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.
GS3 Full-Length Test
Q1. Discuss the role of IT in Agriculture and also explain what are the major challenges in the spread of e-technology to farmers. (10M)
Introduction
IT in agriculture involves the conceptualization, design, development, evaluation, and application of innovative ways to use information and communication technologies (ICTs) to help agriculturists improve their livelihoods through increased agricultural productivity and income, or by reducing risks.
Main Body
Role of IT in agriculture
- IT towards the mechanisation of the agriculture –
- Improved productivity from mechanization of agriculture – Manual labour and hand tools used in agriculture have limitations in terms of energy and output. Agricultural mechanization has the potential to directly and indirectly affect yields through reduction in post-harvest losses and increased harvest gains.
- Role of IT in transforming the irrigation Techniques – Earlier the technologies like Drip Irrigation, Sprinkler and the other methods have already enhanced the water use efficiency in the agriculture.
- The next stage of interventions will extensively use specialised sensors to assess soil moisture and composition, to send signals to actuators that control sluices and pumps, to initiate a controlled flow of water with precise dosage of nutrients.
- Role of IT in extension services to agriculture –
- Climate/ weather prediction through artificial intelligence – A major advance in agriculture is the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Modern equipment and tools based on AI enable data gathering and assist in precision farming and informed decision-making.
- Drones, remote sensors, and satellites gather 24/7 data on weather patterns in and around the fields, providing farmers with vital information on temperature, rainfall, soil, humidity, etc.
- Fighting the climate change in Agriculture
- Resilient crops developed via use of biotechnology – The spinoff of biotechnology in agriculture has resulted in all-around benefits for farmers and end consumers. Though some controversial approaches have led to resistance in the adoption of biotechnology, there is no doubt that the future of agriculture is heavily dependent on SAFE biotechnology, given the changing climate and increase in population.
- IT and Agricultural marketing
- Better discovery of Prices using Technology driven Platforms like E-NAM, E-Choupal proved to be the major step in this regard.
- Transportation – Kisan Rath mobile app which facilitates the transporting of agricultural produce by connecting farmers and traders.
- Geographical information system – GIS tools and analytics can accurately depict the collection of data on, crop acreage, production, crop health, disease and also maintain geo-database of farmers.
- Livestock monitoring – Use of chips and body sensors can help prevent disease outbreaks and are crucial in large-scale livestock management. Chips and body sensors measure vital parameters and indicators that could detect illness early and prevent herd infection
- Upcoming Advanced Technologies in aid of Agriculture & Farmer- Upcoming Technologies Developing technologies such as Big Data Analytics, Internet of Things (IoT), Block Chain, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics & Sensors, etc.are the next generation technologies which will be defining the future of agriculture in India.
Challenges in spreading of E-technology to Farmers
Although India has made a significant leap forward in the agriculture it has not successfully utilised IT in agriculture compared to the developed countries. It has been because of the following Challenges.
- Diverse Agro-climatic Zones – The geographical area of India is divided into 15 agro-climatic regions. These are further divided into more homogeneous 72 sub-zones. Such vastness of the division makes it difficult to adopt uniform technology.
- High initial Cost of technology – Indian agriculture which is mostly of the sustenance in nature has not such profit margin and initial capital towards the adoption of technology which carries high initial cost.
- Language barriers in adoption of technology-Language barrier is one of the major barrier in the adoption of technology because most of the Apps and platforms are available in English rather than local language which makes it difficult for the farmers to adopt.
- Farmer’s lack of awareness – Lack of awareness towards such technology because of the lack of demonstration efforts by the government and research institutions make it unreachable to the farmers.
- Digital Divide – Although the internet accessibility has increased overall but digital divide is still acute in the rural areas. Most of the farmers even after having access to internet and Smartphone are not able to access information because of lack of knowledge.
- Small scale Landholdings– The small landholding decreases the economy of scale towards the adoption of high end technology because of the high cost the small land holders have no incentive and investment capacity towards investment in such companies.
Conclusion
With rising technological might of India and penetration of ICT in rural India, there is a scope for using this potential to digitally empower the farmers of our country which will transform the Agriculture sector and will help in achieving the dream of doubling farmer’s income
Q2. “Eco-sensitive zones (ESZ) are meant to guard the protected areas but not at the cost of livelihood”. Discuss the issues around the creation of ESZ’s and suggest measures to safeguard the environment as well as the livelihood of people. (15M)
Introduction
Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) are areas notified by the MoEFCC around Protected Areas, National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries. The purpose of declaring ESZs is to create some kind of “shock absorbers” to the protected areas by regulating and managing the activities around such areas. They also act as a transition zone from areas of high protection to areas involving lesser protection.
Main Body
The recent Judgement by the Supreme Court which directed all states to have a mandatory 1-km ESZ from the demarcated boundaries of every protected forest land, national park and wildlife sanctuary. It raised the various concerns among the people on issues around the creation of ESZs.
Issues around the creation of ESZs
- Loss of Livelihood – The issue of the livelihood has been raised by the inhabitants that it will lead to the loss of occupation and livelihood of the communities in that area.
- For example the total extent of the wildlife sanctuaries in Kerala is eight lakhs acres. If one-km of ESZ is demarcated from their boundaries, around 4 lakh acres of human settlements, including farmlands, would come within that purview. This is a matter of sheer survival of lakhs of people.”
- It affects the traditional practices of the people – ESZs restrict activities affecting the traditional practices of locals worsening their sustenance. They simply can’t switch to organic farming or any other such activity which is totally new to them.
- Issues around the displacement of people – To cater to the increasing demand for eco-tourism, land around parks and sanctuaries are being cleared through deforestation, and it also results into the displacement of local people etc.
- For example – NGT recently asked Uttarakhand govt to submit report on proliferation of unauthorised hotels.
- Issues of the basic needs of the locals – Locals and especially Tribals depend on the forest for a variety of needs ranging from food to medicine – but due to restricted access, their needs often remain unfulfilled. Due to environmental regulations, local are unable to carry various activities which are basic necessities to them since there can be no schools, concrete structures, hospitals, electricity and water connections etc.
- Land alienation to develop the tourism infrastructure – In the name of eco-tourism and promotions, there is a surge of tourists, mostly from urban areas, visiting this area and commercialised the surrounding areas for infrastructure and luxury facilities. In addition, they are also contributing waste generation, vehicle pollution and others affecting the natural environment.
Measures to safeguard the environment and Livelihood together
- Making the local inherent parts of the conservation – Tribals inherit indigenous knowledge. They know of many benefits of Forest produce – so they can significantly contribute to conservation and sustainable development of the area.
- For example – WWF’s latest report urges tigerrange country governments to put those living with tigers at the heart of human-tiger
- Promotion of traditional knowledge and practices –The government instead of discouraging the traditional practices should encourage the traditional knowledge of the local people which will help in the income general and employment opportunities to the local people.
- For example – Traditional knowledge digital library (TKDL) is the step in the right direction as a repository of the traditional knowledge, especially about medicinal plants and formulations used in Indian systems of medicine.
- Rethinking on the impacts of the environmental policies at the local level, the type and prospects of local participation and most importantly the prospects of alternate income generating opportunities for successful conservation initiatives.
- Collective efforts of stakeholders – Government, civil societies and stakeholders are largely required to collaborate with each other for balancing sustainable development with development.
- For example The ESZ Sangarsh Samiti (ESZSS) formed for villages around Corbett National Park are a step in this regard. The govt needs to work with NGOs for sustainable rehabilitation and conserve the parks for sustainable development.
The central govt needs to take comprehensive approach, inter-ministerial co-operation approach among Tribal ministry and Ministry of social justice, promote eco-tourism for sustainable development and along with the needs of the locals. There should make a serious effort and adopt a pilot based approach rather than one size feet all policy and sudden change.
Conclusion
We need to move away from the exclusionary principle (Which keeps human being separate from nature) to the inclusionary or participatory principle considering that conservation intricately depends on the relationship of human beings with their environment. It will lead to alleviating the concerns around the ESZs.
Ethics
Q3. Discuss the ethicality around corporate political spending. According to you should it be categorized as corruption? Give your reasons. 10M
Introduction
Corporate political spendings are support, contributions or donations to political parties and candidates from entities such as corporations, companies or business enterprises. In India electoral bonds have become the most popular route of donation.
Body
Ethical issues around corporate political spending:
- Leads to plutocracy: India has often been called a plutocracy for its manifest disposition towards the rich and the powerful.
- The world inequality report that ranks India as one of the most unequal countries in the world sheds a light on this phenomenon.
- Leads to favoritism: favoritism that is shown by the government in the form of government grants, tax breaks, allocation of legal permits, prefixed tenders, pro-businessmen policies, and other favorable incentives.
- White collar crimes: The connection between the political parties and the donors to their Corporate funding have resulted in a number of scams were in it was publicly seen that major contributors to these corporate funding have used their positions of authority and have initiated scams for their benefits.
- In 2012, the Supreme Court canceled 122 spectrum licenses issued to telecom operators at very cheap rates.
- Lack of Transparency: Through an amendment to the Finance Act 2017, the Union government has exempted political parties from disclosing donations received through electoral bonds. This means the voters will not know which individual, company, or organisation has funded which party, and to what extent.
- Leads to crony capitalism: Crony capitalism is an indicator of the state of the economy where success in business is determined by the mutual relationship between businessmen and government officials.
Should it be categorized as corruption? No
In 1969, donations from corporate houses were banned by the government of India to curb the harmful influence of big business on politics. As the only legal channel available was banned, political parties started raising funds by issuing souvenirs, in which advertisements were placed by the business houses.
Business in India resorted to tax evasion, black-market operations and other illegal mechanisms due to political compulsions and the threat of selective raids and nationalisation. This period also saw the rise of “briefcase politics”. Thus, not having corporate funders leads to more corruption.
Importance of Corporate political funds:
- Lobbying by corporates helps to raise awareness on certain problems.
- Can help industry leaders connect to politicians.
- Can help major social initiatives: The corporate class was supportive of India’s struggle for economic and political freedom during the first half of the 20th century. The Birlas were one of the leading donors of the Indian National Congress.
Thus, Corporate funding of political parties should adopt two important principles are
- Transparency: A pro-active media which publishes donations and expenditures periodically to ensure effective public scrutiny and CAG auditing the accounts of political parties.
- Accountability – Shareholder approach: rendering decision making on political contributions more broad-based rather than a small group of by a board of directors .
Another alternative towards corporate funding that could be considered is the setting up of a political party fund under the auspices of the Election Commission of India to which all companies can contribute. The amount could be disbursed to political parties for specified purposes.
Conclusion:
Though many concerns are raised by such spending, the key element here is “Transparency and accountability”. Funding towards any party in a transparent manner cannot be called corruption.
Case study 20M
Nambi Narayanan is an aerospace engineer who previously worked with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). While working for ISRO in 1994, Narayanan was falsely accused of sharing confidential information about India’s space programme with two Maldivian nationals, who allegedly sold the secret drawings of ISRO’s rocket engines to Pakistan. Following this, Narayanan was arrested and released after 50 days. Simultaneous media trials were held, right from the arrest of the two Maldivians. The entire case was sensationalised as a scandal revolving around sex, money, and espionage. Many point out that this is a case of ‘Trial by media’ where there is a negative impact of television and newspaper coverage on a person’s reputation by creating a widespread perception of guilt regardless of any verdict in a Court of law.
A few media houses called out the police’s actions from the beginning and faced a defamation suit as a result. The charges against him were dismissed as false by CBI in 1996 and by the Supreme Court of India in 1998. Supreme Court ordered a CBI re-investigation and an FIR was registered against 18 former officers of the Kerala police and IB in June 2021. While Nambi was initially vilified by the media, he was later characterised as a victim of vendetta, politics, and lack of media ethics. Media attention in recent years has helped Narayanan in spreading his story of innocence and the ordeal he had to go through.
Do you agree that there should be restrictions on the freedom of the press? Why or why not? Make an argument by weighing the competing values in this case.
Introduction:
Media the fourth pillar of democracy takes pride in being fair, impartial, and presenting the facts. However, as the events in this case study highlight that media is confronted with several challenges that jeopardize its very own function.
Body:
Freedom of press or media refers to the rights given by the Constitution of India under the freedom and expression of speech in Article 19(1)(a).
Need for freedom of the Press:
“Freedom of the press is not just important to democracy, it is democracy”- Walter Cronkite (American Broadcaster)
It encourages independent journalism and promotes democracy by letting the people voice their opinions for or against the government’s actions.
Pursuit of truth: The mission of journalism is the pursuit of the truth. According to chanakya “The earth is supported by the power of truth; it is the power of truth that makes the sun shine and the winds blow; indeed all things rest upon truth.” Even in this scenario we can see that a few media houses called out the police’s actions against Nambi Narayanan from the beginning and faced a defamation suit as a result.
Accountability: Accountability breeds responsibility. Media are accountable to the people when newer evidence about Nambi’s innocence came about, they promptly corrected their actions. Thus we can see that Media attention in recent years has helped Narayanan in spreading his story of innocence and the ordeal he had to go through.
Informs Citizens: Citizens know how Nambi was a victim of vendetta politics. This raises awareness in people about the misuse of power.
Free exchange of ideas: The whole issue has been covered in detail by the media and this has raised many questions about the importance of freedoms and faulty investigation of the police , thus leading to the Supreme Court ordering a CBI re-investigation and an FIR against 18 former officers of the Kerala police and IB.
Though there are many positives in the later phase, the initial response of the press raises the,
Need for restrictions on freedom of press:
There are various unethical media practices in our Indian journalism sector at present. Which goes against the journalistic ethics,
Sensationalization: Reporters are criticized for exaggerating the facts in the name of getting higher ratings or more newspaper subscriptions. Here too, the entire case was sensationalised as a scandal revolving around sex, money, and espionage. This resulted in a lack of spirit of inquiry ad morality.
Lack of independence: due to dependence on revenue streams. As Nambi’s issue is used as a tool to get more subscriptions.
Media trials: A media trial is a trial similar to a court of law in which the media house declares an individual innocent or guilty before the court’s final judgment based on debates and discussions. Additionally, it results in the formation of beliefs in the minds of individuals, thus impacting the case’s meritocracy. The media trials, in this case, pronounced Nambi as a culprit, defaming his reputation and his freedom.
Maximising harm: Narayanan was arrested for 50 days for a crime he did not commit. Media houses with their laxity and sensationalisation in reporting failed to provide justice to him.
Lack of integrity and moral conscience: among the investigators who did a botched investigation and media channels who propagated false and unverified news.
This case highlights the need for restrictions on freedom of the press. These restrictions shouldn’t be pervasive curtailing these rights of speech and expression. The best possible way to do it is through promoting accountability by Self Regulation of Media channels. Being accountable to the ethical codes put forthwith by The News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) and Press council of India (PCI).
Repeated offenders of such organizations should also face strict action by the Press Council of India; although it does not have much power at present but more power should be given to such kind of bodies.
Conclusion
Viewer’s education and inculcation of integrity and honesty through moral or value-based is needed to build a strong society that values the rule of law and believes in our Justice system.
