[Mission 2024] Insights SECURE SYNOPSIS: 6 July 2023

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

1. Each tradition of puppetry carries its own cultural significance and storytelling techniques, making puppetry a rich and diverse art form. Elaborate. (250 words)

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-2024 Secure timetable.

Key Demand of the question:

To write puppetry as a traditional art and its regional identities and significance.

Directive word: 

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

Structure of the answer:

Introduction: 

Start with what Indian puppetry is and its diversity across Indian states.

Body:

Write in detail about how puppetry draws from painting, sculpture, music, dance, drama and other visual arts. Cite examples to substantiate your points.

Next, write about the diverse forms of regional Indian puppetry and its various types.

Conclusion:

Conclude by writing about importance of puppetry as visual art.

Introduction

A puppet is one of the most remarkable and ingenious inventions of the man. Puppetry is a type of narrative theatre; at the crossroads between bardic storytelling and theatre plays. Shows include live music, narration and gestures taken from dance. Puppetry throughout the ages has held an important place in traditional entertainment. Like traditional theatre, themes for puppet theatre are mostly based on epics and legends. Puppets from different parts of the country have their own identity. Regional styles of painting and sculpture are reflected in them.

Body:

Puppetry in India

• The earliest reference to the art of puppetry is found in Tamil classic ‘Silappadikaaram’written around the 1st or 2nd century B.C.
• In Sanskrit terminology Puttalikaand Puttika means ‘little sons’.
• Ancient Hindu philosophers have paid the greatest tribute to puppeteers. They have likened God Almighty to a puppeteer and the entire universe to a puppet stage.
• Srimad Bhagavata,the great epic depicting the story of Lord Krishna in his childhood say that with three strings-Satta, Raja and Tama, the God manipulates each object in the universe as a marionette.
• Natyashastra, the masterly treatise on dramaturgy written sometime during 2nd century BC to 2nd century AD., does not refer to the art of puppetry but the producer-cum-director of the human theatre has been termed as ‘Sutradhar’meaning the holder of strings.
• Stories adapted from puranic literature, local myths and legends usually form the content of traditional puppet theatre in India which, in turn, imbibes elements of all creative expressions like painting, sculpture, music, dance, drama, etc.
• For instance, theKathputli of Rajasthanis accompanied by a highly dramatised version of the regional music. In Kundhei of Odisha, the music is drawn from the popular tunes of the region and is sometimes influenced by the music of Odisha dance.
• Almost all types of puppets are found in India. Puppetry throughout the ages has held an important place in traditional entertainment. Like traditional theatre, themes for puppet theatre are mostly based on epics and legends.
• : In Tholu Bommalatta of AP, the music is dominantly influenced by the classical music of the region and the theme of the puppet plays are drawn from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas. Episodes enacted in Gombeyatta of Karnatakaare usually based on Prasangas of the Yakshagana plays. The music that accompanies is dramatic and beautifully blends folk and classical elements.
• Puppets from different parts of the country have their own identity.
• In Thogalu Gombeyatta of Karnataka, the puppets however differ in size according to their social status, for instance, large size for kings and religious characters and smaller size for common people or servants.
• Regional styles of painting and sculpture are reflected in them.
• : the traditional glove puppet play is called Pavakoothu. It came into existence during the 18th century due to the influence of Kathakali, the famous classical dance-drama of Kerala, on puppet performances. The face of the puppets are decorated with paints, small and thin pieces of gilded tin, the feathers of the peacock, etc. The theme for Glove puppet plays in Kerala is based on the episodes from either the Ramayana or the Mahabharata.

However, the art of puppetry is dying due to the following reasons:

• Lack of patronage in the modern age.
• Competition from Electronic media which is a preferred mode of entertainment. People find it more appealing to watch mythological stories of Ramayan and Mahabharat on electronic media rather than in Puppetry.
• Puppetry Art is usually confined to only devotional and mythological stories.
• With changing times, Puppetry does not take up modern social issues.
• Puppetry lacks modernization in terms of script, lighting, sound and other stage effects.

Conclusion:

Besides traditional puppetry, India is home to a lively contemporary scene. Independent India opened up to artistic exchange, and new forms and techniques affected puppetry, introducing new styles and giving origin to a refined urban puppet theatre. The birth of modern troupes and the opening to the international scene created new contexts for traditional puppetry to flourish. Several festivals organized in the last decades offer the stage to traditional troupes. So far modernity threatened the very survival of traditional puppetry, but a more conscious use of contemporary means and opportunities is actually the key to preserve this rich heritage of India.

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

2. Efforts have been made to document and archive various forms of intangible cultural heritage. Organizations, institutions, and researchers work towards recording performances, rituals, oral traditions, and traditional knowledge systems. These archives serve as valuable resources for future generations and researchers. Discuss. (250 words)

Difficulty level: Tough

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-2024 Secure timetable.

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.

Key Demand of the question: To write about the need for protecting intangible heritage of India and ways to do it.

Structure of the answer:

Introduction: 

Begin by writing about the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage.

Body:

In the first part, write the items in the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage and the region they belong to.

Next, write need for protecting intangible heritage of India – cultural heritage, source of livelihood, dying arts. Celebrating diversity etc.

Next, write about the steps that have been take to protect intangible heritage of India.

Conclusion:

Conclude by stating the importance of intangible heritage of India.

Introduction

‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’ indicates ‘the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills – as well as the instruments, objects, artefacts and cultural spaces associated therewith – that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their Cultural Heritage’ (UNESCO, 2003). Examples of intangible heritage are oral traditions, performing arts, local knowledge, and traditional skills.

Body

UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage is a coveted list is made up of those intangible heritage elements that help demonstrate diversity of cultural heritage and raise awareness about its importance. The list was established in 2008 when the Convention for Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage came into effect.

Importance of protection of intangible heritage of India

• It helps to recognize the diversity of Indian culture embedded in its intangible heritage.
• It reflects India’s multicultural identity as a people and nation, and resonates strongly with Indians across all races and social strata.
• It intends to enhance the “visibility of communities’ cultural practices and know-how”, aiming to “safeguard the intangible cultural heritage of communities nationally & globally”.
• Its importance is not in the cultural manifestation itself, but in the wealth of knowledge, know-how and skills that are transmitted from one generation to the next.
• There is a need to raise awareness about the various intangible cultural heritage elements from different states of India at national and international level and ensure their protection.
• The Union ministry of Culturehas also launched the draft National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of India.

• The National ICH List is an attempt to recognize the diversity of Indian culture embedded in its intangible heritage. This initiative is also a part of the Vision 2024 of the Ministry of Culture.

Measures aimed at protecting and preserving ICH

• The National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of India is an attempt to recognize the diversity of Indian culture embedded in its intangible heritage.
• It aims to raise awareness about the various intangible cultural heritage elements from different states of India at national and international level and ensure their protection.
• The National ICH List is an attempt to recognize the diversity of Indian culture embedded in its intangible heritage. This initiative is also a part of the Vision 2024 of the Ministry of Culture.
• The Ministry of Culture has formulated a Scheme titled “Scheme for Safeguarding the Intangible Heritage and Diverse Cultural Traditions of India”, with the objective of reinvigorating and revitalizing various institutions, groups, individuals, identified non-MOC institutions, non-government organisations, researchers and scholars so that they may engage in activities/ projects for strengthening, protecting, preserving and promoting the rich intangible cultural heritage of India.
• The Scheme will cover all recognized domains of ICH such as oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of the intangible cultural heritage, Performing arts, Social practices, rituals and festive events, Knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe, traditional craftsmanship etc.
• The Union ministry of Culturehas also launched the draft National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of India.
• India has successfully inscribed 14 Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) elements in the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity under the 2003 Convention.
• Following UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, this list has been classified into five broad domains in which Intangible Cultural Heritage is manifested:
  • Oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of the Intangible Cultural Heritage
  • Performing Arts
  • Social practices, Rituals, and Festive events
  • Knowledge and practices concerning Nature and the Universe
  • Traditional Craftsmanship

Conclusion

India has a vast basket of living and diverse cultural traditions, traditional expressions, intangible cultural heritage comprising masterpieces which need institutional support and encouragement with a view to addressing areas critical for the survival and propagation of these forms of cultural heritage. Though, such preservation efforts are being carried out in a scattered form, a need is being felt to have an institutionalized and centralized Scheme for concerted efforts in the direction of professionally enhancing awareness and interest in Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), safeguarding, promoting and propagating it systematically.

Value addition

UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage from India

General Studies – 2

Topic: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

3. Migrant workers are vulnerable to exploitation due to their lack of social networks and awareness of their rights. Examine the need for an inclusive social policy to address the challenges faced by migrant workers in India. (250 words)

Difficulty level: Moderate

Reference: The Hindu , Insights on India

Why the question:

The article highlights the issues of exploitation, inadequate living conditions, and social exclusion that migrant workers often encounter.

Key Demand of the question:

To write about the issues faced by migrant workers and evaluate government measures for their protection and need for a social policy to address issues faced by 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 statistic regarding migration in India.

Body:

First, elaborate upon the issues faced by migrant workers – Distress migration: due to non-existent social security and unilateral decisions. Loss of livelihoods, Paradox of hunger despite having plenty, Devastating impact on women and children’s nutrition etc. Account the reasons for the same.

Next, discuss the policies and initiatives of the government in this direction to have a social security and inter-state coordination.

Next, suggest what needs to be done further to alleviate the issues of migrant workers.

Conclusion:

Conclude by writing a way forward.

Introduction

The migrants’ crisis left India shocked by their plight of walking hundreds of kilometres, facing hunger, exhaustion and violence, to get to the safety of their home villages. After the two covid waves, the crisis compelled policy-makers to make certain provisions for them in the schemes announced for the assistance of the poor.

The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2020-21 shows that 20.8% of total male migration in the country was from urban to rural areas in 2020-21. The 2011 census had found that proportion to be merely 8% back then.

As the sugarcane harvest season comes to an end, residents of villages that make the intra-State move for six months, talk about living on the fringes and the exploitation they face, without even realising the injustice

Body

Govt efforts

• Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana: After the lockdown, Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana with a financial package of Rs. 1.7 lakh crore was launched to help poor, needy, and unorganized sector workers of the country.
• PM SVANidhi Scheme: PM SVANidhi Scheme was launched to facilitate collateral-free working capital loans up to Rs.10,000/- of one-year tenure, to approximately, 50 lakh street vendors, to resume their businesses.
• Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyan: In order to facilitate the employment of migrant workers who have gone back to their home state, Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyan was initiated in 116 districts in Mission Mode.
• One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) project
• Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHC) scheme
• State migrant cell: Migrant workers’ Cell is being created to prepare a database of migrant workers in states with mapping.
• eShram portal: It is a national database created to register the unorganised workers in the country, including the migrant workers.
• National policy on migrant workers: NITI Aayog has been mandated to prepare a draft national policy on migrant workers to reimagine labour-capital relations while integrating the migrantworkers within the formal workforce.

Challenges despite Govt efforts

• Repeated surveys have found that the incomes of migrant households continue to be lower than pre-pandemic levels, even after returning to cities.
• Migrants are finding less work and their children eating less.
• The post-1991 poverty alleviation of almost 300 million Indians, driven by migration out of farm work, is being undone.
• Despite this, a cohesive migration policy guidance remains elusive.

Inadequate provisions by government

• The Unorganised Workers’ Social Security Act, was approved by Parliament in December 2008.
• But it lacks the mandatory elements of the NCEUS’s proposals and included neither a National Minimum Social Security Package, nor the provision for mandatory registration.
• Estimates show that the central government’s expenditure on all major social protection programmes declined from 1.96 per cent of GDP in 2008-09 to 1.6 per cent in 2013-14and to only 1.28 per cent in 2019-20.

Way forward

• Role of Centre:migrants would be well served if the Centre played a proactive role by offering strategic policy guidance and a platform for inter-State coordination. State-level political economy constraints make the Centre’s role particularly crucial in addressing issues of inter-State migrant workers at ‘destination States’.
• The National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector had pointed out that the circular migrant workers were a disadvantaged segment among informal workers.
• Comprehensive law: The NCEUS had advocated acomprehensive law for the protection of the rights of all informal workers, including migrants, home workers, and domestic workers.
• Universal registration: NCEUS had also recommended a universal registration mechanism based on self-declaration, with the issuance of a smart social security card, and a National Minimum Social Security Package.
• Guaranteed social security/social protection: We need the provision of a minimum level ofguaranteed social security/social protection for all informal workers and their households within a definite time frame.
• More public spending: Guaranteed social protection would involve a clear framework and a commitment to greater public resources being spent on social protection as a large class of workers in India do not have an identifiable employer and a contributory social insurance framework will not work for them.
• Recommendation 202:Government should embrace ILO’s Recommendation 202 and work towards these in a time-bound manner.
• The NITI Aayog’s Draft Policy on Migrant Workers is a positive step forward in articulating policy priorities and indicating suitable institutional frameworks, and deserves a speedy release.

Conclusion

To end the silent, painful, and enduring crisis for the workers, as well as the crisis for the economy, the government must urgently recognise the right to social security, embedded both in the Indian Constitution and international covenants. Strategic initiatives to provide migrants safety nets regardless of location as well as bolster their ability to migrate safely and affordably must keep up the momentum towards migrant-supportive policy.

Topic: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.

4. Along with the eradication of manual scavenging, it is crucial to provide alternative livelihood opportunities to the affected communities. Analyse. (250 words)

Difficulty level: Tough

Reference: The Hindu , Insights on India

Why the question:

The article states that the Indian government is preparing to declare India “manual scavenging-free” by August. However, there are still 246 districts that have not yet self-declared themselves as free from manual scavenging.

Key Demand of the question:

To write about the persistent practise of manual scavenging despite being banned and steps needed to stop it and create alternative livelihoods.

Directive:

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

Structure of the answer:

Introduction:

Begin by giving context.

Body:

First, write about reasons for lack of effective implementation of the law – lack of alternative livelihood opportunities for affected communities, political will, resources, and capacity-building of government agencies.

Next, write about the steps we can take in this regard – multi-pronged approach that addresses the root causes of the problem, provides alternative livelihood opportunities, ensures effective implementation of laws and policies, and promotes public awareness campaigns to change societal attitudes etc.

Conclusion:

Conclude by writing a way forward.

Introduction

Manual scavenging refers to the unsafe and manual removal of raw (fresh and untreated) human excreta from buckets or other containers that are used as toilets or from the pits of simple pit latrines.

Indian government is preparing to declare India “manual scavenging-free” by August. However, there are still 246 districts that have not yet self-declared themselves as free from manual scavenging. From March 22 to April 26, 2023, as many as eight people died while cleaning sewers in various parts of the Gujarat, raising concerns about the continuing deaths of manual scavengers despite the fact that the practice has been declared illegal across the country.

Body

Government interventions

• The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993and employment of manual scavengers was declared unlawful.
• National Commission for Safai Karamchariswas constituted under the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis Act, 1993, to monitor and recommend specific programs.
• Nationalaction plan for the total eradication of manual scavenging by 2007.
• Self-Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers initiated to provide training, loans, and subsidies for alternate occupations in 2007.
• Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation, Act, 2013.
• In 2014, the Supreme Court ruled in Safai Karamchari Andolan v. Union of Indiathat “entering sewer lines without safety gears should be made a crime even in emergency situations,” and ordered for compensation in cases of death of the worker.
• The Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) was replaced by Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBA)in 2014.
• Ministry for Social Justice and Empowerment announced the Draft National Action Plan Framework ‘to eliminate inhuman practicesby 15th August 2022’ and counted sewage cleaning as one such practice.

Reasons for lack of effective implementation of the law

• Prohibition and Employment of Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013– fails to explain what qualifies as “appropriate safety gear”.
  • It does not mention health as a component of rehabilitationand provides a meagre amount of money to the worker in the name of assistance for alternative occupations, which most manual scavengers remain unaware 
  • Nothing in the act mentions provisions related to the death of manual scavengers.
• Municipalities choose the compensation routeas they mostly outsource the unsanitary sanitation work.
• Toilets that were built under SBM are dependent on water and a lot of parts of India are not connected by the sewage system. Also, Septic tanks have engineering defectswhich means that after a point, a machine cannot clean it.
• Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has remained elusive of the health problems of manual scavengers even though the National Health Policy (2017) calls for action on social determinants of health.

Reasons for the Prevalence of Manual Scavenging in India

• Delayed Implementation– Manual scavenging was banned 25 years ago but it continues to find practitioners.
• Insanitary Latrines– According to Safai Karmachari Andolan, the occupation persists mainly because of the continued presence of insanitary latrines. There are about 2.6 million insanitary latrines (dry toilets) that require cleaning by hand.
• Caste-based notions of stigma and deployment of Dalit workers in these occupations in modern contexts reinforces manual scavenging in India.
• The policymakers’ have a fragmented and a target driven approach(counting numbers of toilets, length of sewerage, etc.,) to sanitation.
• Privatization of waste management and acute contractualisationof sanitation work has made fixing legal responsibility and identification of the guilty much more difficult.
• Gender-based occupation– Manual scavenging is not only a caste-based but also a gender-based occupation with 90 percent of them being women. Households with dry latrines prefer women to clean the excreta instead of men as they are located inside the house.
• Inadequate Funding 

Way-Forward

• Adopting technology to end manual scavenging– It is not going to be possible to eliminate manual scavenging unless we create the right technologies.
  • Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Boardis using 70 mini jetting machines that can access narrow lanes and smaller colonies to clear the choked sewer pipes.
  • In Thiruvananthapuram, a group of engineers has designed a spider-shaped robot that cleans manholes and sewers with precision.
• Proper awareness and sensitization of the authorities: It is essential that the authorities are sensitized to recognize the intensity of the issue and see the system as dehumanizing and unconstitutional.
• Sensitising Women through a nationwide march to make them aware of their right to live with dignity and assure them of ‘sustainable freedom’, by providing an alternative livelihood option.
• That the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 and the Supreme Court’s judgment of 2014 should be duly implemented and applied in all cases of sewer/septic tank deaths.
• Target driven approach to measure the success of the sanitation policy
• The underlying caste-based attitude to sanitation work and workers should be identified and strong action taken against it.

Conclusion

To eradicate the profession of manual scavenging, it is important to provide these people with alternate professions. The government could start by giving specific training for vocations like plumbing, gardening etc to those involved in manual scavenging.

General Studies – 3

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

5. There is increasing concern about the potential human health and environmental impacts of microplastics. We should work towards minimizing the threats posed by microplastics and protecting both the environment and human health from the detrimental effects of plastic pollution. Discuss. (250 words)

Difficulty level: Moderate

Reference: Down to Earth

Why the question:

The article highlights a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) stating that microplastics have the potential to alter the gut microbiome and cause intestinal inflammation.

Key Demand of the question:

To write threats posed by microplastics and steps needed to overcome it.

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 defining microplastics

Body:

First, write about the threats posed by microplastics – threat to aquatic life, migrate through the intestinal wall and travel to lymph nodes, carcinogenic, potential for both bioaccumulation and biomagnification etc.

Next, write about that are needed to combat threats posed by microplastics.

Conclusion:

Conclude with a way forward.

Introduction

Microplastics are small plastic particles in the environment that are generally smaller than 1mm down to the micrometer range. 

A report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) stating that microplastics have the potential to alter the gut microbiome and cause intestinal inflammation. In another instance, the researchers found huge amounts of them in the Arctic snow; their study claims to be the first that contains data on contamination of snow by microplastics.

Body

Microfibres from washing of textiles, microbeads used in cosmetics and even paint from land run-offs can dump microplastics in the ocean. Plastic bottles, bags, fishing nets, and food packaging are some examples of the larger pieces that break down into microplastics, eventually finding their way into the soil, water and the air we breathe. According to a 2017 International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) report, microplastics are estimated to constitute up to 30% of marine litter polluting the oceans.

Threats posed by Microplastics:

• Microplastics escape the filtration and treatment processes for waste water and end up in sites of nature.
• This is resulting in significant global impacts on wildlife from marine environment pollution.
• Microplastics are killing the fish before they reach reproductive age, stunted growth and altering the behaviour in some fishes.
• Microplastics are found in the viscera of dead sea birds, reptiles like turtles, whales etc.
• World’s coastal countries currently do not have the concerned recycling policies or the technical capabilities, and so large quantities of plastic are not recycled and enter landfill.
• The durable properties of plastics make them persistent and slow to degrade in the environment entering the food chains.
• It holds the potential for both bioaccumulation and biomagnification.
• Once the microplastics enter foodchain, they carry synthetic chemical compounds such as PCBs and PAHs, which are carcinogenic.
• Unlike POPs (Persistent Organic Pollutants) or chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), Plastic pollution has received little attention in terms of international agreements.
• Microplastics make up 94 percent of an estimated 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic in the patch. But that only amounts to eight percent of the total tonnage

Measures needed:

• Local actions are required for mitigating plastic pollution, using mechanisms such as bans on plastic bags, maximum daily limits for emissions into watersheds, and incentives for fishing gear retrieval.
• Microbeads in cosmetics, daily use items must be banned globally.
• Countries should come together to establish measurable reduction targets for plastic waste. A meaningful international agreement—one with clearly defined waste reduction targets is the need of the hour.
• Effective policies must take into account all stages of the lifecycle of plastic—connecting producers to users and ultimately to waste managers.
• Nonprofits like 5 Gyres are now pushing an agenda toward public awareness, corporate responsibility and the idea of a circular economy — an economy that focuses on keeping waste to a minimum while maximizing materials’ use.
• Fossil fuel subsidies incentivise the plastic market. Hence, Countries should end fossil fuel subsidies. Annually, 4–8% of oil is used to produce raw plastic.
• India has a major problem dealing with plastics, particularly single-use shopping bags that reach dumping sites, rivers and wetlands along with other waste.
• The most efficient way to deal with the pollution is to control the production and distribution of plastics.
• Banning single-use bags and making consumers pay a significant amount for the more durable ones is a feasible solution.
• Enforcing segregation of waste will retrieve materials and greatly reduce the burden on the environment.
• Waste separation can be achieved in partnership with the community, and presents a major employment opportunity.
• Eco-friendly substitutes (cloth/paper/jute bags, leaves/areca leaf plates, paper straws) should be developed. For this, scientific and financial support (soft loans and subsidies) is required.

Conclusion

Marine plastic pollution is a “planetary crisis,” and we should hope for a “Paris-style” global treaty aimed at tackling it. We cannot transform our world into a ‘plastic planet’. What is needed is collective public effort to stop plastic pollution and safeguard our ecosystem/biodiversity.

General Studies – 4

Topic: Emotional intelligence-concepts, and their utilities and application in administration and governance.

6. By utilizing emotional intelligence in conflict situations, individuals can foster a more harmonious and cooperative environment, leading to improved relationships, better understanding, and long-term resolution of conflicts. Discuss. (150 Words)

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Why the question:

The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 4.

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 defining emotional intelligence.

Body:

Next, mention the various components of emotional intelligence that help in reducing conflicts at the work place. Link it with proper examples real or hypothetical ones to substantiate your points.

Conclusion:

Conclude by stressing on training public servants to use emotional intelligence for conflict resolution.

Introduction

Emotional intelligence or EI is the ability to understand and manage your own emotions, and those of the people around you. Emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive emotions, to access and generate emotions so as to assist thought, to understand emotions and emotional knowledge, and to reflectively regulate emotions so as to promote emotional and intellectual growth.

Body:

According to Daniel Goleman, an American psychologist who helped to popularize emotional intelligence, there are four key elements to it viz. Self-awareness, self-management, social awareness & relationship management.

Significance of Emotional intelligence:

• Appraising emotions arising from situations:
  • Using emotions for reason based decisions and policy making.
  • Identifying emotions in faces, voices, postures, and other content during public management activities.
• Stress tolerance:
  • To stay focused, stress should be managed and it involves own reactions to stress or the reactions of others to the stress.
• Impulse control:
  • Independent people evaluate the alternatives and initiate the work by taking appropriate action by executing the right options. People who manage their impulses avoid being distracted and losing control of the situation.
• Negotiation:
  • Whether you’re dealing with a trading partner, competitor, customer or colleague, being able to empathize and be creative in finding win-win solutions will consistently pay off.
• Peer relationships:
  • Good networking skills are a staple of job effectiveness for the average worker. Networking has too often been associated with “using” other people, but a heightened EQ ensures a mutually beneficial approach to others.
• Social responsibility:
  • When a leader cares about others, he is not a centre of attention and keeps everyone in the loop by making their intentions known.
• Optimism:
  • Optimistic people have a target that they’re aiming toward. These people are confident in their ability to carry out the required actions and meet the target by looking for successful solutions to problems.

Ways to develop emotional intelligence in civil servants:

• Assessing personal strengths and limitations
• Providing feedback with care
• Maximizing learner choice
• Encouraging participation
• Linking learning goals to personal values
• Adjusting expectations
• Gauging readiness
• Fostering a positive relationship between the trainer and the learner
• Maximizing self-directed change
• Setting clear goal
• Maximizing opportunities to practice emotional intelligence
• Providing frequent feedback on that practice
• Enhancing insight into emotions and thought patterns

Conclusion

The Center for Creative Leadership even draws on research to suggest that 75% of careers are negatively impacted by emotional competency-related themes. These include the inability to respond adaptively to change, nurture trust, lead teams during tough times, and deal effectively with interpersonal problems. So developing your EI skills will help civils servants perform better in the workplace.

Topic: Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: Status and problems; ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions;

7. Why is probity in governance considered to be an exception rather than being a norm in the modern day administration?  (150 words)

Difficulty level: Tough

Why the question:

The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 4.

Key Demand of the question:

To write about why probity is such a rare occurrence in governance.

Structure of the answer:

Introduction: 

Begin by defining probity in governance.

Body:

First, with examples mentions why civil servants with strong moral principles are rare and mention the factors that make civil servants compromise their integrity.

Next, mention steps that must be taken to improve and promote probity in governance.

Conclusion:

Conclude by suggesting measures to make these measures more robust and effective.

Introduction

Probity is “the quality or condition of having strong moral principles, integrity, good character, honesty, decency”. It is the act of adhering to the highest principles and ideals rather than avoiding corrupt or dishonest conduct. It balances service to the community against the self-interest of individuals.

Body

Probity is an exception rather than a norm

• It is the lack of probity in public life that resulted in increasing cases of misallocation of public funds like 2G scam, taking grafts for delivery of public services to citizens, inclusion of fake beneficiaries, use of public power for the personal interest and nepotism.
• There is no recognition of good work in civil services.
• Honest and brave officers are threatened with suspension and humiliation.
• Today, our bureaucracy is twenty times more bureaucratic, our deference to the chain of command more cringing and decorous, our worship of paper more entrenched.
• To quote Hyman Rickover, “If you are going to sin, sin against God, not the bureaucracy. God will forgive you but the bureaucracy won’t.”
• An administration certainly needs guardrails in the form of non-negotiable rules. Without such rails, the system can stray badly. But necessitating a dozen signatures where a few can do, is a criminal surfeit of supervisory controls.
• Similarly, we have a colossal army of paper-pushing subordinates churning out work of frivolous value leading to redtapism.
• Corruption, favouritism, criminalisation of governance, self-centred functionaries etc. are on the rise.

Measures to ensure probity

• Statutory Code of Values and Ethics for Public Services– It should be expressed in simple language, easily understandable and should lay down fundamental values that ought to govern the conduct of public servants. For example, British Civil Services Code.
• Ethical framework –Need for an ethical framework that should provide for prevention and guidance, investigation, disciplinary action, and prosecution.
• Ethical Guidance –It should include training in ethics, awareness and development of essential skill for ethical analysis and moral judgement.
• Sanction and punishment –Violation and breaches of the Code of Ethics should invite sanction and punishment under the disciplinary rules. A simplified disciplinary regime should be put in place which, while following the principle of natural justice, may speedily and summarily decide cases and take punitive action against delinquent employees.
• Independent office of Ethics Commissioner– Need to create such an independent office on the US pattern to provide leadership in ethics and values. Ethics Commissioner should issue and interpret rules which govern standards of conduct and conflict of interest.

Conclusion

Integrity and probity in public life demand that those elected or appointed to public office are themselves imbued with a sense of responsibility to the society that puts them there; that the decisions they take should always be solely in terms of the public interest and not to gain benefits for themselves, family, friends or associates; that they act with honesty and integrity by not allowing their private interests to conflict with their public responsibilities; and that the behaviour must always be able to stand up to the closest public scrutiny. Similarly, civil society and institutions have a crucial role to play by calling to account those who will flout the rules and by refusing to tolerate any but the highest standard of behaviour in those who they elect or appoint to serve the public interest.

Value addition

Concept of Probity

• Probity is confirmed integrity. It is usually regarded as being incorruptible.
• It is the quality of having strong moral principles and strictly following them, such as honesty, uprightness, transparency and incorruptibility.
• Probity in Governance is concerned with the propriety and character of various organs of the government as to whether these uphold the procedural uprightness, regardless of the individuals manning these institutions.
• It involves adopting an ethical and transparent approach, allowing the process to withstand scrutiny.
• Probity goes further than the avoidance of being dishonest because it is determined by intangibles like personal and societal values.
• Probity has been described as a risk management approach ensuring procedural integrity.
• It is concerned with procedures, processes and systems rather than outcomes. The principles of probity, ethics and good governance operate on many levels – from, the individual, to the organization and on to the ‘watch-dog’.

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