52688
☑️ Join for mains Previous Year Questions Questions from 1999 - 2023 Questions will be segregated Subject/topic wise ✅Prelims PYQs @UPSC_Prelims_PYQ_MCQ ✅CSAT PYQs @UPSC_CSAT_PYQ
Q. The rights of persons with disabilities Act, 2016 remains only a legal document without intense sensitization of Government functionaries and citizens regarding disability. Comment. (Answer in 150 words)
As per Census 2011, disabled persons constitute 2.21% of the total population. India signed the United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disability.
▪️ Right of Persons with Disabilities (PwD) Act 2016
✅ The types of disabilities have been increased from 7 to 21. The act added mental illness, autism, speech and language disability, sickle cell disease, acid attack victims, etc which were largely ignored in earlier act.
✅ It increases reservation from 3% to 4% in government jobs and higher education institutes.
✅ Every child with benchmark disability between 6 and 18 years shall have the right to free education.
▪️ Societal apathy towards Persons with Disability (PwD) in India
✅ Discrimination and stigmatization attached to PwD by the society
✅ Consider PwD as burden or liability by family
✅ Negligence towards their issues like accessibility to Transport, IT etc.
✅ Considered as a sin committed in last birth.
▪️ Lax implementation by Government functioning
✅ Lack of medical facilities.
✅ Lack of availability of special schools, trained teachers for the disabled.
✅ Most government buildings in India are not disability-friendly
✅ Administrative apathy towards implementation of plans and policies for disabled.
▪️ Way Forward
✅ Increasing Public Awareness and Understanding of Disability
✅ Social campaigns that change attitudes on stigmatized issues related to PwD.
✅ Showing positive representations of people with disabilities e.g. Paralympian Anali Lakhera
✅ Special schools with the label special needs can have a stigma or negative connotation. Students may only learn and interact with peers with special needs.
Govt’s Sugmaya Bharat Abhiyaan is in right direction to sensitize people to bring behavioural towards Divyangjan and timely govt intervention in the spirit of Article 41 of the constitution.
Q. Right of movement and residence throughout the territory of India are freely available to the Indian citizens,
but these rights are not absolute. Comment (Answer in 150 words)
Article 19 (1)(d) under Part III of the constitution deals with the fundamental right to freedom of movement. It guarantees the citizens of India the right to move freely throughout the territory of India. This right overlaps with Article 19(1)(e) which talks about the right to freely reside in any part of the country. The word “freely” connotes “without any absolute restriction”. Wherever and however one likes, he can move without any restriction.
▪️ Not Absolute Right
✅ The provisions for providing the power of externment to the concerned executive authorities can be found in many statutes such as The Maharashtra Police Act (MP 1951), Punjab Security of State Act 1953, and Assam Maintenance of Public Order Act 1947, Karnataka Police Act.
✅ The pandemic has brought many restrictions in our ordinary life. From restricting our movement via imposed Lockdowns to freedom of expression and assembly. Public gatherings, restaurants, malls, etc. were put to close, especially during the early period of the pandemic.
✅ Restriction on freedom of movement is put by the order passed by the government under Section 144 of CrPC along with the Epidemic Disease.
▪️ SC Observation
✅ Kharak Singh v. The State Of U.P:- In this case, unreasonable surveillance and domiciliary visits by police not authorized by any law and thus held to be violative of the right to freedom of movement.
✅ The State of UP VS Kaushailya:- Restrictions on the free movement imposed on prostitutes to carry out their trade within the specified area is held valid.
The UN Declaration of Human Rights and Article 12 of (ICCPR) at the global level, protect the freedom of movement as a basic human right. However As the saying goes, “Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures”.
Q. Discuss the role of National Commission for Backward Classes in the wake of its transformation from a
statutory body to a constitutional body. (Answer in 150 words)
The 102nd Amendment Act of 2018 conferred a constitutional status on the Commission. For this purpose, the amendment inserted a new Article 338-B in the constitution. Hence, the Commission ceased to be a statutory body and became a constitutional body.
▪️The scope of functions assigned to the Commission is also enlarged:
✅ Investigate and monitor all matters relating to the constitutional and other legal safeguards for the socially and educationally backward classes and to evaluate their working.
✅ Inquire into specific complaints with respect to the deprivation of rights and safeguards of the socially and educationally backward classes .
✅ Participate and advise on the socio economic development of the socially and educationally backward classes and to evaluate the progress of their development under the Union or a state.
✅ Present to the President, annually and at such other times as it may deem fit, reports upon the working of those safeguards.
✅ Make recommendations for the effective implementation of those safeguards and other measures.
The composition should reflect the feature of an expert body as mandated by the SC. And the government must put information in public domain regarding the findings of the caste census and recommendations of commission.
#GSM1
#governance
Join @CSE_MAINS_PYQ
Q. Elucidate the relationship between globalization and new technology in a world of scarce resources, with special reference to India. (150 wprds)
Globalization and technology are two sides of the same coin. They are complementary and a good interface between the two is sine-qua-non for growth and development in the contemporary global village.
✅ Globalization stimulates the spread of knowledge and technology, helping spread growth potential across countries. Investments in education, human capital, and domestic research and development are thus essential to build the capacity to absorb and efficiently use foreign knowledge.
▪️How globalization helps India to better the utilization of technology in scarce resources efficiently:
✅ Israel - Cooperation in water resources development and management, both surface and groundwater, and particularly river basin management and impact of climate change on water resources.
✅ Sweden: Torrefaction technology – to covert stubble into into a coal-like material to mitigate pollution.
✅ Green steel technology – to reduce dependence on coal for making steel.
✅ Many people believe that issues of scarcity can be solved by using more efficient production methods.
✅ But this may overlook some of the unintended consequences of new technology. New technologies come to consumers as finished products.
✅ What consumers often don’t understand is that many of these technologies exist at the expense of other humans and local environments elsewhere.
✅ As the global community becomes more aware of how their abundance is dependent on other human beings and the stability of environments, more and more will see commons-based businesses as the way of the future.
India need to harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI), the cloud, machine learning and the Internet of Things (IoT), considering the Scarcity of resources but in harmony with nature and humans.
Q. Describe the characteristics and types of primary rocks. (10 Marks)
A rock is an aggregate of one or more minerals. The cooling of extremely fluid and hot liquid Magma forms igneous rocks.
▪️Igneous rocks can be formed by two types of processes:
✅ Directly by cooling of magma in the interior of the earth.
✅ By cooling of lava above the surface of the earth when lava gets poured on the surface. As the Igneous Rocks form the earth’s first crust and all other rocks are formed from these rocks, they are also known as the Primary Rocks or the parents of all rocks.
▪️Characteristics of Primary Rocks:
✅ They can be easily identified with their texture, density, colour, and mineral composition. Its texture depends on the shape, size, time period to cool down and solidify, and the arrangement of crystals in the rock.
✅ Fossils are not found in these rocks. Fossils get destroyed due to the sheer heat these rocks produce.
✅ Usually do not react with acids. Comparatively fine grained and smooth textured.
✅ They are mostly hard rocks as water percolates with difficulty.
▪️On the basis of location of occurrence, these rocks can be classified as Intrusive and Extrusive Igneous Rocks.
(A). Intrusive Igneous Rocks:
1. These are formed when magma cools and solidifies below the earth’s surface.
2. The rate of cooling below the surface of the earth is very slow, contributing to the development of large crystals in the rocks. E.g.: Granite, dolerite, etc
(B). Extrusive Igneous Rocks:
1. These are formed on the earth's surface by the cooling of the lava.
2. The mineral crystals of extrusive igneous rocks are very fine as lava cools on the surface very rapidly. These rocks are also called Volcanic Rocks. E.g.: Basalt, Gabbro.
Hence, primary rocks are relevant in the southern part of India. Deccan Trap is a finest example.
#GSM1
#geography
Join @CSE_MAINS_PYQ
Q. Explore and evaluate the impact of ‘Work from Home’ on family relationship. (150 words )
The ‘Work from Home’ concept is a breakthrough in the traditional characteristics of work. Maintaining the productivity levels as well as ensuring safety is the ‘Work from home’ model.
▪️WFH have a widespread impact on family relationships:
🔸Positive Impact:
✅ Time saved in commuting can be spent qualitatively with family. More over work can be scheduled accordingly.
✅ WFH improved family relationships through proper adaptive processes, and the relations were moderated by the education level and age of individuals.
✅ Increased work expectations and distractions, reduce communications with family and ultimately impacts the mental and physical health.
✅ Blurred work-life boundaries can make it difficult to detach mentally from work which can increase stress and anxiety.
✅ More time to children reduces the friction between child and father.
🔸Negative Impact:
✅ Domestic violence – The WHO report showed a general trend of increase in sexual violence and intimate partner violence rates whenever there was an occurrence of disaster shadow pandemic.
✅ Salary cut in some organization has made depressing environment at home, resulting into loss of emotional intelligence.
✅ Work load on women member have increased, which made her more irritating and frustrating.
Communication and boundaries aren’t just meant for remote employees – these precedents set up a model for how relationships work in the future, and shape how they become in coming years.
Doordarshan presents an amazing short film on LBSNAA and the IAS training.
Humans of Lbsnaa
IAS Association
Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Government of India
DDNewsLive
Civil Services : Steel Frame of India भारतीय सिविल सेवाएँ
https://youtu.be/cX0luuubLGk
World mapping series upsc PYQ'S part 5
https://youtu.be/KPR3tHw3Gb8
Subscribe your YouTube channel
‘The USA is facing an existential threat in the form of China, that is much more challenging than the erstwhile Soviet Union.’ Explain. (150 words )
It is rightly said the 21st century is Asian century, which is being led by China and this brings China in direct confrontation with the USA which is known for its hegemony since the end of the second world war.
▪️During the period of 1940-1990, there has been a direct confrontation with erstwhile Russia, but the competition with China is different in the sense:
✅ Ideological vs Economical War: USA and USSR were locked in ideological battle China continues to be the world’s largest supplier of rare earth, used for high-technology consumer products and military equipment, accounting for roughly 90 per cent of the world’s production and a lion’s share of the United States’ imports.
✅ Bipolar vs Multipolar world: World was Bipolar thus all the countries were forced to fall in either of the two camps, but today the world is in flux, no one knows who stands where.
✅ Pax Americana vs Indo-pacific: The 20th century was known as US dictating relations with the countries, but today with the centrality of the Indian ocean, US is looking for a partner to check China which was not the case with confrontation with the USSR.
✅ Restricted USSR vs Diversified China: USSR was restricted largely to Eurasia, while China is following Belt and Road initiative enveloping the countries from Eurasian region to African continent.
✅ Military vs Currency War: USA and USSR were locked in military race, evident in stockpiling of conventional and non-conventional weapons while China does carefully manage its currency to keep the yuan at a stable and targeted value through a host of measures, chiefly through buying and selling U.S. dollar bonds and controlling the outflow of yuan from its borders.
The war between China and the USA is very different from the times of the USSR, as it is about who will rule the coming century. The coming age will be defined by technology, not by military might, which makes the case for existential threat for the USA.
Distinguish between capital budget and Revenue Budget. Explain the components of both these budgets. (150 words )
As per article 112 of the Constitution, the budget must distinguish the expenditures on revenue account from other expenditures (capital account). Therefore, the budget of Govt. of India is divided into Revenue Budget and Capital Budget, which are further divided into receipts budget and expenditure budget.
▪️The following are major differences between revenue budget and capital budget:
🔸 Revenue Budget
✅ Revenue Receipts: Those receipts of the government which neither creates a liability nor reduces the assets (physical or financial) of the government.
✅ Example: Various direct and indirect tax receipts and interest, fee, dividend from PSUs.
✅ Revenue Expenditure: Those expenses of the government which neither creates any asset (physical or financial) nor reduces any liabilities of the Government.
✅ Example: Salary, pension, subsidy, interest payment etc.
🔸Capital Budget
✅ Capital Receipts: Those receipts of the government which either creates liability or reduces the assets (physical or financial) of the Government.
✅ Example: Disinvestment, Loans & Various Public A/c receipt.
✅ Capital Expenditure: Those expenses of the government which either creates assets (physical or financial) or reduces liabilities of the Government.
✅ Example: Infrastructure spending, establishment of new PSUs, debt repayment.
▪️Components
1. Capital receipts: Loans from the general public, foreign governments and RBI form a major part of capital receipts.
2. Capital expenditure: Expenditure on the development of machinery, equipment, building, health facilities, acquisition of assets like land, research & development, education, etc.
3. Revenue receipts are divided into tax and non-tax revenue.
4. Revenue expenditure is the payment incurred for the normal day-to-day running of government departments and various services that it offers to its citizens.
The components of budgets are an important part of maintaining control of a government’s finances and are a means of achieving the financial reporting objective of accountability.
Q. The newly tri-nation partnership AUKUS is aimed at countering China’s ambition in the Indo-Pacific Region. Is it going to supersede the existing partnerships in the region? Discuss the strength and impact of AUKUS in the present scenario. (15 Marks)
AUKUS is a trilateral security partnership between the USA, UK and Australia to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines in the Indo-Pacific region. AUKUS represents, America is back, Partnership with fellow democracies and equal engagement with Indo-pacific and transatlantic countries.
▪️How AUKUS may supersede existing partnerships in the region as:
✅ May undermine the more well-rounded/balanced objectives of QUAD.
✅ May weaken the five eyes alliance group, (New-Zealand has shown displeasure over the formation of AUKUS)
✅ May weaken the ASEAN centrality in the region. Malaysia and Indonesia have shown displeasure over the presence of nuclear-powered submarines in the region.
✅ USA promoting security partnership with its Anglo-Saxon allies may leave India and others out from the regional security architecture.
✅ France, being a traditional stakeholder in the region, because of the presence of many French controlled islands has taken a blow. As Australia has cancelled the submarine deal and France not being included in the AUKUS.
▪️Impact of AUKUS with impacts on stakeholders:
✅ Australia: It enables Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines with assistance from the US and UK, and diversify its cooperation in cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence, quantum technology, and undersea
capabilities.
✅ United States of America: For the US, this alliance will allow it to expand its sphere of influence in the Indo-Pacific region. As President Joe Biden has said, this pact “is about investing in our greatest source of strength, our alliances and updating them to better meet the threats of today and tomorrow.
✅ Britain: strengthening its traditional ties with Australia and the US is an effective way of gaining a greater voice in the region.
✅ India: AUKUS is highly important as it allows the country to be more ambitious in its foreign policy and defence approaches and gives it greater strategic room to manoeuvre in the Indo-Pacific. To be sure, however, some quarters have expressed concerns that AUKUS could end up marginalising the QUAD.
✅ China: AUKUS Promote instability and strike an arms race in the region. China has already denied Australia and others sovereign right to decide on defence requirements.
▪️Concerns for India:
✅ AUKUS may instigate a nuclear/conventional arms race in the region.
✅ China and Russia may react by supplying sensitive defence technologies to other states.
✅ AUKUS which is perceived as an anti-China grouping by China may lead to erosion of regional stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
For India, however, the imperative is to display solidarity with its Quad partners, especially at a time when tensions with China are again rising. The official narrative is that the new pact adds one more layer in efforts to balance China. Yet concerns in India’s security establishment vis-à-vis AUKUS are real.
Q. Can the vicious cycle of gender inequality, poverty and malnutrition be broken through microfinancing of women SHGs? Explain with examples. (10 Marks)
The SHG ‘bank-linkage’ programme is the flagship microfinance programme of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) which has actively supported to break the vicious cycle of Gender inequality, poverty and malnutrition.
▪️Usefulness of Micro Financing SHG for virtuous cycle:
✅ By offering financial services to the poor unprivileged women of the country, the institutions have opened a door for their economic growth. For example, Jay Ambe SHG, in Rajasthan facilitates credit availability for its poor members.
✅ Women’s engagement in income-generating microenterprises enhances their status and decision-making capacity within the household. This helps women in making effective expenditure on nutritious food.
✅ Some of the SHGs like Kudumbashree, Jeevika, etc. are focussed on poverty reduction by engaging women in microenterprises.
✅ The UP Government has tied with SHG to provide cooked meal to beneficiaries.
▪️CASE STUDY:
✅ SHG Laksh in Rajasthan have managed to earn a bulk order of making 1000 bangles worth Rs. 1 lakh that would fetch them a minimum income of Rs. 3000/head/month.
✅ This new role as an entrepreneur has earned a new respect within the family structure.
✅ However, there are lot many challenges that Microfinancing faces today like High interest rate, demand of collateral, non-effective utilisation of loans, thus focus should be on:
🔸MFIs should provide a comprehensive range of products, including credit, savings, remittance, financial advice, and so on, to help consumers transition away from commercial banks.
🔸Instead of lowering the initial cost in places where MFIs exist, these institutions should begin focusing on the rural poor and open additional branches throughout the areas.
🔸MFIs should adhere to an actual interest rate on products and amounts disclosed to clients.
Microfinance model will improve gender equality only when SHG is being supported by the Government and its institutions and its members get support from their family members. Along with these new financial mechanisms based on the individual needs of the particular area is also essential for the SHGs to achieve their aims and objectives.
Q. How have the recommendations of 14th Finance commission of India enabled the states to improve their fiscal position? (10 Marks)
Finance Commission (FC) is a constitutional authority, constituted under Article 280, that sets the mechanism and formula for allocating tax revenues between the Centre and states, as well as among states, in accordance with the Constitutional and current needs.
▪️Recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission, enabling fiscal position of states:
✅ Increased devolution to states from the divisible pool of taxes from 32% to 42%. States would receive a larger volume of untied funds relative to tied funds. This will enhance the states’ autonomy in deciding their expenditure priorities.
✅ Recommend eight centrally sponsored schemes (CSS) to be delinked from support from the Centre, thus, states sharing a higher fiscal responsibility and autonomy to implement development initiatives.
✅ FFC, unlike the past Commissions, has covered the entire revenue account requirements of the States, both plan and non-plan, in its recommendations. Resulting in better allocation of resources even to panchayats and third tier of governments.
✅ States got much autonomy in deciding their expenditure priority; this is in the spirit of “balancing wheel of fiscal federalism”.
✅ Performance based grant in case of Municipalities (80:20) and panchayat (90:10) has resulted in efficient asset construction streamlining of election procedures in these bodies further. Also, these have been renewed focus from the state government to gain more performance-based grants from the centre.
▪️The Finance Commission as an autonomous body has served a splendid purpose. In as complex a polity as India is, it acted as an agency to bring about coordination and cooperation in the matter of Fiscal Federalism that is so important in the working of a federal system.
#CSM2
#polity [ cse 2021 ]
Join @CSE_MAINS_PYQ
Q. Constitutional morality is rooted in the constitution itself and is founded on its essential facets. Explain the doctrine of constitutional morality with the help of judicial decisions. (10 Marks)
✅ Constitutional Morality means adherence to or being faithful to bottom line principles of constitutional values. It includes commitment to an inclusive and democratic political process in which both individual and collective interests are satisfied. While the term ‘Constitutional Morality’ is not found in the Indian Constitution,
nevertheless it is rooted in various facets of the constitution.
✅ Preamble: Outlines principles such as justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity as the cornerstones of our democracy.
✅ Fundamental Rights: Protects the rights of individuals against arbitrary use of power by the State. Especially, Article 32 provides for enforcement of these rights in SC.
✅ Directive Principles of state policy: Guidelines to the State to implement the vision of the makers of the constitution. These include Gandhian, Socialist and Liberal-Intellectual directions.
▪️Constitutional morality through judicial decisions:
✅ Government of NCT of Delhi Vs. Union of India: In the context of tussle between Lt Governor and Government of Delhi, Court stated elected government should not be undermined by unelected functionaries.
✅ Navtej Singh Johar & Ors. Vs. Union of India: Supreme Court opined that Section 377 violates Article 14, 19 and 21 of members of the LQBTQI community .
✅ Naz Foundation case: Supreme Court opined that only Constitutional Morality and not Public Morality should prevail and thus recognised Transgender as third gender.
✅ In the Sabarimala case, the Supreme Court bypassed the doctrine of essentiality to uphold Constitutional morality.
✅ Justice K.S. Puttaswamy & Anr. Vs. Union of India & Ors.: Court stated Constitutional Morality ensures courts must neutralize the excesses of power by the executive and strike down any legislation or even executive action if it is unconstitutional.
Constitutional morality is crucial for constitutional laws to be effective. Without constitutional morality, the operation of the constitution tends to become arbitrary and erratic. Thus, upholding constitutional morality is not just the duty of the Judiciary or state but also of individuals.
How do the melting of the Arctic ice and glaciers of the Antarctic differently affect the weather patterns and human activities on the Earth? Explain. ( Answer in 250 words)
From the drastic melting of the arctic ice or the breaking of A76 iceberg from Antarctica, these growing events have resulted into many unprecedented events. However, there are certain aspects in which the melting of Arctic ice and glaciers of the Antarctic differs.
▪️Melting of the Arctic Ice:
✅ Arctic sea ice has declined at a rate of almost 13 per cent per decade in the last 30 years.
▪️Impact:
✅ Permafrost in the Arctic region stores large amounts of methane, which is a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.
✅ The melting of the Arctic will open a new trading route, bypassing the Suez Canal.
✅ The national economic interest may supersede the global conservation efforts of the Arctic.
✅ Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF) are becoming frequent.
✅ The freshwater runoff into the ocean disrupts part of a major circulation system known as the Atlantic Meridional
Overturning Circulation (AMOC).
▪️Melting of the Arctic Ice:
✅ The Antarctic region has registered its highest-ever temperature. Although the reading was not part of a wider study, scientists warn it is enough to indicate how fast Antarctica is warming.
▪️Impact:
✅ It is triggering the movement of Earth's crust. Example: Recently the breaking of the Thwaites glacier is expected to cause a crustal shift.
✅ It adds to rising sea levels, which in turn increases coastal erosion. Tuvalu Island, Cox Bazaar and the coast of Indonesia are few of the global examples.
✅ Melting glaciers also elevates storm surge as warming air and ocean temperatures create more frequent and intense coastal storms like hurricanes and typhoons.
Melting sea ice is also likely to have global consequences and the effects are transboundary in nature. Thus, it is reasonable to assume that the only solution could be integrated international negotiations and frameworks.
Eco-Sensitive Areas || Inspiring IAS
https://youtube.com/watch?v=6wRF12LvgAU&feature=shared
Q. ‘India is an age-old friend of Sri Lanka’. Discuss India’s role in the recent crisis in Sri Lanka in the light of the preceding statement. (Answer in 150 words)
The relationship between India and Sri Lanka is more than 2,500 years old. Both countries have a legacy of intellectual, cultural, religious and linguistic interaction.
✅ With Srilanka under the grip of an unprecedented economic turmoil and political instability, the worst in seven decades, leaving millions struggling to buy food, medicine, fuel and other essentials, India has hold its credential of being an age-old friend
▪️India's helping role in the crisis:
✅ A four-pronged” initiative has been decided that included
✅ Lines of Credit (LoC) towards the import of fuel, food and medicines
✅ Currency swap
✅ Debt deferrals from India to Sri Lanka
✅ Conclusion of the Trinco-oil farms project
✅ The Trincomalee project MoU was signed in January 2022 after decades of delays.
✅ India has extended 400 million dollar under the “SAARC currency swap” arrangement.
✅ India has agreed to a partial deferral of a 500 million dollar settlement from Sri Lanka by two months
✅ The 1.5 billion dollar LoC for essential imports is reportedly under way.
The crisis should be used as an opportunity for New Delhi and Colombo to thrash out a solution to bilateral irritants like the Palk Bay fisheries dispute, nurturing the neighbourhood first policy.
Q. The most significant achievement of modern law in India is the constitutionalization of environmental problems by the Supreme Court.” Discuss this statement with the help of relevant केस laws. (Answer in 150 words)
Environment and life are interrelated. Thus, the quality of the environment is undeniably related to our enjoyment of the right to life under Article 21.
▪️Supreme Court intervention in environmental problems can be clubbed as:
🔸Incorporation of environmental problems into the ambit of Fundamental right.
✅ Shubash Kumar VS State of Bihar:- “Right to live includes the right to enjoyment of pollution free water and air for full enjoyment of life.”
✅ Re: Noise Pollution vs Unknown:- The noise level at the boundary of the public place, where loudspeaker or public address system or any other noise source is being used shall not exceed 10 dB(A) above the ambient noise standards for the area or 75 dB(A) whichever is lower.
🔸Merging of DPSP and FR.
✅ Sachidanand Pandey V. State of W.B. Chinnappa Reddy J:- SC referred to Article 48A of the Constitution which enshrined the directive principle to protect and improve the environment.
🔸Incorporation of international norms of 3rd generation collective rights of sustainable development into Indian law.
✅ Samit Mehta v. Union of India:- The Court reaffirmed the “Precautionary Principle” and “Polluter Pays Principle” and also recognized Right to clean environment as a fundamental right under Article 21.
The Supreme Court making creative interpretation which led to the creation of new rights. As under Article 21, this court has created new rights including the right to health and pollution free environment.
Q. Why there was sudden spurt in famines in colonial India since the mid-eighteenth century? Give reasons (150 words )
Colonial India witnessed severe famine during mid-eighteenth century like The Great Bengal famine 1770; the Chalisa famine of 1783–1784; Doji bara famine of Madras 1791–1792. Apathetic behaviour of British rulers.
▪️Reasons of famine:
✅The famines were a product both of uneven rainfall and British economic and administrative policies.
✅Partial failure of crops was quite a regular occurrence.
✅Proximate causes of famine comprise localized natural disasters (a cyclone, storm surges and flooding, and rice crop disease) combined with the consequences of war.
✅East India Company (EIC) kept the famine relief as cheap as possible, with minimum cost to the colonial exchequer.
✅Colonial policies implicated include rack-renting, levies for war, free trade policies, the expansion of export agriculture, and neglect of agricultural investment.
✅Indian exports of opium, rice, wheat, indigo, jute, and cotton were a key component of the economy as well as stopping rice imports
✅ East India Company raised taxes from 10-15% to 50% in Bengal region after Treaty of Allahabad 1765.
✅ Increasing debt bondage of peasants
✅The government prioritized military and defence needs over those of famine affected.
By acknowledging moral responsibility, the government launched relief measures like Famine Code, Famine commissioner; etc. to reduce famine impact in future.
#GSM1
#history
Join @CSE_MAINS_PYQ
Q. Why did the armies of British east India company - Mostly comprising of Indian soldiers – win consistently against the more numerous and better equipped armies of the then Indian rulers? (150 words )
The army was the British regime's most important pillar in India. The majority of the Company's army was made up of Indian soldiers, mostly from the present-day states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
▪️It performed four critical functions:
✅ It was the instrument of conquest for the Indian powers.
✅ It defended the British Empire in India from foreign rivals.
✅ It protected British supremacy from the ever-present threat of internal revolt.
✅ It was the primary tool for extending and defending the British Empire in Asia and Africa.
▪️Reasons for consistency in better performance of Indian army:
✅ The army was run entirely by British officials as a counterweight, and a contingent of British troops was kept on hand to keep the Indian soldiers under control.
✅ Indian soldiers were trained with advance techniques
✅ Britishers instilled a sense of discipline, a clear chain of command and order in Indian army to be rule based and disciplined.
✅ Access to modern weapons helped to outcast native rulers with primitive technology and weapons
✅ A combination of British professionalism and Indian valour favoured Indian army in its various conquest.
✅ Indian soldiers also aided in helping Britisher in knowing the local polity, language, terrain, etc which provided Britisher a great advantage.
The British Indian army has won in numerous wars like the Revolt of 1857, Battle of Plessey, Battle of Buxer, Anglo-Maratha, Anglo-Mysore war, Anglo-Sikh wars; etc. This shows efficiency, effectiveness and professionalization of British Indian Army.
#GSM1
#history
Join @CSE_MAINS_PYQ
1. How you will explain that medieval India temple sculpture represents the social life of those days? (150 words )
Temple is a sacred structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities. Temple is not only an abode of God, it is a symbolic representation of the various social and cultural activities.
▪️It represented social life through:
✅ Temple promoted music and dance like Bharatnatyam & Carnatic Music e.g. Vitthal Temple of Vijaynagar.
✅ The temple provided inspiration to poets who wrote Bhakti literature in local languages which helped to
strengthen the moral, spiritual values among the masses. E.g. Nayanars and Alwars.
✅ Temple was well-known for philanthropy like they maintained Dharmasalas for pilgrims; marriage in the premises of the temple, etc.
✅ The Matha were a centre of learning which played an important role in the promotion of education.
✅ Temples were also meant to demonstrate the power, wealth and devotion of the patron. Example Rajarajeshvara temple of Tanjore built by King Rajaraja Chola shows how the names of the ruler and the god are very similar.
✅ Existence of various sects like Pattadakal temples of chalukya dynasty had Jain, Shiva and Vishnu temples.
Temples reflected the social reality and played an active role in social and cultural development of India.
#GSM1
#art_and_culture
Join @CSE_MAINS_PYQ
How is the S-400 air defence system technically superior to any other system presently available in the world? (150 words )
The S-400 Triumf is a mobile, surface-to-air missile system (SAM) designed by Russia. It is the most dangerous operationally deployed modern long-range SAM (MLR SAM) in the world, considered much ahead of the US-developed Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system (THAAD) and Patriot PAC-3.
▪️Comparative Analysis of S-400 with other advanced defence system:
🔸S-400 Triumf (Russia)
✅ Capable of firing any aerial
target within a range of 400km.
✅ It has an ability to simultaneously track upto 160 objects in 600 km.
✅ It can intercept and shoot the moving targets with a maximum speed of 17km/hr.
✅ It can be assembled and deployed within five minutes.
✅ It is economical as it costs approximately only $500 million.
🔸Patriot PAC-3 (The Phased Array Tracking to Intercept of Target (PATRIOT) Advanced Capability-Three) USA
✅ Ability to intercept aerial
targets at a range of 180 km. and of launching ballistic missiles upto a range of 100km.
✅ It can track only 36 objects
simultaneously.
✅ Whereas, it can intercept and shoot moving targets with a maximum speed of only 8km/hr.
✅ It takes around 25 minutes to get assembled.
✅ The estimated cost of PAC-3 is around $1billion.
🔸THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Air defence)
✅ USA It can fire only one type of missile (ballistic)upto a range of 150- 200 km. It cannot engage aerial targets.
✅ It has a single layer defence.
✅ Only one object at a time.
✅ It cannot intercept even a fighter jet.
✅ It cannot be deployed as fast as PAC-3 or S-400.
✅ The estimated cost of THAAD is $3 billion.
Hence S-400 is technically superior to its counterparts and this is the reason why India opted for S-400 despite US apprehensions.
Analyse the complexity and intensity of terrorism, its causes, linkages and obnoxious nexus. Also suggest measures required to be taken to eradicate the menace of terrorism. (15 marks)
The Complexity of Terrorism starts with the lack of its Proper definition. Thus, it is being differentiated as sometimes as Good Terrorism and sometimes as Bad Terrorism based on the Political calculations.
▪️Complexity of Terrorism:
1. It is complex in the sense that it is very difficult to say who is fighting against whom in Syria for example.
2. It is complex in the sense of factions within Al-Qaida, ISIS.
3. It is complex in its working too like having Sleeper cells, Lone wolf attackers, State sponsored, backed by big powers.
▪️Intensity of Terrorism:
✅ Globalisation and Technology has improved the capability of groups and cells in Proselytising, Conducting
multiple attacks in different locations and Lethality.
✅ Geographical Landscape: No country is safe today. E.g.: New Zealand
✅ Backed by Religious doctrines, thus more terrific like Beheading by ISIS.
▪️Causes
✅ Ethno-Nationalism: The desire of a group of persons to form a new nation led to the creation of terrorist organisations. E.g.: Hamas attacking against Israel, Chechen Terrorist attacking against Russia
✅ Terrorism due to Alienation: E.g.: 9/11 Terrorist attack in USA is the best example where the persons involved in the attack were migrant Muslims who went to Germany were discriminated against.
✅ Religion: The global Salafi jihad is a worldwide religious revivalist movement with the goal of re-establishing past Muslim glory.
✅ Socio-Economic status: Differences led to the humiliation, frustration and victimisation in a group of persons belonging to poor countries.
▪️Linkage and Obnoxious Nexus
✅ There is a symbiotic relation between organised crime and Terrorist groups where terrorist groups are being funded through Drug traffickers, Fake currency cartels.
✅ E.g.: Attacks on Indian Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, in 2005 were generated mainly through fake currency.
▪️Measures Required
✅ Universal definition of terrorism: no good terrorist or bad terrorist.
✅ Ban on all groups regardless of country of operation, cut off access to funds and safe havens.
✅ Prosecution of all groups including cross border groups.
✅ Amending domestic laws to make cross-border terror an extraditable offence.
Terrorism cannot be prevented unless there is an agreed definition of the same and nations collaborate on intelligence gathering and follow UN Strategy on Global Counterterrorism.
How and to what extent would micro-irrigation help in solving India’s water crisis? (10 Marks)
✅ India is facing a harsh water crisis due to inefficient utilisation in the agriculture sector, industrial and
human waste and lack of proper government planning.
✅ Due to the lack of laws and measures to regulate water usage, and in many cases, unrestricted access of electricity by the government to farmers, water is pumped round the clock; most farmers rely on traditional methods of flood irrigation to grow their crops.
✅ The adoption of micro-irrigation by farmers provides a clear solution that not only drastically curbs water usage, but also delivers other benefits to farmers like improved yields, cost savings, and higher profits.
✅ Micro-irrigation is a process of slow water application via discrete or continuous drips, tiny streams, or miniature sprays on, above, or below the soil by surface drip, subsurface drip, bubbler, or micro-sprinkler systems.
✅ The government of India launched a program called, ‘Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana’ more specifically, the ‘Per Drop More Crop’ component of the scheme focuses on micro-irrigation systems that promote precision farming by making water available in a targeted manner to the root zone of crops.
✅ Flood irrigation delivers only 35-40 percent water use efficiency, as opposed to micro-irrigation which has up to 90 percent efficiency. Unfortunately, the coverage of micro irrigation is just 2.13 percent which is meagre as compared to their total potential in India.
✅ Micro-irrigation technique has been successful in developed countries like Israel in turning around their national water crisis. So, no doubt India can do it too but as micro-irrigation requires initial investments and most of our farmers are small and marginal, so we require a multipronged approach and support from the Government to resolve the looming water crisis in India.
Q. Explain the difference between computing methodology of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) before the year 2015 and after the year 2015. (10 Marks)
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the final value of goods and services produced within the domestic territory of an economy in a particular financial year. In India, economic growth is measured as change in GDP at constant prices. The Central Statistical Office (CSO), in 2015, changed its methodology to calculate GDP as recommended by the United Nations System of National Accounts.
▪️The following were the major changes introduced in 2015:
1. In 2015, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) did away with GDP at factor cost and adopted the international practice of GDP at market price and the Gross Value Addition (GVA) measure to better estimate economic activity.
GDP at market price = GDP at factor cost + Indirect Taxes – Subsidies
2. Sector-wise wise estimates of Gross Value Added (GVA) would be provided at basic prices from 2015 onwards instead of factor cost which was the earlier norm.
GVA at basic prices = GVA at factor cost + (Production Taxes – Production Subsidies)
3. Broadening of data pool: Previous data was sampled from Annual Survey of Industries (ASI), which comprised about two lakh factories. But the new database draws data from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA21) where more than five lakh odd companies registered.
4. Change in calculation of Labour and Agricultural Income: In the new series, an Effective Labour Input (ELI) method is used. This method distinguishes workers on productivity by assigning weights to different categories of workers (such as owner, hired professional or a helper), changing overall output contributed by these sectors.
5. Changes in calculation of agricultural income: Value addition in agriculture is now taken beyond farm produce. Livestock data is critical to new methods. Value attached to by-products of meat.
All these changes were made to align Indian accounts as per IMF approved methodology. However, this approach can work seamlessly in an economy where all value addition is tracked formally. Thus, new methodology will be successful only if all the disaggregated information in MCA21 database on activities of a firm is classified properly into appropriate sectors.
Q. ‘If the last few decades were Asia's growth story, the next few are expected to be Africa's.’ In the light of this statement, examine India’s influence in Africa in recent years. (150 words )
Answer: Once a dark continent, Africa today is definitely a happening continent. All major powers across the globe have recognized this significant positive change across most of sub-Saharan Africa. The importance of the African continent for India today is demonstrated by the 10 Guiding Principles for India-Africa Engagement.
✅ Economic Influence: Indian Government initiatives like Focus Africa, TEAM -9, Duty free tariff preference scheme, India Africa Forum summit have succeeded in lifting bilateral trade and investment flows to new heights.
✅ Political Relation: The India Africa Forum summit constitutes the basic framework for relations under South-South Cooperation forum. It provides a unique opportunity where African countries support India’s candidature in UNSC.
✅ Strategic Influence: To counter China in Africa, India has started the Asia Africa Growth corridor in collaboration with Japan. India’s security engagement with Africa is limited to anti-piracy operations around the Gulf of Aden and providing security assistance to small Island states in the Indian Ocean. India is undertaking regular patrols and assisting in surveillance of the Exclusive Economic Zone of Mauritius and Seychelles.
✅ Soft power Influence: 40% of all training and capacity building slots under the Indian Technical and economic cooperation programme have traditionally been reserved for Africa. India has also aided Africa in its fight against
COVID through Vaccine Maitri.
✅ Maritime Influence: India has reached out to African states through offers of military aid, capacity building, and training assistance. A proactive re-orientation in India’s nautical outlook towards Africa is also reflected in India’s 2015 Maritime Strategy document.
✅ Para Diplomacy: Organisation and state government have been crafting independent relations with African counterparts. E.g.: Kerala is planning to import cashew from African continents.
However, India’s influence is getting competition from China, rising influence of Islamist state and security threats in North Africa. Thus, India needs to prepare a focused Africa strategy and target a few important areas like Climate
change, security, gender equality to make India’s development cooperation programme effective.
Q. Discuss the desirability of greater representation to women in higher judiciary to ensure diversity, equity
and inclusiveness. (10 Marks)
Chief Justice of India remarked on the quite low representation of women at all levels in the legal field and promised that he would take up the demand for their higher representation beyond 50% on the bench with his colleagues.
▪️Status of representation of Women in Higher Judiciary:
1. There has never been a woman Chief Justice of India.
2. Of the 256 Supreme Court judges appointed in the past 71 years, only 11 (or 4.2%) have been women.
▪️Desirability of greater representation to women in the higher judiciary:
1. By their mere presence, women judges enhance the legitimacy of courts, sending a powerful signal that they are open and accessible to those who seek recourse to justice.
2. It will ensure diversity of perspectives is fairly considered. E.g.: more balanced and empathetic approach in cases involving sexual violence. It will instil greater public trust in the judiciary.
3. Improvements in women’s representation in the judiciary remain intrinsic to the constitutional ideals of gender equality and social justice.
4. Women's increased participation in higher courts will help to combat gender stereotypes and pave the way for greater representation of women in other decision-making positions, such as in the legislative and executive branches of government.
5. Changing the long-established demographics of a court can make the institution more amenable to consider itself in a new light, and potentially lead to further modernization and reform.
Achieving equality for women judges, in terms of representation at all levels of the judiciary and on policy-making judicial councils, should be our goal- not only because it is right for women, but also because it is right for the achievement of a more just rule of law. Women judges are strengthening the judiciary by upholding women's, child and environmental rights.
#CSM2
#polity [ cse 2021 ]
Join @CSE_MAINS_PYQ
What is Cryptocurrency? How does it affect global society ? Has it been affecting Indian society also ? (Answer in 250 words)
✅ It is rightly said that forces of Globalization not only make a borderless world, but a global village too. Any development in any part of the world impacts society and economy at large.
✅ One of the newly introduced technologies in the world because of globalization is Cryptocurrency.
✅ A cryptocurrency is a digital or virtual currency that is secured by cryptography, which makes it nearly impossible to counterfeit or double-spend. Many cryptocurrencies are decentralized networks based on blockchain technology.
▪️Impact of Cryptocurrency on Global Society:
✅ Diversion of Youth: The excessive use of the cryptocurrency in illegal narcotics business puts to test our youth and closes the window of the Demographic dividend short open.
✅ Lack of spending on Social Sector: The possibility of Tax evasion and the lack of traceability that defeats the
aim of the progressive taxation reduces government expenditure in the social sector.
✅ Inequality in Society: The sudden rise and fall of value of cryptocurrency is a kind of boon for few and curse for few in the terms of profit maximization.
✅ Erosion of Trust: The entire financial system runs on the value of Trust, which is completely absent in Cryptocurrency.
✅ Potential for Cyber-attack: Cryptocurrency is becoming the target for the cybercriminals as they can easily demand from the crypto holders the ransomware in the form of cryptocurrency. So, society will largely be driven by criminals as it is the best way to earn more with minimum effort.
▪️Positive Social Impact of Cryptocurrency:
✅ Ethereum co-founder donated $1 billion of cryptocurrency to support India’s Covid-Crypto Relief Fund.
✅ Environmental Protection: Trespass Coins are digital coins that give people control over carbon offsets. Each coin is equivalent to avoiding more than 2,500 miles of driving. The ability to give and track carbon offsets puts environmental power into the hands of users.
✅ Crypto currencies could help to increase financial inclusion in developing countries by serving as a quasi-bank account, since everybody with internet access can download a Bitcoin wallet.
▪️Impact on Indian Society:
✅ The RBI and the Government are cautious in introducing cryptocurrency in Indian society and right now it is not a legal currency in India.
✅ Even after this, youth especially working in MNC are attracted towards cryptocurrency and its impact can be seen as:
🔸Washout of savings in search of better return and high volatility of cryptocurrency.
🔸 There are few stories reported in India also where elderly is investing in cryptocurrency. It may be seen as awareness about financial products but it may cost them also in case of loss.
▪️However, it will be good for Indian society in the context:
✅ To check corruption.
✅ To bring the Unbanked into the banking system.
✅ Efficiency in Money transfer without paying transaction cost will be a win-win situation for Individuals and industrialists.
✅ Reduces the Scope for counterfeiting.
Cryptocurrency and its negative side effects will affect global society, thus individual countries must come together to eliminate the negative consequences of the crypto currency. But it must be held true that the conventional sovereign money economy can’t be replaced as a whole.
Discuss the multi-dimensional implications of uneven distribution of mineral oil in the world. (Answer in 250 words)
Mineral Oil is not distributed evenly in the world. However, most of the oil and natural gas reserves are in Saudi Arabia, Russia, the United States, and Iran. Though minerals have played unknowingly huge importance in our daily life across the globe, there are implications for such distribution. The implications are as follows:
✅ Uneven Supply Chain: Given the complexity of value chains, no country can control the entire critical mineral value chain. This was evident during the initial phase of the Coronavirus outbreak.
✅ Economic Viability: Uneven distribution of the mineral oil across the world, leads to economic consequences like inflation, for the importing country.
✅ Energy Security: The cross-border mineral explorations leads to Oil Surplus and Global Liquidity.
✅ Human migration: large groups of people often migrate (move) to a place that has the resources they need or want and migrate away from a place that lacks the resources they need. Example: The Middle East is one of the top destinations for the Indian migrants.
✅ Economic activities in a region related to resources in that region: Economic activities that are directly related to resources include farming, fishing, ranching, timber processing, oil and gas production, mining, and
tourism.
✅ Trade: Countries may not have the resources that are important to them, but trade enables them to acquire
those resources from places that do.
✅ Wealth and quality of life: The well-being and wealth of a place are determined by the quality and quantity of goods and services available to people in that place. This measure is known as the standard of living.
This unequal distribution of resources, the legacy of imperialism, is the result of human rather than natural conditions.