NOTE: Please remember that following ‘answers’ are NOT ‘model answers’. They are NOT synopsis too if we go by definition of the term. What we are providing is content that both meets demand of the question and at the same time gives you extra points in the form of background information.
Topic: Salient features of world’s physical geography.
1. Aeolian processes create a number of distinct features, through both erosion and deposition of sediment. Elaborate. (250 words)
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 1 and mentioned as part of Mission-2023 Secure timetable.
Key Demand of the question:
To write in detail about the Aeolian landforms with suitable examples.
Elaborate – Give a detailed account as to how and why it occurred, or what is the context. You must be defining key terms wherever appropriate and substantiate with relevant associated facts.
Aeolian landforms refer to the Landforms that are formed by the winds. There are two types of the Aeolian Landforms viz. Erosional and Depositional.
Such questions are best explained with various landforms that are a result of such elements.
Explain both erosional and depositional landforms caused by the wind action.
Take examples – Zeugen or Rock Mushrooms, Yardangs, Blow Outs, Inselbergs, Desert pavement, Erg or Sand Sea, Ripples, Barchan, Longitudinal dunes, Transverse Dunes, Star Dunes etc.
Use suitable diagrams and explain the effect of wind on them.
The landforms which are created by erosional and depositional activities of wind are called as Aeolian Landforms. The wind or Aeolian erosion takes place in the following ways, viz. deflation, abrasion, and attrition. This process is not unique to the Earth, and it has been observed and studied on other planets, including Mars.
The wind is the main geomorphic agent in the hot deserts. Winds in hot deserts have greater speed which causes erosional and depositional activities in the desert.
Erosional Landforms due to Wind:
Depositional Landforms due to Wind:
Thus, wind and water act as major erosional factors leading to formation of various landforms.
Topic: Salient features of world’s physical geography.
2. The continental shelf contains valuable minerals and marine organisms which makes it suitable for exploration and commercial exploitation. Discuss. Also, trace the bottom reliefs feature of the Indian ocean. (250 words)
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 1 and mentioned as part of Mission-2023 Secure timetable.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the resources present in continental shelves and reasons for it as well as to trace the bottom relief of India ocean.
Discuss – This is an all-encompassing directive – you must debate on paper by going through the details of the issues concerned by examining each one of them. You must give reasons for both for and against arguments.
Start by briefly mentioning about relief of the ocean floor and its divisions.
First, mention certain figures/stats regarding the economic resources of continental shelves with examples.
Next, discuss in detail the reasons for high productivity of the continental shelves like high nutrient loads, vertical stability and shallowness etc.
Next, trace the bottom relief features of India ocean.
Conclude by summarising the overall economic importance of continental shelves.
Water covers 70% of the earth’s surface in which only 3% are fresh water (Of this, 2% is in polar ice caps and only 1% is usable water). Oceans make up around 67 percent of the Earth’s surface. The relief features of the oceans are quite different from the continental features because the Oceanic crust is less than 60-70- million years old whereas continental features are of Proterozoic age which is over 1 billion years old. The Oceanic relief features are in the form of mountains, basins, plateaus, ridges, canyons and trenches beneath the ocean water. These forms are called Submarine Relief.
Factors that make continental shelves one of the highly productive ecosystems:
Ocean relief is largely due to tectonic, volcanic, erosional and depositional processes and their interactions. Ocean relief features are divided into major and minor relief features.
Major Ocean Relief Features: There are four major divisions in the ocean relief
The Continental Shelf of the Indian Ocean is economically very significant for people. Indian Ocean is an “ocean of economic opportunities” for India. The security threats posed by State and non-state actors are impeding the progress. The Government initiatives like SAGAR, IORA, Sagarmala etc. should ensure that the fruits of Blue Economy is well reaped.
Topic: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
3. Gender equity has been the centrepiece of inheritance law, but gender bias and inequalities persist in the succession law. The existence of bias against women’s land ownership can constitute a serious limitation for their status in the family and society and their economic and professional choices. Analyse. (250 words)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked for an attitudinal shift across the country in favour of ‘Nari Shakti’—or women’s power—in his national address on 15 August. “Respect for women,” he said, “is an important pillar for India’s growth.” For women’s empowerment to prove substantive from an economic point of view, what matters are not just avenues of income defined by job opportunities, but also control over assets.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the gender bias in India’s property succession law and its implication on women empowerment.
Analyse – When asked to analyse, you must examine methodically the structure or nature of the topic by separating it into component parts and present them in a summary.
Start the answer by citing statistic regarding the women ownership of land in India.
First, write about the gender bias and inequalities in the succession laws of India.
Next, explain as to how the above hinders women’s status, their economic growth and professional choices. Substantiate with facts and examples.
Next, write about the measures that are needed to rectify the above and achieve equity in inheritance.
Conclude by writing a way forward.
Far too few Indian women have any legal title to property, despite legislative efforts to fix a sharp gender imbalance in inheritance, especially in rural India. This restricts their agency. Three-quarters of a century since India won its freedom, gender equality remains a distant dream.
For women’s empowerment to prove substantive from an economic point of view, what matters are not just avenues of income defined by job opportunities, but also control over assets. This is especially so in the context of mass deprivation at the grassroots level. As the economist Hernando de Soto alerted us in The Mystery of Capital, legal ownership of land can make all the difference between poverty and the ability to escape it.
Landownership amongst women absymally low
Issues and bias in succession laws in India
Topic: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.
4. Accelerating environmental crisis is without doubt the most urgent. At the same time, rapid technological change is transforming many aspects of our economies. In the above-mentioned context, reinventing the economic growth model is the need of the hour. Examine. (250 words)
Climate change is an existential threat, we know that. But what we continue to deny is the need for drastic emission reduction, that too in a world where millions still need the right to development.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the need to reinvent economic the growth model to achieve sustainable development and mitigate the climate crisis.
Examine – When asked to ‘Examine’, we must investigate the topic (content words) in detail, inspect it, investigate it and establish the key facts and issues related to the topic in question. While doing so we should explain why these facts and issues are important and their implications.
First, write about the major changes happening due to the climate crisis and substantiate the impact by facts and examples.
Next, write about the technological change that are transforming economies and also offering hope to overcome the climate crisis.
Next, write about the issues in the current economic growth model.
Next, write about the changes that are needed in the growth model to achieve sustainable development.
Conclude by writing a way forward.
Economic and environmental performance must go hand in hand. The natural environment is central to economic activity and growth, providing the resources we need to produce goods and services, and absorbing and processing unwanted by-products in the form of pollution and waste.
‘Development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” in other words sustainable development is the answer.
The transition to economic growth coupled with efficiency in natural resource use and its conservation can help India attain its goals of inclusive growth with sustainable development. The time has indeed come to add “swachh paani” and “hawa” to “roti-kapada-makaan-aur-bijli”, to begin our journey towards sustainable growth
Topic: Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.
5. Improvements in the ease of earning, better livelihoods for all citizens and with more dignity must be the key pillars behind labour reforms in India. Discuss. (250 words)
Reference: The Hindu , Insights on India
While the numbers of Indian billionaires increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, hundreds of millions of Indians lost their incomes when the country locked down during the pandemic. They struggled to find shelter, food, and even drinking water for their families.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the need and nature of labour reforms in the country in the present situation.
Discuss – This is an all-encompassing directive – you must debate on paper by going through the details of the issues concerned by examining each one of them. You must give reasons for both for and against arguments.
Begin by giving context and extent of labour force in the country.
First, in brief, give the various labour reforms that have been introduced in the recent times and cite their limitations.
Next, write about the making Improvements in the ease of earning, better livelihoods for all citizen the key pillars of labour reforms in the country and suggest steps to do so. Cite various reports/ recommendations from committees.
Conclude with a way forward.
India is projected to have the largest working population in the world between 2022 and 2034, with 10 million youth entering the workforce every year. Unleashing the true potential of such a strong workforce demands employment capacity of the industry. Therefore, rigidities and administrative burden in the labour regime are required to be addressed through substantive reforms.
Feature of the proposed Labour Code
Labour codes are based on the recommendations of the Second National Commission on Labour (2002).
Challenges faced by Labour Code
Fundamental reforms are required in the theory of economic growth: more GDP does not automatically produce more incomes at the bottom. And the paradigm driving employment and labour policies must also change to enable the generation of better-quality livelihoods for Indian citizens, now and in the
Topic: Disaster and disaster management
6. The attribution of extreme weather events to climate change must not lead us to overlook ground-level environmental degradation that’s no less to blame and can be acted against. Examine the role that local communities can play in flood adaptation and mitigation. (250 words)
Reference: The Hindu , Insights on India
The Odisha government on August 18 declared 15 days of relief for flood-affected population in five districts. The declaration was made after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik made an aerial survey of Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Puri and Khordha district.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the importance of involving and empowering local communities in flood management strategy.
Examine – When asked to ‘Examine’, we must investigate the topic (content words) in detail, inspect it, investigate it and establish the key facts and issues related to the topic in question. While doing so we should explain why these facts and issues are important and their implications.
Begin by giving the context of recent floods and rising trends of flood across India.
First, write about the role of climate change and local degradation in recurring floods. write about the how floods impact the local communities and their livelihoods.
Next, write about the benefits of involving local communities in planning, preparation, adaptation, mitigation and rehabilitation process of flood risk management. Also, speak on the limitations of centralised approach to flood management.
Next, write about the need to address the long terms causes like climate change, unplanned development, destruction of fragile ecosystems etc.
Conclude with a way forward
Floods have been recurrent phenomenon in many parts of India causing loss of lives and public property and bringing misery to the people. The approach to flood management need to have a relook to have an integrated strategy for policy and management related to floods.
India is highly vulnerable, as most of its geographical area is prone to annual flooding. The high losses and damages due to floods show the poor adaptation and mitigation status of India and inadequacy in disaster management and preparedness.
Role of climate change and local degradation causing floods
Benefits of involving local communities in flood mitigation
Measures to address climate change and protection of eco-system
Works related to watershed management should be prioritised. Advance town planning and yearly preparations should be done to mitigate the effects of urban planning. Discouraging creation of valuable assets / settlement of people in the areas subject to frequent flooding.
7. Suppose you are the CEO of a company that manufactures specialized electronic equipment used by a government department. You have submitted your bid for the supply of this equipment to the department. Both the quality and cost of your offer are better than those of the competitors. Yet the concerned officer is demanding a hefty bribe for approving the tender Getting the order is important both for you and your company. Not getting the order would mean closing a production line. It may also affect your own career. However, as a value-conscious person, You do not want to give bribe. Valid arguments can be advanced both for giving the bribe and getting the order, and for refusing to pay the bribe and risking the loss of the order. What those arguments could be, Could there be any better way to get out of this dilemma? If so, outline the main elements of this third way, pointing out its merits. (250 Words) (20 M) (UPSC 2014)
Start by giving the context. Bring out the key stakeholders in the above case study and major ethical dilemmas present.
In the body, give valid arguments for the both the above mentioned courses of action to pay bribe and get order and not to pay bribe and lose the order. Analyse both the courses of action ethically.
Next, mention the third way of action to resolve this ethical dilemma without compromising your morals. Evaluate the merits and demerits of such a course of action.
Follow this up with ethical reasoning and justify.
Corruption eats into the resources that are meant for welfare of the common public. It hinders the development of society as there in inefficiency in the system. For a job that is one’s duty, a public servant cannot seek money for the same. But like Kautilya in Arthashashtra said, money is like honey on tongue, one cannot taste it. This happens with power and discretion in governance. Only transparency can bring a stop to such kinds of corruption.
Arguments in favour of giving the bribe
A CEO’s duty first and foremost lies to his business house, and its business’ interest that he must try to protect at all costs. Closing of a whole production line affects the strategy and bottom line of a business. Hence, it is important for the CEO to secure the tender.
Closing production line would mean lot of cost and losses that may not be sustained by the firm and would mean closing down operations. It also will lead to lot of unemployment and distress. Instead paying the one –time bribe is a better solution.
Arguments in favour of not-giving bribe
By the simple logic of being the lowest cost provider for quality equipment amongst anybody in the market, the firm by default should get the tender. Not getting would be an injustice to the laid-out system. For something so sure, I must not be paying bribe as CEO.
Despite this if the tender does not come to my firm, I’ll take up with appropriate authorities through formal channel and go to court regarding the same.
Bribery is legally and ethically wrong. Companies that are found providing bribes can be blacklisted and barred from further contracts for public procurement. Also, the company and the CEO could both face legal action for providing bribe to obtain the tender.
Better way out of the dilemma
Single person cannot decide on the tender as per government rules and I will insist on a committee to decide on such tenders. I will also inform the concerned officer that if the firm by merits not get the tender, I would go to the vigilance section and complain against the said officer who asked for bribe. In this regard I will also inform Lokpal and Anti-Corruption Bureau against the harassment to pay bribe.
Also, RTI can be used to force the department concerned to reveal the process according to which the tender was awarded. Thus, the irregularities will come to light and the process of awarding the tender will have to be started afresh, and the company can make a fresh bid.
Stopping corruption at its roots through e-governance, making officers accountable for their action is the key. A strong anti-corruption wave in the country must be the next step either emanating from public or through reforms. Corruption is a bane to the people who are earning an honest meal.
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