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2) Chinas contribution to global recovery since the crisis of 2007-08 has been
significant. Its faltering, or falling prey to adventurist action in the South China
Sea, will not be good for itself, the region, or the world, including India.
Elaborate
China's current share in world trade is around 11%.Thus, any market elsewhere in the world is directly or
indirectly linked to it and is also likely to face consequences of its actions(both positive and negative).This shows
China's importance in the international order. China has made available cheap but good quality manufactured
goods, produced great amounts of steel and also many food crops special mention about organic pulses and tea.
In this way China has been supplying blood to the industries in form of her raw materials whose price was much
stabilised as a result. The skilled population of China and technology have further served as shock absorbent to
the globe in that out of limited resources maximum was made
Thus, it is of utmost importance that the actions resulting out of the recent arbitration related to disputed South
China sea and its subsequent unilateral rejection by China be studied properly.
> Adventurist action in South China Sea:
China has been building artificial islands in the legally claimed SCS with reference to historical reasons by the
virtue of nine-dash line. Of late this has been negated by the PCA. But China had remarked it to null and void
and has intensified her military presence in the latest development of which she and Russia are conducting joint
naval exercises despite international and neighbouring nations unease.
Not only is that, actions taken by non-regional players also likely to have impact not only in the region but for
parties outside it. For example-The recent lifting of arm sale embargo by US to Vietnam , the decision to hold joint
patrol by US with Phillipines are all seen as a reaction of it.
Lets understand it under the following heads:
For World :
1)This non adherence to ruling of rule based international regime might set a bad precedence. Other signatories
might also start challenging the legitimacy of different institution.
2)Likely to hinder cooperation on different global issues like migrant crisis,Terrorism,Growth etc. on different
global platforms like G20, UN etc.
Effect on the region:
1) ASEAN-China cooperation and trade to be see a setback as many of the disputed islands are claimed by
different members of ASEAN.
2) Militarisation of region would divert a large resource which could have been otherwise used for betterment of
lives of people in the region
On India:
1. India has been championing the cause of free movement in international waters. Such action is likely to affect
trade as it is home to $5 Trillion in borne trade.
2. Strategically important region both politically and economically((rich gas and fuel reserve).Likely to impact
exploration of ONGC videsh. Thus, economic loss.
3. Energy agreements in Turmoil: India-Vietnam joint exploration would be on stake to due war like situation
4. Increase Defence Budget: to safe guard its right in region India need to tackle aggressive policy of China
5. Effect on act East Policy: India involvement with east Asia would get a severe blow
6. Effect on economy: India-China trade would be effected in case of contention in region which be create
significant impact on economy due to unavailability of cheap import and export market in east Asia including
China.
India has been a successful institutional democracy; it must also be democratic in spirit by adhering to the
constitutional ideals of secularism, equality and unity.
* Obstacle to Indias progress: disruption in social sphere due to historical backwardness has widened regional
developments and disparities among demographics in terms of skill, purchasing power etc.
* harm to tourist potential: India with its initiatives like Swadesh darshan and Prasad with thematic tourist
destinations will be unable to exploit its features, due to past incidences regarding exploitation against
foreigners.
*negates urban mission: aim to make rural areas as engines of economic growth have become a dream with
rampant practices like untouchability, manual scavenging, social divisions, patriarchal based decision making.
Way forward: thrusting upon scientific education dissemination while developing local leaders as change
agents, behavioural change communication towards tolerance building, involvement of female in decision making
at gram Sabha's, technology based subsidies via DBT for farm inputs should be used to make India a swasth and
saakshar bharat.
4. Examine why prices of pulses in India has gone high in recent years.
What measures has the government taken to curb the surging prices of
pulses? Comment on these measures.
India is the largest producer and consumer of the pulses. In recent years rise in prices of pulses is due to
following reasons:
1.
Low YIELDS DUE TO CEREAL CENTRIC FOOD POLICY ; Indias cereal centric food security policies
emphasize rice and wheat while dis-incentivising the production of pulses through higher MSP for rice and
wheat presenting a demand supply mismatch.
2.
LOW YIELD DUE TO LOW IRRIGATED AND DROUGHT PRONE AREAS FOR PULSES: Dependence of pulse
production on rainfall and droughts has made it risky proposition for the farmers who further attract top
cereals.
3.
IMPORT DEPENDENCY AND LOW GLOBAL SURPLUS.
4.
CHANGING DIETRY NEEDS ; because of high purchasing power, the deity needs shifted towards fruits and
vegetables.
5.
Hoarding and black marketing
6.
STEPS TAKEN BY GOVT TO CURB THE SURGING PRICES OF PRICES ;
Ban export of these commodities and open up imports at zero duties this prevents farmers from getting a
better price for their produce in foreign markets which then dis-incentivises them from producing more.
7.
CREATING BUFFER STOCK ; This being done mainly through imports is a step in the right direction as it
will support price stabilisation.
8.
ESSENTIAL COMMODITIES ; ECA is invoked to impose stocking limits forcing private trades to liquidate
stocks immediately and taken action against hoarders and black marketers.
9.
MSP for arhar moong and urad dal to incentivise production :
10.
Delisting pulses from agricultural produce market committee APMC and abolishing local taxes on them.
Against this background the need of the hour is a overhaul of governments policy of Vis a viz pulses
production. Institutional and infrastructural support of the govt and technology improvement will help in crop
diversification and to bring down the increasing prices of pulses.
3)Entry of private players in both extraction and refining of petroleum products.Today,Essar and Reliance have
even opened up retail outlets.
4)Eventual deregulation of diesel and petrol prices leaving them open to market fluctuations thereby reducing
subsidy pressure on government.
5) Deregulation of LPG prices and reduction of subsidy. Direct Benefit Transfer of LPG subsidy has helped in
curbing the black marketing of subsidized cylinders. Introduction of GiveItUp campaign to promote well off people
to give up on LPG subsidy.Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana introduced to provide free gas connections to women
from BPL households
6)Widespread corruption in diversion of subsidized kerosene has been stemmed by using various measures.
Some of the suggested reforms as disinvestment in HPCL and IBP were not successfully implemented. The
former's got stalled and the latter got merged into IOCL. Still, some issues remain unresolved.However,petroleum
products being one of largest of India's exports shows a bright future for this sector in India.ONGC and IOCL figure
among the top oil companies in the world. Its time to further streamline this sector to bring it to what was
envisaged in the 1991 reforms.
1)
Examine how Microsofts City Next platform can help Indias smart
city project.
Microsoft city next is partner led initiative that empowers cities to be more sustainable prosperous and
economically competitive with simplified approach.
Smart cities are those that use information and communication technology assisted systems to empower citizens.
Microsofts city next platform can help Indias smart city project in following ways;
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
2)
DIGITAL CITIES: Cities can transform their digital citizen services by using breakthrough ideas to better
connect government business and people with innovative services that reduce cost and increase impact.
EDUCATED CITIES ; Microsoft city next solutions transform education to create more innovate school and
teaching practices that lead to prosperous competitive cities.
HEALTHIER CITIES : This project helps cities become healthier places to work and live with Microsoft
cloud, big data, mobile and social technologies, civic leaders can provide citizen centric services that improve
access to healthcare from virtually any location at any time.
SAFER CITIES ; Microsoft city next public safety solutions makes cities safer by taking cloud, big data,
mobile and social technologies in solutions for intelligence and analysis, surveillance and neighbourhood and
emergency management.
SUSTAINABLE CITIES; This initiative and our partners can help cities improve sustainability with solutions
that spans energy and water, building energy management, transportation, resource efficiency and
ecosystem services.
Thus Microsoft city next is the bridge that is making city transformation possible; plays a
meaningful role in deploying real time solution, accelerating economic development and environmental
sustainability.
1) Amending the AFSPA act to delist offences like sexual offence etc from it and trying them out under other
state and national criminal laws.
2) Slowly phasing out AFSPA based on threat perception from such areas and strengthening local police and
security officers.
3) Proactive role by local govt. towards real development, especially in social sectors.
4) In areas where AFSPA exists, having a robust judicial mechanism within Army to weed out elements from
within who indulge in such violation for promotion and awards. (Machil fake encounter case)
But the govt. has been reluctant to act on such recommendations due to following:
1)Fear of secessionist movement(Like Naga, mizo etc) getting emboldened by such measures.
2)Sensitive and precarious security situation due to proximity to international boundaries.
3)Fear that autonomy of Army might be compromised during counter-insurgency operations.
Way forward :
1)Implement recommendation in a phased manner
2)Enforce other peace accords with militant groups like Naga peace accord on ground
3)Reach out to local population and engage them in counter insurgency measures .
3)
This move has clearly been an attempt by the government to attract investment from large corporate houses
in manufacturing sector in India. However, this stands to reverse whatever progress we had achieved in
eradicating child labour in India. If no steps are taken to correct this action, India will pay heavily for the loss
of talent as there might have been a child who could have become a doctor but was forced to work on a
pottery wheel.
4)
5)
Why is it said that the battle to prevent online piracy in India is tough
one? In your opinion what steps should be taken to stop online piracy
and why? Comment.
A huge amount of traffic to online piracy portal Kickass torrents emanating from India suggest that the
menace of piracy in India is deep rooted and widespread. Several attempts to control this piracy have not
met wide success due to following reasons1) Slow and inefficient court proceedings.
2) Lack of a piracy specific law regarding enforcement of copyrights identical to Digital Millennium Copyrights
Act of USA.
3) Lack of filmmaker's will to push for legal action against end users, i.e., customers due to the fear of
alienating them.
4) Presence of a large number of online VPN tools and anonymous browsing aids.
5) Over blocking of sites resulting in blocking of innocent sites.
6) High pricing of DVDs and movie tickets forcing low earning population to go for alternative means like
pirated DVDs.
Steps that can be taken to prevent online piracy are highlighted as follows1) Establishing proper legislations regarding online piracy taking local consideration into mind.
2) Constituting a specially trained task force of ethical hackers to tackle with online cyber pirates.
3) Involving cyber giants as Google in implementing framework for tackling piracy.
4) Lowering of entertainment taxes by state governments to promote grass root population to go for ethical
means for watching movies.
5) Establishing separate tribunal for dealing with online piracy cases.
The menace of piracy leads to huge losses to filmmakers each year. Although it is largely accepted that this
problem cannot be completely eliminated. However steps can be taken to minimise it or enable filmmakers to
reap some of the benefits from these portals to make up for their losses. Piracy is a serious cybercrime and
must be dealt with without any laxity.
6)
7)
On part of state:
# Inefficacy of the legal framework in dealing with atrocities, for swift action and speedy justice delivery
# Domination of higher castes in running the affairs of the state
# Failure to provide quality and accessible education and sensitization of upper castes
Solutions to prevent such crimes:
# Using media to create awareness among lower castes about the legal framework like PoA Act, PCR Act,
e.g: ads of IRDA which were very effective
# Provision of clear time lines for investigation and trail in the cases of atrocities and usage of technology
in devising trackers for public monitoring
# Engaging civil society groups which are excelling in their fight for rights of dalits and scheduled tribes
The contradictions in our society will slow down the progress of the nation, these needs to be addressed
for realizing the true potential of the nation.
The Parliament recently passed the Benami Transaction(Prohibition) Bill,2015.This piece of legislation is part of the
govt.'s comprehensive approach to tackle the menace of Black money.This bill talks about tackling Black money in the
real estate sector.The different provisions of the bill are legislated to counter the use of unaccounted money to acquire
property under a fictitious name(Benami).
The different provisions can be summed up as :
1) Provisions relating to Confiscation and attaching of such benami properties
2)Fine along with prosecution for holding such unlawful properties.
This is a welcome move as it is likely to have the following impact :
1)Would curb the practice of tax evasion by accounting for such sources.
2)Counterfeit currency would find it difficult to enter market via such step.
3)Will help in reducing the cash-to-GDP intensity in transactions which is very high in India's case.
The Bill , despite so many positives, isn't free from flaws.For example : It only talks about Black money in real estate in
India.Thus the chances are that the same can be routed to other sector or entities to legitimise it. Like NRIs can be used
to buy properties. Thus, we need to strengthen our monitoring and prosecuting agency as well.
Coming to the second part, we see that tax evasion via such measures isn't just a simple case of denying a state its fair
share of revenue. It is , infact, criminal in nature.Such steps put financial stress on state which forces them to spend less
on social sectors where poor and marginalised are the biggest beneficiaries.
Hence, we see that poor people are indirectly affected by it as such cases hinders the trickle down effect.
Way forward :
1)Amnesty windows are good move. Can be extended for a while.
2)FEMA, PMLA should be amended and can given more teeth.
3) Discuss how GST differs from the current regimes, how it will work, and what
will happen if Parliament clears the Bill.
GST is touted as the biggest indirect tax reform since independence.It is an attempt to have a uniform
taxation system across the geography of India.It fundamentally changes the way Goods and services are
taxed in India.
Comparison with current regime :
1)Currently -->States taxes goods only and Centre handles taxation of services and manufacturing with the
exception of wholesale and retail market.After GST , goods will be taxed by Centre and services by state.
2)GST will subsume State and central taxes like Excise duty,custom duty among others.
3)Currently at every stage of production we have to pay taxes .Resulting in cascading effect.GST will do away
with this and only the final consumer will be taxed.
To understand what changes GST can possibly bring , we can do a stakeholder study :
On state :
1)Will be beneficial for consumer state as services will be charged by state. Producer state might loose initially
but provisions for No loss of 5 year will help them to adapt.
2)Will hinder the autonomy of political parties who on different occasions bought populist measures to suit
their political ideology
3)Smaller states are likely to suffer as Bigger and larger states in GST council would outweigh their demands.
On Union
1)Ease of doing business likely to be improved inviting investment in form of FDI.
2)Reduction in number of department resulting in more coordination and less expenditure.
3)Will do away with economic distortion in trade , services and consumption across region
4)Eliminate discretion on part of ministry,bureaucracy and hence less policy paralysis
5)More tax compliance and wider base of taxation.
6)Less litigation(due to complexities in technicalities) would save judiciary time.
On Citizens:
1)Will no longer have to pay tax on taxes.
2)Poor more likely to be affected as widening tax base would engulf them.
3)Since it doesn't depend on income hence marginalised section to be affected the most.
Concern :
1)Fear that it would lead to Union centralization and would affect cooperative federalism.
2)Many exemptions(like alcohol) given under it. Would work best when exemptions are minimum.
3)No mention of steps to deal with unorganised sector.
Conclusion: Opinions are many and house seems divided.But , with time, and judicial intervention and course
correction by Parliament the positives will outweigh the negatives.
India is currently home to 70% of World's wild tiger population. There has been a significant jump thanks to
some policy measures .Despite that , there are many challenges and dilemma that keep cropping up while
taking Tiger protection and conservation steps.
CHALLENGES :
1)Growing human population has seen buffer areas of National parks and reserves getting encroached upon and
thereby affecting the natural habitat of Tiger.
2)Provisions of FRA allowing resource extraction(non timber) has affected their habitat.
3)Increased instances of Poaching felicitated by nexus between forest officers and smuggler and supply in
international market .
4)Carrying capacity of reserves getting saturated and thereby occurence of Man-animal conflict resulting in loss
of lives.
5)Change in migration pattern of Tigers due low prey base.
DILEMMAS:
1)The foremost dilemma that the govt. has regarding Tiger conservation is to strike a balance between
Economic development for the betterment of country and Wildlife protection. Instances are there where two
have come in conflict. example- Ken-Betwa river interlinking is likely to submerge a large part of Panna Tiger
reserve.
2)Steps that needs to be taken to strike a balance between Right to life of both tiger and human as
constitutionally mandated.
Way forward:
1)Explore PPP model for conservation and protection by involving scientists, experts, NGOs(PETA).
2)Prefer Bio-fencing over Electric fencing which at times has proved to be fatal.
3)Translocate to other National park and Tiger reserves .Declare more Tiger reserves under NTCA.
4)Rope in popular faces to raise awareness about conservation measures , if possible.
5)Extend forest area only after proper consultation with Gram Sabah under FRA.
6)Improve scientific conservation methods. Drone can be used.
7)Relocate forest dwellers from buffer areas if possible without affecting livelihood.
8)Strengthen WCCB by giving more autonomy. Many convicted still few prosecuted for wildlife crimes.
7) Do you think a woman should have the right to seek abortion at any
time she pleases? Should the state have a say in an intimate matter of
what a woman wants to do with the foetus? What are the ethical issues
involved? Critically analyse.
Abortion is simply killing the foetus in the womb of the would be mother for any reason whatsoever. The
question here arises that should woman carrying the foetus have a liberty to decide when to end the living
being inside her or to go ahead and give the foetus a life by giving birth.
We should first examine the facts in which a woman would want abortion at first place. These can be the
following:
1)
2)
3)
4)
The foetus suffers from a disability (mental or physical) that is not desirable.
The foetus is the outcome of some crime as rape
The woman thinks that she cannot bear the responsibility and feels as a slave when pregnant.
Societal issues such as gender acceptability.
Now, let us look into the Act and judgements that prevail in our system to handle abortion. The MTP Act 1971,
states two conditions in which a foetus can be aborted:
2)
What are potential implementation problems that GST could face? Discuss.
The Parliament recently passed the 122nd Constitutional amendment bill in form of GST.But this ambitious indirect tax
reform has only cleared a legislative hurdle as of now.This bill is likely to encounter many implementation problems in near
future. Some of them are :
1)Any new change is seen with suspicion.There is always a general unwillingness to change.Thus this would act as an
hurdle.
2)A strong network of professional has to be trained in technical and HR areas by both Centre and State.This capacity
building would put financial stress on many states.
3)Large scale restructuring of departments,institutions,ministries has to be done to absorb GST provisions. Any delay
would result in delay in overall implementation .
4)A lot of investment needs to be done in developing IT solutions for GST network building. Will probably need a separate
budgetary allocation.
5)Pressure would be there to make compliance easy as any complexity might cause evasion. Necessary structures have to be
built/reformed.
6)Still no clarity on the Tax rate despite many meetings between finance minister's of different state's.GST council needs to
arrive at it quickly.
7)Concerns about financial autonomy of states still raised.Parity between large and small states in council will affect state's
autonomy to plan according to their own needs.One size fit all approach might be detrimental.
8)New form of litigation might evolve as many provisions are open ended and vague.Thus, might put a stress on judicial
system .
Thus, in my view, it is still a minimalist framework which would take another year or so to get fully implemented.
1. Administration issue: it is not clear whether there would be coordination between the departments or
whether the taxpayer will face two tax departments
2. Record-keeping & process to be changed: It would require taxpayers to change their system and
processes which involves lots of cost in order to implement and reap benefit of GST
3. Litigation ambiguity: States have to ratify their own laws for implementation so it is unclear that there
would be two separate litigation
4. Non-compliance-friendly tax regime: draft bill by Department of Revenue appear to be too keen to
safeguard the interest of the tax departments
5. Inflationary Impact: Empowered committees juggling to determine optimal rate using Revenue Neutral
Rate or RNR but if it is higher than the more is its inflationary impact
Measure needed to improve compliance:
1. Reduce the costs of compliance: For the GST regime to be successful
2. More effective costs: associated with evasion so as to induce a behavioral shift
3. Compliance-friendly tax regime: to avoid a number of litigation and complex compliance issues
adherence
4. Balanced tax rate: to avoid inflationary impact initially then slowly increase
After taking first step now a lot has to be dont on Implementation front for GST to reap the benefits of
Economic Growth.
4. Finance and Weapons Monitoring: UN etc an play a key role in cutting access to
finance and weapons supply.
5. Global Cooperation: Increasing cooperation means sharing lessons learnt,
training personnel and emulating tactics, sharing intelligence and technology
advancements between countries.
6. Global Institutionalization: Multilateral counter-terrorism bodies like GCTF could
play a significant role via talks and policy proposals.
7. Communication among intelligence agencies: There is political unwillingness to
allow direct top-to-top communication between intelligence agencies like RAW, ISI
which some security experts believe If allowed, can be an huge step towards
ensuring nation security.
8. Role of civil society and spiritual leaders in de-radicalization of people. Mere
deprivation and alienation do not cause radicalization, one's "World View" is of
great importance.
1) It is said that in India deprived social groups are using migration to
improve their socio-economic status in the rural economy. Do you think
migration is acting as a harbinger of social equality in rural India?
Examine.
Inequality has been a defining characteristic of the Indian society. To deal with this problem there have been
efforts on the side of government and the individuals themselves. The schemes related to employment,
insurance related to agriculture, health and loans for entrepreneurship and education, reservation for
education and jobs are the efforts of former and migration is that of the latter.
Migration as a harbinger of social equality in rural India has become an interesting topic of study now with
the pace at which urbanisation and industrialisation are happening. The recent study conducted by Institute
of Human Development whose data is presented in a paper based on 7 districts in Bihar(state that has
highest migration rate) regards 12 villages taking upon households of various socio-economic and caste
backgrounds has found that deprived social groups who have no land ownership like Dalits and Muslims
chose to move out to work and their remittances have enabled the respective families to repay their debts
within a short time span. It is to be noted that they chose to migrate than taking up work in GoI Schemes like
MGNREGA owing to paltry income and operational inefficiencies of the latter. This confirms that the social
structure acts as a push factor in addition to the economic factors.
The costs that such migrants pay and their vulnerabilities are:
1) They live in inhumane conditions and are victims of many life threatening diseases.
2) They are deprived of living happily together with their family and kinship groups and lose social capital
forever as a result.
3) Their livelihood depends on the health of market for informal sector they work in. Element of
unpredictability is an issue.
Thus in my opinion though migration is definitely helping people seek new opportunities, it cannot be a
substitute for a generating quality employment in more stable sectors.
2) Discuss the unique features of the Indus Waters Treaty. Do you think
Pakistan is undermining the Indus treaty? Critically comment.
4)
What is a Money Bill, and how does it differ from a Financial Bill?
Should Rajya Sabha be given powers on par with Lok Sabha to deal with
Money Bill? Comment.
Differences:
1) Content: A Money Bill is one which has any or all the items listed in Article 110(1) (a) to (g). A financial bill on the other
hand deals with any other matter as well additional to the matters listed under Article 110(1) (a) to (g) or an ordinary bill that
deals with matters related to Consolidated Fund of India.
2) Means of introduction: Money bill only in Lok Sabha as per Article 109. But the other can be introduced in Rajya Sabha as
well except when it deals with taxation.
3) Method of consideration and passage: Money bill is not voted upon by the Rajya Sabha. As per Article 109(5)It has to be
passed within 14 days by RS else it will be deemed as passed in original form. Any suggestions taken or not is solely LSs prerogative. No joint discussion is allowed.
RS and Money Bill:
Currently the LS has more powers regarding money bill. The implied rationale behind being members of LS is directly
elected by people but the RS members are indirectly elected.
> Not to be given powers on par with LS:
1) There will be great delay in passing them when the situation is dire needing quick action.
2) The GoI in helm may resort to ordinances in many instances bypassing even meaningful debate in LS.
> To be given powers on par with LS :
1) RS is representing states and today with the 14th FFC acceptance and GST adoption near soon many demands will arise
pertaining to taxation and funds in CFI with regards to states interest.
2) There will be legislative heck on the actions of executives pertaining to money matters as most dealings really happen in
states whose views must be factored in to enforce accountability in the era of coalition and regional parties.
Money power is the biggest unsolved problem in Indian elections and the root cause of
corruption.It should be the top most priority of the EC to implement effective measures to
curb because
1.Money spent during elections is mainly black money and beyond legally prescribed
limit.Obviously the winners tend to earn more thus leading for more corruption in the system.
2.competitors try to outspend one another to win the elections,Heavy inflow of money into the
economy leads to inflation in turn destroying the economy.
3.People below poverty line are highly vulnerable because of their needs,thus falling an easy
prey for corrupt politicians,they accept money for their needs and in turn vote for them.This
affects the very basic pillars of democracy and elections.
4.Ignorance and economic standard of the masses have become strong points for the corrupt
politicians to lure them into unfair means of voting and winning the elections.
Few measures which can be implemented are,
1. Bringing the political parties under RTI and auditing their accounts regularly to keep in
check the donations and funds received by them.
2. Making public all the donations received by a political party,however small it may be.
Increasing transparency is one of the most effective methods to curb this.
3. A separate division has to be made in the election comission headed by judiciary to take
quick actions against cases regarding bribing of voters or illegal flow of money into elections.
4. Educating the voters about the need for fair elections and the effects of accepting bribes for
votes on the society and economy.
Moral responsibility of the citizens besides these measures can help in effectively curbing this
menace forever, which in turn may bring more voters have confidence on the system and lead
to large voting turnouts.
4) Briefly discuss the nature and objectives of the Narmada Bachao Andolan.
Do you think such movements today more relevant than ever? Critically
comment.
Narmada has had a significant place in the history of India.It was always known as the river which divided the northern
and southern India into two different cultures,polity and administration via geographical division.In 1980s,the
government on its path of aggressive development decided to harness the hydological capacity of this river.It was
planned to construct a number of dams ranging close to 3000 with two mega dams being Sardar Sarovar Project and
Narmada Sagar dam.To resist the very construction of these dams arose Narmada Bachao Andolan under the leadership
of Medha Patkar.
The objective of this movement was at first to peacefully stop the construction of dams and especially the mega ones.As it
failed to do so even though it won considerable support from the international community,its objectives changed.At one
time it demanded that height of the dam not be raised.And now it aims to fight for adequate resettlement and
rehabilitation of the displaced tribals and rural population.The NBA is characterized by following features1)Its guided by two principles- a)Sangharsh- peaceful resistance to oppression and injustice
b)Navnirman- social reconstruction,resettlement and rehabilitation
2)It brought women and men at parity in terms of leadership
3)It united various castes together on grounds of protection of temples from submergence.
4)It exposes the treachery of corrupt politician-bureaucrat nexus effectively.
--Such movements have become more significant in today's era due to the excessive thrust to development and
increasing problems of environmental degradation.
--It is the need of the hour to move ahead with sustainable development which is enshrined by these movements.
--Also,these movement stand as a check against government oppression and help people in their fight for their rights.
--They bring about social integration.
Civil society is always meant to keep a check on the powers of the executive.These movements provide a voice to the civil
society and its grievances.
1)Do you think, post Kashmirs accession to India in 1947, was it Indias
policies that have consistently alienated Kashmiris from India?
Critically discuss.
2) Article 370 which grants Kashmir a "Special Status" was the beginning of Kashmir's alienation. Though an Integral part
of India but governed by it's own constitution with features like only permanent residents of the State can acquire
immovable property and with regard to public employment alienates it even further.
3) Failure of Policy to assimilate Kashmiris 4) 1. Lack of adequate employment opportunities.
5) 2. Heavy use of force to curb processions which leads to human rights violation and lack of connect between the armed
forces and Kashmiris which further alienates them specially the youth.
6) 3. Lack of governance and stable polity. Politicians use the public sentiment for their own benefit instead of trying to find
a solution.
7) 4. Inability of the government to engage with the separationists who command support from certain sections in a
constructive manner.
8) But the situation in Kashmir was not always the same. It had a prosperous tourism industry and the sense of alienation
we witness now was not seen. The alienation started during 1980's with the rise of terrorism from across the border
which mandated the use of Armed forces. The solution lies in economic and social inclusion of the Kashmiris in the
fabric of the country with Digital, Economic, Infrastructure and other dividends reaching them like in the other parts of
the country. Schemes like UDAAN and NAYI MANZIL aims to achieve the same .
4) Examine the objectives and issues arising out of the provision for the GST
Council to set up a dispute resolution mechanism
The objective of the establishment of GST Council as per the GST amendment bill , 2016 is to act as a dispute resolution
mechanism for the issues arising out of the distribution of taxes .
The main disputes that would come under the purview of GST Council would be to adjudicate dispute between
(i) Center Vs one or more states
(ii) Center and states Vs one or more sates
(iii) state Vs state
Cultural issue :The possible issues that would arise will be related to certain products that a state consider to be
exempted from tax due to its culturally value . example : Banaras sarees are exempted from tax in Uttar pradesh ,
similarly , Thaali used for wedding in exempted from taxation .
Economic issue : Certain states like Gujarat imposes prohibition on liquor but on the other hand Goa imposes lower tax
on alcohol because of the demand for it in the tourism industry that is a revenue earner for the state .
Legal issue : another issue would be of the state approaching the Supreme court for redressing the issues between the
center and states . Since , Supreme court have the exclusive jurisdiction to adjudicate the cases between center and state,
would automatically negate the verdict of the GST Council in the long run .
GST council can become a competent authority to adjudicate the case , if retired judges are given importance in the
council due to the high competence required in dealing with the cases
great extent. It will in fact complete the success of market reforms that of late has seen remarkable progress by the way of
Bankruptcy and Insolvency code, GST, FDI reforms etc.
Building state capacity:
To begin with the states and centre can co-ordinate in bringing about reforms in the sectors where both of them must put
in complementary efforts like that of administration, police and court system.
1) Administration: Lateral entries can be increased to attract experts into administrative field that is facing understaffing.
The insights provided by second ARC can be used. The concurrent subjects ought to be managed well taking help of the
NITI Aayog.
2) Police: UN recommends that there ought to be 222 cops per lakh population but in India we have only 140. This is
further compounded by the non-separation of investigation and law and order branches as well as politicisation of police
force. Police modernisation is to be taken up seriously and to that end the Soli Sorabjee committee recommendations can
be considered.
3) Court system: The HCs and SC have made certain rulings which are contradictory to one another. This has to be
sorted out immediately keeping in view the full faith and credit provision in Indian constitution. The number of judges
must be made 50 per million population as stated by the 1987 law commission report which took note of the dismal state
of 10.5 judges per million at that time.
7) India leads the world in road crash deaths and injuries. In your
opinion, who is to be blamed for this? What measures should be taken
by concerned authorities to prevent deaths due to road accidents?
Discuss.
The mortality and injury caused by road crash is highest in India. The reasons could well be :
1)Non-adherence to road safety protocols like not following Traffic signal.
2)Rash driving/drunken driving/ or any accident caused due to exceeding speed limit.A behavioral aspect
3)Corruption by officers of Motor vehicle department where they issue licenses to even an untrained
driver.
4)Growing economy ensured increase in number of cars per capita and thereby increasing density of cars
on road(indirect cause).
5)Pothole/open drains and failure to maintain roads by Highway authorities and civil bodies.
6)Lack of basic medical skills(First aid) in ordinary citizens and absence of tertiary healthcare system in
most part of the country.
7)Encroachment of footpath by vendors forcing the pedestrian to avail road.
8)Most important-The issue due to decentralized in nature doesn't figure on the priority list of political
parties and government as little to return in form of political gains
These frequent cases are a matter of concern as :
1)Loss of precious life wjich could have otherwise contributed to the economy in one way or other.
2)Loss of limbs or injuries or paralysis makes the victim a burden on the family as well as state.The
consumption expenditure increases in form of drugs, medical test etc. Forces poor in debt cycle in
absence of insurance.
Thus, the government should do the following :
1)Enact a strong Road safety legislation by including best practices from around the world and also
include views of all stakeholders(already doing).
2)Amend IPC laws to make cases of overspeeding/rash driving non-bailable in nature.Will act as deterrent.
3)Improve digital (CCTV) and Physical infrastructure(Speed bumper,better quality roads)
4)Amend Street vendors Act to do away with such encroachment.
5)Make acquiring first aid skill mandatory for getting a licence.
6)Strengthen public healthcare system by investing in tertiary health care system as many cases are
medically complicated .Ensure timely supply of medicine,blood.
7)Include acts done to save peoples live in such cases in National bravery award.
8)Timely compensation to victim so that no financial hardship is caused.
9)Improve the data collection and make it more scientific so that future policies could be modeled on it.
10)Have a proper mechanism to ascertain the real cause behind such accident so that the Driver doesn't
get prosecuted for no fault of his.
What is the Territorial Army (TA) What is its mandate? Does India
need TA? Examine.
Territorial army is a military force that can be mobilised whenever required for efficient administration
and security of part is threatened. It is a planned way of maintaining reserve military force when
emergencies arises.
Territorial army is composed of group of volunteer already engaged in some profession ,but has
undergone military training for few days in a month. They are used to relieve the static job of military
force and assist civil administration in dealing with the natural calamity. It is also asked to maintain
essential services in a situation where life a community is affected or security of country is threatened .
Mandates for Territorial army
1) The territorial army in India has been organised under the Territorial act which was passed in 1948.
2) the volunteer has to undergo a minimum of one month training in a calendar year.
3)any volunteer between 18 and 42 years of age can participate .
In India,it is very much required to maintain territorial army for the following reason.
1) It helps in dealing with natural calamities. Like Bhuj earthquake, Sikkim earthquake etc.
2) India is facing problem of infiltration in J&K and number of soldiers gets killed in prevented in this. Is is
very necessary to curb infiltration .
3)India is facing not only external threat but also internal threat such as naxalism , vandalism etc.
4) the essential services can be easily provided.
The nation can be progress by maintaining peace and providing essential services . This can be achieved
by maintaining Territorial army.
2. India is enhancing it's partnership with the rest of the countries by increasing trade by signing free
trade agreements.
Going ahead:
The recent visit of our home minister Rajnath sing's visit to Pak for SAARC home minster's meet has not
been a fruitful one as Pakistan was not willing to co-operate with India on many issues. Despite this,
Modi's visit Islamabad to attend the SAARC conference this year shows India's unwillingness to give up on
the ties b/w India and Pak. This will help in long term and will also potray India's image in the global
community as a peace keeping country also India's "neighbor first policy" can be enhanced.
3) Discuss how USA can help advance the cause of arms control,
Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament.
USA, who is a key player of many International organizations such as UNO is coming up with policies
which are going to reduce the nuclear non-proliferation, disarmament and arms control.
With increase in global terrorism, President Mr. Barack Obama has given a serious thought on reduction of
arms and nuclear weapons across the globe. With this tenure coming to an end he is working very hard to
implement few such policies which will continue atleast for a period of another 10 years.
Policies which USA is planning to adopt:
1.Adopting to No First Use (NFU) policy over 'First strike with a trigger alert' on nuclear weapons.
2. Re-affirming the international norms against Nuclear test ban treaty.
3.Extending term on NEW START arms reduction treaty by another 5 years.
4. Cutting back long term plans for modernizing the nation's nuclear arsenal.
Support from organizations and members of USA:
1. 10 Important US senators have backed these policies.
2. NGO's related to Arms reduction such as Arms Control Reduction.
3. International physicians for prevention of nuclear war.
4. Parliamentarians for nuclear non-proliferation and dis-armament.
Support from countries:
Japan is backing these policies of USA.
These policies clearly show that USA is emphasizing on a global platform to bring down terrorism to
spread peace and the world a better place to live for the future generations.
5)
The advent of "Competitive Federalism" in India began with the formation of NITI Ayog which lays stress on a bottom-up
approach to planning, giving States the required autonomy to formulate the policies that suit their conditions instead of "One
size fits all" approach.
Visible results of Competitive Federalism 1. Divulging 42% share of central taxes to states to make them more self reliant and prudent in their finances. This will
encourage bottom up approach and local level planning.
2. States competing among themselves for investment like Andhra Pradesh and Telangana investors summit and big ticket
investment prospects in Telangana from Google and Apple.
3. Reform in Land and Labor laws for ease of doing business e.g. Gujarat and Karnataka labor reforms and Land leasing
increment from 33 to 99 years in Andhra Pradesh.
4. More opportunities to reap demographic dividend and infrastructure development e.g. Karnataka allowing establishments to
be open for longer and women to work at night.
But care must be shown that reforms like removal of social impact assessment and consent clause in States like Gujarat doesn't
lead to exploitation of the poor masses.
Competitive federalism would lead to replicating of policies of high performing states by the low performing states thus leading
to a more prosperous society and make the states more accountable to the public due to more autonomy in decision making and
less dependence on the central government.
6)
1) The Digital content that is being uploaded into the internet would be from a server that is outside the territorial limits
of the nation and it would be tough for the law enforcement agency to track down the people behind it .
2) If a persons responsible behind are tracked down and made to shut down , then another website in some name would
pop up .
3) Highly skilled personnel would be required to track down and arrest the culprits which would increase the cost of
policing .
Other approaches that can be put in place to solve the problem are :
1) The Digital content especially related to Entertainment can uploaded into video viewing sites like YouTube , Daily
motion etc. which would demotivate people from downloading the content and in the process help the producers gain
money though advertisements on the video sharing site .
2) Computer professionals can be hired by the Government to take over the websites that is illegally uploading content
on the internet .
3) An awareness campaign on the ill effects of piracy and offering minimal chargers would help reduce piracy related to
online books and other contents with quality information .
4) A standard procedure can be implemented in asking the Internet giants like Google , help the government in locating
the server that is distributing contents illegally .
A well coordinated strategy between the Government , civil society and Internet companies can help solve this menace to
a large extent .
7)
4) Compare and contrast the merits and demerits of the Child Labour
(Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016, with previous
child labour laws.
Exploitation of demographic dividend relies on the ability of the state to provide nutritious, safe and educational
childhood to all children. On the other hand, India is facing the heat of large number of child labourers. 2011 census
states that India has close to 4.3 million child labourers. This situation needs to be tackled. Recent step in this direction
was Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016.
Efforts needed.
A. Building the capacity of national and regional institutions to assess and respond to the environmental
sources of vulnerability
B. Promoting the integration of environmental options into existing policies framework and international
strategies on environmental reduction, climate action , biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation
C.. Increasing productivity and diversity of livelihood. Financial institutions can act as a game changer.
D. Enhancing carbon sequestration capacity and activities that reduces climate risk in affected areas ex
reforestation and other measures related to natural resources management.
E. Rural development such as guaranteed employment for the vulnerable areas and investment in
infrastructure.
F. Water policies and planning ex integrated water management resources etc
G. Risk management such as contingency plans, insurance, seed banks etc.
GOI has already taken various measures such as national solar mission, national mission on sustainable
habitat, national mission for green India, national water mission, the national mission for sustaining
Himalayan ecosystem etc.
Such measures should be taken in letter and spirit with the help of Private sector,ngo's etc. against the ill
effects of climate changes.
8)
Analyse the important provisions of the Mental Health Care Bill, 2013
and the implementation challenges this Bill might face.
The Mental Health Care Bill, 2013 repeals the Mental Health Act, 1987. It was brought in to align domestic
law with United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2007. The following the
provisions of the bill.
1. Rights of persons with mental illness by giving access to mental health care, taking forward the rights
based approach.
2. Mentally ill person can give advance directive on how he/she needs to be treated and who will be his/her
nominated representative.
3 Central and state mental health authority will be responsible for training and availability of mental health
professionals.
4. All mental health establishments needs to be registered with central and state mental health authority.
5. The Mental Health Review Commission, a quasi-judicial body that will periodically review the use of and
the procedure for making advance directives and advise the government on protection of the rights of
mentally ill persons. The Commission shall with the concurrence of the state governments, constitute
Mental Health Review Boards in the districts of a state.
6. Decriminalises suicide and prohibiting electro-convulsive therapy
7. The Bill provides that every insurance company shall provide medical insurance for mentally ill person on
the same basis as is available for physical illness.
While decriminalising suicide and prohibiting electro-conclusive therapy, advance directives, are humane
approaches, the problems arises with inadequate health infrastructure in India. The allocation for health in
2015 is only 1.2% of GDP, in which mental health care got paltry attention and funding. The doctor to
patient ration of 1: 1700 is also not very encouraging. Health being a state subject, the result has been not
so encouraging except for southern parts of the country. Moreover there is no provision to bring back these
people into the main stream, such people even when cured suffers from social ostracization.
Hence the bill is a positive step in the right direction, but there is an urgent to increase public expenditure in
mental health care.
9)
Critically analyse the objectives and provisions of the draft bill for the
proposed Indian National Defence University (INDU).
Indian National Defence University (INDU) is a proposed university of defence of the Government of India
which will be established at Binola in Gurgaon, Haryana.
Objectives:
to provide for the establishment of Indian National Defence University as a teaching and affiliating
University to promote excellence in the areas of National Security Studies, Defence Technology, Defence
Management and other related fields and to provide for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
Provisions:
1. Four new institutions/colleges will be set up as the INDUs constituent colleges.
2. Open and Distance Learning Programmes for Service personnel
3. Indian National Defence University is proposed to be governed by its own norms
4. Defence Minister will be the proposed universitys Chancellor, the Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee
will be the pro-chancellor and the President will act as a Visitor to the University.
5. 66% of students would be from the Armed Forces, whereas 33% of students would be drawn from other
government agencies
6. The teaching faculty will comprise of both military personnel and civilians in the ratio of 1:1.
INDU is the culmination of an idea since 1967. Today the service personnel is dependent on distance
courses offered by universities like IGNOU, now they will be getting specialized courses specific to their
field. The university being autonomous will facilitate international collaboration in defence studies and much
needed research in the field. The diversity of faculty background will bring in civilian perspective to defence
studies.
However it is not clear how INDU will integrate the existing tri-services institutions for Professional Military
Education which currently are working in silos- the National Defence College is for Brigadiers, College of
Defence Management for Colonels and Staff College for Majors, and their equivalents in the other services.
Hence INDU is a move in the right direction, since govt has put the draft bill in public domain for debate and
discussion, we can expect the issue of integration to be resolved in the final draft.
thus there are numerous challenges for MR prachanda to face and his real ability is going to be tested in
balancing DOMESTIC and foreign affairs of his country
3) In your opinion, what does the rising number of terror attacks and
the entry of new outfits into Pakistans jihadist map indicate? Should
India be concerned? Critically comment.
Recent terror attacks in pakistan like in hospital suicide attack and university attack really hints towards
increasing the terrorism in pakistani soil with new entrants supported by ISIS and other terrorist groups
Following are the indications=====
1. More radicalization is on the way resulting into spoiling large no of youth and workforce.
2. Destabilization among army and state official and disagreement on various critical issues.
3. More threat to peace and security to normal people and more communal violence is on rise.
4. High no of death and attack in schools and hospitals and other cristal places indicate a new mode of
terrorism in which potential candidate like women and children are being targeted.
5. Loss of revenue , infrastructure, demographic dividends, labour and other economic and bussiness
activities.
India must be concerned about theSe activities due to following reasons====
1. One of Largest no of muslim population country in the world which may pose communal and other type of
violence.
2. Infiltration of terrorist from porous border along india pakistan and india and bangladesh.
3. More threat as ISIS activities are rising day by day and coupled with that this new outfit may pose a high
challenge for security and defence mechanism
4. More technological and internet social networking sites etc use by terror outsit posses a new kind of
challenge.
But india has also adopted a lot of constructive tactics to prohibited the movement like de radicalization
measures in fragile areas , more cyber security cells, proposal for NCTC, NATGRID, border fencing with 3
layered security system etc.
Way forward ======
The time is ripe for indian security mechanism to strengthen every bit of surveillance sysytem from radar to
cyber etc for an effective check against increasing theart of new outfits in territory of india. With this more
measures like development job creation and opportunity for free choice and liberal approach must be
adopted towards minor
3) GENDER INEQUALITY : A country with poor gender inequality is expected to perform poorly at the
Olympics . example : Arab countries could make great inroads in the medal tally due to the lack of rights for
its women in social sphere .
4) STATE OF THE ART FACILITY :A country which invest in able to invest in state of the art Infrastructure
facilities is able to win more medals comparatively because of the advantage available to its sports
persons . example : South Korea is country which have benefited from this aspect.
5) one of the most crucial aspect is "societal outlook" towards the sports. A country where majority of
people consider the sports as a non-productive and a activity second to academics is likely to be found in
the bottom of medal tally. On the other hand countries which treat sports as a profession and cherish its cutthroat competition is more likely to produce champions.
These indicators should help our country to think and improve upon on the gray areas to win more medals
and inculcate a sportive spirit in the youth .