75 Days Mains Revision Plan 2024 – Indian Society
Indian Society
Q1. Social empowerment acts as both a foundation and a measure of a country’s development. Comment. 10M
Key demand of the question
To comment on how social empowerment contributes to development and how it serves as a metric for assessing a nation’s growth.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Define social empowerment and briefly outline its components, such as education, gender equality etc., and its relevance in development discourse.
Body:
- First discuss the role of social empowerment as a foundation of development: inclusive growth, enhances capability of people, empowerment of various sections of society like women and children, Prevent social tension.
- Mention how social empowerment indicates a nation’s development: Indicators of Empowerment, correlate with improved quality of life, health outcomes, social stability, global comparison etc.
Conclusion
Highlight the necessity of prioritizing social empowerment initiatives as part of a comprehensive development strategy.
Introduction
Social empowerment, which ensures that all sections of society have equal control over their lives and can make significant decisions, is both a fundamental driver and an indicator of a country’s development. This process fosters autonomy and self-confidence, building a socially just society.
Body:
Social empowerment as a foundation of development:
- Inclusive Growth: Social empowerment ensures that the benefits of economic growth reach all sections of society. Empowered informal workers with social security are less vulnerable to exploitation.
- g. MGNREGA has contributed to social empowerment by providing job security and financial independence to rural workers.
- Enhancement of Capabilities: Access to education, healthcare, and skill development opportunities through social empowerment enables individuals to achieve their life goals, aligning with Amartya Sen’s capability approach.
- g. Initiatives like the Right to Education Act and the Aayushmaan Mission aim to enhance the capabilities of marginalized communities.
- Sustainable Development: Social empowerment enables communities to advocate for their cultural and environmental rights, leading to sustainable development practices.
- g. Movements like Chipko and Narmada Bachao Andolan highlight how empowered communities can protect their environment and cultural heritage.
- Prevention of Social Tensions: Empowered societies are less prone to social tensions and crimes. Social empowerment reduces vulnerabilities, such as the trafficking of young girls from economically disadvantaged regions.
- g. Community policing and social justice programs have been shown to reduce crime rates and enhance community cohesion.
Social Empowerment as a Measure of Development:
- Multi-faceted development: Development is not just economic growth but also the realization of the full potential of all societal sections. Extreme social inequality reflects underdevelopment, even in economically advanced nations.
- g. Scandinavian countries, despite lower economic growth than the US, rank higher on social indicators, demonstrating holistic development.
- Resilience: A socially empowered population enhances national resilience during emergencies like disasters, wars, or pandemics, facilitating quicker recovery.
- g. The response to the COVID-19 pandemic showed that regions with higher social empowerment managed the crisis more effectively.
- Economic Growth Potential: Social empowerment drives economic growth by increasing market demand, leading to a virtuous cycle of demand, employment, and economic growth.
- g. Programs like the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, which promotes financial inclusion, have significantly boosted economic activities and growth.
Conclusion
Social empowerment is indispensable for India’s aspiration of becoming a ‘New India.’ It is both a foundational element and a measure of true development. The government’s multi-pronged strategies, such as Mudra Yojana, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, and others, are steps in the right direction to empower various societal sections.
Q2. There exists a considerable difference between the secularism enshrined in the Indian Constitution and its practice. Do you agree? Support your perspective with relevant arguments. 15M
Key demand of the question
To argue whether there is a significant difference between constitutional secularism and its implementation, providing relevant examples and arguments to support the perspective.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Introduce the concept of secularism as defined in the Indian Constitution, emphasizing its core principles.
Body:
- First, mention the constitutional provisions relating to secularism like Articles 25 to 28, Role of the state in promoting religious harmony.
- Next, highlight the abuse and misuse of the secular principle – like instances of political manipulations, discrepancies in the application of personal laws, communal tensions, issues of reservation based on religion, media shaping narratives etc.
Conclusion
Conclude by writing the importance of continuing efforts toward true secularism in society, advocating for policies and actions that uphold the spirit of the Constitution.
Introduction
Secularism in the Indian Constitution mandates that the state maintain an impartial stance towards all religions, balancing respect without endorsing or discrediting any. This principle calls for critical respect for all religions, with the state maintaining a principled distance to facilitate the free exercise of religion.
Body:
Secularism enshrined in the Indian constitution:
- Articles 25-28: These articles guarantee freedom of religion, including the right to practice, profess, and propagate one’s religion, subject to public order, health, and morality.
- The Constitution permits state interference in the secular aspects of religion under certain conditions.
- Articles 29 and 30: These articles allow religious minorities to establish and manage their own educational institutions, ensuring equal opportunities for all religious groups.
- Articles 14, 15, and 16: These provisions prohibit discrimination on the grounds of religion in state matters, promoting equality and justice.
Practices diverging from Constitutional Secularism:
- Political Opportunism: Political parties often practice what is termed “party-political secularism,” making alliances with influential religious groups for electoral gains.
- This approach compromises the principle of equal respect for all religions, leading to favouritism and appeasement policies.
- g. The Shah Bano case (1985) and the subsequent reversal of the Supreme Court’s judgment through legislation.
- Selective State Intervention: The state sometimes intervenes in religious matters selectively, often influenced by political calculations rather than constitutional mandates.
- g. selective application of personal laws and subsidies, favour certain religious groups over others.
- Use of Religion in Politics: Religion is frequently used as a tool in electoral politics, with candidates and parties appealing to religious sentiments to garner votes.
- This practice undermines the secular character of the state and can lead to communal tensions and polarization.
- g. Rise of political parties representing mainly certain religions.
- Judicial and Legislative Actions: While there have been significant judicial interventions and legislative actions to promote secularism, such as the ban on triple talaq and reforms in personal laws, these measures are often unevenly implemented.
- g. Sabrimala’s judgement, and ban on genital mutilation among the Dawodi Bohra community.
Way forward:
- Principled Arm’s Length: The Indian concept of secularism is based on maintaining a principled distance, requiring constant decisions on when to engage or disengage with religion.
- State interventions should aim to enhance constitutional commitments to freedom, equality, and fraternity.
- Collective Commitment: Sustaining constitutional secularism requires not only state efforts but also a collective commitment from the media, civil society activists, and vigilant citizens.
Conclusion
To bridge this gap, there is a need for a renewed commitment to constitutional principles, ensuring that state actions are guided by the ideals of equality, justice, and non-discrimination. A collective effort from the state, civil society, and citizens is essential to uphold the true spirit of secularism in India.
ETHICS
Q3. What role do academic institutions play in imparting values to children? Is relying solely on academic institutions sufficient for ensuring the ethical upbringing of children? [10m, 150words]
Reference: The Hindu
Key demand of question: To address the role that schools as social institutes play in value inculcation among children. And explain how society and family supplement value inculcation.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction: Begin with a quote, or giving the context of the question.
Body:
Explain how academic instruction imparts value to children [Insights IAS]
Then address how, along with academic institutions, family and society play a role in imparting values to children. Substantiate with examples.
Conclusion: Conclude by emphasizing the importance of value inculcation in children.
Introduction:
Inculcating virtues involves instilling elevated moral principles, ethical values, and essential ideals in an individual. This process includes imparting values like honesty, empathy, integrity, and respect through education, role modelling, and ethical mentoring.
Body:
Academic institutes play a significant role in value inculcation through:
- Curriculum Integration: Schools can embed ethics into their academic programs by integrating subjects like moral education alongside core disciplines.
- Eg: The Bhagavad-Gita curriculum in Gujarat Government Schools.
- Group activity: Group activity includes role playing, games, group discussion, group projects etc. Through these activities, students learn the value of team spirit, co-operation etc.
- Character Development Programs: Educational institutions in India organize activities aimed at nurturing virtues such as honesty, integrity, and empathy among students.
- Eg: Karnataka recent initiative “Navu Manujaru” to impart ethical values.
- Enforcement mechanism: Schools, being the formal place of socialization have strong enforcement mechanism wherein students are rewarded for pro-moral behaviours and punish immoral
- Cultural Innovation: Educational institutions create and transmit cultural values. The teacher does not transmit the same knowledge but by adding his experience he transmits updated values.
Along with academic institutions, social systems like family and society will also impart value to children:
- Family plays role in:
- Nurturing and support -Authoritative Parentingis essential in order to foster self-awareness, respect and social sensitivity along with authority and respect for rules.
- Moral lessons: It has long lasting impact on children psyche and also helps in the development of moral reasoning thereby one could differentiate between morally appropriate and inappropriate behaviours.
- Eg: Narrating stories from Mahabharata, Ramayana etc.
- Traditional values: Practice of traditional values by family member is learned by children through observational learning.
- Eg: Honourable treatment given to female members of family inculcates the value of treating women fairly.
- Society play role in:
- Political setup: This may be either Democratic or autocratic, based on the nature of political state, suitable values are transmitted among citizens.
- Culture and Religion: Religion and culture are more or less interlinked and their codes are most influential factor in value inculcation through societal channels.
- Eg: Indian value of Tolerance is heavily drawn from Hindu texts.
- Economy: Economic setup of the society too influences values of members of the society.
- Eg: Socialist economy promotes the value of equity whereas market economy inculcates values of creativity and competition.
Conclusion:
“Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil.” Hence, imparting the children with the necessary ethical values must come mainly from educational institutions, society, and family.
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