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General Studies – 1
Topic: Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues.
Difficulty level: Easy
Reference: Chapter 1- India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra.
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 1.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the impact created by the revolt of 1857.
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:
Start by briefly mentioning how the 1857 uprising was successfully quelled by the British.
Body:
Mention the various re-alignment policies in administration such a British crown taking over control from EIC, Military strengthening, Transfer of Power, Divide and Rule, New Policy Towards the Princess, Search for New allies etc brought by the British as a way to avoid any such future uprising.
Conclusion:
Conclude by mentioning that although the British succeeded in overpowering the Uprising, it proved to be the beginning of resistance from the people of India.
Introduction
The cumulative effect of British expansionist policies, economic exploitation, and administrative innovations over the years had adversely affected the positions of all—rulers of Indian states, sepoys, zamindars, peasants, traders, artisans, pundits, maulvis, etc. The simmering discontent burst in the form of a violent storm in 1857, which shook the British empire in India to its very foundations.
Body
The revolt of 1857 shook the foundations of the British empire in India
- The revolt of 1857 played an important role in bringing the Indian people together and imparting to them the consciousness of belonging to one country.
- During the entire revolt, there was complete cooperation between Hindus and Muslims at all levels—people, soldiers, leaders.
- Rebels and sepoys, both Hindu and Muslim, respected each other’s sentiments.
- Immediate banning of cow slaughter was ordered once the revolt was successful in a particular area.
Nature of Revolt
Views differ on the nature of the 1857 revolt.
- It was a mere ‘Sepoy Mutiny’ to some British historians—”a wholly unpatriotic and selfish Sepoy Mutiny with no native leadership and no -popular support”, said Sir John Seeley.
- Dr K. Datta considers the revolt of 1857 to have been “in the main a military outbreak, which was taken advantage of by certain discontented princes and landlords, whose interests had been affected by the new political leader”
- It was at the beginning of the twentieth century that the 1857 revolt came to be interpreted as a “planned war of national independence”, by V.D. Savarkar.
- Dr R.C. Majumdar, however, considers it as neither the first, nor national, nor a war of independence as large parts of the country remained unaffected and many sections of the people took no part in the upsurge.
- According to Marxist historians, the 1857 revolt was “the struggle of the soldier-peasant democratic combine against foreign as well as feudal bondage”.
Impact: Re-alignment policies in administration by British post 1857
The revolt of 1857 marks a turning point in the history of India. It led to far-reaching changes in the system of administration and the policies of the British government.
- Direct Governance of Queen: Even before the revolt could be suppressed fully, the British Parliament, on August 2, 1858, passed an act for the Better Government of India. The act declared Queen Victoria as the sovereign of British Indiaand provided for the appointment of a Secretary of Statefor India (a member of the British cabinet).
- The direct responsibility for the administration of the country was assumed by the BritishCrown and Company rule was abolished.
- The assumption of the Government of India by the sovereign of Great Britain was announced byLord Canning at a durbar at Allahabad in the ‘Queen’s Proclamation’ issued on November 1, 1858.
- Princely states and paramountcy: As per the Queen’s proclamation, theera of annexations and expansion had endedand the British promised to respect the dignity and rights of the native princes. The Indian states were henceforth to recognise the paramountcy of the British Crown and were to be treated as parts of a single charge.
- The people of India were promised freedom of religion without interference from British officials.
- Rule of law:The proclamation also promised equal and impartial protection under law to all Indians,besides equal opportunities in government services irrespective of race or creed. It was also promised that old Indian rights, customs, and practices would be given due regard while framing and administering the law.
- Army reforms:The army, which was at the forefront of the outbreak, was thoroughly reorganised and British military policy came to be dominated by the idea of “division and counterpoise”.
- The British couldno longer depend on Indian loyalty,so the number of Indian soldiers was drastically reduced even as the number of European soldiers was increased.
- The concept of divide and rule was adopted, with separate units being created on the basis of caste/community/region.
- Recruits were to be drawn from the ‘martial’ races of Punjab, Nepal, and north-western frontier who had proved loyal to the British during the revolt. Effort was made to keep the army away from civilian population.
- Divide and Rule: The policy of divide and rule started in earnest after the Revolt of 1857. The British used one class/community against another unscrupulously.
- Thus, socially, there wasirremediable deterioration. While British territorial conquest was at an end, a period of systematic economic loot by the British began.
Conclusion
For the British, the Revolt of 1857 proved useful in that it showed up the glaring shortcomings in the Company’s administration and its army, which they rectified promptly. These defects would never have been revealed to the world if the Revolt had not happened.
For the Indians, the 1857 Revolt had a major influence View In conceptual terms, the British who had started their rule as ‘outsiders’, became ‘insiders’ by vesting in their monarch the sovereignty of India. Bernard Cohn (in context of the Queen’s Proclamation) on the course of the struggle for freedom. It brought out in the open grievances of people and the sepoys, which were seen to be genuine. The Revolt of 1857 did establish local traditions of resistance to British rule which were to be of help in the course of the national struggle for freedom.
Value addition
Various causes for the defeat of the rebel
- All-India participation was absent: Limited territorial spread was one factor; there wasno all-India veneer about the revolt. The eastern, southern, and western parts of India remained more or less
- All classes did not join: Certain classes and groups did not join and, in fact, worked against the revolt.
- Big zamindarsacted as ‘break-waters to storm’; even Awadh talukdars backed off once promises of land restitution were spelt out.
- Moneylendersand merchants suffered the wrath of the mutineers badly and, anyway, saw their class interests better protected under British patronage.
- Poor Arms and Equipment:The Indian soldiers were poorly equipped materially, fighting generally with swords and spears and very few guns and muskets.
- On the other hand, the European soldiers were equippedwith the latest weapons of war like the Enfield rifle. The electric telegraph kept the commander-in-chief informed about the movements and strategy of the
- Uncoordinated and Poorly Organised:The revolt was poorly organised with no coordination or central leadership.
- The principal rebel leaders—Nana Saheb, Tantia Tope, Kunwar Singh, Laxmibai—were no match to their British opponents in general ship.
- No Unified Ideology:The mutineers lacked a clear understanding of colonial rule; nor did they have a forward-looking programme, a coherent ideology, a political perspective, or a societal alternative. The rebels represented diverse elements with differing grievances and concepts of current politics.
Topic: Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues.
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: Insights on India
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 1.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about how reforms movement were aimed at India society and their contributions.
Directive word:
Elucidate – 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 by mentioning that the reform movement was a holistic socio-religious reform movement aimed revitalising our society and religion.
Body:
First, elaborate on features such as the movement focussed on aspects such as to bring in an enlightened society, removal of superstition, to establish a democratic society, to promote rationality and scientific temper etc. Mention steps taken by reforms to achieve these. Mention about the reformist movements and revivalist movements. Mention the major reformers of major religions.
Next, write about the contributions of the reform movements to modern India.
Conclusion:
Conclude by saying that the same approach was carried forward by the national movement and was included in the vision of independent India.
Introduction
Indian Society in the 19th century was caught in a vicious web created by religious superstitions and dogmas. The priests exercised an overwhelming and unhealthy influence on the mind of people. Social Conditions were equally depressing with women being oppressed in name of gender along with people deemed to be of lower caste.
Body
Scope of reform movement included Religion and social condition
- The major social problems which came in the purview of the reforms movements were emancipation of women(in which sati, infanticide, child marriage and widow re-marriage were taken up), casteism and untouchability, education for bringing about enlightenment in society.
- In the religious sphere main issues were idolatry, polytheism, religious superstitions, and exploitation by priest.
- Important characteristics of Social Reform Movement included leadership by wide emerging Intellectual middle class.
- Reform movement started in different parts of India in different period but having considerable similarities.
- They were link with one region or one caste. It was clear to them that without religious reformation, there cannot be any social reformation.
- Two Intellectual criteria of social reform movement included- both Rationality and Religious Universalism
- Similarly, while the ambits of reforms were particularistic, their religious perspective was universalistic. Raja Ram Mohan Roy considered different religion as national embodiments of Universal theism.
- g.: In the BrahmoSamaj, it led to the repudiation of the infallibility of the Vedas, and in the Aligarh Movement, to the reconciliation of the teachings of Islam with the needs of the modern age.
- The socio religious reform movement, as a whole, was against backward element of traditional culture in terms of both religious and social evils.
- g.: Holding that religious tenets were not immutable; Syed Ahmed Khan emphasized the role of religion in the progress of society: if religion did not keep pace with and meet the demands of the time it would get fossilized as in the case of Islam in India.
- The focus was on regeneration of traditional institutions including medicine, education, and philosophy and so on.
- There were differences in methods of those reform movements but all of them were concerned with the regeneration of society through social and educational reforms.
Reform movements and national awakening
- In spite of the opposition from the orthodox sections of the society, these movements contributed towards liberating people from the exploitation of priests.
- The movement gave the upcoming middle class cultural roots and reduced the sense of humiliation that the British powers had created.
- Modern, rational, secular, and scientific outlook was promoted realizing the need of the modern era. The reformers aimed at modernisation rather than outright westernization.
- A favourable social climate was created to end India’s cultural and intellectual isolation from the world.
- It was greatly due to the constant endeavours of the reformers that abolition of Sati and legalisation of widow-marriage were achieved during the nineteenth century.
- There was much intellectual fervour, prolonged agitation and acute discussion during the controversy over the age of Consent Bill.
- Such debates, even if they failed to bring about any concrete change immediately, raised the level of consciousness.
- The ideas and activities of the intellectuals were directly or indirectly related to the task of nation-building and national reconstruction.
- The social reform movement, as a matter of fact, was not an isolated phenomenon; it was loaded with wider national political and economic considerations. In a way, the social reform movement was a prelude to nationalism.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, it can be argued that in the evolution of modern India the reform movements have made very significant contribution. They stood for the democratization of the society, removal of superstitions and decadent customs, spread of enlightenment and development of a rational and modern outlook. This led to the national awakening in India.
Topic: Effects of globalization on Indian society.
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: Indian Express.
Why the question:
The interview underscores the importance of combating inequality.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the how social inequality is worsened when economic inequalities are added to it and suggest measures to overcome them.
Directive word:
Analyse – When asked to analyse, you must examine methodically the structure or nature of the topic by separating it into component parts and present them in a summary.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by defining social inequalities in India.
Body:
First, giving statistic which gives a context about rising economic inequalities in India.
Next, write about how the social inequality and economic inequality are inextricably interlinked. Write about the impact of the above on the Indian society.
Next, suggest measures to overcome the same.
Conclusion:
Conclude by writing a way forward.
Introduction
There are different kinds of inequalities in India that are multidimensional and intersectional in nature. Economic growth in India has been associated with unequal outcomes that have created divides between regions, sectors and people. The west and south of the country have surged ahead, while the east and north have lagged behind, widening the gap between richer and poorer states.
Body
Social inequality and economic inequality are inextricably interlinked
- Power Dynamics: Economic inequality often translates into unequal distribution of power.
- Access to Resources: Limited economic resources hinder access to education, healthcare, and opportunities, perpetuating social disparity.
- Generational Impact: Economic advantages or disadvantages tend to pass through generations, widening social gaps.
- Discrimination: Marginalized groups face economic discrimination, reinforcing social hierarchies.
- Policy Influence: Wealthy individuals may influence policies, exacerbating economic inequality and perpetuating social divisions.
- Social Mobility: Economic disparities limit social mobility, cementing societal stratification.
- Education Divide: Unequal access to quality education reinforces both economic and social disparities.
- Healthcare Disparities: Economic gaps contribute to unequal healthcare access, impacting social well-being.
- Community Infrastructure: Economic inequality reflects in disparities in community infrastructure, affecting social cohesion.
- Cyclical Relationship: Social and economic inequalities create a cyclical relationship, reinforcing each other in a self-perpetuating cycle.
Reasons for rising socio-economic inequalities in India
- Health:
- Healthcare provisions in India is grossly inadequate and access to healthcare is highly inequitable. Lack of efficient public healthcare and burden of out-of-pocket health expendituresreduces people’s capacity or disables them from investing in the human capital of their children.
- ineffective functioning (corruption and leakages) of the public distribution system (PDS), growing economic inequalities and lack of nutritional awareness pose challenges in combating malnutrition
- Education:
- Basic literacy (the ability to read and write) in the overall population has progressed modestly. However, there is persistent gender differentials, and major differentials by caste and religion.
- The state of functional literacy and professional skills is poor. Indian graduates have low employability and does not meet changing economic structure or support global competitiveness.
- Rising Inequality:
- In India, a large portion of thepopulation is below the poverty line, therefore, they do not have easy access to primary health and education.
- There is growing inequality across social groups and income groups which translates itself into poor socio-economic mobility.
- Lack of socioeconomic mobility hinders human capital developmentand traps a large section of population to be in the vicious circle of poverty.
- Lack of Skilling:
- According to the National Sample Survey, out of the 470 million people of working age in India, only 10% receive any kind of training or access to skilled employment
- There’s a huge mismatch between demand and supply when it comes to skilled workforce and employment opportunities, which could place a strain on the economy in the long run
- Inadequate use of knowledge bases from technology developments:
- There is a disconnect between India’s rate of technological growth and ability to distribute the gainsfrom it by adequately focusing on skilling and health.
- The use of technical advancements has been concentrated in few sectors and benefits accrued by a few elitist sections of the society.
- Jobless growth:
- India’s high growth rate phase (2004-05 to 2010-11) has created significantly fewer jobs as compared to previous decades of economic growth.
- Around 47 % of India’s population is still dependent on agriculturewhich is notorious for underemployment and disguised unemployment.
- Majority of the workforce is employed by the unorganized sectorwhere workers are underpaid and lack any kind of social security.
- Falling female labour force participation:
- According to data from International Labour Organization and World Bank, India’s female labour force participation rates have fallen from 8 % in 1990 to 27 % in 2013.
- Socio-cultural factors and rising family incomes have been identified as the main reasons for this decline.
- Another appalling concern is that a significant proportion of qualified women drop out of the workforce for reasons ranging from no suitable jobs in the locality—particularly in rural areas—to family responsibilities and marriage.
Impact of rising socio-economic inequalities on Indian society
- Education Divide: Widening economic gaps lead to unequal access to quality education, perpetuating social stratification.
- Caste Discrimination: Social inequality, deeply rooted in the caste system, intersects with economic disparities, reinforcing historic discrimination.
- Healthcare Disparities: Economic inequality results in uneven healthcare access, impacting the overall health of society.
- Political Marginalization: Social and economic disparities contribute to political marginalization of certain groups, hindering inclusive governance.
- Urban-Rural Divide: Economic inequality manifests in urban-rural disparities, exacerbating social divisions between urban and rural communities.
- Gender Inequity: Both social and economic realms intersect in perpetuating gender disparities, limiting opportunities for women.
- Job Market Challenges: Economic gaps create hurdles in the job market, widening social gaps and hindering social mobility.
- Community Well-being: Social and economic inequalities affect community well-being, hindering overall societal progress.
- Resource Allocation: Unequal economic distribution impacts social resource allocation, deepening societal imbalances.
- Strained Social Fabric: The dual impact of social and economic inequality strains the social fabric, posing challenges to India’s inclusive development.
Measures needed
- To engineer an inclusive and sustainable growth for India, the social infrastructure like education, health and social protection are being given utmost priority by the Government
- The gaps in the expenditure on social infrastructure like health and education should be closed by strengthening the delivery mechanisms of the government initiatives. Protecting and investing in people’s health, education, and skilling is vital for reducing income inequality, and sustained inclusive economic growth.
- India needs to increase its spending on health and education. As recommended by the National Health Policy 2017 and the NEP 2020, India needs to increase its spending on health and education to at least 2.5 % in 6 % of GDP respectively from its current levels. Enhancing policies to maintain and even increase health and longevity will therefore be necessary.
- The current situation calls for more and better schools, especially in rural areas. It also calls for better transportation links between rural areas and regional urban hubs.
- India has to invest more in human capital formation at all levels, from primary education to higher education, cutting-edge research and development as well as on vocational training to increase the skill sets of its growing working-age population.
- The flagship schemes such as Skill India, Make in India, and Digital India have to be implemented to achieve convergence between skill training and employment generation.
- Bridging the gender gaps in education, skill development, employment, earnings and reducing social inequalities prevalent in the society have been the underlying goals of the development strategy to enhance human capabilities.
- Improved infrastructure, skill development, access to easy finance, reducing barriers to entrepreneurship and forums for mentorship of emerging entrepreneurs in partnership with corporates are some of measures.
- Decentralized models of development: Social policies for each state must be differentiated to accommodate different rates of population growth. The populations in south and west India are growing at a much slower pace than in the central and eastern states.
Conclusion
As we celebrate the past 75 years, flying the national flag in every home, let us also think about our people for whom little has changed in their lives, with a resolve to ensure that poverty and illiteracy do not exist 25 years from now when we celebrate the first centenary of our independence from colonial rule.
General Studies – 3
Topic: Technology missions;
Difficulty level: Tough
Reference: Down to Earth , Insights on India
Why the question:
The article discusses the contentious issue of introducing genetically modified (GM) mustard in India.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the impact of clearance granted for the cultivation of GM-Mustard and need for a more balanced and transparent approach.
Directive word:
Critically analyze – When asked to analyse, you must examine methodically the structure or nature of the topic by separating it into component parts and present them in a summary. When ‘critically’ is suffixed or prefixed to a directive, one needs to look at the good and bad of the topic and give a balanced judgment on the topic.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by giving context.
Body:
First, in brief, write about the needed for GM crops in the country to meet the challenges of food security and make farming commercially viable and tackle challenges posed by climate change.
Next, write about the positive aspect of the lifting the ban on GM Mustard and its impact on the farmers as well as scientific community in the country.
Next, write about the concerns associated with the above with respect to regulatory processes and transparency and how can they be addressed.
Conclusion:
Conclude by writing a way forward.
Introduction
Genetic engineering aims to transcend the genus barrier by introducing an alien gene in the seeds to get the desired effects. The alien gene could be from a plant, an animal or even a soil bacterium. In most cases, the aim is to introduce a new trait to the plant which does not occur naturally in the species.
The recent clearance by the government for the release of GM Mustard Hybrid DMH 11 — based on the recommendations of GEAC under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change — is a bold decision in the best interest of our farmers and the nation.
Body
Need for the GM Crops other than pest resistance:
- Food Security: Given the increased growth of global population and increased urbanisation, GM crops offer one of the promising solutions to meet the world’s food security needs.
- Improved Stress Tolerance: Genes that give greater tolerance of stress, such as drought, low temperatures or salt in the soil, can also be inserted into crops. This can extend their range and open up new areas for food production.
- Faster Growth: Crops can be altered to make them grow faster, so that they can be cultivated and harvested in areas with shorter growing seasons. This again can extend the range of a food crop into new areas or perhaps allow two harvests in areas where only one is currently practical.
- More Nutritious Crops: Plants and animals can be engineered to produce larger amounts of essential vitamins and minerals, such as iron, helping to solve nutrition problems in some parts of the world. They can also be altered to change the amounts of protein, carbohydrates, and saturated and unsaturated fats that they contain. This could lead to the production of foods designed specifically for a healthy diet for all consumers.
- Production of Medicines and Vaccines by Crops: It may be possible to have plants and animals produce useful medicines and even vaccines, so that prevention and treatment of human diseases in some places can be achieved cheaply and efficiently through the diet.
- Resistance to Herbicides: Crops can be modified to be resistant to specific herbicides, making it much easier to control troublesome weeds. Farmers can simply apply the weed killer to a crop field, killing the unwanted plants and leaving the food crop unaffected. For example, GM oilseed rapeseed – the source of canola oil – is resistant to one chemical that’s widely used to control weeds.
- Better Tasting Foods: Foods can be engineered to taste better, which could encourage people to eat healthier foods that are currently not popular because of their taste, such as broccoli and spinach. It may be possible to insert genes that produce more or different flavours as well.
- Economic benefits: GM crops can increase yield and thus income. Genetically modified foods have a longer shelf life. This improves how long they last and stay fresh during transportation and storage.
Positive aspect of the lifting the ban on G-Mustard and its impact on the farmers as well as scientific community in the country
- It helps to meet our current challenges — over-exploitation of natural resources (soil, water, biodiversity), declining factor productivity, urgency to achieve sustainable development goals, especially ending poverty and hunger, and addressing timely the adverse effects of climate change
- A major concern of our farmers is that yields of mustard are low and have stagnated for a long time at around 1,260 kg/ha, much lower than the global average of 2,000 kg/ha.
- Mustard is a very important oilseed crop, grown in 6.0 -7.0 million hectares, mostly in Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh. Thus, the government’s decision to allow the production of GM Mustard hybrids will go a long way in increasing our yields, while reducing the use of pesticides.
- Allowing the production of GM Soybean and GM Maize going forward will also be a positive step, increasing both the productivity and profitability of these crops and doubling farmers’ income — a goal envisioned by the Prime Minister.
Concerns/Challenges associated with GM Crops:
- Human Health Risks:
- Potential impact on human health including allergens and transfer of antibiotic resistance markers.
- The impact of growing GM crops poses risks to human health as their resistance to antibiotics can turn medicines ineffective and may result in the formation of new toxins and allergens.
- Toxins produced by GM crops can not only affect non-target organisms but also pose the danger of unintentionally introducing allergens and other anti-nutrition factors in foods.
- Bio safety concerns:
- They can reduce species diversity.
- For example, Insect-resistant plants might harm insects that are not their intended target and thus result in destruction of that particular species.
- Cross-pollination in GM crops paves the way for herbicide-resistant super weeds that can further threaten the sustenance of other crops and pests because of its uncontrolled growth
- GM technology could also allow the transfer of genes from one crop to another, creating “super weeds”, which will be immune to common control methods.
- Viral genes added to crops to confer resistance might be transferred to other viral pathogens, which can lead to new and more virulent virus strains.
- Implications on Farmers and Consumers:
- Critics claim that patent laws give developersof the GM crops a dangerous degree of control over the food supply. The concern is over domination of world food production by a few companies
- National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research’santicipation that Bt brinjal’s high yield and increased shelf life will benefit consumers and farmers owing to cut in retail price of brinjals ignores the scenario that companies might charge premium prices for Bt brinjal seeds, in which case farmers may not benefit at all.
- Economic Concerns:
- Introduction of a GM crop to market is a lengthy and costly process. It has not resulted in high yields as promised.
- For instance, the highest yields in mustard are from the five countries which do not grow GM mustard — U.K., France, Poland, Germany and Czech Republic — and not from the GM-growing U.S. or Canada.
- Inefficient Regulatory system:
- Seeing the lapses in the regulatory system and irregularities in the assessment of Bt brinjal (in terms of labelling and unapproved and illegal sowing of GM crops) Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on Science & Technology, Environment and Forests recommended:
- A thorough probe by a team of eminent independent scientists and environmentalists for commercialization of GM crops.
- Endorsed labelling GM foods to protect a consumer’s right to know.
- Ethical Concerns:
- Violation of natural organisms’ intrinsic values by mixing among species.
- There have also been objections to consuming animal genes in plants
Way Forward:
- The government must take decisions on GM technologies on the basis of scientific evidence.
- Need to start cultivating an environment of openness and transparency to allay genuine fears
- The government should adopt a participatory approach to bring together all stakeholders to develop regulatory protocols that restore trust in the process.
- There is a significant uncertainty over their safety, so precautionary principle is that country shall wait till a broader scientific consensus is achieved.
- Need for better policy, pricing and to rationalize the input costs
- GEAC needs to be a transparent body. it should put it in the public domain that on what grounds it has approved GM mustard
- There has to be strong liability laws if there are any environmental hazards or if something goes wrong in future
- Agriculture is a state subject; therefore, it is important for the Centre to take into consideration the views of State Governments as well.
- The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has rightly pointed out in 2004, “Science cannot declare any technology completely risk free. Genetically engineered crops can reduce some environmental risks associated with conventional agriculture, but will also introduce new challenges that must be addressed”.
Conclusion:
Clearly, there can be no credible argument against scientific experiments in agriculture that advance the goal of developing plant varieties that can withstand drought, resist pests and raise yields to feed the growing world population. But this should be done through a transparent regulatory process that is free of ethical conflicts. All this underscores the need for a cautious approach — one that fosters scientific inquiry, allows for scrutiny and is underpinned by regulation. Enacting a comprehensive law that covers all aspects of GM crops should be a priority.
Topic: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: Down to Earth , Insights on India
Why the question:
The introduction of exotic invasive plants disrupts this coevolutionary balance and native ungulates lose out since they do not have mechanisms to address the novel toxins in the ecosystem.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the threats posed by invasive alien species and ways to tackle their spread.
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:
Start by explaining the term invasive alien species.
Body:
First, Explain the various threats posed by them. Provide examples and present the scenario of harm posed by invasive species in India – threaten cultivable land and wildlife habitats alike, may lead to the conversion of marshy wetlands into dry land. E.g.: water hyacinth, spread into the forests through the corridors created by landslides, affect the soil and destroy the microhabitat of that area
Next, Write about the various government policies and programmes in this direction.
Conclusion:
Conclude with solutions to address the issue.
Introduction
Invasive alien species are plants, animals, pathogens and other organisms that are non-native to an ecosystem, and which may cause economic or environmental harm or adversely affect human health. In particular, they impact adversely upon biodiversity, including decline or elimination of native species – through competition, predation, or transmission of pathogens – and the disruption of local ecosystems and ecosystem functions. Examples: Needle Bush, Goat weed, Prickly Poppy, Black Mimosa.
Since the 17th century, invasive alien species have contributed to nearly 40% of all animal extinctions for which the cause is known (CBD, 2006). Invasive south red-eared slider turtle poses threat to Indian biodiversity. This turtle is very small and easy to maintain and these features made them popular pets.
Body
Threats posed by Invasive alien species:
Threats to Environment:
Biodiversity is essential for the functioning of the ecosystems that provide vital resources such as food, water, fuel, building material and traditional medicines for millions of people. Invasive species alter and degrade the environment, and have a negative effect on both native species and the people who live and work there. The impacts of invasive species include:
- Reduced biodiversity
- Decreased availability and quality of key natural resources
- Water shortages
- Increased frequency of wildfires and flooding
- Pollution caused by overuse of chemicals to control infestations
Threats to native species:
- India is endowed with 2,319 species of finfish.
- Studies from several parts of the country show that the diversity of freshwater fish is depleting at an alarming pace due to the invasion of commercially important and ornamental exotic fish species
- Many native species, especially Indian major carps in various riverine systems, have been affected because of the invasion of exotic fish species such as Nile tilapia, African catfish, Thai pangus and common carp.
- Apart from commercially important exotic species, ornamental fishes such as guppy, piranha, suckermouth, blue perch, goldfish and platy have been recorded in rivers, lakes, traditional village ponds and other inland freshwater bodies. These also accelerate the extinction of natural varieties from local water bodies.
- The exotic ornamental Amazon sailfin catfish poses a serious threat to the native fish species of Vandiyur Lake, Madurai.
- The biomass of the Amazon sailfin catfish is statistically significant compared to the indigenous varieties. This clearly shows the negative impact of this exotic aquarium fish on inland aquaculture in terms of diminished production/catch of edible fish.
- Thus more than 15 exotic ornamental species have successfully established a reproductive population in our freshwater bodies and still don’t know the magnitude of the impact of this species on the native diversity of fish.
Economic threats:
Agriculture, forestry and fishing are of huge importance to the economies of developing countries. Invasive species affect the productivity of these systems, and limit the ability of producers to access export markets. This hinders sustainable economic growth and development. The impacts of invasive species include:
- Value and quality of land degraded
- Lower crop productivity
- High cost of controlling pests, weeds and diseases
- Routes to domestic and global markets blocked
- Livestock forced into marginal, sub-optimal grazing lands
Social threats:
Invasive species are a major threat to the livelihoods of the people who live in the areas they colonize. Through disrupting ecosystems, invasive plants, insects and diseases impair many of the things humans need to sustain a good quality of life – including food and shelter, health, security and social interaction. The impacts of invasive species include:
- Livelihood options narrowed
- Food security decreased
- Recreational and social opportunities limited
- Risks to human and animal health
- Increased social challenges
Way forward
- The most cost-effective measure to address the impacts from IAS is to prevent their introduction.
- This can be achieved by establishing effective and well-resourced biosecurity measures to manage priority pathways of introduction, supported by early warning systems and rapid eradication capacity.
- Control, containment and – where feasible – eradication, also need to be undertaken to mitigate the impacts from established IAS, including those whose impacts are likely to increase due to climate change.
- It is essential that a cross-sectoral approach is taken in IAS prevention and management measures. This needs to include the environment, human health, agriculture, fisheries, customs and transport government departments, along with key private sector bodies and civil society.
- Governments, donors and agencies that fund and implement projects, including projects supporting the SDGs, must ensure that current and potential impacts of IAS are understood so that relevant prevention and management measures can be incorporated into projects.
Conclusion
Ecosystems need to be prioritized according to their vulnerability to climate change and IAS, making it possible to establish measures that will prevent IAS introduction. This should include establishing effective biosecurity measures to manage priority pathways of introduction, supported by early warning and rapid eradication to tackle alien species before they become invasive.
General Studies – 4
Topic: Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and world.
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: Insights on India
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 4.
Directive word:
Discuss – This is an all-encompassing directive – you must debate on paper by going through the details of the issues concerned by examining each one of them. You must give reasons for both for and against arguments.
Key Demand of the question: write about the nature of virtues – if they are innate or they can be learnt.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Start by giving context of Swami Vivekananda’s ethical philosophy.
Body:
First, explain the core aspects of his philosophy – interrelatedness of spiritual and social action, importance of self-realization, service to others, self-discipline, and detachment
Next, write about the importance of compassion as per Swami Vivekananda.
Conclusion:
Conclude by summarising.
Introduction
Swami Vivekananda was a great social reformer of the 19th century. He was a devote follower of Vedanta. He tried to apply Vedanta to practical everyday life. Hence his teaching are also referred to as Practical Vedanta.
Body
Major aspects of Swami Vivekananda’s ethical philosophy
- Tolerance: Swami Vivekananda preached tolerance and peace for humankind. His idea of peace and tolerance was global and included people of all the religions and sects. If humans are to thrive and prosper, they need to tolerate the diversified views and strive for the prosperity of all.
- Right Education: He stressed that good education is not merely learning of facts but also development of character. He redefined the concept of education which was not limited to exploring means of earning only. For him education was way to build one’s character, strength, intellect etc. Such idea of education would help in evolving oneself as better person in both personal and public life.
- Strength: Swami Vivekananda stresses on the importance of being strong in the life. Weakness comes with number of difficulties for one in a life. Whether its personal goals or professional goals, a person need to be fearless and firm to achieve them.
- Religion: He argued in favour of religious reforms. He stressed that rationality must be applied to root out evils in religion. His meaning of religion had no place for superstitions, unending rituals and practices and religion that was adrift of spiritual content. His idea of religion was humane, did not have necessity of middlemen to connect with one’s god and did not have barriers of caste, community etc. Such progressive understanding of the religion would relieve people from wrong notions of religion and provide them with real spiritual upliftment.
- Fraternity: Swami Vivekananda focuses on the values like Love, Patience, and Perseverance in one’s life. This would increase the brotherhood and fraternity among the people, reduce conflicts among them and would bind the society as a whole.
- Self-faith: Having faith on oneself is the most important. In order to live a good life, people make all sorts of efforts, but they forget to trust themselves, lack confidence and depend on supernatural powers to help them out of their miseries.
Importance of compassion as per Swami Vivekananda
- Compassion is the feeling of oneness with others.
- It is not just showing sympathy and empathy towards others. In the words of the Gita, real compassion is ‘sarva-bhūtastham ātmānaṁ; seeing the Self in all beings’ or ‘sarva-bhūtāni chātmani; seeing all beings in the Self.
- He stressed that success at the cost of poor is not worth having.
- He tells us that as a part of society every person is responsible for the welfare of poor and marginalised people.
- It emphasizes the need to have empathy and compassion for the weaker sections of the society.
Conclusion
It is high time for the youth to come forward by shedding their fears to shape up India. Swamiji laid great stress on Vasudev Kutumbakam. He argued that instead of differences if we focused on the similarities we all share then this world would be a happier place. His teachings are relevant today since many problems remained the same. His teachings reflects a path to these problems.
Value addition
A small anecdote on Swami Vivekananda’s compassion
Swami Vivekananda was staying in the Math. Some Santhal laborers used to work in the Math. They were poor, uneducated and simple. Swamiji had great sympathy, bordering on love, for these laborers who, despite honest and hard labor, could not feed their family adequately. The compassionate heart of Swami Vivekananda would grieve and melt for these poor fellows. He would inquire about their family, say simple jokes, and mix with these ‘lowly fellows’. The spiritual personality of Swamiji would see suffering Narayana in them. His heart would get filled with unparalleled pity, compassion, and kindness towards these Santhal workers.
Like Gopis of Vraja, who would protest to Krishna not to play the sweet music on his flute, for it attracted them to Him and His Raas Lila with such great intensity that they used to forget their homes and husbands, these workers would also protest: “O my Swamiji, do not come to us when we are working, for while talking to you our work stops and the supervising swami rebukes us afterwards.” With such intensity of love, Swami Vivekananda would attract these poor laborers.
One day Swamiji had a desire to feed these workers. Accordingly, he made arrangements for their lunch. At his orders, bread, curry, sweets, and curds etc. were arranged for the Santhals. Sitting before the Swami, all of them relished the sumptuous food. One Keshta said: “O Swami, whence have you got such a thing! We never tasted anything like this.” Feeding them to their heart’s content, Swami Vivekananda said, “You are Narayana, God manifest; today I have offered food to Narayana.”
Turning to the disciple, the Swami said: “I found them the veritable embodiment of God – such simplicity, such sincere guileless love I have seen nowhere else.” And later addressing the sannyasins of the Math, Swami Vivekananda had said: “Can you mitigate their misery a little! Otherwise, of what good is the wearing of the Gerrua (ochre) robe? Sacrifice of everything for the good of others is real sannyasa…” “Seeing the poor people of our country starving for food, a desire comes to my mind to overthrow all ceremonial worship and learning, and go around from place to place to serve these poor and afflicted…”
Topic: Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and the world to the concepts of morality;
7. What is cognitive dissonance and how can it be addressed? (150 Words)
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 4.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about cognitive dissonance and ways to deal with it.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by defining cognitive dissonance.
Body:
Next, mention the various reasons why cognitive dissonance occurs and the potential implications of it. Cite examples of substantiate.
Next, mention the ways to deal and adapt for cognitive dissonance.
Conclusion:
Conclude by stressing on the way to manage cognitive dissonance.
Introduction
Cognitive dissonance is a phenomenon in which a person experiences psychological distress due to conflicting thoughts or beliefs. It is the mental stress or uneasiness experienced by an individual who holds two or more contradictory views, ideas, or values at the same time, or is confronted by new information that conflicts with existing beliefs, ideas, or values. It means people prefer their attitude and behaviour to be aligned in the same direction.
In order to reduce this tension, people may change their attitudes to reflect their other beliefs or actual behaviours.
Body
Importance of addressing cognitive dissonance
- If we’re not self-aware, cognitive dissonance can leave you acting and feeling pretty out of character.
- For instance, we all like to think of ourselves in certain ways. We consider ourselves to be truthful, hard-working, health-conscious, and in control. But our actions don’t always line up with what we think of ourselves.
- This kind of incongruence can cause some serious mental discomfort.
- Cognitive dissonance threatens our identity and sense of self.
- That’s why it’s important to recognize what it is and what it feels like — if you don’t, then it will be that much harder to live an authentic life aligned with your personal values.
- Over time, living out of integrity with our values begins to take its toll on our psychological well-being and mental health.
Ways to eliminate Cognitive Dissonance:
- Denying and rejecting
- Rejection comes easy when a dissonant activity is oft-repeated.
- For instance, each time you eat meat while on a vegan diet creates more or less the same amount of cognitive dissonance, but the more often you do it, the easier it gets to handle the conflict
- People frequently reduce cognitive dissonance by discounting and dismissing information that contradicts their beliefs.
- They may cut off access to new information that refutes their pre-existing ideas and only remain open to data that support their beliefs. This is called “confirmation bias.”
- Convincing Self Or Others
- The easiest way for a person to reduce their cognitive dissonance is to convince oneself that there is no conflict.
- A person suffering from cognitive dissonance may reach out to and find support from other people who hold similar opinions or matching ideologies, and join their group.
- They may try persuading others that all fresh information is agenda-driven and fallacious.
- Rationalizing The Behaviour
- Rationalizing is the process of applying logic to a situation. To reduce cognitive dissonance, a person may rationalize their actions by inventing implausible (and sometimes ridiculous) excuses.
- Despite knowing that smoking causes cancer, a smoker may rationalize the habit by claiming they only smoke once or twice a day and only when they are stressed at work.
- Reconciling The Differences
- This involves resolving the differences causing mental discomfort. The person may accept the validity of pre-existing beliefs and change their behavior consistent with their views.
- Long-term goals to eliminate dissonance are more likely to necessitate the use of elaborate strategies like transcendence and attitude change.
- Alternatively, it could lead them to abandon their established beliefs and form new ones.
Conclusion
A civil servant should always follow the constitutional moral values, code of conduct of services and act within ethical framework of public service in any case of cognitive dissonance.
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