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
General Studies – 1
Topic: Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc.,
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: The Hindu
Why the question:
India this year experienced its warmest February since 1877, and in November last year, the World Bank warned that India could become one of the first places in the world where wet-bulb temperatures could increase beyond the survivability threshold of 35°C.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the wet-bulb summer, threats posed it and potential ways to mitigate it.
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 the concept of wet bulb summer.
Body:
First, write about the potential Hazards of a wet bulb summer – health, animals, agriculture and infrastructure etc. wet-bulb summer are becoming increasingly relevant due to the effects of climate change
Write about the potential mitigation strategies – improving urban planning, increasing access to cooling technologies, and promoting public awareness and education.
Conclusion:
Conclude by writing a way forward.
Introduction
Wet bulb temperatures are measured by wrapping a wet cloth on a thermometer and observing the temperature at which evaporation occurs. This is distinct from the more commonly known ambient or dry temperature, which is measured as is. Beyond 35°C, the human body cannot cool itself down through perspiration.
India this year experienced its warmest February since 1877, and in November last year, the World Bank warned that India could become one of the first places in the world where wet-bulb temperatures could increase beyond the survivability threshold of 35°C.
Body
Wet bulb temperature
- Wet bulb temperature is the lowest temperature to which air can be cooled by the evaporation of water into the air at a constant pressure.
- WBT is a limit that considers heat and humidity beyond which humans can not tolerate high temperatures.
- The Wet Bulb temperature is the temperature of adiabatic saturation. This is the temperature indicated by a moistened thermometer bulb exposed to the air flow.
- An adiabatic process is one in which no heat is gained or lost by the system.
- Wet Bulb temperature can be measured by using a thermometer with the bulb wrapped in wet muslin.
- When the water starts evaporating from the cloth, the temperature in the thermometer begins to decrease.
- How much evaporates depends on the humidity. The wet bulb temperature will be high if humidity is also high, but will be cool if there are dry conditions with lots of evaporation.
- With every one-degree rise in the global mean temperatures, there is a 7 per cent increase in humidity, the IPCC report had said, indicating that higher temperatures and higher levels of humidity in the atmosphere have already set in.
- Since pre-industrial times, global temperatures have risen by 1.1 degrees celsius.
potential Hazards of a wet bulb summer
- India is moving towards fatal climatic conditions.
- There an increased possibility of deaths if human body temperatures exceed the “wet bulb” threshold of 35°C, because the human body cannot cool itself down through perspiration
- If the wet-bulb temperature exceeds 35º C, outdoor activity can become life-threatening.
- the plight of who must work in these conditions for daily wages would be perilous.
- Agriculture sector is more vulnerable compared to the industrial and service sectors because workers there were more likely to be exposed to heat.
- Heatwaves are associated with increased rates of heat stress and heat stroke, worsening heart failure and acute kidney injury from dehydration.
- Children, the elderly and those with pre-existing morbidities are particularly vulnerable.
- Promote the spread of diseases like cholera and dengue fever across endemic areas.
- Increased poverty due to failure of crops and reduced economic activities.
Is India prepared ?
- India’s heat action plans (HAPs), designed to tackle economically damaging and life-threatening heat waves, generally focus on dry extreme heat.
- It does not consider the threats posed by humid heat, according to a report by The Centre for Policy Research (CPR).
- It is unclear if authorities consider risk factors like the duration of continuous heat, hot nights and so on, on a region-wise basis.
- India has 37 HAPs across 18 states at the city, district, and state levels. Only two of these, however, have explicitly targeted vulnerable groups.
- The rest only have broad categories such as the elderly, outdoor workers, and pregnant women.
- Even the solutions proposed do not necessarily focus on them, the CPR report stated.
- Moreover, these HAPs do not have enough funds. Insufficient capacity building and a lack of transparency are also matters of concern.
potential mitigation strategies
- In 2016, the National Disaster Management Agency prepared guidelines for state governments to formulate action plans for the prevention and management of heat waves, outlining four key strategies:
- Forecasting heat waves and enabling an early warning system
- Building capacity of healthcare professionals to deal with heat wave-related emergencies
- Community outreach through various media
- Inter-agency cooperation as well as engagement with other civil society organizations in the region.
- Scientific Approach:
- Climate data from the last 15-20 years can be correlated with the mortality and morbidity data to prepare a heat stress index and city-specific threshold.
- Vulnerable areas and population could be identified by using GIS and satellite imagery for targeted actions.
- Advance implementation of local Heat Action Plans, plus effective inter-agency coordination is a vital response which the government can deploy in order to protect vulnerable groups.
- This will require identification of “heat hot spots”, analysis of meteorological data and allocation of resources to crisis-prone areas.
- The India Cooling Action Planmust emphasize the urgency and need for better planning, zoning and building regulations to prevent Urban Heat Islands.
- Provision of public messaging (radio, TV), mobile phone-based text messages, automated phone calls and alerts.
- Promotion of traditional adaptation practices, such as staying indoors and wearing comfortable clothes.
- Popularisation of simple design features such as shaded windows, underground water storage tanks and insulating housing materials.
Value addition
State actions towards Heat waves assessing their geographic variations:
- Key element of many states response strategy has been enhancing health risk communications on the impact of heat waves and how citizens can take simple steps to reduce their exposure and protect their health.
- Andhra Pradesh:
- Andhra Pradesh has strong inter-agency coordination across multiple departments
- Andhra Pradesh has also set up 1168 stations approximately one for every hundred square kilometers for weather forecasting and modelling.
- It has developed a mobile app to disseminate information about heat waves and advice on precautionary steps; the app is available in English and Telugu.
- Telangana:
- Telangana developed one of the first state-wide heat action plans in 2016.
- The state is now integrating the heat action plan with its action plan on climate change.
- The Telangana plan focuses on training district officials and health staff
- Odisha:
- It has declared heat waves as a state specific disaster.
- It is developing local thresholds and analyzing vulnerability of communities in different parts of the state.
- Odisha’s activities focus on awareness raising, capacity building and training of healthcare staff, interagency coordination, and enabling provision of water for vulnerable communities.
- Various states and municipalities have introduced early warning systems, public awareness campaigns and increased training for medical professionals.
- Ahmedabad, Nagpur and Odisha have made pioneering efforts with respect to heat-health warning systems (HHWS).
- Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has adopted a heat action plan which necessitates measures such as building heat shelters, ensuring availability of water and removing neonatal ICU from the top floor of hospitals.
- Such warning systems include providing weather forecasts in advance, issuing warnings to people, providing readiness of emergency response systems, and preparing doctors and health facilities to handle a sudden influx of patients. Warnings facilitate people in taking appropriate actions against heat-related harm.
- Access to cool environments remains the mainstay of preventing heat stress:
- In rural areas, where electricity access is a challenge, supplementing power supply of primary health centres with solar-based systems should be undertaken. Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Tripura have already deployed such systems.
Topic: Social empowerment
Difficulty level: Tough
Reference: The Hindu
Why the question:
The article explores the significance of Dalit writing as a social movement that has the power to change lives.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about importance of the representation of Dalit experiences and perspectives in literature and how it has helped to challenge and dismantle the dominant caste system in India.
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 of literature as a tool of Dalit empowerment.
Body:
In the first part, write about the significance of Dalit writing as social movement -potential to challenge the existing power structures, bring about social change, highlighting the experiences of the marginalized, challenge the inhumanity and brutality of the caste system etc. Cite examples to substantiate.
Next, write about the challenges in the above.
Conclusion:
Conclude by writing a way forward.
Introduction
The term Dalit was first used by Jyotirao Phule for the oppressed classes or untouchable castes of the Hindu. The Dalit movement began as a protest movement, to bring socio-political transformation in the status of Dalits in India.
Dalit writings have been an important tool in the Dalit Movement to express the feelings, pain and sufferings of Dalits. At a time, when there was no means of communication to support the Dalits, pen was the only solution. Even prior to the 1960s, writers like Baburao Bagul, Bandhu Madhav, Shankarao Kharat, Narayan Surve, Anna Bhau Sathe were expressing Dalit concerns and issues in their literature.
Body
significance of Dalit writing
- Given the Upper Castes would never allow the Dalits voice to be expressed, as it would be a threat for their own survival, the Dalits began their own magazineand began to express their own experiences.
- Dalit literature, the literature produced by the Dalit consciousness, emerged initially during the Mukti movement.
- The Mukti movement was led by very poor Dalits who fought against the saint – poets of the time.
- These literature argued that Dalit Movement fights not only against the Brahmins, but all those people whoever practices exploitation, and those can be the Brahminsor even the Dalits themselves.
- Dalit literature helped with the ability to give voice to the Dalit community and to bring their stories and experiences to the forefront.
- Through literature, Dalit writers have been able to challenge the dominant caste hierarchy and expose the injustices and atrocities faced by the Dalit community.
- Their writing provides a platform for the marginalized to express their thoughts, emotions, and experiences, and to assert their identity and agency in a society that has historically denied them these rights.
- New revolutionary songs, poems, stories, autobiographies were written by Dalit writers.
- These were sung in every village, poem and other writings were read by the entire community.
Impacts
- It helped to create awareness among the general public about the issues faced by the Dalit community and to promote social justice and equality.
- By highlighting the struggles and achievements of the Dalit community, Dalit writing inspired social and political movements aimed at ending caste-based discrimination and creating a more just and equitable society. Eg.: Dalit Panther Movement
Conclusion
Thus, it can be said that the significance of Dalit writing lies in its ability to empower the marginalized, challenge dominant discourses, and promote social justice and equality.
General Studies – 2
Topic: Development processes and the development industry —the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders.
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: Live Mint , Insights on India
Why the question:
The author suggests that governments and private donors should provide sustained and predictable funding to CSOs to enable them to plan and implement long-term projects that address social issues.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the functions of civil society, their issues with funding and possible solutions to it.
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 mentioning how civil society is considered as the 5th Pillar of democracy.
Body:
First, write about how NGOs and humanitarian aid organizations make it their business to demand accountability from governments, employers, and community members. Mention few successful incidents of civil society participation in bringing about accountability and uphold rule of law.
Next, write about the limitations of civil society in India especially in regards to funding and suggest measures to overcome the same.
Conclusion:
Conclude by writing a way forward.
Introduction
Civil Society Organizations can be defined to include all non-market and non-state organizations outside of the family in which people organize themselves to pursue shared interests in the public domain”.
Examples include community-based organizations and village associations, environmental groups, women’s rights groups, farmers’ associations, faith-based organizations, labour unions, co-operatives, professional associations, chambers of commerce, independent research institutes and the not-for-profit media.
Body
Need for an active civil society:
- Citizens have the right to scrutinise the work of their representatives.
- To publicise acts such as infringement of civil liberties and failure of governments to provide a reasonable standard of life for the citizens.
- Article 19 of the constitution provides for the democratic right to protest as part of the freedom of expression.
- The right to participate in an activity should not be restricted to politics and elections alone.
- Without this right, democracy becomes an illusion.
- So civil society cannot be conceptualised independent of the state.
Civil society’s functional contribution to good governance
- Watchdog: against violation of human rights and governing deficiencies.
- Advocate: of the weaker sections’ point of view.
- Agitator: on behalf of aggrieved citizens.
- Educator: of citizens on their rights, entitlements and responsibilities and the government about the pulse of the people.
- Service provider: to areas and people not reached by official efforts or as government’s agent.
- Mobilizer: of public opinion for or against a programme or policy.
- The ways include: Right to Information Act, Consumer Protection Act, Citizens Charters, Whistle-blower protection, e-governance, Democratic Decentralisation, Public Interest Litigation, etc
Role of Civil Society:
- In a large developing country like India, there are numerous gaps left by the government in the development process. These are the gaps that civil societies try to fill in modern India.
- Supplementing the government effort to provide health care to citizens, and by raising awareness in society about issues like child and maternal malnutrition
- A number of NGO’s like Childline India Foundation, World Vision, Arambh India have played important role in raising awareness on child sexual abuse.
- In the last 20 years, a very large number of NGOs in India have been active in the area of environmental protection.
- The NGOs have often been helped by the judiciary whenever the government of the day has proved unresponsive.
- The engagement of civil society and the media in educating citizens about the evils of corruption, raising their awareness levels and securing their participation by giving them a ‘voice’.
- Civil society can influence policy and project formulation through membership of committees and submission of memoranda.
Limitations of Civil Society
- Misappropriation of funds: Many NGOs don’t have sophisticated finance and legal teams, nor do they have the funds to conduct audits.
- The issue of foreign funding: According to government data a total of 3,068 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) received foreign funding above Rs. 22,000 Cr in 2014-15. It is often said that foreign-funded NGOs tries to propagate the foreign propaganda to stall developmental projects. Example: Kudankulam Protest.
- Non-accountable, non-transparent undemocratic functioning: CBI records filed in the Supreme Court show that only 10% of the total registered NGOs under the Societies Registration Act file annual financial statements.
- Money Laundering: Corrupt or unscrupulous NGOs that receive foreign funds may serve as conduits for money laundering.
- Accreditation remains a big challenge as it is very difficult to distinguish whether an organization wants to work for the cause or has been set up only for the purpose of receiving government grants.
- Over dependence on funds from the government dilutes the willingness of NGOs to speak out against the government.
- NGOs are often seen as encroaching on centuries-old tradition and culture of the people, and lead to mass protest at times. Ban of Jallikattu, after the PIL by PETA is one such example
Way Forward:
- A National Accreditation Council consisting of academicians, activist, retired bureaucrats should be made to ensure compliance by NGOs.
- There should be better coordination between Ministries of Home Affairs and Finance in terms of monitoring and regulating illicit and unaccounted funds.
- A regulatory mechanism to keep a watch on the financial activities of NGOs and voluntary organizations is the need of the hour.
- Citizens today are keen to play an active role in processes that shape their lives and it is important that their participation in democracy go beyond the ritual of voting and should include promotion of social justice, gender equity, inclusion etc.
- The government should frame guidelines for their accreditation, the manner in which these organizations should maintain their accounts and the procedure for recovery in case they fail to submit their balance sheets.
- Avoid tussle between Home Ministry and Finance Ministry by bringing the regulation of NGOs under one head.
- General Financial Rules, 2005 have mandated a regulatory mechanism for the NGOs and a comprehensive law in line with these rules should be framed in no time.
Conclusion
NGOs, Pressure groups and CSOs form the backbone of democracy. Democracy does not just revolve around elections but how rights of the citizens are protected and are allowed to hold power holders accountable. The state must respect the articulation of the politics of voice and not just the politics of the vote. The promises of democracy can only be realised through collective action in civil society. A democratic state needs a democratic civil society and a democratic civil society also needs a democratic state. They mutually reinforce each other.
General Studies – 3
Topic: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: The Hindu
Why the question:
The article provides a beginner’s guide to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about LHC, its objectives, working and recent discoveries made by it.
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 giving context about LHC.
Body:
First, write about the objectives of LHC – purpose is to recreate the conditions that existed in the early universe and study the fundamental nature of matter and the universe.
Next, write about the working of the LHC – accelerates beams of subatomic particles to nearly the speed of light and smashes them into each other to create new particles.
Next, write about the significant discoveries made by it – Higgs boson, and has been used to study the properties of subatomic particles, antimatter, and dark matter.
Conclusion:
Conclude by summarising.
Introduction
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is a particle accelerator that pushes protons or ions to near the speed of light. It consists of a 27-kilometre ring of superconducting magnets with a number of accelerating structures that boost the energy of the particles along the way. LHC is the most powerful particle accelerator ever built. The accelerator sits in a tunnel 100 metres underground at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, on the Franco-Swiss border near Geneva, Switzerland.
LHC is expected to throw up evidence of “new physics” — or physics beyond the Standard Model of Particle Physics, which explains how the basic building blocks of matter interact, governed by four fundamental forces.
Body
Main goals of LHC
- The Standard Model of particle physics – a theory developed in the early 1970s that describes the fundamental particles and their interactions – has precisely predicted a wide variety of phenomena and so far successfully explained almost all experimental results in particle physics.
- But the Standard Model is incomplete.
- The Standard Model does not explain the origins of mass, nor why some particles are very heavy while others have no mass at all.
- It leaves many questions open, which the LHC will help to answer.
- The discovery of the Higgs boson was only the first chapter of the LHC story. Indeed, the restart of the machine this year marks the beginning of a new adventure, as it will operate at almost double the energy of its first run.
- Thanks to the work that has been done during the Long Shutdown 1, the LHC will now be able to produce 13 TeV collisions (6.5 TeV per beam), which will allow physicists to further explore the nature of our Universe.
- The ultimate aim of the LHC’s detectors is to allow physicists to test the predictions of different theories of particle physics, including measuring the properties of the Higgs boson and searching for the large family of new particles predicted by supersymmetric theories, as well as other unsolved questions of physics.
LHC – role in understanding the evolution of the universe
- After the discovery of the Higgs boson, scientists have started using the data collected as a tool to look beyond the Standard Model, which is currently the best theory of the most elementary building blocks of the universe and their interactions.
- Scientists at CERN say they don’t know what Run 3 will reveal; the hope is to use the collisions to further the understanding of so-called “dark matter”.
- This hard-to-detect, hoped-for particle is believed to make up most of the universe, but is completely invisible as it does not absorb, reflect, or emit light.
Recent discoveries by LHC
- ‘God Particle’ discovery: In scientists at CERN had announced the discovery of the Higgs boson or the ‘God Particle’ during the LHC’s first run.
- This led to Peter Higgs and his collaborator François Englertbeing awarded the Nobel Prize for physics in 2013.
- The Higgs boson is the fundamental particle associated with the Higgs field, a field that gives mass to other fundamental particles such as electrons and quarks.
- ‘New Physics’ beyond Standard Model: After the discovery of the Higgs boson, scientists have started using the data collected as a tool to look beyond the Standard Model, which is currently the best theory of the most elementary building blocks of the universe and their interactions.
Conclusion
Many physicists hope that the Large Hadron Collider will help answer some of the fundamental open questions in physics, which concern the basic laws governing the interactions and forces among the elementary objects, the deep structure of space and time, and in particular the interrelation between quantum mechanics and general relativity.
Topic: Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology.
Difficulty level: Easy
Reference: Insights on India
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 3 and mentioned as part of Mission-2023 Secure timetable.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the role of robotics in agriculture – its potential and limitations.
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.
Body:
First, write about the need to innovate in agriculture to meet the present day challenges.
Next, write about the potential advantages of the above – planting, harvesting, and weeding with greater speed, precision, and efficiency than human labour, to sustainable agriculture by minimizing the use of harmful chemicals and fertilizers and reducing water consumption.
Next, write about the shortcomings of the above – high costs, limited access to finance, and lack of technical expertise etc.
Conclusion:
Conclude by writing a way forward.
Introduction
Robotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural depositions, manufacture and application of robots. Today Robotics is the rapidly growing field and it is continue in research, design and build new robots that serve various practical purposes.
Body
Role of robotics in enhancing agricultural productivity and sustainability in India
- Crop and Soil Monitoring: Companies are leveraging sensors and various IoT-based technologies to monitor crop and soil health.
- Predictive Agricultural Analytics:Various AI and machine learning tools are being used to predict the optimal time to sow seeds, get alerts on risks from pest attacks, and more.
- Supply Chain Efficiencies:Companies are using real-time data analytics on data-streams coming from multiple sources to build an efficient and smart supply chain.
- Agricultural Robots:Companies are developing and programming autonomous robots to handle essential agricultural tasks such as harvesting crops at a higher volume and faster pace than human labourers.
Some examples of Agricultural Robots:
- Green seeker sensor:This smart machine reads a plant’s needs and then applies precisely the amount of fertilizer of herbicides needed. Green Seeker is a machine which uses the sensors to let the plant tell us that what it needs.
- Robot drone tractors:A new generation of robot drones is revolutionizing the way we farm, with manufacturing of different robots, announcing the first ever robot drone tractor becomes part of the agricultural mainstream. Robot will decide where to plant, when to harvest and how to choose the best route for crisscrossing the farmland.
- Flying Robots To Spread Fertilizer:A flying robot monitors the growing condition of the crops over farmlands in Ili, a Kazak autonomous prefecture in Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous With camera equipment and an automatic fertilizing system in the front, the robot can fly autonomously and apply fertilizer independently.
- Fruit Picking Robots:The research is still in full progress, especially as the robots need to be carefully designed so that they do not bruise the fruit while picking. One solution is the use of suction grippers, used on automated fruit picking machines manufactured, for example, by
- Robot Cattle Grazing and Automatic Milking:Is the milking of dairy animals, especially of dairy cattle, without human labour. Automatic milking systems (AMS), also called voluntary milking systems (VMS), were developed in the late 20th century. They are commercially available since the early 1990s.
Scope & Potential of farm robots in India
- Our farm equipment companies & researchers have developed a lot of small and heavy farm equipments for traditional farming needs, but some kind of robotic and pneumatic mechanism are required in precision.
- If the robots are being used for weed control, that will help to reduce the herbicides usage and the produces will turn into an organic, the same way robots can be used for transplanting the seedlings to avoid intensive
- A few impressive innovative technologies by rural inventors electric motors can be operated remotely by cell phones, it’s very helpful to farmers in summer time since the power supply is irregular.
- Advanced intelligent machines in farming, Sensors or readers and hand held PDAs are going to be great helpful in computation and accuracy in
- There are lot of hurdles taken in the agriculture sector in all countries but specially in
- Farmers are decreasing in India. Many are leaving the farming profession by telling some repeated common sentences that it is no longer profitable and non wants to get losses and it is becoming risky day by day.
- The disadvantages make the youngsters also disinterested in that.
Conclusion
Robotics will definitely bring the agricultural revolution. Although the road ahead is not very smooth. We have to calculate the feasibility, sustainability and efficiency of meeting the world’s food needs. However, it would be interesting to see how the farmers, agri-businessmen and the consumers will utilize the power of Robotics and digital-mechanization to shape the future of this industry.
Topic: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: Insights on India
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 3 and mentioned as part of Mission-2023 Secure timetable.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about zoonotic diseases, threats posed by them and ways to tackle 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 the defining zoonotic diseases along with some current examples to establish the scare on account of zoonotic diseases.
Body:
First, write about the threats posed by zoonotic diseases – loss of significant number of lives, ecosystem changes brought about, no vaccination etc. Cite examples.
Next, write about the ways to tackle it – preparedness, R&D, virology centres, border screening, awareness etc
Conclusion:
Conclude by summarising.
Introduction
Zoonotic disease is a disease that passes into the human population from an animal source directly or through an intermediary species. Zoonotic infections can be bacterial, viral, or parasitic in nature, with animals playing a vital role in maintaining such infections. Zoonotic diseases are those that are transmitted from animals to humans and account for over 60% of infectious outbreaks. This has been true in recent years, with SARS, H5N1, H1N1, MERS, Ebola, Zika, Nipah viruses and the current Covid-19 disease becoming familiar names in the rogues’ gallery of viruses that move from animals to humans.
Body:
Challenges of Zoonotic diseases in India
- Public health risks: Zoonotic diseases such as avian influenza, brucellosis, and rabies pose significant public health risks in India.
- These diseases can cause serious illnesses, and in some cases, death. Additionally, they can be difficult to diagnose and treat, which can lead to further transmission and spread of the disease.
- India is among the top geographical hotspots where zoonotics diseases are a major public health issue causing high burden of morbidity and mortality.
- High priority zoonotic diseases like Brucellosis have emerged from Haryana to Goa, incidence and prevalence of occupational zoonotic disease like Anthrax have affected human health throughout.
- Economic losses: Zoonotic diseases can also have significant economic consequences in India, particularly in the agricultural sector.
- Outbreaks of diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease, swine flu, and bird flu can lead to the culling of large numbers of animals, resulting in significant economic losses for farmers and the industry as a whole.
- Environmental impact: The transmission of zoonotic diseases can also have a significant impact on the environment in India.
- For example, the indiscriminate use of antibiotics and other drugs to treat animals can lead to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which can have serious implications for human health.
- Further, being among the highest bacterial disease burden in the world, antibiotics, therefore, have a critical role in limiting morbidity and morality and consequently Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) has huge implications for India.
- Limited resources: India’s health infrastructure and resources are already stretched thin, and the emergence of zoonotic diseases can place additional strain on the system.
- This can lead to limited access to diagnostic and treatment facilities, as well as challenges in implementing effective public health measures to control the spread of disease.
Impacts of Zoonotic diseases
- Leads to increased dependence on animal rearing as a means of livelihood. The intimate human-animal contact puts them at risk for this category of diseases.
- Large part of population remains unaware of the basic hygiene routine to be followed.
- Lack of proper vaccination programmes, poor sero-surveillance and lack of diagnostic facilities make the preventive and precautionary approach more difficult.
- Historically, zoonotic diseases had a tremendous impact on the evolution of man, especially in the societies that domesticated and bred animals for food and clothing.
- Over the last seven decades, more than three hundred Zoonotic Diseases have been reported.
- They account for 75% of the Emerging Infectious Diseases (EIDs) among human beings.
- The dramatic increase in the population, mobility, associated environmental and social changes in the past few decades can be attributed to the recent increase in the spread of Zoonotic diseases worldwide.
- The mobility of diseases has drastically increased due to globalization.
- Zoonotic diseases such as bovine tuberculosis, bubonic plague, and glanders caused millions of deaths. They are still a major problem in developing countries.
- The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted human lives and resulted in socio-economic disruption of unimaginable scales.
- Out of all the human disease causing pathogens identified so far, over 60% are of animal origin. These include the causative agents for several well-known human and livestock diseases such as Tuberculosis, Brucellosis, Anthrax, Leptospirosis, and Rabies.
- The scale and spread of zoonotic diseases are so high that every year, at the global level, the top 13 zoonotic diseases lead to nearly 2.4 billion cases of human illness, and 2.2 million human deaths.
- Despite repeated warnings from conservationists, veterinarians and public health professionals about the possibility of zoonotic diseases causing large scale disruptions in human lives and activities, they were never given the warranted consideration, either in our planning or in action.
- It ultimately took a global pandemic of the current scale, coming with an enormous human cost, to spotlight the long-pending discussion on zoonotic diseases and the drivers behind them.
Way forward:
- Build robust and well-governed public and animal health systems compliant with the WHO International Health Regulations (the amendment entered into force in July 2016) and OIE international standards through the pursuit of long-term interventions.
- Prevent regional and international crises by controlling disease outbreaks through improved national and international emergency response capabilities.
- Promote wide-ranging collaboration across sectors and disciplines.
- Develop rational and targeted disease control programmes through the conduct of strategic research.
- Better address concerns of the poor by shifting the focus from developed to developing economies, from potential to actual disease problems, and through a focus on the drivers of a broader range of locally important diseases.
- In the case of emerging diseases, up-front investments in surveillance and in coordinated human, animal and environment health services are needed to ensure that ‘emergence events’ do not turn into full-scale epidemics, or pandemics.
- In economic terms, the World Bank estimated eight years ago that an annual investment of USD3.4 billion in animal health systems worldwide would avert losses incurred through delayed or inadequate responses to zoonoses—losses estimated at almost double the preventative investment.
- The loss of human life, and economic and social costs of the COVID-19 crisis clearly indicate the value—and the necessity— of increased investment in surveillance, prevention measures and coordinated cross-sectoral early response to ensure we do everything possible to prevent this from happening again.
Conclusion
Controlling and preventing zoonotic outbreaks requires coordinated interdisciplinary responses across human, animal and environment health. Our responses to both controlling the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and to reducing the risk of future zoonotic disease outbreaks must address a range of areas starting from environment protection and incorporating One Health Policy.
General Studies – 4
Topic: Attitude: content, structure, function; its influence and relation with thought and behaviour; moral and political attitudes;
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.
Directive:
Elucidate – Give a detailed account as to how and why it occurred, or what is the particular context. You must be defining key terms where ever appropriate, and substantiate with relevant associated facts.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by writing about the attributes of moral excellence.
Body:
Write about how for a person with moral excellence virtuous character enables them to perceive the world as a vast and interconnected entity, and they are able to navigate it with ease and wisdom. Cite examples to substantiate.
Conclusion:
Conclude by summarising.
Introduction
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit” -Will Durant
Moral Excellence is the quality of doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong. Moral excellence, according to Aristotle, attributes to our habits or customs, those repeated practices that form in us character qualities or propensities to act in a certain way in a given situation.
Body
Aristotle believed that behaving in a just manner and making a habit of it will ultimately result in moral excellence. He also warned against extreme behaviour. He espoused the doctrine of ‘the golden mean’, also shared independently by Confucius, that is, the best path in life is the one between two extremes. For example, the virtue of truthfulness consists of choosing the mean between boasting and undue modesty. The mean varies depending upon the person and the situation.
Moral excellence and integrity are qualities that require a deep understanding of oneself and others, and a commitment to living in accordance with one’s values and principles. When an individual possesses moral excellence and integrity, they are more likely to approach the world with an open mind and heart, and to be receptive to different perspectives and experiences. They are also more likely to treat others with kindness, empathy, and respect, and to cultivate meaningful relationships based on trust and mutual understanding.
Morally excellent people have a character made-up of virtues valued as good. They are honest, respectful, courageous, forgiving, and kind, for example. They do the right thing, and don’t bend to impulses, urges or desires, but act according to values and principles. Some might say good qualities are innate, but we’re not perfect. Virtues need to be cultivated to become more prevalent in life. With the habit of being virtuous, we take the helm of our own life, redirecting its course towards greater happiness and fulfillment.
For instance, for the man who flies from and fears everything and does not stand his ground against anything becomes a coward, and the man who fears nothing at all but goes to meet every danger becomes rash; and similarly the man who indulges in every pleasure and abstains from none becomes self-indulgent, while the man who shuns every pleasure, as boors do, becomes in a way insensible; temperance and courage, then, are destroyed by excess and defect, and preserved by the mean.
Conclusion
A person with moral excellence and integrity is more likely to be guided by a strong sense of purpose and a commitment to making a positive impact in the world. They are driven by a desire to live a life of meaning and significance, and to contribute to the well-being of others.
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