MGP 2022 (Cohort 5)

This document has been created by ForumIAS Academy, 19, IAPL House, PUSA Road, Karol Bagh, New Delhi-110005

MGP 2022 (Cohort 5) GS Test #2 - Solution

This document has been created by ForumIAS Academy, 19, IAPL House, PUSA Road,Karol Bagh 110005, New Delhi.

Instruction to Students

Answers provided in this booklet exceed the word limit so as to also act as source of good notes on the topic. Candidates must focus on the keywords mentioned in the answers and build answers around them. Elaborate answers are given with the purpose that candidates understand the topic better. We have also adopted a grey box approach to provide context wherever necessary, which is not to be considered a part of the answer. For any feedback please write to us at [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

This document has been created by ForumIAS Academy, 19, IAPL House, PUSA Road, Karol Bagh, New Delhi - 110005.

Q.1) Why did Indian rulers fail to defend their kingdoms against foreign invaders during early medieval period? Approach:- In the introduction present a broader picture of events during the early medieval period. Then in the main body, explain various reasons in detail that eventually led to failure of native rulers against invasion of foreign powers. Conclude with the outcome of foreign invasion of India. Early medieval period (6th century to 13th century) of Indian history is marked by various foreign invasions in the north-west frontiers which led to the fall of rajput kingdoms, one after the other and finally the establishment of Islamic sultanate in Northern India. The main reasons that led to failure of Indian rulers and dominance of foreign invaders were :- Primary reasons:

1. There was no political unity in north India for about five centuries after the death of Harsha (647 AD). Indian kingdoms failed to fight under one command which affected their planning and fighting strategies. This also prevented any combined opposition to the foreign invaders. On the other hand, Turks fought under one command as one unit.

2. Constant infightings between various Indian rulers due to the feudal system and war being considered to be the main occupation of Rajputs led to frequent change of boundaries. These infightings exhausted their resources and manpower.

3. Outdated and inferior military methods were another major reason. Indians relied on the elephants which were slow and proved to be a liability while invaders had fast moving horses and cavalry. This gave advantage of tremendous mobility to Turks. Moreover, they had modern arms, tactics,weapons and ammunition.

4. Defensive approach of Rajput rulers: No rajput rulers except Hindushahi king Jayapala adopted aggressive approach in fighting battles. Moreover, they also didn’t take full advantage of their success after the Battles of Anhilwara(1178) and Battle of Tarain(1191). Thus they were not able to exploit the full potential to curb the invasions.

Secondary reasons: 5. Indian rulers failed to maintain a good spy system which could have helped in knowing the strength,

movements, fighting tactics of their enemies. However, their adversaries maintained a spy system and thus were able to predict and hone their strategy as per their requirement well in advance.

6. Fighting and defending the kingdoms were seen as the sole responsibility of Kshatriyas due to the Varna system. This restricted the contribution of other groups to the warrior strength of India.

7. Limited understanding of foreign invasions and political foresights: They could not understand the long term impact and outcome of the conquest of India by the Turks and thus neglected the defence of their north-west frontiers. Moreover, they lacked familiarity with the then international politics and methods.

8. Religious zeal and greed for wealth: Religious zeal and mighty enthusiasm to plunder the wealth of Indian temples and palaces enabled the invaders to conquer most of the country even after struggling for centuries.

Successful expeditions of foreign power not only changed the political condition by the establishment of the Delhi sultanate (1206-1526) and Mughal dynasty (1526-1707) but also transformed Indian art, architecture, language, culture and traditions. (438 words) Q.2) Write a note on evolution and significance of the slogan “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan Jai Vigyan”. Approach: Introduce you answer by explaining the evolution of the slogan. Then then discuss the significance of the slogan. Finally, conclude with the logic behind the slogan and recent addition of ‘Jai Anusandhan’ in it. The slogan ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan Jai Vigyan’ evolved in two stages. ‘Jai jawan Jai Kisan’ was given in 1965 by PM Lal bahadur Shastri to enthuse the soldiers to defend the country and encourage the farmers to increase food grain production to make India self-sufficient. Later in 1998, in the backdrop of India’s second nuclear bomb test, the then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee improvised the slogan to include ‘Jai Vigyan’ to underline the importance of science and technology in developing the country.

Page 1 of 21


The significance of the slogan can be understood from following points: 1. India had lost to China in the war of 1962, and then in 1965, it was facing another war with Pakistan. So,

the Jai Jawan meaning ‘hail soliders’ was meant to rally the support of the masses towards the cause of soldiers and boost their morale. The slogan was received well by the masses and India decisively defeated Pakistan at the border in 1965.

2. During 1950’s and 60’s the country was facing a severe food shortage. India had to import food grains under PL-480 programme. So, the slogan ‘Jai Kisan’ was to lay emphasis on agriculture & the farmers of the country. It was under Shastri’s regime that the seeds of the Green Revolution were sown. He was also instrumental in promoting the white revolution. As a result, India not only became self-sufficient in food grain production but also started exporting.

3. The slogan of Jai Jawan jai Kisan was linked with sovereignty and self-respect of the nation. This slogan raised the morale of every section and restored the faith of nation in the noble ideals like sacrifice, fraternity, solidarity, compassion etc. which drove our national movement.

4. Decade of 1990’s was full of turbulence: economy was liberalized, politics became victim of instability, rise of terrorism created security problems etc. India conducted its second nuclear bomb test (Operation shakti) to reassure the nation and remind the world that India is strong and capable of defending itself against any kind of aggression. Atal ji believed that the role of science was pivotal in the modernization of our forces for our self-defence and integrity of the country.

In 2019, PM Narendra Modi added “Jai Anusandhan” to highlight the importance of our national scientific institutions like national laboratories, central universities, IIT, IISc, TIFR & IISER in driving the R & D in the country to solve pressing issues that the country is facing. Hence, the slogan was used and modified by leaders to highlight the issues and raise the consciousness of the masses so that together we can take concerted steps towards solving those issues. (438 words) Q.3) The Shimla Agreement reads more like a communiqué than a peace agreement. Critically analyze. Approach: Introduce the Shimla agreement by mentioning its brief details. Present an overview of what the agreement was all about. Critically examine why, it looked more like a communique and why it was a lost opportunity for India. Conclude accordingly. The Shimla Agreement, was a peace treaty signed between India and Pakistan on 2 July 1972 in Shimla. It followed the decisive win of India in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, wherein India had intervened in East Pakistan as an ally of Bengali rebels who were fighting against Pakistan Army in the Bangladesh Liberation War. The Agreement The Simla Agreement contains a set of guiding principles, mutually agreed to by India and Pakistan, in managing relations with each other. These emphasize: a) respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty; b) non-interference in each other’s internal affairs; c) political independence; d) sovereign equality; and e) abjuring hostile propaganda. The following points of the Agreement are, however, particularly noteworthy:

1. Withdrawal: Indian and Pakistani forces shall be withdrawn to their side of the international border and exchange Prisoners of War.

2. Dispute settlement: The two countries would resolve their differences by peaceful means through bilateral negotiations.

3. Use of Force: Both nations would refrain from threatening the territorial integrity or political independence of each other.

The Shimla Agreement has been criticized as a communique for lacking enforceable measures to achieve peace. The reasons for this criticism include:

1. Failure to achieve long lasting peace: The agreement did not have clear grounds for achieving peace between the two nations. The peace did not last long and soon converted into a nuclear arms race, and encouragement to insurgency in India such as in Punjab.

Page 2 of 21


2. Too lenient to Pakistan: The Simla Agreement, and the subsequent Delhi Agreement, gave Pakistan everything it wanted: the territory it lost to India in the war and the safe return of all its soldiers while no-one was held responsible for the genocidal campaign unleashed in Bangladesh.

3. Unenforceable commitments: The agreement did not pin Pakistan down to future good behavior. It included very unrealistic expectation from Pakistan to take all steps within their power to prevent hostile propaganda against India.

4. Lost opportunity: Many experts believe that a long-lasting solution to Kashmir problem could have been achieved as Pakistan had lost 15,000 sq Km of land and 90,000 PoW making it vulnerable to accept Indian peace conditions. Clause for an international tribunal for war crimes would have helped eliminate Pakistani Army as a threat to regional peace.

Although the agreement looked more like a communique but the Shimla agreement led to immediate ceasefire of hostilities between the two nations and provided tremendous morale booster for India and its armed forces. But in hindsight, the Shimla Agreement represents a lost opportunity for achieving regional peace. (426 words) Q.4) Why is regionalism considered a “double-edged sword” for national unity and integration? Approach: Introduce by mentioning meaning of regionalism. In main body discuss how regionalism is a double-edged sword for national unity and integrity. Conclude by mentioning need of careful handling of regionalism in India. Regionalism refers to expression of strong regional identity by people of a specific geographical region, united by unique language, culture, etc. Often regionalism is considered as a double-edged sword for national unity due to there being a very thin line demarcating positive and negative aspects of regionalism as discussed below: Positive regionalism: Positive regionalism means love towards one’s culture, region, language etc. Positive regionalism has following implications for national unity:

1. Unity with regional diversity: Positive regionalism catering to regional aspirations, is important for unity in diversity. For example, states created on basis of linguistic and regional demands like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand etc. have helped in meeting regional aspirations, along with contributing to growth of national economy, recruitments in army etc.

2. Empowered Development: Regionalism encourage people to develop a sense of brotherhood and oneness which seeks to protect the interests of a particular region and promotes the welfare and development of their state.

3. Cultural Pride: Regionalism is not always anti-national or threat to national sovereignty. Rather it helps in strengthening pride in culture of a region, and by extension the nation. For example, demand for separate state flag in Karnataka as a cultural expression is devoid of any separatist sentiment.

Negative regionalism: It is an excessive attachment to one’s regions over the country with following implications for national unity:

1. Secessionism: Regionalism can become secessionism, which is dangerous for national unity. It involves militant and radical groups advocating a separation from India based on ethnicity, religion etc. For example, the Islamic fundamentalist groups in J&K, ULFA in Assam.

2. Separate ideals: National solidarity demands allegiance to national symbols like the National flag, and the constitution, but demands such as for separate flag and theocratic constitution in Nagaland threaten national unity. This makes it difficult to give in to more benign demands for state flag in Karnataka as well.

3. Communal threat: Regional aspirations can also have communal colour. For instance, Khalistan movement of 1980s aimed to create a Sikh homeland. This not only threatened India’s security but also led to communal violence and terrorism in 80s.

4. Ethnic clashes: Many times, regional demands are based on clash between native population and migrants to a region. The doctrine of ‘sons of the soil’ implies the attachment of people to an area to such an extent as to require exclusion of people from other regions from gaining economically out of that region.

Page 3 of 21


Regionalism is a double edge sword for national unity. An approach of accommodating genuine regional demands and strict action against militant regional tendencies that try to exclude fellow Indians, should be adopted. (436 words) Q.5) Warmer waters of Bay of Bengal are typically more prone to cyclones than the cooler and calmer Arabian Sea, but the trend seems to be changing. Examine. Approach: Introduce by comparing cyclones in Bay of Bengal and Arabian sea. In body, discuss why Bay of Bengal is more prone to cyclones than Arabian Sea. Mention why Arabian sea is experiencing more cyclones recently. Conclude with need to prepare for consequence of changing nature of cyclones. Tropical cyclones are intense circular destructive storms with a low-pressure center forming over tropical ocean waters. The Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal (BOB) are part of Indian Ocean. When both are compared, the BOB sees approximately 5 times more cyclones than Arabian sea. Also, cyclones in BOB are stronger and deadlier. Bay of Bengal is more prone to cyclones than Arabian Sea because:

1. Sluggish winds: Slow moving air around BoB keep temperatures relatively high. This aids the formation of cyclones due to higher vaporization from sea. The Arabian Sea, on the other hand experiences stronger winds which dissipate the heat and prevent cyclone formation.

2. Fresh water inflow: BoB receives high inflow of warm water from Ganga and Brahmaputra, and of all the rainfall in their catchment areas. The large influx keeps surface temperatures high. Lack of constant fresh water supply in Arabian sea results in better mixing of warm and cold layers, preventing formation of strong depressions.

3. Coastline: The trough-like shape of Bay of Bengal’s coastline intensifies cyclonic winds. Shallow depth due to emerging coast helps push the water up to create storm systems. Such features are absent in Arabian sea.

4. Pacific cyclones: Cyclones from Pacific Ocean, move towards BOB. Lack of large landmass between Pacific and Bay aids easy movement of cyclonic winds.

In recent times, the frequency of cyclones in Arabian sea is increasing because of climate change. Causal relationship between climate change and cyclones in Arabian sea can be understood as:

1. Rising temperature: A 2014 study found that Indian Ocean temperature rose by 0.7℃, but the Arabian sea experienced 1.2℃rise during summer, keeping temperatures above the threshold of 28 ℃for cyclone formation for longer periods. Ocean has warmed up to greater depth. Churning of ocean water by wind no longer cools down the Sea Surface temperature.

2. El-Nino: Climate change is altering the cycles of El Nino (EN) and El Nino Modoki (ENM). A study by National Institute of Oceanography, suggest that, ENM and EN which usually intensify cyclone formation over BOB have been creating larger area for wind convergence over Arabian sea, intensifying cyclonic activities.

3. Wind intensity: Climate change is altering the global atmospheric circulations. It has led to intensification of easterly winds, which is pushing cyclones from BOB towards Arabian sea. For example, cyclone Ockhi generated in BOB and drifted towards Arabian Sea due to intense easterly winds.

With increased cyclone frequency in Arabian Sea, India should prepare itself to prevent any large loss of lives. Early warning system should consider changing climate scenario. Local communities need to be trained to deal with changing situation. (440 words) Q.6) Explain the critical role of different jet streams in Indian monsoon. Approach: Introduce the answer with a brief description of jet streams and their role in Indian monsoon. In body, list the role that different jet streams play in the formation, steering and intensifying the phenomenon of Indian monsoon. Use diagrams to better elucidate the answer. Conclude the answer with emphasis on the evolving understanding of monsoon.

Page 4 of 21


Jet streams are strong, narrow, meandering air currents found in the higher part of atmosphere near tropopause. Jet streams play very important role in the formation, steering, and intensifying of monsoon in the Indian subcontinent. The role played by different jet streams in influencing Indian monsoons is as under:

1. Role of Sub-Tropical Westerly Jet Stream (STWJ): Also known as the westerly, it flows between 25-35 degrees N at an altitude of 12-14 km. Its influence on the monsoons is as follows:

a. Attracting south-west monsoon: When STJ shifts northward in summer, it also pulls the ITCZ and the south-east trade winds northwards, which enter India as the South-West monsoon after changing direction due to Coriolis force.

Fig: STWJ during winter month (left); STWJ during summer (right).

b. Reinforcing tropical easterly: The STWJ reenergize the hot air mass system over Tibet, which

restrengthens the Tropical Easterly Jetstream (TEJ). This causes the monsoon winds to blow with greater strength over Indian subcontinent.

c. Monsoon breaks: Re-establishment of STWJ over Gangetic plains results in Monsoon breaks.

Page 5 of 21


d. Returning Monsoon: With southward shift in pressure belts during winter, STWJ returns to its position over Northern Plains. This helps North East monsoon which brings rains to Coromandel coast.

2. Role of Tropical Easterly Jetstream (TEJ): It flows roughly along Kolkata-Bangalore Axis. TEJ sinks into permanent high pressure present in Southern Indian Ocean (Mascarene Basin). This intensifies the high-pressure miking pressure gradient steeper. Winds diverging from this high pressure crosses the equator and comes in India in form of South-West Monsoon bringing rains in India. The frequency, direction and intensity of depressions dictate the rainfall pattern during South-west monsoons.

3. Role of Somali jet stream: It is a narrow, temporary jet stream in middle and lower troposphere. It gets bifurcated by Ethiopian highlands and a branch of this Jetstream flows over Indian ocean.

a. Strengthens the South-west monsoon: It enhances the progress of South-west monsoons, creating an early set in of the rains.

b. Inter-hemispheric circulation: It links the wind patterns, and sea surface temperatures from southern Indian ocean and India, including the effects of ENSO.

Monsoon is a complex climatic phenomenon, whose understanding is continuing to evolve. The role played by jet streams in ushering in, strengthening and retreating of monsoons has been well established through scientific research and empirical data. (387 words) Q.7) How is a flash-flood different from a flood? Highlight the actions that can be taken to manage and minimize the impact flash floods. Approach: Define what a flood and a flash flood is. Then write the differences between a flood and a flash flood. For the next part, write the steps to mitigate the impact of flash floods. Lastly, conclude with an optimistic approach to effectively manage flash floods. A flood is a phenomenon where water overflows and submerges land that is usually dry. Flash flood is a type of flood that rises and falls quite rapidly with little or no advance warning, usually as the result of intense rainfall over a relatively small area. Differences between Flash floods and Flood:

Flood Flash Flood

Features 1. Water levels rise gradually beyond the natural channel. 2. Floods reach peak flow slowly and recede slowly. (within several hours to days). 3. Floods generally occur when rivers with water close to their saturation level receive more water due to precipitation and slowly progress from one area to another.

1. Water levels rise rapidly above the channel. 2. Flash floods rapidly reach peak flow and rapidly recede. (within minutes to an hour). 3. Flash Flood can even occur in a river that has water below saturation level and progress rapidly from one area to another.

Causes 1. Prolonged seasonal precipitation of low to high intensity. E.g: Widespread Maharashtra flood, 2021.

1. Flash floods occur due to very high-intensity rainstorms/cloudbursts; Cyclonic rainfall, Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF).

Page 6 of 21


2. Anthropogenic activities like encroachment of flood plains.

2. Dam (both artificial and natural) breaks. E.g: GLOF of Uttarakhand; 2021 October 2021 Uttarakhand and Kerala floods.

Frequency Floods are more frequent and linked to the monsoon cycle.

Flash Floods occur occasionally and are not linked to any particular time of the year. However, due to climate change, their frequency is also increasing.

Affected areas Large areas in river plains. E.g: Bihar Flood, 2021.

Relatively smaller areas in mountain regions, valleys, cities, deserts, etc. E.g: Mumbai floods 2005 due to very heavy rainfall.

Forecasting

Relatively easier with appropriate technology. Flash floods are very difficult to forecast.

Flash floods can be mitigated by using structural and non-structural techniques. The structural tools include:

1. Building climate-resilient infrastructure including barriers, barrages, and dams across streams to delay the surface runoff.

2. Improving river channels by periodic desiltation and dredging. 3. Freeing up encroachment along the flood plains and rejuvenating wetlands. 4. Interlinking of the rivers to divert excess flow from one to another.

The non-structural technique involves: 1. Setting up flood forecasting and early warning systems to timely deploy disaster relief response. 2. Creating a hazard vulnerability index using remote sensing data for planned habitation. 3. Planned urbanization, i.e. controlled inhibition in low-lying areas, ensuring green space to allow water

seepage, etc. 4. Improving institutional and human resource capacity to mitigate losses.

Floods and flash floods are natural phenomena, but with effective management, they can be prevented from becoming a disaster. Keeping in mind the increased vulnerabilities due to climate change, India has developed Flash Flood Guidance Services for the South Asia region to better manage flash floods. (424 words) Q.8) Examine the reasons for localization of software services industries in few urban centres of the country. Do you think that there is need to decentralize this industry? Approach: Introduce with the definition of software services industry. Discuss the reasons for its localization in a few urban centres of India. Next, mention your opinion on the need to decentralize the industry and discuss reasons for the same. Finally, conclude with a statement or remark or government policy in this regard. The software industry includes businesses for development, maintenance and publication of software, whereas software services include training, documentation, consultation and data recovery. It also includes software support services as technical support or break/fix services that are delivered for specific software products. Usually, the industry is localized in urban areas due to multiple reasons as follow-

1. Set-up cost: Readily available materials required for a software service enterprise makes urban centres more economical.

2. Human Resources: Easy availability of skilled and trained workforce in urban areas owing to higher level of education. E.g., Campus recruitment from Software engineering colleges, etc.

3. Market: Urban centres consume more than thrice of software services as compared to rural areas in India according to an IIT-M survey. This is in lines with the demand-supply rule. E.g., Clientele of software industries like TCS, etc. operate from large agglomeration.

4. Visibility and Viability: Companies prefer metro-cities owing to their population, technological development as well as popularity within and outside India.

Page 7 of 21


5. Price realization: Due to busy urban life and better standard of living, people are ready to pay more for quick and efficient software services as anti-viruses, malware-protection, etc.

Thus, owing to sheer market forces, the industry is localized in a few urban centers as Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai, etc. Need to decentralize this industry-

1. Inclusion: With India’s inclusive Digital India policy, there is an urgent need of these services all throughout the country to realize its full potential. Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities have the capability and demographic edge to develop as software industry hubs.

2. Opportunity and Job creation: Local centres for training and upskilling will help youth to achieve a gainful employment without migration. It will reduce the anthropogenic pressure from overcrowded metropolitan software services hub.

3. Talent realization: Lack of access doesn’t mean lack of talent. Once trained, students convert into human assets effecting local growth.

4. Knowledge Economy: Decentralizing the software industry will improve India’s credentials as an emerging power in knowledge economy, at the same time integrate small towns with emerging knowledge-based ecosystem.

5. To support government policies and initiatives as Vocal for Local, Bharatnet, Skill India, Digital India, etc. Which will take the mission of Atmanirbhar bharat to Tier2 and Tier 3 towns.

6. It will help in risk diversification to ensure continued services even in case of disasters like earthquake, flooding, etc. or deliberate attack (cyber attack, vandalism).

Localization of the industry in a few urban centres of the country is profitable but not sustainable. This calls for government’s attention in the sector for creation of a dedicated policy to incentivize decentralization and make India truly inclusive. (438 words) Q.9) Why has Russian Far East emerged as a region of growing interest for India?

Approach: Write about the Far East Region of Russia in introduction and complementary possibilities for Russia and India in the region. In the body list the various reasons for India’s growing interest in the region. Conclude with the way forward in Russia-India diplomatic ties. The Russian Far East is a vast region with stretches from Lake Baikal to the Pacific Ocean and comprises roughly a third of Russia’s territory. Although rich in natural resources it is an economically underdeveloped sparsely populated region which needs capital, technology, labor and markets while India is a country with a labor-surplus and a resource-deficit, in need of energy, mineral resources and farming land. The reasons for India’s interest in Russia’s Far East are as listed below:

1. Geopolitical and Strategic Reasons a. A larger footprint in the Russian Far-east region enhances India’s presence in China’s immediate

neighborhood. b. It can be a step towards balancing China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). c. India’s partnership with Japan in the investment plan in the region can develop new strategic

alignments. d. It gives India strategic presence in Arctic region with influence on prospective frameworks on

region’s governance. e. It will help India in increasing her presence in South-China Sea and giving a fillip to her Indo-

Pacific strategy. 2. Energy Resources

a. India can diversify its energy sector through investments in sectors such as coking coal, timber, natural gas etc. For example, ONGC Videsh’s investments in Sakhalin-1 project.

b. Co-operation in hydrocarbon sector gives Indian and Russian companies an opportunity to share the technologies and expertise.

c. India can diversify its dependence on Gulf countries for oil and energy.

Page 8 of 21


3. Road, Rail and Maritime Connectivity a. Direct maritime corridor envisaged between Chennai and Vladivostok can cut the shipping time

to 24 days from present 40 days. b. India can develop alternatives to Suez route for its international trade, and develop stronger trade

ties with eastern Asian economies. c. India can also get access to resources and trade from Central Asia through trans-Siberian

Railways. 4. India’s soft influence in the region

a. India has extended a $1 billion line of credit for the development of the Russian Far East through trade linkage.

b. Presence of Indian manpower will help in balancing Chinese ‘demographic invasion’ into the region.

5. Expanding economic linkages with Russia a. Opportunities in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, tele-medicine, education, on-shore services etc.

can be explored in line with India and Russia’s goal to triple bilateral trade to $30 billion by 2025.

b. India can also get access to the Artic Ocean region, and associated economic resources such as new trade routes and mineral oil and gas reserves.

India-Russia relationship offers opportunities for complementary partnership. India and Russia's co-operation in the Russian Far-east region is an instructive example of the future course of diplomatic possibilities between Indian and Russia. (427 words) Q.10) Do you agree that single minded focus on development of solar power in the country has led to neglect and underutilization of other renewable energy sources? Justify. Approach: Introduce the answer with India’s renewable energy commitments and mention the role of solar in the same. Discuss why solar energy is in focus over others. Take a stand whether according to you, the development of solar energy is eclipsing the development of other renewable energy sources. Justify the same with examples and facts. Conclude with how solar is the current focus and yet other sources are not neglected. India is running one of the world's largest clean energy programs to achieve 450 GW of renewable capacity by 2030. This is inclusive of solar, hydro, wind, and others, wherein about 280 GW (over 60%) is expected from solar. There seems to be a neglect of other renewable sectors viz-a-viz solar due to:

1. Government policies: Ambitious targets have been set for solar (100GW by 2022) as against others like wind (60GW by 2022). This is backed by various schemes as KUSUM, rooftop solar scheme, etc.

2. Strategic benefits: Solar is considered to be the least controversial. E.g., wind turbines are noisy and at time lethal for avian fauna

3. Environmental criticism: Various projects are stalled due to environmental criticism. E.g., Jaitapura nuclear plant, off-shore wind energy plants, and plans of harnessing geothermal or tidal energy.

4. Social criticism: E.g., large hydropower projects are often associated with adversely affecting local ecology and displacement of population causing a societal upsurge. E.g., Narmada Bachao Andolan, etc.

5. Low technological know-how: India generates 36.5 million tons of waste annually but less than 10% is converted into energy at the present state of technology.

Page 9 of 21


The solar component ensures energy security in a long run with minimal disturbance to the environment, zero emissions, and by-products, huge potential, flexible and decentralized applications along with socio-economic upliftment for inaccessible areas. Thus, India’s focus “single-mindedly” seems to be on solar. Yet, it is not entirely correct as according to MNRE, currently hydro-power dominates the Indian renewable energy mix with the inclusion of large-hydro power projects. Contribution of renewable energy sources other than solar power could not be overlooked as:

1. Hydro - India is the 5th largest Hydro-power producer with focus shifting towards small projects to reduce the related environmental impact. E.g., Small Hydro Power Program to encourage production by states and individuals.

2. Wind- With 4th largest installed wind power capacity in the world, this sector is supported by focused researches and loan benefits. E.g., India’s new offshore wind farm.

3. Nuclear- India has a carefully chalked out 3-stage nuclear program to enhance indigenous capacity in the sector.

4. Biomass & Waste to Energy- With Swachh Bharat, the push towards new technologies to derive energy from waste is high. E.g., Biogas generation, pyrolysis plants, WtE plants combined with sewage treatment plants, etc.

India has immense potential of energy generation from each of these sources but at current level of technology, affordability and need for flexibility, solar seems to be the most viable option. The government is still focused on a diversified port-folio for Indian renewable energy. (429 words). Q.11) Accounts given by foreign travelers are as important as the evidence obtained from inscriptions and coins in reconstruction of ancient Indian history. Elaborate with examples. Approach: Introduce by mentioning various sources used for construction of history. In body, discuss how foreigner’s traveling account helped in reconstructing history of ancient India. The mention contribution of inscriptions and coins in reconstruction of ancient Indian history. Conclude with balanced importance of literary and archaeological sources in reconstructing Indian ancient history. History is re-constructed from sources, which can be broadly classified as literary and archaeological. Inscriptions, coins, monuments, etc. comes under the archaeological sources. Biographies, travel accounts, etc. are part of literary evidence. From ancient times, foreigners have visited India, whose traveling accounts have played an important role in reconstructing India’s history as discussed below:

1. Social life: Travellers’ accounts are rich sources of ancient lifestyle including cuisine, markets, customs, and social relations. For example, Fa-Hien’s account of the Gupta period mention an extensive account of Gupta society including caste system and the poor conditions of out-castes.

2. Political history: Foreign travelers often indicated, or sometimes directly conveyed the contemporary political situation which has helped in reconstruction and dating of ancient dynasties, kings and events. For example, writings of Greek historian Arrian provided detailed account of the Alexander’s Indian campaign and names of Indian kings, and the might of contemporary Magadha.

3. Geographical history: Many travelers have left behind accounts of places and regions they visited and things they saw. For example, Ibn-e-Batuta’s account described Gangetic plains as rich and fertile and drained by Ganga's pure waters.

4. Economy and trade: Foreign accounts gave detailed view of Indian economy and nature of trade. For example, Greek and Roman accounts such as the Periplus of the Erythrean Sea (80-115 CE) and Ptolemy’s Geography (150 CE) gave information about Indian ocean trade in ancient times.

Page 10 of 21


5. Cultural history: Detailed cultural descriptions in foreign travelers' historical accounts helped in establishing the long and continuing legacy of Indian ethos. For example, Tahqiq-i-Hind of Al-Beruni is an encyclopedia of Indian culture with details on Indian astrology, philosophy, literature, beliefs, customs and laws, apart from India's sciences and geography.

In contrast to travelers’ detailed accounts, inscriptions have to be often deciphered. These are usually seen on rocks, pillars, stones, temple walls, seals and copper plates. Their role in reconstructing Indian history is as follows:

1. The most famous inscriptions, useful as historical evidence, are Ashoka’s inscriptions. These inform us about Ashoka’s times, associated events, history of Buddhism and contemporary religions etc.

2. The Hathigumpha and Allahabad pillar inscriptions contain critical and rare historical accounts of Kharavela and Samudragupta respectively.

3. Copper plate inscriptions have helped understand socio-economic dynamics and evolution of caste through changes in land ownership.

4. The Sauhagaura copper plate informs us about historical droughts, the measures undertaken by authorities to tackle food-shortages. This helps to put together social, economic and political evidence of the past.

Similarly, coins help us in reconstruction of India’s ancient history in following ways: 1. The start of circulation of coins from 6th century BCE provides evidence of the second phase of

urbanization in India. 2. The coins inform us about dynasties and kings, ancient metallurgy, economic conditions when coins were

issued or political strength of the issuing dynasty, etc. For example, the coins of Kushanas and early Guptas show higher proportion of gold, which reduces during later Gupta period, indicating at the growth of Indian economy from Kushanas to Gupta period and weakening economy under later Gupta kings.

India has had a rich cultural, social and political history running across millennia. Both literary and archaeological sources have helped in reconstructing Indian ancient history by providing a detailed view of socio-economic, political and cultural conditions of ancient India. (548 words) Q.12) Temples of ancient India were not just places of worship but centres of socio-economic life of people. Discuss. Approach: Introduce by writing about rise of temple in Ancient India and their primary role in society as places of worship. In the body, write about other socio-economic functions of temples. Conclude by summarizing their position in society and deepening of their non-religious roles in later periods. Temples in ancient India were spiritual and religious centres. The main deity was placed in the ‘garbhagriha’ or ‘sanctum sanctorum’ which provided private space for the religious followers, to offer their prayers. Temples also served as important destinations for pilgrimage. For example- Hindu temples, Buddhist Chaityas, Jaina monastaries, etc. Gradually, temples transformed into centres of socio-economic lives of people. Their social implications include:

1. Centres of art and architecture: Temples led to the development of Nagara, Vesara, Dravida and other regional temple architectural styles, and also gave impetus to sculptural art and paintings.

2. Centres of imparting education: Various inscriptions throw light on schools and colleges being set-up, either inside the temple or within their premises. Sometimes, they also had residential hostels. At some places, village schools were maintained by contribution from villagers during harvest time. In southern India, there were separate ‘vidyamandapams’ or ‘mathas’ for teaching where Brahmins played an important role. Evidences suggest library and librarians in some temple colleges. From bhandaras (libraries) of Jaina monasteries, many Prakrit manuscripts have been found.

3. As a social institution: Some scholars regard the Great Bath as a ritual bathing place of Indus Valley civilization. Fairs and festivals were also organized in temple premises. They acted as meeting grounds for discussion of important events. Moreover, temples provided institutional bases for perpetuating social hierarchies. Priests would decide which caste could perform which rituals. This led to further social segregation and deepening of caste restrictions in later times.

Page 11 of 21


4. Promotion of music and dance: Temples played a role in development of music and dance. These activities began as part of temple rituals like bhajans, kirtans, etc. Ex: devadasi culture. Later on temples also played a role in rise of ‘Bhakti’.

5. Sometimes, temples also housed physicians or ‘dai maa’ to provide medical services. Economic implications of temples include:

1. Role in agriculture: Temples played an important role in expansion of agriculture. Temple ponds could be used for irrigation activities. Sometimes, Kings would donate fertile lands to temples for agricultural production. Ex: Satvahanas. This would aid in self-sufficiency of temple economy. Temples would lend money to cultivators, remit their dues in case of crop damage, etc.

2. Acted as bankers, financers: Temples would accept deposit of coins, other valuables and provide interest on deposits. Sometimes they would also accept documents for safe-keeping. In some cases, temples deposited their gold with village assemblies as investments. They would also provide loans to traders, artisans, guilds, etc.

3. Promotion of craft and trade: Temples were great consumers of aromatic goods, textiles and jewellery for dressing Gods, Goddesses, temple priests, etc. Even fairs attracted traders from different regions and led to exchange (barter system) and purchase of goods. Ex: Maruvurpakkam town market outside the city temple (Cholas).

4. Temple complexes led to assembly of huge number of people, resulting in development of urban facilities like cities and markets around them. This created conditions ripe for development of urban economy.

Temples promoted an idea of loyalty and collectivism, as a sizeable population was dependent upon them for various services. They also provided support to people in their time of need. During later periods, temples further emerged as powerful economic institutions by grants of ‘Brahmadeya’ and ’Devadaan’. Thus they played an important role in socio-economic life of people. (548 words) Q.13) How far do you agree that imposition of emergency in 1975 was necessary to preserve security and integrity of the country? What lessons did the emergency offer for the nation? Approach: Introduce with few sentences on National Emergency. Then present arguments in favour and against the imposition of emergency. In the next part, mention the lessons the country learned from the experience of 1975. Conclude with how the experiences of emergency strengthened democracy in the country. Emergency under Article 352 of the constitution gives extraordinary power to the central government to tackle a crisis or a difficult situation. In 1975, emergency was imposed by Indira Gandhi’s government due to ‘internal disturbance’ in the country. The Emergency lasted for 21 months, during which many controversial steps were taken by the government. Imposition of emergency was necessary because:

1. Frequent strikes paralyzed the government. Government was constantly in crisis management mode while regular governance and developmental function took a backseat. For example: Strike of Railway employees went for weeks.

2. J P Narayan led marches across the country against Indira Gandhi, which created a serious law and order situation in the country.

3. J P Narayan gave the call for Sampoorna Kranti, i.e. complete Revolution. He even went to the extent of asking the military to disobey the government’s orders.

4. Conflict between the Judiciary and the executive reached its peak. Many decisions taken by democratically elected government were reversed by judiciary.

5. All these obstacles hindered pro-poor policies of the government and ‘lawfully elected government was held hostage’.

However, imposition of emergency was not necessary because: 1. Many scholars argue that the emergency was imposed by Indira Gandhi not to save the country but to save

the government which was losing out on the popular vote. 2. Government had sufficient ‘regular’ power to address law and order problem. 3. There was no credible information report that pointed towards any significant threat to India.

Page 12 of 21


4. The provisions of emergency were used to suppress government critics. All the opposition leaders were put behind bars and every newspaper had to pass through the pre-censorship where anything critical of the government was censored.

5. The government in the name of development destroyed slums and carried out a forced mass sterilization program.

The Emergency brought out both the weaknesses and the strengths of India’s democracy. Following lessons were learned from the emergency of 1975:

1. Although many believed that India ceased to be democratic during the Emergency. However, in the 1977 elections congress was the first time defeated decisively. It was clear that the foundation of democracy in India is robust and it is not possible to do away with democracy in India.

2. It brought out some ambiguities in the Constitution that were rectified by the Morarji Desai government by the 44th CAA, 1978. The phrase ‘internal disturbance’ in Article 352 was replaced with ‘armed rebellion’ and it made it mandatory written advice by the cabinet to the President to proclaim an emergency.

3. The Emergency made everyone more aware of the value of civil liberties. Many civil liberties organizations like the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) came up after this experience.

4. The Courts had also started taking an active role after the Emergency. This was a response to the inability of the judiciary to protect civil liberties during the emergency like in ADM Jabalpur v Shivkant Shukla.

Although, National emergency 1975 marks the darkest hour of Indian democracy, democratic culture in India had proved to be resilient as the Congress government lost the general election that acted as a referendum where the masses of the country rejected the anti-democratic regime. In this sense, the experience of 1975 -77 ended up strengthening the foundations of democracy in India. (549 words) Q.14) Communalism is an outcome of competitive aspirations of domination and politicization of religion leading to distortions of the democratic process in the country. Discuss. Approach: Introduce by defining communalism. In body, discuss how aspirations for domination and politicization of religion leads to communalism. Mention how communalism distort democratic processes of the country. Conclude with recommendation of various commissions on communalism. Communalism refers to aggressive chauvinism based on religious identity. In more comprehensive terms, communalism is an aggressive political ideology linked to religion, which is grounded in the belief that people who follow same religion have common secular interests while interests of different religious groups cannot be aligned. Communalism occur due to various factors, but two basic factors are a) competitive aspirations for domination and b) politicization of religion. The two factors are discussed below:

1. Competitive Aspirations for domination: It results in rise in intolerance and communal disharmony and makes way for majoritarianism in following ways:

a. Aspiration to restore past glory and domination, based on a communal and distorted view of Indian history is one of the reasons for communalism. For example, in historian James Mill’s description of the ancient Indian period as Hindu and medieval as of Muslim, creating a communal thought.

b. The economic competition, among the lower- and middle-class strata of religious communities has been used to sustain the communal ideology. The failure to keep pace with changing world and backwardness leads to the feeling of relative deprivation and thus aspiration for economic domination.

2. Politicization of religion: Communalism occurs when religious beliefs are politicized for vested interests through use of derogatory religious slogans, stereotypes, hate speech, fake news, etc. For example:

a. Politicians have been using communal card to gain votes or for breaking opposition’s vote bank for long The Madan Commission had reported Maharashtra (1970) communal riots being politically motivated.

b. Not only domestic politicization, state sponsored propagandas is also used to gain political support in home country, and spread hatred among communities at other places. For example, Pakistan’s use of an unconventional war in Kashmir using communal card.

Page 13 of 21


Communalism, distorts democratic processes in following ways: 1. Free and fair elections: Democracy functions effectively only if a responsible government is elected

through free and fair elections. Communalism distorts democratic election mechanism. Communal parties carry religious propaganda, to garner votes, thereby distracting attention from real issues.

2. Rule of law: Rule of law is pillar of any democracy. Communalism threatens rule of law. During communal riots, people become faceless members of their respective communities. They are willing to kill, rape, and loot members of other communities to redeem their misplaced pride.

3. Threat to minority: Rise in intolerance and communal disharmony lead to majoritarianism and suppression of minorities rights. For example, a 2017 Pew Research Center analysis ranked India as 4th

worst in the world for religious intolerance and reported that lynching related to beef has compromised India’s secular status.

The problem of economic aspirations and deprivations being at the roots of communalhas been studied by past commission and committees. Sachar Committee 2005, Ranganath Misra Commission, National Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities, etc., have highlighted communal gaps in development. Government schemes like Nai Roshni for minority women, scholarship schemes for promising students etc. try to address this problem. In conclusion, we can say that though communalism is often linked to religion, the main driving force behind communalism is grounded in socio-economic realities and their exploitation by vested interests. Addressing the challenge of communalism requires that convergence in socio-economic development between communities be given sufficient attention. (531 words) Q.15) Globalization offers economic opportunities and benefits, but it comes with substantial social costs and accelerated process of marginalization. Critically evaluate. Approach: Introduce by defining globalization. In body, discuss various economic opportunities and benefits offered by globalization. Mention issues of social cost and accelerated marginalization associated with globalization. Conclude with need of synthesis of cultures and protection of marginalized. Globalization refers to the growing interdependence of the world’s economies, cultures, and populations, brought by cross-border trade and flow of investment, people, technology and information. Globalization has wide-ranging effects. Along with major technological advances, it offers various economic opportunities and benefits as described below:

1. Economic growth: Globalization creates opportunities for more countries to experience economic growth due to increased flow of trade, capital, information, and people. It offers developing countries an opportunity to close development gap with developed countries.

2. Manufacturing industry: Globalization spurs manufacturing activity through export-led growth. It also allows companies to reduce their production cost by shifting manufacturing to countries with cheap labor, raw material and conducive government policies.

3. Reduced inflation: Globalization increases competition, which lead to lower prices, better quality and larger variety of products for consumers. Lowered costs reduce inflation and improve access to economic goods and services.

4. Poverty reduction: Globalization generates employment opportunities, thereby reducing poverty. As per UNDP Global Multidimensional Poverty Index 2020, India successfully moved out over 273 million people from multidimensional poverty from 2005 to 2016.

5. Growing middle class: Growth in sectors like IT, tourism, banking and service sector create good quality jobs, and a consuming and tax-paying middle class, which further spurs growth and development, creating a virtuous cycle of growth.

Though globalization offers various benefits, it has associated social costs and is seen to contribute towards accelerated marginalization as well, as discussed below:

1. Social costs: a. Family structure: There has been an accelerated disintegration of the joint family system and

emergence of nuclear families due to greater individualism, urbanization, and consumerism. An

Page 14 of 21


outcome of nuclearization is vulnerability of old age persons, an issue that got highlighted during the recent pandemic.

b. Divorce rates: There is increased incidence of divorce. Forbes report revealed that the number of divorces has gone up from 1 in 1,000 to 13 in 1,000 over the last decade. This is due to decreasing economic inter-dependence and tolerance among couples.

c. Linguistic threats: Globalization has endangered various local languages. The influence of transnational corporations has resulted in a central common language- English, which dominates regional dialects and minority languages.

d. Cultural erosion: Increased consumerism and penetration of western media has led to erosion of local culture. Under the influence of western individualism there has been homogenization of values and beliefs.

2. Marginalization: a. Inequalities: Income disparity and gap between the rich and poor has increased. Oxfam reports

reported top 10% of the Indian population holds 77% of the total national wealth. b. Unethical business: It has also led to destruction of local industries and creation of monopolies.

Use of unethical business practices has destroyed domestic jobs and businesses. E.g., protests by local shopkeepers against amazon for destroying their business through heavy discounts.

c. Informalization: Globalization has also led to informalization of economy, to cater to a race-to-bottom in cost of production. This has made labor class more vulnerable due to low wages and lack of social security.

Post-1991 economic reforms, a global integration has emerged in form of globalization which has brought various economic gains to India. However, the gains have come with social cost and marginalization of vulnerable. Toward this end, there is need for synthesis of cultures, and protection of those living at margins of society. (547 words) Q.16) With the help of a neat diagram, discuss internal structure of earth. Explain how study of seismic waves helps in better understanding of earth’s interior. Approach: Introduce by mentioning various earth layers. In body, draw a diagram of internal structure of earth and discuss the same. List different aspects of understanding about earth's interior which are deduced from seismic waves. Conclude by mentioning the central role of seismic waves at heart of complex methods of studying the internal structure of the earth. The interior of the earth is made up of several concentric layers. Mechanically, the earth’s layers can be divided into lithosphere, asthenosphere, mesospheric mantle and core. Chemically, earth can be divided into the crust, upper mantle, lower mantle, outer core, and inner core. Internal structure of earth is detailed below:

1. Crust: It is the outermost solid part of the earth with thickness of 5-30 kms, accounting for 1% of earth’s volume and 5% of earth’s mass. Oceanic crust is thinner (about 5 km) as compared to the continental crust (about 30 km). Continental crust consists of SIAL i.e., silica and aluminum, while Oceanic crust consists of SIMA i.e., silica and magnesium. The mean density of the crust materials is 3g/cm3. Mohorovicic Discontinuity or Moho discontinuity separates the crust from the mantle.

2. Mantle: The layer beyond crust is mantle with thickness of 2900 km, making up 84% of earth volume and 67% of earth mass. Mantle is made of oxygen, silicon, and magnesium with density about 3.3-5.4 g/cm3.

Page 15 of 21


Asthenosphere, the highly viscous upper region lies just below the lithosphere in the mantle and is the main source of magma, over which the continental plates move. Gutenberg Discontinuity separates the mantle and the outer core.

3. Core: It is the innermost layer constituting 15% of earth’s volume and 32.5% of earth’s mass. It has the highest density of all layers at 9.5-14.5 g/cm3. It is composed mainly of NiFe i.e., iron (Fe) and nickel (Ni). The inner core is solid and outer core is liquid.

The study of seismic waves has helped in providing a detailed view of earth’s interior as described below: 1. Thickness: P-waves are faster and can travel through both solids and liquids. S-waves are slower and

cannot travel through liquids. This characteristic of seismic waves has helped in arriving at important conclusions about thickness of various layers inside earth through analysis of arrival times of seismic signals during earthquakes.

2. Composition: Scientists have deduced Earth’s composition by studying the shadow zones of seismic waves. i.e., the absence and presence of P- and S-waves on seismogram during earthquakes at different places, due to blocking and deflection of seismic waves by structural layers. For example, the deflection of p-waves at boundary between inner and outer core give information about composition of the solid inner core. Theoretical studies and modelling help arrive at more concrete conclusions based on raw seismic data.

Fig: Earthquake Shadow zones

3. Structure: By measuring the time, it takes for seismic waves to travel along different regions through the earth, geologists figure out the structural components of earth’s interiors. For example, abrupt changes in velocity and deflections correspond to boundaries between different layers of the Earth, uniformity and discontinuity in composition and state of matter at different depths.

Geologists use various indirect methods gravity, magnetic field and seismic waves to determine earth’s interior, along with complex computational methods. But most hypotheses about the internal structure of the earth are developed by studying seismic waves. (504 words) Q.17) Highlight the conditions suitable for formation and development of coral reefs. Also, discuss various natural and anthropogenic factors responsible for their destruction. Approach: Introduce by mentioning what corals are. In the body, discuss suitable conditions required for coral’s growth. For the next part, mention various natural and anthropogenic factors responsible for destruction of coral reef. Conclude with suggestions for way forward. A coral is a marine organism which exist in symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae (algae) in tropical waters to form coral reefs. There are three main types of coral reefs: fringing, barrier and atoll. Coral reefs, also known as rainforests of the oceans, are one of the most diverse and important marine ecosystems. Coral reefs have great economic significance as they are rich fishing grounds as well as tourist attraction.

Page 16 of 21


Following conditions are suitable for formation and development of coral reefs: 1. Shallow Depth: Corals depend on zooxanthellae which need sunlight to survive. Thus, Coral reefs grow at

shallow depths, where sunlight filters through to support the symbiotic algae. 2. Warm Water: Most corals survive in narrow temperature range of 23-29 ℃ with some species surviving

at as low as 20 ℃ and few others at as high as 32 ℃. 3. Clean saltwater: Corals are sensitive to pollution and sediments. So, corals require clean water for growth.

In addition, corals require balanced salinity to survive and grow. 4. Oxygen and Plankton: Adequate oxygen and microscopic marine food, called phytoplankton, is essential

for coral growth. Often, these are found near sea surface. Coral bleaching is the process where corals turn white because coral polyps expel the algae zooxanthellae that live inside their tissue. Coral bleaching/ coral destruction occur as a result various natural and anthropogenic factors discussed below:

1. Natural factors: a. Weather-related damage: Corals frequently sustain weather-related damage. For example, powerful

waves from hurricanes and cyclones can break apart or flatten large coral heads. b. Tidal Changes: Long periods of exceptionally low tides leave coral heads exposed, and damage the

reef. The amount of damage depends on the time of day and the weather conditions. c. El Nino: Increased sea-surface temperatures and salinity can occur due to El Nino, which can kill

corals. For example, during the 1997-1998 El Nino, extensive coral reef bleaching in Indo-Pacific and Caribbean destroyed 90% of the corals.

Historically, natural factors including climate changes such as ice ages, were responsible for coral reef destruction. However, in recent times anthropogenic factors have become more important reasons for destruction of coral reefs.

2. Anthropogenic factors: a. Global warming: Increased GHGs from deforestation, burning of fossil fuels etc., with effects on

ocean temperatures, storm patterns, and sea level has altered habitat conditions of corals, leading to increased incidents of coral damage. Ocean acidification has also contribute to coral bleaching.

b. Pollution: Pollution in form of oil spillage, flow of urban and industrial waste, and agrochemicals into seas are poisoning reefs.

c. Destructive fishing practices: These include cyanide fishing, blast or dynamite fishing, bottom trawling, and muro-ami (banging on reef with sticks).

d. Careless tourism: Careless tourism including boating, diving, snorkeling, with people touching reefs, collecting coral, etc., and resorts being built on reefs, is destroying corals around the world.

e. Construction and mining: Erosion due to illegal construction, mining, including effects of higher riverine and coastal sediments kill corals by depriving them of sunlight.

Anthropogenic activities, which have led to global warming, have created existential threats for the coral ecosystem. There is need to conserve the highly biodiverse coral reefs through regulation of human activities in coral regions, while increasing the scientific understanding of coral ecosystems to find solutions for their regeneration. (544 words) Q.18) With the help of map given below, highlight the distribution of petroleum and natural gas (P&NG) in India. Also, discuss the implications of scarcity of P&NG resources in the country. Approach: Introduce by briefly explaining formation of petroleum and natural gas (P&NG) reserves. Identify location of P&NG reserves in India. List the implications of scarcity of these resources for the country. Conclude with a way forward.

Page 17 of 21


Oil and natural gas originated from animal and or vegetable matter contained in shallow marine sediments. They are found in sedimentary basins, shallow depression and in the seas. India has limited oil and natural reserves. Majority of these oil reserves are associated with anticlines and fault traps in the sedimentary rock formations of tertiary times. An oil reservoir must have three requisite conditions:

1. Porosity in order to accommodate large amount of oil

2. Permeability to dis-charge oil/gas when well has been drilled

3. Porous sand beds sand-stone, conglomerate of fissured limestone containing oil should be capped by impervious rocks to prevent dissipation of oil through percolation in the surrounding rocks.

Based on above criteria distribution of petroleum and natural gas reserves in the country can be broadly divided into following regions:

1. Western coast off-shore oilfields: This region has the maximum reserves of the country. Extraction of oil on commercial scale has been achieved at Mumbai High, Bassein and Alia bet island in the Gulf of Khambat.

2. Oilfields in north-east region: This region has second largest reserves of the country. Major oilfields in this region are in Brahmaputra valley in Assam and its neighbouring areas of Arunachal Pradesh, Tipura and Nagaland. Some important oilfields of Assam include the Digboi, Naharkatia and Moran-Hugrijan.

3. On-shore oil fields on western India: Oil bearing rock are found around the Gulf of Khambhat. Commercial extraction is being done from the oilfields like Ankleshwar, Khambhat/Lunej field and Ahmedabad-Kalol field. Some largest inland oil-wells are located in Barmer district of Rajasthan.

4. Eastern coast oilfields: They are predominantly reserves of natural gas. Some oil fields in this region like Krishna-Godavari basin and Sunderbans are off-shore oil reserves and other like Cauvery basin are on-shore reserves.

Implication of scarcity of these resources in the country: 1. Energy insecurity: Energy security is the continuous and affordable availability of energy sources at an

affordable price. Energy is central to achieving India’s development ambitions. Nation’s demand for energy outpaces domestic supply, thus it has to depend on foreign countries to meet its energy requirement. Also, it makes India vulnerable to disruptions in SLOC. This has energy security implications for India.

2. Drain of Forex reserves: Due to limited reserves, 83% of India’s oil demand is achieved through imports. Also, India has to pay Asian premium on buying oil from OPEC countries. This result in high import bill and has tendency to increase Current Account Deficit and depletes Forex reserves.

3. Economic vulnerability: With limited domestic oil supply and meagre capacity of India’s strategic petroleum reserves, nation’s economy is highly sensitive to global oil prices. Increased oil prices lead to increased inflation due to its multiplier effect.

4. Strategic autonomy: Regional over dependence of energy import basket results in reducing the strategic autonomy of the importing nation.

Page 18 of 21


5. Over reliance on coal: Despite natural gas being a better alternative (both economically and environmentally) to coal, India’s energy production is dominated by coal. This can be because of wide availability of coal compared to natural gas.

India is an energy hungry country, and with government aggressively pushing for development its energy demand is bound to increase. With its limited P&NG reserves, the country has to look for other alternatives to meet its energy demand. (544 words) Q.19) Enumerate the factors that helped ‘Bombay’ emerge as center of cotton-textile industry. Also, present reasons for the dispersion of cotton textile industries to other parts of the country.

Approach: Introduce by mentioning history of cotton textile industry in India and growth of Bombay as a center of textile mills. In body, list factors that helped Bombay emerge as center of cotton-textile industry in India. List reasons for its dispersal in other regions. Conclude with need to harness cotton sector to its maximum.

India has traditionally been a leader in cotton textiles with Dhaka (Muslin), Masulipatnam (Chintzes), Calicut (Calicos) etc. being important industrial centers. Bombay grew in prominence as a textile center with the first mechanized textile mill being established in 1854, which gradually increased to a total of 136 mills by 1900. Bombay emerged as the center of cotton-textile industry in India due to following reasons:

1. Raw materials: Bombay was situated close to the cotton-producing black soil regions of Maharashtra and Gujarat. Bombay emerged as the collecting center of raw cotton for export to British mills, and later for textile mills in Bombay.

2. Port and railways: Bombay had excellent harbor facilities for importing large consignments of long-staple cotton, coal and machinery to meet the requirements of the local mills. A well-developed rail and road network helped transport of cotton textiles and raw materials.

3. Humid climate & water availability: Favorable climate of warm and humid air favored spinning and weaving of sturdy cotton textiles. Availability of abundant water supply for dyeing and bleaching made Bombay a center for cotton and auxiliary industries.

4. Cheap labor and capital: Mumbai being the financial center provided capital for setting up textile mills. The supply of cheap and skilled workers in large number, propelled growth of cotton industry.

All these conditions created a favorable ecosystem and economies of scale helped in rapid growth of Bombay’s cotton industry. However, issues like excessive competition, congestion, frequent labor strikes etc. encouraged decentralization of cotton industry. After 1921, cotton industry dispersal started to new industrial centers like Coimbatore, Madurai, Bangalore, Nagpur, Indore, Solapur and Vadodara due to following factors:

1. Use of Humidifiers: The use of humidifiers facilitated establishment of cotton industries in dry regions. For example, power supply in western India aided growth of cotton industries as it made the operations of humidifier in dry season viable.

2. Electricity & transport: The development of railways and highways reduced dependency on proximity to raw material and has reduced the transportation cost. Production of electricity from new sources like hydro-power facilitated the growth of cotton industry in Coimbatore, Madurai and Tirunelveli (Pykara dam).

3. Power looms and Ports: The sector witnessed a shift from manual to machine-based

Page 19 of 21


production and increase in number of power looms. Therefore, the industry spread to other port areas where machines could be imported easily such as Kolkata.

4. Labor cost: The industry also shifted from areas of high labor cost to those with low labor cost. The labor cost was crucial in establishing cotton industry at places like Indore, Solapur, and Vadodara.

5. Government-incentivized Handlooms: Various government measures over the years such as the Integrated Village Handloom Development scheme and National Silk Yarn Scheme helped spread of industries in many rural areas. Cheap labor and new demand for handicrafts has also fueled the growth of handlooms.

Cotton textiles sector has historically carried huge potential for employment generation. It continues to be of critical importance in solving India’s employment crisis. The cotton textile sector must be harnessed to its maximum with effective policy support for its development. (518 words) Q.20) Stubble burning is a seasonal issue that accentuates air pollution problem in Delhi-NCR, however, National Air Quality Index reported just zero, two and five ‘good’ air quality day in 2018, 2019 and 2020 respectively for Delhi. In this context, discuss various underlying geographical and human factors responsible for this chronic problem and suggest some remedial measures. Approach: Introduce by mentioning ‘poor’ air quality in Delhi-NCR. In body, discuss various geographic and anthropogenic factors responsible for air pollution in Delhi-NCR. Suggest some remedial measures for the same. Conclude with need of cooperative federalism to fight against air pollution. IQAir 2020 report has ranked Delhi as the most polluted capital in the world (third time in a row). Air quality remains a reason of concern for the most part of year impacting wellbeing and health of the people in Delhi-NCR region. Stubble burning is blamed as culprit for this poor air quality. However, AQI, which measures pollution level on basis of 8 pollutants, presented a grim picture of air quality throughout the year. It reflects that beyond seasonal stubble burning, there are multiple factors that cause air pollution in Delhi-NCR which are as described: Geographical factors:

1. Northwesterly Winds: North-Westerly winds carry dust from northwest and middle east, causing air pollution. E.g., in 2017 a storm, originated from Iraq and Saudi Arabia led to drastic dip in Delhi’s air quality for months.

2. Slow wind speed: Changing climate has caused slower winds for most of the days. Also, tall buildings and other structures reduce airspeed. Due to stagnant winds and urban heat-dust dome, the pollutants get locked in the air resulting in smog.

3. Landlocked Geography: Delhi and surrounding regions are landlocked by Himalayas in North and Vindhya in south. These mountains obstruct the route and prevent air pollutants escape.

4. Delhi lies in a semi-arid region resulting in less rain, which could have washed away pollutants from the air.

Anthropogenic factors: 1. Industrial pollutants: Several industries in Delhi-NCR, emits gases like carbon-black, SO2 and NO2. Many

food and fertilizers industries emit acid vapors. Combustion in power plants and industries using dirty fuels, like pet coke, coal and biomass release hazardous air pollutants.

2. Automobile emissions: Tons of air pollutants are being emitted daily from automobile exhausts. According to the IIT Kanpur study, 20 % of PM 2.5 in winters comes from vehicular pollution. The exhaust produces many air pollutants including un-burnt hydrocarbons, CO, NOx and lead oxides.

3. Unscientific garbage burning: Garbage is a big issue in Delhi-NCR. Garbage burning in landfills and other places where there is no collection, processing or disposal, emit hazardous gases.

4. Agricultural activities: Large-scale burning of paddy residues in October-November and wheat in April in Punjab, Haryana and western UP contributes significantly to air pollution. In addition, use of insecticides, pesticides and fertilizers release ammonia which is a major air pollutant.

5. Construction activities result in loose sediments which get air borne causing higher particulate matter pollution.

Following are some remedial measures:

Page 20 of 21


1. Stubble management technologies: Government should incentivize use of machines/methods like happy seeder and PUSA bio-decomposer spray, to curb pollution from stubble burning.

2. Public transport & Smog towers: More smog tower and anti-smog guns should be installed. It is important to strengthen public transport and encourage people to use it.

3. Industrial emissions monitoring: Emphasis should be laid on reducing emissions from thermal power plants and industry by instituting strong emissions standards. There should be strong monitoring and enforcement system that ensures limits are met and excess emissions lead to punishments.

4. Clean fuel: Promotion to electric mobility, increased bio-ethanol blending and expansion of H-CNG bus fleet.

Government of India has created Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas to address air pollution in Delhi-NCR. Since air pollution knows no boundaries, cooperative federalism is need of the hour. (544 words) We are continuously working on improving our quality. If you are unhappy or happy with the quality of this study material, want to report an error, or want to leave us a feedback, you can email us at [email protected]

Page 21 of 21

Documents

MGP 2022 (Cohort 5)