We
must understand that rights and duties are two sides of the same coin.
For smooth functioning of a plural society like India requires not
awareness about rights but also to be bound by the duties.
Strategic interests seem to be replacing commercial interests for the host country with regard to “Cam Ranh Bay.” Amplify
(Civil Services Exam 2011, 150 words)
Cam
Ranh Bay is one of the most important ports in the region located in
South China Sea in Vietnam. With the growing influence of China in the
region in general, and China Sea in particular Vietnam which earlier
intended to develop the port as commercial center has now gradually
change its policy and is moving towards its usage as a strategic base
with foreign military access.
From
the point of view of the commercial interest, the port has great
commercial potential as well as this port lies in one of the busiest
trade route of western Pacific. Earlier Vietnam was trying to privatize
the port but off late the country has reversed its policy. Now the host
country has intention to use it for strategic purpose by providing
military access to foreign countries and thus reduce China’s influence
in the region.
Vietnam
has entered into bilateral defense relationship with US over the usage
of this port. Similarly, the country is trying to involve Russia also in
context of this port to counter the influence of China.
Subsequent
to the Nuclear Suppliers Group waiver in 2008, what are the agreements
on nuclear energy that India has signed with different countries?
(IAS- 2010, 150 words)
India
is accepted as the responsible state with advance nuclear technology or
a de-facto nuclear state by NSG. This has removed the label of “nuclear
untouchable” from India and has opened the flood gates for civil
nuclear cooperation with the rest of the world.
As
a result India has signed agreements with France, Russia, Mongolia,
Namibia, Argentina, UK, Canada, Kazakhstan and South Korea.
The
agreement with Russia is very important in this context. The agreement
guarantees uninterrupted supply of nuclear fuel to Indian Atomic
reactors. The technology transfer and military agreements are also the
part of this agreement. Likewise India has signed inter-governmental
framework on civil nuclear supplies with Kazakhstan which is the country
with the one of the richest nuclear fuel availability.
In spite of the concern over the Indian nuclear weapon program, Canada also signed the agreement on nuclear supplies with India.
These
agreements to promote nuclear energy for peaceful purpose would promote
energy security and supplement the growth story of India.
Do you agree with the view that Israel is a “natural” ally of India?
(Civil Services Exam- 2010, 150 words)
There
are two important similarities behind the logic that India and Israel
are natural allies i.e. both are plural democracies and both the
countries are suffering from cross border sponsored Islamic Terrorism.
However since the history and geo-politics of the regions are different
there are stronger reasons to believe that both the countries can be
allies but not natural allies.
The
champions of the view that India and Israel are “natural” allies
support their claim by the fact that cross border sponsored Islamic
terrorism is common to both the countries. According to this school of
thought issues related to Kashmir and Palestine that both these
countries are facing also have similarity. This view of “natural allies”
reached its apex culmination during the NDA government when the idea of
“India-Israel-US” nexus gained prominence.
However,
it’s true that both the countries are suffering from Islamic terrorism
and low intensity proxy wars across the border, but the core issues are
entirely different. Kashmir cannot be compared with Palestine at any
cost since the histories of both these are entirely different.
On
the other hand there are various sectors wherein the two countries have
mutually helped each other. For example India’s raising service sector
and software industry can be useful for Israel. On the other hand Israel
can support India in defense technology, drip irrigation, Falcon
radars, drought resistant high yielding crops and treating sea water.
Thus India and Israel can be allies but they are not natural allies.
With respect to Cooperative Societies, what are the salient features of the 106th and 111th Constitutional Amendment Bills as at present?
(Civil Services Exam, 2010- 150 words)
These
two Bills have the purpose of empowering the Cooperative Societies, and
preventing the interference of state and bureaucracy in them. The
following are the main provisions of these Acts:
1.The Bills propose to give Constitutional status for incorporating, regulating and winding up of Cooperative societies.
2.The
Bills also envisages promoting the Cooperative Societies by adding the
provision in Directive Principle of State Policy for their formation and
autonomous functioning
3.The
Bills seek to make the management of Cooperative Societies more
inclusive by including the representative from women and Schedule Caste
in the Board of Directors
4.The
Bills seek formation of an independent body in each states similar to
Election Commission to conduct free and fair elections in the
Cooperative societies
5.To
give autonomy in the functioning of the Cooperatives the Bills have the
provision for the auditing by the autonomous agencies
The Bills if passed and implemented properly would give fillip to the cooperative movement in India.
List the significance of local storms in the country and bring out their socio-economic impact.
(Civil Services 2010- 150 words)
The
local winds have different impact in the different part of the country.
These winds occur generally in the summer season, some of them provide
solace from the scotching heat while the other made the heat wave more
severe.
In
the Northwest and Central part of the country the dust carrying winds
called “Andhi” are rampant in the summer season. Sometimes these winds
are very powerful and disrupt the normal life. Uprooting of trees,
standing crops, electricity poles, and shelters of poor people by these
winds are common. Similarly the hot wind called “Loo” in North Western
and Central India add to the heat wave. The vulnerable and marginalized
section of the society are effected most by this and every year many
people lost their lives due to intense heat wave. The electricity and
water consumption also increases due to this wind which has severe
implications in states which are power deficit.
In
eastern India, the wind called Kalbaisakhi is responsible for heavy
rainfall and speed lightning. This causes damage to life and property.
However, the rainfall due to this wind is extremely beneficial from
crops like jute and fruits and vegetables.
Mango
Showers and Cherry Blossoms are winds that occur in Kerala and
Karnataka respectively. These winds provide solace from the intense heat
wave and are beneficial for mango and coffee crops respectively
The significance of counter urbanization in the improvement of metropolitan cities in India
(Civil Services 2011-150 words)
In
just one decade India has witnessed the growth in urban centers with
million plus population from 23 to 35. Although the urban population in
India is only about 28% of the total population but the pattern of
urbanization is highly skewed. The bulk of urban population is
concentrated in only a few big cities in general and metropolitan cities
in particular. As a result of this there is intense pressure on the
metropolitan cities to make the resources available and accessible for
the quality living. The high density of population not only creates
intense pressure on the resources but also result into sociological,
cultural and political issues. The recent controversy in Mumbai
regarding the influx of people from the north India is a manifestation
of these complex issues.
In
the backdrop of this, counter urbanization scheme which would try to
develop the small cities and rural areas thus mitigating the gap between
amenities and opportunities of metropolitan cities and other areas
would lead to sustainable and balance regional development. The ability
to generate the gainful employment opportunities in small cities, towns
and rural area would be the most crucial factor in counter urbanization
scheme which could mitigate migration to metropolitan cities.
Thus
the counter urbanization has significant role to play in present
context in India, it would not only improve quality of life and reduce
pressure on resources in the metropolitan cities but would also help to
reduce the India-Bharat cleavage.
Small holder farms need to be strengthened to achieve national food security. Do you agree with the statement? Substantiate.
(Civil Services Exam 2010- 150 words)
Household
owing small farms along with agriculture labor constitutes more than
50% of total population of our country which generally practice
subsistence farming. The bulk of marginalized and underprivileged
population of the country also belongs to category, thus strengthening
the small farms have a key role to play to achieve food security.
Food security has three connotations:
1.Affordability of the food
2.Availability of the food
3.Accessibility of the food
Strengthening
the small farms would have the direct impact on the first two
connotations of food security i.e. affordability and availability of
food.
The
agriculture productivity of the farms in India in general and small
farms in particular is very low. The investment, capital formation and
access to the institutional credit in the small farm sector are in a
pathetic state. Fragmentation of the land, lack of modern farm inputs
including high yielding varieties of crop are also the constraints faced
by the small farmers.
Strengthening
the above in the small farm sector would increase the productivity and
production thus would ensure the higher availability of the food. Also
this would increase the farm income and thus enhance the affordability
of the small farmers. This would have direct impact on achieving the
food security.
The impact of climate change on water resources on India
(150 words Civil Services 2011)
Climate
change can severely impact the water resources in India. Since India is
already witnessing changes in cropping pattern, changes in irrigation
and storage of water, over exploitation of water resources, rapid
urbanization etc the impact of climate change on water resources can
result into further downward trend.
The
rise of sea level due to climate change in the future can have severely
effect the human settlements and bio diversity near the coastal areas.
In Indian peninsular region this can have severe implications.
Climate
change can result into change in hydrological cycle this can have
serious implications on the water resources in India. The altered water
cycle can result into rampant floods, droughts and can alter rainfall
magnitude and pattern.
The
climate change and increase in temperature would also increase
evaporation rate. The increase in evaporation rate would have severe
implication on the soil moisture which would effect the agriculture
production and productivity.
In
a thickly populated country like India, where agriculture is the
mainstay of the economy and highly dependant on rainfall, the alteration
in rainfall pattern along with decrease in soil moisture would impact
the economy and would put further pressure on ground water and rivers.
“Cost
Benefit Analysis should not be the sole consideration, while deciding
to host events like Commonwealth Games”. Critically comment on this
prospective.
(Civil Services Exam 2010- 150 words)
India
was the host of commonwealth games in 2010. The cost that the country
incurred to host this event was about more than rupees one lakh crores.
This gave birth to a debate that a developing country like India where
there is acute paucity of resources for the developmental goals was an
event like this justifiable?
On
the other if we minutely consider the issue it’s a fact that Cost
Benefit analysis is a parochial way to estimate the events of this kind.
Since in the classical Cost Benefit analysis various intangible factors
like increase in the prestige of the country, the rise of India as a
soft power, development of infrastructure of Delhi and surrounding
areas, increase in the civic sense, traffic sense and awareness of the
citizens and moreover the environmental issue are not taken into account
thus Cost Benefit Analysis should not be the sole consideration to
decide about the events of such kind.
It’s
true that Cost benefit analysis has some limitations when the social,
environmental and human factors come into the picture but on this
pretext the economy and effectiveness should not be compromised.
Does India need World Bank?
(Civil Services Exam 2009, 150 words)
The World
Bank provides long term financial assistance for developmental goals in
developing and underdeveloped countries. However there are
conditionalities associated with the financial assistance of World Bank
which generally envisage neoliberal and market reform agenda. According
to critics these conditionalities make the ambience of the country
“exclusive” since they are skewed in the favor of big multinational
companies, corporate houses, rich countries and elites in the developing
and under developed countries. Thus arise the debate “does India needs
World Bank.”
India
needs World Bank, in spite of the fact that argument against the World
Bank has some merits. India has one of the lowest human development
indices in the world. In various sectors social indicators are low, thus
a huge investment is required for developmental work sectors such as
health, education, energy and infrastructure. India is among the Bank’s
top borrower with cumulative borrowing of about US $ 50 billion. From
1949 to 2000, the bank has extended about 215 loans and 292 development
credit to India.
Therefore
in order to mobilize the resources; at the rates lower than the market;
for vital sectors of the economy and to improve the human development
indices World Bank plays important role for India.
Discuss the impact of Globalization on the higher education in India.
(Civil Services Exam- 2006)
Globalization
has linked the higher education in India with the market forces or in
other words with global demand and supply. This has resulted into mixed
impact in India; however the benefits of this are greater as compared to
the drawbacks.
On
the positive side, the globalization has infused competition in higher
education in India as the sector is thrown open to the private players
and foreign institutions. This has given more opportunities and choices
to the students and has improved the quality of instruction along with
the educational infrastructure. Last decade has witnessed a steep rise
in the number of private institutions, which have immensely increased
career opportunities for the students. Linked with the market forces,
the higher education in India is now creating world class professionals
to cater the demand. This has given huge impetus to the service and
software sector of the country. For the students the floodgates are now
opened for the foreign universities and multinational companies.
The
flipside of this is roll back of the government from this sector, as a
result of which the cost of higher education has increase manifold. This
has further excluded the bulk of population which cannot afford higher
education at the market prices. Globalization of higher education has
also resulted creating homogeneous culture, promoting consumerism and
erosion in traditional values and ethics.
Since
Globalization is now a irreversible phenomenon across the world, public
policy must tackle the grey areas related to this in higher education
so that this become more inclusive.
Bring out the powers and responsibilities attached to the office of the speaker of the Lok Sabha?
(Civil Services Exam- 2010)
Speaker of the Lok Sabha is one of the most important offices in Indian parliamentary democracy.
The
Speaker of the Lok Sabha is the Chief presiding officer of the Lok
Sabha. There are various matters wherein the decision of Speaker is
final. These includes the power to decide if a Bill is Money Bill, on
matter relating to breach of privilege or contempt of the house and in
the case to disqualify a member on the grounds of anti defection.
The
Speaker of the Lok Sabha also presides over the joint sitting of both
the houses in case of disagreement between the two houses.
All
the committees of the Lok Sabha function under the control and
direction of the Speaker. The Chairmen of the committees in the Lok
Sabha are appointed by the speaker.
The
speaker is responsible to maintain the decorum of the house and has the
power to ask a member to withdraw from the house or even suspend the
member for disorderly behavior.
Discuss the role of public sector during the post reform period of the Indian Economy?
(Civil Services Exam- 2006)
The
role of the public sector has altered during in the neoliberal era
after 1991. In the era of liberalization apart from the social
objectives, it is envisaged that Public Sector should run on the sound
market fundamentals so that they can compete with other players. Economy
and efficiency are other two principles which the public sector is
expected to inculcate.
Public
Sector units in the era of liberalization are expected to compete with
others in the ambience of level playing field. Various sectors which in
the pre-reform era had the monopoly of the Public Sector are now open
for private players. It is expected that Public Sector apart from its
traditional social objectives should be competitive. The resources
mobilized by them should come from market mechanisms rather than from
governmental subsidies and tax payer’s money.
The
performing units are also given higher autonomy for the expansion in
the liberalized era. Status like Miniratna, Navratna and Maharatna are
examples of this.
Disinvestment
and privatization of the Public Sector Units are also the mechanisms
which the government has leveraged in post reform era to mobilize
resources for the social sector and other obligations.
Are the “Dedicated Freight Corridor” railway project and “Golden Quadrilateral” mutually complementary or competitive?
(Civil Services Exam-2010)
The
Dedicated Freight Corridor railway project covers two routes i.e.
Eastern Corridor from Ludhiana to Dakuni and western corridor from
Mumbai to Dadri. The “Golden Quadrilateral” highway project connects the
four metros. In the current scenario the two projects complement each
other; it may be only in the future that these two might be mutually
competitive.
One
of the biggest growth constraints that India is facing currently is the
paucity of infrastructure and physical connectivity. In such case
nearly all of the infrastructural projects complement each other. The
Rail network connecting the four metros Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and
Kolkata carry the country's heaviest rail traffic. These routes are
highly congested; although they account for just 16% of Indian Railways
rail track they carry more than 60% of the freight transported. The
freight corridor of the railway and “Golden Quadrilateral” can both help
to reduce this congestion. At present the demand for transporting
freight is far greater than the infrastructure available. Moreover, in
general railway projects cannot account for the final delivery of goods
at the doorsteps, which is possible only through road transport. Thus
the projects are mutually complementary of each other.
However
it is only in the future when ample additional capacity is developed in
rail and road wherein the demand matches with the options for
transportation, then the projects like these can be competitive.
Discuss how state governments can exercise control over Panchayats?
(Civil Services Exam- 2004)
There are various ways in which the State government can directly and/or indirectly exercise the control over Panchayats.
Although in the 73rd Amendment
Act, the 29 subjects which should be devolved to Panchayats are clearly
mentioned. However it is the state legislature that have final say to
confer on Panchayats such powers and authorities as may be necessary.
Panchayats
are very much dependant on State government in the matter of finances. A
large portion of Panchayats financial resources comes from the State
government in the form of grants. The state bureaucracy is also very
assertive on Panchayats because of the role and powers given to them. In
some states District Rural Development Authority and District Collector
are given roles of such kind which make them very assertive over the
Panchayats.
The
State Planning Bodies have power to amend, reject or modify the plans
sent by the local planning bodies and recommendations Panchayats. In
Various governmental developmental schemes for Panchayats like MANREGA
etc, the bureaucracy of state has active monitoring role to play to
regulate Panchayats.
Did Nehru really speak the “Language” of Gandhi? Locate the points of their agreements and departure.
(Civil Services Exam-1998, 250 words)
Agreement-disagreement
dichotomy was a fact in the political ideologies of Nehru and Gandhi.
During freedom both these leaders of the Congress agreed and worked
together on many issues but there were issues where they took different
stands.
Nehru
was in agreement with Gandhi on issues like emancipation of rural
India, constructive work, Satyagraha, Swadeshi and boycott of foreign
goods to achieve political motives. There were no differences on the
launch of mass movements like Non Cooperation and Civil Disobedience.
Nehru was one the first volunteer for the Individual Satyagrha.
The
economic ideologies and the developmental models of the two leaders
differ to a great extant. Gandhi had deep faith in Class collaboration
and trusteeship model while Nehru believed in class conflict. Unlike
Gandhi, Nehru openly proclaimed himself as “a socialist”, he had deep
sympathy towards the Trade Union and working class movement. Gandhi had
faith in the developmental model based on cottage industry and
decentralization. However Nehru favored development based on heavy
industries with centralized planning on the lines of erstwhile Soviet
Model. On political front Nehru criticized the withdrawal of Civil
Disobedience Movement by Gandhi. He demanded “Complete Independence”
much before Gandhi. Nehru also accepted the partition of India and
Pakistan which was not acceptable to Gandhi.
“Compared
to the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA), the Bay of Bengal
Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation Free
Trade Area (BIMSTEC FTA) seems to be more promising.” Critically
evaluate.
(Civil Services Exam-2011, 150 words)
The
progress in SAFTA is slow as compared to BIMSTEC FTA, but it has huge
economic potential which can be leveraged upon for the socio-economic
development of the region. Thus both the initiatives are promising.
The
flip side of SAFTA is that the political and border disputes between
two of its biggest member country has always overshadowed the economic
issues. As a result SAFTA is moving with a slow pace. Also in various
sectors the member countries are competitors in the world market for
example India and Bangladesh in case of Jute, India and Sri Lanka in the
case of Tea etc. On the other hand members like Myanmar in BIMSTEC are
very crucial in terms of their strategic geographical location and
energy security in the region. Strong economic tie ups with countries
like Myanmar and Thailand can give fillip to India’s Look East Policy.
The sectors like Tourism, Fisheries, Energy, Transport and
Communication, Technology etc has huge potential to flourish under the
BIMSTEC FTA regime.
However,
even if the pace of SAFTA is slow, it cannot be considered as less
promising. SAFTA can play an important role in unified South Asian
region. It can be a lucrative market as three thickly populated
countries i.e. India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are the members. The keen
interest shown in SAFTA by countries like US, China, Russia, Japan and
South Koera is the testimonial of the fact that its potential should not
be underestimated
What do you understand by ‘repo rate’ and ‘reverse repo rate’? What are the implications in raising these rates?
(Civil Services Exam-2010, 150 words)
“Repo
Rate” stands for repurchasing agreement between the Central Bank of a
country and the other commercial banks. It is an instrument of monetary
policy which is used to adjust the short term money supply in the
economy.
Repo
is a lending with collaterals i.e. the banks which borrow money from
Reserve Bank to meet short term needs have to sell securities, usually
bonds to Reserve Bank with an agreement to repurchase the same at a
predetermined rate and date. Reserve bank charges some interest rate on
the cash borrowed by banks this is called ‘repo rate’. The lender of
securities is said to be doing repo whereas the lender of cash is said
to be doing ‘reverse repo’. In a reverse repo Reserve Bank borrows money
from banks by lending securities. The interest paid by Reserve Bank in
this case is called reverse repo rate.
Implications of increasing these rates:
Increase
in Repo or Reverse Repo rate squeeze out the money supply generally to
control inflation. Increase in repo rate means that the bank which is
lending from Reserve Bank has to pay more interest, this make borrowing
dearer and thus control the excessive liquidity.
On
the other hand increase in Reverse Repo means that Banks can earn more
interest by lending money to Reserve Bank thus it is an incentive to
them to lend the money to Reserve Bank. This also results in squeezing
money supply from the economy.
Agricultural productivity in India remains low. Explain the reasons for this.
(Civil Services Exam- 2008, 150 words)
Agriculture
productivity in India is very low as compared to the other countries.
Various socio-economic factors as well as institutional and
infrastructural bottlenecks are responsible this.
Indian
agriculture is predominantly rain fed and substantial in nature. The
size of average landholding in the country is one of the lowest in the
world. The sector in the recent past has been marred by increasing
fragmentation, low rate of capital formation and decreasing public
investments. The use of farm inputs like fertilizers in India is much
lower than the world’s average.
Institutional
bottlenecks such as lack of political will for land reforms, land
consolidation, proper land tenure system have resulted into low
productivity. Lack of governmental support for the farm inputs, paucity
of institutional finance and the use of obsolete technologies along with
poorly directed farm subsidies are also responsible for the same.
Infrastructural
factors such lack of public support for farm mechanization and paucity
of irrigation facilities, power supply, credit at low rate, storage and
processing facilities and marketing mechanism have resulted into low
productivity.
What is “Round-Tripping” in the context of FDI inflow, and why has it been in the news recently in case of India?
(Civil Services Exam- 2010, 100 words)
It
refers to the routing of the investment by a resident through a
different country with whom the country has signed DTAA (also called tax
heavens). The only purpose to do so is to avoid taxes. For example any
Indian resident if invests directly in shares of an Indian company would
have to pay capital gains taxes. However, if he routes his investments
through an entity incorporated in Mauritius, the taxes can be avoided
under a double taxation avoidance treaty (DTAA) between the two
countries. Thus the resident can avoid the capital gains tax by routing
his investment through tax heavens; this is called “Round Tripping”.
It
was in news recently because of the bulk of media attention to opaque
participatory notes (PN) off FII has given fillip to this practice.
“Many
Englishmen honestly consider themselves the trustee for India and yet
to what a condition they have reduced our country”. Critically analyze
the statement with reference to the context in which they were made.
(Civil Services Exam- 2009, 250 words)
The
statement was made by Nehru in 1929 while addressing Lahore Session of
the Congress as the President. The fundamental idea behind this
statement was to highlight the cause of peasant and working class.
Through these words Nehru not only attacked the British Raj but also the
Gandhian ideology within Congress which advocated for the trusteeship
model, class collaboration and status quo.
According
to Nehru, Paternalism in any form would not be able to emancipate
masses and improve their condition. Some Englishmen even though they had
good intention to improve the country and countrymen but since they
considered themselves as the trustee for India actually perpetuated the
colonial and class interests. The concepts like “Whiteman’s burden” were
racist in the tendency and were not based on the tenets of equality and
were the example of Paternal Despotism which was ignominious to native
knowledge, culture and civilization. The idea of trustee did not
devolve the power equally in India society and thus perpetuated status
quo. This also ruined the country and countrymen during the colonial
rule.
The
statement also has the connotations of class conflict as a means to
overcome the class dominance. Therefore the statement also defies the
Gandhian model of trusteeship and class collaboration.
The
aim of Nehru was to ensure participation of peasants and working in the
National movement which constitutes the majority of the country’s
population. Through the statements like this he wanted to display his
commitment towards the socialist principles and dynamic socio-economic
transformation of Indian society.
What are the salient features of the political and economic relationship between India and South Africa?
(Civil Services Exam 2008- 250 words)
India and South Africa are the two emerging economies of the 21st Century.
Although located in different continents both the countries are facing
various economic issues which are common, in political context a there a
is legacy of strong relationship since freedom struggle.
Since
both the countries had the history of colonial domination, there are
various values which are similar. For example India strongly opposed the
imperialism and Apartheid in South Africa. India and South Africa both
are the champions of plural society and democracy. In various
international political and economic forums the interests of both the
countries coincide. For example both the countries are strong supporter
of multi-polar world and South-South cooperation. Both the countries
favor nuclear disarmament and use of nuclear energy for peaceful
purpose. The two countries are also on the same side on various issues
in WTO. The recent multinational forums like IBSA and BRICS have further
cemented the ties between the two countries.
On
economic front both the countries are emerging economies and complement
each in various sectors. For example South Africa is a country with
huge gold reserves while India has the large market and demand for the
gold. South Africa is one of the leading producers of diamond while
India has world’s diamond’s processing Industry. India is the largest
importer of Coal from South Africa. Big Indian companies like Tata and
Mahindra have done huge investments in South Africa.
However
there is still lot of economic potential between the two countries that
can be leveraged upon. To harness this potential effectively a
bilateral trade agreement can play a crucial role.
Assess the significance of coastal regions in the economic development of India.
(Civil Services Exam- 2009, 150 words)
India
is bestowed with a large coastline of 5700 km which is of great
economic significance. Coastal regions supports the diverse flora and
fauna, provides immense survival opportunities for human settlements and
others, open the flood gates of connectivity through water transport
and act as a rich source for minerals and fossil fuels.
About
25% of the population of our country is settled within the 50 km from
the coastal region. Various important cities which are vital from
economic point of view as well are located in coastal regions for
example Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Panaji, Kochi, Vishakhapatnam etc.
Coastal
regions open the flood gates for the connectivity with the world by
providing us number of ports and natural harbors. Since the water
transport is cheapest means of transport, it plays a crucial role in
foreign trade for India.
Coastal
regions are also rich in minerals and especially fossil fuels. Oil
exploration and natural gas are the important economic activities in the
coastal regions. For example Bombay High accounts for 15% of total oil
production of the country.
Various major industries like ship building, metallurgy, manufacturing etc are located in or around the coastal regions.
Coastal
regions are also important for the Tourism industry. Various coastal
regions have become famous tourist destination for the tourist all
across the world.
China’s “Peaceful Rise” doctrine.
(Civil Services Exam 2009- 150 words)
The
doctrine seeks to characterize China as a responsible world leader. The
doctrine emphasizes soft power, and establishes that China is committed
to its own internal issues and improving the welfare of its own people
rather than interfering with world affairs. The term suggests that China
seeks to avoid unnecessary international confrontation.
The
doctrine is used primarily to reassure the nations of Asia and the
United States that the rise of China in military and economic prominence
will not pose a threat to peace and stability, and that other nations
will benefit from China’s raising power and influence.
In
this context the steps like peacefully solving of the territorial
disputes with Russia and Japan, the willingness to avoid unnecessary
confrontation with US, showing mild assertiveness on border disputes
concerning with the Spratly Islands, Diaoyu Islands, and South Tibet are
also the examples of this doctrine.
However
there is other is other side of the coin as well. China is still
showing her assertiveness in order to fill the vacuum after Japan to be
the master in Asia. China still has difficult relations with Japan and
continues a military modernization program. She is raising her
assertiveness in China sea, India and Pacific Ocean. The policy of
“String of Pearls” is an example of this. China’s military supports to
Pakistan to counterbalance India are some of the examples which grossly
defy this doctrine.
Since
international diplomacy is very complex in nature and at times mutually
contradictory principles and doctrines are seen to be applied by the
countries in different contexts. The same is true for China.
“Disputes
between the riparian states on sharing of river waters in
post-Independence India are becoming increasing complex.” Objectively
analyze the major disputes in this connection, with special reference to
the southern states.
(Civil Services Exam 2010, 250 Words)
The
interstate rivers have become theatre of disputes in the post
independence era. The factors such as increasing population,
urbanization, regionalism, political compulsions, collation politics
and increase in demand for water due to use of fertilizers and high
yielding varieties of crop have made the situation complex.
All
the major rivers originate in one state and passes through the others.
The data on which the water sharing is based has become unviable and
anachronic. Mostly the disputes are related to the extra utilization
from the binding legal contracts into which the respective states have
entered themselves. Since water is the issue related to basic needs and
livelihoods thus the pressure groups, regionalism and politics also gets
involve into the issue which further make it complex.
The following are the major inter-state water disputes in the country:
1. Cauvery
2. Ravi Beas
3. Krishna
4. Godavari
5. Yamuna
The
issue gets intensified in Southern states because of two major factors.
Firstly the rivers in south India witness steep changes in their annual
regime. Secondly, paddy cultivation is rampant in this part which
requires plenty of standing water. Cauvery and Mulperriyar Dam issues
are the two major inter-state water disputes in southern India in recent
past. While Cauvery water dispute is related to water sharing between
the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhara Pradesh, Mulperiyar Dam
issue is related with the height of Dam where the two states i.e. Tamil
Nadu and Kerala have taken opposite stands.
The
legal agreements and awards by the Tribunals in these disputes might
prove beneficial to one party in the short term, but in order to cater
to the increasing demand of water, cooperation among the states and
other players is essential to come up with innovative and sustainable
solutions like treatment of sea water, promotion of drought resistant
crops etc.
What is Cloud Computing? What are its advantage and disadvantages?
(Civil Services Exam-2010, 150 Words)
Cloud
computing is a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access
to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks,
servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly rented
and released with minimal management effort or service provider
interaction. This cloud model promotes availability and is composed of
five essential characteristics
1. On-demand self-service
2. Broad network access
3. Resource pooling
4. Rapid elasticity
5. Measured Service
Advantages:
1. It reduce the cost of infrastructure to a great extent
2. It tackles the issue of scaling as per the demand
3. The cost has to be incurred on the basis of actual usage.
4. It is highly automated
Disadvantage:
1. The security is the big issue in case of resource pooling
2. The model requires the net connectivity
3. Infrastructure is also a big challenge.
However
if we analyze the advantages and disadvantage it could be inferred that
in spite of a few disadvantages the model has huge potential for the
future.
Explain and differentiate among “Plasma”, “LCD” and “LED” television technologies.
(Civil Services Exam- 2010, 150 words)
Plasma
TV contains a sheet of individual Plasma cell which gets activated due
to electric current. The fundamental principle behind Plasma TV is the
release of ultra violet photon when the excited electron returns to the
normal state.
The
LCD TV has liquid crystal which gets activated with the current. Since
the panel has no light of its own, an external source is required for
the lightening.
The
principle of LED is similar to that of LCD which also has liquid
crystal, the difference is that the lightening source in the case of
former is light emitting diode.
On
price front Plasma is the most economical technology while LED is the
costliest. The performance of Plasma is better than LED and LCD in terms
of motion and the image of Plasma TV remain good at almost all angles.
On the other hand the lifespan of LED and LCD TVs are greater than that
compared to Plasma technology.
Assess the contribution of Indian Diaspora in the Caribbean.
Civil Services (U.P.S.C) Exam 2010, 150 words
The
Indian diaspora has contributed in amost every sphere in the Caribbean
countries. No dimension in Caribbean nations including politics, art and
culture, sports and business have remained untouhced by the vital
contributions of Indian diaspora which at present is more than 2 million
in number.
Several
Indian origin persons have occupied key political posts and offices in
the recent past. Bharat Jagdeo (President of Guyana) and Kamala Prasad
Bissessar (Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago) are a few of them who
have reached upto the apex offices in these island countries.
In
the field of literature the contribution of Indian diaspora in
Caribbean countries is remarkable. Sir V.S Naipaul, Samuel Selvon,
Mahadai Das, Ramabai Espinet etc have made significant contribution in
enriching the literature and culture of these countries.
In the field of medical sciences Dr Anne Dipchand and Dr Doobay are among the distinguished figures in these countries.
Cricketers
of Indian origin have also made great contribution to these countries.
Players like Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chanderpaul and Dinesh Ramdin are icons
in these countries.
How far have Japan’s principles of Hikaku San Gensoku impacted bilateral ties with India?
Civil Services (U.P.S.C) Exam 2o1o, 150 words
The
three non-nuclear principles (Hikaku San Gensoku) strongly advocate
Japan "not to possess nor manufacture nuclear weapons, nor to permit
their introduction into Japanese territory". The principles have shaped
Japan’s attitude towards India and effected the bilateral relations.
When
India conducted its 1974 and 1998 nuclear tests, committed to these
principles, Japan imposed economic sanctions and criticized India’s
nuclear policy in various disarmament forums.
Japanese
political leadership because of its adherence to these principles has
also persuaded Indian government to sign the nuclear non-proliferation
treaty.
These
principles also had implications in the recent past when the Japanese
government wanted a Nuclear Deal with India in order to give momentum to
its economic growth. The government had to face serious criticism
discussions on the nuclear deal with the non-NPT member, nuclear India.
Under such pressure, Japan took almost five year to reach a level to
discuss modalities of the Indo-Japan nuclear deal. The deal is also
crucial since American and French nuclear companies have Japanese
partners, and without an Indo-Japan agreement, nuclear deals with the US
and France would be non-starters.
Japan
has to understand strategic needs of India, its clean track record of
non proliferation and commitment towards democratic credentials and
should treat India similarly the way US and other western countries has
done.
Discuss the causes and ramification of hunger in Africa.
(Civil Services Exam 2005, 150 words)
Acute
and chronic hunger is one of the critical issues in Africa. Its causes
are complexly interwoven into various political, socio-economic and
cultural realities. The ramification of hunger manifests itself into
various forms in all aspects of life the people as well as international
relations and geopolitics of the continent.
Colonial
hangover, political instability, lack of democratic institutions,
extreme climatic conditions, rise in dictatorial and authoritarian
regimes and low level of human development indices are the major cause
of hunger in Africa. Rampant boundary issues and ethnic conflicts among
various tribes to grab the political power and rich natural resources
have marginalized the local population and have made them vulnerable to
hunger.
Ramifications
of hunger are large scale malnutrition, high infant mortality rate,
migration, ethnic tribal conflicts over the resources and malaise like
drug trafficking, prostitution and AIDS. In the name of mitigating
hunger various western countries are perpetuating their agenda to
control the rich natural resources.
On
the other hand various positive intervention by African Union, Red
Cross, UNICEF and other international organizations and international
communities have been designed to combat hunger.
Model Answers For Mains
Measures taken by the Indian Government to combat piracy in the Indian Ocean
((Civil Services UPSC Exam 2011-150 words)
Marine
piracy has emerged as a huge threat to shipping community and
international trade. In order to combat piracy in the Indian Ocean some
of the measures taken by the Indian authorities are:
- The
government has come up with the staunch anti piracy laws. Since earlier
the laws exclusively dealing with piracy were missing, it was difficult
to tackle the issue of anti piracy.
- The
government has set up Inter-ministerial Group of Officers which is the
main body responsible for taking pertinent decisions in case of
emergency situations.
- Indian government has also deployed Indian war vessels in the oceanic area where piracy is highly rampant.
In your opinion were the positive steps taken by British to modernize India?
(Civil Services Exam 2003, 250 words)
All the policies and actions of the British Raj were aimed to consolidate British rule in India and to perpetuate the
interests of the colonial power. However, to some extent some of the positive steps modernize India as well.
The first positive step by British Raj was in the context of legal systems and laws in India. The concept like rule of
law and western judicial system was introduced by British Raj in India. These laws replaced the earlier archaic laws
and modernized the legal system but the main aim behind these was administrative ease for the alien rule.
The main aim behind the reform in Education can be best described by Macalay’s words that we need “Brown
Englishmen”. The aim to reform the education system in India was to produce an educated class that could be suitable
to perform petty administrative tasks at the same time would have high influence of British and western culture so that
a large market can created for British industries.
Likewise the communications and infrastructure advancement in the form of introduction of railways, telegraphs etc had
implicit strategic interests to strengthen British rule in India.
Thus
the main aim of behind the so called positive policies of British raj
was to strengthen the interests of imperial power.
|
Evaluate
the contribution of revolutionary terrorism represented by Baghat Singh
to the cause of India’s struggle for Independence.
(Civil Services Exam 2008)
The
freedom struggle led by Indian National Congress was based on tenets of
non violence. On the other hand there was a section of freedom fighters
which believed in the cult of pistol and bombs and did not hesitate to
use violence against the British Raj. They wanted to use terror as a
means to achieve the political goals by paralyzing the state machinery
and intimidating British officers. Bhaghat Singh was the proponent of
this ideology.
Apart
from the goal of freedom Bhaghat Singh also envisaged a classless
Indian society devoid of exploitation of all kinds. His ideas were much
influenced by the socialism and Russian Revolution.
Under
the leadership of Baghat Singh the revolutionaries formed Hindustan
Republican Association in 1928. Among various other revolutionary
activities, Saundrer’s murder and Assembly bombing made a huge impact on
freedom movement in general and youths in particular.
The
deep determination, courage, patriotism and sense of sacrifice of
Baghat Singh and his collogues stirred the masses. They were first to
demand Complete Independence and to a great extent the socialist
consciousness among the masses in Northern India is their contribution.
Comment
on the nature of Ordinance-making power of the President of India. What
are the safeguards against their possible misuse?
(Civil Services Exam- 2001, 150 words)
The
power to promulgate Ordinances by the President is mentioned in Article
123 of Indian Constitution. President can promulgate an Ordinance in
case he is convinced that it is not possible to have the parliament
enact on same subject immediately and the circumstance render it
necessary for him to take immediate action.
Since
it’s the prerogative of the Legislature and not the Executive to make
the laws, and in case of Ordinance the Executive i.e. formulates the
law, thus it is essential to have safeguards against its possible
misuse.
There
are safeguards which are explicitly mentioned in the constitution for
the possible misuse of this. Firstly, the President can promulgate
Ordinances only on the aid and advice of the council of ministers.
Secondly parliament has the power to pass resolution disapproving the
provisions of the ordinances. Thirdly, the ordinance automatically
expires within six weeks of the reassembly of the houses of the
parliament unless passed in the houses.
What is dry-land farming? Discuss its relevance in augmenting the food supply in India.
(Civil Services Exam- 2001, 150 marks)
The
methods and techniques used for augmentation of cultivation in arid and
semi arid zones (i.e. where annual precipitation is below 120 cms) are
called dry land farming. Various water conservation techniques, specific
irrigation facilities, drought resistant crops etc are the examples of
dry land farming.
A
large percentage of area in northern, north-western, western and
central part of the country comes under the arid and semi arid zones.
Dry land farming can enhance the production and productivity of food
crops in these areas. This could augment the aggregate food grain
production and therefore the food supply in the country. These
techniques could also increase the chance of cultivation in the areas
which are hitherto uncultivated.
The
community based dry-land farming is also ecologically sustainable, thus
it can cater to the needs of the forth coming generations as well in
terms of food supply.
“The condition of urban poor is more deplorable than their rural counter parts”. Give your views.
(Civil Services Exam- 2008)
Poverty is urban areas result into higher vulnerability and marginalization as compared to rural poverty.
Apart
from limited access to employment opportunities and income like their
rural counterparts the urban poverty is also marred with high cost of
living, greater exposure to hazardous violent and unhealthy
environments.
For
urban poor there are no or little social protection mechanisms. Urban
poor do not have access to rich natural resources such as forests,
ponds, rivers etc. The urban poor are more vulnerable to abuses like
child labor, prostitution, beggary, drug addiction, AIDS and alcoholism.
The
urban poor generally reside in slum dwelling, which are the symbol of
exclusion and deplorable living conditions. These dwellings are thickly
populated generally located in extremely polluted environment with
unsafe shelters and little or no access to basic amenities like water
supply, electricity, schools and toilets.
Majority
of government aided developmental schemes target the rural poor. Thus
it’s correct to say that the condition of urban poor is more deplorable
than their rural counter parts.
Evolution of Green Benches in our higher Judiciary
(Civil Services Exam 2011)
Right
to a wholesome environment is now an inferred fundamental right derived
from Article 21. The apex court has widened the scope of Article 21,
and has interpreted wholesome environment as a right essential for Right
to Life. In this context the Supreme Court and the High Courts have now
started to entertain the cases related to environment in their writ
jurisdiction under Article 32 and Article 226 respectively. These courts
have also started entertaining the issues related to environment
through Public Interest Litigations.
In
this context, National Green Tribunal has been established under the
National Green Tribunal Act 2010 for effective and expeditious disposal
of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of
forests and other natural resources. The Tribunal is mandated to make
and endeavor for disposal of applications or appeals finally within 6
months of filing of the same.
The
environment sensitive laws and attitude of the judiciary would not only
help in mitigation of Climate change and improve the quality of the
life for citizens but would also have positive implications on the
backward and marginalized communities in rural and tribal areas.
Benefits and potential drawbacks of ‘cash transfers’ to Below Poverty Line Households
(Civil Services Exam 2011)
Benefits of “Cash Transfer”
It
is the easiest way to tackle issues like poverty, chronic hunger etc.
The target group can be benefitted most easily through this. External
factors such as infrastructure requirement etc are least required in
these transfers. It gives choice to the targeted group to utilize the
money as per their needs. It can also mitigate problems like migration.
Drawbacks of “Cash Transfers”
Cash
transfers create dependency syndrome in the targeted population. Since
the productivity, skills or infrastructure is not developed through cash
transfers they can act as only short term measures rather than long
term intervention for inclusive development. The issue of leakages and
poor targeting is also associated with the cash transfers.
The winter rains in North India are largely related to Jet Stream and western disturbances. Bring out the relationship.
(Civil Services Exam 2008, 150 words)
Jet
streams are the three dimensional movement of air mass from west to
east at a high speed above the surface of the earth. Sub Tropical
Easterly Jet Stream carries the turbulent weather conditions from
Mediterranean region to the Indian sub-continent. The disturbances
caused by the Mediterranean region are called western disturbances.
These are responsible for the winter rains in north and north western
part of the country.
The
moisture in these storms usually originates over the Mediterranean Sea.
During winter the high pressure area is developed over the land mass of
the Indian Subcontinent. Due to high pressure over the land mass, a low
pressure situation prevails over the landmass which is occupied by sub
tropical Easterly jet stream. This jet stream carries the turbulent
weather condition from Mediterranean to Indian subcontinent bringing
winter rains. In this way the Western Disturbances over Mediterranean
sea and Jet stream are responsible for winter rains in northern India.
