2015 General Studies Solved Paper I, Paper II, Paper III, Paper IV

2015 SOLVED PAPER I
Time Allowed: Three Hours Maximum Marks: 250

Instructions: There are TWENTY FIVE questions printed both in English and Hindi. All questions are compulsory. The number of marks carried by a question/part is indicated against it. Answers must be written in the medium authorised in the Admission Certificate which must be stated clearly on the cover of this Question-cum-Answer (QCA) Booklet in the space provided. No marks will be given for answers written in medium other than the authorised one. Word limit in questions, if specified, should be adhered to. Answer questions in NOT
MORE THAN the word limit specified for each in the parenthesis. Content of the answer is more important than length.

 

Q. 1 The ancient civilization in Indian sub continent differed from those of Egypt, Mesopotamia and Greece in that its culture and traditions have been preserved without breakdown to the present day. Comment.

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Answer: It may not completely be correct to say that cultures and traditions of Egypt, Mesopotamia and Greece have waded away. Amongst all the civilizations, Indian cultural system has evolved based on principles of acceptance and tolerance, while, also maintaining its own integrity and grit.
The influences have been subsumed to make the culture strong. The evolution of the culture rests on sound foundations given by ancient Indian scriptures like Vedas and Puranas. Drawing from such scriptures are religions that have influenced a wider set of populations residing in foreign lands, viz., Buddhism in China and Japan; Sikhism in Pakistan and Canada. Hinduism itself is a religion also practiced in lands other than its own land of origin.
However, other such civilizations succumbed to the powers of more strong ones. In India, Rashtrakutas and Shakas were from different origin, yet were able to assimilate Indian culture well. Even the Moghuls could accept the Indian culture and traditions in their art and lifestyle, so much so that they entered into marital alliance with Indian Hindus.
This was not evident with the Egyptians, who succumbed under the pressure of the Roman Empire and never tried to assimilate the two cultures together.
The cultural influences of Mesopotamian civilization could not last far and wide because of the climatic conditions. Such acceptance of cultures and traditions to far and wide areas is not present amongst other such civilizations other than Indians.
Availability of water, agricultural practice, evolution of foreign trade, ability to mix with other civilizations and adaptability to climatic changes were the reasons Indian civilization survived while lack of many of these factors caused Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilization extinct.

Q. 2. Mesolithic rock cut architecture of India not only reflects the cultural life of the times but also a fine aesthetic sense comparable to modern painting. Critically evaluate this comment. 12.5

Answer: The rock-cut art is more similar to sculpture than architecture as structures were produced by cutting out solid rocks. The Rock-cut structures present the most spectacular piece of ancient Indian art specimen. Most of the rock-cut structures were related to various religious communities. In the beginning, remarkable Buddhist and Jain monuments were produced in areas such as Bihar in the east and Maharashtra in the west.
The paintings of the Mesolithic period were used to express the mental thoughts and as a medium of communication. They also exhibited the socioeconomic life of that time, thereby indicating the sense of observation these people possess.
The best examples of this are Chaityas and monasteries. Inside these rock-cut structures monks carved windows and balconies and gates in the shape of huge arch shaped openings. Some of the prominent places having Chaityas and Viharas are Karle, Nashik, Bhaja and Kanheri. The rugged hills of the
Western Ghats were naturally suited to the creation of living space in the hillside. The Rathas at Mahabalipuram, constructed during the reign of Pallava rulers, are yet another great specimen of rock-cut architecture in ancient India. The Pallavas were founders of the Dravidian Style of temple architecture. The rock cut architecture amply reflected life of that period. Buddhist and Jain Chaityas and Viharas reflect lift of monks and people of the time. Kailashnath temple, Ajanta and Elora caves reflect life of people.
Most of the themes were drawn from daily cultural and religious life. Flora and fauna are also given proper place in this art form. In modern painting emphasis is on reality and details. Aspects of human life and society are depicted vividly in modern paintings. Similarly in rock cut architecture of ancient India, we notice efforts made to depict smallest details in appropriately.

Q. 3 How different would have been the achievement of Indian independence without Mahatma Gandhi? Discuss.12.5

Answer: When Mahatma Gandhi returned to India in 1915, he carried with him a reputation of successful Satyagraha in South Africa. The image gave him an immediate leadership status. It was because of Mahatma Gandhi that India started non-violent noncooperation movement, which was more than political protests and less than armed struggle. Boycott of educational institutions, foreign goods and seats in government institutes gave a strong message to British government and developed mass following for Gandhi. Gandhi started Civil Disobedience
Movement which was next stage to non-cooperation. People started withdrawing support to British administration. Gandhi organised agitation against land revenue, abolition of salt tax, cutting down military expenditure, levying duty on foreign cloth etc. Dandi March proved to be a bigger stroke to British rule. The Quit India Movement was launched under Gandhi in 1942 when the time had ripen. Gandhi went 21 days fast demanding release of leaders, despite his failing health. His slogan of “Do or
Die” was adopted by mass. Gandhi played actively pivotal role from 1915 till freedom by leading the Indian people for freedom from British rule. His saint like personality and ability to bring together people from all class, religion and area of India made him one and the best leader responsible for freedom of India.
There was no single influential leader who had not followed Gandhi and left deep impact on freedom struggle. So, it will not be exaggeration to say that without Gandhi freedom struggle of India would have been different, much disorganised and multi-pronged.

Q. 4 Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. B R Ambedkar, despite having divergent approaches and strategies, had a common goal of amelioration of the downtrodden. Elucidate12.5

Answer: Mahatma Gandhi and Dr B R Ambedkar were committed to the goal of amelioration the downtrodden but their approach were different. Since Gandhiji was born in a merchant class Hindu family, he approached the problem of untouchability from humanitarian perspective and wanted to erode it out from the fabric of the society. Whereas Ambedkar identified himself as the victim of that corrupt practice and stood to protect other dalits from the fallout of this inhuman practice. Gandhi’s approach was more on reformative side where he believed in educating.the society to accept all castes on equal footings. He believed and preached that varna system of society was based on work distribution and it not necessarily mean division of society. In his ideas caste system itself was not discriminatory and therefore it was not required to abolish varna or castes per se. rather he believed in creating respect for human being without discrimination of caste or status in society. He opposed to separate electorate for Dalits on the line of Muslims.
On the other hand, Dr. Ambedkar had more revolutionary approach who completely opposed caste and varna system as basis of discrimination in the society. In his book ‘Annihilation of Caste’ he advocated this view. For him, as was the practice, varna and castes were branding people in particular section of the society and not giving them chances of upliftment. Therefore, abolition of caste system was necessary to eliminate discrimination. Dr.
Ambedkar demanded separate electorate for Dalits. He ensured provisions of reservation in the constitution.
Thus, both the leaders had completely different approach towards one goal.

Q. 5 It would have been difficult for the Constituent Assembly to complete its historic task of drafting the Constitution for Independent India in just three years but for the experience gained with the Government of India Act, 1935. Discuss.12.5

Answer: A large part of Indian Constitution is an exact replica of Govt, of India Act, 1935, that’s why Indian Constitution is often portrayed as the extension of Government of India Act, 1935. Below mentioned important provisions of Government of India Act of 1935 can be sighted as important provisions that have helped sped up with draft of the Indian Constitution:
The Act provided for the establishment of an All-India Federation consisting of the Provinces and the Princely States as units, though the envisaged federation never came into being- instead a Union of States on the same lines was formed that planned to do away with the Princely states and created states which stood as subsidiary to union.
Three Lists: The Act divided the powers between the Centre and the units in items of three lists, namely the Federal List, the Provincial List and the Concurrent List, The forms of lists were renamed to include
Union List, State List and Concurrent List. The Union of India is now governed by these lists.
The residuary powers as envisaged were vested with the Governor- General and according to the Constitution the residuary powers are vested in the Centre. Introduced bicameralism in 6 out of 11 Provinces, similarly many states in India today have bicameral legislation. Provided for the establishment of Federal Court which is the Supreme Court at the Apex in India.
Thus, the Act of 1935 as a whole, not only acted as an interim constitution, but also provided a basis for the Constitution of Free India. The Act alongwith earlier constitutional reforms gave direction to the process of change as well as influenced its contents.

Q. 6 Why did the industrial revolution first occur in England? Discuss the quality of life of the people there during the industrialisation. How does it compare with that in India at present?12.5

Answer: A number of factors contributed to the England’s role as the birth place of Industrial Revolution. England had coal and iron ores required for any industry to develop. They had means i of transportation and colonies for getting raw material as well as selling products of factories. England had enough capital to invest in technology and factories. Comparatively j isolated by sea, England was protected from issues with neighbouring countries like other European countries. Having stable and well established political and social j system helped England to progress on industrial front.
During the industrial revolution England was divided into two classes of society - j capitalists and labour. The Industrial Revolution brought about a greater volume and variety of factory produced goods and raised the standard of living for many people, particularly for the middle and upper classes.
However, life for the poor and working classes continued to be filled with challenges. Wages for those who laboured in factories were low and working conditions could be dangerous and monotonous. Children were part of the labour force and often worked long hours and were used for such highly hazardous tasks as cleaning the machinery. Industrialisation also meant that some crafts people were replaced machinery. Additionally, urban, industrialised areas were unable to keep pace with the flow of arriving workers from the countryside, resulting in inadequate, overcrowded housing and polluted, unsanitary living conditions in which diseases were rampant.
The capitalists were having all facilities and living very comfortable life. Profiteering was very high and so accumulation of wealth with capitalists was out of proportion. Difference in standard of living of two classes was not at all comparable.
Today India has labours working hard and living with lesser means but their lives are not as bad. Working class people in India of present times have protection of law which controls working hours, provides pension benefits, safety standards, minimum wages, leaves and medical benefits. Even in unorganised sectors, many of these legal provisions are applicable to protect labour class people in India.

Q. 7 To what extent can Germany be held responsible for causing the two World Wars?Discuss critically.12.5

Answer: Germany was forced to sign the Versailles Treaty and admit its
“guilt” for causing the First World War. Germany may have been partly to blame but others were also at fault to varying degrees. This was partly a reflection of the anger felt by the Entente Powers (“Allies”) at how long and hard Germany had fought, and partly due to some things Germany did during the war which seemed barbaric. Germany had violated international laws based on unrestricted submarine warfare, sinking ships without warning. Germany also introduced the use of poison gas to the battlefield. Probably the worst thing Germany did was to invade Belgium. Germany did cause the Second World War owing to its International Super Power ambitions. Extreme and narrow nationalism of Germany, Italy and
Japan was one of the chief causes of the Second World War. The humiliating terms of the Treaty of Versailles made the German love for nationalism stronger. The problems faced by Germany made the people more conscious of the need for unity and strength. For this purpose, they willingly accepted the dictatorship of Hitler and his policy of restoring the prestige of Germans by taking revenge upon those responsible for humiliating Germany at the Paris Peace Conference.

Q. 8 Describe any four cultural elements of diversity in India and rate their relativesignificance in building a national identity.12.5
Answer: Linguistic diversity : Language is the first and foremost diversity of India which has historically played an important role. Language was the issue on which states were created after independence. India has twenty two constitutionally recognised languages with their own script, grammar and literature. There are hundreds of dialects spoken all over India. Although
Hindi was recognised as official language by constitution, English has remained effectively first official language till date. Language is a driving force behind unity of a nation’s people and make them distinct from other nations. Ethnicity is another factor which gives different color to India. Ethnically northern people are different from south, western are different from eastern and north eastern. Their festivals, clothes, food and other aspects of life differ from one another.
Religious diversity has evolved because of emergence and arrival of different religious groups in India from time to time. India is home to
Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Christianity, Islam, Zoroastrians etc. apart from these religions, there are many sects and sub-sects of various religions co-living. The stronger the relation between the nation and the religion, the more is religious homogeneity and the stronger is the national identity.
Racial diversity : In India, there are a large number of ancient culture prevailing oi still practicing today. Though there are several numbers of diverse cultures in India, still it has unity in diversity.
The modern Indian civilization has been nourished and developed by multiracial contributions. From times immemorial, diverse races migrated into India by via land anil sea routes and get themselves settled here. In course of time they are absolutely absorbed® India’s social life.
The ancient ethno-linguistic groups, such as, the Aryans, the Austrics, the
Negritos the Dravidians, the Alpines and the Mongoloids, had combined to constitute the modem Indian race. In the historical period, diverse branches of the aforementioned unique ethnic groups-the Persians, thePallavas, theKushanas, the Greeks, theSakas, the
Huns, the Portuguese, the Arabs, the Turks, the English and the European races came to India, and enriched Indian ethnicity and culture by their contribution to the same.
Apart from these four, there are diversities of caste, political affinity, historical and social customs. Each of these diversities has their own role in nation building. Indian democracy and national identify were built on the notion of unity in diversity, guided by the principles of tolerance and mutual respect.

Q. 9 Critically examine whether growing population is the cause of poverty OR poverty is the main cause of population increase in India.12.5

Answer: Population trends and dynamics can have an enormous effect on prospects for poverty reduction and sustainable development. Poverty is influenced by - and influences- population dynamics, including population growth, age structure, and rural-urban distribution. All of this has a critical impact on a country’s development prospects and prospects for raising living standards for the poor. India currently faces a vicious cycle of population explosion and poverty.
One of the most important reasons for this population increase in India is poverty. The people, who have to struggle to make two ends meet produce more children because more children mean more earning hands. Also, due to poverty, the infant mortality rate among such families is higher due to the lack of facilities like food and medical resources. Thus, they produce more children assuming that not all of them would be able to survive. The end result is a mounting increase in the population size of India. Due to the increase in population, the problems of scarce resources, jobs, and poverty increases. Thus the cycle continues leading to an ever-increasing population that we see today. This cycle in fact might be considered as a positive feedback, in that the increase in one results in the increase of the other factor.
As the poverty and the population both increase, the development of the country and the society seems even more far-fetched.
On the contrary, when there is more population which cannot afford good education and good employment, economic condition is adversely affected.
Therefore, increased population which is not converted into valuable human resource and not utilized for economic development has led to big number of poor living in India. In 2012, government of India stated about 22% of its population below official poverty line. Health care, education, civil facilities are not adequately available to such a big population and that had led to improper living conditions for them.
Thus, in India, in turn, both the phenomena have played their role.

Q. 10 How do you explain the statistics that show that the sex ratio in
Tribes in India is more favourable to women than the sex ratio among Scheduled Castes?12.5

Answer: Census of 2011 shows that sex ratio among Scheduled Caste population was 945 while the number was as high as 990 among Scheduled
Tribes population at India level. This phenomena can be attributed to many social factors prevalent in scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. Scheduled tribes are predominantly living in rural areas where agriculture remains primary activity in which women play an important role. Many tribes do not have dowry system while in some tribes reverse dowry is practiced.
Tribal people follow their customs and traditions and live in their groups and societies and accept minimal influence of outside. These factors are responsible that girl child is welcomed and women have their own roles to play among tribal societies. Mostly women enjoy equal status with men. Scheduled castes are not living in major groups away from mainstream society. They have faced suppression of customary social system and women are worst victims. Social evils like dowry system and preference of male child over female is well prevalent among scheduled castes. As scheduled castes are not mainly agrarian economy, their employment is dependent on industries and labour opportunities which are not easily available for women.
Women do not have equal status vis a vis men. These issues have resulted into lower sex ratio among them.

Q. 11 Discuss the changes in the trends of labour migration within and outside India in the last four decades.12.5

Answer: Many factors have contributed to migration of labour within and outside of India and the trends have been changing from time to time. Internal migration happens within India which may be either within a state or interstate. Major factor for such migration has been employment opportunities. Some states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa and Rajasthan have seen many migrants moving to other states and cities like Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Punjab. Internal migration may be seasonal, depending on employment opportunities. Punjab employs labours in agriculture sector during harvest season. It may be non-permanent, for some projects like Reliance or ESSAR refineries in Gujarat. Educated people migrating for employment are also witnessed in last decades, e.g. Nurses from Kerala and software experts towards Hyderabad and Bengaluru. Migration for better education towards centers of excellence like Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru etc. is a new trend. All these migrations are mainly from rural to urban areas. International migration earlier was mainly to eastern African countries like Kenya, Uganda for business purposes. Which was followed by labour migration to Middle Eastern countries. Educated and skilled migrants have targeted mainly developed countries like USA, UK, Australia and Canada.
Recent trend shows a big number of students going for higher studies in
USA, UK, Australia and Canada. Strikingly, migration towards developed and industrialised countries is a type of brain drain. Major reason for internal migration is lack of employment while external migration is not because of unemployment but for better income level and opportunities.

Q. 12.Discuss the positive and negative effects of globalisation on women in India? 12.5

Answer: Globalisation has impacted India especially after 1991 when Indian economy was opened up for Liberalization, Privatization and Globalisation. English speaking educated young India has emerged as knowledge hub in the world. Similarly, attraction of 1.2 billion people’s market in India has drawn all major multinationals to India. In the globalized India, women are greatly impacted, both positively and negatively.
On positive side, young and educated women have gained opportunities to work in equal terms with men. Better education and networking has given wider platform to women. Better mobility has helped them expand horizon of their work. They are playing prominent role in the society and standing up for their rights. Patriarchal social system is being challenged and women are demanding equal rights. Women in India are looking for career oriented life in the globalized world and taking decisions independently. Organisations for empowerment of women are more actively promoting welfare and independence for them.
On the negative side, women who were working in unorganised sector have lost jobs due to entry of big companies. Mechanization of labour and handwork has impacted women more than men. Handicraft and cottage industries of women are giving way to machine-based mass production run by big corporations. Women are also vulnerable to new kinds of crimes.
Women are suffering two fold. As women in India move into the work force, their domestic responsibilities are not alleviated. Women work two full time jobs. One in a factory, where they are paid next to nothing, the second is in the home where they are paid nothing.

Q. 13. Debate the issue whether and how contemporary movements for assertion of Dalit identity work towards annihilation of caste.12.5

Answer: Contemporary movements for assertion of Dalit identity have been focusing on certain issues specific to Dalit identity by securing their interest in every aspect of life.. Creating political vote bank of Dalit groups which support Dalit or Dalit favoring politicians at local and state levels. They mobilize Dalit vote bank and promote their interests like reservation, government jobs, political position etc.
However, most of the times, these movements are not spreader at national level and do not take into account wider interest of even Dalit community at pan India level. Their assertion is against untouchability and discrimination as main agenda. However, the movements have been successful in highlighting issues related to Dalit and give them voice at national level.
They have increased awareness among the policy makers. These movements have buildup pressures through various political and pressure groups at local and national level.
However, movements for assertion of Dalit identity are far away from the goal of Dr B R Ambedkar who had desired annihilation of caste system as the final solution of Dalit empowerment. However, they have been able to improvement of position and status of Dalit by challenging the oppression and exploitation of the community. But these movements are in fact* strengthening caste based system in the society.

Q. 14. Explain the factors responsible for the origin of ocean currents.
How do they influenceregional climates, fishing and navigation?

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Answer: Ocean currents originate due to many factors, which can be divided mainly into Primary and Secondary. Primary factors include planetary winds and Difference of density & salinity. Planetary winds drive surface water along with them.
Difference in density causes dense water to sink and push the bottom water to surface, causing undercurrents. Density difference arises mainly due to temperature and salinity. Secondary factors include rotation of the earth and shape of the coastlines. Rotation of earth affects direction of movement and deflects pole ward current eastwards, equator wards currents westwards. Shape of coastlines also deflects currents from their direction.
Ocean currents impact climate, fishing and navigation in positive or negative ways. Ocean currents help replacement of cold pole water with hot equatorial water, thus maintaining temperature moderation. In absence, pole would have been frozen and equator boiling.
Mixing of cold and hot currents creates condition for grow of planktons which is food for fishes. At this place we found abundance of fishing potential.
Navigation is affected by direction of currents. Ships move faster and need less fuel while sailing in the direction of currents and vice versa. Cold and warm currents give rise to thick fog, which reduces visibility for ships and area becomes difficult to navigate. Warm currents keep arctic region free from icebergs and help navigation of ships.

Q. 15. Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata are the three Mega cities of the country but the airpollution is much more serious problem in Delhi as compared to the other two. Why is this so?12.5

Answer: Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata are all Mega cities but there are important geographical, climatic and cultural differences, as a result of which
Delhi’s air pollution is worse compared to the other two. The main reasons for more population in Delhi are as under:
High population density and densely packed architecture of Delhi compared to other two cities.
Air pollution in Delhi’s National Capital Region (NCR) is comprised of a complex mix of pollution from human activities (vehicle emissions, industry, construction and residential fuel burning) as well as natural sources like dust and sea salt.
The heavy concentration of particulate matter is greatly affected by meteorological conditions -in the winter, cool air causes “inversions” that stagnant the air and trap pollution close to the ground.
Air flow patterns from Afghanistan and Pakistan pick up emissions as they move over the densely urbanized regions of Punjab and Haryana where farmers burn the straw in their fields and pull this pollution into
Delhi. Pre-monsoon dust storms also contribute to air pollution in the region.
The NCR generates 10,000 tons per day of municipal solid waste, much of which is eventually burned, adding particulate pollution to the air and gallopingurbanization brings massive construction projects to the area.
Delhi has more than 7.4 million vehicles on it’s roads, with an additional
1,201added each day and the result is a pollution ‘’hotspot.”
Delhi doesn’t get the benefit of sea breeze like Mumbai and Kolkata get.
The breea can drive away some of the pollution.
While Mumbai, and Kolkata [being at the ends] are often terminal points when it comes to vehicular traffic, Delhi gets not just terminal traffic, but also transit traffic,
There is a need to consider reducing the pollution of Delhi in a broader framework of socio-economic development, and rising public awareness about the health risks of such rising pollution. A change in attitudes and regulation towards poor quality fuels is the need of the hour.

Q. 16 India is well endowed with fresh water resources. Critically examine why it stillsuffers from water scarcity.12.5

Answer: India receives about 4,000 cubic kms of fresh water as precipitation every year. About 700 cubic kms of water thus received evaporate immediately and are lost to the atmosphere. About 2,150 cubic kms go to the soil whereas about 1,650 cubic kms are retained as soil moisture while about
500 cubic kms permeate through the soil surface to underground water deposits. Only 1,150 cubic kms of fresh water received annually are retained on land surface. India’s water crisis is predominantly a manmade problem. India’s climate is not particularly dry, nor is it lacking in rivers and groundwater. Extremely poor management, unclear laws, government corruption, and industrial and human waste have caused this water supply crunch and rendered what water is available practically useless due to the huge quantity of pollution.
Due to population growth, economic development, rapid urbanization, largescale industrialisation and environmental concerns water stress has emerged as a real threat. 1 Many areas in the country are already under severe water stress.
Another reason for the problem of water scarcity has been poor water quality resulting from insufficient and delayed investment in urban water treatment facilities. Namami Gange is a welcome step forward in addressing this issue. In managing water resources, the Indian government must balance competing demands between urban and rural, rich and poor, the economy and the environment. Some measures like interconnecting rivers of north and south, preservation of flowing river water for dry season, use of better irrigation technology, regulation on industrial use of fresh water, prevention of pollution of fresh water resources and preservation of fresh water resources are essential.

Q. 17 The states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and
Uttarakhand are reaching the limits of their ecological carrying capacity due to tourism. Critically evaluate.12.5

Answer: Ecological carrying capacity is maximum limit that an ecosystem can sustainably accept, given limitation of resources and habitation. Ecology of mountainous states like Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and
Uttarakhand are fragile and vulnerable to various factors. Large number of tourists visiting these states brings change in the natural ecosystem of the area by their presence and consequences. Not only biospherical or natural environmental but cultural, infrastructural and socioeconomic balance is endangered in these states.
These states have natural as well as religious centers which attract a large number of tourists. Recent flood and loss of life and property is clear evidence that resources to protect and mitigate disasters are not enough to protect such a big number of tourists in these states. Recent increase in tourism has not been matched with by infrastructural development in the area. Therefore problems like deforestation, shortage of water, crowded roads, traffic, garbage, illegal construction, improper sanitation facilities are challenging the ecological capacities of these states.
To protect ecology of these three vulnerable Himalayan states without affecting tourism industry, proper planning has to be done. Government has to regulate illegal construction. Water storage, hygienic sanitation, health care, road and railway networks need to be created. Developing system of garbage disposal, waste management, promotion of biodegradable items and spreading awareness among tourists are other vital requirements.

Q. 18 How far do you agree that the behaviour of the Indian monsoon has been changing due to humanizing landscape? Discuss.12.5

Answer: Indian monsoon pattern has been changing recently erratically.
Unseasonal rain and below average rainfall during monsoon is becoming frequent phenomena. In 2015, India witnessed hailstorm in March-April which caused loss in crop while monsoon season was deficient in the same year. For last two years continuously India has weak monsoon.
Apart from other factors, changes brought in landscape by human activities are important factor for this change. Expansion of urban areas beyond boundaries has reduced green surroundings. Industrial activities have led to deforestation and reduced jungle cover of the land. Forests are not maintained. Illegal destruction of forests, wide spread construction, expansion of human settlement has penetrated the green cover of earth. Lakes are drying due to lack of supply of water and expansion of cities. River courses are interrupted and flow is decreasing. Not enough water flow is maintained over landscape. Existing water bodies are not conserved. Ground water level is going deep. This results into lack of water available for evaporation and formation of clouds. Pollution and increasing temperature affects heat and pressure balance which in turn affects rainfall. Lack of tree cover and water bodies result into insufficient cloud formation and rainfall.
Without water clouds cannot be formed. Without tree cover existing moist in the atmosphere cannot be converted into rainfall.

Q. 19 Smart cities in India cannot sustain without smart vilages. Discuss this statement in the backdrop of rural-urban integration.12.5

Answer: Smart cities concept is facing with many difficulties originating from population burden and migration. Cities are becoming slum and resources are not enough to support inhabitants. On the contrary, rural people are constantly migrating to urban areas for employment, education and healthcare facilities. Concept of Providing Urban Amenities to Rural Areas (PURA) was incorporated in ShyamaPrashadMukherjiRurban Mission (SPMRM) scheme of Union Government. Village and cities can play complimentary role and smart cities concept can be implemented in villages to make cities more productive.
Villages with good education and healthcare facilities, connection to cities by good road and rail networks and development of small industrial clusters will stop migration to cities. Villages will become supportive and complimentary to urban areas. Smart cities will be benefited from agricultural and auxiliary industrial products of villages. Many online services can be handled from out of cities if we can develop smart villages with good internet connectivity and educated, skilled manpower. Call centers and BPOs can be established in villages, on smaller scale. Problems related to pollution, slum, drinking water and traffic will be properly addressed in cities by providing good facilities in villages. To sustain smart cities, villages have to be provided better facilities and concept of Smart Villages has to be implemented on priority.

Q. 20 What are the economic significances of discovery of oil in Arctic Sea and its possible environementalconsequences?12.5

Answer: The US Geological Survey estimates that around 13% of the world’s undiscovered oil could lie under the area north of the Arctic Circle. In terms of economic significance, at our current oil consumption rate, that’s actually only three to five years’ worth of resources. The Arctic’s extreme weather and freezing temperatures, its remote location and the presence of moving sea ice severely increase the risks of oil drilling, complicate logistics and present unparalleled difficulties for any clean-up operation.
The Arctic is home to four million people, many of whom are descendants of Indigenous communities who have lived in the Far North for thousands of years. It is also home to a diverse range of unique wildlife: hundreds of species of seabirds, millions of migrating birds; 17 different species of whale live there. Mammals including Polar Bears, Arctic Foxes and various species of seal inhabit the Arctic at different points throughout the year.
The impact of a spill on these communities and already vulnerable animal species would be devastating and long-lasting. Its fragile ecosystem is particularly vulnerable to an oil spill and the consequences of an accident would have a profound effect on the environment and local fisheries.Due to climate change, the Arctic sea ice is melting atan alarming rate each summer.
Arctic oil drilling is a dangerous, high-risk enterprise and an oil spill under these icy waters would have a catastrophic impact on one of the most pristine, unique and beautiful landscapes on earth. The Arctic drilling season is limited to a narrow window of a few months during the summer. The oil industry cannot guarantee the safety of Arctic drilling and is recklessly putting profit before the environment.

 

2015 SOLVED PAPER II
Time Allowed: Three Hours Maximum Marks: 250

Instructions: There are TWENTY questions printed both in English and in Hindi. All questions are compulsory. The number of marks carried by a question/part is indicated against it. Answers must be written in the medium authorised in the Admission Certificate which must be stated clearly on the cover of this Question-cum-Answer (QCA) Booklet in the space provided. No marks will be given for answers written in medium other than the authorised one.
Word limit in questions, wherever specified, should be adhered to.
Answer the questions in not more than 200 words each. Contents of the answers are more important than their length.

 

Q. 1 Discuss the possible factors that inhibit India from enacting for its citizen a uniform civil code as provided for in the Directive Principles of State Policy.12.5

Answer: Article 44 of the Directive Principles of State Policy describes a duty for the Government to enact a Uniform Civil Code in India. The article does not make it mandatory as it is only a directive but nonetheless it is vital for secularism and equality before law in India. Currently personal laws of various religious communities are governing marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption and maintenance related legal questions. British first framed personal laws for Hindus and Muslims to avoid religious opposition and the laws still continue without many reforms. In ShahBano Case of 1985, the topic was raised by the Supreme Court. Demand has since been raised by various groups, more importantly women activists, but All India Muslim Personal Law Board and Congress Party has opposed it. Personal laws allow polygamy, unilateral divorce, religious practices, and customary traditions to various religious groups. Uniform Civil Code was enacted and applied in Goa during Portuguese occupation which is still in practice. It is feared that some religious sections of society would consider Uniform Civil Code as encroachment on freedom of religion and attack on identity. Such attempts have, in past, raised severe objections and criticisms and therefore government has not been able to enact Uniform Civil Code in India.

Q. 2 The concept of cooperative federalism has been increasingly emphasised in recentyears. Highlight the drawbacks in the existing structure and extent to which cooperative federalism would answer the shortcomings.12.5

Answer: Recently in India, due to different political parties ruling at center, state and local government levels, differences in policies and implementations have come to surface. In such scenario, experts have raised need for cooperative federalism in India, rather than existing federal structure where center is more powerful. Cooperative federalism is a concept in which center, state and local governments share responsibility in the governance of the people. It means that national and stategovernments are partners in the exercise of governmental authority. Currently center is powerful in imposition and collection of tax and revenue where states have to depend on grants by center. States have control over land resources and center cannot implement important infrastructural projects without cooperation of states. Law and order comes under states while armed forces are under center. For effective governance, both center and states have to cooperate in legislation and policy making. Current structure of Indian constitution divides power into three areas, namely Union List giving supreme power to Center, State List giving exclusive power to States and Concurrent List giving power to both center and states. Though Indian constitution distributes powers among Center and States, but does not provide for consultation and cooperation in terms of policy making and governance, which is a shortcoming in view of cooperative federalism.
To promote the spirit of cooperative federalism, NITI Aayog was established by replacing the Planning Commission and the recommendations of the fourteenth Finance Commission was accepted that provided more fiscal autonomy to the states by the incumbent government.

Q. 3 In the absence of well - educated and organised local level government system, Panchayats and Samitis have remained mainly political institutions and not effective instrument of governance. Critically Discuss.12.5

Answer: In India, local government comprises Panchayat and Municipal system. The constitution of India added feature of local government by 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts.
The 73rd and 74th amendments have created uniformity in the structures of Panchayati Raj and Nagarpalika institutions across the country.
Rural Local Governments or Panchayati Raj Institutions comprises of Gram Panchayats, Mandal/TalukaPanchayats and ZillaPanchayat. Urban Local Governments or Nagarpalikas are made up of Nagar Panchayats, Municipal Councils (Samitis) and Municipal Corporations.
This local governance have come into effect since 1993 but still there is lack of educated government system which gives them mainly political color. The local bodies are working on the basis of caste and religious groups electing their leaders. There are provisions for reservation for women also but most of the time women leaders are used as rubber stamps. Lack of reasoning and open mindedness made the performance of these PRIs vitiated by political cum caste factionalism, rendering developmental projects into chimeras. Negation of democratic principles in the functioning of these institutions also can be correlated to that illiteracy levels as representatives do not values the importance of democratic ideals. Effectively implementing policies of state and central government is still out of their purview. Influence of national and state parties are also strong at local governance level. It would have been better if these local bodies have acted as powerful organisations demanding their interest and serving as catalyst of policy making. India is still a country of villages and local governance need to be stronger and effective to manage micro-level policies while center and state can concentrate on bigger picture.

Q. 4 Khappanchayats have been in the news for functioning as extra - constitutional authorities, often delivering pronouncements amounting to human right violations. Discuss critically the actions taken by the legislative, executive and judiciary to set the things right in this regard.12.5

Answer: Khap is an organisation representing a clan in northern India. Khaps are found mainly among the Jats of Western Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. A khappanchayat is an assembly of Khap elders. KhapPanchayat enforces its summons through social prohibitions and sanctions, imposes heavy fines or even kills the victims or makes them commit suicide. Thus, the KhapPanchayats do not have legal authority to give verdict or implement its judgement and therefore they are extra-constitutional in nature. Khapdecisions to prevent marriages in same Gotra and honour killing or forced suicide are clearly violation of human rights.
On April 19 2011, Supreme Court wants a strict criminal action against people forming and ruling in khaps, emphasizing that the khappanchayats are illegal. The Khaps decided to file a review petition in the apex courts after hearing the statement of the Supreme Court.
The law commission has drafted The Prohibition of Unlawful Assembly

(Interference with the Freedom of Matrimonial Alliances) Bill, 2011 that proposes no person or any group of persons shall gather with an “intention to deliberate on, or condemn any marriage, not prohibited by law, on the basis that such marriage has dishonoured the caste or community tradition or brought disrepute to all or any of the persons forming part of the assembly or the family or the people of the locality concerned. Executives have taken steps to prevent honour killings by KhapPanchayats but some political authorities have favored Khap system.

Q. 5 Resorting to ordinances has always raised concern on violation of the spirit of separation of power doctrine. While noting the rationales justifying the power to promulgate, analyse whether the decision of the Supreme Court on the issue have further facilitated resorting to this power. Should the power to promulgate the ordinances be repealed?12.5

Answer: Article 123 of the Indian Constitution empowers the President to promulgate ordinances during the recess of the Parliament. The ordinances are temporary laws having the effect of an act. Frequently governments have used ordinance to bring a law which it cannot otherwise enact due to lack of majority in one house of parliament. Though ordinance is supposed to be a temporary in nature, it has been re-promulgated over and over again without bothering to get it passed through both houses of parliament. Ordinance has been misused to bypass legislative system, in many cases.
The Supreme Court in T Venkata Reddy vs. State of Andhra Pradesh (1985), held that the motives behind the exercise of this power cannot be questioned, just as is the case with legislation by the Parliament and state legislatures.
The Court has upheld validity of ordinance. There are no restrictions on the ordinance making power of the President, as it is similar to a legislation of the Parliament. In situations where governments avoid facing legislature and implement laws through ordinance of President, it is advisable that certain rules and procedures are fixed to regulate misuse of Article 123. However, taking into consideration emergency situations and other eventualities, repealing provision of ordinance would not be advisable. In words of B.R. Ambedkar, “ordinance making powers were necessary since existing laws might be deficient to deal with a situation which may suddenly and immediately arise.” So, instead of repealing it, adequate provisions should be made to prevent its misuse.

Q. 6 What are the major changes brought in the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1966 through the recent ordinance promulgated by the President? How far will it improve India’s dispute resolution mechanism? Discuss.12.5

Answer: The Government of India had promulgated the Arbitration and Conciliation Ordinance 2015 bringing about large scale changes to the
Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 with the intention expediting the process and reducing court interference.
The changes include conferring original jurisdiction exclusively on High Courts to deal with the enforcement of and challenge to international arbitration awards as well as prescribing timelines to streamline arbitration and related court proceedings.
Under the proposed amendments to the Arbitration and Conciliation Act,
1996, an arbitrator will have to settle a case within 18 months. However, after the completion of 12 months, certain restrictions will be put in place to ensure that the arbitration case does not linger on.
Another amendment to the law puts a cap on the fee of an arbitrator. The arbitrator will now also have to spell out if there is a conflict of interest in a case he or she is taking up.
Appointment of arbitrators shall be made by the Supreme Court or High Courts, as the case may be, instead of the Chief Justice of India or Chief
Justice of High Court. In case of international arbitration, the relevant court would only be the
High Court having original ordinary jurisdiction.
To ensure neutrality of arbitrators, when a person is approached in connection with possible appointment as arbitrator, he is required to disclose in writing, the existence of any relationship or interest of any kind.
Now, the arbitration tribunal shall have power to grant all kinds of interim measures which the court is empowered to grant.
The amendments to the law will reduce personal favoritism/bias and reduce timeline in settling disputes. It will help to attract the greater foreign investment. Foreign companies will not be hesitant to do business in India because of the long-drawn litigations.

Q. 7 Does the right to clean environment entail legal regulation on burning crackers during Diwali? Discus in the light of Article 21 of Indian Constitution and judgements of the apex court in this regard.12.5

Answer: The right to life has been used in a diversified manner in India. It includes, inter alia, the right to survive as a species, quality of life, the right to live with dignity and the right to livelihood.
The Supreme Court expanded Article 21 in two ways. Firstly, any law affecting personal liberty should be reasonable, fair and just. Secondly, the Court recognised several unarticulated liberties that were implied by article

21. It is by this second method that the Supreme Court interpreted the right to life and personal liberty to include the right to a clean environment.
The real panic in India came to be felt only after the Bhopal gas tragedy in

1984. Indian parliament passed many statutes to protect and improve the environment. Further the constitutional (forty-second Amendment) Act, 1976 incorporated two significant articles viz. Article 48-A and 51A (g) thereby making the Indian Constitution the first in the world conferring constitutional status to the environment protection.
The Supreme Court of India has given various judgements to involving various facets of environment. In Prevention of Environment & Sound Pollution v. Union of India, the apex court laid down a few essential guidelines relating to firecrackers and addressing other problems of sound pollution. The Supreme Court directed the Department of Explosives to divide the firecrackers into two categories- (i) Sound emitting firecrackers, and (ii) Colour/light emitting firecrackers. It was ordered that there shall be a complete ban on bursting sound emitting firecrackers between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. It is not necessary to impose restrictions as to time on bursting of colour/light emitting firecrackers. In the case of M. C Mehta v. Kamal Nath, the Supreme Court made it clear that any disturbance of basic environmental elements namely air, water and soil which are necessary for life would be hazardous to life and can’t be polluted. In the case of Vellore citizens welfare forum v. Union of India, Precautionary principle and polluter pays principle was evolved. In the case of P.A. Jacob v. Suprintendent of police, Kottayam, the Kerela high Court held that the freedom of speech does not include freedom to use loudspeakers or sound amplifiers to cause noise pollution and risk to human health. Again in M.C Mehta v. Union of India, the apex court directed the closure of certain industries that were not showing any progress towards setting up of air- pollution control system in compliance with their earlier order. Subhash Kumar v. State of Bihar case held that the right to enjoyment of pollution free water and air for full enjoyment of life was held as a part of right to life under Article 21. In a recent case, 3 toddlers moved to the Supreme Court with a petition to take action against the rising levels of air pollution, which has led to lethal levels of toxic in the air, which is directly affecting the youngest of the population. The Supreme Court dismissed this petition which was aimed at putting a blanket ban on bursting of crackers on Diwali or designating a particular place for bursting crackers. The Supreme Court exclaimed that such a blanket ban would be lethal and would cause an unnecessary uproar in the society. The court, however, has directed the government to spread awareness about the hazardous effects of crackers.

Q. 8 Examine critically the recent changes in the rule governing foreign funding of NGOs under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act

(FCRA), 1976. 12.5

Answer: In the most important change, government plans to equate
“economic security” for NGOs under FCRA with the definition provided in Section 2 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). Banks will have to provide online access to the Home Ministry and Intelligence Bureau (IB) for monitoring the utilisation of accounts of all FCRA-registered associations.
NGOs and organisations that receive foreign donations will now have to share personal details, bank account details and bio-data of their trustees with the government. According to the amended rules, any foreigner associated with an NGO, who is visiting India, will have to furnish his/her details with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), spelling out the purpose as well as the dates of the visits.
The NGOs will have to list all their activities and declarations on a website, and register themselves under one of the nine Indian Acts: Societies
Registration Act, 1860, Indian Trust Act, 1882, Section 25 of the Companies
Act, 1956, Religion Endowments Act, 1863, Charitable and Religious Trust
Act, 1920, MussalmanWakf Act, 1973, Wakf Act, 1954, Public Wakfs Act,
1959 and Section 12 A of IT Act. Further, the NGOs need to display the audited statement of accounts including income and expenditure statements and balance sheet of previous financial year on its website. Banks that receives foreign funds on behalf of
NGOs have to report the transactions within 48 hours.
These regulations are aimed at monitoring activities of NGOs and prevent foreign agencies from using NGOs as extended arms to promote political and terrorism related activities.

Q. 9 The Self Help Group (SHG) Bank Linkage Program (SBLP), which is India’s own innovation, has proved to be one of the most effective poverty alleviation and women empowerment programme. Elucidate.12.5

Answer: In order to achieve the mission of reaching those families who did not access to credit by any formal financial institution and, therefore, were dependent on informal sources and moneylenders, the NABARD introduced the “SHG - Bank Linkage Programme” as a pilot project in 1992.
These programmes have become a very effective tool of uplifting the socio economic status of poor women. There are adequate facts across the globe to show, how the SHG and bank linkage programme through its functioning can provide productive employment opportunities, safe credit facilities, saving opportunities and thereby can eradicate poverty.
Apart from myriad programs relating to poverty alleviation has been started, it was observed that micro credit system through SHGs bank linkage programme plays a very significant role for the woman empowerment in rural areas so as to the poor families could be benefited. Rapid progress in SHG formation has now turned into an empowerment movement among women across the country. Economic empowerment results in women’s ability to influence or make decision independently, increased self confidence, better status and role in household etc.
The SHGs have been linked with Banks for micro financing. Under the programme, the Banks would provide a loan of Rs. 2 to 3 lakhs on seven per cent interest to each SHG for initially starting its venture which would be repeated up to Rs. 10 lakh depending on the performance of the SHG. These SHGs will also get additional interest subvention of 3 per cent on regular repayment of loan, reducing the effective rate of interest to 4 per cent. This interest subvention is being provided by the Government of India. For coordinating and smoothening of the SHG Bank linkages and delivery of interest subvention, a sub-committee of State Level Bankers Committee

(3LBC) has been constituted.6345 SHGs have been linked with the Banks providing them the credit of Rs. 59.09 crore against target of Rs. 148 crore.
Revolving fund of Rs. 2.97 crore has also been distributed amongst the groups by the Department. During the current fiscal, the focus will be on capacity building and institutionalization of SHGs.
This program has helped in social mobilization, institution building, creating human resources and alleviating poverty by direct financial benefits through bank linkages.

Q. 10 How can be the role of NGOs be strengthened in India for development worksrelating to protection of the Environment? Discuss throwing light on the major constraints.12.5

Answer: The NGOs network is interacting with Governments in shaping environmental policies, and can be helpful in creating awareness among the public on current environmental issues and solutions. They can facilitate the participation of various categories of stakeholders in the discussion on environmental issues. Conducting participatory rural appraisal, being involved in the protection of human rights to have a clean environment, protecting the natural resources and entrusting the equitable use of resources can be additional role of NGOs in protection of environment. There are large number of NGOs in India and other countries that are exclusively working for environmental, protection, conservation, and awareness.
Role of NGOs can be strengthened by involving them directly in governmental and industrial projects and policies. They should be allowed to express free opinion and act for protection of environment. Funding and activities should be allowed freely.
Major constraints on strengthening NGOs roles in environmental protection come from governmental restrictions which restrict activities and regulate strongly. Industries also look at these NGOs as acting against economic growth of India. Theories of conspiracy and international funding are also floated against such NGOs. Choice between environment and economic growth has to be made and without restricting NGOs, a pragmatic view should be taken on case to case basis.

Q. 11 The quality of higher education in India requires major improvement to make it internationally competitive. Do you think that the entry of foreign educational institutions would help improve the quality of technical and higher education in the country. Discuss.12.5
Answer:The QS World University Rankings had no Indian institutes in the top 200 of its recently released global list for 2013. India has one of the poorest Gross Enrolment Ratios (GER) for higher education in the world.
According to 2010 data, India’s GER was a meager 13.8 percent, compared with the global average of around 26 percent. Low employability of graduates, driven by several factors including outdated curricula, shortage of quality faculty, high student-teacher ratios, lack of institutional and industry linkages, and lack of autonomy to introduce new and innovative courses are factors need to be improved in higher education of India. Low impact research output and patents filed given relatively low government and corporate spending on research, insufficient doctoral students, missing research focus and culture in most institutions and lack of international research collaborations contribute to the reason why Indian higher and technical education is not internationally competitive. Complex regulatory requirements and hurdles, poor institutional governance standards, and lack of professional management also need to be taken into consideration. Institutions would need to adopt a transformative and innovative approach across all levels of higher and technical education: from curricula and pedagogy to the use of technology to partnerships, governance and funding, to become globally relevant and competitive. Foreign Universities coming to India in higher and technical education sector would bring funds, expertise and better curriculum for students. They will give better exposure and methods of learning. Concern of being costly and profiteering may not be ignored but scholarships and loans can take care of deserving poor students. Foreign universities have so far kept away from India because of the high level of regulations. In a major reform push in higher and technical education, the Centre may not only allow foreign universities to set up campuses in India but also permit them to repatriate profits from operations.

Q. 12 Public health system has limitation in providing universal health coverage. Do you think that private sector can help in bridging the gap?
What other viable alternatives do you suggest?12.5

Answer: The public health system in India comprises a set of state-owned health care facilities funded and controlled by the government of India. Governmental spending on health care in India is exclusively through this system; hence most of the treatments in these institutions are either fully or partially subsidized.
This includes Primary Health Centers at village level, Community Health Centers in Urban areas, Taluk Level Hospitals, General Hospitals in Districts,
Medical colleges and Speciality Hospitals in big cities and All India Institutes of Medical Science. However, Public health system is not able to provide service to all villages due to lack of infrastructure and shortage of staff. In this regard, government can direct corporations to spend CSR fund on creating health facilities. Government can also tie up with private hospitals and cover beneficiaries through medical insurance. The insurance can be provided by government at subsidized rate. Private hospitals can be directed to provide treatment to insured beneficiaries. Private practitioner doctors can also be bridged under the insurance scheme. Government can start public - private partnership in health care system whereby companies can build hospitals and government can provide tax benefits for providing medical services to poor and underprivileged group of people.
To sustain its economic growth, India will need to have a healthy population and address health inequities. In this context, UHC can be the driver and benefit the entire population. Accelerating UHC is the key to successfully addressing the new public health challenges and inequities in health outcomes.

Q. 13 Though there have been several different estimates of poverty in India, all indicatereduction in poverty levels over time. Do you agree. Critically examine with reference to urban and rural poverty indicators.12.5

Answer: In India, we have a long history of studies on the measurement of poverty. The methodology for the estimation of poverty used by the erstwhile Planning Commission was based on recommendations made by various expert groups.
The official measure of Indian government, before 2005, was based on food security and it was defined from per capita expenditure for a person to consume enough calories and be able to pay for associated essentials to survive. Since 2005, Indian government adopted the Tendulkar methodology which moved away from calorie anchor to a basket of goods and used rural, urban and regional minimum expenditure per capita necessary to survive.
Dandekar and Rath, on the behalf of Indian government, estimated that the poverty rate in 1960s remained generally constant at 41%.
Ojha, in contrast, estimated that there were 190 million people (44%) in India below official poverty limit in 1961, and that this below-poverty line number increased to 289 million people (70%) in 1967. Bardhan also concluded that Indian poverty rates increased through the 1960s, reaching a high of 54%.
Another Expert Group was instituted in 1993, chaired by Lakdawala, to examine poverty line for India. In June 2012, the government of India appointed an expert group (with C.
Rangarajan as chairman) to take a fresh look at the methodology for the measurement of poverty .The Rangarajan expert group has gone back to the idea of separate poverty line baskets for rural and urban areas. Based on the analysis presented in the expert group report, monthly per capita consumption expenditure of Rs 972 in rural areas and Rs 1,407 in urban areas is treated as the poverty line at the all-India level. The expert group estimates that 30.9 per cent of the rural population and 26.4 per cent of the urban population were below the poverty line in 2011-12. The all-India ratio was 29.5 per cent.
All these poverty estimates have indicated decline in poverty in India. Separate reference is useful because requirement and cost of living in urban and rural areas differ dramatically.
The poverty indicators, both rural and urban, measures deprivations like food, education, health, shelter, sanitation, safe drinking water etc., among the poor. A large proportion of India’s urban and rural population lacks the income or assets to meet basic needs. But most of these living in poverty are not considered poor by official definitions. Poverty in India is just defined and measured by specifying a poverty line based on a particular level of per capita consumption or income and assessing what proportionof the population falls below this line.

Q. 14 In the light of Satyam Scandal (2009), discuss the changes brought in the corporate governance to ensure transparency and accountability.12.5

Answer: B RamalingaRaju, the founder of Satyam Computer Services, confessed to aRs 7,000-crore fraud on its balance sheet, which he had hidden from the IT company’s board, employees and auditors for several years. The Satyam scandal was the largest accounting fraud in the history of corporate India. Satyam revealed many alarming truths about the inadequacies of the country’s corporate governance standards. The government reacted to the fraud by overhauling the regulatory framework, with the new Companies Act
2013, which fixed liabilities of auditor and independent directors. In 2014, market regulator SEBI amended Clause 49 of listing guidelines to improve corporate governance. The market watchdog have also set up a monitoring committee to ensure company’s compliance with clause 49, ascertain adequacy and accuracy of disclosures in the quarterly compliance reports received from the companies and submit a consolidated compliance report to it within 60 days from the end of each quarter.
There is much more vigilance to ensure that companies and auditors have put in greater checks to prevent fraud. Most organisations have digitized their business processes and strengthened internal controls to prevent and detect frauds. Boards must have at least one woman director.
Audit firms now have to be rotated every 10 years beginning April 2017.
Auditors have come under intense scrutiny - they have to see to it that every internal financial control (IFC) prescribed under the Companies Act is followed by a company. However, the main obstacle is that most Indian companies are controlled by promoters. Independent directors are only independent on paper.

Q. 15 “If amendment bill to the Whistleblowers Protection Act 2011 tabled in the Parliament is passed, there may be no one left to protect.” Critically Evaluate. 12.5

Answer: Whistleblowers - public servants, non-profit organisations or individuals - will not be allowed to reveal any documents classified under the
Official Secrets Act of 1923, even if the purpose is to disclose acts of corruption, misuse of power or criminal activities. This is in addition to any information that could “prejudicially affect the interest of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign State” - information that is already off-limits in the existing Whistleblowers Protection Act.
The proposed amendments allow whistleblowers to disclose some kinds of information only if it has been obtained through a Right to Information query.
This includes intellectual property, trade secrets and even information that can be considered the “unwanted invasion of privacy” of an individual.
Whistleblowers would be entitled to official protection only if all of these conditions are met, could face action if they are not, and the central and state governments would be the final authorities with the power to judge each case.
Whistleblowers in any society take on the severest of personal risks and often make unprecedented sacrifices in order to safeguard the rights of their fellow citizens from corruption and other forms of maladministration in public institutions. Providing a whistleblower with a safe alternative to silence is the foundational principle of everywhistleblower protection law.
The introduced bill is likely to dissuade anyone from blowing the lid off corruption in the government or bureaucracy.

Q. 16 “For achieving the desired objectives, it is necessary to ensure that the regulatory institution remain independent and autonomous.” Discuss in the light of experiences in recent past.12.5

Answer: Any regulatory institution must remain independent and autonomous for taking unbiased decisions and giving impartial judgements.
Any control or influence on such authority may affect its ability to regulate and administer its area of authority. Regulators should be appointed in a manner that conflict of interest does not arise and their integrity remains beyond doubt. Rules should be made to keep the position holders insulated from outside influences that may affect their judgement. Regulatory bodies should be given enough power and authority so not to be subordinate to any other authority which in turn can again control independent decisions. For example, if environmental clearance authority is not independent and autonomous, we cannot maintain balance between industrialisation and environmental protection. Similarly, if an audit institution does not act independently and impartially, investors cannot know the real financial situation of a company. Courts of law should also be independent to administer justice to parties without bias or partiality.
Recently some of the actions taken by the government appeared to be encroaching upon the autonomy of the institutions. Some such actions were the controversy associated with the appointment of the post of director to the Film and Television Institute of India, proposed IIM Bill, attempt to bring
NJAC to appoint members to higher judiciary thereby government accused of interfering in the court’s appointment process (however the provision got struck down by the Supreme Court), and above all, a draft version of the Indian finance code proposes to limit the RBI’s veto in the monetary policy committee, which would severely dent the central bank’s competency. If anyhow, the institutional autonomy gets impacted then these institutions, which are entrusted with the responsibility of creating knowledge, regulating different sector of the Indian economy, ensuring justice, etc. may not work well.

Q. 17 Increasing interest of India in Africa has its pro and cons. Critically Examine. 12.5

Answer: India is focusing on trade and commerce with Africa, with specific reference to increasing sharing of technical knowledge. India is currently the fourth-largest trading partner of Africa, after China, the United States and the European Union. India-Africa trade figures of $72 billion and investment in the continent is around $32 billion. India can look to surpass China during its slowdown and also aim at creating a resource base for its own ‘Make in India’ campaign on the other. India, in order to diversify its sources of supply, has to concentrate on
Africancontinent, as it has emerged as a crucial region for oil supply diversification due to fragile nature of hydrocarbon supply in West Asia, India’s traditional oil supplier. While oil and gas dominates the India’s resource interests in Africa, India also imports coal, copper, iron as well as agricultural raw materials. Certain regions of the African continent serve as the hotbed for the spread of the fundamentalist Islamic terrorism movements and another issue is concerned with the security of sea lines of communication (SLOC) and the threat of maritime piracy. Both these issues makes it imperative and advantageous for India to enter into positive engage with Africa to garner her support and cooperation.
Africa can also give allies in India’s bid for a permanent seat on the United
Nations Security Council and stronger support in other international forums such as World Trade Organisation.
On the other hand, India needs to focus more on domestic issues like poverty, healthcare, education and other infrastructure facilities. India is growing as a knowledge economy and western countries can be better trade partners for India. On international front also, neighbouring countries should be priority, followed by big powers. Focusing more on Africa is not the demand of time.
Resources have to be allocated appropriately and India is not in position to give too much aid or development assistance to African countries.

Q. 18 Discuss the impediments India is facing in its pursuit of a permanent seat in UN Security Council.12.5

Answer: India has been actively pursuing its quest for permanent membership of the UN Security Council. It has pushed for text based negotiations in the UN General Assembly as a step to move forward the agenda of UNSC reform and expansion stuck fruitlessly in the Open-Ended
Working Group all these years. Many would rightly say that the start of text based negotiations does not mean that India is anywhere near obtaining permanent membership. India must gain the approval of the five nations (China, Russia, France and Great Britain) that currently have permanent seats on the Council, any of whom can cast a veto against status changes on the Council. USA has already voiced support. It is well-known that China has reservations about its neighbouring Asian states gaining a presence on the Council and would likely at this time block the entries of both India and Japan. Even the US said that it first wanted a “reformed” Security Council that includes India. Probably it means that, before India’s request should be acted upon, the Council’s membership must be expanded to at least 21 or 22 countries. In addition, there is the question of whether India, if it does get voted onto the Security Council, gets the seat with a veto or without one. The five permanent members will have a say in that decision — and the issue will be whether India would accept a spot sans the veto. India has problems with bordering countries that may not support India’s permanent membership to UN. Internal law and order situation of India is grappling withinsurgencies and left-wing extremism. This showcases India’s inability to tackle internal issues and therefore, a bigger role in international arena gets undermined. The economic strength of India is yet to show its muscles to the world, as it is still smaller in terms of GDP with respect to other three in the group of G4. Also, India is struggling with weak currency making her economy vulnerable to external as well as internal economic shocks.
All African countries may also not support India as their votes will be divided. India has to still grow economically to support international organisations financially. Still having world’s largest number of poor, India cannot afford to shoulder more financial responsibilities of international organisations.

Q. 19 Project ‘Mausam’ is considered a unique foreign policy initiative of Indian government to improve relationship with its neighbours. Does the project have a strategic dimension? Discuss.12.5

Answer: Project Mausam is essentially a Ministry of Culture project concerning the creation of cultural links with India’s maritime neighbours.
The project’s objective is two-fold: at the macro level to re-connect with the countries of the IOR with the aim of enhancing the understanding of cultural values and concerns; and, at a more localized level, to enable an understanding of national cultures in a regional maritime milieu.
Mausam, for instance, aims to explore maritime routes that link India to different parts of the Indian Ocean littoral. One of its sub-themes is the sharing of knowledge systems and ideas between the many coastal canters along the maritime routes connecting India with the Indian Ocean’s subsystems.
This could in the long-term imply an aspiration for greater Indian influence in the IOR.
One of the main deliverables of this project is nomination of maritime cultural landscapes across the Indian Ocean as a trans-national property on the World Heritage List of UNESCO.
The endeavour of Project Mausam is to position itself at two levels : at the macro level, it aims to re-connect and re-establish communications between countries of the Indian Ocean world, while at the micro level, the focus is on understanding national cultures in their regional maritime mileu. Project ‘Mausam’ is an exciting, multi-disciplinary project that rekindles long-lost ties across nations of the Indian Ocean ‘world’ and forges new avenues of cooperation and exchange. The project, launched by India in partnership with member states, will enable a significant step in recording and celebrating this important phase of world history from the African, Arab and Asian-world perspectives. It does have strategic dimensions in a way that India will have more soft power in these nations and will generate goodwill towards India. It will increase people to people and cultural contacts.

Q. 20 Terrorist activities and mutual distrust have clouded India - Pakistan relations. To what extent the use of soft power like sports and cultural exchange could help generate goodwill between the two countries. Discuss with suitable examples.12.5

Answer: India-Pakistan relations are subject to various conflicting issues since partition like water dispute, border dispute, Kashmir dispute and terrorism etc., which resulted in three wars between the two neighbouring countries.
There have been numerous attempts to improve the relationship —notably, theShimla summit, the Agra summit and the Lahore summit but efforts are eclipsed by terrorist activities carried out by outfits based in Pakistan. But, despite all the political differences, the citizens of both the nations remains strongly inter-connected and inter-related through same culture, language, sartorial way, geographical conditions, socio-cultural traditions etc.
These are some of the threads that are still bonding the people of these not so friendly nations. In addition to these, arts, music and sports too form certain amount of mutual linkages between India and Pakistan. Civil Society in both the countries want peaceful resolution to all the conflicts and it can be forged through utilizing soft power such as sports and cultural exchanges. Both countries have tried for cultural and sports exchange and people to people contact to improve relations which have been successful to some extent. Indian TV serials and movies are popular in Pakistan. Many Pakistani artists have become famous in India. Sports, especially Cricket and
Hockey between two countries are played with great zeal and enthusiasm, drawing a big crowd of viewers. These efforts need to be streamlined and increased. Sports as a tool of soft power can bridge many differences and find peoplea common ground to unite. In Indo-Pak relations, cricket is the main sport, which helps enhance dialogue. Cricket could be used to create congenial atmosphere between people of two nations. In the modern world, culture, media and technology play as crucial a role as weapons and diplomacy. So, lets not talk to Pakistan, invade them not with guns, but with culture.

2015 SOLVED PAPER III
Time Allowed: Three Hours Maximum Marks: 250

Instructions: There are TWENTY questions printed both in English and in Hindi. All the questions are compulsory. The number of marks carried by a question is indicated against it. Answers must be written in the medium authorised in the Admission Certificate which must be stated clearly on the cover of this Question-cum-Answer (QCA) Booklet in the space provided. No marks will be given for answers written in medium other than the authorised one.
Word limit in questions, wherever specified, should be adhered to.
Answer the questions in not more than 200 words each. Contents of the answer is more important than its length.

Q.1. The nature of economic growth in India in recent times is often described as a jobless growth. Do you agree with this view? Give arguments in favour of your answer.12.5

Answer: Historically, from 2000 until 2011, India’s average quarterly GDP growth was 7.45 per cent. The economy has posted an average growth rate of more than 7 per cent in the decade since 1997. In 2014 GDP growth was more than 7%.
The growth in labour force in India is much higher than the growth of jobs.
The unemployment rate in India was last reported at 9.4 per cent in fiscal year 2009-10. From 1983 until 2000, the unemployment rate averaged 7.20 per cent reaching the historical high of 8.30 per cent in December 1983 and a record low of 5.99 per cent in December 1994. But since 2011 unemployment rate has slowed down to 7.3% in 2014. However, the unorganised sector in India accounts for 90% of the employment. Selfemployment accounts for more than 60% of the employed population of India. Casual workers, who get jobs only at times and remain unpaid when they don’t have work, constitute 30% of the workforce, while only 10% are regular employees. At this rate, India is expected to have a 30% unemployment rate by 2020. This would mean that there would be 21 crore jobless people in India.
The World Bank’s country strategy advocates greater investments in infrastructure as a priority to attract investment and generate employment. Even though the country tried to keep its pace of growth at higher levels with more economic reforms, it failed to generate more employment. This means the growth rate is not able to reduce the unemployment rate.

Q. 2 Livestock rearing has a big potential for providing non- farm employment and income in rural areas. Discuss suggesting suitable measures to promote this sector in India.12.5

Answer: Livestock rearing is a key livelihood and risk mitigation strategy for small and marginal farmers, particularly across the rain-fed regions of India. Livestock products comprised 32 per cent of the total value of agriculture and allied activities in 2006-07 which was a noticeable increase from 27 per cent of the agricultural gross domestic product in 1999-2000. The livestock sector has therefore been growing faster than many othersectors of agriculture and if this trend continues then the sector will be the engine growth for Indian agriculture that many have predicted.
Most often we see livestock as providers of essential food products, draught power, manure, employment, household income and export earnings.
However, it is a very important fact that livestock wealth is much more equitably distributed than wealth associated with land. The goal of inclusive growth, from equity and livelihood perspectives, can be achieved through livestock rearing and it must be at the centre of the stage in poverty alleviation programmes. Livestock rearing at the household level is largely a women-led activity, and therefore 1 income from livestock rearing and decisions related to management of livestock within the household are primarily taken by women. Livestock rearing has contributed significantly to the empowerment of women and an increasing role in decision making at both the household and village level. Livestock rearing, particularly in the rain-fed regions of the country, is also emerging as a key risk mitigation strategy for the poorest.
They face increasingly uncertain and erratic weather conditions which negatively impact crop productivity and wage labour in the agriculture sector.
To promote livestock rearing in India, government has to work to increase awareness on aspects of farm management to ensure full productivity of dairy animals. There is high mortality rate in calves and poor growth. Remedial measure has to be taken in this regard. Another problem among milking animals is low milk performance and mineral deficiencies. Proper nutrition and research can improve milk productivity. Loans and financial support can be provided by government to purchase more livestock. Veterinary services should be improved. Farmers should follow good milking management practices, especially cleanliness and hygiene at the milking place. In an attempt to promote innovations in livestock farming and increase milk production, the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development has launched an initiativeto facilitate adoption of new technologies by farmers with the help of research institutions. RashtriyaGokul Mission and National Livestock Mission are a welcome step taken by Government for the development of this sector with the objectives of sustainable development of livestock sector.

Q. 3 In the view of the declining average size of land holdings in India which has made agriculture non - viable for a majority of farmers should contract farming and land leasing be promoted in agriculture? Critically evaluate the pros and cons.12.5

Answer: At 157.35 million hectares, India holds the second largest agricultural land globally, only after the United States. 60.3 percent of India’s land area is agricultural land. But, as per Agriculture Census 2010-11, small and marginal holdings of less than 2 hectare account for 85 percent of the total operational holdings and 44 percent of the total operated area. The average size of holdings has declined and has come down to 1.16 hectare in
2010-11 from 2.82 hectare in 1970-71. The biggest challenge for Indian agriculture is the decreasing size of land holdings, which can potentially make the profession unfeasible. Contract farming involves a pre-agreed price between the company and the farmer. The agreement is defined by the commitment of the farmer to provide an agricultural commodity of a certain type at a time and a price and in the quantity required by acommitted buyer, mostly a large company.
The contract farming model being implemented in India ensures that land is permanently owned and cultivated only by farmers. The model which is most popular in the country today is the one in which the contractor supplies all the inputs required for cultivation, while the farmer supplies land and labour. A model of leasing land and allowing the private sector to acquire it for cultivation is not encouraged. Business houses seek to integrate the supply chain to ensure timely availability of quality and quantity of raw material. Significantly, it also reduces the procurement cost for them by doing away with the middlemen. It leads to significant gains for them, as not only do they get the raw material as per their specific demands, the cost is also much less. It is also believed that the participation of the corporate sector in the farming segment will play a crucial role in technology transfer, capital inflow as well as lead to assured markets for crop production.
The main concern is that the land, which is currently used to grow staple crops like wheat and rice, will be used to grow crops required by the foodprocessing industry, which also has a significant overseas market. The switch to contract farming, therefore, leads to a rise in exports. In fact, many corporates enter contract farming to fulfil their export obligations.

Q. 4 How can the ‘Digital India’ program help farmers to improve farm productivity and income? What step has the government taken in this regard? 12.5

Answer: Digital India project launched on 1st July 2015, envisions empowering citizens with e-access to government services and livelihood related services, among others.
The project has three core components, viz. digital infrastructure, digital services and digital literacy. The mAgriculture and mGramBazar, out of the seven components covered under mServices (Mobile Service), directly impact agricultural extension and marketing services.
The project will benefit small farmers as it seeks to i. transform rural India into a digitally-empowered knowledge economy ii. provide universal phone connectivity and access to broadband in
250,000 villages iii. extend timely services to farmers through information technology and its tools iv. enhance efficiency in agricultural governance through digital literacy and electronic delivery of services. This article briefly highlights government’s initiatives and suggests the need for harnessing potential of digital India for agricultural development. v. Communicate the news about weather phenomena or hazardous events so that preventive measures can be taken early. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has the potential to revolutionize Indian agriculture in terms of raising crop productivity and profitability per unit area and resources. For India, at a time when national, regional and international research institutes have already developed technologies, farmers need motivation and encouragement to adopt these proven yield-enhancing, cost-efficient and environment- friendly technologies.
Digital India will enable farmers to gain access to information regarding various stages of agriculture, pre harvest to post harvest. Farmers will get scientific and expert guidance regarding cultivation of crops, harvest and management. Farmers will also have direct and digital access to markets, including online market which will improve their ability of decision making.
This will finally lead to better productivity and better income.
Various steps taken by Govt, in this regard are : a. Launch of Soil Health Card Scheme and a Kisan TV Channel for the development of agriculture sector. b. An online National Agricultural Market has been approved that will provide more options to farmers for selling their produce. c. Govt/ has also approved the setting up of Agri-tech Infrastructure Funds for making farming competitive and profitable. d. Govt, has put in operation three portals viz., farmer portal, Kisan Call Centre and mKisan portal to help farmers take informed decisions for efficient farming under varying agro-climatic conditions.

Q. 5 In what way could replacement of price subsidy with direct benefit
Transfer (DBT) change the scenario of subsidies in India? Discuss.12.5

Answer: Direct Benefit Transfer or DBT is an attempt to change the mechanism of transferring subsidies launched by Government of India on 1
January 2013. This program aims to transfer subsidies directly to the people through their bank accounts. It is hoped that crediting subsidies into bank accounts will reduce leakages, delays, etc.
The primary aim of this Direct Benefit Transfer program is to bring transparency and terminate pilferage from distribution of funds sponsored by Central Government of India. In DBT, benefit or subsidy will be directly transferred to citizens living below poverty line. Central Plan Scheme
Monitoring System (CPSMS), being implemented by the Office of Controller General of Accounts, will act as the common platform for routing DBT. CPSMS can be used for the preparation of beneficiary list, digitally signing the same and processing of payments in the bank accounts of the beneficiary using the Aadhaar Payment Bridge of NPCI.
The subsidy on LPG cylinders will be credited directly to consumers’
Aadhaar-linked bank accounts. The centre saved around Rs 14,000 crore last fiscal due to weeding out of the fake and, duplicate LPG connections through
DBTL. The government announced the launch of Direct Benefit Transfer

(DBT) for kerosene subsidy in a bid to cut down the diversion and black marketing of the fuel. Government has also linked Students Scholarship and Fertilizer subsidy to Direct Benefit Transfer scheme.
Apart from reducing divergence of subsidy amount, additional benefit is to create direct link to beneficiary through their account which will provide useful database. Good information will be available by fertilizer subsidy transfer as those farmers who had no bank accounts and adhar cards till now will also be joining the stream.

Q. 6 What are the impediment in marketing and supply chain management in developing the food processing industry in India? Can ecommerce help in overcoming this bottleneck? 12.5

Answer: Food processing industry requires supply of raw material, processing units and market for sale. In India, food processing industry is yet to develop to its true potential. Various impediments are reasons why food processing industry in India is still in bad shape. On the side of marketing and supply chain management, Indian food processing industries are facing challenges of infrastructure and connectivity. Till now, food processing is not localized. Big companies are supplying to remote areas through its processing units located regionally. Infrastructure of road and rail, supply management and professional delivery systems are bottlenecks. Storage capacity has to be created for food processing companies. Local management team and offices have to be opened. Small city centers can be established for better supply and marketing. Localized, small industries can be established with small investment in the area of supply, storage and marketing management which can provide services to the companies engaged in food processing.
Other major impediments in FPI includes traditional technological methods, less investment on R&D. no efficient market survey, large number of middlemen, unsupportive APMC Acts and lack of organised retail. E-commerce can help to some extent by utilizing local warehouses and delivery system. By e-commerce data, companies can understand demand in any particular area and start storing and delivering from local warehouses.
However, localization and spread out units can best help the food processing industries.

Q. 7 Craze for gold in Indians has led to surge in import of gold in recent years and put pressure on balance of payments and external value of rupee. In view of this, examine the merits of Gold Monetization scheme.12.5

Answer: In India people consider gold as safe investment for future apart from having importance in social customs. As economic condition is improving, people have more money to save. This leads Indians to buy gold and as a result there is surge in import of gold in recent years. Import of foreign commodity requires payment in foreign currency. Import affects balance of payments adversely and high demand of foreign currency reduces value of rupee. Government of India launched Gold Monetization scheme which would replace both the present Gold Deposit and Gold Metal Loan Schemes. The new scheme would allow the depositors of gold to earn interest in their metal accounts and the jewellers to obtain loans in their metal account. Banks/ other dealers would also be able to monetise this gold. Once the gold is deposited in metal account, it will start earning interest on the same.
Under the scheme, Government expected to bring in market the unutilized gold to reduce import of gold. Benefits of the scheme to Customers
The gold grows itself in this scheme. The weight of gold remain same forever if you keep is in the house. But the GMS increases the weight of the gold according to the given interest rate.
You will get the true value of your gold. Getting cash in place of gold is very easy. Tax Benefit
There is no tax at all. The investment, interest and maturity is tax-free. There is no capital gains tax on the gold interest. There is wealth tax as well. Benefit To Government It will reduce the country’s reliance on the import of gold to meet domestic demand. Gold Monetization Scheme would benefit the Indian gems and jewelry sector which is a major contributor to India’s exports.
The mobilized gold will also supplement RBI’s gold reserves and will help in reducing the government’s borrowing cost.

Q. 8 “Success of ’Make in India’ program depends on the success of
‘Skill India’ programme and radical labour reforms.” Discuss with logical arguments. 12.5

Answer: Make in India is an initiative launched by the Government of India to encourage multinational, as well as national companies to manufacture their products in India. But to attract investment in manufacturing and industrial sector, India needs to create skilled and manual labour force.
Although, in 2014, India’s labour force was estimated to be about 490 million, or 40 per cent of the population, 93 per cent of this force was in the unorganised sector.
The Economic Survey for 2014-15 has suggested that transformational sectors could be in registered manufacturing or services. Raising economy wide skills must compliment efforts to improve the conditions for manufacturing. Prime Minister NarendraModi has made the revival of Indian manufacturing a top priority reflected in the Make in India campaign. It has clearly stated that the Prime Minister’s Skill India objective should be accorded high priority in order to realise the Make in India objective. Indian growth should balance the nation’s comparative advantage in availability of low skilled labour with skill development required by future generations to take advantage of lost opportunities. The registered manufacturing must be expanded to take leverage of India’s abundant unskilled labour. While “Make in India” occupies prominence as an important goal, the future trajectory of Indian development depends on both
“Make in India” and “Skilling India”. Efforts to improve the conditions of labour-intensive manufacturing need to be complemented with rapid skill upgrade because skill-intensive sectors are dynamic sectors in India and sustaining their dynamism will require that the supply of skills keeps pace with the rising demand of these skills, otherwise even these sectors might become uncompetitive. Investors also faces difficulty by labour law regime of India as it has always been at loggerheads with industrial development and the ease of doing business. India need to focus on cutting down red tape, by amending nearly
40 Central and 150 State labour laws, has been launched, with significant consequences on hiring and firing. Labour reforms must be linked to the ease of doing business, creating a habitat where jobs can be fostered. Reforms must be linked to worker benefits, while simultaneously easing the compliance burden on small and medium enterprises. The labour law must be rationalized by defining minimum wages and linking them to inflation.
Minimum wages ought tobe revised annually, with penalties for their violation dramatically raised. Skilled manpower and industry friendly labour laws will help India attract more investment and bring success to Make in India program.

Q. 9 To what factors can be the recent dramatic fall in equipment cost and tariff of solarenergy be attributed? What implications does the trend have for thermal power producers and related industry?12.5

Answer: Recently there has been drastic reduction in equipment cost and tariff of solar energy. Total module costs of Chinese solar companies have decreased from $76 a watt in 1977 to 1.31 a watt in 2011 to around S0.50/W in 2014. This was primarily due to the reduction in processing costs, the fall in polysilicon costs and improvement in conversion efficiencies. Total costs could fall another 30-40 per cent over the next several years, with the greatest cost reductions are likely to come from the residential segments as scale and operating efficiencies improve. Solar, and other technologies such as wind power, are no longer more expensive than traditional fossil fuels in many parts of the world. With this competitive price, solar energy could extend its reach of “grid parity” to 80 per cent of global markets within the next two years, assuming a 40 per cent cut in solar costs by the end of 2017. At least half of the 140,000GW of power capacity to be installed in the Middle East and north Africa in the coming decade to be solar.
This will affect installation of new thermal power projects and even currently installed thermal power projects will have to be more competitive in price.
However, simultaneous drastic reduction in oil price will not make thermal power uncompetitive in near future. Availability of solar radiation varies from region to region and from season to season, so there is no immediate threat to thermal power producers and related industries, but future will belong to renewable energy sources like solar.

Q. 10 There is a clear acknowledgement that Special Economic Zones

(SEZs) are a tool of industrial development, manufacturing and exports.
Recognising this potential, the whole instrumentality of SEZs require augmentation. Discuss the issue plaguing the success of SEZs with respect to taxation, governing laws and administration.12.5

Answer: The Special Economic Zones were established to promote industrial development leading to generation of employment for local people. However, of late, the SEZ policy has suffered on following counts:

1. The introduction of Minimum alternate tax and Dividend distribution tax have neutralized income tax benefits which was originally available in SEZs

2. The absence of complementary infrastructure to support the SEZ has stalled progress of industrialisation.
3 The lack of proactive assistance from development officials have created red-tapism type of atmosphere in SEZ as well.

4. The export incentives granted to industries outside the zones have not been extended to the SEZ thus making them less attractive to invest in.

5. The free trade agreements signed with other countries have garnered an edge over the SEZs due to advantage available to other industries outside SEZ.
To overcome these issues, it is suggested that:

1. Rather than withdrawing MAT and DDT, discussions must be made on the level at which they can be levied.

2. A more predictable taxation policy for making the environment conducive for investment.
3 The creation of complementary infrastructure, power, roads and ports should be promoted promptly.

4. The procedures should be made simple for new and existing industries.

Q. 11 What do you understand by “Standard Positioning System” and
“Precision positioningsystem” in the GPS era? Discuss the advantage India perceives from its ambitious IRNSS programme employing just seven satellites.12.5

Answer: GPS provides two different positioning services: the Precise Positioning Service (PPS) and the Standard Positioning Service (SPS).
The GPS Standard Positioning Service (SPS) is a positioning and timing service provided by way of ranging signals broadcast at the GPS LI frequency which contains signal with a navigation data message that is available for peaceful civil, commercial, and scientific use.
The GPS Precise Positioning Service (PPS) is a positioning and timing service provided by way of authorised access to ranging signals broadcast at the GPS LI and L2 frequencies. The LI frequency contains signal that is available for peaceful civil, commercial, and scientific use; and a precision

(P) code ranging signal with a navigation data message, that is reserved for authorised use.
The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System or IRNSS is an indigenously developed Navigation Satellite System that is used to provide accurate real-time positioning and timing services over India and region extending to 1500 km around India. IRNSS would have seven satellites, out of which six are already placed in orbit. The constellation of seven satellites is expected to operate from June 2016 onwards. The IRNSS would provide two services, with the Standard Positioning Service open for civilian use, and the Restricted Service (an encrypted one) for authorised users (including the military).

Q. 12 What are the areas of prohibitive labour that can be sustainably managed by robots? Discuss the initiatives that can propel the research in premier research institutes for substantive and gainful innovation.12.5

Answer: There has been a long debate about replacing human labour with robot and arguments against mechanization and human being losing jobs. But there are certain dangerous areas where using robots can save human lives.
Robots can be used for work in dangerous mines where loss of lives is very high. In dark and deep mines where level of oxygen is low, poisonous gases and chances of landslides create danger for human life, robot can be used. In agricultural areas where pesticides, rain and other circumstances make it difficult for hum^n being to carry out the job, robots can be employed.
Robots can also be used in heavy industries and heavy labour works to save human efforts. Heavy industries create working environment where electricity, water, oil, otherdangerous substances and heavy machinery are dangerous for human presence, robots can be useful for carrying out work.
To propel research institutes, government and big corporations need to fund the programs. Policy initiative can be taken by government. Legal and economic debates have to be directed towards right direction to create a positive mindset among people. Use of Robot need not be perceived as encroachment upon human labour area but supplement to human efforts. Scientific collaboration can be institutionalized at international level for cooperation in advanced research. Conferences, exhibitions, awards and seminars can be organised to give due recognition to the research being carried out in robotics.

Q. 13 Discuss the advantage and security implication of cloud hosting of servers vis-a-vis in house machine based hosting for government business.12.5

Answer: Cloud hosting services are the hosting services that are provided to customers via multiple connected servers that comprise a cloud, as opposed to being provided by a single server or virtual server.
Advantages of Cloud Computing Cost Savings : Perhaps, the most significant cloud computing benefit is in terms of IT cost savings. Businesses, no matter what their type or size, exist to earn money while keeping capital and operational expenses to a minimum.
Reliability : With a managed service platform, cloud computing is much more reliable and consistent than in-house IT infrastructure. An organisation can benefit from a massive pool of redundant IT resources, as well as quick failover mechanism - if a server fails, hosted applications and services can easily be transited to any of the available servers.
Manageability : Cloud computing provides enhanced and simplified IT management and maintenance capabilities through central administration of resources, vendor managed infrastructure and SLA backed agreements. Strategic Edge : Ever-increasing computing resources give you a competitive edge over competitors, as the time you require for IT procurement is virtually nil. Your company can deploy mission critical applications that deliver significant business benefits, without any upfront costs and minimal provisioning time.
Moving towards a cloud-based environment, however, requires careful planning and analysis. It also has significant security implications that your organisation needs to ensure it fully understands and manages: Identity management. Manage personal identity information so access to computer resources, applications, data, and services are properly controlled.
Detection and forensics. Businesses must separate legitimate and illegitimate activities, since there is a greater chance of unauthorised access in the cloud. Encryption. Code to protect your information assets since cloud-based systems are shared by a variety of users.
Manageability. You need a consistent view across your on-premises and cloud-based environments. After all, your organisation is one entity, and therefore your systems also must be integrated as one. Standards. A standard is an agreed-upon approach for doing something. Cloud standardsensure interoperability, so you can use tools, applications, virtual images, and more in another cloud environment without having to do any rework. Governance and compliance. Governance defines roles and responsibilities, as well as policies and procedures that your personnel or groups need to follow. Cloud governance should include your own infrastructure as well as infrastructure you do not completely control. Storing data in the cloud. Managing data stored in the cloud requires data security and privacy, including controls for moving data from point A to point B. It also includes managing data storage and the resources for data processing.

Q. 14 India’s Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) which has a database containing formatted information on more than 2 million medicinal formulations is proving a powerful weapon in the country’s fight against erroneous patents. Discuss the pros and cons of making the database publicly available under open source licensing. 12.5

Answer: The Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) is an Indian digital knowledge repository of the traditional knowledge, especially about medicinal plants and formulations used in Indian systems of medicine. Set up in 2001, the objective of the library is to protect the ancient and traditional knowledge of the country from exploitation through biopiracy and unethical patents, by documenting it electronically and classifying it as per international patent classification systems. Apart from that, the non-patent database serves to foster modern research based on traditional knowledge, as it simplifies access to this vast knowledge of remedies or practices.As the database project reached its completion, in 2006 the government allowed access to the library to international patent offices, including European Patent
Office (EPO), Japan and the UK, subject to a non-disclosure clause. This allows patent examiners to evaluate patent applications and stop attempts to patent traditional knowledge as “new” inventions. If the database is made publicly available, millions of people all over the world would be able to use medicinal formulations for better health. These are already freely available to the people who know Indian language or at least with some research can be availed. Open source licensing will prevent claims of invention but will allow access and utilisation of the medical system that has developed over thousands of years.
One problem can be profiteering by multinational companies using the medical formulations developed by ancient Indian knowledge system.

Q. 15 Discuss the NamamiGange and National Mission for Clean Ganga

(NMCG) programmes and causes of mixed results from the previous schemes. What quantum leaps can help preserve the river Ganga better than incremental inputs?12.5

Answer: The Ganga is the largest river in India with an extraordinary religious importance for Hindus, providing water to about 40% of India’s population across 11 states. A number of initiatives have been undertaken to clean the river but failed to deliver desired results.
The Ganga Action Plan or GAP was a program launched in January 1985 to reduce the pollution load on the river. The plan was withdrawn on 31 March

2000.
National River Ganga Basin Authority (NRGBA) was established by the Central Government of India in February 2009 which declared the Ganga as the “National River” of India. In 2010 the government declared the stretch of river between Gaumukh and
Uttarkashi an “eco-sensitive zone”. In 2010, the Indian government embarked on a $4 billion campaign to ensure that by 2020 no untreated municipal sewage or industrial runoff enters the 1,560-mile river.
Namami Ganga project was announced by the Government in July 2014 budget. As a part of the program, government of India ordered shutdown of
48 industrial units around Ganga. Ganga Manthan, a national conference was held by the National Mission for Clean Ganga on 7 July 2014 at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi to discuss issues and possible solutions for cleaning the river.
National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) has started the Mission Clean Ganga with a changed and comprehensive approach to champion the challenges posed to Ganga through four different sectors, namely, of wastewater management, solid waste management, industrial pollution and river front development. Piecemeal approach has failed to address problem of Ganga water pollution, it is expected that National Mission Clear Ganga will deliver a result as it envisages various aspects related to pollution of the river.

Q. 16. The frequency of earthquakes appears to have increased in the Indian subcontinent. However, India’s preparedness for mitigating their impact has significant gaps. Discuss various aspects. 12.5

Answer: India is a part of continental plate that is converging with the Eurasian plate along the Himalayas. This zone of convergence is prone to earthquakes, so, there are frequent incidence of Earthquakes in the Indian sub-continent. As per the current seismic zone map of the country over 59 per cent of India’s land area is under threat of moderate to severe earthquakes.
There were six earthquakes in 2015 in Indian subcontinent, one in 2014, two in 2012 and one in 2011 totalling ten earthquakes in last five years. Between
2006-2010 there was only one earthquake; between 2001-2005 there were three. This shows that frequency of earthquakes appears to have increased in Indian subcontinent in recent years. Disasters and their management generally get discussed in their aftermath but practically it should result in planning and preparing the strategy to tackle and mitigate disasters in a responsible and effective manner.
The Government of India adopted mitigation and prevention as essential components of their development strategy. The Tenth Five Year Plan document has a detailed chapter on Disaster Management. Each State is supposed to prepare a plan scheme for disaster mitigation in accordance with the approach outlined in the plan. In brief, mitigation is being institutionalized into developmental planning. However, this disaster management is lacking in many ways in preparedness for mitigating impact of earthquakes. Disaster management has no trained force sufficient to take immediate actions. They have to rely on support of military or paramilitary forces for disaster management which is more incidental than permanent.

Q. 17 Human right activists constantly highlight the fact that the Armed forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) is a draconian act leading to cases of human right abuses by security forces. What sections of AFSPA are opposed by the activists. Critically evaluate the requirement with reference to the view held by Apex Court.12.5

Answer: The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), a controversial piece of legislation confers vast powers on the armed forces deployed in
“disturbed areas” of the country Indian Parliament enacted AFSPA in September 1958 in the context of the nascent Naga insurgency.
AFSPA’s lack of clarity as to what constitutes a “disturbed area” and the rather arbitrary manner in which AFSPA can be imposed is opposed severely.
AFSPA grants the army, central police forces, and state police personnel in
“disturbed areas” “certain special powers,” including the right to shoot to kill, to raid houses, and destroy any property that is “likely” to be used by insurgents, and “to arrest without warrant” even on “reasonable suspicion” a person who has committed or even “about to commit a cognizable offence.” Besides conferring extensive powers on the armed forces, AFSPA provides them immunity from prosecution. It is alleged that the sweeping powers vested in the hands of the armed forces and especially the protection it gives them from prosecution encourages soldiers to kill, raid and rape. In an insurgency situation it is difficult for soldiers to differentiate between sympathizer and insurgent.
Referring to AFPSA in Manipur, the Supreme Court of India recently observed that AFSPA was supposed to be a temporary measure, but it has been there for the last 35 years. The use of AFPSA as a permanent mechanism is being criticized by Supreme Court however in an earlier judgment the apex court had upheld validity of the act per se.

Q. 18 Religious indoctrination via social media has resulted in Indian youth joining the ISIS. What is ISIS and its mission? How can ISIS be dangerous to the internal security of our country.12.5

Answer: ISIS has used social media to spread its propaganda and terror across the globe. It has posted videos of beheading on youtube. ISIS has been successful to indoctrinate Indian youth via social media to join ISIS.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, alternatively translated as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham is a Salafi jihadist militant group that follows an Islamic fundamentalist, Wahhabi doctrine of Sunni Islam. The group is also known as Daesh. The group has referred to itself as the Islamic State or IS ever since it proclaimed a worldwide caliphate in June 2014 and named Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as its caliph. As a caliphate, it claims religious, political and military authority over all Muslims worldwide. In June 2014, ISIL published a document in which it claimed to have traced the lineage of its leader al-Baghdadi back to Muhammad and upon proclaiming a new caliphate on 29 June, the group appointed al-Baghdadi as its caliph. As caliph, he demands theallegiance of all devout Muslims worldwide, according to Islamic jurisprudence. ISIL has detailed its goals in its Dabiq magazine, saying it will continue to seize land and take over the entire Earth until it covers all eastern and western extents of the Earth, filling the world with the truth and justice of Islam and putting an end to the falsehood and tyranny of jahiliyyah [state of ignorance]. Islamic State propaganda includes India among its list of enemies — which also includes Pakistan and Bangladesh. The numbers of Indians who have responded to the Islamic State’s call, are however very few - less than two dozen. Islamic State sympathisers have also tried to set up cells inside India. It can be dangerous for internal security of India. In the periphery, people have to be made aware of the foolishness of the ideological beliefs that ISIS espouses. There have been worrisome reports of Indians joining the fundamentalist groups. This has to prevented at all costs - a stitch in time saves nine.

Q. 19 The persisting drives of the government for development of large industries in backward areas have resulted in isolating the tribal population and the farmers who face multiple displacements. With
Malkangiri and Naxalbari foci, discuss the corrective strategies needed to win the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) doctrine affected citizens back into mainstream of social and economic growth.12.5

Answer: When a large scale industry is established in an area, lot of land is required which causes displacement of local population. Added to displacement is depriving of agricultural land and making the people jobless. Considering technical nature of work, majority of the local people are not able to get any job in the industry being set up. One time payment is not invested properly and therefore in short period, the displaced people become unemployed poor. Apart from losing land, home and job, is feeling of encroachment in their culture and resources which causes bitterness among the locals for newly entrant industrialists and employees.
This causes Left Wing Extremism (LWE) to prevent such industrialisation. Collector was kidnapped in Malkangiri area of Orissa by LWEs which shows a violent method to raise their concern against industrialisation and development process implemented by government. In West Bengal Naxalbari area is also affected by the same issue. Government has to take into mainstream the section of population affected by this type of ideology by giving them benefits of development, removing poverty and ensuring fair share in social infrastructural and economical development. Better communication and connectivity to modern education and employment will pave a way in this direction. A National Strategy—involving governance, development, empowerment and security—is the basic prerequisite for resolving the challenge posed by Naxalism/Left Wing Extremism in the country. Some of the major challenges include achieving national consensus on the Naxal issue, achieving inclusive growth, perception management, prevention of the further spatial spread of Naxalism, empowerment of youth, implementation of development initiatives, isolation from external support, capacity building of the Security Forces and proper implementation of the already existing legislations dealing with tribal rights.

Q. 20 Considering the threats cyberspace poses for the country, India needs a “Digital Armed Forces” to prevent crimes. Critically evaluate the National Cyber Security Policy, 2013 outlining the challenges perceived in its effective implementation. 12.5

Answer: Cyber-attacks are defined as “deliberate actions to alter, disrupt, deceive, degrade, or destroy computer systems or networks or the information and/or programs resident in or transiting these systems or networks.”
As threat to cyberspace is increasing, Indian government published its first ever National Cyber Security Policy (NCSP), in early July, 2013. The NCSP essentially speaks of a framework for the protection of information in cyberspace by eliminating vulnerabilities. Major clauses include greater emphasis on research and development of indigenous security technology, and their effective testing and deployment. The policy also calls for enhanced public and private partnership vis-a-vis technical and operational cooperation, aimed at encouraging organisations to adopt individually tailored IT regulations and infrastructure, in conformity with international best practices.
The policy envisions creating a workforce of 500,000 cyber specialists in the next five years. In fact India needs a Digital Armed Force type mechanism which can carry out secret operations in India and abroad.
Despite being a positive step towards securing India’s cyber assets, the NCSP is far from answering all nuances of the cyber threat, as they exist today. The most critical factor is the lack of details, along with a feasible nationwide strategy to achieve the objectives set out in the policy. Policy is neither binding nor enforceable, but merely provides guidelines for a standard operating procedure. In this regard, the NCSP does not maximize its potential for optimum benefit. A crucial point missing entirely from the NCSP is the security concerns in the telecom industry.

 

2015 SOLVED PAPER IV
Time Allowed: Three Hours Maximum Marks: 250

Instructions: There are FOURTEEN questions divided in two Sections and printed both in Hindi and in English. All questions are compulsory.
The number of marks carried by a question/part is indicated against it.
Word limit in questions, wherever specified, should be adhered to. Any page or portion of the page left blank in the Question-cum-Answer Booklet must be clearly struck off.
Answer questions in NOT MORE than the word limit specified for each in the parenthesis. Content of the answer is more important than its length. Section-A

Q. 1 (a) What is meant by ‘environmental ethics’? Why is it important to study? Discuss any one environmental issue from the viewpoint of environmental ethics. (150 words.)10

Answer: Environmental ethics indicates relation between the moral relationship of human beings to, and also the value and moral status of, the environment and its non-human contents. It is important to study environmental ethics because it forces people to consider how their actions affect others and the environment. When people realize their effect, they are more likely to take steps to change uncomfortable behaviors; for instance, they may decide to recycle, to be compassionate towards animals, or to be an advocate for wilderness preservation.
One major environmental issue in India is water pollution, which can be considered from environmental ethical view point.
Discharge of untreated sewage is the single most important cause for pollution of surface and ground water in India. Should we continue continue to release untreated sewage on surface of ground? India lacks sufficient treatment capacity and sewage treatment plants that exist do not operate and are not maintained.The majority of the governmentowned sewage treatment plants remain closed most of the time due to improper design or poor maintenance or lack of reliable electricity supply to operate the plants, together with absentee employees and poor management. Government should inve;t more and maintain strict control to make sure that installed treatment capacity is properly utilized.
The uncollected wastes accumulate in the urban areas cause unhygienic conditions and release pollutants that leach to surface and groundwater. It should be make mandatory by government to keep surrounding clean and collection of waste should be properly facilitated.
Out of India’s 3,119 towns and cities, just 209 have partial sewage treatment facilities, and only 8 have full wastewater treatment facilities. Over 100 Indian cities dump untreated sewage directly into the Ganges River. Investment is needed to bridge the gap between 29000 million litre per day of sewage India generates, and a treatment capacity of mere 6000 million litre per day.

(b) Differentiate between the following (200 Words)

(i) Law and ethics

(ii) Ethical management and management of ethics

(iii) Discrimination and preferential treatment

(iv) Personal Ethics and Professional Ethics. 10

Answer: (i) Laws are values and principles backed by authorised legislatures while Ethics are those rules or customs which are supported by moral and social backups. Although laws are mostly ethical but ethics are not always having lawful authority. Ethical obligations typically exceed legal duties.

(ii) Ethical management refers to corporate management that not only fulfills economic goals and legal responsibilities, but also meets the ethical expectations imposed by social norms in conducting business.
Management of ethics is the ethical treatment of employees, stockholders, owners and the public by a company. A company, while needing to make a profit, should have good ethics. Employees should be treated well, whether they are employed here or overseas.

(iii) Discrimination is treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing is perceived to belong to rather than on individual merit. Preferential Treatment literally refers to
“job or employment preference given to someone who is of the right race, ethnicity, or gender” as defined in the government’s approved list of historically disadvantaged. Since preferential treatment is based on race and gender it is quite discriminatory.

(iv) Personal ethics is a category of philosophy that determines what an individual believes about morality and right and wrong. This is usually distinguished from business ethics or legal ethics. These branches of ethics come from outside organisations or governments, not the individual’s conscience. Professional ethics encompass the personal, organisational and corporate standards of behavior expected of professionals. How the use of knowledge should be governed when providing a service to the public can be considered a moral issue and is termed professional ethics.

Q. 2 Given are two quotations of moral thinkers/philosophers. For each of these bring out what it means to you in the present context.

(a) “The weak can never forgive; forgiveness is the attribute of strong.”

(150 words)10

Answer: Mahatma Gandhi wrote, “The weak can never forgive; forgiveness is the attribute of strong.” In freedom struggle against British Raj, Gandhi started and led non-vilest movement, only one of its kinds in the world. Gandhi preached to love enemy and forgive them for their sins. Forgiveness is a way of declaring one’s integrity. A weak can never forgive as weakness is a mental and intellectual deficiency. It is the result of lack of judgement. It is a mental state of inability to withstand temptation, whereas strong refers to ‘determination of spirit’. Gandhi believed that by forgiving the sinner you give him a chance to repent and improve. Strong people can have this attribute to trust the sinner again by giving achance to reform. Those who do not forgive, they cannot move away from enmity. Animosity is poisonous and creates destruction. Gandhi had virtuous ideas and he believed that if a person slaps on your one cheek, you should forward another cheek. By doing this, you create feeling of regret and wrongfulness in the wrongdoer. In the same manner, when anyone does something wrong, rather than punishing him, give him a chance to reform and regret his act by forgiving him.

(b) “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light” (150 words) 10

Answer: Plato wrote, “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” A great philosopher and seeker of truth, Plato warned mankind of wrong attitude of moving face away from truth, the light. It is but natural that a child would be afraid of the dark but most of the time grown up people is living in darkness of ignorance and lies. They are afraid of seeking wisdom, knowledge and truth. They keep following wrong practices set up by traditions and are afraid to see new light of truth and raise their voice against the dark and wrong customs. Plato says that such people live in world of myth and do not dare to change. This is particularly dangerous because new inventions are not accepted and anyone revealing truth is suppressed by the majority of this kind of people. As per Plato, this is the tragedy of life.
The given quote states about general tendency of an adult who many a times runs away or call-off from his duty due to fear of getting caught of the wrong act done intentionally or unintentionally by him. It is at this point of time that men loses their integrity and accountability, and run away from the light which falls upon them.

Q. 3 (a) “A mere compliance with law is not enough, the public servant also has to havea well developed sensibility to ethical issues for effective discharge of duties”. Do you agree? Explain with the help of two examples, where (i) an act is ethically right, but not legally and (ii) an act is legally right, but not ethically. (150 words)10

Answer: A person living in a village and not having necessary documents for availing benefit of government scheme, even though he deserves it the most, cannot be legally extended benefit of the scheme. It would be ethically right to make him beneficiary of the scheme because he would fulfil all required conditions but due to lack of certain documents if an officer covers him under the scheme, it will be legally wrong.
On the contrary there may be a situation where a resourceful person can produces all required document to be eligible for benefit of certain government scheme while in no circumstances he deserves it. It would be legally wrong to deny him benefit of the scheme but ethically right. If a public servant follows only rule book and extends or denies benefits of certain governmental scheme, without using his discretion, for the best implementation of governmental policy, it would defeat the purpose.
Therefore, a public servant has to have well developed sensibility to ethical issues for effective discharge of duties and should not merely comply with the laws.

(b) How do the virtues of trustworthiness and fortitude get manifested in publicservice? Explain with examples. (150 words)10

Answer: Trustworthiness is a position of deserving of trust or confidence of a class of people including feeling of dependability and reliability. Such outward perception of trustworthiness gets manifested in public service by providing impartial service and maintaining full integrity towards duty. A public servant who extends benefits of various government schemes to deserving people or prevents corrupt practices or diversion of funds for unauthorised activities commands such trustworthiness. Fortitude is mental and emotional strength in facing difficulty, adversity, danger, or temptation courageously. A public servant has to withstand all opposition, vested interests and dangers coming in the way to implementation of his duties and obligation. His strict adherence to laws and rules manifests fortitude in his public service through his conducts. If a public servant is in charge of identifying a piece of land for implementing a government project, and he averts influence of local groups and businessmen who intend to promote personal interest in such project, and considers public interest at large and implements the project strictly according to the spirit of law, manifests fortitude and trustworthiness.

Q. 4 (a) “Social values are more important than economic values.”
Discuss the abovestatement with examples in the context of inclusive growth of a nation. (150 words) 10

Answer: Social values form an important part of the culture of the society, account for the stability of social order and provide the general guidelines for social conduct. While economic value is represented by the maximum amount a consumer is willing to pay for an item in a free market economy, or the amount of time an individual will sacrifice waiting to obtain a government-rationed good in a socialist economy.
To realize inclusive growth of a nation, economic resources have to be utilized in a manner that Creates benefits for those who deserve more, rather than for those who can pay more. Investment has to be made in social infrastructure where return is less but benefit is spreader to everyone. Construction of a luxury hotel will certainly generate more economic benefit in comparison to construction of a charity hospital - but social value derived from the latter is much more to achieve inclusive growth. Similarly, construction of infrastructure and providing basic facilities in rural areas where return on investment is less creates social value. If we think only in terms of economic value, inclusive growth would not be possible for a nation. Everyone cannot compete in a free market and therefore only economic value cannot be a parameter for giving benefit of growth to everyone. Therefore, social values are more important than economic values for inclusive growth.

(b) Some recent developments such as introduction of RTI Act, media and judicial activism, etc. are proving helpful in bringing about greater transparency and accountability in the functioning of the government.
However, it is also being observed that at times the mechanisms are misused. Another negative effect is that the officers are now afraid to take prompt decisions. Analyse the situation in detail and suggest how the dichotomy can be resolved. Suggest how thesenegative impacts can be minimised. (150 words)10

Answer: On the one side developments like implementation of RTI Act, active journalism by media and proactive role of judiciary by judicial activism are helping to bring greater transparency and accountability government functioning but sometimes unnecessary harassment is affecting independent and efficient function of government officers. Many incidents have come to light where these machineries have been misused for personal or vested interests.
Officers are also afraid to take prompt decision based on their analysis of situation unless they have all supporting evidence to prove their decision because such mechanisms may put them in trouble.
To avoid this dichotomy, it is suggested that officers who have good track record should be given protection against any harassment.
To minimize negative impact of such mechanism, strict control has to be maintained against use of them against any individual. Certain guidelines should be given for use of these mechanisms. If required, action should be taken against those who misuse the mechanism against any officer for vindictive purpose. Officers should be given protection for the decisions taken in good faith and for discharge of duties.

Q. 5 Two different kinds of attitudes exhibited by public servants towards their work have been identified as bureaucratic attitude and the democratic attitude. (150 words) 10

(a) Distinguish between these two terms and write their merits and demerits.

Answer: Bureaucratic attitude refers to over adherence to procedures which delays functioning of the office. It creates hurdle in prompt discharge of duties and over secure approach of the public servant without using discretionary power vested in him results into ineffective functioning.
Democratic attitude is an approach where public servant tries to keep everyone happy irrespective of rules and procedures. In this attitude public servant tries to satisfy demands of all groups without looking into due procedure and requirements.
While democratic attitude is necessary for representing public interests, peace and harmony in the society; it may lead to delay in decision making awaiting consensus and hinder its implementation with expediency and required pragmatism.

(b) Is it possible to balance the two to create a bette- administration for the faster development of our country?

Answer: It is possible to balance the two attitudes so that bureaucratic attitude helps in following due procedures and fulfilling paper works requires in office formalities, but at the same time showing democratic and sympathetic attitude to keep people happy delivers beneficial results of schemes to applicants. Similarly over democratic attitude combined with bureaucratic attitude will not waste public money for keeping undeserving people happy and requirement of due process will be followed.
A judicious combination of these two attitudes will result into lawful administration with humanitarian approach.

Q. 6 Today we find that in-spite of various measures like prescribing codes of conduct, setting up vigilance cells/commissions, RTI, active media and strengthening of legal mechanism, corrupt practices are not coming under control.

(a) Evaluate the effectiveness of these measures with justifications

Answer: Legislation stipulates the obligation to publish all information relating to specific tenders on the internet. Sometimes punishments for corruption are not so severe. Sanctions will increase for bribery, scheming to defraud in public tenders or vote buying.
Officials will face up to ten years in prison for corrupt behaviour. If an employee draws attention to corrupt behaviour at his place of work, he will be provided with more legal protection than has been the case so far.
The conditions for the use of wiretapping and agent provocateur have not bfeen defined. A range of corruption-type crimes for which investigators will be able to use these practices will be defined in the Criminal Procedure Code. Sometimes undesirable ties between investigators and public functionaries will be limited.
RTI has empowered the ordinary citizen to get respect as an individual from the government and its officials. Citizens are becoming the monitors of their government. In the past few years, it appears that the decisions of the information commissions and judiciary are expanding the grounds on which information can be denied, be it on obstructing the national development and integration, or destroying the peace, tranquility and harmony among its citizens.

(b) Suggest more effective strategies to tackle this menace (150 words) 10

1. Value education: Parents and teachers should inculcate moral values in children. Practice is more persuasive than preaching.

2. Effective and regular vigilance: Strict action should be taken against lazy and corrupt officials. Number of agencies and officials should be increased.

3. Responsible citizen: If an individual is corrupt, he cannot expect those in power to be free from corruption. Hence, it is essential for every citizen to perform his duties faithfully and to the best of their abilities.

4. Strong and Effective leadership and administration: All those who are granted powers and authority by people should fulfil their promises and pledge. They should strive their utmost to eradicate corruption from systems and administrations.

5. Media: Media should frequently expose the cases of corruption. It should educate people against corruption on regular basis.

Q. 7 At the international level, bilateral relations between most nations are governed on the policy of promoting one’s own national interest without any regard for the interest of other nations. This lead to conflicts and tension between the nations. How can ethical consideration help resolve such tensions? Discuss with specific examples. (150 words)10

Answer: Bilateral relations are generally fuelled by mutual interests, where both nations try to promote own interest in a way that the other party accepts it. In cases where one party is dominant, even one sided agreements and deals are signed. A stronger party provides protection, military support, economic assistance or technical support to weaker one and in return tries to get votes in international forums, better contracts for its companies, rights over natural resources and cultural or economic dominance. Sovereign nation has right to decide own policy but other factors influence such decisions.
As is always, each party tries to forward its own interest which, if not mutually agreed, leads to conflict of interest and tension. Border issues between India and Pakistan are unsolved for more than six decades because of these reasons. At multilateral level, like WTO or in environmental issues, each country would try to take less responsibility on its part which will create stall back in decision making. In case a country, ethically and unilaterally takes some decision to reduce tension, it helps in resolving situation of conflict and tension. For example, India unilaterally allows free trade on the border of Kashmir for POK residents, to help economic growth in the region. Similarly, India unilaterally announced no-first use policy of nuclear weapons, to give message of peace and security in the region.

Q. 8 Public servants are likely to confront with the issues of “Conflict of Interest”. What do you understand by the term “Conflict of Interest” and how does it manifest in the decision making by public servants? If faced with the conflict of interest situation how would you resolve it? Explain with the help of examples. (150 words) 10

Answer: A conflict of interest is a set of circumstances that creates a risk that professional judgement or actions regarding a primary interest will be unduly influenced by a secondary interest. Conflict of interest include pecuniary interests i.e. financial interests or other material benefits or costs, or non-pecuniary interests i.e. favouritism, cronyism, nepotism, political, religious, family or other interests. Conflict of interest may manifest itself in the decision making by public servants when their private interests conflict with the impartial fulfilment of their official duties and the public interest. Public servants has to have primary interest in due discharge of his duties while secondary interest may be in financial gain or extending favour to relatives etc conflict in these two interests may deviate the public servant from discharge of duties neutrally. In case, such conflict of interest created situations for corrupt practice or deviation from due procedure arises, Public servant should avoid such situations or handover the task to another officer. Example of such conflict of interest may be appointment of a subordinate where rules provide for due qualification and procedure but one of the applicant being relative of the decision making authority. In such cases conflict of interest is between following due procedure or giving favour to relative.

Q. 9 A private company is known for its efficiency, transparency and employee welfare. The company though owned by a private individual has a cooperative character where employees feel a sense of ownership.
The company employs nearly 700 personnel and they have voluntarily decided not to form union.
One day suddenly in the morning, about 40 men belonging to political party gate crashed into the factory demanding jobs in the factory. They threatened the management and employees, and also used foul language.
The employees feel demoralized. It was clear that those people who gate crashed wanted to be on the payroll of the company as well as continue as the volunteers/members of the party.
The company maintains high standards in integrity and does not extend favoursto civil administration that also includes law enforcement agency. Such incidentoccur in public sector also.

(a) Assume you are the CEO of the company. What would you do to diffuse the volatile situation on the date of gate crashing with the violent mob sitting inside the company premises?

Answer: I will initiate a dialogue with them on table and try to explain company policies of hiring. It would primarily to buy time and make them calm. Meanwhile I will order my office to call police to take charge of the situation. Further, the security of the company premises will be strengthened so that this type of situation would not arise in future.

(b) What can be the long term solution to the issue discussed in the case?

Answer: A long term solution will be to talk to the party leader and convince him to stop such agitations. Media can be informed and the incident may be given due publicity to stop recurrence of such incidents. It may be made clear to the agitators that company hires on the basis of a procedure and they can follow the same. I will take the issue to the board of directors for long-term solution. With approval of Board of Director I can initiate dialogue with the agitators or party leadership that company would try to accommodate a small number of workers as employee in case they can qualify in the procedure and accept to give away party membership.

(c) Every solution/ action that you suggest will have a positive and a negative impact on you as (CEO), the employees and the performance of the employees. Analyse the consequences of each of your suggested actions. (250 words)

Answer: Impact on me will be that I would be held responsible for the result of immediate actions taken while board of director will decide long term solution. My impression will also be created in the organisation as a man of principle and long-term vision. Employees will not be discouraged and will have high enthusiasm for having a job in prestigious company which does not surrender to illegal pressures. By taking actions against those men, I will get more recognition and establish myself in the organisation. By these actions, a clear message will be sent to the employees as well as outsiders, that our organisation is strong enough to safeguard the ethical principles as well as interests of our organisation.
However, the fallout of this action would inflict violence on you as well as your employees, making your life at risk.

Q. 10 You are the Sarpanch of a Panchayat. There is a primary school run by the government in your area. Midday meals are provided to children attending the school. The headmaster has now appointed a new cook in the school to prepare the meals. However, when it is found that cook is from Dalit community, almost half of the children belonging to higher castes are not allowed to take meals by their parents. Consequently the attendance in the schools falls sharply. This could result in the possibility of discontinuation of midday meal scheme, thereafter of teaching staff and subsequent closing down the school.

(a) Discuss some feasible strategies to overcome the conflict and to create right ambiance.

Answer: The situation given in the case portrays the practice of untouchability, an age old cultural practice prevalent mainly in rural India. Some feasible strategies to overcome the conflict and to create right ambience includes :

(i) Being the Sarpanch of the village, it is my duty to take this matter to the notice of Gram Sabha wherein all the elder members will be explained about the consequences of such an evil practice.

(ii) We should start right from the beginning, by informing children that we all are equal. Much can be achieved by creating feelings of brotherhood and removing caste biases from the minds of our future generation.

(iii) Public awareness is necessary to abolish this problem. For the eradication of this problem, propaganda should be relentlessly directed by the Govt, and other social organisations against this evil practice through use of mass media and social media.

(iv) I would also persuade the people to adhere to the fundamental duty of sending their children to school and make them understand the available legal mechanism- - Prevention of Atrocities Act - defying which can result in a legal action against them.

(v) Promote inter-community events and seek public participation in eliminating the social bias by collective efforts.

(vi) Various NGOs, Civil Society organisations and district administration should be informed and seek their assistance in serving the people cutting across the case barriers for the development of society as a whole.

(vii) By citing specific examples from our cultural epic like Ramayana

(about the incident of Shabri) and Mahatma Gandhi who proclaimed untouchabes as Harijans may also attract social change.

(b) What should be the responsibilities of different social segments and agencies to create positive social ambiance for accepting such changes?

(250 words. 20

Answer: Different social segments and agencies should participate in SamuhBhojan organised by Panchayat and eat food cooked by Dalit ladies.
This will give a message to each segment of the society about breaking barrier of caste discrimination. Students should be given positive message of equality. Teachers can organise small groups of students with membership of Dalit students in each of them, and Parent Teacher meetings can be called for each group of students. This is give chance to parents to mix with each other. Such groups can be given tasks and projects to be accomplished in cooperation of each other and involvement of parents.
Different agencies should promote participation of each caste in social functions to promote harmony. Cultural programs should be organised where Dalit members should be given prominent roles to play so that they can show their skills and an atmosphere of respect is created in the society.
NGOs and SHGs may also act as an asset to cure the problem. They should promote awareness about the role of dalit community in rural as well as national development. Police and district administration must be sensitized to address the issue of the community.

Q. 11 One of the scientists working in the R&D laboratory of a major pharmaceutical company discovers that one of the company’s bestselling veterinary drugs has the potential to cure a currently incurable liver disease which is prevalent in tribal areas. However, developing a variant of the drug suitable for human being entailed a lot of research and development having a huge expenditure to the extent of Rs. 50 crores. It was unlikely that company would recover the cost as the disease was rampant only in poverty stricken areas having very little market otherwise. If you were the CEO, then

(a) Identify the various actions that you could take

Answer: As CEO of the company, first I will bring the property of medicine to cure an otherwise incurable disease to the notice of Board of Directors and ask for their permission to start Research on the variant required for particular medicine. Considering possible financial lose that company may incur, I would suggest for tie up with government health care program for financial support. It can be linked to government scheme which can fund a part of research. I will request the Board of Director to use a part of CSR fund for this purpose which can be used for developing the variant of proposed drug. I can propose the government to subsidize the medicine cost so company does not incur much loss and medicine is made available at affordable price to the poor tribal population.

(b) Evaluate the pros and cons of each of your actions(250 words)

Answer: When I propose the plan to start research to Board of Directors, it is likely to meet with resistance given possibility of financial loss to the company. But suggestion and possibility to connect with government health care scheme will probably take them on board positively. This action will also earn goodwill for the company and it will help in expanding its network through government schemes. Use of CSR may again be resisted due to ongoing schemes of utilisation of the fund; however some of the board members would accept the proposal. I would strongly propose to do the project partly in charity and party in commercial manner. Subsidy by government may be possible if the threat of disease is properly explained over the life of tribal population who has no mean to fight against the incurable disease.

Q. 12 There is a disaster prone state having frequent landslides, forest fires, cloudbursts, flash floods and earthquakes, etc. Some of these are seasonal and often unpredictable. The magnitude of the disaster is always unanticipated. During one of the seasons a cloudburst caused a devastating floods and landslides leading to high casualties. There was major damage to infrastructure like roads, bridges and power generating units. This led to more than 100000 pilgrims, tourist and other locals trapped across different routes and locations. The people trapped in your area of responsibility includes senior citizens, patients in hospitals, women and children, hiker, tourist, ruling party’s regional president along with his family, additional chief secretary of the neighbouring state and prisoners in jail.
As a civil services officer of the state, what would be the order in which you would rescue these people and why? Give Justifications. (200
Words) 

Answer: As more than 100000 people are trapped across different routes and locations, I would start with the location of hospital where patients are trapped because their need for immediate health care service is urgent and cannot be delayed without risk to their lives. Secondly I will focus on senior citizens and women and children who are delicate in physical temperament and would not have tolerance to sustain the adverse climate created by the causalities. Simultaneously I will ensure that agencies start work on road, infrastructure, power and communication. Food and necessary items would be supplied across all areas of causalities through helicopters and units of army and doctors will be sent to rescue other people as well. Prisoners in jail: Since the prisoners are kept in a jail which is surrounded by very high walls, so in the case of disaster, they might stuck inside the jail and eventually die. Further, criminals should not be allowed to escape taking the advantage of the adverse situation.
Ruling Party’s President with his family : Since he has a family with him which might include children and women, so they should be given next preference in the order of rescue. Moreover, being the leader of the area, he might have some relations with the local government authorities, which will ultimately help in the evacuation process as he can help in providing temporary arrangements for the affected people.
Tourists : Since they are unaware of the topography of the area, so they might suffer the most during the time of disaster. Moreover, it is most likely that at the time of cloudburst, tourists might be the one very close to the water bodies without any means to tackle the disaster, so rescuing them will require more state efforts. Chief Secretary of the other state : Being an experienced officer, he can help us in rescue operation, and moreover he is well-trained to tackle the adverse situations, so he can be rescued at last.
Hikers : Being more physically fit and trained to tackle these situations, hikers can be rescued at last. Moreover, they can also help us in the rescue operation and can wait till others are rescued.
Natural disasters are not man-made but we can reduce its adverse impacts by a proper pre-disaster management planning.

Q. 13 You are heading a district administration in a particular department. Your senior officer calls you from the State Headquarters and tells you that a plot in Rampur village is to have a building constructed on it for a school. A visit is scheduled during which he will visit the site along with the chief engineer and the senior architect. He wants you to check out all the papers relating to it and ensure that the visit is properly arranged. You examine the file which relates to the period before you joined the department. The land was acquired for the local panchayat at a nominal cost and the papers showed that clearance certificates are available for the two of the three authorities who have to certify the site’s suitability. There is no certification by the architect available on file. You decide to visit Rampur to ensure that all is in the order as stated on file. When you visit Rampur, you find that the plot under reference is a part of Thakurgarh fort and that the walls, ramparts, etc., are running across it. The fort is well away from the main village, therefore a school here will be a serious inconvenience for the children. However, the area near the village has potential to expand into a larger residential area. The development charges on the existing plot, at the fort, will be very high and question of heritage site has not been addressed. Moreover, the Sarpanch, at the time of acquisition of the land, was a relative of your predecessor. The whole transaction appears to have been done with some vested interest.

(a) List the likely vested interest of the concerned parties.

Answer: Sarpanch

(i) Deliberately chosen the land away from village so that he could have a larger share of land that falls near the village and can have the maximum advantage at the time of development of residential area near the school.

(ii) Helps in image building in the village that he is providing space for development of school in the village.

(iii) Maintaining the personal relationship with my predecessor so that in future in case of any government scheme, both of them will mutually have the maximum benefit.
My Predecessor

(i) Maintaining personal relationship with the Sarpanch so that in case of any checking in future, his government job will not be adversely affected.

(ii) Illegally earn money by approving the transaction of acquisition of land by the Sarpanch. Certifying authorities

(i) Possibility of earning illegal money or other gratifications for approving easy clearances.

(b) Some of the options for action available to you are listed below.
Discuss the merits and demerits of each of the options:

(i) You can await the visit of the superior officer and let him take a decision.

(ii) You can seek his advice in writing or on phone.

(iii) You can consult your predecessor/colleagues, etc, and then decide what to do.

(iv) You can find out if any alternate plot can be got in exchange and then send a comprehensive written report. Can you suggest any other option with proper justification? (250 Words)

Answer: (i) You can await the visit of the superior officer and let him take a decision.
Merits a. Being more experienced, the seniors will take the most appropriate decision, after considering all the best available evidences. b. It will help in ensuring the line of hierarchy during the decisionmaking process. c. I will be free from any investigations since the issue of heritage site can be looked upon by the competent authority.
Demerits a. I will be guilty of running away from my duties/responsibilities. b. It might delay the project as a lot of time of the seniors will be wasted in carrying out investigations.

(ii) You can seek his advice in writing or on phone.
Merits a. It will be a more time saving and expeditious way to tackle the situation. b. It will help in appraising the seniors quickly about the problem and will help in quicker decision-making. c. Experience of the seniors and the cooperation of the juniors will be utilised properly.
Demerits a. Not a good option taking into account, the seriousness of the problem. b. Getting written orders from the seniors will delay the process of solving the issue. c. Seniors will not have the clear picture regarding the problem and will depend upon your advice.

(iii) You can consult your predecessor/colleagues, etc, and then decide what to do. Merits a. It will help me in knowing the exact reason behind the decision of my predecessor which will ultimately help in taking the appropriate action. b. By incorporating the views of others, a better decision can be taken to tackle the problem. c. A more democratic approach towards problem resolution as it will help in proving the wrong done by my predecessor.
Demerits a. The predecessor, in case of having ill-vested interests, might hide the true picture thus crucial time will be lost without gaining much. b. The colleagues might also have some biased opinions in order to refrain themselves from the issue.

(iv) You can find out if any alternate plot can be got in exchange and then send a comprehensive written report.
Merits a. Village would get the much needed school without harming the heritage site. b. Charges against those involved in the fraud would be mentioned in the comprehensive written report for any possible enquiries in the future. c. Seniors will be aware of the every aspect of the issue through the detailed report and might take the best possible decision.
Demerits a. Finding an alternative site for school construction will be a time consuming as well as very costly process as all the formalities regarding land acquisition, and clearances will have to be done right from the start. b. The wrong-doings of the previous authorities will not come to light and they might use the acquired land for some other unlawful purpose. It would be better to inform the superior officer about file and absence of clearance from architect. Views of the engineer can be taken on cost of developing land. Superior officer may be briefed about distance and inconvenience to students. Hinting at the possible vested interest, a suggestion may be given to the superior officer to reopen the file and form a committee to locate a proper location for the proposed school.

Q. 14 You are recently posted as district development officer of a district. Shortly thereafter you found that there is considerable tension in the rural areas of your district on the issue of sending girls to schools.
The elders of the village feel that many problems have come up because girls are being educated and they are stepping out of the safe environment of the household. They are of the view that the girls should be quickly married off with minimum education. The girls are also competing for jobs after education, which have traditionally remained in boys’ exclusive domain, adding to unemployment amongst male population.
The younger generation feels that in the present era, girls should have equal opportunities for education and employment, and other means of livelihood. The entire locality is divided between the elders and the younger lot and further subdivided between sexes in both generations.
You come to know that in Panchayat or in other local bodies or even in busy crosswords, the issue is being acrimoniously debated.
One day you are informed that an unpleasant incident has taken place. Some girls were molested, when they were en route to schools. The incident led to clashes between several groups and a law and order problem has arisen. The elder after heated discussion have taken a joint decision not to allow girls to go to school and to socially boycott all such families, which do not follow their dictate.

(a) What steps would you take to ensure girls’ safety without disrupting their education?

Answer: Girls education is both an intrinsic right and critical lever to reaching development objectives. Providing girls with an education helps break the circle of poverty. However, girls all over the world face violence and intimidation in, around and on their way to and from school. Some steps should be taken strictly to ensure girls safety, which are

(i) Educating moral values in people, and have to make them understand consequences of committing crime, a fear in the system, fear of law should be implanted in people’s mind for committing a crime.

(ii) Society should be advised to react sharp other than being a spectator to crimes against women or just giving knee jerk reactions.

(iii) The self-defence training should be made mandatory at all levels of schooling.

(iv) It would be advisable to establish a safe and violence free environment by improving infrastructure such as transportation, separate and adequate sanitation facilities, improved street lighting, and enforcing penalties for violence against girls.

(v) Since civil society has a bigger role to play in the gender equality so they should keep pressurising the governments to ensure safety for girls.

(vi) Schools should be encouraged to establish reflection sessions for girls to share experiences and build solidarity and confidence.

(vii) Parents and elder people should be sensitised to value girls and recognising the value of their education.

(viii) Families should be linked to government programs that provides incentives for educating girls.
The current government has also made a positive move to ensure girls safety by announcing a Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Campaign which aims to generate awareness and improving the efficiency of welfare services meant for women.

(b) How would you manage and mould patriarchic attitude of the village elders to ensure harmony in the inter-generational relations? (250 words)

Answer: I will call leaders of two generations separately and advise them to maintain peace and moderate their attitude.
To the leaders of old generation who are against girls’ education, I will show benefits of educating girls and making them able to get employment. I will take lady officers with me to show example. The myth that girls’ competing for employment is detrimental formale employment will be debunked. I will convince that having working women in family has its own benefits.
To young generation I will encourage to continue with their attitude of women empowerment, girls’ education and equal opportunity for girls and boys in the society. I will promise them adequate security. I will call gathering of both generations and hold programs giving message of women upliftment and gender equality. I will invite famous personality to speak on the issues. Intervention by respected people of the society will help in building a bridge between the two generations and their attitude towards girl education.