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.
GS1 Full Syllabus
Q1. Outcomes of Lahore and Karachi sessions summarize nationalistic aspiration as a whole. Critically evaluate. 10M
Introduction
The sessions of the Indian National Congress worked to develop and consolidate a feeling of national unity and to formulate and present national demands.
Body
Indian nationalism developed during the Indian Independence movement and was inclusive of all the people of India, despite their diverse backgrounds. The aspirations of the nationalists can be found in the preamble of the constitution. It included
The Lahore and Karachi sessions are significant, as they summarized these aspirations and remained in essence the basic political and economic programme of the Indian National movement.
The resolution of the Lahore session 1929:
- Sovereignty:
- Congress approved a motion for complete Independence or ‘Purna Swaraj’. The president of the session Nehru stated that “there’s only one goal ahead of us, which is full freedom.”
- On December 31 1929, at midnight on the banks of River Ravi, the newly adopted tricolour flag of freedom was hoisted by Jawaharlal Nehru amidst slogans of Inquilab Zindabad. This was the day when for the first time the nationalists unfurled the tricolor.
- Republic:
- Congress hence decided to observe 26th January 1930 as the total independence or Purna Swaraj Day.
- Years later in 1950, January 26 was chosen as Republic day since it was on this day in 1929 that the INC issued the Declaration of Indian Independence (Purna Swaraj), opposing the British Regime’s Dominion status, thus completing the country’s transition towards becoming an independent republic.
Two resolutions were adopted in Karachi session 1931, one on Fundamental Rights and the other on National Economic Programme, which made the session particularly memorable.
The Resolution on Fundamental rights guaranteed;
- Democracy: guaranteed universal adult franchise;
- Secular: neutrality of state in religious matters;
- Socialistic: free and compulsory primary education;
- Equality: equal legal rights irrespective of caste, creed and sex;
- Liberty: The Resolution on Fundamental Rights guaranteed free speech and free press, right to form associations, right to assemble.
- Fraternity: Protection to culture, language, script of minorities and linguistic groups.
This was the first time Congress spelt out what swaraj would mean for the masses-“in order to end the exploitation of masses, political freedom must include economic freedom of starving millions.”
The Resolution on National Economic Programme included:
- substantial reduction in rent and revenue in the case of landholders and peasants
- exemption from rent for uneconomic holdings
- relief from agricultural indebtedness
- better conditions of work including a living wage, limited hours of work and protection of women workers in the industrial sector
- right to workers and peasants to form unions
- state ownership and control of key industries, mines and means of transport
Conclusion
Purna Swaraj resolution and Karachi resolution was a critical component of the changing strategy of the independence movement in engaging with the British: the demand for freedom was now made in the language of justice and not charity.
Q2. How has globalization influenced intergenerational relations? Discuss in context of the challenges associated with elderly care in India. 15M
INTRODUCTION
Globalization is the growing interdependence of the world. Globalization results in the expansion of international cultural, economic, and political activities. As people, ideas, knowledge, and goods move more easily around the globe, the experiences of people around the world become more similar.
Globalization in the modern era is not only re shaping the political and economy of the world, but it also reshaping the families, life course and intergenerational relationships.
Body
Globalization and influence on intergenerational relations
- Intergenerational equity.
- The primary objectives of intergenerational equity are the development of resources by one generation to enhance economic sustainability for the future generation
- But younger generation today save less, and there is a culture of spending. Data from Phonepe shows in 2021 retail and shopping account for 25% of all spending in a month.
- Intergenerational conflict
- There is either a conflict situation between teenagers and adults or a more abstract conflict between two generations, which often involves all inclusive prejudices against another generation, this leads to the disintegration of a joint family.
- Intergenerational mobility
- It is the measure of the changes in social status which occurs from the parents to the children’s generation.
- Lack of mobility before liberalization has left many young people in rural areas with fewer opportunities and they migrate to cities for better opportunities essentially leaving elderly people in villages to fend for themselves.
- An Inter-generational contract
- Dependency between different generations is based on the assumption that future generations, in honoring the contract, will provide a service to a generation that has previously done the same service to an older generation.
- Globalization has led to the diversification of jobs and dependency on family jobs has reduced
- Globalisation – Nuclear family – neglecting the old age people
- Intergenerational policies
- The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in its recent India Ageing Report, projected that the elderly population in the country would grow to 158 million by 2025. They require support from the government.
- The policies of the government tend to have a limited focus on non-medical care, home-based senior care and emerging digital innovations in the space. For instance, the pension schemes under the central & state governments do not account for inflation which is sensitive to global events and the global economy as seen during the Russia-Ukraine conflict and Pandemic.
All these issues leads to many challenges with the elderly care in India
Social
- Abuse of the elderly population:
- Abuse of the elderly is a growing international problem with several manifestations in different countries and cultures.
- The ill-treatment is relatively more frequent among elderly women and those living in rural areas.
- Rising isolation and loneliness among the elderly:
- Nearly half of the elderly felt sad and neglected, and 36% felt they were a burden to the family, according to a report by the Agewell foundation.
- The emotional harm that may emerge from verbal or emotional abuse encompasses torture, sorrow, fear, perverse emotional discomfort, and loss of personal pride or sovereignty.
Financial
- In India, 74 % of the elderly men and 41 % of the elderly women receive some personal income whereas 43% of the ageing population earns nothing at all. 22 % of those ageing Indians getting a personal income receive less than INR 12,000 per annum – PFRDA report on Financial Security of India’s elderly, April 2017
- Rise in the Health care costs: As older people stop working and their health care needs increase, even governments could be overwhelmed by unprecedented costs.
Health
- Rise in age-related chronic illness: Need for dedicated care
– One in five elderly persons in India has mental health issues. Around 75% of them suffer from a chronic disease. And 40% have some or other disability. These are the findings of the Longitudinal Ageing Study of India (LASI) in 2021.
– Older people suffer from both degenerative and communicable diseases due to the ageing of the body’s immune system.
Increasing need for geriatric care:
- The number of sick and frail elderly needing affordable nursing homes or assisted living centers will likely increase.
- The absence of geriatric care facilities at hospitals in the rural areas is a major cause of concern.
CONCLUSIOIN
For the welfare and care of the older persons, we must focus on the protection of already existing social support systems/traditional social institutions such as family and kinship, neighbourhood bonding, community bonding and community participation must be revived and kins should show sensitivity towards elderly citizens.
Ethics:
Q3. Illustrate with examples from the lives of prominent public figures, the importance of positive childhood experiences in shaping one’s attitude. 10M
Introduction:
The child is not born well-disciplined but it is his upbringing that inculcates in him good morals and ethics. Thus every child should have positive experiences to grow into a responsible and moral citizen
Body:
Such a positive childhood experience can be seen in many prominent public figures,
Self confidence: One day Thomas Edison came home and gave a paper to his mother. His mother’s eyes were tearful as she read the letter out loud to her child “Your son is a genius. This school is too small for him and doesn’t have enough good teachers for training him. Please teach him yourself”. Many years later, after Edison’s mother had died, he suddenly saw a folded piece of paper in the corner of a desk drawer. He took it and opened it up. On the paper was written: Your son is addled [mentally ill]. We won’t let him come to school anymore.
Had the same been told to Edison back then, his attitude would be shaped by low self-esteem and self-doubt, not the great scientist he grew up to be.
Tolerance and equality: When Abdul Kalam was in the fifth standard, a new teacher did not like Kalam, a Muslim boy, sitting next to Ramanadha Sastry, a Brahmin. He sent Kalam to the back seat simply in accordance with the social ranking of Muslims. Both Kalam and Sastry felt sad at this action of their teacher. Sastry wept and this had a deep impact on Kalam. When Sastry’s father heard of the incident, he summoned the teacher and told him not to spread the poison of social inequality and communal intolerance in young minds. He told the teacher to either apologize or leave the school. The teacher regretted his action and he was reformed by this incident.
Honesty and truthfulness: Gandhi got his father’s permission to see a play about a king named Raja Harishchandra, who never lied, no matter what happened to him. Gandhi was so impressed by this play that he swore to never tell a lie in his life.
One of the only times Mohan lied was when he was in his early teens. He stole some gold from his brother and sold it to repay his other brother s debt. These incidents pained him much and he could not have peace of mind. Finally, he confessed to his father. He was ready for any punishment. But instead of getting upset, Mohan’s father wept. He was hurt that his son had lied but happy he had confessed. He tore the letter into pieces as a sign of boundless forgiveness. The loving act of his father purified Gandhi’s mind. He learned his first lesson on how confession can lead a person towards the light of truth
Conclusion
Positive attitudes are inculcated by children by their conditioning and childhood experiences. Therefore every child needs a happy and positive childhood.
