[Mission 2024] Insights SECURE SYNOPSIS: 5 December 2023

NOTE: Please remember that following ‘answers’ are NOT ‘model answers’. They are NOT synopsis too if we go by definition of the term. What we are providing is content that both meets demand of the question and at the same

General Studies – 1

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

1. Showcasing lesser-known tourist attractions of historical and cultural importance and celebrating their intangible heritage is crucial to the overall well-being of both the cultural heritage and the people associated with it. Discuss. (250 words)

Difficulty level: Moderate

Reference: Indian Express

Why the question:

The ministry of tourism has planned a mega initiative — a series of festivals — to showcase lesser known tourist attractions of historical and cultural importance by celebrating their intangible heritage.

Key Demand of the question:

To write about the potential of lesser known tourist places in India and the steps that India needs to take to boost tourism in the country.

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 statistic related to tourism in India.

Body:

First, write about the status of tourism in India. Give facts and figures related to revenue and forex earnings, tourist footfalls.

Next, write about the potential of lesser know tourist attractions in the country and issues associated with it.

Next, write about the importance of intangible heritage and steps required to promote it.

Conclusion:

Conclude by writing a way forward.

Introduction

Every region in India is identified with its handicraft, fairs, folk dances, music and its people. Hence, India is a country with a great potential for tourism. The tourism industry employs a large number of people, both skilled and unskilled. It promotes national integration and international brotherhood. There is no other country in the world which offers such a wide choice of destinations like India.

The ministry of tourism has planned a mega initiative — a series of festivals — to showcase lesser known tourist attractions of historical and cultural importance by celebrating their intangible heritage.

First in the series will be a three-day Carnatic music festival — Krishnaveni Sangeetha Neerajanam — starting Sunday, which is to be held in Vijayawada, known for its Undavalli caves featuring ancient rock-cut temples.

Body

Tourism Status in India

• In the Pre- pandemic times, tourism sector contributed ~US$ 250 billion in 2018 to India’s GDP.
• It crumbled down to US$ 122 billion in 2020 due to pandemic.
• The share of Tourism to GDP has hovered around ~5-6%. With post-pandemic recovery, the tourism industry is  expected to reach US$ 512 billion by 2028.
• In 2020, the Indian tourism sector accounted for 39 million jobs, which was 8% of the total employment in the country. By 2029, it is expected to account for about 53 million jobs.
• India ranked 34th in the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2019 published by the World Economic Forum.
• Data show that domestic tourism has recovered to pre-pandemic levels, even exceeding it in some cases. This is evident in a record 1.84 crore domestic tourists visiting Jammu and Kashmir in 2022

Positive effects of Tourism in India

• Employment generation: Tourism sector provides diverse opportunities for jobs like in hospitality/hotels/accommodation, transportation, tour guides, travel operations etc.
• Revenue Generation: Tourism contributes 6.23% to the national GDP and 9.3% of the total employment in India. More than 20 million people are now working in the India’s tourism industry.
• Source of Foreign Exchange Earnings:Tourism Sector was the third-largest foreign exchange earner for the country in 2019. Tourism is an important source of foreign exchange earnings in India. This has favorable impact on the balance of payment of the country. By 2028, Indian tourism and hospitality is expected to earn US$ 50.9 billion as visitor exports compared with US$ 28.9 billion in 2018.
• Preservation of National Heritage and Environment:Tourism helps preserve several places which are of historical importance by declaring them as heritage sites. For instance, the Taj Mahal, the Qutab Minar, Ajanta and Ellora temples, etc. would have been decayed and destroyed, if the efforts had not been taken by Tourism Department to preserve them. Likewise, tourism also helps in conserving the natural habitats of many endangered species.
• Developing Infrastructure:Tourism tends to encourage the development of multiple-use infrastructure that benefits the host community, including various means of transports, health care facilities and sports centers, in addition to the hotels and high-end restaurants that cater to foreign visitors. The development of infrastructure has in turn induced the development of other directly productive activities.
• Promoting Peace and Stability:The tourism industry can also help promote peace and stability in developing country like India by providing jobs, generating income, diversifying the economy, protecting the environment and promoting cross-cultural awareness. However, key challenges like adoption of regulatory frameworks, mechanisms to reduce crime and corruption, etc, must be addressed if peace-enhancing benefits from this industry are to be realized.

Measures needed to boost Tourism sector

• Infrastructure: The Government has been increasing investments in strengthening of the country’s road and rail networks and promoting port development is a significant driver for the growth of the Tourism sector. The Adarsh Station Schemeis helping modernize railway stations, while the Regional Connectivity Scheme – UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik), is helping make air travel more economical and widespread to hitherto unserved routes. The Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD schemes aim to stimulate growth in niche tourism segments such as religious, heritage, wellness, medical, adventure, MICE, wildlife etc. Under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, the Government has launched several theme based circuits like Buddhist circuit which covers destinations associated with the life of Lord Buddha.
• Promotional Campaign: Promotional activities such as the Incredible India 2.0campaign focuses on niche tourism products including yoga, wellness, luxury, cuisine wildlife among others. “Find the Incredible You” Campaign focuses on the promotion of niche tourism products of the Country on digital and social media.
• Information Helpline: The government has introduced the concept of e-tourist and e-medical visaswhich has helped increase inbound tourists to the country. Additional initiatives such as Atithi Devo Bhava, a 24×7 multi-lingual Tourist Helpline, among others have helped improve the safety and security of tourists. On a pilot basis, an ‘Incredible India Helpline’ has been set up to guide the tourists.
• Safety: The Ministry of Tourism has adopted a code of conduct for safe tourism, which contains a set of guidelines to encourage tourism activities to be undertaken with respect to basic rights like dignity, and  safety of both tourists and local residents, in particular women and children.
• Investment: The government allows 100% Foreign Direct Investment in the Travel and Tourism sector through the automatic route to increase investments across the sector. More recently, the GST rate cut on hotel room tariffs across the board has been a positive move for the industry and is expected to boost the sector’s competitiveness globally.
• Cleanliness and Hygiene: Major cleanliness campaign has been launched under the Swachh Bharatmovement for protecting and preserving the sanctity of monuments of national heritage. The Ministry of Tourism has also launched awareness campaign to ensure cleanliness of surroundings and help create a Swachh Bharat, Swachh Smarak.
• Assistance to States: Financial assistance to states, including places of religious importance, for various tourism projects in consultation with them subject to availability of funds, inter-se priority, liquidation of pending utilisation certificates and adherence to the scheme guidelines.
• Digital Database: In September 2021, the Government launched NIDHI 2.0(National Integrated Database of Hospitality Industry), a scheme which will maintain a hospitality database comprising accommodation units, travel agents, tour operators and others. NIDHI 2.0 will facilitate digitalisation of the tourism sector by encouraging hotels to register themselves on the platform.
• Skilling: The Ministry of Tourism has introduced the Incredible India Tourist Facilitator(IITF) and Incredible India Tourist Guide (IITG) Certification Programme to create an online learning platform of well-trained tourist facilitators and guides across the country.

Way forward

• The government should continue to promote India’s diversity and rich heritage to re-establish its position as a tourist paradise.
• The promotional campaigns should target both domestic and foreign tourists. Similarly, the extent of theme-based tourist circuits can be expanded.
• Tourism sector has a potential to provide lot of livelihood opportunities in smaller cities/towns. Upskilling and Reskilling can help address the issue of jobless growth.
• The government should also promote green and sustainable tourismto tackle issues relating to water crisis, pollution, waste management, etc.
• There is need to balance the promotion of tourism with safeguarding the physical, social, and cultural environment in the destination areas.
• The Government should further reform the tourist visa norms and processes to facilitate tourism. The Government should also explore the possibility of expanding the visa-on-arrival facility.
• The focus should also be on supporting and promoting the emerging segments of tourism.

Conclusion

If the goal of positioning of India as one of the world’s best tourism destinations by 2047, there is need to integrate various schemes of different ministries. Need to involve various stakeholders, and local communities; necessary interventions at urban and rural level should be a priority.

General Studies – 2

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

2. Governments statistical data is essential to government for policy-making, planning and to track welfare developments over a long period with considerable accuracy. Analyse. (250 words)

Difficulty level: Tough

Reference: Live Mint

Why the question:

Several flagship surveys of MOSPI are now run without involving state directorates of economics and statistics. Governments at the state level must first acknowledge the crisis in statistical systems and then chalk out reforms to rebuild them.

Key Demand of the question:

To write about benefits of collecting census data.

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 giving context of statistical data collection In India.

Body:

In the first part, discuss the advantages of statistical data – essential for planning the provision of health care, education, employment, etc, helpful in the debate related to reservation policy, targeted poverty reduction programmes etc

Next, Discuss the limitations in statistical data collection.

Conclusion:

Conclude by writing a way forward.

Introduction

For decades, India’s statistical machinery enjoyed a high level of reputation for the integrity of the data it produced on a range of economic and social parameters. A group of 108 economists and social scientists working around the world, have issued an appeal to convince the Indian government to stop suppressing uncomfortable data, restore access to public statistics and re-establish the independence and integrity of institutions.

Several flagship surveys of MOSPI are now run without involving state directorates of economics and statistics. Governments at the state level must first acknowledge the crisis in statistical systems and then chalk out reforms to rebuild them.

Body

Significance of Statistical data

• The Indian National Sample Surveyis respected the world over. Not just because of its size, but also for its sample design, that uses methods make perfect by some of the world’s most reputed statisticians.
• This distinguished history, which India can claim with pride, makes the recent undermining of the credibility of our statistical outputespecially regrettable.
• We can, however, ensure that when we look back on this several years from now, it represents an anomaly rather than a lasting, irreparable loss of institutional credibility.
• It is also imperative to use the scientific methods for data collection and estimation and their timely dissemination, which form vital public services.
• India, with its vastness and complexities, poses tremendous challenges for data collection.
• The dualistic nature of the economy means a large unorganised sector coexists with the organised sector that the data collection systems are unable to fully cover.
• Data collection and its utilisation helps in maintaining transparency between the citizens and the government. Citizens can view the outcomes based on data published in various periodicals, reports like Economic Survey.
• Reliable and timely data helps in targeted interventions where it is easy for planners to allocate a targeted amount which is best beneficial for the economy. Eg, COVID data on food insecurity and lack of employment, forced the government to allocate money to schemes offering food grains and employment allowance.
• Statistical data helps in ensuring the accountability of public officials as data helps in comparing current data with historical trends & evaluating the performance of officials according to the desired outcome.
• Policymaking based on reliable data is grounded on solid evidence rather than personal preferences. Statistical analysis helps analyse past trends and project future performance based on logical assumptions. It helps policymakers evaluate different policy options and choose the ones that are most likely to achieve desired outcomes.

Concerns Related to the Indian Statistical System

Way forward

• The strength of the national system is integrally dependenton the strength of the state statistical systems.
• In this direction, the Dholakia Committee Report 2020 on sub-national accounts is crucial; it could pave the way for state governments in pursuing and adopting a bottom-up approach, thereby strengthening the data collection capacities of the state governments.
• Several states are yet to initiate building institutional frameworksat the state and district levels.
• The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) launched the India Statistical Strengthening Project with financial support from the World Bankfor enhancing the capacities of state statistical systems for data collection.
• Parallel Efforts on Both National and State Level
  • To enhance and institutionalise inter-agency coordination covering both national and sub-national statistical systems.
  • Madhya Pradesh has taken the lead by establishing a permanent state statistical commission for improving and integrating the statistical data flow systems.
• Finalise National Policy on Official Statistics Quickly
  • To catalyse and synergise these efforts, the National Policy on Official Statistics, announced in the Budget 2020 needs to be finalised quickly along with appropriate institutional support and resources.
  • This will ensure that we are able to track India’s progress on the Sustainable Development Goals using a bottom-up approach and also ensure that no one is left behind.
• Emphasis on Data Quality: A large part of statistical reforms should not merely focus on the availability, frequency and largeness of data, but greater emphasis should be placed on data quality.

Conclusion

This is the time for all professional economists, statisticians, independent researchers in policy — regardless of their political and ideological leanings — to come together to raise their voice against the tendency to suppress uncomfortable data, and impress upon the government authorities, current and future, and at all levels, to restore access and integrity to public statistics, and re-establish institutional independence and integrity to the statistical organisations.

Topic: Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein.

3. The Finance Commission in India plays a crucial role in the system of fiscal federalism by ensuring an equitable distribution of financial resources between the central government and the state governments. Examine. (250 words)

Difficulty level: Moderate

Reference: Live Mint , Insights on India

Why the question:

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has approved the Terms of Reference for the Sixteenth Finance Commission.

Key Demand of the question:

To write about the role of Finance Commission in fiscal federalism 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 the giving the context of article 280.

Body:

In the first part, write about the role of the Finance Commission – financial needs and capacities of the central and state governments, promoting economic development, and ensuring that resources are distributed equitably for the benefit of the entire nation.

In the next part, mention the major limitations of the commission.

Conclusion:

Conclude with a way forward to overcome the limitations.

Introduction

The Finance Commission is constituted by the President under article 280 of the Constitution, mainly to give its recommendations on distribution of tax revenues between the Union and the States and amongst the States themselves. Two distinctive features of the Commission’s work involve redressing the vertical imbalances between the taxation powers and expenditure responsibilities of the centre and the States respectively and equalization of all public services across the States.

Body:

Composition of Finance Commission:

The Finance Commission is appointed by the President under Article 280 of the Constitution.   As per the provisions contained in the Finance Commission [Miscellaneous Provisions] Act, 1951 and The Finance Commission (Salaries & Allowances) Rules, 1951, the Chairman of the Commission is selected from among persons who have had experience in public affairs, and the four other members are selected from among persons who:

• are, or have been, or are qualified to be appointed as Judges of a High Court; or
• have special knowledge of the finances and accounts of Government; or
• have had wide experience in financial matters and in administration; or
• have special knowledge of economics.

Functions of the finance commission:

• It is the duty of the Commission to make recommendations to the President as to:
• the distribution between the Union and the States of the net proceeds of taxes which are to be, or may be, divided between them and the allocation between the States of the respective shares of such proceeds;
• the principles which should govern the grants-in-aid of the revenues of the States out of the Consolidated Fund of India;
• the measures needed to augment the Consolidated Fund of a State to supplement the resources of the Panchayats and Municipalities in the State on the basis of the recommendations made by the Finance Commission of the State;
• any other matter referred to the Commission by the President in the interests of sound finance.
• The Commission determines its procedure and have such powers in the performance of their functions as Parliament may by law confer on them.

Role of Finance Commission as a Neutral arbitrator

• To balance the horizontal and vertical fiscal imbalances
• Balance the fiscal issues due to differing historical backgrounds or resource endowments
• Distribution of net proceeds of taxes between Centre and the States
• Determine factors governing Grants-in-Aid to the states and the magnitude of the same.
• Ensuring greater financial autonomy to states by increasing the share of revenue- 14^th FC
• Measures needed to augment the Fund of a State to supplement the resources of the panchayats and municipalities in the state on the basis of the recommendations made by the finance commission of the state.
• Any other matter related to it by the president in the interest of sound finance.

Threats to the neutrality

• Dominance of the centre in the financial sphere
• GST and associated irregularities and delayed compensation
• Increasing cess and surcharges from 9% in 2014-15 to 15.3% in 2019-20- States have no share in the same.
• Shrinking of divisible pool of taxes
• Inefficient devolution of the 42% fiscal share to the states as per the 14^th finance commission recommendation.
• 15^th FC Recommendations
  • Use of 2011 census for devolution- southern states find the move, a disincentive
  • The viability of creating a separate defence and national security fund as suggested by the Centre; this would result in lower share of funds to the states. – 15^th Finance commission recommendation.

Way forward

• Any attempt to shift the uneasy balance in favour of the Centre will strengthen the argument that this government’s talk of cooperative federalism serves as a useful mask to hide its centralising tendencies.
• As a neutral arbiter of Centre-state relations, the Finance Commission should seek to maintain the delicate balance in deciding on contesting claims.
• This may well require giveaways especially if states are to be incentivised to push through legislation on items on the state and concurrent list.
• The fiscal stress at various levels of the government necessitates a realistic assessment of the country’s macro-economic situation, the preparation of a medium-term roadmap, as well as careful calibration of the framework that governs Centre-state relations.
• At this critical juncture, the Finance Commission should present the broad contours of the roadmap.
• Though it could request for another year’s extension to present its full five-year report citing the prevailing uncertainty.
• A relook at the Centre’s expenditure priorities would create greater fiscal space 

• The Centre can reduce States’ fears by tabling the report of FC without delay, and address any apprehensions it may give rise to.

Conclusion:

The Indian federal system allows for the division of power and responsibilities between the centre and states.  Correspondingly, the taxation powers are also broadly divided between the centre and states.  State legislatures may devolve some of their taxation powers to local bodies.

General Studies – 3

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 (revision).

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 (revision).

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: Aptitude and foundational values for Civil Service, integrity, impartiality and nonpartisanship, objectivity, dedication to public service, empathy, tolerance and compassion towards the weaker-sections.

6. The development of compassion is a multifaceted process influenced by a combination of inherent personal factors and external environmental influences. Analyse. (150 words)

Difficulty level: Tough

Why the question:

The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 3.

Key Demand of the question:

To distinguish factors that lead to the development of compassion.

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 compassion.

Body:

Write about the factors that lead to development of compassion – influences, experiences, value education, role models etc. Cite examples to substantiate.

Conclusion:

Conclude by writing about importance of compassion.

Introduction

Compassion is a deeper level of empathy, demonstrating an actual desire to help the suffering person. It is a unique feeling of sympathy for the suffering of others that involves emotions and empathy towards others, a sense of understanding, and the drive to protect.

It is the willingness to relieve the suffering of another. It is the sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others. It motivates people to go out of their way to help the physical, mental, or emotional pains of another and themselves. Compassion is often regarded as having sensitivity, an emotional aspect to suffering. Qualities of compassion are patience and wisdom; kindness and perseverance; warmth and resolve.

Body

Development of compassion: Intrinsic factors and extrinsic factors

• Family and friends: Emulating the behaviour of the authoritative figures in the family and friend circle makes one compassionate and gives a compassionate outlook to individual.
• Self-awareness: Being aware of one’s behaviour, privilege and understanding the factors influencing one’s attitude can alos make one compassionate.
• Role model: Fan worship, hero worship or inspirational leaders who lead by examples are extrinsic factors for being compassionate.
• Experiences: Understanding the pain of others comes easily when one’s has experiences someone else’s compassion towards themselves in time of crisis. This will make them compassionate in turn to return the good to the society.
• Seeing the injustices, inequality and understanding why there is inequality will make one compassionate and philanthropic in nature.

Compassion is a guiding star to advance humanity in crisis settings. Without compassion, which literally means ‘suffering together,’ we would not be able to put ourselves into each other’s shoes, or see a crisis through the eyes of a child and realise that other human lives are worth saving, sometimes by taking risks.

“If we want societies to be inclusive, cohesive and peaceful, this is the time to foster an alliance between cultures, civilizations, and people”. Global fraternity and global village must become a reality to save human kind from an impending apocalypse which is man-made.

Conclusion

The world desperately stands in need of compassion today. A compassion, which reaches out to the unloved, the ostracized, the marginalized and the vulnerable. A compassion, that takes a stand for the poor, the victims of injustice, the refugees and the displaced. A compassion, that is able to negate and overcome the hate and divisiveness. The humankind must be compassionate to each other to see the world thrive.

Topic: role of Family society and educational institutions in inculcating values.

7. The guidance provided by parents forms the bedrock of a child’s moral development. 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:

To write about the role of family in providing emotional and ethical foundation to their children.

Directive word: 

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

Structure of the answer:

Introduction: 

Begin the answer by mentioning the role of family in inculcating values in children.

Body:

First, write about family as an institution of socialization for a person is his/her family. Since values have an affective component, family plays a major role in an individual subscribing to certain values. Mention as to how these lay foundation to strong emotional and ethical foundation in children’s life.

Next, write about the importance of above.

Conclusion:

Conclude by summarising.

Introduction

If there is one cohesive, cementing force at the heart of traditional Indian society it is our family system. It is a single, powerful strand which for centuries, has woven the tapestry of our rich, social fabric replete with diversity, into a whole.

Sachin Tendulkar’s emotional farewell speech during his retirement highlighted how important the role of family, friends and teachers is in the journey to a successful career.

Body

Role of parents in transforming children

Despite changing values, the concept of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (world is one family) is ingrained well in our minds, especially in India.

• Cohesive society:One of the main advantages of a joint family system is the strong bonding it creates among siblings and other members of the family even while providing a sense of security to the children.
• Virtues: It is believed that children who grow up in an extended family with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins will imbibe the qualities of sharing, caring, empathy and understanding.
• Emotional intelligence:The bonding and bonhomie one finds in close knit joint families has a positive impact on the emotional quotient of children.
• Caring for the old:Family values play an important role in shaping the outlook of people. Respect and care for elders are among the central principles in Indian family system.
• Unity: It should also be remembered that the family system creates a strong bond of unity at an early age, paves the way for social cohesion and in a broader sense promotes national unity.
• Morals: Adopting our age-old philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, which embodies the spirit of humanism, compassion, magnanimity and tolerance, family becomes the basic building block of a harmonious, inclusive society.
• Peaceful world view:Family can shape the world view, foster and reinforce the value system of the individuals and therefore, consequently, be the warp and weft of a sustainable, peaceful, inclusive, prosperous world.

Conclusion

Children who grow up in an extended family not only imbibe qualities of tolerance, patience, democratic attitude of accepting others’ viewpoints, but also develop sportsman’s spirit while playing with siblings and cousins. Various age-old traditions, customs and ways of living are all products of family system. In fact, the family system lays the seeds for social cohesion and democratic thinking.

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