UPSC with Me

Union Public Service Commission

December 14,2020

Website:-  UPSC

                 

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Dear friends

We are commenting on only first few questions, but the readers will get an idea about how to approach Mains questions, especially with the help of the book Essential Sociology. (Just in case some other question piques you, please drop a comment below the post, I shall get back)

 Sociology mains papers and the essential sociology book

         

          Sociology Mains Paper Analysis

                           **Paper 1**

                               Part A

Q1. (a) Focal point of Sociology rests on interaction. How do you distinguish it from common sense.

The question was not a very direct one, but if your concepts are clear, then you can easily answer this. Interaction is an important dimension of sociological analysis as various social thinkers have highlighted. So, as per many thinkers, it is a focal point and their arguments need to be made part of your answer. It is different from common sense because - common sense is a often person or context specific, but interaction is a group phenomenon. Common sense is intuitive, interactions are often calculative and in interactions responses are fabricated instantaneously as per the demand of the situation. Common sense on the other hand provides stereotypical prefabricated answers to situations - in one size fits all manner - without much application of mind. The book covers the topics very well and one can easily come up with a good answer if one is well versed with concepts given in book.

Q1. (b) Distinguish between Fact and Values in Weber's Protestant Ethics and Spirit of Capitalism.

The question is a very straight forward. The book has clearly explained what a fact is and what is a value. Weber's idea of Protestant Ethics embodies values (in terms of the subjective beliefs of Protestants as well as Weber's own understanding of those values - thus a dual application of concept of 'values' in Sociology). Fact includes - historical conditions, material factors, Capital and other such dimensions which are accepted by all indisputably. The book dwells almost completely on all these aspects which explaining Weber's idea of Protestant Ethics and Spirit of Capitalism.

Q1. (c) Do you think 'I' and 'Me' are central terms in Mead's work?

The question appears as if it is straightaway taken from book. The diagram that we have drawn for Mead's idea of self must have proved particularly helpful. I am reproducing the diagram here for convenience of readers of this post.

Q1. (d) What is the difference between natural and social inequalities. Give examples from class and caste dimensions.

Again the question is straightforward. The book has specifically explained the difference clearly. One can pick various dimensions of caste and class and link them with natural and social inequalities. For example, birth is a natural process which can lead to inequalities (leading to both caste and class inequalities). In this question, one must be careful enough to not to attribute some inequalities associated with caste or class as natural inequalities. One should have especially avoided saying that caste being associated with birth (a natural process) leads to natural inequalities. It is actually not true, as caste related inequalities are mostly social in nature. Most of the attributes associated with both caste and class result into social inequalities only barring a few. For example, a person in rural background (or say in hilly areas) may be in some way unequal (and vice versa) from a person born in urban settings as he or she shares a common economic or market situation with all other people who are similarly placed (as per classic Weberian definition of class, also given in the book) due to some natural factors.

Q1. (e) What are the new forms of families in developed societies? Discuss?

This question has been addressed at length in the book by illustrating change in structure, functions and forms of families - as a part of both paper 1 and paper 2 in the book with many contemporary examples. So, even this question I consider as if taken from the book directly.

2 (a) Is non-positive methodology scientific? Illustrate.

The answer in one single word is - yes it is scientific. The book clearly mentions the arguments that Sociology as a subject is scientific and as a corollary - all the approaches (including non-positive methodology) which are used to study Sociology are also scientific. This is because, non-positivists also use certain methods and approaches which confirm to scientific study. One may conclude that - it may not be as scientific as natural sciences which are considered pure sciences. (Arguments to this effect are given in detail in the book).

Q2. (b) Explain Durkheim's basic arguments on suicide. Can you analyse high suicide rates of contemporary Indian society with Durkheim's theory

First part of this question can be directly answered using the contents of this book or in fact any other standard book. Second part needs to be given some thoughts. Durkheim's theory fits only to the extent that it explains certain social currents which cause suicide. Modern socio-psychology has established that there are way more number of factors (as compared to the model that Durkheim has taken into account) and suicide is much more complex phenomenon to explain using a single model. Hence, in conclusion, applicability of Durkheim's model is only limited in contemporary Indian society.

Q2. (c) Evaluate if social stratification is functional for society.

The question is basically about the critique of functional view on social stratification. The question is almost a replica of the various thinkers and their critiques thereof which have been discussed in the book. One may conclude with a pinch of salt saying - though it seems that stratification is making the society work, but saying so would be undermining various systemic faults that lead to such a stratification. There are a lot of dysfunctions also of stratification which weaken the argument given in the above question. Stratification is functional only to the extent it fulfills some positive functions.

Q3. (a) Does collapse of functionalism and bankruptcy of Marxism coincide with the rupture of modernity? Discuss

This is one of the questions in this paper which tests the real understanding of the subject as a whole because the question itself is very value loaded. First of all, one may not agree that functionalism has collapsed completely and Marxism has bankrupted. After the financial crisis of 2008-10, Das Capital of Marx was one of the highest selling books worldwide as people suddenly lost faith in working of capitalism. Rupturing of modernity is also not a very well accepted idea. Even if rupturing of modernity is accepted, post-modern thoughts are wide enough to accommodate both functionalism and Marxism in their modified forms. Finally, traditional timelines of flourishing of Marxism, functionalism and modernity are not coterminous. So, the statement in the question is perhaps not true. (However, this is one question which can be answered in so many different ways - and many of them being equally good ways of answering this question).

Q3. (b) Define patriarchy. How does patriarchy manifest in interpersonal relations.

The question is very simple and straightforward. y interpersonal relations, the examiner simply means all social relations - especially the close one to one relations.

Q3. (c) What is the difference between Anomie in case of Merton and Durkheim. Explain.

The question is again straightforward. The book also uses a beautiful table to illustrate it. I am reproducing that table here again for the convenience of all the readers of this post.

Q4 (a) According to Marx, how are human beings alienated from their human potential and what does he suggest to change this?

We have explained in the book that human is basically a creative being and capitalism kills creativity of humans leading to alienation. This creative aspect or potential of human personality is subdued to a great extent in Capitalism and Marx also uses a concept of Commodity Fetishism to explain a situation where commodities of consumption assume more importance than humans and man feels alienated to the highest degree. Marx' idea of alienation of humans from their potential is explained in the book by using a model which shows two ways in which it happen in a given mode of production and over the period of time. The book also clearly explains various dimensions (four to be precise) by which Marx thinks that alienation of humans and their potential occurs. The book also mentions the solution which I am quoting here verbatim -

"Solution to alienation was visualized in a state when production process was overhauled and relations of production modified. It happens in communism where forces of production will be collectively owned. In communism only, being of man is truly realized and he goes for all the creative pursuits that were inhibited in earlier modes of production." (taken directly from the book Essential Sociology)

Q4 (c) Discuss the challenges thrown by religious revivalism to a secular nation-state.

The question is simple and the book covers it directly in two senses - one revivalism in form of growth of fundamentalism and regeneration of orthodox religious beliefs. Secondly, growth of dubious sects and cults (like Dera Schha Sauda) also reflect another form of revivalism and the book covers both these aspects and how they affect secular fabric of a nation-state (or simply saying, of society). Apparently, communalism, fundamentalism and cultic sects have thrown enormous challenges to secular fabric by challenging modern ideals. But there is a flip-side of religious revivalism also and it has also given birth to some sort of personal faith and spiritualism which has also taught the people to accommodate modern idea of secularism in a nation state.

 Part-B

Q5(a) Is the theory of cultural lag valid in present times? Discuss.

If you are well versed with the concept of cultural lag, which has been covered clearly in the book, then you should have no difficulty in appreciating the fact that cultural lad is ever present phenomenon despite its criticism. Though degree of its occurrences may vary from society to society and from time to time.

Q5(b) Are social movements primordial in means and progressive in agenda? Explain.

The statement is not true and this can be explained with the help of various models and various types of social movements that the book deals with in detail. For example, Aberle's classification is sufficient to illustrate that all social movements may not be equally progressive. It is also not true that social movements always use primordial means. In fact a category of social movements - New Social Movements (which is covered in the book to a great length) - also amply illustrate this point. Just to substantiate the above points further, the book also uses a small box which we are reproducing it here and it will illustrate that contemporary social movements are not constrained by nature of their means. 

"Globalization and Social Movements – Globalization has made genuine global social movements possible. People are able to join together through networks of human rights organizations, internet, humanitarian group, NGOs, environmental groups and so on. Organization of global level protests against Iraq War in 2003, protests against WTO, organization of ‘World Social Forum’ parallel to World Economic Forum etc are some examples."

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Similarly, most of the questions in the 2018 Sociology Mains paper are easily doable with a fair understanding of the basic concepts. Barring one or two questions, all are covered in the book almost directly with ample material for answers. Q7b and Q8a are two such questions in paper-1, while Paper 2 has no such question which is difficult to attempt. Q7b is perhaps about Hawthrone Studies of Elton Mayo (a passing reference to them is in the book also, but since they are not part of the syllabus explicitly, they are not covered in detail, but I am sure a curious reader must have googled them while reading the book). Paper 2 was relatively interesting with a lot of contemporary stuff, but must have been very doable for a well read aspirant. 

We are extremely happy that the book must have helped everyone immensely in tackling 2018 Sociology Mains Exam and we received many positive feedback about the utility of the book in your preparations. If it did so, purpose of writing a single source book for Sociology was definitely fulfilled.

Thanks and best of luck!!

Suraj Rauta

Labels: UPSC Civil Services Mains SOciology Question Paper 

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UPSC Civil Services Mains Sociology Paper and Essential Sociology

Dear friends,

We thank you so much for the tremendous response for the book. And a testimony for it is that the book has ran out of stock within a few months of its release. However, the book is undergoing reprint and shall be available soon.

Another matter of pride for us is that, almost all the questions of Sociology Mains 2017 Paper were from this book and apparently the book passed its first test of UPSC after its publication.

For example, questions like ― Yogendra Singh's idea of Modernization of Tradition, idea of Gandhi and Ambedkar on caste, various theories of social change, cultural and structural views of caste and change in caste, New Social Movements, development related imbalances (development and dependency), causes of low sex ratio in developed states, Islam in India, distinction between family and household, distinction in kinship and family in North and South India, dominant caste, tribes and religion (or tribes and caste and changes in tribal identity), Marxian Historical Materialism as a critique of Hegelian Idealism and so on ― are explained very clearly in the book. These are some of the questions which have to be often researched from multiple sources or are very difficult to be found in standard text books for a satisfactory grasp on them. Apart from them, all the conventional questions that were asked in 2017 Mains Exam are there in the book.

We are extremely happy that the book must have proved very handy to all of you in the exam and we also hope that it will continue to prove useful in future also.

Thanks

Suraj Rauta

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The Book Assential Sociology is Out!!

Dear friends,

 

It gives us extreme pleasure that the book is finally out and is now available at all major bookshops and web platforms -

Amazon

Open it🖕

Flipkart

Open it🖕

I hope you will like it and it will serve your needs.

Eagerly waiting for your critical feedback at -

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  Essay Papers Tips

  Dear friends,

I never prepared separately for essay because if you are well versed with your GS syllabus, then you can easily attempt an essay on any topic. 

However, your essay should be well structured (in terms of introduction, conclusion, thought flow, exploration of dimensions and original thinking). 

Further, it is estimated that essays are checked by people from literature background, so your grammar and language also matters a bit. 

Finally, since most of the people select the same topics for essay (and may even write the same stuff as well), you may need to differentiate your essay and make it attractive. You may do it with the help of relevant quotes, suitable facts and figures, some anecdotes, diagrams and illustrations and so on. There are no fixed rules of writing UPSC essays. Try to be as innovative as possible.

Best of luck

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Reading Newspapers and Making Current Notes (plus some of my Current Notes)

Dear friends,

Civil Services papers have two broad areas - static and dynamic (mainly current events related).

When you read the newspaper, always keep in mind that - GS papers are of 'General Knowledge', i.e. something which a well read mature person should know. So, my advice is that - while you should read the newspaper thoroughly and try to understand the issue and concepts at hand, never do a deep research as it may be very time consuming and may not be significant from the point of view of the exam.

Secondly, the question may arise - Which newspaper(s) and magazines? How many newspapers should I read? I would suggest that you pick only one newspaper as you have limited number of hours in your day and all the papers cover more or less same stories (especially the significant ones). The Hindu and Indian Express are two good newspapers primarily because they are limited and concise in their content and don't have many distractions and 'extra' news as in case of other tabloid styled newspapers like ToI and HT. My favorite was The Indian Express as content wise it is generally richer than The Hindu (It carries a readable Op-Ed page also apart from a page called 'I.E. Explained' which covers contemporary issues of importance in depth). Also try to read the readers' comment daily. They often give interesting insights and give you an alternative perspective than the column writers. You may also start thinking critically and may send a comment once in a while. It can be a sort of answer writing practice for you (and since in this case you will be read by millions of other readers, you will automatically more careful in writing your thoughts :) ).

Thirdly, the question may arise - What to read in the newspaper(s) and magazines? To get an idea, read last years question papers again and again to enter into the psyche of the paper setters. You will slowly realize that often conceptual things are asked and you need to learn only basic facts. Further, you will also realize that development of critical thinking is an integral part of answer writing. So, whenever you read, give a critical thought to the item you read.

Fourthly, I would also suggest that you also try to search the issue on internet or Wikipedia. Often, there are Wiki pages on all the major issues (you will find wiki pages on every possible topic - say for example, try searching Indo-China relations) which give background, causes, consequences and so on of a particular event. 

Finally, never keep cuttings of newspapers or magazines (and similarly, save the raw articles from internet) as over the time they become so bulky that you will never be able to even skim through them during exam time. make your own notes topic wise and try to find every dimension of it (background, players involved, significance for India/society/World, future possibilities and so on). By doing so, you will be kinda writing a comprehensive answer on a particular topic and you will save time on separate answer writing practice.

Here are some of my notes on current events and other topics -

Current Events Notes

International Organisations and Events Notes (Static Part)

These notes will give you an idea that you should organised your notes so that you don't have to save the same article many a times. You may simply make new addition to the topics already covered in such notes. 

Leave a comment if you notice some discrepancy in these notes or have some suggestion or query.

Best of luck!

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Suggested Book List for UPSC Civil Services Exam (Pre and Mains)

Dear friends,

If you are an absolute beginner, you may refer to the following booklist and material sources (for both pre and mains as I think the preparation of the two cannot be separated) -

1. Indian Polity - by M Laxmikanth, Tata McGraw Hill Publication

2. Geography - NCERT Old 11th and 12th class (Photocopy available in bookshops in Delhi and other places in other cities at popular preparation destinations etc). Also available on internet, search on google. You may also go through new NCERTs for 11th and 12th, they are also good.

3. History - Bipan Chandra, "History of Modern India" Orient Black Swan Publication

4. "Indian Culture and Heritage" - National Institute of Open Schooling. Also available on internet on website of NIOS, search on google. Also refer to the Art & Culture :NCERT Class XI – An Introduction to Indian Art; Art & Culture

5. Economy - Ramesh Singh, Tata McGraw Hill Publication or any other standard book like Dutt and Sundaram of S Chand publications.

6. Environment and Ecology - any popular coaching institute notes - (Photocopy available in bookshops in Delhi and other places in other cities at popular preparation destinations etc)

7. Science and Technology - any popular coaching institute notes - (Photocopy available in bookshops in Delhi and other places in other cities at popular preparation destinations etc)

8. Magazine - Frontline (if you have time, else skip it)

9. Newspaper - The Hindu or Indian Express (read only one, it would be sufficient)

10. World History - Old NCERT Books of History 9th and 10th class, new NCERTs are more illustrative and colorful, you may also go through them as well. (for Mains paper only)

11. Ethics Paper - try to note down from newspapers, books etc examples of ethical conducts etc. Try to think on your own. It is more of a paper of reasoned thought and rational arguments. Don't read too much of material, just practice a few case studies. Use your original thoughts.

12. India - An annual book published by Publication Division of Govt of India for overview about government scheme and working of government of India

13. CSAT - Take notes of any popular institute or some standard book on reasoning and aptitude.

14. India After Independence - Bipan Chandra, Penguin Publication (for post -independence history, for Mains paper only)

15. Past years solved papers of both GS Preliminary and Mains. Read them again and again so that you have an idea about the type of questions they ask.

16. Download syllabus of both pre and mains and read it many times so that whenever you read newspaper, you know that what has to be read and what has to be left. Don't read multiple books on same subject, but read single book or notes multiple times. Material with you should be only so much only that it is manageable at the time of exam.

17. NCERT CLASS 6-12TH (Important)

It is advised that limited books and material is refereed as the exam is not only about reading so many books, but about managing what you have read. It is not so important that how many books on a topic that you read, but how well you read them.

Any suggestions or queries can be sent in form of comments for the benefit of all.

Best of luck!

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UPSC Civil Services Mains GS Paper-3 

My Answers (based on recall)

GS PAPER – 3

1.

Normally countries shift from agriculture to industry and then later to services, but India shifted directly from agriculture to services. What are the reasons for the huge growth of services vis-a-vis industry in the country? Can India become a developed country without a strong industrial base?

There are various reasons for huge growth of services in India –

a. First of all, industrial growth requires huge capital investment which was not there when India became independent

b. Secondly, there were historical factors as well. British rulers never allowed industrial growth in India as it was against their imperial interests and export policies

c. Thirdly, great stress is laid in Indian culture on acquiring softer skills of life like education which are more conducive for services growth

d. After independence, India also grew under a highly restrictive regime and there was negligible technological transfer by the then powers like USA etc

e. Finally, India also made significant advances in fields like IT, BPO etc early on which later on became a big component of service Industry

However, Industrial growth is imperative for India to become a developed country –

a. First of all, industrial growth is necessary to absorb the surplus labor from agriculture which has become overcrowded

b. Industrial growth is also necessary to cut dependency in key strategic areas like heavy machinery

c. Industrial growth is also necessary to bridge the trade deficit of India which is widening day by day

d. Finally, Industrial growth is also necessary from security point of view as well as it alone provides for domestic production of defence equipments majority of which are currently imported by India.

Indian government has also perhaps identified this issue and has launched National Manufacturing Policy 2011 which aims at increasing the share of manufacturing from existing 16% to 25%.

2.While we found India’s demographic dividend, we ignore the dropping rates of employability. What are we missing while doing so? Where will the jobs that India desperately needs come from? Explain.

A decade back a NASSCOM-McKinsey survey highlighted that only 25% of Indian engineers are employable and the situation is even worse now due to following reasons –

a. First of all, the education in India is defective as it has limited industry orientation.

b. Secondly, as per Yashpal Committee on higher education, mushrooming deemed universities have led to degradation of higher education as many of them are not at par with accepted standards

c. Thirdly, there are limited skill development programs which are ran by government

d. Fourthly, industrial internship scopes are limited

To improve this situation, following steps can be taken to create those jobs –

a. The mandate of National Skill Development Corporation needs to be expanded to include more people in skill development programs

b. Secondly, The Apprenticeship Act needs to be amended to allow students from even humanities and non-engineering stream to get internship in industries as currently only engineers are allowed to undergo industrial internship programs

c. Thirdly, quality of education needs to be improved and entrepreneurial cells should be developed in universities

3.There is also a point of view that Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMCs) set up under the state acts have not only impeded the development of agriculture but also have been the cause of food inflation in India. Critically examine.

(I have largely read negatives of APMCs in various articles etc, so their positive achievements didn’t came across my mind at that time which could have balanced the answer)

APMCs have worked in largely monopolistic manner and have impeded agricultural growth in following manner –

a. First of all, 80% of farm produce which is marketed is routed through these and this has led to their virtual monopoly and the inefficiencies associated with such monopolistic behavior also crept in

b. Secondly, they have discouraged other practices like Contract Farming, due to which there has been poor farmers-industry collaboration which could have attracted more investment and technology in agriculture

c. Thirdly, most of the APMCs are poorly equipped with facilities like warehousing, cold-storage etc which leads to improper handling of farm produce

d. They have also failed to promote innovative practices among farmers

e. They have also failed on backward integration front and despite their mandate, they don’t play active role in providing farm inputs to farmers

f. They have also failed to provide timely information on agricultural markets and other farming related information

They have contributed towards inflation in following manner –

a. They have discouraged competition and this has led to artificial prices of farm produce

b. Secondly, due to their inefficient handling of food grains, there is lot of wastage which also contribute to inflation

c. Thirdly, their opaque working has ensured that there is no adequate projection of demand and supply and this has led to unpredictability about inflation

4.

“In the villages itself no form of credit organisation will be suitable except the cooperative society.” – All Indian Rural Credit Survey. Discuss this statement in the background of agriculture finance in India. What constrain and challenges do financial institutions supplying agricultural finances? How can technology be used to better reach and serve rural clients?

The importance of Credit Cooperatives in rural areas was identified first way back in 1910s when first credit cooperative was established in India. Cooperatives allow advantage of close working, identification of needs and mutual cooperation using indigenous knowledge. Even today, less than 25% of rural areas have no bank branch and credit availability is poor. Challenges faced by financial institutions in India in field of agricultural finance are –

a. First of all, there is poor institutional penetration in rural areas

b. Secondly, there is also issue of defaults and rising NPAs

c. There is also a collateral requirement which is often unfulfilled as land-holdings in rural areas have depleted very much

d. As per Nachiket Mor Committee, the preferential lending share of rural areas is low and needs to be increased

e. Finally, populist political measures like loan waiver have also put additional burden on banks and have hindered their viability in rural areas

Technology can be used in following manners to serve the rural areas better –

a. Using mobile-banking as mobile penetration in even rural areas is now around 90%

b. Using bank-representatives

c. Mobile-ATMs

d. Using video-banking as started by Bank of Baroda

(The latter half of answer could have been better, Aadhar, use of biometrics, tele-media to promote financial literacy, internet banking could have been mentioned)

5.The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 has come into effect from 1 January 2014. What implication would it have on industrialisation and agriculture in India?

(If there were one question on which I could have hedged my bets for its likelihood of appearance in this year’s paper, it was this one)

The new Land Acquisition Act is likely to have following implications for industry –

a. First of all, it make land acquisition expensive as now industrialists will have to pay upto 4 times the market cost of land

b. Secondly, the 80% consent clause will make land acquisition very difficult for industrialists to acquire the land

c. Thirdly, the stringent requirements like Social Impact Assessment also pose hurdles in the acquisition process

d. Strict clauses like no change of purpose, award of 20% appreciated amount to original owners, return of land in case it remains unused for 3 years etc have made land acquisition difficult and expensive

Due to such provisions, cost of industrial projects is likely to go up and may impact their viability and competitiveness.

On the agriculture sector, the Act has following impacts –

a. First, of all farmers will get better price of their lands

b. As this law also has a component of rehabilitation, farmers will have a better deal

c. Strict requirements like consensus of 70-80%, social impact assessment, consent of Gram Sabha and so on have made acquisition of agricultural land difficult

d. However, there are also provisions like – upto 5% multi-crop land acquisition is allowed (this provision was not there in the original draft) under this Act and it is counter to agrarian interests

e. Further, there are 16 existing legislations which lead to bulk acquisitions and can still lead to acquisition of agricultural land. Further, if land remains unused, it need not necessarily go back to farmers, but will go to state land banks

Hence, the legislation has mixed implications for agriculture.

6. Capitalism has guided the world economy to unprecedented prosperity. However, it often encourages shortsightedness and contributes to wide disparities between the rich and the poor. In this light, would it be correct to believe and adopt capitalism driving inclusive growth in India? Discuss.

Capitalism as an economic ideology is driven by profit. Undue emphasis on profit and ignoring of social aspects has led to events like Great Depression, Economic Crisis of 2009-09 and so on. It often leads to indiscriminate consumption as well.

Hence, adoption of capitalism as a developmental strategy will not work. Capitalism makes condition of rich better and condition of poor worse as only those who have capital benefit from it. Inclusive growth also requires focus on the poorest and deprived, while capitalism gives priority to those with purchasing power.

(I am not sure what exactly I wrote in the answer except the above first para. This answer could have been better if I had given some time to it, initially it seemed too obvious to me, but later I found that the biggest shortcoming of capitalism was already mentioned in the question. I am not sure whether I used concepts like ‘Gini Coefficient’ etc in my answer which could have made it sound more objective. I could have also mentioned success stories of some Latin American countries like Cuba where socialist regimes have done so well. Instead of thinking of some objective facts, I got entangled myself into an ideological debate of capitalism vs socialism and as a result my answer was more abstract in nature)

8.Explain how private public partnership agreements, in longer gestation infrastructure projects, can transfer unsuitable liabilities to the future. What arrangements need to be put in place to ensure that successive generations’ capacities are not compromised?

(I was not sure which specific liabilities do such projects put. In the hindsight, now I have come to conclusion that since PPP projects are executed by private operators and hence with profit motive alone, such projects might ignore various long term implications like – environmental hazards, long term social impact (due to its shoddy assessment), sustainability etc)

(From the word ‘liability’, I primarily inferred ‘economic’ liabilities like viability funding, debt accumulation, shoddy execution and incomplete projects with locked in-capital. I made suggestions also on above lines)

9.National urban transport policy emphasizes on moving people instead of moving vehicles. Discuss critically the success of various strategies of the government in this regard.

(I have no specific idea of strategies except like – Dedicated BRT Corridors, MRTS or metro rails and so on and hence instead mentioned these in the beginning and proceeded with broad apparent failure of transportation policy of government. I clubbed issues like – poor traffic management, congestion on roads, pollution, rising number of accidental deaths etc, ignorance of some areas and disproportionate focus on other areas and so on. I also mentioned how government policies lacked an integrated multi-modal approach and all transport sectors operate in isolation and without any synergy)

10.Foreign direct investment in the defence sector is now said to be liberalised. What influence this is expected to have on Indian defence and economy in the short and long run?

In short run, it can have following impacts on Indian defence and economy –

a. Cut imports

b. Installation of domestic capacities

c. Bridge trade deficit

d. Technology transfers

In long run, it may have following impacts – 

a. Emergence of India as a defence exporter from an importer

b. Strategic partnership with many countries and companies like Lockheed Martin, Dassault, Boeing etc

c. Boost in indigenous research, capabilities and cut foreign dependencies

(Wrote a few more points and expanded above with relevant examples. However, I apparently mixed some short term gains with long term ones and vice versa)

11.Scientific research in Indian universities is declining, because a career in science is not as attractive as our business operations, engineering or administration, and the universities are becoming consumer oriented. Critically comment.

India spends less than 1% of its GDP on research related activities. The fact that Indian universities produce few world class research scholars and publication shows that something is amiss. Higher education among graduates is not actively promoted and there is excessive focus on placements, rather than learning. Even teachers and faculty fail to put themselves as adequate role models. Fat pay packets (like the recent 1 crore plus placement offer to IIT students etc) by corporate and mushrooming private institutions have made education a commodity.

(I don’t recall the rest of the content, but I remember that I didn’t explore the positive dimensions and also didn’t provide many objective data to support my arguments. Details like – not even a single Nobel laureate from our universities, poor research funding in companies and universities and so on)

12.Can overuse and the availability of antibiotics without doctor’s prescription, the contributors to the emergence of drug-resistant diseases in India? What are the available mechanisms for monitoring and control? Critically discuss the various issues involved.

Overuse and consumption of anti-biotics without prescription lead to development of resistance and mutation of the bacteria and other living organisms which lead to drug resistance which make even common ailments like cold and influenza fatal. It also leads to development of superbugs which are resistant to all kinds of existing drugs.

Available mechanisms for monitoring and control include strengthening of ‘Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940’ which was amended recently. It has also led to inclusion of antibiotics into a new ‘Schedule H1’ which puts in place following mechanisms to monitor and control their use –

a. First of all, the new guidelines prohibit their over the counter sale without prescription

b. Secondly, the chemists have to now retain a copy of the prescription

c. Thirdly, chemists have to also maintain a separate register now making entries regarding the details of the buyers

d. Finally, such drugs will now have a red border in their packings

Apart from these, India has recently taken initiative in identifying the threat of the misuse of antibiotics and in 2012-13 issued ‘Chennai Declaration’ which lays broad guidelines regarding the use and regulation of anti-biotics.

13.In a globalised world, intellectual property rights assume significance and are a source of litigation. Broadly distinguish between the terms – copyrights, patents and trade secrets.

Copyrights are awarded for the creative expressions like – literary writings, movies, softwares, art etc which have primary aim of entertainment or recreation and only secondary commercial applications. As per Berne Convention, they are awarded automatically without any formal registration and are usually valid till after 50 years of death of the author/creator. WIPO is an international organization which monitors the copyright regime across the world. In India, Copyrights Act of 1957 governs their use.

Patents on the other hand deals with those inventions and innovations which have commercial applications. For example – new drug formulations, new machines etc are items of patents. TRIPS is one of the global agreements which govern their use. Further, they have to be registered separately in each country and are generally valid for 20 years. In India, Indian Patent Act, 1971 which was comprehensively amended in 1990s, governs them.

Trade Secrets on the other hand are the commercial proprietor know-how which makes the products of a company unique and distinctive. For example – ingredients and formulation of Coca-Cola is a trade secret. They are also governed by TRIPS and other mechanisms.

(I was not very sure about trade secrets and made a guess of it)

14.Should the pursuit of carbon credit and clean development mechanism set up under UNFCCC be maintained even through there has been a massive slide in the value of carbon credit? Discuss with respect to India’s energy needs for economic growth.

Carbon credit market saw a decline in wake of the global financial crisis and lack of interest from many developed countries, but India should pursue the CDM mechanism and carbon credit mechanism because –

a. First of all, India has most of its energy needs being satisfied from high carbon sources like coal and CDM can help it towards shifting towards a cleaner growth model by way of transfer of clean technologies

b. Secondly, the decline in carbon credit market is only temporary. The fact that global community has agreed to have a second commitment period of Kyoto (from 2017-20) shows that CDM is here to stay and has potential of growth

c. Further, India is one of the countries, apart from China, which has benefitted most from the CDM mechanism. Despite decline in value of carbon credits, India still benefits from it.

(I had added a few more spontaneous points linking the energy needs of India and CDM with conclusion that CDM has a nett benefit for India and is still relevant)

15.Drought has been recognised as a disaster in view of its party expense, temporal duration, slow onset and lasting effect on various vulnerable sections. With a focus on the September 2010 guidelines from the National disaster management authority, discuss the mechanism for preparedness to deal with the El Nino and La Nina fallouts in India.

(I had no idea about September 2010 guidelines, but had just a faint recall that I had read an article or editorial on the drought being recognized as a disaster. However, couldn’t recall any specific things)

The September 2010 guidelines have identified the drought as a disaster and following guidelines have been issued –

a. It has been suggested that the storage and warehousing of the food grains be done more in a decentralized manner so that the response is quick and there are less logistical hurdles in transference of food grains

b. It has also been suggested that a state level and central level coordinating body be formed so that coordination between various bodies like FCI, Central Warehouse Corporation etc is optimum

(I also wrote some other commonsensical suggestions, but avoided mentioning anything related to agriculture or change in cropping patterns)

16.Environmental impact assessment studies are increasingly undertaken before project is cleared by the government. Discuss the environmental impacts of coal-fired thermal plants located at Pitheads.

Current EIA norms were notified in 2006 and various reports have shown that environmental impact norms have been liberally violated by the coal mining activities. Environmental impacts of coal fired thermal plants located coal-fired pitheads are –

a. First of all, coal mining leads to deep excavations and in absence of proper reclamation of mined site, water seepage leads to pollution of aquifers and hence polluted drinking water

b. Secondly, coal mining also leads to escaping of harmful gases into environment some of which are even poisonous too

c. Excavation of coal and its transportation also leads to spillage of coal soot and dust which settles on the vegetation and crops of nearby areas. It hinders their growth.

d. Coal combustion also leads to emission of green house gases which leads to climate change

e. Finally, in most of the pitheads, no ‘cumulative environmental impact assessment’ has not been done. Due to mining and other activities, unforeseen cumulative damages are done to environment apart from above.

17.The diverse nature of India as a multi-religious and multi-ethnic society is not immune to the impact of radicalism which has been in her neighbourhood. Discuss along with the strategies to be adopted to counter this environment.

(I mainly focused on influence due to Islamic radicalism from Pakistan and Bangladesh and also the impact of driving out of Rohingyes from radical Burmese Buddhists)

India has been exposed in recent years to radical Islamists from her neighbourhood viz from Pakistan and Bangladesh. It has led to influx of ideas to India and India has witnessed communal clashes in recent years in UP etc. Further, such ideas have also caused ethnic clashes as in case of recent Assam violence. Various strategies adopted to counter this environment are –

a. National integration council (explained its working)

b. Increased patrolling along the border and curbing of infiltration of radical elements

c. Electronic fences have been erected along the border of Pakistan and work is on along the border of Bangladesh

d. There is also increased cooperation among the government of Bangladesh and Indian security forces in terms of representative level talks and exchange of information

e. Government is also planning to bring Anti Communal Violence Bill

So, government has adopted both softer and harder strategies to counter the influence of such radical forces.

18.International civil aviation laws provide all countries complete and exclusive sovereignity over the airspace above the territory. What do you understand by airspace? What are the implications of these laws on the space above this airspace? Discuss the challenges which this poses and suggests ways to contain the threat.

(This was the question which baffled me most. First of all I couldn’t grasp the question completely. Secondly I had no idea what is the extent of airspace over which a country is sovereign. Thirdly, I was not sure whether the ‘airspace’ which is above refers to outer-space. I was also unsure whether the question was linked to Chinese moves regarding ADIZ, Ukrainian shootout of Malaysian plane or use of outerspace and associated dangers. I wrote a very vague answer of it. I started with recent Chinese moves – I forgot the name ADIZ – and referred the space above airspace as – ‘outer space’ – highlighted the role of ITU, satellite usage and what not. In short… I was groping in the dark, knowing well that it is futile :P)

(I would like to know what others have written on this)

19.How illegal trans-border migration does pose a threat to India’s security? Discuss the strategies to curb this, bring out the factors which give impetus to such migration.

Illegal migration poses threat to Indian security in various ways –

a. First of all, illegal migrations from porous border of Bangladesh are leading to ethnic clashes in Assam and other North Eastern regions

b. Secondly, infiltrations from Pakistani border in Kashmir are leading to terrorism

c. Along the border of Punjab, illegal migrations are leading to drug smuggling as well. It has also led to weakening of internal social security

d. Illicit flow of counterfeit currency is leading to economic insecurity

Thus, illegal migration has a threat to physical, social and economic security of India. Following strategies have been adopted to curb it –

a. Electronic fencing along the borders

b. Increased surveillance and use of technology like drones

c. Cooperation with the neighboring border forces

Factors which give impetus to such migration are –

a. Better economic opportunities in India as compared to neighboring states

b. Communal clashes in neighboring states and minority persecution as in case of Bangladesh, where Hindu minorities have been driven out

c. Ethnic clashes – as in case of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar

d. Porous border along Bangladesh and Myanmar due to difficult hilly terrain and difficulty in demarcating the boundary

e. Cross-border infiltration as in case of Pakistan border

20.In 2012, the longitudinal marking of the high-risk areas for piracy was moved from 65° East to 78° east in the Arabian Sea by International Maritime organisation. What impact does this have on India’s maritime security concerns?

Shifting of Somalian and other pirates activities to eastern longitudes brought the threat of piracy closer to India’s doorstep and it poses following threats to India’s maritime security –

a. First of all, more than 50% of India’s maritime trade passes through the Arabian sea and it has posed a great threat to Indian merchant vessels as it is apparent in the capturing of Indian sailors by pirates in past few years

b. Secondly, India also imports a great deal of oil and gas from Arabian nations which pass through this route and presence of pirates threatens energy security of India as well

c. There is also a danger of pirates using Lakshadweeps as their launch pad of their pirate attacks

d. As there is significant presence of naval forces in Arabian sea, presence of pirates also increase chances of their skirmishes with Indian defence forces

21.China and Pakistan have entered into an agreement for development of an economic corridor. What threat does it pose for India’s security? Critically examine.

(As per recent news, China is building infrastructure around the area of PoK. There are also prolonged developments of China strengthening its presence along Karakoram highway. China has also taken operational control of Gwadar port. But since it talked about security concerns for India, I maintained much of focus on planned economic corridor adjacent to J&K)

China and Pakistan have recently entered into agreements to develop economic corridor along the Karakoram highway and China has also increased its infrastructure development activities in the Pakistan occupied Kashmir apart from taking operational control of Gwadar port. It poses following security concerns for India –

a. First of all, it brings together the two arch-enemies of India together and hence poses a greater security threat

b. Secondly, development of infrastructure in PoK will lead to faster mobilization of Pakistani army closer to India in wake of possible conflict

c. Newly built infrastructure like – roads can also be used by terrorists and other elements to make easy penetration into India

(I explained primarily above points and probably added 1-2 more which I don’t remember now)

                                 ************

Page-9

Overall, this paper was very diffused one and required most effort in terms of organization of thoughts. Many questions were loosely attempted, just for the sake of attempting as even otherwise I had little extra stuff to write in other questions. 

I request you all to put your feedback, share your answers - you may even do it anonymously while posting your comments.

 

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          UPSC Civil Services Mains GS Paper-2

                       My Answers (based on recall)

                                    GS PAPER – 2

1.Starting from inventing the ‘basic structure’ doctrine, the judiciary has played a highly proactive role in ensuring that India develops into a thriving democracy. In light of the statement, evaluate the role played by judicial activism in achieving the ideals of democracy.

Judiciary gave concept of basic structure in Keshavananda Bharti Case in 1973 to safeguard the interests of citizens against legislative whims. In the same decade it also pioneered the way for Public Interest Litigation (PIL) which strengthened the collective good by overcoming the limitations imposed by principles of locus standi.

It further strengthened the rights of individual in a liberal democracy in Maneka Gandhi Case where it came up with ‘due process of law’ and hence limiting the arbitrary discretion of legislature.

Over the years it has also interpreted Article 19 and 21 in a very liberal manner and has expanded the meaning of fundamental rights by including various other rights like – right to pollution free environment, right against handcuffing, right to information and so on.

More recently, in 2014, it also gave a landmark judgment in Rajiv Gandhi killer’s case by commuting their death sentence in wake of inordinate delay on their mercy petition. This has again made death penalty de facto abolished and strengthened the right to life of individual.

Thus, over the years judiciary has acted in the ‘spirit’ of our constitution and liberal democracy, rather than ‘letter’ of it and hence strengthened democracy.

(Missed the most recent judgment on transgenders rights, though it was the first thing which came to my mind, but was lost by the time I reached at the end of answer)

2.Though the federal principle is dominant in our Constitution and that principle is one of its basic features, but it is equally true that federalism under the Indian Constitution leans in favour of a strong Centre, a feature that militates against the concept of strong federalism. Discuss.

The fact that the very word ‘federal’ is mentioned nowhere in our constitution shows its unitary nature which is variously described as quasi-federalism, cooperative federalism and so on. It is also exemplified by following constitutional provisions as well –

a. Center government has more financial powers

b. Unified judiciary

c. Single CAG, Election Commission

d. Emergency Provision ad president rule provision

e. Strong role of planning commission

Finally, the very existence of states under Article 3 is contingent upon the will of the union and it may create or destroy the states despite their approval and opposition.

3.The ‘Powers, Privileges and Immunities of Parliament and its Members’ as envisaged in Article 105 of the Constitution leave room for a large number of un-codified and un-enumerated privileges to continue. Assess the reasons for the absence of legal codification of the ‘parliamentary privileges’. How can this problem be addressed?

The nature of language and lack of proper codification of power and privileges under article 105 leaves for a lot of scope in favor of parliamentarians. It has following reasons for their continuance –

a. First of all, while there are liberal provisions for the independence of judiciary, like contempt of court etc, there are no such strict provisions for parliament. To ensure the independence of parliament and provide for unforeseen events which cannot be covered by even a total codification, some flexibility is needed.

b. Secondly, the power hungry nature and semi-feudal nature of our social institutions has also hindered any constructive reforms.

c. Finally, there is also lack of political will due to which parliamentarians have not favored the change in existing mechanisms which curb their privileges.

However, a liberal democracy demands a transparent working of parliament as well and put the legislators on equal footing as that of rest of citizens, following steps can be taken for it –

a. Parliamentary proceedings need to be more transparent and make parliamentarians more accountable for their conduct.

b. The privileges should be codified in a clear manner to mention dos and donts like civil services conduct rules.

c. A consensus needs to be built across the party lines

4.What do you understand by the concept “freedom of speech and expression”? Does it cover hate speech also? Why do the films in India stand on a slightly different plane from other forms of expression? Discuss.

Freedom of speech and expression is a fundamental right that is guaranteed by our constitution and it allows an individual to express his ideas, views, opinion etc publicly.

It doesn’t cover hate speeches as ‘freedom of speech and expression’ is not an absolute right and there are limits on freedom of speech and expression in constitution itself and in various legislations like CrPC, like – threat to national integration, public order, rights of others, potential of communal conflicts and so on. Since hate speeches violate these provisions, it doesn’t fall under freedom of speech and expression.

However, films in India stand on a slightly different plane due to following reasons –

a. First of all, films are screened by a body called Censor Board which screens out any such content which is against public order.

b. Secondly, films also come up with suitable caveats in form of certifications like U, A , U/A etc and are primarily for private watching and an individual can always decide to avoid them.

c. Finally, while hate speeches and other forms of expressions are in the realm of ‘reality’, films are often on the plane of ‘fiction’.

Hence, films are rather forms of expression of creativity which differentiate them from other forms of expression.

5.Instances of President’s delay in commuting death sentences has come under public debate as denial of justice. Should there be a time limit specified for the President to accept/reject such petitions? Analyse.

Recent decision of SC of commutation of death sentence in case of inordinate delay (in Rajiv Gandhi Killer’s case and other cases) has highlighted that there is a need of limiting the timeframe for presidential decisions for following reasons –

a. First of all, inordinate delay leads to a person dying many deaths every single day and it also violates many fundamental human rights of the individual which are also mentioned in the UN’s Universal Human Rights Declaration.

b. Secondly, such inordinate delay also weaken the trust of people at large in the justice delivery system of India

c. Thirdly, such inordinate delays are more often than not due to political reasons and not due to jurisprudential reasons

d. Finally, while inordinate delays lead to the suffering and disappointment to those who have faith in justice delivery mechanism of the country, it also encourages unscrupulous elements as it removes the fear of punishment and they even enjoy stay in prison at the expense of public money.

However, there is another dimension to this inordinate delay as well. Human rights activist view this inordinate delay as a defacto negation of the cruel and inhuman practice of death sentence. India is one of the few countries across the globe where death sentence is still awarded and its defacto negation by inordinate delay is welcome indeed.

(I should have also mentioned that since death is an irrevocable and irreversible thing, inordinate delay can be justified if a due investigation and consideration of all factors is required by president)

6.The size of the cabinet should be as big as governmental work justifies and as big as the Prime Minister can manage as a team. How far the efficacy of a government then is inversely related to the size of the cabinet? Discuss.

The debate between small or big size of cabinet was partly addressed by the 91st Constitutional Amendment Act which limited the size of Council of Minister to 15% of size of Lok Sabha. Big size is desirable for rational division of labor and equitable distribution of workload, but has following limitations –

a. First off, big size pose a problem of coordination and it often leads to inordinate delays in decision making.

b. Secondly, consensus building is also very difficult in the large size.

c. Thirdly, in our parliamentary from, coalition are inevitable and often size of cabinet is expanded due to pulls and pressure of coalition politics and for short term gains.

d. Finally, large cabinet size also means that there have to be additional expansion of resources and staff at huge public expense which cannot be justified in a developing country like India.

Limitations of small size can instead be overcome by appointing capable persons in the position of ministership, use of technology and ample use of cabinet committees and staff agencies. This is an era of lean governance and large size of cabinet reflects poorly on the leadership capabilities of the PM and his ministers.

7.Though 100 percent FDI is already allowed in non-news media like a trade publication and general entertainment channel, the Government is mulling over the proposal for increased FDI in news media for quite some time. What difference would an increase in FDI make? Critically evaluate the pros and cons.

An increase in FDI will have many benefit for the news media segment, like –

a. It will bring much needed cash for the cash starved media houses

b. Secondly, it will also bring technological knowhow as well.

c. It will also lead to increased competition. This will lead to improved service and more choices for the consumers. As a result, quality of news coverage and delivery is also likely to improve as they will now be judged with international benchmarks.

d. Finally, it is also likely to see overseas expansion of news media from India and emergence of global India-based news channels which currently have no global presence.

However, foreign FDI in news media also suffers from some shortcomings like –

a. It is likely to suffocate the fledgling news media industry as foreign MNCs are likely to use their money-muscle power to crush the domestic small players.

b. It also has security dimensions. News and media networks are potential medium which can be used by external state and non-state actors to compromise the internal security. Further, they can also be used to spread falsehoods and rumours as well, as we have learnt from recent incidents of communal clashes in which media played a big role in spreading rumours.

Hence, FDI in news media should be allowed only after a suitable regulatory framework is in place and bodies like Press Council of India and Broadcasting Standards Authority of India are given more teeth.

8.The setting up of a Rail Tariff Authority to regulate fares will subject the cash strapped Indian Railways to demand subsidy for obligation to operate non-profitable routes and services. Taking into account the experience in the power sector, discuss if the proposed reform is expected to benefit the consumers, the Indian Railways or the private container operators.

Railways currently operate on the ‘cross-subsidization’ model, in which the passenger business is loss making, but subsidized through the earnings of freight business. In power sector also, similar condition existed before Electricity Act of 2003 was enacted and in some states like Delhi, tariffs are now more realistic. Due to popular policies, free and subsidized electricity was given and other consumers were made to pay more and PSEBs were making huge losses.

The proposed reform is likely to benefit the most private container operators, as currently, they have to pay more and freight traffic is also given low priority over passenger traffic. It will lower freight container transportation costs and will also improve service level as cross-subsidisation will be done away with it.

Secondly, Indian Railways is also likely to benefit as the cash strapped body will be able to charge more realistically fares. According to high level committee on Railway Saftey headed by Kakodkar, railways need 1 lakh crore rupees and railway is likely to gain a portion of this amount from such a move.

Finally, passengers are likely to lose in the short term as they will be made to pay more. However, in the long run as railway will improve safety and services due to additional cash, they will also benefit.        

(I failed to recall the tariff regulatory role in power sector and could have mentioned the impact of Accelerated Power Sector Development Reforms)                   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

9.National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in India can be most effective when its tasks are adequately supported by other mechanisms that ensure the accountability of a government. In light of the above observation assess the role of NHRC as an effective complement to the judiciary and other institutions in promoting and protecting human rights standards.

NHRC was formed in early 1990s after India signed a UN convention, but despite the great value that we attach to human rights, the Commission has a weak role for the following reasons –

a. It is only a recommendationary body and has no penal powers. Its recommendations can be ignored by the respective states.

b. It also doesn’t have a full fledged investigating agency.

c. It can also not take the cases which are older than a fixed time frame

d. It can also not investigate the case of armed forces etc.

However, if its role is strengthened, it can play a powerful role in complementing the judiciary and other institutions as –

a. It can help judiciary in those cases where expertise in human rights is required. Hence, it can act a specialized agency dealing with human rights violation and all such cases can be transferred to it.

b. Secondly, judiciary has very high backlog and many cases are regarding human rights violation. It can help in reducing that backlog.

(I wrote 1-2 more points which I cannot recall now, but I clearly missed the ‘promotion part’, and have no idea about which ‘other institutions’ the question refers. Further, I feel, the first part of my answer is also not required as question demands us to explore only its complementary role)

10.The penetration of Self Help Groups (SHGs) in rural areas in promoting participation in development programmes is facing socio-cultural hurdles. Examine.

SHGs in rural areas have elicited more participation of women, but their success have been limited by following factors –

a. First of all, patriarchy is a big hurdle in states like Haryana where social norms prohibit active participation of women.

b. Secondly, due to social restrictions on the movement and mobility of women, they are not allowed to go outside the village for necessary training and skill development activities.

c. Caste is also an important factors, due to which participation of lower caste women is discouraged.

d. Even institutions like Panchayats have also failed to play an enabling role

e. Financial institutions have also not been forthcoming in promoting these SHGs

(wrote 1-2 more points)

As a result, participation in SHG activities is more of perfunctory in nature and except in a few states like Karnataka, this movement has not been very successful due to socio-cultural barriers.

11.Do government’s schemes for up-lifting vulnerable and backward communities by protecting required social resources for them, lead to their exclusion in establishing businesses in urban economics?

Many government schemes like MNREGS, NRLM etc restrict the choices and undermine the potential of vulnerable and backward communities.

Due to a narrow focus, the vulnerable sections get discouraged to reap the benefits of free-market economy as their entrepreneurial abilities are not encouraged by states. Rural areas often offer limited opportunities as compared to urban areas which are the centers of economic activities in a liberalized economy. Limiting such sections to rural areas alone limits their avenues.

(Plus some more gyaan)

12.An athlete participates in Olympics for personal triumph and nation’s glory; victors are showered with cash incentives by various agencies, on their return. Discuss the merit of state sponsored talent hunt and its cultivation as against the rationale of a reward mechanism as encouragement.

Reward mechanism as an encouragement only recognizes an existing fact and does little in promoting the talent. It is also limited by the small number of players it addresses and is post-facto in nature.

Talent cultivation schemes provide opportunities to even those who don’t have otherwise financial resources to pursue sports as a career. Further, such schemes provide opportunities to larger number of people, while reward mechanisms encourage just a few. Talent cultivation mechanisms also make long term investment as talent is nurtured right from childhood and hence has better chances of success, unlike narrow focus of reward mechanisms.

Since talent cultivation schemes have a long term objective, they also promote spirit of gamesmanship and sportsmanship rather than focusing on just winning. Thus, the moral foundation of talent promotion schemes is sounder than reward mechanisms.

13.Should the premier institutes like IITs/IIMs be allowed to retain premier status, allowed more academic independence in designing courses and also decide mode/criteria of selection of students. Discuss in light of the growing challenges.

In the recent Times Higher Education Survey, none of the Indian institutions figured in top rungs as they are limited by the following factors –

a. First of all they don’t have independence to design their courses. This is an era of inter-disciplinary study and a lack of which lead to poor focus and output.

b. Secondly, faculty eligibility criteria are very strict. This discourages the participation of industrial experts in faculty position in even IITs and IIMs. Remunerations of faculty are also low which fail to attract talent in academics.

c. In institutions themselves, there is an atmosphere of studying for ‘placement’, rather than learning and students feel less encouraged to take teaching jobs.

d. There is also low industry interaction. Unlike some Western universities where entrepreneurial cells are established sponsored by Industry, research is not promoted in Indian universities by private companies. Steps should also be taken to amend Apprenticeship Act to promote students and industry interaction.

e. Even full day to day operational autonomy of these institutes is meddled by the governments and ministries.

Hence, without independence, the institutes like IITs, IIMs have failed to truly earn the ‘premier’ tag.

(I could have highlighted the recent FYP controversy of DU, entrance test controversy related to IITs etc. I also didn’t touch upon required independence for admissions)

14.Has the Cadre based Civil Services organisation been the cause of slow change in India? Critically examine.

Cadre based civil services organization has hindered the change in India due to following factors –

First of all, they limit the expertise of the civil servants. When they are limited to a particular state, they become parochial in their outlook. Their learning opportunities are inhibited and their performance takes a hit.

Secondly, as per ARC-2 recommendations, cadre-based generalists should be required to choose specialization after a period of say 9 years. Cadre based civil servants are jack-of all trades and master of none as they fail to develop any expertise throughout their careers.

Thirdly, due to cadre based services, civil servants often develop close linkages with the political class and a bureaucracy-politics nexus emerges which militates against the developmental agenda as their focus gets shifted.

(I wrote 1-2 more points, but didn’t explore the other positive dimensions like – cadre based services have also helped civil servants in understanding the culture of a particular state in deeper way and they are a great integrating force as well. Further, I feel that I could have added one more point regarding working of AIS vs Central Services as Central Services are more all India in character)

15.Two parallel run schemes of the Government viz. the Adhaar Card and NPR, one as voluntary and the other as compulsory, have led to debates at national levels and also litigations. On merits, discuss whether or not both schemes need run concurrently. Analyse the potential of the schemes to achieve developmental benefits and equitable growth.

NPR is a statutory body, while the Aadhar is voluntary. Both the schemes collect similar biometric details and hence, they overlap to a great degree. Due to duplication of the work done by the two, these need not be run concurrently.

The schemes have the potential of development and equitable growth in following manner –

a. They can be linked to various developmental schemes and help in improved targeting.

b. They can also be used to help eliminating ghost beneficiaries

c. They can be used as a tool for Direct Benefit Transfer and hence can cut down logistical costs drastically and remove the inefficiencies

d. It can ensure that the benefits reach only the intended beneficiaries and hence there is more equitable distribution of resources

16.With respect to the South China Sea, maritime territorial disputes and rising tension affirm the need for safeguarding maritime security to ensure freedom of navigation and over flight throughout the region. In this context, discuss the bilateral issues between India and China.

China has claimed a large area along Nine Dotted Line and has asserted its right over this area. Restrictions in this area has resulted in friction between India and China as China makes unilateral claims, while India wants freedom of navigation in this area and a more realistic settlement of boundary disputes through mechanisms like UNCLOS. Some of the bilateral issues are –

a. About 50% of Indian trade passed through South China Sea and such restrictions hinder trade prospects of India

b. Secondly, India is also involved in oil exploration activities in this region – for example near Vietnam seas – such restrictions impact the energy security issues of India as well.

c. Thirdly, such restrictions also impact the Look East Policy of India and provide a roadblock in deepening strategic relations with East Asian countries.

d. It also has a security dimension for India as, due to an extended nine dotted line, China has almost come to next door to India.

17.The aim of Information Technology Agreements (ITAs) is to lower all taxes and tariffs on information technology products by signatories to zero. What impact should such agreements have on India’s interests?

IT agreements are likely to have both positive and negative impacts on India. Some of the positive impacts are –

a. India has built expertise in IT services over the years and is one of the leading exporters. Lowering of tariffs will open up more markets for it and will also make Indian IT services more competitive.

b. Secondly, IT services and projects implementation also requires significant deployment of skilled manpower. So, it will also boost employment in India.

c. Rise in IT export will also help in lowering down the trade deficit

However, there are some apprehensions as well –

a. First of all, India has poor capabilities in IT hardware and free trade may impact the fledgling IT hardware industries

b. There is also a risk of countries like China flooding Indian markets by their cheap hardware

c. This free flow of IT infrastructure also has security concerns as well. US government recently banned Chinese telecom equipment manufacturing firm Huawei after its suspected espionage related activities

18.Some of the International funding agencies have special terms for economic participation stipulating a substantial component of the aid to be used for sourcing equipment from the leading countries. Discuss on merits of such terms and if, there exists a strong case not to accept such conditions in the Indian context.

(I haven’t heard of any such restrictions or such fields)

Restriction like sourcing of the equipments from particular countries has following adverse impacts on India –

First of all, we live in a free market economy. Putting such restrictions not only pose a threat to India’s sovereign choice, but also undermine freedom of choice of India.

Secondly, often such restrictions mean that India has to import more expensive equipments – as in case of import of equipments from developed countries like USA

It prohibits India from exploring cheaper options due to the dubious restrictions like – safety, health standards, ISO standards and so on.

(wrote 1-2 more points I guess, but I didn’t favor and didn’t highlight merits of such restrictions)

19.WTO is an important international institution where decisions taken affect countries in profound manner. What is the mandate of WTO and how binding are their decisions? Critically analyse India’s stand on the latest round of talks on Food security.

Mandate of WTO is to lower the trade barriers among the countries and facilitate free flow of goods and services across the national boundaries. It aims at eliminating trade and non-trade barriers to facilitate this.

It makes its decisions binding by various methods like – there are various sector specific arbitration mechanisms whose decisions are binding on its members. It also allow member countries to take steps like – anti-dumping duties etc to counter trade distorting practices by the other members.

India’s stand on the latest round of WTO talks – Doha Round, which started in 2001 – and the Trade Facilitation talks is that subsidy provided by the developing countries for food securities should not be limited under the De-Minimus clause of 10%. Before Trade Facilitation agreement is finalized, a permanent solution like – indefinite extension of ‘peace clause’ should be found out. India believes that free trade should not hurt the interest of small farmers and the food security of the poor.

(First of all, I didn’t have great idea about the mechanisms which make WTO decisions binding – except that WTO Agreements themselves are legally binding, secondly, I didn’t ‘critically analyzed’ India’s stand. I could have highlighted some more dimensions like – Why India’s stand may not be correct or why subsidies should be limited actually. Since, an agreement was reached just a few days before the exam paving way for TFA, I avoided mentioning that)

                                

************

According to me, this paper was a bit tricky and required on the spot and perhaps original thinking as well. According to me, this was the paper which required you to think like an administrator or policy maker. As it required some thinking and questions were long, I missed quite a few things which could have been part of my answers.

UPSC Civil Services Mains GS Paper-1 

GS PAPER - 1

1.To what extent has the urban planning and culture of the Indus Valley Civilization provided inputs to the present day urbanization? Discuss.

Indus valley civilization was an advance urban civilization and its urban planning and culture has following elements which provided inputs to modern day urbanization –

a. Wide roads for easy commutation like modern cities

b. Rectangular intersecting streets for better commutation and planning

c. Covered drainage, which is also a hallmark of modern sanitation systems.

d. Double storied buildings were also there which is similar to modern urban buildings where space is at a premium

e. Bathrooms were also built insides homes and were connected to drains unlike earlier community bathing systems. Modern day houses also have inbuilt bathrooms.

f. Warehouses – large granaries – like modern urban godowns for storage of grains for contingency

Hence, many features of the Indus Valley were adopted by the modern day urban settlements.

2.Gandhara sculpture owed as much to the Romans as to the Greeks. Explain.

Kushan kings had Greeko-Roman lineage and it had a significant influence on their art also as Kanishka maintained good relations with Greeko-Roman rulers. Following features were borrowed from the two schools –

a. Buddha’s face was depicted as Greek god Apllonius

b. Buddha’s drapery was similar to the Roman toga

c. Hairs of Buddha were wavy like Roman sculptures

d. Buddha’s body was made in a masculine manner similar to Greek gods

e. Many artists were brought from both Greece and Rome

Hence, Gandhara sculpture was a mix of the two traditions.

3.Taxila university was one of the oldest universities of the world with which were associated a number of renowned learned personalities of different disciplines. Its strategic location caused its fame to flourish, but unlike Nalanda, it is not considered as a university in the modern sense. Discuss.

(I didn’t have a great idea of Taxila and hence, instead of writing about those features of Taxila which were not in line of modern universities I focused on those features of Nalanda which made it a modern university)

Though Taxila was on a strategic location and for this reason, it also gained fame as well, but Nalanda had following features which made it the first truly global modern university of the world –

a. First of all, like modern universities it had a big campus and more than 3000 students studied there

b. Secondly, it promoted inter-disciplinary study like modern universities and all the three streams of Buddhism viz – Thervada, Mahavana and Vajrayana were taught here. Further, other philosophical traditions were also taught here.

c. Thirdly, scholars from far and wide used to come here – from Sri Lanka, Malya, China etc. Hein Tsang and I-Tsing are some noted examples

d. Fourthly, the university also promoted humanities disciplines actively and Nalanda school of Art was the famous school that developed around here.

Hence, Nalanda was a true modern university, while Taxila had a more conservative outlook due to which it fails to qualify as a university in modern sense.

4.The third battle of Panipat was fought in 1761. Why were so many empire-shaking battles fought at Panipat?

Apart from the third battle of Panipat (1761), other empire shaking battles like First Battle (1526), Second Battle (1556) and many other were also fought here for the following reasons –

a. First of all, It had a strategic location and was the last frontier before one could claim the throne of Delhi and hence of India.

b. Secondly, all the major attackers from outside – Afghan, Mongols, Turks etc used to come from the central Asian route and Panipat was the meeting point of Indian forces and foreign invaders.

c. Thirdly, Panipat had a significant of psychological gains for the attackers. Once, it was won, it was a big moral booster.

d. Finally, Panipat was also a geographically conducive location. In North, Himalayas guarded India, In West, deserts of Rajasthan discouraged invaders and Arab Sea was also not a route of choice. Due to these reasons, the forces used to converge at this point. (I drew a map also showing this)

Hence, due to strategic, geographic and political reasons, so many empire shaking battles took place here.

5.Sufis and medieval mystic saints failed to modify either the religious ideas and practices or the outward structure of Hindu/Muslim societies to any appreciable extent. Comment.

Sufis tried to do away with the orthodoxies of Islam and Hinduism and they had a following among both Hindus and Muslims, but they failed to bring radical changes in the Hindu and Muslim societies due to following reasons –

a. First of all, they were largely limited to Northern India and hence didn’t have a pan-Indian presence.

b. Secondly, some of the Sufi saints like – Suhrawardis – also had close contacts with nobility and enjoyed their company and even supported their moves. As a result they failed to condemn the orthodoxies.

c. In Hindu society also, caste as a social evil continued as before.

d. Many other practices like Purdah continued.

However, the contribution of Sufis cannot be totally brushed aside. They introduced various elements in Islam which were earlier prohibited. Sufis introduced ideas of humanitarianism and asceticism which were unparalleled. Sufi followers like Khusro and others made music popular in Islam and Khusro invented Tabla, Khayal, Sitar and so on. They also tried to bridge the barriers between two communities and even today, their Urs and Dargahs are attended by both communities.

(I feel I missed an important point that they failed to institutionalize themselves – as in case of Sikh religion – this lack of continuity made their impact very limited)

6.Examine critically the various facets of economic policies of the British in India from mid-eighteenth century till independence.

When British left India, 70% of the land was in the hands of just a few big landlords, poverty was more than 50% and domestic savings were measly 3%.

I mentioned how they impacted agriculture (Zamindari, high revenue rates), industry (discourage development of domestic industry as imperialism promoted domestic goods) and domestic production (handicraft was ruined, forests were plundered). I also wrote how it was exposed at the earliest by Dada Bhai Naroji and R C Dutt.

I concluded, that their economic policies also had some silver lining as well as Railways, telegraph and other means of communication and early heavy industries were developed during their times and they served India well after independence.

(Since, there were too many things to write, I feel, I couldn’t judiciously select the key points and facts and as a result it gave a very general presentation to my answer. I could have been more sharp on this answer had there been sufficient time to think over it)

7.In what ways did the naval mutiny prove to be the last nail in the coffin of British colonial aspirations in India?

(It could have a better introduction like – how it was a ‘final’ knell in the British colonial coffin, by mentioning the preceding events which shook the empire completely, but instead I started the answer right away)

RIN Mutiny was the last nail in the coffin of colonial aspirations as armed forces and police were the tools due to which British were able to rule over their colonies.

A mutiny in the armed forces symbolized the decline of might of the colonial rulers. It was a psychological boost for the independence struggle as well. It mobilized people for their cause as well.

Inspired from them, many other mutinies also took place like Jabalpur Signals corps mutiny.

Finally, it was the Navy which was the strength of the British, once naval strength was compromised, British rule end was inevitable

8.What were the major political, economic and social developments in the world which motivated the anti-colonial struggle in India?

French Revolution was the first global development which influenced likes of Tipu Sultan politically and Raja Ram Mohun Roy socially.

Renaissance also had great social impacts on Indian anti-colonial struggle. It inspired Bengal renaissance and also sowed ideas of nationalism which proved fatal for British rule.

Italian Unification also inspired many Indians and V D Sawarkar formed ‘Young India’ (I failed to remember the name ‘Abhinva Bharat’, though I had read it just before entering the examination hall L and hence wrote its English name) on the lines of ‘Young Italy’ of Mazzini.

Russian defeat by Japan in 1905 and defeat of Italy by Ethiopia also inspired Indian freedom struggle and made the Indians believe that colonial powers can be defeated.

Russian Nihilists also inspired the revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh, Anushilan Samiti and so on.

Russian Revolution and Comintern inspired communists in India and within Congress also socialist party was formed in 1934.

Thus, international events motivated moderates, extremists and revolutionaries alike in anti-colonial struggle.

(I also mentioned a few other events, but I feel they could have been better organized under the three headings as mentioned in question, but in a hurry to write, I just mentioned all the events and when I realized that I have not classified them, I wrote in brackets after each event its nature viz – political, social or economic. I also failed to explicitly mention economic events, though I knew many of them like – Great Depression, Industrial Revolution, Cotton export and so on)

9.What were the events that led to the Suez Crisis in 1956? How did it deal a final blow to Britain’s self-image as a world power?

Suez was nationalized by the Egyptian ruler Naseer, but European powers especially Britain and France opposed it as they feared that it might affect their trade activities and Suez was also a short route to connect to their erstwhile colonies and impose their hegemony. They asked Naseer to include such terms of navigations which were favorable to them. But Egypt refused to accept those terms in wake of protections of its sovereignty. Britain and France made threatening noises and persuaded Israel to launch an attack instead and later they also joined. It led to the Suez crisis.

However, this crisis led to great humiliation of Britain as it was globally condemned and even Western powers like USA also criticized this colonial-like act of Britain. Finally, an agreement was reached in which India played a crucial role. The event showed that colonialism can no longer be practiced and Britain had to learn a bitter lesson out of it.

10.The New Economic Policy – 1921 of Lenin had influenced the policies adopted by India soon after independence. Evaluate.

As a part of new economic policy, Lenin made significant changes especially in the field of land ownership and industrial development as state assumed a central role and it affected Indian policies after independence in following manner –

a. India followed a similar socialistic model of planned growth and Planning commission was established in 1951.

b. India also followed a state led growth and many industries were setup by the state.

c. In agriculture also, India introduced cooperative movement.

(I guess I mentioned 1-2 more points or expanded above to make multiple points)

However, Indian policies were also different from Lenin’s policies. First of all, state had limited role and Indian followed a mixed economy model instead of a communist model with total state control. Secondly, land in India was also not transferred to state and hence community cultivation was not there in case of India.

11.How does patriarchy impact the position of a middle class working woman in India?

In a middle class family, though women are allowed to work, their position has not improved –

a. Middle class working women work in ‘dual shifts’ – they perform their office work and also do all house work as well. Their work load is not shared by their in-laws, husbands etc.

b. Secondly, their status is still tied to the status of their husband, and despite being employed, their husbands are considered primary bread winners.

c. They are encouraged to take ‘safe’ jobs – jobs which are conducive for the larger family.

d. They are also forced to make sacrifices in terms of career prospects and their careers are given a second low priority over the careers of their husbands.

e. At work place also, they are discriminated and their promotion chances are lower and there is a presence of ‘glass ceiling’.

Thus, position of middle class working women has not significantly improved in wake of patriarchal structure.

12.Why do some of the most prosperous regions of India have an adverse sex ratio for women? Give your arguments.

Haryana and Punjab are the most prosperous regions of India and they also have the poorest sex ratios for following reasons –

a. Patriarchal society promotes preference for male children.

b. Secondly, in the advance regions, medical facilities and sex detection facilities are better available. As a result, sex-detection is easy to access.

c. These are also the regions where land prices have gone up due to factors like Green Revolution, NCR proximity and so on. A desire to keep the land within patriline also promotes male child preference as land becomes costly.

d. Social institutions like Khaps have also discouraged the birth of the female children and issues like honour killings have discouraged parents from giving birth to female child.

e. Finally, there is also a gross inadequacy in implementation of enabling legislation like PCPNDT in Haryana and Punjab where not even a single conviction has happened till date.

Thus, there is a mix of political, economic and social factors that have worked in these regions due to which sex ratio is made worse by a lack of political will.

13.Whereas the British planters had developed tea gardens all along the Shivaliks and Lesser Himalayas from Assam to Himachal Pradesh, in effect they did not succeed beyond the Darjeeling area. Explain.

British didn’t succeed in northeast of India, primarily for following reasons –

a. In hilly areas of the northeast, there were numerous tribes with strong tribal ethnic identities. They had historically opposed the entry of British and there had been many uprisings like – Kuki rebellion in Manipur, Jaintiya rebellion in Meghalya and Mishmish revolt and so on. In fact, many regions like Manipur could never came under the rule of British empire fully. Tribal resistance later forced the British to adopt the policy of ‘isolation’ of these areas. Works by many enlightened Europeans in these areas (like that of anthropologist Elwin) also forced the British to leave these regions alone.

b. Secondly, geographical reasons also deterred the British due to difficult terrain of this region.

c. Finally, the region was not so much economically viable as British failed to establish economic links with this region. The fact that final frontier of British railways was limited to Assam is a proof that they couldn't go beyond it.

Hence, there were multiple factors which thwarted British attempts to establish tea estates in eastern regions

(I could have more elaborated the geographical factors – by linking them to the factors which are conducive to the growth of tea plants. However, when I read ‘didn't succeed’ words in the question, my immediate response was to look out for extra-geographical factors)

14.Why did the Green Revolution in India virtually by-pass the eastern region despite fertile soil and good availability of water?

Apart from fertile soil and availability of water, Green Revolution depended upon other factors like – HYV seeds, mechanical farming, consolidated land holdings, credit availability and so on. Hence, following are the factors due to which it by-passed eastern region of Bihar and Bengal –

a. First of all, land consolidation was successful in the region of Haryana etc which made large tracts of the land available for capitalist farming which was a pre-condition for Green Revolution

b. Secondly, agro-equipment industry was also initially developed in the region of Punjab which benefitted only the nearby regions.

c. Thirdly, there was also adequate credit availability in north as financial institutions had better penetration there. Further, this region was historically more prosperous than eastern India and hence, farmers provided adequate capital.

d. Finally, eastern region was also the region where Zamindari system was the most prevalent and it impacted the financial health of the region and pushed the agriculture of this region into backwardness.

As a result of these factors, eastern region found the time after independence, when Green Revolution was started, as too inadequate to respond the requirements of Green Revolution and were hence deprived from its benefits.

(One crucial point which I perhaps missed – thanks to one of my cousins to highlight it – was that Eastern region was rice cultivating while Green Revolution was primarily driven by wheat, though focus on rice was also there in Green Revolution)

15.The life cycle of a joint family depends on economic factors rather than social values. Discuss.

The life cycle of joint family in contemporary India depends upon various economic factors –

a. First of all, occupational compulsions in industrial economy make members more mobile than earlier times

b. Secondly, economic opportunities in cities are more and this leads to migration

c. Thirdly, there are also better facilities in urban areas like – education, health etc which act as pull factors.

d. Fourthly, cost of livings in the urban areas are very high which discourage joint families as they cannot be sustained in cities

e. Finally, the nuclear families again become joint due to economic compulsions. In dual career families where husband and wife both are employed, grandparents are often needed to take care of young ones when day-care services are expensive in cities.

Thus, economic factors have outweighed social factors in determining the fate of joint family.

16.

Discuss the various economic and socio-cultural forces that are driving increasing feminization of agriculture in India.

Feminization of agriculture is driven by various factors –

a. Male members of family often migrate to other areas in search of better economic opportunities and this leaves females in prime roles

b. Secondly, agriculture in rural areas is becoming expensive as cost of inputs goes up. To reduce costs, females are encouraged to participate in agriculture.

c. Thirdly, females are now learning to be independent and aspire to be equal partners in economic activities in rural areas.

d. Fourthly, in patriarchal states like Haryana, patriarchy is slowly losing ground in wake of modern values and this is also witnessing more women participation in agriculture.

Hence, there are many social and economic factors which are driving feminization of the workforce.

17.

How do the Indian debates on secularism differ from the debates in the West?

Indian secularism has a different context than western secularism as Western secularism emerged as a result of a need to separate religion and state, while Indian secularism emerged primarily to counter the evil of communalism.

Western secularism calls for separation of religion and civil life, while in case of India, religion is not just a private practice, but a way of life and hence such strict separation is not possible.

In case of India, state gives equal respect to all religions and doesn’t ban them. In fact, it even promotes many religious activities. Direct or indirect subsidies are given to Haj pilgrim, Amarnath yatra etc. Even our constitution doesn’t prohibit religion and provides freedom of conscience, promotion etc in Article 29, 30 etc.

Hence, while Western secularism is about ‘dharam-nirpekshta’, Indian debate is about ‘sarva-dharam-sambhava’.

18.

Most of the unusual climatic happenings are explained as an outcome of the El-Nino effect. Do you agree?

(I knew just one ‘unusual’ climatic happening – variation in Indian monsoon, I also knew it causes floods/excess rains in other parts of the world, but didn’t know where)

El-Nino causes many unusual climatic happenings like – deficient rainfall and erratic monsoon in India, excess rains in America etc and southern oscillations – an atmospheric phenomenon also linked to it.

However, the link between these unusual happenings and El-Nino is just a ‘correlation’ and the ‘causality’ has yet to be established. With current level of scientific and metrological research, there are no concrete evidences to suggest that El-Nino is the cause behind these unusual climatic happenings. In fact, some scientists even suggest that unusual climatic happenings are rather linked to global warming and climate change caused by industrial revolution.

19.Why are the world’s fold mountain systems located along the margins of continents? Bring out the association between the global distribution of fold-mountains and the earthquakes and volcanoes.

Fold mountains like Himalayas, Alps are located at the margins of the continents because, they form as a result of folding process when two continental plates converge towards each other. The pressure exerted by two plates result into rise of such mountains.

As converging boundaries lead to building up of stress, its release results in earthquakes as in case of Himalaya system where such stress is most at the syntaxial bending of Himalayas.

Volcanos are mostly there on the diverging boundaries where the molten lava erupts as in case of pacific ring of fire. (I didn’t have any idea of any other volcanoes associated with any of fold mountain system, so wrote this)

20.Explain the formation of thousands of islands in Indonesian and Philippines archipelagos.

Thousands of islands in Indonesia and Phillipines are formed primarily due to following reasons –

a. Many of them are volcanic in origin and formed due to lava eruption. The area is also located on pacific ring of fire which is a place of boundary movements and lava eruption.

b. Some of them have also formed as a result of coral deposits.

21.Tropical cyclones are largely confined to South China Sea, Bay of Bengal and Gulf of Mexico. Why?

Tropical cyclones are formed in these regions due to following reasons –

a. First of all, as tropical cyclones are result of transfer of latent heat, adequate temperature is a pre-condition, which is fulfilled in these regions as temperature is high – 25-35 degree Celsius

b. Secondly, tropical cyclones also require a source of water which is provided by the presence of the large water bodies. Presence of moist and saturated ambience is also conducive for their formation.

c. Thirdly, presence of easterlies pushes them towards the land regions.

(I missed the role of Coriolles Forces, topographical factors like shape of these regions etc, and could have attempted this question better by mentioning key words like ‘formation of Cumulonimbus Cloud’)

22.Bring out the relationship between the shrinking Himalayan glaciers and the symptoms of climate change in the Indian sub-continent.

Himalayan glaciers are melting due to rising green house gases. Recent surveys by IPCC and Indian Metrological department have shown that they have receded at a fast pace.

After Industrial revolution, as per 4th Assessment Report of IPCC, there has already been an increase of .6 degree Celsius in global average temperature due to increase in green house gases. Due to green house gases and consequent rise in temperature, glaciers of Himalaya have also melted as a result of climate change.

23.Account for the change in the spatial pattern of the Iron and Steel industry in the world.

(I missed the word ‘change’ and hence, instead of change, I simply described the spatial pattern of Iron and Steel industry around the world)

Iron and steel industries around the world have following locational factors –

a. Since iron ore is a weight losing raw material, its industries are located near the source as the transport costs increase as in case of industries of Alsace Lorraine region of France

b. Secondly, most of the iron and steel industries around the world are located near the coal mines as in case of Ruhr valley of Germany.

c. Secondly, availability of Manganese – which is an important ingredient also affect their location. For example, Iron and Steel Industries in area around Hazaribagh have nearby Manganese mines also.

d. Thirdly, due to export orientation, proximities to ports is also a factor. For example, Paradip port of Odisha

(One of my cousins and some friends pointed out that change in locational factors are like – coming up of smaller units, rather than integrated steel plants, use of scrap to run iron-steel plants, availability of electricity everywhere – unlike earlier when there was a dependency on coal for power, export orientation, as many plants are now located near ports, depletion of earlier iron ore mines and so on. I would be happy if get 1-2 marks in above answer of mine)

24.Critically evaluate the various resources of the oceans which can be harnessed to meet the resource crisis in the world.

Mentioned –

Tidal energy

Geothermal energy

Economic minerals like Magnesium

Placer deposits and availability of gold

Shale gas in sedimentary deposits in coastal areas

Abundant source of water which is becoming a scarce commodity as technology improves. For example – Maldives is a country which now uses Ocean as a source of drinking water (Had heard in news a few days back that Maldives has no other source of water)

It can also be a source of land resources in wake of dwindling land and rising prices. For example, Palm Islands have been created in Dubai out of ocean.

(Didn’t mention Thorium and petroleum energy)

25.How does India see its place in the economic space of rising natural resource rich Africa?

China has raced ahead of India in race for the resources of Africa, but India has also started to bolster its efforts to gain a bigger share of pie of resources of Africa –

a. ONGC has oil exploration agreements with Nigeria which is the largest petroleum producing country of Africa

b. India has also engaged itself with oil exploration in Sudan

c. Indian telecom operators like Airtel have also acquired spectrum in some central African countries

d. Indian government has also promoted acquisition of land in Africa for farming etc

e. Indian government has also established PAN African network for better connectivity with Africa

f. For investments, 2nd Indo-Africa summit happened in Addis Ababa in 2012

g. Government of India has also launched ‘Focus Africa’ scheme for investment in Africa

(This was the last question attempted by me and by this question, my handwriting was at a new nadir. As time was running out, I could mention only the points of above in one line each and drew a very ugly map of Africa to show the Indian presence in resource-rich Africa.

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As of last time, I feel that, the paper could have been better attempted, had I got a bit extra time. Paper was the most doable of all the GS papers as it was very conventional as it had most of the questions directly asked or one needed to just rehash the existing knowledge. If I get just about equal marks as of last time (of course in a relative sense to others and not the absolute figure), I would be contended. An increase will be bonus.

Labels: UPSC Civil Services Exam Question Paper GS-1

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