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.
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: The Hindu , Insights on India
Why the question:
A Chola-era Buddha idol that was reportedly stolen from Arpakkam near Kancheepuram is now stuck with the Department of Homeland Security in the U.S., without any claim having been made by the Indian authorities.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the developments in sculpture during the Chola period.
Directive word:
Discuss – This is an all-encompassing directive – you must debate on paper by going through the details of the issues concerned by examining each one of them. You must give reasons for both for and against arguments.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by giving context about the grandeur of the Chola sculpture.
Body:
First, write about the Chola sculptures – salient and important features, marked changes which were started during this period and emphasis on Hindu iconography. Substantiate with examples.
Next, write about the overall nature of the sculptures which portray a classic grace, grandeur and taste.
Conclusion:
Conclude by summarising.
Introduction
The Cholas belonged to one of the three mighty dynasties that ruled the Tamil country in the early historical period. Described as the Muvendhar in the Sangam literature, they were known for the valour and for their patronage of the Tamil language.
Bronze sculptures and statuettes of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain icons have been discovered from many regions of India dating from the second century until the sixteenth century. Most of these were used for ritual worship and are characterised by exquisite beauty and aesthetic appeal. the ‘Dancing Girl’ from Mohenjo-Daro is the earliest bronze sculpture datable to 2500 BCE.
Body
A Chola-era Buddha idol that was reportedly stolen from Arpakkam near Kancheepuram is now stuck with the Department of Homeland Security in the U.S., without any claim having been made by the Indian authorities.
- The Chola period is also remarkable for its sculptures and bronzes.
- The sculptures and bronzes show classic grace, grandeur and taste. The best example of this can be seen in the form of Nataraja, the Divine Dancer.
- After Nataraja, the next most popular image is Somaskanda where Shiva is depicted sitting with his consort Uma and his son Skanda dancing between them on a platform.
- Kalyanasundara Murti is a 9th century art where marriage is represented by 2 separate statuettes; Shiva and Parvati’s marriage or panigrahana.
- Ardhanarishwar with half Shiva and half Shakti is another popular image
Chola bronze sculptures:
- The cire-perdu or ‘lost-wax’ process for casting was learnt as long ago as the Indus Valley Culture.
- Along with it was discovered the process of making alloy of metals by mixing copper, zinc and tin which is called bronze.
- The bronze casting technique and making of bronze images of traditional icons reached a high stage of development in South India during the medieval period.
- Although bronze images were modelled and cast during the Pallava Period in the eighth and ninth centuries, some of the most beautiful and exquisite statues were produced during the Chola Period in Tamil Nadu from the tenth to the twelfth century.
- Exquisite pieces of art developed during this period. This technique is still practised in south India, particularly in Kumbakonam.
- The distinguished patron during the tenth century was the widowed Chola queen, Sembiyan Maha Devi.
- Chola bronzes are the most sought-after collectors’ items by art lovers all over the world.
- The well-known dancing figure of Shiva as Nataraja was evolved and fully developed during the Chola Period and since then many variations of this complex bronze image have been modelled.
- A wide range of Shiva iconography was evolved in the Thanjavur (Tanjore) region of Tamil Nadu. The ninth century kalyanasundara murti is highly remarkable for the manner in which Panigrahana (ceremony of marriage) is represented by two separate statuettes.
- Shiva with his extended right hand accepts Parvati’s (the bride’s) right hand, who is depicted with a bashful expression and taking a step forward.
- The union of Shiva and Parvati is very ingeniously represented in the ardhanarisvara murti in a single image.
- Beautiful independent figurines of Parvati have also been modelled, standing in graceful tribhanga posture.
Conclusion
Given these unique features, great demand of Chola bronze sculptures not only among the devotees but also among the art collectors across the world. Thus, Chola bronze sculptures give us a glimpse of the finesse in metallurgy during the early medieval India. Hence appreciated by the art lovers across the world.
Topic: population and associated issues
Difficulty level: Easy
Reference: Insights on India
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 1 and mentioned as part of Mission-2023 Secure timetable.
Key Demand of the question:
Explain the factors determining population density and importance of population dynamics.
Directive word:
Discuss – This is an all-encompassing directive – you must debate on paper by going through the details of the issues concerned by examining each one of them. You must give reasons for both for and against arguments.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Give a brief introduction to Population dynamics.
Body:
First, give a detailed description of various factors that influence the distribution and density of population in India – Terrain, Climate, Soil, Water Bodies, Mineral resources and Industries.
In the next part, explain the importance of population dynamics for policy makers and recent measures taken in this regard.
Conclusion:
Conclude by summarising.
Introduction
One of the most important aspects of India’s population is its uneven distribution. On one hand, population in India is highly concentrated in some pockets, such as in highly urbanized, industrialized, and in areas of high agricultural productivity While on the other hand, there are virtually demographic deserts in high mountains, arid lands, thickly forested areas and in some remote corners of the country. Hence density distribution gives a clear picture and makes evidence-based policy making easy.
Body
Factors affecting distribution and density of population
- Topography: People prefer living on plains rather than plateaus and mountains since these areas are suitable for agriculture, manufacturing and also service activities. The Ganga Plains are one of the most densely populated areas of the world whereas mountains like the Alps, Andes and the Himalayas are thinly populated.
- Climate: People generally stay away from extreme climates (very cold or very hot) like the Gobi Desert, or Himalayas are thinly populated.
- Soil: Fertile soils offer optimal land for farming. Fertile plains like Brahmaputra and Ganga and in India, the Nile in Egypt, Hwang-He and Chang Jiang in China are highly populated.
- Water: People prefer to live in those places where freshwater is easily available. So, the river valleys are densely populated and the deserts have less population.
- Minerals: Places with deposits of mineral are naturally more populated. In India, the areas of the Chhota Nagpur Plateau in Jharkhand and nearby areas of Odisha see a high population distribution because of the presence of huge mineral deposits.
- Industries: Industrial growth offers massive employment opportunities and acts as a great magnet to attract people, resulting in higher densities
- Major causes of high density in West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Maharashtra and Gujarat is the phenomenal growth of Industries in these states
- Transport: The northern plains of India has a dense network of transport routes and hence is a densely populated region
- The peninsular plateau has moderate network of transport routes, and is moderately populated area
- The Himalayan region badly lacks transport facilities, and is sparsely populated
- Urbanization: All urban areas are marked by high density of population, as evident in cities of Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi
Significance in policy making
- Cities change with time. And at the heart of urban planning is the realisation that these can’t be planned on the basis of total population. Hence the focus should be on density of population so that cities can grow and shrink in areas
- Transport systems: At the city level, planning begins with mass rapid transport, then the rest of the land use is developed around it.
- Eg: The local trains in Mumbai offer people a cheaper and faster mode of transport and at the same time encourage people to move to the city for jobs, creating the ‘city-drag movement’.
- Population density can be used to describe the location, growth, and migration of many organisms. In the case of humans, population density is often discussed in relation to urbanization, immigration, and population demographics.
- Population density data can be important for many related studies, including studies of ecosystems and improvements to human health and infrastructure.
Conclusion
Today it is inevitable to have data about density of population as policy making is becoming evidence based. The success of a policy will depend on many factors and density is the most significant factors that must be included while making a policy. It will lead to targeted approach.
Topic: urbanization, their problems and their remedies.
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: Insights on India
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 1 and mentioned as part of Mission-2023 Secure timetable.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the issues regarding the development of slums in India.
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:
In brief, give a scenario of Urbanisation in India. Mention fact and figures with respect to level of Urbanisation in India.
Body:
In the first part, write about why Slums are considered to a necessary evil – Cheap accommodation, Migrants agglomeration, Lack of housing, communitarian interests etc.
Next, mention the social consequences of living in slums – Crime, Poor living conditions, diseases, lack of basic amenities. Mention how the plight of slum dwellers worsened during the pandemic.
Mention steps to improve the living conditions in the slums at policy as well as implementation level.
Conclusion:
Conclude with a way forward.
Introduction
Slum is a contiguous settlement where the inhabitants are characterized as having inadequate housing and basic services. Cities Alliance Action Plan describes slums as neglected parts of cities where housing and living conditions are appallingly poor.
Census of India 2011 explained slums as residential areas where dwellings are unfit for human habitation by reasons of dilapidation, overcrowding, faulty arrangements and design of such buildings, narrowness or faulty arrangement of street, lack of ventilation, light, or sanitation facilities or any combination of these factors which are detrimental to the safety and health.
Body:
The slum is an inevitable part of modern urbanization and the urban poor are active agents serving the non-slum dwellers and contribute to economic growth.
Slums in India:
- Out of 4,041 Statutory Towns in Census 2011 Slums reported from 2,543 Towns (63%)
- Largest number of slums reported from Maharashtra (21,359)
- People who are living in slums increased from 52 million in 2001 to 65.5 million 2011
Factors responsible for growth of slums:
- Rapid growth of population:
- Population explosion and poverty force the urban poor to live in slums and that leads to an increase in the size of slums.
- Also, a regional imbalance in development creates rural to urban migration, thus increasing the overall urban population density which pressurizes the urban poor to move into slums.
- In the past 15 years, India’s urban population density has increased by 45%. It is further estimated that 40% of the population will live in urban areas by 2026.
- With increasingly densified urban population, there exists a huge demand for land.
- This shortage of land forces the urban poor to live in increasingly dense communities creating slums in the process.
- Poor Urban governance:
- A major factor for growth of slums use of rigid, often outdated urban planning regulations, which are typically bypassed by slum dwellers to meet their housing needs.
- Another issue is the failure of governments to incorporate slum dwellers as part of the overall planning process.
- This is often due to the inability of many governments to keep pace with urbanization because of ill-designed policies, lack of resources and corruption.
- Administrative failure:
- City authorities faced with rapid urban development lack the capacity to cope with the diverse demands for infrastructural provision to meet economic and social needs.
- Not only are strategic planning and intervention major issues in agenda to manage rapid urbanization, but city governments are not effectively linking the economic development trajectory to implications for urban growth and, hence, housing needs.
- Unavailability of affordable housing:
- Rising material costs and labor costs resulting from labor shortage is another reason for the growth of slums as it makes developers unable to deliver affordable housing to the market.
- The gap between growing demand for affordable urban housing and insufficient supply has encouraged the formation of slums.
- Whenever the demand surplus is not met by formal sectors, this gap is typically filled by an informal dwelling such as a slum
- Limited access to financial resources:
- slum dwellers typically inhabit marginal locations such as dumping grounds mainly due to the low purchasing power of slum dwellers in formal land markets when compared with high-income groups.
- Further, the urban poor lack the access to formal financial resources to help them purchase new homes or maintain a new life in a new housing unit.
- Rural to Urban Migration:
- Rural to urban migration is one of the primary drivers of growth of slums in Indian cities.
- Urban centres which are not equipped to support additional population, fail to cope up with high influx of people which ultimately causes several problems such as housing shortages, unemployment, and development of slums.
- Social factors:
- Moreover, social backwardness forces people to live in congested areas away from main areas. For example, more Scheduled Castes (SCs) live in slums – with one out of every five residents belonging to the SC category.
Social consequences of Slums:
- Perpetuating cycle of Poverty: Income or capability poverty is considered, with some exceptions, as a central characteristic of slum areas. It is not seen as an inherent characteristic of slums, but as a cause (and, to a large extent, a consequence) of slum conditions. Slum conditions are physical and statutory manifestations that create barriers to human and social development. Furthermore, slums are social exclusion areas that are often perceived to have high levels of crime and other social dislocation measures. In some definitions, such areas are associated with certain vulnerable groups of the population, such as recent immigrants, internally displaced persons or ethnic minorities. Low income characteristically means poor nutrition, elementary or no education, little or no medical care which undermines human capital development and slum dwellers are trapped in the vicious cycle of poverty.
- Social problems: Socially, slums remain isolated from rest of the urban society and exhibit pathological social symptoms like drug abuse, alcoholism, crime, vandalism and other deviant behavior. The lack of integration of slum inhabitants into urban life reflects both, the lack ability and culture barriers. Women and children living in slums are prone to become victims of social evils like prostitution, beggary and child trafficking. Slum dwellers in general and regardless of gender, often become victims of such social evils.
- Health:Since slums are not connected to basic services such as clean water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, residents are at great risk of contracting water-borne and respiratory diseases. High population density, lack of proper toilets and close proximity of homes allow diseases to spread quickly. People living in slum areas are also prone to suffer from waterborne diseases such as typhoid and cholera, as well as from more fatal ones like cancer and HIV/AIDS.
- Lack of basic services/ amenities: The slums are characterised by lack of access to sanitation facilities and safe water sources, absence of waste collection systems, electricity supply, drainage. These are sometimes supplemented by lack of surfaced roads and footpaths and street lighting. According to Census 2011, among the slums in India-
- 58% have open or no drainage
- 43% must bring water from outside their communities
- 26% do not have access to clean drinking water
- 34% have no latrine within premises; 19% open defecate
- 2 electricity outages occur per day
- Substandard housing: Slum areas are associated with a high number of substandard housing structures, often built with non-permanent materials unsuitable for housing and in dilapidated conditions.
- Overcrowding: Overcrowding is associated with a low space per person, high occupancy rates, cohabitation by different families. Many slum dwelling units are overcrowded, with a large number of people sharing a one-room unit used for cooking, sleeping and living.
- Unhealthy living conditions and hazardous locations: Unhealthy living conditions are the result of a lack of basic services, open sewers, lack of pathways, uncontrolled dumping of waste, polluted environments, etc. Further, slums come up in hazardous locations such as in proximity to industrial plants with toxic emissions or waste disposal sites. Hunger, malnourishment, lack of quality education, high infant mortality, child marriage, child labour are some of the other social problems prevalent in slums.
- High incidence of crime rate: Slum areas are also commonly believed to be places that generate a high incidence of crime. This is due to official neglect towards education, law and order, and government services in slum areas.
Government Initiatives:
- National Slum Development Programme (NSDP):Initiated in 1996, NSDP provided both loans and subsidies to states for slum rehabilitation projects on the basis of their urban slum population.
- Valmiki Ambedkar Malina Basti Awas Yozana (VAMBAY):Introduced in 2001, it focused on shelter for the urban poor, with 20% of total allocation for community sanitation facilities under the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) program
- Basic Services to the Urban Poor (BSUP):BSUP was an important component of Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). BSUP aimed to provide basic services to urban poor in 63 of the largest cities in India by population
- Integrated Housing & Slum Development Programme (IHSDP):Integrated Housing & Slum Development Programme (IHSDP) was launched by GoI by merging the schemes of NSDP and VAMBAY. The objective of the scheme is to provide adequate Shelter and basic infrastructure facilities to the slum dwellers in urban areas.
- Interest Subsidy Scheme for Housing the Urban Poor (ISHUP): The Scheme envisages the provision of interest subsidy to economically weak section and Low income groups to enable them to buy or construct houses.
- Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY):Launched in 2013, the scheme focussed on:
- Bringing existing slums within the formal system and enabling them to avail of the same level of basic amenities as the rest of the town;
- Redressing the failures of the formal system that lie behind the creation of slums; and
- Tackling the shortages of urban land and housing that keep shelter out of reach of the urban poor.
- Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana- “Housing for All (Urban):Launched in 2015, the scheme seeks to provide central assistance to implementing agencies through States and UTs for providing houses to all beneficiaries by 2022. It incorporates the following:
- “In-situ” slum rehabilitation with participation of private developers using land as a resource. This approach aims to leverage the locked potential of land under slums to provide houses to the eligible slum dwellers bringing them into the formal urban settlement.
- Promotion of Affordable Housing for weaker section through credit linked subsidy
- Affordable Housing in Partnership with Public & Private Sectors
- Subsidy for beneficiary-led individual house construction/enhancement
- Slum areas (Improvement and Clearance) Act, in the year 1956:The act aimed at mechanical improvement or complete eradication of slums. It empowers the competent authority to declare any slum area in accordance with the definition, look into possibilities of improvement or eradicate slums.
Way Forward:
- The focus should not only on building houses for the slum dwellers but also promoting livelihood options and social and economic infrastructure to develop the livelihood.
- For effective urban planning, housing and population policies based on housing rights and the right to a clean environment must be established at all levels. These policies should be directed at inclusive cities and poverty alleviation
- Attention must be paid to income generation, transport and empowerment of the beneficiaries to redress possible future problems
- A three-pronged approach to Slum Free city should be adopted:
- Provision of clear, free title to the residents, so that they enjoy the privileges of using property as a tangible asset
- To upgrade the infrastructure and services providing water, power, and sewage connections to individual homes, the collection of solid waste, street lighting and neighbourhood security and police support
- The creation of high-density, low income zoning that allows individual property owners to upgrade their homes without risk, rent out their properties to formal commercial establishments
General Studies – 2
Topic: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: Indian Express
Why the question:
At a press conference last week in Delhi, the Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot criticised the legislative expansion of the death penalty for sexual offences, holding the Centre responsible for encouraging sexual offenders to kill the victims after raping them in an attempt to destroy evidence and avoid prosecution.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about whether or not death penalty for rape would be a sufficient deterrent for perpetrators of the crime.
Critically examine – When asked to ‘Examine’, we have to 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. 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:
Begin by giving context.
Body:
First, write about the Problems with death penalty. Emphasises on the fact that punishing rape with death may actually be counterproductive to women’s safety. Substantiate with facts and reports.
Next, Arguments supporting for Death Penalty and how it acts as deterrent. Cite examples from all over the world.
Conclusion:
Conclude by giving a fair and balanced opinion about death penalty.
Introduction
The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women defines “violence against women” as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life.”
The Maharashtra Assembly passed the Shakti Criminal Laws (Maharashtra Amendment) Act unanimously. With the passage of the Bill, it became the second state in India after Andhra Pradesh to approve death penalty for heinous offences of rape and gangrape.
Body
Violence against women:
- The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) suggests that 30 percent women in India in the age group of 15-49 have experienced physical violence since the age of 15.
- The report further reveals that 6 percent women in the same age group have experienced sexual violence at least once in their lifetime.
- About 31 percent of married women have experienced physical, sexual or emotional violence by their spouses.
- India’s average rate of reported rape cases is about 6.3 per 100,000 of the population. However, this differs in places like Sikkim and Delhi, which have rates of 30.3 and 22.5, respectively, while Tamil Nadu has a rate of less than one.
Rationale behind death penalty
- The punishment is not arbitrarybecause, it comes out of a judicial process. To call it arbitrary, one has to necessarily prove the process as flawed.
- It is being implemented in the “rarest of the rare” casesand the fact is during the last 13 years, only four people have been executed.
- The hanging of Ajmal Kasab and Yakub Memon strongly affirms India’s commitment to the protection of life.
- People criticise it on arbitrariness, irreversibility and human rightsand these are not valid arguments.
- Its constitutionality is upheld, even in liberal democracies like U.S. It is not reflection of uncivilised society.
- India’s neighbourhood is not peaceful, unlike Scandinavia. It is not in a group of countries, like European Union.
- India has got troubled borders. Several forces are trying to destabilise the very idea of our Nation from across the Border.
- The sacredness of life can only be seen to be protected, if those who take it away are proportionately punished.
Efficiency of death penalty
- A study by the Centre of Death Penalty – at the National Law University Delhi (NLUD) — in 2015 analyzed data of 15 years to conclude that less than 5 per cent death penalties awarded by trial courts were confirmed by the time the cases passed the tests in high courts and the Supreme Court.
- Another NLU Delhi study found that 162 death sentences were awarded across the country in 2018. Only 23 were confirmed by the high courts.
- The Supreme Court heard 12 death penalty cases in 2018 but confirmed death penalty in only one case – of Nirbhaya gangrape and murder.
- The Justice JS Verma committee, appointed after the Nirbhaya case, too had examined the efficiency of death penalty for rape. In its report, Justice Verma did not prescribe death penalty for rape for the lack of correlation in preventing the crime of rape or gangrape.
Death Penalty is not the panacea
- It unfairly targets poor and marginalised, that means, those without money & power.
- Executions occurred in around five cases for every 1 lakh murdersand it looks quite arbitrary. It depends on judges personal beliefs.
- India’s murder rate has declinedcontinuously since 1991 and at present the lowest, except for 1963.
- Punishment should not imitate crime.
- As per the recent Death Penalty India Report by the National Law University, Delhi, the structural flaws in our criminal procedure and criminal justice system are most pronounced in death penalty cases.
- Most of the civilised world abolished it. Death penalty has not deterred terrorism, murder or even theft.
- From 200-2015, Supreme Court imposed 60 death sentencesand subsequently admitted that it had erred in 15 of them. So, it clearly admitted that it has arbitrarily imposed the most extreme punishment.
- The Police is not known for its probity or efficiencyin our Country.
- Delays in the Criminal Justice Systemdisproportionately affects those, who suffer the tyranny of the uncertainty of their life.
Measures needed
- Law Commission in its 262nd report submitted recently recommended the abolition of capital punishment for all crimes in India, except the crime of waging war against the nation or for terrorism-related offences.
- It cited several factors to justify abolishing the death penalty, including its abolition by 140 other nations, its arbitrary and flawed application and its lack of any proven deterring effect on criminals.
Way forward
- Addressing the deeply entrenched patriarchal attitudes of the police, lawyer and other judicial officers that continues to contribute to low reporting and conviction rates.
- Bridging the gap between GBV laws and its correlated areas such as legal rights to property, land, inheritance, employment and income that allows a woman to walk out of an abusive relationship and specific emphasis on political and economic participation of women.
- Systematic intervention for multisectoral linkages between Health sector (medical and psychosocial support), Social Welfare sector (Shelters, counselling and economic support/skill), Legal (legal aid)
- Not just engage with “men and boys” as change agents but also acknowledge the expectations linked to masculinity, their position as victim of violence especially for young boys to address the perpetuation of cycle of GBV.
- Recognize sexual and reproductive health and rights by promotion and protection of women’s right to have control and decide freely over matters related to their sexuality, including sexual and reproductive health, family-planning choices and access to comprehensive sexuality education.
- Reclaiming the spaces for women to increase their presence in visibility through political and economic participation and diversifying their engagement in nontraditional sectors.
- Use of technology and emerging concepts such as Smart City in urban policy for ensuring safer and gender friendly infrastructures and spaces that prevents GBV.
General Studies – 3
Topic: Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: Live Mint , Insights on India
Why the question:
Although poverty lines and poverty estimates are always a source of contention, the number of poor people in India in 2022, perhaps 20-25% of our population, might be close to the total population of India in 1947.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about reasons for inequalities in the country and its implications. The structural and policy measures needed to overcome them.
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 giving context.
Body:
First, in brief, trace the growth and development story of India since independence with a special emphasis on growing inequalities. Cite statistics to substantiate.
Next, write about various reasons for growing inequalities in the country.
Next, write about the structural measures that are needed to fix the above.
Next, write about the policy changes needed to reduce inequalities.
Conclusion:
Concluding by writing a way forward.
Introduction
There are different kinds of inequalities in India that are multidimensional and intersectional in nature. Economic growth in India has been associated with unequal outcomes that have created divides between regions, sectors and people. The west and south of the country have surged ahead, while the east and north have lagged behind, widening the gap between richer and poorer states.
Body
Reasons for growing inequality in India
- Health:
- Healthcare provisions in India is grossly inadequate and access to healthcare is highly inequitable. Lack of efficient public healthcare and burden of out-of-pocket health expenditures reduces people’s capacity or disables them from investing in the human capital of their children.
- ineffective functioning (corruption and leakages) of the public distribution system (PDS), growing economic inequalities and lack of nutritional awareness pose challenges in combating malnutrition
- Education:
- Basic literacy (the ability to read and write) in the overall population has progressed modestly. However, there is persistent gender differentials, and major differentials by caste and religion.
- The state of functional literacy and professional skills is poor. Indian graduates have low employability and does not meet changing economic structure or support global competitiveness.
- Rising Inequality:
- In India, a large portion of the population is below the poverty line, therefore, they do not have easy access to primary health and education.
- There is growing inequality across social groups and income groups which translates itself into poor socio-economic mobility.
- Lack of socioeconomic mobility hinders human capital development and traps a large section of population to be in the vicious circle of poverty.
- Lack of Skilling:
- According to the National Sample Survey, out of the 470 million people of working age in India, only 10% receive any kind of training or access to skilled employment opportunities.
- There’s a huge mismatch between demand and supply when it comes to skilled workforce and employment opportunities, which could place a strain on the economy in the long run
- Inadequate use of knowledge bases from technology developments:
- There is a disconnect between India’s rate of technological growth and ability to distribute the gains from it by adequately focusing on skilling and health.
- The use of technical advancements has been concentrated in few sectors and benefits accrued by a few elitist sections of the society.
- Jobless growth:
- India’s high growth rate phase (2004-05 to 2010-11) has created significantly fewer jobs as compared to previous decades of economic growth.
- Around 47 % of India’s population is still dependent on agriculture which is notorious for underemployment and disguised unemployment.
- Majority of the workforce is employed by the unorganized sector where workers are underpaid and lack any kind of social security.
- Falling female labour force participation:
- According to data from International Labour Organization and World Bank, India’s female labour force participation rates have fallen from 34.8 % in 1990 to 27 % in 2013.
- Socio-cultural factors and rising family incomes have been identified as the main reasons for this decline.
- Another appalling concern is that a significant proportion of qualified women drop out of the workforce for reasons ranging from no suitable jobs in the locality—particularly in rural areas—to family responsibilities and marriage.
Measures needed
- To engineer an inclusive and sustainable growth for India, the social infrastructure like education, health and social protection are being given utmost priority by the Government
- The gaps in the expenditure on social infrastructure like health and education should be closed by strengthening the delivery mechanisms of the government initiatives. Protecting and investing in people’s health, education, and skilling is vital for reducing income inequality, and sustained inclusive economic growth.
- India needs to increase its spending on health and education. As recommended by the National Health Policy 2017 and the NEP 2020, India needs to increase its spending on health and education to at least 2.5 % in 6 % of GDP respectively from its current levels. Enhancing policies to maintain and even increase health and longevity will therefore be necessary.
- The current situation calls for more and better schools, especially in rural areas. It also calls for better transportation links between rural areas and regional urban hubs.
- India has to invest more in human capital formation at all levels, from primary education to higher education, cutting-edge research and development as well as on vocational training to increase the skill sets of its growing working-age population.
- The flagship schemes such as Skill India, Make in India, and Digital India have to be implemented to achieve convergence between skill training and employment generation.
- Bridging the gender gaps in education, skill development, employment, earnings and reducing social inequalities prevalent in the society have been the underlying goals of the development strategy to enhance human capabilities.
- Improved infrastructure, skill development, access to easy finance, reducing barriers to entrepreneurship and forums for mentorship of emerging entrepreneurs in partnership with corporates are some of measures.
- Decentralized models of development: Social policies for each state must be differentiated to accommodate different rates of population growth. The populations in south and west India are growing at a much slower pace than in the central and eastern states.
Conclusion
As we celebrate the past 75 years, flying the national flag in every home, let us also think about our people for whom little has changed in their lives, with a resolve to ensure that poverty and illiteracy do not exist 25 years from now when we celebrate the first centenary of our independence from colonial rule.
Topic: Major crops-cropping patterns in various parts of the country, – different types of irrigation and irrigation systems storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints.
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: Down to Earth
Why the question:
India is the second-largest consumer of edible oil globally and its largest importer. While the government has taken several initiatives over the years to increase the domestic production of edible oils, its shortage and high price are often in the news.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the potential drawbacks of the National Mission on Edible Oils and Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) with respect to overzealous push on cultivation of oil palm.
Directive word:
Comment– here we must express our knowledge and understanding of the issue and form an overall opinion thereupon.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Write about National Mission on Edible Oils and Oil Palm (NMEO-OP), its aims and objectives.
Body:
Mention the recent push by the government towards cultivation of palm in India. The areas chosen for its cultivation.
Next, mention benefits India will accrue from achieving self-reliance in palm oil.
Write about potential pitfalls and negative outcome of this mission with respect to Oil palm. Deforestation, damaging effects on the environment and human rights violation etc.
Conclusion:
Conclude with a way forward.
Introduction
India is the second-largest consumer of edible oil globally and its largest importer. India needs 25 million tonnes of edible oils to meet its requirement at current consumption level of 19 kg per person per year. India is dependent on imported edible oils, with nearly 15 million tonnes (MT) of edible oils getting imported to meet the country’s annual requirement of about 22 mt. Of the total 15 MT of import, about 9 MT (or nearly 60 per cent) is palm oil and its derivatives.
Aimed at making India self-sufficient in edible oils, National Mission on Edible Oils and Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) involves an investment of over ₹11,000 crore towards palm oil development.
Body
NMEO – OP will help achieve the much-desired self-reliance in palm oil:
- NMEO covering three Sub-Missions to increase production of oilseeds and edible oils from
- Primary Sources (Annual Crops, Plantation Crops and Edible TBOs),
- Secondary Sources (Rice bran oil and Cotton seed oil) and
- Consumer Awareness for maintaining edible oil consumption constant at 00 kg per person per annum.
- The proposed mission will aim to increase production from 30.88 to 47.80 million tonnes of oilseeds which will produce 7.00 to 11.00 million tonnes of edible oils from Primary Sources by 2024-25.
- Similarly edible oils from secondary sources will be doubled from 3.50 to 7.00 million tonnes.
- As per the roadmap, the government will work towards shooting up the cultivation of oil palm to 10 lakh hectares and 16.7 lakh hectares by 2025-26 and 2029-30 respectively.
- It is expected to incentivise production of palm oil to reduce dependence on imports and help farmers cash in on the huge market.
- The special emphasis of the scheme will be in India’s north-eastern states and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands due to the conducive weather conditions in the regions.
- Under the scheme, oil palm farmers will be provided financial assistance and will get remuneration under a price and viability formula.
- Along with promoting the cultivation of oil palm, this mission will also expand the cultivation of our other traditional oilseed crops.
- The following action points will be initiated for increasing production and productivity of oilseeds and promotion of Secondary Sources of Edible oils:
- Increasing seed replacement rate and varietal replacement rate
- Promotion of oilseed in rice fallow/ potato areas
- Promotion of oilseeds through intercropping
- Extending oilseed cultivation in non-traditional area
- Targeting 100 low productivity districts
- Crop diversification in different regions
- Promotion of community-based oil extraction unit
- Value addition and promotion of export
- Promotion of rice bran and cotton seed oil
- Consumer awareness for judicious consumption of oils for good health
Concerns which NMEO-OP poses:
Environmental Consequences:
- Studies on agrarian change in Southeast Asia have shown that increasing oil palm plantations is a major reason for the region’s declining biodiversity. Indonesia has seen a loss of 1,15,495 hectares of forest cover in 2020, mainly to oil palm plantation.
- From 2002-18, Indonesia lost 91,54,000 hectares of its primary forest cover.
- Along with adversely impacting the country’s biodiversity, it has led to increasing water pollution.
- The decreasing forest cover has significant implications with respect to increasing carbon emission levels and contributing to climate change.
- The Northeast is recognised as the home of around 850 bird species.
- The region is home to citrus fruits, it is rich in medicinal plants and harbours rare plants and herbs.
- Above all, it has 51 types of forests. Studies conducted by the government have also highlighted the Northeast’s rich biodiversity.
- The palm oil policy could destroy this richness of the region.
- The policy also contradicts the government’s commitments under the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture: “Making agriculture more productive, sustainable, remunerative and climate resilient by promoting location specific integrated/composite farming systems.” The palm oil mission, instead, aims at achieving complete transformation of the farming system of Northeast India.
Political Consequences:
- Palm oil plantations have stoked conflict between government policies and customary land rights.
- Such rights are major livelihood sources for forest-dependent communities.
- Legislation allowing the clearing of tree cover and cutting forests for growing palm trees has led to increasing land-related tussles between government officials, locals and agro-business groups in Malaysia and Indonesia.
- The North-eastern states of India are politically sensitive areas, and the oil palm initiative could breed tension there.
Socio-Economic Consequences:
- Such initiatives are also against the notion of community self-reliance: The initial state support for such a crop results in a major and quick shift in the existing cropping pattern that are not always in sync with the agro-ecological conditions and food requirements of the region.
- Studies have shown that in case of variations in global palm oil prices, households dependent on palm oil cultivation become vulnerable – they manage to sustain themselves with help of proactive state intervention.
- A sizable number of small landholders continues to depend upon other sources of income.
- In other words, such an agricultural shift is not self-sustaining and makes local communities vulnerable and exposes them to external factors.
Way forward:
- Farm-level measures
- Irrigationincreases the yield. Example: groundnut oil production swings up and down on a wide basis with just 20-25 per cent of the crop under irrigation. Soybean oil, production of which nearly doubled between 2003-04 and 2013-14, has been able to contribute what it did with just less than 1% of the crop under irrigation cover (in contrast, rapeseed-mustard crops have 70-75 per cent irrigation cover).
- Targeted focus based on the agro-climatic conditions and incentivisation of farmers to cultivate the suitable crop of region. Example: oil palm cultivation where India imports the maximum from South-east Asian countries.
- Large scale adoption of agro-ecological methods like System of Crop Intensification, Relay Cropping is needed. This will not only increase productivity but also reduce use of water resources, and reduce cost of cultivation for farmers.
- Institution-level measures
- Better extension systemswith downward accountability with the last mile extension gaps plugged as is happening with many agro-ecology centred programmes, productivity can be improved. The practising farmers become Community Level Resource Persons (CRPs).
- Community level planning processes and institutional frameworkshave enabled better utilisation of scarce resources like groundwater for emergency irrigation for groundnut cultivation in states like Andhra Pradesh. These need to be replicated on a large scale.
- Policy-level measures
- Higher import duties for imported oil, Remunerative prices, Assured procurement, Domestic pricing will enthuse farmers by increasing their net returns.
- Policies and missions like NMOOP, ISOPOM to incentivise the very cultivation of oilseeds on a per hectare basis.
- Provide incentives to private sector participation in processing and value addition in oilseed crops. Also, constraints for low-capacity utilization should be addressed.
- Research and Development
- There is a need to enlarge the scope of research, technology diffusion and institutional intervention to re-energize the oil sector.
- This would include increase public research spending in oilseed crops for development of biotic and abiotic stress tolerant varieties.
Conclusion
India must become self-sufficient in edible oil production and this must become a part of India’s Aatmanirbharta. Certain WTO compliant incentives must be given to farmers in increasing the growth of oilseed production in the country to ensure domestic cultivation.
Value addition:
National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm (NMEO – OP):
To increase domestic availability and reduce import dependency, a National Mission on Edible Oils (NMEO) is proposed for next five years (2020-21 to 2024-25).
Aims and Objectives of the scheme:
- Achieve self-reliance in edible oil.
- Harness domestic edible oil prices that are dictated by expensive palm oil imports.
- To raise the domestic production of palm oil by three times to 11 lakh MT by 2025-26.
General Studies – 4
Topic: social influence and persuasion.
Difficulty level: Moderate
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 4 and part of ‘Abstract Thursdays’ in Mission-2023 Secure.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about role of persuasion in marketing and role of truth and lies in marketing.
Directive:
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:
Start by giving context.
Body:
Write about the role of persuasion in marketing of corporate products which leads to consumers buying more products and various ways to do so.
Next, use of part truth – hiding facts, misrepresentation, white lies used in marketing and ethicality of such marketing tactics.
Conclusion:
Conclude by giving your view on partial truth during marketing.
Introduction
Persuasion is symbolic process in which communicators try to convince other people through transmission of a message to change their attitudes or behaviours. Persuasion is the process of changing or reinforcing attitudes, beliefs or behaviour of a person.
Persuasion marketing can be understood as using the knowledge of human psychology for developing techniques for marketing products or services.
Body
Importance of Persuasion in marketing of corporate products
- Persuasion in marketing involves the ability not just to influence people’s actions, but their attitude as well.
- Persuasion skills are extremely important for sales and marketing professionals as they are paid not only to interact with potential customers but also motivate them to invest in organization’s products and services.
- Persuasion skills are extremely important as it helps marketing professionals to change preconceived notions of their potential clients and make them believe in them.
- Persuasion skills help a marketing and sales professional to actually win over the hearts of clients who not only become their loyal customers but also bring in more clients along with them.
- Persuasion involves influencing people’s attitude in such a way that they feel like they are making the decision on their own.
can marketing be ‘partially truthful’ ?
- Some half-truths may be relatively harmless, such as an ad touting a movie as “The #1 comedy in America!”… when it’s the only comedy currently in theaters and is in tenth place at the box office.
- The worst half-truths, such as a salesperson claiming a vehicle “is the safest car on the road” when that’s only because it’s new and there’s no data, could result in accidents or worse by giving the driver a false sense of security.
- Eventually, when too many half-truths are used to hook customers, people will catch on and they won’t hesitate to express their anger. These angry customers, known as detractors, can sink a company.
- They’ll switch to the competition, drive up costs through complaints, hurt employee morale, badmouth the company to friends and followers on social media, and possibly file a lawsuit — which can cost a fortune and attract a lot of bad press.
Way forward
- Trust is the most important ingredient for the longevity of a brand. And that cannot be built on a foundation of half-truths.
- Partially truthful marketing causes or is likely to cause substantial consumer injury which a consumer could not reasonably avoid
- Accurate information needs to be provided to the audience as well. The consumers believes any information marketers provide to them. If you lie to them, you risk losing them as clients, and it would reflect negatively on the brand.
- Before a company runs an ad, it has to have a “reasonable basis” for the claims. A “reasonable basis” means objective evidence that supports the claim. The kind of evidence depends on the claim.
- At a minimum, an advertiser must have the level of evidence that it says it has. For example, the statement “Two out of three doctors recommend ABC Pain Reliever” must be supported by a reliable survey to that effect.
Conclusion
Persuasion can bring a lasting change in people’s behaviour and is highly effective in implementation of marketing strategies provided the tools are used in a right way.
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