paper 3 may to august

2015

http://www.insightsonindia.com

General Studies Paper-3:Insights Secure Compilation May to August 2015


http://www.insightsonindia.com Page 1

Table of Contents Economic Development ............................................................................................................... 15

1Q. Write a critical note India‘s ‗Digital India‘ programme, concerns raised against it

and measures needed to address these concerns. (200 Words) .......................................... 15

1Q. Recently the government announced an open-source policy that makes it mandatory

for all future applications and services to be designed using the open-source software (OSS). What do you understand by open-source software? Examine its benefits and also

highlight effect of this policy on various stakeholders. (200 Words) .................................. 16

1Q. Critically comment on the recent initiatives taken by the government to improve financial inclusion and the challenges these initiatives face in reaching out to the poor

and needy. (200 Words) ...........................................................................................................17

1Q. Compare and contrast the economic growth of India with that of China‘s since 2008

global economic crisis. Critically examine what this economic growth means to India‘s large population. (200 Words) ............................................................................................... 18

2Q. Do you think India‘s economic progress and its inclusive growth strategy has

reduced poverty and inequality in the country? Critically analyse, especially with reference to the plight of tribal population. (200 Words) .................................................... 19

1Q. Do you think more investment, both public and private, would help in poverty reduction? In the context of India, critically examine. (200 Words) .................................. 19

2Q. Examine the linkages between job growth and manufacturing sector, and discuss how should India reform the manufacturing sector to generate more jobs. (200 Words)

....................................................................................................................................................20

1Q. In recent months, India‘s exports are decreasing. In your opinion, what needs to be done by the government to boost exports? Discuss. (200 Words) ....................................... 21

1Q. Looking at the way Indian economy is growing at present, can it be termed as ‗Goldilocks Economy‘? Substantiate. (200 Words) ............................................................... 22

1Q. Do you think the agricultural growth and the expansion of good jobs in industry and services can go hand-in-hand to bring rapid elimination of poverty in India? In the light of fears expressed by a section of society that land acquisition for developmental projects

is affecting food security in India, critically comment. (200 Words) ................................ 23

1Q. Recently there was controversy regarding the proposal to establish the Public Debt

Management Agency (PDMA) by the government. Many economists argue that it is prudent to leave debt management to the RBI alone. Analyse the issue. (200 Words) .... 24

1Q. It is said that if India is to acquire a global role relative to its economic, geographic and demographic size, its economic growth needs to be underpinned by major productivity shifts and open markets and not by focusing more on redistribution.

Elaborate. (200 Words) ........................................................................................................... 25

2Q. In your opinion, what are the underlying characteristics that allow a sector to

transform an economy and durably raise living standards? Which sector in India has the potential to transform India‘s economy and why? Examine. (200 Words) ...................... 26

1Q. In your opinion, how should India‘s labour laws be reformed? In the light of recent debate on the issue and government‘s initiatives in this regard, critically discuss. (200

Words) ....................................................................................................................................... 27



1Q. When it comes to economic growth models in developing countries, some analysts think that India will become more like Mexico than China in coming years. Critically

examine why. (200 Words) ..................................................................................................... 28

1Q. It is argued that the plunging crude oil prices aren‘t just a boon for corporate India

and the consumer but are an invaluable opportunity for the government to push for faster reform of pricing and distribution distortions in the oil and gas sectors. Elaborate.

(200 Words) .............................................................................................................................. 29

1Q. Some suggest that India needs to form an economic union with a free trade area

within the Union of India. Examine the rationale behind such an idea. (200 Words) ......30

1Q. Do you think liberalisation of legal services should be allowed in India? Discuss the issue examining merits and demerits of the same. (200 Words) ........................................ 31

2Q. In your opinion, what problems do recent scams in job market reflect in India‘s employment trends. Also examine the causes of such large-scale corruptions. (200

Words) ....................................................................................................................................... 32

1Q. It is said that a uniform liberal policy for foreign investment in retail – offline as well as online – is required to address various issues. Critically examine what these issues are

and consequences of such liberal policy on stakeholders. (200 Words) ............................. 33

2Q. The government recently said that after diesel deregulation, a new gas price formula

and roll out of the Direct Benefits Transfer in cooking gas, the next stage of development in the oil sector would focus on kerosene subsidy reforms. Critically examine how these

reforms have affected common man and why is there a need for kerosene subsidy reforms. (200 Words) .............................................................................................................. 34

1Q. The post-1967 period saw the launching of a series of radical economic policies which

were to have long-term effects on India‘s developmental effort. Critically examine what were these policies, why they were launched and what effect they had on the Indian

economy. (200 Words) ............................................................................................................ 35

1Q. Large factories account for a smaller share of India‘s industrial workforce than they

did three decades ago. Examine why. (200 Words) ............................................................. 36

1Q. Write a critical note on the ―Start-up India‖ programme, recently announced by the

Prime Minister of India. (150 Words) .................................................................................... 37

1Q. Recently the Union cabinet approved the spectrum sharing policy finalized by the Telecom Commission. Examine the implications of this policy for the telecommunications

sector and for the consumer. (200 Words) ............................................................................ 37

2Q. ―At least in two areas — public sector pay and industrial policy — the tiny but

prosperous Singapore holds lessons for India as it celebrates the 68th anniversary of its independence.‖ Elaborate. (200 Words) ................................................................................ 38

1Q. Recently it was reported in media that the Indian tech start-ups are shifting their

headquarters to the United States and Singapore. Critically examine why and suggest how can India stop this trend and encourage these companies to operate from India.

(200 Words) .............................................................................................................................. 39

1Q. Recently the Telangana government introduced the Right to Clearance policy in

order to speed up clearance of industrial projects. Critically comment on the merits and demerits of this policy. (200 Words) ......................................................................................40

1Q. Recently the government withdrew the excise and customs duty exemptions given to the Ordinance Factory Board and public sector undertakings (PSUs) in the defence sector. Examine why and explain the possible implications of this move. (200 Words) .. 41



1Q. It is said that India needs a comprehensive national capital goods policy to realize the potential of this sector. Discuss the need for such a policy, its framework and the

potential of this sector. (200 Words) ...................................................................................... 42

1Q. Write a critical note on the objectives and significance of a new scheme – Arya

(Attracting and Retaining Youth in Agriculture), launched by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. (200 Words) ...................................................................................... 43

1Q. Write a note on the National Skill Development Mission and the role of private sector in skilling the unskilled. (200 Words) .................................................................................... 43

1Q. It was recently reported that the International Labour Organisation (ILO) is opposed

to India‘s labour reform measures. Write a critical note on these measures and examine why ILO is opposing to them. (200 Words)........................................................................... 44

1Q. Do you think the recently launched Indradhanush, a seven-point programme to rejuvenate public sector banks (PSBs), will be able to provide a competitive, profitable

and customer-friendly banking sector? Critically examine. (200 Words) ......................... 45

2Q. It is found that the Indian economy went through a period of ―jobless growth‖ when five million jobs were lost between 2004-05 and 2009-10. Critically analyse the causes of

this pattern of growth. (200 .................................................................................................... 46

1Q. Kerala is accepted as a developmental model whereas Uttar Pradesh as a basket

case. Why do you think such disparity exists between two states within India? Critically examine. (200 Words) ............................................................................................................. 47

2Q. Do you think there should be a law to ensure minimum wages applicable to all employees across that country including sector-specific minimum wages for industrial workers? Substantiate. (200 Words) ..................................................................................... 49

1Q. Critically analyse the structure, objectives and issues arising out of of the Goods and Services Tax system that the government wants to introduce in India. (200 Words) ...... 50

1Q. What are the objectives of of the proposed Indian Financial Code (IFC)? Examine why this proposal has given rise to controversy. (200 Words) ........................................... 51

1Q. Recently the government responded to the grim situation facing public sector banks

by committing Rs 70,000 crore as fresh capital over the next four years. Critically comment on this measure. (200 Words) ................................................................................ 52

1Q. What do you understand by Round-tripping? Examine the relationship between P-Notes and Round-tripping. Recently SEBI, Supreme Court and Government have

initiated measures either to bring back black money or to curb its circulation. In this regard, discuss why addressing issues related to P-Notes and Round-tripping is critical.

(200 Words) .............................................................................................................................. 53

1Q. It is argued that the release of revised draft of the Indian Financial Code (IFC) by the ministry of Finance will undermine the autonomy of RBI. Do you agree? Substantiate.

(200 Words) .............................................................................................................................. 53

1Q. It is argued that the fixed maximum retail price (MRP) is an archaic and

dysfunctional mechanism that hurts both retailers and the consumers it seeks to protect. Do you agree? Substantiate. (200 Words)............................................................................ 54

1Q. It is argued that holding large foreign exchange reserves, especially in US Dollar denominated securities will undermine monetary independence of India and will have

fiscal implications. Critically examine why this argument is made and if it has any merits. (200 Words) ................................................................................................................. 55



1Q. What do you understand by equity-based crowdfunding? Critically examine the role of internet in crowdfunding and the various challenges it‘s posing to regulators in

developing countries like India. (200 Words) ....................................................................... 56

2Q. Do you think India should use its huge foreign exchange reserves to finance

infrastructure projects or to recapitalise fund-starved banks? Critically discuss. (200 Words) ....................................................................................................................................... 57

1Q. It is said that there is a need for stronger regulatory framework to deal with the menace of Ponzi schemes across the country. Examine why Ponzi schemes are considered

as menace and what regulatory mechanism is needed to deal with them. (200 Words) . 58

1Q. Critically discuss the implications of the recommendations of Pay Commissions for the economy. In your opinion, what should government do to address these implications.

(200 Words) .............................................................................................................................. 59

1Q. What do you understand by ‗tax terrorism‘? It is said that Indian entrepreneurs are

faced with instances of tax terrorism affecting their morale. Critically examine. (200 Words) .......................................................................................................................................60

1Q. It is warned that the hat the non-performing asset (NPA) problems of the Indian

banking system might pose a serious crisis to the sector. Critically examine why NPA has become a problem, their effect on the economy and steps needed to address this issue.

(200 Words) .............................................................................................................................. 61

2Q. Recently the Union government announced details of a new gold monetization

scheme. Examine what are its objectives and how does it seek to realize its objectives. (200 Words) .............................................................................................................................. 62

3Q. There is a general perception that due to land acquisition problems many private

and public projects are either stalled or not started at all. Critically examine the validity of this perception. (200 Words) .............................................................................................. 63

4Q. Recently the government decided that investments by non-resident Indians (NRIs), overseas citizens of India (OCIs) and persons of Indian origin (PIOs) would be treated as

domestic investment instead of treating them as FDI. Examine why this decision was taken and its likely impact on the Indian economy. (200 Words) ...................................... 64

1Q. Do you think the ‗social impact assessment‘ made compulsory for all category of projects before their execution? Substantiate. (200 Words) ................................................ 65

1Q. What challenges exist if government wants to provide 24×7 power to all households

in the country? Critically examine. (200 Words).................................................................. 66

1Q. Are Indian pilots any less trained, competent and experienced than their

counterparts in other countries? In the light of such allegations made by certain sections, critically examine. (200 Words) ............................................................................................. 67

1Q. Recently a panel headed by Bibek Debroy submitted its recommendations on

railway restructuring to the government. Analyse its recommendations and suggest what needs to be done to modernise and make Indian Railways efficient and profitable.

(200 Words) ..............................................................................................................................68

1Q. Discuss the importance of microgrids for the Indian economy. (200 Words) ............ 69

2Q. ―We are not facing a shortage of energy. We are facing a technical challenge in capturing it and delivering it to consumers.‖ With reference to India‘s power problems,

critically comment on the statement. (200 Words) .............................................................. 70

1Q. ―The Union government has ambitious renewable energy targets of 100 gigawatts (GW) of solar power and 60GW of wind power by 2022. However, the government is



also facing large deficits and competing budget priorities, and will need cost-effective ways to achieve these targets.‖ Elaborate and discuss these cost-effective ways. (200

Words) ....................................................................................................................................... 70

1Q. ―There is a certain paradox in the fact that India, since the 1991 reforms, has been

trying to attract foreign direct investment for its development when the outward flow of FDI by Indian corporate houses is rising. ‖ Elaborate the statement and examine the

causes of this paradox. (200 Words) .......................................................................................71

1Q. It is said that power sector reforms being undertaken in India are not rightly focused

on systemic problems haunting this sector. Critically examine and suggest what should be the right approach of government towards reforming power sector. (200 Words) .... 72

1Q. Recently, the Supreme Court of India, in an order said that regulations framed by

electricity regulatory commissions imposing obligation upon captive power plants and open access consumers to purchase electricity from renewable sources is legal and

necessary. Critically discuss how this order would affect energy sector in India. (200 Words) ....................................................................................................................................... 73

2Q. Examine the challenges faced by state governments in production, transmission and distribution of power. Also examine recent measures taken by states to bring power reforms. (200 Words) .............................................................................................................. 73

3Q. To address energy insecurity, the government of India had mooted the concept of strategic petroleum reserves in 1998. At present the demand for the same is growing

stronger with each passing day. Discuss why such reserve is needed. (200 Words) ........ 75

4Q. Examine the challenges faced by union government in the execution of the national

optic fibre network (NOFN) project? Examine the benefits of this project and suggest how its execution can be sped up. (200 Words) ............................................................................ 75

1Q. In recent years, in India, the growth of hydropower capacity has diminished thanks

to various factors. Discuss what are these factors and possible solutions to address them. (200 Words) .............................................................................................................................. 76

1Q. It is observed that the construction of highways in India is lagging behind due to various reasons. Critically discuss what are the causes delay and measures being taken

by the government to address these delays. (200 Words) .................................................. 77

1Q. Despite its long coastline and strategic location on world trade routes, which gives it a natural advantage to control and direct shipments, India has not managed to get a

dominant grip on shipping, even in its own continent. Critically examine why and suggest what India needs to do control and direct shipments in the region. (200 Words)

.................................................................................................................................................... 78

1Q. Critically analyse the merits and demerits of India‘s defence procurement policy

(DPP) and discuss the steps needed to address demerits of this policy. (200 Words) ....... 79

1Q. Farmers‘ unions and political parties have been demanding the implementation of

the Swaminathan minimum support price (cost plus 50%) to address agrarian crisis and farmers‘ distress. Do you think implementation of this recommendation alone would address the agrarian crisis issue? Critically examine. (200 Words) ................................. 80

1Q. Critically analyse the interrelationship between government‘s minimum support price scheme, cropping pattern and crop production in India. (200 Words) .................... 81

1Q. Few states in India are known for efficient and others for inefficient administration of Public Distribution System (PDS). Critically analyse such two extreme situations and

examine why PDS is in such a state in India. (200 Words) ................................................. 82



1Q. Critically comment on the implications of the latest round of revisions made by the Food Ministry to the Public Distribution System (Control) Order which was notified by

the Department of Food and Public Distribution recently. (200 Words) ........................... 83

1Q. Do you think India‘s minimum support price policy (MSP) is a sound policy vis a vis

increasing efficiency in agriculture? Critically analyse the merits and demerits of present MSP policy. (200 Words) ........................................................................................................ 84

2Q. Recently the Union Cabinet approved a new policy on urea. Examine how this new policy would affect producers and consumers in India. (200 Words) ................................ 85

1Q. Recently the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) notified the new priority sector lending

norms. Discuss these norms and associated issues. (200 Words) .......................................86

2Q. As mandated, the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) recommends

MSPs at national level for twenty three crops, but effectively price support operates primarily in wheat and rice and that too in selected states. Examine the consequences

and effectiveness of measures taken by the government to address this issue. (200 Words) ....................................................................................................................................... 87

1Q. Recently the union cabinet gave its nod to set up the National Agriculture Market.

Critically discuss the need for such a market and its impact on APMCs and farmers. (200 Words) .......................................................................................................................................88

1Q. Recently the union government proposed to reform 50 regulated wholesale markets (mandis) across 10 states in order to help create a national common market for

agricultural marketing. Write a note on the role of mandis and examine how this proposal would help agricultural marketing in India. (200 Words)..................................89

1Q. Critically analyse the characteristics on India‘s agriculture markets and examine if

India setting up a national market for agricultural commodities would address problems faced in agricultural marketing. (200 Words)......................................................................90

1Q. Write a note on the recent initiatives taken by the government to reform agricultural marketing in India. (200 Words) ........................................................................................... 91

1Q. Write a critical note on the objectives, significance and performance of Soil Health Cards (SHC) programme. (200 Words) ................................................................................ 91

1Q. It is said that power tillers, should logically be preferred over tractors by Indian

farmers and despite being cheaper and more efficient, they are lagging behind tractors. Examine their advantages to Indian farmers and how they can be made more appealing

to them. (200 Words) ............................................................................................................... 92

2Q. Examine why Krishi Vigyan Kendras were set up and critically evaluate their

performance. (200 Words)...................................................................................................... 93

1Q. Critically analyse the potential of agribusiness to address agrarian distress in India. (200 Words) .............................................................................................................................. 95

1Q. It is argued these days that the reform of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is urgent and essential to ensure the growth of food processing industry in

India. Critically examine why. (200 Words) ......................................................................... 96

1Q. Write a critical note on the objectives and performance of the National Mission of

Food Processing (NMFP) Scheme . (200 Words) .................................................................. 96

1Q. ―India should move away from end-point control to risk-based inspection of all food products from farm-to-plate to ensure safety of every item, including raw ones

consumed by people.‖ Elaborate. (200 Words) ..................................................................... 97



1Q. Food safety laws in India is said to be one of top challenges faced by the food processing industry in India. Critically examine why. (200 Words)..................................98

1Q. Critically comment on the objectives of government‘s Mega Food Park scheme and the progress made so far in establishing them. (200 Words) ............................................ 100

1Q. It is argued that at this moment what India needs to sustainable solar irrigation program. Examine why and elaborate. (200 Words) ........................................................ 101

1Q. Is there scope for India to add unirrigated millions of hectares of land to irrigated

land without building new dams? Critically discuss how. (200 Words) .......................... 102

1Q. Write a note the objectives and the importance of newly launched Pradhan Mantri

Krishi Sinchai Yojana(PMKSY) for Indian agriculture. (200 Words) .............................. 102

1Q. With examples discuss the factors that determine cropping pattern in India. (200

Words) ..................................................................................................................................... 104

1Q. The ICAR has acknowledged that the generally considered ‗ideal fertiliser ratio‘ of 4:2:1 doesn‘t hold for all regions of the country. Examine why and also comment on the

present trend followed by farmers in various parts of the country. (200 Words) .......... 105

1Q. In recent years, farmers in India are switching to other crops such as oilseeds,

soyabean etc from cash crops. Examine why and analyse the recent trend in cropping pattern. (200 Words) ............................................................................................................. 106

1Q. Examine how and why farm mechanisation and crop diversification can help Indian farmers. (200 Words) ............................................................................................................ 107

2Q. Examine the reasons for the failure of India‘s pulses production to keep pace with the

rise in demand. Suggest what needs to be done to address this demand – supply gap. (200 Words) ............................................................................................................................ 108

1Q. Write a note on the cropping pattern of pulses in India. Examine why its prices in India are increasing and what needs to be done to control its price and make it

affordable to poor. (200 Words)........................................................................................... 109

1Q. It is found that there has been a major change in the composition and mix of the cattle population in India. Discuss these changes and examine the causes and its

implications. (200 Words) .................................................................................................... 110

1Q. Write a note on the recent trends in the economics of meat market in India and the

challenges facing the sector. (200 Words) ............................................................................ 111

1Q. In Karnataka, Canine Research and Information Centre (CRIC) near Mudhol tehsil has achieved a twin objective of reviving the pure-bred Mudhol hound while

providing a source of additional income for members of the S.C. and S.T. communities in the region. Discuss the significance of this achievement and examine if this model can be

adopted for other native breeds of different animals that can be reared for profit. (200 Words) ...................................................................................................................................... 112

1Q. Critically examine India‘s current deep-sea fishing policy and guidelines. (200 Words) ...................................................................................................................................... 113

1Q. Write a note on the problems faced by poultry industry and its recent growth trends in India. (200 Words) ............................................................................................................. 113

1Q. Critically comment on the issues related to implementation of government‘s new

deep-sea fishing policy based on the recommendations of the Meenakumari committee. (200 Words) .............................................................................................................................114



1Q. Write a short note on EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) model of investment and its merits over PPP model. (150 Words) .................................................... 115

1Q. The previous version of public-private partnership (PPP) has been hailed both as huge success and failure. In order to revive this investment model and make it successful

again, what needs to be done? Discuss. (200 Words) .........................................................116

2Q. What do you understand by telemedicine? Examine its opportunities and recent

developments, especially in India. (200 Words) ..................................................................118

3Q. Does the radiation from cellphone towers damage human health? Discuss. (200 Words) ......................................................................................................................................118

1Q. What do you understand by ‗Call Drop‘? Why is it caused? Examine and also discuss its impact on consumers. (200 Words) .................................................................................119

1Q. Explain the differences between 3G and 4G technologies. It is argued that in India 3G technology as good as dead. Examine why. (200 Words) ..................................................119

1Q. Write a note on the science and technology behind desalination plants, their locations

and uses. (200 Words) ........................................................................................................... 120

1Q. You are asked by the government of India to propose a model of ‗digital village‘ to

make villages self reliant and self sustainable. Briefly outline your model and explain what elements would you incorporate in your model and why. (200 Words) ................. 121

2Q. Discuss why solar installations in India is still not a popular option both in rural and urban households. (200 Words) ........................................................................................... 122

1Q. Discuss the benefits of Big Data to economic development of a nation. (200 Words)

.................................................................................................................................................. 122

2Q. Why is LED lamp more efficient than CFL or incandescent lamps? Also

compare their environmental impact. (200 Words).......................................................... 124

1Q. Examine the differences between GSLV and PSLV launch vehicles. It is said that GSLV would become a competitor to PSLV. Examine why. (200 Words) ........................ 124

2Q. Do you think the two consecutive successful launch of GSLV-Mk-II would make ISRO self-reliant space agency? Discuss. (200 Words) ................................................................ 125

1Q. Discuss the significance of the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE) and its association with India. (200 Words) ....................................................................... 126

1Q. What path did India choose its after independence to develop the science and

technology field in India? Do you think, compared to USA, Japan and Other scientifically developed countries, India chose a wrong path? Critically comment. (200 Words) ...... 127

1Q. Discuss the contribution of A P J Abdul Kalam to indigenisation and development of new technology in India. (200 Words) ................................................................................ 127

1Q. Write a note on the Breakthrough Listen project and its significance for humans. (200 Words) ............................................................................................................................ 128

2Q. In recent years, there is an increased interest among scientists in Pluto. Examine

why and also discuss how more understanding of the Pluto helps understanding Earth‘s history. (200 Words)............................................................................................................. 129

1Q. Write a note on the significance of NASA‘s New Horizons Mission. (200 Words) .... 129

1Q. Write a note on the working principle of the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) and its importance for India‘s nuclear energy program. (200 Words)............................ 130



1Q. Write a note on ISRO‘s future missions and their significance to India. (200 Words) ................................................................................................................................................... 131

2Q. Critically examine the uses of understanding of neutrinos, and significance of its research for India. Also critically comment why set-up of neutrino research facility in

India is being opposed. (200 Words) .................................................................................... 131

3Q. Write a note on the significance and applications of ISRO‘s GAGAN‘ (GPS-aided geo-

augmented navigation) system. (200 Words) .................................................................... 132

4Q. Write a note on the European Space Agency‘s (ESA) Philae Mission and its significance. (200 Words) ..................................................................................................... 133

1Q. What do you understand by DNA Profiling? Critically examine the concerns raised against India‘s DNA profiling Bill and comment if they are valid. (200 Words) ............ 134

1Q. Write a note on the meaning and applications of Synthetic Biology.Also examine the ethical issues involved in its application. (200 Words) ...................................................... 134

1Q. Are antibiotics completely safe for humans? Discuss. (200 Words) ........................... 135

1Q. Write a critical note on the origin and sources of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus, or MERS-CoV and its threat to humans. (200 Words) ................................ 136

1Q. Write a note on the science and methodology of India‘s Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP). (200 Words) ................................................ 137

1Q. ―Budgetary cuts, failure to make appointments in time, and political interference in

the past year have affected all aspects of science development in the country and lowered the morale of the scientific community.‖ Critically comment. (200 Words) .................... 138

1Q. Critically examine India‘s achievement in the indigenisation in the production of defence products. (200 Words) ............................................................................................. 138

1Q. Critically examine India‘s achievement in the indigenisation in the production of defence products. (200 Words) ............................................................................................. 139

1Q. Write a note on India‘s Astrosat. (150 Words) .............................................................. 140

1Q. What do you understand by Digital Amnesia? Examine its causes and consequences. (200 Words) .............................................................................................................................141

1Q. It is said that though Big Data is the future, India should worry more about the Dark Data. Elaborate and examine why. (200 Words) ............................................................... 142

1Q. What do you understand by Autonomous Weapons? Recently, prominent scientists

and entrepreneurs have called for global ban on these weapons. Examine why. (200 Words) ..................................................................................................................................... 143

1Q. Recently a report from the Department of Telecommunications‘ recommended that the voice over internet protocol-based (VoIP) domestic calling services, including

applications such as WhatsApp, should be brought under licensing. Critically comment on this recommendation. (200 Words) ............................................................................... 143

1Q. Write a note on Tools for Brain-Computer Interaction (Tobi) project. (200 Words)144

1Q. Recently Google tested its latest version of self-driving car. Critically examine the technology used in this car, its uses and concerns expressed on its uses. (200 Words) 144

1Q. What are the objectives of ‗internet.org‘ launched recently by Facebook? Comment on the controversy surrounding its launch. (200 Words) ....................................................... 145



2Q. Internet apps such as Skype and Whatsapp are under attack for providing free service of internet-based calls and media exchange. Examine the merits and demerits of

such services and discuss if these free services should be regulated. (200 Words) ......... 146

1Q. Considering India‘s large working population and its ambition to become ‗factory of

the world‘, do you think India should encourage usage of robots in its manufacturing industries? Critically comment. (200 Words) ..................................................................... 147

1Q. ―….it must be understood that IP is also located in unforgettable trademarks — in the creativity of writers, singers and others, in Geographical Indications (GI), and in

traditional knowledge.‖ Critically examine the benefits of GI and explain why there is lack of awareness on GI compared to intellectual property rights. (200 Words) ........... 148

1Q. ―To realise the twin dreams of ‗Innovate in India‘ and ‗Make in India‘, the

government needs to build a competitive, thriving environment by prioritising scientific research with a strong intellectual property (IP) system.‖ In the light of the statement

critically analyse nature of India‘s present IP regime, the changes it requires and its importance to India‘s economy. (200 Words) ..................................................................... 149

2Q. Ten years have passed since the Indian Patents Act, 1970 was amended in 2005 to bring the country‘s laws in line with the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). Critically discuss its salient features and their role

in making India the ―Pharmacy of the Third World‖. (200 Words)................................... 151

Environment and Biodiversity ................................................................................................... 152

1Q. Critically discuss the components of environmental remediation of contaminated sites and rehabilitation of affected people, and the policy measures taken by the

government and related agencies to address this issue in India. (200 Words) ............... 152

2Q. Experts have warned that India‘s extreme vulnerability to climate change will have a direct impact on the health of its population. Elaborate. (200 Words) ............................ 153

1Q. Do you think banning plastic bags is an environment friendly measures? Substantiate. (200 Words) .................................................................................................... 154

1Q. Critically discuss the importance of social forestry programme in combating climate change. Also comment on its implementation in India. (200 Words) .............................. 155

1Q. Write a note on the differences between biofuel, bioethanol, biodiesel and biogas.

Examine efforts made by India to to popularise these fuels. (200 Words) ...................... 156

2Q. What do you understand by unsustainable fishing? Examine its causes and

consequences. (200 Words) ....................................................................................................157

1Q. Recently the US government released new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

rules and a Clean Power Plan to address the challenges of climate change effects. Critical comment on the significance of the plan and examine why some sections are opposed to this. (200 Words) ................................................................................................................... 158

2Q. Critically comment on the actions taken by India – referred to as the Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) under the UN Framework Convention on

Climate Change (UNFCCC) to address the climate change effects. (200 Words) ............ 159

3Q. It is said that the Kanha Tiger Reserve‘s goal-oriented strategies and systematic

conservation practices have over the years made it an embodiment of the concept of biodiversity conservation in the country, one that others can emulate. Examine why.

(200 Words) ............................................................................................................................ 160

1Q. What do you understand by ‗Compensatory Afforestation‘ in the Indian context? The recently introduced Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill, 2015 (CAF Bill) has given rise



to many apprehensions amongst environmentalists. Critically examine what these apprehensions are and comment on the other objectives of the Bill. (200 Words) ......... 160

1Q. Name any three most dangerous invasive species and explain how these species affect native ecosystem. Also suggest measures needed to address their threats. (200 Words)

.................................................................................................................................................. 162

2Q. Critically examine how illegal mining of river sand in various parts of India is

affecting the ecology of rivers and lives of people in the vicinity of these rivers. (200 Words) ..................................................................................................................................... 162

1Q. Write a critical note on each of the following in about 100 words: ........................... 163

a) Teraethyl Lead (TEL) ........................................................................................................ 163

b) Biopurification ................................................................................................................... 163

1Q. Do you think recent weather anomalies such as extreme heat waves, heavy rains,

untimely floods and other similar weather phenomena are the result of global warming? Critically examine and, if it‘s true, suggest who needs to do what to combat the impact of

global warming. (200 Words) .............................................................................................. 164

1Q. Write a note on the international convention of 2001 on civil liability for bunker oil

pollution damage of the International Maritime Organization and its significance to India and world environment. (200 Words) ....................................................................... 166

2Q. ―India must signal serious intent, both because it wants to be seen as a responsible global player, and because an effective climate agreement is firmly in its own interests.‖ With reference to upcoming United Nation‘s Climate Change Conference in Paris in

December, critically analyse the statement. (200 Words) ................................................ 166

1Q. The new draft National Wildlife Policy, framed by the Ministry of Environment,

Forests and Climate Change, suggests amending existing laws to allow hunting of animals like cobras to accommodate ―religious and cultural‖ practices. Do you think this

exception is required? Examine the key issues and concerns regarding this policy and critically comment on them. (200 Words) ........................................................................... 168

1Q. Write a critical note on the Global Apollo Programme and examine why India is

considered as pivotal to this program. (200 Words).......................................................... 168

1Q. Should ecotourism be encouraged in India? why? Critically comment. (200 Words)

.................................................................................................................................................. 169

1Q. Recent years have seen rise in the population of wild lions and tigers in India.

Critically examine the reasons behind this success and comment on India‘s wildlife conservation policy in general. (200 Words) ...................................................................... 170

2Q. With suitable illustrations, critically examine the role of local communities in

conservation of wildlife across the world. (200 Words) .................................................... 170

1Q. Write a critical note on the role of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in addressing

the problem of environmental pollution and degradation in India. (200 Words) ........... 171

Disaster Management ................................................................................................................ 172

1Q. Write a critical note on the role of media in disaster management. (200 Words) .... 172

Security ........................................................................................................................................ 173

1Q. CAG in its report, commented that in an era of heightened coastal security concerns,

Indian Coast Guard (ICG) remains ill-equipped to discharge its enhanced role and meet the challenges of today. Critically discuss. (200 Words) ................................................... 173



1Q. Compare and contrast the structure, mandate, role and abilities of India‘s armed forces with that of paramilitary forces. (200 Words) ........................................................ 174

1Q. For many years defence analysts are suggesting that India should create the post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). Critically examine why this suggestion is made and its

importance for national security. (200 Words) ...................................................................175

1Q. Critically analyse the security threats that India faces in its Western border outside

Jammu and Kashmir region. (200 Words) ......................................................................... 176

1Q. It is said that a major factor preventing the return of normalcy in Kashmir is the opposition to the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1990 (AFSPA). In the light of

allegations of human rights violations, critically comment of the implications of AFSPA and recommend changes to the Act to address the concerns raised against it. (200

Words) ...................................................................................................................................... 177

1Q. ―It is not beyond the realm of possibility that Pakistan would see in this so-called new

―doctrine of pre-emption‖, an opportunity to deploy its nuclear and missile capabilities against India.‖ In the light of India‘s recent ‗hot-pursuit‘ against insurgents in its

Northeastern region and possibility of such pursuits in its western borders, critically comment on the statement. (200 Words)............................................................................. 178

1Q. Critically analyse the challenges facing the government in the defence sector. In your

opinion, how should government respond to these challenges? Discuss. (200 Words) .. 179

1Q. In your opinion, what should be the approach of Indian government and security

agencies in dealing with security challenges within and across India‘s borders? In the light of recent attack on insurgents‘ camps by the Indian Army across Indo-Myanmar

border, critically examine how has India managed various security challenges in its borders post – Kargil War. (200 Words) .............................................................................181

1Q. Critically analyse the role of Myanmar, Bhutan and Bangladesh in addressing

internal security threats that India is facing along its Eastern and North-eastern borders. (200 Words) .............................................................................................................181

1Q. Discuss the challenges faced by India in managing various security challenges in its eastern borders at present. (200 Words)............................................................................. 182

1Q. Critically analyse the agreements signed by India with its island neighbours in the Indian Ocean to curb black money. (200 Words) ............................................................... 183

1Q. Critically comment on the recent black money law and examine the merits and

demerits of the same. (200 Words) ...................................................................................... 184

2Q. Analyse the significance of recent recent agreement signed between the governments

of India and the United States to implement the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) for both the countries. (200 Words) ..................................................................... 185

1Q. Critically comment on the recent black money law and examine the merits and

demerits of the same. (200 Words) ...................................................................................... 186

2Q. Analyse the significance of recent recent agreement signed between the governments

of India and the United States to implement the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) for both the countries. (200 Words) ..................................................................... 187

1Q. Recently the government has decided to offer tax rebates to encourage transactions through credit and debit cards. Critically examine the rationale behind this move, its

merits and demerits. (200 Words) ....................................................................................... 188



1Q. It is argued that the steps taken so far, including the Black Money Bill, to bring back an estimated $1.5 trillion stashed abroad are completely ineffective. Critically discuss.

(200 Words) ............................................................................................................................ 188

2Q. Critically comment on the provisions of recently passed Black Money Bill and their

effectiveness in addressing the issue of black money and corruption in India. (200 Words) ..................................................................................................................................... 190

1Q. A recently set-up Special Investigative Team (SIT) on Black Money has recommended several measures to tackle the issue of black money circulation in its three separate

reports. Comment on the important recommendations of these reports. (200 Words).. 190

1Q. Recently the The Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies was in news and it is argued that this agreement

has become anachronistic vis a vis cybersecurity issues. Critically examine. (200 Words) .................................................................................................................................................. 192

1Q. ‗Cyberspace desperately needs an international legal regime, and India is well poised to offer a ―zero draft‖ — diplomatic jargon for the starting text of any negotiation — that

acknowledges both its burgeoning digital economy and its constitutional commitment to free speech and expression.‖ In the light of the statement, critically comment on the existing laws that govern and address cyberspace issues, and examine what role can

India play in cyberspace governance. (200 Words)........................................................... 193

2Q. Do you think the Information Technology Act 2000 is well positioned to address the

threats of cyberwarfare and other threats emanating from the cyberspace? Critically examine. (200 Words) ........................................................................................................... 194

1Q. It is argued that India should work through the BRICS group (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) to develop an alternative to the U.S. hegemony over internet. In

the light of concerns expressed over the ownership of Big Data, internet architecture and governance mechanism for internet, critically comment on the statement. (200 Words) .................................................................................................................................................. 195

1Q. A recent study has indicated a dramatic rise in attacks by cyber criminals on Indian entities in recent years. Critically examine how these crimes should be tackled by

concerned agencies and government. (200 Words) ........................................................... 196

1Q. Critically discuss why some of pressing security challenges that India is facing in its

north eastern region are inextricably linked to developments taking place in Myanmar. (200 Words) ............................................................................................................................ 197

1Q. ―One of the most disturbing effects of civil unrest is children participating in

violence.‖ Critically analyse how unrest in different parts of India have made children vulnerable to exploitation, trafficking and misuse. (200 Words) ..................................... 198

1Q. Do you think religious stimuli is the sole reason impacting the rise of Islamic extremism across the world? Critically analyse. (200 Words) ......................................... 199

1Q. Critically examine the factors that have helped the emergence of Islamic State in the Middle East. Do you think this organisation poses greater threat than Al-Qaeda and Taliban? Substantiate. (200 Words) ................................................................................... 200

1Q. In the light of increasing naxalite violent activities despite government‘s efforts to stall them, in your opinion, what should be the critical components of counterinsurgency

strategy followed by the government agencies? Critically discuss. (200 Words) ........... 201

1Q. Critically comment on the success of the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear

Weapons (NPT) in stopping proliferation of nuclear weapons around the world. Looking



at ongoing geopolitical struggles around the world, do you think non – proliferation can be achieved? Discuss. (200 Words) ..................................................................................... 202

1Q. Does India need a ‗a coherent national strategy‘ to take on Islamic State and to prevent Indians from joining this organisation? Critically examine. (200 Words) . 203

1Q. In your opinion, what should be India‘s strategic response to separatist movements, insurgency and terrorism? With emphasis on separatist movement in Jammu and

Kashmir, critically analyse. (200 Words) .......................................................................... 204

1Q. Critically analyse how India‘s neighbours have assisted or hindered India‘s efforts to curb terrorist activities of state and non-state actors affecting its internal security. (200

Words) .....................................................................................................................................205

2Q. Critically comment on India‘s approach towards handling insurgency and

insurgents in the northeastern region. Do you think a referendum should be conducted and wish of the majority people in the region be granted? Justify. (200 Words) .......... 206

1Q. Critically comment on India‘s approach towards dealing with the Naga insurgents in the Northeast. (200 Words) .................................................................................................. 207

1Q. Critically comment on India‘s approach towards dealing with the Naga insurgents in

the Northeast. (200 Words) ................................................................................................. 208

1Q. The Islamic State is making inroads into new territories and spreading violence

thanks to many factors including the absence of collective offensive against it. Critically analyse the reasons behind success of ISIS. (200 Words) ................................................. 209



Economic Development Topic: e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and

potential;

1Q. Write a critical note India‘s ‗Digital India‘ programme,

concerns raised against it and measures needed to address these

concerns. (200 Words) Digital India‘ programme is a comprehensive approach to leverage the technology for the developmental purpose. It aims at creating digital infrastructure, delivering services digitally and making people digitally literate. Under the digital infrastructure government plans to expand the access to internet thorough National Optical Fiber Network and mobile internet access.

Government also plant to expand the range of services delivered online with services like digital locker and e-hospitals in addition to missions under National E-governance plans. Program also aims at levering technology to impart skills and make people digitally literate with focus on digital classroom and e-education.

But critics have pointed out shortcoming and raised their concerns. Some of them

are:

1. Lack of implementation is basic issue. The National optimal fiber network is

behind the schedule and there are no sign of accelerated implementation.

2. Absence of ‗Privacy Law‘ expose the users of these programmes to risk of

‗identity theft‘, misuse of database and cyber abuse.

3. E-governance programme without process re-engineering is just adding

another layer without bringing efficiency. Also it would limit the access to

vulnerable and marginalized people.

4. Today, only 9 per cent of those who live in rural areas have access to the internet, compared to 64 per cent of those who live in. 2006 National Optical Fibre Network project to connect more than two lakh gram panchayats was sluggish from the start, and lagged five years behind schedule by 2013. The project has been subsumed under Digital India but the government is laying only 500 km of fibre optic cable a month — way behind the stated goal of 30,000 km every month. Thus, less immediate use to rural areas. Also, issue of power in rural areas to access internet.

For program to be successful, government needs to address the genuine concerns raised. There is need for ‗privacy law‘ and ‗data protection measures‘ to increase trust of people in such programs. It would help in increase usage of government services. New protocols may be developed in this regard. The formation of the NCIIPC is crucial in this regard.

A robust institutional framework and implementation focused approach along with measures to ensure safety and security of data is essential for ‗Digital India‘ to succeed in its mission of empowering the citizens.



1Q. Recently the government announced an open-source policy that

makes it mandatory for all future applications and services to be

designed using the open-source software (OSS). What do you

understand by open-source software? Examine its benefits and also

highlight effect of this policy on various stakeholders. (200 Words) Open Source Software (OSS) is a term referring to the software programs whose

source code is publicly available and the copyright holder allows anyone to study and

modify the source code. Thus it is a collaborative method wherein the future users

can easily become co-developers. Examples are Linux operating system, Android, etc.

The government recently announced the policy for mandatory usage of OSS for

central government offices to develop any applications and services. Such a policy

has wide implications on all stakeholders namely the government, technology

companies or suppliers and the public.

Benefits of OSS:

1. Open source code is meant to be a collaborative effort where programmers

improve upon the source code and make the benefits available to the

community.

2. The Open source model is based on a more decentralized model of production,

thus helps in reducing the monopoly of large commercial firms which are

primarily centralized model of production for revenue maximization

3. OSS will help in reducing government's cost of procurement of commercial

softwares.

4. OSS can be modified and customised to suit spatial and temporal diversities.

5. Many developers can contribute to customize it. Thus it is more participatory

6. If software is open source, it can be easily adapted to the changing needs by

making incremental changes rather than building a new software from

scratch.

7. Due to reduced costs, more social expenditure can be done but workforce

needs to be trained for handling OSS with technicalities.

8. Use of OSS will make government functioning more transparent.

9. Thus, gives boost to digital india programme

For technology companies, this is a not so welcome step as they are suppliers of

Closed Source Softwares or Proprietary tools. Hence, they stand to lose a share of

their revenues. India is growing market and still in nascent stage. The government

policy mandates the justification for using Closed Source Software if used in preference to OSS, this feature is troubling for the suppliers.CSS is proprietary

product and profit maximization provided the incentive for its development. That

will be reduced.

Citizens will get better services as the quality would have been customised by many

developers. But there are safety concerns as OSS are more prone to data thefts and

attacks. We are already under much threat and our cyber laws framework is still

evolving. So safety breach is a big concern. Besides, the policy is mandatory for

central government offices and recommended for states



So the step is in the right direction and we shoudl strike a balance between OSS and

CSS on a case-to-case basis.

Topic: Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.

1Q. Critically comment on the recent initiatives taken by the

government to improve financial inclusion and the challenges these

initiatives face in reaching out to the poor and needy. (200 Words) Kickstarting virtous growth cycle, govt has taken many steps to bring the unbanked

population into the fold of financial markets.

These steps are:

1. PMJDY with overdraft facility and accident insurance

2. Payment Banks and private bank licenses by RBI

3. Thrust on m-banking by PSBs

4. Banking Correspondents and branchless banking

5. Clubbing various social security schmes like PM Suraksha Bima Yojana into

bank accounts

Challenges before these initiatives

1. Many newly opened accounts have remained dormant

2. Economic viability of payments banks has to be monitored regularly;

managing partnership with main banks will be a challenge for them

3. Technology penetration and its accessibility is an issue in rural areas. NOFN

project is running behind timelines

4. Illiteracy and lack of financial awareness leads to rural population being

hesitant to transact via bank accounts.

5. Inability to transact due to network/service downtime

6. Complex user interfaces and inadequate grievance redressal mechanisms

7. Non-transparent fees and other terms; Business correspondents have been

accused of siphoning off money

8. Fraud that targets customers, inadequate data privacy and protection



Govt has to take into account all such bottlenecks while monitoring the schemes of

financial inclusion and ensure that inclusion of underprivileged genuinely benefits

them while improving government's delivery mechanisms.

Topic: Economic growth and development

1Q. Compare and contrast the economic growth of India with that

of China‘s since 2008 global economic crisis. Critically examine

what this economic growth means to India‘s large population. (200

Words) India and China had followed different strategies and growth model before the 2008

global economic crisis. While Indian growth story was led by domestic

consumption,china‘s economy was fuelled by export. But this started to change after

2008 in substantial way.

1. Both the countries resorted to fiscal stimulus to revive the economy and

reduce the impact of crisis on domestic sector.

2. China was more impacted than India due to its heavy reliance on export. The

reduced demand in global market forced it to change the model of

development.

3. China reoriented its economy to stimulate domestic demand. These included

encouraging consumption spending by reducing retail interest rates,

incentivising housing sector and diversifying industrial sector.

4. India also focused on diversification of its export market. The export to non-

traditional region like Asia, Africa and Latin America was encouraged. It paid

dividend by accompanied diversification in product and geography.

5. China explored alternative ways to utilize its excess industrial capital and

huge

foreign exchange reserve though setting up institutions like AIIB and One

Belt One Road initiatives.

Both the economies have been successful in their efforts to an extent. The

accompanied fall in global commodities prices due to reduced Chinese consumption

has also benefited India(reduced import, reduced CAD and subsidies and increased

funding for infrastructure).



2Q. Do you think India‘s economic progress and its inclusive

growth strategy has reduced poverty and inequality in the country?

Critically analyse, especially with reference to the plight of tribal

population. (200 Words) India is now a two trillion dollar economy and has grown at a fairly good pace pot

1991 reforms. In terms of inequality, India stands at Gini coefficient of 33.9 which is

not a bad number. Poverty numbers have also gone down since 2010 where around

100 million people have risen above poverty line as per Rangrajan committee report.

Despite these positive statistics, the ground situation does not look the same. The top

10 percent of population have nearly three quarter of wealth which shows skewed

distribution of wealth.

Tribals are the section of society who have particularly been at the receiving end.

This can be said because:

1. As per XaXa report, tribals are significantly below the average Indian in terms

of economjc and Social indicators like health and education.

2. Tribals inhabit those areas which are rich in minerl wealth and thus face the

brunt of displacement. Forest rights act 2006 (FRA) considered a landmark

legislation for tribal rights is marked by several deficiencies.

3. Besides tribal population, there are apparent inequalities with respect to

women, Muslim population, and scheduled castes. Though the givernment

strategies have helped these sections, thus there is lot to be done.

This calls for reform in government strategies like push to MSME sector, financial

inclusion through successful implementation of Jan dhan Yojana, greater

transparency in FRA, better public service delivery in backward areas. All this would

take India towards fulfilment of inclusive development.

1Q. Do you think more investment, both public and private, would

help in poverty reduction? In the context of India, critically

examine. (200 Words) At a juncture, where investment rates and savings rates have remained muted over

the years post-recession, indeed, picking up of investment is what India needs

urgently. However, mere investment is not enough to tackle poverty as war against it

has to be fought on multiple fronts.

Growth of public investment will give a push to infrastructure sector that will result

in efficient supply chains, lowering prices and ultimately helping poor against

inflation. Added to this, private investment which is being supplemented by FDI in a

big way, will help create jobs and provide both forward and backward linkages with

diverse sectors of economy.

Such emphasis on investment by govt may spruce up IIP and GDP numbers, but

equity and redistributive power of govt needs to be basis of such investment.



Govt's focus on investment has to also include social sector (allocations for which

have been pruned significantly recently) apart from physical infrastructure. Well-

meaning legislations like NFSA, RTE, MNREGA are being stifled due to lack of

timely payment of wages or non-implementation in other cases

Private sector has also a role to play in poverty remediation by going beyond

minimum CSR spending. Govt has rightly widened the type of projects (included

toilets for schools, slum rehabilitation recently) that can be taken up under CSR.

Trickle-down effects having been long discarded in India as early as 1970s, it would

be better to learn from the past and focus more on directed poverty alleviation

programmes aided by efficient and timely delivery of services.

2Q. Examine the linkages between job growth and manufacturing

sector, and discuss how should India reform the manufacturing

sector to generate more jobs. (200 Words) Over 300 million young Indians are set to enter our labour force by 2025. With an

average age of 29, India‘s population is in the middle of a demographic boom. For

creating employment opportunities for such a large number of people, growth in

manufacturing sector is often cited as the way forward, as it was seen in the case of

China.

In the liberalisation era of post-1990s, we have not been able to create enough jobs in

the manufacturing sector. In fact, we can say that there has been jobless growth in

this sector. So, out major initiatives such as ‗Make in India‘ should not only focus on

the large capital intensive industries & increase in GDP, but also small and medium

scale enterprises (SMEs) which will provide the bulk of the jobs. SME‘s are labour-

intensive, they can ensure inclusive growth of people everywhere in the country.

Poor physical connectivity, regulatory barriers, and weak institutional capacities are

major barriers in this sector

Steps to improve:

1. Reforming labour laws will encourage employers to keep more workers in

formal roles with work-linked wages and social security benefits

2. MSMEs being greater contributor of jobs in manufacturing sector, they should

be given more financial support through initiatives like MUDRA Bank and

also technical support leading to large scale of production

3. Creation of strong networks of manufacturing units & integrating them with

global supply chain is required to make use of export-led growth in

manufacturing, especially in textile and apparel industry.

4. Expediting GST and providing timely credit to MSMEs will provide further

impetus.

5. Finally, focus should be on skill development [National Policy for Skill

Development and Entrepreneurship 2015] as an effective roadmap to promote

entrepreneurship. Skill India should focus on not just increase in number of



ITIs but increase participation of industries in curriculum design, providing

staff for ITIs and provide practical training. This will reduce gap in demand

and supply of labour.

1Q. In recent months, India‘s exports are decreasing. In your

opinion, what needs to be done by the government to boost

exports? Discuss. (200 Words)

Strong growth in exports are needed to ensure that the targets of 'Make In India' and

accelerated job creation in the manufacturing sector can be met. In the past few

months, the exports have seen a contraction. A few steps can be taken to boost

exports -

1. Ease of Business - The government has been focusing on improving the ease of

business. This should help to that companies can be easily set up or expanded.

This process must be strengthened.

2. Tax Reform - The Goods and Services tax (GST) would help to create a single

unified market in the country. It will remove a lot of distortions and

streamline a company's logistics. Hence, it must be brought forward at a

reasonable rate of taxation with as few exemptions as possible.

3. Focus on a few 'Sunrise Industries' - For fast returns, there must be increased

focus on a few high growth industries like food Processing, footwear

manufacturing etc.

4. Labour Reforms - A key problem cited in the skewed business structure in

India, which favours small-scale manufacturing which is inherently inefficient

is the stringent labour regulations. Reform of these laws would help the

businesses scale up.

5. Incentives for exporters - Incentives in the form of excise duty subvention, soft

loans etc. would be beneficial in promoting exports.

6. Services related exports can be quickly scaled up and are more remunerative.

Thus, the government should also focus on this segment for more value.

7. Diversification of Export basket - The Indian Export basket is skewed in

favour of commodities. The global crash in commodities prices has thus

adversely affected Indian exports. The government must see this as an

opportunity and attempt to diversify its export baskets.

8. Reviewing the SEZ policy and tweaking it to ensure better utilisation of the

land and other incentives provided.



9. Agricultural exports suffer from the poor quality of produce and lack of

uniformity in size and shape of produce which are not accepted by many

countries. Strict implementation of APEDA quality norms would give boost to

agricultural exports which is India's strength.

10. Improving infrastructure like roads, rails and communication which would lift

off current hindrances in the transport of goods.

11. Land: Ensure proper, adequate and timely land acquisition without negating

interests of common people

12. Government (or the RBI ) can allow the rupee to depreciate(as is happening

now),to boost export competitiveness.

13. Diplomatic steps to open up goods and services in which we are leaders from

the negative lists of our trade partners, such as pharmaceutical, services and

automobile manufacturing.

14. Engagement in new destinations such as Latin America, Africa and other

island nations.

15. Single window clearance and easy access to financial mechanisms for activities

related with exports.

16. Setting up of more SEZ, NIMZ, industrial parks

17. More focus on MSME (~40-45% of our exports) and traditional sectors

(handicrafts, artisans, handlooms) where we can access an edge over others.

18. Tariff and Non Tariff barriers: High import duties. CVD should be dealt with

19. Empowering the export promotion council and community boards like Silk

board for better production and marketing of those products. Agricultural

Export zones in the country which are around 60 can be given tax exemptions

and subsidy for export purposes.

20. India should quickly solve the dispute on coal, iron ore and other mining

issues because if dispute will solve then again mining will boost and so export.

1Q. Looking at the way Indian economy is growing at present, can it

be termed as ‗Goldilocks Economy‘? Substantiate. (200 Words) A Goldilocks economy is one that is neither too aggressive nor too defensive. It stays

within stipulated limits of inflation and is conducive to moderate growth. The

monetary policy in such economy tends to be a balanced one, i.e. neither too high interest rates that they deter industrial expansion, nor ultra low so as to boost up

inflation. Goldilocks Economy is an nation‘s economy which is neither too hot

(Inflationary) nor too cold (facing recession.)

A hot economy shows symptoms like high inflation, high inflation leading to very

high Nominal GDP which sometimes projects stagnant economy as growing fast.

Such unhealthy symptoms don‘t attract FDI and Qualified Foreign Investors for FII.



A cold economy has symptoms like high unemployment, stagnant or receding

economy, high unemployment leads to high inflation for limited products but

unlimited demands leading to Phillip curve scenario. This situation also shows fragile

situation of nation‘s economy.

India at present show Goldilocks economy which means neither cold nor hot but a

fine balance. Goldilocks economy is characterized by a low unemployment rate,

increasing asset prices (stocks, real estate, etc.), low interest rates, brisk but steady

GDP growth and low inflation. Because of India‘s monetary and fiscal policy for last 1

year

Our economy is on the growth path with last fiscal corresponding to 7.3% growth rate

and will become the fastest growing economy in the world surpassing China in

current fiscal.

Also government is taking pro-growth measures. Governments' "Make in India" initiative, increase in FDI caps in Defence and Insurance. All these measures ensure

that economy is on the right path and will continue to grow with higher rates in the

future. Inflation rates are also within the margins. With RBI adopting Inflation

targeting conditions are expected to be far better in the future.

However there are concerns about deficit monsoon that may cause food inflation.

Also with the global demand falling for manufactured goods, export won't contribute

unless there is good domestic demand. Overall at present conditions are far better to

call India a Goldilocks economy

1Q. Do you think the agricultural growth and the expansion of good

jobs in industry and services can go hand-in-hand to bring rapid

elimination of poverty in India? In the light of fears expressed by a

section of society that land acquisition for developmental projects

is affecting food security in India, critically comment. (200 Words) Past experience of concentrating on only one sector to the neglect of others as was

done post independence with industrial sector clearly show that unless all the sectors

grow in tandem, integrating the sleeves, benefiting from the growth in other sectors,

a country cannot have sustainable and inclusive growth.

Agriculture employs 50% of our population, so growth in this sector is a must if we

have to realise our goal of poverty alleviation and economic growth. Manufacturing

and services being dynamic sectors with high productivity can provide jobs to

increasing youth population and add value to indian products. These sectors have

high linkages as in agricultural growth provides goods for industries which inturn

provides market for services sector. The Gujarat growth model is a perfect

illustration of how these three sectors can grow hand in hand.

Some of the concerns with land acquisition and focus on industrial sector are:



1. Loss of land - In most parts of India, there is only a single crop grown whereas

the climate and soil are suitable for three crops. Moreover, India's farm yield

is depressingly low. So loss of land will affect food security does not hold

steady ground.

2. Farmers loosing employment - Land acquisition definitely displaces farmers

from their land but it has the advantage of moving farmers up the value chain.

They can enter industrial sector which provides income and social security

unlike agriculture which has been highly risky.

3. Industries will provide job to skilled workforce - That is true but there are

industries which employ unskilled workforce also, China specials in that.

Moreover, government has launched Skill India as a complimentary to Make

in india.

1Q. Recently there was controversy regarding the proposal to

establish the Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA) by the

government. Many economists argue that it is prudent to leave debt

management to the RBI alone. Analyse the issue. (200 Words) Why PDMA needed ?

1. Fragmented jurisdiction in public debt management: Before the creation of

PDMA, the central Bank or RBI used to manage the market borrowing

programmes of Central and State Governments. On the other hand, external

debt was managed directly by the Central Government. Establishing a debt

management office would consolidate all debt management functions in a

single agency.

2. PDMA can be the catalyst for wider institutional reform, including building a

government securities market, and bring in transparency about public debt.

3. It is considered as an internationally accepted best practice that debt

management should be disaggregated from monetary policy, and taken out of

the realm of the central bank

Arguments for PDMA

1. If debt management is with RBI, there will be conflict of interest. RBI has to

reduce the cost of govt debt (lower interest rate) and also manage inflation

levels (higher interest rates)

2. Reports of Narsimhan committee, Vijay kelkar and Percy Mistry committees,

there is an emphasis on the formation of a separate agency

Arguments against PDMA/ Challenges

1. Previously RBI too had handled the debt management in a transparent and

efficient manner. The present system of debt management is working good, as

it has helped in maintaining debt at a manageable level always.



2. RBI is already prohibited from interfering in the primary market according to

the FRBM act, and the govt bonds are solely auction driven. So, a separate

agency is not needed

3. Other countries like UK, had also reverted to assigning the debt management

activity to national banks, after forming similar separate agencies

4. Mutual coordination can become difficult

5. RBI also manages states‘ debts and the PDMA is not very clear on what happens to that function. PDMA under central government have implication for federal structure of India.

6. Even though if a separate public debt management agency is to be created, it

must be done gradually and systematic fashion

This agency should be independent. Proposed agency is under the supervision of

central government.

1Q. It is said that if India is to acquire a global role relative to its

economic, geographic and demographic size, its economic growth

needs to be underpinned by major productivity shifts and open

markets and not by focusing more on redistribution. Elaborate.

(200 Words) Redistribution is a mechanism to induce equity and inclusiveness in society, but it itself cannot reap benefits unless there is enough to redistribute. The rising and

shining India can be developed when we can adequately use its geographic and

demographic dividends .This can be made possible through major economic changes

that can help in enhancing productivity in economy

Enhanced productivity is a pivot for India's economic growth through which we can

maximise our geographic and demographic gains.

Geographic gains can be maximised by using its rich fertile land in most productive

manner [promote mechanised farming, cooperative and contract based farming, use

of biotechnology , climate resilient agriculture etc]. Similarly strategic location in

tropical region be used for solar and wind energy generations using latest

technologies breakthrough. The peninsular shape can be used to promote major sea

trade, tourism development and energy generation. Himalayas Mountains, deserts

and other geographical features can also be a value asset if properly used for

sustainable development with help of newer and better technologies.

Demographic dividends can be reaped through major skill development, factor

market reforms, use of technology and flow of funds. All this will cumulatively

enhance productivity of formal and informal sector, create jobs and induce

manufacturing sector growth.



India urgently need funds, technology and globally recognised best management

practices to make all this possible. One of the ways to avail these is through opening

up markets in trade, services and flow of funds. A carefully planned and meticulously

implemented economic plan can help India acquire a global role relative to its

economic, geographic and demographic size.

2Q. In your opinion, what are the underlying characteristics that

allow a sector to transform an economy and durably raise living

standards? Which sector in India has the potential to transform

India‘s economy and why? Examine. (200 Words) For a sector to transform an economy and durably raise living standards, following

are some characteristics needed:

1. Employment generation capacity and ability to absorb skilled, semi-skilled

and unskilled labours

2. High productivity and Product quantity to meet domestic need and produce

surplus for exports

3. World standard product qualities to challenge competition in world market

4. Expansion prospects

5. Dynamic in ability to change according to need of hour

It would be wrong to say that any one sector can transform India‘s economy. It

should be cumulative effort from all three-Agriculture, Industry and services sector.

However, Industry seems to take the lead in transforming India, due to following

reasons:

1. India will have advantage of Demographic dividend for at least next 2-3

decades. But most people are either semi-skilled or unskilled. Agriculture

sector is already over-employed and service sector needs skilled labours. So

industries only provide opportunity for employment generation at large scale

2. India‘s industry has been mostly laggard till now, due to constraints ranging

from policy making to lack of capital and infrastructure. But, now with govt

policies focusing of generating investment through FDI and developing

infrastructure, Industries can improve upon their quality and quantity and

expand. This will give impulse to export. Make in india programme can give it

the boost.

3. Expansion of industry, particularly agro-based industries also give impetus to

agriculture which is still employing around 60% of India's population



1Q. In your opinion, how should India‘s labour laws be reformed?

In the light of recent debate on the issue and government‘s

initiatives in this regard, critically discuss. (200 Words)

That India's complicated labour law regime is in dire need of reform is an open secret

Issues:

1. Since 1947, India has crafted a plethora of labour laws involving safety at

workplace, wages, social security and industrial relations. added layers of

complexity to the overall labour law landscape. On the one hand, it has

distorted the labour market and on the other it has increased compliance costs

of companies. These laws are a big reason for the substitution of capital for

labour. This has hurt Indian labour—in terms of employment, training and

opportunities—and has not helped anyone.

2. There are over 200 laws related to labour. Labour being in concurrent list,

many states and even centre have enacted laws. So many laws leads to

confusion about regulation giving rise to inspector raj.

3. Due to the complex and massive numbers of labour laws, industries prefer to

hire contractual labourers not covered under these laws and without any

social security or termination protection. (Industrial dispute act demands

government approval in case company having more than 100 employees

wants to lay off its employees)

4. Another major weakness in current labour reforms is less focus on

apprenticeship. Our education system is not responsive to need of market

therefore apprenticeship becomes important.

Solutions:

1. Bundle related laws into a specific legal code for a particular industrial aspect.

For example, laws related to social security—such as the Employees‘ Provident

Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, the Employees‘ State Insurance

Corporation Act and other laws—will be bundled into a single social security

law or code. Similarly, laws on remuneration of employees will be merged into

a single law. This drastically reducing the number of laws that companies are

subjected to reduces compliance costs.

2. If each state were to have its own variant of labour law ―reforms‖, the issue of

compliance costs will return. Thus, union govt should spearhead the efforts so

that there is uniformity of changes, which will be appreciated by the

companies.



3. Laws for formation of trade unions should be relooked and multiple trade

unions in one entity should be avoided.

4. Security and equal working conditions of women.

5. In view of undue harassment by the inspectors, recent step by govt for a new

inspection scheme based on a computer based allocation o indutry for

inspection and transparent publication of report on the website is a good

measure.

6. Use of e-technology is another area which needs to be stressed upon.

Designing single window portals for clearance of various formalities will help

not only in reducing red tapism and quicker compliance.

7. Liberalising apprenticeships. Labour information system should be

maintained.

8. Flexibility to undertake layoffs, ensuring adequate benefits and a reasonable

notice period is needed. Eg rajasthan has passed act which allows firms

flexibility to terminate upto 300 employees without govt approval, unlike the

industrial disputes act under which a firm employing more than 100 workers

need to get permission from state govt for lay off which is usually not given or

delayed.

9. Contract labourers should be covered under workmen's compensation act for

accidents, with inflation linked wages and limited social security benefits from

employee state insurance act and maternity benefit act extended to them

1Q. When it comes to economic growth models in developing

countries, some analysts think that India will become more like

Mexico than China in coming years. Critically examine why. (200

Words)

The International Monetary Fund‘s (IMF) forecast that the India‘s growth rate is likely to exceed China by 2016 has recently grabbed world attention. However, some

analysts believe that India will become more like Mexico than China in coming years.

This is because:

1. China has invested large physical capital in manufacturing while India‘s

low productivity manufacturing sector is full of small size firms. Ex: The

share of MSMEs in manufacturing employment is 84% in India versus

24.8% for China. Similarly in Mexico, more than two-fifths of the

country‘s workers are employed in small and informal businesses. Small

firms cannot reap economies of scale, cannot employ the best technology

or management and thus are relatively less productive.



2. Both Mexico and India have a demographic advantage, at least for the

next 20 years. However, if not properly skilled, trained and employed, the

young population will continue to experience disguised unemployment

3. Democracy in India and Mexico, in contrast with Communist rule in

China, will not enable an iron fisted control of labour. Thus, china was

able to provide cheap labour.

4. Government policies play a key role by providing adequate infrastructure.

Public spending on infrastructure in Mexico and India is far behind that in

China. due to excessive red tape, difficulty in land acquisition, lack of basic

infrastructure and anti-business labour laws; possibility to attract

investment is difficult.

Thus for India to emerge as next China; we need to focus above mentioned points;

else we might become next Mexico which in spite of showing great potential in

1994 prior to signing NAFTA was unable to achieve the much talked about economic

potential.

[Additional information - Both Mexico and China focused on export-led

industrialisation (not on import-substitution industrialisation). Mexico also signed free trade agreement with US but as2/5th population was in small and informal

sector which did not receive attention, labour also remained not as cheap as china.

Thus, while china succeeded with its policy of export-led industrialisation, Mexico

did not]

Topic: Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial

policy and their effects on industrial growth.

1Q. It is argued that the plunging crude oil prices aren‘t just a boon

for corporate India and the consumer but are an invaluable

opportunity for the government to push for faster reform of pricing

and distribution distortions in the oil and gas sectors. Elaborate.

(200 Words) India produces only 20% crude oil of total domestic demand while 80% , we have to

imported from other countries, which is a heavy burden on Forex reserve, Global

plunge of oil prices has increased the profitability of corporate and reduces the

burden on Forex reserve as well as reduces the CAD, it seems the right time for GOI

to take some strategic decisions which will be helpful for long turn, some of these are

as follows-



1. It's the right time to Bharat emission norms through out India, which will help

to reduce pollution by gradually shifting toward less polluting source of

energy,

2. Though Govt has liberalized petrol prices but it lead to surge in use of diesel

vehicle thus diesel prices should also liberalized,and should make market

based,

3. Kerosene subsides should be eliminated on it's place govt should strive to

provide clean source of energy at affordable rate like LPG and solar power to

poor section of society,

4. Govt can utilize this opportunity by investing more in clean energy

development, and focusing more in R&D in this area and make clean energy

available and affordable to public,

5. Coal cess can be converted in to the carbon tax.

6. It is the best time to develop strategic storage of oil within the country to best

utilize the fall in price and also to combat the future uncertainties in Geo

political environment.

Energy requirement of India is going to boost in near future, in the era of

unstable geopolitical environment, the need to reduce global warming, and

need of faster economic growth, and to tackle increasing CAD, India needs to

take this opportunity, to implement their policies in such a manner that all the

above factor can be dealt in efficient manner.

In the long run, leakage and distribution distortion stops, because, the products are

now sold at market rates, rather than a few goods meant for the poor being sold at a

lower price. At the same time, use of direct bank transfer via Adhaar card to the very

poor, allows the govt to distribute social benefits more effiecientl.

Deregulating crude oil to market forces has its own political fallouts. Yet, by

providing targeted subsidy and govt intervention only in emergency, pricing and

distribution distortions can stop, leasing to greater socio- economic efficiency

1Q. Some suggest that India needs to form an economic union

with a free trade area within the Union of India. Examine the

rationale behind such an idea. (200 Words) Economic Union, with a free trade area within the country, crudely means the

formation of a market an all India level, where goods and services from one state can

move, without restriction and taxation, to any other place in India, creating a

national market.

Pros



1. Manufacturers can sell their products throughout their country. The no of

customer increase, in turn, raising their profits

2. Customers benefit as their available choice increases.

3. Also, with greater competition, price goes down, and there is a general

improvement in quality of products.

4. This improvement in quality and affordability also has repurcussions in the

international market, as the demand increases. This in turn, promotes exports

and consequently, the forex reserves increases.

5. States with unique outputs especially stand out. Thus an inter state trade, will

hopefully promote outputs such as the intricate handicrafts of North East and

the Pashmina wools from Kashmir

At the same time, there are concerns over the outputs from the poorer states like

Bihar. They suffer from decades of economic backwardness, and more competition

will only choke their nascent industries.

On a whole, as the example of economic integration of EU has shown us, that

economic union propagates economic prosperity. The govt has taken initial steps like

creation of a national GST tax system. The need now is to work together with states

to slowly trim of ancient acts such as APMC and ECA to truly benefit from a ONE

INDIA

1Q. Do you think liberalisation of legal services should be allowed

in India? Discuss the issue examining merits and demerits of the

same. (200 Words) The Indian government is considering opening up its legal services sector for foreign

firms to practice in India. Both the Bar Council of India and Society of Indian Law

Firms, bodies that represent the legal sector in India, have agreed to the proposal on

certain conditions. First there should be a level playing field and second there should

be mutual recognition agreements on qualification and licensing in reciprocity. The

proposal has many merits as well as some reservations.

Merits:

1. This will induce competition in the sector and overall the efficiency of legal

services delivery will be enhanced.

2. The standard of legal education as well as educational institutions providing

legal education will be raised.

3. As India is a growing economy, many MNCs operate in India and are planning

to come to India. Also, many Indian MNCs operate abroad. This will create

provision of the MNCs to work with legal firms that they are comfortable with.



If TATA sets up a company in UK then TATA will prefer legal council from

India. Same applies for Apple.

4. The foreign legal firms will engage local talent. This means more employment

as well as positive interaction of local talent with these firms.

Reservations:

1. Some factions of the lawyer community are opposing the provision as they site

the example of Indian accounting firms which have gone into oblivion.

However, unlike accounting, law has a local flavour. These firms will provide

services for corporate and mergers and acquisitions rather than arguing a case

in supreme court

2. There may not be level playing field between Indian and foreign law firms.

This issue can be taken care of by opening up the sector in a phased manner

and involving initially only corporate services and transactions.

3. Will subject Indian law firms to undue competition and disadvantages

because they are not financially strong as large international law firms and

have no sufficient requisite experience to compete against them.

In a globalized world, the above proposal is not out of place and in fact beneficial for

the legal fraternity in the long run. If the foreign firms confirm to the same rules and

regulations as Indian law firms there is no strong reason why the sector should not

be opened up. This is in line with the Prime Minister's vision to transform India into

a legal services powerhouse.

2Q. In your opinion, what problems do recent scams in job market

reflect in India‘s employment trends. Also examine the causes of

such large-scale corruptions. (200 Words) Increase in the percentage of people who are in their productive ages of their life This

increase coupled with the structural aspects of economy, with the degrading value

orientations is leading to various scams in the public sector job market.

Firstly, the growth of organised employment is not meeting the pace at which

population is growing. Still 90% are in the unorganised sector. So, the competition

for the organised sector jobs is very higher, and it's even more in case of a public

sector job which has got it's perks in the form of respect, security, salaries etc.

This competition had led to illegal practices by circumventing the procedures for

assured job prospects. The political and mafia nexus had created backdoor

opportunities in very lower to higher level jobs. Numerous incidences like leakage of

question papers, corruption by members of boards of state PSC's etc. (vyapam scam)

Social value attached to these public jobs had not only made the job seekers blind but

also their parents who are willing to shell out huge monies out of their pockets

irrespective of their economic condition hoping for returns in the form of bribes,

dowry etc.



Even the opaqueness in the policies and whole process and non-enforcement of

guidelines of central government and failure to adopt successful models like UPSC by

the states coupled with technological advances had led to a large scale increase of

corruption

1Q. It is said that a uniform liberal policy for foreign investment in

retail – offline as well as online – is required to address various

issues. Critically examine what these issues are and consequences

of such liberal policy on stakeholders. (200 Words) Currently, FDI policy is different for online and offline retailers.

While India does not allow foreign investment in e-retail, there are no restrictions on

online marketplaces. Most e-commerce companies have, therefore, rejigged their

structure to become marketplaces. i.e e-commerce companies tell that they only

provide the platform where traders can sell their products but the companies are

themselves not engaged in selling any product. This is as good as opening up the

sector fully - except it raises compliance costs and, thus, reduces gains to consumers.

With the easy access to foreign capital that allows them to offer deep discounts, have

snatched business away from the brick and mortar retailers.

Troubles of offline retailers:

While 100 per cent foreign ownership is allowed in cash and carry (wholesale), the rules are different for single-brand retail and multi-brand retail: 100 per cent foreign

investment is allowed in the former, while there is a cap of 51 per cent in the latter.

There are other restrictions as well on multi-brand retail: 30 per cent of the stock

must be sourced from local vendors and there has to be an upfront investment

commitment of $100 million. More important, it is left for each state to decide

whether it wants foreign-owned retail stores or not. Most states have welcomed

foreign-owned cash-and-carry stores, because of the supply-chain efficiencies they

bring in, but are reluctant to open up multi-brand retail because that could upset small retailers. Thus, global retailers have remained cold to India. Britain's Tesco is

the only overseas retailer to have entered India. As a result, offline retail has got

starved of funds, while their online counterparts are awash with money that they

have used for customer acquisition effectively.

What is required at the moment is a uniform liberal policy for foreign investment in

retail: offline as well as online. Liberalising the sector can bring in more investment

and employment opportunities also. Even for online retailers, negotiating the maze

of rules is far from easy. Almost all of them spend a lot of time ensuring that they

remain marketplaces, which in essence means they just provide a trading platform. This is unproductive work and also breeds inefficiencies. Thus if govt wants to make

India an attractive investment destination, retail could be a good starting point.



2Q. The government recently said that after diesel deregulation, a

new gas price formula and roll out of the Direct Benefits Transfer

in cooking gas, the next stage of development in the oil sector

would focus on kerosene subsidy reforms. Critically examine how

these reforms have affected common man and why is there a need

for kerosene subsidy reforms. (200 Words) India has consistently faced a huge subsidy bill. Subsidies in India have added fiscal

pressure on the government. In view of fiscal consolidation government has taken

the following reforms:

1. Diesel deregulation - This has allowed diesel prices to be market linked. Due

to lower oil prices this has brought favourable gains to the common populace.

Transport costs have declined, inflation in food & non-food products has

eased, no hike in electricity tariffs, overall cost of living has come down & govt

capital locked in subsidies now could be diverted for welfare schemes.

However once oil price rises people could face the brunt of a reversal.

2. DBT in cooking gas - Now on subsidy will be directly transferred to bank

accounts of beneficiaries. Undue influence of middlemen will come down,

handling of cash will make people financially mature & reduction in leakages

will help in easing fiscal pressure. However many beneficiaries who remain

out of the banking system will be missed out now.

3. New gas price formula -- Rangarajan proposed doubling of gas prices has been

rejected and revised prices are lower by more than $2. Gas is also a universal

intermediary thus lower prices will bring positive gains for common people in

terms of eased inflation, lower cost of electricity inter alia. Gas prices have

increased over time & are bound to increase in future unless exploration costs

down, which requires massive capital investment. Lower gas prices may be a

disincentive to domestic explorers.

Case of Kerosene subsidy

1. The government presently offers subsidy on PDS Kerosene which is made

available through a network of fair price shops.

2. This adds pressure on the subsidy bill and also contributes majorly to the

under-recoveries of the state-owned oil companies.

3. At the same time kerosene subsidy is highly mistargeted. With most of the

benefit accrued by high-income households & industries which use kerosene

in bulk.

Kerosene is a big environment polluter. About half of the rural population use

kerosene for their energy requirement. The government subsidy incentives

this by keeping prices low for kerosene



Thus the next logical step for the government is to decontrol kerosene. However this

must be done cautiously as it is the 'poor man's cooking fuel' & any rise in prices

might adversely affect food security of a vast rural populace.

1Q. The post-1967 period saw the launching of a series of radical

economic policies which were to have long-term effects on India‘s

developmental effort. Critically examine what were these policies,

why they were launched and what effect they had on the Indian

economy. (200 Words) Faced with issues like successive droughts, spike in defence expenditure due to

Pakistan war, devaluation of rupee and trade liberalization due to the pressure from

the West and inflation, India had to defer 4th Five Year Plan, depend on annual

plans and the response was characterized by a shift to previous strategies and took a more 'Left' turn due to the political scenario then. Garibi Hatao slogan and Socialism

were in vogue.

1. 14 major banks were nationalised to extend the credit to the poor and help in

rural expansion. So were the coal industry and insurance.

2. Monopolies and Restrictive Trafe Practices Act was passed which curtailed big

businesses.

3. Manu sectors were kept reserved for small sclae industries so as to help

employment.

4. Many sick units were taken over by the State

5. Foreign Exchange Regulation Act was passed which severely restricted the

foreign capital flows.

6. License quota was introduced to check capitalist activities and it actually put a

check on production, prices and expansion.

These measures had some positive effect like pulling is out of the crisis situation that

we faced. We became food sufficient due to Green Revolution. We absorbed effects of

droughts and oil shocks in later years and also the industrial base was widened with

aim at maximising welfare. Economic indicators improved and so did social welfare

schemes.

But the model proved unsustainable due to various fallouts. Import substitution led

industrialization bred inefficiency and led to losses. Trade unionism grew and

takeover of sick units drained national exchequer. License Quota Raj became notorious for stifling entrepreneurship and curtailed production, capacity and

expansion. Small scale industries were too many but too small to make any

innovations. More importantly we missed out totally on the East Asian miracle

whereby economies of 4 Asian Tigers boomed ahead. Political landscape was

increasingly dominated by subsidies and one upmanship in populism. Gradually the

dire situations of 1991 arrived when we had no option but to follow Liberalization,

Privatization and Globalization.



Topic: Changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial

growth.

1Q. Large factories account for a smaller share of India‘s industrial

workforce than they did three decades ago. Examine why. (200

Words) The manufacturing sector in India has shown a downward trend in the strength of

workforce engaged in large industries than they did three decades ago. The reasons

for the decline are the following :

1. Production technique: There has been a gradual shift from labour intensive to

capital intensive workforce resulting in lower requirement of labour due to

upgradation in technology.

2. Outsourcing: Earlier the manufacturing firms used to manufactures all their

requirements in-house. But with the introduction of LPG reforms and greater

integration it resulted in outsourcing of the goods which was more expensive

to manufacture.

3. LPG reforms: The LPG reforms did away with the system of licence for most

industries. This helped reduce the monopoly of a few industrialists and helped

smaller factories in entering the same market.

4. Cheaper imports: With the introduction of new economic policy in China in

1978 the manufacturing sector there got a boost. This resulted in cheaper

goods being produced there and the cheap imports further act as a

disincentive for Indian industries to expand.

5. There has been an increased use of robots in large industries which are more

efficient as compared to labour force.

6. Policy Paralysis: Large units require stable policies, easy land acquisition,

24X7 power supply, tax concessions etc. lack of consistent policies is reflected

in India's poor rank in ease of doing business.

7. Skill development: Finding skilled labour is a concern for large units. focus on

NSDC is a welcome step.

8. Rigid labour laws.

The decline in workforce is an alarming trend which needs to be looked into as an

idle unemployed population may give rise anti social elements. The government has

taken certain measures to increase the workforce like Make in India and skill them

through Skill India program. With increased stress on manufacturing and rise in flow

of FDI there is definitely a bright future for India especially for the industrial

workforce.



1Q. Write a critical note on the ―Start-up India‖ programme,

recently announced by the Prime Minister of India. (150 Words) With an objective to encourage self-employment and job opportunities,governments

time and again encouraged entrepreneurs.We may ponder upon two major questions

while we come across the recent call for 'Start-up India'.

1. Do we need a new programme ?

Not really. Its rather necessary to integrate and improve synergies among the

existing scheme of things. Among the major initiatives we have, MUDRA Bank - to

provide credit assurance, support especially to dalit entrepreneurs, Atal Innovation

Mission (AIM),Self Employment & Talent Utilisation (SETU) taken up by NITI

Aayog to support start-up ecosystem with technical, financial, advisory support.

Rather being a stand-alone thing ,'Start-up India' should be an umbrella mission

connecting, spear-heading the above projects.

2. How to enhance the 'Start-up' eco system ?

Low cost, reliable credit support is the bedrock for the success of any start-up.

Multitude of angel funds, venture capitalists have come up today, but it needs to be

furthered by suitable policies to meet the credit demands. Rather than asking the

already stressed Indian Banks to provide more credit, suitable modifications to

encourage first-time entrepreneurs in the Priority sector lending can be done.

Domestic, foreign avenues for credit, technical and management support to be

enhanced.

It‘s also imperative to diversify the start-up ecosystem which is crowded around IT,

Software area into potential sectors of Agriculture, food processing ,logistics,

electronics sectors so that a sustainable growth engine can be delivered.

1Q. Recently the Union cabinet approved the spectrum sharing

policy finalized by the Telecom Commission. Examine the

implications of this policy for the telecommunications sector and

for the consumer. (200 Words) Spectrum sharing is the process of pooling down of the spectrums by the telecom

firms to enable efficient utilization of the whole spectrum. Its implications can be:

1. Wider spectrum for the involved parties would enable to focus larger

geographic area, broader consumer base and avoid congestion.

2. Reduced operation costs for the telecoms and potential for technology

upgradation.

3. Increased revenue for the Govt. through sharing fees.

4. Consumers to receive better QoS, high data speeds at fair costs.



However, with the strong regulatory environment of India, the cost-benefit analysis

may lead to a deduction of loss to the telecom providers/customers due to the risks

involved:

1. Geographical or time constraints imposed by regulator can inhibit telecom's

expansion of service.

2. Reduced freedom of choice or flexibility as to how spectrum should be used

might narrow down the scope for upgradation.

3. With widening m-governance, there is a potential for negative impact on the

economy if spectrum sharing fails, including critical functions such as public

safety.

The sharing and licensing fees or switching costs could be routed by the

telecom service providers towards usage costs by customers, beating

the very purpose of spectrum sharing.

Hence, all these parties i.e. Service Provider, Regulator and Consumer are crucial for

a successful spectrum sharing environment. The regulator must facilitate

competition by ensuring adequate spectrum for all parties. It can provide incentives

to the providers which achieve QoS standards and spectrum utilization efficiency

faster. Undoubtedly, better data services are a boon for governance as well as socio-

economic reforms, but before launching it full fleshed, there must be a rigourous

cost-benefit and risk assessment of spectrum sharing.

2Q. ―At least in two areas — public sector pay and industrial policy

— the tiny but prosperous Singapore holds lessons for India as it

celebrates the 68th anniversary of its independence.‖ Elaborate.

(200 Words) Singapore's public sector pay and industrial policy holds lessons for India in its

march from third world country to a first world one. India can emulate Singapore in

two fields Public sector pay and Industrial policy.

Public sector pay: Singapore has a competitive pay system comparable with the

private sector jobs for the public servants. Thus will attract the most able to hold the

crucial positions in government. In India, Central Pay Commissions need to restructure the salary structure from the

current increasing of salaries into multiples to more indexed salaries in tune with the

skills and development in the labour market, and must match the high paying private

sector jobs.This might not lead to the reduction in corruption but skills of the

bureaucrats must be incentivised and pay should not be a deterrent for the youth to

opt for the services.

In the industrial sector Singapore has invested in having proper tax regime, labour

skilling for manufacturing jobs. India has jumped from the agricultural economy to a

service sector economy, thus unskilled workers were not absorbed by any of the

sectors. The recent Make In India Campaign is a welcome step in this direction



.Singapore's size didn't stop it from boosting its economy and having good

governance. India 's population can act as a boon for it provided the human resource

are optimized fully.

1Q. Recently it was reported in media that the Indian tech start-ups

are shifting their headquarters to the United States and Singapore.

Critically examine why and suggest how can India stop this trend

and encourage these companies to operate from India. (200

Words) India is not only having huge market option but also talented pools of workers but

still the starts ups are more interested in getting listed in Singapore or USa rather

than in India , following can be few reasons,

1. Red tapism: In this competitive era when Govt takes month to clear a project

the company would lose the share.

2. Capital Required: it‘s easier to raise money from equity market in US or

Singapore then in India and also availability if angel investor etc.

3. Market: Though the market potential is huge but the national per capita

income is still low hence the prospectus of profit or new ideas clicking are

rare.

4. Raising money and acquisition opportunity in US and Singapore is quite

easier

5. The complex and high taxation along with arbitrary enforcement regime has

been a factor. Such a perception got reinforced after retrospective taxation and

imposition of MAT on FII in recent past.

6. Restriction of foreign capital in areas like Multi-brand retail, E-commerce has

been factor for shifting of base for major ecommerce company Flipkart to

Singapore.

7. Aspiration and ambition to capture the global market beyond the India has

also

been factor.

To change the above scenario and encourage start-ups, following measures can be

taken,

1. Minimal laws: Laws are effective when they are few and enforced.

2. Faster Clearance: the required wings of govt should be connected and work

with one another for faster results.

3. Capital at low interests for the start-ups though separately managed funds.

4. Improvement of infrastructure

5. Faster judiciary that solves the conflict instead of dragging on and is

burden on the firms.



SEBI's new guidelines (such as liberal listing, exit options, relaxation in use of fund

raised) which are in right direction to enthuse start-ups.

1Q. Recently the Telangana government introduced the Right to

Clearance policy in order to speed up clearance of industrial

projects. Critically comment on the merits and demerits of this

policy. (200 Words)

Telangana recently announced its maiden Industrial Policy. It has a unique feature in

the form of a Right to Clearance (RTC) which is modelled on the RTI act. RTC

recognises that businesses have a right to know why project proposal are being

delayed and to demand redress for unnecessary delay. The RTC will impose a fine of

Rs 1000 per day on the designated bureaucrat in case of delay.

It also lays down the policy of automatic deemed approval in case of government

departments missing the laid down deadlines for project approval.

This policy has have the following impact-

1. It will improve accountability as any delay in clearance of a project will have to

be accompanied by the reasons for such a delay.

2. It will promote investment and provide a conducive environment for

industries.

3. The provision of fine of Rs 1000 per day on the offending officer will ensure

timely clearances.

4. Such out-of-the-box thinking will act as an example to other states and will

force them to match or exceed this offer for fear of losing investments to

Telangana.

On the other hand, the policy can have the following ill effects -

1. The same timeline to evaluate different types of projects is a big problem.

Some projects might genuinely require more time for proper evaluation.

2. It might lead to incomplete evaluation by the bureaucrats for fear of the fine.

3. Such fast track clearances might have unwarranted environmental effects as

they might not be properly studied.

4. Some not so well conceptualised projects may get passed, which may have

adverse impact on larger public in the future.

As India adds nearly a million people to the workforce every month and will do so for

the next 20 years, it is necessary to have policies that promote industrial

development and job creation. However, at the same time it is also necessary that



speed in implementation does not compromise on the quality of implementation.

Only then will the Right To Clearance be a boon for the citizens and not just for the

promoters of the businesses.

1Q. Recently the government withdrew the excise and customs duty

exemptions given to the Ordinance Factory Board and public sector

undertakings (PSUs) in the defence sector. Examine why and

explain the possible implications of this move. (200 Words) India is the largest defense importer in the world. The government has resolved to

change this fact and revitalize the defense manufacturing in the country to create

jobs while at the same time saving valuable foreign exchange. Such a goal also

improves the strategic autonomy of the country.

The recent withdrawal of the excise and customs duty exemptions given to Ordnance

Factory Boards and Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) in the defense sector was

done due to following reasons:

1. Give a boost to make in India for defense manufacturing. As this would

incentivise investment by private manufactures.

2. This prioritises efficiency in the market and the PSUs and OFBs will be forced

to become efficient to stay in business.

Implications

1. Effectively, this clause acted as a bar to the entry of foreign technology and

capital into India in the defence sector. As long as the clause existed,

multinational companies used to find it more worthwhile to tie up with public

sector units, because it would translate into a significant cost advantage.

Often, given the state of the public sector, this caused delays and led to the

production of sub-standard equipment. With the exemptions gone,

multinational corporations are likely to choose partners on the basis of

efficiency and effectiveness alone. This should make the industry more vibrant

and induce greater investment

2. The creation of a level playing field should give a huge boost to the private

sector in defence. spur innovation and investment from the private sector

3. India is one of the biggest buyers of defence systems in the world and most of

the equipment is imported. By producing them at home, the local economy

can get a significant growth impetus

4. Under the offset clause, overseas suppliers are required to plough back a

chunk of their business into India. Some multinational corporations have

openly questioned the ability of the public sector units to deliver, with whom

they are forced to sub-contract because of the excise and customs benefits

enjoyed by them. The removal of this clause will make them more confident

about manufacturing in India



Such schemes have created enough distortions in the market and need to be avoided.

In the past, backward area tax benefits led businessmen to set up factories where

they made little sense. Over time, they were bound to become unviable and sick.

Similarly, the reservation of a large number of goods for production in the small-scale sector had disastrous effect: it created an incentive to stay small. This robbed

industry of a great deal of efficiencies. The removal of the duty advantage for public

sector units in defence was another distortion that has now been ironed out.

1Q. It is said that India needs a comprehensive national capital

goods policy to realize the potential of this sector. Discuss the need

for such a policy, its framework and the potential of this sector.

(200 Words) Capital goods refer to those goods which are required for the production of other

goods, rather than for consumption. (eg comprising textile machinery, machine

tools, electrical and power equipment, plastic machinery, construction equipment)

Need for a National capital goods sector policy: A robust and well developed capital

goods sector is vital as it can serve as an engine for India's manufacturing growth. It

becomes even more vital in light of the 'Make in India' campaign. It contributes 12 %

of manufacturing output.

Framework: The basic framework should focus on creating markets for the goods,

increasing export potential, technological support, better IPR policy, involving

MSME sector, human resource development and skilling etc .Besides, attracting

credit through FDI, dealing with WTO guidelines, taxation issues , preferential trading agreements, environmental concerns, safety concerns etc are some other

areas which needs to be looked at.

Potential:

1. Currently, capital goods are 12% of our manufacturing output. They can be

increased to 20% by 2022 according to the vision of the policy.

2. A robust capital goods sector will fire up the manufacturing sector, as there is

a direct correlation between them.

3. It will provide jobs and help harness our demographic dividend.

4. It also increases our export competitiveness and which can have positive

cascading effects on various other sectors of the economy like defence,

infrastructure. Thus it can truly be the backbone of India's growth.

Topic: employment



1Q. Write a critical note on the objectives and significance of a new

scheme – Arya (Attracting and Retaining Youth in Agriculture),

launched by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. (200

Words) The Indian Council of Agricultural Research has recently launched ARYA (Attracting

and Retaining Youth in Agriculture). The scheme envisages the increasing

participation of youth, to sustain agriculture and allied activities through scientific

methods. The objectives and significances are---

1. To increase the profitability of Agriculture.

2. To improve the quality of life in Rural Areas.

3. To transform Youths especially Rural into Agricultural Entrepreneurs.

4. To implement scientific methods of farming in Agriculture.

5. To increase production in Agriculture allied activities.

Arya is to be implemented by Krishi Vigyan Kendras which each would train around

200-300 youths. These youths will be trained in Farming, Bee Keeping, Dairy &

Poultry Farming, Cattle rearing etc. and will be helped in getting Loans from Banks.

Negative impacts of the Scheme--

1. It will train youth for Agriculture while the Manufacturing sector requires

more young workers.

2. It's prime focus is on Rural youths. Giving vocational training to them may

result in a dropout in Higher Education by them.

The Attraction and Retention of Youth in Agriculture is though launched with good

intention, It may result in keeping the Rural youth backward and away from the

Mainstream. Therefore, an equal emphasis should be given on training the Urban

Youths who, with their deep pockets and better learning abilities can ot only increase

the land holding size but can also increase the share of agriculture in the overall

GDP.

1Q. Write a note on the National Skill Development Mission and the

role of private sector in skilling the unskilled. (200 Words) National Skill Development Mission is a part of Skill India launched by the Indian

Government. It aims to train 400 million Indians by the year 2022.

NSDM is an ambitious scheme to tackle the problem of unemployment rampant in

India due to low-skilled people. Along with other schemes such as Pradham Mantri

Kaushal Vikas Yojna, Skill loan schmes and National policy for skill development and



entrepreneurship,it aims to reap the demographic dividend of India by providing

adequate institutions and opportunities for the youth. It seeks to include Industrial

Training Institutes(ITI), Vocation training at school level, and polytechnics to

achieve its mission.

The role of private sector in skill development is very crucial as they are the ultimate

beneficiaries. Private sector has many ITIs, more than the government ones. Yet, the

quality of courses offered is not upto the mark. Onsite industrial training should be

provided to the work force so that people can be efficiently take up the task at hand.

Private sector should cooperate with education institutions and outline their

requirements, so that training can be a part of academic curriculum. Apprenticeship

and internship should be encouraged by the private sector to expose students to

industry standards.

India is at the pinnacle of its economy transformation, and a skilled, vibrant

population is very much needed to take the country forward. Both the private sector

and government should play an active role in this regard.

1Q. It was recently reported that the International Labour

Organisation (ILO) is opposed to India‘s labour reform measures.

Write a critical note on these measures and examine why ILO is

opposing to them. (200 Words) To realise the dreams of make in india and to tap the demographic dividend of the

country, it is essential to have the reforms in labour market.Further there is also

need to upgrade the ease of doing business.

Labour reforms:

1. Number of minimum employees increased from 100 to 300 to have

permission from government, in case of retrenchment.

2. Merging all the labour related central laws in to four labour codes i.e wages,

industrial relations, social security , safety and welfare.

3. Procedural facilities - New portal for filing of returns, to get rid of licence raj.

4. Apprentice ship act - To include more students in this, by augmenting the

areas of coverage.Further, it increased the stiphend also.

5. With the Labour laws amendment bill, small establishments can be excluded

from the cumbersome labour compliances.

6. Smart cards for unorganised sector labors and self certification of the

documents etc.

7. Exempt the factories having 20 workers( power suply) and 40 workers (

without power suply) will be out of purview of factories act. Due to strict

labour laws, Indian firms remain small thereby loosing economies of scale



advantage and unable to compete on global market. This reduce potential of

export and job creation.

8. Another proposed amendment mandates that shelters and restrooms be

provided in factories that employ at least 75 people instead of the 150 as at

present.

Objections raised by ILO includes lack of provision for collective bargaining

(proposed Labour Code on industrial relations emphasizes arbitration) and not

allowing outsiders in union activities. While concerns of ILO are legitimate in certain

sense but they shouldn‘t ignore the good provisions and intents of such reforms. The

ultimate aim is to provide productive and gainful employment along with decent

working conditions to millions of youth. All stakeholders should work in

coordination and harmony to achieve that.

According to the World Bank, rigid labour laws are a hindrance to growth for India.

The maximum number of employee that can be absorbed is in manufacturing sector.

Currently, the share of Manufacturing in GDP in India is only 16% while that of china is 32%. If India envisages of ―Make in India‖ then its labour laws needs to be in line

with international standard and not so rigid.

Topic: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of

resources,

1Q. Do you think the recently launched Indradhanush, a seven-

point programme to rejuvenate public sector banks (PSBs), will be

able to provide a competitive, profitable and customer-friendly

banking sector? Critically examine. (200 Words) Recently the govt launched Indradhanush, a 7 point program to rejuvenate the public

sector banks. Through this program the govt aims to:

1. Better senior appointment

2. Establishment of BBB(Bank board bureau)

3. Pump more capital

4. Reduce bad loans

5. Empower management

6. Improve accountability

7. Better governance

Positive aspects of Indradhanush:

1. Would curb increasing NPA. Currently they have increased to 4.5% of GDP.



2. Would ensure better focus on recruitment, appointment, accountability and

governance.

Challenges: But there are some reasons to be skeptical about Indradhanush:

1. High on platitudes: Improve accountability, better governance, empower

management are platitudes mentioned by every committee. No specific

measures have been specified to achieve these objectives

2. Half measures: even after many recommendations, govt has not diluted its

stake below 50% even when it can easily maintain a majority share.

3. External dual control: Dual control of RBI and finance ministry is the source

of many problems but no effort has been made to address this. Also

externalvigilance by CVC and CBI has affected risky decision making.

4. Failure to streamline RBI role: Dept of banking supervision and dept. of

banking regulation have failed to control NPA or to create a competitive

banking sector.

5. BBB has 2 govt officials and RBI governor. Thus, it would be difficult t ensure

independent appointments.

6. Disinvestment has not been talked about. Reducing govt's stake is key to

banking reforms. Infusing capital will increase stake of govt.

7. Help to PSBs through capital will not ensure level playing field for private

sector banks.

8. Places too much importance on market to raise capital. It is very time taking

as the PSBs do not enjoy confidence.

9. While the senior appointments have been addressed well, what about the mid-

level and junior bank officials? execution of policies are in their hand. they

were not addressed in this project.

10. Further addressing the issue of Non-performing assets failed to explain how

the system of fast approval and clearance for big infrastructure projects would

be done. the project did not discussed about any effective mean to monitor

and regulate bad loans or training of banking officials which is highly

recommended in order to update the work force.

Thus though the Indradhanush is hopeful to create a hopeful or customer friendly

banking sector, as long as these challenges are addressed, this novel initiative would

become another effort, lost in pages of history.

2Q. It is found that the Indian economy went through a period of

―jobless growth‖ when five million jobs were lost between 2004-05

and 2009-10. Critically analyse the causes of this pattern of growth.

(200 Words)



Indian economy works paradoxically. While the years between 2004-05 and 2009-10

gave us the fastest ever, an incredible, 9% growth rate, an opposite picture emerged

in the labour market. Here's why

1. Services led growth- The period was marked by a stagnation of manufacturing

and decline in agriculture sector, in relative terms. India has shown a lot of

expertise and growth in the services sector. Yet, services sector brings far less

employment than the manufacturing and agriculture, where more physical

labour is required.

2. Greater infusion of technology- In many instances, growth in technology,

reduces the demand for labour. A vivid example comes from the automobile

sector. Here, Robots have reduced the requirement of people.

3. Disparity - The few rich have become richer, while the numerous poor still

perish. Yet, measurement of GDP is only based on the principle of aggregate.

Thus, it fails to take into account the quality of growth and employment.

4. The employment rate has also gone down because the public sector, which

used to employ more people, relatively speaking, has slowed down.

5. Similarly, organised businesses, which requires lesser labour has grown more

than the MSMEs.

6. Casualization of work force also increased because of increasing labour wages

and other factor costs. India's archaic and rigid labour laws need to reform .

Creaking infrastructure, poor power supply and land availability issues are

other commonly cited reasons for the fact that India has seen no addition of

labour intensive manufacturing units.

7. Low participation of women workforce in India.

By, conceptualising MAKE IN INDIA, the Indian Govt has sown the seeds of change.

Yet, more steps like focussing on agriculture, skill development and implementing

the promised details, is required before the largest growth rate of GDP, makes

meaning to the majority of us

1Q. Kerala is accepted as a developmental model whereas Uttar

Pradesh as a basket case. Why do you think such disparity exists

between two states within India? Critically examine. (200 Words) Kerala and Uttar Pradesh represent the two poles of India. While, Kerala is a

national leader in almost all social indicators like health and education, UP continues

to be a laggard in socio-economic terms, unable to wriggle out of the BIMARU

tagline.

Reasons

1. Social- The prevalance of bias and civil divide over religion and caste

continues to bog the state down. Instead of working for common social and



economic benefit, the various factions spend their times, trying to underscore

each other Kerala, in contrast, thanks to reformers like Periyor suffers from

less of factional divide and has see more equitable growth. Patriarchal

mindsets towards gender parity and wasteful practices like dowry and other

social contracts have affected economic security of vulnerable in north. In

contrast, women-based SHGs have been actively promoted by state govts in

Kerala (eg Kudumbshree)

2. Political UP, unlike Kerala, suffers from the large state problem. It has a

population greater than nine tenth of all the countries in the world. This

impedes the administration and regulation in the state In such situation,

corruption, which eats away the social benefits, can be carried more easily in

UP than Kerala

3. Historical UP was the centre of the colonial self-minded British rule. Ever

since, the battle of Buxar, in 1764, it was ruled by the British who were least

concerned about dvelopment. Kerala came under the kingdom of Travancore,

who were almost sovereign enough to follow development policies

4. Geographical Kerala had unique advantages such as access to sea, cultivation

of spices. This allowed Kerala to trade right from the Roman times. UP is far

from sea. In fact, almost every year, it has had to bear droughts and floods.

5. People from Kerala can move and do move to the Gulf. Jobs there are well

paid. So migration helps as a conduit to ease the population pressure and also

brings remittances. Whereas people migrate out of UP to mostly wok as

labourers, This hardly brings any remittance to the state.

6. Prevalence of discriminatory and caste politics in UP

7. The awareness among the Kerala people also led them to compel the govt for

proper and efficient working thus corruption is either absent or negligible thus

it is the people who influence the govt decisions or we can say that it is people

centric government. While in UP it is the govt which influence the decisions of

public at large thus give opportunities of malfunctioning, corruption,

autocracies, discrimination and use of money and muscle in different

dimension of people.

These factors created a vicious cycle for UP, slowing growth and development. Only

dedicated govt planning and a support from the Aam Aadmi can allow it transform

itself from the Africa of India to Scandinavian Nation like



2Q. Do you think there should be a law to ensure minimum wages

applicable to all employees across that country including sector-

specific minimum wages for industrial workers? Substantiate. (200

Words) The concept of minimum wage for employees is being mooted, on the lines of MSP

for farmers.

Benefits

1. The exploitation of workers will be cut.

2. This long standing demand will also please the trade unions, leading to lesser

strikes and shutdowns

3. Greater wage will in turn promote consumption, and could give a fillip to the

economy

Yet minimum wage for the entire country should not be introduced. Here's wh

1. Consumers hurt- Greater price of labour input will aggrevate the inflation

burden on the common man.

2. Unemployment- Economics shows us that with limited funds available with

the owners, rise in wage will only mean decrease in the number of people

employed.

3. Exports hurt- The Chinese spectacular export led growth was made feasible by

artificially containing the price rise of labour. That allowed it to keep its export

cheap,grow and finally cull poverty to only marginal limit

4. One size fits all for the entire country does not incorporate the variations

between the various states.

The move is supported by reasons like:

1. Right to livelihood: Art. 21 of the Indian constitution gives right to life, which

includes in its ambit right to livelihood. Right to livelihood is incomplete if

people do not get enough for survival through the means of livelihood.

2. Minimum wages would ensure equality and reduce disparities: Labourers are

the wheels of an industry but when it comes to giving them their share they

get the least possible. A minimum wage would ensure their fair share and

reduce the disparities in comparison to the people at the helm.

3. Prosperity: Workers are highly dissatisfied with the employers due to less

wages. A minimum wage would generate satisfaction in workers and they

would cooperate with the employers leading to the growth and prosperity of

the nation.

4. Raise standards of living: 29.6% of the Indian population lives below the

poverty line (Rangarajan Committee report) and mostly belongs to the labour

class. MInimum wages would raise their standard of living.



5. Law would remove ambiguity: A law would remove the ambiguity associated

with the amount of wages which should be given to the workers to different

sectors.

6. Sector- specific minimum wages required: The kind of effort required in

differs for various industries. Hence, minimum wages for different sectors

should be different.

People at the bottom of the pyramid are the greatest contributors to the development

of a nation. Giving them minimum wages would ensure our maximum growth.

However, as a long term measure, skill development must be emphasised.

1Q. Critically analyse the structure, objectives and issues arising

out of of the Goods and Services Tax system that the government

wants to introduce in India. (200 Words) The Good and Services Tax (GST) is an indirect tax levied on value-added goods and

services at each stage of sales and services, using a tax credit mechanism.

India is going to follow a dual-GST system- Centre GST and State GST, with all states

having a uniform tax rate. The powers of deciding the tax rates, exepmtions,

inclusions, procedure will be under the ambit of GST Council comprising of both

Centre and States, in which Centre will have 2/3rd voting rights.

Objectives:

1. GST system seeks to create a uniform tax system across the country, which

will be less complex and more business friendly. This will also help in smooth

inter-state trade.

2. It seeks to remove the cascading effects of taxes.

3. It will increase the tax revenue for the government, because of increased tax

base, better compliance and less exemptions. Hence will contribute around

2% to GDP.

4. Since, the producer will pay less taxes, will lead to decrease in prices of goods

and services.

Issues:

1. States argue that they will suffer from a loss of revenue. Hence, Centre has

decided to compensate it fully for 5 years.

2. This will result in major loss for manufacturing states like Jharkhand, Gujarat

etc., because GST is charged at the final stage of consumption not at

production.

3. Some of recent amendment proposed are also contentious. State will be

allowed to levy additional 1% tax, this violates the basic fundamental principle

behind GST. Maximum cap of GST is 20%, which critics argue is too high.



4. Setting up infrastructure both at Centre and State level will also be a

challenge.

1Q. What are the objectives of of the proposed Indian Financial

Code (IFC)? Examine why this proposal has given rise to

controversy. (200 Words) The Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission drafted the IFC in 2013 to

review and draft a new legislatons for the Indian financial system as it is considered

to be fragmented,with gaps,overlaps ,in consistent and arbitrary. The objectives of

the proposed Indian Financial Code are

1. Consumer protection:Regulators should ensure that financial firms are doing

enough for consumer protection. eg by ensuring competition and Financial

Readdress Mechanism.

2. To monitor the failure probability of financial firms.

3. In case of financial failure the firms should protect the interests of small

customers.

4. To check the inbound and outbound capital flows .

5. Setting up of a statutory body of Financial Stability and Development Council

for minimizing systemic risks.

6. Development of market infrastructure by and its redistribution.

7. Setting up of monetary target by the finance ministry and the Monetary Policy

Committee to achieve it.

8. Single Agency to manage government debt.

The criticisms of the IFC code are:

1. To constitute a Monetary policy committee the maximum members of which

will be from the government would reduce the regulatory and authority of the

RBI.The influence of government's discretion on monetary policy due to

electoral politics and budgetary expenditure might affect the macro economy.

2. There is a conflict between the RBI and the government as to who would

regulate the NBFCs,as the IFC bill defines them as financial service

provider,which then becomes bank.

3. The International financial stability report of the IMF suggests that that the

India's supervisory of banks,securities market and insurance is well developed

in compliance with international standards.

4. in the aftermath of Global meltdown in 2008, most of the suffered nations are

now giving more autonomy to their central bank. However the trend is reverse

in india.



There is a need to have effective legislation for the financial sector considering recent

scams like the Sharda, through a more cooperation among the current agencies

however tempering with RBI 's autonomy which has saved the country from major

International financial shocks needs to be thought of.

1Q. Recently the government responded to the grim situation facing

public sector banks by committing Rs 70,000 crore as fresh capital

over the next four years. Critically comment on this measure. (200

Words) The Government has recently decided to infuse 70000 crore in the PSB's over a

period of 4 years.This is a step in the right direction as-

1. It will help strengthen the balance sheet of banks which are very weak due to

large amount of NPA's.(more than half in the infrastructure sector)

2. PSB's are the ones which are responsible for implementing various social

sector schemes of the Government (for financial inclusion)due to which their

large amount of resources are diverted. For instance, most of the accounts

opened under Jan Dhan Yojana has increased the transaction cost of these

banks.

3. PSB's provide a major chunk of credit in the economy , be it the rural lending

or the priority sector areas or large infrastructure projects.

4. It is also very necessary for meeting the BASEL-III norms in the years to

come.

Although recapitalisation is necessary but there should be some supplementary

measures which should be adopted to ensure its effectiveness for banks-

1. The interference of politicians and bureaucrats in the functioning of these

banks should be reduced.Otherwise bad money will replace good money by

further increasing the NPA of banks.

2. There should be incentives for superior financial performance by these

banks.This should be done to avoid moral hazards so that the banks donot

take it for guaranted.This year only 1/5th of the capitalisation to the banks will

be based on performance.

3. PSB's should atleast be held more accountable in the non priority sector

lending.

This capital to banks may not provide additional finances to businesses as it will be

absorbed in strengthening the weak balance sheets, but recapitalisation is the first

step towards healthy functioning of PSB's provided certain precautions are taken.



1Q. What do you understand by Round-tripping? Examine the

relationship between P-Notes and Round-tripping. Recently SEBI,

Supreme Court and Government have initiated measures either to

bring back black money or to curb its circulation. In this regard,

discuss why addressing issues related to P-Notes and Round-

tripping is critical. (200 Words) he term 'round tripping' is a process in which the money returns back to the same

place from where it had originated.This is basically done to avoid paying taxes and

escaping other legal essentialities.

P-notes are the offshore derivative instruments which are issued against the Indian

securities by the foreign portfolio investors registered with SEBI. Thus, it is an easier

way of investing in the securities of other countries without any registration with the

regulator of that country.

P-notes are one of the instruments which assists in round tripping.This can be

explained as: An Indian sending unaccounted money to tax havens through hawala

transaction and the hawala operator in the tax haven investing that money into the P

notes issued by an FPI registered with SEBI. In this way, unaccounted money can be

converted into legitimate source of income.

The FM whitepaper talks about the role of P notes in money laundering.This helps in

tax evasion and which ultimately leads to revenue loss for the Government. P-notes

are basically 'hot money' which can be pulled in and out at any point of time

increasing the volatility in the market.An ex-NSA of India even pointed out the link

between P-notes and terrorist money.Terrorists can use these as instruments for

their transactions as there is complete anonymity about the final receiver of P-notes

or they can also use it as a tool of financial terrorism by increasing the volatility.P-

notes are also often criticised for evasion of capital gains tax.

All the above arguments point out to the fact that either there should a mechanism to

trace the final beneficiary of P notes or they should be gradually phased out by

proper consultations with the intermediaries.

1Q. It is argued that the release of revised draft of the Indian

Financial Code (IFC) by the ministry of Finance will undermine the

autonomy of RBI. Do you agree? Substantiate. (200 Words) The FSLRC through it's IFC has recommended the formation of a MPC to decide on

the policy rates. Commission recommended for 7 members to be part of this

committee out of whom government has 3 nominees and the commission gave veto

power to the governor. These two aspects denote the importance attached by the

commission to RBI's autonomy in delivering it's functions



The revised draft IFC by Government has changed the provisions for MPC, there by

bringing it under the control of government by making 4 members to be nominated

by government to MPC and also doing away with the Veto power of the RBI governor

There are differences between government and RBI, each of them taking a different

stand on setting monetary policies as the pressures acting on them would be

different. In case of government there will be numerous pressures on the government

like from industry bodies, corporates for easing the monetary policies on the other

hand RBI will strictly go by pure financial considerations and will also be very

cautious in it's approach

More over the government may also succumb to the populist pressure and the

coalition politics, which may be more harmful to the financial health of Indian

economy. RBI being an autonomous body doesn't have to be part of these political

pressures and can adapt the best suited policies

Any efforts to curtail the autonomy of RBI should be viewed with caution and such

efforts on part of the government needs reconsideration

1Q. It is argued that the fixed maximum retail price (MRP) is an

archaic and dysfunctional mechanism that hurts both retailers and

the consumers it seeks to protect. Do you agree?

Substantiate. (200 Words) The printing of Maximum Retail Price (MRP) was introduced by ministry of Civil Supplies, Department of Metrology, in 1990 as an amendment to the Standards and

Weights act, 1976 with aim to protect consumer interests and prevent tax evasion.

Earlier, the producers could print MRP or Retail Price and in the case of the latter,

retailers often demanded much higher prices. The responsibility of enforcing MRP

regime lies with Department of Metrology. Today MRP regime is being viewed as

anti-competitive and insufficient in protecting consumer and retailer due to various

reasons:

1. MRP does not cover services but only goods.

2. All essential commodities do not come packaged like fruits, vegetables, etc. are

sold loose and hence are out of MRP regime.

3. Many people end up paying more than MRP in restaurants, movie theatres,

etc. Also many items retailers charge for services which were not to be

considered for pricing process like cooling charges while selling packaged

water.

4. Sometimes, MRP oriented is ridiculously high and actual price may be very

much discounted like on fire crackers, automobile spare parts.

5. The responsibility of ensuring compliance is with the state metrology

department and often these raids, etc. are marred with allegations.



6. In rural areas, yes the MRP prevents information asymmetry for illiterate

consumers but the cost of distributing commodities over a large hinterland is

often neglected by the producers printing MRP Thus, the retailer in rural

areas often makes loss and reduces his stocks so causing lack of choices to the

consumers.

7. The whole concept of MRP is averse to competition in retail, promotes

collusion and akin to producers deciding profit margins for retailers. The

whole idea seems to be the case of "one-size-fits-all" situation with scant

regard for geographical diversity.

So it would be better if retailers in rural areas were allowed to decide their own prices

which will surely make profits for them and this will attract more distributors and

eventually offer best price and most choices to the consumers. However, abolishing MRP will have an immediate aftermath of shooting up of prices and exploitation of

consumers and this is where government has to step in with information driven

technologies like mobile apps, etc. to protect consumer interests by proper

dissemination of information. Such a step will ensure proper balancing of interests of

consumers, producers and multiple levels of retailers and also be in sync with the

global best practices.

1Q. It is argued that holding large foreign exchange reserves,

especially in US Dollar denominated securities will undermine

monetary independence of India and will have fiscal implications.

Critically examine why this argument is made and if it has any

merits. (200 Words) The argument that holding foreign exchange in USD denominated securities will

undermine monetary independence is gaining ground in the backdrop of 2008

financial crisis. It is being feared that even the world's biggest economy, US can

default and leave countries like India in a tight spot. While it is true that 90% of our

reserves are in Foreign currency assets, most of which are parked in US treasury bills

but it doesn't really seems to be have fiscal implications on India due to following

reasons:

US dollar became a fiat currency in 1974 when President Nixon ended the Bretton

woods system of backing it up with gold. Though there were fears of depending on a

such a currency then but with time the currency has grown only to become more

stable and reliable. All major economies which do not have a hard currency, like

China, Brazil etc have a large share of their foreign exchange in USD.

But with an increasing economy of India and weak global situation, it wouldn't be

wrong if India diversify its reserves. Following are some possible methods:

1. Sovereign Wealth fund: investing forex in other high returning financial

products like equity. But RBI says it'll go for it only after having atleast

$750 billion of reseves.

2. Increasing the share of gold and other currency assets.



Hence India can continue with its reserves' large share in USD, at the same time

looking out for other alternatives.

1Q. What do you understand by equity-based crowdfunding?

Critically examine the role of internet in crowdfunding and the

various challenges it‘s posing to regulators in developing countries

like India. (200 Words) Crowdfunding platform is an internet based market place for issuers to sell their own

securities to raise capital. Thus the central role of the Internet and its wide reach

would increase the number of persons potentially affected, which can be significantly

greater than the traditional means of fundraising. Younger investors may get

influenced simply because of its link to social media and the Internet.

Due to the nature of crowdfunding, it has several risks:

1. The three parties (investor, intermediary and the issuer) may reside in 3

different jurisdiction with different regulations

2. There is possibility of genuine websites being used by fraudsters or of false

websites being established, simply to defraud the investors

3. Retail investors may not be able to understand the risk in these investments

and there is a possibility that investors may not practice diversification

principles, thus they will be unable to bear the loss of investments.

4. Uninformed and unsophisticated investors (retail investors) may act with a

‗herd mentality‘.

5. There may be no secondary market in which investors can sell their

investments and exit and hence, there is a risk of illiquidity.

6. Black money could be invested.

SEBI's role in crowdfunding, which is proposed, will mainly be to:

1. Oversight and regulation of the Crowdfunding market in India

2. Issuance of guidelines/circular regarding information required to be disclosed

in offer letter or on an ongoing basis or requirements of due diligence and

screening or any other matter

3. Conduct of periodic inspections or audits and enforcement regulations.

The proposed structure for crowdfunding will provide an enabling framework for

crowdfunding, which will have the following benefits:



1. Crowdfunding provides a much needed new mode of financing for start-ups

and SME sector and increases flows of credit to SMEs and other users in the

real economy.

2. Banks have become increasingly constrained in their ability to lend money to

the ventures or start-ups which may have high risk element. Hence, there is a

need for funding for SME through alternative sources.

3. New and potentially radicalinventions may get funded.

4. It increases competition in a space traditionally dominated by a few providers,

[film makers, software developers, scientists and others have successfully raised funds for projects through corwdfunding. Social campaigns like teach for india also

used. Musical festivals and musical albums also used.]

2Q. Do you think India should use its huge foreign exchange

reserves to finance infrastructure projects or to recapitalise fund-

starved banks? Critically discuss. (200 Words) Foreign exchange is the precious component of country's fiscal health. With india

attaining it‘s all time high exchange reserve of $350 billion, there are suggestions to

put it to use by investing in capitalisation of banks, and funding of infrastructure projects to ensure growth. RBI rightly rejected the idea of using it at present for

various reasons. There are many reasons to not risk foreign reserves. Among them

are-

1. Reining volatile conditions in global market and economies do not rovide

suitable conditions.

2. India being import oriented economy with imports dominating exports by

large margin.

3. Fall of oil prices along with reduced prices of indian imports has led to

increase in foreign reserves.

4. India not completely in sustainable growth path with slowdown of

manufatcuring and services

5. Uncertainty in Infra projects and banks with High NPAs restrict space for

risking forex reserves in them.

6. RBI could not use forex to shield the mismanagement of govt finances by

political authorities.

India rather than investing and risking precious forex reserves should shore up its

reserves to sustainable levels by aiming to doubling the current amount within specific period.

once india diversifies its exports along with that attains sustainable levels of forex

reserves with improved levels of exports and reduction in imports or at least zero

imports, it would be prudent to use forex for developmental purposes as the present

levels are not sustainable considering volatile situation of west asia and diminishing

exports to western nations.



1Q. It is said that there is a need for stronger regulatory framework

to deal with the menace of Ponzi schemes across the country.

Examine why Ponzi schemes are considered as menace and what

regulatory mechanism is needed to deal with them. (200 Words) Ponzi schemes are fraudulent investment schemes that promise a huge return to

investors in a very short period. Due to the highly attractive terms, such schemes

usually attract a lot of people. How the scheme really operates then is that is takes

the money by later investors to pay back the earlier investors. Thus, it builds some

sort of credibility further attracting more people.

Ponzi schemes are a major menace due to the following reasons:

1. These schemes mostly target the poor and financially illiterate, who very often

lose the savings of their lifetime, thus causing immense hardships to them.

2. A ponzi scheme has no investment plan. It works on what is called 'robbing

Peter to pay back Paul' mechanism, which is fundamentally unstable and

sooner or later fails.

3. Such schemes undermine the confidence of people who then prefer not to

involve their money in any investment. Thus, it causes a loss of investment for

the legitimate businesses.

4. Presently 80k crore of public money is stuck under Ponzi schemes

5. It could also use money to support terrorism, it could be used for channelizing

black money

In view of above strict regulatory mechanisms are needed to deter any ponzi scheme :

1. The market regulator must approve of any scheme asking for money from a

large number of investors and such approval must be prominently displayed.

2. The regulators must work with financial intermediaries like banks to keep tabs

on such activity.

3. A strict law which has exemplary punishment for such schemes must be

enacted. Make consumer protection act stronger

4. Capacity building of financial regulatory bodies at local level,specially in cities.

5. There must be closer cooperation between regulatory bodies and

police/administration to check these sups

6. Increased vigilance by financial intelligence authorities.

7. Literacy and awareness campaigns. Increase the number of BCs in BC model

so that more people can have access to formal banking

8. Achieve coordination among state level coordination committees (SLCC)



9. Small and payment banks increased reach can help in financial inclusion

10. As a long term approach, include moe people under social welfare schemes

and social security net.

11. SEBI now has powers to access call records as well as carry out search and

seizure, among others. SEBI can make mandatory for all Firms to registered

with SEBI who want to Rise fund more than 100 Cr.

While this regulatory mechanism will help, ultimately the biggest impact will come

by educating people about the pit falls and risks associated with any of the highly

attractive schemes so that they can be empowered to take sound financial decisions.

1Q. Critically discuss the implications of the recommendations of

Pay Commissions for the economy. In your opinion, what should

government do to address these implications. (200 Words) Pay commission Appointed Mainly to revise the salary and allowances of the

employee of the Centre Govt and After that Mostly State appoint the State Pay

commission. There are nearly 35 lakh employee of the Centre Gov Alone. So the Pay

revision effect the Whole economy as Under.

1. Inflation :- The Increase in Salary increase the demand in economy while

Supply will not increase due to pay commission. So the inflation is the natural

outcome of the Pay Increase.

2. Deficit :- In Indian we have Generally 4%-5% Fiscal deficit and pay revision

make more pressure on the fiscal conditions. Elected Govt do not like to cut

the Welfare expenditure or increase the tax so it lead the more borrowing

which increase the Fiscal defecit.

What needs to be done?

1. Apart from raising the pay and allowances for employees, the

recommendations of most pay commissions in the past have also suggested

measures to rationalise and reduce the government's staff strength. Govt

should consider this as well

2. It is widely recognised that there has been a steady deterioration in the

quality and competence of government employees, in spite of periodic salary

revisions at all levels. The salary revision at the lower level of employees has

mostly raised their wages to levels that are much more than what the market

or the private sector pays. This has resulted in a huge rush for government

jobs at the lower level of bureaucracy. Unfortunately, however, this has not

led to any qualitative improvement in skills at this level because of lack of

adequate and proper recruitment and screening methods. the salary levels for

the higher levels of staff in the government has been much below the market



or what the private sector pays to people with similar profiles. This has

resulted in an exodus of talent at the top end of the pool of government

employees, undermining the overall quality of employees at senior levels in

government departments. Thus, govt should balance this.

1Q. What do you understand by ‗tax terrorism‘? It is said that Indian

entrepreneurs are faced with instances of tax terrorism affecting

their morale. Critically examine. (200 Words) 'Tax Terrorism' essentially means undue exercise of power by tax authorities to levy taxes using legal or extra-legal means. The Vodafone case is a classic example, when

despite a SC order ruling in favour of the company, tax laws were amended,

retrospectively, in a manner that Vodafone was made liable for a tax on past

transactions. Essentially, tax terrorism is an outcome of the existing tax framework.

1. Complex tax structure -- Numerous taxes apply even on seemingly simple

transactions. Such a web of taxes acts adversely to smooth flow of business.

2. Ambiguity in laws -- This bends the law in favour of those who implement it.

Vague definitions have led to dispute over applicability of MAT, CGT etc in

cases like the Vodafone.

3. A weak advance ruling mechanism allows tax disputes to arise, which

ultimately get solved in courts.

4. High handedness -- The IT Act allows CBDT to send notices just based

on suspicion that one has under-reported his income or miscalculated taxes.

Such discretion on the authorities, at times, is misused.

Consequences

1. Ease of doing business ranking is a testimony to the tax terrorism. Foreign

investors fear such tax terrorism.

2. This has resulted into non-compliance even by the entrepreneurs who are

willing to comply since either way they are prone to litigation.

3. Such opaqueness about tax obligations results in lack of predictability in

incomes and hence, difficulty in charting out future plans.

However the issue could be resolved through a range of measures.

1. The Advance Ruling Authority could be given more teeth. This would avoid

unnecessary litigation.

2. Simplifying indirect tax structure through implementing the GST would be

positive for the health of the private sector in India.

3. The Direct tax code could be implemented to disentangle the direct tax

framework. However the GAAR provisions must be revised, may be to SAAR.



4. The Corporate law service cadre could assist in creating synergy between tax

authorities & corporate sector.

5. An Anti-tax Terrorism Bureau could be setup with quasi-judicial powers to

investigate & rule on cases of tax terrorism.

To unlock India's true economic potential, public & private sector need to work

together, & not at loggerheads. Tax evasion must be eliminated root & branch, not

through tax terrorism but tax compliance.

1Q. It is warned that the hat the non-performing asset (NPA)

problems of the Indian banking system might pose a serious crisis

to the sector. Critically examine why NPA has become a problem,

their effect on the economy and steps needed to address this issue.

(200 Words) Non-Performing assets in respect to banks are defined as the loans that are in

jeopardy of default i.e loans on which interest or principle is not being paid for 90

days.In recent years volume of NPAs have increased considerably and stands out to

be around 5% in the present perspective which is a matter of concern.

Reasons for this includes:

1. Excessive lending by banks owing to various reasons like meeting the targets

of priority sector lending, governmental pressure to push financial inclusion.

Around half to the NPAs are in priority sector. Further unseasonal rains and

other natural adversities impacting the agricultural sector have also added to

the woes of NPAs.

2. Large number of stalled projects and the problem in PPP mode infastructure

projects have increased the problems for banks who have given loans heavily

for such projects.

3. Willfull defaulters like Kingfisher also results in increase in NPAs for banks.

4. Lack of accountability in NPAs and poor professionalism.Poor governance in

public sector banks as compared to private banks have also resulted in higher

share of NPAs in PSB as cited by PJ Nayak committee report

Effect on economy:

Increase in NPAs results in less disposable money with banks other than impacting

their balance sheets.This puts pressure on banks to reduce their lending and as a

result the its adverse impact is being seen in pace of development,financial inclusion,loans to priority sector impacting poorer people.This puts pressure on

Government of not only infusing capital to distressed banks but also increasing the

pace of development putting pressure on its fiscal expenditure.In nutshell NPAs

disturbs the whole economic cycle and impacts everyone.

Steps needed to address it:



1. Early detection of signs of distress and taking coercive steps well in advance as

directed by RBI

2. Improving upon the loan recovery methods by strengthening debt recovery

tribunal and debt recovery appellate tribunal.

3. Better implementation of SARFAESI act,2002

4. Improved governance in banks, better administration over loans given by

banks.

5. Develop long-term bond market in india. This will ease banks to concentrate

their energy in other sectors. Recently, in budget government has proposed to

raise long term debt of the order of 20,000 crore per year by IFCI to fund

these projects. (National infrastructure fund)

6. Encouraging asset reconstruction companies to improve balance sheets of

banks.

7. Curb on populist measures of waiving off the loans for farmers else trend

should be changed to providing cash benefits from contingency funds.

8. Plug and Play model for auctioning the projects only after availing all the

required clearances

9. Cash infusion into banks, to strengthen their financial status which can help

them to lower their interest rate, thus balancing the dept:equity ratio.

2Q. Recently the Union government announced details of a new

gold monetization scheme. Examine what are its objectives and

how does it seek to realize its objectives. (200 Words) India is known to be one of the world's largest importers of gold. It imports anything

between 800-1000 tonnes of gold every year to meet its insatiable desire for this

metal. This makes the yellow metal imports one of the main components of India's

burgeoning CAD besides oil imports. Despite the presence of large gold holdings in

India, at almost 20,000 tonnes, it is neither traded nor monetized. Instead,

individuals and institutions prefer to hoard the metal and hedge themselves against inflation and currency depreciation. It is against this background that the

government recently announced the Gold Monetization Scheme (GMS) in the Union

Budget (2015-16). The following are the main objective of GMS:

1. Change the customers' perception of gold from being a traditional savings

instrument into a financial savings instrument;

1. Reducing reliance on imported gold by mobilizing idle gold held by

households and institutions. This will not only provide a fillip to the gems and

jewellery sector but also help reign in CAD;

In order to realize the above mentioned objectives, the government seeks to take the

following steps:

2. Income tax, wealth tax or capital gains tax will not be imposed on the interest

interest earned by the customers on their gold savings account, thus

encouraging the middle class especially to take part in this scheme. Further,



given that the minimum amount of gold to be deposited with the bank is

proposed to be set at 30g, even the small depositors are encouraged

3. Allowing banks to set off their CRR and SLR requirements against the gold

deposits will not only encourage banks to participate but also help free up cash

reserves which can be used for lending purposes.

4. Banks have been given various options for using the gold collected, including

selling to generate foreign currency, selling coins to customers and lending to

jewellers.

5. The customer will have the option of redemption either in cash or in gold at

the time of maturity, thus allowing the customer the flexibility of choice.

(choice however, should be made at the time of deposition)

Despite its apparent advantages, there are certain issues regarding the GMS that

remain to be answered including –

1. Whether depositors can be questioned by the tax department on their gold

holdings especially in light of the government's drive against black money

2. Currently the scheme is silent on the verification of ownership of the gold

deposited

3. The success of the scheme largely depends on the quick melting of the gold to

be deposited, thus the government need to have in place a well established

network of melting centres.

4. Quality checking can also be an issue. Large number of BIS quality testing

centres are needed

5. The depositor will not be able to get the gold in original form. The gold has to

be melted and solidified in standard form of bricks, coins and biscuits. This

will have some negative impact as jewellery has an emotional link with people.

Some may be given by their parents etc. So, households may not be

encouraged to deposit their jewellery.

6. Another big hindrance will be the tax on conversion of physical gold into the

gold deposit scheme. That is, if the gold was bought at Rs 1,000 per 10 gram

and converted into a gold deposit scheme at Rs 25,000 per 10 gram, there will

be a capital gains tax of 20 per cent with indexation.

3Q. There is a general perception that due to land acquisition

problems many private and public projects are either stalled or not

started at all. Critically examine the validity of this perception.

(200 Words) Union govt proposal to amend the existing land acquisition bill with amendments for

reviving investments in infrastructure and industry has gathered controversies. govt

is of the opinion that due to improper acquisition procedure, many public and

private project have been either stalled or not started at all.

Though their claim is alright keeping in mind the non willingness of foreign player to

invest in india due to flawed procedure. These amendments may somehow increase

the foreign investment and growth of world class infrastructure in india.



But if we go deeper into this issue it comes out to be the over-exuberance and a credit

bubble as the primary reasons rather than lack of regulatory clearances for stalled

projects in the private sector. Though it does occur for the govt projects.

A close analysis of the list of stalled projects provided by the ministry reinforces the

Economic Survey conclusion that projects are stalled mainly because of unfavourable

demand conditions and loss of promoter interest.

Another point of criticism is the use of the Land Acquisition Act for securing land for

public and private projects which has diverted from its public projects priorities to

private project like hotels & malls. The land acquired for SEZs is an example of this

misuse of the Land Acquisition Act. large scale land acquisitions alters the pattern of

livelihood of many so need is that acquirer should accepts the responsibility for

financing resettlement and rehabilitation of all affected persons. Moreover, rather

than separate negotiations with individual landowners a collective negotiation

framework should be provided by a law analogous to the laws for collective

bargaining in labour relations.

4Q. Recently the government decided that investments by non-

resident Indians (NRIs), overseas citizens of India (OCIs) and

persons of Indian origin (PIOs) would be treated as domestic

investment instead of treating them as FDI. Examine why this

decision was taken and its likely impact on the Indian economy.

(200 Words) The government has recently decided to treat foreign investments made by the NRIs, OCIs and PIOs, under Schedule IV of FEMA 1999 on a non-repatriable basis, at par

with domestic investments made by Indian residents. This decision has been taken

on account of the following reasons:

1. It falls in line with a series of similarly placed reforms, which have been

undertaken with the objective of encouraging the inflow of FDI into the

country, especially in the manufacturing sector in order for the nation to be

able to take advantage of the demographic dividend.

2. It would allow for greater assimilation of the NRIs, OCIs and PIOs with India's

growth story. Again this decision is in line with other decisions that have been

taken by this government in the recent past to win over this constituency like -

the decision to allow voting rights to NRI and the merger of the PIO and OCI

schemes (amended the Citizenship Act to merge the PIO and OCI cards,

offering benefits like a life-long visa and exemption from appearing before the

local police station on every visit). Besides the obvious economic benefit that

this move will have, it will also reaffirm the role of this constituency in

projecting India's soft power.

While the impact of this move cannot be gauged precisely, it is likely to have the

following implications for the Indian economy:



1. Increased investment across sectors and greater inflow of foreign exchange

remittance, thereby leading to economic growth of the country;

2. As the investment will be on a non-repatriable basis, the FDI would be of a

permanent nature. This will translate into greater stability for the economy,

besides creating a revolving fund for investment because the amount once

invested would not be eligible for repatriation outside India.

3. As the NRIs, OCIs and PIOs will now not be subjected to the FDI ceilings, this

decision will allow space to be vacated by them on the FDI landscape, which

can then be filled by foreign investors.

All in all, this move will be beneficial for the economy as it could stoke a fresh round

of fund flows into the country, besides drawing the overseas Indians into a closer

huddle with India.

Topic: Infrastructure; Growth and Development

1Q. Do you think the ‗social impact assessment‘ made compulsory

for all category of projects before their execution? Substantiate.

(200 Words)

SIA: It is scientific measurement of the projects impact on whole society at large

generally and the local people displaced or suffered due to project specifically. It

measures positive, negative long term and short term impact on society. In this a

major input is taken from local people and considering the social risks at large.

Primarily it tries to bring more inclusive, sustainable biophysical and human

development.

Relevance of SIA:

1. Increase legitimacy of acquisition.

2. Provide feedback.

3. Better inclusive Growth of society and area particularly.

4. R&R will be better.

5.

SIA should not be made compulsory and a positive exclusion can be made of class of

projects excluded from it e.g. Security, Defence, Public purpose project with legally

defined definition of what counts as Public Purpose like Metro project, mining etc.

But exclusion should be as minimum as possible because ours is a Democratic

country and social impact assessment report serves the purpose of acceptance of it by

people. Proper rehabilitation and resettlement plans are needed to be placed in with

an independent regulator to ensure it. Options like land pooling model of Gujarat is a

well tested model and if possible should be used in implementation.



In case of other projects like PPP, Private organisations manufacturing units should

compulsorily seek SIA. A better rehabilitation and resettlement package is to be

offered after consultations under SIA, in return of land which should include some

developed land, job and skill development and development of area e.g. Building

school, Hospitals etc.

Topic: Infrastructure – power

1Q. What challenges exist if government wants to provide 24×7

power to all households in the country? Critically examine. (200

Words)

The following are the challenges faced :

1. Vast number of connections to be made and large demand : 80 millions

households need to be connected and the remaining 250 million households

connected need proper uninterrupted supply of electricity.

2. Large dependence on coal (non-renewable source): To provide for the

increased demand a large amount of coal is required and so large amounts of

coal reserve needs to be exploited. Moreover India does not have reserves of

anthracite variety coal so needs to import it for more efficient production of

electricity.

3. Low renewable energy setups: The current requirement is 100GW from solar

energy and 60 GW from wind energy. There are limited renewable energy

setups so a high initial investment is required to set up such plants.

4. High transmission & distribution losses: High T&D losses exist , which hasn't

been reduced due to lack of technology up gradation and investment. These

losses has to be curtailed to increase the availability of electricity.

5. Non- viability of electricity boards: Most of the state electricity boards have

become non-viable due to energy thefts, misuse of electricity subsidy given for

agriculture use and lack of cost linked tariffs. Due to government interference

the state boards are unable to increase tariffs with the increase in cost of

production.

6. Lack of capacity of Coal India to match up to the demands of the industry. The

recent captive power plant coal auction allowing limited private participation

is an improvement in this direction. But direct mining by commercial coal

miners can help in bringing competence, investment and technology to the

sector.

7. Lack of rail connectivity to pithead

8. Lack of speedy environmental and forest clearances



9. Renewable energy sector: even though national clear energy fund has been

increased to 200 per tonne, no fund under this has been disbursed.

Hence, it is important for the government to overcome the challenges otherwise

24X7 power supply to all households by 2019 will remain a distant dream.

Topic: Infrastructure – airports

1Q. Are Indian pilots any less trained, competent and experienced

than their counterparts in other countries? In the light of such

allegations made by certain sections, critically examine. (200

Words)

There was a report in bloomberg news which stated that indian pilots with little

flying experience got there flying hours inflated by paying extra. This caused FAA

(federal aviation administration)to downgrade indian aviation to category II from

category I

1. While such illicit practices have been conducted by a few suspect institutions,

the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the auditor for the sector

has also detected and highlighted such practices.

2. While there might be a few such under-trained pilots, in order to be accepted

as pilots by any airlines, they need to clear a rigorous screening mechanism

which includes ground school, simulator training and line flying before they

are allowed to fly airplanes. Thus, only the truly competent pilots are able to

fly the airlines.

3. Apart from this, there are stringent DGCA norms are pilot training,

certification and recertification that have to be adhered to by the airlines.

4. There is a comparitively larger number of pilots than vacancies in India. Thus,

the increased competition ensures that only the very best are inducted by the

airlines.

5. While these conditions give some measure of comfort, steps need to be taken

by the DGCA to ensure that the unethical practice of under-logging flying

hours is stringently stamped out.

While it cannot be denied that there are a few 'black sheep' in the Indian aviation

sector, their actions should not be allowed to tarnish the reputation of the entire

sector.

Topic: Infrastructure – Railways



1Q. Recently a panel headed by Bibek Debroy submitted its

recommendations on railway restructuring to the government.

Analyse its recommendations and suggest what needs to be done to

modernise and make Indian Railways efficient and profitable. (200

Words) Railways can be the engine for high speed growth of the country. According to the

Economic Survey, an increase in the output of the railways by Rs 1 will increase

output of the economy by Rs 3.3 due to its forward and backward linkages. Thus, it is

imperative that reforms in railways are fast tracked and it is modernised. In that

respect, the recommendations of the Bibek Debroy committee merit a serious look.

The Debroy committee has based its recommendations on three pillars –

1. Commercial Accounting - The panel favours a shift to a modern IFRS type

commercial accounting which will provide better information about the cost-

benefit analysis of different activities and thus help railways take sound

operational decisions based on its merits.

2. Changes in Human Resources - The Committee recognizes that the 16 zones of

Railways have evolved in different ways and have different requirements.

Thus it favours substantial decentralization of powers to DRMs and General

Managers. It is also in favour of lateral entry for various specialists that the

railways require.

3. Gradual Liberalisation - The committee is in favour of gradual entry of private

operators in freight operations, but only after an independent regulator with

statutory backing is appointed to ensure that the Ministry does not continue

to do both the jobs of policy formulation as well as regulation.

4. Restructuring - The committee favors a separation of the core functions of

railways from its additional responsibilities like running schools, hospitals etc.

5. Merging the Railway budget into the general budget after all such reforms are

done in a time frame of 5 years.

In order to make the railways efficient, the following steps could be taken -

1. A statutorily backed independent Railway Tarriff Authority (RTA) should be

established to ensure that setting fares becomes depoliticised.

2. Railways must make more investments in track modernisation and must

decongest the popular routes.

3. Small tweaks could ensure that the average speed of passenger trains could

rise to 160-200 kmph. This could be an interim measure before more modern

'bullet trains' are inducted.

Topic: Infrastructure– Energy



1Q. Discuss the importance of microgrids for the Indian economy.

(200 Words) Micro grids are independent and self sufficient grids, particularly present in rural

and remote locations where people generate electricity combining different sources-

like coupling diesel and renewable sources. Typically, they are around 2-3MW

catering to the demand of the 5000 inhabited households.

Impact on Indian Economy-

1. Huge infrastructure costs can be avoided by promoting micro grids especially

in hilly areas such as Western Ghats and north east areas.

2. Skill development and employment generation are the advantages due to

promotion of micro grids in the rural areas.

3. Local industries such as power looms will not face problems of power

shortage, lead to development of local economies.

4. Efficient use of local resources such as wind, solar energy and use of biowaste

to generate electricity develops the local economy.

5. In future surplus from may integrate to large centralized grids (bottom-up

model rather that top down model)

6. Primary sector- Agricultural productivity will increase in leaps and bounds

once power reaches the fields. It will ease sowing, tilling, mechanical drilling,

ploughing and faster leveling of field. The increased output will economically

empower the individuals, help them come out of poverty. It would reduce

wastage and pilfrage.

7. Secondary sector- Availability of power would ensure proliferation of cottage

and village industries. It would generate the employment opportunities

locally. Already Indian economy is witnessing undisguised employment in

primary sector. Microgrids

8. Tertiary sector- Provision of the banking facilities such as by regional rural

banks, credit financing, lab to land initiatives- could increase financial

inclusion, which will have multiplier effect on the Indian economy.

Micro-grids can act as the catalyst for bringing about socio-economic development.

The success of 24X7 solar microgrid in the Dharnai village(Bihar) has generate

livelihoods at large scale and increased the per capita income.



2Q. ―We are not facing a shortage of energy. We are facing a

technical challenge in capturing it and delivering it to consumers.‖

With reference to India‘s power problems, critically comment on

the statement. (200 Words) India has the third largest reserves of coal, significant thorium reserves, capacity for

solar power, numerous rivers with hydropower feasibility, tidal energy, geo thermal,

wind and newly found abundant coal bed methane and shale reserves. Still large

proportion of population without electricity access. The reason for this paradox are

mostly technical such as :

1. Coal - Poor coal quality of indian reserves and inadequate coal washing, coal

gasification technology.

2. Solar - Lack of storage batteries technology, insufficient micro grid and low

capacity of our national grid does not allow extensive usage of solar power.

3. Nuclear - Thrid stage nuclear generation uses thorium reserves. We still

haven't reached there. Moreover, no progress on Fourth generation nuclear

reactors.

4. CBM and shale require state of the art fracking technology which is

unavailable.

5. Other renewable energy require technology upgradation to make them

affordable and comparable to other resources.

These technological challenges have not allowed us to adequately capture our

resources. Moreover, coupled with AT&C loses, inability to stop thefts and

inadequate distribution network has made electricity expensive. Nevertheless, the

government through the Deendayal gram jyoti yojana, IPDS, National solar mission

and recent coal auction seeks to resolve these issues.

1Q. ―The Union government has ambitious renewable energy

targets of 100 gigawatts (GW) of solar power and 60GW of wind

power by 2022. However, the government is also facing large

deficits and competing budget priorities, and will need cost-

effective ways to achieve these targets.‖ Elaborate and discuss these

cost-effective ways. (200 Words)

The ambitious target of 1000GW of solar power, and 60 GW of wind power, though

highly laudable, seems a bit farfetched given the narrow fiscal space, which

government is having. Therefore, in order to get near the targets we need to follow

certain zero cost strategies which are :

1. Rapid Development of Wind Power: According to some studies India have a

potential of 100 GW in wind power itself, utilizing the on-shore winds. With



per unit cost in range of Rs, 5.7/unit, it already has secured lead over imported

coal. The thrust to this sector can be provided by effective land acquisition,

resource mobilization, transmission interconnection and guaranteed off take

2. Roof top Solar Power: Second vital area is the development of roof top solar

powers. With the thrust in production of Solar Photo-voltaic cell this field will

also see high price reduction, and parity with industrial rates of power

generation, which runs primarily on diesel.

3. Off-grid solar power: The third area of focus should be distributed model of

off-grid solar power, which with further research can also be developed into

zero cost effective model.

Topic: Indian economy – resource mobilisation

1Q. ―There is a certain paradox in the fact that India, since the 1991

reforms, has been trying to attract foreign direct investment for its

development when the outward flow of FDI by Indian corporate

houses is rising. ‖ Elaborate the statement and examine the causes

of this paradox. (200 Words) According the OECD, between 2006 and 2012, FDI outflow from India was $103.30

billion, while inflow was merely double that number. Most of these investments are

in the form of mergers and acquisitions.

This is the contradiction with the Make In India scheme the government is so keenly

taking ahead. Few major reasons for such outward flow is largely because of the

following reasons:

1. India being a power hungry nation, needs to secure sources of energy that are

easily accessible. This can be seen from the fact that companies like GVK,

Lanco, Adani are investing in coal mines of Australia.

2. 2 Indian companies feel that they need to acquire foreign competitors in order

to learn from their technology thereby saving years of research and

development.

3. Environment has become more conducive for the Indian companies to invest

abroad. Annual investment ceiling for establishing JVs and subsidiaries has

been raised from $75,000 to $125000.

4. Increase in the acquisition of land especially in the African nations, the

agriculture sector is going to see a huge growth in African nations. Even small

investors are rushing to these nations.

5. The prestige generation for the companies is also a motivator behind such

investments abroad. Like the acquisition of range rover and jaguar cars

production by TATA.



6. After lukewarm domestic industrial environment, in order to overcome the

loss incurred here they invest abroad.

Investment by Indian companies abroad is a welcome move, which is required in line

with the principle of free movement of capital in the globalised world but realization

of Indian investments within India makes huge difference to the Make in India

campaign and results in generation of huge employment.

1Q. It is said that power sector reforms being undertaken in India

are not rightly focused on systemic problems haunting this sector.

Critically examine and suggest what should be the right approach

of government towards reforming power sector. (200 Words) Power sector in India is need of some urgent reform. Though some effort has been

done in this regard, but most of these efforts remain misplaced and ill directed.

Reforms in power sector have been thought to be increase in generation capacity.

That is indeed important, but there are reforms in the area of transmission and

distribution that needs attention:

1. State electricity boards need to be professionalized so that they function

efficiently.

2. Technology up gradation and up scaling of distribution infrastructure is the

need of the hour

3. Political doles such as "free electricity" need to be avoided so that state

electricity boards do not run into chronic losses.

4. Private players must be involved in the distribution business and a robust

regulatory mechanism must also be evolved for DisComs.

5. Special task force for prevention of power theft, which is another reasons for

losses in electricity boards

There are other systemic reforms needed:

1. Focus of huge untapped renewable energy resources.

2. Shortage of coal must be checked through transparent processes for allocation

of mines and single window clearance for initiating work on them.

The demand for electricity in India is ever rising. Various state governments and the

central government have started identifying the systemic issues in the power sector.

With targeting each such issue holistically, there is hope that the power sector would

become a shining sector in India.



1Q. Recently, the Supreme Court of India, in an order said that

regulations framed by electricity regulatory commissions imposing

obligation upon captive power plants and open access consumers

to purchase electricity from renewable sources is legal and

necessary. Critically discuss how this order would affect energy

sector in India. (200 Words) The recent order of Supreme Court related to purchase of renewable power is

concerned with the enforcement of renewable purchase obligation (RPO) rules.

1. Such obligation relates to the compulsion to purchase certain percentage of

total power requirements from the renewable sources such as solar, wind etc

2. Such a ruling will have mixed impact on energy sector, it will reduce the

dependence on fossilised sources of power such as coal, gas thus scarcity of

imported coal could be minimised to some extent.

3. It will also result in growth of renewable energy sector such as solar power

which is at a nascent stage at present despite having huge potential.

4. An obligation on purchase of renewable energy will however mean that cost of

power will increase as the per unit cost of renewable energy is higher that of

fossilised sources.

5. Also there will be problem in feeding the power in grid due to lack of

connectivity of power generated from renewable sources.

So the present ruling is going to further the government's policy of action plan

against climate change and a thrust on renewable sources but the need is also to

ensure that power may not become too expensive for producers as well as consumers

and also to address the technical bottlenecks in implementing the RPO.

2Q. Examine the challenges faced by state governments in

production, transmission and distribution of power. Also examine

recent measures taken by states to bring power reforms. (200

Words) Problems of Power Sector

Production

1. Despite huge capacity addition, generation is unviable many a times due to

high cost of imported fuel.

2. Despite having one of the largest coal reserves, India lags behind in coal

production. Recently the coal blocks were e-auctioned opened to private

players after the SC de-allocated the coal blocks. This is a progressive step to

enhance fuel capacity and bring down production costs.

3. Untapped potential of North East despite its potential due to low

infrastructure and development of north east.



4. Environmental clearances and SC decisions have also hindered in fast clearing

of generation units e.g. SC ruling on study of Hydro power sources in

Uttarakhand.

Transmission & distribution

1. Low cost recovery - due to the populist measures of government , power

subsidies for agriculture , high AT & C losses due to power thefts.

2. low efficiency of the transmission equipment due to outdated technology and

extended life

3. Lack of adequate grid connectivity to all areas thus creating islands of power

surplus and power deficit. Thus some areas having excess power can‘t enter

into power sale to power deficit regions. e.g. excessive power crunch in NE

and South India whereas unutilized capacity in eastern zone.

4. Cross subsidization of commercial power has lead to inflated price on one side

and misuse of free power by certain farmers.

Need of the hour

1. Rationalization of subsidies

2. Control power thefts so that price recovery is improved

3. Modernization of equipment & transmission lines to enhance grid

connectivity to NE also.

4. Balancing environment with power generation.

5. Enhancing the capacity of CIL by technological intervention and railway

wagon increase.

6. Feeder separation e.g. Gram Jyoti in Gujarat

7. Promotion of New & Renewable energy sources through compulsory RPO

scheme to

incentivize green energy units.

Steps taken by states:

1. J&k: A separate budget for power with significant increase in allocation.

Increase in allocation to harness its huge hydro power potential to provide

24*7 power

2. UP: Promise to provide 22 hours electricity in rural areas and 24 power in

urban area by 2016, Double the electricity supply

3. Odisha: Strengthening the power infrastructure, Increase in allocation to

conserve energy and boost energy efficiency.



3Q. To address energy insecurity, the government of India had

mooted the concept of strategic petroleum reserves in 1998. At

present the demand for the same is growing stronger with each

passing day. Discuss why such reserve is needed. (200 Words) Oil is a basic necessity for any production process. Oil derivatives are universal

intermediaries and thus any shortage in their supply affects the entire economy. The

concept of a strategic reserve was mooted in light of the 1990s oil crisis; however it

still remains a critical infrastructure because:

1. 80% of domestic oil need is imported primarily from West Asia. The region

has been in the grip of constant crisis, especially now with the ISIS onslaught,

Yemen crisis, Civil wars inter alia. Meeting our demand through reserves is

thus important.

2. India's trade deficit is largely driven by oil imports. Oil prices are very

sensitive & mainly globally driven. Thus in periods when oil imports become

financially unviable it is crucial to maintain reserves.

3. West Asia is ridden with politically unstable states. Even major players like

Iran have faced the brunt of economic sanctions recently. In a climate of

uncertainty we should ensure that our domestic supply is met in intermittent

periods through reserves.

4. Strategic reserves also provide autonomy & leverage in foreign policy to the

nation in times of crisis.

5. Even in internal security crisis when borders are to be sealed such reserves

will provide the country elbowroom to manoeuvre such moves.

6. Building of strategic reserves will also allow India to feed its neighbours in

times of natural calamities such as recently in Nepal.

7. The time is opportune because the oil prices have dipped to new lows. Existing

reserves must thus be filled to their capacity before any upswings in oil price

occur.

However, in light of the enormous cost of building reserves alternatives are proposed

in the form of exclusive fuel supply agreements with West Asia especially in view of

our proximity with the region. Such proposals are welcome, but they cannot

substitute reserves as a strategic asset & hence the govt must move to fulfil Vision

2020 of creating strategic reserves for 90 days of domestic supply.

4Q. Examine the challenges faced by union government in the

execution of the national optic fibre network (NOFN) project?

Examine the benefits of this project and suggest how its execution

can be sped up. (200 Words) This programme has very huge potential in modernising sectors like agriculture,

cottage, E education, MSME, Animal husbandry, Govt services like PDS, agriculture

extension, Health care, Grievance redressal etc

But it has faced several challenges:



1. The limited capability of BBNL to execute the project efficiently.

2. Coordination between various agencies like Finance, Revenue, Telecom, Land

acquisition etc is also a major road block.

3. Coordination between States and centre is also a major issue on how to

implement it i.e. Private sector or Public sector or combined partnership.

Benefits of this project:

1. It will connect all Panchayats to Blocks and Blocks to District and District to

state capital and state capital to New Delhi. This form of connectivity will

bring Govt closer to people.

2. Improve coordination between agencies and improve transparency and

accountability by digitisation of records.

3. It will help making decision making more inclusive right starting from

planning, implementation and feedback and making governance bottom up.

1Q. In recent years, in India, the growth of hydropower capacity has

diminished thanks to various factors. Discuss what are these

factors and possible solutions to address them. (200 Words) There is huge hydro power potential in Himalaya. Many mighty rivers like Ganga and

Brahmaputra flows from Himalayas.But currently hydro power generation capacities

addition has been dismal. There are various causes for these:

1. Large hydro power projects create situation of mass displacement.

Displacements invite protests. This hamper progress ion these projects.

2. Himalaya is seismically very active region, only second to pacific rim of fire.

Large structure likes dams have concern of breakdown in case of earth quake.

Concerns about landslides and Uttrakhand like situations cannot be denied.

3. Impact on biodiversity is major concern. Large dams change local ecology.

4. Green clearances is another problem. Huge amount of investment that are

made in large dams want prompt clearances.

5. Politically river water sharing is also a major issue.

6. Shortage of financial resources

7. Private sector is not getting enough incentive given protest

Measure:

1. Harvesting hydropower capacity of NE-states and Nepal and Bhutan with help

of National Grid.

2. Increase in use of renewable energy and develop small & mini hydro plants if

possible

3. Quick resolution to interstate disputes

4. Adopting advance technologies from foreign countries and availing loans from

new banks such as AIIB & NDB



5. Providing proper rehabilitation and compensation to displaced person and

allow their participation for selecting the area for construction to avoid

obstruction in later stage. Comprehensive feasibility analysis can convince

local communities of benefits of projects

Topic: Infrastructure: Roads,

1Q. It is observed that the construction of highways in India is

lagging behind due to various reasons. Critically discuss what are

the causes delay and measures being taken by the government to

address these delays. (200 Words) Highways constitute only 2% of the total metallic roads but carry 40% of the total

load. The length of highways constructed in 2014-15 reflected a marginal increase

from that in 2013-14. The pace of construction has increased from 11.6 km/day to 12

km/day. Construction of highways has faced slowdown due to various reasons:

1. Delay in project awards – for the past few years only ~ 50% of projects

planned were actually awarded.

2. Systemic bottlenecks – land acquisition, environmental clearances, delays in

procurement etc have added to project delays.

3. Issues related to dispute redressal – Over 1500 cases involving NHAI are

under

various stages of litigation. These add to a staggering figure of over 10k crore.

4. Slow down in core sector like cement & steel has delayed the supply of

construction material.

5. Companies debt ridden - Aggressive bidding during the high growth phase

and subsequent slow down has made their balance sheets highly debt ridden.

6. Profit oriented private firms lost interest in stalled highways projects.

7. Opaque investment policy & complex tax system has kept foreign investors

aside.

8. Lack of diversified source for funding has made the financier debt-ridden.

Credit crunch - Banks are over leveraged, corporate bond market not

sufficiently developed, public investing in gold and land rather than in equity

or bond markets.

Way forward:

1. Addressing systemic delays –Recently govt has amended norms for swifter

environmental clearances for linear infra projects. Amendments to the land

bill will also further this cause.

2. Overhauling dispute redressal – In this regard the BK Chaturvedi Committee

was constituted to design a framework for swift dispute redressal. The govt is

considering its recommendations.

3. Plug-and-Play Mode – Govt recently introduced this scheme where regulatory

clearances will be assured by govt agencies prior to awarding infra projects. So



that the

winning bidder could straight-away get to implementation.

4. Mobilising resources – Govt has taken adequate steps in mobilizing resources.

Institutionalising savings through JDY, KVPs etc. Gold monetization scheme

is

also a step in this direction.

5. Expanding the corporate bond market – Since long-term financing is required

bank

lending has limited capacity. Thus the corporate bond market must be

deepened & expanded.

6. Instruments such as Infrastructure investment trust for long term credit.

7. Public awareness to diversify savings from gold to capital markets.

8. Emphasis on EPC rather than BOT.

9. Exit policy to allow companies easy exit.

10. Hybrid annuity model – This has been introduced to re-allocate risk sharing

between public & private parties.

Topic: Infrastructure: Ports,

1Q. Despite its long coastline and strategic location on world trade

routes, which gives it a natural advantage to control and direct

shipments, India has not managed to get a dominant grip on

shipping, even in its own continent. Critically examine why and

suggest what India needs to do control and direct shipments in the

region. (200 Words) India‘s 7,500-km coastline with 13 major ports and its strategic location on world

trade routes gives it a natural advantage to control and direct shipments to boost the

economy by means of trade. Yet, India has not managed to get a dominant grip on

shipping, even in its own continent.

Reasons:

1. Failure to plan or execute projects, which resulted in non-utilization of 45 per

cent of allocated funds.

2. Fund allocation towards water transport is meager & port sector has less

allocation in budgets.

3. Naturally we have low draft ports. our dredging facility is not good nor we

have capital.

4. Our ports are running at high berth occupancy rates. so we cant be a transit

point.

5. Indian shipping industry is subjected to some 12 types of taxes. This increases

the cost.

6. Large vessels cannot enter Indian ports. They dock at sri lanks and send cargo

via smaller vessels.

7. Ageing fleet. Needs to be modernized



8. Main seafarer supplying countries: china, Philippines, turkey, Ukraine. India

has not taken advantage of its demographic dividend to supply more officers

in international maritime sector.

9. Coastal shipping is not promoted well.

10. High import duties on bunker oil & spares.

11. Non avaibility of concessional finance for the acquisition of coastal vessels.

12. Lack of separate berthing facilities at major port and inadequate cargo

handling facilities at minor ports.

Suggestions:

1. Selection of minor ports have to step in right direction as the present this

demand is being met by rail and road transport system.

2. Revival of project like Sagar mala to create a string of ports around India's

coastline to safeguard maritime interests

3. Reduction in the turnaround time for ships by easing customs processes at

major ports. As the turnaround time decreases, ports' overall productivity will

increase.

4. MOU with other nations to build port in respective nations to secure the

economic interest eg.The Chabahar port there recently.

5. Improvement in rail and road connectivity of ports, for speedy evacuation of

cargo.

Topic: Indigenization of technology and developing new technology

1Q. Critically analyse the merits and demerits of India‘s defence

procurement policy (DPP) and discuss the steps needed to address

demerits of this policy. (200 Words) India has been the largest importer of world of defence products accounting to

10% of total import. In 2013 a defence procurement policy was released to

increase the domestic share in defence procurement which will provide impetus

to domestic manufacturing and will reduce the import bill.

Merits of the policy:

1. The offset clause which gives a boost to the Indian manufacturers with a

mandatory obligation of the foreign entities to source 30% of their

requirement from Indian vendor.

2. The locking in of the requirements at an earlier stage which would make

the whole system transparent.

3. Categorization of the vendors with Buy (Foreign) being accorded the least

priority. This move will reduce the high import costs of defence

equipments

Demerits of the policy:



1. Although the offset clause is mentioned, in most of the cases, the orders

are given to the Defence PSUs thus hampering the businesses of the

private sector.

2. Though it asks for increasing the share of indigenous technology, no major

incentive was provided to domestic industry

3. The purchase of critical components is purchased from foreign original

equipment manufacturers instead of manufacturing. This allows them to

bypass the offset clause.

4. No substantial technology transfer occurs as critical components are still

purchased. Thus there will be only ―make in india‖, not ―create in india‖

with respect to critical components.

5. Due to lack of clarity on long term planning of procurement needs, the

private sector is averse to investing hugely in terms of R& D and

indigenous production.

Need of integrated procurement agency instead of piecemeal procurements:- Army, Air force and navy sometimes take different routes to buy missiles. Instead

a common procurement route will give more bargaining chip and leveraging

capacity.

Topic: Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies

1Q. Farmers‘ unions and political parties have been demanding the

implementation of the Swaminathan minimum support price (cost

plus 50%) to address agrarian crisis and farmers‘ distress. Do you

think implementation of this recommendation alone would

address the agrarian crisis issue? Critically examine. (200 Words) Agrarian issues have been one of the most haunting issues in India even from the Britishers time. Several commissions have been appointed till date to find solutions

in the agriculture sector.The National Commission for farmers led by

Mr.Swaminathan was one such commission. Swaminathan MSP, which recommends

total cost plus 50% of the cost to be given as the MSP, is one of its major

recommendations.

But implementation of Swaminathan MSP seems almost impossible and seemingly

does not end the agrarian distress because of the following reasons:

1. Mechanically finalising MSP with regards to the cost of production alone does

not seems proper. One needs to consider several factors such as its impact on

cost of living,world market rate, change in raw materials cost and availability

to name a few.



2. Simply increasing MSP to 50% will only benefit farmers producing high

quantity of farm produce. Most of the Indian farmers follow subsistence

farming, so increasing MSP alone will not bring a drastic change in their lives.

3. Already developed countries are unhappy with Indian subsidies as evident

from the Doha development round talks. They are pressurising India to

reduce subsidies. Such an increase in MSP would again make issues in

different economic forums.

4. Increasing MSP would result in farmers giving their produce to the govt:

agencies like FCI, which would result in increase in dumping of food grains in

govt: godowns than making them available in consumer market.

5. Increasing MSP would lead to increase in cost of other consumer goods which

would again result in poverty.

6. MSP will not benefit for the long term. It will only provide marginal increase

in profit for a short time.

In effect, increasing MSP will not address the agrarian distress prevailing now. Rather than focussing on MSP, govt: should take steps to benefit the farmers in the

long time. These include a rapid change in farm technology , increasing the skill set

for the farmers, absorbing the agrarian sector workers to the other sectors to name a

few.

1Q. Critically analyse the interrelationship between government‘s

minimum support price scheme, cropping pattern and crop

production in India. (200 Words) Ensuring assured price support through mechanism of Minimum Support Price

(MSP) has played a crucial role in green revolution which made country self

sufficient in food production.

MSP continue play a important role in deciding cropping patter and crop production

in India as is evidence from followings:

1. Farmer‘s response to government price support by increasing production of

cereal during the green revolution.

2. Even the traditional water deficient state like Punjab and Harayana become

major producer of Rice due to high MSP.

3. In recent years, the state bonus has played a role in increasing production of

paddy in Chhattisgarh and wheat in Madhya Pradesh

4. The high state advised price for sugarcane in UP and Maharashtra has been

factor in high crop acreage under sugar cane in these regions.

5. The low productivity and low MSP along with absence of procurement

mechanism and infrastructure for purchase of pulses and oil seed has been

reason for their low area and low production.



6. Cultivating a hectare of land of Cereals give an average output of 2400 kgs ,

whereas cultivation of pulses on the same land would yield only about 750 kgs

7. Profitablity :- A farmer would earn about Rs. 38000 for every hectare of Jowar

grown in comparison to Rs. 33000 that Urad Dal would give him

8. These differences are not entirely due to MSP. Factors like technological

advance and R and D in production techniques have a huge role to play. R and

D in pulses hasn't progresses as much it has in rice and other cereal crops.

9. Additionally, due to increased Profitablity in cultivation of cereal crops, pulses

are cultivated on less fertile and marginal lands.

These factors have largely influenced crop production and cropping pattern in India.

Despite the fact that india imports one-fifth of its pulses from abroad and pulses

having an inflation rate higher than average food inflation rate, these differences

indicate the many fault lines that lie within intra - food crop MSP levels. These

differences need to be ironed out to make India equably produce food crops across

the spectrum based on local needs and priorities.

1Q. Few states in India are known for efficient and others for

inefficient administration of Public Distribution System (PDS).

Critically analyse such two extreme situations and examine why

PDS is in such a state in India. (200 Words) Public Distribution System or better known as PDS is the mechanism of distributing

basic food and non-food commodities to the needy sections of society at subsidised

prices. During its long journey, its implementation greatly varied from state to state

which represents two extremes.

A case study of two states- Bihar and Chhattisgarh

Bihar- PDS in Bihar is afflicted with several problems like misappropriation of

foodgrains at all levels, anomalies in distribution, inclusion and exclusion errors and

large scale corruption. The major reason for this state of affairs was the inadequate

food production in the state which resulted in the absence of a strong food lobby in

the state . The absence of a well-functioning civil society and media resulted in

making the poor virtually voiceless. But some substantial changes can be noted like

the introduction of a system of tracking coupons, preparing a new list of ration cards

by SECC.

Chhattisgarh- Initially upto 2004, problems in Chhattisgarh were due to irregular

supply to the FPS and large scale diversion to open market. This was mainly due to

the absence of appropriate incentive structure and suitable monitoring mechanism of

the supply side. To overcome the hurdle, the Chhattisgarh government introduced

CPDS which changed the whole scenario. The incentive structure for the FPS



operators improved. At the same time, the monitoring and surveillance was

strengthened through computerized tracking of the trucks and painting the trucks

with yellow colours made it difficult to stop and offload grain at locations other than

the scheduled delivery points. Expansion of PDS coverage, reduction in PDS prices,

doorstep delivery of grain, de-privatisation of ration shops and grievance redressal

have helped in its improvement. Now, the state is a role model to be followed.

Transfer of FPS to local bodies such a panchayats from private players. Bogus BPL

cards were weeded out through a centralised PDS system. Increasing the profit of

FPS owners.The main reason why FPS owners become corrupt is because they

usually run in losses. By increasing the percentage of profit, a lot of spillage was

stopped. Mills were raided frequently and fined if they purchase rice and wheat from

FPS owners. Rice festival is organised every month. In that particular day vigilance

officers will be available at FPS and people can buy their ration at their presence.

The reason for this huge state of difference is the lack of political will and urban bias

of PDS which raises questions on its universal status. Corruption is rampant and

therefore leakages are generally making PDS ineffective and impinges on its

efficiency. Caste system also lodges its presence in rural areas, damaging the soul and

spirit of PDS.

There is a need to remove the structural inequalities and biases. Without structural

change, freedom from hunger will only remain rhetorical.

1Q. Critically comment on the implications of the latest round of

revisions made by the Food Ministry to the Public Distribution

System (Control) Order which was notified by the Department of

Food and Public Distribution recently. (200 Words) National Food Security Act (NFSA) was passed by the parliament to ensure two-third

of India gets food at a subsidised rate. The recent Public Distribution System (PDS)

Order is seen by some analysts to curtail the provisions of the act.

The recent PDS order notifies three things- Phasing out of Antyodya Anna Yojana

(AAY), count of beneficiary to be determined by decadal census list and limiting the

benefits to the citizens.

Implications:

1. By adding no new beneficiary houses in the AAY schemes, government is

trying to phase out the programme slowly. This would let many ‗poorest of the

poor‘ families not to be included in the future list.

2. The count of the beneficiaries would now be dependent upon census figure

and not on the population estimates of the Registrar. This would not let the



state government to revise the beneficiaries on yearly basis. Thus a new

beneficiary can be added only after a decade.

3. The most impacting of all the three orders is to limit the benefits to the

citizens, and not to the residents. This would make all the Indian residents

who has not got the citizenship out of the ambit of the biggest nutritional

legislation. It would also let all the migrant not to avail the benefit of NFSA.

1Q. Do you think India‘s minimum support price policy (MSP) is a

sound policy vis a vis increasing efficiency in agriculture? Critically

analyse the merits and demerits of present MSP policy. (200

Words) Minimum support price was introduced by the government in 1960's in the wake of

Green revolution.It is the minimum price at which government buys crops from the

farmers and is announced before the sowing season.Presently MSP is being

announced for more than 20 crops but main emphasis remains of two crops i.e rice

and wheat.

Arguments supporting MSP

1. Provides an economic assurance and security for the farmers and motivates

them to grow targeted crops.

2. Production of targeted crops increases. For example India once an importer of

Wheat is now one of the largest producers of it and has huge surplus stocks

catering to both domestic and international demands. Increase in exports of

food grains helping on to reduce CAD is another advantage of it.

3. Increased production also helped in achieving food security and catering to

the requirements of National food security act.

4. With farmers having adequate knowledge of MSP they can't be exploited by

middlemen for lower prices.

5. It motivates Farmers to take steps to increase production as government

assured to procure unlimited produce at the announced MSP.

Arguments against MSP

1. Has distorted cropping pattern.MSP have resulted in crops like rice being

grown in Punjab and Haryana which are not suitable for it. This impacts soil

health and results in problems like overexploitation of ground

water,alkanity,alkanity etc and decreases productivity in the long run.

2. As MSP mainly focuses on rice and wheat therefore it have resulted in

attainment of food security at the cost of nutrition security (pulses etc).

3. Governments increasing MSP every year due to one or other reasons have also

resulted in conflicts. Example of fights between sugar cane growers and mill

owners is a case in point.



4. All farmers are not being able to take the benfits of MSP because of reasons

like low awareness about the prices, no connectivity etc and continues to be

exploited by middlemen.

5. Bone of Contention in Agreement of Agriculture at WTO, though the issue is

resolved temporarily.

6. Impact of Inflation: MSP to include cost of production and profitability for

farmers and be linked to the index of inflation

7. The proposal to set MSPs at 50 per cent above the weighted cost of crop

output – agriculturally advanced areas in NW will benefit more where the cost

of production are high due to costly inputs. Also, rich farmers will benefit

more than the poor and small ones. Also, there will be no incentive to farmer

to adopt better practices and innovative methods to reduce the cost of

production

8. Private investment in agriculture will not be forthcoming because private

sector will feel that govt will interfere in setting MSP.

Steps should be taken to rationalize agricultural subsidies, incentivize investment in

farming and create a more level playing field for big and small farmers alike.

2Q. Recently the Union Cabinet approved a new policy on urea.

Examine how this new policy would affect producers and

consumers in India. (200 Words) A highly regulated & controlled regime over a long period for urea discourages efficiency and new investment; as a result today domestic urea production is unable

to meet domestic urea demand; forcing GoI to import urea (demand is 30 mt but

production is 22mt, forcing govt to import 8mt). To resolve the situation GoI recently

came up with new policy on urea (The government says the new urea policy will

increase annual production by two million tonnes (mt) and cut the yearly subsidy bill

by Rs 4,800 crore)

1. Incentivize domestic urea manufacturing - GoI to reimburse fixed cost

incurred by domestic units that produce 100% more than their reassessed

capacity along with a part of variable cost.

2. Promote energy efficiency - incentive given to domestic manufacturers will be

linked to annual energy consumption. Thus focus on reducing the carbon

footprint and with reduced energy consumption, prices for consumers will

also come down.

3. Freed transportation of P & K based fertilizers - reduce monopoly of few

companies in a particular area; permitting any company can sell P and K in

any part of country; thereby boosting competition. This competition may also

reduce the price for the consumers.



New urea policy is a step in right direction; to substitute urea import by domestic

manufacturing; enhancing our CAD; at the same time is in line with "make in India"

[Additional information – Other recent initiatives :

government also pressed units to produce more neem urea which is more efficient

and less polluting.

government had approved a gas pooling policy, under which all urea units would get gas at the same price.]

1Q. Recently the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) notified the new

priority sector lending norms. Discuss these norms and associated

issues. (200 Words)

PSL has been a major instrument of RBI for achieving financial Inclusion and

ensuring that the banks cater to the needs of the masses. Recently, the Reserve Bank

of India (RBI) notified the new priority sector lending norms which are as under:

1. loans to sectors such as social infrastructure, renewable energy and

medium enterprises will be treated as PSL; thus adequate attention has

been paid to emerging priorities such as climate change, social inequality

and fund scarcity among MSEs

2. while retaining a 40% PSL target for domestic banks, the distinction

between direct & indirect agriculture has been dispensed with; a sub-

target of 8% for small & marginal farmers within agriculture, a target of

7.5% & 10% for micro-enterprises & weaker sections has been prescribed;

thereby adopting a more holistic approach towards agriculture. However

banks will be inclined towards lending agro-companies who are more

creditworthy than individual (medium & large) farmers.

3. PSL targets of foreign banks at 40% with sub-targets being applicable for

banks having more than 20 branches. Further, they have been given a 5

year timeline to achieve the targets. RBI has adopted a incremental and

balanced approach, thus ensuring fair competition along with retaining

the attractiveness of the sector for foreign banks.



However, concerns remain especially over how the banks are going to implement

these provisions especially when their balance sheets are unhealthy and levels of

NPA are unacceptably high. Also, banks may not reach their targets due to presence

of MUDRA with the same objective. Positive impact of the shift would be- it makes it hard for banks to miscalculate under sectoral lending. Refining through sub-

targeting would help those like marginal farmers get their due.

2Q. As mandated, the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices

(CACP) recommends MSPs at national level for twenty three crops,

but effectively price support operates primarily in wheat and rice

and that too in selected states. Examine the consequences and

effectiveness of measures taken by the government to address this

issue. (200 Words)

The commission for agriculture costs and prices recommends Minimum Support

Prices (MSP) for twenty three crops to union government at national level. But the

two major fallouts of green revolution i.e. its limitation to wheat and rice and covering only some parts of India where irrigation resources were available have

rendered the effectiveness of price support to rice and wheat and that too in selected

states. Even in these states the major beneficiaries are big-farmers as they have

resources for huge surplus production and their pressure on state governments for

procurement of their produce. To address this issue Government has taken following

measures with their consequences:

1. It is trying to rationalise the price support offered to different crops, but this

will work effectively if state governments also limit their support above MSPs.

2. It is decentralising the procurement of food-grains for PDS to state

governments and limiting their share to the requirement of their own state's

PDS. By doing this monopoly of states can be broken and every state will have

its own share of procurement. This has dual benefit of reducing transportation

cost and providing income security to poor region‘s farmers.

3. It is asking states to procure food from small-farmers though no effective

and targeted policy is introduced in this direction.

4. Many schemes for increasing the production of other crops like oil-seeds

and pulses are been initiated and scope of green revolution is expanded to

include hitherto untouched area. It will have many positive consequences if

implemented effectively.

5. Online procurement monitoring system is being developed to provide daily

information of procurement countrywide.

India has achieved food security as a result of green-revolution but its ill-effects are

need to be solved by correcting the balance of crops grown and inter- state parity.



Topic: marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related

constraints;

1Q. Recently the union cabinet gave its nod to set up the National

Agriculture Market. Critically discuss the need for such a market

and its impact on APMCs and farmers. (200 Words) A Common national agriculture market is essential for fair prices to agricultural

commodities, control food inflation and promoting investment in agriculture and

food processing sector.

It would have following impact on farmers and APMCs:

1. Increase options for farmers and increase their price realization by ensuring

unrestricted movement of agricultural goods.

2. It would promote value addition and integration of supply chain which would

be beneficial for farmers and economy

3. APMCs which have operated under the monopolistic market would face

pressure to upgrade their infrastructure, decrease commission and provide

more facilities at Mandis to remain relevant.

4. APMCs would be motivated to expand grading, packing and marketing and

move up the value chain to leverage the liberalization.

5. Would help in their checking inflation and shortages in some regions by

reducing inter-state disparities in terms of availability of these products in

markets in the respective regions of states.

6. Would lead to transparent e-auctioning of the process of purchasing

agricultural commodities by traders/retailers in the mandis from farmers

which would in turn reduce the exploitation, price manipulation and delayed

payments to farmers and also the role of middle men.All these would mean

farm growers would be able to fetch better price for their produce.

Demerits:-

1. Might be considered by some as infringement on the rights and domain of

states as agriculture is a state matter(although listed in Concurrent List ) and

they are best suited to regulate it as local knowledge is necessary in this field .

2. Increased inter-state trade on agricultural commodities might create

shortages of commodities locally as farmers would likely to sell their products

where they would get high and better prices.



3. Likewise, traders would refrain buying locally and use 'single license' to

purchase from other regions.

However, it would largely have a positive impact on the market of agricultural

commodities as the recent scenario is not good for farmers .They are often

manipulated on prices and delayed payments by traders and the fee charged on

traders operating in mandis ultimately fall on farmers.The APMCs have failed to

check all these.

1Q. Recently the union government proposed to reform 50

regulated wholesale markets (mandis) across 10 states in order to

help create a national common market for agricultural marketing.

Write a note on the role of mandis and examine how this proposal

would help agricultural marketing in India. (200 Words) Important points:

1. The survey said an un-integrated and distortion-ridden agri market was one of

the most striking problems in agricultural growth.

2. National Common Market: The state governments would have to switch to

modern practices such as

A single trading licence for the entire region,

Single-point levy of market fee (mandi tax) and

Electronic auction for price discovery in the identified mandis.

3. For instance, in Punjab, food grain is taxed at 14 per cent but Madhya Pradesh

levies a little less than five per cent. At present, most wholesale markets in

different states are governed by the respective (APMC) laws.

4. The APMCs charge multiple fees, of substantial magnitude and often non-

transparent - market fee on buyers, licensing fee from commission agents and

fees from a whole range of functionaries. Commission agents also charge a fee

on transactions between buyers and farmers

5. Absence of a uniform national market has been several times blamed for the

wide disparity between farm gate and retail prices, sometimes as much as 100

per cent.

6. It also said that all states should drop fruit and vegetables from the APMC

schedule of regulated commodities.



1Q. Critically analyse the characteristics on India‘s agriculture

markets and examine if India setting up a national market for

agricultural commodities would address problems faced in

agricultural marketing. (200 Words)

India's agriculture markets are regulated be archaic Agricultural Produce Market

Committees. These committees were set up to provide platform to farmers to sell

their produce directly at market prices and to decrease the role of intermediaries.

Many changes has taken place in the economy of India since Independence. These

committees instead of benefiting producer and consumer worked in opposite

direction. The characteristics of Indian agricultural markets emerged due to APMCs

are:

1. Market got fragmented and this fragmentation resulted in different price level

of commodities.

2. We are frequently facing problem of plenty at one market and scarcity at

another market. It resulted in either price-depression and loss to producer

and inflation and loss to consumer.

3. It created new kinds of intermediaries who cartel and depress price for

producer and increase for consumer under the nose of APMCs.

4. Contract farming and cooperative farming which are the needs of modern

time got disincentivised due to number of rules and regulations.

5. Many non transparent levies by states and commission agents are levied

which are not audited or scrutinised.

6. No major investment is done in modern infrastructure in the form of cold

storage, modern warehouses etc. Plenty of food is wasted due to these reasons.

7. Inclusion of fruits and vegetables under the purview of APMCs has resulted in

large wastage.

As a remedy to these problems national market for agricultural commodities is

proposed this will integrate all the markets and provide transfer of commodities in

various parts of country. Though national market is the major reform in agricultural

marketing but it also has to assist with other solutions. Creation and maintenance of

infrastructure in the form of storage, transportation is a big requirement. Use of

online commodity market needs dissemination of information among farmers for

this they have to be provided with internet connectivity. To engage private sector

many incentives and easing of foreign investment is required. Time has come to free

agriculture marketing from clutches of APMCs and a national market with private

participation and huge infrastructure is needed



1Q. Write a note on the recent initiatives taken by the government

to reform agricultural marketing in India. (200 Words)

Agricultural marketing has an an important role to play in the overall agricultural

development. It provides economic security to farmers by way of fair and remunerative compensation for agricultural produce. At the same time, it ensures

affordable and accessible food products to consumers thereby reducing the inflation.

Keeping in view the role of agricultural marketing in Indian agriculture, the

government has taken various steps for its harmonious development.

1. The Dept of agriculture has advised the states to create a single market

throughout state territory with a single licence so that agriculture product

can be moved without any restriction.

2. Govt has worked towards developing the national market and for this

purpose an e-platform will be designed from the agriculture tech

infrastructure fund(ATIF) so that marketing of agriculture produce will be

done through all states without any restriction.

3. Central govt requested the state govt to exempt fruits and vegetables from

the purview of APMC act and many state govt has responded positively to

this move of central govt. Kisan mandi are also being developed in some

regions.

4. Besides this, government has also decided to improve the warehousing

and transportation of agricultural items, opening new cold chain and

logistical improvement. Recently, the approval has been granted for

setting up of 17 new mega food parks for processing and export of

agricultural commodities.

Amendment Consumer Protection Act,1986 to make hoarding a non-bailable offence

and improve 3-tier grievance redressal system.

Topic: e-technology in the aid of farmers

1Q. Write a critical note on the objectives, significance and

performance of Soil Health Cards (SHC) programme. (200 Words) India Government recently launched Soil Health Card(SHC) scheme which would be

providing to the farmers the assessment report of soil health and its needs based on

scientific lab tests.

The objectives of this scheme are-

1. To disburse 14 crore SHCs within 3 years.



2. To provide crucial information regarding soil‘s depleting health and nutrient

composition.

To provide information regarding corrective measures to be taken.

3. Overall to increase agricultural production, boost farmers income.

The significance of scheme are multiple-

1. Assist farmer in supplying needed micr-,macro-,and secondary nutrients to

the soil through proper fertilizer mix up which at present is dominated by

urea.

2. Will provide information based on different crops thus helping farmer select

most appropriate crop pattern hence reducing risk of low productivity or crop

failure.

3. Will lead to diverse crop pattern which at present circles around wheat & rice

and thus better production of diverse agricultural products hence effect on

food inflation and economy as a whole.

4. This scheme on combination with others like krishi sinchayi yojna, easy loans

to farmers, better monsoon forecast could help the agriculture sector perform

better.

However its significance depends on its steady and effective implementation which at

present looks sluggish as many states have not even started taking soil samples for

test like Arunanchal Pradesh, sikkim while some has taken sample but slow in

distributing the SHCs like Tamil nadu. Hence scheme needs boost in efforts.

1Q. It is said that power tillers, should logically be preferred over

tractors by Indian farmers and despite being cheaper and more

efficient, they are lagging behind tractors. Examine their

advantages to Indian farmers and how they can be made more

appealing to them. (200 Words)

A major reason behind the problems faced by the Indian agriculture sector like low

yields and unscientific farming is the small and fragmented landholdings which

makes use of technology prohibitively expensive and not very beneficial for small and

marginal farmers. Tools like power tillers which are adapted to the small and

fragmented nature of Indian landholdings provide a way out of this. The power tiller

has the following advantages -



1. Low capital costs - The power tiller is much cheaper than even the smallest

tractors even with the low subsidy. Thus, it is more affordable by small

farmers.

2. Low operational costs - Power tillers run on less fuel and also require less

maintenance compared to tractors.

3. Suited for Indian Soils- Indian soils are prone to compaction under the heavy

load of a tractor with a driver sitting in it. This danger is vitiated by the power

driller.

4. Suited for rugged terrain - In rugged terrain especially where terrace farming

is practiced, power driller is the only viable option.

While power driller has many advantages they are still not popular compared to

tractors. This is due to the larger manual labour required and issues with safety that

have plagues power drillers. The following steps could be taken to promote them -

1. More research should be conducted to ensure that safety can be enhanced.

2. Products like the robotic controller which greatly enhances safety and reduces

the need for labour must be promoted side by side to complement each other.

3. Village panchayats and gram sabhas can be used to educate farmers benefit of

power tillers

4. Banks can be asked to prepare loan schemes favouring more to power tillers

5. Govt can incentivise companies to promote power tillers by giving them tax

exemption etc

2Q. Examine why Krishi Vigyan Kendras were set up and critically

evaluate their performance. (200 Words)

Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) are the frontline agricultural extension center funded

by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). The KVKs focus on training

and education of farmers, rural youth, on field demonstration of new and improved

farming techniques etc.

It was felt that the Indian Farmers do not have knowledge about scientific farming

methods, the soil-crop linkages, fertilizer requirements etc. Hence, KVKs were set up

to ensure a last mile linkage, which would provide farmers with information and

training about scientific farming, mitigation measures in case of adverse climatic

events, consultancy services regarding the type of crops to be sown, the type and

amount of fertilizer to be used etc.

However the KVKs have not had the impact that was envisioned.



1. KVKs have different organisational structures. While some come directly

under ICAR, others are monitored by State Agricultural Universities or even

Civil Society Organisations. This has led to problems of monitoring and co-

ordination problems.

2. While the KVKs have had some impact by proving training and some advisory

services, their mandate was very expansive which they have not been able to

fulfill due to lack of budgetary support.

3. One KVK has been established in every district in the country. However, a

district could be very large (Upto 38000 sq kms). Hence, one KVK has not

been enough to cover the entire district. Thus, the impact on KVKs has been

only in the immediate surrounding areas. Scientists have thus reduced field

visits.

4. The KVKs do not have integration with the weather monitoring and

forecasting services. This impacts their ability to advise farmers about the

mitigating steps in case of adverse climate.

5. Lack of constant power is hindering research

6. Centre usually releases fund by june end, then there wont be enough time left

for field demonstrations as by that time, farmers would have made their

sowing decision

7. Low staff strength and infrastructure facilities

8. Advisories from the kendras are vague and outdated. On the other side, the

kendra staffers complain farmers stubbornly believe they know best. Eg:

discourage farmers from growing paddy during the kharif season as rains

could be less, and encourage them to plant alternative crops like pulses and

jowar. But in west UP, the farmers ignore the advice, as neelgai (the Asian

antelope) does not allow pulses to survive. Farmers are unwilling to hurt the

animal because it is considered sacred.

While KVKs have had some impact, there is potential to do a lot more. The

government must look at reviewing the locations of KVKs, meet the manpower

requirements and also consider setting up more than one KVK in a district. KVKs are

essential in order to reach the goal of at least 4% growth in agriculture. They must be

empowered to help proactively in achieving that target.

Topic: Food processing and related industries in India- location and

significance



1Q. Critically analyse the potential of agribusiness to address

agrarian distress in India. (200 Words) Agribusiness is the business of agricultural production, which involves all the

activities in the value chain right from input supply, production, processing,

marketing and retailing. In India, the farmers are effectively delinked from

processing and marketing activities. The the result is that the profits are hauled away

by the multinationals and the farmers are distressed to a point of committing

suicide.

Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) are farmer owned producer companies which

aggregate, process and market their produce. Their expansion beyond few well

established FPOs is a nascent step to counter the plight of the farmers, which has the

potential of increasing farm incomes from subsistent to prosperous.

Positive scope of agribusiness

1. Protection from market risks-: Contract farming protects farmers from market

risks for those crops whose price is determined by market forces in case of

price crush.

2. Productive farming due to use of innovative technology and expert support

regarding soil care, right use of fertilizers farming becomes more productive.

3. More profit -: Value addition provides more profits to farmers. Profit dirctly

reaches to farmers instead of intermediaries.

4. Enhance business-: By plugging there stocks in banks farmers can get easy

loans for enhancing their business getting loan for various activities

5. Development of farming skills When farmer turned into a manufacturer from

a producer then he will turned into an innovator who will tried to find profit

even into farming waste

However, such companies face a variety of challenges to their growth.

1. Firstly, they are unable to raise enough capital from the member farmers.

After the companies are listed, their shares are not allowed to be traded in

order to prevent takeovers by affluent private companies. However, this also

prevents them from raising capital in the share market.

2. Working capital is limited because of the preference of the buyers to pay at

later stages, while farmers need it desperately during harvest.

3. High Taxes: Agri processed foods are taxed at higher rate which increases cost

of manufacture , The proposed GST when it comes into effect will help solving

this problem

4. A company requires managers to over see smooth running which owners can‘t

participate in. High paid managers can be hired only by well established FPOs.



Growth of the agribusiness demands a multi-pronged strategy involving increased

finance to bridge capital needs, provision of lower interest loans in order to increase

profits, categorizing FPOs as a priority lending sector. Introduction of GST is likely to

reduce the multiple taxes paid by such companies.

1Q. It is argued these days that the reform of Food Safety and

Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is urgent and essential to

ensure the growth of food processing industry in India. Critically

examine why. (200 Words) Recently, there has been arguments about the role of FSSAI in the development of

the food processing industry of India especially after the 'Maggi row' which was

banned in India but the same Maggi was cleared by countries like- Britain, Canada

etc. It is argued that reforms of FSSAI is urgent for the development of food

processing sector of India because-

1. There is delay in the clearance of the products by the FSSAI. In present also

there are thousands of products which need approval from the FSSAI.

2. The procedure for testing of safety of product is very cumbersome because

there is no mention of procedure in Food safety and standard Act. Thus,

FSSAI applies procedure according to its own discretion.

3. Imported materials is stuck at the port Just because they don't get clearance

from the FSSAI as some of them don't have proper labelling.

4. In many cases, permission is withheld on the flimsiest of grounds - because

the labelling of the packages does not conform to arbitrary norms specified by

the FSSAI, which differ from the widely accepted global standards.

These delays and discretions deters foreign companies to invest in the Food

processing industry of India. Less than two percent of India's perishable food

products are processed to increase the shelve and to add value in it. For this, there is

urgent need to reform the FSSAI but in the process the government has to ensure that standard and safety of food is not compromised. Recently FSSAI has prepared

standard procedure for testing of various products which is an welcome move.

1Q. Write a critical note on the objectives and performance of the

National Mission of Food Processing (NMFP) Scheme . (200

Words) Food processing levels are quite low in India at 3% when compared to 30-70% in

developed countries and wastage of agri produce is as high as 40%. National Food

Processing Mission was launched to address these problems and create potential for

higher revenues.



The objectives of the program are:

1. Promote Primary Processing centres close to the farms and link them with

Clusters through hub and spoke models.

2. Facilitate exports of high value products like Cheese, Peanut butter etc and

encourage such facilities through subsidies.

3. Develop food processing clusters, FP parks and Agri SEZs; Contract farming,

Warehouses (Cold chains) development were also given an important role by

providing tax rebates.

This scheme has resulted in some positive outcomes like

1. Exports from Agri SEZs have increased over the years.

2. Exports of Meat,Marine products have improved.

3. FP clusters have been established in Kar- Tumkur, AP-Sri city etc.

But the performance of this scheme on the whole has left us much to be desired with.

1. Warehouses, processing facilities have not been developed.

2. In the absence of APMC reforms, contract farming and private procurement is

virtually absent.

3. Record productions of sugarcane, ground nuts, and vegetables were seen but

wastage was higher as export opportunities shrunk.

It has been a sunrise sector in last few years giving employment to lot of youth. It has

provided the link between farmers and industry which in turn increased farmer‘s

income and life style. But being a nascent industry it requires lot of improvement in

processing of fruit and agricultural products which is only 2% in comparison of brazil

and china performing at 40-70%. Value addition to agriculture produce also low at

20%.

NMFM has to be revitalised by taking all adequate steps taking into account all the

shortcomings seen observed over the past 3 years.

1Q. ―India should move away from end-point control to risk-based

inspection of all food products from farm-to-plate to ensure safety

of every item, including raw ones consumed by people.‖ Elaborate.

(200 Words) Recently the detection of Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) and lead beyond

permissible standards in the popular fast food Maggi manufactured by the global



food giant Nestle by the Food Standards and Safety Authority of India has ignited

debate about Food Safety in India.

The Food Standards and Safety act, 2006 provides for end point control, where the

final food product is subject to tests to ensure that is adheres to standards. However,

given the low penetration of processed food in India, it has been suggested that India

should shift to a risk-based inspection of all food products from farm-to-plate. Such a

shift will mean that all components of the food chain come under regulation and

those parts which are at greater risk of contamination would be tested more

frequently.

Food safety is an integral part of Food Security. Hence, it is imperative that we

ensure access to food adhering to certain minimum standards to reduce the risk of

diseases. A large part of the Indian market, where a lot of food is consumed raw and

where food processing is done by many small producers, escapes the regulatory net.

The farm to plate approach is internationally recognised and recommended by the

Codex Alimentarius, which is a collection of international food standards, guidelines

and codes of practice covering all major foods. It will help in better focus on the root

cause of the problem and will also incentivise quality control at all levels of the food

supply chain. It will also ensure that the over worked Indian laboratories can better

manage their work while at the same time ensuring better coverage. Thus, it is

essential that the country shifts from end-point testing to a risk-based testing in a

farm-to-plate approach.

1Q. Food safety laws in India is said to be one of top challenges

faced by the food processing industry in India. Critically examine

why. (200 Words) The food processing industry in India is one of the most opportunistic industries

with huge possibilities of growth to make its presence at the global scale. With

around half the population engaged in agricultural activities, it is often termed as the

"sunrise industry" of India. However, the recent issues of food safety pose a serious

challenge to it and are deteriorating its international reputation. The recent issues

like:

1. Residue and contamination: The 90s issue of pesticides in coca-cola, flies in

Alphonso mango export to EU and recent presence of mono sodium glutamate

and lead in Maggi.

2. Onus on manufacturers: Food safety and standards ACT-2006, puts the onus

of such issues on the manufacturer but in many cases they don't have control

on the quality of raw materials supplied to them.



3. Agricultural shortcomings: small farm holdings and heavy use of fertilizers

and pesticides in production, the level of which is difficult to monitor each and

every produce.

4. Lack of Infrastructure: Many daily use items reserved for small-scale

industries and many manufactured by unorganised sectors, poor

infrastructure to match the international standards.

5. R&D problem: perishable commodities are hoarded, then artificially ripened

such as calcium carbide for bananas and mangoes, preservatives etc. Safe and

healthy innovative methods need of the hour.

6. Lack of coherence: Multiple laws have been enacted in India to ensure food

safety standards. These laws are implemented by various ministries and

departments. However, incoherence and inconsistency creates an

environment of confusion in the food sector

7. Lack of trained manpower: Due to insufficient training and expertise to safety

inspectors has resulted in undue harassment of the industry

8. Missing Global standards: Food safety laws are still not in tune with the global

safety practices and hence our food processing exports face action under the

SPS agreement.

These problems pose a serious challenge to the food processing industry:

1. International competition & advantage to developed countries: mechanized

farming, international standard of food safety properly followed in developed

countries. Indian food exports don't stand a chance against these products.

2. WTO restrictions: sanitary and phyto-sanitary measures of WTO checks the

safety measures and recently Indian mango and some other food product

exports to EU were banned under these SPS measures.

3. Negative externalities: Such restrictions on an international level send a very

negative signal and deteriorate the overall reputation of Indian exports.

Though there are challenges at the global level but these needs to be tackled by

indigenous R&D to develop technologies to minimize post harvest losses and prevent

accumulation of chemicals in the food supply chain. Recent steps such as FSSA act-

2006, mega food parks, setting up of food processing labs and broad media coverage

certainly boosts the confidence of stakeholders and adding to this, financial crunch

management and appropriate investment in this industry would be a welcome step.

Enactment of the Food Safety Act and the constitution of Agriculture and Processed

Foods Export Development Authority (APEDA), however there is still a huge scope of

improvement

[Additional information:

1. Contamination of mustard oil with argemone oil in 1998 and contamination of

imported milk and infant formula with melamine in 2008 are among the few



events that raised food safety concerns among consumers and policymakers in

the region and globally.

2. Some countries have taken novel initiatives like mobile food courts in

bangladesh, the establishment of a food standard and safety authority in india

and certification of street food vendors with a "clean food, good taste" logo in

Thailand

3. In 2015, world heath day theme focuses on food safety. ]

1Q. Critically comment on the objectives of government‘s Mega

Food Park scheme and the progress made so far in establishing

them. (200 Words) With the aim to give boost to the food processing industry in the country Mega Food

Park Scheme was launched in 2008.MFPS is based on cluster approach where a

number of FPI would be available at a single point. It is based on hub and spokes

model and includes Farm collection centre, primary processing centre and central

processing centre. They provide facilities like grading, sorting, pulping, cold storage,

warehousing, value addition etc. Thus it increases the shelf life of the farm produce

and at the same time reduce wastage.

However, since the launch of the scheme only 4 parks are operational and the

scheme is facing certain constraints like:

1. Most parks would need 30 to 50 acres of land - difficult to acquire without the

active support of state governments, which are often found wanting

2. Securing bank finance and getting other necessary approvals are also

problematic in the absence of facilities for single-window clearance

3. It is not easy to get the right kind of tenants or co-partners, basically

processors and ancillary players, for these projects

4. Typically, a mega food park should have 30 to 35 units, including service

providers, which are often difficult to put together.

5. The availability of farm produce suitable for processing in mechanised units is

another limiting factor, given that most of the traditionally grown fruits and

vegetables are normally meant for direct consumption. This would require

introduction of new seeds in the raw material catchment areas and adoption

of contract farming which is often unsuccessful without government

endorsement.

6. Basic necessities, such as uninterrupted supply of power, gas and clean water,

are not guaranteed for many of the proposed food parks.



7. The idea of shared infrastructure, which may prima facie appear sound, does

not always appeal to the prospective entrepreneurs as the needs of different

units vary, requiring specialised facilities. The service providers, too, are

usually unwilling to set up the required facilities unless they are assured of

sufficient year-round business.

Agro processing is having huge potential to raise non farm income of farmer. As

more than half of population is dependent on Agriculture Govt should pursue this

scheme more vociferously to bring technology, investment into this sector. It will act

as Sun rise industry for economy as a whole providing raw material and food security

and earning For Ex etc

Topic: Different types of irrigation and irrigation systems

1Q. It is argued that at this moment what India needs to sustainable

solar irrigation program. Examine why and elaborate. (200 Words) A solar irrigation program may prove to be a gamechanger for the following reasons

1. Broadbasing irrigation-Currently only 45% of India's net sown area is

irrigated. As the cost of electricity generation from solar panels is falling solar

panels can be used by small farmers too.

2. Mitigating climate change- Replacing the 9 million diesel pumps with solar

will help reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 25 MT. Crude oil imports needed

to produce diesel, will also fall.

3. Solar energy target- The government aims to generate 100 GW of solar power

by 2020. If farmers using solar pumps sign power purchase agreements then

this target can be met. Farmers can sell surplus soar power to the States.

4. Skill development- India lacks skilled manpower to install 100 GW of solar

power. Presently it can only handle 2000 MW.The Skill India initiative will

help greatly in this regard.

5. Integration with the grid-Solar pumps require huge subsidies by the

government of 60% or more on total cost. Solar pumps can be integrated with

microgrids, which will additionally provide power for household consumption.

Private players will encouraged to invest since there will always be demand for

power for irrigation.

6. Countering groundwater depletion - Solar pumps can be monitored to ensure

that farmers do not extract groundwater beyond a sustainable limit.

Solar irrigation can spread irrigation to large parts of the country, while dovetailing

with the 'make in India' and solar mission schemes. To make it sustainable, it must

be viewed as a component of rural electrification via solar microgrids.



1Q. Is there scope for India to add unirrigated millions of hectares

of land to irrigated land without building new dams? Critically

discuss how. (200 Words) Dams are a major source of water for irrigation in India. However due to economic,

social as well as ecological burden, alternative sources of irrigation are being

emphasised upon. These can be:

Canals: Canals are built to divert flow of river water into desired area for the

purposes of irrigation. These are quite beneficial for agriculture especially in north

Indian states as the rivers in this area are perennial. However they require periodic

maintenance which may be expensive. For example, Indira Gandhi canal on river

Ganga has provided most parts of Rajasthan with sufficient supply of water for

irrigation.

Tanks: Tanks are built to store water for future use. These are built especially in

southern states as the rivers in this area are seasonal. Mission Kakatiya of Telangana

emphasises on building tanks across the state.

Bamboo irrigation system: It is used in hilly areas of north eastern states especially

Meghalaya. A network of bamboo is created across the sloppy surface of hills. Out of

the holes made in bamboos, water trickles down to the surface.

Therefore alternatives are available for dams, though dams are a more efficient

source of water for irrigation and moreover can serve purposes other than irrigation.

Therefore, decision to make use of which system of irrigation must be based on

physiography of the region, financial viability and administrative convenience of the

project.

1Q. Write a note the objectives and the importance of newly

launched Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana(PMKSY) for

Indian agriculture. (200 Words) The newly launched Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana(PMKSY) will meet

following objectives:

1. To increase the area of agricultural lands covered by irrigation and reduce

dependency on monsoon.

2. To improve on farm water use efficiency by adopting water management

techniques adoption of precision-irrigation and other water-saving

technologies to reduce wastage of water.

3. Enhancing recharge of aquifers and introducing sustainable water

conservation practices .

Importance of PMKSY:



1. Will seek to integrate the labor force available under the MNREGA with the

scheme to facilitate the completion of various irrigation projects thus utilising

it to create durable and useful assets which was a long standing problem

facing the MNREGA .

2. Will make a proposed investment of Rs 50000 crores spread over next five

years.

3. Seeks to encourage enthusiatic participation of states and local bodies by

allowing states to draw up a District Irrigation Plan (DIP) and a State

Irrigation Plan ( SIP),thus promoting greater level of vertical cooperation .

4. Aims at bringing ministries like ministry of water, ministry of irrigation,

ministry of rural development, departments, research and financial

institutions engaged in creation/recycling/potential recycling of water under a

common platform .

5. Will put a 3 level strict monitoring mechanism viz. District, State, and

National levels

[Other important information: On one hand there are severely water deficit regions

like parts of Rajasthan, Saurashtra, Vidarbha, Rayalseema etc. that bear brunt of

annual draught, while on the other side there are regions like eastern India and

western Ghats (windward) that are among wettest regions in the world. Key

challenge is to engineer ‗inter basin water transfer‘. There are some success stories at

regional basis under which water is transferred from one basin to another. For eg. –

1. Indira Gandhi canal – Transfer of water from Indus basin to deserts of Rajasthan

2. Periyar project – Transfer of water from Periyar basin to Vaigai basin

3. Kurnool Cudappah Canal – Transfer of water from Krishna basin to Pennar

basin

Similar projects can be replicated elsewhere like in Bihar where monsoon brings

devastating floods annually. Earlier there were talks of ambitions projects like Ganga

Cauvery Link Canal and Garland canal. These aimed at creating massive transfer

systems at pan India level. But these were neither affordable nor practical. So, only

option is region based water transfer.

First target will possibly be mapping of water bodies throughout India. We have 85

large reservoirs with capacity of about 253 billion cubic meters of water. Other

important assets are the ancient ponds in villages. All these can be mapped along with relief of land through satellite imaging or geo tagging, which can provide useful

inputs for ‗rain water harvesting‘ and watershed development. Swaminathan

committee suggested promoting the ‗farm ponds‘ as are prevalent in south India.

These are small ponds held commonly by 2-3 farmers.]



Topic: Major crops cropping patterns in various parts of the country,

1Q. With examples discuss the factors that determine cropping

pattern in India. (200 Words) Crop pattern refers to the proportion of area under different crops at a particular

period of time.

Factors affecting cropping pattern

Geographical Factors:

1. Type of soil e.g black soil in Deccan plateau is good for cotton

2. Type of climate – In the summers where temprature is high tropical crops

like- Gaur, bajara while in winter temprate crops like musturd, wheat is

grown.

3. Type of rainfall e.g In the dry regions where the rainfall is scanty

and/uncertain, more dependence on rainfed crops like coarse cereals. Water

logging areas cultivate rice.

4. Type of topography e.g tea is grown on gentle slopes

Economic Factors:

1. Most important in determining the cropping pattern of the country

2. Price and Income Maximisation: Price variations exert an important influence

on acreage shifts. The variation in the inter-crop prices led to shifts in acreage

as between the crops. The maintenance of a stable level of prices for a crop

provides a better incentive to the producer to increase the output than what a

very high level of price does, if there is no uncertainty of this level being

maintained over a number of years.

3. Farm Size: There is a relationship between the farm size and the cropping

pattern. The small farmers are first interested in producing food grain for

their requirements. Small holder therefore devotes relatively small acreage to

cash crops than large holders.

4. Insurance against Risk: The need to minimise the risk of crop failures explains

diversification in a farm

5. Availability of irrigation: Irrigation: irrigation availability led to cultivation of

rice in arid areas of Punjab and Haryana. Lack of irrigation in Bundelkhand

region led to cultivation of coarse cereals more.



6. labour availability: major reason of tea plantations succeeding in Darjeeling

and not in Himachal Pradesh was availability of labour from Up and Bihar

and not in HP

7. Subsistence farming

Historical factors

1. Plantations introduced by British

2. Tenure – Under the crop sharing system, the landlord has a dominant voice in

the choice of the cropping pattern and this helps in the adoption of income

maximising crop adjustments.

Government Policies:

1. The legislative and administrative policies of the government may also affect

the cropping pattern. Food Crops Acts, Land Use Acts, intensive schemes for

paddy, for cotton and oilseeds, subsidies affect the cropping pattern.

2. MSP – farmers shifting to wheat, rice

3. Green Revolution – skewed cropping pattern in Northern India towards wheat

and rice from coarse cereals and pulses

Social factors

8. Food habits also play a role – East and South India prefers rice as staple food

while it is wheat in North India.

1Q. The ICAR has acknowledged that the generally considered ‗ideal

fertiliser ratio‘ of 4:2:1 doesn‘t hold for all regions of the country.

Examine why and also comment on the present trend followed by

farmers in various parts of the country. (200 Words) The idea of the NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) use ratio of 4:2:1 for the

whole country was formed in the 1950s, after fertiliser trials in seven states were undertaken to improve food production and fertility. It has been realised that there

cannot be a single norm of an ideal nutrient mix valid for the whole country. It varies

from crop to crop and area to area, depending on the nutrient status of the soil and

numerous other factors. Yet, most government publications, including the annual

economic surveys, have been using 4:2:1 as the yardstick for assessing imbalance in

fertiliser application. Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), has now

acknowledged the mistake of treating 4:2:1 as the standard for nutrient application.

However, when judged against the new normative proportion indicated by the ICAR

- 5.2:3:1 - several states are found to err woefully in balanced fertiliser application.

Notable among them are Punjab, West Bengal, Haryana, Gujarat, Bihar, Rajasthan



and Assam. The report also points out that in Andra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, all the

three plant nutrients are being used in excess of the actual need while in many other

states the fertiliser application is dismally inadequate.

In a state like Rajasthan, for instance, the actual NPK use ratio is as skewed as 25:11:1

whereas ideally it should be 10:5:1 under the prevailing agro-conditions there. most

farmers either take arbitrary decisions about the fertiliser use or are misguided on this issue. The application of nitrogen (urea) is generally much higher than is

necessary in most cases. The government's ill-advised fertiliser pricing policy,

marked by wide disparity in the prices of urea vis-à-vis phosphatic and potassic

fertilisers, seems one of the key reasons for this. The lack of soil test-based counsel to

the farmers about the use of nutrients is the other significant factor responsible for

injudicious fertiliser application. there is no move yet to rectify the disparity in the

prices of different fertilisers. While phosphatic and potassic fertilisers have been

decontrolled and brought under the nutrient-based subsidy scheme, the same has

not been done for urea.

The government is now trying to address this menace by issuing soil health cards to

farmers and expanding the network of soil testing laboratories.

1Q. In recent years, farmers in India are switching to other crops

such as oilseeds, soyabean etc from cash crops. Examine why and

analyse the recent trend in cropping pattern. (200 Words) Indian farming suffers from excess cropping of water-intensive crops like sugarcanes

in dry areas. This is one of reason for agricultural and farm distress. The high

dependency on Monsoon adds to worry.

The recent initiative from government which has emphasized the crop diversification

and climate-appropriate agriculture and cropping are helping the shift from switch to

value added and less water intensive crops:

1. The Soil Health Card: The campaign to provide soil health card with nutrient

information of soil would help the farmers to educate about most viable and

appropriate cropping pattern suiting the climatic conditions in region.

Shortage of infrastructure like soil testing labs is hindrances but it‘s a move in

right direction.

2. Higher MSP increase in Pulses and Oil Seeds: From last two years, the MSP

has tried to address the issues of higher MSP in cereal and lower in Pulses and

oil seed. The recent move to increase pulses MSP by 7% in move towards the

Crop-neutral MSP regime.

3. Erratic monsoon and depleting ground water conditions: This force farmers to

move towards less water intensive crops.



4. Market Demand: Increasing demand and higher price realization for

Horticulture (flower, vegetables) and Pulses has added to this changing

cropping pattern.

These changing pattern are not national rather regional in character. Some of trends

are

1. The Maize production has increased in regions like Bihar (increased

connectivity, strategic location for export to SE Asia, higher prices)

2. Move towards Vegetables & floriculture in vicinity of urban areas

3. Increased Soya Production in Madhya Pradesh (better linkage to market ,

availability of good quality inputs and suitable climate)

4. Increased acreage under crops other than sugarcane in Maharashtra due to

government efforts of ‗Beyond Sugarcane‘ & ‗Jalyukta Shivar Abhiyan‘ (aimed

at creating decentralised water sources).

Though these are gradual changes, but nevertheless direction of change is good for

farmers, economy and environment.

1Q. Examine how and why farm mechanisation and crop

diversification can help Indian farmers. (200 Words)

The mechanization and crop diversification of farm would help Indian farmers in

following ways:-

Benefit of mechanization

1. Reducing the input costs of sowing seeds and planting crops saplings in fields

significantly

2. Reducing the dependence of farmers on labour and reduce their exposure to

the risk of fluctuating labor costs.

3. Quick and timely plantation of crops in the fields and reaping them at the end

of the crop season which would further help in timely selling of farm produces

in the market or to FCI at proper price.

4. Would also help in efficient addition or spray of fertilizers and pesticides in

appropriate amounts so that each portion of the field receive the proper

amount needed .

5. Farming in developed countries is highly mechanized and that's why farm

outputs are high there. Implementation of these techniques in India would

increase productivity significantly, reducing the burden of farmers apart from

increased income.



Crop diversification:-

1. Growing crops that need less water would help in tackling the problem of

deficient rainfall.

2. Use of crops that are resistance to the impact of rain would help in dealing

with unseasonal rainfall.

3. Use of pest resistance crops varieties would reduce loss of crops to pest

infections and diseases.

4. Improved varieties of seeds prepared through various techniques would

increase farm productivity also.

5. Help in retaining soil fertility

6. This will help in reducing the usage of fertilizers, reducing input cost and

import bill.

7. If diversified crops are planted. There is a higher chance of proofing the

agriculture produce against 100% crop damage due to adverse climatic

conditions.

8. Improving food and rural income security

9. Crop diversification will improve nutritional security due to availability of

different crops in the diet

10. It will also help in tackling rural indebtness because of less chance of total

failure of the crop.

11. Apart from needing less water, pest resistance and increased yield, these crops

seeds also take less time to grow till they become suitable for harvesting. This

would allow farmers to grow crops a lot of times in one year.

2Q. Examine the reasons for the failure of India‘s pulses

production to keep pace with the rise in demand. Suggest what

needs to be done to address this demand – supply gap. (200

Words)

Pulses are a major source of protein, especially in vegetarian diets. Not only that,

pulses require less water and fertiliser and also enhance soil fertility through

nitrogen fixation. However, the production of pulses has lagged in relation to its

demands. The reasons for it are as follows –

1. In spite of increase in the MSP of pulses, there is lack of interest from farming

community to produce them as there are no proper infrastructural facilities

made available by the government for their procurement at MSP.



2. Cereals like paddy, wheat are favoured by the farmers because for the same

reason higher returns because of the procurement at MSP by the government

and designated agencies.

3. Another major issue being the productivity, the productivity of pulses is very

low because of the farming practices. Fluctuation in the yields of pulses is also

high and is easily susceptible to pests and diseases.

4. Pulses are majorly grown in rainfed areas, wherever there is proper irrigation

facility farmers opt for cultivation of wheat and paddy.

5. Government hasn't laid much stress on the research and technological

interventions in pulses as in the case of cash crops.

6. Restrictions on export - While India is the largest producer of pulses, its own

consumption is very high and hence, it is a net importer. Thus, the

government has placed many restrictions on trade in pulses. Even though, the

international prices for pulses are very high, the farmers cannot take

advantage of the fact.

Steps to address the demand-supply gap:

1. Providing proper infrastructural facilities for agencies like NAFED for

procurement of pulses from farmers at MSP, this might increase production

of pulses because of higher returns.

2. Short duration and pest-resistant pulses are needed to be developed.

3. Advantages of cultivating pulses like nitrogen fixation, increase in soil

fertility, lower cost of production should be promoted by government through

KVKs and other mechanisms.

4. Pulses are needed to promoted in the form of mixed crop with traditional

crops and as a second crop.

1Q. Write a note on the cropping pattern of pulses in India. Examine

why its prices in India are increasing and what needs to be done to

control its price and make it affordable to poor. (200 Words) Pulses constitutes the main protein element of Indian diet and its of great

importance it is grown both in Kharif (mung, urad) and Rabi (Gram). Most of the

pulses are grown in drier regions of Western and central India as the climate their

supports pulses.

Recently pulses have seen high inflation owing to several reasons:

1. Reduction in supply as wheat and rice which have better MSP (Minimum

support price).



2. Low productivity of pulses which creates less incentives for farmers to grow

pulses.

3. El nino and western disturbances are also responsible for less productivity

hence price increase.

4. Lack of irrigation in pulses growing areas which are mostly dry or semi arid

regions and makes crop vulnerable to failure.

5. Growing demand due to higher living standards which is specially manifested

in the form of protein inflation.

It is of utmost importance to control the prices of pulses so that it remain accessible

even to poor. For that

1. We need to import pulses in short term to ease prices.

2. Promote high yielding variety of pulses among farmers to improve

productivity

3. Extend NFSA to cover pulses. This will incentivise farmers to grow more

pulses

4. Rationalize MSP for Pulses in comparison to other crops.

5. Promote irrigation in these areas with innovative ways like watershed

development.

6. Developing culture of mix farming and crop rotation to enhance production of

pulses as well as health of soil.

Topic: Economics of animal rearing

1Q. It is found that there has been a major change in the

composition and mix of the cattle population in India. Discuss

these changes and examine the causes and its implications. (200

Words) The population of cattle in India has seen a considerable decline over the last two

decades. However, this conceals the differential growth in the number of indigenous

and cross bred varieties as well as males and females in these categories. Although

there are considerable variations in these trends in different states of India , but a

common thread that links all these states is that the population of both indigenous

and cross bred males has declined and the population of cross bred females has

increased with a higher growth rate than indigenous females.

The major cause of decline in the number of males in both the categories is that the

male cattle are considered much less useful and are therefore abandoned as early as

possible. Small landholdings on which farmers do not find it economically prudent to

maintain bullocks, and rich farmers use tractors. With decline of make cattle,



prospects of reproduction would decline thus affecting cattle population.

The increase in the number of cross bred varieties is due to-

1. Fragmentation of farm land over the years which doesn't make it financially

viable to afford a cow.

2. Excessive cross breeding to get better milk yields.

3. Decline in grazing grounds due to rapid urbanisation.

4. Decreased utility in agriculture due to shift to cash crops and increasing

mechanisation.

The decrease in the indigenous cattle breed can have many unwanted consequences

which makes it necessary to conserve them as-

1. Although they provide less milk yield but their milk is highly nutritious.

2. They can survive on agriculture waste products and have a lower feed intake.

3. They can survive in extreme drought conditions and are disease resistant.

4. They provide quality compost manure for many crops.

Thus, the government has taken various initiatives like Gokul Mission, Kamdhenu

Breeding centers etc. in this regard. Hope that they are implemented to the fullest.

1Q. Write a note on the recent trends in the economics of meat

market in India and the challenges facing the sector. (200 Words) Livestock sector is an important source of livelihood for the poor. Recent trends in

meat market are encouraging.

1. In 2014, India has emerged as world‘s third largest exporter of meat.

2. Meat exports have steadily increased since last 5 years

3. Beef is the biggest contributor to our revenues.

While these are encouraging trends, there are several challenges to the meat market:

1. State policies – Banning on slaughter in states like Maharashtra will lead to

decline in industry.

2. Quality – India fetches less value per kilogram of meat as compared to other

countries. The quality needs to be enhanced by both: Breeding techniques and

encouraging feed-fodder cultivation. Use of antibiotics in poultry is harmful

for human health.

3. Slaughter houses – There is lack of organized slaughter houses in the country.

Further, even established slaughter houses are far from modernization and

hygiene. Therefore, the industry is far from potential.



4. Epidemics – Frequently occurring epidemics cause huge losses. Our disease

verification and reporting system is still not satisfactory.

5. Diversity – The ecosystem (policies, funding, markets) etc. for other meat

products like goat, sheep and other poultry sector is not well developed as that

for beef.

6. Lack of domestic market due to religious considerations.

India needs to overcome these challenges by increased funding, modernization and

developing a domestic market as well. This industry can be a big support in poverty

alleviation.

1Q. In Karnataka, Canine Research and Information Centre (CRIC)

near Mudhol tehsil has achieved a twin objective of reviving the

pure-bred Mudhol hound while providing a source of additional

income for members of the S.C. and S.T. communities in the

region. Discuss the significance of this achievement and examine if

this model can be adopted for other native breeds of different

animals that can be reared for profit. (200 Words)

The Mudhol hound is one of the most healthy dogs to have around and do not have

any particular health issues attached to it. Their lineage and breeding has made sure

that they can combat the Indian weather conditions. Mudhol hounds have a

reputation of being fiercely loyal to their owners and are excellent hunting dogs. They

are still used by local farmers to hunt wild fowl and rabbit in the scrubby grasslands

that dominate the landscape between lush sugar plantations all over Bagalkot.

Since 90 per cent of the Mudhol hound-owning families in the villages belong to

Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe communities, funds were sought from the

Ministry of Social Welfare to provide a pair of pure-bred puppies each to S.C./S.T.

families that had experience in rearing these dogs. With an average litter size

between 8 and 12 and the prevailing price for one Mudhol pup ranging between Rs.

6,000 and Rs. 8,000, the initial beneficiaries have gained up to Rs. 50,000 each on

selling the litter.

Significance has two purposes- the first is to revive the pure-bred Mudhol hound,

while the second is to encourage alternative animal husbandry practices with a built-

in social welfare agenda. Encouraging farmers to rear Mudhol hounds so that their

puppies could be sold to dog lovers, providing them with income with minimal

investment, just as how cows, sheep and goats were traditionally reared by them to

profit from the sale of their young making this model to be adopted to other native

species too.



1Q. Critically examine India‘s current deep-sea fishing policy and

guidelines. (200 Words) Deep-sea fishing begins at the end of the continental shelf and generally at an average sea depth of 200m. Expert Committee report headed by B Meenakumari by

defining deep sea fishing as ―fishing activities beyond 12 nautical miles from the

coastline‖ acknowledging the distance rather than the depth of the sea. It further

recognized fishing vessels of length above 15m as deep sea fishing vessel. This almost

covers all the vessels of the India.

It allows private investment in the deep sea fishing (enterprises with 49 % foreign

equity can now operate in EEZ). This will increase competition and conflict with the

traditional fishers as they use to do fishing beyond Territorial Sea (TS). Further they

would require license for beyond 12 nautical miles. In that case, they would be depart

from fishing in their TS.

To help breeding in monsoon a 60 days moratorium is placed on fishing in coastal

areas from june to july. This has also been objected by fishermen as it will adversely

affect their livelihood.

1Q. Write a note on the problems faced by poultry industry and its

recent growth trends in India. (200 Words) Poultry is one of the fastest growing segments of the agricultural sector in India

today. However, there are problems being faced by the poultry industry which can be

summed as:-

1. Regional imbalance of poultry products - Production is not evenly distributed

in the country. More than 60% of broilers are produced in 5 states (Andhra

Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab and West Bengal). This creates

logistic and quality issues related to transport and production. Moreover,

unequal demand of poultry meat and egg, have resulted in unequal growth of

the industry.

2. Recent heat waves in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana region has resulted in

high chicken prices due to killing of birds. Thus, chicken prices have

increased.

3. Avian influenza was another issue which has resulted which has devastating

effect on Indian poultry, and it still continues to haunt the sector due to low

demand and less exports

4. Shortage of raw material is another issue. Price of soybean meal, the major

and only source of protein has increased about 75%, which has forced the feed

manufacturers to comprise in terms of diet given to birds.

5. Shortage of human resources is another problem because of the absence of

veterinarians , researchers ,in areas where expertise knowledge is required.



6. Indian poultry sector is still unable to tap the benefit of international market.

Lack of adequate cold storage, warehouses is the major factor affecting poultry

sector in India.

7. Majority of the production is by unorganized which is another threat faced by

sector.

8. Increasing antibiotics level in poultry products too are creating long lasting

harmful effects like drug resistance in people. For solving this problem health

ministry and other medical institutions have issued the guidelines for less/no

use of antibiotics for animals.

1Q. Critically comment on the issues related to implementation of

government‘s new deep-sea fishing policy based on the

recommendations of the Meenakumari committee. (200 Words)

Fishing in india has been a traditional occupation and india has many communities

of fishermen. The 12th FYP also suggested a renewed focus on this sector by

modernization of fishing trawlers, introduction of mother vessels and upgrading cold

storage facilities

Background: Murari committee report in the mid-1990s and the deep-sea fishing

policy of 2004, though meant to revive this sector, actually led to its further decline.

There was a sharp reduction in the number of large fishing vessels operating under joint ventures as a result of this policy. This left the bulk of the fishing resources of

India's vast exclusive economic zone (EEZ) either unexploited or underexploited.

Also, there is, therefore, little scope for raising fish output in waters up to a depth of

200 metres.

What the repost says and the associated issues:

1. Fishing vessels of length 15 m or more be allowed to operate in EEZ

(between 22 km and 370 km beyond territorial waters) after getting a

letter of permission from the centre. These ships can be owned or

acquired by Indian entrepreneurs or by joint ventures with up to 49 per

cent foreign investment. It can thus help boost deep water fishing.

However, traditional fishermen fear that such fishing ventures will

threaten their livelihood by encroaching into some of the areas, which are

now within their reach.



2. The report notes that productivity from the coastal zones has either

plateaued or is on the decline due to over-exploitation. There is, therefore,

little scope for raising fish output in waters up to a depth of 200 metres.

However, waters beyond a 500-metre depth are not optimally tapped and,

thus, offer considerable scope for augmenting fish output. This zone

abounds in tuna and tuna-like species, which are in great demand

globally. This could harm the marine ecology.

3. Report notes that Indian fishing industry is ill equipped – both in terms if

technology and finance. Thus resources remain untapped. So, it suggested

that the Indian fishing companies should be encouraged to either get hold

of larger and well-equipped fishing ships or form joint ventures with

foreign companies. The inadequacy of Indian fishing activity in the EEZ

has left the field open for poaching by foreign trawlers. This, however,

may come at the cost of livelihood of local fishermen.

4. The panel asks to create a buffer zone between the near-shore and

offshore regions (between 200 metres and 500 metres in depth) to

augment resources in the coastal as well as deep-sea regions. Though it is

still unclear whether the buffer zone will be a "no-go" area or selective

fishing will be allowed, fisher folks generally tend to view it as a denial of

their right to operate in these waters.

Though india needs a ―blue revolution‖ and modern technology, it should not come

at the cost of livelihood of the traditional fishermen. A more comprehensive

approach including all stakeholders and technological innovation funded by govt is

needed.

Topic: Investment Models

1Q. Write a short note on EPC (engineering, procurement and

construction) model of investment and its merits over PPP model.

(150 Words) Under an EPC contract, the contractor designs the installation, procures the material

and constructs the project and is paid for it by the government. In some cases, the contractor carries the risk for the schedule as well as the budget in return for a fixed

price under what is called a lump sum contract, or a lump sum turnkey

contract. PPP is a venture funded and operated through a partnership of

government and one or more private sector companies. It involves a sharing of

financial, technical and operational risk. EPC is being preferred over PPP today

because there are no takers for the PPP model projects among the private sector

companies. The reason for this is as follows:



1. The economic slowdown has resulted in reduction of the payback capacity of a

project. The financial risk has become too high for the private contractor to

consider it feasible.

2. Land acquisitions and governmental clearances take way too long. In a PPP,

obtaining clearance is in the scope of the private party whereas in the EPC, it

is in government scope

3. In EPC, Project can be completed at a predetermined cost and schedule.

Hence the price and date of delivery is guaranteed before start of project. This

will do away with the kind of delays we face today.

4. The level of performance expected is specified and guaranteed for in the start

of the project itself.

5. The contractor would get a higher level of flexibility in his working.

1Q. The previous version of public-private partnership (PPP) has

been hailed both as huge success and failure. In order to revive this

investment model and make it successful again, what needs to be

done? Discuss. (200 Words) PPP has had its share of success and failures. The huge infrastructure projects across

the country are testament to their success whereas the large number of stalled

projects are proof of their failure.

Steps for revival:

1. PPP needs to be transformed into FPTP I.e first public than private. Public

investment upfront during the high risk period and then private investment

during the low risk period

2. Need to develop our corporate bond market for long term financing.

3. Recapitalisation of PSBs with stringent measure to ensure the folly of NPAs

doesn't return.

4. Indian economic diplomacy of attracting foreign investment presently is in the

right direction and should be followed by ensuring "ease of doing business".

Diversifying source of funding, from banks to other source such as pension

and insurance funds, mutual bonds and share market, liberalising FII and FDI

norms for accessing foreign cash and grants from WB, ADB, AIIB, NDB etc.

5. Plug & Play Model: bidding post approval of all required clearances fro the

concerned union & state ministries.

6. To cater to dynamic needs of the infrastructure projects setting up hassle free

institutional mechanism like Renegotiation Commission.

7. A system of rating of private partners should be undertaken by the regulatory

authority which would be of immense help in future contracting.



Technology

Topic: Science and Technology- developments and their applications

and effects in everyday life

1Q. Recently the Union Cabinet cleared guidelines for spectrum sharing.

What are the objectives of these guidelines? Do you think they would

solve some of the pressing problems faced by consumers of

telecommunications services? Critically examine. (200 Words)

In India, spectrum is divided among operators in small and fragmented manner.

Spectrum sharing will allow telecom companies to pool their spectrum holdings,

leading to improved spectral efficiency. Sharing can also provide operators additional

capacities in places where there is network congestion. For consumers, this is likely

to lead to better quality of services — fewer call drops and faster data speeds.

The regulator also recommended allowing the trading of spectrum. As of now, only

government is allowed to allocate spectrum to telecom firms through auctions. It will

enable telecom companies, who have a lower subscriber base or un-utilised

spectrum, to trade or share it. This move would be a boon for the industry, which will

ultimately benefit the end consumer through better services.

But unfortunately, due to many of the restrictions placed, the full potential of

spectrum sharing cannot be made use of. Some of the difficulties are listed below.

1. Smaller players might have some idle spectrum left wasted, because they will

not be able to pay the government the difference of money whenever they

want to share spectrum with a company which has bought spectrum at market

price

2. For all the allocated spectrum to be converted into auctioned spectrum, it will

take a few years and until then there will be a lot of idle spectrum lying around

with all its potential wasted

3. Double taxation - TRAI has stated that all revenue from spectrum trading

should be counted as a company's adjusted gross revenue, on which spectrum

user charge will be levied. This is in effect a massive burden on the spectrum

owner for having to pay twice for the same spectrum.

4. Since the spectrum sharing is so expensive a lot of companies are not exactly

eager to engage in spectrum sharing business as of now. For the consumer,

this means that the problem of dropped calls and slow internet will persist.



2Q. What do you understand by telemedicine? Examine its

opportunities and recent developments, especially in India. (200

Words) Telemedicine is the use of telecommunications and information technology to

provide clinincal healthcare at a distance. Opportunities for telemedicine

1. Telemedicine is helpful for people living in rural areas. This is very crucial for

India, since 72% of the population lives in rural areas.

2. Telemedicine helps overcome the shortage of health professionals. India

currently has only 0.7 physicians per 1000 people while China and Russia

have 5 and 1.5 respectively.

3. Telemedicine is a better option while dealing with particularly infectious

diseases like swine flu.

Developments in Telemedicine

1. The Indian government has launched the SEHAT initiative to connect 60,000

common service centers nationwide and provide health care services to

citizens. This will dovetail with the Digital India Initiative.

2. In 2009, KIDROP programme was launched in Karnataka to screen infants

for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), a leading cause of childhood blindness.

Its success has led to it being replicated in two more States.

Telemedicine is a very useful way for the government to provide affordable

healthcare to all, with the help of private players and NGOs.

3Q. Does the radiation from cellphone towers damage human

health? Discuss. (200 Words) Radiation can be defined as the transmission energy in the form of waves. Radiation

which emits from Cell phone or cell tower is of Non Ionic in nature which has very

low energy and can induce only thermal effect due to generation of heat. Radiation from cell phone or cell tower has less penetration power unlike ionic radiations like

UV rays, Gamma rays which can penetrate into the human body and cause health

issues. Exposure to radio frequency fields by mobile phone is 1000 times greater

than mobile tower.

In India Handsets are not allowed to emit radiation more than 1.6 watt/kilo which is

called SAR or specific absorption ratio and India's safety factor is 10 times stiffer

than in 90 per cent countries that follow standards set by the International

Commission on Non-ionising Radiation Protection. However mobile towers does not

damage human health as long as the emission levels is kept under control and are

within the regulations.



1Q. What do you understand by ‗Call Drop‘? Why is it caused?

Examine and also discuss its impact on consumers. (200 Words) Call drop is defined as hanging of call when the talk between two individuals isn't over or before one of them had hung up. It occurs due to technical problems like

network and connectivity issues. According to TRAI (Telecom regulatory authority of

India) dropped call rate(DCR) below than 3 out of 100 is permissible. But DCR in

some metropolitan is above one in ten. This increases frustration among the

subscribers and tastes there patience.

The reasons of call drops are:

1. Unprecedented growth in subscribers: India now has more than 900 million

mobile subscribers, second highest in the world. The capacity to sustain this

huge number in terms of spectrum and bandwidth allocation has not been

augmented. This result in congestion of the network and hence drop in calls.

2. Towering problems: We have more than 500,00 towers but need another

1,00,000 to be able to provide better signals. Unfortunately the public outcry

against installation of towers in the populated areas has resulted in a difficulty

for the service providers to install more towers.

3. Shortage of spectrum available to the telecom companies in the lower band

width. This is because of large number of players in the telecom market and

reservation of lower band for defense services by the Government. Generally

there are three frequencies in India for GSM, on which the mobile signal

travels. i.e. 900, 1800 and 2100 MHz. 900 and 1800 for 2G and 2100 for 3G.

There is also one technical constrain, lower the frequency, better will be

transmission. In India lower frequency is kept for military purpose, not for

civil.

4. Lesser number of towers than are required for efficient transmission over

longer distances. This is because the telecom companies are reluctant to share

towers and there is no uniform procedure to get permissions for installation of

towers which is to be given by the municipal body of that area.

1Q. Explain the differences between 3G and 4G technologies. It is

argued that in India 3G technology as good as dead. Examine why.

(200 Words) Differences in 3 G and 4 G

1. High speed of at least 100 Mbites per second in 4G while 3G usually has speed

of 200 kb per sec.



2. 4G requires new technology phones and new towers supporting 4G technology

while 3 G covers most urban areas of india

3. 4G is basically 4 generation of technology while 3G is third generation

technology.

4. 4G is particularly useful for watching videos , youtube and those who use lot of

internet while 3 G is good for FB, Emails , Whatsapp , Weather, Google maps .

5. 4G is available only on new phones like iPhone 5 , Samsung galaxy 3 etc while

3 G is available on cheap phones too with 2G technology embed ed in it .

6. LTE (long term evolution) , Wimax and HSPA + are some deployments of 4 G

which provide fastest speed .

The reasons 3G technology's importance will only decline in india are :-

1. Lack of investment :- Telcos investment in 3G is low due to lack of demand for

it. High Central and State Government taxes are also responsible.

2. Spectrum prices :-Spectrum prices in india are very high compared to global

prices. Thus companies prefer to invest in 4G rather than 3G.

3. Price of 3G devices :-3G enabled devices are not priced within the reach of

most. There is a glaring lack of penetration in the rural market. Moreover 3G

services offer poor quality in most parts of India.

4. Spectrum usage :- Previously 2G, 3G or 4G technology could be offered on

separate bands. New rulesallow allservices to be offered on all bands, reducing

investment in 3G.

5. Emergency of other technology :- Wireless based technologies like bluetooth

and Wifi are becomimg very popular due to their good quality.

1Q. Write a note on the science and technology behind desalination

plants, their locations and uses. (200 Words) Desalination plants are installations that remove minerals from water on a large

scale to provide fresh water. The various types of desalination plants are:

1. Vacuum distillation based-These plants boil water at less than atmospheric

pressure and consequently at comparatively low temperatures. Input energy is

waste heat from industrial processes.

2. Reverse Osmosis based-These plants use membranes to separate salt from

water. They are less energy intensive than plants operating on vacuum

distillation

3. Ion exchange process

4. Membrane process

5. Geothermal desalination

6. Solar desalination



Among them reverse osmosis (RO) – type of membrane desalination process is the

most energy efficient and is prevalent widely. RO uses semi-permeable membrane &

pressure difference to separate salt from water. It produces brine – concentrated salt

solution – as waste product. Brine, having higher density and concentration, stays in

sea bottom and may cause for ecological concern. Hence it is washed with natural

outlets or outfall of waste water treatment or power plant to reduce the damage.

These plants are generally located near sea coast for raw material supply i.e. salted

sea water and also removal of brine.

Dry countries like Middle East, Australia, deserts like California, island countries like

Maldives, Lakshadweep, coastal cities like Chennai, tuticorin, marine vessels have

more desalination plants than places where ground water is easily available.

These are used to produce fresh water for human and irrigation. In the context of

ground water depletion, lack of rainwater harvesting techniques and climate change,

India is entering into Transfer of Technology(TOT)agreements with countries like

Israel which can be a better prospect for future.

1Q. You are asked by the government of India to propose a model of

‗digital village‘ to make villages self reliant and self sustainable.

Briefly outline your model and explain what elements would you

incorporate in your model and why. (200 Words) Digital India in its mere sense was profoundly using Information Communication

Technology for the improving the standard‘s of people living in rural places. It

directly has its influence in employment, reduction In corruption , increase in

Literacy , good infrastructure , grievance addressable etc.

Agenda of digital India was to discourage Migrations of people to urban by providing

all facilities in villages.

Following would constitute DI:-

1. Having Banks or Atm‘s so that people don‘t need to travel long distant for

their money withdral (Pension etc.) and implementing Jhan dhan yojana to

end corruption.

2. Having internet so the youth is attached to the world for employment news ,

Innovation Ideas etc.

3. Web hospital so that in mere emergency doctors can assist aganwadis for first

aid and can also have weekly counselling program to mothers and children

with expert doctors far away.

4. Community radio which broad cast Scheme‘s , Weather conditions ,

announcements etc.

5. Use of technology like projectors ,tab‘s so that students really experience and

enjoy education.



6. Online Bio-metric attendance to children which sends status to parents cell.

7. An education room with Big Tv which always provide basic education so that

elders be educated when time premits , so that all above can be fully utilized.

8. Online farm counseling rooms to advice using best practice for sustainable

Agri development.

Over all promotion of E-gov can improve administration

2Q. Discuss why solar installations in India is still not a popular

option both in rural and urban households. (200 Words) Solar energy is seen as the one of the major alternative to the energy generated by the

conventional resources. It is one of a major tool for enhancement of 'Green GDP'.

India is also emphasising on the use of Solar power and has a target to generate

100000 MW of energy by solar power till 2022. But solar power energy is just contained at the level of the government, in Indian household it is not a popular

option because-

1. Since equipment of solar energy are very expensive and need a lot of care so

the installation cost for the solar power panel is very high. Along with this

initial cost for generation of power is very high.

2. There is maintenance involved with the solar panel after a particular time and

Indian households don't have expertise in how to maintain them.

3. Generally in India Solar panel are of big size and cover a significant space of

the roof which Indian household don't like.

4. There is no storage facility if a household generates extrapower. He can't sell

to the government as happens in Germany.

5. No effective advertisement by the government- Though at the central level

government is emphasising the solar energy but there is no proper

advertisement from it for installation at the household level.

But since India is committed to reduce its greenhouse gas emission so it have to

enhace its 'Green GDP' and should encourage households to generate solar power by

providing subsidies in the intallation process, providing incentives and purcahsing

extra power.

1Q. Discuss the benefits of Big Data to economic development of a

nation. (200 Words)

Big data is a popular term used to describe the exponential growth and availability of

data both structured & unstructured; it is a combination of structured data such as

bank account numbers & balance as well as unstructured data such as call centre

data, customer feedback, social media

patterns and emails etc



such massive volume of data if subjected to thorough analysis can provide valuable

insights into customers/beneficiary behaviour and eventually help

firms/corporations/governments to improve upon their decision making (better

consumer targeting); translating into higher efficiency & productivity.

1. Companies can use Big Data to record their customers' preferences like

timings, likes and dislikes, habits, etc. aprt from their age, location, etc.

This will allow the companies to tailor their products accordingly and offer

customized services. This will bring more satisfaction to the customer and

more brand value to the company. Eg- banks can send sms to a customer

about the nearest atm when the customer is abroad (if they know about

customer‘s plans of travelling abroad)

2. Weather data from various sources & places can be collected and duly

analyzed to bring out better prediction of weather events such as

monsoons, cloud burst; help us adopt precautionary measures to

minimize causalities.

3. Massive data with UIDAI can be used to ensure DBT to prospective

beneficiaries; thus improving governance.

4. Analysis of fund transfer, emails, web accounts can enhance our

preparedness to tackle emergent situations such as rioting & terrorism.

5. Energy consumption data can help us evolve smart grids, be energy smart

and direct power supply to most needed places during acute shortage.

6. Data in the space sciences are collected and possible consequences and

nature of cosmic phenomenon are observed using Big data.

7. In rapid changing environments like stock markets Big data is of greater

help for drawing patterns, graphs, analysis and accuracy.

8. Data on agriculture collected through satellite can be used for insurance

purposes, studying agriculture patterns etc which can be used as inputs to

make agricultural decisions

9. Data of the world can map consumption patterns according to which

industry can adjust production

10. Big data on genes has helped us map DNA and further study of patterns

can unlock huge potential for pharma sector

Big data requires high costs and expertise for running algorithms, so government can incentivize the Indian IT sector towards capacity building. However it must be

remembered Big Data in itself is not of use unless it is structured and analyzed. There

is a need to build institutional capacity to make use of such data and the same time

enhancing skill of people to provide actionable inputs from such data.



2Q. Why is LED lamp more efficient than CFL or incandescent

lamps? Also compare their environmental impact. (200 Words)

Light Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs are more efficient than Compact Fluorescent

(CFL) and traditional incandescent bulbs because LED bulbs produce light by running an arc of electrical current between two electrodes. This method of

generating light is a more efficient than generating light by the heating of tungsten

filaments in incandescent/halogen bulbs and exciting mercury gas by electricity in

CFL bulbs.

This gives LED bulbs following advantages over the other two varieties:

1. They use less power (watts) per unit of light generated.

2. LEDs have a longer lifetime, since they don't have a filament and are solid.

3. LEDs are more robust as they turn on instantly. They are also less

sensitive to temperatures and humidity.

4. In the long run they are less expensive.

5. They have a higher output and lesser heat losses.

These advantages translate into a positive impact of LEDs on the environment:

1. Since they use less power, they have a smaller carbon footprint and result

in lesser greenhouse emission;

2. Because they are long lasting, smaller number of these bulbs go into

landfills;

3. Unlike CFLs, LEDs do not contain mercury or other heavy metals like lead

and cadmium. Therefore, they result in lesser environmental

contamination and less personal exposure of humans to hazardous

material. According, they are a more efficient and environment friendly

choice over CFLs/halogen bulbs.

Topic: Awareness in the fields of space; Achievements of Indians in

science & technology

1Q. Examine the differences between GSLV and PSLV launch

vehicles. It is said that GSLV would become a competitor to PSLV.

Examine why. (200 Words)



2Q. Do you think the two consecutive successful launch of GSLV-

Mk-II would make ISRO self-reliant space agency? Discuss. (200

Words) Yes, the consecutive successful launches of the GSLV give a strong indication towards

ISRO's growing self-reliance. However, there are still challenges on its way to realise

complete self reliance.

The GSLV Mk II is for two tonne satellites, where as there is a more important space

for four tonne satellites for which India still does not have the matching capacity

(although the GSLV Mk III is being developed). Managing sustained levels of high

funds is a challenge for ISRO. Though efforts such as the Chandrayaan I and II,

Aditya, the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) are recent highlights, these can be in a way

deemed to be preliminary levels of advanced space technology. We are still not ahead

of the curve in terms of predicting newer uses and innovation for space technology.

http://a.disquscdn.com/uploads/mediaembed/images/2447/684/original.jpg



As such, other space faring nations have realised more ambitious goals (such as

manned flights to space by China, the international space station and so on). But the

recent successes of ISRO have assured us of a means to earn foreign exchange as well

as save Indian money, which can give the much needed financial muscle to Indian

space efforts in the coming decades.

True self reliance in every sphere can be realised only if there is a domestic and

indigenous space industry that provides all the required high technology inputs and

is allowed to partner with the top scientific institutions to continuously invest in

R&D and innovations, which can make imports and foreign technology redundant. In

this context, recent initiatives such as 'Make in India', efforts towards a secure and

predictable IPR regime, and allowing the private sector participation in high

technology space efforts of India is welcome.

All these can ensure that ISRO and in turn India can become net exporter of

technology and ensure complete self reliance.

1Q. Discuss the significance of the Satellite Instructional Television

Experiment (SITE) and its association with India. (200 Words) Satellite Instructional Television Experiment was a result of direct broadcasting

satellite developed by the USA, It enabled application of technology to solve real life

problems in a country like India

Its association with India can be traced back to the 1970's whereby Tv sets were

installed for community viewing in schools and Panchayat centres of about 2400

villages. It helped in the following ways:

1. Accessibility: Backward and inaccessible parts of the country was reached

through battery powered TV sets to air programmes on agriculture, health.

2. Participation: Use of local language helped in effective communication.

3. Education: Helped in broadcasting educational programmes and teacher's

training.

4. Innovation: Collaboration of SITE with local community like Kheda

Communications Project aided innovations in communication. Similarly

programmes like Krishi Darshan lead to new agricultural practices.

5. Collaboration: The ISRO brought about scientists, engineers, folk culture

experts ,film makers etc to a single platform to provide for creative

programmes.

The SITE came as a solution to solve ground level problems by optimizing technology

usage and encouraging local level participation for innovative solutions.



1Q. What path did India choose its after independence to develop

the science and technology field in India? Do you think, compared

to USA, Japan and Other scientifically developed countries, India

chose a wrong path? Critically comment. (200 Words) Science and research development is still in a nascent stage in our country even after

more than 60 years of independence. The Indian varsities are being criticised for lack

of innovation.

CAUSES FOR RETARDED SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT IN

INDIA:

1. Research is not fully funded by the government.

2. Lack of adequate infrastructure including laboratories,

3. Lack of coordination between research and industry. hence, science and

research is not applied to business and at the same time the researchers are

not able to comprehend the demands of the industry.

These are the results of the path adopted by India for the development of science and

technology post-independence. We focussed mainly on setting up institutions like

IITs and IIMs and confining their focus in academic direction like publications.

Unlikely, the countries like USA, Japan etc went for fully funded research, allowed

private companies to take IPRs on them and developed a synergy between science

and industry.

Despite the above failures, software led exports has provided the much needed boost

to our trade and bears some evidence for the kind of coordination emphasized above.

Personalities like Vikram Sarabhai, Homi Bhabha on whom vast powers were

conferred did justice to their work. Growth of incubation centres and IPRs have

contributed to S&T development. Translation of science into application has to be

done on a priority basis. Science can lead to progress only when applied as a team

1Q. Discuss the contribution of A P J Abdul Kalam to indigenisation

and development of new technology in India. (200 Words) Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, the 11th President of India was one of the most prominent

figures the country has produced after gaining Independence. His remarkable

achievements can be classified into 3 sectors--

1. In Space Research-- Dr. Kalam, during his early career days as developed

India's first indigenous Satellite launch vehicle (SLV-III) capable of sending

the rockets in Space.

2. In Defence--During the 1980s when there were embargoes by developed

countries to stop India acquire Nuclear technology, he came up with his own

solutions to develop India's Nuclear weapons. The Indian Missiles such as

Agni, Prithvi, Nag, Trishul etc. were all the brainchild of Dr. Kalam. He also



developed various auxiliary devices for Missiles and Rockets enabling them to

carry extended payloads.

3. In Social Welfare-- The technology used by Dr. Kalam in making the Rockets

and Missiles lighter was later utilized by him to develop 'Kalam Raju it is a

coronary stent used in heart surgeries. The economical 'Kalam Raju Tablet'

developed by him for Rural Youth enabled them to progress.

The various achievements of Dr. Kalam in the indigenization and development of

various technologies have resulted not just in strengthening India's muscles in the

field of Space and Defence but also in the strengthening of the Indian Youth making

the India Proud to have him and making him the 'People's Prez'.

1Q. Write a note on the Breakthrough Listen project and its

significance for humans. (200 Words) 'Breakthrough Listen', is another name for 'Search for Extra Terrestrial Life' (SETI)

project started and funded by 'Yuri Milner' of Russia and backed by physicist

Stephen Hawking. It aism at finding out 'Intelligent life' in the universe by listening

to the Radio Signals of more than 100 Galaxies and millions of Star Systems.

Additionally, it will search for their light signals. It is a significant project for humans

in Short and Long term.

In Short term- It will increase Investment in the Space Research leading to

developments in the current technology. It is especially beneficial for India who is

known for it's expertise in space advancement.

In the Long term-

1. It will help figure out whether life exist in the Universe elsewhere or not.

2. If life exists in universe other than on Earth, then it will give us a focused

approach towards a Galaxy or Solar System in the vast Universe.

3. The existence of another civilization can help us with their technology.

4. It will help us in Predicting Space related uncertainties and may help us in

avoiding a danger on Earth.

5. It may help us finding an Earth like planet where Human Civilization can find

it's second home.

The 'Search for Extra Terrestrial Life' may prove to be one, opening the lock of

thousand doors and therefore should be actively supported.



2Q. In recent years, there is an increased interest among scientists

in Pluto. Examine why and also discuss how more understanding of

the Pluto helps understanding Earth‘s history. (200 Words) Pluto was discovered in 1930 and the ninth planet of solar system.But in 2006 it was

declared as a dwarf planet by the international astronomical union.The enhanced

images of Pluto released by NASA New Horizons in Hubble space telescope created much interest among the scientist to know the similarities between the earth and the

orange shades of dwarf planet,Pluto.

Evidences or the similarities :

1. pluto's atmosphere comprises of nitrogen,methane and carbon monoxide.Its

atmosphere is 50000 times less dense than the earth's surface.

2. pluto gravity is about 6%of earth's gravity and the surface temperature is -

233*c

3. pluto is the place in solar system to study the hydrodynamic escape(rapid loss

of hydrogen)which is the major reason behind our earth being a suitable place

to live in.

4. pluto and the life of earth is the likely the presence of organic compounds

more complex than the frozen methane on Pluto surface and water inside the

dwarf planet. Charon, Styx, nix, Kerberos and hydra are the moons present in

Pluto.It is 40 times farther away from the sun and orbit sun in once every 248

earth years.

5. Several special instruments like spectrometer,infrared camera and detector

are used to depict the exact nature of pluto.

Now the interest towards the exploration of pluto is continued by the scientist of

NASA. Valuable insights about the origin of solar system,planet,satellite systems

can be discovered with the help of data obtained from New Horizon which will

create a rise in scientific fervour all round.

1Q. Write a note on the significance of NASA‘s New Horizons

Mission. (200 Words) NASA's New Horizons Mission is the first spacecraft which successfully fly by the

dwarf planet Pluto, for its exploration in the Kuiper Belt along with its moon Charon

and other dwarf planets in the belt.

Its significance:

1. Spacecraft will send the close-up images of the surfaces of the Pluto , Charon

and other dwarf planets in Kuiper Belt.

2. Its first close-up image of the surface revealed that the surface is youngest

ever found in the solar system, of about 100 million years old, false proving

the previous theories that Pluto made up of ice and rock.

3. Proving the volcanoes, rift valleys, fault line shows the presence of active

tectonics.



4. These images would not only provide geological phenomena of the Pluto

(mineral , oil and natural gas exploration) but also help in understanding the

various new phenomenon that occurs over the Pluto and the Belt.

Now the time has arrived that India must show their successful presence beyond

Mars to mark the self-sufficiency in space exploration and making Indians once

again feel proud.

1Q. Write a note on the working principle of the Prototype Fast

Breeder Reactor (PFBR) and its importance for India‘s nuclear

energy program. (200 Words) Working principle-

1. The PFBR marks the second stage of India's 3 stage nuclear power

programme. It is a 500MWe reactor, using Mixed oxide fuel reactor

(plutonium - uranium oxide) and liquid sodium as a coolant. It has an

operational life of around 40yrs.

2. Use of liquid sodium creates additional safety requirements as sodium

explodes and burns when come in contact with air. For this, two independent

shut down systems are installed, designed to shut down the reactor within a

second.

3. The power island of this project i being engineered by BHEL.

4. It produces more fissile material than used, to be used later in other thermal

or breeder reactors.

5. It is being prepared at Kalpakaam(Chennai) at Indira Gandhi centre for

atomic Research(IGCAR).

Importance for India's Nuclear energy programme-

1. For a large country like India, long term energy security based on indigenous

resources is an inevitable need.

2. Will dictate composition of India's energy mix.

3. Will help in increasing India's nuclear capacity in tune with it's need for

power.

4. Will help in reducing India's dependency on foreign states.

5. When successfully commissioned, will signal India's triumphant entry into its

third stage of nuclear power programme.



1Q. Write a note on ISRO‘s future missions and their significance to

India. (200 Words)

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is one of the leading space agencies

in the world. It has many projects in the pipeline that are critical for the strategic and

economic security of India.

1. Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) - This is a constellation

of 7 satellites which will be used to provide position co-ordinates for India and

the neighbouring environment. This is critical for its military and strategic

uses as those cannot depend on US backed GPS or Russian backed GLONASS

systems.

2. Reusable Satellite Launch Vehicle - This mission will reduce the cost of

delivering satellites into orbit by 1/10th. No other space organisation has such

a system.

3. Cryogenic Engine - ISRO is also in the final stages of testing an indegenous

cryogenic engine. This technology will help India launch payloads of upto 4

tonnes into the geostationary orbit. It will also help India develop Inter

Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs).

4. Chandrayaan 2 - After the unprecedented success of Chandrayaan 1, ISRO is

already working on Chandryaan 2 which will be launched in 2017.

5. SAARC Satellite - This was proposed by the Prime Minister, as a means of

fostering scientific co-operation between the SAARC nations. Thus, it will

have a diplomatic pay-off.

6. Aditya satellite to study the sun.

7. India's human space flight programme.

8. Venus and solar systems exploration programmes( still at inception).

Apart from this, ISRO has many other projects in the pipeline. And it can be seen

that ISRO's projects not only expand the frontiers of science but also help to

safeguard the strategic security of India.

2Q. Critically examine the uses of understanding of neutrinos, and

significance of its research for India. Also critically comment why

set-up of neutrino research facility in India is being opposed. (200

Words)

Neutrinos are IInd most widely occurring particle in universe, and found in three

forms (e, mu and tau). It is charge less, thereby enabling it to travel through planets,

stars, rocks, human bodies without any interaction; and this characteristic has

opened new domains for humanity.



1. Geological: help in detection of oil and mineral deposits (meeting energy

security), unraveling tomography of early geological defects (early warning

system from any seismic activity).

2. Data Transmission: to send data seamlessly without any transmission loss.

3. Medical field: detection of particle traversing human body and detection of

abnormalities (cancer detection)

4. Nuclear-terrorism: can prevent pilferage of nuclear fuels by early detection.

5. Great significance for India, will enable to regain our superiority in neutrino

research, boost science and technology and above all will be a national pride.

However, installation of INO at Bodi West hills region of Theni district attracted

controversies, mainly being

1. Ecological concerns: Risks to buffer zone of Mudumalai, Idukki forests and

nearby animals, risk to Mullaperiyar dam due to rock blasts and its mutagenic

properties. But IISc have clearly mentioned this will not affect nearby forests

as well as careful environmental impact study have been done allaying any

risk to dam. Also, neutrino

has no mutagenic properties.

2. Accusations of secrecy and lack of transparency (was earlier considered a part

of US Fermi lab‘s project). But it has been cleared that it‘s totally indigenous.

3. Mistake of considering Neutrino as neutron and try to link up with neutron

bomb GOI have cleared this initiative, and in years to come India will be

utilizing and capitalizing on its immense potential.

3Q. Write a note on the significance and applications of

ISRO‘s GAGAN‘ (GPS-aided geo-augmented navigation) system.

(200 Words)

GPS-aided geo-augmented navigation (GAGAN) system was developed as a joint

venture between ISRO and the Airports Authority of India. GAGAN would provide

position to airplanes in the Indian airspace with an accuracy of 3 m. This would help

improve the safety of the airplanes especially in difficult weather or terrain.

The applications of GAGAN are numerous -

1. It will be used for Flight Management Services (FMS) and will help the

airlines save money by managing climb, descent and engine performance

profiles.

2. Increase safety by providing an accuracy of ~3m, and hence helpful for

landing in tough weather and terrain such as Mangalore and Leh.



3. Karnataka Forest department used GAGAN to create a database of its

forestlands which is publicly available.

4. GAGAN is also proposed to be used by the Railways to ensure safety at

unmanned level crossings and provide track alignment data by identifying

tracks under stress.

5. The experience of developing GAGAN was useful in developing the IRNSS

system.

6. Help in study of ionospheric behaviour over Indian region.

4Q. Write a note on the European Space Agency‘s (ESA) Philae

Mission and its significance. (200 Words)

Philae is a robotic European space agency lander that accompanied the rosetta

spacecraft until it landed on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko more than 10

years aftr departing from earth. Philae‘s mission was to land successfully on the

surface of a comet, attach itself and send back data about the comet‘s composition,

launched in 2004 on an Ariane 5G+ rocket along with rosetta spacecraft.

The scientific goal of the mission focuses on ―elemental, isotopic, molecular and

mineralogical composition of the cometary material, the characterization of the

physical properties of the surface and sub surface, the large scale structure and the

magnetic and plasma environments of the nucleus.

The significance of the mission lies in the following facts -

1. The comet is believed to be one of the oldest comets, dating from the

beginning of the solar system. Hence, it will act as a time capsule of the

conditions at that time.

2. The mission acts as a technology demonstrator. The insights from the mission

will help plan inter-planetary missions, missions to other comets, asteroids

etc.

3. Such missions could also pave the way for commercial mining of asteroids,

many of which are believed to have several rare elements.

4. The knowledge gained from the mission would help us better understand the

evolution of the solar system.

Topic: Awareness in the fields of bio-technology



1Q. What do you understand by DNA Profiling? Critically examine

the concerns raised against India‘s DNA profiling Bill and comment

if they are valid. (200 Words) DNA profiling is a technique which is used to identify individuals by the

characteristics of their DNA. A DNA profile is a small set of DNA sequences that are

likely to be different in the unrelated individuals.So, this profile is used for

identification of related individuals.This can help in verification of missing persons

and unidentified bodies, investigation of crimes,maintaining database of convicts

and research work.

But In light of the DNA profiling bill, several concerns are expressed

1. Very private information can be collected and misused.

2. As it is a cumbersome process, it will further slow down the justice delivery in

India.

3. Errors in testing can result in false convictions and punishments.

4. It also has a controversial clause of taking samples from intimate parts of

living persons.

5. The clause relating to pedigree may lead to racial and communal profiling.

6. The scope of the bill is too wide as it has allowed the use of DNA data even in

civil cases like abortion, paternity disputes etc will make the database to be

too large to be of any use.

Although this technique is being used in western countries successfully and also

there is a provision of penalty for misuse of data in the current bill , but the bill

already provides so many overreaching powers to the authorities. Thus, the above

concerns are genuine and the bill should provide for adequate safeguards to address

the above issues.

1Q. Write a note on the meaning and applications of Synthetic

Biology.Also examine the ethical issues involved in its application.

(200 Words)

Synthetic biology is a recent branch of biology whose principles are used to design

and construct biological parts, devices and systems, and also to redesign natural

organisms to meet useful purposes.

Synthetic biology is having applications in:

Human application in medicine



1. Novel drugs and antibiotics, vaccines: to tackle antibiotic resistant micro-

organisms, increase efficacy, decrease side effects. For example: Hybridoma

technology for rituximab (anti CD 20) for Rheumatoid arthritis, Hepatitis B

vaccine. (rDNA technology)

2. Ligand targeted delivery systems: to treat certain cancerous tumours

3. Role in genetic and degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer‘s, Parkinsonism,

etc. For example, three parent gamete fusion to remove mitochondrial

diseases, stem cell therapy for pancreatic islet cells (diabetes mellitus)

Food security: pesticide resistant varieties (Bt cotton), high yielding varieties, protein

or mineral enriched cereals, single cell protein, delay in rotting with better quality

and colour. These can enable to meet demands of rapid growing population and

decreasing farmland and environmental risk concerns.

However, just like another face of coin, this technology possesses certain risks with

ethical issues. For Ex.

1. Toxicity and allergens: allergenic properties of donor can be transferred to

recipient.

2. Affecting genetic diversity and ecological balance: being exotic species can

wipe out native species, leading loss to significant genetic pool and new risks

of novel viruses and bacteria due to horizontal gene transfer.

3. These transgenic genes can jump over to cause new diseases or unknown

cancerous conditions.

4. Most important of all Bioterrorism/ biological weapons, as earlier done by

using anthrax and botulism toxin.

1Q. Are antibiotics completely safe for humans? Discuss. (200

Words) Antibiotics are medicines used to treat various types of bacterial infections or

diseases caused.They work in different way over bacteria like destroying the cell wall

of bacteria or stop the mechanism of multiplying the bacteria.

Reasons in favour of using it are:-

1. They are relatively save because they target processes required for microbial

life and leave the rest of our cell alone.

2. They are used in food preservatives.

3. They are used in treating infectious diseases in animal.

4. They also used to control bacteria and fungi that damage fruit and grain.



5. Small amount of antibiotics are added to livestock to stimulate the animal

growth.

Reasons against using it are:-

1. Untargeted destruction of both 'good' and 'bad' bacteria.

2. With regular exposure to antibiotics, bacteria develop self resistance to fight

against antibiotics.

3. Antibiotics if given to child lead to effects on child‘s microbial development

and later lead to obesity.

4. It disturbs the normal pattern of bacteria like bifidobacterium which plays

crucial role in immune system of child.

5. They target our entire microbiome.

6. They became less and less effective with more amd more intake.

With the use of technological test such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) panels

are helpful in finding the infection related to whether infection are cause due to virus

or bacteria.According to necessity treatment can be done.besides having both pros

and cons, antibiotics should be used in extreme cases or danger having our

body.Merely using, it won't pay actual benefit.

1Q. Write a critical note on the origin and sources of Middle East

Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus, or MERS-CoV and its threat to

humans. (200 Words) No proved data, but so far research suggests that MERS(Middle East Respiratory

Syndrome) coming from camels during spring season when they nurse their young

calf. It is mostly occuring in Saudi Arabia and Jordan area which are dry season

Risky for people with underlying health conditions and pulmonary and vestibular

diseases.

For the first time the disease is exported to non-Middle east nations like South Korea

and China because non-compliance of restricting the affected person from travelling

abroad.

People dies because of illness of vital organ like kidney failure and often pneumonia.

There are threats that, such communicable disease may spread because of mass

influx of people in Mecca(Saudi Arabia) for holy pilgrimage. The virus is also most

dangerous to people having underlying health problems or pregnant ladies. The virus



also does not transmit very easily amongst humans. Most of the victims have either

been health care workers or family members in close contact with infected people.

MERS-CoV turned up in three-quarters of samples taken from camels across Saudi

Arabia, according to a study published in early 2014. Camel herders and people who

visited a camel farm or consumed unpasteurized camel milk have been among those

infected. The virus has also been found in bats, suggesting that they may be a natural

reservoir.

1Q. Write a note on the science and methodology of India‘s Revised

National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP). (200 Words) Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program is the state-run tuberculosis control initiative of the Government of India. RNTCP incorporates the principles of directly observed treatment-shortcourse (DOTS). DOTS is a systematic strategy which has five components

1. Political and administrative commitment: Since TB can be cured and the

epidemic reversed, it warrants the topmost priority, which has been accorded

by the Government of India.

2. Good quality diagnosis: Good quality microscopy allows health workers to see

the tubercle bacilli and diagnose properly.

3. Good quality drugs: An uninterrupted supply of good quality anti-TB drugs

must be available. RNTCP provides a box of medication for the entire

treatment for every person registered.

4. Supervised treatment to ensure the right treatment: The RNTCP uses the best

anti-TB medications available in a right way.

5. Systematic monitoring and accountability: Standard recording and reporting

system, and the technique of ‗cohort analyses are used to keep an account of

every person treated.

The second phase on RNTCP which includes DOTS expansion and enhancement,

addressing TB-HIV, MDR-TB and other challenges, contribution to health system

strengthening, involvement of all health care providers, engaging people with TB, and affected communities and involving in research have strengthened the program

and have contributed towards eradication of TB.

The program thus provides, free of cost, quality anti-tubercular drugs across the

country through the numerous Primary Health Centres and the growing number of

private-sector DOTS-providers and thus benefiting the common man.

Topic: Achievements of Indians in science & technology;



1Q. ―Budgetary cuts, failure to make appointments in time, and

political interference in the past year have affected all aspects of

science development in the country and lowered the morale of the

scientific community.‖ Critically comment. (200 Words)

Science & technology is a critical facility for any country to transit to a developed

state. It has been a priority, for our country, since independence, however for the

past few years the sector has faced significant challenges:

1. Budgetary cuts -- The sector has seen consistent decline in plan allocations

especially since the Twelfth Plan. This has stalled various critical research

projects, as well as capacity building efforts.

2. Fund flow is another issue. Budgetary allocations are often delayed due to

systemic hurdles. This delays procurement process, thus hampering research.

3. Politico-bureaucratic interference -- In recent years institutional autonomy

has been breached by undue political interference in matters of appointment,

policy-making etc. Appointing bureaucrats to important decision making

posts distorts synergy.

4. Delay in appointments -- In the past one year there has been consistent delay

in appointing heads to critical research organisations. Several CSIR labs

remain headless.

5. Research stipends have been another important issue. Several scholars have

protested & demanded an increase in remuneration. However their demands

remain unfulfilled. This would discourage students from pursuing research &

lower the morale of existing scholars.

These issues have caused major hurdles in the development of science & technology

in the country. Nonetheless the current government seems determined to turn

around this situation. Science is the edifice of a prosperous nation & it must be given

its rightful share.

1Q. Critically examine India‘s achievement in the indigenisation in

the production of defence products. (200 Words) India is among world largest importers, this fact clearly shows that we lack in meeting

demand of our defence forces. Out indigenous efforts have shown results but there is

a lot of cost escalation and breach of time-limit one after another. This is evident

from the facts:

1. Tejas aircraft had taken more than 2 decades and 20,000 crore rupees.

Even after the completion armed forces were not ready to induct these

aircrafts but as a result of negotiation between forces, DRDO and government

the aircraft is given 1st level clearance now. DRDO is not able to develop its

indigenous Kaveri engine due to restricted access to high-end defence

technology by countries such as USA, JAPAN etc.



2. Arjun Tank project was sanctioned in late 1970s, it was rolled out for trial in

few years back. Even after all these years it is said to be too heavy to use in

actual war operations. Now DRDO is working on using composites to reduce

the weight.

3. First indigenous nuclear submarine (arihanth) was developed in

associated with BARC by DRDO. But it has insufficient fuel inventor because

of which it cannot go for long deployment and further improvements are

necessary.

4. India has co-developed BrahMos missile with Russia. It is one of the best in

its class and air, land and water variants are under development.

5. AGNI V has given India the status of ICBM holder country in 2013 though

the project on integrated guided missile development was started in 1983.

This along with dhanush, nirbhaya, prithvi, akash missiles has improved

our deterrence.

6. India's first indigenous Aircraft carrier INS Vikrant is to be undocked

for sea trials.

Future measures:

1. Improve expenditure on higher education to improve the quality of scientists.

2. Improve public R&D expenditure in defence sector and encouraging private

players to contribute.

3. Encouraging private and foreign investment in defence sector. Pruning of

licence requirements for 50% of the products on the list is a welcome

step. DPP-2013 has already introduced the policy of parity between DPSEs

and private players.

4. ToT is the key here, foreign players are not willing to transfer high-end

technologies, and creative incentives are needed to put in place for this

purpose

5. Providing guarantee of purchase is important for motivating this sector. A

comprehensive defence production policy is needed that can clarify the

important issues.

1Q. Critically examine India‘s achievement in the indigenisation in

the production of defence products. (200 Words) India is among world largest importers, this fact clearly shows that we lack in

meeting

demand of our defence forces. Out indigenous efforts have shown results but there is

a lot of cost escalation and breach of time-limit one after another. This is evident

from the facts:

7. Tejas aircraft had taken more than 2 decades and 20,000 crore rupees.

Even after the completion armed forces were not ready to induct these



aircrafts but as a result of negotiation between forces, DRDO and government

the aircraft is given 1st level clearance now. DRDO is not able to develop its

indigenous Kaveri engine due to restricted access to high-end defence

technology by countries such as USA, JAPAN etc.

8. Arjun Tank project was sanctioned in late 1970s, it was rolled out for trial in

few years back. Even after all these years it is said to be too heavy to use in

actual war operations. Now DRDO is working on using composites to reduce

the weight.

9. First indigenous nuclear submarine (arihanth) was developed in

associated with BARC by DRDO. But it has insufficient fuel inventor because

of which it cannot go for long deployment and further improvements are

necessary.

10. India has co-developed BrahMos missile with Russia. It is one of the best in

its class and air, land and water variants are under development.

11. AGNI V has given India the status of ICBM holder country in 2013 though

the project on integrated guided missile development was started in 1983.

This along with dhanush, nirbhaya, prithvi, akash missiles has improved

our deterrence.

12. India's first indigenous Aircraft carrier INS Vikrant is to be undocked

for sea trials.

Future measures:

6. Improve expenditure on higher education to improve the quality of scientists.

7. Improve public R&D expenditure in defence sector and encouraging private

players to contribute.

8. Encouraging private and foreign investment in defence sector. Pruning of

licence requirements for 50% of the products on the list is a welcome

step. DPP-2013 has already introduced the policy of parity between DPSEs

and private players.

9. ToT is the key here, foreign players are not willing to transfer high-end

technologies, and creative incentives are needed to put in place for this

purpose

10. Providing guarantee of purchase is important for motivating this sector. A

comprehensive defence production policy is needed that can clarify the

important issues.

1Q. Write a note on India‘s Astrosat. (150 Words) Astrosat is India's first space observatory, which is to launched in October this year.

The main features of the Astrosat are

1. It is 1,650 kg spacecraft, which will orbit earth at 650 km and study distant

celestial bodies including - stars, galaxies, black holes and other cosmic

objects.



2. It will carry four X-ray payloads, one UV telescope and a charge particle

monitor, which will allow it perform observations in ultraviolet (UV), optical,

low and high energy X-ray wavebands at the same time.

The launch of the spacecraft will be especially beneficial for the Indian astronomical

community, as it will reduce the community's dependence on data from external

sources like the Hubble. The launch will also make India a member of the exclusive

space club of countries with space observatories, which currently includes - U.S.,

Europe, Russia and Japan As with the launch of MOM, the scheduled launch of

Astrosat has yet again proved to the world, India's space capabilities.

Topic: Awareness in the fields of IT, Computers

1Q. What do you understand by Digital Amnesia? Examine its

causes and consequences. (200 Words) Amnesia literally means 'Without Memory' and is caused by Brain damage, disease

or Phychological disorder. Digital Amnesia is the losing of memory with the

advancement of technology.

Causes:

1. The storage of information in the mobile phones, tablets, computers etc.

increased the Human dependence on them and decreased the use of memory

in remembering the facts. Examples-Contact details, book names etc.

2. The Cloud computing and saving of information on Google etc. has resulted in

the access of information from anywhere in the world. The applications for

information saving too have caused the Humans to over rely on technology

leading to Amnesia by Technological use.

3. Technological advancements and availability of portable devices like

smartphones, pendrives.

4. Unlimited storage capacity offered which is quite higher than the human brain

capacity.

Consequences:

1. The newly emerged disease will result in the lowering of retaining and

recalling memory as Humans will be using it less for such purpose.

2. It will create over dependence on technology leading to a world where

technology will be required to survive and live in the world as we need food.



3. The Security threat to Digital devices or cyber attacks will not only be

hampering the devices but may result in masses becoming bankrupt in

seconds.

4. Due to over dependence on technology in case of no internet or power

connection human mind has lost its spontaneity.

5. Since copy-paste is the new funda developed, a lazy attitude towards writing is

developing.

6. Since majority of examinations in India are written than computerized, the

students also face speed related problems.

With the development of technology, the Human life should improve without any

possible harm. But, over usage of advancing technology is causing the negative

effects. It is time we avert this harm or there may be new diseases becoming part of

our living.

1Q. It is said that though Big Data is the future, India should worry

more about the Dark Data. Elaborate and examine why. (200

Words) Big data is generated from our day to day activity online. The concerned authroity or

companies gather vast amount of data and try to correlate them or find pattern

according to their need. Dark data here refers to the data about the people living in

village and rural area. Such data are collected by governement during different

census.

From government perspective both big data and dark data are important but

between the two, dark data should be greater priority. We all know that most of the

scheme of government are directed towards the poor people. A large number of such

poor people lives in village where there is no internet penetration. Data related to

their activity and aspiration can only be known from different government census &

survey. This data indicates whether they are getting benefitted from government

schemes or not. What problems they are facing at local level or with bureaucracy? We

also need a proper structure regarding how we collect the data. Sometimes we collect

the data and later we find huge mistakes or anomalies within data. We can definitely

minimise such anomalies via various means and use of technology. In a democracy

it's very important for government to be aware about the issues and aspirations of it's

people. Big data people are vocal enough. We need to know about the people living in

dark parts of our country.



1Q. What do you understand by Autonomous Weapons? Recently,

prominent scientists and entrepreneurs have called for global ban

on these weapons. Examine why. (200 Words) Automatic weapons are robotic devices capable of taking their own decision with less

or no human interaction using the technology Artificial Intelligence. As always

science can be both Boon and Bane depending upon the utilization.

Many say Automated robots can be disastrous when used in battle field because:

1. If one country produces these it leads to rate race for weapons by all countries

which is disastrous.

2. Many times decision in battle field is taken on humanitarian sense and since

Robots are predefined so can‘t comply with world humanitarian law and

military code of conduct.

3. If these are into terrorist hands it can lead to catastrophe.

4. Moral to restrict war due to human loss will be effected which can result in

increase frequency and intensity of armed conflict.

5. Other like if Malfunctioning, if fallen into evil minded, cannot differentiate

civilian and terrorist etc.

There is also an optimism like:

1. Can be used during Natural Disaster‘s, emergency ,Maoist insurgency etc.

2. During internal terrorist attacks and example if was used in Punjab terrorist

attack we could save many police and military officer.

1Q. Recently a report from the Department of Telecommunications‘

recommended that the voice over internet protocol-based (VoIP)

domestic calling services, including applications such as

WhatsApp, should be brought under licensing. Critically comment

on this recommendation. (200 Words) Brainstorming over Net Neutrality had brought in a variety of disciplines and angles

which are most important for the future development of communication services.

Increase in the intertwining of telecom and internet services is posing new challenges

as well as advantages to the state and people.

Arguments for regulating the VoIP domestic calling services:

1. Demands by the telecom operators like Airtel, vodafone as VoIP services

displace the level playing field in market there by distorting the revenue

models. Example applications like whatsapp had destroyed the revenue to

operators from sale of SMS packs



2. The above phenomena may decelerate the investment in telecom

infrastructure in areas like broadband width, speed, quality of service

3. Non regulation may lead to security lapses

4. Increase in congestion within existing bandwidth there degradation in quality

of services as OTT service providers are not concerned with capital investment

Arguments against regulation:

1. Telecom operators make good revenue in the form of data usage and this

bound to increase

2. Increase in smart phones and net connectivity will help to bridge the

communication gap in an effective and less capital intensive manner

3. Regulations may hamper the progress in innovations as this market is in a

growth phase

4. Complexities involved in the whole process like determination of tarrif,

monitoring them. Improper understanding of these services shouldn't result

in haphhazard regulations

Any decision taken by India will have far reaching consequences in setting a future

path for rest of the world and the future of such services.

1Q. Write a note on Tools for Brain-Computer Interaction (Tobi)

project. (200 Words) Tools for brain computer interaction is a project initiated by European union which

will make the life of disabled people easy and will help in rehabilitation process of

disabled people like who have motor problems. This tobi project have electrodes that

will be given to patient to hold that will then monitor the brain activity without

actually interfering with brain electrical signal and will ten interact with computer

that will in turn send signal of activity to motor control in initiate voluntary

movement like in case of a paralysed limb thus controlling and restoring motor or

muscle activities of such person. This is a non invasive technique and is based on

electroencephalogram technique.

1Q. Recently Google tested its latest version of self-driving car.

Critically examine the technology used in this car, its uses and

concerns expressed on its uses. (200 Words) Revolution in ICT technologies promises to make driving safer, convenient and

reduce human errors. Mainstreaming of these technologies will take few years but

regulators across the world have to collaborate on making them more reliable.

Working Mechanism:

Human beings use their visual, auditory senses to control the speed, direction of the

car and memory to remember the route. Cameras with 3d-vision capability can



replace the human vision by detecting, tracking of obstacles on the road. Audio

processing is generally done to detect loud noise or horns. LIDAR (light detection

and ranging) system is used. The range finder mounted on the top is a 64-beam

laser. This laser allows the vehicle to generate a detailed 3D map of its environment.

Proximity, Moisture sensors can detect the environmental conditions and adjust

accordingly. All this data is processed in split seconds of time and given to robotic

control system in the car. This system will then take actions like applying brake or

accelerating etc. GPS signal are used make sure that the car is on the right path. Data

can also be sent to nodal centres for monitoring, diverting traffic.

Though all above are proven technologies, the reliability of the system in the chaos of

urban traffic hasn't been tested. Driving has already been made safer with

technologies like assisted parking, GPS navigation and automatic airbags. So

eventually driverless cars will become a reality.

The main aim of these computer controlled cars is that it can eliminate human error

which is a factor in road deaths due to accidents. Self driving cars could also improve

traffic congestion and transport the elderly and disabled. It will also help in reducing

pollution as these are based on electricity.

Range of concerns like security from hackers, reliability, loss of employment do

remain but these can only be tackled when strict regulatory mechanisms are in place.

It is not designed for a long trip. It lacks airbags and other required safety features,

so it cannot go more than 25 miles per hour. Being electric, it needs to be recharged

after 80 miles. It can drive only in those areas that have been thoroughly mapped by

Google. LIDAR technology can't detect some potholes. They also can‘t be used when

humans, traffic police, are managing the traffic.

1Q. What are the objectives of ‗internet.org‘ launched recently by

Facebook? Comment on the controversy surrounding its launch.

(200 Words)

Internet.org is an initiative undertaken by internet giant Facebook. Under the said

initiative, Facebook plans to tie up with Reliance Communications to offer the latter's

subscribers free access to a pre-selected bouquet of over three dozen websites

including Facebook, Microsoft‘s Bing search engine, Reliance Astrology and some

content and news sites. The stated objective of Facebook is to make available internet



to people who don‘t have it by lowering the cost of accessing internet, thereby raising

awareness of the internet's value.

However, this initiative has come under increasing criticism because of the following

reasons:

1. This initiative is violative of the principle of net neutrality, according to

which all traffic on the Internet must be treated equally by internet service

providers. The internet.org initiative by providing a limited websites,

which include Facebook as the centrepiece, omits a huge part of the

internet.

2. In addition to this, the other issue relates to the fact that all participants in

internet.org are all players with commercial intent. Therefore, by this

initiative, they bag a competitive advantage over the others.

3. Further, this initiative undermines an user's autonomy to choose what

website he/she wishes to access as Facebook makes the choice without

consulting the user.

While countries such as Chile and Slovenia have banned such zero-rating schemes,

many European countries are considering the same. In this light, India must also

make an objective assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of such initiatives

and bring in appropriate legislation on the issue of net neutrality.

2Q. Internet apps such as Skype and Whatsapp are under attack for

providing free service of internet-based calls and media exchange.

Examine the merits and demerits of such services and

discuss if these free services should be regulated. (200 Words)

Merits

1. Innovation is the root of scientific development. These apps are the expression

of technological innovativeness.

2. Such apps have increased the connectivity among people, while redefining

ways of doing business

3. Whatsapp is being used by police depts now, where people can report a crime

without actually visiting the police station and ask for help

4. It has strengthened the social fabric, where relatives living far away can talk

regularly, without worrying about call rates

5. They have immense contribution to education; medical field through distance

use and learning.



6. Can also be used by the government to spread/raise awareness among the

populace

7. e-Commerce, has been game changer especially for MSMEs and Traditional

products who can market and sell their products to a wider

Demerits:

1. There have been several incidents where militants are being recruited through

such social networks. Has made committing crimes easy especially trans-

national, because its very tough to track down the origin of Criminals.

2. The uploaded pictures can also used unethically by some anti social elements

3. They might be quick medium of spreading rumours and communal violence.

4. They are eroding the revenue base of ISP companies. SMS has virtually came

to a halt by the advent of whatsapp.

5. They provide the platform for which OTT service providers don‘t pay and reap

benefits. OTT companies have grown far bigger than cellular companies like

the giant Google itself.

6. These are highly sensitive to network quality and congestion which can impact

the continuity of calls at times

7. Further they do not work in the absence of power supply which can be a great

disadvantage for rural areas.

However, it may be noted that technology is essentially value-neutral and can be

either used or abused. The onus is completely on us to use it to its fullest extent and

deter its misuse. A regulation on these services will only impede the revolutionary

potential of these services. It may also open these services to further regulation and

susceptible to subversion by Corporates and other vested interests. These services are

Global-commons and shall be treated as such. Meanwhile, legislation should be

enacted to deter their misuse.

1Q. Considering India‘s large working population and its ambition

to become ‗factory of the world‘, do you think India should

encourage usage of robots in its manufacturing industries?

Critically comment. (200 Words) In the 21st century world, the reliance of technology is much more than ever.

Therefore, artificial intelligence can be employed to help with the growth of the

country. This can best be manifested in the manufacturing sector and its advantages

are:

1. It eliminates human prejudices and all other socio-psychological factors at

workplace which can hamper productivity & efficiency.

2. Only maintenance costs are involved mostly and no need for expenditure on

wages that would have to be given to human beings for the same work.



3. High productivity, economy, efficiency, effectiveness, reduction of error and

better quality of work can be achieved.

4. They can be employed in hazardous industries as well.

5. With rising wages, thrust on robotics in logical which can also induce

competitiveness into our manufacturing. As our manufacturing sector has to

compete at global level, use of robots also leads to economies of scale which is

good for competition at global level. In other words, if the world is going

robotic, Indian manufacturing cannot remain aloof from the trend.

6. Robot factories offer the Indian information technology (IT) sector a new

growth opportunity.

In case of India, the 2nd most populous country, with a favourable demographic

dividend but strife with poverty & unemployment, this may not be entirely

favourable scenario. Also India being a welfare country, the govt is obliged to work

for the prosperity of its citizens. Large proportion of our people don‘t even have their

basic needs fulfilled thus emphasis should be given to upgrade their skills and give

employment to them.

But development cannot be left to suffer by completely abandoning reliance on AI.

Hence there is a need to strike a balance b/w the two so that growth in

manufacturing sector as envisaged via schemes like 'Make in India' can be achieved

along with peace & prosperity of the people.

Topic: issues relating to intellectual property rights

1Q. ―….it must be understood that IP is also located in

unforgettable trademarks — in the creativity of writers, singers and

others, in Geographical Indications (GI), and in traditional

knowledge.‖ Critically examine the benefits of GI and explain why

there is lack of awareness on GI compared to intellectual property

rights. (200 Words) Geographical Indication is a genre of Intellectual Property. It is awarded to those

products that are specially linked to a particular geographical regions. These could be

naturally grown crops like Assam Chillies or manufactured products like Jaipur

Pottery.

Benefits of GI

1. The GI tag allows the producers of the objects to claim a premium for their

products.Thus, it is financially beneficial to them.

2. The GI tag can also pique interest of consumers and thus raise demand for a

product again benefiting the producer.



3. GI tag also helps the original producers of the product to tackle the

reputational problems caused by fake products.

4. Products having GI tag also have a high demand in the export market. Thus,

they also help to bring in valuable foreign exchange.

While there are a lot of benefits to having a GI tag, there is comparatively a lack of

awareness about the same. This is due to the following reasons:

1. Intellectual Property Rights like patents, trademarks etc. generally concern

very sophisticated products or large organisations which are aware aboutthe

benefits of IPR. However, GI is focused towards traditional products which

mostly involve the poorer section.

2. There is no concerted effort by the administration to conduct awareness drives

for the affected people so that they can utilise the GI tag properly.

3. Information about GI tags is rarely available in the vernacular and hence,

inaccessible to the people.

4. The government must leverage the potential of GI tags. India is a vast nation

with diverse cultures and heritage. Proper leverage of the GI tag would help a

vast section of poorly paid artisans to come out of clutches of poverty while at

the same time conserve the heritage of the country.

5. Scarcity of raw material making them to choose alternative employment

eg.Thanjavur veena -raw material Jackfruit tree which was scarce now.

6. There is lack of standardization of the quality which poses a challenge to get

them legal status

7. Market and pricing are fragmented, the intermediaries devalues the product

1Q. ―To realise the twin dreams of ‗Innovate in India‘ and ‗Make in

India‘, the government needs to build a competitive, thriving

environment by prioritising scientific research with a strong

intellectual property (IP) system.‖ In the light of the statement

critically analyse nature of India‘s present IP regime, the changes it

requires and its importance to India‘s economy. (200 Words)

India‘s current IP regime:

1. IP in India is regulated by several laws, rules and regulations under the

jurisdiction of different ministries/departments.

2. Clauses in the Patents Act of 2005 provide for a high standard of patentability,

allows for compulsory licensing provisions and pre- and post-grant objection



to patents. Not all of these are in tune with established international best

practices.

3. Enforcement environment remains challenging with high levels of physical

and online piracy

However, patent laws in India are compliant with the Agreement on Trade-Related

Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).

Importance of a strong IP regime to India‘s economy:

1. IP has direct bearing on FDI in research and technology oriented sectors. This

would in turn increase economic growth, entrepreneurship, productivity,

access to technology and productive employment.

2. Less than 50,000 patent applications are filed every year in India. India

attracts only 2.7 per cent of global R&D spend. Some analysts attribute this to

India‘s IP regime.

3. It would foster innovation and creativity in our knowledge economy

Changes required in India‘s IP regime:

1. While India‘s IP laws are robust, there is a need to review IP-related rules for

better enforcement- especially to prevent and punish piracy

2. Need for uniformity and harmonization in the IP policies to improve

predictability, transparency and effective implementation

3. Need for setting up patent benches in high courts for fast enforcement. Setting

up of commercial courts is a welcome step in this direction.

4. Spread more awareness among people regarding benefits of IP rights.

[Additional information: According to GIPC ( Global Intellectual Property

Center), economies with robust and higher IP protection have 50 per cent

more innovative output and are 40 per cent more likely to invest in research

and development.

statutes governing different kinds of IP in India are the Trade Marks Act,

1999, Patents Act, 1970, Copyright Act, 1957, Geographical Indications of

Goods (Registration and Protection), 1999, Protection of Plant Varieties and

Farmers' Rights Act, 2001, Biological Diversity Act, 2002. nodal department

for trademarks, patents, designs and geographical indications is the

Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP), which functions under

the Ministry of Commerce and Industry; copyright is administered by the

Ministry of Human Resource Development, plant varieties and farmers' rights



is administered by the Ministry of Agriculture; and biological diversity is

administered by the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

The 'Make in India' vision cannot survive in the long-term without concrete

measures to build a concurrent 'Create in India' movement.]

2Q. Ten years have passed since the Indian Patents Act, 1970 was

amended in 2005 to bring the country‘s laws in line with the

Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property

Rights (TRIPS). Critically discuss its salient features and their role

in making India the ―Pharmacy of the Third World‖. (200 Words)

Indian patent act was amended to bring it in sync with TRIPS agreement as per India's commitment to WTO which made the patent laws more stringent with necessary safeguards.

The salient features of Indian Patent act post amendment are

1. Changing patent definition from process patent to product patenting.

2. Addition of section 3d to the Act against evegreening of patents to prevent

undue benifits to the patent holder. (Novartis)

3. Provision of compulsory licensing under which license can be given to

companies every before expiry of the tenure of original patent holder on the

grounds of public interest. (natco pharma)

4. Making enforcement of provisions more strong with establishment of

Intellectual Property Apellate tribunal in cases of appeal against the decision.

India is being regarded as the pharmacy of the third world as its generic drug makers

supply affordable drugs to poor countries such as sub-saharan african nations for

diseases such as Malaria and AIDS augmenting public healthcare systems. However,

Indian patent regime is criticised as inadequate in protecting IPRs with outcomes

such as putting India in Priority Watch list by US, Need is to strike a balance between

public interest in terms of affordability and a need to protect IPRs in order to support

innovations.



Environment and Biodiversity Topic: Conservation; Environmental pollution and degradation

1Q. Critically discuss the components of environmental

remediation of contaminated sites and rehabilitation of affected

people, and the policy measures taken by the government and

related agencies to address this issue in India. (200 Words) Major tragedies like Bhopal Gas Tragedy, BP oil spill along USA coast, mercury

contamination in Kodaikanal etc highlights the significance of environmental

remediation of contaminated sites. The major components associated with it:

1. Isolating the affected place and scientific analysis of environmental damage

caused. Analysing agency should work without any interference and should

either be independent or a court monitored probe.

2. Proper responsibility should be fixed on the culprits and should be forced to

clean up the site and monetarily also compensate for it.

3. Standards should be formulated for different pollutants.

4. Independent probes and social reviews should also be done to verify the

cleanup.

5. Lessons learnt and probe reports should be formulated and made public.

Components related to rehabilitation of affected people:

1. People should be vacated from the affected site and proper arrangements

should be made

for their living

2. Relocation arrangements should be made

3. Penalizing the responsible people for causing the damage and make them pay

for rehabilitation of public

4. Proper safety clauses and penal clauses should be included in agreements

5. Adequate compensation should be provided

The policies and measures taken by the government and related agencies –

1. The Supreme Court Monitoring Authority Committee urged TNPCB to

independently access contamination of Unilever's site in Kodaikanal but the

regulator has not taken even a single soil sample in the last 14 years and

Unilever's report remains the basis for the clean up.

2. The site of Union Carbide's factory in Bhopal still remains dangerously

contaminated and continues to claim lives as inspection by the government

has not been done.

3. Launch of National Air Quality index.



4. National Biodiversity Act.

5. Work of National Green Tribunal.

[Add information: The development objective of World Bank assisted Project on

―Capacity Building for Industrial Pollution Management‖ is to remediate ten highly

polluted sites two in Andhra Pradesh and Eight in West Bengal on pilot basis, to

develop a National Programme for Rehabilitation of Polluted Sites (NPRPS) as well

as to build human and technical capacity in selected Pollution Control Boards. The

estimated cost of the project, to be implemented for a period of five years, is USD

75.39 million.

The main outcome of the project is development of a policy, institutional and

methodological framework for the establishment of a National Programme for

Rehabilitation of Polluted Sites. This programme will be implemented as a National

Mission and will undertake a comprehensive approach to remediation of legacy

polluted sites all over the country]

2Q. Experts have warned that India‘s extreme vulnerability to

climate change will have a direct impact on the health of its

population. Elaborate. (200 Words) Climate change will have an over-arching effect on all physical and psychological

aspects of human health.

1. Rising temperatures will lead to rise in the population of vectors like

mosquitoes which will also increase their geographical spread to erstwhile

cooler areas. this will lead to increase in prevalence of diseases like malaria,

chikungunya, dengue etc

2. Increase incidence of heat waves will lead to dehydration, heat strokes etc

3. Changing climate patterns will alter the life cycle of plants which may lead to

pollen, spores etc of plants at atypical times leading to allergies

4. Encroaching sea water into coastal groundwater aquifers will increase salinity

which may increase salt content of drinking water making it unfit and causing

metabolic disorders

5. In the medium and long term, increase incidence of drought and floods will

lead to reduction in crop yields in various areas which may lead to hunger and

debilitating diseases like protein energy malnutrition. the variety of crops

grown may also be reduced leading to loss of macro and micro nutrients in the

diet causing various deficiency disorders.

6. Increasing temperatures, heat waves will lead to psychological problems like

anger, irritabilty etc which may have cascading effects like accidents, violence

etc, changing climate patterns will affect bodily rhythms and also lead to

mood aberrations, depression etc



Apart from these harmful affects some positive aspects may be present. The old in

colder areas will benefit for rising temperatures. More crop variety will be grown in

these regions leading to improvement in local nutrient availability. However these

will be far outweighed by the harms of global warming and emission reduction along

with livelihood security are the need of the hour to prevent long term health

deterioration.

1Q. Do you think banning plastic bags is an environment friendly

measures? Substantiate. (200 Words) The deleterious effects of plastics on environment are hardly hidden from us but our

desire for greater convenience prevents us from giving up the use of plastic bags. The

plastic bags leave a great impact on our environment:

1. Injurious to marine life: when plastics reach water bodies they threaten lives

of sea plants and animals.

2. Poisonous gases like dioxins are released when plastics are burnt. They can

cause ashtama and other diseases.

3. Plastics block drains. Water from drains overflows and becomes a breeding

ground for diseases.

4. They add to municipal waste.

5. It is difficult to dispose them. Using landfills might contaminate ground water.

In this light banning plastic appears to be a solution. But will it work? India banned

plastics less than 20µm in 2002. Many states in India like Rajasthan and Jharkhand

have taken steps to implement this but with little effect.

The reasons why it has not worked properly are:

1. Lack of enforcement mechanism: We have law but no implementation due to

inactive authorities.

2. The alternatives to plastic bags i.e. paper and jute bags are expensive.

3. Paper bags are made from wood which comes from deforestation. This is no

less damaging to the environment.

4. Only plastic bags less than 20µm in thickness are banned. Hence, people

continue to use plastics not falling in this category.

A ban without taking into account the far-reaching consequences will not fetch

results. A plastic ban coupled with viable alternatives is the need of the hour.



1Q. Critically discuss the importance of social forestry programme

in combating climate change. Also comment on its implementation

in India. (200 Words) Social forestry emphasis on development of trees outside the forest.

Groups of social forestry:

1. farm forestry,

2. community forestry,

3. extension forestry

4. agro-forestry

Objective of social forestry

1. To decreases dependency on natural forest for fuel wood, poles, timber and

fodder.

2. To create jobs.

3. To protect environment and aid agriculture.

Advantages of social forestry:

1. Decrease pressure on natural forest by increases production of timber,

fuelwood,fooder etc.

2. Cover barren lands.

3. Raw material for pulp industry.

4. Employment generation in rural areas.

5. Forest restoration and improve ecological balance.

6. Help in research.

Importance of social forestry programme in combating climate change.

1. Increase in carbon stocks.

2. Act as Co2 sinks.

3. Mitigates air pollution.

4. Acts as alternative source of forest , which help in controlling deforestation

which in turn reduce contribution of carbon from deforestation.

Implementation in India: Social forestry started in India mid of 80s with financial

assistance of World Bank and European Union. It helped in conservation and

afoorestaion of forrst. The forest policy act 1988 supported the social forestry which

made it as people‘s movement. Government initiatives to support social forestry like

MGNREGA, Silviculture and Forestry Research, Natural Regeneration and



Enrichment of Forests etc and Awareness campaigns like of vana mahotsava,

environment day, wildlife week

1Q. Write a note on the differences between biofuel, bioethanol,

biodiesel and biogas. Examine efforts made by India to to

popularise these fuels. (200 Words) Bio Fuel: These are fuels made from living organism or the waste they produce; by

the process of carbon fixation. Bio fuels are categorised into 1st, 2nd and 3rd

generation bio fuels. 1st generation bio fuels are made of food crops like corn, 2nd

generation from those crops that are not food crops like jatropa and from food crops

unfit for consumption like waste vegetables etc. 3rd generation is made from algae.

Bioethanol, biodiesel and biogas are a class of Bio Fuels.

1. Bio ethanol: It is produced from fermentation of carbohydrate and cellulosic

material of crops and other plants and grasses. It is generally used as an

additive to increase octane number of fuel.

2. Bio Diesel: It is a methyl or methly ester of fatty acids produced by trans

esterification of oils and fats obtained from plants and animals. It can be

directly used as fuel.

3. Bio gas: Biogas is methane produced by anaerobic digestion of organic

material by anaerobes. It can be produced either from biodegradable waste

materials or by the use of energy crops fed into anaerobic digesters to

supplement gas yields.

Bio fuels form an essential element of energy security of India. Being an environment

friendly fuel it also addresses the climate change imperatives. India has a dedicated

National Bio Fuel policy that acts as an overarching framework for bio fuels in India.

Our Bio fuel production is based mostly on Jatropa. To popularise Bio fuel

Government has taken following initiatives:

1. Making 10% blending compulsory for transport sector and declaring intended

target of 20% blending by 2017 in National Bio Fuel policy.

2. Making availability of blended fuel at all major cities.

3. Allowing major transport sectors to purchase biofuel directly.

4. Jatropha incentives of Goverment have been identified as a part of achieving

energy independence. SBI has signed an MoU to provide loans for Jatropha

cultivation. Various platforms for spreading awareness, such as Cinema halls

are being utilised to popularise the uses of Jatropha.



5. Indian Railways have started using bio diesel mixed with its fuel with great

success.

6. Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas announces the opening of various

outlets for High-Speed Diesel mixed wit Bio Diesel.

7. Karnataka government has started biofuel parks to supply biofuel to transport

corporations.

There is a need to further synergise the biofuel use as its not only environment

friendly but also has strategic significance by reducing CAD and reliance on crude

imports. But simultaneous we should ensure that food crops are not diverted for it or

else are food security would be jeopardised.

2Q. What do you understand by unsustainable fishing? Examine its

causes and consequences. (200 Words) Sustainability refers to the endurance or the capacity to last.Sustainable use of

natural resources is important for providing posterity with the natural wealth is our

very responsibility and also enshrined in the objectives of various global sustainable

goals.

Causes:

1. Massive overfishing practices. Specially by advanced countries with better

fishing technologies. Japan, USA are good examples whose pacific fishing

grounds have been overly-exploited.

2. Poor Management practices - inadequate regulations, slack implementation of

sustainable fishing and ignoring scientific principles, lack of transparency.

3. Economic compulsions lead to excessive fishing by low-income countries of

South East Asia who greatly rely on fish for cheap protein food sources.

4. Unfair Fisheries agreements by developed nations with poor, developing

nations.

5. Destructive practices - Advanced Trawlers, Cyanide fishing, Dynamite fishing

etc

6. Irrational subsidies to boats, fleets and presence of pirates aggravates the

problem.

7. Very low extent of no-go areas globally.

8. Unnecessary slaughter:- There is massive by catch of other marine species and

juvenile fish.

9. Lack of regulations in the Marine Protected Areas (MPA).Though many

fisheries are declared as MPAs, only 1.2 percent of them are regulated.



10. With the flourish of Tourism, number of restaurants in the coastal regions

increased. Most of them prefer unsustainable methods to meet their demands.

Consequences :

1. Leads to extinction of several aquatic species and damage natural wealth

beyond repair.

2. Traditional fishing communities losing ground to giants fishing firms.It

deprives them of livelihood and drags them into poverty.

3. Scarcity of Fish, a cheap source of protein, will affect the nutrition and

consumption of low, middle classes.

4. Loss of nation's natural wealth to developed foreign countries.

1Q. Recently the US government released new Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA) rules and a Clean Power Plan to address the challenges of

climate change effects. Critical comment on the significance of the plan

and examine why some sections are opposed to this. (200 Words) The US governments new EPA rules and Clean Power Plan will reduce USA s

emission levels by one-third and increase reliance on renewable sources of energy.

The Plan is very significant in economic, medical, environmental and regulatory

terms.

1. Economic-The Plan will spur investment in clean energy and create lakhs of

jobs. By 2030 the US will meet 28% of its energy needs from renewable

sources.

2. Medical-The Plan will reduce premature deaths due to power plant emissions

by 90% by 2030 compared to 2005.

3. Environmental-The new rules will lead to coal based power plants being

phased out completely by 2030 reducing emissions drastically. It is the US s

first step ever to cut emissions.

4. Regulatory-EPA rules allow States to set their own emission targets. States

that invest early in renewable energy will be rewarded.

Demerits of Clean Power Plan

1. The Plans emission targets are quite modest compared to the EUs resolution

to cut emissions by 40% over 1990 levels.

2. Ahead of COP21 in Paris, the US as the second largest emitter of greenhouse

gases has only shown moderate ambition. It may not be enough to limit global

warming to 2 degrees C (UN set target).

The main groups opposing the Clean Power Plan are-



1. Republican Party-The Republicans of the USA oppose the EPA on the grounds

that it has not achieved previous goals and is unlikely to do so now.

2. Supporters of coal use-US states where coal makes up most of the energy

basket and provides large scale employment are opposing EPA and may resort

to legal action.

2Q. Critically comment on the actions taken by India – referred to

as the Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) under

the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to

address the climate change effects. (200 Words) Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (under UNFCCC) taken by India to

address the climate change effects are:

1. Increasing the Solar Energy generation target from 20,000 MW to 100 GW by

2022.

2. Increasing carbon tax on coal from Rs 50 to Rs 100 per tonne.

3. Raising the excise duty on petrol and diesel to check consumption.

4. Price deregulation of Petrol and diesel to reduce subsidy and increase cost

thus

checking consumption.

5. Strictly enforcing BEE star rating scheme for appliances,

6. Removing anti dumping duty on solar panel imported from USA, China.

7. Instituting Partial Risk Guarantee fund under framework for energy efficient

economic development.

8. National air quality index

These steps shows the commitment of India towards UNFCCC despite its status of a

developing nation with local commitments to fulfill. But seeing the direction of

advancement of global climate change talks and the obligations to submit intended

nationally determined contribution targets before the Paris talks(COP21), India

needs a more focused approached. It needs to do the sectoral review of emission

status and fix sectoral targets while taking their future growth in mind.

Simultaneously green technologies should be developed indigenously and procured

from where they are available. This would not only meet the global obligations but

will also bring more compactness to our climate change mitigation strategy.



3Q. It is said that the Kanha Tiger Reserve‘s goal-oriented

strategies and systematic conservation practices have over the

years made it an embodiment of the concept of biodiversity

conservation in the country, one that others can emulate. Examine

why. (200 Words) The reasons Kanha's conservation strategies should be emulated by other states are

:-

1. In situ conservation :- Kanha has played a pioneering role in in-situ

conservation of the entire flora and fauna found in the reserve. Some specific

animals that have been conserved in-situ are the tiger, bear, barasingha and

wild dogs.

2. Maintaining a buffer zone :- Kanha was the first tiger reserve to introduce a

functional buffer zone in 1995. Kanha has also relocated all human

inhabitations outside the core area , immensly aiding conservation.

3. Involving locals :- Kanha has successfully involved locals in biodiversity

conservation by setting up committees and drawing up programmes for this

purpose. Socio-economic upliftment of locals thanks to these programmes has

changedtheir attitude towards conservation for the better.

4. Monitoring mechanism :-The monitoring strategiesinclude use of trained staff

as well as photography and other techniques to monitor flora an fauna.

Experts from different institutionsalso give inputs regarding the biodiversity

status in Kanha.

5. Restoration of the ecosystem :- Unlike other reserves, Kanha has recovered

from previous ecological harm. Degraded sal , bamboo and grasslands have

been revived successfully. The grasslands in particular support the barasingha

and blackbuck.

6. Relocation of species :- Certain species from Kanha like tigers and barasingha

have been relocated to other reserves like Panna, Satpura and Pench. Thus the

chance of conserving biodiversity successfully have improved.

1Q. What do you understand by ‗Compensatory Afforestation‘ in the

Indian context? The recently introduced Compensatory

Afforestation Fund Bill, 2015 (CAF Bill) has given rise to many

apprehensions amongst environmentalists. Critically examine

what these apprehensions are and comment on the other objectives

of the Bill. (200 Words) Compensatory afforestation means afforestation done in lieu of diversion of forest

land for non forest use. For this money is collected from companies to whom forest

land is diverted. Centre proposed CAF bill,2015 which has following objectives:



1. To provide an appropriate institutional mechanism, both at the Centre and in

each State and Union Territory

2. To provide safety, security and, transparency in utilization of amounts realised

in lieu of forest land diverted for non-forest purpose

3. Ensure expeditious utilization of accumulated unspent amounts available with

the ad hoc Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning

Authority (CAMPA)

But recent CAF Bill has many flaws which have been highlighted by

environmentalists as:

1. The bill promotes breaking of large forest land into smaller patches which

disrupts landscape connectivity, affecting dispersal of animals, creates new

edges that expose forest to exploitation and severe degradation. Therefore

there is no consolidation of OGF (old growth forest) but fragmentation of

them.

2. The species raised are non native to the areas where they are planted. This

causes degradation of indigenous or native species. E.g KIOCL ( Kudremukh

Iron Ore Company Ltd.) planted trees in Bhadra river basin which has

destroyed natural grassland over there

3. The compensatory afforestation has only increased tree cover as VDF(very

dense forest) and MDF(moderately dense forest) has declined. This was

highlighted by Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science & Technology,

Environment & forest. This shall be taken into

account.

4. Bill also does not provide for natural restoration and regeneration of degraded

forest

5. Misutilisation by centre and state government due to corrupt practices in

utilisation and cover-up exercise to meet the norms of CAMPA.

6. With essence of mono-culture and compulsive in nature, Planned man made

afforestation can not compete with the natural forest generation.It is well

known fact that biodiversity generation in man made forests will be several

times lower than what usually found in natural forests.

7. Over-exploitation and slow rate of Regeneration will reverse all the attempts

of increased forest cover of 24.01%(as per latest FSI ) which still is miles short

of one third forest cover in the country.

The need of the hour is to promote consolidation of OGF, restoring degraded ecology

and using funds for non native plantations only in extreme case when forest is

extremely degraded with no trace of native species



1Q. Name any three most dangerous invasive species and explain

how these species affect native ecosystem. Also suggest measures

needed to address their threats. (200 Words) Three most dangerous invasive species include:

1. Nile Perch: Introduced in lake Victoria led to extinction of Lake Victoria in

east Africa led eventually to the extinction of an ecologically unique

assemblage of more than 200 species of cichlid fish in the lake.

2. African Catfish: It was introduced to improve aquaculture but currently it is

posing threat to indigenous catfishes.

3. Lantana: They came from Central and South America and are spread in South

Africa . They competes and replaces indigenous species.

Measures to address threat:

1. There should be effective mechanisms to prevent their introduction in first

instance.

2. There should be monitoring of pathways from where these species enter . For

example Canada is suffering from aquatic invasive species problem . The

pathway through which they enter Canada is shipping, boats; .the best

example being zebra mussels which is an invasive species in Great Banks.

3. Newly detected invaders should be removed quickly as these species have a

tendency to multiply because they have no predators in new environment .

4. There are certain sites that are vulnerable or potential sites for invasion , a

careful assessment of such sites needs to be done.

5. Biological control is another method in which invaded species are eaten up by

another species ,it works well for invertebrates.

Invasive species are causing biggest threat to biodiversity after habitat loss and

fragmentation and therefore their control becomes significant to protect local flora

and fauna . Various efforts are already in place but lot more needs to be done.

2Q. Critically examine how illegal mining of river sand in various

parts of India is affecting the ecology of rivers and lives of people in

the vicinity of these rivers. (200 Words) Due to boom in real estate/ construction activities specially in post liberalization

era,there has been a major spike in the sand (beach and river basin ) requirement.It

has resulted in unscientific and indiscriminate sand mining against the prescribed

rules,also known as illegal sand mining.Many states of India like Tamilnadu (



Cauvery etc,Karnataka,Gaujarat,Madhya Pradesh,Mahashtra etc have witnessed

increased incidences in recent past. It has affected the river ecology and lives of

people nearby as –

1. It pollutes the rivers ( low PH, mix of various metal oxides, reduces oxygen

and thus, increased BOD ). This badly affects river biota.

2. Instream sand mining results in the destruction of aquatic and riparian

habitat through large changes in the channel morphology. Impacts include

bed degradation, bed coarsening, lowered water tables near the streambed,

and channel instability.

3. Polluted water and also reduced ground water levels due to sand mining lead

to drinking water shortage and also agrarian distress in the vicinity, which in

turn has triggered an exodus of people to urban clusters, upsetting the

economic and cultural balance of a society. Also, creates social -tension

4. Illegal sand mining also results in damage to physical infrastructure ( like

railways, bridges, highways etc) nearby, resulting in further economic distress

of the community.

5. The indiscriminate mining has also destroyed hills, eroded biodiversity

spheres, denuded forests and degraded fertile soil. It has changed the physical

characteristics of river basins, impacting heavily the socio-economic condition

of local people.

6. Sand mining generates extra vehicle traffic, which negatively impairs the

environment.

Having said that, we certainly need sand for to meet the increasing demand. Sand

mining also employs nearly 1.1 millions in the country. Hence, the need to is better

implement legislative mechanisms and various judicial pronouncements for

sustainable sand mining. Effective and periodic monitoring is also a must.

Additionally, we should also look for quality yet affordable alternatives to sand to

meet ever increasing demand for sand without compromising riverine ecology and

badly affecting people nearby due to illegal sandmining.

1Q. Write a critical note on each of the following in about 100

words:

a) Teraethyl Lead (TEL)

b) Biopurification Teraethyl Lead (TEL)-



1. TEL is an organolead compound(chemical compounds containing a chemical

bond between carbon and lead). It is a toxic colourless synthetically made oily

liquid and was mixed with leaded petrol in 1920s as a patented octane

booster/ anti-knocking agent that allowed engine compression to be raised

substantially, which helped in increasing vehicle performance or fuel

economy.

2. But its negative impact related to neurotoxicity (lead poisoning), damaging

effect on catalytic converters and were main cause for spark plug fouling

which lead to start of its phase out in 1970s

3. Currently, it is still used as an additive in some grades of aviation gasoline and

in some developing countries

Biopurification:

1. It is the natural process of exclusion of harmful elements from human body

(to maintain optimum level) that has evolved through millions of years of

human evolution.

2. Also known as Shodhan in ayurveda which is also known as Panchkarma

therapy.

3. For example: Calcium and Barium are found in tandem. While calcium is

useful for us, barium is poisonous. Our body has evolved in such a way that it

produces protein that effectively absorbs calcium while being almost

ineffective for Barium

4. According to concept of biopurification, natural concentration of harmful

elements in human body should be far lower than toxic levels

5. This concept of biopurification was first conceptualized by Clair patterson, a

geochemist in trying to nullify Robert Kehoe's (medical scientist) claim for

higher toxic natural level of lead in human body.

1Q. Do you think recent weather anomalies such as extreme heat

waves, heavy rains, untimely floods and other similar weather

phenomena are the result of global warming? Critically examine

and, if it‘s true, suggest who needs to do what to combat the impact

of global warming. (200 Words)

In the recent past, weather anomalies like extreme heat waves, heavy rains, untimely

floods etc. have increased in intensity as well as occurrence. However, while there is

no certainty and linking any individual weather anomaly to global warming is

impossible yet we can make a probabilistic determination of the linkages between the



two. A study by swiss researchers has linked 75% of the heat extremes from 1901 to

2005 to global warming. Such linkages have been corroborated by other studies also.

Role Of Stakeholder In Combating Global Warming;

At Individual Level:-

1. Here we just need to change life style. Ex-for short distance we need to use

cycle and public transport rather burning petrol in car and we should switch

off light, fan TV etc when we don‘t use it.

2. Should make house in such a way that we will get natural light and air so there

will be less use AC and light. In short, we should innovate and adopt every

step where we can mitigate global warming.

At community level:-

1. Here we can go for social forestry and should make aware people and should

work with Govt and NGOs.

2. In rural areas community global plant can be made where waste from village

will discharge and people will get gas from that plant so use of cow dung and

wood so no rise in co2 and no global warming.

At govt level:-

1. Govt should spend at least 2 percent of GDP in research of green technology.

2. There should be proper implementation of carbon tax.

3. Govt should shift from non-renewable energy source to renewable energy

source.

At international level:-

1. Here developed nation should provide know-how of green energy and along

with capital to developing and least developing countries.

2. Montreal and kyoto protocol should be reformed and strictly implement.

3. All nations jointly work on research and develop of green technology so that

result will come fast and financial burden will less.



1Q. Write a note on the international convention of 2001 on civil

liability for bunker oil pollution damage of the International

Maritime Organization and its significance to India and world

environment. (200 Words) Oil spill damage has widespread implications both for marine ecology and

environment. Coating of oil on water level affects buoyancy of sea-birds, leads to

ingestion of oil by mammals and is hazardous for sea corals. Its long term impacts

are decreased supply of oxygen and sunlight, affecting food web, decreased fish and

wildlife populations and livelihood options of littoral residents.

In view of these, recent proposal (June, 2015) to accede to Bunker convention is praiseworthy.

Bunker convention (IMO):

1. Adopted in 2001 and came in force in 2008, to ensure that adequate prompt

and effective compensation is available to persons who suffer damage caused

by oil spills when carried as fuel in ship‘s bunkers.

2. It applies to damage caused in territorial and EEZ (200 nautical miles) water,

and include state vessel anywhere and foreign vessel in state‘s water.

3. Every ship over 1000 tonnes will require to have a certificate to enter or leave

India.

Benefits:

1. Global environmental benefits which includes protection of marine life and

effective compensatory mechanisms.

2. It has huge implications for Indian trade, now her ships can visit foreign

ports with domestic issued certificates (earlier required foreign compliance

certificates)

3. Protection of its immediate marine environment which is a livelihood

source of its residents.

4. Protection to Indian water from oil spill hazards and will bring out

effective compliance standards to be met by owners and manager of

vessels.

2Q. ―India must signal serious intent, both because it wants to be

seen as a responsible global player, and because an effective

climate agreement is firmly in its own interests.‖ With reference to

upcoming United Nation‘s Climate Change Conference in Paris in

December, critically analyse the statement. (200 Words) Climate change today has become a buzz word and concerns as well as efforts are

rising globally over this issue .India must show some serious signals reflecting It's

intent for contributing in these global efforts because :-



1. Various developed countries like EU and US has already declared their

intended reduction in carbon emissions for future and are persistently arguing

for developing countries like china and india to declare their own intended

nationally determined contributions (INDCs) .As china also recently in a deal

with us has promised to peak its ,emissions by 2030 .So it's clearly india's turn

to do the similar pledges which will clearly reflect its Intent to be a responsible

player in global arena.

2. An effective climate change agreement is very much in interest of india given

its high Social, Ecomical and Geographical vulnerabilities like still being a

developing as well as agrarian economy with a large chunk of population still

living under absolute poverty e.tc

steps like upgrading its copenhagen pledge (I.e. reducing the economy's

carbon emission intensity to 20 to 25 percent below 2005 level by 2020) by 10

to 15 percent more reduction in intensity by 2030; commitment to bend the

mission curve downward; more deeper emphasis on "co-benefit approach" to

climate change along with few specific immediate action like emphasising on

renewable energy etc become quite advisable.

However, acceptance of any binding cuts in carbon emission or acceptance of a

Peaking Clause will undermine the India's Stand for Common but Differentiated

Responsibility.

Developed nations assume the historical responsibility for contributing major

portion of CO2 during Industrial revolution. Thus, developed nations should go for

much deeper cuts before asking developing nations to accept the responsibility.

Most of the developing countries are facing widespread poverty and the process of

economic development will require energy consumption at large scale

Finally as recent economic survey says- india must stand for a 2015-climate

agreement which should be Comprehensive, Balanced, Equitable, Pragmatic and conforming to the cardinal principles of United Nation framework for climate change

like "common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR)"; financial and

technological transfer by developed countries; providing adequate carbon space to

the developing countries etc.



1Q. The new draft National Wildlife Policy, framed by the Ministry

of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, suggests amending

existing laws to allow hunting of animals like cobras to

accommodate ―religious and cultural‖ practices. Do you think this

exception is required? Examine the key issues and concerns

regarding this policy and critically comment on them. (200 Words) The new Draft National Policy on Wildlife by the Ministry of Environment and

Forests has opened a proverbial can of worms as this suggests amending existing

laws in order to allow hunting of animals like Cobras to accommodate ‗religious and

cultural‘ practices based on the recommendation of

the TSR Subramaniam Committee.

It is undoubtedly a regressive step. While it is important that religious and cultural

practices are not hindered, however, in cases where those practices have a larger

impact, such practices cannot be sanctioned.

Such a policy will have the following ill effects –

1. It will encourage poaching of such animals which could endanger their

survival.

2. In the garb of legitimate hunting or ‗cultural‘ practices, many illegal activities

might also be propagated.

3. It opens the door on similar demands by other cultural groups in case of other

flora and fauna.

4. It will lead to grave cruelty to animals which are ultimately included in the list.

5. Can even lead to illegal international trade in wild life which will put India in

bad light as India is signatory to CITES.

Thus, it is true that in a multi-cultural, multi-religious society like ours, we have to

respect the sentiments and way-of-living of people, at the same time, we would need

to evolve our cultures and traditions. The Nyishi tribals of Arunachal Pradesh have

learned to embrace artificial fibreglass casques instead of hunting the endangered

hornbills for headgear — that is evolution. This way, would serve both the purposes -

humane treatment to our wildlife and better time-aligned and forward looking

traditions.

1Q. Write a critical note on the Global Apollo Programme and

examine why India is considered as pivotal to this program. (200

Words) 1. Global Apollo Program plan is the brainchild of a group of scientist,

economists and businessmen of UK to make the cost of clean energy lower



than the conventional sources of energy within 10 years. However, it calls for

15 billion pound a year spending on R&D of green energy.

2. The nations joining the programme would get a place on the global

commission that would coordinate and direct the research to avoid

duplication but each nation has to commit .02% of GDP spending on R&D

within their own country.

3. This global commission will develop a roadmap of research, development and

demonstration of projects to achieve its objects. A similar, though smaller

commission already exists to coordinate R&D on semiconductors and has

resulted in continuous falls in computer chip costs.

4. India has ample source of solar, hydel and wind resources which can be

harnessed sustainably.

5. Furthermore, India has 2nd largest workforce in the world, which if provided

with direction-able platform, can achieve much in R&D.

6. Therefore with .02% of GDP contribution, India can help this international

mission to maximize the results.

1Q. Should ecotourism be encouraged in India? why? Critically

comment. (200 Words) Ecotourism signifies tourism involving exploration of natural landscape as national

parks, wildlife sanctuaries and biosphere reserves to enjoy scenic beauty of rich

varieties of flora and fauna,.

Experts argue that promotion of ecotourism is necessary to disseminate wider

knowledge of nature, strengthening conservation efforts. It plays a significant role in

empowering local communities by providing them alternative sources of livelihood.

Further, resource generation by the way of ecotourism can be further invested in

conservation efforts.. It shall stimulate commitment on the parts of forest officials in

performance of their duties.

However, ecotourism is not free from challenges. Environmentalists point out that it

hinder free mating process among animals. Crowded tourism aggravates challenges

of waste accumulation, pollution and poaching activities. Displacement of locals for

expansion of tourism projects is another serious issue.

However, complete abandoning of ecotourism shall not be feasible option. Adequate regulatory framework with efficient implementation of environmental laws should be pursued. Utilising local expertise with comprehensive rehabilitation measure shall be sustainable strategy forwardFbiotech



1Q. Recent years have seen rise in the population of wild lions and

tigers in India. Critically examine the reasons behind this success

and comment on India‘s wildlife conservation policy in general.

(200 Words) Reasons behind increase in their population:

1. Creation of national parks and WL sanctuaries under wildlife conservation act

1972

2. Providing enabling environment inside Forest like availability of preys, water

ponds and raising population of deers and small herbivorous so that

Tiger/Lion doesn‘t venture out which leads to animal-human conflict and

mortality.

3. Restricting Forest tourism to peripheral areas and not core areas where Tiger

mate and small cubs generally are taken care by pride. Thanks to pro-active

judiciary

4. Better trained Forest Guards and rangers to tackle poaching. Better use of

technology to track poaching activities like drones, night vision cameras, e-eye

etc

5. Taking help of villager surrounding the Forest area because they know the

best about animals. Also if animal venture out, then trained villager can shoo

them away and inform forest officials and not simply kill the animals. Such

trained villagers get salary and are recruited and called Vanya Prani Saathi

But, recent steps to improve ‗ease of doing business‘ and attempts to exempt

clearances for linear projects through forests can threaten the wildlife.

2Q. With suitable illustrations, critically examine the role of local

communities in conservation of wildlife across the world. (200

Words) Recent conservationists across the world are coming up with suitable strategies to

incorporate local communities into overall conservation strategy; this is in line with

age old wisdom that man & wild have co-existed in symbiotic relationship since ages;

some highlighted success stories along with reasons are:

1. Active support of Maldahris, a nomadic tribe of cattle-rearers in Gujarat's Gir

and farmers in vicinity of Gir national park; led to significant rise in Lion

population; farmers around Gir have protected Lions by resisting retaliation

when Lions prey on cattle, protecting Lions from poachers and building

parapet walls around farm wells to minimize accidental deaths of Lions; in

return Lions helped control population of Nilgais & wild Boars; chief destroyer

of standing crops; thereby helping farmers.

2. Proactive involvement of local communities to install early warning systems in

Valparai, Tamil Nadu led to reduction in man-elephant conflicts; minimizing

causalities.



3. Bishnoi community in Rajasthan; due to its belief in non-violence &

love/mercy towards wild animals has staunchly led conservation efforts in

Rajasthan; resisted poachers; regions inhabited by Bishnoi's are safe haven

wild animals like black buck & migratory birds.

4. Bushmen in Kalahari's and African Massai's have been re-trained to serve as

forest rangers & guides; previously they were hunting communities with life

revolving around wild.

5. The poachers of Zambia‘s Luangwa Valley are turning in their illegal snares

and guns, and in return, they are being trained in farming, beekeeping,

carpentry, and other livelihood skills. They are also turning the snare wire into

decorative jewelry.

For conservation to succeed; it needs support & acceptance from local communities.

an active network of local communities, NGOs and Forest Department aided with

early warning systems, conservation strategies could transform man-animal conflicts

to man-animal coexistence.

1Q. Write a critical note on the role of the National Green Tribunal

(NGT) in addressing the problem of environmental pollution and

degradation in India. (200 Words)

National Green Tribunal was set up under National Green Tribunal Act,2010 with an

aim to provide protection to environment,conservation of forests and other natural

resources along with enforcement of legal rights for environment and giving relief

and compensation for damages to persons and property. Some of the main

judgement of NGTs are:

1. Banning any diesel vehicle of more than 10 years old in Delhi and NCR region.

2. Penalising the Construction companies in Bellandur wetland in Banglore.

3. Proposed plan for rejuvenating the Yamuna river for 52km stretch in Delhi

and UP region.

4. Cancelling clearance of CG coal mine, Vedanta and POSCO in Odisha.

5. Sand mining order put a ban on all forms of Illegal River and Ocean bed sand

mining which were rampant across the country are very important in

sustainable development and environmental protection.

However despite various proactive support being taken by the tribunal the pollution

levels has been continuously rising over the years. This is due to lack of effective

support from government both at the centre as well in states. Inefficiency of Central



and State pollution control boards is another reason for it. This often results in

delays in implementing the tribunal's decision. Without adequate support from the

government side NGT is unable to have a vigilance throughout the country due to its

limited capacity and staff. Further despite solving a long number of cases still there is a long list of pending cases in the tribunal which adds to the problem. Lastly the

tribunal is not having suo-moto powers which also restricts its ambit in the area of

environment.

In the act there is a provision for appeal to tribunal within a period of 6 month

of origin of cause of environmental problem. This is small time for reflection of

negative impacts of environmental changes. This shall be increased to considerable

time. There are also certain issues related to appointment of members and

chairperson. It has come under attack with pro-corporate bodies for hindering the

development project with its activism and government is considering to dilute its

provisions but it will be against the spirit of constitution and sustainable

development.

Citing the increasing pollution levels in the country having a adverse impact on

health the role of NGT gains more importance.The Central and State government should work in collaboration with NGT to secure the environment with better,faster

enforcement of NGT orders

Disaster Management Topic: Disaster Management

1Q. Write a critical note on the role of media in disaster

management. (200 Words)

Media can play a major during disaster. They can aid in information dissemination

about help-line, aid-distribution camps, emergency phone number or the needs of

the people. Further, they can also help in quashing rumors and prevent panic

situation. Media can also help in mobilizing resources [money, volunteers etc] from

other areas. Their impetus on disaster also forces government to upgrade Disaster

management as a priority.

Also, they also have a role in disaster preparedness and disaster mitigation. They acts

as very effective channels for communicating disaster awareness [for e.g. recent

media coverage on earthquake has heightened awareness among people] and steps to

taken in course of disaster. For example, media can run short commercials or



educational programs about cyclones and Tsunamis in coastal areas. It can also make

people aware about safe shelters, evacuation tactics designed by government, and

better ways to build their homes and public infrastructure in coastal cities. Further

they can enforce government accountability by highlighting the government's acts of

commission or omission w.r.t. disaster management.

However, their role has come under severe criticism especially during Nepal

earthquake. In their search for TRPs and sensationalism, media has ignored the

journalistic ethics. They have resorted to exaggeration of ground situation and even

interviewing people who are in distress. Further, as much they can quash rumors,

they may also aid in proliferation of rumors. Also, at-times it has been seen that

media tends to shift focus on non-important issues as was witnessed during

Uttarakhand floods when the visits of politicians were given more space than the

disaster management.

Thus, the need of the hour is to also involve a humanistic angle to journalism. Active

media is the need of the hour but not at the cost of ethics and ethos of humanism

Security

Topic: Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate

1Q. CAG in its report, commented that in an era of heightened

coastal security concerns, Indian Coast Guard (ICG) remains ill-

equipped to discharge its enhanced role and meet the challenges of

today. Critically discuss. (200 Words) Indian Coast Guard remains ill-equipped and is in dire need for upgradation in

technological reach, personnel training and greater coordination with other security

agencies like Indian Navy. This is essential for safeguarding India‘s huge and

vulnerable coast line. After the Mumbai attacks, in which the perpetrators used the

marine route, greater need was felt and initiatives have been taken in the line but still

remain insufficient as pointed out by the recent report of the Comptroller and

Auditor General of India.

The steps taken by the government in the direction include the following

1. Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) which will act as a

single point reference interlinking the newly inducted coastal radar chain. The



importance also lies in it being a joint venture between the Navy and the Coast

Guard.

2. National Maritime Domain Awareness (NDMA) - It aims to integrate several

agencies to one fold.

3. Training centres for Coastal Security Group

4. Increased marine Police stations in coastal states.

5. Navy and Coast Guard are coordinating more effectively in matters related to

coastal security. Both have opened coordination under there respective

jurisdictions.

6. Govt of India, under coastal security scheme have authorized ICG to purchase

new interceptor boats, open more police station and increased its manpower

capabilities.

There is a greater need for securing Indian maritime border by efforts from all ends-

Law enforcing Agencies, diplomatic efforts for greater cooperation among others.

1Q. Compare and contrast the structure, mandate, role and abilities

of India‘s armed forces with that of paramilitary forces. (200

Words) The paramilitary forces were defined in 2011 as the organisations that provide

particularly close support to the Indian defense forces and have a sizable portion of

the regular defense forces. Currently India has three Paramilitary organisations.

These are -

1. Assam Rifles - Assam Rifles has the distinction of the oldest paramilitary force

in the world. Assam Rifles operates in the North Eastern part of India and

complements the Indian Army in countering the insurgency and guarding the

borders. It comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

2. Special Frontier Force - Raised after the 1962 war, the SFF consists of soldiers

of tibetan lineage. It is tasked with guarding the borders with China as well as

certain intelligence gathering activities. It reports to the Intelligence Bureau.

3. Coast Guard - The Coast Guard is a naval paramilitary force. It deals with the

security of India's coast and focuses on preventing smuggling and protecting

the territorial waters.



Earlier forces like Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force

(CISF) etc were also known as paramilitary forces. However, these are now known as

Central Armed Police Force (CAPF).

The three paramilitary forces mainly aid the armed forces in guarding the land as

well as maritime borders to prevent any unwanted intrusion.

Armed Forces

On the other hand the armed forces are tasked to ensure the safety and security of

the nation against any foreign power. The defense forces are divided into three

components -

1. Army - India has the largest volunteer standing army in the world with more

than a million personnel. The army is tasked with guarding the borders of the

country. It is also deployed in a counter-insurgency role.

2. Navy - The navy guards the maritime interests of the country. It also protects

India's economic interests by protecting merchant convoys through piracy

infested areas.

3. Air Force - They ensure that Indian air space is protected against any

unwanted incursions and also provide a supporting role to other forces.

1Q. For many years defence analysts are suggesting that India

should create the post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). Critically

examine why this suggestion is made and its importance for

national security. (200 Words) All the three arms of India's military have been headed by three different officers,

without any explicit integration between them. The Defence Minister is the only

person above them, and being a politician, he is not expected to be aware of the

intricacies of such coordination between the three arms of military.

Following are the reasons for the need of CDS:

1. It will provide the three arms with a unity of purpose required in operations

involving more than one form of military and establish a synergy between

three forces.

2. It will act as the direct link between the defence ministry and the country's

military and as a single point of advice to the defence ministry. Advice will

also be unbiased. Permanent CDS will be independent of service chiefs and

can provide effective and professional leadership and also be in a position to

render unbiased advice to the government.

3. It will help the ministry in drafting better defence policies as the CDS would

be able to provide a larger picture of the condition of military.

4. It will also help in fixing accountability as in multi-dimensional operations,

CDS will be responsible for is success or failure.



5. CDS can lead to better inter budgetary allocations among three wings. Now

each chief differs on how it should be done.

6. CDS can also ensure no duplication of efforts among three wings.

7. Differences among the Chiefs of Staff should be resolved by the military

professional acting as the arbitrator like CDS would be able to take a detached

view and present an objective analysis of the situation along with the available

options and the advantages and disadvantages of pursuing each option

8. As India is aspiring to become a global power, sooner or later it has to have

off-shore military footprints. This requires jointness, rapid reaction

capabilities, enhanced efficiency and effectiveness of the planning process

through intra and inter-Service prioritization, which a CDS can ensure

9. It will make available the policy advices directly by military expert which is

missing due to civil bureaucracy in the middle

However, a CDS may not have the full experience of every force except his own in

which he served. This may lead to friction between CDS and the head of other two

forces and may prove counter-productive. Also, concentrating power, as well as

responsibility, in one person may not produce desired result. A body like a Council

headed by CDS can produce desired results.

Challenges:

1. The position of service chiefs will become less important with coming of CDS

leading to opposition from defence forces

2. The civil bureaucracy will lose its power; hence it is resisting the reform

process.

Topic: Security challenges and their management in border areas;

1Q. Critically analyse the security threats that India faces in its

Western border outside Jammu and Kashmir region. (200 Words) Brothers make good friends but sometimes worse enemies. This is quite true of

Pakistan which under the ISI has resorted to all means retaliatory and retributive to

soothe its 'festering Kashmir wound' .the security nuisance created has not only been

restricted to Kashmir but encompasses the entire western border as follows-

1. The recent Dinapur cross border terrorist attack has revived the ghosts of

khalistani millitancy and highlighted the LeT connect with radical Sikh

groups.

2. The pakistani trawler which got blown off the Gujarat waters due to an alert

coast guard averted another 26/11 attack.

3. The golden crescent in the western vicinity has been responsible for illicit drug

trafficking in Punjab rendering two thirds of its youth addicted and the

political dispensation vulnerable.



4. Money laundering particularly through hawala transactions has been

operative in the Ludhiana region for quite some time.

5. Small arms smuggling has been a frequent occurrence across the Rajasthan

deserts.

It is high time we shun "strategic confusion" and evolve a definite policy towards our

estranged neighbour. It should go hand in hand with a robust and collaborative

institutional and civic intelligence framework supplemented with ICT

technologies. The fragility of our western border if not reinforced might make us relive the Punjab pandemonium of 90s ,very well threatening our sacred democratic

ethos.

1Q. It is said that a major factor preventing the return of normalcy

in Kashmir is the opposition to the Armed Forces (Special Powers)

Act, 1990 (AFSPA). In the light of allegations of human rights

violations, critically comment of the implications of AFSPA and

recommend changes to the Act to address the concerns raised

against it. (200 Words) AFSPA is imposed on areas were armed forces required to work in aid with civil

authorities. however for AFSPA to become valid area should be declared disturbed by

the State or central government. The deployment of army is based on the

appreciation regarding a state of law and order or threat to internal security.

Criticism of AFSPA:---

1. Violating fundamental rights as can be seen—

Sec 4(a) in which army can shoot to kill violates article 21 which gives

right to life.

Section 4(b) search without warrants violates right to liberty and article

22.

Dispersion of civil assembly by armed forces under section 121 violates

right to assembly

No judicial magistrate permission required while arresting --violate

article 22

Stop and search any vehicle

2. Overrides CrPC.

3. Violation of human rights



4. Abuses by army, and are rarely punished for crimes.

5. It alienates the people from army and then from the rest of the India. A feeling

of other worldly is generated in their mind.

Way ahead:

1. Jeevan Reddy Committee recommended AFSPA be repealed and some of it's

provisions

incorporated in other laws such as CrPC, unlawful activities which give

protection to forces.

2. Create committees at district level with representatives of army,

administrators and public which will report, assess and track complains in

that area.

3. All investigations should be time bound reasons for the delay must be

communicated with the aggrieved.

4. All cases of human rights violation should be fast tracked.

5. Amendments In Laws :The lacunae in the Act, as a result of definitional voids

with respect to terms like ―disturbed‖, ―dangerous‖ and ―land forces‖ need to

be amplified to ensure greater clarity

6. The onus of proving the alleged person as terrorists should lie with the forces.

Sec 7 should be suitable amended to this effect.

1Q. ―It is not beyond the realm of possibility that Pakistan would see

in this so-called new ―doctrine of pre-emption‖, an opportunity to

deploy its nuclear and missile capabilities against India.‖ In the

light of India‘s recent ‗hot-pursuit‘ against insurgents in its

Northeastern region and possibility of such pursuits in its western

borders, critically comment on the statement. (200 Words) In the recent spate of jingoism after India's 'hot pursuit' of militants in Myanmar has

raised expectation of a similar strike on the western front against Pakistan. However

such comments fail to take into account the difference in the tactical as well as

strategic situation on the two fronts. ['Doctrine of pre-emption' is a principle in

which a country disregards constraints of national boundaries and carries out pre-

emptive attacks outside their borders to deal with national security or sovereignty

threats]



The attacks on militants based in Myanmar was arguably conducted with the

concurrence or at least within knowledge of the Tatmadaw (Myanmar's army), which

has been conducting operations against militants. Any such operation in Pakistan

would not only have to tackle the militant groups but would also have to face a

hostile and well trained Pakistani army.

And the biggest difference is the fact that Pakistan has a nuclear deterrent. This was

the reason that the Kargil Conflict was not escalated as a full blown war. India's

revamped 'Cold Start' doctrine has also led Pakistan to develop tactical battlefield

nuclear weapons. These are most dangerous as a battlefield commander has full

control over them and theoretically, it can be used against any such pre-emptive

strikes by India.

What has to be kept in mind is that more than the difference between the forces

which are considerable, it is the difference in the psychology of the people which is

the deciding factor. Pakistan's psyche is marked by losing 4 wars to India. India's

apparent success and economic and military might also breed envy. Add to this the

lingering issue of Kashmir which ignites passion across both sides of border. The use

of even the threat of use of Nuclear Weapons in such a potent environment should

give policy planners a pause. India needs to ensure the safety of its western front

without any unwarranted adventurism like pre-emptive strikes in Pakistan.

1Q. Critically analyse the challenges facing the government in the

defence sector. In your opinion, how should government respond

to these challenges? Discuss. (200 Words)

The problem faced by government in the defence sector can be summarized as below

:-

1. The woes of the DRDO:

The research and manufacturing capabilities of the DRDO are

embarrassingly poor .

Saddled by the problem of utterly slow bureaucracy and inordinate delays

in decision making and progress of critical defence research programmes .

It is facing huge shortage of skilled manpower and infrastructure such as

advance labs .

2. Slow and un-moving acquisition process:

The defence acquistion process of critical millitary hardware has been

Distressingly slow and unresponsive to the need of the time, locked

motionless at the bureaucratic level in the defence ministry, worsened



further by delayed supply of ordered military equipment and escalating

costs than estimated before .

No proper structure in India‘s acquisition hierarchy that ‗owns‘ the

acquisition process. There are gaps in targets, responsibility and

accountability.

3. The diplomatic efforts so far have been unable to persuade countries like the

U.S to share and sell their cutting -edge technology. The upper cap of 49% in

FDI in defence sector has been unable to generate sufficient enthusiasm and

interest among major foreign defence players to share their technological

knowhow.

4. Lack of properly framed defence policy and likely hurdles in acquisition of

land for defence purposes further complicates the problem.

5. Lack of Coordination between all three wings of Defence. So, there is a debate

going regarding need of Chief of Defence wings.

6. Inefficient DPSEs: The DPSEs like HAL, BEL etc. are not able to live up to the

country‘s expectations. There are a number of projects which are delayed and

there are some which are envisaged decades ago but are still in pipeline such

as multi-role helicopters which were to be manufactured by HAL.

Steps that needs to be taken:-

1. Focusing more on indigenous defence technology development by appropriate

funding of researches and hiring skilled manpower by DRDO and other state

and private owned entities in defence.

2. The Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) has to be urgently revamped to

cut the bureaucratic steps to a bare minimum. Looking into international

practices, like USA where there is a special integrated Defense procurement

agency which coordinates the requirements of the armed forces

3. India‘s acquisition process must become the enabler of an indigenous defence

manufacturing base that delivers on quality, timeliness and capacity.

4. Creating a structure that owns the acquisition process and has officers of all

departments influencing defence indigenisation and must work under one

head, who will oversee the process of drafting policy and implementation.

5. Private sector: Treat them as equal partners and offer them big projects to

boost their capabilities

6. Increased % expenditure of GDP in phased manner to 3% in time bound

manner.

Since government is the sole buyer of defense manufacturing by private firms, thus

long term contracts and perspective plan with clearly stated objectives is key to

investor's confidence



1Q. In your opinion, what should be the approach of Indian

government and security agencies in dealing with security

challenges within and across India‘s borders? In the light of recent

attack on insurgents‘ camps by the Indian Army across Indo-

Myanmar border, critically examine how has India

managed various security challenges in its borders post – Kargil

War. (200 Words) Post Kargil war Indian government has taken the several step to counter any

challenge at border posts. These includes:-

1. Various agreements have been signed between India and bordering countries

like Pakistan, china, Bhutan, Bangladesh to maintain tranquility at border.

2. To undermine any misunderstanding official meeting at bordering countries

are being arranged.

3. India work on the principal of not violating the cease fire first.

4. Operations all clean was launched with the helped with Bhutan‘s army to wipe

out militant.

5. Cooperation between intelligence agencies of India and bordering countries

has been increase.

6. It has intensified the patrolling at border area to check any infiltration

However recent attack on Indian army camp clearly shows the need of improvement

in this regard. In this regard the need of the hour is to better cooperation between

intelligence agencies of bordering states. Rehabilitation of local immigrants would be

a viable step. Development project in less developed bordering area of Manipur,

Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland will deter the youths of this states to involve in

militancy and other antinational activities. Better cooperation of army personal with

local will help to tackle any Manipur like attack in future.

1Q. Critically analyse the role of Myanmar, Bhutan and Bangladesh

in addressing internal security threats that India is facing along its

Eastern and North-eastern borders. (200 Words) Ties with Myanmar, Bhutan and Bangladesh are extremely crucial for India when it

comes to fighting terrorism. The recent deadly ambush on dogra regiment is

supposed to be planned in Myanmar .National Socialist Council of the Nagaland

(NSCN), has claimed responsibility for the ambush, however security agencies

believe the involvement of other terrorist groups too.

1. India and Myanmar: Not just the menace of NSCN, UNLF, but there is

probably already set up of other terrorist groups in Myanmar like Laskar-e-

taiba and Jais-e-mohammad. Several Rohingya Muslims have already

infiltrated into India and living here as illegal migrants (after bangladesh govt



has banned their immigration).With such a huge population of Rohingya

Muslims in India, it is obvious that terror groups would want to win them over

in a bid to disrupt peace in India.

2. India and Bangladesh: ULFA and the NFDB (S) have found to be operating

both in Myanmar and Bangladesh with the help of the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen

Bangladesh. Porous boundaries associated with illegal migration are the

invitation for terrorism.119th amendment done by India's govt will definitely

be a positive step to stop this migration and thus terrorism. Combined

training exercise of army of both countries should be started like that with

Bhutan could also be a solution

3. India and Bhutan: India and Bhutan enjoy 699 km of common border, which

is manned by the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) on the Indian side and the Royal

Bhutan Army (RBA) on the Bhutan side. RBA officers and army are also

trained in India. So there is less intrusion of terrorists from Bhutan.

All these terrorist organizations work under the banner of different causes, but have

just one motive. Cornering India through the formation of a Greater Bangladesh is

their agenda. The problem is not just one, but several .All three countries need to

work together and in tandem and if the same is not done soon then the problem

could only worsen. Indian government has appealed time to time to

Myanmar and Bangladesh in curbing out these problems.

1Q. Discuss the challenges faced by India in managing various

security challenges in its eastern borders at present. (200 Words)

Various security challenges faced by india at its eastern border are Drug trafficking ,

arm trafficking (recently, mentally ill people in Manipur were used to transfer arms

across the border. If they get cought, they will not know who gave them the weapons.

Thus security forces will be helpless) human trafficking , illegal smuggling of animal

part or artefacts, intervention of various outside forces( state as well as non state

actors) , in migration of people etc.

` Challenges in effective tackling of above said security issues are :

1. `Porous borders:- Eastern border is close to Golden triangle and India acts

as a passage for drug trafficking. Porous border also lead to smuggling of arms

to insurgents in North east states (NNC (Naga National Council) and MNF

(Mizo National front) get arms from across the border)



2. Geographical challenges:- North east states are connected to rest of india

by chicken neck and also difficult terrain in region often become major

obstacle. hostile terrain replete with

dense jungles, hills, swamps & rivers are difficult to manage

3. Border fencing issue: unlike Indo-Pak border, fencing along our eastern

border is far from completion; further fencing itself is a challenging task due

to presence of marshes, swamps, & big rivers etc; Infact innovative proposals

such as floating fences are under implementation.

4. Political factors:- It includes failure to pass land boundary agreement bill ,

regional political pressure etc.

5. Land acquisition issues: delays in land acquisition have reduced the pace

of border fencing; at some places state government has been unable to acquire

land for construction of border outposts; at a few places protests have broke

out against border fencing.

6. Environmental clearances: particularly from various forests such as

national parks, tiger reserves etc are prime cause for delays in border fencing,

road & outpost construction etc.

7. Repeated insurgencies: particularly in north-eastern states have further

deteriorated the security condition; can be attributed to lack of development.

Therefore need of the hour is to expedite the process of fencing along the border,

develop required infrastructure, provide adequate livelihood to locals and engage various factions/insurgents in political dialogue process. Ii will not only secure our

borders but also help us on foreign policy front.

Topic: Money-laundering and its prevention

1Q. Critically analyse the agreements signed by India with its island

neighbours in the Indian Ocean to curb black money. (200 Words) India has taken number of steps on domestic as well as international front to curb

black money.

It has signed number of agreements with island nations like Mauritious and Seychells in indian ocean which act as tax havens and black money is routed through

them back in India as investments.



Some agreements include automatic exchange of information on account holders in

banks of these nations. Agreements on better coordination among their Enforcement

directorates have also been signed. Double taxation avoidance agreement (DTAA)

also find important place among these agreements. However there are some concerns. The banks in tax havens do not give information

on account holders so easily. The information will only be shared if Govt. of India

proofs that the account holder has acquired wealth via illegal means. Further the

DTAAs have not been so effective in dealing with tax avoidance. No agreements and

framework have been prepared on how to take on menace of Participatory notes and

shell companies based in these tax havens

1Q. Critically comment on the recent black money law and examine

the merits and demerits of the same. (200 Words) Undisclosed foreign income and assets(Imposition of Tax) Bill,2015, seeks to put

curb on the menace of black money stashed abroad and also tax evasion. The law

applies only to the residents and not to the professionals working in foreign countries

and NRI‘s.

Pros-

1. Will help to get a better perspective of the real economic situation of the

country once all the unaccounted money is put to the rule book

2. High penalties as imposed by the law(Being 90% of the value in case of non-

disclosure of foreign assets and income) and stricter punishment(upto10years

jail term).

3. Made tax evasion a ―predicate offence‖ and thus liable for an action under the

Prevention of money laundering act, 2002, will enable the enforcement

agencies to attach and confiscate the accounted assets held abroad.

4. Compliance window tries to make the people come forward by themselves

5. Assets amounting to less than 5 lakh not reported out of ignorance does not

entail penalty

Cons-

1. The law does not prescribe the method to bring the black money back to the

country.

2. Bill is based on the premise that only foreign accounts and assets are the main

source of black money, neglects domestic black money.

3. Fails to provide a mechanism to retrieve the information from foreign govts.



4. Domestic laws and international treaty obligations blocking the detection of

black money

are not addressed.

The law though is a very important step to curb black money but still is not a holistic

approach to control the generation of black money and neglects domestic problems

like providing excess power to tax authorities neglecting failure of tax administration

system, and the larger problem of domestic black money.

2Q. Analyse the significance of recent recent agreement signed

between the governments of India and the United States to

implement the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) for

both the countries. (200 Words) Foreign Accounts Tax Compliance act signed between US and India ushers in a new

era of taxation cooperation between the two governments providing significant

benefits to each country.

FATCA places in a mechanism for automatic and systematic exchange of tax related

information of resident of USA in India and vice-versa to ensure undisclosed assets

dont remain untaxed.

For India,

1. FATCA Will aid in its thrust to uncover Black Money stashed abroad

2. Complement the Black Money ACt-2015 by providing requisite Information to

launch tax investigations

3. Insulate Companies in India from 30% withholding tax that would have been

levied by US Revenue Services in case of no intergovernmental FATCA

4. It will serve as a broader model for more bilateral collaborations between

different countries including the various tax havens.

5. Economic significance--- india-us agreement on FATCA will foster genuine

investments contributing to positive growth. The tax compliance will bring

legitimate revenues to both the countries that will benefit the fiscal situation

of both the countries.

6. Money-laundering---the tax evasion has important linkage with money

laundering and illegal proceeds. Terrorism financing are now using

sophisticated financial channels to find anti-state activities. Checking such

proceeds by regulating tax information will bring both the countries closer in

counter-terrorism efforts.

For USA, FATCA ensures bringing more tax evaders having offshore assets under the

radars of tax investigation being conducted by it IRS ( Internal revenue Service) to

enhance tax transparency and ensure an equitable tax regime.



Hence FATCA brings good news for tax administration in both India and USA.

1Q. Critically comment on the recent black money law and examine

the merits and demerits of the same. (200 Words) Undisclosed foreign income and assets(Imposition of Tax) Bill,2015, seeks to put

curb on the menace of black money stashed abroad and also tax evasion. The law

applies only to the residents and not to the professionals working in foreign countries

and NRI‘s.

Pros-

6. Will help to get a better perspective of the real economic situation of the

country once all the unaccounted money is put to the rule book

7. High penalties as imposed by the law(Being 90% of the value in case of non-

disclosure of foreign assets and income) and stricter punishment(upto10years

jail term).

8. Made tax evasion a ―predicate offence‖ and thus liable for an action under the

Prevention of money laundering act, 2002, will enable the enforcement

agencies to attach and confiscate the accounted assets held abroad.

9. Compliance window tries to make the people come forward by themselves

10. Assets amounting to less than 5 lakh not reported out of ignorance does not

entail penalty

Cons-

5. The law does not prescribe the method to bring the black money back to the

country.

6. Bill is based on the premise that only foreign accounts and assets are the main

source of black money, neglects domestic black money.

7. Fails to provide a mechanism to retrieve the information from foreign govts.

8. Domestic laws and international treaty obligations blocking the detection of

black money

are not addressed.

The law though is a very important step to curb black money but still is not a holistic

approach to control the generation of black money and neglects domestic problems

like providing excess power to tax authorities neglecting failure of tax administration

system, and the larger problem of domestic black money.



2Q. Analyse the significance of recent recent agreement signed

between the governments of India and the United States to

implement the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) for

both the countries. (200 Words) Foreign Accounts Tax Compliance act signed between US and India ushers in a new

era of taxation cooperation between the two governments providing significant

benefits to each country.

FATCA places in a mechanism for automatic and systematic exchange of tax related

information of resident of USA in India and vice-versa to ensure undisclosed assets

dont remain untaxed.

For India,

7. FATCA Will aid in its thrust to uncover Black Money stashed abroad

8. Complement the Black Money ACt-2015 by providing requisite Information to

launch tax investigations

9. Insulate Companies in India from 30% withholding tax that would have been

levied by US Revenue Services in case of no intergovernmental FATCA

10. It will serve as a broader model for more bilateral collaborations between

different countries including the various tax havens.

11. Economic significance--- india-us agreement on FATCA will foster genuine

investments contributing to positive growth. The tax compliance will bring

legitimate revenues to both the countries that will benefit the fiscal situation

of both the countries.

12. Money-laundering---the tax evasion has important linkage with money

laundering and illegal proceeds. Terrorism financing are now using

sophisticated financial channels to find anti-state activities. Checking such

proceeds by regulating tax information will bring both the countries closer in

counter-terrorism efforts.

For USA, FATCA ensures bringing more tax evaders having offshore assets under the

radars of tax investigation being conducted by it IRS ( Internal revenue Service) to

enhance tax transparency and ensure an equitable tax regime.

Hence FATCA brings good news for tax administration in both India and USA.



1Q. Recently the government has decided to offer tax rebates to

encourage transactions through credit and debit cards. Critically

examine the rationale behind this move, its merits and demerits.

(200 Words) Recent announcement by government of financial incentives like tax rebates on

cashless or e transactions is a crucial step in right direction for a highly cash centric

economy like India .Few possible benefits of cashless transactions are

1. Most-tractable - (unlike cash transactions which are least traceable at

economy level)-so better monitoring and regulation possible which will help

reduce menace of Black Money. These transactions will be documented hence

will reduce the size of black economy.

2. This step will lead to shift in cashless transaction which will help in reducing

tax evasion. Hence, tax base of the government will increase.

3. This will help in reduction of cost overheads of printing notes, maintaining its

security features and incidence of usage of counterfeit notes.

4. Incidences of loss of money through theft will reduce.

Demerits:

1. If the system is not widely used then it will reduce the revenue of the

government.

2. It will be difficult of the elderly population to shift to e transactions.

3. Online transactions may cause cyber crimes and cyber thefts.

4. It will not cover be possible to cover rural areas where there is lack of

awareness of e transactions.

5. Surcharges are levied on use of credit/debit card transactions. If this is not

removed, providing tax rebates alone will not incentivise people to use them

6. Many traders and manufacturers are reluctant to accept payments through

card

7. Payments through cards is bound to increase in future due to the ease and

convenience of carrying them and making payment for online shopping. Thus,

govt seems to be incentivising something which is naturally going to happen

in future even without any govt incentives.

1Q. It is argued that the steps taken so far, including the Black

Money Bill, to bring back an estimated $1.5 trillion stashed abroad

are completely ineffective. Critically discuss. (200 Words) Black Money has become a major problem for India. In keeping with its electoral

promise of tackling the issue decisively the government has taken a lot of steps.

1. After getting elected, the government constituted a high level Special

Investigation Team (SIT) on Black Money under two former judges of the

Supreme Court.



2. The government negotiated with foreign banking havens like Switzerland and

Leichenstein to co-operate in investigations on black money in bank accounts

opened by Indian citizens in their jurisdiction.

3. The government also introduced a bill on Black Money in the Lok Sabha to

tackle the issue.

4. Promotion of plastic money to reduce cash transactions.

While laudable and showing determination to face the problem, the government has

not shown major results in bringing back the estimated $1.5 trillion of black money

stashed outside. The measures taken by the government focus on investigating black

money and trying to reduce generation of black money. Till now the government is

dependent on voluntary disclosure by the citizens to ensure that black money is

retrieved from foreign locales.

To tackle the problem effectively, the government needs to focus on both aspects of

the issue. Work on reducing generation, while at the same time work to bring back

already generated black money for use in the country's development. The

government can take the following steps:

1. CBI/ED can register a FIR on receipt of information of illegal accounts

through intelligence sources, and then obtain a letter of request under 166A of

CrPC from a designated court. Then the agency can seek swiss cooperation

under its international judicial assistance law to confiscate the account

2. Using the german or the French method – monetary inducements are used in

these countries to will senior bank officials as was done with HSBC in geneva.

3. US method – senior bank officers of union bank of Switzerland, who were

based in Washington DC branch were arrested on charges of espionage to

pressurise swiss authorities into giving information about citizens who had

illegally opened accounts.

4. Legislative method - India can pass a law nationalizing all foreign accounts by

Indian citizens. Then it can negotiate with the tax havens to get the money

back while exempting the genuine accounts that have been voluntarily

disclosed to the government.

The government must intensify its efforts to bring back the black money stashed

outside the country. Any delay, only helps the account holders to move the money

and thus escape the dragnet of justice.



2Q. Critically comment on the provisions of recently passed Black

Money Bill and their effectiveness in addressing the issue of black

money and corruption in India. (200 Words) In last session of Parliament passed the Black money bill. This bill is enacted with the

view of bringing back the black money and stopping the black money going abroad

but there are many loopholes in the bills.

1. NRIs are not included in the bill, they dont need to declare their incomes.So,

Indians who are moneyed, work out an arrangement with NRIs to hold their

wealth and show their incomes through legal arrangements.

2. The provisions of the Bill will be applicable only if the government is able to

detect incomes and wealth held abroad. The Bill has no mechanism for doing

so.

3. An amnesty scheme is offered to come clean.There will be no punishment if

one discloses the assets and incomes abroad in the specified period and pays

the taxes within six months. Thus, the inexperienced ones who had held illegal

wealth abroad in their own names and earned incomes on them would have a

chance to come clean.

4. The black wealth of most ‗experienced‘ Indians would be parked there via shell

companies in tax havens and hence not be counted as Indian money. For this

people use layering.

5. The Bill contains no mechanism to identify funds going out or being held

abroad. The government argues repeatedly that it will get information via the

Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) or Tax Information Exchange

(TIE) agreement with a number of governments. But these channels only

record tax information on sources of disclosed income.

6. Doesn't proposes any mechanism to stop the generation of black money

So the bill has many provisions for jail term and harsh penalties but it will not work

as there are many loopholes. If we really want to stop this black money games first

we need to plug the gaps in our system by which people get this black money, then

we need to make arrangements to stop this going out and then we need to make

arrangements to stop it from coming back via Mauritius and other routes.

1Q. A recently set-up Special Investigative Team (SIT) on Black

Money has recommended several measures to tackle the issue of

black money circulation in its three separate reports. Comment on

the important recommendations of these reports. (200 Words)



1. Senior government officials (like RBI governor, SEBI chief, CBI director,

secretaries of govt depts. etc) shall file affidavits that they do not possess

illegal money abroad. There are allegation sthat government officials are the

most corrupt. This provision partially addresses this.

2. The SIT has recommended that India's double taxation treaties and mutual

assistance treaties of income-tax with other countries be redrafted as they are

one-sided. This recommendation comes in light of the fact that despite having

a double taxation avoidance agreement with Mauritius, several money trails

have gone cold due to lack of assistance from authorities there.

3. The second major recommendation of the SIT is to amend the Prevention of

Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to introduce a provision under which the

Enforcement Directorate (ED) would be able to attach the properties of those

who do not bring back black money within the stipulated time frame.

Currently, the ED has the power to only attach properties bought with the

proceeds of crime.

4. All cash above 10 lakhs in possession shall be made illegal. Similar restrictions

have been put in place by many European countries. While this would control

holding of unaccounted money to a large extent, it must be seen that small

transactions, which make a bulk of common man‘s daily transactions, are not

affected.

5. Special courts to hear income tax prosecution cases must be set up. Currently,

as many as 5000 IT prosecution cases are pending and so additional courts

will bring relief.

6. A central KYC Registry should be established with all law enforcement

agencies, Registrar of Companies and financial institutions having access to its

database. Such inter-connection will help identifying multiple transactions by

one person with different IDs.

7. The Financial Intelligence Unit, which is the national centre for receiving,

analyzing and disseminating information related to suspected cases of money

laundering, must be harnessed to exchange actionable intelligence on

proceeds of crime in other jurisdictions.

8. Department of revenue intelligence need to be given power to check

any irregularities in Special Economic Zones, which are free from any

government oversight for now

The above mentioned recommendations are progressive and will go a long way in

helping curb the menace of black money. While, they sound ideal on paper, the real challenge lies in their effective implementation. In a report by Global Financial

Integrity India has emerged at 4th rank among 25 countries for illicit financial

transaction. Given the huge amount of illegal capital stashed away in foreign

accounts and a parallel black economy running in India, government need to act on

these recommendation as soon as possible.



Topic: basics of cyber security;

1Q. Recently the The Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls

for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies was

in news and it is argued that this agreement has become

anachronistic vis a vis cybersecurity issues. Critically examine.

(200 Words) The Wassenaar agreement is an agreement signed between several nations in 1995 to

control the import and export of arms, ammunitions, and technologies that have the

potential to be used for military purposes. At present there are 41 member nations

who have signed this agreement.

In 2013 a new clause was added to the agreement which deals with the import and

export of "intrusion softwares". This clause has created the following issues with

respect to the increasing threat of cyber securities issues:

1. Strict control over countries and MNCs in export and import of cyber security

softwares. So technologically backward countries cannot buy such softwares

from another country which would help them to safeguard their national

interest.

2. Without such cyber security softwares the country's critical data becomes

openly available to other countries which would affect their national security.

3. Since import of such softwares is illegal according to the agreement, countries

would opt to buy such systems through illegal or illegitimate channels. For

example, recently India tried to buy a intrusion software from a company

named "Hacking Team".

4. It becomes difficult for conducting researches and product development in the

field of internet security.

5. It would again hamper the consultancy companies in different countries to

produce security softwares for clients residing in another country.

Even though Wassenaar agreement was signed for a good cause, which is for the

purpose of non proliferation, clause regarding to cyber security does more harm than

good to the globalized world. The arrangement which was inked way back in 1996

could not anticipate the growth of internet and the related security issues. In the

present context where technology is changing every day the western countries should take steps to revise the old and obsolete arrangement instead of enforcing it more

strictly.



1Q. ‗Cyberspace desperately needs an international legal regime,

and India is well poised to offer a ―zero draft‖ — diplomatic jargon

for the starting text of any negotiation — that acknowledges both its

burgeoning digital economy and its constitutional commitment to

free speech and expression.‖ In the light of the statement, critically

comment on the existing laws that govern and address cyberspace

issues, and examine what role can India play in cyberspace

governance. (200 Words) Rising role of cyber space in the economic growth, social aspects of development, and

national security has brought the issue of its governance in forefront. India having

world‘s 3rd largest net-user base and fast emerging digital economy along with

constitutionally imbibed spirit of freedom of speech and expression ;is well posed to

play a more important and more visible role in cyberspace governance.

Currently the cyber governance regime remains highly US centric where only legal

document governing it is NATO-formed TALLINN MANUAL which is alleged of

several short comings like its Western bias nature; unsuitable mere imposition of international laws governing physical spaces to cyberspace too which is intrinsically

different ; and issues like equity,transparency,accountability, grass-root participation

lack ,accountable and security remaining open and unresolved.

Existing institution coordinating and cooperating with various stakeholders are non-

profit organization, largely based out of USA, like ICANN. International Telecom

Union (ITU) under UN and Internet Governance Forum (IGF) have emerged as some

of other platform to discuss and deliberate on the global governance architecture of

Internet.

So undoubtedly there is a void of a proper and fair international legal governance

framework in cyberspace and India can and should play a frontrunner /initializing

role by taking steps like -

1. Offering a Zero draft /initial agreement framework for a new just and

innovative international data protection law

2. Voicing at regional and international forums like UN for a New Internet

governance order based on the principals of Multilateralism(involving all

stake holding states) as well as Multi-stakeholderism (involving non-state

actors like private sector and civil society also)

3. Organising International conferences (like NETmundial by Brazil last year!)

For discussing the issues like replacement of Tallinn manual with a new law

etc

4. Pushing for in International court to prosecute transnational cyber crimes etc

5. Strengthening domestic cyber security infrastructure especially that related to

Critical Information.



2Q. Do you think the Information Technology Act 2000 is well

positioned to address the threats of cyberwarfare and other threats

emanating from the cyberspace? Critically examine. (200 Words) The Information Technology Act, 2000 was originally passed to facilitate the e-

commerce transactions. However, it has been amended from time to time tackle the

various threats that emanate from cyberspace.

1. Section 70A mandated the establishment of a special agency which would be

responsible to set the standards and issue guidelines to ensure safety of

Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) which includes 12 sectors like

banking, defense, aviation etc.

2. Section 70B mandates the establishment of an 'Indian Computer Emergency

Team' (CERT-IN) modeled on a similar force in USA. Cert-In is mandated to

deal with cyber security threats like hacking and phishing and strengthens

defense of the Indian internet domain.

3. provision of Lawful interception,

However, the bill is weak on data protection. The bill has provisions for against

wrongful loss or wrongful gain but does not protect the privacy. Hence, it does not

prevent companies from selling or sharing consumer data with others. The bill also

does not define cyber terrorism, nor has any provisions against the same. Issues like

spam, child pornography etc are also not adequately tackled by the bill.

IT act does not contain a coherent strategy which can leverage synchronized efforts

of public and private sector. Multiplicity of agencies (more than dozen) including

MHA, CERT-IN (Computer Emergency Response Team India), National Centre for

Protection of Critical Information Infrastructure, state police etc deal with cyber

crime. The lack of coordination hinders smooth functioning. The much awaited

Cyber Coordination Centre is yet to be established.

The real issues are lack of capacity of enforcement agencies. The police lack capacity

to tackle the modern, technologically advanced crimes like financial frauds,

impersonation, identity theft leave alone cyber warfare and cyber espionage.

While most of Critical infrastructure lies in private sector, a workable mechanism to

involve private sector in cyber security response is yet to be evolve. The efforts to

establish Data Security Council of India on PPP basis and Permanent Joint Working

Group (JWG) with involvement of private sector under aegis of National Security

Secretariat are steps in Right direction.

While the government has tried to update the bill to deal with the challenges of

cyberspace, the dynamic nature of the sector means that the government is always

playing catch up. The government has also been guilty on tardy implementation.

Even the best law is no good if implemented poorly. In view of some lacunae in the

bill and the changed conditions in the sector, it is desirable that a comprehensive bill



dealing holistically with cyber-security is brought by the government which deals

with all aspects ranging from spam to the more dangerous Denial of Service (DoS)

and Computer Network Exploitation (CNE) attacks. That would be the first step to

develop a comprensive and dynamic framework of cyber-security

1Q. It is argued that India should work through the BRICS group

(Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) to develop an

alternative to the U.S. hegemony over internet. In the light of

concerns expressed over the ownership of Big Data, internet

architecture and governance mechanism for internet, critically

comment on the statement. (200 Words) The internet is the most evolving phenomenon of our lives, with the ability to shape

our lives and the choices we make. It is thus important to treat it as a ‗global

commons‘ and not the monopoly of a single country – the USA. With the EU too

wedded to the USA to be able to challenge this hegemony and develop an alternative,

it is definitely wise for India to work through the BRICS group.

1. With all major social networking and communication sites having their

servers in the USA and Canada (except China), these companies have vast

amounts of big data that reveal our preferences, choices as well as private

details. They are arm twisted by the US govt to share such data without our

permission.

2. The internet architecture is also dominated by the USA. All major tech logistic

companies – Apple, Facebook, twitter, whatsapp, Microsoft etc. are

headquartered in the USA and as such must comply with the govt directions

there

3. As far as the governance mechanism is concerned, it is operated by ICANN

(Internet Cooperation on Assigned Names and Numbers). For all its

arguments of its global character, the fact remains that it is a body dominated

by the USA and staffed primarily by US citizens.

BRICS group have a common interest in developing and alternative to this

hegemony.

1. With China operating its independent architecture, and having banned the

abovementioned sites, it has the necessary expertise and wherewithal to

provide an alternative framework.

2. The new architecture can be built around the principle of equity and

inclusiveness, and this will help India assert its voice in a space where it has

been traditionally absent.



3. India can work to modify the new architecture to incorporate provisions that

are consistent with its jurisprudence and philosophy. Recently the SC had

rebuked govt officers for using gmail for official communications.

Although it may be difficult for India to reconcile on issues such as internet freedom

and political rights, yet the pursuit is worth it. If the BRICS bank is anything to go by,

the success of an alternative internet framework is also very much in reach.

1Q. A recent study has indicated a dramatic rise in attacks by cyber

criminals on Indian entities in recent years. Critically examine how

these crimes should be tackled by concerned agencies and

government. (200 Words) In the past few years Indian economy has been going digital at a fast rate - e-commerce has exploded; leading to growing online transactions. Government of

India & various states have launched many

e-governance initiatives to improve governance. Rising mobile penetration

particularly internet enabled smart phone users. On a flip side this has led to a spurt

in cyber crimes targeting Indian entities & naive first internet users; To tackle this

menace all concerned agencies including government should come up with a suitable

strategy

Steps that can be taken:

1. Individuals: should be educated to create backups & also understand the need

for it. They must be educated not to reveal their sensitive personal

information indiscreetly.

2. Businesses should enhance their cyber security spending. Study the best

practices across globe and frame their cyber security measures accordingly.

Organizations should designate a Chief Information Security Officer.

3. Conducting cyber security drills to assess the preparedness of the

organisations.This should be increased further according to the present

situations.

4. Govt should set up nodal centres to tackle cyber threats - National Cyber

Coordination Center & a computer emergency response team are a welcome

step. NCCC - will screen online threats and coordinate with the intelligence

agencies to handle issues related to the national security such as hacking and

espionage. NeTRA ( Network Traffic Analysis System) and Cetnrlaized

Minitoring System will go a long way in ensuring national security. They need

to remain technologically updated always. Also, a balance must be struck

between the need to surveillance for security and intrusion into private lives of

citizens. This will also help winning citizens‘ cooperation in dealing with cyber

threats.



5. Come up with innovative measures such as ethical hacking so as to find out

the weakness in the existing architecture and then fix it.

6. Fishy emails and spam lure employees with attractive offers, then slowly steal

data. NIC should create filters to block such emails,mandatory continuous

training should be provided on safe practices.

7. Strengthen the legal framework. Give statutory status to national cyber

security policy. Quick investigations and prosecutions should be done.

8. Upgrading the critical IT infrastructure in nuclear facilities, Electricity grids,

Oil storage and Weapons facilities.

9. Raising a corps of trained professionals who specialize in dealing with and

neutralizing threats in cyber-space. National cyber security policy aims to

train 5 lakh people. Increase in training centres to facilitate advanced training

in cyber crime investigations which is now undergoing at limited centres.

10. Taking steps to build our own servers instead of depending on external servers

by engaging IT organizations which could decrease the cases of snooping.

Topic: Security challenges and their management in border areas;

linkages of organized crime with terrorism

1Q. Critically discuss why some of pressing security challenges that

India is facing in its north eastern region are inextricably linked

to developments taking place in Myanmar. (200 Words)

India‘s North eastern region needs special attention and participates in the Indian

journey of development and economic prosperity. But many security, socio-economic

and infiltration challenges are pulling it back. Many are linked with the Myanmar

unstable political scenarios with which North eastern sister states share longest

border.

Myanmar is semi-democratic and military ruled nation where the taste of

Constitutional Democracy is yet to come. This army dominated government (more

than 80% parliamentarian are army officers) always supported North eastern

extremists and make their border porous for arms supply, smuggling. Recent case of

red sander, rhino horn and poached animals are found to reach China through

Myanmar only.

Persecution of Minority Rohingya Muslim by majority Buddhists also a reason of

increased infiltration along the border. Myanmar also poses security threat to

Bangladesh also because of infiltration. Many Burmese minorities first reach



Bangladesh then reach India risking their life later to join extremists, local business

to further disrupt hard earned peace in North east.

Relations between NSCN (Khaplang), ULFA(United Liberation Front of Assam),

NSCN (National Socialist Council of Nagaland) and the Myanmar government have

been on the upswing in last decade with various proof of securing hideouts for

wanted criminals/extremists of North east in Myanmar.

Myanmar's growing closeness to China evident in growing presence of Chinese

companies in Myanmar is also a cause of security concern because of oft used

Chinese policy of gaining strategic influence by using its economic strength.

Myanmar army dominated govt also supports secessionist forces of North east for

their personal gains like smuggling, arms/ammunition supply etc. Myanmar

government has entered into an five point agreement with Khaplang faction of

NSCN; which includes ceasefire, freedom of movement for unarmed cadres in

Myanmar and opening liaison office to facilitate talks; proving Myanmar's active

involvement in India's north eastern problem. Such goodwill gestures to Rebel group

will further erodes the long form trust and diplomacy between India and Myanmar

consistent with India‘s act east policy.

Topic: Linkages between development and spread of extremism.

1Q. ―One of the most disturbing effects of civil unrest is children

participating in violence.‖ Critically analyse how unrest in different

parts of India have made children vulnerable to exploitation,

trafficking and misuse. (200 Words) Human trafficking is the3rd leading illicit trade world over & problems like terrorism

add salt to the injury. India is grabbed by terrorism both at the frontiers and inside.

Findings from various reports indicate:

1. Children (as low as 6yrs) are snatched from their families by Maoists to use

them as spies, couriers, self explosives, etc., particularly in the affected zones

– trafficking in persons report 2015, US.

2. According to UN‘s report, organizations like salwa judum, Maoists are

indoctrinating children.

3. Reports say that they are creating children squads like – bal dastas, bal

sangam, bal manch – not to educate but to act against government.

4. National commission for protection of child rights report indicates

recruitment of

children and adolescents to fight for terrorism.



5. Depriving them of Education by destroying govt. schools and threatening the

Teachers. This is influenced by the Taliban and Boko-Haram strategy to keep

children away from Education lest they become pro-democracy.

All these indicate that the terrorists not only cause trouble to the administrative

machinery but also destroying the future of the next generation through coercion or

false promises.

Following problems are responsible & need to be addressed in these conflict zones to

get rid of this menace:

1. Poverty

2. Lack of adequate infrastructure like all-weather roads, schools, banks,

electricity, sanitation in houses and schools, clean water

3. Surveillance on school dropout and quick corrective action

4. Lack of awareness – banking, agriculture, etc.

5. Lack of industrial investment thereby creating jobs and regular source of

income in affected region – government has to show pro-activeness in this

respect.

1Q. Do you think religious stimuli is the sole reason impacting the

rise of Islamic extremism across the world? Critically analyse. (200

Words) Spread of Islamic extremism has been a widely acknowledged threat to world

security especially in middle east, spreading slowly in all directions. Explaining

Islamic extremism as a result religious stimuli is not entirely correct. Though on the

surface it seems to have religious tint, detailed account reveals that there are other

factors underlying leading to rise of islamic extremism :

1. Failure of political systems: middle east ,hub of terrorism has witnessed mal-

governance characterised by corruption, repression,lack of participation and

large scale unemployment especially among youth.

2. Most of these radical Islamic groups have emerged out in regions where

governments practice sectarian discrimination rendering many sects

unrepresented in government and limited political participation

3. Unhappy and frustrated youth wanted to vent their anger, which was

capitalized by Islamic radicalists.

4. Metamorphism of terrorism as an organization and profession characterised

by recruitments, cadre-ization etc, sense of purpose, glorification of violence

etc.

5. Repeated interventionist policies and interference of the Western powers led

by the U.S.A in Iraq and other middle east countries generating anger and

hatred locally .



6. Inter-competitions between regional influential countries like Saudi Arabia

and Iran etc to gain strategic grounds in the domestic affairs of neighbouring

countries

Arguments for:

1. All most all these deadly radical Islamic groups are driven by primary goal of

establishing a worldwide Islamic caliphate or imposing self-rule in the areas

under their control ,ruled and governed by Islamic Sharia law and reformed

by radical ideas and misinterpretations of religious texts , they hold zero

tolerance towards other religions ,sects and ethnic groups.

2. Increasing number of people , from western countries,even though they have

good economic opportunities there ,are radicalized by Islamic propaganda and

joining cadres of ISIS also

This has grown to a stage where it has created a state (ISIS) for itself and is

aggressively expanding. There is need to understand the underlying causes to curb

and counter the spread effectively.

1Q. Critically examine the factors that have helped the emergence of

Islamic State in the Middle East. Do you think this organisation

poses greater threat than Al-Qaeda and Taliban? Substantiate. (200

Words)

The Islamic State (IS) is a radical islamist group that has captured vast swathes of

territory in eastern Syria and across Northern and Western Iraq. The following facts

have contributed to the meteoric rise of IS -

1. US withdrawal from Iraq - The US troops withdrew from Iraq without

ensuring that institutions had been set up in Iraq to ensure its stability and

security. Thus, the IS found a comparatively weak Iraqi army.

2. Conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia - Iran and Saudi Arabia are the two

major powers in Middle East. While both are Islamic countries, Saudi Arabia

is a Sunni-majority state while Iran is Shia majority. Coupled to this Saudi

Arabia is a monarchy while Iran is a theocracy.

3. Instability in the Middle East - After the Arab spring, there has been a lot of

instability in the region. There have been regime changes, demands for greater

freedom by the citizens and a crackdown in different states in the region. The

instability has been compounded due to the oil supplies from the region which

has led to interference by other powers.

4. The late response of the West and the limited success of the airstrikes has

helped the IS linger on. Also, strategic paradoxes like the West's desire to



topple Assad and at the same time the need to use the Syrian Army against IS

have led to confusion. The role of Hezbollah, though effective has been viewed

with suspicion by S. Arabia

Thus all these factors have combined together to form a potent mix which has been

exploited by the IS to achieve ascendency in the region.

The Islamic State (IS) is much more dangerous than Al Qaeda or Taliban due to the

following reasons

1. IS is not a conventional terrorist organisation but is more like a modern state.

Thus, it has established institutions based on its ideology in the area it

controls. This also provides safe haven to many terrorists.

2. While Taliban did rule in Afganistan, the territory which IS controls is much

more valuable as it has oil resources which can be used by IS for generating

finance.

3. The IS has also been more successful in radicalising a lot of people. Even

young children or citizens of advanced countries like Britain have joined IS.

Thus, IS is a very disturbing force and can potentially destabilize the entire Middle

East and by doing so can affect the economy of the entire world.

1Q. In the light of increasing naxalite violent activities despite

government‘s efforts to stall them, in your opinion, what should be

the critical components of counterinsurgency strategy followed by

the government agencies? Critically discuss. (200 Words) Naxalism is a major challenge to India's internal security. An effective counter

insurgency measures are essential to establish peace and tranquility in Indian

territories. Major components of a counter insurgency initiative are

1. Ideological: The basic ideology of the naxal movement is that of alleging the

state to be anti poor which resulted in the deprivation of the people living in

the affected areas. This ideology has been deep rooted in the cadres as well as

the residents. A strategy which counters this ideology and checks its spread is

thus imperative.

2. Developmental: It has to be realized that the current situation in the naxal

affected areas is due to governance and development deficit at some point of

time. There can be no substitute for development and the developmental

strategy should focus on overall development of the region through education,

employment, health care, women empowerment, local governance, etc.

besides recognizing that majority of the population is tribal and the

development should not deny them of their habitat.



3. Police: The violent activities of the naxalites needs to be taken care of with a

strict hand. Although, assassination, extreme use of force, should be taken as a

last resort. The state and central police should largely comprise of personnel

belonging and willing to work in the affected areas so that their knowledge

and acquaintance can be used to further developmental work. Force alone is

also detrimental. A balance has to be kept. We need force to ensure peace to

pursue development projects.

4. Intelligence - Effective intelligence network to know firsthand their operations

and hideouts for minimal but effective counter attack is the prime component.

Use of local communities, enlisting locals into police forces should be done.

5. Technology - It can be the difference between insurgents and our forces.

Technology ensures accurate, minimal and effective efforts. Allow the

geography of those regions make technology critical. Use of Eco towers for

energy, solar panels, GPS, drones etc.

6. Coordination - Coordination between different counter insurgency forces that

is the state intelligence, police, Special Forces such as Octopus and the central

para military and intelligence makes counter insurgency effective.

7. Local communities - These people are the encouragement for Naxalites. They

are the main recruits. It is essential that we resolve their grievances and win

their trust in the Government and indian constitution.

8. well motivated security forces: the basic needs of our forces on ground are not

being duly attended to; ration & supplies, medics/paramedics, air support etc

are either lacking or missing; such petty issues can make or break motivation

of our soldiers; adversely affecting their resolve to fight naxalites.

On the whole, the strategy should be a mix of force and favour. The motive should be

to win their hearts and minds. A comprehensive and holistic strategy with the stated

components will make these communities join mainstream India.

1Q. Critically comment on the success of the Treaty on Non-

Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in stopping proliferation

of nuclear weapons around the world. Looking at ongoing

geopolitical struggles around the world, do you think non –

proliferation can be achieved? Discuss. (200 Words) The Treaty of Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which entered into force

in 1970, has the following objectives - (A) prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and

weapons technology (B) promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy,

and (C) achieve the general and complete nuclear disarmament.



Success of NPT in stopping proliferation of nuclear weapons around the world is

being rightly questioned because:

1. After 1970, when the treaty came into effect, four more countries acquired

nuclear weapons. These were India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea. So

compliance isn't mandatory and non-compliance doesn't have costs, or at least

costs that can deter countries from acquiring these weapons.

2. The treaty is arbitrary and discriminatory and is seen by many developing

states including India as a conspiracy of the nuclear 'haves' to keep the nuclear

‗have-nots‘ in their place.

3. The NPT is state-centric and increasingly, the problem the NPT faces come in

the form of non-state actors and its suitability to deal with such problems is at

best debatable

It is extremely difficult to imagine a completely nuclear arms free world because of

the following reasons:

1. Flawed nature of the NPT that divides the world into nuclear haves and have-

nots

2. Security dilemma which leads to nuclear arms race (as in the case of India and

Pakistan developing nuclear weapons; also seen in Saudi Arabia‘s case)

3. The perception (often true) that possession of nuclear weapons gives more

prestige and respect in the international regime and a sense of security

4. Unwillingness of nuclear weapon states to move towards complete time-

bound nuclear disarmament

5. Lack of faith in collective security

Topic: Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges

to internal security.

1Q. Does India need a ‗a coherent national strategy‘ to take on

Islamic State and to prevent Indians from joining this

organisation? Critically examine. (200 Words) India is home to 2nd largest Muslim population in the world and no Islamic terrorost organization can skip India as a target. Islam in India jas seen many shades during

its long history from being rulers to being divided along communal lines during

partition to a sort of alienation in today's India. But fortunately due to India's

accomodative spirit, we have remained free of Wahabbism or Salafism.

ISIS's meteroic rise from detritus of a civil war tp a near state like apparatus has been

phenomenal and poses a great challenge. Though a few misguided youth from India

have joined, but a strategy needs to be formulated.



1. Firstly, areas which show communal tensions must be focussed and police

should be revamped to prevent any untoward incident and report any

missing persons.

2. Secondly, disgruntled youth population needs to be made aware of laws,

brotherhood and compassion. Here the service of preaching maulvis and

eminent perosns could be obtained by incentives to mobilise opinion and

educate history of Islam in India which embraced each other. Madarsa

modernization schemes should be implemented in these areas on a priority

basis.

3. Thirdly, fringe elements and organizations should be banned from these

areas.

4. Fourthly, terrorists and those violate laws should be punished speedily to

break stereotypes created due to prolonged media coverage.

5. Fifthly, intelligence agencies should keep an eye on those travel between

India, Pakistan and West Asia. These steps will ensure there is no mass

feeling of alienation amongst disgruntled youth.

If ISIS were to target India, Pakistan's radical elements will be first affected and

happenings there will let us know of impending crisis. Indian army meeds to he modernized and international efforts should be mobilized to prevent falling of

Pakistan, a nuclear state, into the hands of ISIS.

1Q. In your opinion, what should be India‘s strategic response to

separatist movements, insurgency and terrorism? With emphasis

on separatist movement in Jammu and Kashmir, critically analyse.

(200 Words) India is facing growing threats from insurgency ,terrorism and separatists across it's

inland regions and frontiers and therefore there is exigency to take bold measures

based on pragmatism and careful planning and execution with support of all the

available machinery within the government at central and state level. These

measures should includes the following:-

Security:

1. Prompt action by security forces backed by precise and strong intelligence

services .

2. Capability of India's intelligence agencies must be enhanced with use of

advance technologies and best practices in the area .

3. wining support of locals in the counter operations and their active

involvement through recruitment in the armed forces and reserve forces.

4. intense training of security forces to enhance their capability in guerrilla

warfare and fighting in forests and treacherous terrains

economic:-

1. generating employment opportunities for locals through industrial

development and recruitment in government jobs.



2. providing educations and imparting vocational training that make them

employable .

3. carrying development works locally through improved infrastructure ,roads,

housings ,urbanization.

Cultural and social:

1. poverty eradication, improvement in social indicators .

2. countering the growing influence of anti-states actors on the youths by

providing mainstream education through schools and organizing exchange

visits to rest of the India to learn and appreciate diversity, traditions and

different cultures .

The counter-operations against the separatist movement of J&K has achieved a great

success in restoring the peace and stability in the valley which has been largely peaceful off late barring a few occasions .This has been possible only because the

promptness and active actions of armed forces backed by active intelligence

gathering .However, threats loom high in wake of recent spur of separatists activities

in J&K .The development work in the region has remained stagnant for years and

unemployment remain high.Very few have any formal education .For the long term

peace , the economic and socio-cultural measures mentioned above should be

implemented.

1Q. Critically analyse how India‘s neighbours have assisted or

hindered India‘s efforts to curb terrorist activities of state and

non-state actors affecting its internal security. (200 Words) Both internal as well as external territorial boundaries of India face security

challenges in the form of Naxalism, separatism, insurgency or terrorism. In order to

counter these threats, India has intensively engaged with its neighbours to seek

stabilised boundaries.

Countries such as Bhutan, Burma and Bangladesh have coordinate with india's

efforts in countering insurgency, drug trafficking and money laundering across the

borders. Recently, Burma displayed an attitude of cooperation in thwarting

insurgents along indo-Burma border. Likewise, nepal has helped India in tackling

violent activities of Maoists along indo-nepal border.

However, the attitude of nations such as Pakistan and China has been cold-hearted

in this regard. Despite both the countries wrangling with threats of terrorism in some

form or the other and theoretically proclaiming commitments towards counter-

terrorism efforts with india, Yet failed to manifest credible actions in this regard.

Pakistan, even to this day has taken no significant investigation and prosecuting

process to bring the perpetrators of 26/11 to the book and instead released its

mastermind, Rehman Lakhvi on bail. Moreover, it is frequently engaged in ceasefire

violations along the borders.



Likewise, china too, in spite of condemning terrroism in all forms has recently

supported pakistan action of lakvi release. Also, its incursions into e borders along

arunachal, issuing staple visas all reflect its dubious stand regarding security

cooperation.

Thus, india should raise these ambiguous stand of her neighbours at international

forums to articulate security interests and persuade them to take responsive step

towards counter-terrorism initiatives

2Q. Critically comment on India‘s approach towards handling

insurgency and insurgents in the northeastern region. Do you think

a referendum should be conducted and wish of the majority people

in the region be granted? Justify. (200 Words) India‘s northeast region has been facing the problem of insurgency since long and it

has affected the developmental process in region. The Indian government‘s approach

has not been proactive rather its short sighted, ad hoc and piecemeal. This misses the

bigger picture and fails to take a holistic view of problem.

Insurgency in north-east is diverse and complex in nature. The various ethnic groups

and clan rivalry has further complicated the situation.

Indian government has tried to engage in dialogue with moderate fraction and make

them stakeholder in local power equation. The ceasefire with NSCN (K), NSCN (IM)

and other Naga group was in existence for decades, but no conclusion has been

reached so far. The recent abrogation of ceasefire by NSCN(K) has shown that

extremist fraction are losing their patience.

The various accords like Assam Accord, Mizo Accord etc has shown that strategy of

dialogue and power sharing can work but it may not last long if all stakeholder re not

involved. The lack of effective implementation of Assam Accord has shown that

Assam still suffer from insurgency. Same is situation in other states of NE.

The lack of comprehensive and holistic engagement with all stakeholders,

irrespective of their ideology and composition, is missing. The grievance arising out

of complex ethnic, social and religious composition of region can‘t be solved by

referendum. Such a move would only further complicate the situation. The Nagas

want ‗Greater Nagaland‘ but this is in conflict with ‗Meities‘

who want their own state.

Heterogeneity of population necessitate that all the ethnic groups and stakeholders

be taken into confidence by speeding up developmental process, providing

democratic avenues for power sharing and giving due representation to all the

legitimate voices.



1Q. Critically comment on India‘s approach towards dealing with

the Naga insurgents in the Northeast. (200 Words)

North eastern part of India has been plagues by many insurgencies in different parts.

Out of them the Naga Insurgency has been the longest running insurgency which

began soon after Independence in 1947, led by Naga Nationalist Council (NNC)

under Angami Phizo.

After the rebel group gave up armed resistance and came to the negotiating table

with the government, the state of Nagaland was created in 1963. However a new

rebel group National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN) was established in 1980

with the purpose of establishing a sovereign state of 'Greater Nagaland' comprising of

areas from Myanmar, Nagaland, Mizoram etc.

The Indian Government has always followed the position that it will not negotiate

under the threat of violence. Thus, till the time the insurgent groups swear on armed

activity, they are repressed by use of instruments like the armed forces, police etc.

However, if they renounce violence then the government engages with them to settle

their grievances in a democratic manner.

This has been the policy of the government in Nagaland as well, where a cease fire

between the government and the insurgent groups have been in place since 1997.

However, there are many problems with the government‘s approach -

1. Use of repression by armed forces has alienated the civilian population of the

region, thus providing support and cadres to the insurgents.

2. The government has tried to turn the various groups against one other for

tactical gains. However, this policy has caused a lot of collateral damage in the

form of civilian deaths.

3. The central government has not kept the state government in the loop on the

question of its negotiations with the insurgents. This deprives the government

of local insights and input in the matter.

4. The excessively long duration of negotiations - 18 years and continuing has

been the cause of considerable heartburn among the people. Also, govt does

not negotiate with khaplangs (myanmarese) but only with issac muivah

faction of NSCN

5. Close co-operation and co-ordination with neighbouring countries like

Myanmar and Bangladesh to ensure that there are no safe havens for

insurgents.

On the other hand the government policy has ensured that the number of deaths due

to militant violence has been brought down. It must now ensure that it can negotiate

a permanent solution to the problem and thus help bring peace and attendant

prosperity to the region



1Q. Critically comment on India‘s approach towards dealing with

the Naga insurgents in the Northeast. (200 Words)

North eastern part of India has been plagues by many insurgencies in different parts.

Out of them the Naga Insurgency has been the longest running insurgency which

began soon after Independence in 1947, led by Naga Nationalist Council (NNC)

under Angami Phizo.

After the rebel group gave up armed resistance and came to the negotiating table

with the government, the state of Nagaland was created in 1963. However a new

rebel group National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN) was established in 1980

with the purpose of establishing a sovereign state of 'Greater Nagaland' comprising of

areas from Myanmar, Nagaland, Mizoram etc.

The Indian Government has always followed the position that it will not negotiate

under the threat of violence. Thus, till the time the insurgent groups swear on armed

activity, they are repressed by use of instruments like the armed forces, police etc.

However, if they renounce violence then the government engages with them to settle

their grievances in a democratic manner.

This has been the policy of the government in Nagaland as well, where a cease fire

between the government and the insurgent groups have been in place since 1997.

However, there are many problems with the government‘s approach -

6. Use of repression by armed forces has alienated the civilian population of the

region, thus providing support and cadres to the insurgents.

7. The government has tried to turn the various groups against one other for

tactical gains. However, this policy has caused a lot of collateral damage in the

form of civilian deaths.

8. The central government has not kept the state government in the loop on the

question of its negotiations with the insurgents. This deprives the government

of local insights and input in the matter.

9. The excessively long duration of negotiations - 18 years and continuing has

been the cause of considerable heartburn among the people. Also, govt does

not negotiate with khaplangs (myanmarese) but only with issac muivah

faction of NSCN

10. Close co-operation and co-ordination with neighbouring countries like

Myanmar and Bangladesh to ensure that there are no safe havens for

insurgents.



On the other hand the government policy has ensured that the number of deaths due

to militant violence has been brought down. It must now ensure that it can negotiate

a permanent solution to the problem and thus help bring peace and attendant

prosperity to the region

1Q. The Islamic State is making inroads into new territories and

spreading violence thanks to many factors including the absence

of collective offensive against it. Critically analyse the reasons

behind success of ISIS. (200 Words) The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is an Islamic extremist terrorist group

controlling territory in Iraq and Syria, with limited territorial control in Libya and

Nigeria. ISIS today is emphatically not a problem limited to West Asian geopolitics,

with just some collateral implications for India‘s diaspora, and for oil prices, its spread has wider implications – growing social unrest and threat to democracy being

the major ones.

The main reasons of success of ISIS can be attributed to lack of coherence among

major world powers to demolish ISIS, economic self sufficiency of the terrorist

organisation, weaponry, its talented but distracted youth force and the upcoming

intra-jihadi politics.

The main states and organisations that are presently challenging the ISIS are NATO,

European Union and Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf. The Asian

superpowers like Russia and China has shown passiveness towards the ongoing

struggle and India too has taken a protectionist stance rather than aggression. This

has made the war on terror weak.

ISIS has been able to keep up its financial reservoirs through illicit proceeds from the

occupation of territory, oil revenues, sale of antiques and artefacts, taxation and extortion and donations. The international community has been unable to keep a

check on this funding.

ISIS is known for its well-funded web and social media propaganda. Most of the

digital caliphate‘s business is conducted online, from recruitment and propaganda to

battlefield strategy and instruction.

Global reach and decentralised operating style makes this brash and brutal

organisation uniquely placed to attract disaffected Muslim youth — including those

in the West, struggling with alienation and economic slowdowns.

Intra-jihadi politics complicate the picture with existing and newer, more extreme

jihadist organisations (Nigeria‘s BokoHaram and Somalia‘s Al-Shabaab) are

increasingly allying themselves with the IS.

To tackle the problem of ISIS it is imperative that world as a whole resolve to take

stringent actions against terrorism and adopt zero-tolerance policy towards

terrorism, be it in any part of world because terrorism is not danger just to a person

or a nation but to entire mankind and its eternal values of liberty and peaceful

coexistence.

paper 3 may to august

Documents

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india reform

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agricultural growth

indias exports

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