[Insights Secure – 2016] UPSC Mains Questions on Current Events: 23 March 2016
Archives – Secure 2016
Click on EACH question to post/read answers.
General Studies – 1;
Topic:- Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues
1) “Every Congress session used to be memorable but the Karachi Congress of 1931 was to be more than memorable, it was going to be momentous.” In the light of Gandhi-Irwin Pact and Bhagat Singh’s hanging, analyse the statement. (200 Words)
The Hindu
Topic: Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues
2) How did Bhagat Singh’s sense of nationalism differ from other stalwarts of the national movement? And how is it different from today’s sense of nationalism? Critically discuss. (200 Words)
The Indian Express
General Studies – 2
Topic: India and its neighborhood- relations
3) “Pakistan pursuing its bilateral goals vis-à-vis India has become an obstacle in the path of greater connectivity and interdependence, preventing Saarc from attaining its full potential.” Critically comment. (200 Words)
Livemint
Topic: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests
4) American President Barack Obama’s visit to Cuba is termed as a remarkable moment in global diplomacy. Examine why and also with suitable examples comment on the limitations of diplomacy in normalising relations between two enemy countries. (200 Words)
The Hindu
Topic: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes
5) Recently the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, with the aim of providing five crore subsidised Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) connections to women of poor households (Below Poverty Line) in the next three years. Discuss the significance of this initiative and the challenges it faces. (200 Words)
The Hindu
General Studies – 3
Topic: Awareness in IT
6) Shortly, ICANN, or the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, that runs the Internet’s central directory and coordinates its key technical functions will be made an independent organisation, with no external oversight. What will be the consequences of this move? Will this make internet free? Discuss. (200 Words)
The Hindu
Topic: Public Distribution System- objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping;
7) Chhattisgarh and Odisha have shown extraordinary success in making public distribution system work efficiently and equitably. Explain the model followed by these states, and examine how can digitization, computerization and automation be implemented in PDS to make it efficient in all states. (200 Words)
Livemint
General Studies – 4
Topic: ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions
8) Your close friend, who is very poor, is caught by railway ticket checker (TC) while travelling ticketless. When asked to pay fine, he is arguing with TC that the government is going soft on affluent wilful defaulters whereas it’s harassing a common man like him who is poor and unemployed. He says that he doesn’t have any money and TC is free to hand him over to police. TC takes him to railway police and then he is taken to court where he is punished with seven days of jail sentence.
Is your friend right in his argument? If you were TC, would you let him go? Justify. (200 Words)
The Hindu
