02 October 2014
1) Examine what efforts were made previously to eradicate the problem of open defecation in India. Explain why these missions/schemes haven’t been successful.
2) “It should be a cause for serious concern that a country of India’s size, which is growing in economic strength and has a great intellectual history, still does not have any of its universities in world’s top 200 list.” Critically comment.
3) Recently a committee recommended that public-private partnerships (PPPs) in the coal mining and power distribution segments should be allowed to make these sectors profitable and efficient. Critically examine what problems these sectors are facing presently and how PPP can solve them.
4) Write a note on the role played by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) in ensuring fair competition among companies in India.
5) Critically comment on the design and objectives of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Some critics think that schemes like this perpetuate the plight of scavenging communities. Do you agree with this view? Comment.
6) “The Indian state is secular and has no religion. It cannot, therefore, compel citizens to fit into one religion or the other.” In the light of the statement, critically analyse how India’s secularism differs from the West’s and examine if any anomalies are found in the way secularism is practised in India by the state and its subjects.
7) Recently it was reported that Islamic State, a terrorist organization presently occupying certain parts of Iraq and Syria, is recruiting fighters – men and women – from many parts of the world including Western European countries and Canada. Critically examine why nationals from some of the progressive countries want to participate in terrorist activities.
