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General Studies – 1
Topic: Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.
Reference: Indian art and culture by Nitin Singhania.
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 1.
Key Demand of the question:
A straightforward question to write about the main style and themes of Rajasthani School and its main centers.
Directive:
Discuss – This is an all-encompassing directive – you have to debate on paper by going through the details of the issues concerned by examining each one of them. You have to give reasons for both for and against arguments.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Write in brief about aesthetics of Rajasthani paintings and their origins.
Body:
In the first part, write about the main style and themes that are depicted in the paintings. Elements depicted, colors used, notable genre and any other important features.
Next, write about the major centers where it flourished – Mewar School, Bundi school and Kishangarh school. Write about their important features.
Conclusion:
Conclude by highlighting their special place in the artistic history of India.
Introduction:
The term ‘Rajasthani Schools of Painting’ pertains to the schools of painting that prevailed in the princely kingdoms and thikanas of what roughly constitutes Rajasthan and parts of Madhya Pradesh in the present time, such as Mewar, Bundi, Kota, Jaipur, Bikaner, Kishangarh, Jodhpur (Marwar), Malwa, Sirohi and other such principalities largely between the sixteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Like the Mughal Emperors, the Rajput rulers were also lovers of art and gave their patronage to miniature paintings.
Scholar Annand Coomaraswamy in 1916 coined the term ‘Rajput Paintings’ to refer to these as most rulers and patrons of these kingdoms were Rajputs.
Body:
Main features of Rajasthani School of paintings:
- Each Rajputana kingdom had its own distinct style with a few common features.
- Unlike Mughal painting which is primarily secular, the art of painting in Central India, Rajasthani and the Pahari region etc. is deeply rooted in the Indian traditions, taking inspiration from Indian epics, religious texts like the Puranas, love poems in Sanskrit and other Indian languages, Indian folk-lore and works on musical themes.
- The cults of Vaishnavism, Saivism and Shakti exercised tremendous influence on the pictorial art of these places.
- Among these the cult of Krishna was the most popular one which inspired the patrons and artists.
- The notion of ‘love’ was cherished as a religious theme, where a delightful synthesis of sensuousness and mysticism was perceived
- The themes from the Ramayana., the Mahabharata, the Bhagavata, the Siva Purana, the Naishadacarita, the Usha Aniruddha, the GitaGovinda of Jayadeva, the Rasamanjari of Bhanudatta, the Amaru Sataka, the Rasikapriya of Kesavadasa, the Bihari Satasayee and the Ragamala etc., provided a very rich field to the painter who with his artistic skill and devotion made a significant contribution to the development of Indian painting.
- Apart from depicting stories from the Ramayana and the royal lifestyle of kings and queens, Rajasthani miniature paintings often portrayed the legacy of present and past rulers.
- They also portrayed social values and the changes introduced by kings for the betterment of society. The background of the paintings formed a special feature of the Rajasthani school.
- Colours used were often bold and contrasting in nature.
- Natural colours, extracted from plants, minerals, shells, gold, silver and precious stones, were used.
- The preparation of colours itself would often take weeks and only fine brushes were used.
- The difficult art of miniature painting still exists in Rajasthan where the painters often use paper, ivory and silk as their canvas.
- However, natural colours are no longer used as they have been replaced by artificial colours.
Various schools:
The Malwa School:
- It flourished between 1600 and 1700 CE and is most representative of the Hindu Rajput courts.
- Its two-dimensional simplistic language appears as a consummation of stylistic progression from the Jain manuscripts to the Chaurpanchashika manuscript paintings.
- Unlike the specificity of Rajasthani schools that emerged and flourished in precise territorial kingdoms and courts of their respective kings, Malwa School defies a precise centre for its origin and instead suggests a vast territory of Central India, where it got articulated with a sporadic mention of few places, such as Mandu, Nusratgarh and Narsyang Sahar.
- Among the few early dated sets are an illustrated poetic text of Amaru Shatakadated 1652 CE and a Ragamala painting by Madho Das in 1680 CE.
Mewar school of painting:
- Mewar is conjectured to be a significant early centre of painting in Rajasthan, from where, hypothetically, one would have been able to formalise a continuous stylistic tradition of painting—from pre-seventeenth century bold, indigenous styles to the subsequent refined and finer style post Karan Singh’s contact with the Mughals.
- However, long wars with the Mughals have wiped out earliest examples.
- Therefore, the emergence of the Mewar School is widely associated with an early dated set of Ragamala paintings painted at Chawed in 1605 by an artist named Narain.
- Sahibdin painted the Ragamala (1628), Rasikapriya, Bhagvata Purana (1648) and the Yuddha Kanda of Ramayana (1652).
Bundi School of Painting:
- A prolific and distinct school of painting flourished in Bundi in the seventeenth century, which is remarkable for its unblemished colour sense and excellent formal design.
- Bundi Ragamala dated 1591, assigned to the earliest and formative phase of Bundi painting, has been painted at Chinar in the reign of Bhai Singh (1585–1607), the Hada Rajput ruler.
- A distinct feature of Bundi and Kota School is a keen interest in the depiction of lush vegetation; picturesque landscape with varied flora, wildlife and birds; hills and thick jungles; and water bodies.
- Bundi artists had their own standards of feminine beauty—women are petite with round faces, receding foreheads, sharp noses, full cheeks, sharply pencilled eyebrows and a ‘pinched’ waist.
Kota School of Painting:
- The accomplished tradition of painting at Bundi gave rise to one of the most outstanding Rajasthani Schools, Kota, which excels in the depiction of hunting scenes and reflects an exceptional excitement and obsession for animal chase.
- Kota paintings are characteristically spontaneous, calligraphic in execution and emphasise on marked shading, especially, the double–lid eye.
- Artists of the Kota School excelled in rendering animals and combat.
Bikaner School of Painting:
- Rao Bika Rathore established one of the most prominent kingdoms of Rajasthan, Bikaner, in 1488.
- During his regime, Anup Singh (1669–1698) instituted a library in Bikaner that became a repository of manuscripts and paintings.
- As a result of long association with the Mughals, Bikaner developed a distinctive language of painting that was influenced by the Mughal elegance and subdued colour palette.
- The custom of having portraits of artists is unique to the Bikaner School and most of them are inscribed with information regarding their ancestry. They are referred to as Ustas or Ustad.
- Accounts from the Bahis, royal archival day-to-day diaries, and numerous inscriptions on Bikaner paintings make it one of the best documented schools of painting.
Kishangarh School of Painting:
- Widely held among the most stylised of all Rajasthani miniatures, Kishangarh paintings are distinguished by their exquisite sophistication and distinct facial type exemplified by arched eyebrows, lotus petal shaped eyes slightly tinged with pink, having drooping eyelids, a sharp slender nose and thin lips.
- A distinctive style of the state with a general tendency to elongate the human form, making lavish use of green and penchant for depicting panoramic landscapes had evolved by the early eighteenth century
- With the Pushtimargiya cult of Vallabhacharya, Krishna Lila themes became personal favourites for the rulers of Kishangarh and represented a major portion of their court art.
- Savant Singh’s most celebrated and outstanding artist was Nihal Chand.
- Nihal Chand worked for Sawant Singh between 1735 and 1757, and composed paintings on Sawant Singh’s poetry that portrayed the theme of divine lovers—Radha and Krishna, in courtly surroundings, often appearing tiny in the vastness and minutiae of their panoramic landscape settings.
- Kishangarh artists revelled in the depiction of vistas in accentuated colours.
Jodhpur School of Painting:
- With the political presence of Mughals since the sixteenth century, influence of their visual aesthetics made its way in the style of portraiture and depiction of court scenes, etc.
- However, the formidable indigenous folkish style was so widespread and deeply embedded in culture that it resisted getting overpowered and prevailed in most illustrated sets of paintings.
- One of the earliest sets painted in Pali is a Ragamala set by artist Virji in 1623.
- The last phase innovative of Jodhpur painting coincided with the reign of Man Singh (1803–1843).
- Significant sets painted during his time are the Ramayana (1804), Dhola-Maru, Panchatantra (1804) and Shiva Purana.
- Ramayana paintings are interesting as the artist has employed his understanding of Jodhpur to depict Rama’s Ayodhya.
- Hence, one gets an inkling into the bazaars, lanes, gateways, etc., of Jodhpur during that period.
- This is true for all schools, wherein, local architecture, costumes and cultural aspects get interwoven with the stories of Krishna, Rama and others, and get depicted in paintings
Jaipur School of Painting:
- The Jaipur School of painting originated in its former capital Amer, which was nearest of all large Rajput states to Mughal capitals—Agra and Delhi.
- Jaipur School of paintings thrived under Sawai Jai Singh’s reign and emerged as a well-defined independent school.
- Court records reveal that some Mughal painters were brought from Delhi to become a part of his atelier.
- Artists during his reign painted sets based on Rasikapriya, Gita Govinda, Baramasa and Ragamala, where the hero’s figure is in striking resemblance with the king.
- Portrait painting was also popular during his time.
- During Pratap Singh’s time, apart from royal portraits and representations of courtly pomp and splendour, literary and religious themes, such as Gita Govinda, Ragamala, Bhagvata Purana, etc., got renewed stimulus.
- As elsewhere, many copies were also produced by means of tracing and pouncing.
- By the early nineteenth century, there was a lavish use of gold.
- Jaipur preferred large size formats and produced life-size portraits.
Conclusion:
The Rajasthani style of painting including that of Malwa, is marked by bold drawing, strong and contrasting colours. The treatment of figures is flat without any attempt to show perspective in a naturalistic manner. Sometimes the surface of the painting is divided into several compartments of different colours in order to separate one scene from another. Mughal influence is seen in the refining of drawing and some element of naturalism introduced in figures and trees. Each school of painting has its distinct facial type, costume, landscape and colour scheme.
Topic: Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.
2. During Jahangir and Shahjahan, Mughal paintings achieved its zenith. Elucidate. (250 words)
Reference: Indian art and culture by Nitin Singhania.
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 1.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the development of paintings under Jahangir and Shahjahan.
Directive:
Elucidate – Give a detailed account as to how and why it occurred, or what is the particular context. You must be defining key terms where ever appropriate, and substantiate with relevant associated facts.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by writing about development of Mughal paintings.
Body:
In the first part, in brief, trace the development of Mughal Paintings till Akbar.
Next, write about the development of paintings under Jahangir and Shahjahan. He maintained his own studio apart from Akbar’s large atelier. Jahangir’s preference was for paintings of hunting scenes, birds and flowers. He also continued the tradition of Portraits. Under Shahjahan the colours of the paintings between more decorative and gold was more frequently used for embellishment.
Conclusion:
Conclude by highlighting their special place in the cultural history of India.
Introduction:
Generally made as miniatures either as book illustrations or as single works, Mughal painting evolved from the Persian school of miniature painting with Hindu, Buddhist and Jain influences. These paintings evolved during the rule of various Mughal Emperors in India. The paintings often revolved around themes like battles, legendary stories, hunting scenes, wildlife, royal life, mythology, etc. These paintings also became an important medium to narrate the tall tales of the Mughal emperors.
Body:
Contributions of Mughal emperors to Painting:
Akbar:
- Akbar ordered the creation of many paintings and also paid close attention to the final output of all these artworks.
- He was very particular about the details and the artistic elements involved.
- Akbar had an impressive number of painters in his court. Between 1560 and 1577, he commissioned a number of massive painting projects.
- One of the earliest painting projects commissioned by Akbar was ‘Tutinama’ which literally translates to ‘Tales of a Parrot.’ There is Hamzanama as well.
- Akbar and his successors brought revolutionary changes to painting and sensual illustrations.
- From this period book illumination or individual miniatures replaced wall painting as the most vital form of art.
- Akbar also encouraged the art of making portraits.
Jahangir:
- Much like his father (Akbar), Jahangir too had an inclination toward arts, which proved beneficial for the growth of Mughal art.
- The Mughal painting continued to grow under his reign.
- It is generally stated that during Jahangir’s time, the art of painting reached its climax and with him departed its soul.
- Jahangir was not only interested in painting; he was also its keen judge. He established a gallery of painting in his own garden.
- Since Jahangir was largely influenced by European painting, he ordered his painters to follow the single point perspective used by European artists.
- This gave a whole new perspective to the Mughal painting.
- Jahangir even used European paintings that portrayed the images of Kings and Queens as references and asked his painters to take a leaf out of these paintings.
- As a result, most of the Mughal paintings commissioned by Jahangir had finer brush strokes and lighter colours.
- One of the major projects commissioned by him was the ‘Jahangirnama.’
- It was an autobiography of Jahangir and it consisted of several paintings that included unusual themes, such as fights between spiders.
- Several individual portraits of Jahangir were also made by his painters.
- However, he also commissioned many paintings of birds, animals and flowers which were portrayed in a realistic manner.
- Artists began to use vibrant colours such as peacock blue and red and were able to give three dimensional effects to paintings
- Overall, the Mughal painting continued to flourish and also continued to evolve under Jahangir’s rule.
Shahjahan:
- Though Mughal painting continued to expand during the reign of Shah Jahan, the paintings that were displayed in the court became increasingly rigid and formal.
- However, he commissioned a large number of paintings meant to be his personal collection.
- These paintings were based on themes like gardens and pictures that gave great aesthetic pleasure.
- He also ordered many works that portrayed lovers in intimate positions.
- One of the most important works produced during his reign was the ‘Padshanama.’
- This work was made to look lavish with generous volumes of gold plating.
- The ‘Padshanama,’ which narrated the achievements of the King, contained several paintings of the courtiers and servants as well.
- The work was so elaborate that even servants were painted with amazing details that provided a great individuality to each and every character.
- While the servants and courtiers were portrayed using the frontal view technique, the king and other important dignitaries were portrayed by adhering to the rules of strict metamodeling.
- During the reign of Shah Jahan, the aesthetics of Mughal painting were retained which contributed to the growth and development of Mughal paintings.
- Many of the paintings produced under the leadership of Shah Jahan are now housed at various museums around the world.
Conclusion:
However, withdrawal of royal patronage to painting under Aurangzeb led to the dispersal of artists to different places in the country. During the reign of Muhammad Shah, Mughal painting received a brief revival as he was a patron of arts. He encouraged and supported paintings, and two of the best artists – Nidha Mal and Chitarman – of the time served in his court.
Unfortunately, the Mughal painting declined after the death of Muhammad Shah. When the Mughal Empire was in decadence, various other schools of painting with Mughal influence emerged in several regional courts, including the Rajput and Pahari paintings.
General Studies – 2
Topic: India and its neighborhood- relations.
Reference: The Hindu
Why the question:
India and China have reached an agreement on disengagement in the Pangong lake area to cease their forward deployments in a phased, coordinated and verified manner and it would substantially restore the situation to that existed prior to the commencement of the stand-off last year.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about how talks are need to be followed by implementation on ground in order to restore a long lasting peace in Ladakh.
Directive:
Examine – When asked to ‘Examine’, we must look into the topic (content words) in detail, inspect it, investigate it and establish the key facts and issues related to the topic in question. While doing so we should explain why these facts and issues are important and their implications.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by giving the talks of disengagement between Indian and Chinese forces.
Body:
In the first part, write about the various reasons that led to Ladakh stand off and the subsequent escalation of the conflict. Write about its detailed Impact on both India and China.
In the next part, write about the recent talks towards disengagement and the terms of that have been discussed. Write about unless implemented in spirit, the letter of the disengagement will not resolve the crisis. Mention the long term measures that should be taken for permanent resolution after disengagement.
Write about the advantages the both countries have in resolving the border dispute.
Conclusion:
Conclude with a way forward for long-lasting peace in the Ladakh.
Introduction:
After nine months of uncertainty in Ladakh, high levels of tension and every possibility of a breakout of armed exchanges on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), comes an announcement of disengagement by both China and India.
Body
India-China disengagement:
- India and China have agreed to a temporary moratorium on patrolling in the disputed areas north and south of the Pangong lake.
- The withdrawal of armoured elements, including tanks that have been in dangerously close proximity, began on February 10th
- All frontline personnel will subsequently be withdrawn over the next two to three weeks. North of the lake, China’s troops will return to their base at Sirijap, east of Finger 8, while India’s troops will similarly return to their permanent base at Dhan Singh Thapa post, at Finger 3.
- India previously patrolled on foot up to Finger 8 — there is no motorable road access from India’s side to areas east of Finger 4 — while China has dominated up to Finger 4, having already built a road there and enjoying superior logistics.
- Starting last summer, Chinese troops had prevented India from reaching Finger 8, leading to the crisis.
- Now, the entire contested area, from 4 to 8, will become a buffer zone and all temporary infrastructure built after April 2020 will be withdrawn.
- Similarly, both sides will return to their bases south of the lake, where India will vacate the heights it occupied in an effective countermove in late August in the Kailash range, which gave India much needed leverage to negotiate as well as demonstrated its resolve to match China’s actions.
Outcome of disengagement:
- It needs to be remembered that the Galwan incident happened within 10 days of the last such disengagement.
- The move back of armoured and infantry combat vehicles is the easiest part of the deal.
- The test begins once infantry troops in the rear start to fall back, leaving very few reserves up front.
- Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities have to be activated for credible verification. A certain trust has to be established between frontline commanders of either side with liaison and communication.
- The two inevitable questions that will arise now, or later, is the proposed status of the Depsang plateau and the Kailash heights. In the former, the PLA is currently denying us access to patrolling points at our perception of the LAC and the latter is the location of the advantage accruing to us due to domination over Moldo and Spanggur.
- India’s occupation of Kailash heights remains within our perception of the LAC. Its vacation, if at all, will need to be contingent upon rebuilding of trust and will probably be a culminating event.
- Chinese occupation at Depsang has been a problem since 2013 and needs to be linked to anything that finally transpires in the Pangong Tso area
Conclusion:
It’s a good beginning to a seemingly intractable problem. The final solution lies in confidence building through verification and consultation, a complete absence of rhetoric and resumption of full and formal contact at the diplomatic level.
General Studies – 3
Topic: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.
Reference: The Hindu , Insights IAS
Why the question:
The government’s statement about bringing in a law on cryptocurrencies is welcome, as it could put an end to the existing ambiguity over the legality of these currencies in India.
Key Demand of the question:
To make a case for the smart regulation of cryptocurrencies than outright ban.
Directive:
Critically analyze – When asked to analyse, you have to examine methodically the structure or nature of the topic by separating it into component parts and present them as a whole in a summary. When ‘critically’ is suffixed or prefixed to a directive, one needs to look at the good and bad of the topic and give a fair judgment.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Define crypto currencies and give the context where it seems the government is inclined on brining a new law to regulate it.
Body:
Cite facts and figures that encompass the good performance of crypto currencies and the benefits it can accrue to the Indian financial sector.
Mention the developments so far in India with respect to crypto currencies: the revocation of banking ban in March 2020. Mention about the possibility of a draft law which the government is considering.
Bring out the potential challenges in implementation of large scale crypto currency based assets. Also, highlight the inadequacies in the Indian financial system pertaining to crypto currencies.
State reasons why India should to be more accepting of crypto currencies and the need to move to regulate the sector than resisting.
Conclusion:
Conclude with balanced way forward.
Introduction:
Cryptocurrencies are digital currencies in which encryption techniques are used to regulate the generation of units of currency and verify the transfer of funds, operating independently of a central bank. It is based on the blockchain technology.
Body
Cryptocurrency in India:
- Reserve Bank of India (RBI) prohibited banks and entities regulated by it from providing services in relation to virtual currencies (VCs) in 2018.
- The ban that came into force in April 2018, had crippled the Indian cryptocurrency industry.
- Supreme court struck down this provision calling it unconstitutional.
- The central government is likely to consider a new Bill Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill, 2021.
- To create a facilitative framework for an official digital currency issued by the RBI.
- To “prohibit all private cryptocurrencies in India”.
- The Bill also seeks to prohibit all private cryptocurrencies in India; however, it allows for certain exceptions to promote the underlying technology of cryptocurrency such as blockchain and its uses.
- The Bill is based on SC Garg committee recommendations on cryptocurrency usage.
Challenges with Crypto currencies:
- Cryptocurrencies are a poor unit of account, as demonstrated by their frequent and high fluctuation in value.
- They pose several risks, including anti-money laundering and terrorism financing concerns (AML/CFT) for the state and liquidity, credit, and operational risks for users.
- On the perspective of consumers, issues linked to cryptocurrencies are heightened by the striking paucity of information on their design, use and operation and indications of market manipulation.
- It is possible that the business models of commercial banks may be seriously disrupted.
Regulation of cryptocurrency:
- Smart regulation is preferable, as a ban on something that is based on a technology of distributed ledger cannot be implemented for all practical purposes.
- Even in China, where cryptocurrencies have been banned and the Internet is controlled, trading in cryptocurrencies has been low but not non-existent, as an India inter-ministerial committee found out. Eg: Japan regulated use of cryptocurrency.
- SC Garg committee encouragingly batted for an official digital currency as well as for the promotion of the underlying blockchain technology. Yet went ahead for banning other cryptocurrencies.
- Regulation must be done at the point of exchange where it is easy to monitor.
- The Supreme Court held that an outright ban on virtual currencies would be a disproportionate measure by the government since many less intrusive measures are available.
- It is worth remembering that virtual currency transactions do not operate in a complete regulatory vacuum.
- Several existing laws such as the Consumer Protection Act, Information Technology Act, Foreign Exchange Management Act, PMLA, besides tax, deposit-related and criminal laws apply to the virtual currency domain just as they apply to any other economic activity.
- In fact, action has already been taken in India under many of these laws against errant persons and entities operating in the virtual currency domain.
- The government must resist the idea of a ban and push for smart regulation.
Conclusion:
Rather than impose bans, it would be more pragmatic to institute awareness campaigns to alert investors to specific risks, and to monitor trades for fraud and scams. Fintech industry needs to jointly work with the RBI and the government on a constructive policy framework for cryptocurrencies in India.
General Studies – 3
Topic: Disaster and disaster management.
Reference: The Hindu ,The Hindu
Why the question:
Days after a glacier burst in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand caused flash floods, the scientific community is still struggling to understand what triggered the disaster.
Key Demand of the question:
To bring out the factors that contributed for Uttarakhand to emerge as a site of Hindu pilgrimage and to suggest steps to overcome the ecological frailties of the region.
Directive:
Discuss – This is an all-encompassing directive – you have to debate on paper by going through the details of the issues concerned by examining each one of them. You have to give reasons for both for and against arguments.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Start by tracing the journey from Borderland to sacred place.
Body:
In first part, using the article, bring out the early developments and linkages to the development of pilgrimage circuit in Uttarakhand.
In the next part, write about the ecological frailties of Uttarakhand as witnessed in the Kedarnath floods of 2013 and recent floods in Chamoli. Account the reasons therefor.
Suggest short terms and long terms steps in order to overcome those and to make Uttarakhand a sustainable place for livelihood, pilgrimage and tourism.
Conclusion:
Conclude with a way forward.
Introduction:
Days after a glacier burst in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand caused flash floods, the scientific community is still struggling to understand what triggered the disaster. The answer lies in history as well as the present developmental issues in an ecologically fragile ecosystem.
Body:
From borderland to sacred place: Historical evolution:
- A study of the archaeological record and inscriptional evidence suggests that many and varied agents and processes played important roles in gradually transforming this borderland into a sacred landscape.
- Artefacts found in the Himalayan foothills that are datable to the period extending from 300 BCE and 600 CE
- The forms of these artefacts and their find-spots indicate deepening contact between communities living in the Gangetic plains and in the foothills.
- These very developments fostered the growth of Haridwar and Kalsi as cosmopolitan towns and as “gateways” into the Himalayas.
- Eventually, in the seventh century, a regional tradition of stone temple architecture commenced in the Uttarakhand Himalayas.
- The earliest shrines in this tradition were built at Palethi and Lakhamandal, just upstream from Haridwar and Kalsi, by visiting sovereigns.
- Additionally, both Badrinath and Kedarnath are associated with Adi Shankara who is said to have visited them in the eighth century.
- Possibly his followers played a role in constructing temples at Pandukeshwar where medieval edifices built in the Dravida and Nagara modes stand side-by side.
Ecological fragilities:
- Uttarakhand is located in the midst of young and unstable mountains, and is subject to intense rainfall.
- The 2013 Kedarnath floods and the flash floods that have swept through the Alakananda Valley earlier this week suggest that ham-handed development in the name of god, or otherwise, can come at an agonising cost.
- For years’ geologists, glaciologists and climate experts have voiced their fears about an impending disaster due to climate change, rapid and indiscriminate construction activities, and the subsequent ecological destruction in the region.
- Experts also identified large-scale human settlements and expansion of agricultural activities leading to massive deforestation, as a possible trigger.
- The Hindu Kush Himalaya Assessment Report (2019) had pointed out that one-third of the Hindu Kush Himalaya’s glaciers would melt by 2100 even if all the commitments under the Paris Agreement were met.
- It also warned that any ecologically destructive activities would lead to more intensified disasters like landslides.
- Experts and activists have incessantly asked for scrutiny into the construction of hydroelectric power projects in Uttarakhand.
- An expert committee led by Dr Ravi Chopra, instituted to assess the role of dams in exacerbating floods, provided hard evidence on how haphazard construction of dams was causing irreversible damage to the region.
Long-term crisis response mechanisms:
The need of the hour is to invest in long-term crisis response mechanisms and resilience solutions. A few immediate steps include: –
- investing in resilience planning, especially in flood prevention and rapid response.
- Climate proofing the infrastructure such as by applying road stabilisation technologies for fragile road networks and strengthening existing structures like bridges, culverts and tunnels.
- Strengthening embankments with adequate scientific know-how.
- Reassessing development of hydropower and other public infrastructure.
- Investing in a robust monitoring and early warning system.
- Establishing implementable policies and regulatory guidelines to restrict detrimental human activities, including responsible eco- and religious tourism policies.
- Investing in training and capacity building to educate and empower local communities to prevent and manage risks effectively.
Conclusion:
The time for wake-up calls is long behind us. India needs to urgently rise up to the challenge by applying innovative and inclusive solutions that support nature and marginalised communities, to restore and rebuild a resilient future for Uttarakhand.
General Studies – 4
Topic: Aptitude and foundational values for Civil Service, integrity, impartiality and nonpartisanship, objectivity, dedication to public service, empathy, tolerance and compassion towards the weaker-sections.
Reference: Ethics by Lexicon publications.
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 4.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the importance of impartiality in developing public in civil servants.
Directive:
Elaborate – Give a detailed account as to how and why it occurred, or what is the particular context. You must be defining key terms where ever appropriate, and substantiate with relevant associated facts.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Start by defining impartiality.
Body:
Explain the importance of Impartiality as an attribute for a civil servant; in upholding the constitutional values, in practicing good work culture, in handling tough and challenging situations, in tackling corruption etc. Develop link how this will lead to building of trust.
Conclusion:
Conclude with others values that are needed along with impartiality.
Introduction:
Impartiality is a principle of justice holding that decisions should be based on objective criteria, rather than on the basis of bias, prejudice, or preferring the benefit to one person over another for improper reasons. For a public servant, it means that decisions should be based on objective criteria, rather than on the basis of bias, prejudice or personal interest.
“Impartiality is the life of justice, as justice is the life of all good governments”
Body:
Types of Impartiality:
- Public Impartiality: A public servant as an instrument of government serving the public without discriminating on the basis of caste, religion and gender.
- Personal Impartiality: Being just and fair in personal conduct, without any fear or favour.
- Political Impartiality: Principle of working without reservation and with devotion to the success of every government and its policies. It basically means you are not partial to any particular party or government.
Importance of Impartiality as an attribute for a civil servant:
- Upholding constitutional values: impartiality helps a civil servant to uphold constitutionalism and prevent authoritarian government. It helps in upholding rule of law and makes the civil servant accountable to law and law alone. Also, it is in accordance with the constitutional provisions including Article 14, 15 and so on.
- g. Providing for citizens’ welfare measures without any favour, equitable.
- Fulfilling all interests equally: As it is observed “Impartiality doesn’t mean neutrality. It also means partiality towards the poor”. Impartiality brings in objectivity and often when funds are to be allocated, an impartial civil servant would not favour his/her own village or city but allocate funds based on the needs.
- It keeps up the morale of the civil servant and with the sense of righteousness, the works get done efficiently. A positive environment is created in the office and a conducive work culture is created.
- g.: a civil servant cannot be partial towards one set of employees. Whether in performance assessment or granting leaves, the criteria should be objective without partiality.
- In accordance with professional ethics: Impartiality being one of the foundational values of civil service, a civil servant is expected to be fair and non-partisan. It is also one of the basic values as per the Nolan committee recommendations.
- g.: Following due process of Law in resolving professional conflicts like Sexual Harassment etc.
- Majoritarianism prevention: especially in a diverse country like India, minority voices can be suppressed if the civil servant becomes partial towards majority for vested interests.
- g. Though in a state majority spoken language is promoted, civil servants have to make provisions for linguistic minorities to safeguard their language.
- Handling emergency situations: like communal riots, ethnic conflicts etc., an impartial civil servant would have a better credibility and persuasive capability in negotiations.
- g. N Ravi, an interlocutor is effective in north east insurgency negotiations because of his impeccable record of impartiality.
- Controlling corruption: It will keep oneself free from nepotism, political-corporate nexus and corruption.
- The examples are Sagayam IAS of Tamilnadu cadre or Ashok Khemka of Haryana etc.,
Conclusion:
Present-day civil servants need to perform multiple functions of giving suggestions to political representatives, addressing public grievances, institutionalization of the socio-economic changes, delivering goods and services. Hence a value committed and impartial bureaucracy is need of the hour.
Topic: corporate governance.
Reference: Ethics by Lexicon publications.
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 4.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the benefits of good corporate governance.
Directive:
Comment– here we have to express our knowledge and understanding of the issue and form an overall opinion thereupon.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Start by defining corporate governance.
Body:
Explain that corporate governance is about enabling organizations to achieve their goals, control risks and assuring compliance. Good corporate governance incorporates a set of rules that define the relationship between stakeholders, management and the board of directors of a company and influence how the company is operating.
Explain in detail the advantages of having high ethical standards of corporate governance. Improved Operational Performances, Competitive Advantages, Improved Profitability, Reduced Corporate Investment Risk and Scams, Amplified Faith among Corporate Investors and Higher Firm Valuation etc.
Conclusion:
Summarize the above benefits and stress on the need of corporates to aim at better standards of corporate governance.
Introduction:
Corporate governance concerns an organization’s system of management and control. Specifically, it covers the proper management including the relationships between: board members; the board and the company’s shareholders; and the company and other stakeholders such as employees, creditors and customers; and internal controls and processes. A good corporate governance framework will lead to internal discipline, accountability and transparency.
Ethics is at the core of corporate governance, and management must reflect accountability for their actions on the global community scale.
Body:
Importance of Corporate Governance:
- reduces risk, and strengthens reputation: Good corporate governance increases the long term value of an organization and its potential for growth. It.
- Open to public Information disclosure, high transparency and accountability are basic important elements of best corporate governance that strives the sustainability of corporations and society.
- To avoid mismanagement, good corporate governance is necessary to enable companies operate more efficiently, to improve access to capital, mitigate risk and safeguard stakeholders.
- It also makes companies more accountable and transparent to investors so as to minimize expropriation and unfairness for shareholders.
- Corporate governance makes companies more accountable and transparent to investors and gives them the tools to respond to legitimate stakeholder concerns such as sustainable environmental and social development.
- It contributes to development and increased access to capital encourages new investments, boosts economic growth, and provides employment opportunities.
- A lack of corporate governance can lead to profit loss, corruption and a tarnished image, not only to the corporation, but to the society, or even worse will influence global as a whole.
- This form of corporate governance management is also designed to limit risk and eliminate corrosive elements within an organization.
The ethical issues with Corporate Governance in India:
- It is common for friends and family of promoters and management to be appointed as board members.
- In India, founders’ ability to control the affairs of the company has the potential of derailing the entire corporate governance system. Unlike developed economies, in India, identity of the founder and the company is often merged.
- Women director appointed are primarily from family in most of the companies which negates the whole reform.
- Appointed independent directors are questionable as it is unlikely that Independent Directors will stand-up for minority interests against the promoter. In the Tata case, these directors normally toe the promoter’s line.
- An independent director can be easily removed by promoters or majority shareholders. This inherent conflict has a direct impact on independence.
- Data protection is an important governance issue. In this era of digitalisation, a sound understanding of the fundamentals of cyber security must be expected from every director.
- Board’s Approach to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is often found unsupportive.
- Conflict of Interest – The ICICI Bank Ltd fiasco demonstrates the challenge of managers potentially enriching themselves at the cost of shareholders in the absence of a promoter.
Measures to improve Corporate Governance in India:
- Ensure a balanced, competent and diverse Board: Business should strive for directors who are qualified, understand the business and can offer a fresh perspective. Studies show Boards with greater gender diversity result in improved financial performance.
- Review your Board composition on a regular basis to identify any shortcomings and make timely improvements.
- Build solid foundations for oversight: Establish, monitor and evaluate the roles and responsibilities of the Board and management. The Board needs to have visibility of management actions and key decision making.
- Gear key performance indicators towards long term value creation not just in the short term.
- Prioritize risk management: Establish an effective risk management and internal control framework and periodically review its effectiveness. Developing a disaster recovery plan is essential.
- Ensure integrity in corporate reporting including safeguards such as conducting external audits of the business.
- Provide timely and balanced information: Providing transparency to key stakeholders both in the good and bad times promotes stakeholders’ confidence in the business.
- Emphasise integrity, promote ethical behaviours and consult different categories of stakeholders on their interests.
- Treat shareholders equitably and respect their rights.
- Ensure adequate disclosures around related parties’ transactions and director’s other interests. This is especially important where a director may have external financial interests that could influence his decision.
Conclusion:
Currently, India accounts nearly 3% of world GDP and 2.5% of global stock market capitalisation – with 5,000 listed companies and more than 50 companies in the global Fortune list. Uday Kotak committee recommendations hold importance in growing concerns for corporate governance. The recommendations of the Kotak committee will enhance transparency and effectiveness in the way boards of listed companies function.
