VISION IAS

www.visionias.in

APPROACH – ANSWER: G. S. MAINS MOCK TEST - 1834 (2022)

1. The Sunga dynasty contributed significantly to the cultural and social development in ancient
India. Discuss. (150 words) 10
Approach:
• Introduce by giving a brief account of the Sunga dynasty.
• Discuss the cultural and social developments in ancient India during the Sunga dynasty.
• Conclude accordingly.
Answer:
The Sunga dynasty emerged with the assassination of the last king of the Mauryas, Brihadratha in
180 BCE. The Sunga rule, with its center at Pataliputra, seems to have embraced territories in the
middle Ganga plain, the upper Ganga valley and eastern Malwa.
The Sunga empire played an important role in patronizing art. Some of the cultural and social
developments during the Sunga dynasty are as follows:
• Religious beliefs: The Sungas were Brahmanas as indicated by various sources including
.

Harshacharita.
o The rulers conducted Ashvamedha yajna. In the Ayodhya inscription of Dhanadeva,
Pushyamitra Sunga is credited with the performance of two Ashvamedha sacrifices.
o Divyavadana depicts Pushyamitra as a destroyer of Buddhist monasteries and places of
worship, particularly those constructed by Ashoka.
o They attempted to revive the caste system with the social supremacy of the Brahmins.
• Patronage to art: Bharhut, Bodhgaya and Sanchi bear evidence of the patronage received from
the Sunga rulers. The gates and railings of the Bharhut stupa and the fine gateway railings which
surround the Sanchi stupa are said to have been built during the Sunga period.
o A phenomenal spatial expansion of Buddhist monastic sites occurred. The period saw the
flowering of visual arts including small terracotta images, larger stone sculptures and
architectural monuments like the chaitya hall at Bhaja, the stupa at Bharhut and the Great
Stupa at Sanchi.
o The Sunga artists appear to delight in the handling of the human figures. The reliefs
illustrate episodes from the life of the Buddha and incidents that give an idea of
contemporary life. Some sculptures of Bharhut, Bodhgaya and Sanchi represent the first
organized art activity, which was opposite to the court art of the Mauryas.
• Literature: Sanskrit gradually gained prominence and became the language of the court. For
instance, the great Sanskrit grammarian Patanjali was patronized by Pushyamitra Sunga. The
play ‘Malavikagnimitram’ was written by Kalidas during this period. Further, some Buddhist
works of this age were written in Sanskrit.
o Patanjali’s synthesis of the tradition of Yoga became the foundation of one of the schools of
thought.
• Adjustment and adaptation: The period marked the assimilation of many foreigners into the
Indian society. The art of this period also reflects, for the first time, the results of the ethnic,
social and religious fusion and integration.

1 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

 According to the Puranas, Sunga rule in India lasted for 112 years and Magadha was the nucleus of
the kingdom. This period had a significant impact in the development of social and cultural life of
the Indian subcontinent.

2. Discuss the role of foreign nationals in the Indian freedom struggle during the Gandhian phase.
(150 words) 10
Approach:
• Give a brief introduction about the Gandhian phase in the Indian freedom struggle.
• Discuss the role played by foreign nationals in the Indian freedom struggle, especially during the
Gandhian phase.
• Conclude accordingly.
Answer:
The phase of the national movement from 1917 to 1947 is known as the Gandhian phase in the
Indian national movement. During this period, Mahatma Gandhi employed his principles of non-
violence and Satyagraha against the British government. Also, in this period, many foreign nationals
were appalled by colonialism and driven by a desire to support India’s freedom struggle. Some of
them were inspired by Gandhiji.
Role played by foreign nationals in the Indian freedom struggle during the Gandhian phase:
• Annie Besant: She came to India in 1893. A London-born Irish liberal, she supported trade
union rights and women’s rights (including contraception). Once in India, she plunged into
the nationalist movement, helping set up the Indian Home Rule League, which was modelled
after her Irish experience. She was the first woman to serve as the President of the Indian
National Congress in 1917, and was one of the founders of the Banaras Hindu University.
• Madeleine Slade: She was a British citizen who was a supporter of the Indian independence
movement. In the 1920s, she left her home in England to live and work with Mahatma Gandhi.
.

As she yearned to live by Gandhiji’s ideals and principles in daily life, Gandhiji gave her the
name Mirabehn.
• B.G. Horniman: A newspaper editor whose paper Bombay Chronicle frequently questioned
the colonial government, and the world learned the horrors of the Amritsar massacre at
Jallianwala Bagh in 1919 because of his reporting. Horniman’s newspaper was an outspoken
supporter of Indian nationalism, and he had made it his mission to see that Indians were given
the same rights of liberty and freedom that the Englishmen took for granted.
• Philip Spratt: He was a Communist who plunged headlong into organizing the working class in
India. In the late 1920s, the colonial administration swooped on many Communists and Leftists,
including Spratt, and implicated them in what came to be known as the Meerut Conspiracy
Case. Spratt was no fan of Gandhiji’s non-violence, but he was touched when Gandhiji visited the
Meerut detainees.
• Samuel Stokes: In 1920, he joined Gandhiji’s non-cooperation movement and vigorously
campaigned for the abolition of forced labour. Jailed for opposing the modern form of slavery,
Stokes was a fierce individualist who disagreed with Gandhiji’s insistence on making the
spinning of cloth a requirement in the Congress Party. He also wrote to Gandhiji in 1939, as
World War II was breaking out, arguing that India should ally with the British against the
greater menace of Nazism.
Thus, many voices had strengthened and enriched the nationalist movement including those of
foreign nationals in India’s struggle for independence.

2 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

3. Provide an account of the contributions of Ram Manohar Lohia during the Indian freedom
struggle and in post-independence India. (150 words) 10
Approach:
• Introduce by giving a brief account of Ram Manohar Lohiaji.
• Bring out the contributions made by him during the Indian freedom struggle.
• List his contributions in post-independence India.
• Conclude accordingly.
Answer:
Ram Manohar Lohia was a prominent figure in the Indian independence movement. The following
are his contributions to the Indian freedom struggle and in post-independence India:
Contributions to India’s independence struggle:
• He was one of the founders of the Congress Socialist Party in 1934 and editor of its
mouthpiece ‘Congress Socialist’.
• In 1936, he was selected by Jawaharlal Nehru as the Secretary of the Foreign Department of
the All India Congress Committee, which was the highest body of the Congress Party.
• He opposed Indian participation on the side of Great Britain in World War II and was
arrested for anti-British remarks in 1939 and 1940.
• He was at the forefront of the Quit India Movement in 1942 and set up underground radio
stations called, Congress Radio, at Bombay and Calcutta to disseminate the much needed
information to the masses to sustain a leaderless movement. He was jailed again in 1944–46
for resistance activities.
• He opposed the partition of the country in 1947. However, after partition, he was keen to
promote the idea of a confederation of India and Pakistan.
Contributions to post-independent India:
• After independence, he was against Portugal’s continuing sovereignty over Goa. For this, he
.

inspired and strengthened the fight against colonial rule.

• He served as the General Secretary of the Praja Socialist Party, which was founded in 1952,
but conflicts within the party led to his resignation in 1955. Later that year, he established a
new Socialist Party, for which he became the Chairman as well as the editor of its journal,
Mankind.
o He advocated for various socio-political reforms in his capacity as the party leader,
including the abolition of the caste system, the adoption of Hindi as India’s national
language, and stronger protection of civil liberties.
• He advocated five independent revolutions for five inequalities - gender, economic status,
race, caste and colonial rule based inequalities. Later, he added two more revolutions
against violence through satyagraha and against unjust public encroachment in the private
sphere and called them ‘Sapta-Kranti’ and advocated them as ‘real Socialism’.
• With regard to the economic strategy to be adopted after independence, he suggested the use
of labour-intensive technology as against capital-intensive technology and public
ownership of large-scale industries.
• He advocated devolution of politico-administrative power and supported Panchayati Raj.
• As an internationalist, he advocated pacifism, opposed nuclear weapons, protested against
racial inequality, and dreamt of a world without visas and passports, thereby in effect
recommending the concept of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’.
The thoughts and ideas of Ram Manohar Lohiaji still reverberate in the political and intellectual
landscape of India and find practical application in economy, religion, society, and politics.

3 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

4. What do you understand by tsunamigenic zones? Giving an account of their global distribution,
explain the propagation of tsunamis. (150 words) 10
Approach:
• Briefly explain the concept of tsunamigenic zones.
• Give an account of their global distribution.
• Explain the propagation of tsunamis.
• Conclude accordingly.
Answer:
Tsunamigenic zones refer to those regions which witness earthquakes leading to generation of
tsunamis and are commonly found along the major subduction zone plate boundaries. Usually,
earthquakes above magnitude 7.5 cause tsunamis.
Convergent plate boundaries are ideal for creation of large tsunamis, as they are generally able to
carry out vertical displacement of water due to earthquakes. Other less common causes of
earthquakes on the ocean surface can be submarine landslides, submarine volcanic eruptions etc.,
which may also trigger tsunamis.
Global distribution of the tsunamigenic zones:
• The Pacific Ocean experiences most of the major earthquakes due to the presence of the
Circum-Pacific subduction zone. The eastern marginal zones experience most of tsunamis and
include the island arcs of Kamchatka, Sakhalin, Japan and Philippines. Earthquakes in the region
are caused due to the collision between the Pacific and the Asiatic plates. These are also zones of
volcanic activities.
• Two main Indian Ocean tsunamigenic zones are Makran subduction zone in the North
Arabian Sea and Indonesian subduction zone in the Bay of Bengal near the Indonesian islands.
These zones are the result of the active tectonic collision process that is taking place along the
southern boundary of the Eurasian plate as it collides with the Indian plate and adjacent micro-
.

plates.
• Other areas of seismic activity can be observed along the mid-Atlantic Ridge Belt, however, as
they record moderate earthquakes, large tsunamis are not triggered by them.

Propagation of tsunamis: A tsunami propagation has four general stages, which are described as
under:
• Initiation: During initiation, a large set of ocean waves are caused by any large and sudden
disturbance of the sea surface, most commonly earthquakes but sometimes also underwater
landslides.
• Split: In the split stage, the initial set of waves are split into two, one set that travels out into the
deep ocean and another that travels towards a nearby coast.
• Amplification: In this stage, the height of the tsunami increases, and the distance between two
adjacent crests decreases as it travels towards the coast, so the first wave of the tsunami
becomes steep.
• Run-up: Tsunami runup occurs when a peak in the tsunami wave travels from the near-shore
region onto the shore. Runup is a measurement of the height of the water onshore observed
above a reference sea level.
4 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS
 Once on land, a part of the tsunami is reflected back into the ocean, and another part is trapped in
waves that travel back-and-forth near the shore. In the open ocean, a tsunami is less than a few feet
high at the surface and in the deep ocean, it is generally unnoticed and can travel at speeds of nearly
600 miles per hour.

5. What are atmospheric lakes? Highlight their characteristics. (150 words) 10

Approach:
• Write a brief introduction about atmospheric lakes.
• Discuss their characteristics.
• Conclude accordingly.
Answer:
Atmospheric lakes are long lived pools of moisture/unique storms that originate as a
concentrated long thin string of water vapor over the Indo-Pacific region and flow towards
dry lowlands along East Africa’s coastline. Recently, this meteorological phenomenon has been
.

observed for the first time over the western Indian Ocean.
Characteristics of atmospheric lakes:
• In contrast to conventional storms created by vortexes, the compact, slow-moving storm
hovering above the Indian Ocean contains large concentrations of water vapor dense
enough to produce a large amount of precipitation.
○ These atmospheric lakes have been likened to atmospheric rivers, which are long, narrow
plumes of dense moisture continuous from source to the shoreline. But, unlike atmospheric
rivers, slow-moving atmospheric lakes detach from the weather system that comes to
produce them.
○ Like the atmospheric rivers that are famous for delivering large amounts of precipitation,
atmospheric lakes start as filaments of water vapor in the Indo-Pacific.
• They generally last longer than six days, occur several times a year, and occur within 10
degrees of the Equator in all seasons. Lakes farther off the Equator also occur, and sometimes
those become tropical cyclones.
• Their movement might be due to some feature of the larger wind pattern, or perhaps that the
atmospheric lakes are self-propelled by winds generated during rain production.
• The winds that carry these lakes to coastal areas are so tantalizing, delicately near zero (wind
speed), that everything could affect them.
If all the water vapor from these lakes were liquified, it would form a puddle only a few centimeters
deep and around 1,000 kilometers wide. This amount of water can create significant
precipitation for the dry lowlands of eastern African countries where millions of people live.
However, there are many unknown aspects such as why these atmospheric lakes separate from the
river-like pattern from which they form, and how and why they move forward. Also, their
interaction with climate change related factors is not known. As a result, it is necessary to better
understand this phenomenon in order to utilize the information for the benefit of mankind.
5 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS
6. What are polymetallic nodules? Highlight their geographical distribution and state their
significance. (150 words) 10
Answer:
• Briefly explain Poly-Metallic Nodules (PMN) in the introduction.
• Mention their geographical distribution across the globe.
• Briefly discuss their significance.
• Conclude accordingly.
Answer:
Poly-Metallic Nodules (PMN), also called manganese nodules, are rock concretions formed of
concentric layers of iron and manganese hydroxides around a core. The core may be
microscopically small and is sometimes completely transformed into manganese minerals by
crystallization. The enormous tonnage of nodules on the seabed, and the immense quantities of
critical metals that they contain, have made them a target for future mining operations.
Geographical distribution of Poly-Metallic Nodules:
The polymetallic nodules carpet practically 70% of the deep sea floor. The nodules have been
found in all the oceans and even in lakes. However, nodules of economic interest are more
localized. They are found in significant abundances in four regions of the ocean:
• Clarion – Clipperton Zone (CCZ): With an area of around 9 million square kilometres, this is
the world‘s largest manganese nodule region. The CCZ is located in the Pacific, extending from
the west coast of
Mexico to Hawaii. On
an average, one
square metre in the
Clarion-Clipperton
Zone contains around
15 kilograms of
.

manganese nodules.
The total mass of
manganese nodules
here is calculated to
be around 21 billion
tonnes.
• Peru Basin: The Peru Basin lies about 3000 kilometres off the Peruvian coast. It is about half as
large as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone. The region contains an average of 10 kilograms of
manganese nodules per square metre.
• Penrhyn Basin: The third most important manganese nodule area in the Pacific is located in the
Penrhyn Basin very near the Cook Islands, a few thousand kilometres east of Australia. It has an
area of around 750,000 square kilometres. Large areas in the Cook Islands coastal waters have
concentrations of over 25 kilograms of manganese nodules per square metre of sea floor.
• Indian Ocean: So far only a single large area of manganese nodules has been discovered here,
with an area comparable to that of the Penrhyn Basin. It is located in the central Indian Ocean.
Each square metre of the sea floor here contains around 5 kilograms of manganese nodules.
Significance of Poly-Metallic Nodules
• Mining of polymetallic nodules has been spurred by the need for critical metals to support
growing populations, urbanization, high-technology applications and the development of a
green-energy economy.
o The mineral constituents of nodules like manganese, nickel, cobalt, copper and iron
hydroxide can be extracted and used in electronic devices, smartphones, batteries and even
for solar panels. For instance, polymetallic nodules are a potential alternative source of
Cobalt required for the production of batteries.
• Polymetallic nodules, alongside iron-manganese crusts and deep-sea muds are all potential
future marine sources of rare earth elements. For instance, the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, and
6 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS
 the prime Fe-Mn crust zone (PCZ) in the central Pacific, contain around 10% of the estimated
global terrestrial reserve base. These rare earth elements and metals are important to
technology and electronic industries.
India was the first country to receive the status of a ‘Pioneer Investor’ in 1987 and was given an
area of about 1.5 lakh sq km in the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB) for nodule exploration. Given
the economic significance of PMN, India has also launched “Deep Ocean Mission” in 2019 to explore
and extract polymetallic nodules.

7. What are technical textiles? In view of their significance, discuss the steps taken by the
government to promote them in India. (150 words) 10
Approach:
• Explain what you understand by technical textiles.
• Briefly discuss the significance of technical textiles.
• Highlight the measures taken by the government to promote technical textiles in India.
• Conclude accordingly.
Answer:
Technical textiles are materials meeting high technical and quality requirements (mechanical,
thermal, electrical, durability, etc.) giving them the ability to offer technical functions. They are also
called industrial textiles, functional textiles, performance textiles, engineering textiles, etc.
Technical textiles find end-use applications across multiple industries such as healthcare,
construction, automobile, aerospace, sports, defence, and agriculture.
Technological advancements, increase in end-use applications, cost-effectiveness, durability, user-
friendliness and eco-friendliness of technical textiles have led to the upsurge of their demand in the
global market. Technical textiles contribute to about 0.7% of India’s GDP and account for
approximately 13% of India’s total textile and apparel market.
.

To capitalise on the growing demand for technical textiles in India and around the world, the
government of India has undertaken the following measures to promote their production and
import:
• Introduction of Harmonized System of Nomenclature (HSN) codes for technical textiles: It
will help in monitoring data related to their import and export and in providing financial
support and other incentives to manufacturers. The purpose of this classification is to increase
international trade and enable the market size to grow.
• Allowing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI): 100% FDI is allowed in this sector under the
automatic route.
• Technotex India initiative: It comprises exhibitions, conferences and seminars with the
participation of stakeholders from across the global technical textile value chain.
• National Technical Textiles Mission: The Mission has been approved for 4 years (2020-21 to
2023-24) with an outlay of Rs. 1480 crores. It aims at developing the usage of technical textiles
in various flagship missions and programmes of the country including strategic sectors.
• Other schemes for the promotion of technical textiles include:
○ Scheme for Integrated Textile Park (SITP): This scheme was launched to create new
textile parks of international standards at potential growth centres. Presently, SITPs
dedicated to technical textiles are functional in various states in the country, such as
Pallavada Technical Textiles Park (Tamil Nadu), Vraj Integrated Textile Park Limited
(Gujarat), etc.
○ Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (ATUFS): Under this, manufacturers
engaged in technical textiles are provided with a capital investment subsidy.
The significance of the technical textile sector became evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, as
technical textiles form important components of medical gowns and PPE. India could produce PPE
in large numbers because of its widespread support for and adoption of the technical textiles
industry. Since, the industry is a sunrise industry, the government needs to develop it and maintain
an ecosystem for its sustained growth.
7 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS
8. Discuss the challenges that internal migration creates for urban governance in India. Also,
suggest measures to address the same. (150 words) 10
Approach:
• Give a brief introduction regarding internal migration in India.
• Mention the challenges created by it for urban governance.
• Suggest the measures needed to tackle these challenges.
• Conclude accordingly.
Answer:
As per the 2011 census report, the number of internal migrants in India was 450 million, which
includes intra-district, inter-district and inter-state migration. This constituted 37% of the Indian
population in 2011. This large number of internal-migration creates the following challenges for
urban governance:
• Unplanned development: Large number of migrants often leads to creation of unauthorised
colonies, which are not developed as per the needs of a vibrant urban space.
• Provision of basic amenities: Increasing migrant population puts pressure on the capacity of
urban agencies to provide adequate basic amenities like access to clean water, metalled roads,
clean locality etc. This often leads to creation of slums, which are unhygienic.
• Livelihood: Internal migrants are mostly employed in the unorganized sector and urban
agencies find themselves unable to provide livelihood security to these migrants.
o An ILO study revealed that 95% of India’s internal migrants lost all their means of livelihood
during the COVID-19 lockdown and only 7% benefited from the efforts to revive their
livelihoods through the state-run MGNREGA program.
• Social security: Non-portability of entitlements for migrant labourers (such as PDS) gets
aggravated due to absence of identity documentation.
• Safety and security: Migrants often reside in the crime infested slums/ghettos where they are
susceptible to physical abuse and sexual harassment, especially women and children.
Sometimes, they are also harassed by law enforcement authorities.
.

• Lack of database: The official data (Census or the National Sample Survey) is more than a
decade old. Moreover, migrants do not constitute a homogeneous category, and are segmented
along gender, class, ethnicity, language and religion, which makes it further difficult to provide
services to migrants.
In this context, following measures needs to be taken to tackle the challenges being faced by urban
governance in India:
• Capacity building: The government needs to provide adequate funds and personnel to prepare
a long term master plan for urban growth, anticipating and accommodating future needs for
housing, transportation, sanitation, health services and education services etc.
• Comprehensive policy: The government needs to develop an inclusive and comprehensive
policy framework to mitigate the vulnerabilities faced by internal migrants in various fields.
• Ensuring access to basic services: Access to decent living conditions should also be included
in migration policy ensuring that migrants are not denied access to housing and basic services
etc.
• Labour market inclusion: This can be done through by providing training, placement and skill
upgradation with the help of NGOs.
• Legal aid and dispute resolution: This can be done through Legal Aid Societies in districts,
which will help migrants protect themselves against work and wage-related malpractices and
will provide grievance and dispute handling mechanisms to negotiate with employers/
contractors.
• Financial inclusion: This can be done by extending banking facilities to promote savings and
secure transfer of remittances in the source and destination areas.
The provision of financial inclusion through PM Jan Dhan Yojana and implementation of One Nation
One Ration Card scheme are steps in the right direction. However, aforesaid challenges are complex
and lack of recognition for migrants is still to be fully addressed. The issue of migration needs to be
embedded in urban development policy and planning.
8 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS
9. Discuss the various opportunities and challenges posed by globalization on working women in
India. (150 words) 10
Approach:
• Give a brief context of the impact of globalisation on working women in India.
• Mention various opportunities created by globalization on working women in India.
• Also discuss the challenges posed by it.
• Conclude accordingly.
Answer:
Globalisation has not only increased the economic opportunities but has also led to an increase in
access to information, primarily through television and the internet. Globalisation has given women
a new identity, financial independence, freedom of expression as well as a remarkable social status.
Opportunities provided by globalisation for working women in India:
• Modern education and capacity building: Globalization has created immense opportunities
forcing economies to recognize and utilize their resources efficiently. Resultantly, females that
comprise about half of our population are increasingly acquiring higher education and engaging
in a productive workforce.
• Increased employment opportunities: Globalisation has opened the scope for employment in
sectors, which have global bearing, especially in the service sector, for instance, data processing,
banks, insurance companies, software development etc. This has created opportunities for
women in diverse sectors.
• Development of entrepreneurial attitude: Traditionally most women stayed at home taking
care of domestic needs and children. Now with increased connectivity and exposure, we see a
surge in enterprises led by women such as Nykaa.
• Increase in social choices of women: The increased opportunities for paid work has increased
women’s social choices as well, giving them self-confidence and enhancing their decision
making ability.
.

While globalization has improved the socio-economic condition of women and has promoted
equality between the sexes, there are still many challenges:
• Double burden: Women do both household work (like cooking, baby care, etc.) as well as
professional work. This dual responsibility makes it difficult to leave their mark in their places
of work.
• Sexual harassment at work place: Job opportunities have increased but safety at workplace
and in public spaces remains an issue. The issue of women safety is of particular concern in new
age industries that have opened as a result of globalisation and involve working at odd hours.
• Gender inequality: Gender differences in education, particularly scientific and technical
education, have limited women’s access to new employment opportunities created in the
globalised world.
• Access to resources: Issues related to property rights of women and limited access to
productive inputs also constrain their capacity to benefit from trade opportunities that have
opened up.
• Lower level jobs: Barring the IT sector, women are mainly employed in middle and lower
managerial level jobs. Women’s participation in the higher managerial level in the private sector
is still limited (glass ceiling effect).
Despite this, the advent of global communication networks and cross-cultural exchanges have led to
change in the status of women albeit not to a very large extent. Globalization has indeed promoted
ideas and norms of equality for women that have brought about awareness and acted as a catalyst
in their struggle for equitable rights and opportunities.

9 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

10. Discuss the rationale behind anti-conversion laws in India. Also, state the concerns that have
been raised with regard to these laws. (150 words) 10
Approach:
• Give a brief introduction about anti-conversion laws in India.
• Discuss the rationale behind anti-conversion laws in India.
• Bring out the various concerns that are being raised with regard to these laws.
• Conclude accordingly.
Answer:
In pre-independence India, anti-conversion laws were introduced by some princely states such as
Kota, Jodhpur, etc. to preserve their religious identity from the influence of the Christian
missionaries. Independent India also witnessed various failed attempts at the national level to pass
the anti-conversion bill. In 2015, the Ministry of Law and Justice stated that it is a matter of purely
state subject. Currently, legislations on unlawful conversion are in force in several states of India
such as Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, etc.
The rationale behind anti-conversion laws in India:
• Fear of change in demography: Conversions can change the demography of a region by
changing the composition of the majority and minorities in a region, which can have adverse
effects on the social structure and coherence in the region.
• Serving justice: It is deemed that the laws are intended to prohibit conversions that are
effectuated by force, inducement, or fraud, thus serving justice to those victims who have been
coerced to convert.
• Strengthen religious freedoms: Since they provide stringent provisions for forced or induced
conversion, they are considered as necessary safeguards for the protection of religious freedom.
o The freedom given in Article 25 of the Indian Constitution is not absolute but subject to
restrictions such as public order, health, morality, and other fundamental rights.
• Legal backing: India’s legal dispensation only recognizes conversion, which is not done with
.

inducement or threat.
However, there are certain concerns that are being raised with regard to anti-conversions
laws:
• Burden of proof: The burden of proof lies on the person who has ‘caused’ the conversion. Thus,
the laws reportedly focus more on prosecuting the converter, and the opinion of the person who
has converted is given less importance.
• Lack of equitable treatment: It is argued that the anti-conversion laws, both by their design
and implementation, infringe upon the individual’s right to convert and may favour one religion
over another. They also raise concerns about the privacy of individuals who wish to adopt other
religions.
• Creates an atmosphere of fear: Reports suggest that though there are very rare instances of
prosecution or arrest under anti-conversion laws, they create an atmosphere of fear amongst
couples opting for inter-faith marriages.
• Vague nature and wide scope: The terms used in such laws like fraud, force, allurement etc.
are loosely defined, leaving wide scope for misuse. The misreading of these laws could result in
the deepening of communal fault lines.
Anti-conversion laws in India are intertwined in complex situations wherein, drawing a balancing
line protecting the freedom of religion of a person and identifying victimization is required. More
concrete definition of forced conversion needs to be adopted. Further, these laws must be backed by
data, evidence, and trends.

10 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

11. Central Asian contacts had a profound political and cultural impact on India in ancient times.
Discuss. (250 words) 15
Approach:
• Give a brief introduction about the Central Asian contacts in ancient India.
• Discuss its impact on polity, society and art separately.
• Give a brief conclusion.
Answer:
India enjoyed historical and civilizational linkages with Central Asia through the Silk Route from
3rd century BC onwards, which connected the two regions not only for transportation of goods like
silk, textiles, spices etc. but also served as an effective channel for exchange of thoughts, ideas,
religion, and philosophy. Various invasions also took place starting from Indo-Greeks followed by
Sakas, Kushanas, Parthians etc. during this period, which impacted various socio-political aspects of
the country.
Impact on polity:
• Feudatory organization: The Central Asian conquerors imposed their rule on numerous petty
native princes, which led to the development of feudatory organizations.
• The concept of divine authority: The Sakas and Kushanas strengthened the idea of the divine
origin of kingship in India.
• Less centralization: The ‘satrap’ system of government was introduced, where the empire was
divided into numerous satrapies and each satrapy was placed under the rule of a satrap.
• Military governorship: This was done by the Greeks who appointed their military governors to
maintain the power of foreign rulers over the conquered people.
Impact on society:
• New clothing elements: Sakas and Kushanas introduced turbans, tunic, trousers and heavy
long coats. They also brought in caps, helmets and boots for the warriors.
.

• Origin of Mahayana Buddhism: They started creating images of Buddha and helped in
strengthening the Mahayana sect of Buddhism.
• Coins: The Indo-Greeks and Kushanas issued coins with historical relevance, and their
numismatic analysis helped in studying the history of that period.
Impact on art:
• Pottery: The Saka-Kushana phase saw red-pottery techniques being used in India, which was
widely known in Central Asia.
• Sculptures: The use of reins and saddles, which appear in the Buddhist sculptures of the 2 nd
and 3rd centuries AD were made common by Sakas and Kushanas.
• Gandhara art: Indian artisans, after coming into contact with Greeks and Romans, gave rise to a
new kind of art in which images of Buddha were made in the Greco-Roman style.
• Literature: The foreign princes patronized and cultivated Sanskrit literature. For instance,
Junagadh inscription by Rudradaman I.
• Theater: Yavanika or curtains in theater were introduced by the Greeks or Yavanas.
• Astronomy: Indian astronomy and astrology also benefited from contact with the Greeks. For
instance, Yavanajataka (sayings of the Greeks) is considered as the first Indian astrological
treatise in Sanskrit language and Paulisa Siddhanta is based upon Hellenistic astronomy. The
sun zodiac and horoscope (hora shastra) have also been taken from the Greeks.
India and Central Asia continued to influence each other during the medieval period when scholars
like Al-Baruni and Al-Khwarizmi came to India for gathering knowledge and later when the Mughals
established their empire.

11 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

12. Governance, during the British rule, was a means of exploitation of India rather than a vehicle
of public welfare. Discuss. (250 words) 15
Approach:
• Give a brief introduction of British rule in India.
• Discuss how the British government exploited India instead of working for the welfare of
people.
• Briefly bring forward a few welfare policies during the colonial rule.
• Conclude accordingly.
Answer:
The British government directly assumed the responsibility of governing the Indian subcontinent
from 1858 until independence. Though the colonial rule, direct or indirect, lasted for around 200
years, it hardly played any welfarist role with the structure and operation of the Indian economy
being largely determined by the interests of the colonial British empire.
Exploitation of India by British government:
• Exploitation of Indian economy: At the beginning of the 18th century, India’s share in the
world economy was around 23%. This share came down to around 3% when India got
independence.
o For instance, the Charter Act of 1813 allowed one-way free trade of cheap and machine-
made clothes for the British citizens. Whereas, tariffs of nearly 80% were imposed on Indian
textiles so that Indian clothes could no longer be cheap.
o Even the Railways was developed with a focus on facilitating export of raw materials rather
than focussing on connecting hinterlands of India.
• Deindustrialisation: Indian textile industry was impacted and India was reduced from
exporter of finished product to exporter of raw materials and an importer of finished goods.
• Ruralisation: Deindustrialisation led to the decline of many cities and started the process of
ruralisation of India. Many artisans, faced with diminishing returns and repressive policies,
.

abandoned their professions, moved to villages, and took to agriculture.

• Impoverishment of peasantry: Policies like Permanent Settlement led to transfer of land. The
zamindars, with increased powers, resorted to summary evictions, demanded illegal dues and
‘begar’ to maximise their share in the produce.
• Commercialisation of agriculture: It led to introduction of a large number of commercial
crops and enhanced the speed of transfer of ownership of land. Thus, it increased the number of
landless laborers and brought in a large number of merchants, traders and middlemen to
exploit the situation.
• Famine and poverty: Regular recurrence of famines was not just because of food grain scarcity,
but a direct result of colonial policies. Between 1850 and 1900, about 2.8 crore people died in
famines.
• Repressive measures: The Government brought repressive policies like the Indian Arms Act
of 1878, which prohibited Indians to possess any arms without license. Similarly, the
Vernacular Press Act of 1878 acted against the freedom of expression in vernacular languages.
Legal provisions like Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) were used against the
Indian freedom fighters.
• Neglect of mass education: This led to widespread illiteracy (1911—84% and in 1921—92%),
which created a wide linguistic and cultural gulf between the educated few and the masses.
However, there were certain positive steps taken by the British government in India. For instance,
they brought laws to curb inhumane practices like Sati, worked for empowerment of women,
introduced modern way of life to Indian people, brought the technological revolution to India,
etc. Further, the introduction of railways, telegraph, etc. though for their own interests worked in
political and cultural unification of India. However, despite all this, the basic character of the British
rule in India remained exploitative in nature.

12 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

13. Discuss how India successfully dealt with the sensitive issue of language, which had the
potential of threatening national unity in the post-independence period. (250 words) 15
Approach:
• Give a brief context of the language issue in the post-independence period.
• Mention the way in which India dealt with this issue.
• Conclude accordingly.
Answer:
After India got independence, it had to deal with the sensitive issue of language in two major
forms: first was the dispute over the official language of Union and second was the linguistic
reorganization of the states.
The first issue of official language, created an emotive response as non-Hindi speakers viewed it as
imposition of Hindi language over their own languages. Language is closely related to culture and
therefore to the customs of people. The reasons behind this issue were the following:
• National leaders believed that there should be a common language, which should be used as
lingua franca and official language for the whole country.
• The case for Hindi was made on the fact that it was the language of the largest section of
population in the country. However, non-Hindi speakers felt that Hindi as an official language
would place non-Hindi areas, especially South India, at a disadvantage in the educational and
economic spheres, and particularly in appointments for government and public sector jobs.
The second issue was linguistic reorganization of states, a demand which the post independent
leadership felt would considerably threaten the unity and integrity of the nation. The demand was
based on following reasons:
• Democracy can become inclusive and participatory only when politics and administration are
conducted through the language they can understand.
• During the national movement, Congress undertook political mobilization in the mother tongue
.

and in 1921 amended its constitution and reorganized its regional branches on a linguistic
basis.
• However, following the partition of India, national leaders were apprehensive of linguistic
redrawal of state boundaries fearing that this may further strengthen divisive tendencies.
India handled the above two issues in following manners:-
• Official Language: Hindi language in Devanagari script along with international numerals was
made the official language of the Union but a timeframe of 15 years was also provided to shift
from English to Hindi. In 1963, the Official language Act was passed for continuation of English
even after 1965 (last year of 15 year time frame). Later, the Act was amended to provide that
English could be used as an associate language in addition to Hindi for official work at the centre
and for communication between the centre and the states as long as the states wanted it to
be, giving them full veto powers over the question of official language and settling the
issue. Further, many other languages were given constitutional status by including them in
the 8th Schedule of the Constitution.
• Linguistic states: The JVP committee, appointed to examine the issue, was of the view that
creation of linguistic states should be avoided for the time being, emphasizing on unity, national
security and economic development as the needs of the hour. However, the violent agitation
after the death of Gandhian Potti Sriramalu initiated a process of language based states,
leading to the appointment of a States Reorganization Commission, which suggested creation
of 14 states and 6 Union Territories. Later, Maharashtra was also divided into Gujarat and
Maharashtra; and Haryana was also carved out of Punjab on linguistic basis.
Thus, India established itself strongly as a multilingual nation where a number of languages
enjoyed constitutional status and created a number of linguistic states, which seemed to be a fine
model of unity in diversity rather than being a divisive force. It becomes even more remarkable
when contrasted with the scenario in Sri Lanka and Pakistan, which failed to reconcile their
linguistic diversity leading to deeper problems on the issue of language.

13 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

14. Bring out the factors, which led to decolonisation after the Second World War. Also, discuss the
role played by India in this regard. (250 words) 15
Approach:
• Discuss the end of the Second World War and the creation of a new global order.
• Highlight the major factors that led to the decolonization of the world.
• Discuss the role played by India in this context.
• Conclude accordingly.
Answer:
The Second World War (1939-1945) was an epochal event in the history of the modern world,
which not only led to the creation of the modern global order and international institutions based
on modern liberal values but also hastened the process of the decolonization of the world.
At the end of the war, many colonial powers of Europe still had vast colonies in other parts of the
world, especially in Asia and Africa. These countries started gaining independence after the Second
World War and most of the countries of the world got independent by 1975. The process of
decolonization was a result of many factors working together, including:
• The European powers were weakened as a result of the war and were no more confident of
keeping the colonies that they had before the war. This brought an opportunity for
independence to many regions like French North Africa and India.
• The success of non-European powers against European powers was a source of inspiration
(especially to the revolutionaries) for colonized nations to rise against the colonial powers. For
instance, Japanese successes in the early part of the war.
• In many parts of the world, such as India and Vietnam, nationalist movements against the
colonial and imperial rule were ongoing. The end of the war further strengthened anti-colonial
feelings making it almost impossible for the colonial powers to continue their rule.
.

o For instance, Pan-Africanism was an idea based on shared social and cultural ties
among all people and countries that had their origin in Africa. The spread of this idea across
Africa and other parts of the world gave a strong encouragement to the ambition of
independence in the African continent.
• The Atlantic Charter, signed after the Second World War, emphasized on the principles of non-
colonial expansionism, self-determination, and sovereignty. This made it harder for the
colonial powers to justify their hold on the colonies.
• There was outside pressure against colonization. At the end of the war, the United States
was not supportive of the European countries keeping colonies and wanted speedy
decolonization in Asia and Africa, as per the principles of the Atlantic Charter. The USA also
feared that any delay in this regard might lead to the spread of Communism, which was a
great challenge for USA and other European countries.
India itself got its independence after the War and played a critical role in the decolonization
process of the world in the following manner:
• Inspiration for other independence movements: Many colonial countries, especially in
Africa, were inspired by the Indian freedom struggle. The most notable example being South
Africa wherein Gandhian ideals and tools were adopted by the national leaders towards their
independence.
• Global efforts led by India:
o India played a critical role in the adoption of “decolonization” as an agenda item of the UN
General Assembly. India was one of the first countries to raise its voice against the
Netherlands and France after the Second World War.
o India created and provided platforms such as the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) for
countries of the world to push forward the process of decolonization.
• India continues to raise the voice against colonization at all relevant fora at the regional and
international levels, as seen recently with regard to seventeen non-self-governing territories
seeking the right to self-determination.
14 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS
 Colonialism and imperialism exploit the economic resources and control the political system of a
country and in this process their development takes place at the cost of the colonized people. The
values and principles enshrined in the UN Charter must be adhered to while also finding a solution
to the long pending issue of colonization of the remaining territories of the world. This would herald
a new era in the development of the world, which would be based on values and principles of
human rights rather than self-interest.

15. What are Marine Heat Waves (MHW)? Identify the causes of their formation and discuss their
consequences for India. (250 words) 15
Approach:
• Start with a brief concept about Marine Heat Waves (MHW).
• Highlight the factors responsible their formation.
• Discuss their consequences for India.
• Conclude accordingly.
Answer:
Marine heat waves (MHWs) occur when seawater temperatures exceed a seasonally varying
threshold for at least 5 consecutive days. Successive heatwaves with gaps of 2 days or less are
considered to be a part of the same event. During a MHW, the average temperature of the ocean
surface up to a depth of 300 feet go 5-7 degrees Celsius above normal.
MHWs have been recorded in surface and deep waters, across all latitudes, and in all types of
marine ecosystems. They can occur in summer or winter. They are defined based on differences
with expected temperatures for the location and time of year.
Causes of Marine Heat Waves:
MHWs are considered to be the direct result of local-scale processes acting within the mixed layer
(e.g., ocean heat advection, air-sea interaction or vertical mixing), which can be modulated by
.

remote influences (e.g., climate modes such as ENSO) and their teleconnections.
• EL-Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO): The increase in the Sea Surface Temperature during EL
Nino in the eastern tropical Pacific results in MHW events in the tropical latitudes. In the Indian
Ocean, it is supported by positive Indian Ocean Dipole and in the tropical Atlantic, by negative
North Atlantic Oscillation.
• Increased Sea surface temperatures (SST): Sea Surface Temperatures have increased at a
rate of nearly 0.6°C per century. This warming has increased the likelihood of marine heatwaves
occurring.
• Ocean Currents: The most common drivers of marine heatwaves include Ocean currents, which
can build up areas of warm water and air-sea heat flux or warming through the ocean surface
from the atmosphere. Winds can enhance or suppress the warming in a marine heatwave.
• Anthropogenic factors: Around 90 per cent of the warming caused by greenhouse gas
emissions is absorbed by the oceans. Climate change is causing ocean warming globally, and
regionally MHWs are driven by unusual weather patterns and disruptions in ocean currents and
mixing.
Consequences of MHW on India:
• Habitat destruction: These events cause habitat destruction due to coral bleaching, seagrass
destruction and loss of kelp forests, affecting the fisheries sector adversely.
• Impact on Monsoons: The marine heat waves in the Indian Ocean have an impact over the
Southwest Monsoon, which is the main rain-bearing system over the Indian subcontinent. The
MHWs reduce monsoon rainfall over central India. However, the occurrence in north Bay of
Bengal increases rainfall over the southern peninsular area.
• Natural calamities: Higher water temperatures associated with MHWs can cause extreme
weather events such as tropical storms and hurricanes, and disrupt the water cycle; making
floods, droughts and wildfires on land more likely.

15 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

 • Degrades marine ecosystem and loss of biodiversity: MHWs have been associated with the
mass mortality of marine invertebrates and may force species to change behavior in a way that
puts wildlife at an increased risk of harm.
• Socio-economic impacts: MHWs have other profound socio-economic impacts for coastal
communities. Aquaculture, for instance, requires water temperatures to remain suitable for
farmed species, while fisheries rely on species that often relocate in response to changing
environmental conditions. MHWs can also harm regional tourism.
In the past few decades, MHWs have increased significantly in the Indian Ocean. Therefore, India
must invest in nature-based solutions alongside ambitiously reducing fossil fuel-based emissions to
achieve the goals agreed to under the Paris Agreement. Funding agencies and governments must
build research capacity to monitor MHWs, understand their impacts, and predict future heatwave
events.

16. What are the geo-climatic conditions required for oil palm cultivation? Do you agree with the
view that India should promote its large-scale cultivation to reduce import dependency?
(250 words) 15
Approach:
• Briefly mention about oil palm in the introduction.
• Mention the conditions needed for oil palm cultivation.
• Discuss why India should promote large scale cultivation of oil palm.
• Briefly highlight the associated challenges.
• Provide a balanced conclusion.
Answer:
Oil palm trees are native to Africa but were brought to South-East Asia just over 100 years ago as an
ornamental tree crop. Now, Indonesia and Malaysia make up over 85% of global supply due to the
.

favorable climatic conditions.

Geo-climatic conditions required for oil palm cultivation:
• Rainfall and Humidity: Requires an annual average rainfall in the range 2,500–4,000 mm,
more than 200 rainy days, a relative humidity between 75 and 80 percent.
• Temperature: The suitable temperatures need to be 22 °C to 32 °C with bright sunlight at least
for five hours a day.
• Soil: Moist, well drained, deep, loamy, alluvial soils rich in organic matter with good water
permeability are required.
Promoting large scale cultivation of oil palm will prove beneficial for India in following ways:
• Secure edible oils economy: India imports approximately 13.5 million tonnes of edible oils a
year, of which more than 60% is palm oil. Also, more than 90% of its palm oil is used in food
products, especially for cooking purposes.
○ The very versatility of the palm oil has made it an effective substitute for other kinds of
oil. The government also includes palm oil in food rations for the poor. It also comes cheap
as compared to the rising prices of other edible oils.
• Increase farmers’ income: Oil palm is offered as an alternative to low yield crops such as
sugarcane and paddy, with expansion focused on areas where it can be a rain-fed crop.
• Decrease current account deficit: Cultivating oil palm will increase the domestic production
of edible oils and reduce India’s import dependency on it.
• Strategic autonomy: For example, following Malaysian Prime Minister’s criticism of India on its
internal matters, India had effectively stopped all purchases from Malaysia. Domestic
production of palm oil can give strategic autonomy to India in such instances.
In this context, the government of India launched the National Mission on Edible Oils-Oil Palm,
2021 with a special focus on the North East and Andaman Nicobar Islands. However, there are
several issues and challenges that confront India’s efforts to promote oil-palm cultivation on a large
scale:
16 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS
 • Unsuitable geo-climatic conditions in large parts of India: Oil palm cultivation may put
strain on water resources as India’s average rainfall is approx 1200 mm, which is much lower
than the requirement of 2500mm.
• Benefits mostly the large farmers: Most of the major players in oil palm are big corporate
companies, thus the mission is most likely to benefit them and not small farmers.
• Support prices issue: The subsidy being offered for production and buying of palm oil goes
against the government initiatives to deregulate the agri-markets.
• Huge environmental costs: Cultivation of oil palm in North East and Andaman and Nicobar
Islands could come at the cost of the local ecosystem as they are highly fragile while being
biodiversity hotspots.
There is a need to balance the production of oil palm along with other oil seeds, which would
not only reduce our import dependence but also protect against any global shocks as seen during
the Ukrainian crisis. Also, sustainable agriculture methods need to be incorporated in the oil palm
cultivation and reduce its adverse impacts on environment and ecology.

17. In view of the changes witnessed in the state of Himalayan cryosphere, discuss the implications
for India's water security. (250 words) 15
Approach:
• Mention the importance of the Himalayas in ensuring water security of India.
• Elaborate on the changes witnessed in the state of the Himalayan cryosphere.
• Mention its implications for India’s water security.
• Conclude accordingly.
Answer:
The importance of the Himalayan cryosphere is evident from the fact that the 55,000 glaciers in the
Himalaya, Karakoram, and Hindu Kush (HKHK) mountain ranges store more freshwater than any
.

region outside of the North and South Poles. The Hindukush-Karakoram-Himalayan (HKH) region is
known as the “Water Tower of Asia” for its significant snow and ice reserves, which play an
essential role in sustaining water availability.
In view of the rising global temperature, the following are the changes in the Himalayan cryosphere:
• Glacier retreat and area loss: Most of the Himalayan glaciers are retreating, and the retreat
rates have accelerated in the past few decades. Since the 1970s, nearly 15% of the glaciers in the
HKH region has disappeared. Eastern Himalaya glaciers have tended to shrink faster than
glaciers in the Central or Western Himalayas.
• Variability in snow cover: Monitoring of winter precipitation in North-West-Himalaya
suggests an increase in total rainfall but a decrease in snowfall, predominantly observed at high
altitudes.
• Karakoram Anomaly: The ‘Karakoram Anomaly’ is termed as the stability or anomalous
growth of glaciers in the central Karakoram, in contrast to the retreat of glaciers in other nearby
mountainous ranges of the Himalayas and other mountainous ranges of the world. Recent
studies have suggested the beginning of mass loss after 2015 in the Karakoram region.
• Warming of the region: A 2019 assessment by the International Centre for Integrated
Mountain Development (ICIMOD), a regional inter-governmental body, stated that the HKH
region will continue to warm through the 21st century even if the world was able to limit global
warming at the agreed 1.5 degrees Celsius.
In light of these changes, the following are the implications for India’s water security:
• Socio-economic impacts:
o The Indo-Gangetic plains are densely populated, where rapid growth in population and
economic development will cause an increase in water demand.
o The Indus river supports around 26% of India’s crop production, whereas approximately
37% of India’s agriculture is sustained by the Ganga river. Further, about 129 million farmers
in Indus and Ganga basins depend on snow and glacier melt for their livelihood.
17 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS
 o Climate-sensitive water resources in the upper basins, extensive irrigation and socio-
economic developments in the downstream region make these river basins more vulnerable
to climate change, thereby impacting the overall water security of India.
• Rising drought years: Increasing glacier melt leads to rise in the drought years, when monsoon
precipitation and snow cover are less, exhibiting the buffering response of glacier stored water.
• Glacial lake outburst: The retreating glaciers have led to the formation and expansion of glacier
lakes in the past decades. These lakes can burst and cause a catastrophic flood in the
downstream regions.
• Impact on power generation: Recent investigations have shown that changes in glaciers’
contribution to runoff in the region will influence long-term power generation of small
hydropower projects.
The depletion of cryosphere in the Himalayan region, harsh bio-physical conditions and
susceptibility to changing climatic conditions have created unique challenges. Due to the
transboundary nature of the Himalayan region, a robust mechanism for data collection and sharing
between the riparian countries and the international community is required to make informed
decisions. Systematic efforts on regional and global scale are needed to strengthen and update the
knowledge base of the Himalayan cryosphere.

18. Ocean warming, ocean acidification and ocean deoxygenation are often referred to as the
‘deadly trio’ for marine life. Discuss. (250 words) 15
Approach:
• Briefly introduce with the importance of oceans and its relation with marine life.
• Discuss the concept of Ocean warming, Ocean Acidification and Ocean deoxygenation and their
impact on marine life.
• Conclude with a way forward.
Answer:
.

The Earth’s oceans, known for their delicately balanced ecosystems, are home to millions of animal
and plant species, as well as potentially millions more that are so far undiscovered. Their healthy
functioning is key to the balance of all life on Earth.
Recent changes in the temperature, acidic levels, and oxygen levels of oceans, often referred to as
the ‘deadly trio’ for marine life, have been a cause of concern for the existence of marine life. This
can be understood from the following details:
Ocean warming and its impact on marine life: The ocean absorbs most of the excess heat from
greenhouse gas emissions leading to rising ocean temperatures. The Fifth Assessment Report
published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2013 revealed that the
ocean had absorbed more than 93% of the excess heat from greenhouse gas emissions since the
1970s. This is causing ocean temperatures to rise. Such a phenomenon has the following effects
on marine life:
• Coral bleaching: Coral reefs are more vulnerable when water temperature threshold limits
increase 1-2 degree Celsius above the normal range. Such, a change in tropical water
temperature led to mass coral bleaching between 2012-17.
• Mass movements: Mobile species, such as fish, may respond by moving to more favourable
regions, with populations shifting poleward or to deeper water, to find their preferred range of
water temperatures.
• Habitat loss in polar seas: Species adapted to life on or under sea ice are directly threatened
by habitat loss if the new warmer-water species extend their ranges.
o Increase in global water temperatures also lead to the melting of ice in polar regions and
thus impact the rich biodiversity ranging from tiny plankton to fish, krill, and seafloor
invertebrates to whales, seals, polar bears and penguins.
o Rising ocean temperatures contribute to oxygen-depleted dead zones in large coastal and
open ocean areas, rendering them largely uninhabitable by marine life.

18 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

 • Marine Heatwaves: Marine heatwaves caused due to prolonged periods of warmer than usual
ocean temperature anomalies. Such phenomena can also cause harmful algal blooms, coral
bleaching, and mass die-offs of fish, seabirds, and other organisms.
Ocean acidification and its impact on marine life: As carbon dioxide (CO2) dissolves in seawater,
it forms carbonic acid, decreasing the ocean’s pH, a process collectively known as ocean
acidification. Present ocean acidification occurs approximately ten times faster than anything
experienced during the last 300 million years, jeopardising the ability of ocean systems to adapt
to changes in ocean chemistry due to CO2. This change in phenomena has the following effects on
marine life:
• Impact on the chemical composition of marine species: It causes the shells and skeletons of
organisms such as corals, planktons and shellfish, made from calcium carbonate to dissolve.
The more acidic the ocean, the faster the shells dissolve.
• Impact on physiological characteristics: Animals that produce calcium carbonate structures
have to spend extra energy either repairing their damaged shells or thickening them to survive.
Using energy for this could impact the animals' abilities to grow.
o Animals that are able to survive and reproduce in more acidic waters are likely to become
smaller, potentially affecting the food chain that relies on them.
• Ecosystem alterations: Changes in species growth and reproduction, as well as structural
and functional alterations in ecosystems.
Ocean deoxygenation and its effects on marine life: The oxygen content of the ocean has
declined by around 2% since the middle of the 20th century overall, while the volume of ocean
waters completely depleted of oxygen has quadrupled since the 1960s. Deoxygenation occurs
when oxygen consumption (e.g., from respiration, or breathing) is greater than oxygen
replenishment through photosynthesis, ventilation, and mixing. It has the following effects on the
marine life:
• Alter the balance of marine life: Favouring hypoxia-tolerant species (e.g., microbes, jellyfish,
and some squid) at the expense of hypoxia-sensitive ones (many marine species including most
.

fish).
• Change in habitats: Large species such as tuna, marlin, swordfish, and sharks are especially
sensitive to low ambient oxygen conditions because of their large size and are being forced
into increasingly narrow surface layers of oxygen-rich waters.
• Contribute to further global warming: Deoxygenated deeper ocean waters produce
greenhouse gases such as nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, and methane that may reach the ocean
surface and be released into the atmosphere, contributing to further warming.
Climate change, which can exacerbate the potential of these deadly trio needs to be taken into
consideration. To combat the worst effects of the deadly trio, and to achieve the global targets like
SDG-14, limiting global temperature below 1.5 degrees Celsius is the need of the hour. Reducing
emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) mechanism, Nationally Determined
Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, and Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are welcome
moves in this regard.

19. Tribals in India continue to face myriad challenges with regard to healthcare. Discuss the
issues faced by them in this context and suggest remedial measures. (250 words) 15
Approach:
• Introduce with a note on the status of tribal health in India.
• Elaborate on various healthcare-related challenges faced by tribals.
• Suggest remedial measures for these challenges.
• Give a brief conclusion.
Answer:
According to the 2011 census, the tribal population in India is over 104 million accounting for 8.6%
of the country's population. Further, more than 90% of tribal people live in rural areas. As of 2019,
the health indicators of tribals point at the following:
19 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS
 • Life expectancy of tribals is 63.9 compared to national average of 67 years.
• Under 5 mortality rate is 74 as against the national average of 62.
• 50% Adolescent ST girls are underweight with BMI below less than 18.5.
• About 80% of tribal children are undernourished and suffering from anaemia. While 40%
under-five tribal children in India are stunted.
Challenges faced by tribals related to healthcare
• Lack of health infrastructure: Tribals are heavily dependent on public health services but
there is a shortfall of public health centres (PHCs), sub-centres, community health centres
(CHCs), especially in rural areas.
• Lack of healthcare personnel: There are severe shortages in health human resources in terms
of PHC doctors (33% shortfall), CHC specialists (84% shortage), health workers, nursing staff,
ASHA workers and locally trained youth.
• Inaccessibility: According to an NHM Report, in about half of the states, the health institutions
in tribal areas were deficient in number by 27-40%. This is majorly owing to difficult terrain
and low density of population in tribal areas.
• Trust deficit: The tribals are not amenable to western systems of medicine. Hence, vaccination
and immunization of infants and children have been inadequate among tribal groups.
• Governance structure: Lack of population level data, centralized policy formulation and
implementation, near absence of tribals from this process, weak state level intervention etc. has
accentuated dismal health conditions among tribals.
• Unhygienic and primitive practices: The chief causes of maternal and infant mortality in
tribals are unhygienic and primitive practices for parturition and lack of specific nutritious diet
(iron, calcium and vitamins) consumed during pregnancy.
Remedial Measures
• Increasing expenditure: The Expert Committee on Tribal Health recommends earmarking of
8.6% of the proposed 2.5% increase in health care expenditure in India’s healthcare policy to
tribal health, strict implementation of TSP guidelines and earmarking funds under Ministry of
.

Tribal Affairs for research, mapping and literacy campaigns

• Increasing accessibility: Medical outreach camp, mobile health clinics can help in bringing the
health services to remote populations.
• Human resource for tribals’ health: The health setup should include skilled local youth,
traditional healers, ASHAs and PM’s tribal health fellows in rural areas.
• Engage traditional healers: They are often the first point of care, can be sensitized and trained
to deliver simple interventions and to assess when to refer to higher health centres.
• Involve tribals: Tribal boys and girls with minimum education can be trained as community
health workers and incentivized to work in their own community; primary healthcare system as
a whole, including infrastructure and human resources for health (HRH), has to be
strengthened.
Inclusive policies and programmes for tribal health need to be matched with adequate budgetary
provisions. There is a need to recognise the gap in the health status of the tribal population vis-à-vis
other sections of the population.

20. Reservation for women perpetuates a “proxy culture’’ as seen in the phenomenon of “sarpanch
patis”. In this context, discuss whether reservation can address the issue of poor participation
of women in Indian politics. (250 words) 15
Approach:
• Give a brief context of the political representation of women in India.
• Mention the issues related to providing reservation to women in political institutions.
• Give arguments against this proposal.
• Conclude with a way forward.

20 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

Answer:
While women in India have played very visible and important roles at the higher echelons of power
and at the grassroot level in social movements, they have been under-represented in political
parties as officials and as members of key decision-making bodies. At present, women make up
14.6% of MPs (78 MPs) in the Lok Sabha, which is a historic high for India, while the global
average for the lower chamber or unicameral is 25.8%.
To ensure gender equity, there is one-third reservation for women through the 73rd and 74th
Amendment Acts, 1992, (Articles 234D AND 243T of the Indian Constitution) at the local level.
However, it has given rise to a phenomenon of ‘Sarpanch Patis’ where husbands wield control in
the Panchayats by making their wives contest at the reserved seats. This has given rise to a debate
on the utility of reservation to address the issue of poor participation of women in Indian politics.
Issues related to reservation of women in political institutions:
• While reservation increases the number of female candidates nominated by parties, they are
almost exclusively concentrated amongst the reserved seats. This is because political
parties continue to field male candidates in the general seats.
• It perpetuates the unequal status of women since they would not be perceived to be
competing on merit.
• Reservation mostly helps women of elitist groups gain political power, aggravating the plight
of the poor and deprived sections.
• It diverts attention from the larger issues of electoral reform such as criminalisation of
politics and inner-party democracy.
• Legislative positions may go to women at the cost of certain qualified men losing out.
However, reservation of women may address the issue of poor participation of women in
Indian politics in the following ways:
• A 2010 study showed that female representation on village Councils increased
responsiveness to concerns such as drinking water, infrastructure, sanitation, and roads,
.

without crowding out other disadvantaged groups.

• It is essential for the active political participation of women, as it could help them fight the
abuse, discrimination, and inequality they suffer from.
• Political participation of all sections of society is essential for building a functioning,
representative democracy, as it is highly unusual that the political parties would field a
candidate from deprived sections voluntarily.
• Women's political participation can provide the inspiration for women to take action on a
vision of a better and more equal society, and to make meaningful contributions towards
inclusive national development.
Reservation, in general, significantly increases the access of disadvantaged groups to political
decision-making and works as a powerful redistribution tool. Although this may bring to
power a group of relatively inexperienced and less educated politicians, there is no evidence that
this comes at the expense of the quality of decision-making. However, some alternative
mechanisms can also be used to address the issue of poor participation of women in politics, such
as:
• Ensuring reservation within political parties as done in countries like Canada, the United
Kingdom, France, Sweden, and Norway.
• Bringing change in the male-dominated value system prevalent in politics through education
and gender sensitisation
• Organizing awareness and leadership development programmes for women to boost their
confidence.
Political participation of women is a fundamental pre-requisite for gender equality and participative
democracy. It facilitates women’s direct engagement in public decision-making and is a means of
ensuring better accountability to women. Thus, adequate measures should be adopted to ensure it
in India.

21