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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 time gives you extra points in the form of background information.
General Studies – 1
Topic: Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc;
Difficulty level: Easy
Reference: Insights on India
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 1 and mentioned as part of Mission-2022 Secure timetable.
Key Demand of the question:
To mention about the criteria for heat wave and to examine the causes of heat wave condition and measures required to tackle it.
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 defining a heat wave.
Body:
In the first part of the body, start by mentioning the criteria for a heat wave: in temperature for plains, coastal areas and hilly areas. The criteria for a severe heat wave.
In the next part, mention the causes behind heat waves in India
Next, Mention ways to mitigate heath wave conditions in the short term and long term: Short term measures such as issuing proper guidelines and warning, green rating of buildings, structural changes in the buildings, improving the lifestyle of people etc.
Long term measures such as combating climate change, increasing vegetation and green cities, implementing the guidelines of UN-Habitat-III etc.
Conclusion:
Stress upon the need to act with utmost urgency given the increasing instances of heat waves.
Introduction
Heat wave is a period of abnormally high temperatures, more than the normal maximum temperature that occurs during the pre-monsoon (April to June) summer season.
Body
Criteria for conditions to be classified as a heat wave
According to Indian Meteorological Department, Heat wave is considered if maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 40°C or more for Plains, 37°C or more for coastal stations and at least 30°C or more for Hilly regions.
Reasons for India to experience increasing instances of heatwaves
- Magnified effect of paved and concrete surfaces in urban areas and a lack of tree cover.
- Urban heat island effects can make ambient temperatures feel 3 to 4 degrees more than what they are.
- More heat waves were expected as globally temperatures had risen by an average 0.8 degrees in the past 100 years. Night-time temperatures are rising too.
- Higher daily peak temperatures and longer, more intense heat waves are becomingly increasingly frequent globally due to climate change.
- High intensity of UV rays in medium-high heat wave zone.
- Combination of exceptional heat stress and a predominantly rural population makes India vulnerable to heat waves.
Measures to mitigate heat waves:
- Switching to lighter-colored paving or porous green roads and cool roofs, to reflect more solar radiation.
- For instance, after a severe 2010 heat wave, the city of Ahmedabad implemented a Heat Action Plan, including a cool-roofs program; research has shown this plan has prevented thousands of deaths.
- Cities could increase their share of tree cover, which is significantly lower than what’s required to maintain an ecological balance.
- People in urban areas could be encouraged to grow climbing plants and curtains of vegetation outside their windows.
- Greenbelts around cities, for wind paths, would allow the passage of exhaust heat from urban air conditioners and automobiles.
- Finally, air-quality standards should be enforced rigorously and continuously—not just when air pollution reaches hazardous levels.
Way forward:
- In 2016, the National Disaster Management Agency prepared guidelines for state governments to formulate action plans for the prevention and management of heat waves, outlining four key strategies:
- Forecasting heat waves and enabling an early warning system
- Building capacity of healthcare professionals to deal with heat wave-related emergencies
- Community outreach through various media
- Inter-agency cooperation as well as engagement with other civil society organizations in the region.
- Scientific Approach:
- Climate data from the last 15-20 years can be correlated with the mortality and morbidity data to prepare a heat stress index and city-specific threshold.
- Vulnerable areas and population could be identified by using GIS and satellite imagery for targeted actions.
- Advance implementation of local Heat Action Plans, plus effective inter-agency coordination is a vital response which the government can deploy in order to protect vulnerable groups.
- This will require identification of “heat hot spots”, analysis of meteorological data and allocation of resources to crisis-prone areas.
- The India Cooling Action Plan must emphasize the urgency and need for better planning, zoning and building regulations to prevent Urban Heat Islands.
- Provision of public messaging (radio, TV), mobile phone-based text messages, automated phone calls and alerts.
- Promotion of traditional adaptation practices, such as staying indoors and wearing comfortable clothes.
- Popularization of simple design features such as shaded windows, underground water storage tanks and insulating housing materials.
Topic: geographical features and their location-changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: Insights on India
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 1 and mentioned as part of Mission-2022 Secure timetable.
Key Demand of the question:
To understand the paradox between two extreme events of droughts and floods due to climate change and steps that are needed to tackle it.
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 the answer by giving context as to how the extreme weather events are on rise in India. Cite relevant examples and facts.
Body:
Elaborate up on the extreme weather events particularly floods and droughts, which took lives, destroyed homes and agricultural yields as well as resulted in huge revenue losses. Give relevant facts to substantiate your points.
Bring out the factors that are responsible for rise in extreme weather events and bring out the impact which can have on our country and the world.
Give solutions so as to overcome this climate paradox of drought and floods.
Conclusion:
Conclude with a way forward.
Introduction
Climate change directly affects agricultural production as this sector is inherently sensitive to climatic conditions and is one of the most vulnerable sectors at the risk and impact of global climate change. It includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns.
Body
Contribution of Global warming and Climate Change in extreme weather events:
According to a recent study on the report “Preparing India for Extreme Climate Events” released by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), over 75% of districts in India are hotspots of extreme climate events such as cyclones, floods, droughts, heat waves and cold waves.
Cyclones:
- After 2005,the yearly average number of districts affected by cyclones tripled and the cyclone frequency-doubled.
- In the past decade, 258 districts were affected by cyclones with hotspot districtsall along the eastern coastline.
- The east coast’s warming regional microclimate, land-use change,and degrading forests are triggering the region’s cyclonic activity.
Floods:
- The decade 2000-2009 showed a spike in extreme flood events and in associated flood events,which affected almost 473 districts.
- Events associated with floods such aslandslides, heavy rainfall, hailstorms, thunderstorms, and cloudbursts increased by over 20 times.
- The compounding effects ofland subsidence, the urban heat island phenomenon, and sea-level rise due to glacial melts are leading to the intensification of cyclonic disturbances, thus increasing the number of flood events experienced during the decade and making it an outlier.
- While the number of rainy days during monsoon has decreased, single-day extreme rainfall events are increasing,leading to flooding.
- Six of India’s eight most flood-prone districtsin the last decade, Barpeta, Darrang, Dhemaji, Goalpara, Golaghat and Sivasagar, are located in Assam.
Droughts:
- The yearly average of drought-affected districts increased 13 times after 2005.
- Until 2005, the number of districts affected by drought was six, butafter 2005 this figure rose to 79.
- While theintensity of damage in terms of loss of life has reduced significantly, droughts increase uncertainties related to agriculture and rural livelihoods.
- Drought-affected district hotspots of India in the last decadewere Ahmednagar, Aurangabad (both Maharashtra), Anantapur, Chittoor (both Andhra Pradesh), Bagalkot, Bijapur, Chikkaballapur, Gulbarga, and Hassan (all Karnataka).
Weakening of Monsoons :
- The empirical evidence generated from the analysis coincides with the weakening of monsoons due to rising micro-temperatures.
- This further can be validated by the fact that states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh saw severe water scarcity during 2015 due to record-breaking temperatures during summer and weakening monsoons.
Swapping of Nature of Extreme Events:
- The study also found ashift in the pattern of extreme climate events, such as flood-prone areas becoming drought-prone and vice-versa, in over 40% of Indian districts.
- This swapping hashappened in two ways.
- In some cases, districts which were flood-prone have now become drought-prone and vice versa.
- While many districts are facing floods and droughts simultaneously.This trend is both unusual and alarming, and requires further investigation.
- Coastal southern Indian statesare increasingly witnessing more droughts.
- Further,floods and droughts coincide during the same season in several districts of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu.
Measures needed
- Develop a Climate Risk Atlas to map critical vulnerabilities such as coasts, urban heat stress, water stress, and biodiversity collapse.
- Develop an Integrated Emergency Surveillance System to facilitate a systematic and sustained response to emergencies.
- Mainstream risk assessment at all levels, including localised, regional, sectoral, cross-sectoral, macro and micro-climatic level.
- Enhance adaptive and resilience capacity to climate-proof lives, livelihoods and investments.
- Increase the participatory engagement of all stakeholders in the risk assessment process.
- Integrate risk assessment into local, sub-national, and national level plans..
- Solutions to contain the effects of global warming, such as:
- Better city planning and architecture.
- Systems to monitor and control industrial and vehicular pollution.
- Providing environmentally sustainable cooling solutions to citizens.
- Developing and implementing heat action plans for both rural and urban areas.
- Conserving water resources.
Topic: Social empowerment
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: Live Mint
Why the question:
Though output more than doubled and the number of working-age women grew by a quarter over the last two decades, the number of women in jobs declined by 10 million. Global indices and gender empowerment measures also paint a dismal picture. The 2021 Global Gender Gap Index revealed that India ranks 140th of 156 countries, compared to its 98th position in 2006.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about economic and social causes for declining female labour force participation rate (FLFPR).
Directive word:
Examine – When asked to ‘Examine’, we must investigate the topic (content words) in detail, inspect it, investigate it and establish the key facts and issues related to the topic in question. While doing so we should explain why these facts and issues are important and their implications.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by giving statistic regarding declining female labour force participation rate (FLFPR) in India despite high growth.
Body:
In the first part, mention the economic causes behind declining female labour force participation rate (FLFPR) – educational enrolment of young women, lack of employment opportunities, effect of household income on participation etc.
Next, mention the social causes behind declining female labour force participation rate (FLFPR) – educational attainment, fertility rates and the age of marriage, Social norms, Violence etc.
Suggest steps to overcome the same.
Conclusion:
Conclude with a way forward.
Introduction
India’s female labour force participation rate (FLPR) is a puzzling feature of our economy. Though output more than doubled and the number of working-age women grew by a quarter over the last two decades, the number of women in jobs declined by 10 million.
Body
Background
- The 2021 Global Gender Gap Index revealed that India ranks 140th of 156 countries, compared to its 98th position in 2006.
- India’s FLFPR (24.5% in 2018-19) has been declining and is well below the global average (45%).
Causes behind declining female labour force participation rate (FLPR)
- Education paradox: Though the literacy amongst women has been continuously increasing, there has not been proportionate increment in their participation in the economy.
- Crime against women: Women are victims of violence with the crime rate being at 9%.
- Wage gap: Research from India’ leading diversity and inclusion consulting firm Avtar Group shows that women are paid 34% less than men for performing the same job with the same qualifications.
- Lack of Economic Empowerment: Women are underrepresented in senior managerial position and overrepresented in low paying jobs. Oxford Survey shows that globally only 19% firms have a female senior manager.
- Access to productive capital: It is harder for women to access funds and capital for farming, starting a business or for other developmental works.
- Secondary Education for women is lower than man in majority of countries while this stands at less than 80% in India.
- Social norms and stereotypes: Classifying men as “bread winners” and women pursuing jobs as “career women” was reported by Oxford University Survey. It also highlighted that most of the unpaid work is seen as a women’s job.
Need of the hour
- Behavioral Nudge: For instance, by using taxes to incentivize fairly sharing child-care responsibilities, or by encouraging women and girls to enter traditionally male-dominated sectors such as the armed forces and information technology. g. Supreme Court in India declared that women could now hold commanding positions in Army.
- Paternity leaves for men, to share the responsibility of child rearing.
- Incentivizing companies to employ women, and reach 50% target.
- Gender Justice at Work
- Bridging the wage gap for equal work.
- Making work places safer through strong laws. India has enacted Sexual Harassment at workplaces act.
- Promote diversity and anti-bias courses for all employees.
- Comprehensive leadership training for women to excel in their fields.
- Gender sensitization: Breaking the social barriers by gender sensitization and education at families, schools and workplaces. E.g.: In the NCERT Books, gender roles, bias and prejudice inducing writings were removed.
- Social security and financial literacy: Formalization of jobs should be pushed to avail benefits to many women. Until then, social security benefits should be provided to women in unorganized sector.g.: Self Help Group-Bank Linkage Programme in India
- Embedding financial literacy in programmes where women have significant representation could be a good starting point.
- Strong laws and policies wrt equal pay for equal work, maternity benefits are needed to promote women’s representation in economy.
- Political Representation: India has provided 33% reservation for women in the Panchayats and Local Bodies. Capacity Building and training can increase their capabilities further.
Conclusion
We need a comprehensive mechanism that involves the state, institutions, communities and households to address these above challenges. Adopting a ‘SAFETY’ framework—focused on Services, Attitudes, Focus on community, Empowerment of women, Transport and other infrastructure, and Youth interventions to ensure more women enter into the labour force of the nation.
General Studies – 2
Topic: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: Live Mint
Why the question:
The latest NEP aims to transform the basic architecture, culture and approach of Indian education. Not by jettisoning the past, but by building on the good parts of it, while squarely confronting the bad.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the potential of NEP in offsetting learning losses caused by the pandemic.
Directive word:
Comment– here we must express our knowledge and understanding of the issue and form an overall opinion thereupon.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by giving context NEP, its aims and objectives.
Body:
In the first part, mention the impact of the pandemic on learning outcomes. Use the recent ASER report to substantiate.
Next, mention major components of NEP. Write how some aspects of NEP can help put education back on track – basic literacy and numeracy, National Curricular Framework, school complexes and school autonomy etc
Conclusion:
Conclude with a way forward.
Introduction
The National Education Policy (NEP) is aimed at transforming the Indian education system to meet the needs of the 21st Century. The new policy seeks rectification of poor literacy and numeracy outcomes associated with primary schools, reduction in dropout levels in middle and secondary schools and adoption of the multi-disciplinary approach in the higher education system. It also focuses on early childhood care, restructuring curriculum and pedagogy; reforming assessments and exams, and investing in teacher training and broad-basing their appraisal
Body
Background
Learning losses due to pandemic
- School closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to complete disconnect from education for the vast majority of children or inadequate alternatives like community based classes or poor alternatives in the form of online education, including mobile phone-based learning.
- Our school education faces an unprecedented crisis, one of enormous learning losses for about 220 million children because schools were shut for over 18 months.
- Covid-19 hit the poor and marginalised the most.
- On average, 92% of children have lost at least one specific language ability from the previous year across all classes.
- On average, 82% of children on an average have lost at least one specific mathematical ability from the previous year across all classes.
- Only a handful of private schools, universities and IITs could adopt online teaching methods. Their low-income private and government counterparts, on the other hand, have completely shut down for not having access to e-learning solutions.
- Issues of rural students, tribal children are not same. Not everyone can be onboarded to digital learning. Needs of these children must be thought of and a comprehensive learning policy must be made.
Potential of NEP to offset enormous learning losses wreaked upon by the pandemic
- The NEP’s comprehensive and systematic response to tackle problems of basic literacy and numeracy in Indian schools that existed even before the pandemic offers us exactly the platform we require to address the covid-triggered learning crisis.
- The real on-the-ground measures that the policy envisions would greatly strengthen efforts at recovering deep losses on foundational literacy and numeracy.
- The bold vision of a new National Curricular Framework (NCF), intended to develop real capacities, nurture the dispositions of good and engaged citizens, and develop constitutional values in our children, while being less burdensome and moving away from rote learning, is exactly what is needed in this time of a learning crisis.
- The complete redesign of the very approach to education in classes 9 to 12 that the policy has could be placed at the core of enabling children who are in higher classes to graduate from school without any learning deficit.
- ‘School complexes’ are the NEP’s centrepiece of how school organization and governance should be restructured for better outcomes.
Way forward
- Combined with the policy’s large commitment to transforming the care and education of the youngest children, not only could we emerge from today’s learning crisis, but perhaps come out ahead if the investments envisioned by the NEP are made in the ‘Foundational Stage’(ages 3 to 8).
- We must reconfigure and cut down the syllabus to the essentials that enable those curricular goals.
- NEP’s overall thrust to empower and trust teachers, and to grant academic autonomy to institutions, is just the kind of effort that is required on the ground for us to respond with adaptiveness and flexibility, given the nature of learning losses, which vary not only across classes, but importantly across children in the same class.
Topic: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: New Indian Express
Why the question:
The theme of World AIDS Day 2021 “End Inequalities. End AIDS. End Pandemics”
Key Demand of the question:
To explain the reasons why India has been able to achieve positive results in the fight against AIDS and also highlight the challenges that we are yet to overcome.
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 stating the progress India has achieved in its fight against AIDS.
Body:
First, give a brief account of the steps taken by the government in fight against AIDS – NACP, role of NACO, the HIV and AIDS Bill which prohibits discrimination amongst others etc.
Next, mention about the unending stigma faced by AIDS survivors in housing, employment, own family etc.
Next, mention the various inequalities faced gender inequalities, discrimination against the high-risk groups, inequalities invoice, income inequality and work on to provide social protection to the infected and affected population.
Conclusion:
Conclude by writing a way forward to end stigma against AIDS and address the inequalities.
Introduction
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), adopted by member countries of the United Nations in 2015, set a target of ending the epidemics of AIDS by 2030 (SDG 3.3). There has been much success achieved in the past 20 years in the battle against AIDS, but more needed to be done. Government has made significant efforts in order to raise awareness against AIDS, yet there is stigma against the survivors.
Body
Steps taken by India in reducing HIV incidence
- Healthcare infrastructure: Over 34,000 testing centres, more than 1,900 anti-retroviral treatment centres and over 1,400 targeted interventions are currently running in the country, which impacts more than four million high-risk groups and target populations.
- National Strategic Plan 2017-24 and Mission “SAMPARK”, to trace those who are Left to Follow Up and are to be brought under ART services.
- NACP: Government launched a Central Sector Scheme – National AIDS Control Programme (NACP).
- India has successfully achieved the 6th Millennium Development Goal (MDG 6) of halting and reversing the HIV epidemic.
- Preventive measures: For preventing HIV/AIDS transmission from mother to child,
- Prevention from Parent to Child Transmission (PPTCT) programme have been integrated with the RCH programme.
- PALS (PPTCT ART Linkages Software) System has also been launched to maintain details of all HIV positive pregnant and breast-feeding women and their new-born babies.
- 90:90:90 strategy: Government would be implementing the 90:90:90 strategy as adopted by UNAIDS. It is a new HIV treatment that lays the groundwork to end the AIDS epidemic.
- HIV Sensitive social protection portal has been launched to help officials and counsellors.
- India has extended support to the African countries in their fight against HIV-AID which reflects India’s global commitment.
Inequalities and stigma faced by HIV survivors
- Human rights issues: Stigma towards people living with HIV is widespread. The most affected groups are often marginalised, have little or no access to legal protection of their basic human rights. Steps must be taken to further reduce the stigma.
- Discrimination: Most often than not, people with HIV/AIDS are abandoned by their families and are forced to live in destitution, resulting in psychological devastation.
- Social and Economic: The main social and economic impacts for people living with HIV are loss of labour or education due to illness and increased expense of healthcare and transport.
- The compounding of these impacts often leads to increased levels of poverty, food insecurity and nutrition problems.
- Social boycott: There is denial, termination, discontinuation or unfair treatment with regard to employment, education, health care, residing or renting property, standing for public or private office, and insurance.
Way forward
- The need is to adopt a holistic approach to successfully combat discrimination against the infected and the vulnerable and create safe spaces for them.
- The next important step will be public education as acceptance of HIV/AIDS patients in society is still a challenge
- For ensuring ‘Jan Swasthya’, it’s important to collate efforts in a strategic manner for achieving the country’s goals by leaving no one behind as desired by Sustainable Development Goals
- HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Act, 2017: The Act seeks to prevent and control the spread of HIV and AIDS.
- Prohibits discrimination against persons with HIV and AIDS.
- Provides for informed consent and confidentiality with regard to their treatment.
- Places obligations on establishments to safeguard their rights.
General Studies – 3
Topic: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.
Difficulty level: Tough
Reference: The Hindu
Why the question:
The latest GDP and GVA estimates from the National Statistical Office have affirmed that the economy is now on the path to recovery after last fiscal’s record contraction.
Key Demand of the question:
To comment on the need for a fiscal push to sustain demand and economic recovery.
Directive word:
Comment– here we must express our knowledge and understanding of the issue and form an overall opinion thereupon.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by giving context of improving growth after the slump witnessed over past few months.
Body:
First, mention the various steps taken by the government to address the economic woes caused by the pandemic – big supply-side boosters, with credit easing, production incentives, etc, to go with handouts of food and jobs for distress relief.
Next, argue for the need for fiscal push to ensure demand generation in the economy which will sustain growth. Examine if it is a prudent idea to do so.
Conclusion:
Conclude by commenting your opinion if fiscal push is the right way forward to sustain demand.
Introduction
The latest GDP and GVA estimates from the National Statistical Office have affirmed that the economy is now on the path to recovery after last fiscal’s record contraction. Second quarter gross domestic product expanded 8.4%, rebounding from the year-earlier period’s 7.4% contraction.
Body
Background: Economy and post-pandemic recovery statistics
- The gross value added figures, which capture the extent of activity across the eight major formal sectors of the real economy, too underscore the improvement, with the July-September 2021 GVA figure of ₹32.89-lakh crore registering a 0.5% expansion from the July-September period of 2019.
- Five of the eight sectors posted growth not just from the year-earlier quarter but also surpassed the pre-COVID-19 performance.
- Manufacturing, which has the second-largest share of GVA, appears to have regained traction and was the bulwark of GVA, logging a 3.9% expansion from the pre-pandemic second quarter of fiscal 2020.
- The key employment-providing services categories, however, are yet to fully recover from the pandemic’s devastating impact, and along with construction, another major provider of jobs, lagged pre-pandemic levels by a cumulative ₹77,000 crore.
Various steps taken by the government to address the economic woes
- Infrastructure investment tends to have larger fiscal multipliers, and hence can crowd in private investment by boosting demand for machinery and other equipment.
- g.: National Infrastructure Pipeline
- Healthcare: Increasing investment in health infrastructure, by boosting public spending from 1% of GDP currently to 2.5-3.0% of GDP, along with the setting up of a sectoral regulator in light of the market failures due to information asymmetry.
- Innovation and research: India needs to significantly accelerate its investment in R&D to become more innovative.
- The share of private sector participation in gross R&D expenditure is significantly less than the top 10 economies.
- Fiscal measures: The total Aatmanirbhar package is billed at 10% of GDP. The headline number for India’s fiscal response in international databases is around 4% of GDP.
- The one significant demand-side intervention in the Aatmanirbhar Bharat package was ₹40,000 crore of additional outlay for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). Similar measures must continue this fiscal and the next to create the demand.
- The present budget presents a whopping 34.5% increase in budget allocation — Rs 5.54 lakh crore.
- The Budget has proposed a new bad bank framework to deal with the problem of non-performing assets. This will resolve issues of releasing money that was held up from a long times and can be used for productive purposes.
Need for fiscal push and demand generation
A disaggregated view of the GDP data also reveals areas of concern that could undermine the recovery.
- Private final consumption expenditure that measures spending on everything from essentials to luxury goods and the entire gamut of services by all consumers, and has the largest share of GDP at 55%, is still treading water.
- The uncertainty induced by the pandemic, coupled with reduced or lost incomes, continues to depress demand and is mirrored in consumer spending still remaining 3.5% shy of the pre-COVID level.
- Government consumption spending, which has often been a reliable alternative source of demand with a capacity to serve as a multiplier, is also well below the fiscal 2020 second quarter, possibly by design as the Centre seeks to consolidate its fiscal position.
- Unless aggregate demand strengthens, the heartening uptick in business investment, as reflected in the 11% year-on-year jump in gross fixed capital formation, could come to naught with capacity additions remaining underutilised and corporate captains yet again tightening their purse strings.
- Manufacturing PMI data by IHS Markit has another salutary warning: rising input costs could force manufacturers to raise prices adding to the general inflationary pressures in the economy and undermine the recovery.
- Policy makers need to ramp up demand-supportive measures including increasing government spending to ensure that the recovery sustains and gains traction.
Conclusion
A departure from fiscal orthodoxy is welcome. But the government needs to think of ways to make it more sustainable. When it comes to choosing between fiscal consolidation and supporting growth, the Survey calls for a more active countercyclical fiscal policy as a centrepiece for supporting growth in the foreseeable future. This requires a re-writing of India’s fiscal rules, to make them more counter-cyclical. Without growth, India cannot attain debt sustainability. Growth is also necessary for alleviating poverty and reducing inequality – two challenges thrown up in the aftermath of the pandemic.
General Studies – 4
Topic: ethics – in private and public relationships;
Difficulty level: Moderate
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 4 and part of ‘Abstract Thursdays’ in Mission-2022 Secure.
Directive:
Elucidate – Give a detailed account as to how and why it occurred, or what is the particular context. You must be defining key terms where ever appropriate, and substantiate with relevant associated facts.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Define ethics in respect to administration and mention the need to knowing the distinction between your powerful rights and the right thing to do.
Body:
From the perspective of an administrator further elaborate on the quote and as to why it is imperative for the administrator to do the right thing. Use examples to substantiate your point.
Bring out the various facets of integrity, impartiality and nonpartisanship, objectivity, dedication to public service, empathy, tolerance and compassion towards the weaker-sections that an administrator has to consider before taking any actions.
Mention certain principle, theories and benchmarks one can to take the right decision especially when faced with an ethical dilemma. Eg: Gandhi’s Talisman. Etc.
Conclusion:
Complete by summarizing the need for doing the right thing especially for those who are in power.
Introduction
Ethics goes beyond doing what is legally right and addresses proper behaviour and expectations for those tasked with the responsibility of planning communities in their roles as public officials representing the public good.
Body
While the law provides clear responsibilities and limits to officials and other individuals responsible for the planning of communities, there is a great deal of flexibility where individuals or groups must make judgment decisions in the best interests of their community, and being guided by strong ethical principles ensures that the best decisions are being made.
e.g.: Evicting people from a particular site due to a developmental project. An administrator has to think twice about the people who are residents and their livelihoods.
People often have different and opposing ethical standards. Ethics are developed from an individual or group’s beliefs, values and morals, which vary from person-to-person and can often be in direct conflict and opposition to another’s.
There are people who believe if something is legal then it’s ethical. However it is not so. For instance, Racial discrimination was legal once but was never ethical.
Ethics is about putting principles into action. Consistency between what we say we value and what our actions say we value is a matter of integrity. Ethics is also about self-restraint, i.e., what we should not do:
- Not doing what you have the power to do. An act isn’t proper simply because it is permissible or you can get away with it.
- Not doing what you have the right to do. There is a big difference between what you have the right to do and what is right to do.
- Not doing what you want to do. In the well-worn turn of phrase, an ethical person often chooses to do more than the law requires and less than the law allows.
Ethics is the rules for deciding correct conduct. Let’s look at an example of making a decision ethically. You want to sit up in your neighbour’s apple tree with a salt shaker and eat his apples. But you decide to put aside your selfish interest, and to not do what you want and have the power to do for the sake of respecting your neighbour’s right to enjoy or benefit from his own apples. You stay out of your neighbour’s tree. You have acted ethically.
For instance, as an administrator, you have the power and right to help your friend to get a job through your recommendation, but you choose not to do it to uphold merit-based selection and to provide a fair playing ground to all the applicants. You don’t favour your friend. You have acted ethically.
Conclusion
Thus, Ethics is the body of principles used to decide what behaviours are right, good and proper. Such principles (ethics) do not always dictate a single “moral” course of action, but provide a means of evaluating and deciding among competing options.
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