UPSC GS MAINS PAPER - 1 · • However, in late 19th century many modern painters like Raja Ravi Verma, Amrita Shergill and painters of Bengal School, Nandlal Bose, Abanindranath

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Hints: UPSC Mains Paper - 1 [1]

1. The ancient civilization in Indian sub-continent differed from those of Egypt, Mesopotamia andGreece in that its culture and traditions have been preserved without a breakdown to the presentday. Comment.

Hints:

• Many great cultures had developed in different countries and regions of the world. Many of themhave perished or have been replaced by other cultures.

• However Indian culture has had an enduring character. Despite major changes and upheavalssignificant threads of continuity can be traced throughout the course of Indian history right uptothe present day.

• Some aspects of Harappan culture are still practised, such as, the worshipping of Mother Goddessand Pashupati. Similarly, Vedic, Buddhist, Jain and many other traditions continue to be followedeven today. Hence the continuity and change in our civilization has gone hand in hand. In fact,a remarkable feature of Indian culture is that along with continuity it has kept on changing,whereas the basic spirit of our culture continued. It has kept on discarding what was becomingirrelevant in the modern age.

• As a result, movements have grown and reforms brought about. The reform movements in theVedic religion brought about by Jainism and Buddhism in sixth century BC and the religious andsocial awakening in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in modern India are a few exampleswhen revolutionary changes were brought about in Indian thought and practices. Yet the threadof basic philosophy of Indian culture continued and still persists.

• Further all these civilizations except of India had institutional slavery, whereas India lacked anysuch exploitative system at large scale. Though, it had social outcasts and untouchables, but eventheir status was much better than slaves elsewhere. This, institution also became the reason fordownfall for the great civilizations like Egypt and Mesopotamia.

• Thus, due to all these features Indian civilization continued without break.

2. Mesolithic rock cut architecture of India not only reflects the cultural life of the times but also afine aesthetic sense comparable to modern painting. Critically evaluate this comment.

Hints:

• The term Mesolithic art refers to all arts and crafts created between the end of the Palaeolithic IceAge (10,000 BCE) and the beginning of farming, i.e., Neolithic age.

• The art of that period mostly catered on what man lived, whereas the classical arts essentiallydepicted what man saw and the Modern Art depicted what man thought. Since the earliest artform was closest to nature, it has a deep aesthetic sense, which appeal most people compared tothe Modern Art.

• The main feature of Mesolithic rock cut architecture is rock cave paintings which reflected the dailylife of that period in a sense, because most of the paintings showed animals, hunting scenes, etc.

UPSC GS MAINS PAPER - 1

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[ 2 ] Hints: UPSC Mains Paper - 1

• The Mesolithic sites also had painting of social life, sexual activity, child birth, rearing of childrenand burial ceremony. This makes it clear that Mesolithic man had developed an aesthetic sense,since most of the painting depicted the nature around the men.

• While, the early modern paintings were artificial and ornate and lacked aesthetic sense, becausethey were promoted by British rulers and materialist theme dominated in their paintings and naturewas completely ignored as in bazaar paintings and company school.

• However, in late 19th century many modern painters like Raja Ravi Verma, Amrita Shergill andpainters of Bengal School, Nandlal Bose, Abanindranath Tagore also reflected cultural times of theage and had fine aesthetic sense like Mesolithic paintings, since nature was represented with utmostrealism in their paintings, example being the famous Bharat Mata painting of AbanindranathTagore.

• Even contemporary Indian paintings of M.F. Hussein, reflect a fine aesthetic sense, because they aremostly based on European neo-classical traditions. Whereas, the abstract modern art certainly lackthe nature's proportions and the aesthetics of classical and stone age art and appeal to a selectedclass of people.

3. How different would have been the achievement of Indian independence without Mahatma Gandhi?Discuss.

Hints:

• Gandhi was the central figure in the Indian national movement. He played a major role in attainingthe independence. He was a preacher of non-violence. Though the non-violence has been a dominantaspect of Indian civilization from the time of Buddha, nevertheless Gandhi was the first leader touse it as the instrument for the attainment of Swaraj. This provided a strong moral force in fightingagainst the mighty British Empire.

• The freedom movement as started by the Congress was in a Think-Tank mode. The two segmentsof Congress, the Moderates and Extremists were moving on two different ideologies.

• Further, the revolutionary terrorism was also increasing due to various policies of British India.Along with that communalism was also increasing and riots became very common.

• Gandhi transformed the whole movement into an activist mode which helped in Congress gettingmainstream popularity and become vanguard of the movement.

• People of all segments, caste and class participated in freedom movement under him. He has ledto generation of feeling of national integration and solidarity.

• Gandhi was not merely a political leader; he was also an important spiritual figure for many youngleaders and the large number of Indian masses. This added full vigour to the fight for independenceas lot of people could connect Swaraj with religion and religious way of life.

• If Gandhiji would not have been present then our nation would have been more divided oncommunal and caste angle.

4. Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, despite having divergent approaches and strategies, hada common goal of amelioration of the downtrodden. Elucidate.

Hints:

• Gandhi and Ambedkar, though had the common objective of uplifting the downtrodden, theyapproached with divergent strategies.

• Gandhi had a deep faith in Varna system, though it further stretched into the caste system. Hebelieved that a person being born into a particular caste had a divine dispensation. But Ambedkarwas wholly against the system. He wanted to abolish casteism to improve the status of the depressedpeople.

• Gandhi urged the middle and upper classes to support and work for the upliftment of the depressedsection. He spread this message through his weekly publication "Harijan". During truce time, he

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appealed the Congressmen to go to the villages to serve the untouchables and to try for theirintegration with the mainstream. Whereas, Ambedkar did not believe in the help and support ofthe upper classes. He encouraged his men to educate themselves and fight for their rights.

• Ambedkar demanded separate electorate from the British Empire to protect the interests of thedowntrodden in the round table conference. Gandhi was against this as he thought the mechanismwill further intensify the division in the society. So, he proposed for more number of reserved seatsin legislature to protect the rights of these people. As a result, Poona Pact was signed in 1932.

• Gandhi was in favour of decentralization to empower the villages. Ambedkar strongly opposed ashe was afraid of village headmen assuming more power, which will further exploit theunderprivileged section.

• Thus, while both the leaders wanted to change the condition of downtrodden, their approach wasdifferent, while Gandhi had an evolutionary approach, Ambedkar had revolutionary approach.

5. It would have been difficult for the Constituent Assembly to complete its historic task of draftingthe Constitution for Independent India in just three years but for the experience gained with theGovernment of India Act, 1935. Discuss.

Hints:

• The Constituent Assembly took almost three years (2 years, 11 months and 17 days to be precise)to complete its historic task of drafting the Constitution for Independent India. During this period,it held eleven sessions covering a total of 165 days.

• To complete Indian constitution was a difficult task in the above mentioned time period in theabsence of an earlier legal document which could serve as the basic draft. The GOI 1935 Act actedas a draft as it was a comprehensive legal document for the governance of the country.

• Similarly, the drastic changes were already known beforehand from the demands and aspirationsof freedom fighters, such as democracy based on universal adult franchise. Thus, fundamentalswere already known much in advance.

• The 1935 Act provided the solid foundation on which the changes could be made as per theaspiration of the people of India. India did not have to start from the beginning. However, manynew additions were made taking into account the myriad experiences from the polity of otherconstitutions - Britain, U.S.A, Irish, Canadian, etc.

• The Act of 1935 had many detailed provisions, which has been preserved intact, because threeelections were conducted on the basis of that system, including 1937 provincial elections and thesystem was becoming familiar for the Indians. Thus, the already known issues with the systemmade it easier for drafting committee to retain relevant and delete non-suitable sections from theAct and transform it into India's constitution.

6. Why did the industrial revolution first occur in England? Discuss the quality of life of the peoplethere during the industrialization. How does it compare with that in India at present?

Hints:

• The industrial revolution started in England because of following factors:

• Economic factors:

a) Agriculture revolution- there was consolidation of land holdings, new agricultural equipments likeiron and steel ploughshare were used. The increase in agriculture productivity ensured availabilityof raw material and labour for industrial revolution.

b) Due to the success of British mercantilism there was increased demand for British goods throughoutthe world. Rich merchants accumulated huge capital which could be invested in factories, etc.

c) Proximity of iron and steel mines too provided necessary impetus because it saved the transportationcost.

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• Political factors: There was political stability in Britain. British citizens enjoyed civil liberties likeright to property, etc. There was legal protection to land owners. Britain participated in wars butsuffered no damages because of its geographic location and naval supremacy.

• Social and Religious factors: Liberal, progressive ideas under the influence of enlightenment led tomany breakthrough inventions like weaving machine, steam engines, etc. Unlike continental Europe,the society was free from social conflicts as citizens enjoyed legal protections. The protestant ethicsled to accumulation of wealth and high savings rate.

• Impact of industrial revolution on quality of life of people: It had positive impacts like diversehigh quality cheap goods were available & gave a boost to urbanization. At the same time, it wasa time of flux as the old social structures and institutions were being transformed. There was a trendtowards nuclear families, increase in social mobility, more emphasis on achieving status. Ethical andmoral foundations weakened due to problems of slums, social crimes, etc. In the industrial districts,children tended to enter the workforce at younger age. Many of the new factory owners preferredto employ children as they viewed them more docile and tractable than adults.

• Comparison with India at present times: After independence, India embarked on the journey ofplanned industrialisation on the socialistic pattern. The role of state was very important with focuson industrial goods. There is less exploitation of working class as many labour laws are enacted toprotect their rights. The Social institutions like marriage, family are getting transformed due toindustrialization. However 47% of economy is still agriculture based, which is much higher thanBritain of 19th century. Rural urban migration in search of new job opportunities landing peoplein slums and poor hygienic conditions.

7. To what extent can Germany be held responsible for causing the two World Wars? Discuss critically.

Hints:

• The First World War was the result of developments on political-military front which were takingplace after the exit of Bismark. The new King Kaiser William II was young and impatient and hisforeign policy divided Europe into two hostile blocks.

• There was an end to French isolation as new alliances were formed between France-Britain &France -Russia & also the Triple Entente. However, the immediate reasons were arms race, diplomatichumiliation of Germany during Moroccan crisis, etc. There was spread of rapid nationalism due tounfulfilled nationalistic aspirations. The fight for colonies also added fuel to the fued.

• Austria-Hungary wanted war to settle Serbia challenge forever. Serbia wanted a war to attractattention of big power towards Serbian cause. The interference of Germany in Ottoman empirethrough infrastructure development created doubt about intentions of Germany. Thus, developmentsin Germany only acted as a catalyst, in the equation which was already very unstable.

• Germany was defeated in World War I and they were forced to pay heavy reparations to thevictors. Their economy could not take the pressure and it fell apart. Severe inflation and depressionfollowed. As a result of the Treaty of Versailles and the economic disasters that followed, theGerman people became very resentful towards the victors of World War I, namely France and GreatBritain.

• Therefore, Germany started the fight against them in lieu of conquering Europe and gaining thepride back.

• Later Hitler defied the Versailles and Locarno treaties by remilitarising the Rhineland. He encounteredlittle opposition from other European powers. Germany and Italy formed the Rome-Berlin Axis. Amonth later, Germany and Japan signed the Anti-Comintern Pact, which Italy joined in the followingyear. This all led to World War II.

8. Describe any four cultural elements of diversity in India and rate their relative significance inbuilding a national identity.

Hints:

• The Indian national identity is composed of several themes, which include the identity of India asa land of multiple religions, languages, races and ethnicity.

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• One of the most important aspects of this cultural diversity is religious diversity; India has beenhome to all major religions of the world for centuries, apart from its own indigenous beliefs andsystems.

• The spiritual aspect of religion is quite similar in all religions. In every religion an emphasis is placed

on the moral conduct and transcendence of the selfish ego. While this aspect of religion is a matterof personal devotion, the temporal aspect of religion is always related with the group identity andsolidarity is maintained by religious rituals and community's beliefs. At the temporal level, differentreligious groups differ from each other. But in India, there has always been respect and tolerance

towards different religions, which leads to national integration.

• Similarly, the caste diversity is present in all religions, whereas these are not present anywhere elsein world in those religions.

• Language is another source of cultural diversity as well as unity. It contributes to collective identitiesand even to conflicts. Twenty two languages are recognized by Indian Constitution. All majorlanguages have regional and dialectical variations.

• Fundamental unity is found in the ideas and themes expressed in these languages. There is unity

also at the level of grammatical structures.

• India possesses a rich variety of races. The physical features and complexion of the Indian peoplealso differ from region to region.

• But inspite of these diversities unity is present among people and they associate themselves asIndian rather than regional identities.

9. Critically examine whether growing population is the cause of poverty OR poverty is the maincause of population increase in India.

Hints:

• The UN Human Rights Council has defined poverty as "a human condition characterized by the

sustained or chronic deprivation of the resources, capabilities, choices, security and power necessaryfor the enjoyment of an adequate standard of living and other civil, cultural, economic, political andsocial rights".

• Poverty and population growth has a two way linkage.

• At one end high population growth rate is one of major reasons of poverty in India. As high

population below poverty line add to high level of illiteracy, poor health care facilities and pooraccess to financial resources. Hence high population growth affects the per capita income and

makes per capita income even lower.

• Whereas on the other side for poor, one more child means two more hands to work and earn forlivelihood of family, and this particular reason make poverty a strong cause for growing population.

Further, lack of money and proper awareness or education about contraceptive methods is amongmajor causes of population increase in India due to poverty. It leads to poor lifestyle and highmortality, particularly among children, which keeps the fertility rates high, due to uncertainty,further increasing the population upwards.

• Overall, it is a vicious cycle and it can't be determined what leads to what and thus, the focus shallbe on the regulation and control of both of these phenomenons.

10. How do you explain the statistics that show that the sex ratio in Tribes in India is more favourable

to women than the sex ratio among Scheduled Castes?

Hints:

• The sex ratio for the overall population is 940 females per 1000 males and that of Scheduled Tribes990 females per thousand males. Sex Ratio (number of Females per 1000 Males) is an importantpopulation characteristic that highlights the social attention provided to women.

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• In the absence of any interference, there is always an excess of male mortality during infancy sincethe female fetus and the female infant is biologically stronger compared to her male counterpart.

• This biological advantage wanes during the subsequent years of life due to the inequality faced by

the girl child in access to food, nutrition, health-care and other life sustaining resources. As a reason

there is an emergence of excess female child mortality based on behavioral as opposed to thebiological reasons. The stronger the inequality, the larger is the excess female child mortality.

• The sex ratio of tribes in India are more favourable because since time immemorial, tribals have

never discriminated between a boy and a girl. They have Matriarchal society. Tribals do not go for

sex determination and female foeticide whereas in schedule caste the discrimination is present.

11. Discuss the changes in the trends of labour migration within and outside India in the last four

decades.

Hints:

• Migration refers to the movement of organisms like animals and birds in geographical space. There

are several factors, which induce people to migrate.

• The reasons may be economic, social or political.

• When people migrate within the same country it is called internal migration. When migration

involves crossing the boundaries of a given country, it is called international migration.

• Trend of migration within India

a) Inter State Migration (East to West Migration): The migration from eastern part of country which

includes UP, Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal or North Eastern states, etc. to western part which includes

Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, Punjab or Haryana etc. is almost a regular phenomenon from last four

decades.

b) Initially Maharashtra and Gujarat along with Kolkata were the only favourite destinations; but after

destruction of industries in Kolkata during the rule of communists, green revolution, industrial

growth and peace established in Punjab or Delhi area; Delhi, Punjab and Haryana become the major

destination for migrants.

c) Short term or temporary migration increased at rapid pace in last some decades in different areas

due to agriculture after green revolution, construction sector especially after boost of real estate,

etc.

d) In last four decades, female migration rate has surpassed the male migration rate in both rural and

urban areas.

• Trend in Migration outside India

a) West or Developed Countries: However international migration from India to developed countries

like US, UK or Canada have continued unabated from long time but rate of migrants got substantially

increased after period of globalization. Also considerable numbers of Indians are immigrating on

a permanent basis to these industrialized nations rather than on temporary basis.

b) Middle East: After increase in oil prices in 1973-74, Gulf region attracts a significant proportion

of migrants from India especially semi skilled and unskilled labour. Initially, Saudi Arabia and UAE

were major destinations as accounts for more than 60% of migrant workers from India but after

1990s migrant workers significantly declined in Saudi Arabia but continually unabated in UAE.

Kerala, Tamil Nadu, AP and Punjab mainly accounts for out-migration to Middle East Asia.

c) One of the striking trends in relation to the unskilled/semi-skilled emigration from India in the

recent years is the phenomenal increase in the numbers migrating to Malaysia.

d) Estimates of the number of international migrants by sex show that the volume of international

migrants has been nearly equal for both men and women.

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12. Discuss the positive and negative effects of globalization on women in India.

Hints:

• Globalization is a complex phenomenon in which movement of organizations, ideas, discourses,and peoples have taken a global or trans-national form.

• The positive effect of globalization is that it has opened up broader communication lines andattracted more companies as well as different organizations into India.

• This provides opportunities for not only working men, but also women, who are becoming a largerpart of the workforce. With new jobs for women, there are opportunities for higher pay, whichraises self-confidence and brings about independence. This, in turn, can promote equality betweenthe sexes, something that Indian women have been struggling for their entire lives.

• Globalization has the power to uproot the traditional treatment towards women to afford them anequal stance in society.

• Despite the positive effects of globalization through increased employment opportunities for women,globalization has a darker, more sinister side. Out of the total 397 million workers in India, 123.9million are women and of these women 96% of female workers are in the unorganized sector.

• Accordingly, although more women are now seeking paid employment, a vast majority of themobtain only poorly paid, unskilled jobs in the informal sector, without any job security or socialsecurity.

• Additionally working women in India are more likely to be subjected to intense exploitation; theyare exposed to more and more risks that cause health hazards and are forced to endure greaterlevels of physical and mental stress.

• Thus it would appear, that globalization has made many international corporations richer by thebillions at the expense of women who are suffering enormously due to this expansion of corporateempires.

13. Debate the issue of whether and how contemporary movements for assertion of Dalit identitywork towards annihilation of caste.

• Traditionally there was no term as dalit, as it was a term popularized by Dr. Ambedkar, and itmeans oppressed. It was used as a term to describe the people known as Shudra in traditional varnasystem. Today it expands to all those considered to be either similarly placed or as victims ofexploitation and discrimination, be it political, social or religious and often include adivasis too inits widest form.

• The term Dalit has become a political identity, similar to the way African Americans in the UnitedStates moved away from the use of the term Negro, to the use of Black or African-American. Dalitstoday use the term Dalit as they believe the term is more than being broken and is in fact an identityborn of struggle and assertion.

• In recent decades, various Dalit identity movements had lead to Dalit consciousness leading topolitical awareness and the notion of collective identity among the diverse Dalit communities. Thisidentity is also the result of positive discrimination or affirmative action as the reservation is the onlyreason why caste identity is recorded and maintained by government.

• Thus, it may be counter-productive, but such maintenance of caste identities has also prevented theannihilation of caste too up to some extent.

• Today the identity has pervaded so deep, that even in case of non-discrimination the identity ishighlighted leading to further strengthening of system, for example, media reports an accident alsowith religious or caste identities, when it is completely unnecessary, say, a dalit youth killed in caraccident.

• In order to attain annihilation of caste it is necessary that the caste identities are weakened overtime and not strengthened and thus, the political movements to gain mileage from identity shall bediscouraged and any unnecessary use of the term shall be restricted so that it doesn't lead to socialdivision.

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14. Explain the factors responsible for the origin of ocean currents? How do they influence regionalclimates, fishing and navigation?

Hints:

• Ocean currents are streams made up of horizontal and vertical components of the circulationsystem of ocean waters. The factors responsible for origin of ocean currents may be discussed as:

a) Planetary winds: Planetary winds are the principal cause of the origin of ocean currents. Suchwinds drive surface water along with them.

b) Difference of density and salinity: Difference of density and salinity in ocean water motivatesdenser waters to sink and move as undercurrents; whereas lighter waters move towards the denserwater as surface currents.

c) The rotation of the Earth: The rotation of the Earth causes Coriolis force which affects thedirection of movement of water and leads to formation of ocean currents.

d) The shape of coastline: The shape of coastline is also an important factor that affects the currentin the oceans.

e) Frictional force: Movement of water through the oceans is slowed by friction, with surroundingfluid moving at a different velocity which leads to a difference in the speed of water and generatescurrent.

• The influence of ocean currents can be discussed as:

a) On regional climate: Winds blowing over a warm current become warm and at the same time, pickup moisture. Thus, the wind that reaches the land brings down the temperature and causes heavyrainfall. The western coast of Europe is an example of such a region. Such winds bring down thetemperature of the land like the Kuroshio (warm) current, which flows along the east coast ofJapan. Ocean currents also lower the temperature of a region. For eg, The California (cold) current,which flows along the western coast of USA, makes the region much cooler than other places inthe west coast on the same latitude.

b) Navigation: By using predicted, real-time and short-term forecasted currents, ships can be safelydocked and undocked, maneuvered in confined waterways and safely navigated through coastalwaters. Lack of this knowledge can lead to collisions and delayed arrivals. Ships sailing with acurrent gain speed which helps in saving fuel and time. Ships moving against a current lose speed.

c) Fishing: Places where cold and warm currents meet are ideal for the growth of plankton which isfood for fish. These regions thus have developed into major fishing grounds of the world.Newfoundland on the eastern coast of North America is the meeting point of the Gulf Stream andthe Labrador Current. It is one of the major fishing centers of the world.

15. Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata are the three mega cities of the country but the air pollution is muchmore serious problem in Delhi as compared to the other two. Why is this so?

Hints:

• Though all the mega cities in India suffer from the problem of air pollution at alarmingly high levelsdue to growth in number of personal vehicles, increasing populations and effects of rapid urbanization,but, the problem is specifically more in Delhi as compared to the cities of Mumbai and Kolkata. Thiscan be attributed to the following factors:

a) Delhi is landlocked when compared to Mumbai and Kolkata so the level of pollution is more asthe level of particulate matter and pollutants is not able to get discharged into the surroundingareas. Mumbai is surrounded by sea on three sides and Kolkata on two sides so the pollutants aredischarged into the surrounding large water bodies and the level of pollution over these cities comesto be less when compared to Delhi.

b) The highly variable winds near the coast may sweep pollutants out to sea on a land breeze but thenbring them back with the sea breeze. The variations in sea breeze circulation also have distincteffect on the pollutant transport and dispersion mechanisms in the coastal urban areas. Whereas in

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case of Delhi the principle of continentality occurs thus in winters high pressures develop due towhich the pollutants remain near to the ground.

c) Due to the landlocked nature of location of Delhi, during winter months fog occurs in Delhi whichfurther adds to the problem of pollution.

d) The next reason can be the increasing pollution from nearby industrial areas in close proximity ofDelhi like Faridabad, Okhla and Noida industrial regions, whereas this is not the case with eitherMumbai or Kolkata. The pollution level from the industries in nearby areas of Delhi has addedmore to the problem of Delhi.

e) Moreover, the burning of paddy crops and other crops in Punjab and Haryana during winter monthsalso is responsible for pollution, whereas no such incidents are reported in other two cities.

• Thus, the problem of pollution in Delhi can be attributed to the geographical location of Delhiwhen compared to Mumbai and Kolkata. The need of the hour is to devise some mechanisms whichcan help to bring down the level of pollution in the city such as using less pollution causing vehicles,developing a good mass transit system and controlling waste effluents from industries.

16. India is well endowed with fresh water resources. Critically examine why it still suffers fromwater scarcity.

Hints:

• India is not an inherently water-short country. Its average total annual rainfall which is higher thanthe world average of 990 mm should normally suffice to meet the country's critical needs. India hasenough fresh water to meet its needs but the problem is the unequal distribution and sporadicnature of monsoon. The causes of water scarcity can be discussed as:

a) Unequal water distribution as most of the rainfall that is received in India is distributed over aspecific time and area. The level of water table rises during rainfall months but then decreases whenthere is no rainfall.

b) Overpopulated cities, which create pressure on natural resources add to the problem of waterscarcity.

c) Due to inefficient irrigation techniques and small land holdings for agriculture, over-exploitation ofgroundwater is in practice. This has lowered the water table, leading to conflict between the demandsfrom industry, agriculture and domestic sector.

d) Lack of recycling capacity for used water and low emphasis on water treatment and reuse alongwith dumping of municipal and industrial waste in water bodies has led to reduction in input towater sources.

e) Low awareness about rain water harvesting, water usage efficiency coupled with increasing purchasingpower of people has increased demand leading to magnification of the problem.

f) Increasing Geogenic groundwater pollution as well as increasing river pollution limits utilizablewater in the country.

g) Climate change increases incidences of droughts and reduce annual precipitation in drought pronecentral and North West India.

• To meet the problem of water scarcity it is necessary to use water resources in a planned andcomprehensive way.

17. The states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are reaching the limits oftheir ecological carrying capacity due to tourism. Critically evaluate.

Hints:

• The hilly states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are endowed withbeautiful natural landscape. Thus, they have the potential to attract tourists from all over the world.Mountains have become a magnet for tourism, which is the most rapidly growing industry in theworld.

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• The impacts of tourism on mountain ecosystems and biological resources are of great concern, both

at the local and global scales, because of the high degree of biodiversity and environmental sensitivity

of mountain areas. Tourism create pressure on the local resources.

• Due to this, there are apprehensions that they might be reaching the limits of their ecological

carrying capacity. The carrying capacity implies the maximum population size that the ecosystem

could sustain indefinitely.

• For instance, to handle the growing tourist industry, the Dal Lake in Srinagar has been encroached,

through haphazard urbanisation. Similarly is the case of Uttarakhand, which has places of religious

significance and attracts lots of followers annually led to development of roads and bridges which

has disturbed the ecological balance.

• But we may not say that these regions as a whole are reaching their ecological carrying capacity

as the tourist activities in these areas are limited to very small regions as compared to their state

area.

• In Jammu and Kashmir, it is confined to Ladakh, Srinagar and Jammu district. In Uttarakhand, it

is mostly confined to the Western part which is full of religious places like Badrinath, Kedarnath,

Haridwar, Rishikesh, etc. In Himachal, the tourist areas are located mainly in three districts - Kullu,

Dharamsala, Shimla, whereas rest of the areas gets less than 5% to total tourists arriving to the state

as aggregate.

• Thus, these states require destination specific checks, instead of common policy for whole state. The

need of hour is to promote other areas and diversify the tourism industry across the state with

principle of Eco-tourism, i.e., uniting conservation, communities, and sustainable travel.

18. How far do you agree that the behaviour of the Indian monsoon has been changing due to humanizing

landscapes? Discuss.

Hints:

• Humanizing the landscape can be defined as changing the natural landscape architecture as per

requirement of human beings like Urbanization or Industrialization. All these make disturbances in

hydrological cycle of atmosphere either reducing or increasing the rate of evaporation and ultimately

cause to change the pattern of Indian Monsoon. Let's take some examples of humanizing the

landscape.

a) Devastation of Wetlands: A wetland is a land area that is saturated with water either permanently

or seasonally. Wetlands play a number of roles in the environment, principally water purification,

flood control, carbon sink and shoreline stability. Devastation of wetlands in urban areas such as

lake or ponds is one of major reason of irregular rain pattern in big cities like Chennai or Srinagar.

b) Deforestation: Large scale deforestation for the purpose of Urbanization and Industrialization is

the cause of increase in Carbon Dioxide (CO2) or GHG in the environment (as per estimate,

1/5th of global GHG emissions are result of deforestation and forest degradation).

c) Concrete Use: Largely use of concrete in urban areas is causes poor recharging of groundwater and

change the hydrological cycle of environment which ultimately disturbs the Monsoon system of

India.

d) Agriculture: Large scale use of chemicals and bore well irrigation in agriculture are other examples

of humanizing the landscape.

e) Creation of large dams in hilly areas which have changed the ecological flow of rivers is also an

example of humanizing the landscape.

• However humanizing the landscape is one of major reason for changing the behavior of Indian

Monsoon but also affected by other reasons such as Pollution due to vehicular and industrial

emissions. This leads to climate change which change the behaviour of Indian Monsoon.

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19. Smart cities in India cannot sustain without smart villages. Discuss this statement in the backdrop

of rural urban integration.

Hints:

• Currently, 31% of India's population lives in cities; these cities also generate 63% of the nation's

economic activity. These numbers are rapidly increasing, with almost half of India's population

projected to live in its cities by 2030.

• Smart Cities focus on the most pressing needs and on the greatest opportunities to improve quality

of life for residents today and in the future.

• Smart cities are generally focus on subjects like Energy, Transport, Public Health, Education,

Affordable Housing or Waste Management with the help of modern technology.

• But for the success of smart city mission, rural-urban migration has to be reduced. Migration is the

major hurdle in development of smart cities because:

a) Migration leads to development of slums which reduces the availability of basic amenities to the

people.

b) The large scale migration lead to increase in labor supply and ultimately reduce wage rate which

cause people to live with pitiable housing and education facilities.

c) Large epidemics cause by diseases like dengue, malaria etc are indirect result of population explosion

in big cities which is mainly caused by migration.

d) It also leads to degradation of environment.

• Hence if sufficient basic amenities and facilities shall not be provided in peri-urban and village areas

then effective resource system of smart cities might not be able to provide quality of life to people

which is the main aim of Smart city mission.

• So, there is need to build smart villages with better education, health and employment opportunities

to make smart cities sustainable.

• Dozens of services including construction, farming, electricity, health care, water, retail,

manufacturing and logistics are needed in building a smart village.

• Computing, communication and information technologies play a major role in design, delivery and

monitoring of the services. All the techniques and technologies needed to build a smart village are

available now and some of them are being used in villages in India but these are disparate, fragmented

and piecemeal efforts.

• The need of the hour is strategy, integrated planning, and above all monitoring and execution of

the activities using appropriate governance models.

20. What are the economic significances of discovery of oil in Arctic Sea and its possible environemental

consequences?

Hints:

• According to U.S. Geological Survey estimates Arctic sea has 90 billion barrels of oil, 44 billionbarrels of natural gas liquids. There may also be significant reserves of coal, zinc and silver.

• This the discovery of oil in the Arctic sea can have wide range of opportunities for the world from

various angles such as:

a) Exploration of energy fuels will lead to energy security for world as world is facing resource

scarcity.

b) Exploring these resource will cater to growing needs of world economy and may reduce the price

of oil.

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c) Oil exploration might add some revenue to arctic region.

• However, discovery of these resources is likely to be associated with various environmental

consequences such as:

a) Oil spill if occurs causes much damage to already fragile and vulnerable arctic ecosystem. Thisspill is impossible to clean up and takes much to recover because of factors like, lack of sunlight,high wind, low visibility and moving icebergs

b) Exploration of these resources would impact marine ecology as it is one of fragile regions in theworld. Many wild life species like polar bears would be extinct once exploration starts.

c) Toxies like Mercury, lead and arsenic could be released into arctic region.

d) Excessive oceanic noises during extraction process will cause damage to species like whales whichuses sound for navigation and hunting.

e) Once transportation linkages are established and with increase in human activity, it will lead tocomplete melt which could significantly impact sea levels across and could have impact on lowlying coastal countries.

• The solution may lie on increasing investments and knowledge flows towards renewable optionsthat are abundant and un-perishing. Regulating the fragile arctic ecosystem exploitation thereforeneeds to be done based on cost benefit analysis.

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1. Discuss the possible factors that inhibit India from enacting for its citizen a uniform civil code

as provided for in the Directive Principles of State Policy.

Hints:

• Uniform Civil Code in India is to have a single set of governing laws for every citizen without

taking religion into consideration. These laws are distinguished from public law and cover marriage,

divorce, inheritance, adoption and maintenance.

• Article 44 of the Indian constitution under DPSP says that State shall endeavor to secure for the

citizens a Uniform Civil Code throughout the territory of India.

• Uniform Civil Code will in the long run ensure equality. Also, UCC will help to promote gender

equality.

• But the possible factors that are inhibiting India from enacting for its citizen a Uniform Civil Code

as provided for in the DPSP are:

a) Vote Bank and Appeasement Politics: The minorities are always treated as vote bank by political

parties and become a hurdle in implementing the Uniform Civil Code. For example, In Shah Bano

case, when SC allowed Muslim women to get benefit after divorce as per Hindu Marriage Act then

ruling Congress party government enacts a new law to nullify the SC judgment.

b) Communal Leaders and Unaware Masses: Communal leader get support from unaware masses

by mending the reality of Uniform Civil Code. For example, Muslim Leaders says Uniform Civil

Code is a threat on their religious freedom and it is an initiative to make India a Hindu country.

On other side, Hindu communal leaders argued that why Muslim personal law based on Sharia is

in place in the country of Ram and Krishna.

c) The vast diversity of the personal laws, along with the devotion with which they are adhered to,

makes uniformity of any sort very difficult to achieve. Even under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955,

marriages may be solemnized in accordance with the rites and ceremonies of a variety of people

who come under the definition of a Hindu. In the Muslim law too, though there are no elaborate

rites or ceremonies, there exist some differences between the Sunni and Shia marriages. Some

people also argue that it would lead to a loss of the culture and the identity of the minorities in the

Indian society.

• All these different perspectives on Uniform Civil Code make this issue a communal one which itself

has power of making India a secular country. The better course would be to bring about small

reforms, correcting some inherent irrationality in some of the personal laws, and make them suitable

for modern times. The focus should also be on removing disparities between different religions. This

might lay the foundation of implementing a UCC at a later date.


HINTS

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2. The concept of cooperative federalism has been increasingly emphasised in recent years. Highlight

the drawbacks in the existing structure and the extent to which cooperative federalism wouldanswer the shortcomings.

Hints:

• Cooperative federalism means that the centre and the states share a horizontal relationship andaddress each other grievances through mutual trust and coordination.

• Problems in Existing Structure:

a) Institution of Governor: Governor has been seen as an agent of centre in the state governmentbecause governor is generally appointed without consent of Chief Minister and centre governmentcan remove governor anytime for trivial reasons as there are no sufficient safeguards provided inthe constitution. Further governor has been provided lot of discretionary powers as compared toPresident like referring a bill to the President etc and become a major hurdle in achieving theobjective of cooperative federalism.

b) Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS): These schemes are formulated by union and implemented bystates by getting financial support from centre. These schemes are against spirit of cooperativefederalism because how can you decide requirement of North Eastern State by staying at NewDelhi.

c) States are also criticized for some actions in contradiction of spirit of cooperative federalism likeoppose the various important bills GST or VAT either in Rajya Sabha or legislative assembly forpolitical reasons, poor implementation of welfare schemes etc. Further poor devolution of powerand finance by states with local government is a matter of concern for spirit of cooperative federalism.

d) AFSPA, All India Services and financial control over large number of resources by central governmentare other drawbacks in existing federal structure, among others.

• With the enactment of the concept of Cooperative Federalism the governor shall act as an institutionof coordination between centre and states rather than conflict. Sharing of powers and responsibilitiesbetween the three levels of government will lead to participative policymaking which may lead tohorizontal and vertical decentralization in a cooperative manner rather than conflict and confusion.

• This is particularly important in areas of concurrent responsibility, where the Centre has had atendency to ride roughshod over the States by occupying the common legislative space. A reformof the seventh schedule lists in the direction of greater empowerment of States would be consistentwith the logic of increased financial transfers and cooperative federalism. Locating the right levelfor making and implementing policy is a central feature of the cooperative responsibility matrix.

• The creation of NITI Aayog in place of Planning Commission, devolution of 42% share of taxes tostates, committee to review the scope of all CSS and share a large chunk of revenue with states frommining are some good steps towards achieving the objective of cooperative federalism.

3. In absence of well – educated and organised local level government system, ‘Panchayats’ and‘Samitis’ have remained mainly political institutions and not effective instruments of governance.

Critically discuss.

Hints:

• Local governance refers to the processes through which public choice is determined, policies formulatedand decisions are made and executed at the local level, and to the roles and relationships betweenthe various stakeholders which make up the society. This requires an enlightened thought processwhich comes through education.

• Benefits of Introducing Education as a Requirement:

a) It might help in bringing the better qualified people who has better scientific knowledge to tacklethe everyday problems of agriculture and other infrastructural shortcomings.

b) Educated and organized people may be able to incorporate the worldwide practices, due to moreacquaintance with communication technology, so as to develop their region.

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c) The minimum education criteria is necessary, as we wish to embark to egovernance as a mode of

delivery and grievance redressal.

d) They might be better to tackle and eradicate the social evils like child marriage, female foeticide and

infanticide, which are largely prevalent especially in states like Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan

where this education criterion is adopted.

• However it may not be possible to make local government system an effective system of governance

even with educated and organized system, because:

a) Local government system is also facing some other major difficulties such as devolution of powers

and functions from states along with social prejudices.

b) Making education the criteria for selection of candidates may not be feasible until all people are

educated. This rule may deprive large section of adult population from contesting the elections such

as approx. 66% population become ineligible in Haryana with law of minimum criteria of 10th standard

for contesting the elections. This is against their right to contest election and also against Article 15

and 16.

• Hence it’s true that education is must for local governance with respect to changes in society but

it should be inclusive in terms without discrimination.

4. Khap panchayats have been in the news for functioning as extra – constitutional authorities, often

delivering pronouncements amounting to human rights violations. Discuss critically the actions

taken by the legislative, executive and the judiciary to set the things right in this regard.

Hints:

• Khap is a cluster of villages united by caste and geography. It is as old as 14th century started by

upper caste jats to consolidate their power and position. Khap panchayat governs the khap formed

by same gotra (clan) families from several neighbouring villages. Khap panchayats are prevalent in

Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh and parts of Rajasthan.

• The main criticism of Khap panchayat is that rights of an individual are not respected. Rights of

liberty, dignity, freedom to choose own life partner are jeopardized. Women are abused and their

issues are never addressed. Most of the Khap rules are against law. Rule of men rather than rule

of law prevails.

• Legislature, executive and judiciary has taken following steps:

a) As Khap Panchayats are informal organization of governance, so strengthening the formal institutions

of governance is the best method to counter these types of organizations. 73rd Constitutional

Amendment to provide panchayat a constitutional status was a strong step taken by legislatives to

curb the power of Khap Panchayats.

b) Recently, Maharashtra government has proposed a bill called “Maharashtra Prohibition of Social

Boycott Act 2015” against social boycott of individuals or families by Caste Panchayats and termed

any action of social boycott as crime.

c) Khap Panchayats in North India and Katta Panchayats in Tamil Nadu have been declared as illegal

and barbaric by Supreme Court.

d) A judgment by a session’s court in Karnal in 2010, for the first time awarded the death penalty to

five men for murdering a young couple who had married against the diktats of a Khap panchayat.

It gave life sentence to a member of the Khap panchayat who declared the marriage invalid and

was present when the killing took place.

• Overall, the judiciary, executive and legislature have taken somewhat strong steps in dealing with

the problem of Khap Panchayats, but government should work for awareness generation and socio

economic development of people so that they can understand the lacunas of this alternative dispute

redressal system.

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5. Resorting to ordinances has always raised concern on violation of the spirit of separation of

powers doctrine. While noting the rationales justifying the power to promulgate ordinances, analyse

whether the decisions of the Supreme Court on the issue have further facilitated resorting to this

power. Should the power to promulgate the ordinances be repealed?

Hints:

• The separation of power doctrine as proposed by Montesquieu is implicit in the Constitution of

India and is also upheld by the Supreme Court.

• But the rationale behind ordinance provision is to tackle situations of crisis which are vital for

national interest. When both houses or any one of them is in recess, there is no way out except the

ordinance route.

• However, recently the increased numbers of ordinances have been promulgated by the incumbent

government in the last year has brought this issue to renewed debate. The major example being the

Land Ordinance, which was promulgated thrice, but the bill was defeated in the Rajya Sabha.

• Opposition accused the government of taking the ordinance route and bypassing the legislative

procedure. In this regard, Supreme Court’s judgment held that ordinance route is not the parallel

power of the executive to legislate and executive cannot undermine the separation of power, which

provides the Parliament the unparallel authority to make laws and policies for the people of the

country.

• Though Supreme Court’s decision has facilitated the promulgation process, however, it cannot be

denied altogether that ordinances have helped the government to overcome many unfavorable and

difficult situations. Thus, ordinances serve their purposes, if used judiciously. There is not a need

to repeal the instrument, rather to be used as a savior of national interest only.

6. What are the major changes brought in the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 through the

recent Ordinance promulgated by the President? How far will it improve India’s dispute resolution

mechanism? Discuss.

Hints:

• Arbitration is a method for settling disputes privately, but its decisions are enforceable by law. An

arbitrator is a private extraordinary judge between the parties, chosen by mutual consent to sort out

controversies between them.

• The A&C Act was enacted for ensuring minimum court intervention in arbitration and greater

coherence and consistency between domestic arbitration law and international practises. Despite

this, arbitration in India continues to be adhoc, expensive, long drawn and often suffers from

excessive court intervention.

• Many foreign investors have been hesitant to invest in India, due to the various delays associated

with the judicial system of the country. The Government with the intention of exhibiting its positive

intent in making India an ideal investment destination has decided to immediately effect the desired

changes to the A&C Act and therefore has promulgated the present Ordinance.

• The Ordinance requires the appointment of an arbitrator by the courts to be completed expeditiously,

preferably within a period of sixty (60) days.

• The Ordinance provides for time bound arbitrations. A tribunal is obligated to deliver the final

award within a period of twelve (12) months. This period can be extended by the consent of parties

for an additional six (6) months. Any further extensions will require court consent. A provision for

fast track settlement of disputes is also provided, which requires the tribunal to make its award

within a period of six (6) months.

• The Ordinance is likely to radically overhaul the arbitration landscape in India.

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7. Does the right to clean environment entail legal regulation on burning crackers during Diwali?Discuss in the light of Article 21 of Indian Constitution and Judgement(s) of the Apex court in thisregard.

Hints:

• Article 21 of the Indian Constitution provides the right to life and personal liberty as a fundamentalright. However, the Supreme Court through its liberal interpretation has widened the scope of theright and held that right to life is not merely subsistence, but a life of dignity. Thus, right to cleanenvironment is considered to be a part of the right to life.

• On the issue of legal regulation on burning crackers, the Supreme Court did not banned the burningof cracker as it may be against the right to freedom of religion as burning crackers on Diwali comesunder a religious practice. The Article 21 can also be widened to include the right to celebrate hencecan violate the fundamental rights.

• Further, to celebrate and express our joy also come under Right to personal liberty, but this personalliberty should not encroach upon the rights of other or shall not affect the general interest of peopleat large.

• Thus, SC kept a balanced approach to resolve the issue. It hasn’t banned the burning of crackers,but reiterated its stance on previously adopted rules regarding the same, which regulates the timingsfor the purpose.

8. Examine critically the recent changes in the rules governing foreign funding of NGOs under theForeign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 1976.

Hints:

• The prime objective of the Act is to regulate the acceptance and utilization of foreign contributionand foreign hospitality by persons and associations working in the important areas of national life.

• Some of the changes being introduced in the FCRA rule are

a) All FCRA services are made online and human interface has been reduced to minimum.

b) Applications for registration, prior permission and renewal of registration under FCRA, 2010 willbe accepted online.

c) All intimations required under FCRA, 2010, including annual returns are accepted online.

d) All FCRA designated bank accounts & utilization accounts will have to be brought on the onlineplatform of public finance management service of Controller General of Accounts, Ministry ofFinance.

e) To make receipt & utilization of foreign contribution by association transparent, associations arerequired to place the annual returns and such data quarterly on their website or website as prescribedby the central government.

f) Seeking details of functionaries of the association in annual return has been dropped.

• Benefits:

a) Online delivery of services would remove the bureaucratic hassles & interventions, thus make thetask of day to day functioning in NGOs smooth.

b) Online display of bank accounts would bring transparency in the utilization of funds and willincrease trust in the functioning of NGOs.

c) Reporting of banks within 40 hours about foreign fund deposition would reduce the chances ofmisappropriation of funds.

d) Government would be able to monitor the utilization of fund, however, over intervention &monitoring would undermine the autonomy of NGOs.

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• NGOs plays an important role in bringing transparency and accountability in the governmentfunctioning hence more governmental controls would restrict freedom of expression. There is a risk

that government may use the act to settle scores against the NGOs. Hence, the act should be usedjudiciously to make the work of NGOs effective.

9. The Self Help Group (SHG) Bank Linkage Programme (SBLP), which is India’s own innovation ,has proved to be one of the most effective poverty alleviation and women empowerment programmes.Elucidate.

Hints:

• Empowerment; is not just about offering the opportunity of a livelihood and access to basic socialservices; it is also concerned with creating an environment where people can realize their rights andparticipate meaningfully in society.

• Thus SHG provide a platform for holistic development. SelfHelp Groups are informal associationsof people who choose to come together to find ways to improve their living conditions. They helpto build Social Capital among the poor, especially women.

• SHGs have been recognized as useful tool to help the poor and as an alternative mechanism to meetthe urgent credit needs of poor through saving. SHG is a medium for the development of saving

habit among the women.

• SHGs enhance the equality of status of women as participants, decisionmakers and beneficiaries in

the democratic, economic, social and cultural spheres of life.

• SHGs Banklinkage programme launched by NABARD is a micro financing programme whichprovide loan to the SHGs for entrepreneurial activities. When groups become financially stable,

banks provides loans to the group without collaterals as collective wisdom & peer pressure ensureto the proper use of fund and timely repayment.

• The women are engaged in entrepreneurial activities related to handicraft, cottage industries, etc.

• However, on the flip side some SHGs have been charged exorbitant interest rates from their operators.Often these are masqueraded behind the complex financial plans and interests are discussed on

weekly and daily basis, which makes them look much less than what they actually are. Interestcharges to the tune of 3648 per cent p.a. hence lead to exploitation of poor women.

10. How can the role of NGOs be strengthened in India for development works relating to protectionof the environment? Discuss throwing light on the major constraints.

Hints:

• NGOs are working on various aspects related to protection of environment. They are creatingenvironmental awareness to undertaking watershed development: from disaster management to

sustainable livelihoods; from joint forest management to giving inputs to policies.

• Some are working in research & development to evolve the environment friendly practices &adaptation of mitigation of environment impact, while others are policy advocates & activist groups.

• NGOs involved in research analysis are often collaborated by government institution in the field to

provide more data & expertise, for example, the partnership between DFID and Ministry of Housingand Urban Poverty Alleviation.

• In execution of environmental projects, such expertise can be harnessed in various way, for example,

lot of young students and researchers do their internship with these institution, which provides theregular supply of fresh talent without long term commitments.

• These groups can become interface between government ministries and tribunals and the youngscholars, and thus, can bridge the talent gap in the field.

• By inviting NGOs in prepolicy discussion, the ground conditions can be taken into account and asa result more sustainable policy can be drafted.

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• Many international NGOs have strong technical expertise, which can provide impetus to

environmental protection work along with adoption of best global norms.

• The major constraints are:

a) NGOs are expressing difficulty in finding sufficient, appropriate and continuous funding for their

work.

b) The big international NGOs are sidelining the local and small NGOs hence creating disparity.

c) The community participation is poor in environmental projects. Environmental policies will achieve

positive results only when they are addressed to local issues and solve the problems of local people.

d) As per recent IB report some NGOs are working against developmental activities of government in

India and funds are utilized in protests and delaying public projects, instead of core consultancy

activity. This is creating challenge for both government & functioning of NGOs. Government has

amended rules under FCRA act 2010 to increase transparency & monitoring.

• The policymakers should keep in mind the needs of the people while framing the policies and

implementing the environmentfriendly projects rather than the vested interests.

11. The quality of higher education in India requires major improvements to make it internationally

competitive. Do you think that the entry of foreign educational institutions would help improve

the quality of technical and higher education in the country? Discuss.

Hints:

• The major problems that higher education sector in India faces can be summarized as below:

a) Lack of Research and Development.

b) Lack of Entrepreneurship and Industry/Job Orientation.

c) Capacity to accommodate all the students passing through schools.

d) Outdated Curriculum.

e) Poor Regulatory System.

• Gaps which can be fulfilled by the Foreign Education Institutions are:

a) There is a large gap between number of schools and higher education institutes in India and this

is a major cause of high dropout rate in India after senior secondary level. For example, India has

largest population of teens (1719), approx 100 million and capacity of higher education to absorb

students is around 2025 million which leaves around 75 million deprived from higher education,

whether they want to study or not. The foreign universities might help to bridge or say reduce this

gap.

b) Foreign universities might help to improve the quality of curriculum in higher education, which is

presently obsolete or outdated through boosting the competition for domestic private and premier

institutions.

c) Foreign Institutions would help to increase investment in higher education which may not be

fulfilled by private or governmental efforts in India.

d) Foreign universities would provide a better global interface for the students and create more

opportunities for Indian students abroad.

• Though, foreign educational institutes might help to improve quality of higher education in some

of the areas, but may not cause improvement in all areas such as:

a) Research and entrepreneurship/job oriented attributes of higher education might not get boost after

entry of foreign institutions in India, because they are entering for the purpose of profit and are

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offering courses which are already at par with global standards in premier institutes, for example,

management and technical education at undergraduate level.

b) 49% FDI has been allowed since a long time, but they haven’t contributed enough in the field of

research and entrepreneurship.

c) Further it is just anticipation that foreign institutes might help in bridging the supply and demand

gap in higher education as almost all branch campuses are small and limited in scope and field. This

gap has rarely been reduced in countries like, Vietnam, Singapore, and Malaysia, where foreign

campuses are active.

• Overall, there is no doubt that foreign educational institution will help to increase quality of higher

education in India but it is not a panacea for overhaul of higher education in India. So, government

shall focus on other aspects such as regulatory system, research and entrepreneurship, etc.

12. Public health system has limitations in providing universal health coverage. Do you think that

private sector could help in bridging the gap? What other viable alternatives would you suggest?

Hints:

• Universal health coverage is based on 3A – affordability, accessibility, and availability of essential

health care services. Indian public health system is facing several limitations like:

a) Public health expenditure is less (only 1% of GDP).

b) Poor people not able to access the quality health services.

c) High out of pocket expenditure leading to vicious cycle of poverty.

d) Poor public health infrastructure.

e) Gender disparities.

f) Procurement and delivery challenges.

g) Too few frontline health workers.

• The underlying factor in all above limitations is the crunch of funds and quality infrastructure. And

private sector can play a very crucial role. In fact under RSBY, private sector has been involved for

better services.

• So private sector can help in bridging the gap but with sound regulation so as to not repeat the

incidents in Chhattisgarh where hysterectomy was performed. To prevent private sector from misusing

the power, there are alternatives suggested:

a) PPP models can be utilize to bridge the supply and funds gap.

b) Hub and spoke model, to reduce the crowding at district centers.

c) Development of skill of local people to provide primary health care as ASHAs, midwives, etc.

d) A major move can be the adoption of insurance model with help of private sector.

i) This would include providing medical insurance at affordable prices which will be eligible at private

hospitals too.

ii) Mandatory prescription of Generic drugs to keep drugs costs down under insurance scheme.

iii) Compulsory auditing of Private sector health centers by IMA/any other body to prevent profiteering

on such schemes.

e) Medical Services forum on the lines of Consumer courts to prevent recklessness by private/public

officials to ensure grievance redressal.

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13. Though there have been several different estimates of poverty in India, all indicate reduction in

poverty levels over time. Do you agree? Critically examine with reference to urban and rural

poverty indicators.

Hints:

• Poverty is a social phenomenon wherein a section of society is unable to fulfill even its basicnecessities of life. India has experimented with various poverty measurement parameters and survey

techniques, which have created different poverty lines such as Lakdawala Committee defined thepoverty line based on per capita consumption expenditure as the criterion to determine the personsliving below poverty line whereas Tendulkar committee used Uniform Recall Period (URP), MixedRecall Period (MRP), and Modified MRP (MMRP), which has yielded significantly different results.

• Far from the 21.9 per cent (for 201112) calculated by the Suresh Tendulkar Committee, or the evenhigher 29.5 per cent pegged by the Rangarajan Committee, the World Bank’s estimate is just 12.4per cent in 2015. But more than any real change in the condition of the poor, the differences inpoverty rates for the same year only underlines the importance of the way in which data iscollected.

• Irrespective of the method adopted all of these have shown a decline in the headcount ratioovertime. However, the results are significantly different and the MMRP based estimates showlower level of poverty even after a decline of similar proportion.

• However, it can be said that by narrowing the definition of poverty with mere calorific intake, suchestimates only provide the proportion of extremely vulnerable and hungry people.

• Poverty is not merely hunger and it has a wider aspect which has a better parameter like, WorldBank’s index of people living under 3.1 $ a day on PPP basis. Even Rangarajan committee suggestedthat head count ratio must be measured at a higher scale and not on merely calorific intake.

• In the recent time, urban poverty has increased at rapid pace than rural one, due to distressmigration from rural areas or agriculture sector. Further Urban poverty is more severe than ruralone as people in rural areas have something to backup on through field produce or livestock, butno such safety net is available in urban areas

• On the survey methods, the rural poverty has fallen sharply as people almost always recall theirconsumption in a better way as they are not fully monetized and remember the fewer transactionsthey make. Thus, the survey techniques have produced a difference in the poverty measurementresults of rural and urban areas.

Additional notes:

URP-consumption: Consumption data are collected from the households using 30 day recall period for allthe items.

MRP-consumption: Consumption data for five non-food items viz., clothing, footwear, durable goods, education,and institutional medical expenses are collected using 365-day recall period and 30-day recall period forremaining items.

Modified MRP (MMRP): This is new concept suggested by Rangarajan Committee (2012) under which anew consumption data (in addition of other attributes of MRP) for edible oil, egg, fish and meat, vegetables,fruits, spices, beverages, refreshments, processed food, pan, tobacco and intoxicants are collected using 7 daysrecall period.

14. In the light of Satyam Scandal (2009), discuss the changes brought in corporate governance toensure transparency, accountability.

Hints:

• Satyam scandal brought to light the weaknesses in the corporate governance structures and processes.To avoid such incidents in the future, the government quickly brought in the new companies actand SEBI came up with guidelines from time to time to usher into new era of corporate governance.

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• The following provisions of Company Act 2013 ensure transparency and accountability along withtheir critical assessment.

a) Independent Directors (IDs): The provision to make companies have onethird of their boardmembers as independent directors.

b) Excessive Bureaucracy: In order to make directors accountable, the new Companies Act mandatesthat every director shall register him or herself with the government and obtain a DirectorIdentification Number (DIN) to prevent fraud. The DIN will enable the government to monitor thenumber of directorships that a person holds and also his track record.

c) All companies (except one person company, small company and dormant company)are nowmandatorily required to maintain financial statements.

d) Every Listed company can appoint an individual auditor for 5 years and a firm of auditors for 10years. This period of 5/10 years commences from the date of their appointment.

e) Class action suits have to be filed before the National Company Law Tribunal first, but bankingcompanies are excluded from such action.

15. “If amendment bill to the Whistleblowers Protection Act, 2011 tabled in the Parliament is passed,there may be no one left to protect.” Critically evaluate.

Hints:

• The 2011 Act provides a mechanism for receiving and inquiring into public interest disclosuresagainst acts of corruption, willful misuse of power or discretion, or criminal offences by publicservants.

• Highlights of the Amendment Bill are:

a) The Bill prohibits the reporting of a corruption related disclosure if it falls under any 10 categoriesof information.

b) These categories include information related to: (i) economic, scientific interests and the security ofIndia; (ii) Cabinet proceedings, (iii) intellectual property; (iv) that received in a fiduciary capacity,etc.

c) The Act permits disclosures that are prohibited under the Official Secrets Act (OSA), 1923. The Billreverses this to disallow disclosures that are covered by the OSA.

d) Any public interest disclosure received by a Competent Authority will be referred to a governmentauthorized authority if it falls under any of the above 10 prohibited categories. This authority willtake a decision on the matter, which will be binding.

• It is apprehended by the activists that if it gets passed there will no one left to get protected becauseof the following reasons:

a) The Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill states that the 10 prohibited categories are modeledon those under the RTI Act, 2005. However, this comparison may not be appropriate. Unlike theRTI Act, disclosures under the Bill are not made public, but in confidence to a high level constitutionalor statutory authority.

b) With regard to the 10 prohibited categories, the RTI Act allows (i) the public authority to discloseinformation if he considers it to be in public interest; and (ii) a two stage appeal process if informationis not made available. The Bill does not contain such provisions.

c) A Competent Authority is required to refer a prohibited disclosure to a government authority fora final decision. However, the Bill does not specify the minimum qualifications required or theprocess of appointment of this authority.

d) Whistleblower laws in other countries also prohibit the disclosure of certain types of information.These include information related to national security and intelligence, received in a fiduciarycapacity, and any disclosure specifically prohibited by a law.

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16. “For achieving the desired objectives, it is necessary to ensure that the regulatory institutions

remain independent and autonomous.” Discuss in the light of experiences in recent past.

Hints:

• At the conceptual level, the regulatory agencies were created to achieve certain policy objectives

consistent with those of the government, be it attracting private investment, enhancing consumer

protection or ensuring orderly growth of the sector.

• But once the policy framework and objectives are determined, a regulator should be independent

and autonomous. It should be allowed to take charge without interference either from the government

or other stakeholders. Further, regulators need to be empowered to become financially selfsufficient

and appoint staff with appropriate skills.

• Autonomy goes handinhand with accountability and the current provision of submitting an annual

report to the legislature is not sufficient to hold regulatory agencies accountable. Notably, several

of the regulatory bodies have been failing in this aspect.

• The Committee on Paper Laid on the Table of the Lok Sabha observed that TRAI has been a

habitual defaulter in the matter of timely laying of their Annual Reports and Audited Accounts. The

issue can be addressed effectively by employing multiple approaches to ensure regulatory

accountability on a continued basis. This can include empowering civil society organisations to

work with the regulators or constituting a Committee of Eminent Persons to select regulators and

to consult them on various issues.

• In recent past, The Electricity Regulatory Commissions have been considered fairly autonomous and

empowered bodies, thanks to the provisions in the Electricity Act, 2003. But, the Ministry of Power

appeared to have been ensuring that the ERCs ‘act in conformity with’ the tariff policy and the

electricity policy to be prescribed by the Ministry, instead of just being ‘guided’, as the Act provides.

This tinkers with the autonomy and independence of the commission.

• Further, there should be fair and merit based appointment system, uniformity and security of

tenure, time to time regulatory impact assessment, management statement between ministry and

the regulator as in UK to clarify their roles. All this could go a long way to ensure independence

and autonomy of regulatory agencies in India.

17. Increasing interest of India in Africa has its pro and cons. Critically examine.

Hints:

• Indian investment in Africa has been rising in the recent years. Africa can emerge as a potential

partner for India in coming years. The increasing Indian interest, however has both its pros and

cons which can be discussed as:

a) Africa is rich in resources such as teak, cobalt, uranium, copper, bauxite, palm oil, wood and

tropical fruits. In the presence of these rich resources, Africa is important for India. With good

relations between two regions, India can get access to these resources.

b) Africa is important for India from the point of meeting its energy needs as North Africa is rich in

oil resources. Apart from oil, Africa is also an important source of coal and natural gas.

c) Africa can be a market for Indian goods which is very important for strengthening Indian economy.

By investing in Africa India can have access to its huge market.

d) Africa is important for Indian diplomacy and its candidature in UN Security Council. India is a

member of G77 and African support will prove helpful for India to become a permanent member

in UN Security Council.

e) Africa is also important for India as there is a large proportion of Indian Diaspora in Africa with

significant presence in Kenya, South Africa and other East African countries.

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• The other side of the issue can be discussed as:

a) There is lack of political stability in Africa which is a very important factor. Due to this instability,Indian investment would always be at risk as there are civilian and political conflicts going on inAfrica.

b) Another issue is lack of business regulation. The African economy does not have established rulesand regulations which may affect Indian interest.

c) India faces tough competition from China as China is also investing heavily in Africa and Chinese

Investment is more as compared to India. So, in the longer run, China may utilize Africa for its owninterest and India may lag behind.

• India’s primary aim should be to support its African partners in their efforts to accelerate themomentum of their development and address key challenges of present times including food, health

and environmental security. So India’s approach towards Africa needs to be much more structured.

18. Discuss the impediments India is facing in its pursuit of a permanent seat in UN Security Council.

Hints:

• India is a strong contender for a permanent seat in UN Security Council as India has been electedas a nonpermanent member to UNSC for seven terms.

• India is the largest contributor to the UN Peacekeeping Operations with nearly 180,000 troops

serving in 44 missions.

• Apart from that India has a tremendous soft power and is one of the most culturally recognizedcountries in the world, apart from present Security Council members.

• Similarly, India is also home to nearly onefifth of total human population, and thus, even itsdomestic decisions have global implications. However, the Indian journey to UNSC Permanentmembership seems difficult.

• Following are the major roadblocks:

a) P5 Resistance: One of the issues is getting a consensus to allow expansion of council and offerpermanent seat to another country. Some or the other member veto downs any such agreement.

Thus this remains the biggest roadblock.

b) India not being a member of NPT: Since India has still not ratified NPT even after so many years.This is seen as an impediment to India’s membership as it is opposed by other nations with the view

that India should first ratify these treaties.

c) India’s economic contribution: Compared to P5 Countries India’s contribution to Security councilbudget is very minimal, which again acts as an impediment to its claim to join council as a

permanent member.

d) International diplomacy: India is seen as a soft country, especially on matters related to MiddleEast and gulf countries. It maintains neutrality and puts its own interest before taking a hard

stance. This is misinterpreted by P5 countries as India’s inability to offer and sanction extrememeasures. Especially USA is not comfortable with this behavior.

e) To get a permanent seat India would needs 2/3 votes out of 191 members and getting the resolutionpassed is not that easy for India. The road ahead is difficult further because of presence of opposinggroups like Coffee club.

f) Three powerful members of the UNSC — Russia, China, and the U.S. — are opposed to any majorrestructuring of the Council. Even if the General Assembly members reach a consensus on reform,

the permanent members could muscle it down.

• The permanent members should, however, realize that a more democratic and representative SecurityCouncil would be better equipped to address global challenges.

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19. Project ‘Mausam’ is considered a unique foreign policy initiative of Indian Government to improve

relationship with its neighbours. Does the project have a strategic dimension? Discuss.

Hints:

• Project MAUSAM is a transnational initiative that aims at revival of India’s ancient maritime

routes and cultural linkages with the countries of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The project aimed

for reviving the ancient links among countries of the Indian Ocean to expand the base of Delhi’s

soft power diplomacy.

• Project Mausam would allow India to reestablish its ties with its ancient trade partners and re

establish an “Indian Ocean world” along the littoral of the Indian Ocean. This world would stretch

from east Africa, along the Arabian Peninsula, past southern Iran to the major countries of South

Asia and thence to Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.

• It involves a threedimensional approach:

a) To deepen cultural bonding.

b) To ensure maritime security.

c) To broaden economic connectivity with nations of the IOR.

• Though India is also amongst the nations asked to join China’s maritime silk route plan, India has

been worried by the curiosity displayed by Sri Lanka and Maldives in the Chinese offer, which

supposedly looks to restore ancient economic links. India government will try to pull on its ancient

connections with nations in this region as it proposes an alternative, which could counterbalance

the maritime silk route of China.

• The project is supposed to have both a cultural and strategic dimension. Perhaps one thing India

could consider is seriously developing its Andaman and Nicobar Islands as a security and trade

zone given the islands’ location close to the strategically important Straits of Malacca and Thailand.

20. Terrorist activities and mutual distrust have clouded India – Pakistan relations. To what extent

the use of soft power like sports and cultural exchanges could help generate goodwill between the

two countries? Discuss with suitable examples.

Hints:

• India Pakistan relations have been tumultuous since the inception of these two countries owing to

historical factors. And over the years, Pakistan tacit support to terrorist activities have widened the

gap between the two countries and increased the mutual distrust.

• Terrorism has become the key issue between the two countries, and the recently NSA level talks

were postponed indefinitely just because of the fact that both countries were not on the same page

regarding the inclusion of terrorism in the talks.

• Considering this scenario and the fact that both sides are nuclear powered, talks are the only way

out and it needs a proper environment and that environment can be provided by the use of soft

power like sports and cultural exchanges like:

a) Indian movies are immensely popular across the border.

b) Musicians and artists of both the nations have huge fans on both sides of the border.

c) Cricket diplomacy can help to create people to people ties in a way, because of the love for cricket

wthin citizens on both sides.

• But all the goodwill generated using this soft power needs to be sustained and it can only be

sustained when ceasefire is maintained. Once the cross border firing happens, all the goodwill

generated using sports and cultural exchanges go to trash.

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• Unless a peaceful environment is maintained, the soft power will not help much. The soft power

takes a back seat when the nation sees its soldier giving lives on border. Soft power is the second

step that can be used to take relations forward but it cannot be the only alternative or the first line

of contact for improving the relations. It can be sustainable only to some extent.

• So both the countries need to work on bridging the trust deficit and it can be done by continuousengagement, relaxation in trade exchange from both sides and trying to resolve problems as quicklyas possible.

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1. The nature of economic growth in India in recent times is often described as jobless growth. Doyou agree with this view? Give arguments in favour of your answer.

Hints:

• A jobless growth is an economic phenomenon in which a macro economy experiences growth whilemaintaining or decreasing its level of employment. The Indian growth experience of the last decadecan be called as the jobless growth as the rate of employment growth is less than population

growth. The following aspects can be highlighted regarding this.

• While share of employment has largely declined in Agriculture sector, Service and Manufacturingsector have failed to absorb all the people shifting from agriculture sector.

• Rapid rise of employment opportunities in informal or unorganized sector in recent years is another

aspect of employment generation in India, which further marginalizes labour.

• While IT or Service Sector has been the spearhead of economic growth in India after advent ofglobalization, they can’t absorb any significant labour. Because the sector, requires highly skilled

people only.

• During 2005-10, only 1 million net jobs per annum were generated in organized sector, whereas

60 million people entered into labour market of India.

• Large scale unemployment among engineering graduates, post graduates like MBA and doctoratesare other examples of jobless growth. This is the reason why lakhs of students including engineers,

MBA or Phd students applied for only 300 posts of peon in Uttar Pradesh.

• The answer to jobless growth lies in policy initiatives that will promote manufacturing and servicessector. Reforms in labour laws, provision of infrastructure, encouragement of small scale industriesand promotion of export-oriented light industries that are manpower intensive are some of thepolicy initiatives that are required.

• The experiences of developed countries have demonstrated that the growth of smaller businessescan drive employment generation. Further education and skill development is the need of hour toincrease employment with economic growth by harnessing the potential of demographic dividend.

2. Livestock rearing has a big potential for providing non-farm employment and income in ruralareas. Discuss suggesting suitable measures to promote this sector in India.

Hints:

• Livestock sector contributes 25 per cent of gross value added in the agriculture sector and providesself-employment to about 21 million people. Rapid growth of this sector can be even more egalitarianand inclusive than growth of the farm sector, because those engaged in it are mostly small landholdersand the landless farmers. Overall, livestock sector has performed well in terms of numbers, but notin terms of productivity.


HINTS

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• Suitable Measures:

a) Providing sufficient fodder and drinking water is the need of hour to increase productivity oflivestock rearing in India, in the rain-shadow region.

b) As this area is fragmented over various departments, there are lesser effort to provide technicalinputs, institutional designs and adequate investments due to problem of coordination. The 12th plansuggested that RKVY should provide a single window platform for all problems of livestock sector.

c) Trade Policies like marketing have to be more effective for promotion of various livestock productslike egg, fish, milk etc. and providing sufficient price to farmers by reducing influence of middlemen.

d) Our indigenous breed of cattle shall be promoted, because most foreign breed cattle are not suitableto our climate and even provide low quality milk as compared to indigenous one. There are someexceptions like Jersey cow, but overall introduction of foreign breeds has not been very successful.

e) Necessary training and subsidies shall be provided to farmers to adopt livestock rearing as analternate source of income.

f) Other untouched livestock sectors such as pig farming, apiculture, etc. shall be promoted withattractive subsidies.

g) Government shall also focus on Research & Development in livestock sector to increase per livestockproductivity to provide more benefits to small & marginal farmers.

3. In view of the declining average size of land holdings in India which has made agriculture non –viable for a majority of farmers, should contract farming and land leasing be promoted in agriculture?Critically evaluate the pros and cons.

Hints:

• The average size of land holding has been declining in India since Independence due to increasein population, diversion of agricultural land for industrialization and urbanization and also becauseof divisions within the family. The current size of land holding is 1.21 ha and 85% farmers aremarginal farmers. This has rendered agriculture unviable for vast majority as:

a) Small farms are not suitable for using expensive technologies,

b) Irrigation becomes difficult, and

c) A lot of fertile agricultural land is wasted in providing boundaries.

• Contract farming refers to a system wherein a farmer/primary producer agrees to supply a pre-agreed quantity/acreage of certain quality/variety produce at a pre agreed price and time, to aprocessing/marketing firm by legally entering into a contract with it.

• Advantages of Contract Farming

a) It will bring more technology and modernization to agriculture as seeds and inputs are given bybusiness houses.

b) Stabilize price for farmers as prices would be fixed in the contract

c) Higher Yield and Productivity, which would increase the income for farmers and also give boostto Food processing sector, example being the income of potato farmers in Punjab increased by30-40% after they shifted to contract Farming by signing contract with Frito lays.

• Disadvantages of Contract Farming

a) Excludes small farmers usually business deal is signed with farmers more than 5 acres.

b) Market risk as Companies decline to procure crops in case of less demand by raising quality issues.

c) Production risk as production cost is high in CF thus if crops fail no company provides anyinsurance and help.

d) Bargaining power of farmers is weak.

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• Thus, even though contract Farming has significant potential to turnaround production in Agriculturesector, it has number of lacunae which needs to be rectified by:

- Corporatization of small farmers, it would allow small farmers to participate in contract farmingand also would increase their bargaining power.

- KISAN insurance scheme should be made mandatory for all the farmers participating in contractfarming. It would reduce production risk.

• Further the leasing of land can be a solution to the problem of land acquisition as the land of smallfarmers and tribals can be handed for plantation and development under leasing but the biggestimpediment to this is lack of land records.

• Hence contract farming and land leasing can be used for increasing agricultural productivity butthe government has to take steps to make it friendly to small farmers than the big corporates.

4. How can the ‘Digital India’ programme help farmers to improve farm productivity and income?What steps has the Government taken in this regard?

Hints:

• Digital India programme aims to remove the digital illiteracy in India by ensuring every citizen hasaccess to ICT. Its 3 key pillars are:

a) Infrastructure as a Utility to Every Citizen,

b) Governance and Services on Demand, and

c) Digital Empowerment of Citizens.

• Digital India could be a game changer for improving farm productivity and income of farmers innumber of ways.

a) It can provide up to date information related to better techniques of production, market information,weather forecasting, input supplies, and credit availability as early as possible leading to betterproductivity and better income for farmers.

b) It can help farmers to get better prices for their products, since they will get knowledge about priceprevailing through digital India.

c) Through digital India farmers would be able to do better decision making about type of crops whichis suitable for their soil and also which crops have emerging market demand.

d) It will increase interaction among researcher, extension worker and farmers and thus can expeditespread of technology from labs to farms.

e) It can help in Precision Agriculture, which has proven potential in increasing income and productivity.

f) It could help in bypassing archaic APMC laws as through digital India e-commerce could bepromoted which would provide direct linkage between farmer, trader and retailer leading to increasein income and productivity.

g) Digital India could also provide farmers information regarding farm business and management.

• Steps taken by government:

a) Government has launched national optical fiber network to connect all the panchayats of thecountry with high speed broadband internet connection.

b) Government has launched Agmarknet a web based portal where market, price and technologyrelated information are provided to farmers.

c) Government has introduced schemes like Kisan SMS portal and Sandesh Prathak, where automaticand free of cost information are provided to farmers in local language and also it has provision ofvoice SMS for illiterate farmers.

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d) Soil Health Card portal was launched which serves as a single unified platform for registration ofsoil samples, recording test results of soil samples and generation of Soil Health Card (SHC) alongwith Fertilizer Recommendations.

e) Participatory Guarantee System portal has been launched by union government for certifying organicproducts in accordance with the standards laid down.

f) NOWCAST weather alert system has been launched to provide free SMS service alerts on extremeweather conditions (hailstorm, etc.) to over one crore registered farmers on their mobile phones.

5. In what way could replacement of price subsidy with Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) change thescenario of subsidies in India? Discuss.

Hints:

• Replacement of price subsidy with DBT could change the scenario of subsidies in India in followingways:

a) Less leakage: Since in price subsidy there is lot of diversion to open market because of pricedifferential and also because of middleman involved in the process DBT could reduce leakagesignificantly since the money is transferred directly into the accounts of beneficiary and becausethere is no price differential.

b) Better Targeting: Price subsidies have very much inclusion and exclusion errors. According toeconomic survey 2015 in LPG bottom 50% population consume only 25% LPG and also in PDS 54%wheat and 48% sugar is lost due to leakage. Since DBT will be based on biometric identified processthere will less chances of inclusion and exclusion errors.

c) Save government money due to reduction in ghost beneficiaries: The Pahal scheme in LPG showsthat benefits of DBT as Government saved Rs 14000 crore due to removal of ghost beneficiaries. Theintroduction of DBT could reduce Fiscal deficit for government and saved money could be utilizedin expanding rural infrastructure which according to planning commission report is 30% morebeneficial in removing poverty than price subsidies.

d) Gives freedom to people to spend money: DBT is more democratic since it gives freedom to peopleto spend it as they want instead of paternal state approach of the price subsidies.

• Thus DBT could be game changer in reducing subsidies amount, leakage, etc, however, there areconcern that DBT money could be utilized for buying alcohol and tobacco and thus, could worsendeficient nutritional status and also inflation could erode the value of subsidies, thus what isrequired is that DBT should be transferred only in the bank accounts of women member and properinflation indexing of the amount is needed so purchasing power of DBT is not eroded with highinflation.

6. What are the impediments in marketing and supply chain management in developing the foodprocessing industry in India? Can e-commerce help in overcoming these bottlenecks?

Hints:

• The food processing sector is critical to India’s development, for it establishes a vital linkage andsynergy between the two pillars of the economy—Industry and Agriculture.

• But the challenges faced by food processing industries are:

a) Food processing sector is mostly dominated by MSMEs and they face issues of non-availability ofinstitutional credit, outdated technology, infrastructure constraints, especially, lack of intergradedcold storage, skilled manpower shortage, etc.

b) Poor transportation (lack of multi-modal linkages) and storage leads to delay in procuring perishableitems and thus leads to losses.

c) Competition from MNCs which uses huge finances to market their product.

d) APMC laws in some states don’t allow food processing industries to procure directly from farmersand thus increases cost due to coming of middlemen.

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e) High taxation along with entry tax, Octroi, purchase tax.

• E-commerce means sale or purchase of goods and services conducted over network of computersor TV channels.

• The rapidly growing e-commerce business can provide food processing industries, the wide platformfor selling their products so that they can expand their reach and visibility. It may help in overcomingthe poor infrastructure issue that food processing industries are facing as e-commerce portals mayprovide cold storages and help in maintaining the safety standards to maintain their brand value.

• It works on two models, with their distinct advantages and disadvantages, while market placemodel, like Ebay, can solve the marketing related problems, it can’t address the supply chain relatedproblems and transportation issues. Inventory based model provides end-to-end solution for theproducers, however, it can’t guarantee them a market linked price for their products and in longrun the e-commerce players can start to act as monopsonist buyers and can exploit the smallplayers.

• Thus, e-commerce can plug some gaps and help the industry in expanding and reaching to newcustomers, but it must be thoroughly monitored by agencies like CCI in order to be beneficial.

7. Craze for gold in Indians has led to a surge in import of gold in recent years and put pressure onbalance of payments and external value of rupee. In view of this, examine the merits of GoldMonetization Scheme.

Hints:

• India annually imports 800 to 1,000 tons of gold in spite of increasing prices and import bans. Someof the reasons for the high levels of gold imports are:

a) Lack of sufficient mineral resources (There are only 3 active gold mines, which meet less than 1 percent of domestic demand).

b) Seen as important investment tool due to:

i. Low financial inclusion (access to insurance and saving schemes).

ii. Higher return as compared to other investment tools.

c) Status Symbol/Part of our Culture

• In this background, the government approved Gold monetization scheme (GMS). Under this anindividual/institution can open a gold savings account with a bank and deposit minimum of 30 gmof gold after certification from a hallmarking centre for short, medium, or long term.

• Advantages

a) An individual can earn interest on it and get various tax exemptions.

b) GMS will increase supply of gold in market and thus reduce its prices.

c) This will also reduce demand for the gold imports and would be useful for balancing Balance ofPayment account.

d) Will mobilize the large amount of gold lying as an idle asset with households, trusts into productiveuse.

e) This would lead to certification of all the gold lying with people and would provide them informationabout adulteration with counterfeit or inferior quality metal, which can further nab the shopkeepersengaging in such practices.

f) If mobilized gold is considered for meeting the CRR and SLR requirements, then bank would haveadditional cash for lending purposes.

• But the challenges with Gold Monetization Scheme are:

a) People won’t give up their gold easily. Women see it as a status symbol and temples treats themas having devotional value.

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b) Its success depends on the interest rates given.

c) Monetization scheme may lead to some traders importing more gold, in the form of bullion, just in

order to earn interest.

8. “Success of ‘Make in India’ programme depends on the success of ‘Skill India’ programme and

radical labour reforms.” Discuss with logical arguments.

Hints:

• Make in India is an initiative of the Government of India to encourage multinational, as well as

domestic, companies to manufacture their products in India.

• Key idea behind is to attract more investment and to create employment opportunities. For this PM

is projecting India as land of 3D (democracy, demand and demography).

• The central problem with scheme is that demography is not skilled as less than 5% of our potential

work force gets formal skill training to be employable. (While the corresponding figures are 96%,

80% and 75% respectively for Korea, Japan and Germany).

• Reason for this is problem with ITI’s, i.e., Poor training of trainers. (training capacity is only 3.1

million per annum whereas requirement is to train 13 million), weak institute and industry

interaction, Curriculum not upgraded, New courses not introduced, Poor infrastructure (laboratories

lack modern equipment and testing facilities).

• In this background, government has launched a National Skill Development Mission to provide skill

training to 40.02 crore people by 2022.

• Another challenge to make in India is problem with labour sector.

• Most of these labor laws were enacted 40-70 yrs ago and thus are not in tune with present era.

• Multiplicity of labor laws (Around 45 labour laws by center, 100 under state governments) leads

to problem of implementation.

• They are very rigid/inflexible. E.g. currently, factories employing 100 workers or more need approval

for layoffs).

• In this background, central government has taken steps like launching of Shram Suvidha

Portal, Transparent Labour Inspection Scheme etc., but these are not radical enough. So it should

learn from Rajasthan so as to sort out the above problems through bold reforms.

9. To what factors can the recent dramatic fall in equipment costs and tariff of solar energy be

attributed? What implications does the trend have for the thermal power producers and the related

industry?

Hints:

• Solar energy tariff and equipment costs is showing dramatic fall in India. For instance - Madhya

Pradesh has set a new record for the lowest solar tariff ever at INR 5.05/kWh.

• The recent fall in the bids is a result of a combination of factors:

a) Technological advancement – Due to more research and development in the field of solar cells and

subsequent increase in efficiency.

b) Increasing competition among the bidders and development in economies of scale.

c) Improved regulatory outlook - The government is demonstrating more clarity in policy. It goes a

long way in helping investors to plan their strategy in India.

d) Demand creation through renewable purchase obligations and also due to increased awareness in

at least certain sections of society.

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e) More aggressive intent shown by the government to expand renewable energy infrastructure - Theentire solar action under the National Solar Mission (NSM) has been largely fair, transparent and

hasn’t witnessed any crony capitalism. This has helped companies that have has no track recordin the power sector to quickly ramp up and become leaders in the solar sector.

f) Strategic interest especially from companies that are looking to enter India. Most European andNorth American solar market are in the slump and India remains one of the few bright spots onthe world solar map. Such investors want a foothold in what is the largest solar market in thecoming years. This demonstrates the ability of investors to compromise the returns of the presentin the hope of a larger market share in the future.

g) Revival in economic activity partly due to fall in lending rates.

• It is important to note here that, solar energy is now faster to build, cheaper than new coal firedpower plants, less prone to fuel volatilities and less regulated from an environmental clearance

perspective (which can be quite tough in India). It is also a clean source of power.

• It also goes well with our INDCs committed as part of the COP-21 framework. All these factors willlead towards less demand for thermal power. It may have lots of implications – more debt, lessrevenues and closing up of some plants in the longer run.

• But in the near future due to less understanding on how solar energy will overcome limitationsposed in areas of power load, quality of the grid, the weather itself, the energy mix, power pricingand the fact that large section of population is devoid of electricity will amount to very less effect

on the thermal sector.

10. There is a clear acknowledgement that Special Economic Zones (SEZs) are a tool of industrialdevelopment, manufacturing and exports. Recognising this potential, the whole instrumentality of

SEZs require augmentation. Discuss the issues plaguing the success of SEZs with respect to taxation,governing laws and administration.

Hints:

• SEZ is a geographical region that has economic laws different from a country’s typical economic

laws (i.e. reduced taxes, tariffs and bureaucratic burdens). Usually the goal is to increase foreigninvestments and to boost exports.

• Challenges faced by SEZs –

a) The biggest challenges faced by SEZ’s in today’s scenario is the acquisition of agricultural land fromthe farmers. The farmers are being paid disproportionate money which is not in lieu of the currentland prices. Hence faces revolt from local people.

b) Regional bias: Six States, namely, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, andKarnataka account for nearly 90% of the SEZs established so far.

c) Sectoral bias: SEZs are mainly IT/ITeS dominated. Manufacturing SEZs are not much visible. Also

multi–product SEZs are rare.

d) Out of almost 400, only 185 are functional. And within the functional ones, the majority of thezones do not have full occupancy.

• Following are some of the key issues, which have led to delay in execution of projects.

a) Adverse business climate due to global recession.

b) Delay in approvals from statutory/State Government bodies.

c) Delay in environmental clearance.

d) Lack of demand for space in SEZs.

e) Changed fiscal incentive regime for SEZs etc.

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f) Lack of simplified procedures.

g) Problem of land acquisition.

h) Issue of tax terrorism as recently witnessed in cases of additional tax demands by Cairn and FIIs

on MAT issue.

i) Fiscal benefits and duty concessions, i.e., exemption from various taxes like customs, excises, income

tax, MAT (minimum alternate tax), service tax, etc. are not up to the demand of developers.

j) Poor execution of labour reforms.

11. What do you understand by “Standard Positioning System” and “Precision Positioning System” in

the GPS era? Discuss the advantages India perceives from its ambitious IRNSS programme

employing just seven satellites.

Hints:

• The Standard Positioning System is a service supplied from the net of satellites of system GPS. The

SPS is used for civil uses, while service PPS remains classified to the military use. The SPS concurs

to construct simple and economic receivers and works on one single frequency. The Precision

Positioning System (PPS) is a service supplied from the net of satellites of the system Global Positioning

System (GPS) specific for the military use.

• The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System or IRNSS is an indigenously developed Navigation

Satellite System that is used to provide accurate real-time positioning and timing services over India

and region extending to 1500 km around India. The advantage India perceives from its ambitious

IRNSS programme:-

a) Navigation - Will provide time-location coordinates on land, sea and air & Fleet Management e.g.

taxi or truck company can monitor whether their driver is on right path or not.

b) Surveying and Town/Construction Planning.

c) Disaster Management.

d) IRNSS can provide synchronized time information.

e) Security - During war, naval fleet management can use it.

f) Agriculture – monitoring farms, etc.

g) Satellites can be used for precision guiding of missiles, bombs and aircraft.

h) Cell phone apps- for mapping, driving, hiking in jungle and remote areas.

i) Troops can use satellite data- will serve both civil and military users.

j) Forest department- putting out wildfire, tracking endangered animals.

12. What are the areas of prohibitive labour that can be sustainably managed by robots? Discuss the

initiatives that can propel research in premier research institutes for substantive and gainful

innovation.

Hints:

• Robotics is growing leaps and bounds in recent times in areas which need increased precision,

reducing human elements, faster work, and flexibility in switching from one task to the other. There

are talks in market of deploying robotic inventions in the area of prohibitive labour like manual

scavenging, sewage treatment, underground mining, rescue relief and rehab in times of disaster, at

battle-sites to reduce casualties, etc.

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• Involving robots in these areas is going to need very aggressive approach towards research and

development. Various initiatives to propel the research in premier research institutes for substantive

and gainful innovation can be as follows:-

a) Invite certain eminent scholars in robotics area every year.

b) Allocating funds specifically for R&D to address the shortage of funds.

c) Not only funds but proper infrastructure should also be provided to attract eminent scientists fromthe country to stay in the country and do research.

d) Incentivizing innovation done at personal level – e.g. – Agribot – an agricultural robot to work onfields.

e) Giving it the sunrise status for extending tax sops for 20 years as was done to promote IT sector.

f) Giving tax and non tax benefits in general to attract international companies to establish theirresearch centres in the country.

g) Use make in India to promote robotics sector in the country.

13. Discuss the advantages and security implications of cloud hosting of servers vis-a-vis in-housemachine-based hosting for government businesses.

Hints:

• Cloud hosting services provide hosting for websites on virtual servers which pull their computingresource from extensive underlying networks of physical web servers. It follows the utility model ofcomputing in that it is available as a service rather than a product whereas in In-house machinebased hosting company houses its own servers.

• Advantage of cloud hosting over in–house machine

a) No need for onsite hardware or capital expenses. Well suited to rapidly growing companies thatmay outgrow their infrastructure too quickly.

b) Easily scalable; can be added to as needed. Solutions are often on-demand, so only pay for theoptions one’s want.

c) Workers can connect from anywhere, using any computer, tablet, or smart phone. Companies canimplement BYOD (bring your own device) policies.

d) Data can be backed up in the cloud as regularly as 15-minute intervals, minimizing data losses indisaster situations.

• Advantage of in–house machine over cloud hosting

a) Gives physical control over server.

b) Keeps critical data in-house; no third party has access to information.

c) No need to rely on an Internet connection for access to data.

d) Can be more cost-effective for companies that are not as concerned about uptime.

• Security implication of cloud hosting

a) All of the traffic (data) travelling between one’s network and whatever service the person is accessingin the cloud must traverse the internet. Therefore the internet connection should be secure.

b) The data should be securely encrypted when it’s on the provider’s servers to secure the stored data.

c) Data stored on a cloud provider’s server can potentially be accessed by an employee of that company,and the owner of the data has none of the usual personnel controls over those people.

d) Every cloud-based service shares resources, but attacks have surfaced in recent years that target theshared technology inside Cloud Computing environments.

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14. India’s Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) which has a database containing formattedinformation on more than 2 million medicinal formulations is proving a powerful weapon incountry’s fight against erroneous patents. Discuss the pros and cons of making this databasepublicly available under open-source licensing.

Hints:

• India possesses a rich traditional knowledge which is generally being passed down by word ofmouth from one generation to another. Most part of this traditional knowledge is inaccessible tocommon people, since it is described in ancient classical and other literature in Sanskrit language.There is also a threat of misuse of such knowledge through obtaining patents on non-originalinnovations which is a great loss to the country. TKDL addresses these issues.

• TKDL is an initiative to provide the information on traditional knowledge existing in the country,in languages and format understandable by patent examiners at International Patent Office’s (IPOs),so as to prevent the grant of wrong patents.

• TKDL has signed agreements with European Patent Office (EPO), United Kingdom Trademark andPatent Office (UKPTO) and United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to protect traditionalknowledge from bio-piracy by giving the examiners at International Patent Office access tothe TKDL database for patent search and examination purpose.

• With patent examiner getting access to TKDL database, legal cases regarding unethical patent claims,which in the past have taken years and vast expenditure for bringing each case to fruition, shouldbe avoided.

• But as the data is open of TKDL, lawyers can eventually work around the existing information tomeet the requirements of inventive step for obtaining a patent grant.

• Similarly it can open a world of information for the researchers in west, but chances are insteadfor using it for research and scholarship on traditional medicine, they might use it for corporateprofits without giving due credits and references and thus, devoiding Indian traditional knowledgeits due respect.

15. Discuss the Namami Gange and National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) programmes andcauses of mixed results from the previous schemes. What quantum leaps can help preserve the riverGanga better than incremental inputs?

Hints:

• Ganga is the largest river system of India which provides water for agriculture, industries anddrinking in 11 states thus sustaining the life and growth in the country.

• However increased pollution from direct discharge of sewerages, industrial waste and agriculturerunoff has put the sustainability of this river system in danger.

• Government of India has launched several programmes to clean the river. In 1986 the Ganga actionplan was launched to reduce the pollution load on river. Here, government targeted to treat themillion litres of sewerage before discharging in river but due to poor response from local bodies,corruption and poorly built treatment infrastructure lead to the failure of the programme.

• National River Ganga Basin Authority (NRGBA) was established by government to carryoutmonitoring the cleaning projects of the river. But National Ganga River Basin Authority has alsofailed to bring the visible change.

• SC intervened and asked the government to remove all the polluting industries from the river frontand to relocate them. Now government launched national Mission for clean Ganga and NamamiGanga Projects.

• NMCG is the implementation wing of NRGBA. It will also act as coordinating body at nationallevel.

• The plan formulated for Ganga Rejuvenation provides for ‘Short-term’, ‘Medium-term’, and a ‘Long-

term’ action plan, incorporating the projects already sanctioned by National Ganga River Basin

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Authority(NGRBP). National Ganga Monitoring Centre (NGMC) is conceptualized as a Nodal Centrefor monitoring the critical aspects of Ganga rejuvenation, such as water and effluent quality at

identified suitable locations throughout Ganga, using IT enabled systems, etc.

• Despite all these plans by other Ministries, the Ganga rejuvenation task seems to be impossiblebecause according to India’s constitution, rivers are essentially state subjects and no state is likelyto welcome such an infringement from the Centre into what the states see as their domain ofresponsibility. Thus, the centre-state relations will play a major role in rejuvenation of Ganga alongwith the bureaucratic attitude towards the herculean task.

16. The frequency of earthquakes appears to have increased in the Indian subcontinent. However,India’s preparedness for mitigating their impact has significant gaps. Discuss various aspects.

Hints:

• India has been traditionally vulnerable to earthquakes, floods, droughts, cyclones etc. About 60%of the landmass is prone to earthquake of different intensities. Even as enormous scientific andmaterial progress is made, it is unfortunate that a huge number of human and economic losses havemounted.

• This is because we hardly have a policy on systematic disaster management. Government as wellas other disaster management agencies becomes mobilized only after the disasters occur. Some ofthe major weaknesses are:

a) Inadequate Early Warning System: Though various steps are beautifully articulated on paper, butthese do not reach to those likely to be affected in early enough (As in case of Bhuj earthquake,2001). Communication facilities could have been made better to reduce the heavy damage.

b) Lack of Pre-disaster Preparedness: India lacks a systematic arrangement to tackle the disastersuccessfully to reduce its impact. Not having planned information system regarding the activities tobe done during and just after the calamity add to worse impacts. During Tsunami 2004, deadbodies laid floating in water due to unavailibility of required equipment to meet the emergencyneed.

c) Inadequate and Slow Relief: The relief operations – Providing food, medicine, water, clothes arehandled in ad-hoc and haphazard manner.

d) Lack of Co-ordinations: To have a successful and efficient relief programme, concerted efforts areneeded for Central Government, State Government, NGO’s, International agencies etc. which resultsin misutilization and in uneven distribution.

e) Slow Rehabilitation & Reconstruction: Relief and reserve operations must emphasize on feeding thepeople and stalling the outbreak of epidemic. Restoration of infrastructure, hospitals, schools, housesand sources of living of the people need to be given proper attention.

17. Human right activists constantly highlight the view that the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act,1958 (AFSPA) is a draconian act leading to cases of human rights abuses by the security forces.What sections of AFSPA are opposed by the activists? Critically evaluate the requirement withreference to the view held by the Apex Court.

Hints:

• The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) is an act empowering armed forces to deal effectivelyin disturbed areas. Any area which is declared ‘’disturbed’’ under Disturbed Areas Act enablesarmed forces to resort to the provisions of AFSPA.

• Controversial Sections of AFSPA are:

a) The AFSPA violates the following articles:

(i) Article 21 – The right to life – is violated by section 4(a) of the AFSPA, which grants the armedforces the power to shoot to kill in law enforcement situations without regard to the restrictionsof international human rights law on the use of lethal force;

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(ii) Article 14 – The right to equality – This article guarantees that “the State shall not deny to anyperson equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India”;

(iii) Article 22- Protection against arrest and detention. Article 22 of the Indian Constitution providesprotection against arrest and detention and under section 5 of the AFSPA, a person arrestedmust be handed over to the nearest police station with the least possible delay along with thecircumstances occasioning such arrest but this has not been followed at all.

b) The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act has come in for widespread criticism in Jammu and Kashmir,Manipur and other parts of the North-Eastern India, because of the human rights abuses that havecome to be associated with its operation.

c) AFSPA does not distinguish between a peaceful gathering of five or more persons (even if held incontravention of Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code) and a violent mob. Firing upon thelatter may sometimes be justified by necessity; shooting into a peaceful assembly would surely failany test of reasonableness.

d) Human Rights Watch alleged that of the thousands of “disappearances” that occurred within theregion in the years following 1989, were mainly militants killed by security forces and buried inunmarked graves. Human Rights Watch also claims that torture by security forces is widespread,and that militants are routinely executed by security forces without trial simply because they posea security threat.

e) Additionally, a number of cases of innocent people being killed by security forces under the coverof AFSPA exist. In one case, four civilians including an 8-year old, were shot at and killed bysecurity forces while playing cricket.

f) The AFSPA has violated women’s rights for a long time. Many cases of wrongful arrest, torture andrape have occurred since AFSPA was imposed. The cases of sexual assault by army officials alsoexist.

• But if the AFSPA get diluted then:

a) It would dilute the capacity of an important instrument of the state – the armed forces - to tacklethe security challenges faced by the country.

b) It would motivate the insurgent leadership, field cadres and their over ground supporters to engagein reckless damage to public life and property. It may well result in a security situation which slidesbeyond redemption, necessitating major political compromise.

c) The annulment of the law and the resultant lack of security cover would adversely affect thegovernance and development capacities in the insurgency affected states, and the eventual redressof local grievances.

• Critical Evaluation: Supreme Court formed a commission under Santosh Hegde for investigationof encounter by armed forces in Manipur. The commission found that none of the victim had anycriminal records. In 1997 under Naga rights case, the Apex Court had laid down a number of do’sand don’ts for AFSPA to prevent the misuse of special powers under AFSPA. Such as arrestedperson should be handed over to nearest police station with least possible delay or do not use anyforce after having arrested a person except when he is trying to escape.

• Hence to maintain the human rights recommendations of various committees as Punchhi Commissionheld that constitutional power of Governor to declare an area as disturbed shall be restricted orreviewed in every 3 months. Justice Verma Committee (2013) also suggested that armed personnelshall be subjected to ordinary law in case of sexual violence against women.

18. Religious indoctrination via digital media has resulted in Indian youth joining the ISIS. What isISIS and its mission? How can ISIS be dangerous to the internal security of our country?

Hints:

• ISIS is a jihadist militant group that adheres to an Islamic fundamentalist, Wahhabi doctrine of

Sunni Islam. The group has referred to itself as the Islamic State or IS since it proclaimed a worldwide

caliphate last year.

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• As a caliphate, it claims religious, political and military authority over all Muslims worldwide. Itsmission is to seize the earth/world and to establish Islamic rule all over the world.

• Threat to India:

a) India’s Muslim population (17.2 Cr) is the world’s 3rd largest and worrying fact is that majority ofthem are Sunnis, which are targeted by ISIS. Further poor economic condition of Muslims in Indiais also a matter of concern for the country as the mix of money and religion can act as a bigattractive trap.

b) ISIS can become the fulcrum of terrorism against India, thereby focusing the combined energy ofdifferent groups under its umbrella.

c) ISIS can be supported by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), thereby providing it a well-established intelligence and logistic network, in a symbiotic relationship.

d) There are around seven million Indians living in the Gulf region which is most influenced regionof ISIS. There is always a possibility of some them coming in contact with the radical elements atthe Gulf region and help them to reach inside India.

e) ISIS group mastered the art of exploiting social media and the internet and employed simple, yetpowerful messages to attract fighters and supporters from across the world.

• Hence ISIS has become a threat to India as many Indians are going to join it.

19. The persisting drives of the Government for development of large industries in backward areas haveresulted in isolating the tribal population and the farmers who face multiple displacements. WithMalkangiri and Naxalbari foci, discuss the corrective strategies needed to win the Left WingExtremism (LWE) doctrine affected citizens back into the mainstream of social and economicgrowth.

Hints:

• Exploitation of natural resources with no regard for indigenous people, abridging tribal land rightsfor national parks or wildlife sanctuaries, poverty, unemployment, and underdevelopment are majorreasons that allowed the tribals and farmers in central and east India to fall prey to LWE ideologyagainst the state.

• While on the face they can observe injustice meted to them by the state, they are oblivious to theobjectives of Naxals and Maoists, whose only objective is to capture power without paying any heedto human rights and the very morals they preach to convince people to go against the state.

• Thus, it is utmost responsibility of government to not only secure justice for these people, but alsoto create awareness regarding true face of LWE. Some of the strategies that can be adopted for thispurpose are:

a) Resolve the pending cases of Rehabilitation and Resettlement in LWE affected areas at top priorityto build confidence within the LWE doctrine affected citizens.

b) Surrender scheme shall be subjected to minimum procedural requirements and shall be implementedat faster pace to provide justice. Further, only heinous or rare crimes shall face trial in court andeven with minute punishment provisions as far as possible.

c) One of the key objectives should be to work towards technology penetration – for instance, electricityand mobile phone reach – in the tribal areas. For this purpose, government has approved mobiletowers at 2199 locations in 10 LWE affected states in August, 2014.

d) Another important objective should be to link relatively undeveloped tribal areas with developed

areas through good infrastructure such as building national highways in those areas.

e) Civic Action Program by CAPFs to undertake civic action in the affected states. The idea is to win

the hearts and minds of local communities through small development schemes, which to some

extent will mitigate the problems of people living in insurgency hit areas and also bring goodwill

to security forces.

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f) Emphasizing on collection, digitization and dissemination of vast repository of the ancient knowledgeof the tribals.

• At same time, Government shall also focus on strengthening police stations and forces such asrecent govt scheme of fortified police stations.

• Further there is need to create critical infrastructure in LWE areas in relation to requirements ofmobility for the police/security forces by upgrading existing roads/tracks in inaccessible areas,providing secure camping grounds and helipads at strategic locations in remote and interior areas,

measures to enhance security in respect of police stations/outposts located in vulnerable areas etc.

20. Considering the threats cyberspace poses for the country, India needs a “Digital Armed Forces”to prevent crimes. Critically evaluate the National Cyber Security Policy, 2013 outlining thechallenges perceived in its effective implementation.

Hints:

• Information technology (IT) has exposed the user to a huge data bank of information regardingeverything and anything. However, it has also added a new dimension to crime and has left thesensitive and often secret information at risk of exposure.

• It is quite evident from India’s experience so far, that the traditional security forces, like the Policeand armed forces are not properly equipped to deal with such challenges and though somedepartments and units have cyber experts, as a whole we lack a centralized and organized cyber

army with pan-India presence.

• The Cyber Security Policy 2013 was made to modernize the Cyber security system and to createenabling laws to deal with cyber threats. Some of its concerned objectives included:

a) To strengthen the Regulatory Framework for ensuring a secure cyberspace ecosystem.

b) To create workforce for 5,00,000 professionals skilled in next 5 years through capacity building, skill

development and training.

c) To enable Protection of information while in process, handling, storage & transit so as to safeguard

privacy of citizen’s data and reducing economic losses due to cyber crime or data theft.

d) To enable effective prevention, investigation and prosecution of cybercrime and enhancement of

law enforcement capabilities through appropriate legislative intervention.

• Indian Armed forces are in the process of establishing a cyber command as a part of strengtheningthe cyber security of defence network and installations. Creation of cyber command will entail a

parallel hierarchical structure and being one of the most important stakeholders, it will be prudentto address the jurisdiction issues right at the beginning of policy implementation.

• However, all these objectives are not immediately feasible and have also left certain gaps in overallenvisaged framework, such as:

a) No clear regulatory framework is suggested and at present all the cyber departments under policeand armed forces are working independently and often with parallel authority. Ideally a nodalbody must be formed under NSA.

b) In order to start with this task Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has been designatedto act as a nodal agency for coordination of crisis management efforts, but it comes into picture onlyfor crisis management and not for regular monitoring, making it further confusing.

c) The provisions to take care of security risks emanating due to use of new technologies, e.g., Cloud

Computing, has not been addressed.

d) Another area which is left untouched by this policy is tackling the risks arising due to increased useof social networking sites by criminals and anti-national elements.

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Civil Services (Mains) Examination 2015

Solutions

GS PAPER IV Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude

SECTION – A 1. (a) What is meant by environment Ethics? Why is it important to study? Discuss any one environmental

issue from the viewpoint of environmental ethics. (150 words) (10) Approach - Define Environmental ethics. Mention the various needs and significance to study it. Take up one environmental issue and discuss its status without Environment ethics and how does it change with Environment ethics. Answer- Environmental ethics is a branch of ethical philosophy which studies the relation of humans and non-human world and how ethics plays a role in it. It takes into account not just human beings but also other living beings like plants and animals. It includes moral obligation of human beings towards environment. It is important to study the Environmental ethics because:- (i) Determining environmental impact of our activities:- By knowing the environmental impact of our activities

we can take steps to design environment friendly projects and technologies. (ii) Better policy formulation and implementation: - For ensuring inclusive and sustainable development, we

will be able to formulate and implement better policies. (iii) Changing attitude of people:- Conservation and sustainable use of environmental resources can be achieved

only when we succeed in changing attitude of people. For this environmental ethics is crucial. Environmental Issue – Pollution Pollution of air, water and soil is a major environmental issue concerning humanity. Various initiatives like making laws, rules and regulations etc. have been taken, but they have met with only limited success. People have less value for environment as they consider their personal wellbeing much higher than environmental well being. For solving the issue of environmental pollution, we need to include the ethical perspective in our interaction with the environment. It will help in changing attitude of people from apathy to compassion and will encourage them to actively curb pollution. It will also make us aware of carbon footprint of our activities and hence we can curb it. Further we can design environment friendly technologies, which do not pollute our environment.

1. (b) Differentiate between the following: (10 marks) (200 Words) (i) Law and Ethics (ii) Ethical management and management of ethics (iii) Discrimination and Preferential Treatment (iv) Personal Ethics and Professional Ethics.

Answer:- (i) Law and Ethics

Laws are system of rules that are enforced through social institutions, in order to govern our behaviour. Laws are made by Legislature, or by executive (ordinances). It prescribes what one must do. Violation of law may involve penalty or punishment. Law can be enforced by various agencies or through court of law.

Ethics are standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do. There are various sources for ethical standards like the organization, profession, social norms, religion etc. Not adhering to ethical principles may or may not involve punishment. Ethics are enforced in an informal manner through processes like conformity, social reflections etc.

(ii) Ethical Management and Management of Ethics Ethical Management refers to inclusion of ethical dimension in management of institutions like

government, NGO’s and private firms. For example training of Managers and workers to make them ethically literate and professional

Management of Ethics refers to creating a code, norms or policy for members of society or institutions, to assure their compliance towards ethical behaviour. For example formulating Code of Conduct for organization or profession like civil services, law etc.

(iii) Discrimination and Preferential treatment Discrimination is a negative concept, which involves denial of social participation of certain

categories of people, based on prejudices. It violates the basic Human Rights of the individual. It is against the concept of social justice. Our Constitution prohibits any kind of Discrimination, like practicing untouchability is discriminatory.

Preferential treatment on the other hand is a positive concept which involves favoring certain sections of society which are at disadvantage and cannot compete at equal level. It may be for rectifying some historical disadvantages suffered by the community. It promotes social justice. Our Constitution provides for preferential treatment under certain circumstances. For example Provisions related to reservation.

(iv) Personal Ethics and Professional Ethics Personal Ethics refers to the morals and values, which we hold as a standard for governing our life.

They help in shaping our character. They determine our behavior and attitude with the people we know personally. For example speaking truth, respecting elders.

Professional Ethics involves adherence to code of conduct laid down at workplace. Our personal views and concerns about any topic are overshadowed by the protocol of the organization. They influence our professional career. For example Punctuality, equality in treatment, fairness in delivering justice etc.

2. Given out are two quotations of moral thinkers/philosophers. For each of these bring out what it means to

you in the present context. (a) “The weak can never forgive; forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” (10) (150 words) (b) “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid

of the light.” (10) (150 words) Approach - Explain the various dimensions of the quotation by giving suitable examples. Answer – (a) “The weak can never forgive; forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

Mahatma Gandhi has given this beautiful quotation. The weak can never forgive. He is bound by extreme emotions which prevent him from forgiving. This weakness is also the source of our negative attitude, anger, sense of revenge etc. By not forgiving others, we are inclined to think that we are taking revenge from the person who has done harm to us. But in fact it harms us, more than it does to other. Our mind remains occupied with such negativity that it hampers our own personality development. A person with weak personality always believes that forgiving someone is in itself a sign of incapability to punish the culprit. However, for forgiveness, one needs moral fortitude to overcome the strong emotions which prevent us from forgiving. One needs to transcend the distinction between good and bad. This way we can free our soul of the chains and hence, ensure our all round personality development. So by inculcating the value of forgiveness, we are helping ourselves as much as we are helping others. We need to always remember that forgiveness doesn’t change our past but it does change our future. So for society to prosper and humanity to progress, we need to inculcate the value of forgiveness, as forgiving someone even when you have the power to punish him needs patience and compassion towards mankind.

(b) “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” The problem is not that we are inadequate. The problem is that we don’t want to come out from our comfort zone and improve on our limitations. It is the light and effort to achieve it, not our darkness that frightens us the most. Our fear of our weaknesses can be removed by working on the weak areas. For example a person having poor level of integrity can improve by constantly working upon it. However, those who fear their weaknesses can never realize their potential fully and hence can never excel in life. They just keep justifying their wrongs without accepting them. We have infinite potential, but we tend to seek comfort and pleasure. We restrict our world, to places where we are comfortable. We are afraid of the pain, which we may get, while trying to realize our true potential. However we forget that pain is temporary. It may last for an hour, a day or a month. For realizing our true

potential we need to overcome this fear and only then we’ll be able to reach the stage of enlightenment. We need to accept what we are and shall pursue excellence in every Endeavour of life.

3. (a) Mere compliance with law is not enough, the public servant also has to have a well- developed

sensibility to ethical issues for effective discharge of duties. Do you agree? Explain with the help of two examples, where (i) an act is ethically right but not legally and (ii) an act is legally right, but not ethically. (10) (150 words)

Approach – Explain the need for ethical sensibilities of public servant. Then give suitable examples. Answer - (a) A civil servant needs to have ethical literacy, ethical competency and moral reasoning abilities, for effective

discharge of his duties. It is significant due to following reasons. (i) Better interpretation of law and its enforcement (ii) Ethics fill the gap which is left by law. It caters to the dynamic nature of administration. (iii) Better understanding of needs of people. (iv) Effective and holistic approach towards problem solving. (v) Bridging the gap between people and administration. (vi) Better policy formulation and implementation. (vii) Optimum utilization of available resources. So, both compliance with law and ethical sensibility are needed for a civil servant. However there are situations when only one of them is fulfilled.

(i) Ethically right, legally wrong A doctor may wish to administer euthanasia to a terminally ill patient, to relive him of the unbearable pain. Though it is morally right for him, he can’t do it as it is not permitted legally in India.

(ii) Legally right, Ethically wrong Legally it may be right for army personnel to conduct raid and even kill a suspect in states where

AFSPA is applicable. But ethically it is wrong. It involves depriving the citizens their basic human rights including their right to get justice from the court of law.

So, for effective public service delivery, a public servant must be ethically sensitive along with complying with the law. (b) How do the virtues of trustworthiness and fortitude get manifested in public service? Explain with

examples. (10) (150 words) Approach - Link the virtues with the ethical principles expected from a civil servant. Then give suitable examples. Answer – Virtues of trustworthiness and fortitude are needed for effective public service delivery. It gets manifested in the following form: (i) Upholding principles of Fidelity: government is all about relationships. If trust is lost, everything is lost.

Fulfilling our commitments, and being responsible in our inter-personal relationship, builds trust in the team. This trust is reflected when commitments are fulfilled.

(ii) Maintaining confidentiality of information in public interest: like not disclosing budget details before formal announcement.

(iii) Transparency and participative approach which can develop credibility and trust among people. Like Panchayat system enhances trust and teamwork between people and administration.

(iv) Upholding Rule of Law: There may be challenging circumstances when it becomes difficult to uphold the law. It requires moral fortitude to uphold the rule of law and to work for realizing the values enshrined in the constitution. So upholding it reflects our virtue of fortitude. Like not taking into account the inappropriate influence by the political boss which can hurt public interest.

(v) Dedication to service: There are many temptations to make personal gains at the cost of public interest. It requires moral fortitude, to overcome these temptations, and remain dedicated to the service of the people. So our dedication to service reflects our fortitude.

4. (a) “Social Values are more important than economic values”. Discuss the above statement with examples in the context of inclusive growth of a nation. (10) (150 words)

Approach – First describe what are social values and economic values. Then by giving examples explain the statement. Answer - Social Values- are the standards of social behavior derived from social interaction and accepted as constituent facts of social structure. Social values form an important part of the culture of the society. Values account for the stability of social order. They provide the general guidelines for social conduct and help in choosing between alternative courses of action. For example -respect for human dignity, equality, justice etc. are some of the social values even enshrined in our constitution. Economic value – They are the worth of a good or service as determined by people’s preferences and the tradeoffs they choose to make. Making economic choices involve tradeoff in allocating resources. Economic values like efficiency, economy, profits are helpful in guiding us when we make economic choices. Measures of economic values are based on preferences of the people.

Focusing only on economic values and neglecting social values can lead to large scale deprivation and inequality. For example, the Capitalist system which arose during Industrial revolution caused large scale inequality in the society. Their main focus was creating economic value rather than fulfilling social goals.

For improving the social capital, we need to focus on social values. It will also help in improving quality of life of an individual. For example, Current day Welfare states focus on social values, along with economic values. It tries to minimize inequality. So for a balanced, inclusive and sustainable development, we need to focus more on the social values than the economic values. In fact, social values provides the foundation over which a strong economy can be built upon.

(b) Some recent developments such as introduction of RTI Act, media and judicial activism, etc., are proving helpful in bringing about greater transparency and accountability in the functioning of the government. However, it is also being observed that at times the mechanisms are misused. Another negative effect is that the officers are now afraid to take prompt decisions.

Analyze this situation in detail and suggest how this dichotomy can be resolved. Suggest how these negative impacts can be minimized. (10) (150 words)

Approach- Describe the positive and negative aspect of RTI, media activism etc. Then give suggestion for resolving the dichotomy and also to minimize the negative impact. Answer – any participatory approach has its limitations, but it can’t be an excuse for an opaque system. RTI and activism through different institutions has led to:- (i) Helped in unearthing many scams like 2G, Coal block allocation, etc (ii) Bringing greater degree of transparency and accountability by bringing even political parties under the ambit

of RTI. (iii) Increasing participation of citizens in governance process However, they have also led to some negative repercussions like: (i) Misuse of these provisions for vested interests (ii) Interference and pessimism in decision making process of public servants (iii) Reluctance on part of officers to take bold decisions There is a need to resolve the dichotomy between the need for transparency and accountability and protecting honest civil servants from undue harassment. It can be done by (i) Providing Monitoring mechanisms for ensuring transparency in program implementation. (ii) Providing adequate Safeguards to officers such autonomy and accountability can be balanced. (iii) Encouraging officers to take decisions by rewarding them for success. (iv) Defining standard operating procedure and Code of Conduct for officers (v) Encouraging voluntary disclosure of information (vi) Value education for all

(vii) Encouraging participation of people in governance through trust building measures. (viii) penalty for those who use measures for personal interests. (ix) Bringing media under regulations through propagating positive values. (x) Judiciary can restrict itself in crossing the boundaries by coming out with norms for judicial activism. In this way the dichotomy can be resolved and the negative impact can be minimized.

5. Two different kinds of attitudes exhibited by public servants towards their work have been identified as

the bureaucratic attitude and the democratic attitude. (a) Distinguish between these two terms and write their merits and demerits. (b) Is it possible to balance the two to create a better administration for the faster development or our country?

Approach - First describe the meaning of terms and then write their merits and demerits. Then write how to achieve a balance between the two. Answer – Bureaucratic Attitude – The attitude of public servants to strictly follow decision making process according to the laid down rules and guidelines is the Bureaucratic attitude. Some basic attributes of this attitude involves objectivity, neutrality, secrecy, elite approach etc. Merits (i) Strict compliance of standard operating procedure. (ii) Since consultation with public is not needed so decision can be taken quickly. (iii) It is easier to fix responsibility of decisions because of hierarchical decision making process. Demerits (i) Red-tapism, as there is no urgency in achieving targets. (ii) They are opposed to changes in the system, leading to stagnation. (iii) It is rigid; hence public service delivery may not be effective. (iv) Apathy towards common people Democratic Attitude – The attitude of public servants to encourage participation of people in decision making process and delegate authority to other members of the team. It involves values like compassion, tolerance, responsiveness etc. Merits (i) It ensures participation of people in governance. (ii) It improves effectiveness of public service delivery as it is according to the ‘felt needs’ of the people. (iii) It allows flexibility in program designing and implementation. Demerits (i) Since it involves wider consultation, so it may be time consuming. (ii) It becomes difficult to arrive at wide consensus on certain issues. (iii) It slows down decision making process. Yes, it is possible to balance the two. It can be achieved by following methods: (i) Demarcating separate areas

In certain areas of governance we need democratic attitude of Bureaucrat and in other areas we need bureaucratic attitude. These should be demarcated. For Example – Areas having larger public interface requires democratic attitude. Like in case of field posting. Whereas areas needing quicker decision making needs bureaucratic attitude. Like in day to day functioning of administration at higher levels.

(ii) Laying down of Guidelines with provisions for flexibility Guidelines and standard operating procedures should be issued at macro level while at micro level there should be provisions for flexibility. This will ensure bureaucratic attitude at macro level and democratic attitude at micro level. In this way both these can be balanced for creating a better administration for faster and inclusive development of the country.

Q6. Today we find that in spite of various measures like prescribing codes of conduct, setting up vigilance cells/commissions, RTI, active media and strengthening of legal mechanisms, corrupt practices are not coming under control. (a) Evaluate the effectiveness of these measures with justifications. (b) Suggest more effective strategies to tackle this menace.

Approach – Describe the achievements of these measures along with limitations and then suggest the steps which need to be taken. Answer - The present initiative have met with limited success in curbing corruption. The main reasons are: (i) Code of Conduct – They have been defined comprehensively, but lack enforcement mechanism. Use of legal

language and different interpretations make them of little use. Lack of revision is another problem. (ii) Vigilance cells/commissions – The have been effective in unearthing many corruption cases, but due to lack

of autonomy and limited powers they have not been able to make much difference. CBI for example was recently referred as a caged parrot by the Supreme Court.

(iii) RTI, Active media – they have been successful in unearthing many scams like 2G scam, Coal block allocation scam etc. But they are also misused sometimes. Also killing of RTI activists pose a challenge. This has limited their effectiveness.

(iv) Legislative measures – Though with time amendments have been done to curb various types of corrupt practices, but implementation is weak. This provides loopholes to the corrupt people.

To tackle this menace we need to take following steps. (i) Changing attitude of people: We need to change attitude of both the bribe giver and taker, through

methods of social influence. Social proof, liking, reciprocity etc can play a significant role in this. (ii) Strict implementation of law and passing new laws like whistle blowers bill. (iii) Inculcating values: We need to focus on inculcating positive values in children, who are our future

generation. Role of family and school is very important in this. Also we need to protect them from negative impact of internet and social media.

(iv) Mid-career Training:- It will help in keeping them motivated and dedicated towards service. (v) Comprehensive performance appraisal mechanism: Performance appraisal of public servants should be

conducted by neutral observers, along with the present hierarchical mechanism. (vi) Leading by example: Public servants must lead by example so that they can motivate their sub-ordinates. So, by following these steps, along with the present mechanism, we can curb the menace of corruption.

Q7. At the international level, the bilateral relations between most nations are governed on the policy of promoting one’s own national interest without any regard for the interest of other nations. This leads to conflicts and tensions between the nations. How can ethical consideration help resolve such tensions? Discuss with specific examples. Approach - Mention the various aspects which govern foreign policy of a country. Then mention the tensions and conflict arising from such policies. Then explain how this can be resolved, giving special emphasis on our own principles. Answer – Foreign policy of a country is governed by a number of factors. A country has economic, political and strategic interests, which determine its foreign policy. Countries try to promote their national interest at the cost of interest of other nations. Colonialism, World wars, bio-prospecting etc are some of the examples (like tension between littoral states of South China Sea). However such an approach has led to conflicts and tensions between the countries. These issues can be resolved by ethical considerations in the foreign policy. It can help in the following manner: (i) Principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: Our principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, i.e. World is a global

village, can help in establishing peace and harmony in the world. It gives us the message that we need to look beyond these man-made boundaries, for the larger good of humanity.

(ii) Principle of peaceful co-existence (Panchseel): Instead of mutual antagonism, our foreign policy should be driven by idea of peaceful co-existence. Countries can prosper only in peaceful global order. We need to understand that the present path leads us only to the destruction of the whole world. We need to change our course.

(iii) Respecting Humanity: Instead of dividing people among various identity groups and then discriminating among them, we need to see the larger picture. We need to ensure basic human rights for everyone. We should strive to improve quality of life of people around the world.

(iv) Shared responsibility: If we want to save this world for our future generations, we need to take the responsibility collectively. We must ensure conservation and sustainable use of available environmental resources.

(v) Refurbishing policies like Non-alignment movement So, for the progress of humanity and for preserving our planet for future generations, we must include these ethical considerations in our foreign policy. Q8. Public servants are likely to confront with the issues of ‘Conflict of Interest’. What do you understand by the term “Conflict of Interest’ and how does It manifest in the decision making by public servants? If faced with the conflict of Interest situation, how would you resolve it? Explain with the help of examples. Approach – Define conflict of interest and how public servants may face it. Then suggest measures to resolve conflict of interest. Give suitable examples to support your views. Answer- Conflict of interest: - It refers to a set of circumstances that creates a risk that professional judgment or action regarding a primary interest may be unduly influenced by a secondary interest. In public service it involves a conflict between public interest and private interests. It may directly or indirectly compromise the performance of the public servant. There are various ways in which it manifest in the decision making process. (i) Public interest v/s private interest (ii) Public interest v/s interest of family or friends (iii) Public interest v/s interest of particular community For resolving conflict of interest following steps can be taken. (i) Keeping Public interest above private interest: - A public servant should always work in public interest. In

situations involving conflict of interest he should take a principled stand. (ii) Making voluntary disclosure: A public servant should voluntarily declare in situations involving conflict of

interest. It will help in taking suitable steps for avoiding the conflict. (iii) Recuse from the situation/case: often done by judges to resolve conflict of interest. (iv) File noting:- Public servants should always mention the reason for taking particular decision, in the files. This

ensures greater degree of transparency and accountability. (v) Identifying “risk-areas”:- It will help in providing clear cut guidelines to the public servants, in order to tackle

conflict of interest in those situations. (vi) Developing Organizational culture:- It will help in addressing such situations in a better manner. It will also

help in motivating public servants to disclose the potential conflict of interest. So in this manner conflict of interest situation can be tackled, for providing efficient public service.

Section - B

Q9. A private company is known for its efficiency, transparency and employee welfare. The company though owned by a private individual has a cooperative character where employees feel a sense of ownership. The company employs nearly 700 personnel and they have voluntarily decided not to form a union. One day suddenly in the morning, about 40 men belonging to a political party gate-crashed into the factory demanding jobs in the factory. They threatened the management and employees, and also used foul language. The employees feel demoralized. It was clear that those people who gate-crashed wanted to be on the payroll of the company as well as continue as the volunteers/members of the party. The company maintains high standards in integrity and does not extend favors to civil administration that also includes law enforcement agency. Such incidents occur in public sector also. (20 Marks) (250 Words) (a) Assume you are the CEO of the company. What would you do to diffuse the volatile situation on the date of gate-crashing with the violent mob sitting inside the company premises? (b) What could be the long-term solution to the issue discussed in the case? (c) Every solution/action that you suggest will have a positive and a negative impact on you (as CEO), the employees and the performance of the employees. Analyze the consequences of each of your suggested actions. Answer –

(a) As the CEO of the company, I would take the following steps to diffuse the volatile situation:-

(i) Use of Emotional intelligence- To tackle such volatile situation it is important to use ones’ emotional intelligence, to appraise the situation in a better manner. I will call the leader of mob, and will try to manage and regulate his violent emotions. This may help in bringing the situation under control.

(ii) Informing Police:- Since the situation involves law and order problem, I will inform the police about it. If issue is resolved peacefully then fine, otherwise police may take suitable action.

(iii) Calling the political leader:- I will call the political leader, informing my inability to provide jobs to the men. I will also request him to call back his party members, as on his direction they will agree to leave.

(b) In the long term, following steps can be taken: (i) I will get court orders, for police protection of our factory. It will help in keeping the mob away from our

factory in future. (ii) I will also put additional barriers at the main entrance of the factory. It will restrict the entry of

unwanted elements. (iii) Further I will issue strict guidelines regarding recruitment policy of the company. This will sensitize the

people regarding our organizational values. (iv) I will also take help of media, to make the issue public. It will help in preventing any such attempt in

future.

(c) Evaluation of the consequences:- (i) Option 1 : Getting Court orders for police protection

Merits 1.1 It will boost the morale of employees, as there will be a sense of security. 1.2 It will help in maintaining the performance of the company at highest standards. 1.3 I will also be able to work with full dedication for the company. Demerits 1.1 It may increase cost of company due to extra security requirements.

(ii) Option 2 : Putting additional barriers Merits 2.1 It will also boost morale of employees because of a sense of security. 2.2 Performance of company will remain at highest standards. Demerits 2.1 Will cause some inconvenience to employees who commute on daily basis.

(iii) Option 3 : Issuing guidelines Merits 3.1 It will instill a sense of confidence among the employees. 3.2 Our organizational values will be clearly spelt out for everyone. Demerits 3.1 It may not be that much effective for outside people.

(iv) Option 4 : Taking help of media Merits 4.1 Will sensitize outside people regarding our organizational values Demerits 4.1 May also annoy the political party concerned.

Q10. You are the Sarpanch of a Panchayat. There is a primary school run by the government in your area. Midday meals are provided to the children attending the school. The Headmaster has now appointed a new cook in the school to prepare the meals. However, when it is found that the cook is from Dalit community, almost half of the children belonging to higher castes are not allowed to take meals by their parents. Consequently the attendance in the school falls sharply. This could result in the possibility of discontinuation or midday meal scheme, thereafter of teaching staff and subsequent closing down the school. (20 Marks) (250 Words) (a) Discuss some feasible strategies to overcome the conflict and to create right ambience.

(b) What should be the responsibilities of different social segments and agencies to create positive social ambience for accepting such changes? Answer – (a) At the root of the problem lies the caste discrimination prevalent in the village. So for overcoming the conflict

and creating the right ambience following strategies can be implemented : (i) Changing attitude of people: The caste discrimination prevalent in the village can be eliminated through

changing attitude of people. I will use social influence and persuasion techniques for achieving this. For example, social proof, reciprocity, liking, dissemination of information, breaking stereotypes etc can be used.

(ii) Inter- community cultural festivals: The barriers dividing society into various segments can be overcome only when there is more interaction among people. Festivals provide an opportunity to bring people closer.

(iii) Defining shared goals: Village should work together for achieving certain shared goals. Defining such goals like in education and health sector can help in ensuring collective effort of people.

(iv) Leading by Example: As Sarpanch of the village, I will lead by example. It will help in influencing people, and bringing change.

(b) The various social segments and agencies like family, school and Gram Sabha have certain responsibilities for creating right ambience. (i) Responsibility of Social segments:-

People must promote shared values like equality, fraternity, justice etc. It is our responsibility to respect every individual in the manner we expect respect from others. We need to persuade people for attitude change if they discriminate against anyone.

(ii) Responsibility of Social Agencies:- Law enforcement agencies must ensure proper enforcement of laws which prohibit discrimination. Also Civil servants need to remain pro- active in order to detect early warning signs of such discrimination and take corrective steps. They should also launch various awareness campaigns in this regard. They should lead by example, which will help in influencing people.

So, for bringing social change and creating right kind of ambience, above steps can be taken.

Q11. One of the scientists working in the R & D laboratory of a major pharmaceutical company discovers that one of the company’s bestselling veterinary drugs. B has the potential to cure a currently incurable liver disease that in prevalent in tribal areas. However, developing a variant of the drug suitable for human beings entailed a lot of research and development having a huge expenditure to the extent of Rs. 50 crores. It was unlikely that the company would recover the costs as the disease was rampant only in poverty-.stricken area having very little market otherwise. (20 Marks) (250 Words) If you were the CEO, then (a) Identify the various actions that you could take; (b) Evaluate the pros and cons of each or your actions. Answer – (a) The various actions which can be taken are –

(i) Taking support of Government (ii) Raising money through equity market (iii) Collaborating with foreign company (iv) appealing common people through media and NGO’s for collaboration and funds through sale of

products (b) Evaluation of the options :-

(i) Option 1 : Taking support of government Merits 1.1 It will solve the funding issue. 1.2 Poor people will benefit. Justice will be done to them.

1.3 Government machinery can be utilized for better service delivery.

Demerits 1.1 It will put Subsidy burden on government. 1.2 Company’s ownership of product will be diluted

(ii) Option 2 : Raising money through Equity market Merit 2.1 It will solve the problem temporarily. 2.2 Poor people will benefit 2.3 Corporate Social Responsibility will be fulfilled Demerits 2.1 Investors may lose money in future. 2.2 My company might come under severe financial stress.

(iii) Option 3 : collaborating with foreign company Merits 3.1 Not just poor of India, but of whole world will benefit. 3.2 The problem can be solved in holistic manner. Demerits 3.1 Issues of Intellectual property rights may hamper this collaboration. 3.2 foreign company may sell the drug at higher prices.

iv) Option 4: appealing common people through media and NGO’s for collaboration and funds through sale of products Merits 4.1 Pool for social activities will be created 4.2 Good publicity of company will be done. 4.3 Increase in sales and profits which then are transfer to the project Demerits 4.1 It may also decrease the sale as price of company’s products will be increased 4.2 may take a long time to collect necessary funds Considering all the above three options, I will go for the first option, of taking support of government.

Q12. There is a disaster-prone State having frequent landslides, forest fires, cloudbursts, flash floods and earthquakes, etc. Some of these are seasonal and often unpredictable. The magnitude of the disaster is always unanticipated. During one of the seasons, a cloudburst caused devastating floods and landslides leading to high causalities. There was major damage to infrastructure like roads, bridges and power generating units. This led to more than 100000 pilgrims, tourists and other locals trapped across different routes and locations. The people trapped in your area of responsibility included senior citizens, patients in hospitals, women and children, hikers, tourists, ruling party’s regional president along with his family, additional chief secretary of the neighbouring State and prisoners in jail. As civil services officer of the State, what would be the order in which you would rescue these people and why? Give justifications. Answer - I will follow the following sequence for rescue operation. (i) Patients in Hospitals

(a) They are highly vulnerable during disasters, because of their inability to take care of themselves. So they should be rescued even before women and children.

(b) Since their number is less and position known, it will be easy to evacuate them with less effort. (ii) Senior citizens

(a) They are valuable members of society, and cannot be left without help for too long. They are also vulnerable because of their old age and physical handicap. People have tendency to leave behind the old, thus priority shall be given to them.

(iii) Women and children (a) Children are our future generation, and hence they must be rescued first of all. (b) Women and Children are highly vulnerable during disasters, not just physically but emotionally as well.

(iv) Prisoners in jail (a) Since they are in jail, so their mobility is highly restricted. This makes them vulnerable in disaster

situation. (b) Even though they are prisoners, but still they are human beings. So, they must be rescued, considering

their vulnerability. (v) Tourists

(a) Next I will rescue tourists, because they lack any means to tackle the disaster themselves. Also they know very less about the local conditions.

(b) But, since they are healthy, so they can wait till other more vulnerable people are rescued. (vi) Ruling party’s regional president and his family

(a) Since he has political linkages, he can make temporary arrangements for safety of his family till other vulnerable people are rescued.

(b) Once vulnerable people are rescued, he and his family will be rescued. (c) Since he has a family with him, which include women and children, so I will rescue him before the hikers

and Chief Secretary. (vii) Chief Secretary of the other state

(a) He has been well trained to handle such situations. So he can wait till others are rescued. (b) Instead, he can also help, in rescue operation since he has experience in this regard. This is a part of his

duty. (viii) Hikers

(a) I will rescue them at last, as they have both the training as well as equipments with them, to deal with challenging terrain.

(b) They can easily wait till others are rescued. So, I will conduct the rescue operation according to above mentioned priority list. However, in some cases, simultaneous rescue mission can be launched for different categories as they are not mutually exclusive. Q13. You are heading a district administration in a particular department. Your senior officer calls you from the State Headquarters and tells you that a plot in Rampur village is to have a building constructed on it for a school. A visit is scheduled during which he will visit the site along with the chief engineer and the senior architect. He wants you to check out all the papers relating to it and to ensure that the visit is properly arranged. You examine the file which relates to the period before you joined the department. The land was acquired from the local Panchayat at a nominal cost and the papers show that clearance certificates are available from the two of the three authorities who have to certify the site’s suitability. There is no certification by the architect available on file. You decide to visit Rampur to ensure that all is in order as stated on file. When you visit Rampur, you find that the plot under reference is part of Thakurgarh Fort and that the walls, ramparts, etc are running across it. The fort is well away from the main village, therefore a school here will be a serious inconvenience for the children. However the area near the village has potential to expand into a larger residential area. The development charges on the existing plot, at the fort, will be very high and the question of heritage site has not been addressed. Moreover, the Sarpanch, at the time of acquisition of the land, was a relative of your Predecessor. The whole transaction appears to have been done with some vested interest. (250 words) (25 Marks) (a) List the likely vested interests of the concerned parties. (b) Some of the options for action available to you are listed below. Discuss the merits and demerits or each of the options:? (i) You can await the visit of the superior officer and let him take a decision. (ii) You can seek his advice in writing or on phone. (iii) You can consult your predecessor/colleagues, etc. and then decide what to do. (iv) You can find out if any alternate plot can be got in exchange and then send a comprehensive written report. Can you suggest any other option with proper justification?

Answer – (a) The likely vested interest of the parties involved are :-

(i) Grabbing the heritage land illegally by village and previous government authorities. (ii) The two certifying authorities, certifying the suitability of plot, for some monetary or in kind gains. (iii) Vested interest of Sarpanch, in keeping the area near village for residential purpose, instead of using it

for school. He might be considering the monetary gains which can be made by this. (iv) The predecessor providing undue advantage to Sarpanch, by misusing his authority.

(b) Evaluation of the actions which can be taken. (i) Option 1: Awaiting the visit of the superior officer and let him take a decision.

Merit 1.1 It will help in maintaining the line of hierarchy in decision making process. 1.2 Seniors will take a holistic view of the whole issue, considering the best available evidence. 1.3 It will help in solving the problem and punishing the guilty. 1.4 I will also perform my duty efficiently. Demerits 1.1 It will delay the solution of the problem. 1.2 It will be like transferring my duty to my seniors.

(ii) Option 2: Seeking his advice in writing or on phone. Merits 2.1 It will help in appraising the seniors, of the situation. 2.2 It will also help in quicker decision making. 2.3 I will perform my duties efficiently. 2.4 It may help in solving the issue before seniors visit the site. Demerits 2.1 seeking advice will again be like shifting responsibility on seniors. 2.2 Getting written orders will delay the process of solving the issue.

(iii) Option 3: Consulting my predecessor/colleagues, etc. and then decide what to do. Merits 3.1 I can know about the exact reasons behind the decisions of predecessor. 3.2 I will have a democratic and legal approach towards problem resolution. 3.3 it will help in proving the wrongs done by predecessor Demerits 3.1 It may not help in solving the problem, because of the vested interest of the predecessor. 3.2 It will delay the decision making process. 3.3 I will have to bear the responsibility for the actions based on their advice.

(iv) Option 4 : I can find out if any alternate plot can be got in exchange and then send a comprehensive written report. Merits 4.1 It will help in solving the problem, as school cannot be constructed at present location. 4.2 Sending detailed report will help in appraising seniors on every aspect of the issue. 4.3 Standard operating procedure will be followed in resolving the issue. 4.4 I will perform my duty efficiently. 4.5 Children will benefit if plot for school is near the village. Demerits 4.1 It may cause some delay in resolving the problem.

Considering the above four options, I will go with the fourth option as it resolves the issue in a holistic manner, while maintaining the line of duty. Q14. You are recently posted as district development officer of a district. Shortly thereafter you found that there is considerable tension in the rural areas of your district on the issue or sending girls to schools. The elders of the village feel that many problems have come up because girls are being educated and they are stepping out of the safe environment of the household. They are or the view that the girls should be quickly married off with minimum education. The girls are also competing for jobs after education, which have traditionally remained in boys’ exclusive domain, adding to unemployment amongst male population.

The younger generation feels that in the present era, girls should have equal opportunities for education and employment, and other means of livelihood. The entire locality is divided between the elders and the younger lot and further sub-divided between sexes in both generations. You come to know that in Panchayat or in other local bodies or even in busy crossroads, the issue is being acrimoniously debated. One day you are informed that an unpleasant incident has taken place. Some girls were molested, when they were en route to schools. The incident led to clashes between several groups and a law and order problem has arisen. The elders after heated discussion have taken a joint decision not to allow girls to go to school and to socially boycott all such families, which do not follow their dictate. (250 words) (25 Marks) (a) What steps would you take to ensure girls’ safety without disrupting their education? (b) How would you manage and mould patriarchic attitude of the village elders to ensure harmony in the inter-generational relations? Answer – (a) The issue involves ensuring safety of girls, without disrupting their education. It also involves ironing out the

difference of opinion between the two generations. Following steps can be take for safety and education of girls:

Social influence and persuasion techniques:- For bringing social change through attitude transformation, we need to use different techniques of social influence and persuasion. Elders should be persuaded for allowing education of girls, while assuring them of their safety. Social proof, reciprocity, role models, etc can play a significant role in this.

Changing Socialization process:- Gender stereotypes need to be broken by changing the socialization process of children. This is important to remove the gender discrimination face by girls. Child rearing practices can be modified.

Security arrangement and combat training: police roundups can be increased during opening and closure time of schools. Girls can also be taught in self defense techniques.

Infrastructural improvements: Safety of girls in rural area is compromised because of lack of adequate infrastructure, like street light, toilet facilities etc. Bridging these gaps will help in providing a sense of security to girls. Constructing toilets, providing them cycles etc are some of the steps.

(b) For managing and moldings the patriarchal attitude we need to use the following methods : (i) Using Persuasion techniques: Elder people must be persuaded with all due respect, in order to change their

attitude towards girl education. Sarpanch of the village can play a significant role in this, since his position has authority to influence behaviour of people.

(ii) Leadership skills:-The situation requires leadership skill on my part to influence the attitude of elderly people. I can do it my demonstrating them the benefits of girl education, through various examples. It is a powerful method of social influence.

(iii) Emotional intelligence: It also requires emotional intelligence on my part, in order to understand and manage the emotions of the village elders. This is crucial for success of other steps. The issue has lot of emotional component which need to be managed properly.

(iv) Attitude change: stereotypes and prejudice can be broken through adult education and dissemination of information regarding the benefits of girl education.

So, in this manner social change can happen, and ensure that there is inter-generational harmony.

Programs for 2016 1. All India Prelims Test Series 2016 2. All India Essay Test Series 2016 3. Ethics and Integrity Module 2016

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Hints: UPSC Mains 2015 Essay [1]

Section ‘A’

1. Lending Hands to Someone is Better than giving a dole.

Hints:

“Was it you or I who stumbled first? It does not matter. The one of us who finds the strength to get up first,must help the other.”

–Vera Nazarian

Lending hands is giving support to a struggling person in order to add something towards his or herempowerment so that the person is able to overcome a crisis or adversity on the basis of his or her ownmight/ strength on a sustained basis. Giving a dole is mainly propelled by feeling of kindness towards aperson in difficulty to give a temporary solace. The example of former is giving education, vocational trainingand skill formation, low cost credit etc. to an entrepreneur while giving a dole is offering food to a starvingperson or clothes to a beggar in winter.

Lending support is based on a fellow feeling, perhaps on a much equal terms whereas giving dole is basedon a sense of superiority. A support that is enabling lasts longer in the sense of empowerment for livelihood,achieving a higher living standard and pursuing dreams according to one’s potential. Support ends up inenabling a person for productive and fulfilling pursuits and so the fruits of support are sustainable. Dole isa temporary gift in order to please or show kindness to somebody, but it becomes burdensome and unsustainablefor the giver if it becomes too frequent.

Lending support serves the cause of individual dignity on both the sides- the lender of the support as wellas beneficiary. However, dole may be upholding the superiority of the giver, it is surely undignified for thereceiver, especially the receiver for whom dole becomes a habit rather than exceptional situation. Putting thetheme in current perspective also leads us to the ongoing debate on empowerment versus allowances, creationof productive assets versus subsidy, and economic rationality versus populism. Whatever way we go, thereis no doubt that lending hands to someone is better than giving a dole.

Doles are like free lunches. Milton Friedman, one of the great patriarchs of capitalism said there’s no suchthing as a free lunch and everybody should pay the price of the commodity or service he or she enjoys.Milton Friedman’s reasoning is easy to understand. If one individual or group gets something at no cost,somebody else ends up paying for it. If there appears to be no direct cost to any single individual, there isa social cost. Similarly, someone can benefit for “free” from an externality or from a public good, butsomeone has to pay the cost of producing these benefits. It also leads to wastage as the user who gets thingsfor free would never realize the actual cost and never be prompted for economizing or conservation. Safetynets for the poor and disadvantaged are a must for any compassionate nation, but encouraging folks to goon the dole when not absolutely necessary is disgraceful. In a country like us where one third of thepopulation is below poverty line, food subsidy cannot be altogether done away with. However, distributingdoles to garner support during elections is not only illegal and unconstitutional but immoral also. Subsidiesthat are populist and irrational such as free electricity or free irrigation are called non-merit subsidies becausetheir social benefits are far less than private benefits. These are also economically unsustainable in the longrun. Subsidies in the nature of dole are very difficult to stop once offered to public. Prime Minister of

UPSC MAINS 2015 ESSAY

HINTS

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[ 2 ] Hints: UPSC Mains 2015 Essay

Malaysia Najib Razak points out that giving subsidies is a two-edged sword. Once you give it, it’s very hardto take away subsidies. There’s a political cost of taking away subsidies.

Supporting those who want to work earnestly towards their livelihood, entrepreneurship and upliftment is agood proposition. This can be done by creating entitlements in terms of Amartya Sen’s words such asnutrition and health, literacy, skill formation, entitlement to cultivable land, venture capital or micro financeto an entrepreneurs etc. A woman can be supported for education or employment. She can be given freedomto decide about her marriage, career, and method of contraception or child bearing. This support would allowwomen to be free and dignified individuals of our society.

It has been seen in India that government’s support to farmers in the adoption of new agricultural technologyhas helped increasing agricultural production and productivity and made India selfreliant in foodgrainsproduction. Creation of core and basic industries as well as infrastructure accelerated industrialization inIndia. Poverty alleviation and employment generation programmes have also helped raising living standards.The scheduled caste and scheduled tribe categories have seen increased representation in government jobs aswell as parliament and assemblies due to special provisions for them. This has given them representation inthe power structure of the country. It is a step towards empowerment. Such supports are immensely importantin a society in which inequality is glaring and people do not have equal opportunities. In this sense reservationof seats for women in the Panchayati Raj system is also a welcome support.

Subsidies in India have often been in the nature of doles. The subsidies provided by government are markedby leakages, corruption, mis- targeting as well as non-asset creating expenditures. Subsidies have often beenguided by populism rather than economic rationality. Such subsidies have been proving a drain on thebudgetary resources and their effect has been price distorting. It would have been better to provide infrastructureand productive assets to create sustained employment through these resources. Now the government hasstarted concentrating on supportive measures rather than subsidies of dole nature. Jan Dhan Yojana andDirect Cash Benefit transfer are new enabling supports that government is providing to the financiallyexcluded and the weaker sections. Government is also concentrating on skill formation and promotion ofentrepreneurship rather than confining itself primarily to wage employment programmes. Wage employmentprogrammes have been dovetailed with asset creating programmes as we see in MNREGA.

Providing support is always desirable among human beings and especially members of a society or compatriots.In the absence of support budding geniuses, students, scientists, entrepreneurs or any potential performer cansuffer defeat or underperform. It is the moral duty of all individuals and democratic states to support itscitizens. Shannon L. Alder rightly says, “A best friend is the only one that walks into your life when the worldhas walked out.”

Such a great feeling overpowers us if somebody supports and helps us. We feel grateful. This does not applyat individual level only. Even at social level offering support to the deserving is a moral duty of each of us.For any democratic and just fellow it is worthwhile to remind, “Stand up for the underdog, the ‘loser.’Sometimes having the strength to show loving support for unacknowledged others turns the tides of our ownlives.” Somebody has rightly pointed out that the next time you want to withhold your help, or your love,or your support for another for whatever the reason, ask yourself a simple question: do the reasons you wantto withhold it reflect more on them or on you? And which reasons do you want defining you forevermore?

Citizens of a nation are grateful if it cares for them and supports them in adversity. A bond of trust developsand patriotism becomes a natural instinct. A nation whose government is indifferent and insensitive iscondemned to face social tension and even betrayal.

And above all service to humanity in any form is a noble act. People who are emancipated or even properlyeducated serve even those who are still backward, selfish, rude and laggards in all respects. Somebody hasrightly pointed out that the task of the moral philosopher-thinker is to support and strengthen the voice ofhuman conscience, to recognize what is good or what is bad for people, whether they are good or bad forsociety in a period of evolution. Giving support to anybody who apparently seems to be undeserving, becauseof some negative traits consequent upon his societal location is a benevolence that comes to us due tosympathy and empathy as a human being. And it is morally justified. On this ground even dole can bejustified. But any support or dole that creates an everlasting dependence is not desirable for a healthy growthof society.

Thus, giving, whether through support or dole, is noble. But equally important is the consequence of giving.If support helps to explore and develop the possibilities inherent in a society or an individual, it is desirable.

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If a dole can save lives, inspire the shattered and broken people, fills their life with hope, it may be justifiedfor a short while. But eventually the quality of our intervention matters. Support is better than dole. It isdignified and sustainable. Dole is like giving crutches forever by making the recipient a lame who cannot dowithout it. Dole is at times a reward for inaction and inefficiency, support is just the reverse, i.e. it is reward

for enterprise and efficiency. Dole ends the dreams and hopes decisively, support rekindles them.

2. Quick but Steady Wins the Race.

Hints:

Fast, fast, far too fast.

Life cannot be at such a pace, to last.

…….. …….. ………

Criticized for going too fast

and too slow,

a no win situation,

but for I, the pace of life,

shall choose,

that I do know.

For I see this as fundamental, save.

To live a life in the fast lane

and burn oneself out,

physically and mentally,

will surely lead to an early grave.

–Victor Gatenby

Quick but steady wins the race is a modern adage that is just the opposite of the old adage which says slowand steady wins the race. The modern age adage is relevant in the context of intense competition that weface and immense possibilities that technology has made possible in our times. We are living in an age ofcut throat competition. In this age all pursuits become a race which needs both speed and continuity to win.

Speed ensures that we move faster than others while remaining steady ensures continuity in our endeavors.But this new idea cannot be taken on its face value as a superior strategy to win. Speed has its advantagesand disadvantages both while in the name of continuity, steadiness should not mean procrastination and delaymarked by inefficiency and lack of dynamism and vigour. Also steadiness should not mean foolhardiness tostick to and continue with a project indefinitely even if it is not delivering the desired results. This new ageidea is opposed to the age old belief that slow and steady wins the race. The old adage essentially meansthat rather than speed, it is continuity of effort that matters more in winning. The idea is not without merit.Remaining slow should not be interpreted superficially. In fact every project which we choose to work on hasa certain gestation period and we cannot achieve them without the relevant amount of patience and rigour.With breakneck speed, steadiness may not come as we are tired soon whereas when our speed is reasonablewe can run a longer race. Wisdom leads us to the conclusion that both the new adage and old adage shouldbe seen in context. Both the strategies have their own merits and demerits and when we are to choosebetween the two, we must be aware as to which of the two strategies works better in a given condition ratherthan blindly following them.

The modern age is very competitive and technology has added more to that. People have devised newtechnologies and strategies that make it possible to accomplish the tasks at hand faster. We can see how millproduction replaced handmade production in the market place, how people using cars, trains, airplane cantravel faster, modern gadgets can cook faster, using mechanical support can do farming operations faster etc.The advent of Information Technology and convergence has led to immense speed in delivery and sharingof information. Computers can do computation faster. Automation and instrumentation has helped to

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accomplish tasks of a month in a week. There are fast modes of transport like bullet trains based on theJapanese technology. The countries which are technologically advanced produce more, consume more, andenjoy more. Even the various examinations for recruitment of human resources test both speed and accuracy.A reasonable speed is indispensable to accomplish the tasks faster and remain ahead than other competitors.But speed has several disadvantages.

With great speed, the chances of errors and mistakes increase. Speed also leads to compromise on the qualityof work. In speed we are not able to see the problems arising in the process of our work, and even far lesschance we get an opportunity to mend ways for improvement. We need time out to think and ponder, tobe creative and innovative and to be corrective and improving. When we are at great speed in our lives oursense of beauty and aesthetics is blurred.

Slow and steady wins the race has been anecdotal theme and most well known of them is the story of hareand tortoise who decided to compete in a race. Although the hare was ahead initially, he became complacentlater and fell into a brief slumber while tortoise which was lagging behind continued steadily and eventuallywon the race. The maxim means that even those who are slow in actions can succeed with constant effortsin their venture. People who appreciate the seriousness of a work usually chose to keep their speed at areasonable level so that they can give ample time to the task at hand. Without properly working on theprerequisites of a task speed would not lead us anywhere. The old adage cautions that people who start theirwork with vigor but do not remain steady in their commitment to accomplish the task till end and becomeoverconfident and complacent are condemned to fail in their endeavours.

Being slow is not a quality in itself. It is very important to assess the situation and its requirement beforedeciding about the required speed. The speed of action must be justified by the purpose and goal that weare pursuing. Sometimes we have only option- being quick and going fast! If there is a fire in a building orif there is a violent tornado or cyclone building up near the place where we live; we have no other optionthen to act fast. But this is not true about all the situations. A painter cannot hasten to make a master piece.A poet cannot hasten to produce 100 poems of high quality in a month.

Being slow in the first instance is the proof of our laziness, inefficiency, inaction, lack of dynamism anddeftness in our skills. While laziness etc., inaction and lack of dynamism make us slow and need to beovercome, at the same time we must also realize that learning a skill, inculcating efficiency and deftness ina work are slow processes which need to be followed and practiced slowly. Thus, Carl Honore rightly pointsout that the slow philosophy is not about doing everything in tortoise mode. It’s less about the speed andmore about investing the right amount of time and attention in the problem so you solve it.

Slowness is neither a disgrace nor a bad trait if it is adopted as a strategy to deal with a particular situation.We see a signboard of caution at dangerous traffic spots or narrow paths- “go slow”. Being slow gives us atime to think and ponder, to be creative and innovative and also to be error free. Going slow also makes itpossible to see the aesthetics of our actions and feel it. In speed our senses do not support us; in a slow speedour senses remain poised. Milan Kundera goes to the extent to say, “The degree of slowness is directionallyproportional to the intensity of memory. The degree of speed is directionally proportional to the intensityof forgetting.”

In both the adages, however, steadiness remains to be a common positive attribute for winning. Whether weare quick or slow, steadiness or continuity of efforts is extremely important for winning. Taking any dreamor project to fruition requires untiring and continued efforts. Paolo Coelho says the beauty of life is that wefall seven times and get up eight times. With great speed we are tired soon, whereas with reasonable speedwe continue with our struggle till we reach our goal. Life is very occasionally a magic, it is often more akinto music. Magic may be quick and fast but music becomes quick and slow depending upon the requirementof a situation. We won’t disagree with Robert W. Service when he asserts, “It’s the steady, quiet, ploddingones who win in the lifelong race.”

However, winning the race is a multifaceted concept in the sense that it means different things to differentpeople. In an acquisitive society we want to have it all fast and quick- wealth, power, recognition or even fun.But for another set of persons winning race may mean living for making a change in the existing order ofthe things for larger good, justice, innovation, creativity, art, and aesthetics. Some people give lives in theservice of humanity or for the cause of freedom and liberty. These processes by their very nature are slow.

The first set of people may opt for speed while the second set may rely on steadiness. In fact in some casesit is possible to be quick as well as steady, but in other cases being quick may not always be compatible with

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being steady. Reasonable speed is certainly a prerequisite of success, but excessive speed is dangerous. Thereis always a danger of collision or a fall if our breaks fail.

Slowness as a personality trait doesn’t help. It breeds laziness, inefficiency, inaction, lack of dynamism ashighlighted above. But slowness as a choice has its own beauty. Success is steady progress toward one’spersonal goals. It is a mistake to think that moving fast is the same as actually going somewhere. It is veryimportant to ascertain where are we going. Being quick is a proof of efficiency, but speeding towards our goalbreeds immense restlessness which makes us uncaring, ruthless and often brazenly mechanical. The limits ofspeed has to be decided, otherwise it becomes frustrating.

Being quick as a mark of efficiency, deftness and skill is good. But being quick by using steroids or unfairmeans is not earning your victory but stealing it, which when detected brings more disgrace and shame thana sense of fulfillment. One American commentator Will Ferrell quips, “America is all about speed. Hot,nasty, badass speed.” Mahatama Gandhi has rightly said, “There is more to life than simply increasing itsspeed.” When our speed is reasonable we are in our senses and our capacity to realize and feel aestheticsand beauty in our struggle for our dreams; that is is very fulfilling. The process becomes enjoyable. It doesnot hurt anybody, yet we move forward. Every flower blooms at a different pace. We must choose our speeddepending on our requirement and skill, and gradually hone it up to the desired level. Impatience will nothelp. Patience and perseverance will. The most successful men in the end are those whose success is the result

of steady accretion.

3. Character of an Institution is Reflected in its Leader.

Hints:

Character is the most defining attribute for a leader as well as the institution that he leads. Character is our

inherent wisdom and beliefs that guide us in our actions and practices and which make our world view. If

we believe in goodness, the whole world appears a beautiful place and a place for mutual coexistence to us

and if we believe in the evil, the whole world appears ugly and a place with only cut throat competition. The

statement character of an institution is reflected in its leader, applies the other way also, i.e., character of the

leader is reflected in the character of an institution.

Leaders are made in a set up; that may be a family, a group, an institution and society at large. The motto

and mission of that setting guides and propel the leaders as well as the followers in an institution. According

to Mark Zuckerberg Facebook was not originally created to be a company. It was built to accomplish a social

mission - to make the world more open and connected. We can see how it is reflected in his actions whenhe wants to connect people for personal as well as social concerns not in urban areas and cities alone, but

has a plan for rural areas where communication is still poor. In his recent India visit he made his plans public.

Amid all allegations of hegemony, America is a country that is guided by the principles of democracy and

peace and so no American leader can turn out to be autocratic.

Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which

inspires confidence. The respect that leadership must requires that one’s ethics be without question. A leader

not only stays above the line between right and wrong, he stays well clear of the gray areas. Successful

leadership is not about being tough or soft, sensitive or assertive, but about a set of attributes. First and

foremost is character. The character of the leader blends into the blood and veins of the institution that he

leads. It is the action in display at the top that guides the people working in an organization or institution.

Character is the firm foundation stone upon which one must build to win respect. Just as no worthy building

can be erected on a weak foundation, so no lasting reputation worthy of respect can be built on a weak

character. Indian freedom struggle was led by great leaders like Mahatama Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru,

Lokmanaya Tilak, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, who even today define the character and discourses of Indian

democracy.

The relationship between an institution and a leader is a two way process. There are institutions or companies

whose main motto is to make life beautiful and not just wield power and make profit. They aim at maximum

happiness for maximum people. This does not help them just to make a separate identity or brand, but also

motivate their leaders and members to act in the best possible way to achieve their motto. Tata is an

outstanding Indian company that has produced several great leaders. The Ivy League Universities of the UShave also produced great leaders with great values in almost all the arenas of life.

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But on the other hand we have seen how leaders have made great institutions. Narayan Murthi has given birthto a unique work culture and profit sharing model. Sreedharan has shown how mammoth projects involvinghuge funds can be managed without any blot or blemish. Azim Premji has shown how every employee ofa company is equally important as a team member. The honesty, integrity and team spirit of these leadershave given birth to new age corporate entities and work culture.

On the other side of the spectrum we see the institutions with sole motive of profit and vested interests andhidden agendas, how they have come to blind alley. Their leaders also face serious charges and blemish.Sahara and Satyam are two great stories whose leaders are today held responsible for several malfeasance andinappropriate transactions.

There is no doubt that institutions define the character of the leaders as much as the leaders define the

character of the institutions.

4. Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make a man more clever devil.

Hints:

Education gives awareness and information. It gives knowledge and knowledge is power. It gives skills andenables us to seek good career opportunities, livelihood, and opportunities for earning wealth, name and fame.It gives moral values and emancipates us as a human being. Education has multiple roles to play. It is ironic;however, that emancipatory role of education has given way to the utilitarian role. Education has fast becomea means to learn the skills which makes us smarter at the market place rather than making a good humanbeing. A professional, an entrepreneur, a political leader, a doctor or a teacher or whatsoever; devoid ofhuman values all of them are just like a robot or programmed computers to accomplish certain tasks for hisor her employers benefit. The purpose of education should go much beyond that. Education is not just skilland attributes needed to get money and power, it is also a means to learn and inculcate values and characterthat lead to changes in personal as well as social lives for betterment of life in general and for making theworld a beautiful place to live.

Education helps us to understand our self interest and enables us to adopt suitable strategies to achieve ourself interest. Pursuit of self interest is one of the greatest symbols of individual freedom and liberty. Thereis nothing to be ashamed about this. But unabashed pursuit of self interest without caring for its repercussionson others or society at large takes us to a blind alley from where there is no return and we end up like thegreedy fellow of Tolstoy’s story ‘how much land does a person need’. He knew that he can own as muchland as he runs through, and he ran through the whole territory of the king, only to fall down breathless anddie finally.

Education leads to develop logical capacity and communication skills in us. It also helps us to devise suitablestrategies to achieve our goals. But if we are not taking the lessons of emancipatory part of education, notlearning moral values and not inculcating good character, education can make us devils for each other whocan go to any extent in their Darwininan struggle for existence and cut throat competition for wealth andhegemony.

Stephen Covey rightly points out that for success in career, we need personality attributes but for success inlife we need character attributes.

The popularity of ‘The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People’, authored by Stephen R. Covey is basedon the distinction he made between the character ethic and the personality ethic. Significantly, the sub-titleof this book is: ‘Restoring the character ethic’. In stark contrast, almost all the literature in the first 150 yearsof motivational literature or so focused on what could be called the Character Ethic as the foundation ofsuccess: things like integrity, humility, fidelity, temperance, courage, justice, patience, industry and modesty.The Character Ethic taught that there are basic principles of effective living, and that people can onlyexperience true success and enduring happiness as they learn and integrate these principles into their basiccharacter. But shortly after World War I the basic view of success shifted from the Character Ethic to whatwe might call the Personality Ethic. Success became more a function of personality, of public image, ofattitudes and behaviors, skills and techniques that lubricate the processes of human interaction. This PersonalityEthic essentially took two paths: one was human and public relations techniques and the other was positivemental attitude. Some of this philosophy expressed by Stephen Covey is very inspiring and sometimes hehas used valid maxims such as “Your attitude determines your altitude,” “Smiling wins more friends than

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frowning,” and “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe it can achieve.” Other parts of thepersonality approach, however, are clearly manipulative, even deceptive, encouraging people to use techniquesto get other people to like them, or to fake interest in the hobbies of others to get out of them what theywanted, or to use the “power look,” or to intimidate their way through life.

In modern life although character is considered as an important attribute for success, it does not get recognitionas foundational and catalytic attribute. Reference to the Character Ethic has become mostly a lip service; thebasic thrust in modern times seems on quick-fix influence techniques, power strategies, communication skills,and positive attitudes. Here lies the fault of the process of our education system, formal as well as informal.No amount of ambition and mundane success can bring fulfillment and happiness if we ignore moral valuesand justified means. We can bulldoze all the fellow beings who appear to us only as a competitors in pursuitof success. In such a blind pursuit we do not value fellow feeling or other people’s dreams. We are extremelyfocused in the pursuit of our own success and self interest with killers’ instincts.

Success at any cost is the sense and sensibility in which we live. In the process we do not remain humanand become robots, which are heartless and value free. Success may come to us but at the end we are nothaving a sense or feeling of fulfillment. It is because of lack of values. David Starr Jordan, a leadingeducationist, and founding President of Stanford University, rightly points out that there is no real excellencein all this world which can be separated from right living.

Martin Luther King Jr. said that the function of education is to teach one to think intensively and critically.Intelligence plus character is the goal of true education. Education without character offers just a skill orknowledge that can be often used for maneuver, deception or thuggery. Theodore Roosvelt sarcastically saidthat a man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education,he may steal the whole railroad. All white collar crimes in our times underscore the fact that it is not lackof education that leads to corruption, but lack of character. It is only when education succeeds in buildingcharacter that people are able to use their powers constructively. There are educated people who are divisive,misleading and ill motivated. Many of them are against peace and harmony for promoting their narrowagenda. Some of them misuse power bestowed on them by people for personal benefits. All scams andepisodes of corruption in the recent times in our country such as Coalgate, 2G scam or Satyam episode andinsider trading in the US involving noted people like Rajat Gupta are evidence to human failure not becauseof lack of education, but because of palpable character. Good character and conviction in right principlesnever allow one to buckle under pressure or greed.

It is important to have an intelligent mind but far more important is to have good heart. Nelson Mandelahas rightly pointed out that a good head and good heart are always a formidable combination. One can comewith flying colours in toughest of endeavours with the combination of these two things; however, a good headwithout a good heart is very dangerous. What is the difference between a true soldier and a terrorist? A soldiergives life for his people and his country while a terrorist takes the lives of innocent people for ulteriormotives. Soldier has both brain and heart, the terrorist has got only brain. Of late it has been seen that manyeducated people are inclined to pursue terrorism either in the name of religion or politics. The nascentupsurge in terrorism in the Middle East has seen many youths joining the terror groups and committingheinous crimes against humanity. Many of them are technically qualified and use their knowledge for makingbombs and creating booby traps for civilians as well as police and army. Education with character can helpthe youth to understand the meaninglessness of indulging into terrorist and violent acts. Today the youth inthe Islamic countries are being told by people like Abu Bakr that the greatest enemies of Islam are democracyand secularism and some others are propagating that if you give your life in violent jihad, you will get a placein heaven or jannat. These examples highlight how education can be used to propagate ideas which are notonly irrational but against peace, harmony and progress. Character helps us to decipher and choose betweengood and bad acts while education only makes us aware about variety of acts.

No amount of teaching can impart education laden with value without the real role models who practice goodvalues in life. Thus, far more effective in imparting values and virtues is to practice them. Life and actionas they happen in our lives are better teachers. Oscar Wilde said, “Education is an admirable thing, but itis well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.” When educationbecomes a devil’s means, how to hasten towards our selfish goals, by hook or crook, it sets in a process ofbegetting thousands of devils. Jim Henson rightly says, “[Kids] don’t remember what you try to teach them.They remember what you are.” Formal education, therefore, has severe limitations. It is necessary that wepractice the good values which education imparts us. This becomes an example for others to follow. Although

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it is an informal channel of education, it is far more effective as good values at play in real life have theirimmitigable imprint on the minds of youth.

Education should not make only eagles. It should also allow the dove inside us to develop that feeling oflet hundred flowers bloom together or live and let live are needed to be inculcated for mutual coexistenceof all of us with peace, prosperity and happiness. Machiavellian traits may be needed in certain circumstances;cunningness, maneuver and machination may win projects and fat salaries and profits but happiness andpeace would come only through moral values. If we are confined only to the first set of attributes in oureducation it certainly makes us a devil for each other.

The real education should come with moral values and character. Nothing could open our eyes more thanthe letter that Abraham Lincoln wrote to the headmaster of his son in this regard:

“He will have to learn, I know that all men are not just and are not true….

In school teach him it is far more honourable to fall than to cheat….

Teach to have faith in his own ideas, even if everyone tells him he is wrong.

Teach him to be gentle with gentle people and tough with tough.

Try to give my son the strength not to follow the crowd when everyone getting on the bandwagon…..

Teach him to listen to all men; but teach him also to filter all he hears on a screen of truth, and take only the goodthat comes through.

Teach him if you can, how to laugh when he is sad… teach him there is no shame in tears.

Teach him to scoff at cynics and to beware of too much sweetness. Teach him to sell his brawn and brain to highestbidder, but never to put a price on his heart and soul. Teach him to close his ears to howling mob… and stand andfight if thinks he is right.

Treat him gently but do not cuddle him because only the test of fire makes fine steel. Let him have the courage to beimpatient… let him have the patience to be brave. Teach him always to have sublime faith in himself, because then hewill have faith in humankind.

This is a big order, but see what you can do… He is such a fine little fellow my son!”

Section ‘B’

1. Technology cannot Replace Manpower.

Hints:

“Modern technology has become a total phenomenon for civilization, the defining force of a new social orderin which efficiency is no longer an option but a necessity imposed on all human activity.”

Jacques Ellul

“If you want to plant for a year, plant corn; if you want to plant for ten years plant trees; and if you wantto plant for hundred years, plant men.”

Chinese proverb

Modern age is an age of technology. Technology has led to progress of civilization. It has made human lifemore comfortable by giving support to each and every activity. Technology, nevertheless, is developed andapplied by human beings and not the other way round. It helps us to enhance productivity, improve workingconditions and quality of life by providing variety of industrial machines, household gadgets, faster modesof transport and variety of avenues for entertainment and information. It has also helped us in fighting fataland life threatening diseases and improving health and life expectancy. The question of replacing manpowerby technology comes to our mind for tackling the problem of scarcity of labour, rising wages, peculiarsituations where manpower faces adverse and harsh conditions or even threats to life and also in places wherehigh level of precision is needed. But technology cannot replace manpower. Technology can give us machines,but manpower drives the machines. Machines follow the commands that manpower gives and can be usedaccording to the will, skill and intent of manpower. Manpower will always remain the superior power.

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Although the discovery of fire or invention of wheel are the two great technological symbols that led toprogress of human civilization from ancient times, the advent of modern technological age followed theindustrial revolution. It was the invention of steam engine and various machines for production and modesof transport that led to material progress and improvement in the quality of life. The industrial revolutionsaw increase in mill production and profit of the owners of capital. Although it helped the manpower toincrease productivity, it also led to deterioration in the working and living conditions of the workforce dueto the greed of capitalists and exploitation of labour. In due course of time, labour force organized itself intrade unions and bargained higher wages and better living. The advent of welfare state and communism alsohelped to improve the plight of the labour force. Manpower became the focus of development in the postsecond world war period when Japan and Germany showed that efficient use of resources and technologyleads to progress and prosperity. The Nobel Prize winners Arthur Lewis and Schulz have shown in theirstudies that development of human resources holds the key to economic growth and social progress. Mahbub-Ul Haq has rightly said that earlier we were taking care of growth so that it will take care of people; nowthe time has come that we take care of people, it will take care of growth.

The importance of technology increased in the world where competition for economic and military hegemonydefined the new world order. The material progress of Western Europe and the United States is attributedin the first instance to their excellence in technology. To a great extent their military dominance is also dueto their superiority in defense technology. But in all these processes they did not ignore their manpower. Withmaterial progress and military superiority, these societies also developed their manpower by spending hugesums of money on health, nutrition and education of their population. The actual superiority of advancenations lies in the superiority of manpower. Their man power is capable of research and development,innovation and discoveries and thus they remain ahead of world in trade, commerce, industrialization andeven in military affairs.

Technology can be best developed and used only when man power is capable. Capacity creation is not aboutcreating plants and equipment or infrastructure, but also manpower suitable for operating various systemsefficiently. Shortage of manpower can impede production, poor quality of manpower lead to loss ofcompetitiveness, dissatisfied manpower can lead to lockouts and spurt in trade unionism and even socialtensions. If manpower is not developed properly, it can also throttle research and development.

Technology and manpower could be seen not as substitutes but as complements to each other. Industrializationin Japan and Korea and agricultural progress in post green revolution period in the world are examples ofhow technology can accelerate production and productivity. Rising incomes, however, were sustained byimproving the manpower through skill formation, training and education, health and nutrition in the westerncountries or even in the Asian Tigers of South East and East Asia. Both are symbiotic.

India and China became independent almost about the same time. And India was ahead of China in manyrespects at that time. But in due course of time China succeeded in industrialization because of its focus ondevelopment of skilled manpower. Today China is the manufacturing hub of the world and now it istransforming itself from low-end technological products to high-end technological products. It is today seeingtechnological breakthroughs in telecommunication and mobile technologies and also its capacity forimplementing difficult projects. It has developed nuclear and military technology of world standard. Allbecause it focused on the development of manpower. Today China is the largest spender on R&D in theworld. Manpower development is still the main priority when China is pursuing a policy of moderate growthand rebalancing.

India on the other hand lagged behind despite being rich in natural resources and an early advantage in manyareas. India could not remove illiteracy and create skills as fast as China did. So it lagged behind in both-agriculture and industrialization as well as research and development. Pallam Raju rightly pointed out thatwhile China succeeded in transferring nearly 150 million people from agriculture to manufacturing, we couldnot do so, due to lack of skilled manpower.

Technological development depends on manpower; its uses too depend on it. Productivity increases becauseof innovation and better use of new technology. But behind all this, there is an efficient manpower. Paul JMeyer rightly says that Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment toexcellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort. There is no single development, in either technology ormanagement technique, which by itself promises even one order-of-magnitude improvement within a decadein productivity, in reliability, in simplicity. It is the education level, training, skill and dedication of manpower,

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[ 1 0 ] Hints: UPSC Mains 2015 Essay

which makes it possible. Julia Gillard rightly says that our future growth relies on competitiveness andinnovation, skills and productivity and these in turn rely on the education of our people.

The happiness and satisfaction of manpower is very important for increasing productivity. In the postindustrial revolution phase in Europe and Post Green Revolution period in India, there appeared a tendencyto substitute labour by machines due to rising wages and labour disputes. But this trend was criticized forboth being inexpedient as well as anti people. Any growth in productivity should lead to rise in livingstandards, and this is possible by increasing employment and not by substitution of labour. Even there is alimit to substitution as machines cannot have the capacity to plan and decide beyond what is fed in theirsoftware. It has been shown by many experiments that improved payment and perquisites have a verypositive effect on productivity. Employees who report receiving recognition and praise within the last sevendays show increased productivity, get higher scores from customers, and have better safety records. They’rejust more engaged at work. There is no exaggeration in saying that even profitability comes from loyalty,productivity, and having a character base from which to work. Human resources are at the heart of productivityand profitability. Employee loyalty begins with employer loyalty. Your employees should know that if theydo the job they were hired to do with a reasonable amount of competence and efficiency, you will supportthem.

Technology alone is not sufficient for realizing the goals of progress and prosperity. Management is veryimportant. This is true for both- nations as well as corporations. Management is a human act. Stephen Coveyrightly says, “Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether theladder is leaning against the right wall.”Technology and automation are very important for enhancingproductivity and efficiency. But use of technology requires certain cautions. Bill Gates for example says,“The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation willmagnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify theinefficiency.” Who will decide about an efficient operation? Manpower, and none else!

Technology is an enhancer, a facilitator, but it cannot replace manpower. The man behind an idea and theman behind the machine are very important. Technology can support, it cannot supplant. It reminds us thestatement of Jack Welch, “The idea flow from the human spirit is absolutely unlimited. All you have to dois tap into that well. I don’t like to use the word efficiency. It’s creativity. It’s a belief that every personcounts.” Those who devise better methods of utilizing manpower, tools, machinery, materials and facilitiesare making real contributions. Japan has shown the way how manpower and technology can be synchronizedto be an industrial giant without local resources and now China is following suit. All the modern wars,especially Korean War show quite clearly that in major conflict manpower is as important ashorsepower. Technology brings the excitement; helps look into the future, and make us brave enough to tryto shape it. The whole idea is not about the choice between using or not using technology. The challenge isto use it right. One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of oneextraordinary man. Somebody pointed out that humanity is acquiring all the right technology for all thewrong reasons. It’s supposed to be automatic, but actually you have to push the button. Manpower includingthe leader is very important in the use of technology for peace and prosperity. Today technology is consideredto be a panacea of all the maladies, which it is not. Human discretion and vision will always remain importantand so will manpower. For the time being, in the words of Albert Einstein, “It has become appallingly

obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.”

2. Crisis faced in India - Moral or Economic.

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India is at cross roads. We are living in an age of aspirational India, restless to perform, achieve, and acquireeverything that is good. They are brimming with new confidence that “they can do it.” They want freedom,they want higher standard of living, and they want money, power, recognition and what not! These are verylegitimate desires of a growing society. However, rather than pursuing these goals with patience and perseverance,a large number of Indians have become impatient and restless; they want to have it quick and now. It isnatural human desire and very legitimate to hasten towards our goals as fast as we can. But when we becometoo restless and fast, we do not care about the red lights and rules of the game on which modern democraticwelfare states are built. We do not care about the means we adopt because we want to get success in ourpursuits faster and faster. We care much about our rights but forget about our duties. The power of modernIndia lies in the power of its aspirations, but its restlessness has led to a moral crisis where ends matter morethan means. Nobody ever asks in modern India how did you succeed, it is just sufficient to succeed by

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whatever means, you are a hero. But for legal provisions, the things would have been far worse. What couldbe the plausible explanation of these trends, this mindset? The suppression of imperial era might give oneexplanation that people in free India now want to fulfill all what was not possible or allowed during thosedays. Also after India embraced the policy of liberalization, the pent up desires for more production and moreconsumption got a vent. And moreover, the demonstration effect of ‘good life’ of the western societies madepossible due to spread of information technology and it has given new wings to the aspirations of the younggeneration. It is not always easy to segregate moral crisis from economic crisis. Economic crisis is responsiblefor moral crisis on the one hand and on the other moral crisis is responsible for the economic crisis. Theyare closely entwined. If we fall into the debate which is the leading crisis, the debate will be unending- chickenfirst or the egg?

India is a country marked by poverty, inequality and social and economic duality. The very structure of thecountry - social and economic - has the elements that can manifest in moral crisis. For example, feudalismin India might have been a better social and economic organization than slavery in the west as some peoplebelieve, but it cannot be denied that it had many immoral elements in it. The past of India has been markedby turbulence of medieval times and exploitation, especially in the imperial era. The ‘golden bird’ as Indiawas called in the ancient times was reduced to a floundering economy with backwardness marked by lowproductivity in agriculture and lack of industrialization. This also led to poor quality of basic services suchas health, housing and education. All these bred a sense of inferiority and insecurity. The moment India gotfreedom, its aspirations and expectations soared very high. It got further fillip after India embraced the NewEconomic Policy in 1991.

The people of India have passionately wanted to reverse the adversities bred by economic and politicalsuppression over the past so many centuries. So there is restlessness to remove poverty and inequality, toraise living standards and to improve the records of human development and human rights. But yet thereis a conflict between the national interest and individual aspirations. That insecurity and fear of the imperialera still lurks in the Indian psyche - will I get my deserved share in development? Will I get equal opportunity,a chance to pursue my dreams and well being? Will I get justice? These fears and apprehensions are thebreeding ground of mistrust and moral crisis. It is aggravated further when people who do immoral actsappear to be more successful materially or even acquire political power; the aspirational India becomes proneto losing all faith in good means and values. It acts in vengeance and does everything that can make themsuccessful, whether the rules of the country or the hearts of our other compatriots are broken, it hardlymatters. That is of course a moral crisis. There is nothing between I and my goals. Everything is fair in warand love. The aspirational India is in both the modes.

There is an old debate that people are backward, because of their inherent moral inferiority or geneticinferiority. It was Gunnar Myrdal who first questioned the western thesis about racial superiority of thewestern powers under which they thought that Afro-Asian people are poor and underdeveloped because oftheir genetic and even moral inferiority and it is white man’s burden to make them civilized and prosperous.When we talk about moral crisis in India we are extending this logic even in case of India without havingany concern for social and political dynamics which made many Indians poor and weak. Gunnar Myrdaloffered along with many subsequent thinkers the social theory of culture of poverty to explain why povertyexists despite anti-poverty programs. There is no doubt that we must analyse how structural factors interactand conditions individual behavior to explain their persistent poverty.

To judge whether India is in moral crisis or economic crisis or both it will be interesting to note the studiesmade by institutional thinkers. One example is a study by Lewis. Lewis gave some seventy characteristicsthat indicated the presence of the culture of poverty, which he argued was not shared among all of the lowerclasses. The people in the culture of poverty have a strong feeling of marginality, of helplessness, ofdependency, of not belonging. They are like aliens in their own country, convinced that the existing institutionsdo not serve their interests and needs. Along with this feeling of powerlessness, there is a widespread feelingof inferiority, of personal unworthiness also. This is true of the slum dwellers of Mexico City, who do notconstitute a distinct ethnic or racial group and do not suffer from racial discrimination. In the United States theculture of poverty that exists in the African Americans has the additional disadvantage of racial discrimination.Today we in India also have marginalized classes who overact to defend their interest, sometimes they joinmilitant or sectarian groups and sometimes they become naxalites. Although, apparently it seems a moralcrisis, in deep analysis we find the root cause of the problem is marginalization and indifference of thedemocratic institutions to safeguard the economic, political and social rights of these people. People with aculture of poverty have very little sense of history. They are marginal people who know only their own

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troubles, their own local conditions, their own neighborhood, their own way of life. Usually, they have neitherthe knowledge, the vision nor the ideology to see the similarities between their problems and those of otherslike themselves elsewhere in the world. They are desperate and they can react in an unanticipable way whenit comes to their interest.

In no case, however, any behavior which is anti social or anti national can be justified. There is a close relationbetween marginalization and moral crisis. However, it is not difficult to cite examples when people who arerich, powerful and enjoying all comforts of life indulge in immoral and illegal activities. Crony capitalism isa term which is widely being used to explain the phenomenon of corruption in developing and emergingeconomies. The state machinery and corporate barons often collaborate to do things which are illegal and antisocial for their own benefits. In crony capitalism, success in business depends on close relationships betweenbusiness people and government officials. It may be exhibited by favoritism in the distribution of legalpermits, government grants, special tax breaks, or other forms of state interventionism. Crony capitalism isbelieved to arise when business cronyism and related self-serving behavior by businesses or business-peoplespills over into politics and government, or when self-serving friendships and family ties between businessmenand the government influence the economy and society to the extent that it corrupts public-serving economicand political ideals. The term “crony capitalism” made a significant impact in the public arena as anexplanation of the Asian financial crisis. It is also used to describe governmental decisions favoring “cronies”of governmental officials. This is not the manifestation of poverty, but surely a manifestation of moral crisis.Many of the corruption cases in contemporary times are the products of crony capitalism. It is therefore,apt to say that moral crisis of modern times have their seeds in economic crisis.

But this would be a partial truth to insist on this line of arguments made above. There are many aberrationsin Indian life which emanate from moral crisis. The existing gender inequality and brutalization of womenand employing children as labour in India are some of the examples of a crisis due to patriarchal or feudalmindset. The absence of doctors from hospitals and teachers from schools during working hours is nothingbut a moral crisis. The insensitivity of the government officials in redress of the people’s grievances andpolice excesses towards common man is a moral crisis. Road rages are moral crisis. Excesses towards weakersections and corruption in government offices spring from moral crisis. The disruptions in the working ofdemocratic institutions like constitution and parliament are examples of moral crisis. Lack of good governanceto a great extent is due to moral crisis, apart from inadequate institutional arrangements. Poor implementationof development and welfare programmes are indicative of inefficiency as well as moral crisis.

The discussion is, therefore, giving us two lines of thinking. One, that there is a close relation betweeneconomic crisis and moral crisis. Secondly we must also agree that moral crisis also exists without economicunderpinnings in India. Therefore, the policy prescription that emanates from the discussion is that we muststep up our efforts to tackle the problem of poverty, inequality and marginalization on the one hand and onthe other hand work towards attitudinal changes through education and publicizing as role models the iconsof ancient, medieval and modern India who are apostles of great values and morality. The battle with Indian

crisis is therefore multipronged.

3. Dreams which should not let India Sleep.

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Thinking about dreams which should not let India sleep is like “romancing” with India. There is so much

to dream about India; so much to cherish, so much to cheer, so much to desire about it. There is so much

that India has accomplished after independence dawned. India marched on the path of progress with five year

planning for economic development and industrialization and a democratic constitution and polity that isguided by noble ideas enshrined in directive principles of state and promises to safeguard the fundamental

rights of every Indian. India is an ancient country but a young nation and we, Indians are united and are proud

of their rich culture and rich heritage, proud of secular democracy, proud of its vastness, its diversity and

proud of its rivers, mountains, plains, plateaus and deserts. But all these matters which make them proud

cannot help them to look away from some of the bitter realities that peep into the eyes and hearts of all

Indians who can discern and feel the agonies of starving poor, malnourished, ill-fed and out-of-school children,

unemployed youth, brutalized and chained women, villages without basic amenities like roads, power, schools,

hospitals, farmers in distress and labour working and living in inhuman conditions, government run schools

and hospitals in cities without basic facilities, people in power misusing their power and siphoning of

development money for personal rather than public benefit.

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The eluding tryst with destiny that the first Prime Minister of India promised when India awoke to freedomat the stroke of midnight shatters our hearts and frustrates our hopes - the failings are from both the sides,our leaders as well as people! The night that was supposed to be short lived seems unending and continueslike a nightmare for many Indians, begetting a sense of deception. They wonder if there is ever a possibilityof a dawn of peace, prosperity, happiness and progress as promised by our great leaders. Yes, there areunfulfilled dreams that should not allow India to sleep. The words of Robert Frost, which are said to havebeen jotted down by our Prime Minister in his diary before his death, continue to stir and jolt us - “TheWoods are lovely dark and deep; I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep”…. However, themoot question is – which dreams should not allow India to sleep?

There are two Indias and hence two sets of dreams. One that is euphemistically called ‘India’ which isaspiring for material progress and living standards matching that of the Western countries. It is the aspirationalIndia which is in haste and thinking about ‘more’ and ‘better’ of everything that is good. This India is filledwith the confidence and hope that ‘we can do it’. It wants acceleration in economic growth rate throughindustrialization, state of the art infrastructure, research and development, global integration- all aiming atenhancing production, productivity and material progress making India a super power, restoring the lost gloryof the ‘golden bird’ as India was called in the past.

On the other side there are Indians who feel that their claim to independence had been held hostage, thattheir survival, dignity and freedom is at stake and every fleeting moment is a moment of insecurity andhopelessness. This is euphemistically referred to as ‘Bharat’ which still awaits the fruits of development totrickle down so that they can have two square meals a day, a roof on their heads, clothes to wrap themselvesup and basic amenities of life that keep them surviving and going. Freedom came to them on crutches andthey look back to Mahatma Gandhi every time they face adversity, injustice, exploitation. Mahatma Gandhi,on board SS Rajput on his way to Round Table Conference had said, “I would work for an India, in whichthe poorest shall feel that it is their country…; an India in which there shall be no high class and no low classof people; an India where all communities will live in a perfect harmony….Women will enjoy the same rightsas men. We shall be at peace with all the rest of the world.”

The apparent dilemma in dreaming for India reflects our ignorance. There is apparent contradiction in thedreams of India and Bharat, which in reality is not so. India needs to grow economically and it needs rapidindustrialization as well as agricultural growth. India needs modern infrastructure and facilities for Researchand Development. India needs to be integrated with the world. India needs to explore and exploit theimmense potential it has to be a global power. This is what aspirational India wants. But until and unless thepotential and energy of the vast masses in India is unleashed and they are empowered to take part in India’sgreat journey to development, power and glory, we can never be able to give a big push to our dreams. Acritical minimum effort is needed to take along those Indians who lagged behind in our development journey.If one part of the body is in pain, the other part cannot live in peace and comfort. There is really no dilemma.India is one nation bound by shared dreams of peace, prosperity and progress. If growth and developmentis thwarted, welfare of the poor and the miserable cannot be taken care of Growth and development willalso never be achieved up to the full potential that India has by keeping the vast masses suffering.

The dreams which should not let India sleep can be seen in the above mentioned perspective. Some of thedreams that need to be cherished and pursued in the right earnest by all the Indians can be enlisted. AsGandhiji felt we should also dream of India where there will be no inequality, poverty, social injustice,illiteracy, gender discrimination, social oppression, corruption, casteism and communalism and people willhave an improved and good quality of life.

One Indian nation with a shared dream of excellence in all the arenas of life made possible by participationof all the Indians is a dream that should not let us sleep till it is realized. National Unity or Integrity of Indiais extremely important. India should be united in its journey towards progress and glory. This is the areawhere we have achieved immense success, but still there are divisive tendencies. We are able to strengthenIndia as a nation by strengthening the Indian unity politically, economically and emotionally and pushingforward the process of nation-in-the-making. However, we still suffer from the social diseases of casteism,communalism and regionalism. We need to work proactively to eliminate these evils of our society. Regionalismis a serious threat that has recently taken an ugly shape. People resort to regionalism citing the difference oftheir cultures from others. They demand for separate states or ouster of so-called outsiders from theirrespective states- for example, recent demand for a separate state of Telangana and Maharashtra Nav-nirmanSena’s (MNS) anti-North Indian stand. India needs to consider measures that can eradicate these maladies.

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It should explore the possibilities of factoring in other factors than language to carve out new states; it shouldconsider banning the divisive political parties at regional or caste or religious basis, it should pursue uniformcivil code without forcing it. It is necessary that all the anti-Nation thoughts and undercurrents should becurbed. The centrifugal forces in the Indian society should be tamed and unity and integrity of the countryshould be safeguarded at any cost. Who lives when India dies and who dies when India lives!

Another area where we need to dream and act in right earnest, is the malady of poverty and starvation.India’s one third of population is poor and half the children and women are malnourished. In over seventyyears, India has failed to eradicate poverty despite consistent economic growth. In the early sixties, PlanningCommission came up with a concept of Poverty Line. Below this line were people whose consumption offood-grains did not come up to a minimum level in terms of calories. We need innovative methods and realconcern to alleviate these maladies. Indian society is dualistic in nature and the spectrum of Indian societyhas an upper layer which has a living standard comparable with the developed nations, but on the other sideof the spectrum are the people who are as deprived as we find in the most backward regions of the world.There are reports of starvation deaths from various parts of the country. We should dream of an India whichhas no households without food and where there is no inequality in terms of basic amenities and services.This is a precious dream and we should work ardently to achieve this.

India should stand at the top of Human Development Index. A dream of all dreams, it should not let ussleep! The poor quality of life aggravates the plight of already poor Indians. The physical and social needsof teeming millions of India have not been met even at minimally desired level. Whatever progress has beenmade in this respect has been tardy and inadequate. India’s HDI value for 2013 is 0.586, ranking it 135 outof 187 countries and territories, the lowest among the BRICS countries with Russia at 57, Brazil at 79, Chinaat 91, and South Africa at 118, and slightly ahead of Bangladesh and Pakistan. India also ranks low withrespect to the Gender Development Index (GDI). The GDI value for India is 0.828 and it is ranked 132among 148 nations. In comparison, Bangladesh and China are ranked higher. India still remains a laggard.From 2004-05 to 2011-12, India’s poverty ratio dipped from 37.2% to 21.9%, a 16 percentage point drop.But in terms of human development index - measured on the basis of health, education, and standard ofliving - and gender equality, India still has a long way to go, trailing behind other emerging economies andeven some of its neighbours. We lack in literacy. Illiteracy is rampant. More than 20 per cent of Indianpopulation is illiterate and illiteracy is more rampant among women. If there is one dream that should keepIndia awoke, that is, achieve 100 per cent literacy.

Health is a major area of concern too. India needs improvement in terms of sanitation, potable drinking waterand proper healthcare facilities at village-level. Preventive health care should be available by ensuring this.There should be no polio stricken child or no incidence of water born diseases among Indians. Every Indianhaving access to curative health care at affordable price will be a great symbol of a welfare state. That foodand nutrition is adequate to keep our women, men and children in good health is a dream which should notlet India sleep.

The dream that never ever any Nirbhaya is brutalized again will symbolize a modern and progressive Indiawhere patriarchal society stops doing khap panchayats and our daughters and sisters walk fearless and withdignity in the pursuit of their dreams. That girls would also be able to look after their parents in the absenceor presence of their brothers and give fire to their departing fathers after death and widows could alsoparticipate in happy occasions of life is a dream that should not let India sleep.

Another dream that should not let India sleep is full and productive employment to the working populationof India. Let us dream of India where there will be jobs available in each city and people will not have tomigrate to other cities. This will also reduce the burden on the resources of the cities like Mumbai, Delhi,Bangalore, etc. Employment is one of the most important factors that can lead to radical change in thestandard and quality of life. Though with the advent of I.T., jobs have increased but these are concentratedin few cities like Bangalore, Delhi, Pune, Hyderabad, etc. while other cities either have no employmentopportunities or the demand is very low. Also, it is an irony that a Mechanical or Electrical engineeringstudent has to work in the field of IT because opportunities are very few in the core sectors. This internalbrain drain leads to mismatch between demand and supply of labour force affecting growth and development.

India is an emerging economy. Infrastructure deficit is a major impediment in India’s economic progress. Thedream of fully developed infrastructure should not let us sleep. We need world class roads, railway, ports,airports and uninterrupted power supply and telecommunication that is cheap, fast and reliable. All these areimportant to improve the productivity and quality of life of the Indians. Better infrastructure promotes

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industrialization, trade and commerce on the one hand and improves the quality of life. For example bettersupply of electricity will positively impact production and transport and also the quality of life of massesas most modern goods that make life easier and entertainment readily available need electricity like TV,washing machines, radio, refrigerator, etc. Consumption of Power is directly proportional to the Quality ofLife and every Indian often dream of a time when India would be able to generate so much energy that, likeUS citizens, Indians will face no power-cuts.

Another dream that should not let us sleep is the realization of benchmarks of good governance. India shouldbecome a corruption free country where there is utmost transparency and accountability in all the institutionsand activities. The realization of all our dreams depends crucially on good governance. Transparency andaccountability would stop the misuse of public funds. People will get their genuine grievances redressedwithin a given time frame. The development projects would meet their time schedules. Various welfareprogrammes would be implemented faster and without any loopholes.

Indians should stand up together in respect of constitution, rule of the law and comply with various rulesand regulations. This is a dream that should not let us sleep. In a densely populated country where more thana billion people are pursuing their dreams with all their might needs discipline and care for the institutionsand their rules. Otherwise the country will turn into a jungle and life into a chaos.

No doubt we still have ‘promises to keep and miles to go…’ We still face the challenges of poverty, diseases,illiteracy, inequality, social backwardness and gender and caste discrimination and oppression. Johann Wolfgangvon Goethe said that daring ideas are like chessmen moved forward; they may be beaten, but they may starta winning game.

There is no ground for pessimism or resignation, for frustration or lack of pride. India has impressiveachievements to its credit in the economic and political arena. The major reason for our optimism lies in ourbelief that a vibrant democracy like India can find the solutions for these problems. William Dement said,“Dreaming permits each and every one of us to be quietly and safely insane every night of our lives.” Hesays that sometimes this insanity can be fruitful and sometimes very infectious and sometimes very delectableand delicious. It is in many ways necessary for a country like India to be insane and dream as it is a biggercrime not to dream than to dare to dream. Israelmore Ayivor rightly says, “Until you get enough of enough,the “enough” that is never enough, you dare not quit! If your good is better, your better can be best; yourbest too can become excellent!” Dreams may be tough. The roads may be rocky. The journey may bearduous. But all these risks are worth taking as in the words of Kahlil Gibran ‘trust the dreams, for in them

is hidden the gate to eternity.’

4. Can Capitalism bring Inclusive growth?

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Capitalism is the economic system which has endured many ups and downs because of its many inherentproperties. It is based on the liberal ideals of post renaissance Europe and later on it was further strengthenedby democratic movements, especially in the United States and France, among others. Capitalism is aboutfreedom of enterprise. It is about consumers’ sovereignty. It is about decentralization of power. It is aboutlaissez fair and market mechanism. It is, therefore, much closer to democratic ideals. Although capitalism isconsidered very efficient in production and consumption, it is not considered just and fair when it comes todistribution of development and economic growth. The system is based on a system of production in whichsome people who have ownership over capital hire labour on market wages to produce commodities of usewhose prices are determined by the market forces. Your purchasing capacity determines what and how muchyou are capable to consume. But there are occasions when markets are imperfect, when market fails andwhen people are unable to exercise their choices due to many non-freedoms or lack of entitlements. Capitalismpresumes a perfect market, which is nonexistent. Capitalism assumes equal opportunities, which does notexist because of many socio-economic and political dynamics at work. Capitalism in its purest sense isinclusive, but we cannot rule out imperfections that hinder inclusiveness. Capitalism is based on self interestand animal instincts. Its rationality lies in maximizing profit and consumption. And probably this oneinherent logic of capitalism, among others, which leads to inequality over a period of time. Inclusivenesscomes under threat. Now it is well recognized that where markets fail in inclusive growth, welfare state mustcome forward with rational and positive interventions.

The most respected thesis of capitalism in so far as inclusiveness is concerned is the trickledown theory.Under trickledown theory growth is given preference over the goals of equity and assumed that if growth

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takes place first, then the fruits of growth would gradually trickle down to the lowest strata of the society.The theory is well recognized for its immense possibility, but its efficacy in terms of time taken and in viewof market and systemic imperfections has been questioned. Therefore, inclusiveness in capitalism dependson certain ethical considerations as well as assumptions regarding market perfection. The moment capitalismdeviates from the ideals it becomes exploitative and unjust, especially for the people who have no capital andcontrol in their hands.

It is well recognized in the capitalist theories that there is a trade-off between growth and equity. If moregrowth is needed more income inequality would allow more savings and investment which may again pushgrowth further high. Also the returns on capital are most of the times higher than on labour, leading toinequality. The speculators are major gainers while the laborers and ordinary people are at the margins. Ginicoefficient in almost all the capitalist developed economies measures high at 0.5 vis-a-vis less developedcountries (0.3–0.4).

The major barriers to inclusiveness in capitalism are unethical pursuit of super normal profits, cartelizationand monopoly, cronyism and corruption etc. Also the lack of entitlements like land, capital, credit, educationand skills do not allow people to participate in the market on equal terms. There are also several kinds ofunfreedoms due to poverty, social system, lack of good governance and political inefficiency that people arecompelled to participate in the market process on unequal terms.

The modern welfare states based on capitalist principles are aware about the market failures. They have madeanti-trust rule against cartelization and monopoly. They have also made stringent rules against ill motivatedspeculators. The modern states have given more thrust on good governance, transparency and accountability.Cronyism is being disincentivised and punished. With an active media people have access to information andjudicial activism and public interest litigation has given an opportunity to people to express their concernsand get them redressed.

Further, to make capitalism inclusive in case of market failure, lack of entitlements and existence ofunfreedoms, the welfare states have evolved a system of merit based subsidies to provide food and nutrition,health and housing, education and skill formation at affordable prices to their citizens. Of late the Bangladeshexperience of micro finance that allows small and marginal entrepreneurs to mobilize cheap funds for selfemployment and entrepreneurship is being replicated in many capitalist or mixed economies. Today corporatesector is also increasingly realizing its corporate social responsibility.

Thus it may be concluded that inclusive growth is possible even in capitalism. But market forces alone cannotgrant this. We need positive intervention on the part of the state and ethical behavior on the part of thecorporate entities to ensure inclusive growth. We need good governance, good institutions and a responsivegovernment to remove the aberrations in capitalist development, if they arise at any moment. Capitalismversus socialism debate has now reconciled at a point where it is believed that market and incentive basedsystem is more efficient in production while quality state intervention may be allowed where there areaberrations in consumption and distribution. An authoritarian state and centralized planning is inefficient andwithout incentives and the concept of private property, development will come to a standstill sooner or later.

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UPSC GS MAINS PAPER - 1 · • However, in late 19th century many modern painters like Raja Ravi Verma, Amrita Shergill and painters of Bengal School, Nandlal Bose, Abanindranath