[Mission 2024] Insights SECURE SYNOPSIS: 21 November 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: Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues.

1. Discuss the significance of Pahari paintings in the context of Indian art history. Highlight the key themes, artistic styles, and the cultural milieu that influenced the development of Pahari paintings. (250 words)

Difficulty level: Tough

Reference: Indian Express , Insights on India

Why the question:

Dr Brijinder Nath Goswamy passed away in the early morning of November 17, leaving a great void in the world of Indian art history. He was a scholar on schools of Pahari art.

Key Demand of the question:

To write features of Pahari paintings and their significance.

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 Pahari paintings in the broader genre of miniature paintings.

Body:

First, write about the various features of Pahari Paintings – regional aesthetics, influenced by the natural beauty, cultural diversity of the Himalayan region, diverse themes, intricate styles, and the interplay of cultural influences.

Next, write about their significance.

Conclusion:

Conclude by summarising the above.

Introduction

Pahari school of painting refers to Indian miniature paintings from the mountainous regions of North India. It originated during the 17th to 19th century in places like Basohli, Mankot, Nurpur, Chamba, Kangra, Guler, Mandi, and Garhwal.

This school of painting is primarily characterized by a coarsely flamboyant style which blossomed into the most exquisite and sophisticated style of Indian painting. Nainsukh was a renowned artist in the mid-18th century, and his family workshop continued for two more generations.

Body

Features

• The central theme of Pahari’s painting is the eternal love of Hindu deities Radha and Krishna.
• These miniatures are characterized by their lyrical quality, rhythmic spontaneity, softness, intricate details, and the intense portrayal of human emotions and features.
• They have a distinct style compared to miniature schools like Deccan, Mughal, and Rajasthani-Rajput.

Significance of Pahari School of Painting

• The topics used for Pahari paintings spanned from mythology to literature, and new techniques were instituted.
• The portrayal of the eternal or the everlasting love of Hindu deities Radha and Krishna is the fundamental theme of Pahari painting.
• In a standard Pahari painting, numerous figures appear on the canvas sheet, all animated figures.
• The composition, colour, and complexion of each and every figure are unique.
• Defining the Pahari miniature paintings simply by the regions in which they were sketched might need to be more accurate, as political frontiers in the era they were created were flexible and often changed between several rulers.

Styles of Pahari Painting

1. BASOHLI SCHOOL

• This school of Pahari painting received patronage from Raja Kripal Pal
• Famous paintings belonging to this school:
  • An artist named Devidasaexecuted miniatures in the form of the Rasamanjari illustrations in 1694 A.D.
  • An illustration from a series of Gita Govinda painted by artist Manaku in 1730 A.Dis another famous example of this school of painting
• What can be gathered from the above paintings?
  • There is a change in the facial typewhich becomes a little heavier and also in the tree forms which assume a somewhat naturalistic character, which may be due to the influence of the Mughal painting.
  • There is the use of strong and contrasting colours, monochrome background, large eyes, bold drawing, use of beetles wings for showing diamonds in ornaments, narrow sky and the red border are observable in this miniature.

Figure: Devi rides on a Chariot, Basohli, and Pahari School of Painting

1. KANGRA SCHOOL

The name Kangra style is given to this group of painting for the reason that they are identical in style to the portraits of Raja Sansar Chand of Kangra. Paintings of the Kangra style are attributed mainly to the Nainsukh family.

Some of the Pahari painters found patronage in the Punjab under Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the Sikh nobility in the beginning of the 19th century and executed portraits and other miniatures in a modified version of the Kangra style which continued till the middle of the 19th century.

Salient features of this school of art:

• The delicacy of drawing and quality of naturalismare the stand-out features of this school of art
• The Kangra style is by far the most poetic and lyrical of Indian stylesmarked with serene beauty and delicacy of execution.
• Distinctive is the delineation of the female face, with a straight nose in line with the forehead, which came in vogue around the 1790s, is the most distinctive feature of this style.
• Most popular themes that were painted were the Bhagvata Purana, Gita Govinda, Nala Damayanti, Bihari Satsai, Ragamala and Baramasa

Figure: Kangra school of Painting

• CHAMBA SCHOOL

• The typical female figures in paintings of the Chamba school exude warm, sensual and charming beauty.
• Noted for its deft handling and mixing of colours, the canvas space of Chamba paintings is dominated by red and blue colours.

1. MANDI SCHOOL

• Art from this school is noted for its depictions of the Tantra cult associated with the worship of the Devi or the Goddess.
• The ferocious and wrathful forms of the Devi are given a larger-than-life finish, and crude mystified look with deep tones of red, black and blue shades.

Conclusion

It is considered that the Pahari painting emerged from the Mughal style of paintings and flourished due to the support of the Rajput rulers. Recently, Dr Brijinder Nath Goswamy, a scholar on schools of Pahari art, passed away leaving a great void in the world of Indian art history.

General Studies – 2

Topic: Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act.

2. Simultaneous elections can lead to greater efficiency by reducing the frequency of elections. It could ensure longer periods of stable governance and policy implementation. Examine. (250 words)

Difficulty level: Easy

Reference: Indian Express , Insights on India

Why the question:

Former President Ram Nath Kovind, who heads the government-appointed high-level committee on ‘one nation, one election’, said on Monday that holding simultaneous elections would benefit the public and whichever party was in power at the Centre, adding that the funds saved could be used for development work.

Key Demand of the question:

To write about advantages and limitations of holding simultaneous elections of the parliament and state legislatures in the country.

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 simultaneous elections.

Body:

In the first part, write about advantages of simultaneous elections.

Next, write about the feasibility and India’s preparedness to conduct simultaneous election in India – 5 elections to legislatures per year, capability of election commission, growing political will etc.

Next, write about the limitations that hinder conduct of simultaneous elections in India.

Conclusion:

Conclude by writing a balanced opinion regard the conduct of simultaneous elections.

Introduction

Simultaneous elections refer to holding elections to Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies, Panchayats and Urban local bodies simultaneously, once in five years. The idea of holding elections simultaneously is in news after it got a push from Prime Minister and ex-President of India. However, political parties are divided on the issue of holding simultaneous elections

Former President Ram Nath Kovind, who heads the government-appointed high-level committee on ‘one nation, one election’, said on Monday that holding simultaneous elections would benefit the public and whichever party was in power at the Centre, adding that the funds saved could be used for development work.

Body:

The Law Commission of India has also proposed holding simultaneous state and general elections and has sought public opinion on its recommendations regarding the same. Simultaneous elections were held in India during the first two decades of independence.

Merits of Simultaneous elections:

• Governance and consistency:
  • The ruling parties will be able to focus on legislation and governance rather than having to be in campaign mode forever.
  • Parties and workers spending too much time and money in electioneering can make use of the time for social work and to take people-oriented programmes to the grassroots.
  • To overcome the “policy paralysis and governance deficit” associated with imposition of the Model Code of Conduct at election time which leads to putting on hold all developmental activities on that area and also affects the bureaucracy’s functioning.
• Reduced Expenditure of Money and Administration:
  • The entire State and District level administrative and security machinery will be busy with the conduct of elections twice in a period of five years as per the current practice.
  • Expenditure can be reduced by conducting simultaneous elections.
  • It is felt that crucial manpower is often deployed on election duties for a prolonged period of time. If simultaneous elections are held, then this manpower would be made available for other important tasks.
  • For instance, for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, which was held along with 4 state assemblies saw the deployment of 1077 in situ companies and 1349 mobile companies of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF).
• Continuity in policies and programmes:
  • Will limit the disruption to normal public life associated with elections, such as increased traffic and noise pollution.
  • Large numbers of teachers are involved in the electoral process which causes maximum harm to the education sector.
• Efficiency of Governance:
  • Simultaneous elections can bring the much-needed operational efficiency in this exercise.
  • Populist measures by governments will reduce.
• Curbs Vices:
  • During frequent elections there is increase in “vices” such as communalism, casteism, corruption and crony capitalism.
  • Simultaneous elections can also be a means to curb corruption and build a more conducive socio-economic ecosystem.
  • The impact of black money on the voters will be reduced as all elections are held at a time.

Challenges to simultaneous elections:

• Illiteracy:
  • Not all voters are highly educated to know who to vote for. They may get confused and may not know whether they are voting for candidates contesting assembly or parliament elections.
  • IDFC study says that there is 77% chance that the Indian voter will vote for the same party for both the state and centre, when elections are held simultaneously.
  • Evidence from Brazil, Argentina, Canada, Germany, the US and Europe supports the idea that elections that are held simultaneously produce greater alignment between national and regional election outcomes.
• Functional issues:
  • Frequent elections bring the politicians back to the voters, create jobs and prevent the mixing of local and national issues in the minds of the voters.
  • There is a dearth of enough security and administrative officials to conduct simultaneous free and fair elections throughout the country in one go.
• Changes in Constitution and Legislations:
  • The following constitutional changes need to be made:
  • Amendments needed in the following articles:
    • Article 83 which deals with the duration of Houses of Parliament need an amendment
    • Article 85 (on dissolution of Lok Sabha by the president)
    • Article 172 (relating to the duration of state legislatures)
    • Article 174 (relating to dissolution of state assemblies)
    • Article 356 (on President’s Rule).
  • The Representation of People Act, 1951 Act would have to be amended to build in provisions for stability of tenure for both parliament and assemblies. This should include the following crucial elements:
  • Restructuring the powers and functions of the ECI to facilitate procedures required for simultaneous elections
  • A definition of simultaneous election can be added to section 2 of the 1951 act
  • Articles 83 and 172 along with articles with articles 14 and 15 of the 1951 act be appropriately amended to incorporate the provision regarding remainder of the term i.e.., post mid elections, the new loksabha/assembly so constituted shall be only for the remainder of the term of the previous loksabha or assembly and not for a fresh term of five years.
• Constructive vote of no confidence:
  • The 170^th law commission report suggested a new rule i.e., rule 198-A has to be added to rules of procedure and conduct of business in Lok Sabha and similar amendment to such rules in the state legislatures.
  • The report suggested introduction of motion of no confidence in the incumbent government along with a motion of confidence in the alternative government.
  • To avoid premature dissolution of the house/state assemble in case of Hung parliament /assembly and to advance simultaneous elections the rigour of anti-defection law laid under in tenth schedule be removed as an exception.
• Local and national issues will get mixed up distorting priorities.
• The terms of different state governments are ending on separate dates and years.
• Spirit of Constitution:
  • One nation, one election” would make sense if India were a unitary state. So “one nation, one election” is anti-democratic.
  • Simultaneous elections threaten the federal character of our democracy.
  • Frequent elections act as checks and balances on the functioning of elected representatives.

Way forward:

• Any changes must require both a constitutional amendment and judicial approval that they do not violate the “basic structure” of the Constitution.
• A focused group of constitutional experts, think tanks, government officials and representatives of political parties should be formed to work out appropriate implementation related details.
• Other alternatives should be explored to reduce election related expenses like
  • State funding of elections
  • Decriminalisation of politics
  • Bringing in transparency in political funding
  • Setting up National Electoral Fund to which all donors can contribute.
• One year one election as suggested by Election Commission can be executed by amending Section 15 of the RP Act 1951. If the six-month stipulation is extended to nine or 10 months, elections to all states, whose term is expiring in one year, can be held together.
• The Law Commission of India in its report of 1999 has dealt with the problem of premature and frequent elections. It had recommended an amendment of this rule on the lines of the German Constitution, which provides that the leader of the party who wants to replace the chancellor has to move the no-confidence motion along with the confidence motion. If the motions succeed, the president appoints him as the chancellor.
  • If such an amendment to Rule 198 is made, the Lok Sabha would avoid premature dissolution without diluting the cardinal principle of democracy that is a government with the consent of the peoples’ representatives with periodical elections.
  • It will also be consistent with the notion of collective responsibility of the government to the House as mentioned in Article 75 (3) of the Constitution.

Conclusion:

Election Commission’s idea of “one year one election” will better suited as it will require fewer amendments to the constitution, it will respect the essence of the exercise of popular will, unlike one nation one election which prioritizes economic costs of elections over the exercise itself, it will avoid clubbing of national and state issues, it will not disturb federalism much, not much issues generated by emergencies like need to hold by-election etc. will be addressed by this option.

General Studies – 3

Topic: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.

3. The Indian government has taken significant steps to promote electric vehicles (EVs) adoption. Evaluate the key factors limiting EV adoption among the masses. (250 words)

Difficulty level: Tough

Reference: Down to Earth

Why the question:

Electric vehicles are key to decarbonise mobility. India’s ambitious electrification programme supported by upscaled domestic battery manufacturing will require a secured supply of battery materials.

Key Demand of the question:

To write about the evaluation of India’s move towards electric vehicles (EVs), focusing on progress, challenges, government initiatives, and the future of the EV ecosystem.

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 by describing the electric vehicles (EV) technology vis-à-vis fossil fuel based vehicles.

Body:

First, write about India’s progress in transitioning towards electric vehicles (EVs). Highlight the increase in the number of EV sales, the growth of EV charging infrastructure, and the initiatives taken by automakers to introduce EV models in the market.

Next, write about the key challenges hindering widespread EV adoption in India. Discuss issues such as high upfront costs, limited charging infrastructure, range anxiety, and consumer perceptions. Address the need for addressing these challenges through policy interventions and public awareness campaigns.

Conclusion:

Conclude by writing a way forward.

Introduction

An electric vehicle, uses one or more electric motors or traction motors for propulsion. An electric vehicle may be powered through self-contained battery, solar panels or an electric generator to convert fuel to electricity. India is among a handful of countries that supports the global EV30@30 campaign, which aims for at least 30 per cent new vehicle sales to be electric by 2030.

Body

Progress  of electric vehicles in India

• The Electric vehicle adoption, be it four-, three-, two-wheelers, or buses, has seen a massive uptick over the past year or so.
• As an example, Hero Electric, India’s pioneering electric two-wheeler manufacturer, clocked its highest ever calendar year volumes in 2022, with more than 1,00,000 units finding new homes across the year
• As fuel prices skyrocket, there are rising concerns about the steep increase in the cost of running petrol and diesel vehicles. Electric vehicles seem to be coming into their own at last.
• The Indian electric vehicle market was valued at USD 1,434.04 billion in 2021, and it is expected to reach USD 15,397.19 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 47.09% during the forecast period (2022-2027).
• The National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) and Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid & Electric Vehicles in India (FAME I and II) helped create the initial interest and exposure for electric mobility.
• To promote the domestic electric vehicle industry, the Indian government has provided tax exemptions and subsidies to EV manufacturers and consumers.
• India’s shift to shared, electric and connected mobility could help the country save nearly one giga-tonne of carbon dioxide emissions by 2030.

Potential of EVs in India

• Help tackle Climate change and air pollution:
  • India has committed to cutting its GHG emissions intensity by 33% to 35% percent below 2005 levels by 2030.
  • As per NITI Aayog’s reportEVs will help in cutting down as much as 1 Gigatonne (GT) of carbon emissions by 2030.
  • Electric vehicles don’t produce emissions that contribute to climate change and smog than conventional vehicles.
  • All-electric vehicles produce zero direct emissions, which specifically helps improve air quality in urban areas.
  • According to a recent study by WHO, India is home to 14 out of 20 most polluted cities in the world. EVs will help in tackling this problem by reducing local concentrations of pollutants in cities.
  • Cost reduction from better electricity generating technologies. This has introduced the possibility of clean, low-carbon and inexpensive grids.
• Energy security:
  • India imports oil to cover over 80 percent of its transport fuel.
  • Electric mobility will contribute to balancing energy demand, energy storage and environmental sustainability.
  • Electric vehicles could help diversify the energy needed to move people and goods thanks to their reliance on the wide mix of primary energy sources used in power generation, greatly improving energy security.
• Cutting edge Battery Technology:
  • Advances in battery technology have led to higher energy densities, faster charging and reduced battery degradation from charging.
• Innovation:
  • EVs manufacturing capacity will promote global scale and competitiveness.
• Employment:
  • Promotion of EVs will facilitate employment growth in a sun-rise sector.

Challenges in adoption of EVs

• Despite being the third-largest auto market and several incentives dished out by New Delhi and state governments, India remains a laggard in electric vehicles (EV).
• The country is a ripe target for EV makers but is slow to catch up with other markets, according to a recent report by S&P Global Ratings.
• Domestic sales of EVs have more than doubled, but they barely represent 2% of the total light-vehicle sales in the last 12 months.
• India is technologically deficient in the production of electronics that form the backbone of EV industry, such as batteries, semiconductors, controllers, etc.
• The lack of clarity over AC versus DC charging stations, grid stability and range anxiety (fear that battery will soon run out of power) hinder the growth of EV industry.
• India is dependent on countries like Japan and China for the import of lithium-ion batteries.
• EVs have higher servicing costs and higher levels of skills is needed for servicing. India lacks dedicated training courses for such skill development.
• Affordability of e-vehicles (EVs) and the range they can cover on a single battery charge.

Various measures taken by the government to promote electric vehicles

• Most recently, Government think-tank Niti Aayog has prepared a draft battery swapping policy, under which it has proposed offering incentives to electric vehicles (EVs) with swappable batteries, subsidies to companies manufacturing swappable batteries, a new battery-as-a-service business model, and standards for interoperable batteries, among other measures.
• Government has set a target of electric vehicles making up 30 % of new sales of cars and two-wheelers by 2030.
• To build a sustainable EV ecosystem initiative like –National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) and Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric vehicles in India (FAME India) have been launched by India.
• NEMMP was launched with an aim to achieve national fuel security by promoting hybrid and electric vehicles in the country.
• FAME India Scheme was launched with the objective to support hybrid/electric vehicles market development and manufacturing ecosystem.
• The Union power ministry categorized charging of batteries as a service, which will help charging stations operate without licenses.
• Implementation of smart cities would also boost the growth of electric vehicle

Way Forward

• For EVs to contribute effectively, we need commensurate efforts in developing an entire ecosystem.
• Need to shift the focus from subsidizing vehicles to subsidizing batteries because batteries make up 50% of EV costs.
• Increasing focus on incentivizing electric two-wheelers because two-wheelers account for 76% of the vehicles in the country and consume most of the fuel.
• A wide network of charging stations is imminent for attracting investment.
• Work places in tech parks, Public bus depots, and Multiplexes are the potential places where charging points could be installed. In Bangalore, some malls have charging points in parking lots.
• Corporates could invest in charging stations as Corporate Social Responsibility compliances.
• Addressing technical concerns like AC versus DC charging stations, handling of peak demand, grid stability etc.
• India needs to leap into EV battery manufacturing.
• Private investment in battery manufacturing plants and developing low cost production technology is needed.
• Need for a policy roadmap on electric vehicles so that investments can be planned.
• Acquiring lithium fields in Bolivia, Australia, and Chile could become as important as buying oil fields as India needs raw material to make batteries for electric vehicles.
• Providing waiver of road tax and registration fees, GST refunds and free parking spaces for EVs.
• There is also the task of bringing skilled professionals into the workforce that are knowledgeable about the benefits and advantages associated with electric vehicles.

Topic: Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, Nano-technology, biotechnology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.

4. Examine the various uses of biotechnology in India and evaluate its potential for growth, particularly in light of government initiatives aimed at fostering its development. (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 biotechnology sector of the country, its potential and significance in the light of initiatives launched by the country.

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: 

write a few introductory lines on what you understand by Biotechnology.

Body:

First, write that Biotechnology has diverse applications in India – agriculture, healthcare, environmental protection, and industrial processes etc.

Next, mention the various steps taken by India to promote it – stablishing research institutions and promoting research and development, intellectual property rights, and international collaborations etc.

Next, write about the potential and limitations of the above.

Conclusion:

Conclude by writing a way forward.

Introduction

United Nation Convention on Biological Diversity, defines Biotechnology “any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use”. And “Biological resources” includes genetic resources, organisms or parts thereof, populations, or any other biotic component of ecosystems with actual or potential use or value for humanity. India has become the world’s 12th biggest biotechnology economy having the second highest number of USFDA-approved plants. Biotechnology will help developing countries accomplish things that they could never do.

Body:

Indian Biotechnology Scenario:

• In India, the world’s 12th biggest biotechnology economy and having the second highest number of US Food and Drugs Administration (USFDA) – approved plants, the industry is not only excited at the revival in the US but also about its domestic prospects.
• The Indian bioeconomy grew to $4.3 billion at the end of the 2013 financial year, up from $530 million in 2003, according to BioSpectrum, a widely-read trade publication in India.
• Though concentrated in Hyderabad and Bengaluru, there are units sprouting across the country; currently some 350 companies are in operation.
• The bio-pharmaceutical sector, which includes vaccines, medical devices and stem cells, is the main driver of India’s biotechnology growth, generating close to 63 per cent of the industry’s total revenue in 2013.

Biotechnology has the following relevance in India:

• Applications of Biotechnology in Medicine
  • Biotechnology techniques are used in medicine for diagnosis and treating different diseases. It gives opportunities for the people to protect themselves from dangerous diseases.
  • The field of Biotechnology, genetic engineering has introduced techniques like gene therapy, recombinant DNA technology and polymerase chain reaction which use genes and DNA molecules to diagnose diseases and insert new and healthy genes in the body which replace the damaged cells
  • Genetic modification in mosquitoes can solve the problems of epidemic diseases such as dengue and malaria
  • Artificial insemination is the artificial introduction of semen into the reproductive tract of a female animal. It is used extensively in breeding animals, such as sheep and cattle
  • Medical researchers believe that stem cell therapy has the potential to dramatically change the treatment of human disease. A number of adult stem cell therapies already exist, particularly bone marrow transplants that are used to treat leukaemia.
  • Stem cell transplantation was first used in the treatment of blood disorders and it was a breakthrough. Conventionally known as bone marrow transplan­tation, the stem cells responsible for production of the blood cells reside in the bone marrow
• Applications of Biotechnology in Agriculture
  • Biotechnology has played major role in agriculture by altering genes, studying and cloning various crops in order to provide better quality products of foods ultimately improving our lives.
  • Hybrid Seeds, Artificial Seeds, Photosynthesis improver, Stress resistant crops and plants, Bio-fertilisers, Bio-pesticides are some of the potential applications.
  • Potential advantages that biotechnology can confer across a wide range of agricultural applications are in areas such as livestock management, storage of agricultural products and sustaining current crop yields, while reducing the use of fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides.
  • Biotechnology offers a very promising alternative to synthetic foods and an improvement on conventional plant-breeding technologies. Combined with other advanced agricultural technologies, it offers an exciting and environmentally responsible way to meet consumer demand for sustainable agriculture.
• Animal husbandry:
  • The application of biotechnology in this area, in increasing production efficiency through manipulation and control of physiological systems and improving the health and well-being of animals, assumes great significance.
  • Embryo transplantation, used with cattle, goats, pigs, and sheep, aims to increase the number of offspring from a quality female.
  • Cloning embryos to artificially produce genetic duplicates of an animal has also become possible.
  • Direct manipulation and alteration of an animal’s genetic material— genetic engineering—has the potential to produce even more drastic changes in animal breeding. It is believed that genetically altered pigs may one day be able to provide compatible organs for emergency transplantation (xenotransplantation) into humans.
• Application of Biotechnology in Food Processing
  • Biotechnology has a major application in the food sector.
  • Bread, cheese, wine, beer, yogurt, and vinegar are all made by culturing microorganisms and are really the oldest products of biotechnology.
  • It helps in improving the edibility, texture, and storage of the food; in preventing the attack of the food, mainly dairy, by the virus like bacteriophage.
  • Biotechnologists are also developing tests that will allow the detection of food-contaminating microorganisms and the toxins they produce, which may be present only in minute quantities.
  • Biotechnology also has applications in the detection of mutagens (substances that cause genetic mutations) in individual food products.
  • GM crops which have been approved for use in food items in select countries include corn, maize, soya, tomato, potato and papaya.
  • Latest innovations in biotechnology that fortify major staples with micro nutrients like vitamin A, zinc and iron can be game changers for hunger problem in India.
• Environment:
  • Biotechnology can be used to tackle environmental issues like deforestation and air pollution
  • Biotechnology can help in finding out the level of Particulate Matter 2.5 in the air,
  • Biotechnology is already providing a clean and renewable alternative to traditional fossil fuels, the burning of which contributes to global warming.
  • The benefit of environmental biotechnology helps us to avoid the use of hazardous pollutants and wastes that affect the natural resources and the environment.
  • Biosensors, which combine a biological component (such as an enzyme) with various electronic components to trigger a circuit when a particular type of chemical is detected. Biosensors are capable of detecting extremely low levels of proteins, hormones, pollutants, gases, and other molecules.

Government initiatives to boost the sector:

• The Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India and RIKEN, Japan’s largest research organisation have signed memorandums of understanding (MoU) to launch joint research programs in the fields of biology, life sciences and material sciences.
• UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) and the Association of Biotech Led Enterprises (ABLE) have signed a MoU to encourage and develop collaborative opportunities between Indian life sciences organisations and the UK.
• The Drugs Controller General of India has approved Biocon Ltd to market its biosimilar ‘Trastuzumab’ developed jointly with the US drug-maker Mylan, for treating breast cancer. “This is a major milestone for both partners as it is the world’s first biosimilar trastuzumab to be accorded regulatory approval,” said Ms Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chairperson and Managing Director, Biocon.
• The Government of India plans to set up National Institute of Biotic Stress Management for addressing plant protection issues will be established at Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

Conclusion:

Every new drug discovery or drug approval not only draws cheers from millions of victims of debilitating diseases but also adds value to biotechnology companies. In a complex play of scientific progress and market forces, the biotechnology industry is recording growth that can rival the information technology industry boom of the 1990s. India with its young workforce and a potential market for the end-products can look out for a bright future in the biotechnology sector.

Topic: Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, Nano-technology, biotechnology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.

5. What is ChatGPT? Assess the potential opportunities and threats associated with Artificial Intelligence (AI) language models, including ChatGPT? (250 words)

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-2024 Secure timetable.

Key Demand of the question:

To write about ChatGPT, changes introduced by it and opportunities and threats posed by it.

Structure of the answer:

Introduction: 

Begin by defining ChatGPT.

Body:

First, write about the changes introduced by ChatGPT as chatbot which has brought in new aspects to conversational AI.

Next, write about the advantages it brings in various domains such as – education, journalism, search engines, art etc.

Next, write about the limitations of ChatGPT and adverse effect it can cause in the existing industry.

Conclusion:

Conclude by writing a way forward.

Introduction

ChatGPT, OpenAI’s new chatbot, is a ‘conversational’ AI which answers queries just like a human would. It is a variant of GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) which is a large-scale neural network-based language model developed by OpenAI.

Body

Chat GPT & contours of conversational artificial intelligence (AI)

• ChatGPT is a chatbot powered by artificial intelligence that can be used to ask questions.
• This chatbot is designed in such a way that the responses to queries are both technical and jargon-free.
• It is a natural language processing (NLP)model that works with a large corpus of conversational data.
• It can generate human-like responses, allowing for natural conversation between the user and the virtual assistant.
• The chatbot employs Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF) technology. It is, however, altered to appear more human-friendly.
• It is based on GPT-3.5, a deep-learning language model that generates human-like text.
• Because it improves over time and understands queries better through machine learning, the technology will produce different answers for the same question in the future.

Opportutnities

• It can be used in real-world applicationssuch as digital marketing, online content creation, answering customer service queries or as some users have found, even to help debug code.
• The bot can respond to a large range of questions while imitating human speaking styles.
• It is being seen as a replacement for the basic emails, party planning lists, CVs, and even college essays and homework.
• It can also be usedto write code, as examples have shown.
• Chatbots are convenient for providing customer service and support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• They also free up phone lines and are far less expensive over the long run than hiring people to perform support.
• Using AI and natural language processing, chatbots are becoming better at understanding what customers want and providing the help they need.
• Companies also like chatbots because they can collect data about customer queries, response times, satisfaction, and so on.

Threats

• Governance: Companies such as OpenAI are self-governing the space through limited release strategies, and monitored use of models, however, self-governance leaves chances for manipulation
• Fear of Job losses: automation of tasks that were previously done by humans, such as writing news articles or composing music.
• Reduced need for human cognition: young children who will see AI as their friend to do their homework.
• Fear of Societal Biasbeing replicated by AI
• Issues surrounding intellectual property and copyright: The datasets behind generative AI models are generally scraped from the internet without seeking consent from living artistsor work still under copyright
• Fear of Misinformation and Mistrust by manipulation of information, creating fake text, speech, images or video
• Fear of Concentration of Power in the hand of a few companies
• Risks for national security using automated troll bots, with advanced capabilities

Way forward

• Need to make generative AI modelsmore transparent, so that the public can understandhow and why the model is making certain decisions
• Use of diverse training data, as well as techniques like fairness constraints or adversarial training to mitigate bias.
• Privacy: Ensuring the privacy of people
• Accountable governance esp.of BigTech companies using a designated “AI ethicist” or “AI ombudsman”
• Designing a system wherein humans make the final decisionand AI can be used as a support system
• Collaboration with civil society and policymakers: To mitigate the impact of Generative AI on -the disruption of labour markets, legitimacy of scraped data, licensing, copyright and potential for biased or otherwise harmful content, misinformation, and so on.

Conclusion

While generative AI is a game-changer in numerous areas and tasks, there is a strong need to govern the diffusion of these models, and their impact on society and the economy more carefully.

Value addition

Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence that involves creating new, original content or data using machine learning algorithms.

• It can be used to generate text, images, music, or other types of media.

A Generative Pretrained Transformer (GPT) is a type of large language model (LLM) that uses deep learning to generate human-like text.

• “generative” because they can generate new text based on the input they receive
• “pretrained” because they are trained on a large corpus of text data before being fine-tuned for specific tasks
• “transformers” because they use a transformer-based neural network architecture to process input text and generate output text

General Studies – 4

Topic: moral and political attitudes.

6. The ongoing evolution of public morality reflects the adaptive nature of human societies as they grapple with the complexities of a changing world. Explain. (150 words)

Difficulty level: Moderate

Why the question:

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

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: 

Give a simple elaboration on the concept of public morality.

Body:

Write about aspects such as what is accepted within the realms of public morality, is it static and indestructible by quoting few examples. Influence of public morality on legislations and the changes with time such as legalisation of same-sex marriage etc.

Next, write about the various factors affecting public morality.

Conclusion:

Conclude by stating that society evolves with time and thus the public morality also takes its shape, however certain historically sustainable values must be preserved as well.

Introduction

A morality is a system of principles and values concerning people’s behaviour, which is generally accepted by a society or by a particular group of people. Public morality refers to moral and ethical standards enforced in a society, by law or police work or social pressure, and applied to public life, to the content of the media, and to conduct in public places.

Body

Public morality is concerned with collective obligations, and is generally based on the notion of consequentialism. For instance, Public morality often means regulation of sexual matters, including prostitution and homosexuality, but also matters of dress and nudity, pornography, acceptability in social terms of cohabitation before marriage, and the protection of children.

It is a main justification for censorship; it can lead to campaigns against profanity, and so be at odds with freedom of speech. Gambling is generally controlled: casinos have been considered much more of a threat than large-scale lotteries or football pools. Public drunkenness is quite unacceptable in some societies, and legal control of consumption of alcohol is often justified in terms of public morality, just as much as for medical reasons or to limit alcohol-related crime.

Abortion is sometimes treated as an aspect of public morality, even if it is legally defined, regulated by medical professionals, and almost entirely hidden from public view. AIDS as a health policy issue is linked to public morality in a complicated manner.

Views on public morality do change over time. Public views on which things are acceptable often move towards wider tolerance.

Various factors affecting Public morality

• Social & Religious mores. Eg. Animal slaughter still continues
• Inertial of the People to change their belief & attitude. Eg.: attitude towards homosexuality, transgenders etc.
• Lack of Scientific temper. E.g: a genetically impaired person is seen as a God’s curse
• Poor will of legislators and elected.
• Ineffective implementation of law mechanism
• Lack of ethical education

Conclusion

Public morality has been on a decline due to a host of factors such as legal, corruption, malpractices, cultural etc. Citizens in a political community must be bound together neither by feelings nor by self-interest but by a commitment to common values discovered by public reason — values such as political freedom, solidarity, shared traditions and cultural heritage.

Topic: laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance;

7. A moral compass serves as an internalized set of principles and values that guides individuals in making ethical decisions and navigating moral dilemmas. Elaborate. (150 words)

Difficulty Level: Easy

Why the question:

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

Key Demand of the question:

Using the metaphor of the moral compass to describe conscience, our inner sense of right and wrong offers a framework to guide our actions.

Directive:

Elaborate – 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:

Start by describing what you understand by moral compass (conscience) which governs the actions you take in day-to-day life.

Body:

Elaborate on how the moral compass aids in deciding what right from is wrong. Use examples to substantiate your points.

Conclusion:

Complete the answer by bring out how the moral compass prevents us acting purely from self-interest and helps us live a life of integrity.

Introduction

Moral compass is a term used to describe our inner sense of right and wrong offers a framework to guide our actions. Conscience is inner moral sense of a person which guides him/her to regulate his behaviour. Voice of conscience corresponds to an inner voice that judges your behaviour. Voice of conscience is the source of ethical decision making for many.

Body

Conscience can be defined as something within each of us that tells us what is right and what is wrong. Therefore, if one uses his/her conscience when making decisions it would be guided by what is the right thing to do and what is wrong.

The traditional test is to apply ethical decision-making methods such as Rights Theory that obligates us to respect the rights of others and live up to our obligations towards them. Another approach is to evaluate the possible benefits and harms of alternative courses of action on stakeholders who may be affected by our possible actions and choose the one that maximizes net benefits.

• Our conscience is our inner guide and it helps you figure out how to make good choices. As we grow up, we learn right from wrong. Our conscience is the thought and feeling we have that tells us whether something is a right or wrong thing to do or say. Thus voice of Conscience is a consistent guide to ethical decision making.
• A person can prepare himself/herself to heed to the voice of conscience by:
• Pausing and thinking about the dimensions of issue.
• Practicing the power of silence.
• Meditating and prayer.
• Freeing oneself from external influences and selfish interests.
• A human being always comes across ethical dilemmas in the decision making the process. Voice of Conscience acts as the guide for taking correct decisions when we have to choose between competing sets of principles in a given, usually undesirable or perplexing, situation. Example: Helping accident victim on your way to an interview.
• The voice of conscience of an individual help in analysing the situation from different perspectives and help in taking the right decision.
• Voice of Conscience helps in avoiding Conflicts of interest for better decision making. It can help in deciding between personal gains and public welfare.
• Voice of Conscience is our ability to make a practical decision in light of ethical values and principles.
• Voice of Conscience is a person’s moral compass of right and wrong as well as the consciousness of one’s actions. Expressions such as ‘gut feeling’ and ‘guilt’ are often applied in conjunction with a conscience.
• The voice of conscience might suggest different principles and different behaviours to different situations. But it for a moment help individual from not doing wrong based on universal values.

Conclusion

Acting purely from self-interest, at best, keeps us parallel to the original position and can turn our compass south if our actions do harm to others. We avoid going in that direction by living a life of integrity. We also need to understand and appreciate why we should consider the needs of others before acting. We could simply go back to The Golden Rule: Treat others the way you want to be treated. None of us, presumably, wants to be disrespected so we should treat others respectfully.

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