UPSC Mains General Studies Solved Paper (2014) - "Paper-4 : Technology, Economic Development, Bio diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management"
Q1. 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?
Answer.
The reasons behind India shifting directly from agriculture to services sector have roots in several domestic and external factors.
(1) Industrial growth in India has been slower due to inadequate infrastructure, Licence Raj, red taprism, lack of competition, lack of capital and dependence of India on other countries for its energy needs.
(2) On the other hand services sector grew on account of growth in sectors like IT sector in wake of liberalization of Indian economy in 1990s. India became a top IT services outsourcing destination.
(3) People from agriculture did not shift to industries because of lack of jobs in the sector. Rather they shifted to unorganized and informal services sector.
It will be very difficult for India to become a developed country without a strong industrial base because:-
(1) The surplus labour in agriculture cannot be absorbed by services sector. Service sector is less labour intensive. Only a strong industrial base can create a large number of jobs thereby absorbing surplus labour force from agriculture.
(2) Absence of a strong industrial base will make India dependent on other countries for its needs. It will increase import bill as well as current account deficit leading to imbalance in India's trade.
(3) There will be supply side constraints in absence of a strong industrial base leading to high inflation.
Thus a strong industrial sector is imperative for India to become a developed country.
Q2. "While we flaunt 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.
Q3. There is also a point of view that Agricultural 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.
Q4. "In the villages itself no form of credit organization will be suitable except the cooperative society."- All India Rural Credit Survey.
Discuss this statement in the background of agricultural finance in India. What constraints and challenges do financial institutions supplying agricultural finance face? How can technology be used to better reach and serve rural clients?
Q5. The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 has come into effect from 1st January, 2014. What are the key issues which would get addressed with the Act in place? What implications would it have on industrialization and agriculture in India?
Answer.
The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 has replaced the archaic Land Acquisition Act of 1894. The new Act will address several issues which are as follows:-
(1) Unlike the old Act, the new Act will provide for rehabilitation and resettlement of people displaced by land acquisition.
(2) Earlier there was no requirement for prior consent. The new Act makes it necessary to obtain consent of 80% land owners required for private projects and 70% land owners required for Public-Private Partnership Projects.
(3) The compensation issue has been resolved by increasing the compensation value.
(4) The earlier Act did not take into account the impact of land acquisition on different sections of society. This issue has been addressed by introducing social impact assessment prior to land acquisition.
(5) There is restriction on land acquisition of irrigated multi-cropped land. It addresses the issue of shrinking agricultural land.
(6) Special safeguards for tribal communities is expected to solve the issue of tribal displacement.
Impact on Industrialization and agriculture
(1) The requirement of a social impact assessment for every acquisition can delay the completion of industrial projects.
(2) High rates of compensation can make industries and infrastructure projects economically unviable.
(3) Consent clause may also delay infrastructure projects that are required for industrialization.
(4) There is restriction on acquisition of irrigated multi-crop land. This will have positive effect on agriculture.
(5) The Act provides that when acquiring agricultural land, the state has to cultivate an equivalent area of land elsewhere as agriculture land. This provision will also undermine the adverse impact of land acquisition on agriculture.
(6) The delay in infrastructure projects needed for agriculture sector may affect the agriculture adversely.
Q6. Capitalism has guided the world economy to unprecedented prosperity. However, it often encourages short-sightedness and contributes to wide disparities between the rich and the poor. In this light, would it be correct to believe and adopt capitalism for bringing inclusive growth in India? Discuss.
Q7. Explain how Private Public Partnership arrangements, in long gestation infrastructure projects, can transfer unsustainable liabilities to the future. What arrangements need to be put in place to ensure that successive generation’s capacities are not compromised?
Q8. National Urban Transport Policy emphasizes on 'moving people' instead of 'moving vehicles'. Discuss critically the success of the various strategies of the Government in this regard.
Answer.
Ministry of Urban Development issued National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP) in 2006 to bring about comprehensive improvements in urban transport services and infrastructure. The policy focus is on moving people rather than vehicles. Since then several new initiatives have been taken by MOUD to promote good mobility in cities.
The positive impact of the policy can be seen in more number of people using public passport. However, various strategies of the Government like BRT, JNNURM, etc have not solved many of the problems. All categories of road users are facing problems in commuting. The pedestrians do not get a safe, conflict free and obstruction free path to walk. The cyclists have to fight for the right of way with fast moving motorized modes of transport, many a times risking their lives. The users of Public transport face long waiting periods, uncertainty in travel time and difficult conditions of travel. The movement of personal motorized modes of transport is slowed down by the slow moving passenger and goods traffic and face significant delays at traffic signals and road junctions. Road users get restless leading to road rage, rash driving and accidents.
Besides, there is a huge deficit in urban transport services and infrastructure both in quality and quantity. The use of desirable modes like walk, bicycle etc. is declining. As a result congestion is increasing. Road safety and rising number of accidents are also a matter of concern.
There is a need for more equitable allocation of road space with people, rather than vehicles. Besides intelligent transport systems should be introduced and institutional mechanism for enhanced coordination between agencies and between agencies and people should be established.
Q9. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the defence sector is now set to be liberalized. What influence this is expected to have on Indian defence and economy in the short and long run?
Q10. Scientific research in Indian universities is declining, because a career in science is not as attractive as are business professions; engineering or administration, and the universities are becoming consumer-oriented. Critically comment.
Q11. Can overuse and free availability of antibiotics without Doctor's prescription, be 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.
Answer.
Drug-resistant diseases are these diseases in which the microorganism causing the disease becomes resistant to the drugs used to treat the disease. In India the easy availability and higher consumption have contributed to the inappropriate use of drugs, creating a situation where resistant microorganisms are more common. The infectious disease burden in India is among the highest in the world and inappropriate and excessive use of antibiotics without Doctor's prescription has led to an increase in development of drug-resistant diseases.
In 2011, there were an estimated 6.3 Lakh cases of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) among the world's 12 million cases. India alone has around 60,000-70,000 drug resistant TB patients in India. Not only TB, resistance is occurring across many infections agents responsible for diseases like sepsis, diarrhea, pneumonia, urinary tract infections, gonorrhea. etc.
In such a scenario, there are concerns that if much greater care is not exercised, then we can return back to an era where common infections and minor injuries can once again kill.
Following measures have been in place for addressing the problem:-
(1) Medical stores have been prohibited from selling 24 key antibiotics without a doctor’s prescription.
(2) Various programmes have been revised keeping in mind the menace of drug-resistance like revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme.
(3) The Chennai Declaration to tackle antimicrobial resistance has been adopted. Under the declaration, several recommendation will be implemented such as restricting the over the counter sale of antibiotic drugs, building in hospital antibiotic monitoring facilities, setting up on autonomous antibiotic policy accredition agency by all hospitals to monitor antibiotic usage.
There is need for spreading awareness among common people about the problem of drug-resistance and laying emphasis on preventing infections from occurring such as with better hygiene and improving access to sanitation and clean water.
Q12. In a globalized world, Intellectual Property Rights assume significance and are a source of litigation. Broadly distinguish between the terms-Copyrights, Patents and Trade Secrets.
Q13. Should the pursuit of carbon credits and clean development mechanisms set up under UNFCCC be maintained even though there has been a massive slide in the value of a carbon credit? Discuss with respect to India's energy needs for economic growth. \
Q14. Drought has been recognized as a disaster in view of its spatial expanse, temporal duration, slow onset and lasting effects on vulnerable sections. With a focus on the September 2010 guidelines from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), discuss the mechanisms for preparedness to deal with likely El Nino and La Nina fallouts in India.
Answer.
Various mechanisms encompassing prevention, preparedness and mitigation to prevent drought have been dealt by National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) under the guidelines issues in September 2010. The salient features of these mechanisms are as follows:-
(1) Prevention and preparedness mechanisms encompass measures like water supply augmentation, expansion of irrigation facilities, public awareness, transport links to supply food during drought, drought prone area delineation, gradation of drought prone areas into high, moderate and low, monitoring of drought by use of weather stations and satellite data etc.
(2) The mitigation measures include integrated soil, water and forest management, cloud seeding, on-farm management of water, judicious use of surface and ground water, use of micro-irrigation systems in agriculture (Sprinklers, drip irrigation), appropriate cropping patterns, post harvest management, crop insurance etc.
(3) The recovery and response measures after a drought has occurred includes rescue and relief services, emergency response, financial assistance, reconstruction activities and providing necessary social economic and psychological support to those who have been affected by drought.
Q15. Environmental Impact Assessment studies are increasingly undertaken before a project is cleared by the Government. Discuss the environmental impacts of coal-fired thermal plants located at coal pitheads.
Q16. "The diverse nature of India as a multi-religious and multi-ethnic society is not immune to the impact of radicalism which is seen in her neighborhood." Discuss along with strategies to be adopted to counter this environment.
Q17. International civil aviation laws provide all countries complete and exclusive sovereignty over the airspace above their 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 suggest ways to contain the threat.
Q18. How does illegal transborder migration pose a threat to India's security? Discuss the strategies to curb this, bringing out the factors which give impetus to such migration.
Q19. In 2012, the longitudinal marking for high-risk areas for piracy was moved from 65 degrees east to 78 degrees east in the Arabian Sea by the International Maritime Organization. What impact does this have on India's maritime security concerns?
Answer.
In the wake of increasing cases of privacy near Somalia that occasionally extended as for as Lakshadweep, International Maritime Organisation moved the longitudinal marking off the high risk area in the Arabian Sea from 65 degrees east to 78 degrees east. The new classification extended the high risk area much closer to the Indian coast barring the nation's territorial waters of 12 nautical miles.
The changed classification resulted in ships hugging the Indian coast and often cruising in Indian territorial waters while transiting the Arabian Sea. Many of these merchant vessels have armed guards as allowed by IMO. The Enrica Lexie Incident in which Italian marines shot and killed two Indian fisherman some 22 nautical miles off the coast was a direct fallout of the changed regulations. Soon after Enrica Lexied, m.v. Prabhu Daya, collided with a fishing boat off the Kerala coast.
The changed classification has increased the conflict between fisherman and merchant vessels leading to escalation of violence in the Arabian Sea.
All these issues have resulted in India demanding the rollback of the guidelines issued by the IMO which has marked the waters close to its western coast as at a high risk of piracy.
