NOTE: Please remember that following ‘answers’ are NOT ‘model answers’. They are NOT synopsis too if we go by definition of the term. What we are providing is content that both meets demand of the question and at the same time gives you extra points in the form of background information.
General Studies – 1
Topic: Women, Social empowerment
Reference: Indian Express
Why the question:
The question is based on the fact of under representation of women in Indian political system.
Key Demand of the question:
Discuss in detail the major reasons for under representation of women in Indian political system.
Directive:
Explain – Clarify the topic by giving 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.
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:
Start with highlights of the recent Gender gap report.
Body:
The answer body must have the following aspects covered:
Give brief account of women participation in politics in India.
Give reasons for their underrepresentation and also highlight the socio-economic and cultural forces behind these factors.
Suggest remedial measures to address the same.
Conclusion:
Conclude with way forward.
Introduction
India was ranked 149 in terms of representation of women in executive government and Parliament as per UN Women in Politics 2019 report. India needs feminization of politics in a huge way to increase women representatives. It would include the involvement of women in the decision-making process, power-sharing, running political parties, holding political offices, and policymaking at all levels of governance of the state.
Body
Reasons for low participation of women in political system
- Prejudice: Ironically it exists among both men and women – against genuine equality. It is believed that male legislators have the gumption to fulfill election manifesto more than women.
- About half the world’s population feel men make better political leaders as per UNDP Gender Social Norms Index.
- Another major factor is familial support to pursue political career for women. In India, it is most often those women who have a political background that enter into electoral arena.
- Role of Money power in politics makes it harder for women to enter the political forum.
- 24% of parliamentary seats worldwide are held by women, and there are only 10 female heads of government out of a possible 193. This shows the dearth of women representation in politics.
- The unhealthy political environment: For instance In this recent MeToo movement, a journalist Priya Ramani accused Union Minister of state of external affairs, MJ Akbar of sexual harassment.
- On the reserved seats, at the local level, political leaders take positions in the name of their wife, and after winning elections, actual power is used by their male counterparts instead of women. (Concept of sarpanch pati raj/pati panchayat phenomenon)
Need for more representation of women
- Women legislators in India raise economic performance in their constituencies by about 1.8 percentage points per year more than male legislators.
- When average growth is 7%, this implies that the growth premium associated with female legislators is about 25%.
- Lower Criminalization of Politics: Male legislators are about three times as likely as female legislators to have criminal charges pending against them when they stand for election. This explains the growth difference mentioned above.
- Policy Making – Better representation of women’s and children’s concerns in policymaking. Eg: Panchayat Raj institutions serve as a good example in this front.
- Lower Corruption: The rate at which women accumulate assets while in office is 10 percentage points lower, per year than among men. These findings line up with experimental evidence that women are more just, risk-averse and less likely to engage in criminal and other risky behaviour than men.
- Economic growth: It was found that male and female politicians are equally likely to negotiate federal projects for road building in their constituencies. However, women are more likely to oversee completion of these projects.
- Eg: The share of incomplete road projects is 22 percentage points lower in female-led constituencies.
- From a feminist viewpoint politics needs to follow a road that moves women out of the traditional social and political marginalization.
- Despite so many favorable points for women, women make up 14% of the Lok Sabha and 11% of the Rajya Sabha.
India is yet to pass a bill introducing 33% reservation in Parliament for women. This experiment at the local level (PRI’s and ULB’s) has been very successful. Political mentoring and skill training can enhance their political knowledge; thereby becoming potential candidates who will steer the nation towards development.
Conclusion
SDG goal 5 has a target – ‘’ Ensure women’s full and active participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making in political, economic, and public life’’. It needs to be achieved with the collective efforts of the international community (SDG goal 17- Partnership for the goals). There is no one-size-fits-all solution to ensure gender equality in politics. But there is plenty that can and should be done to ensure that women’s voices are heard.
Topic: Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location-changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.
Reference: Indian Geography by Majid Hussain
Why the question:
The question is from the static portions of GS paper I , part geography.
Key Demand of the question:
Discuss the term earthquake swarms and explain how they are different from aftershocks and foreshocks.
Directive:
Explain – Clarify the topic by giving 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.
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 the answer by briefly defining the term earthquake swarms.
Body:
The answer body must have the following aspects covered:
Discuss what you mean by aftershocks & foreshocks. An Earthquake swarm is a sequence of mostly small earthquakes with no identifiable mainshock. Swarms can last weeks and produce many thousands of earthquakes within a relatively small volume. Foreshocks are earthquakes that precede larger earthquakes in the same location. An earthquake cannot be identified as a foreshock until after a larger earthquake in the same area occurs. Aftershocks are a sequence of earthquakes that happen after a larger mainshock on a fault.
Discuss the characteristics of the earthquake swarms and compare them with aftershocks & foreshocks.
Conclusion:
Seismic activities can be classified into either a major quake followed by aftershocks or an earthquake swarm. Therefore, both reflect the pent-up seismic activity inside the earth’s crust.
Introduction
Earthquake swarms are a series of low magnitude earthquakes that occur in a localised region and over a period of time ranging from days, weeks to even months. When seismic energy piles up inside the Earth and is released in small amounts from certain points, such a series of earthquakes can occur.
Body
Concept of Earthquake Swarms
- Earthquake swarms are generally defined as a sequence of seismic events closely clustered in time and space without a single outstanding shock.
- They are differentiated from earthquakes succeeded by a series of aftershocks.
- When seismic energy piles up inside the Earth and is released in small amounts from certain points, such a series of earthquakes can occur.
- Sometimes, these rumblings of the Earth are also accompanied by acoustic or sound emissions.
- The situation cannot be taken lightly as many earthquakes have been preceded by earthquake swarm activity.
- A Geological Survey of India (GSI) in 2003 found that such activity was observed at 30 places in the region even though the Deccan Plateau is not an earthquake-prone zone. But earthquake swarms are not limited to the Peninsula.
- In 2016, a series of 58 earthquakes were recorded in the Rampur area of Himachal Pradesh. This Himalayan swarm was attributed to low strength of the earth’s crust in the area which could not hold the tectonic energy.
- The situation cannot be taken lightly as many major earthquakes in the region have been preceded by earthquake swarm activity. Two such instances were the Latur and Koyna earthquakes in 1993 and 1967 respectively.
Causes
- Earthquake swarms can occur through the process of Reservoir Induced Seismicity (RIS) when large amount of seismic energy gets concentrated in a small area due the weight of the large structure and the water that it holds.
- Hydro-seismicity: Water from heavy rainfall enters the small fractures in the rocks creating pressure between them. With every 10 meter rise in groundwater, pore pressure increases by 1 bar. This pressure is released in the form of earthquake swarms.
- Swarms are observed in volcanic environments, hydrothermal systems, and other active geothermal areas, according to geophysicists.
- In India, sequences of low-intensity quakes are common in areas that have been hit previously, like Saurashtra in Gujarat and Koyna in Maharashtra, but they are also seen in areas without a history of seismic activity.
Comparison between swarms foreshocks and aftershocks
- An Earthquake swarm is a sequence of mostly small earthquakes with no identifiable mainshock. Swarms can last weeks and produce many thousands of earthquakes within a relatively small volume.
- Foreshocks are earthquakes that precede larger earthquakes in the same location. An earthquake cannot be identified as a foreshock until after a larger earthquake in the same area occurs.
- Aftershocks are smaller earthquakes that occur in the same general area during the days to years following a larger event or “mainshock.”
- They occur within 1-2 fault lengths away and during the period of time before the background seismicity level has resumed.
- As a general rule, aftershocks represent minor readjustments along the portion of a fault that slipped at the time of the mainshock. The frequency of these aftershocks decreases with time.
- Historically, deep earthquakes (>30 km) are much less likely to be followed by aftershocks than shallow earthquakes.
Conclusion
In other words, swarms are earthquake events themselves but of very lower magnitude whereas foreshocks and aftershocks are an effect of earthquake event. They have cause-effect relation.
General Studies – 2
Topic: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.
Reference: Indian Express
Why the question:
The article explains how diaspora pushed US to help India’s Covid efforts.
Key Demand of the question:
Explain with examples how Indian diaspora has a decisive role to play in the politics and economy of America and European Countries.
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:
Start with current scenario, effect of pandemic on global relations.
Body:
Explain in what way Indian diaspora has a decisive role to play in the politics and economy of America and European Countries.
India-US relations are in a good place now. They are set to deepen further. When it comes to health-related cooperation, the US needs to internalize that helping India is really helping the world. Vaccines produced in India are meant not only for Indians but for the people of Africa, Asia and Latin America. That is why all influential figures in Washington should support the initiative by India and South Africa to seek a temporary IPR waiver under the TRIPS agreement.
Conclusion:
Conclude with importance.
Introduction
The Indian diaspora, one of the most “vibrant and dynamic”, is the largest in the world, with 18 million people from the country living outside their homeland in 2020.
Body
Indian diaspora in America and Europe
- India was the world’s top remittance recipient with $79 billion in 2018.
- The top positions held by people of Indian origin in IBM, Microsoft, Google, Deloitte, Adobe, Palo Alto Networks etc. have a profound impact on global economic output and have decisive implications for how their contribution to this output influences the political dynamics not only in America and European countries but also across the world.
- When Donald Trump attended the ‘Namaste Trump’ event in Gujarat, he had 4.4 million Indian Americans in mind impacting the political and economic arena, considering that there were candidates like Tulsi Gabbard and Kamala Harris.
Role of diaspora in politics and economy of America and Europe
- Rich Minority Group: Indian diaspora is one of the richest minorities in many developed countries, this helped them to lobby for favourable terms regarding India’s interests.
- For example, at 2.8 million, Indians may number just 1% of the U.S. population, but they are the most educated and richest minority, according to a 2013 Pew survey.
- Considerable Vote Bank: Indian diaspora is not just a part of India’s soft power, but a fully transferable political vote bank as well.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reception at Madison Square Garden is a way of thanking the Indian-American community members who played a big part in his electronic campaign and election funding.
- Indian Diaspora in Political Position: Many people of Indian origin hold top political positions in many countries, in the US itself they are now a significant part of Republicans and Democrats, as well as the government.
- Most recently, the newly elected Vice president of the US, Kamala Harris, is of Indian origin.
- Influencing Foreign Policy Decision: Indo-US Civil Nuclear Deal is a case in point, as ethnic Indians in the United States successfully lobbied for clinching of the Nuclear-deal.
- Indian Identity: Within America and Europe, the Indian Diaspora is an effective public diplomacy tool and is acknowledged for its work ethos, discipline, non-interference, and peaceful living with the locals.
- These values ultimately contribute to identity creation, image projection, and image cultivation of the Indians in the developed world.
- New Wave of Indian Migration: The Indian Diaspora has been channelled into U.S. and European countries mainly through student admission programs, beneficiaries of H-1B visa program, family-based preference, and temporary worker visa programs.
- Currently, a high percentage of Indian immigrants are young, highly educated, and well established in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) sectors.
Conclusion
Today, the Indian diaspora is more prosperous than before and its involvement in India’s development is increasing. In this context, India should craft fully conduct diaspora diplomacy so as to turn diaspora potential into diaspora dividend.
Topic: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Reference: Hindustan Times
Why the question:
The question is amidst the dismal picture of pandemic and its effects that India is facing.
Key Demand of the question:
Explain how Indian political and defence leadership can maximize the institutional capacity of the military in the war against Covid-19, without diluting its primary operational orientation, in the backdrop of a resource crunch.
Directive:
Explain – Clarify the topic by giving 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 with briefly explaining how the Indian military has been providing “aid to civil power”, since the beginning of Pandemic.
Body:
The Covid-19 tsunami is expected to continue in India till at least the end of May, and remain an issue of concern for the rest of the year. In this context, suggest how Indian political and defence leadership can maximize the institutional capacity of the military in the war against Covid-19, without diluting its primary operational orientation, in the backdrop of a resource crunch.
Suggest different initiatives through which Indian policymakers can maximize the institutional capacity of the military in the war against Covid-19.
Conclusion:
Conclude with importance.
Introduction
The Covid-19 tsunami is expected to continue in India till at least the end of May, and remain an issue of concern for the rest of the year. Hence maximising the institutional capacity of the military in the war against Covid-19, without diluting its primary operational orientation, in the backdrop of a resource crunch, is the task ahead for the Indian political and defence leadership.
Body
Defence leadership maximizing institutional capacity against covid-19
- Since the pandemic was acknowledged as a major national challenge in March 2020, the Indian military has been providing “aid to civil power” in a variety of ways.
- When the virus was spreading slowly last year, the fauj helped set up quarantine facilities and assisted in the evacuation of Indian citizens stranded abroad.
- Special military medical teams were also sent to some neighbouring nations to help establish Covid-testing facilities.
- In recent weeks, when the virulence of the second wave called for emergency measures, transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force ferried much-needed oxygen and other medical supplies from donor nations.
- The Indian Navy carried medical supplies from the neighbourhood. The Indian Army, which has the largest footprint across the nation, created dedicated Covid-19 facilities for civilians, and military medical personnel are at the forefront in hospitals set up by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also met with the military top brass and emergency measures have been put in place to enable the military to provide assistance to the Covid-19-afflicted.
Ensuring primary operational orientation is not diluted
- However, while recognising the contribution of the military to India’s Covid-19 effort and whether they can help, but only when such help is sought by the civilian government.
- Every nation evolves its civil-military template — and it is important that this balance is not upset.
- The military must and will help, but it cannot be suddenly expected to fill in all the deficits caused by entirely avoidable policy mistakes of the civilian domain.
- The primary role of the military is to safeguard national integrity, counter territorial challenges and prepare for war to deter any adventurism.
- The past year has been particularly taxing for the Indian military — China’s incursions across the Line of Actual Control, and the subsequent Galwan setback, occurred due to the pandemic-induced disruption of the Army’s annual deployment in Ladakh.
- Only last week, to address the dire shortage of oxygen in Agra district, the local army and air force helped the district administration set up a new oxygen plant that was completed in a record seven days.
- Further, the army’s technical corps, the electronics and mechanical engineers (EME) in Agra, repaired a local oxygen manufacturing unit that was non-operational for a few years. It has now been entrusted with a similar task to repair a plant in Saifai.
- Policymakers must think about whether this kind of civilian-military partnership to boost oxygen production can be replicated on a wider scale and under what conditions.
- Just as the Indian military had trained thousands of young citizens in the mid-1960’s in a warlike environment, it can significantly augment medical human resources capacity.
Conclusion
But all such initiatives will need careful planning, based on envisioning an effective role for the military in pandemic management. Exploiting the military for short-term political advantage and optics (for instance, the location of the first set of DRDO hospitals in Varanasi, Lucknow and Ahmedabad have generated questions) must be avoided. When the death toll is moving towards half a million, the situation, alas, is grim and warlike, requiring all of India’s institutions to weigh in.
Topic: GS-2: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.
GS-3: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
Reference: unhcr.org
Why the question:
New data visualization by UNHCR shows how the climate emergency is converging with other threats to drive new displacement and increase the vulnerability of those already forced to flee.
Key Demand of the question:
Discuss how the climate emergency is converging with other threats to drive new displacement and increase the vulnerability of those already forced to flee.
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 with facts brought out by the report. And explain who is a Climate Refugee or Migrant.
Body:
UNHCR recently released a new data visualization – ‘Displaced on the frontlines of the climate emergency’. It shows how our warming world is compounding risks for people already living with conflict and instability, driving further displacement, and often decreasing possibilities for return.
Refugees, internally displaced people (IDPs) and stateless persons are on the frontlines of the climate emergency. Many are living in climate “hotspots” where they typically lack the resources to adapt to an increasingly inhospitable environment.
Explain how Climate change is causing migration. Narrate the issues faced by these migrants or refugees.
Conclusion:
Conclude with solutions to address these issues.
Introduction
A new data visualization shows how the climate emergency is converging with other threats to drive new displacement and increase the vulnerability of those already forced to flee. The impacts of our changing climate are being felt worldwide, but countries already struggling with conflict, poverty and high levels of displacement are dealing with some of the most severe effects.
Body
Background
- The climate emergency is the defining crisis of our time and displacement is one of its most devastating consequences.
- Entire populations are already suffering the impacts, but vulnerable people living in some of the most fragile and conflict-affected countries are disproportionately affected.
- Over the past decade, weather-related events triggered an average of 21.5 million new displacements each year – more than twice as many as displacements caused by conflict and violence.
Climate emergency converging with other threats leading to displacement
- From Afghanistan to Central America, droughts, flooding and other extreme weather events are hitting those least equipped to recover and adapt.
- Mozambique is experiencing a similar confluence of conflict and multiple disasters with one cyclone after another battering the country’s central region while increasing violence and turmoil to the north displaces hundreds of thousands of people.
- In Bangladesh, more than 870,000 Rohingya refugees who fled violence in Myanmar are now exposed to increasingly frequent and intense cyclones and flooding.
- In 2018, the World Bank estimated that three regions (Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia) will generate 143 million more climate migrants by 2050.
- Large-scale human migration due to resource scarcity, increased frequency of extreme weather events, and other factors, particularly in the developing countries in the earth’s low latitudinal band.
- Eg: Tropical Cyclone Idai struck the southeast coast of Mozambique. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees reported that 1.85 million people needed assistance. 146,000 people were internally displaced, and Mozambique scrambled to house them in 155 temporary sites.
- Food security: Intensifying intra- and inter-state competition for food, water, and other resources, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa.
- There will be increased outbreaks of diseases and pandemics which will be another push factor for migration.
- Rising sea levels: The clearest examples are in the Pacific Islands. The sea level is rising at a rate of 12 millimeters per year in the western Pacific and has already submerged eight islands. Two more are on the brink of disappearing, prompting a wave of migration to larger countries.
- In South Asia, increasing temperatures, sea level rise, more frequent cyclones, flooding of river systems fed by melting glaciers, and other extreme weather events are exacerbating current internal and international migration patterns.
In addition to the direct impacts of more frequent and intense disasters on forced movements, climate change is aggravating other drivers of displacement — worsening poverty, food insecurity, water shortages and access to other natural resources that communities rely on for survival.
Need of the hour
- New international initiatives allowing disaster migration: The Nansen Initiative proposes creating a new ‘protection agenda’ in which states would agree to allow people to cross international borders after natural disasters.
- The agreement which is currently being developed represents the most promising way of allowing people to move legally and safely after disasters – including disasters that are linked to climate change.
- Migration as Adaptation to climate change: In the face of slowly unfolding climate change impacts, people may need to migrate as a way of adapting to climate change.
- There is a great deal of international negotiations regarding Adaptation, including UN Paris meeting, and many argue that migration must be recognized as a valid form of adaptation.
- Using and modifying existing laws to help people move after disasters: Governments also have several existing options that they should use more readily to assist people who need to cross borders after disasters.
- For example, many countries have offered temporary humanitarian visas to people who have been forced to move by disasters.
- Protecting the rights of internally displaced people: Existing international agreements already protect the rights of people who are forced to move internally by disasters or conflict.
- The key agreement is the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement.
- Governments will increasingly need to act during climate-linked disasters to ensure that the principles are properly applied.
- In a historic ruling on January 21, 2020, the United Nations (UN) declared that ‘countries cannot deport people who have sought asylum due to climate-related threats.
- The UN’s January declaration is a step in the right direction, and we can only hope that it leads to an international law to help tackle the massive climate crisis and help the affected people.
Conclusion
Estimates predict that without ambitious climate action and disaster risk reduction, the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance due to disasters could increase to 200 million annually by 2050 – nearly twice the current number. The longer we delay action to support poorer countries that are highly vulnerable to climate change, the worse the consequences are likely to be, making responses even more complex and costly.
General Studies – 3
Topic: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.
Reference: Financial Express
Why the question:
The article throws light on the Atmanirbhar Bharat and the informal sector.
Key Demand of the question:
Explain how in order to have a push towards spontaneous formalization, major transformations are required in the informal sector of the country.
Directive:
Explain – Clarify the topic by giving 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 with the current conditions of informal sector in the country.
Body:
Discuss the issue with informal sector in the country.
Explain the concerns associated and the efforts of the government in this direction.
Explain how in order to have a push towards spontaneous formalization, major transformations are required in the informal sector of the country.
Take hints from the article and suggest what needs to be done.
Conclusion:
Conclude with way forward.
Introduction
India’s vast majority of India’s workforce is informally employed – those who work outside of formal establishments, in un-incorporated private enterprises and mostly without any social security benefit.
Body
The size of India’s informal sector is massive and so is the extent of diversity therein. It accounts for about 50% of GVA and a major share in the export basket. This position proffers it with growth opportunities emanating from domestic as well as external sources. As a corollary, a large portion of prospective demand injection from the Atmanirbhar Bharat is bound to trickle down to the informal sector, directly or indirectly.
Issues with informal sector of the country
- The informal sector is plagued by various constraints. Most firms are micro in size and deploy little capital.
- They have a small scale of production, substandard/unbranded quality of products, and localised scope of procuring raw material and marketing their products.
- They are vulnerable to business downturns and other market uncertainties, as reflected in high mortality.
- Their access to cheap, reliable and long-term credit sources is highly restricted.
- The sector also endures a lack of official identity and recognition of its existence and contribution.
- Atmanirbhar Bharat promises enhanced demand for domestically-produced goods and services, but the exposure to stiff global competition, especially for informal sector units, is imminent.
- Goods and services produced in the informal sector must conform to global standards, if not exceed them, and at a competitive pricing. Reconciling the hand-to-mouth existence of units in the informal sector with their stipulated globally competitive role in Atmanirbhar Bharat is a Herculean task.
- In such a scenario, the informal sector must embrace for three tectonic shifts with respect to internal transformation, strategic positioning and labour-market dynamics.
Atmanirbharta and informal sector growth
- One, enterprises must undergo drastic internal transformation, progressively converging at incremental formalisation through spontaneous and self-propelled transition into economically-viable units.
- Two, because the vision of the Atmanirbhar Bharat exposes the informal sector to global competition, entrepreneurs must embrace the subtle art of strategic positioning in global mega-supply chains.
- Three, India is a labour-surplus economy. The informal sector employs more than 80% of India’s workforce. The changes in the first two spheres (higher capital intensity-led enhanced labour productivity and ultra-flexibility in production cycles) may have severe repercussions on the availability and quality of jobs in India.
Major transformation needed in informal sector
- To alleviate these concerns, the first assumption is that the proportionate increase in expected demand must be more than the enhanced labour productivity to at least retain the currently employed workers.
- But we also must be mindful of getting trapped in catch-22 spiral. To continuously employ current workforce, we need to incrementally corner an extra chunk in product market, which necessitates increased competitiveness, being led mainly but not solely by enhanced labour productivity which tends to make a part of the workforce redundant cyclically.
- To generate good quality jobs, diversification (both horizontal and vertical) must be encouraged.
- Vertical diversification entails products not just be partly produced or assembled in India, they must be the end-products of fully indigenised and integrated production and supply chains, from design to made in India.
- Horizontal diversification involves expansion into newer products and markets, smartly aligning with India’s comparative advantage of surplus labour.
Conclusion
Thus, the vision of the Atmanirbhar Bharat is an inflexion point for India’s informal sector, which stipulates adroit manoeuvring between contrasting forces of continuity (persistent and pervasive informality) and change (incremental formalisation). Atmanirbharta must embrace informality via factoring in these three transformations and nudge it towards incremental and spontaneous formalisation
General Studies – 4
Topic: probity
Reference: Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude by Lexicon Publications
Why the question:
The question is based on the theme of Probity.
Key Demand of the question:
Explain what you understand by the term probity? Discuss its relevance to civil services in India.
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 with the definition of Probity.
Body:
Probity and its synonyms honesty, honor, and integrity all mean uprightness of character or action, with some slight differences in emphasis. It stands for impeccable standards of morality in public life. It is the quality or condition of having strong moral principles, integrity, good character, honesty, decency.
Present the relevance of Probity in Civil services. Give examples wherever possible.
Conclusion:
Probity and honesty in governance are essential and vital requirements for an efficient and effective system of governance and for socio-economic development. Thus, it is an urgent need of the time that not only the public servants but the whole society adopts such values in their day to day life.
Introduction
Probity is “the quality or condition of having strong moral principles, integrity, good character, honesty, decency”. It is the act of adhering to the highest principles and ideals rather than avoiding corrupt or dishonest conduct. It balances service to the community against the self-interest of individuals.
Body
Concept of Probity
- Probity is confirmed integrity. It is usually regarded as being incorruptible.
- It is the quality of having strong moral principles and strictly following them, such as honesty, uprightness, transparency and incorruptibility.
- Probity in Governance is concerned with the propriety and character of various organs of the government as to whether these uphold the procedural uprightness, regardless of the individuals manning these institutions.
- It involves adopting an ethical and transparent approach, allowing the process to withstand scrutiny.
- Probity goes further than the avoidance of being dishonest because it is determined by intangibles like personal and societal values.
- Probity has been described as a risk management approach ensuring procedural integrity.
- It is concerned with procedures, processes and systems rather than outcomes. The principles of probity, ethics and good governance operate on many levels – from, the individual, to the organization and on to the ‘watch-dog’.
Probity principles
There are several generally accepted probity concepts that serve to preserve the integrity of a system. These are:
- Transparency: It is sizeable that the procedure is transparent to the most volume feasible so that each one stakeholder can have faith within the consequences. Transparent, open techniques additionally decline the possibility for, and the threat of, corruption, and fraud.
- Accountability: It is the responsibility with a view to give an explanation for or account for the manner duties were achieved. The government has to have appropriate mechanisms in the area to expose that they may be liable for their practices and decisions.
- Confidentiality: Being employed, all public servants or other employees under a general responsibility of confidentiality to their corporation. Accordingly, it is not vital for participants of the Government Project Team who are public servants to execute a confidentiality project in terms of the mission. Moreover, all Government advisors, servants, members and some other third party that is aware of commercially sensitive statistics ought to ensure a proper venture to Government that they’ll preserve this information confidential.
- Conflict of interest: This is wherein the general public responsibility and private interests of a Board or staff member can be in conflict which results in their personal interest unreliably influencing their duties and needs. Stakeholders have the authority to count on that Board and staff contributors will best make selections in the best interest of the organization.
- Impartiality: People and companies interacting with an employer are predicted to be independent at every level of the method. If they do no longer trust the process is accurate or fair or unbiased, it may harm the popularity of the enterprise.
Relevance to Indian civil services
In a democracy, probity espouses the principles of equality before law and a respect for the rights and duties of leaders towards their citizens. Conversely, probity is a societal expectation which citizens demand from decision makers and all those who function as a part of the state’s apparatus
- Legitimacy of the system: Foremost, it helps build up the legitimacy of the system, i.e. the state. It builds trusts in the institutions of the state and a belief that the actions of the state will be for welfare of the beneficiaries.
- Objectivity: It provides for an objective and independent view on the fairness of the process.
- Checks and balances: It helps in checking the abuse and misuse of power by various organs of government such as magistracy, police and all other providers of public service e.g. PWD, health, education, etc.
- Equitable and sustainable development: It is an essential and vital requirement for an efficient and effective system of governance and for socio-economic development.
- To serve the constitutional cause: Probity in Governance is required to serve the motto of Constitution. i.e. to provide Social, Political and economic justice to all. It enhances faith in the governance.
- Reduced politicization of bureaucracy: It helps address nepotism, Favoritism, Political partisanship. Public reposes more trust in governance and therefore it facilitates participatory governance. It leads to avoidance of sub-optimal outcomes, corruption and poor perception
Conclusion
It is a shared belief that the adoption of standards like “accountability”, “transparency” and “responsiveness” will lead to clean and efficient governance. However, standards do not, by themselves, ensure ethical behaviour: which requires a robust culture of integrity and probity in public life. The crux of ethical behaviour does not lie only in standards, but in their adoption in action and in issuing sanctions against their violation.
