[Insights Secure – 2015] UPSC Mains Questions on Current Events: 21 May 2015
Archives – Secure 2015
21 May 2015
If facing problem in loading of Disqus Comments, please clear Cache and Cookies in your Browser and then reload the page. This will solve the problem. Alternatively you can open the page in ‘incognito/safe browsing mode‘.
Static Part – Timetable
Click on EACH question to post/read answers.
General Studies – 1;
The Static Timetable Will Resume from 26th May With Modified Timetable (To integrate it better with Prelims GS-1 Paper)
Topic: Social empowerment, Role of Women
1) Critically analyse the efforts made by successive governments since independence towards empowering women at various levels. (200 Words)
Bipan Chandra, India Since Independence, Chapter – 38
General Studies – 2
Topic: Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies
2) “It is imperative that the rules and laws governing Delhi are reviewed and areas of potential overreach by the Central government are eliminated quickly enough.” In the light of recent events that have generated debate on the powers or Delhi’s Chief Minister and Lieutenant General, critically comment on the statement. (200 Words)
The Hindu
Topic: India and its neighborhood- relations.
3) Despite some major shared interests and willingness to strengthen their mutual relationship, few factors are hampering the full development of ties between India and China. Critically examine what these factors are and evaluate the efforts being made to resolve them. (200 Words)
The Hindu
The Hindu
Topic: e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential;
4) 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)
Business Standard
Topic: India and its neighborhood- relations.
5) Should India worry at huge investments made by the Chinese government and private companies in Pakistan? Critically analyse. (200 Words)
The Hindu
Topic: Issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein.
6) Despite efforts being made to bring decentralisation since independence, in reality the reverse has taken place. Critically examine. (200 Words)
The Indian Express
General Studies – 3
Topic: Food processing and related industries in India- location and significance
7) Critically comment on the objectives of government’s Mega Food Park scheme and the progress made so far in establishing them. (200 Words)
Business Standard
Topic: Indian economy – resource mobilization
8) Though the draft gold monetisation scheme looks like being an improvement over the existing gold deposit scheme, it is said that this scheme may still give rise to certain problems. Examine. (150 Words)
Business Standard
Topic: Infrastructure: Ports,
9) 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)
Business Standard
Topic: Investment Models
10) “India’s PPP model, as it stands now, is in need of urgent overhaul at the minimum. Ideally, it should be junked and a more transparent and dynamic model of risk-sharing in large projects built before more projects are awarded by the government.” Critically analyse. (200 Words)
Livemint
Topic: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment.
11) 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)
Business Standard
The Hindu
General Studies – 4
Topic: Ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions
12) In your opinion, should an aged person of about 75 years old, caught and proved in a corruption case, who has undergone twenty years of judicial trial, be leniently punished by the court? Or should he be acquitted on humanitarian grounds? Substantiate. (200 Words)
The Hindu
Topic: laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance
13) Six poor women belonging to a community that strictly restricts women to kitchen decide to go to work in a nearby factory. They want to earn for their families and repay mounting debt. They want freedom from moneylenders. But the village panchayat warns these women against working in factory. It issues diktat to get money from moneylenders instead. These women are also ostracised and humiliated in the village by the powerful panchayat members.
You are District Collector of the district where this village is located. An official from panchayat complains you about this incident.
Identify ethical issues involved in this case and explain what course of action will you take? (200 Words)
The Hindu
Other Syllabus Related Articles:
1) PDS – Business Standard
2) Farm Subsidies – Business Standard
3) Education – The Indian Express
4) Indian Economy – The Hindu
