Group I Mains Explanation

Full Test I - Paper II

Unit - I (Geography)

3 Marks

1. Write short note on Indira Gandhi Canal

a. Longest canal of India
b. Runs from Punjab to Rajasthan
c. Increased the irrigation intensity
d. A command area development programme
e. Water logging is the main problem faced by this project

2. What is Fani? Why was it in news recently?

a. Fani is a strongest tropical cyclone
b. Impacted Odisha, West Bengal, AP
c. Landed on 5th may 2019
d. Named by Bangladesh

3. List the merits and demerits of Waterway transport

Merits Demerits
1. Cheap mode of transport A. Pollutes the river system
2. Low cost B. Could not compete with road
3. Fuel efficient and railway
4. Environment friendly C. Locational specific
5. Suitable for carrying bulky D. Slow speed of delivery of
goods goods

4. State the objectives of Bharatmala Project.

a. An ambitious road development initiative
b. Launched under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
c. Increasing through put of Road ways
d. Reducing traffic congestion
e. Improving connectivity throughout the country
f. Economical development
5. Define “Plate Tectonics”.
a. Study of large scale motion of lithospheric plates over the
asthenosphere.
b. Earth has 7 large plates and 16 minor plates
c. Movements of plates result in formation of Convergent, Divergent and
Transform plate boundaries

6. Why more cyclones are are formed in Bay of Bengal than Arabian Sea?
a. Smaller size of the sea
b. Intensively heated
c. Influence of Trade Winds

7. State what is Soil Erosion? List out the soil conservation methods.
a. The process of removal of upper layer of the soil through the agents of
wind, water, glacier, etc is called soil erosion
b. Caused due to deforestation, grassing, developmental projects, etc.,
c. Soil Conservation Methods:
i. Mulching
ii. Forestation
iii. Crop rotation
iv. Contour bunding
v. Terrace cultivation

8. NDRF- Brief
a. NDRF – National Disaster Response Force
b. Created in 2006
c. Based on the provisions of Disaster Management Act
d. Has 12 battalions
e. Battalions are also trained and equipped for response during
chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) emergencies
f. located at 12 different locations

9. What is the role of Western Disturbances on North Indian plain?

a. Western Disturbances originate in Mediterranean sea
b. Brings rainfall to north Indian plain during winter time
c. Helpful for the cultivation of Wheat.
10. Differentiate Reserve from Resources.

Resources
1. Includes both discovered and
undiscovered material
2. Larger in amount
3. Includes ore, sand, etc
Reserves
A. Only economically exploitable
resources
B. Smaller in amount
C. Includes only ores/minerals

Unit - II (Environment)

11. What is GM Crops? Give few examples.

a. The agricultural crops produced by modifying the DNA molecules of
the crops using Genetic Engineering techniques is called Genetically
Modified Crops(GM Crops).
b. Example:
i. Bt. Cotton
ii. Golden Rice
iii. Bt. Brinjal
iv. Bt. Maize

12. Give brief note on “Bio-plastics”.

a. Plastics derived from renewable biomass sources, such as vegetable
fats and oils, corn starch, straw, woodchips, food waste, etc
b. Agricultural by-products
c. Biodegradable materials
d. Causes less damage to the Environment

13. State the uses of Fly Ash.

a. A residue material produced from combustion of solid material like
coal, lignite, etc.
b. Uses:
i. Used as partial replacement for cement for construction activity
ii. Used to make bricks
iii. Used as better filling materials in laying roads
iv. Used in reclamation of wetlands
v. Used to increase the crop yield
vi. Used to fill the abandoned mines
14. What is GEAC?
a. Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC)
b. functions in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
(MoEF&CC)
c. responsible for appraisal of activities involving large scale use of
hazardous microorganisms

15. List the functions of Wetland.

a. Controls the water flow
b. Acts as flood controlling mechanism
c. Recharge the ground water
d. Controls the soil erosion
e. Acts as habitat for fish and wildlife animals

16. What are Keystone species? Explain how they balance the ecosystem.
a. Keystone species are those which have an extremely high impact on a
particular ecosystem relative to its population
b. Example : Tiger, Lion, Elephant, Sea Star, etc.,
c. They balance the ecosystem by controlling the growth of the
population through predation.
d. Absence of keystone species will lead to extinction of an ecosystem

17. Differentiate National Park from Wildlife Sanctuary.

National Park Wildlife Sanctuary

1. strictly reserved for the
protection of the wildlife
2. Activities such as forestry,
grazing or cultivation are not
allowed.
3. Example: Mudumalai National
Park
A. reserved for the conservation of
animals only
B. operations such as harvesting of
timber, collection of minor forest
products are allowed
C. Example: Karaivetti WLS

18. Compare Disaster and Hazard.

Hazard Disaster
A. have the potential to cause 1. Cause large scale, widespread
harm to people or property or death, loss of property
both 2. relatively sudden
 B. Slow process 3. Temporary
C. Permanently present 4. Example: Tsunami
D. Example: Hazardous Industry

19. Enumerate constitutional provisions of Wildlife Conservation.

a. Fundamental Duty - Article 51-A (g) - It shall be duty of every citizen
of India to protect and improve the natural environment including
forests, lakes, rivers and wild life and to have compassion for living
creatures.
b. Directive principles of State Policy - Article 48 –A - the state shall
endeavor to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard
the forests and wild life of the country.

20. Write short notes on “MIKE” programme.

a. Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) Programme
b. designed to monitor trends in the illegal killing of elephants, build
management capacity and provide information to help range States
make appropriate management and enforcement decisions.
c. Programme of CITES
d. Project Elephant implements it

21. Define Ocean Acidification.

a. Dissolving of CO2 in ocean water will result in reduction in the pH
value of ocean water. This process is called Ocean Acidification
b. It is global problem
c. Caused by increased emission of CO2
d. Impacts:
i. Death of marine organisms
ii. Food scarcity
iii. Climate change impacts

22. What is Green Economy?

a. Green economy is defined as low carbon, resource efficient and
socially inclusive
b. Provides an alternative way for growth and development of an
economy
 Unit - III (Economy)

23. State the source of internal borrowings

a. The various internal sources from which the government borrows
include individuals, banks, business firms, and others.
b. The various instruments of internaldebt include market loans,
bonds, treasury bills, ways and means advances, etc.
c. Internal debt is repayable only in domestic currency.

24. What are the pull factor and push factor for the migration in India?
a. Push factors may include conflict, drought, famine, or extreme
religious activity. Poor economic activity and lack of job opportunities
are also strong push factors formigration. ... Pull factors are
those factors in the destination country that attract the individual or
group to leave their home.

25. What is Inclusive Growth?

a. Inclusive growth means economic growth that creates employment
opportunities and helps in reducing poverty. It means having access
to essential services in health and education by the poor. It includes
providing equality of opportunity, empowering people through
education and skill development.

26. Explain the functions of Reserve Bank of India.

Issue of Notes
Banker’s Bank
Controller of the Credit
Custodian of Foreign Reserves
Banker to the Government

27. Discuss Van Dhan Vikas Kendra initiative

a. Van Dhan Vikas Karyakram is primarily a component under the
Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) through
Minimum Support Price (MSP) & Development of Value Chain of
Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA).
 b. The training component of the Scheme is proposed to be taken up in
programme (Karyakram) mode to provide enhanced livelihood and
income generation for tribals.

28. What is Unnat Bharat Abhiyan?

Ministry of Human Resource Development
The Mission of Unnat Bharat Abhiyan is to enable higher educational
institutions to work with the people of rural India in identifying
development challenges and evolving appropriate solutions for
accelerating sustainable growth. It also aims to create a virtuous cycle
between society and an inclusive academic system by providing
knowledge and practices for emerging professions and to upgrade the
capabilities of both the public and the private sectors in responding to
the development needs of rural India.

29. Discuss the importance of National Social Assistance Programme.

The National Social Assistance Programme(NSAP) which came into effect
from 15th August,1995 represents a significant step towards the
fulfillment of the Directive Principles in Article 41 of the Constitution.
The programme introduced a National Policy for Social Assistance for the
poor and aims at ensuring minimum national standard for social
assistance in addition to the benefits that states are currently providing
or might provide in future. NSAP at present, comprises of Indira Gandhi
National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS), Indira Gandhi National
Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS), Indira Gandhi National Disability
Pension Scheme (IGNDPS), National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS) and
Annapurna.

30. Discuss Progressive Taxation.

A progressive tax is a tax that imposes a lower tax rate on low-income
earners compared to those with a higher income, making it based on
the taxpayer's ability to pay. That means it takes a larger percentage
from high-income earners than it does from low-income individuals.

31. What does Cooperative farming mean?

Cooperative farming refers to an organisation in which: each member-
farmer remains the owner of his land individually. But farming is done
 jointly. Profit is distributed among the member-farmers in the ratio of
land owned by them.

32. Explain Cash Reserve Ratio.

Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) is a specified minimum fraction of the total
deposits of customers, which commercial banks have to hold
as reserveseither in cash or as deposits with the central bank. CRR is set
according to the guidelines of the central bank of a country.

33. What are the indicators of demographic development?

1. Total population
2. Population growth rate
3. Natural annual growth rate of the population
4. International migration
5. Total fertility rate (TFR)
6. Changing pattern of population age structure
7. Elderly population
8. Population sex ratio
9. Population density
10. Urbanization
11. Vital registration

34. What are the impacts of urbanization?

a. Intensive urban growth can lead to greater poverty, with local
governments unable to provide services for all people.
b. Concentrated energy use leads to greater air pollution with
significant impact on human health.
c. Automobile exhaust produces elevated lead levels in urban air.
d. Large volumes of uncollected waste create multiple health hazards.
e. Urban development can magnify the risk of environmental hazards
such as flash flooding.
f. Pollution and physical barriers to root growth promote loss of urban
tree cover.
g. Animal populations are inhibited by toxic substances, vehicles, and
the loss of habitat and food sources.
8 Marks

Unit - I (Geography)

35. “Urban life has its blessings and curses”- justify the statement.
Introduction:
a. Urban Life blessing: Reason
i. Employment generation – Urban areas act as engine of
economic growth
ii. Access to Education
iii. Access to Health
iv. Access to Social facilities
v. Cultural homogenization – different cultures people are
mingling
vi. Nuclear family
vii. Access to other urban areas
viii. Casteless society
ix. Cosmopolitan culture
x. Personalization and branding
b. Urban Life curse: Reason
i. Congestion
ii. Traffic
iii. Pollution
iv. Increase in crime rate
v. No humanity – People are not helping each other
vi. Machine life
vii. No joint family system
viii. Creation of slums
ix. No peace of mind
x. Work pressure to achieve the targets
xi. Class based society – a modified form of un-touch ability
xii. High cost of living
xiii. Absence of social cohesion
Conclusion:
36. On the outline map of India and its neighbor provided below, Mark the
location of the following. Write the significance (Economical / Political /
Social / Environmental / Cultural) of them not exceeding 30 words.
a. Corbett Tiger Reserve
i) oldest national park in India
ii) stablished in 1936 to protect the endangered Bengal tiger
iii) located in Nainital district of Uttarakhand
iv) named after Jim Corbett
v) first park to come under the Project Tiger initiative
b. Loktak Lake
i) largest freshwater lake in Northeast India
ii) famous for the phumdis
iii) located in Manipur
iv) Keibul Lamjao National Park is the only floating national park in
the world is located here
c. Integrated Coach Factory
i) manufacturer of rail coaches located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu
ii) owned and operated by the Indian Railways
iii) exports railway coaches to other countries
iv) world's largest railway coach manufacturer
v) Train 18 was developed by it
d. Kamudhi
i) Solar Power Project
ii) 648 MW power production
iii) developed by Adani
iv) located in Ramanathapuram Dist
e. Vivek Express
i) started to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Swami
Vivekananda
ii) from Dibrugarh to Kanyakumari
iii) longest route on the Indian Railways network
iv) Connects north east with south india
f. Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridors
i) Run between Ludhiana in Punjab and Dankuni (near Kolkata) in
West Bengal
ii) Being built by Indian Railway
iii) Links Eastern India with North India
iv) Promotes Economy
 v) total distance of 1839 km
vi) Connects eith Western Dedicated Freight Corridor at dadri
g. National Waterway 6
i) Lakhipur-Bhanga stretch
ii) Barak River
iii) in Assam
iv) Water Tranport
v) Economic activities of North East Region would be promoted
h. Pulwama
i) India’s northern state of Jammu and Kashmir
ii) Often called the "Anand of Kashmir"
iii) Produces more milk
iv) CRPF jawans were killed in the attack
i. Manas
i) River
ii) National park – UNESCO national heritage site
iii) Tiger Reserve
iv) Elephant Reserve
v) Biosphere reserve
j. Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary
i) marine wildlife sanctuary located in Odisha
ii) very popular tourist attraction of Odisha
iii) world's largest nesting beach for Olive Ridley Turtles
iv) extends from Dhamra River mouth in the north to Brahmani river
mouth in the south

37. Explain why Textile Industries are concentrated in Maharashtra?

i. Largest textile center in India
ii. Mumbai is called as Cottonopolis of India/Manchester of India
Explain the following reasons :
a. Humid climate – thread will not break
b. Mumbai port – facilitates import machineries, long staple cotton,
export of cloth to world market
c. Promotes marketing
d. Cheap hydro electricity
e. Block cotton soil provides raw material
f. Cheap labour force
g. Well connected network of transport
 h. Capitalist
i. Facilities for washing and dyeing available
j. Advantage of early start-up

38. Bottom Topography of Indian Ocean.

a. The Indian Ocean is smaller than the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean.
b. Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world’s oceanic divisions.
c. In areal extent and is bounded, on all of its sides, by Asia in the
north, Africa in the west, Asia in the east, Australia in the southeast
and Antarctica in the south.
d. The ocean has contact with the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans in the
south near Antarctica.
e. The average depth of the ocean is 4,000m.
f. Major parts of the coastal lands of the Indian Ocean formed by the
Block Mountains of Gondwanaland are compact and solid.
g. Marginal seas are Mozambique Channel, Red Sea, Persian Gulf,
Andaman Sea, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal etc.
h. Madagascar and Sri Lanka are the big islands whereas Suqutra,
Zanzibar, Comoro, Reunion, Secychelles, Prince Edwards, Crozet,
Kergueien, St. Paul, Rodriges, Maldive, Laccadive, Andman-Nicobar,
Christmas etc.
i. Continental Shelf:
i. The quite extensive shelves are found along the margins of
Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal.the eastern coast of Africa and
around Madagascar.
ii. On an average, the continental shelves are very wide (640 km) in
the west whereas these are narrow (160 km) along the coast of
Java and Sumatra
j. Mid-oceanic Ridge
i. The central ridge or mid-oceanic ridge known as Mid-Indian
Oceanic Ridge extends from the southern tip of Indian Peninsula
in the north to Antarctica in the south almost in north-south
direction and forms a continuous chain of highland
ii. E.g. - Socotra-Chagos Ridge, Seychelles-Mauritius ridge,
Madagascar Ridge, S. W. Indian Ridge. Ninety East Ridge.
k. Ocean Basins
i. The mid-Indian Oceanic Ridge divides the Indian Ocean into two
major basins-the eastern and the western basins.
 ii. Small Basin-E.g.- Oman basin, Arabian basin, Somali basin,
Mauritius basin, Mascarene basin, Atlantic-Indian-Antarctic
basin, Eastern Indian-Antarctic basin, West Australian basin
l. Deeps and Trenches
i. There are very few deeps and trenches in the Indian Ocean.
ii. About 60 per cent of the Ocean consists of deep sea plains with
depth ranging from 3,600m to 5,487m.
iii. Important deep sea plains are Somali Abyssal plain. Ceylone (Sri
Lanka) Abyssal plain, Indian Abyssal Plain, (4,380m).
iv. Significant trenches are Java or Sunda Trench (7,450m deep), Ob
Trench (6,875m deep), Mauritius Trench, Amirante Trench etc.

39. Explain about the locational factors of Industries.

Locations factors – 2 types
a. Geographical Factors
b. Non-Geographical Factors
a. Geographical Factors (Add example)
i. Raw Material(Weight losing/gaining industry)
ii. Power(Hydro, Thermal)
iii. Labour
iv. Transport(water, port, railway)
v. Market(Port)
vi. Water
vii. Site(Hill, plain)
viii. Climate(Humid, dry)
b. Non-Geographical Factors
i. Capital
ii. Government Policies(Make In India, National Manufacturing
Policy, SEZ)
iii. Industrial Inertia
iv. Efficient Organization
v. Banking facilities
vi. Insurance
 Unit - II (Environment)

40. Give detail note on the following

a. Minamata Convention
i. a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from
the adverse effects of mercury
ii. adopted on 10 October 2013
iii. entered into force on 16 August 2017
iv. Major highlights of the Minamata Convention include
1. a ban on new mercury mines,
2. the phase-out of existing ones, the phase out and phase down
of mercury use in a number of products and processes,
3. control measures on emissions to air and on releases to land
and water, and the regulation of gold mining.
4. The Convention also addresses interim storage of mercury and
its disposal once it becomes waste, sites contaminated by
mercury as well as health issues.

b. Montreal Protocol
i. an international treaty
ii. designed to protect the ozone layer
iii. phasing out the production of numerous substances that are
responsible for ozone depletion
iv. entered into force on 16 September 1989
v. ozone depleting substances:
1. CFC
2. HFC
3. HCFC

c. Ramsar Convention
i. Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance
especially as Waterfowl Habitat
ii. an international treaty
iii. conservation and sustainable use of wetlands
iv. named after the city of Ramsar
v. signed in 1971.
 vi. 2nd of February each year is World Wetlands Day

d. Kigali Agreement
i. A historic agreement to amend the Montreal Protocol in Kigali
ii. It is expected to reduce the manufacture and use of
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) by roughly 80-85%
iii. expected to arrest the global average temperature rise up to 0.5o C
by 2100
iv. Kigali agreement is an amendment to Montreal Protocol.
v. legally binding agreement
vi. strengthens the Paris Agreement

41. Bio-medical wastes disposal is a major challenge to the hospitals today.

In this regard, explain the features of Bio-medical Waste Management
Rule 2016.
"bio-medical waste" means any waste, which is generated during the
diagnosis, treatment or immunisation of human beings or animals or
research activities pertaining thereto or in the production or testing of
biological or in health camps
a. Duties of the Occupier.
i. take all necessary steps to ensure that bio-medical waste is
handled without any adverse effect
ii. make a provision within the premises for a safe, ventilated and
secured location for storage of segregated biomedical waste in
colored bags
iii. pre-treat the laboratory waste, microbiological waste, blood
samples and blood bags through disinfection or sterilization
iv. phase out use of chlorinated plastic bags, gloves and blood bags
v. not to give treated bio-medical waste with municipal solid waste;
vi. ensure occupational safety
vii. conduct health check up
b. Duties of the operator of a common bio-medical waste treatment and
disposal facility
i. ensure timely collection of bio-medical waste
ii. establish bar coding and global positioning system for handling of
bio- medical waste
iii. provide training for all its workers
c. Segregation, packaging, transportation and storage
 i. bio-medical waste shall be segregated into containers or bags at
the point of generation
ii. Untreated human anatomical waste, animal anatomical waste,
soiled waste and, biotechnology waste shall not be stored beyond
a period of forty –eight hours

42. What is forest cover? How much is the forest cover present in Tamil
Nadu? What is the target of forest cover generation to be achieved by
Tamilnadu as per the Tamilnadu forest policy 2018? Suggest your
measures to improve the forest cover of Tamilnadu.
Forest cover:
Forest cover is defined as an area more than 1 ha in extent and
having tree canopy density of 10 percent and above. India’s total forest
cover is 21.54%
Forest Cover inTamilnadu:
a. 13, 462 Sq km
b. 30.92%
Target:
a. 33% forest and tree cover by 2030
Measures to improve forest cover in Tamilnadu:
a. Afforestation
b. Reforestation
c. Conservation and Protection of forest
d. Controlling of fire
e. Regulation of Cattle Grazing
f. Regulation of Developmental Projects in/through forest
g. Regulation of agricultural activities
h. Promotion of forestation/plantation among the children, students
i. Create awareness about foresty
j. Arrest the shifting cultivation practices

43. Explain the following

a. Food Web
i. Food web is a network interconnected food chains existing in an
ecosystem
ii. Food webs are more realistic models of energy flow through an
ecosystem
iii. One animal may be a member of several different food chains
 iv. It give us a clear-cut picture of who eats whom
v. Give Example
b. Bio-magnification
i. increasing concentration of a substance, such as a toxic chemical,
in the tissues of tolerant organisms at successively higher levels in
a food chain
ii. DDT, DDE, PCBs, toxaphene, and the organic forms of mercury
and arsenic do biomagnify in nature
c. Pyramid of Energy
i. This pyramid represents the total amount of energy at each trophic
level
ii. Energy pyramids are never inverted.
iii. Draw example diagram

d. Biological Oxygen Demand

i. the amount of dissolved oxygen needed by aerobic biological
organisms to break down organic material present in a given water
ii. BOD can be used as a gauge of the effectiveness of wastewater
treatment plants
e. Bio-remediation
i. a waste management technique
ii. involves the use of organisms to remove or neutralize pollutants
from a contaminated site
iii. Naturally occurring organisms are able to break down hazardous
substances into less toxic or non toxic substances
iv. Can be ex situ or in situ.

Unit - III (Economy)

44. What are the measures taken by Government of India during Global
Economic Crisis?
Monetary Policy Measures:
a. Our response to the global financial turmoil has been both monetary
and fiscal. The RBI which for several months before has been
increasing cash reserve ratio and interest rates to fight against
inflation reversed its monetary policy from Oct. 2008.
b. The RBI took several steps to prevent fast depreciation of Indian
rupee due to massive capital outflow by FIIs by selling billions of
dollars in the foreign exchange market from its reserves. But for RBI
 intervention, the value of rupee would have gone much below Rs. 52
for a US dollar.
c. The problem raised by global financial crisis was diagnosed as the
lack of liquidity in the money market which adversely affected the
flow credit to industries. Therefore, to increase liquidity of the
banking system, RBI cut cash reserve ratio (CRR) four times in
0ct.2008 to January 2009 by 400 basis points (i.e. by 4 percentage
points) from 9 per cent to 5 per cent. With this the RBI infused
liquidity of Rs. 1, 60,000 crores in the banking system.
d. Besides, RBI reduced statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) from 25 per cent
to 24 which enabled banks to get Rs. 20,000 crores from RBI against
Government securities for lending to mutual funds. Besides, RBI
released Rs. 25,000 crores to the banks in connection with the farm
waiver scheme of the Central Government. It may be noted further
that banks can also borrow from RBI through repo window of
liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) scheme of RBI.
e. Besides, unwinding of some market stabilisation scheme was also
undertaken to increase liquidity with the banks. In this way about
Rs. 2,00,000 crores had been infused into the domestic money
market to alleviate the pressures brought on by deterioration in
global financial environment. With infusion of this adequate liquidity
in the system through various measures the banks could provide
credit to the industries for financing working capital and fixed
investment projects. This was expected to boost industrial growth
which had slackened in the last few months.
f. However, it was felt that to fulfill the needs of credit of the
companies, mere infusion of more liquidity was not enough unless
the lending rates of banks were lowered to reduce the cost of
borrowing. To achieve this, repo rate – the rate at which banks
borrow from RBI for a short time and used as a policy signal – was
cut five times by 4 percentage point from 9 per cent to 5 per cent in
Oct. 2008.
g. As a result of this various Indian banks (including SBI) reduced their
prime lending rate (PLR) to around 12 to 12.5 per cent. With this
banks lower their lending rates so that cost of borrowing from the
banks fell and more credit was created for investment by the
companies and there was more demand for durable consumer goods
such as houses, cars etc.
h. Besides, RBI cut reverse repo rate, which is the overnight rate of
interest at which banks park their surplus funds with the RBI to 4
per cent. This was meant to encourage banks to give credit to
business enterprises for investment and to consumers for buying
houses, cars etc. rather than keeping surplus liquid funds with RBI.
i. However, reports from banks (in March 2009) revealed that though
liquidity had eased in the system and banks had lowered their
lending rates but credit to industries did not pick up to the extent it
was expected to happen. As a result, most banks were sitting on
surplus cash. This showed due to global meltdown and its adverse
effects on various sectors of the Indian economy banks became risk
averse and were not willing to lend for fear of defaults by the
borrowers.
Fiscal Stimulus:
a. Besides easy monetary policy it was emphasized that a fiscal
stimulus to overcome recession and slowdown in economic growth
was needed. This fiscal stimulus is in keeping with Keynesian
macroeconomics as Keynes emphasized increase in government
expenditure to get rid of depression in the nineteen thirties. To keep
growth momentum and to ensure 7 per cent growth rate in 2008-09
the Indian Government came out with three fiscal stimulus packages
which involved increase in Government expenditure and cut in
indirect taxes to boost both consumption demand and investment
demand.
b. The first fiscal stimulus package announced on Dec. 6, 2008
involved increase in Government expenditure by Rs. 30,700 crore.
This increase in Government expenditure was meant to help growth
of infrastructure, textiles (which is a major employer of labour force)
exports, housing, automobiles, and small and medium enterprises.
c. An important measure in the first fiscal stimulus package was all-
round cut in excise duty (CENVAT) to raise the demand for goods
and services. This 4% cut in excise duty was estimated to result in
revenue loss of Rs. 8700 crore to the Government.
d. Further, to counter the slump in exports due to global financial
crisis, the first fiscal package provided for subsidizing interest costs
of exporters. It was hoped that lower interest costs of exporters
would make the Indian exports more competitive. In order to give
further boost to the exports, an additional fund of Rs. 1100 crore
had also been provided to ensure full refund of duties including
service tea paid on inputs.
e. In the first week of January 2009, it was felt that global recessionary
conditions were still very strong which would adversely after growth
of the Indian economy, the second fiscal stimulus package was
announced on Jan. 2,2009. While the first fiscal stimulus package
focused on direct increase in Government expenditure the second
fiscal stimulus package sought to improve or facilitate supply of
finance to some organizations.
f. For thus purpose in this second package to increase expenditure on
infrastructure was sought by providing finance to non-banking
finance Companies (NBFCs) dealing exclusively with infrastructure
finance. For this purpose the public sector company Indian
Infrastructure Finance Company (IIFC) was allowed to borrow Rs.
30,000 crore from the market by issuing tax-free bonds that would be
used to assist in funding of projects worth Rs. 75000 crore.
g. Secondly, a higher depreciation rate of 50 per cent for Commercial
Vehicles (CVs) like trucks, buses and vans bought in the period,
January-March 2009 was allowed. Besides, an extra line of credit to
non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) for purchase of CVs and
assistance by it for purchase of buses for urban transport system
under governmental urban renewal scheme. All these steps were
expected to boost demand for CVs which had been badly hit by
economic slowdown.
h. Further measures taken in this second stimulus package related to
providing an indirect push to realty and infrastructure sectors by
removing exemption from countervailing duties (CVDs) along with
special CVDs for steel and cement, the two important inputs for real
estate and infrastructure sectors.
i. Besides, in order to ensure that Indian corporate sector get cheaper
funds from abroad, in the second stimulus package the government
increased the limit on investment by foreign institutional investors
(FIIs) in rupee denominated corporate bonds issued by the Indian
companies from $8 billion to $15 billion. It was hoped that the above
measures in the second fiscal stimulus package would result in
additional credit supply of Rs. 56000 crore.
The Third Fiscal Stimulus Package:
a. In this third package announced on Jan. 24, 2009 the government
sought to boost demand by cutting central excise duty, service tax
and customs duty. This was estimated to cost the exchequer Rs.
29,100 crores.
The measures announced in this fiscal stimulus were:
a. Central excise duty was slashed further by 2 per cent from 10 per
cent to 8 per cent. Along with this the earlier 4% cut in central excise
duty announced in Dec. 2008 was extended beyond March 31, 2009.
It was expected that if this cut in excise duty was actually passed on
to the consumers by manufacturers, this would lead to the reduction
in prices and therefore stimulate demand for goods.
b. As a further measure to boost demand, service tax was also cut
across the board by 2 percentage point from 12 per cent to 10 per
cent.
 c. To provide relief to the power sector naptha imported for generation of
electricity was fully exempted from basic customs duty beyond March
2009.

45. Discuss the different sources of revenue in India.

a. Tax Revenue
b. Non-Tax Revenue
c. Other Non Tax Revenue

46. Explain Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Yojana and Gobardhan scheme.

a. PradhanMantriUjjwala Yojana aims to provide LPG (liquefied
petroleum gas) connections to poor households.
b. Under the scheme, an adult woman member of a below poverty line
family identified through the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) is
given a deposit-free LPG connection with financial assistance of Rs
1,600 per connection by the Centre.
c. Eligible households will be identified in consultation with state
governments and Union territories. The scheme is being implemented
by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
Key objectives of the scheme are:
a. Empowering women and protecting their health.
b. Reducing the serious health hazards associated with cooking based
on fossil fuel.
c. Reducing the number of deaths in India due to unclean cooking fuel.
d. Preventing young children from significant number of acute
respiratory illnesses caused due to indoor air pollution by burning the
fossil fuel
GOBAR- DHAN scheme:
a. Feb 2018 announced the launch of Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro
Resources Dhan (GOBAR-DHAN) scheme
b. The objective of the scheme is to increase rural income, rural jobs and
to keep villages clean through solid waste management.
c. Accordingly, this scheme aims to positively impact the Gram
Panchayats with 3Es, which are as following:
d. Energy : Self-reliance with respect to energy through utilization of
agricultural and animal waste to generate bio-energy through bio-gas
plants.
 e. Empowerment : Engaging rural people, especially women self-help
groups in construction, management and day to day operations of
biogas plants.
f. Employment : Generating jobs among the rural youth and women
through collection of waste, transportation to treatment plants,
management of treatment plant, sale and distribution of biogas
generated, etc.
g. The scheme is intended to manage and convert cattle dung and solid
waste in farms to compost, bio-slurry, bio-gas and bio-CNG. This
initiative shall support biodegradable waste recovery and conversion
of waste into resources.

47. What is PradhanMantri JI-VAN scheme and mention its objectives.

a. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the
“PradhanMantri JI-VAN (JaivIndhan- Vatavaran Anukoo lfasala
washesh Nivaran) Yojana” under the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural
Gas to provide financial support to Integrated Bioethanol Projects
using lignocellulosic biomass and other renewable feedstock.
b. Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN The scheme aims to incentivise 2G Ethanol
sector and support this nascent industry by creating a suitable
ecosystem for setting up commercial projects and increasing Research
& Development in this area
Objectives of the Scheme
a. Accomplishing the Government of India vision to reduce import
dependence by way of substituting fossil fuels with Biofuels
b. Meeting of the GHG emissions reduction targets through progressive
blending/ substitution of fossil fuels
c. Addressing environmental concerns caused due to the burning of
biomass/ crop residues & to improve the health of citizens.
d. Augmenting the farmer’s income by providing them remunerative
income for their otherwise waste agriculture residues.
e. Creation of rural & urban employment opportunities in 2G Ethanol
projects and Biomass supply chain.
f. Complementing the Swacch Bharat Mission by supporting the
aggregation of nonfood biofuel feedstocks such as waste biomass and
urban waste.
g. Indigenizing of Second Generation Biomass to Ethanol technologies.

48. What are the challenges of digitalization in a rural economy?

CHALLENGES
More than a year has been passed since Digital India mission has been
announced but it is facing multiple challenges in successful
implementation. Few of the challenges are-
a. High level of digital illiteracy is the biggest challenge in the success
of digital India programme. Low digital literacy is key hindrance in
adaptation of technologies . According to ASSOCHAM-Deloitte
report on Digital India,November,2016, around 950 million Indians
are still not on internet.
b. Making Digital India scheme known and creating an awareness
among common masses about its benefits is also a great challenge.
c. It is a mammoth task to have connectivity with each and every
village , town and city. Connecting 250000 Gram Panchayats
through National Optical Fibre is not an easy task. The biggest
challenge is ensuring that each panchayat point of broad band is
fixed up and functional. It is found that 67% of NOFN points are
non functional even at the pilot stage.
d. A key component under this vision is high speed of internet as a
core utility to facilitate online delivery of various services. India has
low internet speed. According to third quarter 2016 Akamai report
on internet speed ,India is at the 105th position in the world in
average internet speed. This rank is the lowest in entire Asia
Pacific region.
e. According to ASSOCHOM- Deloitte report , the issue pertaining to
taxation and regulatory guidelines have proved to road block in
realizing the vision of Digital India. Some of the common policy
hurdles include lack of clarity in FDI policies have impacted the
growth of ecommerce.
f. 6.The biggest challenge faced by Digital India programme is slow
and delayed infrastructure development. India’s digital
infrastructure is comprehensively inadequate to tackle growing
increase in digital transactions. India needs over 80 lakh hotspots
as against the availability of about 31000 hotspot at present to
reach global level, according to ASSOCHOM-Deloitte report.
g. The private participation in government projects in India is poor
because of long and complex regulatory processes.
h. Many request proposals issued by government are not picked up
by competent private sector organizations since they are not
commercially viable. Currently Over 55000 villages remain
deprived of mobile connectivity because providing mobile
connectivity in such locations is not commercially viable for service
providers ,ASSOCHAM-Deloitte report pointed out.
i. There is a wide digital divide between urban and rural India. Till
now funds have not been deployed effectively to meet the cost of
infrastructure creation in rural areas.
 j. India has 1600 languages and dialects. Non availability of digital
services in local languages is a great barrier in digital literacy.
k. Fear of cyber crime and breach of privacy has been deterrent in
adoption of digital technologies.

15 Marks

Unit - I (Geography)

49. Discuss about the causes, consequences and controlling measures of

Landslides
Definition of Landslide
Types
Causes
Consequence
Areas prone to landslides
Mitigation measure
Rapid sliding of large mass of bedrocks is called Landslide. Landslides
are largely controlled by highly localized.
a. Types:
i. Coastal Landslide
ii. Mountain Landslide
b. Causes:
i. Deforestation
ii. Urbanization(Human Settlements)
iii. Developmental Projects(Road, Railway, Dam, etc)
iv. Heavy downpour – Cloud Burst
v. Unregulated grazing
vi. Agricultural activities
vii. Jhum Cultivation
c. Consequences:
i. roadblock,
ii. destruction of railway lines and
iii. channel blocking
iv. River diversion
v. Loss of property
vi. Loss of life
d. Areas prone to landslides:
 i. Western Ghats and Nilgiris,
ii. The north-eastern regions
iii. TransHimalayan areas of Ladakh and Spiti
iv. the Aravali
c. Mitigation:
i. adopt area-specific measures to deal with landslides
ii. Restriction on the construction and other developmental
activities
iii. control on the development of large settlements
iv. promoting large-scale afforestation programmes
v. construction of bunds to reduce the flow of water
vi. Terrace farming should be encouraged

50. Give detailed essay on GNSS.

Skeleton:
a. GNSS – Intro
b. Types of GNSS
c. World GNSS
d. Application
e. Limitations
f. Conclusion
GNSS is the standard generic term for satellite navigation systems
that provide geo-spatial positioning with global or regional coverage. This
term includes the GPS (USA), GLONASS (Russia), Galileo (Europe),
Beidou (China), IRNSS (India) and other systems.
The GPS was the first GNSS system of the United States and
originally used for military applications. Today it is commonly used in
mobiles, vehicles, agriculture and other areas that allow us to use it in
all fields of mapping.
Types of GNSS:
a. Recreational GNSS
b. Mapping GNSS
c. Navigation GNSS
d. Survey GNSS
World GNSS(Describe about each of the following GPS)
a. GPS
b. GLONASS
c. Galileo
 d. Beiduo
e. QZSS
f. IRNSS
g. KRNSS
Application/Uses:
a. Survey and Mapping
b. Vehicle Tracking
c. Timing
d. Navigation
e. Fleet Management
f. Disaster Management
g. Precision Agriculture
h. Geo-tagging
i. Real time monitoring of Government Projects
j. Geo fencing
k. Forestry Management
l. Fire regulation
m. Visual Navigation
n. Tracking the movements of military troops
o. Fishing
Limitations:
a. It will not work under water, canal,
b. Needs clear sky
c. High cost
d. Maintenance is very difficulty
e. Highly skill manpower required
Conclusion:

51. What is Natural Vegetation? Discuss about different types of forest

present in India.
Natural vegetation refers to a plant community that has been left
undisturbed over a long time, so as to allow its individual species to
adjust themselves to climate and soil conditions as fully as possible.
On the basis of certain common features such as predominant
vegetation type and climatic regions, Indian forests can be divided into
the following groups:
A. Tropical Evergreen and Semi Evergreen forests
 B. Tropical Deciduous forests
C. Tropical Thorn forests
D. Montane forests
E. Littoral and Swamp forests.
A. Tropical Evergreen and Semi Evergreen Forests
a. found in the western slope of the Western Ghats, hills of the
northeastern region and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
b. found in warm and humid areas
c. annual precipitation of over 200 cm
d. mean annual temperature above 22oC.
e. Tropical evergreen forests are well stratified
f. There is no definite time for trees to shed their leaves, flowering
and fruition
g. Species found - rosewood, mahogony, aini, ebony, etc
B. Tropical Deciduous Forests
a. Most widespread forests in India.
b. They are also called the monsoon forests.
c. spread over regions which receive rainfall between 70-200 cm.
d. On the basis of the availability of water, these forests are
further divided into moist and dry deciduous.
e. Moist deciduous forests:
i. rainfall between 100-200 cm.
ii. found in the northeastern states along the foothills of
Himalayas, eastern slopes of the Western Ghats
iii. Teak, sal, shisham, hurra, mahua, amla, semul, kusum,
and sandalwood etc. are the main species of these forests.
f. Dry deciduous forest
i. rainfall ranges between 70 -100 cm
ii. found in rainier areas of the Peninsula
iii. Tendu, palas, amaltas, bel, khair, axlewood, etc. are the
common trees of these forests
C. Tropical Thorn Forests
a. receive rainfall less than 50 cm
b. In these forests, plants remain leafless for most part of the yea
c. Important species found are babool, ber, and wild date palm,
khair, neem, khejri
d. Places: Rajasthan, Punjab, Gujarat
D. Montane Forests
 a. decrease in temperature with increasing altitude leads to a
corresponding change in natural vegetation.
b. wet temperate type of forests between an altitude of 1,000-
2,000 m
c. Between 1,500-1,750 m, pine forests
d. Alpine forests and pastures - 3,000-4,000 m
E. Littoral and Swamp Forests
a. Lagoons, Wetlands, Fresh water lakes, Mangroves, etc.,
b. Mangroves grow along the coasts in the salt marshes, tidal
creeks, mud flats and estuaries
c. They consist of a number of salt-tolerant species of plants

52. What is rain fed farming? Mention the problems associated with rainfed
farming and explain how these problems can be solved.
a. The agricultural regions having annual rainfall less than 75 cm is
called rain fall is called rain fed farming or dry land farming
b. These regions grow hardy and drought
c. Resistant crops such as ragi, bajra, moong, gram and guar (fodder
crops) and practice various measures of soil moisture conservation
and rain water harvesting.
d. Problems Associated with Rainfed Farming
i. Drought
ii. Farmers Suicide
iii. Death of animals
iv. Crop Failure
v. Credit Burden for farmers
vi. Non-repayment of agricultural loans
vii. Out migration
viii. Involvement in crime activities
e. Strategy to solve the issues:
i. Promotion of Zero Budget Natural Farming
ii. Practice Mixed farming
iii. Implement watershed management programme
iv. Rainwater harvesting
v. Crop Insurance cover
vi. Moisture conservation
vii. Promote Micro Irrigation
viii. Interlinking of rivers
 ix. Effective implementation of Per Drop More Crop(PM Krishi
Sinchayee Yojana)

Unit - II (Environment)

53. What is Biodiversity? Explain the causes for loss of biodiversity,

conservation methodology of biodiversity
a. Definition
b. Causes:
i. Man made causes
ii. Natural cuases
c. Conservation Mathodologies

54. Write essay on Global Warming and Climate Change.

a. Definition of Global Warming and Climate Change
b. Causes
c. List of GHG Gases
d. Consequences
e. Mitigation measures

55. What is Interlinking of Rivers? Explain in detail about the advantages

and disadvantages of Interlinking of rivers.
a. Definition of Interlinking of Rivers
b. Example
c. Advantages
d. Disadvantages

Unit - III (Economy)

56. Give a detail account on the regulatory agencies of India.

a. RBI
b. SEBI
c. IRDA
d. PFRDA

57. Discuss the structure and functions of BRICS bank

a. The NDB is a multilateral development bank established by Brazil,
Russia, India, China and South Africa with the objective of financing
infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS and
 other emerging economies and developing countries, complementing
the efforts of multilateral and regional financial institutions toward
global growth and development.
b. The Bank will also provide technical assistance for projects to be
supported by the NDB and engage in information, cultural and
personnel exchanges with the purpose of contributing to the
achievement of environmental and social sustainability.
The main objectives of NDB operations are:
a. Fostering development of member countries
b. Supporting economic growth
c. Promoting competitiveness and facilitating job creation
d. Building a knowledge sharing platform among developing countries
e. To fulfill its purpose, the Bank will support public or private projects
through loans, guarantees, equity participation and other financial
instruments.
f. The activities of the New Development Bank as an international
institution for promoting sustainable development are consistent with
the purposes and principles of the United Nations in the socio-
economic field. In 2018, the New Development Bank received observer
status in the UN General Assembly, establishing a firm basis for
active and fruitful cooperation with the United Nations.