Mention some of the key provisions of RERA
Talk about the status quo of implementation and examine the reasons for delay.
Analyze how can we quicken the entire process
Talk about the benefits that will accrue if RERA is properly implemented
Conclusion – Present your view on the implementation of RERA and the way forward.
Background:-
Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 (RERA) is an Act passed by
the Indian Parliament. The RERA seeks to protect the interests of home buyers and
also boost investments in the real estate sector.
Provisions of RERA:-
The RERA will give the Indian real estate industry its first regulator. The Real Estate
Act makes it mandatory for each state and union territory, to form its own regulator
and frame the rules that will govern the functioning of the regulator.
Reserve account:
One of the primary reasons for delay of projects was that funds collected from
one project, would invariably be diverted to fund new, different projects. To
prevent such a diversion, promoters are now required to park 70% of all
project receivables into a separate reserve account. The proceeds of such
account can only be used towards land and construction expenses and will be
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required to be certified by a professional.
Continual disclosures by promoters:
After the implementation of the Act, home buyers will be able to monitor the
progress of the project on the RERA website since promoters will be required
to make periodic submissions to the regulator regarding the progress of the
project.
Title representation:
Promoters are now required to make a positive warranty on his right title and
interest on the land, which can be used later against him by the home buyer,
should any title defect be discovered.
Additionally, they are required to obtain insurance against the title and
construction of the projects, proceeds of which shall go to the allottee upon
execution of the agreement of sale.
Standardisation of sale agreement:
The Act prescribes a standard model sale agreement to be entered into
between promoters and homebuyers. Typically, promoters insert punitive
clauses against home buyers which penalised them for any default while similar
defaults by the promoter attracted negligible or no penalty. Such penal clauses
could well be a thing of the past and home buyers can look forward to more
balanced agreements in the future.
Penalty:
To ensure that violation of the Act is not taken lightly, stiff monetary penalty (up
to 10% of the project cost) and imprisonment has been prescribed against
violators.
Implementation issues:-
Only 20 of the 28 States (the Act is not applicable in Jammu and Kashmir) have
framed the rules stipulated under RERA to carry out its legal mandate.
In some States such as Uttar Pradesh, the Act’s provisions have been watered
down in favour of builders by altering the definition of “on-going projects” which
need registration under RERA.
There is also a dilution on the penalties for non-compliance.
The speedy dispute redress mechanism envisaged by the Act is yet to take
shape.
Apart from Maharashtra, only Punjab and Madhya Pradesh have appointed a
permanent regulatory authority (to be established within a period of a year).
To ease the transition, RERA allows State governments to designate an
existing body as the regulatory authority until a permanent one is established.
This has resulted in 13 States working with only a designated regulatory
authority.
Additionally, only six States have set up the online portal contemplated by the
Act.
In the North eastern States, RERA has been challenged on certain constitutional
grounds of land belonging to the community and autonomous councils.
Urban concentration:-
In U.P., a large number of new projects are concentrated in Ghaziabad or
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Gautam Budh Nagar/Noida.
However, even though the Act provides for State governments to establish
more than one regulatory authority, the interim regulator designated in U.P. is
located in Lucknow. This has led to consumers being inconvenienced as
they need to travel to Lucknow to file their complaints.
There also appears to be a potential conflict developing between the Insolvency
bankruptcy code and RERA which needs to be checked as it would be against
consumer interests
So far only 14 out of the 20 states, which notified RERA, have a functional
website
Lack of awareness:-
A huge 74% of potential homebuyers said they did not know how to check the
RERA status of their project. This does point towards a gap existing in the Act’s
implementation and consumer seeding.
Benefits if properly implemented:-
Experiences of states which implemented:-

Maharashtra, which has established both the regulatory authority and the
appellate tribunal, has shown that with earnest action, the Act and the
establishment of the permanent regulator can have a positive impact in
reassuring real estate purchasers.
MahaRERA’s online portal has led to builders registering projects and a high
degree of compliance in terms of registration by real estate agents.
This along with fast track adjudication of consumer complaints has made the
MahaRERA an example of how other States need to implement the Act.
For long, home buyers have complained that real estate transactions were lopsided
and heavily in favour of the developers. RERA and the government’s model code,
aim to create a more equitable and fair transaction between the seller and the
buyer of properties, especially in the primary market.
RERA will make real estate purchase simpler, by bringing in better accountability and
transparency, provided that states do not dilute the provisions and the spirit of the
central act.
The most positive aspect of this Act is that it provides a unified legal regime for the
purchase of flats; apartments, etc., and seeks to standardise the practice across
the
Has brought much needed transparency in the industry along with a boost to buyer
sentiment.
Due to stringent provisions of RERA, non-serious developers are finding it difficult to
sustain and will eventually move out. This consolidation will not only bring in more
professionalism but will also boost consumer confidence as buyers start dealing
with organised entities that see a longer stake in the business
Consumer complaints are now being heard and addressed
Topic – Parliament and State Legislatures – structure, functioning, conduct of business,

powers & privileges
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3)The rules governing the functioning of the Rajya Sabha have not kept pace with
the times and requires reform. Examine (250 words)
Indian express
Why this question
The rules governing the functioning of the Rajya Sabha have not kept pace with the times.
Earlier this month, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu appointed a two-member committee to
make recommendations for revising the rules of the Upper House. This makes a discussion to
understand the requirement of reforms in rules of Rajya Sabha and the kind of reforms
required, imperative.
The questik expects us to challenge the assertion whether the rule of Rajya Sabha have
become anachronistic. This would require an analysis into the performance of Rajya sabha
and where all the rules are creating bottlenecks. We would have to provide way forward as
well.
Directive word
details, and find out the causes or implications if any
Introduction – Talk about some of the recent controversy in Rajya Sabha which has
necessitated a relook into the rules of the rajya sabha
Body
Briefly explain the origin of Rajya Sabha rules.
Briefly explain that nature of governance and legislation has changed significantly
which means that the legislators can not keep on functioning in business as usual
attitude
Examine whether the rules have not kept pace with times and merit reform – talk about
the performance of Rajya sabha as an institution, efficiency etc
Suggest some of the changes required in the rules
Conclusion – Present your view on the assertion made in the question and present a way
forward.
Background:-
Concerned over repeated disruptions and adjournments in the Rajya Sabha during
the Budget session, Chairman of Rajya sabha has constituted a two-member
committee to review Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business to ensure smooth
conduct of proceedings.
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The Agnihotri committee has been set up at a time when the two Houses of
Parliament are facing similar structural challenges. So its recommendations, while
meant for the Rajya Sabha, will also influence rule-making for the Lok Sabha
Rules governing functioning of Rajya Sabha:-
Both Houses of Parliament have their own rules of procedure. These rules govern
every detail of how the Houses function on a daily basis. For Parliament to be
effective in its role, these rules require regular updating and strengthening. The
Constitution, through Article 118(1), gives the two Houses of Parliament the
power to make rules to regulate their functioning.
When the Rajya Sabha met for the first time in 1952, it did not have any rules of
its own. Article 118(2) of the Constitution provided an interim mechanism for
rules.
Under this article, the chairman of Rajya Sabha had the power to modify and adopt
rules that were in place before the commencement of the Constitution. In 1952, these
were the rules of the Constituent Assembly, the body which had framed the
Constitution. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the first chairman of Rajya Sabha, amended
these to be used as the rules of procedure.
Among other things, they provided for Question Hour in the style of the House of
Lords. Ministers had to answer questions two days a week and three oral questions a
day. The rules also created a committee of 15 MPs to suggest any change. Based
on this committee’s recommendation, the initial rules were amended four more
times until the end of 1952.
But it was not until 1964 that the Rajya Sabha made its own rules under Article
118(1). And it is the 1964 rules that have been amended over the years and
currently govern the functioning of the Upper House.
However, these rules were not made from the ground up. The old framework of 1952
was used as a base and supplemented. In some cases, the provisions were merely
carried forward and continue to exist even today. For example, the 1952 Rajya
Sabha rules to discipline disorderly MPs are the same ones as now.
They have not kept pace with times:-
According to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, the need for a review was felt as over
120 working hours of a total of 165 were lost during the Budget session.
There is no specific provision for automatic suspension of members who
persistently and wilfully obstruct House proceedings by shouting slogans unlike
Rule 374 (A) of the Lok Sabha Rules that provides for automatic suspension.
So, the Chair is often left with no option but to adjourn the House if there
is grave disorder.
Disruptions also make it difficult to get Bills passed:-
The current Rules of Procedure relating to voting procedure on the Bill become
inadequate in such a situation. Therefore, there is a need to amend such rules
to make them effective and robust in future.
There were differences in provisions of Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha Rules in
certain matters, with some Upper House Rules being more precise than
corresponding Lower House Rules and some inadequate and not very precise. Some
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of these Rules relate to Points of Order, Suspension of Rules, Discussion on Matters

of Public Interest, and Notice of Privilege,
Rajya Sabha (Council of States), was devised to represent the states and prevent
hasty, ill-conceived legislation. But it is performing poorly on both counts.
Today’s Rajya Sabha is acting as a tool for partisan politics.
The existing mechanisms (like Question Hour) for securing the government’s
accountability to Parliament have lost their edge.
Issues facing Parliament are now more complex and technical than ever.
What can be done?
Agnihotri committee:-
The committee will have to balance completion of government business with
discussions raised by other political parties
The committee will have to suggest measures for completely overhauling
mechanisms like question hour.
The committee’s suggestions for strengthening deliberations in the House will
be crucial.
The committee will have the difficult task of suggesting solutions for protecting
the sanctity of parliamentary proceedings.
Topic –Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth,
4) Recent estimates for employment generation do not give the true picture of the
economy and suffers from flaws on several fronts. Examine. (250 words)
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Why this question
The recent estimates of employment generation have been criticized for being over estimating
the employment generation in the country. The estimates have been based on data from
EPFO, ESIC, PFRDA. The results however do not corroborate with other factors. The issue is

The question wants us to give reason for why the recent employment generation statistics are
inflated and do not represent the true picture of employment in the economy.
Directive word
Examine- We have to dig deep into the issue and come out with proper reasons as to why the
recent estimates do not represent the true picture of the economy and we have to form our
arguments/ facts etc in support of the answer.
Introduction- Mention the quantum of jobs created as per the recent employment generation
estimates by the govt. And mention the sources of data- EPFO, ESIC, PFRDA.
Body– discuss in detail about the flaws in the present estimates.
E.g some of the schemes are mandatory while others optional and hence don’t represent a
true picture of even formal sector employment, it is hard to distinguish the accounts of those
newly joining the labour market from those being formalised because of the change in the ‐
nature of enterprise, not in consonance with the Labour Bureau’s annual surveys which point
out decrease in employment in agriculture etc.
Conclusion- mention the need for household surveys to capture the true and holistic picture of
the employment generation in the economy,
Background:-
A new method to measure formal sector employment, is being promoted by this

government
Recently the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), the Employees’ State
Insurance Corporation (ESIC), and the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development
Authority (PFRDA) released data on formal employment based on “payroll”
reporting.
Recent estimates for employment generation :-
The study used administrative records from the EPFO, ESIC, and National Pension
Scheme (NPS).
The government used these estimates to confirm their claim of creating seven million
new jobs in the economy in 2017–18
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They do not give a true picture of the economy :-
Erratic:-
The ESIC data is hard to interpret since it is voluntary and also shows
erratic patterns across months.
But, even for the EPFO, it is hard to distinguish the accounts of those newly
joining the labour market from those being formalised because of the change in
the nature of enterprise.
The estimates only measure the extent to which workers are availing social
security provisions.
Some of these are voluntary such as the ESIC, and some are mandatory such
as the EPFO.
The NPS is mandatory for central government employees, but voluntary for
some state government and private sector employees. Even EPFO enrolment
is mandatory only for enterprises that meet certain criteria.
Latest estimates from the Labour Bureau’s annual surveys on employment
suggest that the trend of decline in workers in agriculture has continued at the
same pace as before. Demonetisation ,goods and services tax etc had an impact on
informal sector employment.
The debate on payroll data needs to be seen in the larger context of the Indian
economy not generating enough employment despite growing at more than 7%
for the last decade and a half.
For most of these youth, the reality is quite different from the claims of employment
creation by the government based on payroll data
Flaws:-
New jobs not created:-

It used data from the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) which
registers employees from the formal sector for provident fund benefits .It
assumed that any 18- to 25-year-old registering with the EPFO implies that he
or she found a new job in the organised sector which did not happen.
New 18- to 25-year-old EPFO members do not automatically mean net new
jobs in the economy because an informal job that turns formal with an EPFO
registration does not mean it is a new job
Due to GST thousands of small and medium businesses in the country were pushed
to transition at least a part of their workforce from informal to formal employment.
The costs of formalisation may have resulted in many firms cutting costs or even
shutting down. The EPFO methodology does not capture any of these costs of
forced formalisation but merely showcases the new formal employees as new jobs.
The EPFO data set may reflect new additions accurately but not deletions, i.e.
job losses.
It is hard to distinguish the accounts of those newly joining the labour market from
those being formalised because of the change in the nature of enterprise
EPFO data does not necessarily point to new jobs due to the following
reasons:
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Duplication of accounts.
Inactive accounts.
Payrolls added due to companies moving above the threshold of more than 20
employees.
Indeed, even the government’s own Economic Survey had used the data to
judge formalisation of jobs rather than job creation. A committee of the
government’s NITI Aayog had, in 2017, also noted that the data may not reflect new
jobs.
Experts even questioned the privileged access of EPFO data not available to
others.
Way forward:-
Primary argument for a better payroll reporting system in India is perfectly

justified and much needed.
There is a need for a survey of households for data on jobs as self-employment
will be a big generator of jobs in future. The current enterprise survey is not
comprehensive enough to capture self-employment which is mainly generated in the
informal sector.
Creating a central server from which all government data can be accessed
Modernising and revamping the statistical system with substantial jump in
financial and human resources, and rapid clearances to fund proposal of
statistical agencies.
TOPIC: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation
5) India’s efforts at addressing climate change and the wider issues of

environmental governance has been far from convincing. Critically examine. (250
words)
Reference
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Why this question
As the impact of climate change becomes more apparent, and the Paris deal fails to make the
dent that was expected of it, how we are dealing with questions related to sustainability and
climate change becomes very important. Hence this question.
The question expects us to list out the various ways in which we have tried to address climate
change and improve our environmental management practices. Thereafter, we are required to
bring out the pros and cons of the way in which we deal with environmental governance. Post
the critical analysis, we need to present our own view on the assertion made in the question
and suggest alternatives.
Directive word
get into details, and find out the causes or implications if any . When ‘critically’ is suffixed or
fair judgement.
Introduction – The opening to your answer must paint a brief picture of the challenges related
to climate change and sustainability that should give sleepless nights to our policy makers but
is not.
Body
List the various steps taken for environmental governance – increase in coal cess, shift
to renewables, BSV standards etc
Analyze the pros and cons of the above steps taken and examine whether they have
really helped make the impact they were designed for
Highlight some of the critical steps that have not been taken and is urgently required
such as the move to dilute forest right etc
Provide your view on how the performance of the government has been based on the
arguments made above
List some of the alternatives which can help improve environmental governance
Conclusion – Stress on the immense burden on our environment and the need to gear
ourselves for the upcoming challenges.
Background:-
India has been facing mounting losses due to droughts and an increasing number of
destructive extreme weather events which have also been contributing to the
staggering number of farmer suicides the country has witnessed.
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Indian efforts:-
The Paris Agreement :-

India’s intended contributions earned international praise for its ambitious
contributions including large investments in renewable energy, afforestation
and a plan to cut emission intensity of productive activity.
India has been lauded internationally for its forward thinking move in
disincentivising coal. Coal cess and the National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF)
plays a big role in mitigating climate change in the country
Introduction of new emission norms in 2015 for thermal power plants:-
Notification requiring all thermal power plants in the country to cut particulate
matter emissions by about 40 per cent, sulphur and nitrogen oxides by about
48 per cent, and water consumption by nearly a third within two years of the
notification.
India has been lauded at several forums for taking the lead with an ambitious plan to
increase renewable energy capacities, not least for the International Solar Alliance
(ISA) that India is leading with France.
An aggressive target was set to implement Bharat Stage VI emission norms from
April 1, 2020, skipping Stage V norms.
In 2017, a road map was being prepared so that only electric vehicles would be
produced and sold in the country by 2030.
In order to accelerate the transition to renewable sources of power,the government,
under the National Solar Mission, revised the target for setting up solar
capacity from 20 GW to 100 GW by 2021-22.
The Centre has also assured the Supreme Court of India that the highly polluted
Ganga will be cleaned up by 2018.
Compensatory afforestation purports to be a ‘win-win’ solution: a win for the

environment because lost forests are compensated for, and a win for business
because these forests can be traded on international carbon markets for their
value as carbon sinks.
The overall objective and goal of the present draft forest policy is to safeguard the
ecological and livelihood security of people, of the present and future generations,
based on sustainable management of the forests for the flow of ecosystem services.
National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA), covers 151
villages in different regions of the country that are vulnerable to climate change.
NICRA has also been projected as an integral part of India’s INDCs (Intended
Nationally Determined Contributions) under the Paris climate agreement (2015), and
to fulfil its obligations under the UN Sustainable Development Goals for the
agricultural sector.
Criticism:-
While ambitious initiatives have created an image of environmental concern,

policy implementation on the ground looks nothing alike. In a bid to improve the
ease of doing business, the government has diluted requirements of
Environmental Impact Assessments and public hearings before approval of
projects.
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Coal cess:-
CAG reported a 106 per cent jump in cess in its 2017 audit report.But nobody
knows where these funds have been spent.
With a plethora of ministries hosting poorly inter-linked climate-related
programmes, there is little clarity on where finance comes from and where
it is being spent.
Even in projects that are actually sanctioned using the funds, there have been
criticisms abound regarding the difficulty to get projects approved
Apart from the Coal Cess, the status of utilisation of thousands of crores
accrued from education cess, road cess, infrastructure cess, Krishi Kalyan
cess, Swachh Bharat cess etc. is still not known.
In 2017, the thermal power plant notification was almost nullified when the
Central Pollution Control Board issued letters to more than 400 thermal power plants
allowing the plants to release pollutants and effluents directly into the environment for
up to five more years.
While the country is on-track with its wind power commitments, it is lagging behind
in solar and biomass energy capacities.
India ranks low in the Environmental Performance Index(EPI) 2018, slipping from
rank 141 in 2016, to 177 in 2018.
The automobile industry has categorically stated that based on current estimates, full
conversion to electric vehicles is realistically possible only by 2047.
After setting electronics manufacturers a reasonable annual electronic waste
collection target of 30% of the products sold in the market, the figure has now been
relaxed to 10%.
And late last year, the Comptroller and Auditor General, in a report, pulled up the
government for not developing an action plan and for its poor utilisation of
allocated funds in the clean-up of the Ganga.
Compensatory afforestation:-
Evidence establishes that CA plantations destroy natural forests, harm
biodiversity, undermine the rights and nutrition of local communities, and
disguise rampant misuse of public funds.
Subverts forest rights act and PESA:-
By allocating more than Rs50,000 crore, the Act enables the forest
bureaucracy to entrench its control over forests and subvert
democratic forest governance established by the Forest Rights Act
(FRA), 2006 and Panchayats (Extension to Schedule Areas) Act
(Pesa), 1996.
Yamuna River Project has not addressed the issue of environmental flow
which is crucial to save a river.
It does not tell the action plans for rejuvenation of the river and its riparian
ecosystem that generate ecological services including the storage of flood
water, enhanced recharging of ground water, flood regulation, treatment of
sewage before and after discharging into river
Draft policy has completely deleted the section on safeguardsto be followed for
diversion of forest land.
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Before diversion of forest land there is no requirement of cost-benefit analysis,

no examinations by specialists, no requirement of alternatives and no mention
of the fact that tropical moist evergreen forests as well as forests in hilly States
such as Arunachal Pradesh should be totally safeguarded.
Way forward:-
Community projects:-
By working together as a community, efforts to reduce impact on the
environment are multiplied.
These community-led initiatives have successfully regenerated forests by
adopting sustainable- use practices, regeneration through traditional
knowledge of forests and species, guarding and penalizing poachers, among
others.
Carbon offset projects can be fantastic community building events and help
communities go green. Community gardens can allow residents to grow some of their
own food. Tree planting and green-scaping will make a community more appealing,
too.
Preserving open space in building and zoning plans, especially preserving mature
trees and planting new ones helps keep communities healthy.
River rejuvenation:-
All state governments must make it mandatory to have rain water harvesting
techniquesin government as well as private buildings and make roof water and
surface harvesting mandatory.
Include embankments, embankment roads, and roads on either side of the
river need to be developed as greenways, with walkways, cycle paths and
recreational centres to facilitate the link between citizens and the river.
Rejuvenation of wetlands:-
These wetlands can store millions of gallons of flood water and recharge
ground water and also enhance the river flow during lean period
Reforestation and protection of forested catchments:-
Forested catchments reduce soil erosion and siltation of the river they
regulate stream flows and micro climate. A protected catchment
automatically means lesser silt in rivers
Vegetated and protected riparian banks.These protect the river banks,
reduce erosion and maintain water quality
Climate resilient agriculture:-
Technology:-
technology
Integrated farming has immense potentialto make farmers climate
smart through the cultivation of different crops on the same land and
using farm resources sustainably:

Identifying cost-effective methane emission reduction practices in
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ruminants and in rice paddy

assessment
6) Discuss the health and environmental hazards associated with fly-ash. Also
discuss the issues which impede its full-scale utilization in India.(250 words)
epw
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Why this question
India depends heavily on coal for power generation ( 3/4th of total electricity comes from
coal) and the dependence is bound to increase in future. This creates the problem of fly-ash
generation and its proper disposal, usage. The issue is related to GS 3 syllabus under the
following heading-
The question has two key demands; one, what are the health and environmental hazards
associated with fly-ash and second, what are the technical issues and regulatory issues which
impede the proper utilization of the fly-ash.
Directive word
Discuss- we have to write in detail about the key demands of the question. We have to discuss
the health and environmental hazards of fly-ash and technical, regulatory and other issues
which impede its full scale utilization.
Introduction– Mention the statistics about India’s coal usage, fly-ash generated, cement
production etc. You don’t have to remember exact figures but rank,estimated changes etc.
Body-
Mention the environmental and health hazards of fly-ash.
E.g All the heavy metals found in fly ash—nickel, cadmium, arsenic, chromium, lead, etc—are
toxic in nature. They leech into the surrounding soil and can enter food-chains, asthma and
respiratory ailments due to direct exposure, destruction of mangroves, drastic reduction in
crop yields, and the pollution of groundwater etc.
1. Discuss the technical and regulatory and other issues involved.
e.g BIS standards allow low level of fly-ash blending in PPC, proper documentation on
collection and disposal costs are usually not available, indexing the fly ash price to the price
of cement ultimately works by eroding the competitive advantage of PPC etc.
Conclusion- mention that it is most desirable to limit fly ash production through greater
deployment of renewable energy sources, using better coal and combustion techniques, etc,
since cement-related industries alone will not be able to absorb all the fly ash generated in the
future.
Background:-
Various estimates indicate that electricity generated from coal is expected to grow
twofold to threefold by 2030. However, burning coal results in the generation of fly
ash, a residual waste product that is harmful for human health and the environment.
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Health and environmental hazards:-
Health:-
All the heavy metals found in fly ash nickel, cadmium, arsenic, chromium, lead,
etc—are toxic in nature. Its minute, poisonous particles accumulate in the
respiratory tract, and cause gradual poisoning .
Around 20 million cases of asthma and respiratory ailments could be directly
linked to exposure to fly ash
Environment:-
For an equal amount of electricity generated, fly ash contains a hundred times
more radiation than nuclear waste secured via dry cask or water storage.
The breaching of ash dykes and consequent ash spills occur frequently in
India, polluting a large number of water bodies
The destruction of mangroves, drastic reduction in crop yields, and the pollution
of groundwater in the Rann of Kutch from the ash sludge of adjoining Coal
power plants has been well documented.
Due to weathering action heavy metals or radioactivity content increases
manifold when fly ash is left open in fields
The issues which impede its full-scale utilization in India:-
Technical and regulatory issues:-

Indian fly ash is primarily of the calcareous or class C variety, implying
that it possesses not only pozzolanic, but also hydraulic (self-cementing)
properties. In contrast, European fly ash is of a silicious or class F variety,
implying an absence of hydraulic properties.
BIS revised the maximum and minimum blending standards.While the BIS
is in line with the American standards on blended cement, the European and
South African standards allow the blending of fly ash up to 55%.
While Indian class C fly ash may provide greater early strength development
and a reduced initial setting time, its major disadvantages are:
low lime reactivity
low glass content
high carbon content
varying fineness levels
The National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCCBM) conducted
initial studies on increased fly ash blending, and the results have been
encouraging. However, it has been unable to conclude these studies due
to the lack of funds
Pricing and logistics:
The pricing of fly ash is increasingly becoming a contentious issue
that is hampering its gainful utilisation.
It has been repeatedly emphasised that there is opacity around the
disposal process. No information is available in public domain about the
amount of stock of fly ash, the amount of generation at each location and
the amount of fly ash disposed of to various sectors
Political interference:-
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There is evidence of political interference in the process, leading to

exorbitant prices being charged, to the detriment of the producers and
consumers of fly ash.
Perception:-
Many government construction agencies and public sector undertakings
have chosen clay bricks despite the availability of fly ash bricks
Imperfections typical of quasi-markets, such as information asymmetry
and high transaction costs, vested interests, technical and technological
limitations, and the lack of regulatory oversight and political will, have
impeded the flow of fly ash to its most value-adding use.
Way forward:-
NCCBM must be allocated funds on a priority basis by the government to

conduct research on improving the quality of fly ash, grading fly ash generated
by different technologies and types of coal, and feasible blending ratios for the
cement industry.
The BIS must update the blending standards, which have not been revised since
2000.
Improve transparency and reduce the costs of fly ash disposal by Coal power
plants:-
The average revenue requirement calculations of CPPs must account for
avoided costs, additional revenues generated, and utilisation of these
revenues.
This will help remove the opacity around fly ash utilisation in CPPs, and allow
for cost reductions to be passed on to the consumer.
It will also pave the way for fly ash pricing mechanisms to be disclosed,
scrutinised, and subject to regulatory oversight.
Limit fly ash production through greater deployment of renewable energy
sources, using better coal and combustion techniques, etc, since cement-related
industries alone will not be able to absorb all the fly ash generated in the future
The key requirements for overcoming the barriers are greater regulatory oversight
and price control, revision of cement blending standards, research in
improving fly ash quality, reducing cost of transportation, provisions for
overcoming information asymmetries, and overall sensitisation of key
decision-makers on the matter.
Topic: Major crops cropping patterns in various parts of the country, different types of
irrigation and irrigation systems storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce
and issues and related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers.
7)Discuss the Objectives of National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture

(NICRA), India’s flagship programme that aims to make Indian villages climate-proof.
Also, discuss the issues affecting the programme that need to be resolved.(250
words)
Reference
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Reference
Why this question
NICRA is one of the several schemes aimed at increasing farmers income, improving
productivity, sustainability, climate adaptation etc. The scheme will soon enter its second
phase and was launched in 2011. The scheme has a fair potential as can be assessed from its
success stories. However, it needs revision and improvement in order to attain its objectives.
Major crops cropping patterns in various parts of the country, different types of irrigation and
irrigation systems storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and
related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers.
The question wants us to mention the objectives of NICRA and then discuss in detail about the
issues affecting the performance of NICRA.
Directive word
Discuss- We have to write in detail about both the parts of the question- objectives of NICRA
and issues affecting its performance. We have to suggest proper and necessary changes along
with the logic behind why the change is required in NICRA.
Introduction- Give a brief description of NICRA along with year of implementation and its
second phase of implementation.
Body-
Discuss in points the objectives of NICRA. You can simply copy them from NICRA’s
website and modify them in an easier language, so that you can remember them.
Discuss the issues affecting NICRA.
E.g scenario of 2020 or later is not taken into account to select the districts, KVKs act as the
fulcrum of the scheme and there is shortage of staffa and infrastructure in KVKs, farmers tend
to become dependent on KVKs for inputs, knowledge, machinery etc, decreased budgetary
allocation, lack of integration with similar schemes etc.
Conclusion– mention how NICRA is the need of the hour and how this programme could act
as a pilot programme in India’s fight against climate change etc.. Also mention there is need
for improvising it by addressing above discussed issues.
Background:-
In response to climate change playing havoc with agriculture, the Union government
launched the National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture in 2010, its first
flagship programme to make villages climate-proof.
Climate change-induced extreme weather conditions, temperature increase and
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sustained changes in climatic patterns have cast a shadow on the productivity of
Indian agriculture.
NICRA:-
Launched in 2010-11, the programme, run under the aegis of the Indian Council of
Agricultural Research, covers 151 villages that are vulnerable to extreme weather.
The objective is to provide site-specific technological demonstrations to enhance the
adaptive capacity of farmers in “climatically vulnerable districts” of the country.
The objective is to use farming equipment as a shared resource that can be rented by
farmers as per their requirement for a nominal fee, and the money collected is then
used for expansion and maintenance of the inventory.
One of the main objectives of NICRA is to create a model for climate-adaptable
agriculture that can be replicated in every village in the country in accordance with
the specific vulnerabilities
Success:-
Integrated farming, promoted under NICRA, is a big hit in in Kerala’s Alappuzha

district. Farmers here say trainings in poultry farming, animal husbandry and
mushroom cultivation have been immensely helpful in supplementing incomes.
NICRA has achieved twin objectives piloting the innovative technologies for
climate resilient agriculture and deployment of technology. Farmers who have
been a part of NICRA have benefitted in income by 20-60 per cent.
Importantly, the aim is not only to achieve doubling of farmers’ income by 2022 but
also to make agriculture climate-resilient and resource efficient, and to minimise
agricultural emissions The project has also been advertised as being integral to
not only India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) for climate
action under the Paris Climate Pact, but also to meet four Sustainable
Development Goals of the United Nations.
Based on a climate vulnerability index and inputs from district-based Krishi Vigyan
Kendras (KVKs), many villages in different districts were selected for the pilot
project
About 24 interventions are being implemented to boost natural resource
management, crop production, livestock and fisheries potential and farmers financial
safety nets
Till now, nearly Rs 1,000 crore have been allocated for the programme.
Issues:-
Paucity of funds allocated, as a paltry sum of Rs 900-1,000 crore has been

sanctioned under the scheme during the last seven years of its operation and
allocations have been declining from year to year, Further, of this, only about Rs 500
crore has been spent so far
There are not enough strong institutions to increase the availability of inputs
such as seeds, fodder, farm machinery and tools, and access to market for ease of
transactions
KVKs do not have suitable and sufficient trained staff to teach farmers about
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various innovative interventions and give demonstrations to them
A farmer can benefit only if he/she is directly connected with the nodal
agency, the KVKs. But most farmers are cautious as they are now entirely
dependent on the KVK to supply them with the seeds.
Since the initial investment is borne by the KVKs, it is not easily
replicable in villages that have not been adopted by NICRA. Also, the
feasibility is limited in large and poorer villages as farmers say the effort could
not take off as resource sharing was prone to disputes between farmers.
KVKs are equipped with modest infrastructural facilities
There is no linkage of NICRA with several agricultural and rural programmes of
the government (for which heavy allocations are being made every year), and which
are meant to provide additional sources of income to farmers and also to increase
agricultural production.
Communities have not participated in the programme and are not convinced of
its impacts:-
NICRA has failed in one of its most basic metrics of evaluation which is
participation. One of the most striking gaps in the entire roll-out of the
programme has been the low number of participants who have enrolled in
the programme.
NICRA’s interventions have not taken into account the specifics of ground
realities that make villages vulnerable.
Case study:-
In the case of Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu, NICRA’s interventions
were supposed to tide over the perennial water scarcit The techniques that
were implemented were building farm ponds, check dams and encouraging
farmers to grow dryland crops.
But NICRA’s interventions did not work when this region experienced its
historic drought spell between 2015 and 2017.
The villagers had built many water harvesting structures. But there was
no rainfall.
The National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture is rigorous in identifying the
climate change risks to agriculture at local level but suffers from lack of coordinated
implementation.
One of the modules under NICRA’s action plan was to strengthen existing institutions
and creating new ones to supplement the availability of inputs like seeds, fodder,
farm machinery and tools, as well as to facilitate access to markets for ease of
transactions. However, this component of the programme seems to have failed
to take off.
Way forward:-
Technology:-
technology
Integrated farming has immense potentialto make farmers climate smart
through the cultivation of different crops on the same land and using farm
resources sustainably:
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Identifying cost-effective methane emission reduction practices in ruminants
and in rice paddy
Need to supplement farmers income by other meansso that he doesn’t depend
only upon farm income.
Merging schemes:-
Some coordination among all these programmes so that they can be
implemented in the most beneficial manner for the poor farmer.
The policy-makers should also examine whether the number of such
programmes can be reduced for better monitoring.
In addition, it is suggested that NICRA and NRLM may be mergedas the
main focus in both the schemes is to ensure better income to the farmer by
adopting similar innovations
While there has been a broad convergence between NICRA and the National
Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), convergence with department
officials of Agriculture and Allied Sectors is the need of the hour.
Drought monitoring and management,especially critical for areas under water
scarcity.
Crop diversificationis one of the central pillars of climate resilience that enables
smoothing out climate impacts on food production and income.
Efficient water and nutrient management options to enhance use efficiency
Understanding opportunities offered by conservation agriculture and agro-
forestry
Better land management practiceis one of the ways to fight climate change and
increase resilience of farming systems in the continent.
Reusing of agricultural wastesrather than incineration also reduces greenhouse
gases.
Every climate-smart farmer would incorporate practices like farm ponds, bundings,
trenching, mulching and other practices for conservation of soil moisture, use
appropriate seeds and on-farm inputs (to avoid debt situations) and to have better
access and control over required water resources
ICAR Institutes should continue focus on research and technology innovations
whereas large scale execution and up-scaling should be assigned to the line
departments like agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries, irrigation, groundwater
departments etc.
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TOPIC: changes in critical geographical features (including water bodies and ice-caps) and in
flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.
1) If climate change is going to influence monsoon vigour and availability in coming

years, the time to take action and make changes is now. Examine.(250 words)
The hindu
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Why this question
As the monsoons approach, the horrors of the past few years, when climate change impacted
the ability of monsoon to satiate India’s water needs, comes back to light. This is an important
worry as droughts, lack of water for irrigation etc create huge economic and social losses.
Hence this question
The question expects two broad explanations from us
What is the impact of climate change on monsoons in particular and water availability
in general
What should be the steps to be taken for dealing with this situation
Directive word
details, and find out the causes or implications if any . Apart from the key demands we have to
analyze the steps taken so far and the effectiveness of those steps in dealing with water
shortage on account of climate change.
Introduction – introduce your answer by explaining the linkage between climate change and
monsoon as well as water availability.
Body
Examine the impact of this acute shortage each year that the monsoon fails. Bring out
the impact by discussing it under heads like economic cost, social cost etc
Examine the steps that have taken in dealing with this situation and effectiveness of
these steps. Also bring out whether these are steps are more of the same usual steps
being taken or whether these are chosen by analysing the problem and responding
accordingly
Mention the changes that are required in monsoon and water management to ensure that
this annual uncertainty is best dealt with.
Conclusion – Mention that as anthropogenic factors start becoming more dominant, the time
to prepare ourselves for adapting is now.
Relationship between climate change and monsoon :-
Rainfall extremes have increased threefold over the last few years and now extend
over all of central India from Gujarat to Odisha.
The floods of 2017 are quite consistent with this pattern; the moisture is derived from
the northern Arabian Sea and not from depressions in the Bay of Bengal
For the third year in a row, India’s monsoon season has produced floods in the
northwest and the northeast, while southern parts of the country have suffered from a
rainfall deficit.
The onset of the monsoon has been delayed almost every year since 1976, when
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there was a regime shift in climate around the world from a weak to a strong El Nino
period. Since this time, monsoons have also been ending sooner so the length of
the rainy season has been compressed.
During the monsoon season, there are usually random “break periods” when there is
hardly any rainfall. These periods are associated with systems moving northwards
from the equatorial region. Global warming and climate change is shortening the
length of the “active periods” when it does rain, while lengthening the break
periods.
So, just about everything about the monsoon is changing rainfall intensity,
duration, frequency and spatial distribution.
Anthropogenic aerosols emitted through human activities might be a more
important factor for change in monsoon patterns. .
Climate models have indicated with high confidence that climate change will lead to
an increase in extreme rainfall events.
For India, the average monsoon rainfall is expected to increase initially and then
reduce after a few decades.
Impact :-
Climate change will cause low-pressure systems (LPSs) that create the Indian
monsoon rains to shift northwards. The resulting reduction in rainfall that some
areas will experience could have a major impact on agriculture. This can affect
the livelihood of farmers and can lead to increase in farmers suicides
Monsoons are erratic, perhaps increasingly so because of climate change.
Food prices soar, the poor go hungry, reservoirs empty and power cuts hamstring
businesses.
The impact even ripples overseas as commodity markets are starved of Indian sugar
and rice.
Poor monsoons delay planting and produce smaller yields of crops such as rice, corn,
sugar cane and oilseeds. That can accelerate food inflation
About 800 million of India’s 1.3 billion people count on agriculture for a living, yet less
than half of its farmland have access to irrigation.
India faces major threats to its water security, with most water bodies near urban
centres heavily polluted. Inter-State disputes over river resources are also becoming
more intense and widespread.
Along with water scarcity, there is the issue of water quality. A Central Pollution
Control Board report indicates that almost half of India’s inter-State rivers are
polluted. It found that the untreated sewage and industrial waste was a major cause
of pollution
India’s water problem is being caused by several factors like increase in
population, reduced rainfall, encroachment of water bodies, poor handling of
industrial waste water, exploitation of natural resources, change in food consumption
pattern etc. have all come together to deplete the amount of water available.
Measures taken for water conservation and management :-
Gujarat State government has embarked on a labour- intensive programme to desilt

rivers and water bodies ahead of the rains.
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Government of India has launched National Water Mission with the objective of
conservation of water, minimizing wastage and ensuring more equitable distribution
both across and within states through integrated water resources development and
management.
River rejuvenation:-
With deteriorating quality of water in Ganga and Yamuna in 1985, the Ganga
Action Plan (GAP) Phase I, followed by GAP Phase II, starting in 1993.
Similarly, the Yamuna Action Plan (YAP) was also started in 1993 as a bilateral
project with the Japanese Government.
In 2009, the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) with the Prime
Minister as its Chairman, was formed.
The total expenditure till March 2014 was Rs986.34 crore. In July, 2014, the
Modi Government launched the Namami Gange Project with more or less the
same purpose as the GAP has served.
Government has focussed on cleaning the Gangesbut there has been little
progress so far on a project which has defeated successive administrations, despite
substantial funding.
Declaration of the Ganga and the Yamuna as living entitiessignals a renewed
effort to rescue our rivers.
Groundwater:-
Groundwater Bill, 2017:-
The bill proposes a new regulatory framework based on the recognition
of the unitary nature of groundwater pool, the need for decentralised
control and the necessity to protect water at the aquifer level.
It recognition water as a public trust and a fundamental right.
The Bill also builds on the decentralisation mandate and seeks to give
regulatory control over groundwater resources to local bodies.
The proposed new regime will benefit the resource, through the
introduction of groundwater security plans and valuable local
participation.
This will serve as a mandate to use groundwater wisely, protect it for our
own benefit, as well as for future generations.
The World Bank’s Water Scarce Cities Initiative seeks to promote an integrated
approach to managing water resources and service delivery in water-scarce
cities as the basis for building resilience against climate change
6,000-crore World Bank-aided Atal Bhujal Yojana with community
participation is prepared to ensure sustained groundwater management
in overexploited and ground water-stressed areas in seven States.
Government of India is committed to accord high priority to water conservation
and its management. To this effect Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana
(PMKSY) has been formulated with the vision of extending the coverage of
irrigation ‘Har Khet ko pani’ and improving water use efficiency ‘More crop per
drop’ in a focused manner with end to end solution on source creation,
distribution, management, field application and extension activities.
According to the annual report of the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation,
about 77% of rural habitations in India have achieved a fully covered status
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under the National Rural Drinking Water Programme, and 55% of the rural
population have access to tap water
Ministry has also taken special steps to address the issue of water
quality. A sub-mission programme is being implemented to eliminate the
problems of water quality in about 28,000 habitations affected by arsenic
and fluoride by 2020
Criticism :-
There are different municipal agencies and government bodies, often working
at cross purposes, who are supposed to be working to save rivers.
Yamuna River Project has not addressed the issue of environmental flow which
is crucial to save a river.
It does not tell the action plans for rejuvenation of the river and its riparian
ecosystem that generate ecological services including the storage of flood
water, enhanced recharging of ground water, flood regulation, treatment of
sewage before and after discharging into river.
Straightening of rivers is entirely opposed to their ecological integrityand is
environmentally destructive and downright dangerous to the river banks and riverine
population.
There is no understanding of river hydrology and floodplains, which form
diverse habitats for flora and fauna. Here lies the root of the problem,
Water in India is a state government subject and water laws are state-based.
The state has the constitutional power to make laws, to implement and regulate
water supplies, irrigation and canals, drainage and embankments, water storage and
hydropower. This creates conflicts between centre and state.
There is nothing in the constitutionor law that shows an understanding of what a
river is, what services it provides or the conservation of rivers
There is no legal protection for rivers in India. This is the reason various legal and
institutional measures such as the Water Pollution Act, CPCB, the state pollution
control boards, Ganga Action Plan, Yamuna Action Plan and the National River
Conservation Plan have yielded no results.
Successive governments have ignored river protectionand a proposal for a river
regulation zone has been gathering dust for over a decade.
Government resolution (GR) mentions desilting, straightening and deepening
of rivers.This is not river rejuvenation.
Government is just focusing on pollution and trying to find an engineering solution
while ignoring the core issue, the ecological problem.
Open defecation in the rivers
Groundwater exploitation still very high
India receives an average rainfall of 1,170 mm per year, it is estimated that only 6%
of rainwater is stored.
Unless drastic measures are taken to minimise water usage, the day may not be far
off when authorities will be forced to ration water supply in cities like Bengaluru,
which has been ranked second in the list of 11 global cities which might face the
imminent threat of running out of drinking water.
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What else is needed :-
Genetically modified plants suited to droughts might help, as would selecting

more appropriate crops than thirsty rice and sugar cane in water-scarce regions.
Tackling India’s chronic air pollution may be among the most effective policies.
The monsoon itself is highly variable. This underscores the need for
comprehensive reforms at the level of States, with the Centre helping to
conserve hydrological resources.
There is also the challenge of reducing demand for farming, given that the Mihir Shah
Committee estimated public irrigation efficiency to be a low 35%. Farmers need to
be helped with the latest technologies to cut water use.
Development needs to be climate-smart, but also avoid social and institutional
challenges such as moral hazard.
Cities could be laid out to reduce flooding by following natural contours, drainage and
tank systems. Emergency responders should be well prepared to transport and
care for people who may become stranded during disasters.
Regional and transboundary cooperation in water security :-
India must take the lead in consulting SAARC nations to foster information sharing
and joint management of transboundary water resources and perhaps shape a
common stance on international climate change negotiations
Rain water harvesting to recharge aquifer and fill up ponds/lakes, leveraging
MGNREGA to build harvesting capacity
Micro irrigation:-
In the light of PMKSY, aiming towards per drop more crop, farmers should be
aware and incentivised towards drip and sprinkler irrigation. This will
prevent water wastage and increase water productivity.
Using M-Kisan, extension service and awareness to farmers to use mixed cropping,
incentivising horticulture-millet-pulses sowing can be done. This will reduce water
guzzling crops like rice and sugarcane.
Nature-based solutions hold great promise in areas which also include
sustainable food production, improved human settlements, access to drinking
water supplies and sanitation, water-related disaster risk reduction, and helping to
respond to the impact of climate change on water resources.
Environmentally-friendly agricultural systems like those which use practices
such as conservation tillage, crop diversification, legume intensification and
biological pest control work as well as intensive, high-input systems.
Constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment can also be a cost-effective,
nature-based solution that provides effluent of adequate quality for several non-
potable uses (irrigation) and additional benefits that include energy production.
Watershed management is another nature-based solution
Encourage traditional water systems:-
Ecologically safe engineering marvels of water conservation have existed in
India for nearly 1,500 years, including traditional systems of water harvesting,
such as the bawari, jhalara, nadi, tanka, and khadin.
They continue to remain viable and cost-effective alternatives for
replenishing depleted groundwater aquifers. With government support, they
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could be revived, upgraded and productively combined with modern rainwater-
saving techniques such as anicuts, percolation tanks, injection wells and
subsurface barriers. This may be a far more sustainable approach to alleviating
the water scarcity crisis across India.
The basic concept underlying all these techniques is that rain should be
harvested whenever and wherever it falls.
Urban India needs to focus on recycling and harvesting water, having better
testing and purification facilities and increase public awareness on the need to
conserve water.
Israel has been a role model for the world in matters of water management with
its innovation of drip irrigation. The country has also set the template for
reusing wastewater in irrigation. It treats 80 percent of its domestic wastewater,
which is recycled and constitutes nearly 50 percent of the total water used for
agriculture. Israel now saves as candlelight for countries like India.
Israel’s drip and micro-irrigation solutions rapidly spread worldwide. Just one
recent example of how this method has impacted food supply in foreign
countries is Tipa, literally “Drop,” an Israeli-developed kit that has allowed 700
farming families in Senegal to reap crops three times a year instead of just
once, even on infertile land.
Large catchment areas need to be developed around water bodies so that
natural recharge of groundwater takes place. A good example is the Seog
catchment area which has been denoted as a wildlife sanctuary and where no
construction is allowed.
Greywater recycling, a method of recycling wastewater from kitchen sinks, showers
and laundry fixtures.
Greywater recycling helps reduce household water usage by about 50% .
Topic: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States
and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted
for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.
2) In order to make Ayushman Bharat scheme a success, certain key issues plaguing
India’s healthcare sector need to be resolved. Analyse.(250 words)
The hindu
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Why this question
Ayushman Bharat scheme is a recently mooted health scheme that aims to transform the
health sector in India. However, without catering to some of the issues plaguing health sector,
the scheme will not be successful. The question is related to GS 2 syllabus under the
following heading-
The question wants us to dig deeper into the issue and find out the problems/ issues with our
healthcare system that should be necessarily resolved in order to make Ayushman Bharat
scheme a success.
Directive word
Analyse- we have to analyse the present health care system and bring out the important issues
which need to be resolved at any cost, in order to achieve the desired aims of the scheme.
Introduction– mention the aim of Ayushman Bharat scheme and highlight the key strategy
designated to achieve those aims.
Body- Discuss in points, what are the issues faced by present healthcare system and which
need to be necessarily resolved.
e.g perennial shortage of infrastructure and human resources at primary levels, particularly in
Northern states of India, lack of dedicated resources ( health budget has not been increased),
regulation of healthcare sector ( need for bringing transparency in pricing, treatment protocols
etc.), problem with cashing out of insurance sum etc.
Conclusion-Bring out a fair, balanced and concise conclusion on the desirability of

Ayushman Bharat scheme and highlight the most important reforms which need to be
implemented for making the scheme a success.
Background:-
India is concerned with many health issues be it malnutrition, infant mortality, rising
non communicable diseases, growing number of deaths due to cancer etc. The
national health protection scheme or the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme
is the step in the right direction which can give impetus to healthcare in India.
Ayushman Bharat scheme:-
Aims to roll out comprehensive primary health care with Health and Wellness
Centres (HWCs) serving as the people-centric nuclei. A nationwide network of 1.5
lakh HWCs will be created by transforming the existing sub-centres and primary
health-care centres by 2022. This will constitute the very foundation of New India’s
health care system. HWCs will help unleash a people’s movement for a healthy
India.
The scheme has two components:

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Upgrading the 150,000 sub-centres (for a 5,000 population level) into wellness
clinics that provide 12 sets of services
Providing health security to 40% of India’s population requiring hospitalisation
for up to a sum assured of 5 lakh per year per family
Problems with Indian healthcare system:-
Massive shortages in the supply of services (human resources, hospitals and

diagnostic centres in the private/public sector) which are made worse by grossly
inequitable availability between and within States.
For example, even a well-placed State such as Tamil Nadu has an over 30%
shortage of medical and non-medical professionals in government facilities.
Health budget:-
The health budget has neither increased nor is there any policy to strengthen
the public/private sector in deficit areas.
While the NHPS provides portability, one must not forget that it will take time for
hospitals to be established in deficit areas. This in turn could cause patients
to gravitate toward the southern States that have a comparatively better
health infrastructure than the rest of India.
Infrastructure constraints:-
There are doubts on the capacity of this infrastructure to take on the additional
load of such insured patients from other States, growing medical tourism
(foreign tourists/patients) as a policy being promoted by the government, and
also domestic patients, both insured and uninsured.
In the absence of market intelligence, arbitrary pricing and unethical methods
cannot be ruled out:-
Aarogyasri scheme has only package rates, a procedure that all States have
since followed as a model. Package rates are not a substitute for arriving at
actuarial rating.
More importantly, there is no way the government or the payer has an idea
of the shifts in the price of components within the package. This
knowledge is essential to regulate/negotiate prices to contain costs. This also
explains why there is no dent in the exorbitant health expenditures being faced
in India despite government-sponsored schemes.
Absence of primary care:-
In the northern States there are hardly any sub-centres and primary health
centres are practically non-existent.
The wellness clinic component is a step towards bridging that lacuna but
funding constraints are here too.
Out of pocket expenditure high:-
Even the poor are forced to opt for private healthcare, and, hence, pay from
their own pockets. Resultantly, an estimated 63 million people fall into poverty
due to health expenditure, annually.
Inequities in the health sector exist due to many factors like geography, socio-
economic status and income groups among others. Compared with countries like Sri
Lanka, Thailand and China, which started at almost similar levels, India lags behind
peers on healthcare outcomes.
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The Government has launched many policies and health programmes but
success has been partial at best.
The National Health Policy(NHP) 2002 proposed to increase Government
spending on health by two to three per cent of the gross domestic product
(GDP) by 2010 which has not happened yet. Now, the NHP 2017, has
proposed to take it to 2.5 per cent of the GDP by 2025.
Healthcare does not have holistic approach:-
There are a lot of determinants for better health like improved drinking water
supply and sanitation; better nutritional outcomes, health and education for
women and girls; improved air quality and safer roads which are outside the
purview of the health Ministry.
These issues are increasingly being recognised with emerging challenges such
as Anti-microbial resistance, air pollution, and non-communicable diseases
(NCDs).
While private sector healthcare providers play an important role in the overall
delivery of health services, any engagement of Government hospitals with
private sector is seen with suspicion.
A number of health institutions, established since independence, seem to have
outlived their utility for instance institutions solely focus on family welfare.
Finally, universal health coverage (UHC) is a widely accepted and agreed
health goal at the global level and has been included in the broader Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) agenda as well. In India, the momentum seems to
have been lost. The inclusion and articulation of core principles of UHC as central
aim of NHP 2017, is a sign of hope.
Rural medical practitioners (RMPs), who provide 80% of outpatient care, have no
formal qualifications for it.
Given low salaries, colleges face serious difficulties in filling the positions. The result
has been extremely slow expansion of capacity in many states.
Pricing of medical equipment :-
Private hospitals are charging exorbitant prices for these and poor suffer
the most and there is no price capping yet.
Way forward:-
There is a need for multi-sectoral planning and ‘health in all policies’ approach,
where initiative of different departments and Ministries is developed and planned
coordination, accountability assigned and progress monitored jointly. It has to be
coordinated at the level of Prime Minister or the Chief Minister’s office, as the case
may be.
PPP in India needs a nuanced approach and systematic mechanisms, including
legislation and regulatory aspects. The process requires wider stakeholder
engagement and deliberations and oversight from top leadership.
There is a need to reform and re-design institutions to broader health system
goals to contribute achieve sustainable development goals.
Policy proposals, such as setting up of Indian Medical Service, establishing public
health cadre as well as mid-level healthcare providers and exploring lateral entry of
technical experts in academic and health policy institutions, including in the health
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Ministry (up to the levels Joint Secretary and Additional Secretary levels) should be
deliberated and given due priority.
A competitive price must be charged for services provided at public facilities
as well. The government should invest in public facilities only in hard to reach
regions where private providers may not emerge.
The government must introduce up to one-year long training courses for
practitioners engaged in treating routine illnesses. This would be in line with the
National Health Policy 2002, which envisages a role for paramedics along the lines of
nurse practitioners in the United States.
There is urgent need for accelerating the growth of MBBS graduates to replace
unqualified “doctors” who operate in both urban and rural areas.
The government needs to provide adequate funding to improve the quality of services
as well.
In a federal polity with multiple political parties sharing governance, an all-India
alignment around the NHPS requires a high level of cooperative federalism, both to
make the scheme viable and to ensure portability of coverage as people cross State
borders.
Conclusion:-
Good health is part of ‘social contract’ between the Government and the people and
essential for sustaining economic growth of the country. Seventy years of
independence is an opportune time to revisit priorities and place health higher on
policy and development agenda.
Topic:Parliament and State Legislatures – structure, functioning, conduct of business,

3)Discuss the legal, administrative and other issues associated with the idea of
allocating cadres and services based on the combined score of CSE and FC.(250
words)
The hindu
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Why this question
The PMO has recently mooted the idea of including the score of Foundation Course (FC) in
allocating the cadre and service in UPSC civil service exam. However, there are several issues
involved. The question is related to GS 2 syllabus under the following heading-
The question wants us to simply highlight and describe in detail about the legal, administrative
and other issues associated with the idea of allocating cadres and services based on the
combined score of CSE and FC. We have to highlight the issues under different headings
separately here.
Directive word
Discuss- we have to be as exhaustive as possible in our answer. We have to write in detail

about the legal, administrative and also if there is any other issue involved.
Introduction– Mention the normal course followed for service and cadre allocation in CSE.
Also mention the recent proposal.
Body- Discuss in points, under different headings, what are the problems associated with the
given idea.
E.g Legal issues- Article 321 which only authorizes UPSC to conduct UPSC exam will be
violated, article 316 ( security of tenure of UPSC members) and article 319 ( bars from
holding further office) will not be applicable on directors of academies where FC is done.
Administrative issues- Lack of capacity in present academies to conduct FC, Issue with cadre
and service allocation in cases where people take EOLs (Extra-ordinary leave) etc.
Other issues- politicization of the process, higher chances of corruption etc
Conclusion– Bring out a fair, balanced opinion on the need to bring reform in the civil
services exam and on the desirability of the present idea.
Background:-
Recently Prime Minister’s Office made a proposal that it wants to alter that process
and allot services and cadres to candidates only after taking into account how
they fare in the Foundation Course.
Legal issues :-
Articles 315 to 323 of the Constitution deal with Public Service Commissions of the
Union and the States.
Article 320(1) says: It shall be the duty of the Union and the State Public Service
Commission to conduct examinations for appointments to the services of the Union
and the services of the State respectively.
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Thus, the duty of conducting the CSE is vested only in the UPSC. If the marks
secured in the foundation course in the training academy are included for
allocation for services, it would make the training academy an extended wing of
the UPSC, which it is not. Therefore the new proposal violates Article 320(1).
This move of deciding service after the foundation course would lead to large-scale
litigation by bureaucrats right at the beginning of their careers.
Service recruitment rules will have to be amended to accommodate the new idea.
Administrative :-
The Director and the faculty members of the training academy that conducts
the foundation course are mostly career civil servants on deputation who do
not enjoy the constitutional protection that the UPSC members enjoy under article
316 and 319 nor is there any bar on their holding further posts. This means that the
Director and faculty members will not be able to withstand pressure from
politicians, senior bureaucrats and others to give more marks to favoured
candidates.
There is also the grave risk of corruption in the form of ‘marks for money’ in the
training academy.
Politicisation and communalisation of the services are likely to take place from the
beginning.
Infrastructural issues:-
The training academy has facilities to handle not more than 400 candidates for
the foundation course. With only about 12 faculty members in the training
academy in Mussoorie, the trainer-trainee ratio for the foundation course is
very high, and it will be impossible to do the kind of rigorous and objective
evaluation that is required under the government’s new proposal.
The evaluation of the trainees will be even less rigorous and objective when the
foundation course is conducted in training academies situated elsewhere.
The inclusion of the highly subjective foundation course marks can play havoc
with the final rankings and with the allocation of services and cadres can
impact many careers.
Rewriting exam:-
Nearly 60-70% of the candidates qualifying for the IPS and Central Services
Group A do not join the foundation course in Mussoorie as they prepare for the
civil services (main) examination again to improve their prospects.
Clearly, it is not possible to evaluate such candidates in the foundation
course as contemplated in the new proposal.
They cannot be compelled to attend the foundation course because that
would amount to depriving them of their chance of taking the examination
again.
Other issues :-
The new proposal seeks to tinker with precisely that aspect of the civil services which
is recruitment that is least in need of reform. The real problems of the civil services
are with what happens after an officer joins the system.
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No probationer will ask questions during the foundation course for fear of getting a
poor assessment and a service they do not want.
In the present system, the moment their cadre is allotted, probationers start
developing a loyalty to that state, start learning its language and history and
interacting with people of that state. All of this will now get upended.
Technical issues
The proposal raises a whole lot of technical questions that cannot be easily
resolved given the current system of service allocation and training.
The first question is about what the foundation course will consist of.
Constraints with academies:-
Pliant academies with extraordinary powers will open the doors of sought-
after services to people whose ideological outlook suits the government,
creating a loyal or committed bureaucracy over the long haul.
Could give rise to a trend where high-ranking candidates will no longer get
services of their choice.
Will destroy the purpose for which officers go through the Foundation
Course as probationers will compete for every mark so that they get the service of
their choice.
Using a probationer’s performance in the foundation course to decide his or her
service will ruin whatever objectivity the UPSC examination provides and put
pressure on probationers to appeal to the subjective assessments of their examiners.
Conclusion:-
There is no doubt that reforms are necessary but any decision needs to be taken
only after dialogue and discussion involving multiple stakeholders especially
aspirants as well whose life is at stake.
Topic –India and its neighborhood- relations.
Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting
India’s interests
4)If the idea of Asia drew Delhi and Jakarta close in the 1950s, it might well be the
Indo-Pacific that will provide the framework for long overdue strategic re-
engagement. Comment.(250 words)
Indian express
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The question wants us to trace the evolution of India-Indonesia relationship- how it started and
how it progressed. It then wants us to highlight the present situation which shows the
importance/ role of the Indo-pacific in strengthening the relationship.
Directive word
Comment- We have to present our opinion on the key demand of the question. We have to
backup our opinion with necessary facts/ arguments/ examples.
Introduction- Mention the common colonial oppression faced by the two countries and their
common views on colonialism which ultimately led to Bandung conference, an important step
towards Non-Alignment.
Body–
1. Discuss the issues which led India and Indonesia ignore the relationship.
E.g India-Russia partnership vs Indonesia-US partnership, No shared land border, India’s

concentration its northern and western borders neglecting seas, Rise of ASEAN etc.
1. Discuss the factor which demands strengthening of the relationship.
E.g rise in economic and population size, dilution of NAM, growing importance of maritime
trade and movement, growing contestation over Indo-Pacific region etc.
Conclusion- Briefly discuss further the importance of Indo-Pacific region for both the
countries.
Background:-
Separated by a mere 90 nautical miles in the Indian Ocean, India and Indonesia
share a continuity of civilizational relationship that spans over two millennia.
Whether it is the annual Balijatra celebrated in Odisha or the legends of Ramayana
and Mahabharata, which are visible across the entire landscape of Indonesia, these
unique cultural threads umbilically bind the peoples of Asia’s.
In the mid 20th century, anti-colonial solidarity and Bandung conference brought them
together
Why relationship went bad:-
A variety of internal, regional and global political developments widened the political
gulf between India and Indonesia.
Ideology:-
If the domestic threat from Communism drove Jakarta decisively to the right
from the late 1960s, India entered into a prolonged alliance with left wing
politics and economics.
NAM:-
After Bandung, India turned its back on Asia and focused on the non-aligned
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movement. Indonesia moved towards the minor variant of Asianism in South

East Asia.
Soviet union:-
India drifted towards a de-facto alliance with the Soviet Union, Indonesia feared
Communist Russia and emphasised partnerships with the US and Japan.
Little maritime business:-
Although India and Indonesia have a shared sea frontier in the Indian Ocean,
there was little maritime business between the two.
The India-Indonesia relationship has been one of potential rather than realisation.
Even though both the countries are separated by only 90 nautical miles there is no
shared land border which kept the relations at bay
Need to strengthen relationship :-
Economic:-
Bilateral trade between India and Indonesia increased 2.5 times in the last ten
years. President Joko Widodo’s State visit to India in 2016 has made a long-
lasting impact on the bilateral relations.
Foreign investment:-
Indian investment in strategically important countries should thus be
seen as an arm of its foreign policy. This has not been the case yet.
While there is already substantial Indian investment in areas like coal,
textiles, steel, and the auto and banking sectors, much more can be
done. Particular attention needs to be paid to increasing India’s presence
in the manufacturing sector.
Geopolitical:-
Indonesia is a latent Asian power. It is the world’s largest
archipelago, straddling the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
It can potentially control virtually all the straits linking the southern Indian
Ocean to the South China Sea
Maritime interests:-
Recently the president of Indonesia said the country as a “maritime
axis” requiring a strong naval force to protect its territorial integrity,
fishing waters and energy interests, supported and funded by
strong economic growth. This shows that the country has a
strategic maritime vision for the first time.
There is no territorial conflict between the two nations at a moment
when maritime disputes have taken centre stage is of much value
for the re-engagement.
Both these nations can create a “maritime mandala” in the heart of
the Indo-Pacific through a number of steps. These include
developing shipping links, building new ports, promoting a blue
economy in the Andaman Sea, and advancing cooperative security
framework for the Malacca Straits and the Bay of Bengal.
Indo pacific:-
India is looking for partners who can play a stabilising role in the
Indo-Pacific region as China is showing its naval muscle in the
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South China Sea and its strategic and commercial reach through
the One Belt One Road initiative
India could recognise Indonesia’s centrality in the Indo-Pacific
region and help work towards a future where both countries can be
partners for security in the region. The political basis for such a
relationship already exists in the Strategic Partnership agreed
to in 2005.
Such a partnership would also be a hedge against
dependence on big powers outside the region whose
commitment to regional security is subject to their own
shifting perceptions.
Jakarta is looking to complement the centrality of ASEAN with a
larger vision of the Indo-Pacific, a geopolitical construct that India
too has adopted.
Both Delhi and Jakarta are eager to look beyond their immediate
neighbourhood and play a larger role in promoting peace and
prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.
Indonesia unveiled the ambition to turn Indonesia into a “global
maritime fulcrum” by taking advantage of its special geographic
position as the land bridge and sea link between the Indian and
Pacific Oceans.
Cultural:-
Indonesia and India can also provide complementary models
for the coexistence of religious minorities with majoritarian
communities in Asia based on their own traditions of coexistence.
In the areas of education, culture, and people-to-people relations, a
thrust could be given to Indian Council for Cultural Relations
scholarships in Indian universities, increased slots for training
under the Indian Technical and Economic Corporation programme,
closer academic exchanges, and vocational training by Indian
companies in Indonesia.
India could also learn lessons on tourism promotion from
Indonesia.
Connectivity:-
Of particular interest to India from a connectivity point of view
should be the Medan industrial zone in north Sumatra. A shipping
service from Chennai or Krishnapatnam to Medan via the Andaman
Islands could be used to export Indian goods to offset, at least
partly, the large imbalance in India’s trade with Indonesia.
Self-awareness in Delhi and Jakarta of their growing regional and
international weight:-
India and Indonesia are slowly but surely breaking out of the
foreign policy mindsets shaped for long by non-alignment.
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Topic – transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints
5)The aim of creating a truly unified NAM with an efficient price discovery
mechanism is still a far-fetched dream. Critically examine.(250 words)
Financial express
Why this question
NAM has been in news since the present government has come in power as APMC reforms
were high on the government agenda, so was e-NAM. It would be an opportune moment for
stock taking on the reforms that have taken place in the arena of transport and marketing of
agricultural produce.
The focus of the question is on establishing the progress that has been made when it comes to
creating a truly unified NAM that serves two major purposes – unify agricultural markets so as
to deal with the fragmentation of markets and enable efficient price discovery. We have to
critically examine the progress that has been made in achieving this. If not, then how to ensure
that unified NAM will be a reality.
Directive word
get into details, and find out the causes or implications if any . When ‘critically’ is suffixed or
fair judgement.
Introduction – We have to mention that agriculture has been a focus area with promises of
doubling farmers income by 2022. Marketing reforms are a crucial piece in that jigsaw puzzle.
Body
Highlight the issues with agricultural markets
Highlight what the objective of the present government has been – eNAM and how that
would bring in the advantages being talked about in the question
Also the kind of reforms required in APMC
The progress in achieving a unified national market needs to be examined – bring out
both the hits and misses (latter will be more)
Thereafter, examine how can we improve the marketing of agricultural produce going
ahead
Conclusion – Mention the critical role that unified market will play in improving the status
quo of the farmers and how to bring in reforms.
Background:-
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Single national agriculture market (NAM) was launched in 2016 in the country, with a
view to enable farmers to get a better price and for consumers to pay a lower price
for agri-produce, a win-win situation at both ends of agri-value chains.
It was launched with the goal of formulating a unified national market for
agricultural commodities by integrating Agriculture Produce Marketing
Committees or APMCs across states in India.
Success:-
Quite commendably, as on March 2018, all targeted mandis, i.e., 585 that are in 16
states and 2 UTs, (Chandigarh and Puducherry), have been integrated with the NAM-
platform.
Recently government has also sanctioned 75 lakh to each mandi to set up facilities
for cleaning, grading and packaging of produce. The funds are welcome especially
because assaying of produce is an important aspect of the e-NAM concept itself. The
plan of a single national agricultural market based on an electronic platform is an
excellent one.
e-NAM was to help farmers find the best possible price for their produce by
expanding the market nationally and eliminating middlemen.
The highlight of the scheme is the single point levy of market fees, i.e. on the first
wholesale purchase from the farmer.
The provision lets farmers to showcase their produce in nearby markets and facilitate
traders from anywhere to quote price.
The portal enables harmonisation of quality standards of agricultural produces and
provision for assaying (quality testing) infrastructure in every market that will pave
way for informed bidding by buyers.
There will be liberal licensing of traders or buyers and commission agents enabled by
state authorities without any precondition of physical presence or possession of shop
/premises in the market yard.
Under the scheme, a provision of Soil Testing Laboratories in or near the
selected mandi (market) has been set up. This will help visiting farmers access the
facility in the mandi itself.
Criticism:-
States role:-
Only 10 States have amended the law to allow e-mandis since the national roll-
out ten months ago.
Most of the reported transactions are intra-mandi. Inter-mandi and inter-state
trading on the platform are minimal. What this means is that the states on e-
NAM have not been able to provide farmers with better price discovery in other
mandis of the same state or across states.
E-payment facility is not available in most mandis, and that there is no
competitive bidding reported in these states. This clearly implies that the
monopoly of the APMCs continues unabated even in the 18 states/UTs, and
the aim of creating a truly unified NAM with an efficient price discovery
mechanism is still a far-fetched dream.
Infrastructure:-
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Even as the Centre works with States to persuade them, infrastructure such as
reliable third-party certification for the produce in every mandi and robust
computer systems, including uninterrupted web connectivity, need to be put in
place.
Middlemen influence:-
The hold of the middleman, who often is also the financier of the farmer against
a pledge of the produce is not completely broken.
The challenges posed by present day APMCs :-
Fragmentation of Stateinto multiple market areas, each administered by
separate APM
Separate licensesfor each mandi are required for trading in different market
areas within a state. This means that there is limited first point of sale for the
farmer.
Licensing barriers leading to conditions of monopoly
Opaque process for price discovery
An overwhelming majority of farmers still rely on the same broken system of
markets under APMC, which is monopolistic and rent-seeking, with high
commissions, especially for perishables.
Fruits and vegetables, where there often are prices fluctuations, are yet to be
included in the NAM platform
Country’s two biggest mandis Azadpur (Delhi) and Vashi (Mumbai) have not yet
agreed to come on board
NAM does not say anything about interstate taxes and levie
Dominance of cash:-
Critical link was creating an electronic payment system that would allow the
buyer credit the proceeds directly into the farmer’s bank account. But this has
not taken off, and farmers continue to be paid in cash
Physical trading is still taking place even in mandis that are integrated with e-
NAM.
Only a fraction are covered and constraints in calculations:-
The 585 mandis brought only 90.5 lakh farmers onto the platform, which is less
than 7% of the 14 crore Indian farmers.
Close to 17 MMTs of quantity is reported to have been traded on the platform.
But, this value is only about 2% of India’s total value of agricultural output.
Besides, this value is also artificially inflated by adding the value of MSP-
procurement operations by states like Haryana.
By including such transactions made at fixed prices (MSP) by a fixed buyer
(procurement agency) onto the e-NAM platform, the true spirit of e-NAM, i.e.
of free and competitive marketing, fades.
Way forward :-
Following steps need to be taken in a concerted manner :-

Unyielding focus on agri-market reforms starting with basics of assaying,
sorting, and grading facilities for primary produce as per nationally recognised
and accepted standards
Creating suitable infrastructure at mandi-level (like godowns, cold storages,
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and driers) to maintain those standards
Bringing uniformity in commissions and fee structures that together do not go
beyond, say 2%, of the value of produce
Evolving a national integrated dispute resolution mechanism to tackle cases
where the quality of goods delivered varies from what is shown and bid for on
the electronic platform. This would require significant investments, and changes
in state APMC Acts.
Roping in the private sector for investments would create jobs and promote
efficient agri-value chains.
For the e-NAM network, which presently caters to 25 key commodities,
purchasing at the MSP price should be made statutory.
Buying the produce from farmers below the MSP should be made illegal. The ‘model
price’ that these markets offer should therefore be replaced with MSP.
Instead of amending the APMC Act to take out fruits and vegetables from its
activities, and eventually ending up with dismantling the regulated mandis, the focus
should shift to expanding the network. Against the existing 7,000 APMC
markets, India needs 42,000 regulated mandis.
TOPIC: Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their
effects on industrial growth.
6) Analyze whether capitalism was the reason for or an outcome of industrial

revolution? Examine the factors that led to the rise of capitalism?(250 words)
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We have to analyze the situation surrounding industrial revolution to understand whether

capitalism led to industrial revolution or vice versa. Thereafter, we have to delve deeper into
the factors that led to the rise of capitalism.
Directive word
Introduction – explain capitalism
Body
As a response to the first part of the question, you have to bring out that changes in
economic system, including capitalism did not come about overnight but represented a
gradual change in the economic system of the country. Both impacted the other and led
to the other
Mention that intensification of capitalism happened post IR and explain how – factory
system, rise in income leading to rise in demand leading to more production and
requirement of profit for investment
Explain the factors that led to the rise of IR – need for land, labour and resources,
renaissance leading to geographical exploration etc
Conclusion – Summarize the arguments made above and reiterate your conclusions.
Background:-
The capitalist system is the most productive mode of production in the history of
humankind. In the space of a few centuries the world has been transformed beyond
all recognition. Average life expectancies have more than doubled. Technological
developments occur at a rate that would have been previously unimaginable. More
food, clothing and shelter can be produced using less labour than ever before. It
would seem that the material problems of survival have finally been solved.
Instead of humankind controlling the fulfilment of its own development, humanity is at
the mercy of an economic system which it has itself create
How capitalism contributed to industrial revolution:-
It is only under a capitalist system that factory owners have the monetary
incentive to keep moving forward with technology in the factories (to make
production faster and cheaper) and to create more varieties of goods .In any other
economic system there is no competition, no choices for consumers, and no
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incentives to the factory owners to make changes.
Capitalism was the foundation for the Industrial Revolution. The idea behind the
revolution was rampant consumerism. Capitalism and consumerism go hand in
hand.
Capitalism allowed the new generation of people to gain money and become
involved and interested in the idea of investment. The investments allowed
inventors and entrepreneurs to build the inventions, such as the blast furnace,
railroads, vaccinations and much more.
Private investments, which are a form of capitalism, became a huge factor in
allowing countries, such as Great Britain, to succeed in industrialization faster
than other European countries, such as the Germanic states.
Loans from either private investors or, in Great Britain’s case, national banks,
finally allowed great technologies a chance to actually be created and widely used,
since railways could transport the machinery and technology much farther for much
less money.
It was far easier to receive a loan from highly industrialized economies (ie.
Britain), and these developing nations had high amounts of working class
citizens an opportunity to get rich quickby either investing in or endorsing the
industrialization process started by capitalist intentions.
The countries that accepted capitalism and made it easy for new investors to receive
loans, such as Britain, industrialized faster than others, while countries that refused
to allow national loans, such as France, and private investments, such as Russia,
failed to industrialize as fast and did not succeed as fast as they could have .
How capitalism was an outcome of industrial revolution:-
Industrial Revolution created more goods, more choices and cheaper products which
became an incentive for the development of capitalism.
There was an expansion of business with the Industrial Revolution, a change that
provided poor people with jobs. Given more purchasing power from having
employment, the hitherto poor now had some money with which to become
consumers. As a result, small businesses were created to provide these new
consumers with products for their homes, etc. Of course, the large businesses
profited, too, and capitalism expanded.
As industrialization occurred, companies got bigger and there came to be much more
of a divide between the people who did the work and the people who supervised
them and owned the factories where they worked. The rise of these large firms is
what really developed the wage labor-based capitalist system.
The power and influence of the capitalist system grew with the massive
increase in the ability to concentrate capital in the hands of a smaller group of
people. This became possible during the industrial revolution because of advances in
production technology and the ability to mass-produce commonly used consumer
items.
Capitalists mostly controlled the political sphere of the countries undergoing
industrialization
Market expansion and increasing international trade opened the economies
more and loosened State control
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Rise of capitalism:-
Transition from feudalism to capitalism is often viewed as the result of a gradual and
rising progress of technology, urbanisation, science and trade .
Agricultural revolution in Europe post feudalism i.e farm consolidation, labor
employment, surplus production etc.
Monetisation of economy:–
The introduction of money as a medium of exchange played a great role in the
rise of capitalism in Europe.
Use of money in market, payment of salaries and wages.
Consequent rise in disposable income and consumerism.
Renaissance, its resultant scientific and industrial revolution.
Discovery of new sea routes, foreign lands and improvements in modes of transport
and communication.
Trade routes also were deregulated as governments did not that much power
to control and restrict trade.
Also inventions like the American clipper ship and the steamship allowed easier
travel.
It also became what it was because of the increase in the supply of capital and
efficient trade. This created the capital that entrepreneurs could use.
Through international trade form their colonies European countries
accumulated lot of capital which led to rise of capitalism.
The hundred year war between British and French led to plundering of French
towns and lot of accumulated capital to Britain.
Political revolutions also lead to end of feudalism and kept the means of production in
the hands of capitalists.
Growth of population and towns led to availability of cheap labour and many people
were attracted to commerce.
Need for land, labour and resources.
Topic:Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: Status and problems;
and conscience as sources of ethical guidance; accountability and ethical governance;
7) Discuss some of the ethical issues surrounding a modern police job.(250 words)
Reference
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Why this question
This question is intended to build your capacity to analyse the ethical aspect of any job/
situation etc. The question is related to GS 4 syllabus under the following heading-
Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: Status and problems; ethical
concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions; laws, rules, regulations and
conscience as sources of ethical guidance; accountability and ethical governance;
The question simply wants us to analyse the life of a police officer/ personnel and bring out
the common ethical issues surrounding it.
Directive word
Discuss- we have to write in detail about the ethical issues involved here. We have to be as
xhaustive as possible in such type of questions, which ask explicitly demand an answer on
certain specific aspect.
Introduction– Mention the modern police life- the key areas of work- prevention,
investigation, interrogation etc.
Body–
Discuss in points the key ethical issues surrounding the police job.
E.g expectation of high standards in public as well as personal life, upholding law even when
you feel the offender should be given lesser punishment/ let free, use of necessary force even
in situations where the protests are legitimate etc. You can add further points to your answer.
Conclusion– Bring out a fair and balanced opinion on the positive and negative aspects of
police job. You can also suggest some remedies to handle such situations.
It’s often said that no other profession demands a higher ethical standard than that of law
enforcement.it is undeniable that there is an understandably tremendous degree of
expectations placed upon police officers, and rightly so.
Ethical Issues:-
Police officers are expected and required to follow law enforcement ethics as defined by the
International Association of Chiefs of Police. This code of ethics, which was written in 1957,
often creates ethical issues or dilemmas for those serving to uphold the law. Five modern
ethical issues in law enforcement involve the officer’s off-duty life, upholding the law
and your rights, using necessary force, acting impartially and profiling.
Common ethical dilemmas in policing are well known. Examples include officers judgments
about allegedly legitimate use of deception to further investigations; reporting fellow officers’
misconduct (what ethicists refer to as whistle-blowing decisions); compliance with
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seemingly unreasonable or unjust regulations, laws, and orders; and managing conflicts of
interest (for example, when an officer investigates a matter that involves an acquaintance).
All police officers have the authority to use necessary force to uphold the law, but in some
cases their use of force is unjustified. This ethical issue cops face each day can, and
does, put their lives in danger when dealing with those individuals that are non-
compliant.
Family is always secondary and it is the line of duty to serve the nation that comes first to a
policemen.Even when the police officer is off duty ethical conduct and the same sense of
responsibility towards society needs to be maintained yet appreciation from the society is
constraining.
One of the ethical issues officers are faced with is the requirement to act impartially.
Irrespective of the status, class, caste, relation etc of the accused they need to uphold law.
With little financial security policemen are conflicted with doing the right thing and be moral
by not accepting bribes and be corrupt or getting unethical and corrupt.
Profiling has been a major component of policing since early days. It is critical for officers to
use their discretion and judgment in determine the best course of action on a case-by-case
basis. Unfortunately, modern-day society is rife with incorrect assumptions and
stereotypes that result in unfair racial or ethical profiling cases every day.
Therefore it is important to teach them about other critically important components of

ethical decision-making. These include consulting with colleagues and superior officers;
relevant police department regulations; federal and state laws; and, when appropriate, legal
counsel.
Law enforcement agencies can use ethics consultants to sort through ethical challenges
both case-specific and broader policy issues that are unique to policing. Ethics consultants
can be particularly useful in agencies’ efforts to develop transparent citizen complaint and
citizen oversight protocols.
Modern policing poses both acute and chronic ethical challenges and daunting
circumstances that require sound moral judgment. To enhance both public trust in police
and sound risk management, it behooves today’s police academies to offer recruits state-
of-the-art ethics education that includes a comprehensive overview of complex ethical
dilemmas; nuanced decision-making protocols and frameworks; and practical risk
management strategies. Such efforts can go a long way toward strengthening the
integrity of law enforcement agencies and officers and bending the arc of policing
toward the kind of justice to which this honorable profession aspires.
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TOPIC: Political philosophies like communism, Capitalism, socialism etc, their forms and
effect on the society.
1) Socialism is like a hat that has lost its shape because everyone wears it. Evaluate
in context of the various forms of socialism in practice during 19th and 20th century.
(250 words)
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The question makes an assertion that socialism has lost its meaning because of the various
forms of socialism in practice. We have to examine the various schools of socialism, their
similarities and differences and whether socialism still conveys some essential meaning or
whether it is just a meta ideology.
Directive word
here.
Introduction – Highlight what the statement tries to convey before going into its evaluation
Body
Bring out the contrasts in the various forms of socialism in practice over the ages –
revolutionary socialism as advocated by Mao, Marx, Lenin; Fabian socialism;
Syndicate socialism etc
Examine whether their end objectives and their methods had some semblance of
similarity.
Examine whether our understanding of socialism has reached some ground and what it
means to us today
Conclusion – Highlight that till the time inequality exists in society, socialism will be relevant.
Background:-
Socialismis a range of economic and social systems characterised by social

ownership and democratic control of the means of production as well as the political
theories and movements associated with them.
Broadly, it’s a political and economic system under which the means of production
are owned by the community as a whole, with government ensuring the equitable
distribution of wealth.
Socialism has morphed into Soviet-style communism and spawned Latin American
dictatorships, while in Europe, many countries combine socialistic principles with
capitalism and democracy. In the U.S., programs that opponents once condemned as
socialism, such as Social Security and Medicare, are now deeply embedded in our
society.
Socialism has been incorporated in many liberal democracies like India with the
welfare state concept so the unique features of socialism have already been adopted.
So socialists cannot actually define socialism in the present context.
Forms of socialism in 19th and 20th century:-
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Utopian Socialism:
One of the earliest forms of socialism founded by the Welsh Spiritualist
philosopher Robert Owen . In contrast to later socialist schools of thought which
would advocate violent revolution, the Utopians believed that capitalists
could be convinced to become socialists purely through rational
persuasion
This was more a vision of equality than a concrete plan. It arose in the early
19th century, before industrialization. It would be achieved peacefully through a
series of experimental societies
Democratic Socialism:
The second type of Socialism that like Utopian Socialism was born in the
United Kingdom in the 19th Century. In contrast to Utopian Socialism
,Democratic Socialism does not advocate a return to agrarian communities .
Instead, it advocates gradual reforms within the industrial market system
and electoral, parliamentary democracy .
Democratic Socialists are arguably the most pragmatic socialists in that
instead of demanding immediate market abolition like Marxist-Leninists,
Trotskyists and some Libertarian Socialists, they work within the market
system from below in order to gently nudge employers to give workers fairer
wages.
The factors of production are managed by a democratically elected
government. Central planning distributes common goods, such as mass transit,
housing, and energy, while the free market is allowed to distribute consumer
goods.
Revolutionary Socialism:
Founded in the Industrial Revolution era in Germany and put into practice in
Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, China, North Korea etc and many other third-world
nations in various forms.
Revolutionary Socialists saw both of the older schools of Socialist thought as
insufficient for the task of fundamentally transforming society from a capitalist
one into a socialist one. The reason being in their eyes the Utopians and
Democratic Socialists did not have a proper consciousness of the extent of the
injustices inherent to class society.
As such, Revolutionary Socialists rejected the notion that capitalism could be
reformed to be more fair to workers, believing capitalism was inherently
exploitative and thus needed to be abolished by any means necessary
Revolutionary socialismis the socialist doctrine that social revolution is
necessary in order to bring about structural changes to society. More
specifically, it is the view that revolution is a necessary precondition for a
transition from capitalism to socialism
Revolutionary socialism is opposed to social movements that seek to gradually
ameliorate the economic and social problems of capitalism through political
reform.
Revolutionary Socialist theorists and activists include or have included Karl
Marx, Friedrich Engels, Vladimir Lenin,Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, Rosa
Luxemburg and Malcolm X.
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Libertarian Socialism:
Libertarian Socialism seeks the dismantling of all injust social and economic
hierarchies. Whilst Libertarian Socialists may be either revolutionaries or
reformists, they generally agree that early attempts at creating socialist
societies failed due to their statist nature, viewing statism as a contradiction to
the egalitarian values of socialism on the basis that states promote social
stratification and class disparities.
Fabian Socialism:
This type of socialism was extolled by a British organization in the late 1900s. It
advocated a gradual change to socialism through laws, elections, and other
peaceful means.
The Fabians constructed a model of socialism which they claimed could be
achieved through a programme of nationalisation and delivery of welfare
services directed by national government, with some tasks delegated to local
municipalities elected by the people, but with effective control in the hands of
those who knew best, the professional classes.
A long way indeed from the original socialist vision that working people could
live and prosper in self-governing and co-operative communities, where they
exercised ownership and control.
Marxism, Leninism, and Maoism:-
They are thus not separate ideologies, but represent the constant growth and
advancement of one and the same ideology .
Maoism has a more rural bent than the ideologies espoused by Marx and
Lenin.
Marxism-Leninism, as the Soviet version of communism is often called, held
that urban workers should form the revolutionary vanguard. Mao Zedong, on
the other hand, believed that Communist revolutions should gestate among the
rural peasantry, who would later join with their proletariat comrades in the cities
to form classless paradises.
Marxism:-
Marx argued that “proletarian” revolutions could only occur in fully
industrialized and capitalist countries. He argued that, in such countries,
workers would eventually release they are toiling for the benefit of the
middle and upper classes, forcibly overthrow their employers and create
a communist state.
According to Marx, countries like Russia, did not have the proper
environment for a proletarian revolution because of its lack of
industrialization and its reliance on agriculture.
Lenin however, argued that an underdeveloped and autocratic nation such as
the Russia Empire, would be the first to turn communist.
Lenin also modified the Marxist theory of a “dictatorship of the
proletarian” into a dictatorship of the exclusive Communist Party. Lenin
developed the idea of “vanguardism” which believes that a communist
revolution can only be implemented by an elite core of revolutionaries
called the vanguard.
According to Marxism-Leninism, the vanguard (i.e the Communist Party)
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would instigate the revolution, ban all opposition parties and create a
one-party socialist republic.
Maoism:-
Mao Zedong suffer the same conflict with Marxism as Lenin did. China at
this time was far from an industrialized nation (the ideal revolutionary
society according to Marx) but consisted of primarily a rural peasant
population. Like Lenin, Mao disagreed with Marx’s assumption that
communist revolution could only be achieved in developed
industrialized countries.
Mao’s variation of communism focused on the mobilizing rural farmers as
opposed to urban industrial workers, as Mao himself was originally a
peasant farmer. Mao describes his version of communism as “Marxism
adapted for Chinese circumstances.”
Leninism and Maoism both utilizes the theories of Marxism, however fit such in
the reality of their society.
Topic:Role of women and women’s organization, population and associated issues, poverty
and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems and their remedies.
2)Discuss the problems faced by women prisoners in India. Do you think they should
be given more compassionate treatment than the male prisoners.(250 words)
The hindu
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Why this question
Women related issues are very important from the exam as well as humanitarian point of
view. The issue was recently highlighted by a report of 46 children being in jail for no fault of
theirs. The issue is related to GS 1 syllabus under the following heading-
Role of women and women’s organization, population and associated issues, poverty and
developmental issues, urbanization, their problems and their remedies.
key demand of the question.
The question wants us to simply highlight the problems faced by women prisoners in India. It
then wants us to present our opinion on the issue- whether they should be given more
compassionate treatment than the male prisoners. We have to justify our opinion.
Directive word
Discuss- we have to write in detail about all the issues faced by women prisoners in India.
Do you think- It demands our opinion on the issue along with necessary justifications.
Introduction– mention the data about women prisoners in India. E.g India’s women prisoner
population has ballooned 61% over the past 15 years, far outstripping the male growth rate of
33%.
Body-
Discuss the problems faced by women prisoners in India.
E.g overcrowding and lack of separate jails, lack of hygiene, healthcare, psychological help,
majority are women who have been subjected to some crime earlier, petty offences dominate,
lack of support for their children, shortage of women wardens, superintendents, assistant
superintendents, doctors, and counsellors, sexual and physical violence etc.
1. Discuss in points why or why not women should be given more compassionate
treatment than their counterparts. It would be easy to gather points if you agree with
the idea and that seems logical and compassionate also.
Conclusion– Form a concise, fair and a balanced opinion, such that the law is also respected
but the dignity and the rights of the women prisoners are also upheld.
Problems faced by women prisoners:-
Poor infrastructure in prisons:-

Overcrowding, a lack of sanitation and unacceptable standards of health care
are standard.
India’s women prisoner population has ballooned 61% over the past 15 years,
far outstripping the male growth rate of 33%, but infrastructure growth hasn’t
kept pace.
Women are often confined to small wards inside male prisons, their needs
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becoming secondary to those of the general inmate population.
Health and hygiene:-
Poor sanitation, little medical or psychological help and constant intimidation .
Emotional stress:-
Women prisoners undergo intensive emotional stress due to separation
from their families. A study of the age profile of the inmates in Tamil
Nadu prisons reveals that of the total 1,000 inmates about 200 are in the
age group 20 to 30 years, which is the child bearing age for women.
The coverage of facilities such as sanitary napkins, pre- and post-natal care for
pregnant mothers is patchy. In many jails, for instance, pieces of cloth are used
in place of pads.
Brutality and violence:-
Prisons have become warehouses for victims of sexual assault and domestic
violence, people suffering from mental illness, and individuals struggling with
drug addiction.
Prison staff are not sufficiently trained to interact with women who have suffered
trauma, and many prisons lack the programs and resources to help women
successfully address these issues.
Admission:-
Women prisoners on admission are in a mentally disturbed condition. Nearly
60 per cent of inmates suffer from various issues of mental health like
psychosis, major depressions and personality disorder.
Mothers:-
Many inmates are in the age group 30 to 40 years where they have young,
growing children who are deprived of the emotional support of the mother.
Many imprisoned women are mothers and usually primary or sole careers for
their children. When a mother is imprisoned, her family will often break up,
resulting in many children ending up in state care institutions or alternative
care. Imprisonment far from home also complicates a woman’s resettlement
after release.
The social stigma attached to a woman prisoner is much worse compared to a man
inmate.
Visit by families is also few and far between. They are rarely consulted on
important family decisions.
Women inmates can get compassionate treatment than male counterparts because
of the following reasons:
Crime data show that there is a high rate of simple thefts among women
prisoners. In the case of non-violent women offenders, community service should be
the main option for reform.
If a prisoner has children living with her in prison. It is the fundamental duty of the
state to do everything possible to see to their physical and emotional needs.
Women offenders are themselves victims of crime before they turn to crime.
Therefore, there is a clear case for the award of community service to those women
who have been jailed for non-violent offences.
By treating incarcerated women with dignity and giving them basic support, India can
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not only improve public safety and reduce recidivism, but also live out its societal
values, making criminal justice system more just.
Incarceration splinters the family ties that help women rebuild their lives when they
return to their communities.
In a landmark judgment in the Upadhyay Vs. State of Andhra Pradesh case,
gender specific issues of women have been dealt with in detail and minimum
standards laid for the care of the mother and the child. In pursuance of this, women
inmates are allowed to keep their children up to six years of age. Pregnant women
in prisons have to be given proper pre-natal and post-natal care.
After her child turns six and is removed from the prison, the woman inmate often
has no way of knowing how her child is being brought up or cared for in the
outside world.
Women in prison generally have more, and more specific, health problems than male
prisoners and tend to place a greater demand on the prison health service than men
do.
Other issues show women prisons have many constraints:-
There’s a dire shortage of women wardens, superintendents, assistant
superintendents, doctors, and counsellors. Because this need is not met, there
are huge gaps between the needs of women inmates and the administration
providing them
There’s also a large gap in the range, level, and quality of vocational training
given to women inmates as compared to men.
Food rations are significantly smaller for women inmates than they are for male
inmates.
Lack of attention to the very different and often more complex needs of women
has resulted in neglect of their human rights, disregard to international
recommendations and many instances of social injustice. In a world where
there are widespread and persistent inequities between women and men,
societies continue to fail to meet the health needs of women at key moments of
their lives.
No:-
Being compassionate to prisoners based on gender alone is discrimination to male

prisoners and against equality.
Way forward:-
Rehabilitation and social integration are two other crucial imperatives, which should
receive focused attention of correctional administration and also of civil society.
There should be reforms that strengthen family ties and support rehabilitation,
including requiring the Federal Bureau of Prisons to consider the location of
children when placing mothers behind bars, expanding visitation policies for
primary caretakers, banning shackling and solitary confinement for pregnant women,
and prohibiting prisons from charging for essential health care items, such as
tampons and pads.
Model Prison Manual, drafted by the Bureau of Police Research and
Development (BPR&D), also calls for women doctors, superintendents, separate
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kitchens for women inmates, and pre- and post-natal care for pregnant inmates, as
also temporary release for an impending delivery.
Inmates, whether undertrials or convicts, need access to a woman counsellor
It would be a good start to have more women’s jails rather than confining
women prisoners to a small room within a men’s prison.
To prevent imprisonment in the first place, community-based services need to
be strengthened and more widely used, especially for substance use, sexual and
reproductive health and mental health. A recent report points out that community
corrections programmes have been shown to protect public safety and reduce
recidivism at a fraction of the human and economic costs of imprisonment.
The determinants of criminal behaviour in women and the long-lasting effects
of histories of violence and abuse should be known and understood by those
providing supervision and care for women prisoners. All staff working with
women prisoners should have followed gender-sensitivity training to raise awareness
of and improve response to these gender-related issues.
International standards are of vital importance and contain regulations specifically
directed to prisoners or women, but they are necessarily general in their terms and
do not always sufficiently guarantee the provision of services to meet women
prisoners’ specific needs. The Quaker Council for European Affairs has published a
gender critique of the European Prison Rules, which lists amendments and additions
to the European Prison Rules with the status, rights and welfare of imprisoned
women in mind.
Health services for women in prison should be individualized as far as possible to
meet the specific expressed needs of the women.
Topic:Separation of powers between various organs, dispute redressal mechanisms and

institutions
3) Some of the issues faced by Indian judiciary today, are in fact, recurring problems
left unaddressed for decades. Examine.(250 words)
The hindu
Reference
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Why this question
Indian judiciary has been going through turbulent waters with a range of issues questioning
its credibility and foundation. These issues, though apparently new are a result of some
systemic deficiencies which have been left unaddressed for decades. The issue is related to the
Separation of powers between various organs, dispute redressal mechanisms and institutions.
Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary Ministries and
Departments of the Government; pressure groups and formal/informal associations and their
role in the Polity.
The question wants us to dig deep into the question, identify the important issues faced by
Indian judiciary today and then examine them. We have to find necessary justification in the
form of arguments and facts, to establish that some of the issues faced by Indian judiciary
today, are in fact, recurring problems left unaddressed for decades.
Directive word
Examine- we have to dig deep into the issue and find out how the present issues faced by
Indian judiciary are not new but recurring problems.
Introduction– Identify and mention those issues which you think are faced by Indian judiciary
today and have been existing there for decades. E.g appointments in judiciary ( rejection by
the government of the collegium’s recommendation of K.M. Joseph), mechanism to deal with
allegations of corruption in the higher judiciary ( recent CJI controversy), CJI’s position as
the master of the roster etc.
Body- Discuss in points how these problems have been existed there for decades. Take help of
the articles attached to frame your answer. Discuss the issues individually and be exhaustive
and concise at the same time.
E.g appointments in judiciary- Discuss the logic of the makers of constitution in making such
an arrangement of appointment, then discuss first judges case and how it was misused to get it
replaced by a less desirable collegium system, which has its own flaws.
Similarly frame your answer for other two issues.
Conclusion– Form a concise, fair and balanced opinion on the issue and suggest a way-
forward.
Background:-
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Such is apathy faced by judiciary and hence reforms are necessary
Problems plaguing judiciary for decades:-
Under trials:-
India has one of the world’s largest number of undertrial prisoners. A little
over two-thirds of India’s roughly 4.2 lakh prisoners await trial.
Low performance of India on ease of doing business because of lag in
enforcement of contract largely due to the inefficient judicial system
The system is unable to keep pace with new cases being instituted in Indian diverse
economy.
Judicial procedure is very complex and costly putting the poor at a distance from
justice
Cases stuck:-
Uncertainty:-
The uncertainty around which cases will come up for hearing means neither
judges nor lawyers can plan their preparation.
This situation compels lawyers to waste time waiting in court and enables them
to cite the simultaneous listing of multiple cases as an excuse for
adjournments.
Case listing:
Adjournments:-
Legal Policy (VCLP) conducted on Delhi HC found thatin 91 per cent of cases
delayed over two years, adjournments were sought and granted.
formal justice.
Most of the subordinate courts lack basic infrastructure for judges, court
staff and litigants
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timeframes.
Lawyers :-
There is some anecdotal evidence that lawyers end up meeting their clients
Other government institutions leading to indirectly affecting judiciary:-
Delays in the legal system are caused not only because of a shortage of
judges, but also because of a shortage of police officers (who have to
investigate cases and then come to court on a regular basis), prosecutors (who
are often underpaid and over-worked), inadequate judicial infrastructure
(overcrowded court rooms or inadequate support staff such as stenographers)
Appointment of judges:-
Article 124 states that judges of the Supreme Court shall be appointed by the
President, after consultation with certain authorities, including the CJI. But it
does not tell us how these consultations are to be made, or what criteria
ought to be applied in deciding who becomes a judge.
The collegium system is not only opaque and inequitable, containing not a single
constitutionally provided check or balance.
Recent rejection by the government of the collegium’s recommendation of K.M.
Joseph, for elevation to the Supreme Court also raised several doubts.
The Constitution is silent on the administrative role that the CJI performs.
The central authority that he now enjoys, in deciding which cases get to be
heard by which benches, is essentially a product of custom (since codified into
the Supreme Court Rules of 2013).
Anomolies found recently:-
According to experts, in the issue related to present CJI assignment of

certain particularly sensitive cases to benches is without reference to
established norms and precedents.
Benches are generally constituted by the Chief Justice considering the
previous orders and it is rare to exclude from reconstituted benches the
Judges who had heard the matter earlier and are still available.
There appears to be a pattern in distribution of such cases. Matters
involving Constitutional Authorities and certain issues relevant to political
spectrum are being marked to certain Benches.
Way forward:-
There is a need to put in place an independent mechanism to deal with allegations of

corruption in the judiciary.
Choice of determining benches:-
In US Supreme court the Chief justice has no choice in the question of which
judges to hear the case because all the 9 judges sit together to hear cases.
Similarly in UK 12 judges often sit in the panels of five (or more) so chief justice
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choice is constrained which is not the case in India where benches are sat
predominantly in benches of two.
Allocation of cases, if not made transparent, would lead to suspicion.
More internal conflict in the court as the four Supreme court judges had publicly
showed the apprehensions that cases were allotted to preferred Benches
earlier.
Based on international experiences Supreme court can consider the following
options:
A just and fair roster must be one that is divided subject-wise among judges
according to their experience and expertise in those subjects must be decided.
Politically sensitive matters should be before the five senior judges of the
Supreme Court. Among them, the allocation of individual cases must be by
random computer allocation not by the individual decision of any human.
Vacancies in the Supreme Court and in the High Courts need to be filled
up.Most High Courts are functioning with half or one third the sanctioned strength.
The infrastructure in the courts needs improvement
There needs to be appointment of ad hoc or additional judges to clear pending
cases .
Reforming the system of appointing judges and holding their functioning to account is
another priority.
Accepting applications for appointments as High Court judges:-
This is followed in the U.K. and can be adopted in India too. There must be
full and complete disclosure of relationships and affiliations of applicants
to sitting and retired judges. Minimum eligibility criteria for consideration
need to be laid down, including appearances in important cases.
Three member Permanent Commission to scrutinise the credentials of
candidates and recommend names may be constituted.
These Permanent Commissions should also be vested with the power to
scrutinise complaints of dishonesty and lack of integrity of judges, to make
recommendations to the collegiums to withdraw work from those judges
pending impeachment.
The Law Commission has recommendedhearing cases continuously, avoiding
postponements and reaching speedy verdicts. This is possible only when the
caseload per judge is of a reasonable size.
Creating an Indian Judicial Service to create a large pool of trained, dedicated
judges who would enlarge the pool of talent available for elevation to the higher
judiciary would be a big step forward.
Diverting cases from the courts to alternate dispute resolution forums (such as
mediation and Lok Adalats) and specialised tribunals.
sentence.
Specification of time limitshas emerged as a distinctive feature of process reforms
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Reduce government litigation, simplify procedures, recommending precise capacity

Technology:-
Topic –India and its neighborhood- relations.
4) China’s actions threaten the fragile Himalayan ecosystem and makes it imperative
for India to act. Examine.(250 words)
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Why this question
Himalayan ecosystem is sensitive, and Tibetan plateau is rich in natural resources ranging
from minerals to water etc which is being exploited by China. This raises several concerns for
India and becomes an issue that is necessary to be dealt with in the context of their bilateral
relations.
Following points are to be incorporated in your answer
How does Chinese actions in Tibet threatens Himalayan ecosystem
How does Chinese inaction threaten Himalayan ecosystem
What has India done to deal with this threat
Other steps that must be taken by India
Directive word
Introduction – Highlight that the Chinese unilateralism in its dealings with countries in its
neighbourhood causes huge issues – building islands in SCS, dams in Tibet etc
Body
Examine Chinese actions in Tibet which threaten the Himalayan ecosystem like
building of dams, overdrive to appropriate natural resources in Tibet etc
Examine Chinese inactions which are leading to problems – nom sharing of water data,
no intention of signing a water treaty etc
Examine the challenges it poses for India and its neighbourhood
Examine India’s past responses to this situation – registered protest in building of a dam
etc
Steps that India should take to deal with this challenge
Conclusion – highlight that off late there have been signs of rapprochement between the two
countries courtesy Wuhan etc and India should ensure that it’s strategic and environmental
interests are respected by China.
Background:-
Himalayas one of the world’s most biodiverse regions, is unique: It has the rarest
medicinal plants, the highest-living primates on Earth, and scores of bird, mammal,
amphibian, reptile, fish and plant species not found anywhere else. Through the
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centuries, the nature-friendly Tibetan way of life helped preserve the Tibetan
plateau’s pristine environment.
China’s actions threatening Himalayan ecosystem:-
Extracting minerals:-
China’s Lhunze “gold rush” is part of its wider efforts in the Himalayas to extract
precious metals, rare earths and other resources.
For example, after geological surveys identified rich copper deposits, copper
mines have come up in the region where the Brahmaputra makes a U-turn to
enter India. Copper mine tailings are beginning to pollute local waters in this
sacred region,
China is engaged in major mining activity right along the militarised frontier with
Arunachal Pradesh
Tibet is a treasure-trove of minerals, including precious metals and rare earths.
It is the world’s top lithium producer and has China’s biggest reserves of 10
different metals.
River pollution:-
The cross-border effects of its environment-polluting activities in Tibet were
exemplified last autumn when the Siang which is the Brahmaputra’s main
artery suddenly turned blackish grey as it entered India.
Damming rivers:-
By building giant dams in cascades near its borders, China has reengineered
transboundary flows of international rivers originating on the Tibetan Plateau,
such as the Mekong.
Inducing rain:-
But now it is also seeking to reengineer the weather in Tibet so as to induce
greater rain in the plateau’s arid regions.
Such geoengineering opens a new interventionist frontier with unpredictable,
trans-Himalayan implications. Given the climate system’s global
interconnections, experiments in Tibet to bring more rain could help suck
in moisture from other regions. That would potentially affect monsoons in
India and elsewhere in Asia
Tibet is called the “Third Pole” because it has the largest perennial ice mass on the
planet after the Arctic and Antarctica. But today, human-made environmental
changes have resulted in Tibet warming at almost three times the global
average. Scientific studies, including by Chinese scholars, point to high rates of loss
of genetic variability and extinction of species. This holds major long-term implications
for the triple role Tibet plays as Asia’s main freshwater repository, largest water
supplier and principal rainmaker.
How is India reacting:-
India, as a riparian state, had flagged its concerns to China about various dams being
built by it on the Brahmaputra river.
Zangmu dam over the Brahmaputra, which became partially operational in 2014,
raised serious concerns in India
No country is more affected by China’s assault on the Himalayan ecosystems than
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India.
China approach is secretive:-
Chinese shared little information about the developments.

China would be wary of conceding the demand for a joint mechanism
On the other hand, as the border issue is unlikely to be settled in the near future, this
limited cooperation on water is only a further concern to India.
China is a dialogue partner but unfortunately not a member of the Mekong River
Commission, underscoring its intent to stay clued in on the discussions, without
having to take on any legal obligation.
Despite its centrality in Asia’s water map, China has rebuffed the idea of a water-
sharing treaty with any neighbour. Concern is thus growing among its downstream
neighbours that China is seeking to turn water into a potential political weapon.
China claim scientific planning, adequate justification, prudent decisions and orderly
exploitation are in line with international practice, but is not seen these in practice.
Expert Level Mechanism (ELM) on trans-border rivers between India and China
hasn’t been carrying out good cooperation on trans border rivers for a long time.
What should be done ?
International pressure needs to be mounted on Beijing to refrain from activities that

are contributing to a sharp decline of Tibet’s natural resources and environmental
impairment. Asia’s ecological interests cannot be safeguarded unless China is forced
to change course, including by respecting international environmental standards.
China must use its water informing details to downstream countries and rampant
activities must not affect the river system and the ecology and geology.
Both India and China must be responsible towards exploitation of water resources of
the Brahmaputra and carry out a policy of actual development and protection at the
same time.
Conclusion:
Legitimate use of the river water and hydrological resources is an important

component of the rights of the people including millions of people living downstream
along the banks of Brahmaputra in India and Bangladesh.
Topic –Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday
life
5) Zoonotic diseases will prove to be a big health risk going forward and India must
gear itself to deal with this challenge. Examine (250 words)
Financial express
17/25
Why this question
Diseases like Zika, Nipah etc have huge health costs. Off late, Bill Gates has predicted that we
are very near the next epidemic. The health infrastructure in India, already quite shabby,
would bend it’s back in trying to deal with situations like these. Hence, understanding the
threats of zoonotic diseases and steps to deal with them is critical.
Following points are to be brought out in your answer
What are zoonotic diseases
How they are a huge health risk – apart from the obvious fact that they can lead to loss
of significant no of lives, what other factors exacerbates the risk
How India deals with these diseases and the changes required
Directive word
details, and find out the causes or implications if any . In the above case, discuss points as
highlighted above.
Introduction – explain zoonotic diseases along with some current examples to establish the
scare on account of zoonotic diseases.
Body
How they are a huge health risk – apart from the obvious fact that they can lead to loss
of significant no of lives, what other factors exacerbates the risk. Explain points like
ecosystem changes brought about, no vaccination etc
How we deal with such diseases , highlight our experience in dealing with Zika scare
and now Nipah scare.
Examine how can we improve our handling of these diseases – virology centres, border
screening, awareness etc
Conclusion – Mention that it is important to take proactive action, rather than reactive in this
case as the health cost of an outbreak will be immense.
Background:-
In the past fortnight, spotlight has been on Nipah in India and the return of Ebola in
Africa. Both are viruses with high mortality rates and the fear of acquiring infection
from patients is terrifying communities around them, and causing concern in even
those who are far away.
The last two decades witnessed the emergence of a plethora of public health
challenges at the convergence of human, animal, and environmental health, including
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bovine spongiform encephalitis (BSE) ,H5N1 influenza, threats of bioterrorism, SARS
and the impact of climate change on global food systems.
Zoonotic diseases:-
Zoonotic diseases (transmitted from animals to humans), account for over 60% of
infectious outbreaks.
Deforestation due to expanding agriculture and logging, animal breeding, and live
stock farming are creating a conveyor belt for the transmission of microbes, hitherto
confined to their primary animal hosts in wild life, to the veterinary population and
then to human habitats.
Anthropogenic climate change creates conditions for vectors like mosquitoes and
ticks to spread to new geographies. They transport the microbes to the human body.
Microbial genetics evolve far more rapidly than humans. Microbes which are confined
to forest animals or small human communities follow the survival rules of evolution,
and generally have low virulence, because the extinction of their host will lead to their
own extinction.
How are they a risk :-
Humans now crowd together in large numbers, travel fast and far in many modes of
transport, and unknowingly transmit microbes to other humans through sputum,
saliva, semen, blood, and other bodily fluids. This enables the virus to multiply
rapidly and mutate to more virulent forms.
Vaccines are presently not available against many of these viruses, though
some early success has been reported in candidate vaccines for Ebola and Zika.
Specific drug treatments too, are unavailable.
Laboratory diagnosis is possible in specialised labs but is mainly useful for identifying
the nature of the outbreak, modelling its likely spread, and alerting the health system
of the anticipated clinical severity of the cases that will arise.
India has one of the highest density of livestock population and poorly guarded
animal-human interface makes it vulnerable to disease outbursts.
The Indian subcontinent has been identified as one of the four global hotspots at
increased risks from emergence of new infectious diseases, particularly zoonoses
according to various studies.
Economic risk:-
The case for control of zoonotic diseases (zoonoses) is compelling. The
economic losses from six major outbreaks of highly fatal zoonoses between
1997 and 2009 amounted to at least US$80 billion.
The health infrastructure in India, already quite shabby, would bend it’s back in trying
to deal with situations like these.
India’s actions:-
India is now expanding its laboratory network but epidemiological surveillance

systems need further strengthening.
In the absence of specific treatments, supportive care has been provided in the case
of Nipah virus attack. Fluids for adequate hydration and electrolyte balance;
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medicines to control fever, and intensive care with respiratory and circulatory support
are given when needed.
During any outbreak, isolation of the patient, avoidance of direct contact while
providing care, tracing, examination of all contacts, and limiting their movement
during the incubation period are helping to contain the spread.
Preventive measures include hand washing and avoiding contact with bodily fluids of
a person known or suspected to be infected. Avoidance of direct or indirect contact
with animals, who act as primary or reservoir hosts, is necessary and people are
being made aware.
Effective risk communication to the public is especially necessary, to enable them to
adopt preventive personal protection measures, seek timely medical care, and avoid
mass panic. This requires clear and open information sharing by trusted experts who
are adept in jargon-free messaging via mass media.
In Jaipur, India, dog vaccination and sterilization resulted in a decline of human
rabies cases to zero.
How should India be ready:-
A rational response to such outbreaks requires an understanding of why these

viruses cross species, how they are transmitted among humans, what preventive
measures can be taken, which tests and treatments exist, and whether the health
system is ready to contain the outbreak at an early stage.
Microbes must be vigilantly monitored during outbreaks to study if highly
infective viruses are suddenly seized with mutation madness to develop higher
virulence, especially in crowded populations where the virus has a free run.
Given the elevated risk to India from zoonotic diseases, it is important to have a
policy framework in place to prevent an outbreak.
India needs to fund creation of data and evidence-base (data to support actions)
on these infections so that they can be controlled in animals
India should prevent infections spreading to humans. This can happen with
better collaboration (between various agencies), an operational framework from
the government, better surveillance and sharing of data on these diseases.
The effectiveness of zoonotic disease control requires early detection at the source
of the disease in animals, an early and accurate diagnosis, and rapid disease control
measures. Therefore, One Health, a collaborative approach finds an important
place at this human-animal interface to work effectively in disease prevention.
Numerous examples already exist of the success of this collaboration in One
Health like in Chad, joint animal–human vaccination campaigns of DPT and
polio in children and CBPP control in livestock resulted in greater coverage in
both humans and livestock, and pastoralists became more aware of public
health services.
Reporting by the media should exercise responsible restraint to avoid stoking
mass hysteria.
Virology centres need to be established more
Border screening has to be done strictly.
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Topic:Ethics and Human Interface: Essence, determinants and consequences of Ethics in

human actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics in private and public relationships. Human
Values – lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators;
role of family, society and educational institutions in inculcating values.
6) “Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees
the others.” Comment.(250 words)
Reference
Why this question
Courage is an important component determining the behaviour of a person. It has a bearing

on other virtues/ values and their expression. The issue is related to GS-4 syllabus under the
following heading-
actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics in private and public relationships. Human Values –
lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators; role of
family, society and educational institutions in inculcating values.
The question wants us to present our opinion and understanding on the importance of courage
as a value and how it occupies a prominent place such that its presence or absence determines
the presence/ absence of expression of other values.
Directive word
Comment- we have to form our opinion in favour or against the quotation and present
necessary material accordingly. We have to provide necessary arguments along with our
answer.
Introduction– mention the overall importance of courage in the life of a person. Or better if
you can weave some story or situation which corroborates or negates the given quote.
Body-
Although the quotation is from Winston Churchill but it can be explained well by analysing
and discussing Aristotle’s and other philosophers’ views on courage. Take the help of the
articles attached with the question and use other sources to frame your answer.
Conclusion– Bring out a fair and balanced opinion on the importance and role of courage as
a value.
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Courage is a highly admired virtue. Most often we associate the word with physical prowess
or bravery. But there’s another form of valour that’s much more important because it comes
up more often. It’s called moral courage – the willingness to face not physical danger but
emotional pain, disapproval, financial insecurity, or uncertainty rather than compromise an
ethical principle.
A person with courage acts courageously in a qualified way: at the right time, in the right
manner, with the right motivation, etc. Aristotle does not simply bestow the title of
courageous upon anyone, so long as they lack fear, no matter the situation. For example, a
virtuous man should rightly fear the loss of a good reputation. As this example shows, the
appropriateness or not, of courage in the right circumstances ought to inform us as
to whether someone is actually courageous or not.
Integrity is essential to self-esteem and the admiration of others. It requires us to put our
comforts, possessions, friendships, and even jobs at risk in the defence of deeply held
principles. It takes moral fortitude to be honest at the risk of ridicule, rejection, or retaliation
or when doing so may jeopardize our income or career. It takes boldness to be accountable
and own up to mistakes when doing so may get us in trouble. It takes backbone to stand
tough with our kids when doing so may cost us their affection. So courage leads to
strengthening of values like responsibility, honesty, truthfulness, integrity etc
Even important business concepts like leadership, innovation and sales wither in the
absence of courage. Leadership takes making bold and often unpopular decisions.
Leadership takes courage. Innovation involves creating ground-breaking but tradition-
defying ideas. Innovation takes courage. Sales requires being repeatedly rejected before
closing a deal. Sales takes courage. Take away courage, and sales, innovation and
leadership lose their potency.
For Aristotle, the soldier in battle is the best example of courage. Death, of all things, is the
most frightening. Yet, it is not just any kind of death, but death in war, for this is the finest.
What this shows is that courage is shown best in situations in which “there is a fight”.
Courage is not the absence of fear but the resistance of fear, the mastery of fear. We
praise the courageous man/woman because he is able to withstand the painful and not
because he restrains himself from the pleasurable, for the first is more difficult.
Topic– lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators
7) “Our republic and its press will rise and fall together”. (J Pulitzer) Comment.(250
words)
Indian express
22/25
Why this question
Cobrapost sting has captured the imagination of the entire nation and lowered the image of
media which was already down in the dumps. This calls into question the grave issue of ethics
in media and why media’s role in crucial in sustenance of republic and democracy.
The question expects us to present our view on the interrelationship between an ethical media
and a thriving republic. It expects us to bring out the values which are to be upheld by media
and how those values translate into a strong republic. We are also expected to bring out how
those values are crumbling today which is also affecting the harmony in our nation and
society.
Directive word
Comment – When you are asked to comment, you have to pick main points and give your
‘opinion’ on them based on evidences or arguments stemming from your wide reading. Your
opinion may be for or against, but you must back your argument with evidences. These types
of question offer you a chance to consolidate your reading of different subjects to justify your
opinion.
Introduction – mention the Cobrapost scandal and the debates that it raises. Highlight that
Pulitzer, the trailblazer of journalism, would have been ashamed.
Body
Explain the values which in your opinion is what media has to uphold. Like freedom of
speech, asking questions, parliament of the people etc
Relate those values to how they would help in strengthening the republic. This should
be the main part of your answer
Examine how the media has performed so far and the effects it has had on the nation
and the society
Present your view
Conclusion – Stress on the importance of media for a democracy and suggest reforms like the
findings of Leveson committee etc
Around the world, digital media technologies are having a profound impact on the
production and dissemination of news. These tools allow journalists to reach broader
audiences, faster than ever before and allow citizens to play a greater role in the
democratic debate. New technologies are expanding the information space and especially
in Asia use of the internet, mobile phone news services, blogging and social media have
seen enormous expansion.
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The rising popularity of websites such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter means that news
is no longer the exclusive preserve of reporters working for traditional media. Hence there
is need for strong media ethics.
The five cardinal principles of journalism are getting the facts right is the cardinal principle
of journalism, Journalists must be independent voices, fairness and Impartiality, humanity
and accountability.
A free and editorially independent press is an essential instrument for the promotion and
consolidation of democracy and good governance. The media that claims to be the fourth
pillar of democracy should remember that the role entrusts it with some responsibilities.
Good journalism is about telling the truth
From the Radia tapes in 2010 to the Essar leaks last month, Indian journalism has been
creaking under the burden of unethical practices.Number of prominent media institutions
have over the years become a toxic amalgam of veniality, fanaticism, irresponsibility and
subservience to power. The media has gone from being the saviour to democracy to being
one of the principal threats to it.
Content in Indian media houses is not impartial and some favour some groups over
other. These deals are struck not just by low-level marketing operatives, but seem to be
negotiated by India’s biggest media barons and are constitutive of the business model.
Issue of paid news that has become prominent of late.
Opaque private treaties have become common .For instance BCCL scheme involved
private treaties by which a company would allot equity to BCCL in return for ad space, the
report says. Media houses resorted to blackmail as well for instance in 2012 senior
editors of the television channel Zee News were arrested for allegedly demanding Rs 100
crore from Jindal Power and Steel Ltd.
One of the defects is that the media often twist facts.Media often portray non-issues
as real issues, while the real issues are sidelined for instance celebrity lives are probed
very deep when many people are reeling under poverty and malnutrition in India.
Fake news shaped by preconceived notions, emotions and interests is now rampant on
many media platforms. Many media houses are in competition to build a world of fake news
to serve political and corporate interests leading to undermining of the democracy.
When any violence takes place media these days is giving a communal colour or
religious angle to it even before facts are established. Also growth of technology has led
to faster reporting. It should also have helped to enhance the quality of news. However, it
can’t be said technology has enhanced the media’s credibility. Today’s measure is a race
to telecast, even if what is given is false. This must change.
The mechanism of self-regulation has disappointed on many accounts, which makes it

necessary to emulate the model of co-regulation, which is practiced in other countries.
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TOPIC:Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture
from ancient to modern times.
1) Ancient Indian science and philosophies had several real achievements. Discuss
and thereafter, critically analyze the recently undertaken NCERT textbook review?
(250 words)
Timesofindia
Financial express
Indian express
1/20
Why this question
The recent changes brought about in NCERT textbooks have put greater emphasis on
enhancing our knowledge and understanding of the science and philosophies of ancient India.
Ancient Indian science and philosophy was very rich and Weber had said that we would be
ignoring Indian school of thought reflects the paucity of the west (albeit in context of political
philosophy). In this context, discussion on the contribution made by ancient Indian knowledge
and whether or not the move to change syllabus of NCERT books is required.
The question expects us to initially bring out the major contributions of the philosophy and
science of ancient India. We are also expected to discuss whether the textbook changes are
justified. For this, we have to first mention the changes and thereafter analyze the causes and
the impact behind such changes and whether it is justified.
Directive word
Discuss – Highlight the achievements of the science and philosophies of ancient India.
Critically analyze – Thereafter discuss the changes made, examine the causes behind making
those changes, examine whether the changes are required at those levels, whether it is part of
propaganda or would enable students to be more appreciative of our ancient history. At the
end, it own view on the changes have to be provided
Introduction – Highlight the reason behind this question. NCERT changes as well as frequent
reference to our glorious past, need to learn ehat actually are their achievements.
Body
Highlight the advancement made in the field of medical science, astronomy,

Mathematics, metaphysical aspects etc
In the next part of our answer compare and contrast the above point with the changes
made in NCERT textbooks
Analyze the benefits that reading about the achievements would have for the students.
Present your view on the changes made
Examine – Summarize the latter part of the argument and present your view on NCERT
textbook revision.
Background :-
Recently NCERT has made roughly 1300 changes, which include additions,
correction and data update, in its 182 textbooks. This is the first comprehensive
review of NCERT textbooks after the National Curriculum Framework was drafted in
2005. Ancient Indian knowledge, tradition and practices now find more space in the
new NCERT textbooks.
Achievements of ancient science and technology:-

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Mathematics:-
Mathematics emerged as the single largest contribution of India to the world of
science.
Around possibly 500 BC, the Jyotish Vedanga used sophisticated methods of
calculation to fix the position of the new and full moon and other astronomical
inferences. A group of 16 sutras or word formulae were used widely in Vedic
times to solve arithmetic and algebraic problems.
Aryabhata I, for instance, had calculated that the earth revolves around the
sun about a thousand years before Galileo was persecuted for the same claim.
It is well known that the concept of the zero, called the shunya, and the decimal
system, originated in India, and reached the West through the Arabs.
Brahmagupta (6th century), Mahavira (9th century) and Bhaskara (12th
century), made groundbreaking contributions to the development and
elaboration of mathematical concepts.
Fibonacci numbers and their sequence first appear in Indian mathematics as
matrameru mentioned by Pingala in connection with the Sanskrit tradition of
prosody.
Binary numbers is the basic language in which computer programs are
written. Binary basically refers to a set of two numbers, 1 and 0, the
combinations of which are called bits and bytes. The binary number system
was first described by the Vedic scholar Pingala, in his book chandahsastra.
Physics:-
Scholars believe that the Indus Valley Civilisation, that flourished 2,500 years
before the Christian era, used a system of weights and measures based on an
awareness of the decimal system. It is clear too that the cities of this civilisation
could not have been built without knowledge of simple geometry..
Chemistry:-
One of the notable scientists of the ancient India was Kanad who is said to
have devised the atomic theory centuries before John Dalton was born.
Technology:-
Wootz steelis a crucible steel characterized by a pattern of bands Produced
by the Tamils of the Chera Dynasty, the finest steel of the ancient world was
made by heating black magnetite ore in the presence of carbon in a sealed clay
crucible kept inside a charcoal furnace.
India was the first to smelt zinc by the distillation process, an advanced
technique derived from a long experience of ancient alchemy.
Medicine:-
Written by Sushruta in 6th Century BC, Sushruta samhitha is considered to
be one of the most comprehensive textbooks on ancient surgery. The text
mentions various illnesses, plants, preparations and cures along with complex
techniques of plastic surgery. The Sushruta samhitha’s most well-known
contribution to plastic surgery is the reconstruction of the nose, known also as
rhinoplasty.
Charaka authored a foundational text, Charaka samhitha on the ancient
science of Ayurveda. Referred to as the Father of Indian Medicine,
Charaka was was the first physician to present the concept of digestion,
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metabolism and immunity in his book.
Defence:-
The first iron-cased rockets were developed in the 1780s by Tipu Sultan of
Mysore who successfully used these rockets against the larger forces of the
British East India Company during the Anglo-Mysore Wars.
Civil engineering & architecture:-
The discovery of urban settlements of Mohenjodaro and Harappa indicate
existence of civil engineering & architecture, which blossomed to a highly
precise science of civil engineering and architecture and found expression in
innumerable monuments of ancient India.
Shipbuilding& navigation :-
Sanskrit and Pali texts have several references to maritime activity by ancient
Indians
Recent NCERT review:-
The NCERT textbooks for history, geography, science, English and political science
from class 6 to 10 have been revised to provide greater space to knowledge and
philosophies from ancient India.
NCERT will work on giving students a better understanding of Bharat and its “glorious
past”.
There was an increasing demand for changes due to changing technology trends,
new demands of education etc. The updates will take care of old statistics, economic
data, etc, while the additions will introduce topics like demonetisation, Beti Bachao
Beti Padhao and Swachhta.
Changes made:-
Revised History books include chapters on six schools of India philosophy:

Vaishesika, Nyaya, Samkhya, Yoga, Purva Mimansa and Vedanta or Uttara
Mimansa. These are believed to have been founded by sages Konada, Gotama,
Kapila, Patanjali, Jaimini and Vyasa.
It also contains chapters on Ayurveda which includes findings and teachings of
Sushrut and Charaka. They include elaborate chapters on ancient surgical
procedures and medicine which laid the foundation for the modern surgery.
The Geography books include much detailed descriptions on the finding of
Aryabhatta, which includes his research on earth’s diameter, solar and lunar eclipse.
Lessons on Yoga has been included.
Books meant for students of Classes 6 to 10 carry new or additional information on
ancient Indian philosophy, ayurveda, yoga, teachings of Upanishads and smritis and
scientific achievements of ancient India in areas such as astronomy and metallurgy.
It’s a good move:-
Books carry new/additional information on ancient Indian philosophy, ayurveda, yoga,

and scientific knowledge believed to have been prevalent in the period. This makes
students understand their past better.
Studying about different ancient Indian philosophies will no doubt impart a new
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perspective.
Criticism:-
It isn’t quite clear how some additions benefit students for instance the class 8
science textbook mentions that “According to ancient mythology the seven sages
who form the Saptarshi (the constellation Ursa Major), preserve the eternal
knowledge of Vedas and explain it to people in every new age.”
The revision is not in sync with the government’s goal of reducing curriculum
burden to the students
Questions are raised whether students at the primary and secondary levels
really need to be taught the history of science in India as part of their science
education.
Experts criticised that Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, and Maharashtra, tweaked
school books in a way that triggered opposition allegations that these governments
were trying to saffronise education.
Way forward:-
Indian education system needs reforms where the students need to contribute to the
development of the nation further and not be separated by intrinsic differences which
are more visible these days.
Topic: History of the world will include events from 18th century such as industrial
revolution, world wars.
2) Napoleon was the child of the Revolution, but in many ways he reversed the aims
and principles of the movement from which he sprang. Critically analyze.(250 words)
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The question makes two basic assertions which have to be analyzed. That Napolean was the
child of the revolution meaning that his rise can be attributed to French revolution and that he
disregarded the aims and principles of the French revolution. These have to be critically
analyzed ie the veracity of these assertions have to be established or unfounded.
Directive word
Introduction – Highlight the overall significance of Napolean in the history of Europe in

general and France in particular.
Body – For the first part of your answer, highlight the political instability in France at the time
of the revolution as a result of the French Revolution. This provided an opportunity to
Napolean to take charge and declare himself to be the emperor of France. This is how he came
to power and could be described as the child of the revolution.
Thereafter, examine the principles of French revolution contained in the constitution of 1789
and how Napolean changed these principles thereafter in his constitution. Examine the
changes related to economy, polity, society etc that Napolean made which reversed the
progress of French revolution. As an opposite view, one can also write how Napolean helped
spread the ideal of French revolution through his wars in Europe which was ultimately
corrected through the Vienna Congress.
Conclusion – present your view by summarising your arguments and discuss the overall
contribution of Napolean.
Background :-
Napoleon was a French statesman and military leader who rose to prominence
during the French Revolution and led several successful campaigns during
the French Revolutionary Wars.
Aims and principles of the movement (French revolution)from which Napoleon

sprang :-
Liberty, property, equality, fraternity, uniformity, utility, popular sovereignty; these are
just some words that best describe the aims and principles of the French Revolution.
How was Napoleon child of the revolution:-
Napoleon can be seen as a direct heir to the revolution: here was a general who
portrayed himself as a saviour of a France at war, divided, disorderly and weak
Napoleon’s rise owed everything to the French Revolution, to its ideals of liberty and
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equality, the meritocracy that lay at its roots, and the huge institutional changes
that it wrought.
Without the events of 1789, France would have retained the restrictive legal order
of the Old Regime, with its emphasis on privilege and inheritance, its passion for
nobility and hierarchy etc.
He used French revolution as a stepping stone to grow and reach his final title
of Emperor.
His views were sync with the principles of French revolution:-
In an economic sense, Napoleon definitely followed some of the earlier

revolutionary principles in his reform of the nation.
Napoleon introduced limits on grain exports (due to poor harvests) in 1811 and
placed price limits on bread and grain in 1812, much like the revolutionary
governments such as ‘The Assembly’ and ‘The Convention’.
Religious equality:-
Napoleon allowed for equal rights for Protestants and Jews, these definitely
maintain the revolutionary aims.
Political accountability:-
The Senate and the Legislative body could limit Napoleon’s freedom. This can
be seen as something positive as this means that he did not wanted to show
himself as a dictator but as an enlightened despot.
The code he enshrined many of the achievements of the revolution as it
confirmed the abolition of feudalism, equality before the law and freedom of
conscience, and gave fixed title to those who had bought church and émigré
lands during the 1790s.
In terms of military expansion and conquest, Napoleon was very much a child
of the Revolution. The French revolutionaries sought to extend the Revolution
beyond the boundaries of France to bring the benefits of liberty to the poor,
benighted masses of other countries groaning under the lash of monarchical
oppression.
How did he reverse the aims of the movement :-
Against dissent:-
Napoleon relied on public opinion to prevent hostile criticism. In other words,
dissent was nearly impossible. Printers and booksellers swore oaths of
allegiance and all newspapers fell under state control. So, by repressing
liberty, subverting republicanism and restoring absolutism, Napoleon
reversed some of the liberal gains of the Revolution.
He instituted the CODE NAPOLEON which incorporated the great principles of 1789:
equality before the law, careers open to talent, freedom of religion, protection of
private property, abolition of serfdom, and the secularization of the state.
The Code, however, also had its less-liberal side. Workers were denied
collective bargaining, trade unions were outlawed, and a system of labor
passports was instituted.
Undermined the principles of 1789, the end result was that many of the
achievements of the Revolution were made French realities.
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What started out as a war of liberation soon turned into a war of conquest, and
this formed the basis of Napoleon’s inheritance.
Napoleon’s constitution was contradictory to what the revolution supported. As
Napoleon grew in power and in confidence he became more aggressive. In 1801,
he said “We finished with the romance of the Revolution; we must now begin its
history”.
No equality:-
His Legion of Honour, and the awarding of titles and honours was a clearly a
contradiction to equality as these could be bought and kept for life.
Women were declared to be inferior to men by law, and children had no
rights at all.
According to Napoleon, courage and talent should be rewarded without
distinction of birth but this statement was false as nobility and privileges were
bought.
The possibility of careers open to talent and promotion persisted on who you
knew and where you came from, than on merit.
Even taxation, which was a massive issue in the revolution, was not equal in
Napoleon’s France. He increased indirect taxation in a large scale.
Liberty of action and freedom of speech were strictly restricted.
Women lost practically all rights they gained and now were again properties of
their husbands or fathers.
Dictator:-
There are many evidences of this since he came to power as he declares
himself first consul and then emperor which certainly gave him a great deal of
power within the state.
The centralised nature of government and administration also supports the
notion of authority from above.
Moreover, he did enforce censorship and made great use of propaganda. In
addition, his ministry of Police and the use made of spies and informers,
special courts and administration imprisonment would support the notion of a
police state.
Napoleon’s control of the government system was more absolute than that of
the monarchy that ruled in France before 1789.
He centralized his power and willingly used his army to alter the make up of the
governments, which were ideas of the Directory..
Conclusion:-
Napoleon was in fact a creation of the revolution as he rose to power because of the
situation France was in, though he did not back up its principles using his own ideals
created from a combination of both the Revolution and the Monarchy.
To some extent, Napoleon represented a synthesis of the ancient regime and the
Revolution. At heart he was a revolutionary, but, in practice, he acted more like a
king, culminating in his crowning as Emperor in 1804.
Topic: Salient features of world’s physical geography.
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3) What do you understand by cryosphere. Discuss how it affects the earth’s climate.
(250 words)
Wikipedia
Reference
Reference
Why this question
Cryosphere is a large and important component of our earth, which has a profound impact and
in turn is hugely impacted by the climate and climate change. The question is related to GS1
The question wants us to describe the term cryosphere and then discuss how it affects our
climate.
Directive word
Discuss- we have to write in detail about the meaning of the term as well as how it is related to
our climate and how they influence each other.
Introduction– Give a brief definition of the term, Cryosphere.
Body–
1. Describe the term further and mention that it is intricately linked to the global climate.
2. Discuss in points how the cryosphere affects the climate of the world.
e.g Albedo- cooling of earth, feedback loop- results when ice melts and then this decreases
albedo and more ice-melt occurs, storage of carbon in the polar ice etc.
Conclusion- Give a fair and balanced opinion on the importance of cryosphere and mention
the efforts of MOES in this direction.
Background:-
With nearly 70% of Earth’s fresh water stored in glaciers and ice caps, more than a
billion people around the world rely on the cryosphere as a source of drinking water.
Cryosphere:-
There are places on Earth that are so cold that water is frozen solid. These areas of
snow or ice, which are subject to temperatures below 32°Ffor at least part of
the year, compose the cryosphere.
Ice and snow on land are one part of the cryosphere. This includes the largest
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parts of the cryosphere, the continental ice sheets found in Greenland and Antarctica,
as well as ice caps, glaciers, and areas of snow and permafrost. When continental
ice flows out from land and to the sea surface, we get shelf ice.
The other part of the cryosphere is ice that is found in water.This includes
frozen parts of the ocean, such as waters surrounding Antarctica and the Arctic. It
also includes frozen rivers and lakes, which mainly occur in polar areas.
Affects earth climate:-
Regulating temperature:-
The components of the cryosphere play an important role in the Earth’s
climate. Snow and ice reflect heat from the sun, helping to regulate our planet’s
temperature.
Ice cores drilled from ice sheets and glaciers provide annual records of
temperature, precipitation, atmospheric composition, volcanic activity,
and wind patterns going back more than 800,000 years. Today, scientists
also use satellites to observe the cryosphere and monitor changes. Using these
data, they are able to make predictions about what the cryosphere and Earth’s
climate might look like many years from now.
Albedo:
Snow and ice have high albedo. They reflect much of the insolation, which
helps in cooling of the earth. Thus, presence or absence of snow and ice
affects the heating and cooling of Earth’s surface. This influences the entire
planet’s energy balance.
Feedback Loop:
Melting ice reduces the reflective surface. And, the ocean and land are darker
in color, they absorb more solar radiation, and then release the heat to the
atmosphere. This causes more warming and so more ice melts. This is known
as a feedback loop.
The cryosphere is an integral part of the global climate system with important
linkages and feedbacksgenerated through its influence on surface energy and
moisture fluxes clouds,precipitation,hydrology atmospheric and oceanic
circulation.
Storage of Carbon:
The permafrost of the polar region has trapped tonnes of carbon inside its soil.
If ‘feedback loop’ aggravates, this carbon will be released in form of methane- a
powerful greenhouse gas- which will catalyze the global warming.
At polar regions, sea-water is converted into sea ice. As a result, surrounding water
gets saltier. Saltier water has higher density, it sinks and initiates thermohaline
circulationpatterns across the oceans of the world. These Ocean currents act like a
conveyer belt, transporting warm water from the equator toward the poles and cold
water from the poles back to the tropics. Thus, currents regulate global climate.
Some of these currents affect rain and drought situation via El-Nino La-Nina effect.
Meltingof cryosphere affects the volume of water in oceans. Any changes in the
water cycle, affects global energy / heat budget, and thereby global climate.
Conclusion:-
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With the rampant climate change, changes in cryosphere need to be studied further
and the initiative by ministry of earth sciences towards understanding the cryosphere
process is the step in the right direction.
Topic:Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues
4) Discuss the challenges that data collection in India faces? Examine whether the
draft National Policy on official statistics addresses these challenges?(250 words)
The hindu
Why this question
The draft National Policy on Official Statistics is much required due to the declining truth in
the numbers in a post truth world. We need to analyze the provisions of the draft policy to
understand it’s hits and misses.
The question expects us to incorporate the following points in our answer
Provisions of the policy – issues faced in data collection correctly

It’s hits and misses – how it addresses the challenges
The impact this will have
Any changes required
Directive word
Introduction – Highlight the fact that in a post truth world, ensuring that the numbers are
beyond doubt is important and thus this policy becomes important too
Body
Highlight the issues that the present data collection processes face – lack of
interdisciplinary approach, questions not framed properly etc
Highlight the provisions of the policy and how it addresses these issues
Highlight those areas where the policies fall short
Discuss the impact that this policy is likely to have
Conclusion – Your view on the policy along with changes required.
Background:-
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With the growing demand for statistics and increasingly challenging data collection
environment, the move by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
(MOSPI) towards developing a National Policy on Official Statistics is most welcome.
Challenges faced with data collection in India :-
Ethics:-
Data collection is increasingly being done by contractual employees and for-
profit organisations. Supervising them and ensuring their honesty remains
challenging.
A report in The Guardianin 2017 noted declining trust in official statistics around the
world and argued that it damages democracy by jeopardising public knowledge and
public argument.
Employment:-
Absence of data on district-level employment for decentralised planning, data
on circular migrant workers; the working and living conditions of women labour.
Official data and post-truth politics
According to some political analysts and scholars, post 2014, in the age of
post-truth politics there has been instances of manipulating and distorting data
by the government. Post truth politics is evoking public emotions and deviation
from facts and details of policy.
Faulty sampling frames
Identifying respondents and sample selection is poor
Survey designs, questionnaires are inappropriate in many instances
For instance The RBI adopts inflation targeting approach to maintain price
level-monetary policy. This approach is based on data on inflations
expectations of individuals The reliability and validity of the data is a big
question as ASER reports highlights extremely low mathematical skills of
Indians.
Delay/ Sporadic nature of Release of Data:
There is no strict process of monitoring for release of data.
Delay in publishing data is a persisting problem. However, there has been
improvement in recent years
Discrepancy in data:
Lack of uniformity in data across government agencies is a major concern
For instance there is data contradiction on jobs as recently EPFO estimated
that 3.68 million jobs were generated till November of fiscal year 2018- much
higher estimation than that of other agencies
Quality/ Accuracy of data is another concern
In 2011, commerce secretary admitted that India’s export figures for the April–
October period were inflated by US$9.4 billion due to a misclassification of
certain items and data entry errors.
There has also been question over the accuracy of the Index of Industrial
Production
Allegations that NSS systematically underestimated household consumption
Infringement of privacy by the government’s data-collection machinery.
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Draft national policy on official statistics:-
The United Nations Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics was adopted by India
in 2016. The government had also committed to bring out a National Policy on Official
Statistics(NPOS)
To give furtherance to the principles, recently the GOI has placed the Draft National
Policy on Official Statistics, 2018 in public domain
Key provisions:
Dichotomise statistical products in the official statistical system into core
statistics ( which are of national importance and critical to the economy)and
other official statistics
Amendment in the Constitution to bring in censuses on subjects other than
population census and statistics declared by Parliament by law to be of
national importance in the Union List.
Production of official statistics should continue with the Government, whereas
the related regulatory and advisory functions should be kept outside the
Government
Coordination between agencies
Registered society under MOSPI to be set up- for all government data
collection and analysis
Identification of statistical products through committees
Quality assurance:
Apply National Quality Assurance Framework (NQAF) to each product of
official statistics
evolve specific Quality Assurance Framework for the product consistent
with NQAF
Promote compliance to NQAF through appropriate incentives/ awards
conduct statistical audit periodically through independent agencies on all
the major statistical products
To assure confidentiality:
Setting up standards for protecting confidentiality
Releasing Official Statistics in accordance with a pre-specified
publication calendar
Declaring Data Production and Management Policy for each agency
responsible for producing official statistics
Implementation of the Code of Statistical Practice is made mandatory
Publishing details of sharable and non-sharable official statistical datasets from
time to time along with reasons
Collaboration with other countries and UN and other international agencies on
statistical matters
It notes increasing data needs, lays down the groundwork for ethical data
collection, highlights the importance of data quality and addresses the need for
documentation and durable data storage.
Criticism:-
It chooses to follow the report of the C. Rangarajan-led National Statistical

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Commission (NSC) submitted in 2001 and focusses largely on coordination within
different ministries at the Centre and between State governments and the Centre. A
tendency to centralise authority and decision-making within well-defined
structures such as the NSC forms the core of the policy statement.
It also recommends that a registered society under the oversight of MOSPI be set up
with 2,000 crore endowment that will be tasked with all government data collection
and statistical analyses. This tendency towards centralisation may well isolate
official statistical systems.
The collaboration between academics and the NSS has weakened substantially
in recent years. The proposed move would lead to even further alienation of official
statistical systems from the academic and research infrastructure of the nation.
Way forward:-
Harness diverse energies from academic and research institutions such as the
ISI, the Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute etc.
Include private sector as well:-
Smaller, technology-savvy private sector organisations may also make
important contributions in technology-driven data collection.
Around the world, in diverse countries such as China, South Africa, Brazil, the
U.K. and the U.S., statistical ecosystems consist of universities, research
institutions and government agencies working synergistically.
Creative thinking about building synergies with diverse communities such as
academic and research institutions would strengthen it and reduce the burden on
the NSC, leaving it free to devote greater attention to developing quality control
parameters and to play an oversight and coordination role.
Scholars from different disciplines should be incorporated for framing samples
and questionnaires
Include takeaways from experiments designed by cognitive anthropologists,
and survey design specialists
Robust survey management structure to ensure quality and honesty in data collection
Conclusion:-
The draft National Policy on Official Statistics offers a great start for fostering trust in
statistics but enhancing its inclusiveness will go a long way towards encouraging
competence, reliability and honesty in public statistics.
Topic -Environmental degradation and conservation
5) Water crisis in Shimla is a warning sign for the trying times ahead with respect to
water availability in India. Examine the challenges and discuss the role that
traditional water storage systems can play in averting this crisis? (250 words)
Hindustantimes
14/20
Reference
Why this question
The recent water crisis in Shimla poses several questions related to water management in the
country. At a time when several reports have been highlighting the acute paucity of water
facing India, it is regrettable that we haven’t moved fast enough in addressing this challenge.
Hence this question.
The question demands us to incorporate the following points in your answer
Describe the situation in Shimla

Examine the problem facing India in general related to water availability and use
Reports of various organisations which have harped on the need for effective water
management in the country
What are the water related issues we should be wary of
Solutions to these issues in brief and the role of transitional water harvesting structures
in detail
Directive word
Discuss – Detail out the benefits of traditional water harvesting structures.
Introduction – take the example of what is happening in Shimla and discuss the issues that it
raises.
Body
Examine the issues plaguing Shimla – reasons behind non availability of water
Examine the challenges that it poses for water management in India – highlight other
examples to prove that it is an all India problem
Take help of reports like NASA’s, UN world water development report 2018 etc to
prove that the challenge ahead is arduous
Discuss solutions to these issues in brief
Discuss in detail the role that traditional water harvesting system in India would play in
averting some water related woes
Conclusion – Highlight the necessity to start acting immediately and the way ahead.
Background:-
India has long undervalued one of its most precious resources, water. The country’s
chronic mismanagement of water is staring at it now. Over 600 million Indians rely on
the monsoon to replenish their water sources, and the unpredictable nature of rain
leaves them vulnerable.
15/20
Water crisis in Shimla:-
Over the past three summers, water availability had plunged to 29 or 30 million litres
per day (MLD). This year, the supply was only about 20 MLD.
Reasons for water crisis can be :-
A combination of population explosion, unplanned growth of the city and
its expansion to some traditional catchment areas (a region from which
rainfall flows into a river, lake, or reservoir) have led to a reduction in the natural
flow of water, and large-scale deforestation.
Climate change, leading to much lower precipitation during the winter months.
As a result, the natural flow and recharge of water in the region has fallen
sharply
The water demand in Shimla during peak tourist season is very high.
Challenges with respect to water availability in India :-
Many Indian cities, including Delhi and Bangalore, face a water crisis,
especially that of freshwater.
A World Bank study puts the plight of the country in perspective: 163 million Indians
lack access to safe drinking water; 210 million Indians lack access to improved
sanitation; 21% of communicable diseases are linked to unsafe water.
There is no attempt at the central or state levels to manage water quantity and
quality
A lack of implementation of existing laws and regulations
Pervasive corruption
Poor adoption rates of technologies such as desalination plants
No charges on water usage and huge distribution losses.
Deforestation of catchment areas and pollution of water bodies
Export of water-intensive crops
Excessive dependence on groundwater.
There is also a lack of interest in maintaining India’s traditional water
harvesting structures.
Increase in population, reduced rainfall, encroachment of water bodies, poor
handling of industrial waste water, exploitation of natural resources, change in
food consumption pattern etc. have all come together to deplete the amount of water
available
Indian utilities compound the problem by callously losing an estimated 40 to 60
percent of the water produced.
India’s rivers are drying and are symptomatic of the dire state of the water crisis.
Traditional water storage systems:-
Ancient Indians understood the art of water governance. Most of India’s traditional
water management has been at the community level; relying upon diverse,
imaginative and effective methods for harvesting, storing, and managing rainfall,
runoff and stream flow.
Role in averting water crisis:-
Ecologically safe engineering marvels of water conservation have existed in
16/20
India for nearly 1,500 years, including traditional systems of water harvesting,
such as the bawari, jhalara, nadi, tanka, and khadin.
They continue to remain viable and cost-effective alternatives for
replenishing depleted groundwater aquifers. With government support, they
could be revived, upgraded and productively combined with modern rainwater-
saving techniques such as anicuts, percolation tanks, injection wells and
subsurface barriers. This may be a far more sustainable approach to alleviating
the water scarcity crisis across India.
The basic concept underlying all these techniques is that rain should be
harvested whenever and wherever it falls.
Katta:-
Katta is a temporary structure made by binding mud and loose stones
available locally. Built across small streams and rivers, this stone bund
slows the flow of water, and stores a large amount (depending upon its
height) during the dry months. The collected water gradually seeps
into ground and increase the water level of nearby wells. In coastal
areas, they also minimize the flow of fresh water into the sea.
It is a cost effective and simple method, used widely in rural areas.
Series of stone bunds built one behind the other have proved to be more
effective than modern concrete dams in some villages, as these local
structures can be easily repaired by farmers themselves.
These water soak pits called as Madakas in Karnataka, Pemghara in
Odisha and Johads in Rajasthan, are one of the oldest systems used to
conserve and recharge ground water. Water from Johads is still been widely
used by farmers to irrigate fields in many parts of India. In fact, the arid state of
Rajasthan has seen a drastic improvement in water conservation due to the
revival of Johads
In Himachal Pradesh, kuhls(surface water channels) have been used since
ancient times to carry glacial waters from rivers and streams into valley fields.
These kuhls need to be desilted and fortified to prevent them from breaking
during torrential rainfall.
Another effective traditional water management system is bamboo drip
irrigation, practiced in the tribal pockets of the Khasi and Jaintia hills of
Meghalaya. In this, a network of bamboo pipes of varying diameters, lengths
and positioning is used to harvest water from hill springs or streams. This can
be adopted on a larger scale wherever possible.
Nagaland’s Zabo is also a great way of collecting run-off in community
tanks/ponds. Rainwater that falls on forested hilltops is led by channels that
deposit it in pond-like structures created on the terraced hillsides. The channels
also pass through cattle yards, collecting the dung and urine of animals,
before ultimately meandering into fields at the foot of the hill.
Way forward:-
Urban India needs to focus on recycling and harvesting water, having better
testing and purification facilities and increase public awareness on the need to
conserve water.
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Israel has been a role model for the world in matters of water management with
its innovation of drip irrigation. The country has also set the template for
reusing wastewater in irrigation. It treats 80 percent of its domestic wastewater,
which is recycled and constitutes nearly 50 percent of the total water used for
agriculture. Israel now saves as candlelight for countries like India.
Israel’s drip and micro-irrigation solutions rapidly spread worldwide. Just one
recent example of how this method has impacted food supply in foreign
countries is Tipa, literally “Drop,” an Israeli-developed kit that has allowed 700
farming families in Senegal to reap crops three times a year instead of just
once, even on infertile land.
Large catchment areas need to be developed around water bodies so that
natural recharge of groundwater takes place. A good example is the Seog
catchment area which has been denoted as a wildlife sanctuary and where no
construction is allowed.
Greywater recycling, a method of recycling wastewater from kitchen sinks, showers
and laundry fixtures.
Greywater recycling helps reduce household water usage by about 50% .
This year’s World Water Development Report makes it clear that nature-based
solutions which are also aligned with the principles and aims of the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development can offer answers to our most pressing water-related
challenges.
Topic:Ethics and Human Interface: Essence, determinants and consequences of Ethics in

human actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics in private and public relationships. Human Values
– lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators; role of
6) Human Behaviour Flows From three Sources: Desire, Emotion, And Knowledge.
Comment.(250 words)
Reference
Reference
18/20
Why this question
actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics in private and public relationships. Human Values –
lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators; role of
The question wants us to deliberate on the determinants of behaviour of a person and

specifically analyse the role and importance of Desire, emotion and knowledge on the
behaviour of a person.
Directive word
Comment- We have to form our opinion on the issue and based on our opinion we have to
provide necessary arguments/ facts etc in order to bring out the role of the three- desire,
emotion and knowledge.
Introduction– Briefly discuss the human behaviour and mention some of the factors which
determine our behaviour.
Body- Discuss in points and individually how Desire, Emotion and knowledge affects our
behaviour.
Take the help of the articles attached with the question and also use other material to frame
your answer. Also try to bring out a natural order of which factor is the most potent
determinant of a man’s behaviour.
Conclusion- Form a fair, balanced and a concise opinion on the issue and mention a few
points about how to bring desired change in the behaviour of a person.
Human behavior is the responses of individuals or groups of humans to internal and

external stimuli. It refers to the array of every physical action and observable emotion
associated with individuals, as well as the human race.
Human behavior is experienced throughout an individual’s entire lifetime. It includes the

way they act based on different factors such as genetics, social norms, core faith, and
attitude. Behavior is impacted by certain traits each individual has. The traits vary
from person to person and can produce different actions or behavior from each person.
Social norms also impact behavior.
While specific traits of one’s personality and temperament may be more consistent, other
behaviours will change as one moves from birth through adulthood. In addition to being
dictated by age and genetics, behaviour, driven in part by thoughts and feelings, is an
insight into individual psyche, revealing among other things attitudes and values.
Our behavior is what we do and how we act. This could include physical things, like
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running and jumping, verbal behavior, like saying things we regret later, or complicated
behaviors like cheating on a test or planning a party.
How desire affects human behaviour :-
Desire is a strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen
.It is a conscious impulse toward something that promises enjoyment or satisfaction in its
attainment. It is the values in the desire which decide whether desire makes human achieve
great heights or destroy their life.
For instance it was the desire to help others made Mother Teresa an icon, the desire to
gain fame and money can lead to people’s behaviour considering unethical and illegal ways
to achieve their goal.
Emotion and behaviour :-
Emotion is a natural instinctive state of mind deriving from one’s circumstances, mood, or
relationships with others. Passion for desire gives birth of emotion. Key emotions which
impacts human behavior are love, joy, sorrow, bitterness, revenge. Aggression is one type
of behavior that is tightly linked with our emotions. When a person feels frustration, anger,
tension or fear, they are more likely to act aggressively towards others. Emotions like
frustration and boredom can lower motivation and, thus, lower the chance that we will act.
Sometimes strong emotion creates desire to achieve one’s goals. For instance it is the
emotional situation Abdul Kalam was in drove a desire in him to achieve something through
hardwork.
Knowledge and behaviour:-
Knowledge is facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or

education. So it is not intrinsic but acquired. Knowledge makes the person analyse and
assess his/her options and then take a rational decision. The knowledge driven by both
desire and emotion will make a person achieve their aims in life better as there is stronger
motivation.
When we align our desires with our emotions and the knowledge that we have into our
goals, we then have the strength to fulfill our dream.
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SECURE SYNOPSIS: 01 MAY 2018

InsightsIAS May 5, 2018

SECURE SYNOPSIS: 01 MAY 2018

1)Critically examine the implications of providing energy-dense, factory-made

why this question

Key demand of the question.

Structure of the answer

Supplementary Nutrition (Integrated Child Development Services Scheme) Rules, 2017.

Body- divide the body into two main parts.

National nutrition council:-

TOPIC: Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance-

2)What do you understand by social audit? Discuss the impediments to

why this question

Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance- application,

Key demand of the question.

Structure of the answer

Social auditing is a process by which an organization / government accounts for its

Impediments to institutionalising social audits in India :-

Lack of support from government machineries has side-lined social audits:-

Recent steps by legislature and judiciary :-

TOPIC: Indian Constitution- historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments,

3)The latest recommendations by the European Commission that balances free

Why this question

Key demand of the question

Following are the issues that need to be discussed in the question:

Issues faced on account of problems in regulating online communication

Structure of the answer

Recent Facebook/Cambridge Analytica revelations demonstrated exactly how

India’s regulation of online communication:-

Why India needs to consider the European commission’s recommendation to reform

In India, the present information ecology is vitiated by many factors:

improve the way information is produced and disseminated online.

Why this question

Key demand of the question

Structure of the answer

Conclusion – Summarise the arguments presented and give a way forward.

Why restrictions on Aadhar need to be there :-

Restrictions are not needed as it defeats the purpose of aadhar :-

If the Indian government sees Aadhaar as a gateway to its services or entitlement

and set up a dedicated Computer Emergency Response Team to monitor

Why this question

Key demand of the question

Discuss – This is an all-encompassing directive – you have to debate on paper by going

Structure of the answer

Introduction – Explain the multiple rate structure of GST.

GST is an outcome of a political process in which 29 States and seven Union

Multiple rate structure of GST:-

Key demand of the question

Structure of the answer

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SECURE SYNOPSIS: 02 MAY 2018

InsightsIAS May 7, 2018

SECURE SYNOPSIS: 02 MAY 2018

1) Gandhi’s decision to withdraw from Civil Disobedience Movement and participate

From Plassey to Partition : page 320

Key demand of the question

Structure of the answer

Decision to withdraw was taken under bourgeoisie pressures

Why was withdrawing of the movement controversial:-

Reasons why Gandhi went to second round table conference:-

Political prisoners not convicted for violence should be immediately released

Why this question