[Mission 2022] Insights SECURE SYNOPSIS: 28 December 2021

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: Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.

1. Rock paintings are the most easily accessible cultural data. Explain the significance of pre-historic rock art. (250 words)

Difficulty level: Easy

Reference: New Indian Express

Why the question:

Bhimbetka stands out for the large number of caverns with paintings, containing as many as 762 rock shelters, and more than 400 display a wide variety of paintings.

Key Demand of the question:

To write about the importance of pre-historic rock art

Directive word: 

Explain – Clarify the topic by giving a detailed account as to how and why it occurred, or what is the context. You must be defining key terms wherever appropriate and substantiate with relevant associated facts.

Structure of the answer:

Introduction: 

Begin by writing about the various limitations to understanding of pre-history.

Body:

First, mention the major sites where re historic rock art is found in India making the most easily available cultural data. Draw a map of sites for better presentation.

Next, write about significance of pre historic rock art and insights it gives us in to pre-history. Substantiate with examples.

Conclusion:

Conclude by stressing on the need to preserve ancient rock art.

Introduction

In India Bhimbetka caves surrounded by the northern boundaries of Vindhya Mountain ranges near Bhopal have more than 600 caves that have the oldest prehistoric paintings in India. These caves had been used as a shelter by people from the earliest periods. There are paintings of all periods starting from the Paleolithic era to the medieval era. The paintings turn out to be a mirror showing evolution of humanity through time.

Body

Rock paintings in India

Upper Paleolithic

Prehistoric paintings have been found in many parts of the world. There is no proof if Lower Paleolithic people ever produced any art objects. But by the Upper Paleolithic times we see a proliferation of artistic activities.

• Around the world, the walls of many caves of this time are full of finely carved and painted pictures of animals which the cave-dwellers hunted. The subjects of their drawings were human figures, human activities, geometric designs and symbols.
• In India the earliest paintings have been reported from the Upper Paleolithic times.
• The paintings of the Upper Paleolithic phase are linear representations, in green and dark red, of huge animal figures, such as Bisons, elephants, tigers, rhinos and boars besides stick-like human figures.
• The rock shelters on banks of the River Suyal at Lakhudiyar, about twenty kilometers on the Almora– Barechina road, bear these prehistoric paintings.
• The richest paintings are reported from the Vindhya ranges of Madhya Pradesh and their Kaimurean extensions into Uttar Pradesh. These hill ranges are full of Palaeolithic and Mesolithic remains, and they are also full of forests, wild plants, fruits, streams and creeks, thus a perfect place for Stone Age people to live.
• Bhimbetka : The themes of paintings found here are of great variety, ranging from mundane events of daily life in those times to sacred and royal images. These include hunting, dancing, music, horse and elephant riders, animal fighting, honey collection, decoration of bodies, and other household scenes.

There is a superimposition of paintings in Bhimbetka from all the three periods.

Mesolithic Painting

• The largest number of paintings belong to Period II that covers the Mesolithic paintings. During this period the themes multiply but the paintings are smaller in size.
• Hunting scenes predominate during this period. The hunting scenes depict people hunting in groups, armed with barbed spears, pointed sticks, arrows and bows. In some paintings these primitive men are shown with traps and snares probably to catch animals. The hunters are shown wearing simple clothes and ornaments.
• The hunting scenes depict people hunting in groups, armed with barbed spears, pointed sticks, arrows and bows.
  •  In some paintings these primitive men are shown with traps and snares probably to catch animals. The hunters are shown wearing simple clothes and ornaments.
• Sites: Langhnaj in Gujarat, Bhimbetka and Adamgarh in Madhya Pradesh, SanganaKallu in Karnataka.

Chalcolithic Painting

• The paintings of this period reveal the association, contact, and mutual exchange of requirements of the cave dwellers of this area with settled agricultural communities of the Malwa plains.
•  Many a time Chalcolithic ceramics and rock paintings bear common motifs, e.g., cross-hatched squares, lattices.
• The artists of Bhimbetka used many colours, including various shades of white, yellow, orange, red ochre, purple, brown, green and black.
• The paintings, though from the remote past, do not lack pictorial quality. Despite various limitations such as acute working conditions, inadequate tools, materials, etc., there is a charm of simple rendering of scenes of the environment in which the artists lived.
• The men shown in them appear adventurous and rejoicing in their lives. The animals are shown more youthful and majestic than perhaps they actually were. The primitive artists seem to possess an intrinsic passion for storytelling.
• In one of the scenes, a group of people have been shown hunting a bison. In the process, some injured men are depicted lying scattered on the ground. In another scene, an animal is shown in the agony of death and the men are depicted dancing.

It is interesting to note that at many rock-art sites often a new painting is painted on top of an older painting. At Bhimbetka, in some places, there are as many as 20 layers of paintings, one on top of another.

Significance of prehistoric paintings in India

• The way people lived in those times is difficult to surmise. It was only until scholars began to discover the places where prehistoric people lived.
• Excavation at these places brought to light old tools, pottery, habitats, bones of ancient human beings and animals, and drawings on cave walls.
• By piecing together the information deduced from these objects and the cave drawings, scholars have constructed fairly accurate knowledge about what happened and how people lived in prehistoric times.
• These prehistoric paintings help us to understand about early human beings, their lifestyle, their food habits, their daily activities and, above all, they help us understand their mind—the way they thought.
• Prehistoric period remains are a great witness to the evolution of human civilization, through the numerous rock weapons, tools, ceramics and bones.

More than anything else, the rock paintings are the greatest wealth the primitive human beings of this period left behind.

Conclusion

Prehistoric paintings are a lens through which Archeologists have been able to predict the evolution of human kind with more accuracy. Various tools, objects and paintings tell us the type of social background of the people. It helps in verifying the social Darwinism as well as the growth trajectory of our ancestors. It is very important to preserve these sites, that have immense information stored through means of paintings.

Topic: Effects of globalization on Indian society.

2. The deeply entrenched social inequalities get further worsened with growing economic inequalities. Analyse. (250 words)

Difficulty level: Moderate

Reference: The Hindu

Why the question:

The latest edition of the World Inequality Report has confirmed that the world continues to sprint down the path of inequality.

Key Demand of the question:

To write about the how social inequality is worsened when economic inequalities are added to it and suggest measures to overcome them.

Directive word: 

Analyse – When asked to analyse, you must examine methodically the structure or nature of the topic by separating it into component parts and present them in a summary.

Structure of the answer:

Introduction: 

Begin by defining social inequalities in India.

Body:

First, giving statistic which gives a context about rising economic inequalities in India.

Next, write about how the social inequality and economic inequality are inextricably interlinked. Write about the impact of the above on the Indian society.

Next, suggest measures to overcome the same.

Conclusion:

Conclude by writing a way forward.

Introduction

Economic inequality is the unequal distribution of income and opportunity between different groups in society. It is a concern in almost all countries around the world and often people are trapped in poverty with little chance to climb up the social ladder. Social inequality is the existence of unequal opportunities and rewards for different social positions or statuses within a group or society

Body

Background

• The latest edition of the World Inequality Report has confirmed that the world continues to sprint down the path of inequality.
• Global multimillionaires have captured a disproportionate share of global wealth growth over the past several decades: the top 1% took 38% of all additional wealth accumulated since the mid-1990s, whereas the bottom 50% captured just 2% of it.
• India’s case is particularly stark. This means that the gap between the top 1% and the bottom 50% is widest for India among the major economies in the world. The gap is wider in India than the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Russia and France.

Social inequalities worsened due to economic inequality

• Immobility of bottom half: The income of the bottom 50% in India since 1951 grew at the rate of 2.2% per year between 1951 and 1981. That inequality in terms of the immobility of those at the bottom (at least one half of India) stood, irrespective of the economic policies adopted, is an irrefutable fact.
  • It was because of the social conditions and constraints in India.
• Lack of resources: Today, societies and/or nations that are ranked low on economic aspects continue to face a number of social problems; millions of the world’s poorest people live without access to clean water, electricity, adequate housing, education and healthcare.
• Political conflicts: Social inequality has been linked with major political conflicts as it is seen in many countries, such as Sri Lanka, Uganda, the Congo Basin, and so on.
• Vicious cycle: Economic inequality has also been due to historical ostracization based on caste especially in India. This in turn leads to social inequalities and so on leading to a vicious cycle of inter-generational poverty.
• Extreme poverty: People below poverty line experience multidimensional poverty in terms of access to health, education, basic resources and also affordability of the same.

Conclusion

BR Ambedkar said that “In politics we will be recognising the principle of one man one vote and one vote one value. In our social and economic life, we shall, by reason of our social and economic structure, continue to deny the principle of one man one value.” However the New India is envisaged on the basis of inclusive growth “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” and government and the community must strive for inclusive economic and social growth.

General Studies – 2

Topic: Indian Constitution—historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure.

3. Elaborate upon the salient features of the Indian constitution. Why is India known as a Quasi-Federal country? (250 words)

Difficulty level: Easy

Reference: Insights on India

Why the question:

The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 2 and mentioned as part of Mission-2022 Secure timetable.

Key Demand of the question:

To write about salient features of Indian constitution and the nature of federalism in India.

Elaborate – Give a detailed account as to how and why it occurred, or what is the context. You must be defining key terms wherever appropriate and substantiate with relevant associated facts.

Structure of the answer:

Introduction: 

Begin by giving context of India constitution.

Body:

In the first part, write about the all the salient features of the constitution and explain them briefly with articles and examples.

Next, write nature of federalism in India, what makes it Quasi-Federal and explain the reasons behind it as mentioned by K.C Wheare.

Conclusion:

Conclude by summarising the importance of federalism with unitary bias in India.

Introduction

The Constitution of India is considered as a distinctive constitution around the globe. It is the largest written liberal democratic constitution of the world. It offers for a mixture of federalism and Unitarianism, and flexibility and with rigidity.

Body

Salient features of Indian constitution:

• Preamble of the Constitution:
  • The Preamble consists of the ideals, objectives and basic principles of the Constitution.
  • The salient features of the Constitution have developed directly and indirectly from these objectives which flow from the Preamble.
  • It asserts India to be a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic and a welfare state committed to secure justice, liberty and equality for the people and for promoting fraternity, dignity the individual, and unity and integrity of the nation.
  • The Preamble is the nature of Indian state and the objectives it is committed to secure for the people.
• Democratic system:
  • The authority of the government rests upon the sovereignty of the people. The people enjoy equal political rights.
  • Free fair and regular elections are held for electing governments
• India is a Republic:
  • The Preamble declares India to be a Republic.
  • India is not ruled by a monarch or a nominated head of state. India has an elected head of state (President of India) who wields power for a fixed term of 5 years.
  • After every 5 years, the people of India indirectly elect their President.
• Union of States:
  • Article I of the Constitution declares, that “India that is Bharat is a Union of States.”
• Fundamental Rights and duties:
  • The Constitution of India grants and guarantees Fundamental Rights to its citizens.
  • The constitution of India confirms the basic principle that every individual is permitted to enjoy certain basic rights and part III of the Constitution deals with those rights which are known as fundamental right.
  • The Six FR include- Right to Equality; Right to Freedom; Right Against Exploitation; Right to Freedom of Religion; Cultural and Educational Rights and Right to Constitutional Remedies (Art. 32).
  • The fundamental rights are justiciable and are not absolute. Reasonable constraints can be imposed keeping in view the security-requirements of the state.
  • A new part IV (A) after the Directive Principles of State Policy was combined in the constitution by the 42nd Amendment, 1976 for fundamental duties.
• Directive Principles of State Policy:
  • A unique aspect of the Constitution is that it comprises of a chapter in the Directive Principles of State Policy.
  • These principles are in the nature of directives to the government to implement them to maintain social and economic democracy in the country.
• Parliamentary System:
  • The Constituent Assembly decided to espouse Parliamentary form of government both for the Centre and the states.
  • In Indian parliamentary system, distinction is made between nominal and real executive head.
  • The Council of Ministers is responsible before the Lok Sabha, The lower house of union parliament. There are close relations between executive and legislature.
• Federal structure of government:
  • A federal state is a state where a country is divided into smaller regions and the government is functioning at two levels.
  • The Indian Constitution has envisaged a federal structure for India considering the geographical vastness and the diversity of languages, region, religions, castes, etc.
  • Written Constitution, supremacy of the Constitution, division of powers between Union and States, bicameral Legislature, independent Judiciary, etc. are the features of Indian federation.
  • Scholars describe India as a ‘Quasi-Federation’ (K.C. Wheare) or as ‘a federation with a unitary bias, or even as ‘a Unitarian federation.’
• Bicameralism:
  • The Constitution provides for a Bicameral Legislature at the Union level and names it as the Union Parliament.
  • Its two Houses are: The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
• Universal Adult-Suffrage:
  • All men and women enjoy an equal right to vote. Each adult man and woman above the age of 18 years has the right to vote.
  • All registered voters get the opportunity to vote in elections.
• Single integrated State with Single Citizenship:
  • India is the single Independent and Sovereign integrated state.
  • All citizens enjoy a common uniform citizenship.
  • They are entitled to equal rights and freedoms, and equal protection of the state.
• Integrated Judicial System:
  • The Constitution provides for a single integrated judicial system common for the Union and the states.
  • The Supreme Court of India works at the apex level, High Courts at the state level and other courts work under the High Courts.
• Independent Judiciary
  • It is necessary to secure the philosophical foundations of the rule of law and democracy.
  • Firstly, the Constitution makers created a separate Judiciary independent of Legislature and Executive.
  • Secondly, the Constitution has ensured complete independence of Judiciary in the matters of administration and finances.
• Amending the Constitution of India:
  • Amending the Constitution of India is the procedure of making modifications to the nation’s fundamental law or supreme law.
  • The procedure of amendment in the constitution is laid down in Part XX (Article 368) of the Constitution of India.
  • This procedure guarantees the sanctity of the Constitution of India and keeps a check on uninformed power of the Parliament of India.
• Judicial Review:
  • The judiciary has significant position in Indian Constitution and it is also made independent of the legislature and the executive.
  • The Supreme Court of India stands at the peak of single integrated judicial system.
  • It operates as defender of fundamental rights of Indian citizens and guardian of the Constitution.
• Basic Structure doctrine:
  • The basic structure doctrine is an Indian judicial norm that the Constitution of India has certain basic features that cannot be changed or destroyed through amendments by the parliament.
  • The basic features of the Constitution have not been openly defined by the Judiciary.
  • At least, 20 features have been described as “basic” or “essential” by the Courts in numerous cases, and have been incorporated in the basic structure.
  • In Indira Gandhi v. Raj Narayan case and also in the Minerva Mills case, it was witnessed that the claim of any particular feature of the Constitution to be a “basic” feature would be determined by the Court in each case that comes before it.
• Secularism:
  • In no other country of the world so many religions co-exist as in India. In view of such diversity the Constitution guarantees complete freedom of religion to all.
  • The citizens of our country are free to follow any religion and they enjoy equal rights without any distinction of caste, creed, religion or sex.
  • The State does not discriminate against anyone on the ground of his religion, nor can the State compel anybody to pay taxes for the support of any particular religion.
  • Everybody is equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess, practice and propagate religion.
  • The Constitution regards religion as a private affair of individuals and prohibits the State from interfering with it. The Constitution also grants various cultural rights to minorities.

Federalism is a system of government in which power is divided between a central authority and constituent political units. The Constitution of India establishes a federal structure to the Indian government, declaring it to be a “Union of States”. Indian model of federalism is called quasi-federal system as it contains major features of both a federation and union.

Indian constitution is a blend of federal feature with unitary bias. Some of the federal feature are.

• Dual polity: two government one at the Centre and in states with defined functions and responsibilities.
• Written and Rigid Constitution: Ratification by states for Constitutional amendment involving federal features. E.g. GST passage requiring consent of the states.
• Supremacy of the Constitution: Any law or amendment affecting the federal feature will be struck down by the Supreme Court.
• Division of powers: 7th schedule with 3 lists. States are supreme in their own sphere and have responsible government with law making power to the legislature.
• Bicameral Legislature: Like other Federations, the Constitution of India also provides for a bicameral Parliament consisting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
• Independent judiciary: so that there is no unilateral change in division of power by the Centre.

Conclusion

The Indian Constitution is neither purely federal nor purely unitary, but it’s a combination of both. Indian Constitution is mainly federal with unique safeguards for enforcing national unity and growth. Also, federalism is not dead in India, as evidenced by the fact that new regions are demanding statehood and union has yielded, thus states like Manipur, Tripura, Goa, etc. have been created

Topic: Indian Constitution—historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure.

4. Do you agree with the view that the Indian constitution was ‘a bag of borrowings? Critically Analyse. (250 words)

Difficulty level: Moderate

Reference: Polity by M. Laxmikanth

Why the question:

The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 2 and mentioned as part of Mission-2022 Secure timetable.

Key Demand of the question:

To write about the nature of borrowings with respect to the Indian constitution.

Directive word: 

Critically analyze – When asked to analyse, you must examine methodically the structure or nature of the topic by separating it into component parts and present them 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 balanced judgment on the topic.

Structure of the answer:

Introduction: 

Begin by giving context about borrowed features of India constitution.

Body:

First, write about the major borrowings of Indian constitution from various constitutions of the world.

Next, write about certain unique features of Indian constitution.  write about how even though India referred to other countries Constitution it cannot be concluded as a mere copying or borrowing. It is evident in the Constitution that it is not bare copying which is happened but a clear adaptation of ideas in a way which is suitable for the Indian society. Such approach or references thus cannot be termed as copying moreover its studying and adapting ideologies in a suitable manner.

Conclusion:

Conclude by opining that Indian Constitution was as a bag of adaptations and not a bag of borrowings.

Introduction

Indian constitution which is the supreme law of the country was adopted on 26th November 1949 after the continuous struggle and efforts of almost 3years. The Constitution of India is the longest written constitution of any independent country in the world. However, the Indian Constitution is known as a bag of borrowings for its varied sources of many features. Dr BR Ambedkar rightly said that it was created after ransacking the known Constitutions across the world.

Body

The borrowed features of the constitution of India

Indian constitution is not a mere bag of borrowings

• The framers of the constitution made necessary modifications in the features borrowed from other constitutions for their suitability to the Indian conditions, at the same time avoiding their faults.
• It was codification if many existing laws and values into one document.
• Concepts of equality, Fraternity and Liberty, federalism, republic, democracy etc. all were to be found in ancient Indian history and scriptures.
• It was never a blind borrowing. It was innovative borrowing.
• When western modernity began to interact with local cultural systems, something like a hybrid culture began to emerge, possibly by creative adaptation. Thus, when we were drafting our Constitution, efforts were made to amalgamate western and traditional Indian values. It was a process of selective adaptation and not borrowing.
• Its a result of strong brainstorming for 2years, 11 months and 18 days. They studies many many different constitutions of various nations but did not copy paste it. They improvised every and every means any article you read as per the basis of Indian circumstances.
• Our Constitution has indeed taken references from existing constitutions of the world, but it has not borrowed the constitution as it exists. For example, US constitution envisages Bill of Rights, while our Constitution envisages rights, as well as Fundamental Duties of all citizens of India.
• We have also taken a strong reference from British Constitution to constitute a sovereign and parliamentarian system in India. However, there is no supreme king/queen in India, and our President is the Head of State. He is also the supreme commander of armed forces. There is no such provision in British Constitution.

Conclusion

India is a country which adopted its provisions of Constitution from more than 60 countries. The references made to these countries made Indian Constitution the lengthiest of the world. Provisions from other countries made Indian Constitution more accurate and helped to involve major set of provisions which is necessary for a country. Even though India referred to other countries Constitution it cannot be concluded as a mere copying or borrowing. It is evident in the Constitution that it is not bare copying which is happened but a clear adaptation of ideas in a way which is suitable for the Indian society. Such approach or references thus cannot be termed as copying moreover its studying and adapting ideologies in a suitable manner. So it’s better to name Indian Constitution as a bag of adaptations and not a bag of borrowings.

General Studies – 3

Topic: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment

5. While the Extended producer responsibility (EPR) is at a nascent stage in the India, the major issue with it is the lack of accountability from the producers and lack of enforcement from the authorities. Analyse. (250 words)

Difficulty level: Tough

Reference: The Hindu

Why the question:

In October, the Environment Ministry published draft regulations on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), set to come into effect by the end of this year.

Key Demand of the question:

To write about the achievements of Montreal protocol.

Directive:

Analyse – When asked to analyse, you must examine methodically the structure or nature of the topic by separating it into component parts and present them in a summary.

Structure of the answer:

Introduction: 

Begin the answer by defining EPR.

Body:

In the first part, write the about the objectives of EPR – better waste management, reducing burden on municipalities, integration of environmental costs, design of environmentally sound products. Write about EPR being in its nascent state.

Next, write about the shortcomings of EPR and suggest ways to make it effectives. Give examples to substantiate.

Conclusion:

Conclude by writing a way forward.

Introduction

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) means the responsibility of a producer for environmentally sound management of the product until the end of its life. In October, the Environment Ministry published draft regulations on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), set to come into effect by the end of this year. These regulations denote a backslide, particularly with respect to integration of the informal sector.

Body

Background

• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) requires the manufacturer of a product, or the party that introduces the product into the community, to take responsibility for its life cycle.
• An FMCG company should not only account for the costs of making, packing and distributing a packet of chips, but also for the collection and recycling/reuse of the packet.
• In India, The Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016-which is issued under Environment (Protection) Act, 1986- introduced the concept of EPR to manage plastics in India.
• The government has implemented the E-waste (Management) Rules (2016) which enforces the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).
• Under EPR principle the producers have been made responsible to collect a certain percentage of E-waste generated from their goods once they have reached their “end-of-life”.

Issues with Extended producer Responsibility

• Informal work: By failing to mention waste pickers or outlining mechanisms for their incorporation under EPR, the guidelines are retrogressive. The EPR doesn’t take into account the formalization of informal waste pickers, aggregators and dismantlers.
  • For decades, waste pickers, working in dangerous and unsanitary conditions, have picked up what we throw away.
  • Besides, by diverting waste towards recycling and reuse, waste pickers also subsidise local governments responsible for solid waste management.
• Inclusion of various processes that are harmful: Processes like waste-to-energy, co-processing and incineration have been proven to release carbon dioxide, particulate matter, harmful dioxins and furans which have negative climate and health impacts.
  • While the environmental impact and desirability of these processes continues to be debated, the draft regulations legitimise them to justify the continued production of multi-layered plastics.
• The EPR guidelines are limited to plastic packaging. There are other multi-material plastic items like sanitary pads, chappals, and polyester that pose a huge waste management challenge today, but have been left out of the scope of EPR.
• Plastic waste reduction / minimisation is neglected in rules. Compostable or biodegradable plastic is not under the ambit of EPR.
• Consumer awareness: Waste segregation has been the greatest challenge in India owing to lack of consumer awareness.
• Lack of compliance: The plastic producers do not wish to engage in the process holistically and take the effort to build awareness.
• Lack of recycle infrastructure: These challenges range from lack of handling capacity to illegitimate facilities in the forms of multiple accounting of waste, selling to aggregators and leakages.

Way forward

• The government could support and strengthen the informal recycling chain by bridging gaps in adequate physical spaces, infrastructure, etc.
• An effective EPR framework should address the issue of plastics and plastic waste management in tandem with the existing machinery, minimise duplication and lead to a positive environmental impact, with monitoring mechanisms including penalties for non-compliance.
• EPR funds could be deployed for mapping and registration of the informal sector actors, building their capacity, upgrading infrastructure, promoting technology transfer, and creating closed loop feedback and monitoring mechanisms.
• Market value for the recycled plastics can be increased by increasing the demand for and use of recycled plastics in packaging, thus creating the value to accommodate the current costs of recycling.

Topic: Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology.

6. Despite its numerous benefits, the affordability factor will be a critical driver in the rapid expansion of 5G technology in India. Examine. (250 words)

Difficulty level: Moderate.

Reference: Live Mint

Why the question:

Government today named 13 cities that are likely to see the launch of 5G services in the country, next year. These cities include – Gurugram, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Delhi, Jamnagar, Ahmadabad, Chennai, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Pune and Gandhi Nagar.

Key Demand of the question:

To write the various benefits of 5g tech and how affordability will determine its expansion.

Directive word: 

Examine – When asked to ‘Examine’, we must investigate 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 stating details of 5G network and its frequency range.

Body:

First, mention the various potential benefits of 5G technology such as faster access to critical services, building smart cities, developing competitiveness with other nations in service delivery standards etc.

Next, discuss the issues of affordability and price ranging with respect to present 4G and how it will determine its penetration.

Next, outline other challenges to roll out 5G such as high cost of installation, public apprehension regarding safety, need for a robust policy and Centre-state coordination etc.

Conclusion:

Conclude with a way forward to address these issues.

Introduction

5G is the next generation of mobile broadband that will eventually replace, or at least augment 4G LTE connection. Department of Telecommunication (DoT) in 2017 setup a 5G steering committee headed by AJ Paulraj. The committee submitted the report and suggest important steps. In 2018, India planned to start 5G services but it has not yet materialized.

Body

Features and benefits of the 5G technology:

• Operate in the millimetre wave spectrum (30-300 GHz) which have the advantage of sending large amounts of data at very high speeds.
• Operate in 3 bands, namely low, mid and high frequency spectrum.
• Reduced latency will support new applications that leverage the power of 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence.
• Increased capacity on 5G networks can minimize the impact of load spikes, like those that take place during sporting events and news events.

Affordability factor posing issue for 5G deployment

• The major question of need and viability: Telecom operators are facing a financial crisis and have a combined debt of Rs 4 lakh crore.
  • Apart from that, they are still trying to fully monetise 4G services.
• Huge investment needed: The introduction of 5G will involve a heavy upfront investment and have a long payback period. Thus, the viability of 5G after the introduction is a major challenge.
• Pricing: Next challenge in the 5G deployment will be the pricing of the spectrum. DoT will price the spectrum but heavy upfront investment associated with 5G technologies will increase the price of the spectrum.
  • But the telecom operators with a stressed balance sheet might not have that much capital to invest in the 5G technologies and spectrum.
• Security issues: China is preparing to dominate the world by rolling out its 5G technology warfare across countries. By deploying the 5G in India without indigenisation of technology will make India vulnerable to China. This will make the data of individuals, groups or even security agencies at risk.

Steps to be taken

• Affordability has surely helped a major chunk of the country to shift from 2G to 4G. Free data offers are what attracted users to upgrade. The idea should be to offer better value at an aggressive price point.
• India needs to create an ecosystem capable of leveraging 5G, Like skilled manpower, technology, R&D and investment, etc.
• India should work towards becoming Fibre-ready in the upcoming years. A wider adoption of the technology will enable India to outperform most other countries. The digital-first era will necessitate an increase in data carriage and fiber connectivity will be a much-needed step as this has almost unlimited data carriage capacity.
• India has to work on Indigenous 5G technology. This will also help bring down the cost of 5G technology and benefit the end users.

Conclusion

The shift from 4G to 5G is not incremental, but transformational. Skipping of 5G is not a choice India can afford. The economic impact of 5G in India is expected to be over $1 trillion by 2035 according to the report of KPMG. The Sooner the deployment of 5G in India is the better for India.

General Studies – 4

Topic: Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and the world to the concepts of morality;

7. What is cognitive dissonance and how can it be addressed? (150 Words)

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Why the question:

The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 4 and part of ‘Conceptual Tuesdays’ in Mission-2022 Secure.

Key Demand of the question:

To write about cognitive dissonance and ways to deal with it.

Structure of the answer:

Introduction:

Begin by defining cognitive dissonance.

Body:

Next, mention the various reasons why cognitive dissonance occurs and the potential implications of it. Cite examples of substantiate.

Next, mention the ways to deal and adapt for cognitive dissonance.

Conclusion:

Conclude by stressing on the way to manage cognitive dissonance.

Introduction

Cognitive dissonance is a phenomenon in which a person experiences psychological distress due to conflicting thoughts or beliefs. It is the mental stress or uneasiness experienced by an individual who holds two or more contradictory views, ideas, or values at the same time, or is confronted by new information that conflicts with existing beliefs, ideas, or values. It means people prefer their attitude and behaviour to be aligned in the same direction.

In order to reduce this tension, people may change their attitudes to reflect their other beliefs or actual behaviours.

Body

Festinger’s (1957) cognitive dissonance theory suggests that we have an inner drive to hold all our attitudes and behaviour in harmony and avoid disharmony (or dissonance). This is known as the principle of cognitive consistency. When there is an inconsistency between attitudes or behaviours (dissonance), something must change to eliminate the dissonance.

Civil servants could face cognitive dissonance in number of situations like

• Development v/s Environment: A public servant faces dissonance when she has to take decision on displacement of tribal population for any development project.
• Consider the case of loan waivers, where the civil servant knows it will harm the economy and create a moral hazard, but he is bound to implement the orders of political master. Such actions create dissonance.
• Strict adherence to ethical conduct may cause problems in carrying out certain aims both in public and private life causing disaffection arising out of inability to reach goals. Being upright also pits the person against powerful vested interest, endangering his and his family’s life, which may create inconsistency (dissonance) in civil servants’ mind.

Ways to eliminate Cognitive Dissonance:

• Changing minds about one of the facets of cognition.
• Reducing the importance of cognition.
• Increasing the overlap between the two.
• Re-evaluating the cost/reward.

Conclusion

A civil servant should always follow the constitutional moral values, code of conduct of services and act within ethical framework of public service in any case of cognitive dissonance.

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