[Mission 2024] Insights SECURE SYNOPSIS: 30 October 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: Effects of globalization on Indian society.

1. Addressing inequality is not just a matter of economic fairness but is central to preserving the functioning of democratic societies. Analyse. (250 words)

Difficulty level: Moderate

Reference: Live Mint

Why the question:

The article underscores the importance of combating inequality to safeguard the ideals of democracy.

Key Demand of the question:

To write about the how social inequality is worsened when economic inequalities are added to it and suggest measures to overcome 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 by defining social inequalities in India.

Body:

First, giving statistic which gives a context about rising economic inequalities in India.

Next, write about how the social inequality and economic inequality are inextricably interlinked. Write about the impact of the above on the Indian society.

Next, suggest measures to overcome the same.

Conclusion:

Conclude by writing a way forward.

Introduction

There are different kinds of inequalities in India that are multidimensional and intersectional in nature. Economic growth in India has been associated with unequal outcomes that have created divides between regions, sectors and people. The west and south of the country have surged ahead, while the east and north have lagged behind, widening the gap between richer and poorer states.

Body

Reasons for growing inequality in India

• Health:
  • Healthcare provisions in India is grossly inadequate and access to healthcare is highly inequitable. Lack of efficient public healthcare and burden of out-of-pocket health expenditures reduces people’s capacity or disables them from investing in the human capital of their children.
  • ineffective functioning (corruption and leakages) of the public distribution system (PDS), growing economic inequalities and lack of nutritional awareness pose challenges in combating malnutrition
• Education:
  • Basic literacy (the ability to read and write) in the overall population has progressed modestly. However, there is persistent gender differentials, and major differentials by caste and religion.
  • The state of functional literacy and professional skills is poor. Indian graduates have low employability and does not meet changing economic structure or support global competitiveness.
• Rising Inequality:
  • In India, a large portion of the population is below the poverty line, therefore, they do not have easy access to primary health and education.
  • There is growing inequality across social groups and income groups which translates itself into poor socio-economic mobility.
  • Lack of socioeconomic mobility hinders human capital development and traps a large section of population to be in the vicious circle of poverty.
• Lack of Skilling:
  • According to the National Sample Survey, out of the 470 million people of working age in India, only 10% receive any kind of training or access to skilled employment opportunities.
  • There’s a huge mismatch between demand and supply when it comes to skilled workforce and employment opportunities, which could place a strain on the economy in the long run
• Inadequate use of knowledge bases from technology developments:
  • There is a disconnect between India’s rate of technological growth and ability to distribute the gains from it by adequately focusing on skilling and health.
  • The use of technical advancements has been concentrated in few sectors and benefits accrued by a few elitist sections of the society.
• Jobless growth:
  • India’s high growth rate phase (2004-05 to 2010-11) has created significantly fewer jobs as compared to previous decades of economic growth.
  • Around 47 % of India’s population is still dependent on agriculture which is notorious for underemployment and disguised unemployment.
  • Majority of the workforce is employed by the unorganized sector where workers are underpaid and lack any kind of social security.
• Falling female labour force participation:
  • According to data from International Labour Organization and World Bank, India’s female labour force participation rates have fallen from 34.8 % in 1990 to 27 % in 2013.
  • Socio-cultural factors and rising family incomes have been identified as the main reasons for this decline.
  • Another appalling concern is that a significant proportion of qualified women drop out of the workforce for reasons ranging from no suitable jobs in the locality—particularly in rural areas—to family responsibilities and marriage.

Measures needed

• To engineer an inclusive and sustainable growth for India, the social infrastructure like education, health and social protection are being given utmost priority by the Government
• The gaps in the expenditure on social infrastructure like health and education should be closed by strengthening the delivery mechanisms of the government initiatives. Protecting and investing in people’s health, education, and skilling is vital for reducing income inequality, and sustained inclusive economic growth.
• India needs to increase its spending on health and education. As recommended by the National Health Policy 2017 and the NEP 2020, India needs to increase its spending on health and education to at least 2.5 % in 6 % of GDP respectively from its current levels. Enhancing policies to maintain and even increase health and longevity will therefore be necessary.
• The current situation calls for more and better schools, especially in rural areas. It also calls for better transportation links between rural areas and regional urban hubs.
• India has to invest more in human capital formation at all levels, from primary education to higher education, cutting-edge research and development as well as on vocational training to increase the skill sets of its growing working-age population.
• The flagship schemes such as Skill India, Make in India, and Digital India have to be implemented to achieve convergence between skill training and employment generation.
• Bridging the gender gaps in education, skill development, employment, earnings and reducing social inequalities prevalent in the society have been the underlying goals of the development strategy to enhance human capabilities.
• Improved infrastructure, skill development, access to easy finance, reducing barriers to entrepreneurship and forums for mentorship of emerging entrepreneurs in partnership with corporates are some of measures.
• Decentralized models of development: Social policies for each state must be differentiated to accommodate different rates of population growth. The populations in south and west India are growing at a much slower pace than in the central and eastern states.

Conclusion

As we celebrate the past 75 years, flying the national flag in every home, let us also think about our people for whom little has changed in their lives, with a resolve to ensure that poverty and illiteracy do not exist 25 years from now when we celebrate the first centenary of our independence from colonial rule.

General Studies – 2

Topic: Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies

2. The Enforcement Directorate is a vital agency for enforcing economic laws and tackling financial crimes. But the perception of political bias and the use of investigative agencies for political purposes can undermine the integrity of institutions. Examine. (250 words).

Difficulty level: Moderate

Reference: The Hindu

Why the question:

The article discusses the recent searches in Rajasthan by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the concerns surrounding the actions of the ED.

Key Demand of the question:

To write about the function of ED and why it is seen a political weapon.

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 stating the aims and objectives of ED and its mandate.

Body:

In the first part, write about the functions of ED in fighting economic crimes. Substantiate with facts and examples.

Next, write about reasons as to why ED is being seen a political weapon against political rival to settle scores. Mention the impact of the same.

Next, write about the measures that are needed to make it neutral and accountable.

Conclusion:

Conclude by writing a way forward.

Introduction

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) was established in 1956. ED is responsible for enforcement of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA) and certain provisions under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The ED Headquarters is situated at New Delhi.

The Directorate of Enforcement, with its Headquarters at New Delhi is headed by the Director of Enforcement. There are five Regional offices at Mumbai, Chennai, Chandigarh, Kolkata and Delhi headed by Special Directors of Enforcement. Zonal Offices of the Directorate are headed by a Joint Director. The officers are appointed from Indian Revenue Service, Indian Corporate Law Service, Indian Police Service and Administrative Services.

Body

Background

• The Enforcement Directorate recently searched a dozen locations, including the main office of the Congress-owned National Heraldnewspaper in Delhi, as part of its investigation into a money-laundering case,
• The fresh ED raids come days after interim Congress chief Sonia Gandhi was grilled by the central agency for three days in connection with the National Herald House alleged money laundering case.
• The Gandhis are being investigated in what is called the “National Herald case” involving the Young Indian’s takeover of Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the company that runs the National Herald newspaper founded by India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

Role of ED

• ED investigates suspected violations of the provisions of the FEMA. Suspected violations includes, non-realization of export proceeds, “hawala transactions”, purchase of assets abroad, possession of foreign currency in huge amount, non-repatriation of foreign exchange, foreign exchange violations and other forms of violations under FEMA.
• ED collects, develops and disseminates intelligence information related to violations of FEMA, 1999. The ED receives the intelligence inputs from Central and State Intelligence agencies, complaints etc.
• ED has the power to attach the asset of the culprits found guilty of violation of FEMA. “Attachment of the assets” means prohibition of transfer, conversion, disposition or movement of property by an order issued under Chapter III of the Money Laundering Act [Section 2(1) (d)].
• To undertake, search, seizure, arrest, prosecution action and survey etc. against offender of PMLA offence.
• To provide and seek mutual legal assistance to/from respective states in respect of attachment/confiscation of proceeds of crime and handed over the transfer of accused persons under Money Laundering Act.
• To settle cases of violations of the erstwhile FERA, 1973 and FEMA, 1999 and to decide penalties imposed on conclusion of settlement proceedings.
• ED is playing a very crucial role in fighting the menace of corruption in the country.

ED as a political weapon

• Tool for Political Vendetta: The governments of the day have been accused of brazenly using agencies like the ED, CBI to settle their own political scores.
  • There are concerns of Enforcement Directorate’s powers being misused to harass political opponents and intimidating them.
  • It is said that “Cases and probe agencies spring out of cold storage before elections, and turn cold soon after”.
  • Many have held the agencies’ moves as motivated, aimed at tilting the scales in favor of the incumbent government, done also through selective leaks by the agencies to browbeat political opponents.
• The Investigation by ED is bound within the territory of India, while several high profile offenders have fled the country.
• There is also a problem of manpower and intelligence gathering in Enforcement Directorate, that leads to delay in timely identification and prosecution of offenders.

Solution to address the issues:

• Dedicated Fund and Grantfor the agency to ensure its independent functioning.
• Separate Recruitment for Enforcement Directorate on the lines of Civil Services.
• A separate Academy for training the manpower and to instill the right values and virtues in the functioning is needed.
  • To Act without malice, prejudice or bias, and not allow the abuse of power.
• More powers to ED: Under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, ED can now confiscate properties of offenders outside India, which may not be ‘proceeds of crime’.
• Separate wings within ED for intelligence, surveillance and investigation can bring more efficiency.
• Standard Trainingfrom time to time, to sharpen the investigative skills, and learning from global best practices.

Conclusion

As a premier financial investigation agency of the Government of India, the Enforcement Directorate must function in strict compliance with the Constitution and Laws of India. It must endeavour to establish and maintain high professional standards and credibility.

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

3. Illegal sand mining has far-reaching and detrimental impacts on both the environment and society. Evaluate the measures taken by the government to combat it.

Difficulty level: Tough

Reference: The Hindu

Why the question:

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has engaged the expertise of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT-K) to investigate illegal sand mining in Tamil Nadu.

Key Demand of the question:

To write about impact of illegal sand mining and evaluation of the measures taken by the government to combat it.

Directive Word:

Evaluate – When you are asked to evaluate, you have to pass a sound judgement about the truth of the given statement in the question or the topic based on evidence.  You must appraise the worth of the statement in question. There is scope for forming an opinion here.

Structure of the answer:

Introduction: 

Start with the definition of sand mining or some basic facts/data related to it.

Body:

In the first part, write about the various impact of illegal sand mining. Environmental impacts like – Erosion and Habitat Destruction, Loss of Biodiversity and Groundwater Depletion etc. Social impacts like – Economic Loss, Land Conflicts, Clashes etc.

Next, Highlight the measures taken by the government. Write about the pros and cons

Conclusion:

Conclude by writing a way forward.

Introduction

Sand mining is the extraction of sand through an open pit but sometimes mined from inland dunes from oceans, riverbeds and beaches. A per the union ministry of mines, sand is the fourth most important minor mineral in terms of production after road metals, building stone and brick earth. Sand is an important economic resource and also a source of silica for making sodium silicate, a chemical compound used for manufacture of both common and optical glasses.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has engaged the expertise of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT-K) to investigate illegal sand mining in Tamil Nadu.

Body:

Sand mining is legal in India and is regulated under Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957.  The regulatory and administrative jurisdiction of minor minerals falls under the purview of State governments. These include the powers to frame rules, prescribe rates of royalty, contribution to District Mineral Foundation, the procedure for grant of mineral concessions, regulation of their mining, control of illegal mining etc.

But, in India sand mining problem is so prevalent that it has developed into black market, that continues to exploit millions of tons of commodity annually, in the open loot of the riverbeds, canals and beaches sand is being drained by illegal means.

General Impacts of sand mining:

• Depletion of sand in the streambed and along coastal areas causes the deepening of rivers and the enlargement of river mouths and coastal in let
• It causes the destruction of aquatic and riparian habitat through large changes in the channel morphology and it also includes bed degradation and bed coarsening
• It causes major habitat disruptions that favoured some species over others and caused overall declines in biological diversity and productivity
• Sand mining transforms the riverbeds in large and deep pits as a result the groundwater table drops leaving the drinking water wells on the embankments of these dry rivers
• Mangrove forests had been destroyed due to illegal construction of storage docks, roads and other infrastructure to facilitate easy removal and transferring of sand from the river. This has made Mumbai and other regions very vulnerable for floods.

Effects of Sand mining on river ecosystem:

• Sand is vital for sustenance of rivers. River supports an extraordinary array of species, many of which are under threat due to habitat destruction. During the past 3-4 decades, river systems of the world have been altered significantly due to indiscriminate sand mining. Sand mining has many deleterious direct and indirect effects on the physical, chemical and biological environments of river systems.
• Excessive sand mining can alter the river bed, force the river to change course, erode banks and lead to flooding. It also destroys the habitat of aquatic animals and micro-organisms besides affecting groundwater recharge.
• Depletion of sand in the streambed and along coastal areas causes the deepening of rivers and estuaries, and the enlargement of river mouths and coastal inlets. It may also lead to saline-water intrusion from the nearby sea. The effect of mining is compounded by the effect of sea level rise. Any volume of sand exported from streambeds and coastal areas is a loss to the river ecosystem.
• Sand mining disturbs the equilibrium of a river channel because it intercepts material load moving within a dynamic system and triggers an initial morphological response to regain the balance between supply and transport. Channel widening causes shallowing of the streambed, producing braided flow or subsurface inter-gravel flow in riffle areas, hindering movement of fish between pools.
• It is now widely realized that, in spite of the short term benefits, the indiscriminate sand mining from the rivers is detrimental to these life sustaining systems, in the long run. Moreover, the effects of instream sand mining may not be visible immediately because it requires continuous monitoring and takes a decade or more to surface and propagate the effects along the river channel in measurable units.
• Mining which leads to the removal of channel substrate, resuspension of streambed sediment, clearance of vegetation, and stockpiling on the streambed, will have ecological impacts. These impacts may have an effect on the direct loss of stream reserve habitat, disturbances of species attached to streambed deposits, reduced light penetration, reduced primary production, and reduced feeding opportunities.
• Sand-and-gravel mining in stream channels can damage public and private property. Channel incision caused by gravel mining can undermine bridge piers and expose buried pipelines and other infrastructure.
• Apart from threatening bridges, sand mining transforms the riverbeds into large and deep pits; as a result, the groundwater table drops leaving the drinking water wells on the embankments of these rivers dry. Bed degradation from instream mining lowers the elevation of streamflow and the floodplain water table which in turn can eliminate water table-dependent woody vegetation in riparian areas, and decrease wet periods in riparian wetlands.
• The problem is serious in the case of the rivers in the southwest coast of India, especially in Kerala, where the rivers are small with limited river bed resources. At the same time, the mining of sand is on the rise to meet its ever increasing demand in the construction sector.

Steps take to deal with illegal sand mining:

• The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 has empowered state governments to make rules to prevent illegal mining, transportation and storage of minerals.
• For minerals specified in the First Schedule to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957approval of the Central Government is necessary.
• It contains minerals such as coal and lignite, minerals of the “rare earths” group containing Uranium and Thorium.
• In 2012, the supreme court of India ruled that approval under the 2006 environment impact assessment (EIA) notification is needed for all the sand miners collection activity, even if the area being is less than 5 hectares.
• madras high court has disposed of public interest litigation (PIL) petition seeking a direction to the state government to ban sand carrying in the state and to mandate use of M-sand (manufactured sand) as an alternative to river sand in mainly construction activities
• the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in 2020 released guidelines to monitor and check illegal sand mining in the country.

Way forward:

• Enhanced use of satellite imagery to track illegal mining activities
• App based complaint system so that there is minimum interference of human
• Establishing complaint cell in every district to allow people to complaint against illegal sand mining occurring in that district
• Mandating the use of manufactured Sandfor the construction purpose throughout the country.
• Empowering local bodies to take control over approval for mining activities in their areas
• generating awareness
• guidelines to administrator for raid in areas of illegal mining
• strict penalties to violet environmental impact assessment notification 2006

Conclusion:

Sand is an important source for various construction activities but it can’t be extracted at the cost of our ecosystem and biodiversity proper action must be taken against mining Mafia who violate the rule sustainable sand mining along with approval under a 2006 is best possible solution.

General Studies – 3

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

4. Human intervention in nature has led to significant consequences in terms of nutrient cycles, impacting the environment and ecosystems. Critically analyse. (250 words)

Difficulty level: Tough

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-2024 Secure timetable.

Key Demand of the question:

To write about how the nutrient cycles are affected by human activities.

Directive word: 

Critically analyze – 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. When ‘critically’ is suffixed or prefixed to a directive, one needs to look at the good and bad of the topic and give a balanced judgment on the topic.

Structure of the answer:

Introduction: 

Begin defining nutrient cycle.

Body:

First, elaborate upon the various components of nutrient cycles.

Next, mention the impact of anthropogenic activities on nutrient cycles like Carbon, Sulphur, Phosphorus cycles etc. They have disrupted the natural balance of these nutrient cycles, with consequences for the environment and climate.

Next, suggest measures to rectify the same.

Conclusion:

Conclude with a way forward.

Introduction

The nutrient cycle describes how nutrients move from the physical environment into living organisms, and subsequently are recycled back to the physical environment. It is the cyclic pathway by which nutrients pass-through, in order to be recycled and reutilised. The pathway comprises cells, organisms, community and ecosystem. Examples of a nutrient cycle: carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle, water cycle, oxygen cycle, etc.

Body

Consequences of human intervention in nature in terms of nutrient cycles

• In recent decades, population growth and resulting human activities such as large-scale farming have caused some significant changes in nutrient cycles.
• Depletion of soils:
  • The accumulation of nutrients in the seas means that they are depleted elsewhere, i.e., to a large extent from soils.
  • This leads to the fact that many of the fruit and vegetables that animals and humans are consuming, essentially contain less nutrients, minerals, vitamins etc. that they have some decades ago.
  • Applying more artificial fertilisers is not the solution: it is energy and cost intensive; it can lead to salinisation, and, because artificial fertilisers which are mainly based on the three main components Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium, are essentially incomplete.
  • Furthermore, soils that do not contain adequate amounts of organic material (e.g. from compost, dead plant material etc.), are not able to adsorb much of the nutrients added, and also have a low water holding capacity.
• Depletion of nutrient sources:
  • While nitrogen can be gained from the air, it is an energy intensive process that is mainly based on the use of fossil fuels.
  • Other components of artificial fertiliser, are based on fossil resources, such as phosphorus.
  • The amount that is easily mined, is limited (see above). If these easily mineable resources are deplete, this means that phosphorus prices will increase drastically.
• Affordability & food security:
  • “Fertilisers are bound to world market prices which are already substantially high for many farmers from developing countries.
  • An increase in price, as is to be expected in the case of phosphorus, will make them unavailable for many farmers.
  • This may make agricultural products, especially in developing countries, more expensive and thus lead to a decreased food security.”.
• Eutrophication of waterways and dead zones:
  • Fertiliser runoff and wastewater discharge contribute to eutrophication, uncontrolled blooms of algae in rivers, lakes and oceans, feeding on nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilisers.
  • When they die, their decomposition depletes the water of oxygen and slowly chokes aquatic life, producing “dead zones.”
• Air pollution:
  • Humans are overloading ecosystems with nitrogen through the burning of fossil fuels and an increase in nitrogen-producing industrial and agricultural activities, according to a new study.
  • While nitrogen is an element that is essential to life, it is an environmental scourge at high levels.
• Essentially, the problem with the human alterations to natural nutrient cycle is the one that we are extracting nutrients from the soil, and discharging them essentially in aquatic environment – this leads to a heavy imbalance with severe consequences.

Conclusion

At the moment, humans influence natural nutrient cycles in an unsustainable way, and in a one-way direction. Too many nutrients end up in the sea, and are lacking on the land, leading to the above mentioned consequences. A new approach in nutrient management is needed, essentially incorporating a new way to look at what we commonly call wastewater too: this is, not to consider wastewater as a waste, but as a resource, full of nutrients that can be recycled and reused .

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

5. What are the causes of biomagnification? Throw light on its hazardous impacts on ecosystems and organisms. (250 words)

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-2024 Secure timetable.

Key Demand of the question:

To write about the causes and impact of biomagnification

Structure of the answer:

Introduction: 

Begin by defining biomagnification.

Body:

First, in brief, explain the mechanism behind biomagnification.

Next, write about the various causes of biomagnification – Agricultural Products, Organic Contaminants, Plastic Pollution, Mining etc.

Next, write about the hazardous impact of biomagnification.

Conclusion:

Conclude by mentioning various measures that are needed to tackle biomagnification.

Introduction

Biomagnification, also known as bio amplification or biological magnification, refers to the tendency of pollutants to concentrate as they move from one trophic level to the next. Thus, in biomagnification there is an increase in concentration of a pollutant from one link in a food chain to another. In order for biomagnification to occur, the pollutant must be:

• long-lived
• mobile
• soluble in fats
• biologically active

Body

Why Biomagnification occurs

• This increase can occur as a result of:
  • Persistence– where the substance cannot be broken down by environmental processes
  • Food chain energetics– where the substance’s concentration increases progressively as it moves up a food chain
  • Low or non-existent rate of internal degradation or excretion of the substance– mainly due to water-insolubility

Causes

• Agricultural Products
  • The chemicals used in the agricultural sector contain highly toxic substances that mainly result in biomagnification.
  • These chemicals come from herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, and inorganic fertilizers.
  • These chemicals penetrate into the soil where they accumulate to toxic levels and also find their way into the rivers and lakes through surface runoff
• Organic Contaminants
  • Organic substances such as biosolids and manures have essential nutrients that are used by plants such as nitrogen, phosphorous, and carbon
  • The biosolids that are used in agriculture farms are treated using toxic chemicals that may contain heavy metals.
  • When these organic substances are released into the farms they release harmful substances that are absorbed by the primary consumers and later accumulate in other organisms
• Plastic Pollution
  • Disposal of plastic waste near or in water bodies may not only be directly harmful to aquatic organisms but also other animals up the trophic level in general
    • The pollution in oceans caused by ‘Ghost Nets’ – these are fishing nets that have been abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded in the ocean; are also contributing for the issue
  • Research shows that plastic contains a harmful chemical called Bisphenol Awhich is one of the major contaminants released into the water bodies
• Mining
  • When mining substances such as zinc, copper, cobalt, lead, and other chemicals, these mineral deposits may be released into the aquatic and adjacent farm environment where their toxicity levels rise tremendously upon absorption by aquatic and farm animals or crops
• Toxic Gases and Air Pollution
  • The release of gases into the environment can also contribute to Biomagnification. Exhaust gases from vehicles and industries that manufacture and refine oil into the air do not only cause air pollution but they can be dissolved by the rainwater and fall as acidic rain
  • The chemicals in the acid rain are absorbed by soil and water bodies. They are then absorbed by primary consumers and later find their way up the food chain

Impacts on Indian Rivers

• India’s 42 rivers have at least two toxic heavy metals beyond the permissible limit, says a research conducted by Central Water Commission
• Ganga, the national river, was found to be polluted with five heavy metals—chromium, copper, nickel, lead and iron
• In this pursuance, the concentrations of toxic metals in grains and vegetables have grown in contaminated soils, and have increased at alarming rates.
• This poses a serious threat to humans and the environment because of its toxicity, non-biodegradability and bioaccumulation

Measures needed

• Eliminating Heavy Metals at source
  • Heavy metals can be found in almost every industrially manufactured product such as petroleum.
  • Therefore, toxic substances such as lead arsenic and mercury ought to be prohibited and completely eliminated and their usage in petroleum products and other industries banned.
  • Also, industries such as coal plants that produce and rely on various heavy metals should have preservation and wellsprings that will help in the reduction of this toxic substance.
  • Meanwhile, the coal industry needs to come up with innovative strategies to eliminate mercury emissions
• Cleaning of contaminated locale
  • The government should identify areas that are contaminated with solid wastes and should be cleaned completely
  • They should then supplant them with waste decrease programs and carry out other programs that are aimed at treating and rehabilitating the soil for future use
• Institutions should lead the way
  • Health sectors should eliminate the use of mercury-containing items and use more secure alternatives
  • The use of home products like PVC plumbing materials, lead paints, CCA and ACZA treated wood, and other products containing heavy metals like Mercury and Arsenic should be restricted

Way forward

• Restricting dumping any kind of waste in the river
• Preventing washing of clothes and animals in rivers, to reduce inflow of chemicals from soaps/detergents
• Reducing disposal of Hazardous fishing net
• Educating people and making them aware about the side effects
• Elimination of use of heavy metal
• Avoid usage of PVC

Conclusion

Biomagnification is thus a major threat to humans, aquatic creatures, and the environment as a whole. Steps must be taken to avoid the usage of toxins or find an alternative as such. Biomagnification also provides specific information about the number of contaminants present in a given location. This pollution data thus reveals the information about the impact on populations and ecosystems.

Topic: Security challenges and their management in border areas – linkages of organized crime with terrorism.

6. The rise in lone-wolf terror attacks worldwide underscores various issues, including security, intelligence, and systemic failures. Examine. (250 words)

Difficulty level: Tough

Reference: The Hindu , idsa.in

Why the question:

A blast in Kalamassery, Kerala, has resulted in an increased death toll, with a 12-year-old girl being among those injured.

Key Demand of the question:

To write the causes of lone wolf attacks and methods to tackle them.

Directive word: 

Examine – When asked to ‘Examine’, we must investigate the topic (content words) in detail, inspect it, investigate it and establish the key facts and issues related to the topic in question. While doing so we should explain why these facts and issues are important and their implications.

Structure of the answer:

Introduction: 

Begin by giving context of lone-wolf terror attacks.

Body:

First, write about the causes for rising lone-wolf terror attacks. Radicalization of the youth- individuals who are influenced by either perceptions of injustice and persecution,Failure of the intelligence of State etc.

Next, write about the measures to tackle such incidents in India— making policing more efficient; strengthening the intelligence network; state agencies need to work with civil society groups as well as community leaders and have deradicalisation programmes etc.

Conclusion:

Conclude with a way forward to address these issues.

Introduction

A lone wolf, lone-wolf terrorist, or lone actor, is someone who prepares and commits violent acts alone, outside of any command structure and without material assistance from any group. He or she may be influenced or motivated by the ideology and beliefs of an external group and may act in support of such a group. In its original sense, a “lone wolf” is an animal or person that generally lives or spends time alone instead of with a group.

Body

Background

• A tragic incident unfolded during a Jehovah’s Witnesses convention at Kalamassery’s Zamra International convention centre, as a powerful blast claimed one life and left over 20 individuals injured.
• With more than 1,000 attendees present, the explosion triggered chaos and multiple blasts, prompting a frantic evacuation.
• A person took responsibility for the blast in a video message.
• In his video message, the suspect can be seen saying that “teachings are seditious.”
• Hours after the attack sent shocks of horror across the nation, a man identified as Dominic Martin, claimed full responsibility for the act and surrendered at Kodakara police station in Thrissur district in the morning.

Challenges to Undertaking Lone Wolf Attacks

• Unlike in the US where sophisticated weapons can be easily bought by ordinary citizens, gaining access to such weaponry in India is difficult as is the ability to obtain licenses.
• Indians have not displayed the psychological willingness to undertake high risk attacks. There have not been any fidayeen attacks undertaken by Indians in the country. Such attacks in the past have either been undertaken by Tamil guerrillas from Sri Lanka or by Pakistan-sponsored foreign terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.
• The only major indigenous terrorist group which has operated on a pan-Indian scale is the Indian Mujahideen (IM). There is a possibility that radicals associated with this group might attempt lone wolf strikes especially given that one of IM’s breakaway factions has joined the IS.
• Over a period of time, the deployment of private security at high value targets like malls, hotels and schools has been upgraded, which acts as a deterrent to an individual aiming to target them.
• The absence of past examples of lone wolf attacks in India inculcates the fear of the unknown in the minds of potential volunteers.
• The areas most affected by communal tensions and differences between religious groups can best be identified on the basis of the history of riots. States that have witnessed the maximum number of cases of communal riots include Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Karnataka.

India’s Vulnerabilities

• Past cases of terrorist attacks suggest that the reactions of the local police remain inadequate. While this was clearly apparent during 26/11, which was a well-orchestrated attack sponsored by Pakistan, responses to subsequent terror attacks do not indicate police capacities that are necessary for undertaking clinical operations to limit potential damage.
• Heavy concentration of people in public areas offers a large number of potential targets. While some installations have utilised the limited protection offered by private security measures, a large number of public places continue to remain vulnerable.
• A fast growing population, especially youth with access to mass media and social media, opens limitless avenues of unrestrained radical propaganda. This increases the possibility of subversion, given the unverified yet powerful platforms of messaging that promise liberation from everyday frustrations of the youth at their places of work, in society and across borders in conflict zones.
• While the popular discourse seems to suggest an increasing level of intolerance, the reality is quite different. For instance, the number of incidents of communal violence increased only marginally from 644 in 2014 to 650 in 2015 (based on data till October, 2015).

How India should prepare itself to avoid such attacks

• The approach must follow the sequence of awareness of the contagion, detection of potential and existing recruits and finally remedial action.
• The recent attacks in France and the large scale recruitment to IS has contributed to raising awareness regarding radicalization the world over. However, there is a need to focus attention on potential target groups through monitoring and infiltration of social media sites that are the principle source of radical propaganda.
• Big data analytics must be used to discern the level of radicalization of potential recruits, their networks and sources of information, funding and leadership in order to help unravel the roots of radicalization.
• The police and intelligence services are neither trained nor equipped to handle the vital aspect of rolling back radicalization in society. Helplines should be created and manned by professional counsellors and psychologists who can help reverse the process as part of the efforts of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) supported by the state.
• While the above is a suitable course of action for potential and raw recruits, the hardened ideologues must be prosecuted under the counter terrorism laws of the state.
• The example of the IS suggests that their legal advisors carefully exploited existing loopholes and gaps in legal mechanisms to continue with propagation of radical ideologies in Europe. This raises the need for regular revision and tightening of laws to ensure that the same cannot be attempted in India.
• The formation of National Security Guard regional hubs in the aftermath of 26/11 is a welcome step to neutralize future terrorist strikes. However, recent attacks indicate that the reaction time to a terror strike is likely to be of the utmost essence in minimizing casualties. There is, therefore, a need for specialized police teams to be trained and organized in every state to act as first-responders.
• The nature of threat that groups like the IS represent is transnational in nature. Therefore, the momentum created in the aftermath of the Paris attacks must be carried forward to strengthen the “coalition of willing” to improve intelligence sharing mechanisms, reduce time for processing information requests, strengthen countering the finance of terrorism measures, and facilitate the extradition of hate mongers from their chosen place of immigration. The example of Sikh and Kashmiri groups in Europe and Canada is a case in point.

Conclusion

Attacks by home grown terrorists is a threat that has proved its nefariousness in the recent past. This is likely to be expanded through volunteers encouraged to undertake lone wolf attacks. India remains an important target for groups like the IS, which visualize the country’s democratic, secular and open social fabric as a threat to their concept of an Islamic Caliphate. It is therefore important to undertake suitable proactive measures to limit the potential damage that can be caused by such attacks.

General Studies – 4

Topic: Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and the world to the concepts of morality;

7. What is cognitive dissonance and how can it be addressed? (150 Words)

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Why the question:

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

Key Demand of the question:

To write about cognitive dissonance and ways to deal with it.

Structure of the answer:

Introduction:

Begin by defining cognitive dissonance.

Body:

Next, mention the various reasons why cognitive dissonance occurs and the potential implications of it. Cite examples of substantiate.

Next, mention the ways to deal and adapt for cognitive dissonance.

Conclusion:

Conclude by stressing on the way to manage cognitive dissonance.

Introduction

Cognitive dissonance is a phenomenon in which a person experiences psychological distress due to conflicting thoughts or beliefs. It is the mental stress or uneasiness experienced by an individual who holds two or more contradictory views, ideas, or values at the same time, or is confronted by new information that conflicts with existing beliefs, ideas, or values. It means people prefer their attitude and behaviour to be aligned in the same direction.

In order to reduce this tension, people may change their attitudes to reflect their other beliefs or actual behaviours.

Body

Importance of addressing cognitive dissonance

• If we’re not self-aware, cognitive dissonance can leave you acting and feeling pretty out of character.
• For instance, we all like to think of ourselves in certain ways. We consider ourselves to be truthful, hard-working, health-conscious, and in control. But our actions don’t always line up with what we think of ourselves.
• This kind of incongruence can cause some serious mental discomfort.
• Cognitive dissonance threatens our identity and sense of self.
• That’s why it’s important to recognize what it is and what it feels like — if you don’t, then it will be that much harder to live an authentic life aligned with your personal values.
• Over time, living out of integrity with our values begins to take its toll on our psychological well-being and mental health.

Ways to eliminate Cognitive Dissonance:

• Denying and rejecting
  • Rejection comes easy when a dissonant activity is oft-repeated.
  • For instance, each time you eat meat while on a vegan diet creates more or less the same amount of cognitive dissonance, but the more often you do it, the easier it gets to handle the conflict
  • People frequently reduce cognitive dissonance by discounting and dismissing information that contradicts their beliefs.
  • They may cut off access to new information that refutes their pre-existing ideas and only remain open to data that support their beliefs. This is called “confirmation bias.”
• Convincing Self Or Others
  • The easiest way for a person to reduce their cognitive dissonance is to convince oneself that there is no conflict.
  • A person suffering from cognitive dissonance may reach out to and find support from other people who hold similar opinions or matching ideologies, and join their group.
  • They may try persuading others that all fresh information is agenda-driven and fallacious.
• Rationalizing The Behaviour
  • Rationalizing is the process of applying logic to a situation. To reduce cognitive dissonance, a person may rationalize their actions by inventing implausible (and sometimes ridiculous) excuses.
  • Despite knowing that smoking causes cancer, a smoker may rationalize the habit by claiming they only smoke once or twice a day and only when they are stressed at work.
• Reconciling The Differences
  • This involves resolving the differences causing mental discomfort. The person may accept the validity of pre-existing beliefs and change their behavior consistent with their views.
  • Long-term goals to eliminate dissonance are more likely to necessitate the use of elaborate strategies like transcendence and attitude change.
  • Alternatively, it could lead them to abandon their established beliefs and form new ones.

Conclusion

A civil servant should always follow the constitutional moral values, code of conduct of services and act within ethical framework of public service in any case of cognitive dissonance.

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