I – WIL MAINS TEST SERIES – 2022

TEST CODE : 2, SYNOPSIS

1. Enumerate the socio-economic and geographical complexities arising out of erratic

monsoons in India?
Introduction
Any deviation from the national average can be termed as erratic. Erratic monsoon not only
means poor rainfall. It can be excess also. Recent data on Indian monsoon have indicated that
the unevenness of even a normal monsoon is now a trend, not an aberration. The latest
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report also specifically mentions erratic
monsoons.
Body

Fig: Erratic monsoon figure for the year 2021

Impacts due to erratic monsoons in India
Social
 Health impacts: fewer yields lead to increased malnutrition and related health disorders
such as child stunting - with the poor likely to be affected most severely.
 Cultural diversity: Regional monsoon variation in India is reflected in the vast variety of
cuisine, attire and housing pattern. This makes India a highly culturally diverse country.
Less rainfall makes people to show less interest in cultural activities
o E.g. Bihu, folk dances, folk paintings
 Implied effects: A poor monsoon causes a declining agriculture sector, food inflation,
farmer distress and political agitation.
 Groundwater charging: More than 60% of India’s agriculture is rain-fed, making the
country highly dependent on groundwater. Erratic monsoon impacts charging of
groundwater
 Migration and conflict: When the monsoon fails, or when there is excess rain, there is a
loss of crops and hence rural-to-urban migration results. There are many factors
influencing rural to rural and rural to urban migration. One such important factor is
agricultural distress.
Economical impacts due to erratic monsoons in India
 Agriculture and food security: Erratic monsoons lead to food prices expected to increase
due to growing populations and rising incomes, as well as a greater demand for biofuels.
o Food prices increases due to shortage of yield
o Fewer yields and less income: Kharif crops are grown with the onset of monsoon in
different parts of the country and these are harvested in September-October.
 Important crops grown during this season are paddy, maize, jawar, bajra, tur (arhar),
moong, urad, cotton, jute, groundnut and soybean. Erratic monsoons disrupt the
growth of crops.
 Energy Security: Monsoon rain helps recharge dams and reservoirs, which are further
used for the generation of hydroelectric power. If rain is erratic it leads to a shortage of
power supply.
o Finance minister from 1909, declared that the “budget of India is a gamble in rain“.
With climate change affecting the natural variability of monsoons, this statement is
even truer today.
 Agricultural income: Indian economy is vitally linked to the monsoon because of its water
resources. A large part of the country gets more than 75% of the annual rainfall during
the four months, June to September. The production of foodgrains depends fairly closely
on the amount and distribution of monsoon rainfall over the country.
 Employment opportunities: An erratic monsoon does not give consistent employment
opportunities to people.
 Destroy crops: Crops such as wheat, rice, and pulses, which are a staple in Indian diets,
need heavy rain falls to grow. Scanty rainfall or erratic rainfall may lead to the destruction
of crops. Indian economy suffers heavy losses due to floods and droughts almost every
year.
Geographical impacts due to erratic monsoons in India
 Agriculture and human geography depend on monsoon: The monsoon season lasts
three months, from June to September. More than 70% of the total rainfall falls in these
months. Monsoons are of particular strategic importance to India because of
its agriculture sector. While irrigation systems have been expanding since
independence, 60% of crops remain rain-fed and are hence entirely dependent on the
monsoon season
 Flood: When the summer monsoon is stronger than expected, floods can devastate the
region. In cities like Mumbai, entire neighbourhoods can be drowned. In rural areas,
mudslides can bury villages and destroy crops.
 Can make vulnerable to both drought and flood: Scanty rainfall may lead to drought and
less agriculture productivity.
 Degrades soil: Sudden monsoon burst creates a problem of soil erosion over large areas
in India.
o Also, calcification of soil if erratic. Salinization and Alkalization of soil.
 Rise in temperature if rainfall is less: Already the Indian subcontinent is seeing
heatwaves.
Conclusion
The accurate weather forecast, integrated farming system, water harvesting and rainwater
management are some of the methods to tackle the impacts of erratic monsoons. Climate
crisis-mitigating tech and new crop varieties are the need of the hour.

2. What are Himalayan Frontal Thrust (HFT) and seismic gaps? Also, explain their geomorphic
significance.
Introduction
Himalayan Frontal Thrust/Fault (HFT/HFF) (also known as Main Frontal Thrust (MFT)) is a
geological fault in the Himalayas that defines the boundary between the Himalayan
foothills and Indo-Gangetic Plain. It is the youngest and southernmost thrust structure in the
Himalayas deformation front.
A seismic gap is a segment of an active fault known to produce significant earthquakes that
have not slipped in an unusually long time, compared with other segments along with the same
structure. It refers to any region along an active plate boundary that has not experienced a
large thrust or strike-slip earthquake for more than 30 years.

Body

Geomorphic significance of Himalayan Frontal Thrust (HFT)

 Demarcation: The Himalayan frontal faults are a series of reverse faults that demarcates
the boundary of the Shivalik from the alluvial expanse of the Indo-Gangetic plains.
o It demarcates the principal present-day tectonic displacement zone between the
stable Indian continent and the Himalayas with a convergence rate of 10–15
mm/yr3.
o The HFT represents a zone of active deformation between the Sub-Himalaya and
the Indian plain.
 Southward migration: The principal thrusts, namely the Main Central Thrust (MCT), the
Main Boundary Thrust (MBT) and the Himalayan Frontal Thrust (HFT) show younger age
and shallowing depth, suggesting southward migration of the main deformation front.
  Understanding the seismic structure of the mountain chains as well as their evolution:
o ITSZ is tectonically active: As per the established models, all Himalayan thrusts
except HFT are locked, and overall deformation in Himalaya is being accommodated
only along with the HFT.
 Study of Orogenic belts of Himalayas: Faults mark the sites of obliteration of oceanic
lithosphere by subduction and the consequent intracontinental welding of continental
masses as single and easily recognizable lines.
o The study of HFT can help us understand the end-product of plate tectonic
processes in time and space.

Geomorphic significance of seismic gaps

 Seismicity of a place: Seismic Gaps are prone to earthquakes because the accumulated
strain beneath the surface has not been released. By identifying seismic gaps, we can get
to know the proneness of a region to earthquakes.
o Statistically, a major earthquake is due i.e, much more time had elapsed since the
last major earthquake than the average time gap between two major earthquakes
as per the historical occurrences.
o The cause of the Kumaon-Garhwal strong earthquakes in CE 1505 and CE 1803 was
found to be fractured along the Himalayan Frontal Thrust (HFT)
 Planning: The knowledge of these seismic gaps’ locations in the country can provide us
the basis for planning. The development plans should be in accordance with their
distribution.
o The presence of a number of seismic gaps in the Himalayan region suggests that we
should avoid big irrigation projects, Mega housing or road projects.

Conclusion
India is one of the highly earthquakes affected countries because of the presence
of tectonically active young fold mountains, the Himalayas. There is a need to further study the
tectonic movement through new techniques and a larger geological database esp. in the face
of the increased frequency of earthquakes in the Delhi-NCR region in past few years as well
as the increased risk of avalanches in the Himalayas such as Dhauli Ganga Uttarakhand
avalanche in the recent times.

3. Identify the factors influencing the location of semiconductor and electronics industry in
India. What advantages does India hold to emerge as the global powerhouse for electronic
manufacturing ecosystem in the world?
Introduction
India’s electronics industry has grown to become one of the largest consumer electronics
markets in the Asia Pacific Region. India’s electronics market will reach $400 billion by 2025.
Additionally, the consumer electronics and appliances industry is expected to become the 5th
largest electronics industry in the world by the same year.
Main Body
 Factors influencing the location of semiconductor and electronics industry in India and
advantages that India holds
o Availability of the labour force –
 India boasts of a vast talent pool which has strong capabilities in design and
R&D. The work force is not just skilled, but cost-effective as well.
o Transportation and logistics convenience – India’s flagship Chennai location
opened in 2006 and lies within a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for electronics
manufacturing, offering economic incentives for imports and exports.
 This primary facility is within 90 minutes of the Chennai seaport and 20
minutes to the international airport, with additional road and rail connectivity
linking to the rest of India and beyond, as well as infrastructure advantages
with faster import and export clearances.
o Proximity to materials e.g. china, Taiwan Japan are major exporter of electronic
componenet to India. So, costal city location hold advantages in electronic industry
in India.
o Availability of rare earth elements, which is an important requirement in
Electronics e.g. rare earth monazite sands are available along peninsular coatal
India.
Advantages India hold:
o Competitive advantage compared to other economies –
 Rising manufacturing costs in other manufacturing economies and
burgeoning consumption in the Middle East, Latin America and North Africa
fuelling global demand have been contributing towards the growth of the
Electronics Sector in India.
 Due to rising labour costs, an increasing number of companies are now
relocating their units from China to India to serve domestic demand.
o The adoption of high-end technologies- It contributes to the growth in consumer
electronic devices.
 The introduction of major technology transitions like IoT and 4G/LTE networks
are rapidly increasing the adoption of consumer electronics. India is already
the Asia Pacific’s fastest-growing Smartphone and IoT market.
o Government schemes and efforts
 The government has listed the electronics industry as a priority sector under
its Make in India campaign.
 National electronics and electrical fund
 Vision document on “India’s Electronic Equipment Exports and Increasing
Share in GVC
 Government already have comprehensive 'National Policy on Electronics
2012.
 Schemes to increase the share of electronic manufacturing in the global
value chains
 The Production Linked Incentive Scheme (PLI) for large scale electronics
manufacturing.
 The scheme for Promotion of Manufacturing of Electronic Components and
Semiconductors (SPECS).
 The modified Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMC 2.0) Scheme.
 Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (M-SIPS)
 o Expertise- India contribute 40 years of design and manufacturing expertise spanning
multiple diverse markets and it look forward to discuss how we can deliver world-
class products for OEMs across the globe.
 We foster growth opportunities within India through our strong technology
incubation ecosystem. We also assist global OEMs seeking to enter the Indian
market by leveraging the local supply chain and favourable operating
environments for cost reductions.
o Rising domestic market and increased demand - The Indian government has
initiated projects like Smart City and Digital India to stir up demand for IoT within
the national market. The digital banking sector, including payment banks and wallet
players, is another factor raising demand for VSAT and POS mobile ATMs. These will
give further impetus to the rapidly expanding electronics industry.
 India is one of the largest consumers of smartphones and electronics due to
its sizeable population.
Conclusion
Electronics manufacturing is a highly dynamic and rapidly emerging sector. It has the potential
to add huge value to economic growth as well as employment generation, the industry has the
potential to provide millions of jobs, directly and indirectly. Threats of Artificial Intelligence-
based manufacturing are already looming over the world and opportunities presented by
China's rising labour cost. By harnessing the opportunities India's electronics sector has the
potential to become one of the top exports of the country.

4. Account for the factors leading to differential shrinkage in sea ice in the Arctic and the
Antarctic regions?
Introduction
The Arctic is an ocean, covered by a thin layer of perennial sea ice and surrounded by land.
Antarctica, on the other hand, is a continent, covered by a very thick ice cap and surrounded
by a rim of sea ice and the Southern Ocean. The Arctic Ocean is very deep and closely linked
with the climate systems around it, making it more sensitive to climate changes than
Antarctica.
Main Body
 Differential Shrinkage in sea ice in Arctic and Antarctic region
 Decline in the Arctic: Long-term trends in sea ice have shown clear declines in most
areas of the Arctic. This decline is mainly attributed to the continually increasing air
temperatures from anthropogenic activity.
 Increase in the Antarctic: Unlike the Arctic’s long-term decline in sea ice extent, the
Antarctic region over time has shown slight increases.
 Since the 1970s, satellites have shown an approximate 1% per decade increase
in extent until 2014. Increases in sea ice extent have been attributed to
changes in wind patterns, and from localised cooling of sea surface
temperatures from direct glacier melt and ice shelf collapse.
 Factors leading to differential shrinkage
 Geography: - The Arctic is a semi-enclosed ocean, almost completely surrounded by
land. As a result, the sea ice that forms in the Arctic is not as mobile as sea ice in the
Antarctic. Also, because there is no land boundary to the north, the sea ice is free
to float northward into warmer waters where it eventually melts.
 Changes to sea surface temperatures: As the glaciers and ice shelves melt on the
Antarctic continent, freshwater is added to the oceans. This layer of cold, fresh
water on the ocean surface freezes easily. When combined with increased ocean
stratification due to this enhanced runoff, sea-surface temperatures are depressed,
encouraging sea-ice formation in the Antarctic region.
 In contrast, Arctic ice has decreased to its lowest level due to increasing sea
temperature.
 The pattern of the ice extent - The pattern of Antarctic maximum sea ice is roughly
symmetric around the pole, forming a circle around Antarctica. In contrast, the
Arctic is asymmetric, with much more ice in some longitudes than others.
 Trade winds and oceanic currents are comparatively less affected in the southern
hemisphere. Heat balance mechanisms are largely unaffected. Thus, Antarctic
melting is comparatively less.
 Precipitation - Because the Arctic Ocean is mostly covered by ice and surrounded
by land, precipitation is relatively rare. Antarctica, however, is entirely surrounded
by the ocean, so moisture is more readily available.
 Warmer air holds more moisture, and so precipitation is increasing around
Antarctica
 Military activities: Military exercise, and mineral resources extraction are more in
the Arctic circle. Thus, GHGs and heating are more.
 Distribution of human settlement and their related industrial activities are more in
Northern Hemisphere. In comparison, the southern hemisphere is relatively less
affected by anthropogenic activities.
Conclusion
Both the thickness and extent of summer sea ice in the Arctic have shown a dramatic decline
over the past 30 years. This is consistent with observations of a warming Arctic. This trend is a
 major sign of climate change in the Polar Regions and may be an indicator of the effects of
global warming which alarms the whole of humanity to work for the global commons.

5. How important is electro-mobility in decarbonising transport sector? Also, discuss the major
geographic and other constraints in battery minerals for India.
Introduction:
India has a massive and diverse transport sector, which is also the third most CO2 emitting
sector. Therefore, there is a need to decarbonise the sector. Electro mobility or e-Mobility is
the use of electric cars, e-bikes, and e-buses which are fully or partially driven by electricity.
Also, India is largely dependent on fossil fuels- close to 85% of energy. Thus, switching to
electro-mobility is vital to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and consequently reduce carbon
footprint.
Body
Decarbonizing involves the reduction of carbon. In the transport sector, the key points to
consider about the new resource are its Sustainability, Availability, Efficiency, Impact on
pollution, and Sector-wise usage.
Electro mobility is important to achieve this because
 Decarbonise energy source: Sustainable resources such as wind, solar and hydropower
can be used to power electric mobility. Thus limiting the resource exploitation of fossil
fuels.
 Geographical location of India and Resource availability: Even considering just solar
energy, with about 300 clear and sunny days in a year, the calculated solar energy
incidence on India's land area is about 5 quadrillion kWh. This exceeds the possible
energy output of all of the fossil fuel energy reserves in India.
 Employ resource efficiency: Data from MOEFCC suggests that within the transport
sector, road transport contributes to more than 90% of the total CO2 emissions.
o By building a robust transport, based on electric-powered engines, metro rail, e-
buses etc. Resource efficiency can be improved. For example, the electricity needed
to transport 1 tonne-kilometre by rail is almost ten times lower than electric trucks.
 Reducing pollution-Decarbonizing Urban areas: All Indian cities with more than a million
populations are included in the list of polluted cities by WHO. Fully electric cars produce
no CO2 emissions while driving.
 Sector-wise electrification: Close to 80% of CO2 emissions is due to intercity passenger
and freight transport by road. Electric highways can transform this. The central
government has already proposed to build such a highway between Delhi and Jaipur.
o With 80% electrification of broad gauge routes achieved by Indian railways,
electrification of highways and cars will provide sector-wise electrification with
aviation being a lone exclusion.
Batteries play a major role as they store the electrical energy required to power electric
mobility.
The major constraints of battery minerals include:
 Geographical – lack of resources:
o Lithium: According to a report by World Resource Institute (WRI) India does not
have enough lithium reserves for manufacturing lithium-ion batteries. India has
existing reserves of Mn, Ni, Cu, and Al.

o Access to water: Lithium and graphite mining are water-guzzling processes. In

traditional mining to extract, let’s say, 1 tonne of Lithium requires more than
500,000 gallons of water which causes a lot of social problems and ecological
problems.

 Lack of mining capacity: China is the world’s largest producer of graphite, the primary
anode material for Li-ion batteries. In India, the deposits of economic importance are
located in Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Arunachal Pradesh, which are yet to be
exploited.
  Lack of refining Capacity: China stands first in the Lithium-ion supply chain despite not
having an abundance of battery metal deposits due to its control over 80% of global raw
material refining capacity.
 Supply chain resilience: Despite having a rich deposit of monazite on beach sand, India
is 100% import-dependent for its rare earth supplies. India needs reforms in the mining
sector to strengthen its supply chain.
 Lack of recycling: There will be 145,000 tonnes of used lithium-ion batteries in need of
recycling by 2030. Hence, the focus should be on recycling battery minerals in India to
reduce import dependence and achieve its green goals.
Along with these India also faces issues with technology and investments required for robust
battery development.
R&D in newer technologies needs to be upscaled. Rare earth minerals mining is currently,
under govt. control. It needs deregulation and private sector entry.

Conclusion:
To ensure a greener decarbonised world India has to strengthen its mineral resources by
exploration within and also securing it through mineral-rich continents such as Africa and
Australia.

6. Traditional social values and social harmony are entwined. Analyze

Introduction
Social values are a set of principles that are morally acceptable by society. These principles
are created by the dynamics of the community, institutions in the society, traditions, and
cultural beliefs of the people in the society. They provide the general guidelines for social
conduct. Values such as fundamental rights, patriotism, respect for human dignity, rationality,
sacrifice, individuality, equality, democracy etc.
Body
Traditional social values and social harmony are entwined:
 Tolerance: Tolerance is respect, acceptance and appreciation of the rich diversity of our
cultures, our forms of expression and ways of being human. It is fostered by knowledge,
openness, communication, and freedom of thought, conscience and belief.
o Example: Acceptance of different religions and beliefs in society
 Adaptability: People get adaptability as an inherent trait in India owing to this
diversity. We live closely knitted with a society that is highly diverse making it essential
for us to adapt to situations.
o Example: adapting to different food cuisines and cultures when migrated
 Assimilation of different religions: The pluralistic character of Indian society, its unique
unity in diversity possesses the noble principles of Vedas and Vedanta, Islam, Christianity,
Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, Sufism and many more faiths that lived on
Indian soil.
o Example: Ganesh Chaturthi and Ramzan overlap a few years and again Ramzan,
Dasara and Navaratri coincide a few years.
 Brotherhood: Brotherhood refers to the oneness of society. It aims to reduce wars and
encourage living in peace & harmony as equals. It rejects all racial, social, religious,
economic, or other forms of classification or hierarchy.
 Unity in diversity: Despite inherent differences, Indian society celebrates unity in
diversity which reflects in modern India’s founding principles and constitutional ideals.
Example: Muslims celebrating the Diwali festival
 Social interdependence: People are born into group families, clans, subcastes, castes,
and religious communities—and feel a deep sense of inseparability from these
groups. Example: Depending on farmers for food.
 Respecting Individual rights: Protection of human rights is essential for the development
of the people of the country, which ultimately leads to the development of the nation as
a whole. Example: Legalization of LGBTQ rights in India
 Village Structure and Unity: Residents typically range from priests and cultivators to
merchants, artisans, and labourers. Various crucial horizontal linkages connect each
village with many others and with urban areas both near and far. For example, villages
often recognized a headman and a panchayat, a council composed of important local men
of different caste and religion
 Empathy: Empathy is important because it helps us understand how others are feeling so
we can respond appropriately to the situation. Example: During covid, victims were
helped in all possible ways
 Religious Philosophies e.g. Aryasatyas of Buddhism teach us four noble truths; Jain
philosophy revolves around three main tenets: right faith, right knowledge, and right
conduct.

However, social harmony is a more complex social psychological phenomenon which is

determined by the interactions among social values, people, and society. People achieve social
harmony when they feel their values and desires are attainable in society

Conclusion
Though social values are traditional in Indian society, in recent times events of intolerance,
mistrust, misunderstanding, and hostility between groups are reported. Humanity, kindness
 and love are some of the end values or destination values that human beings seek to attain,
practise and live with.

7. Discuss the role of ‘Platform Economy’ in empowering women in India. How can it be further
strengthened? Suggest.
Introduction
The platform economy is the tendency for commerce to increasingly move towards and favour
digital platform business models. Platforms are algorithm-enabled “cyberplaces” where
elements like people or machinery can act or transact.
Body
Role of ‘Platform Economy’ in empowering women in India
 Economic and social activity facilitated by platforms: Employers (both large and small)
are also recognizing the value of these platforms to improve efficiency and increase
demand for their services. Food delivery, logistics, transport, and home-based services
have seen rapid growth. Example: e-Commerce websites for selling groceries
o Companies such as Zomato, Swiggy, Ecom Express and Shadowfax are among
those who are rapidly inducting more women into their last-mile delivery fleet.
 More flexibility: It provides the flexibility of work hours that enable women workers to
make house calls for clients, work four to five hours a day via a company platform and
earn a decent remuneration to supplement their family income.
o Example: Edtech apps help to learn and teach the content at the ease of time.
 Accelerating gender equality: Platform economy offers an opportunity for female
workers to engage in decent and meaningful employment as well as social support.
o Zomato Instant has gained significant attention from female and transgender
delivery partners considering its short (less than 2 km) and defined routes along
with our care and emergency support.
 Reaching rural and urban places: Several women either lack access to personal motor
vehicles or don’t have a driver’s licence. Companies like Swiggy is providing bicycle,
electric cycles and bikes on rent so that women from even remote areas can partner with
it.
 Less cost: Platform economy is the use of online platforms, which decreases the
transaction costs of labour outsourcing and temporary access to goods and services.
Example: e-Logistics platform that helps agriculture products in procuring and reaching
customers
 Innovation platforms: These provide technology frameworks to customers that can be
adapted to individual use. This helps in empowering hidden talents in women. Example:
Selling organic products through e-commerce websites, converting an antique home to a
homestay and promoting in e- tourism websites
 Open economic system: The strength of the platform economy lies in its ability
to eliminate trade barriers by using increased information sharing between different
players and circulation of data to its advantage
Methods to strengthen ‘Platform Economy’
 Digital literacy: Employability is increasingly becoming reliant on technology and digital
skills, there is a need for digital empowerment. Example: PM Disha Yojana
  Financial literacy: Women can help deal with rising costs of living and inflation if they are
financially literate. Being financial independent helps in the investment and marketing of
products and services
 Technical education: To give vocational training in technical education. Example: website
development, digital marketing, video editing etc
 The Code on Social Security Bill, 2020, for the first time in Indian law, attempted to define
‘platform work’ outside of the traditional employment category.
 Parliament has passed 3 labour code bills aimed at labour welfare reforms covering more
than 50 crores of organized and unorganized workers in the country.
 Higher Internet penetration supported by cheaper data charges
 Platform in multiple languages to attract all sections of society and those who are English
illiterate.
However, empowerment of women through the ‘platform economy’ suffers from the same set
of social biases and discrimination as prevalent in society.

Conclusion
Female labour force participation is not only influenced by socio-economic constraints such as
economic growth/cyclical effects and urbanization but also a number of gendered factors such
as educational attainment, fertility rates, and age of marriage. Encouraging full participation
of women in productive activities, and easing of care burden will eventually contribute to their
empowerment, increased agency, and overall improved status of women, in the family and in
the society.

8. 'India's caste system continues to fracture society'. In this regard, do you think India should
strive towards a casteless society? Argue.
Introduction
India's caste system is among the world's oldest forms of surviving social stratification. The
different castes are further divided into about 3,000 castes and 25,000 sub-castes, each based
on their specific occupation. One's caste affects their options regarding marriage, employment,
education, economies, mobility, housing and politics, among others.
Body
India's caste system continues to fracture society:
Impacts of caste system on social development
 Job opportunities: In India, many jobs have historical associations with specific caste
groups, and are still more likely to be held by members of those castes.
 Dietary habits: Caste not only dictates one's occupation but dietary habits and interaction
with members of other castes as well. Members of a high caste enjoy more wealth and
opportunities while members of a low caste perform menial jobs.
 Untouchability: The worst aspect of the caste system was untouchability. The
untouchable suffered from various social, economic, political and religious disabilities. In
the name of religion, they were thoroughly exploited in the most inhuman manner.
 Social discrimination: Lower caste people often do not have the facility to electricity,
sanitation facilities or water pumps in lower caste neighbourhoods. Access to better
education, housing and medical facilities than that of the higher castes is denied.
 Inequality: Caste system leads to discrimination and inequality in our society. Example:
instances of communities of higher caste discriminating against lower caste people.
 Reservations and counter-reservation movement and how they perpetuate caste
feelings. Also, demand for reservation by upper castes e.g. Marathas in Maharashtra.
Impacts of caste system on economic development
 Less mobility: The exploitation, prejudice, and discrimination that are associated with the
hierarchical aspect of the caste system would have stifled mobility among the lower
castes.
 Lack of access to resources: The lower castes remained locked in unskilled, low-paying
occupations for centuries in the traditional economy due to a lack of access to resources.
 Fewer choices: Caste system prevents the choice of occupations according to one's
personal taste and ability.
 Caste-based networks: These facilitate economic activity and support the mobility of
their members in an economy where markets function imperfectly.
Impacts of caste system on political development
 Against lower caste: The privileged upper caste groups benefit more by gaining
substantially more economic and political power, while the lower caste groups have
limited access to those powers.
 Dominant caste: A dominant caste is a caste which dominates numerically; due to its
numeric preponderance it enjoys political power. Politicians find caste a handy and
convenient instrument for use during elections. ‘Dominant caste’ gained political and
economic power through money power and muscle power.
 Vote bank politics: It is the practice of creating and maintaining vote banks through
divisive policies. As it encourages voting on the basis of the self-interest of certain groups,
often against their better judgement, it is considered harmful to the principles of
representative democracy.
 Influence of caste on political propaganda of the parties: The political parties keep the
caste affiliations of the candidates in mind while nominating them from particular
constituencies, the propaganda of the parties is also greatly determined along caste lines.
India should strive towards a casteless society as it has the following advantage:
 Less discrimination: When everyone is treated equally irrespective of caste there is less
scope for discrimination in society.
 More equality: Due to less discrimination, more equality in social, economical and
political spheres can be envisaged.
 Access to resources: Casteless society provides people a platform to lead lives by the
principles they believe in, and be an example to society by providing all resources.
 Merit-based system in job and education: casteless society leads to no reservation
system. Education and employment will be based on a merit system.
 Other advantages: Abolition of untouchability, integration of the country, more
development of rational ideas
Disadvantages of a casteless society
 Less Cooperation within groups: Caste system fastened cooperation with each caste.
They co-operated with each other to preserve their culture and protect it from
degradation by other castes.
  Less Social security: The caste system provides social security to the individual. It provides
the individual with a permanent body of associations which exercise healthy control over
his behaviour.
 Diminishes Cultural security: Through the caste system, the skill, knowledge, behaviour,
customs, beliefs and faiths of the society are transmitted from one generation to another.
Casteless society diminishes cultural security

Conclusion
Caste restricts opportunity. Restricted opportunity constricts ability. Constricted ability further
restricts opportunity. Where caste prevails, opportunity and ability are restricted to ever-
narrowing circles of the people. India should strive for a casteless society for social, economical
and political development.
There will be some practical problems. Now, because of this categorical shift, there will be the
need for some alterations in the reservation percentage and a few other minor practical issues,
to which solutions can be worked out. But the advantages of this system seem promising.

9. "Indians value religious tolerance, though they also live religiously segregated lives".
Explaining the statement, comment whether the religious tolerance been eroding in recent
years.
Introduction
The report by Pew Research Centre shows that Indians value religious freedom and have high
religious tolerance, unlike the common belief. However, they live a segregated life and would
like to largely keep interpersonal relations with members of their own religion.
● "Tolerance is respect, acceptance, and appreciation of the rich diversity of our world's
cultures, our forms of expression and ways of being human." UNESCO's 1995 Declaration
of Principles on Tolerance.

Indians see religious tolerance as central to who they are as a nation.

● India’s massive population is diverse as well as devout. Most of the world’s Hindus, Jains,
and Sikhs live in India and it is also home to one of the world’s largest Muslim
populations and to millions of Christians and Buddhists.
● Across the major religious groups, most people say it is very important to respect all
religions to be “truly Indian.”
○ Tolerance is a religious as well as a civic value: Indians are united in the view that
respecting other religions is a very important part of what it means to be a member
of their own religious community.
● India’s religious groups share several religious practices and beliefs. These shared
values are accompanied by many beliefs that cross religious lines.
○ For instance, many Sikh (29%), Christian (22%) and Muslim (18%) women in India
say they wear a bindi – even though the bindi has Hindu origins. Muslims in India
are just as likely as Hindus to say they believe in karma (77% each), as do 54% of
Indian Christians.
○ Members of the majority Hindu community celebrate Muslim and Christian
festivals.
 E.g. in UP, Ramlila drama is enacted by Muslim youths as well.
 Indians also prefer religiously segregated lives
● Paradoxically, despite these shared values and high regard for religious tolerance, the
majority in all the faiths scored poorly on the metrics for religious segregation.
○ This includes the composition of friends’ circle, views on stopping inter-religious
marriage, and willingness to accept people of other religions as neighbours.
● India’s religious groups generally see themselves as very different from each other.
○ This perception of difference is reflected in traditions and habits that maintain the
separation of India’s religious groups. For example, marriages across religious lines
– and, relatedly, religious conversions – are exceedingly rare.
● Stopping religious intermarriage is a high priority for Hindus, Muslims, and others in
India.
○ Roughly two-thirds of Hindus say it is very important to stop Hindu women (67%)
or Hindu men (65%) from marrying into other religious communities. Even larger
shares of Muslims oppose interreligious marriage.
● Substantial minorities would not accept followers of other religions as neighbours.
○ India’s Muslims express pride in being Indian while identifying communal tensions
and desiring segregation.

Some Instances of Erosion of Religious tolerance

● Religion is not the only fault line in Indian society. Caste is another dividing line in Indian
society, and not just among Hindus.
○ In some regions of the country, significant shares of people perceive widespread,
caste-based discrimination.
○ UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion has highlighted reducing religious
tolerance in India.
● Intolerance diverts society's attention away from growth. E.g. One of the key causes of
the lack of industrialization in Eastern UP is the communal environment.
○ Mob violence impacts the psyche of minorities e.g. instances of lynching of Muslim
men on suspicion of cow slaughter.
● Vote Bank Politics: Politicians that utilize the communal card to connect themselves with
a particular group or to split up the vote bank of another party frequently instigate
communal riots.
● Hate speech: Hate speech and portraying the growing number of minorities as a danger
to majority interests contribute to a climate of intolerance among groups.
● Media bias: To sensationalize the problem and increase their TRP, the media broadcasts
unsubstantiated, sensitive, and frequently prejudiced news on national television.

Conclusion and Way forward

● Prime Minister recently said equal respect for all faiths had long been a part of India’s
ethos.
○ Swami Vivekananda said we believe not only in universal toleration but we accept
all religions as true. The tradition of welcoming, respecting, and honouring all faiths
is as old as India itself.
 ● The vast majority of Indians, across all major faiths, think religion is very important in
their lives, and considerable percentages of each religious group pray daily and follow a
variety of other religious rites. The fact that most religious groups believe in collaboration
and tolerance rather than hostility and communalism is a good revelation.

10. In the context of globalisation, what do you understand by ‘Global Village’? Discuss its
various impacts on Indian society.
Introduction
Global village describes the phenomenon of the entire world becoming more interconnected
as the result of the propagation of media technologies throughout the world. The global village
has come to designate “the dominant term for expressing a global coexistence altered by
transnational commerce, migration, and culture”.
Modern society is more interdependent and interconnected than earlier one thus considered
a ‘global village’.
Body:
Impacts of globalisation on Indian society
 Family structure; - The increasing migration coupled with financial independence has
led to the breaking of joint families into nuclear ones. The western influence of
individualism has led to an aspirational generation of youth.
o Earlier families acted as a caring and nurturing unit but today it has just remained
as a functional unit as women today are joining the workforce and are less caring.
 Food; - Indian cuisine is among the most popular cuisine in the world and in recent years
has seen the popularization of pizza, burgers, Chinese and western foods among the
masses.
o McDonalds like food chains are able to diminish the difference in food habits.
 On Caste system; - Globalization has led to the weakening of the caste system as incidents
of inter-caste marriage, inter-dining, lower caste becoming vegetarian and higher caste
choosing nonveg food have increased.
o However, despite these changes, the caste system has shown immense resilience
and still continues to exist in Indian society.
 Language; - Recent years have seen that the use of English has increased manifold and
its highest speaking population.
 Marriage; - the importance of marriage is declining and cases of divorce have increased
as people are becoming more professional and they are preferring live in over marriage
and many are also preferring single parenting.
o However, despite that marriage as an institution has not declined rather it has just
changed its role.
 Psychological impact; - emergence and spread of fundamentalism, work stress and job
insecurity due to cut-throat competition, promotion of self-selected culture and there
are also some people who are facing identity confusion in this highly globalized world.
 Women; - it has led to the empowerment of women as they are becoming financially
more independent leading to the elimination of traditional gender roles, higher pay given
to them also promotes equality.
 o However, crime against women has increased, feminization of agriculture in
absence of land titles has increased their work burden, also they are having dual
burdens i.e., traditional and modern roles.
 Old age vulnerability; - Due to the rise of nuclear family’s social security provided by Joint
families to old age people has diminished and they have become economically, socially
and emotionally more vulnerable.
 Youth; - youth are the most exposed group to Globalization and they have immense
scope to get benefits accruing from globalization.
o Despite providing opportunities it has made youth alienated as many of them are
going through frustration and depression.
 Traditional knowledge like theatre and indigenous knowledge systems like the use of
turmeric for medicinal purposes etc. are fading away from the masses but it is also
becoming popular among the scientific community.
 Festival;- Due to the impact of globalization cultural values related to the festival in India
have undergone a change as people are celebrating festivals like Valentine’s Day, and
Friendship day.
o However, along with these new festivals and days, traditional festivals are
celebrated with equal enthusiasm.

Conclusion
International trade in goods and ideas will and should continue, but the only form of
globalization that is acceptable is one that unites nations in meeting global threats and in
preserving the environments, life forms and civilizations of this planet. Globalization has
metamorphosed Indian society without compromising its original ethos.

11. What do you understand by Mass Wasting? Describe different processes and preventive
measures to mitigate the risk of hazards due to mass wasting?
Introduction
The movement of rock and soil downslope under the influence of gravity is called Mass
wasting. The Rock falls, slumps and debris flows are all examples of mass wasting. It is often
lubricated by rainfall or agitated by seismic activity, these events may occur very rapidly and
move as a flow.
It is very active over weathered slopes compared to un-weathered slopes. Usual geographic
agents like running water, glaciers, wind, waves etc. do not have much role to play in mass
movements, and it is the gravity, which is the main driving force.
Body:
Types of Mass Wasting; - mass wasting is mainly of two types.
 Slow movements: -
o Soil creep; - It occurs on moderately steep, soil-covered slopes (doesn’t need to be
lubricated with water as in solifluction). The movement is extremely slow and
imperceptible except through extended observation. Materials involved can be soil
or rock debris.
o Solifluction; - It is the process of slow downslope flowing of soil mass or fine-
grained rock debris saturated or lubricated with water. It can be said as a type of
creep with lubricated water influences the movement. It mainly occurs in
permafrost regions as the layers of groundwater are occupied in between
permanently frozen soil and rocks.
 It occurs frequently in bitterly cold regions such as Alaska or Canada.
 Rapid movements; -
o Earth flow;- Movement of water-saturated clayey or silty earth materials down
low-angle terraces or hillsides is called earthflow.
o Mudflow;- In the absence of vegetation and cover and with heavy rainfall, thick
layers of weathered materials get saturated with water and either slow or rapidly
flow down along definite channels is called a mudflow.
o Avalanches; - It is more common in humid regions with or without vegetation. It
occurs in narrow tracks on steep slopes and is similar to snow avalanches. They are
generally faster than mudflow.
o Landslides; - it is relatively rapid and perceptible movements, the materials involved
here are relatively dry. The size and the shape of the detached mass depends on
nature of discontinuities in the rocks, the degree of weathering and the steepness
of the slope.
 Several things can trigger landslides, including the slow weathering of rocks as
well as soil erosion, earthquakes and volcanic activity.
While all three forms are common in mountainous regions, landslides are frequently
observed in India, especially along the Himalayas belt in North and Northeast India. This is
because, the Himalayan stretch is tectonically active, and earthquakes act as catalysts for
landslides.

Processes and preventive measures to mitigate the risk of hazards due to mass wasting
 Afforestation; - Afforestation is the establishment of a forest or stand of trees
(forestation) in an area where there was no previous tree cover. Afforestation on a large
scale can reduce the occurrence of these movements.
o For instance, Planting "Amanda" on a large scale which has remarkable resistance
to boulders and debris.
 Terracing steps on slopes or, more generally, re-modelling their shape which creates a
stair-step topography, can be applied to help with slope stabilization, but it must be
applied at the proper scale to be effective.
 Re-afforestation; - it is the act of planting trees in an area where there used to be a forest.
These methods have huge potential in reducing the mass movements and also act as a
shock absorber in case of mass wasting.
 Slope reinforcement;-it can help prevent and mitigate landslides. For Rockfall-prone
areas, sometimes it is economical to use long steel bolts. Bolts, drilled a few meters into
a rock face, can secure loose pieces of material that could pose a hazard.
o Shockcrete, a reinforced spray-on form of concrete, can strengthen a slope face
when applied properly.
o Buttressing a slide by adding weight at the toe of the slide and removing weight
from the head of the slide, can stabilize a landslide.
 Use of Modern technology;- The use of Electronic distance meter measurements, radar
and acoustic emission technology and early warning systems could reduce the damage
caused by these movements.
o Use of geo-textiles to hold the soil together.
o Construction of Bioswales in urban areas to streamline flood water flow.
 A different approach to reducing landslide hazards is to shield, catch, and divert the
runout material.
 Special stretchable fencing can be applied in areas where rock fall is common to protect
pedestrians and vehicles.
 Runout channels, diversion structures, and check dams can be used to slow debris flows
and divert them around structures.
o Some highways have special tunnels that divert landslides over the highway. In all
of these cases, the shielding has to be engineered to a scale that is greater than the
slide, or catastrophic loss in property and life could result.

Conclusion
Mass wasting affects geomorphology, most often in subtle, small-scale ways, but occasionally
more spectacularly.
 It must be noted that we cannot prevent mass wasting in the long term as it is a natural and
ongoing process; however, in many situations, there are actions that we can take to reduce or
mitigate its damaging effects on people and infrastructure.

12. Briefly explain different types of cyclones. How are ‘twin cyclones’ different from them?
Also, explain the mechanism behind the formation of twin cyclones.
Introduction
A cyclone is a large air mass that rotates around a strong centre of low atmospheric pressure,
counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as
viewed from above (opposite to an anticyclone). They are characterized by inward-spiralling
winds that rotate about a zone of low pressure.
Recently twin cyclones was in the news which originated in the Indian Ocean one in the
Northern hemisphere and the other in the southern hemisphere and raised curiosity among
scientific communities.
Body:
Types of Cyclones; - they are mainly of two types.
 Extra-tropical cyclone: -
o They develop in the mid and high latitude regions, beyond the tropics and hence,
called the middle latitude or extra tropical cyclones. The passage of the front causes
abrupt changes in the weather conditions over the area in the middle and high
latitudes.
o Extratropical cyclones form along the polar front. Initially, the front is stationary. In
the northern hemisphere, warm air blows from the south and cold air from the
north of the front.
o When the pressure drops along the front, the warm air moves northwards and the
cold air move toward, the south setting in motion an anticlockwise cyclonic
circulation. The cyclonic circulation leads to a well-developed extratropical cyclone,
with a warm front and a cold front.
 Tropical cyclones; -
o Tropical cyclones are violent storms that originate over oceans in tropical areas
(between the areas of tropic of cancer and tropic of Capricorn) and move over to
the coastal areas bringing about large-scale destruction caused by violent winds,
very heavy rainfall and storm surges.
o It is one of the most devastating natural calamities. They are known as Cyclones in
the Indian Ocean, Hurricanes in the Atlantic, Typhoons in the Western Pacific and
the South China Sea, and Willy-willies in Western Australia.
o They originate and intensify over warm tropical oceans.
o The conditions favourable for the formation and intensification of tropical storms
are:
 Large sea surface with a temperature higher than 27° C;
 Presence of the Coriolis force;
 Small variations in the vertical wind speed;
 A pre-existing weak low-pressure area or low-level-cyclonic circulation;
 Upper divergence above the sea level system.
 o A mature tropical cyclone is characterised by the strong spirally circulating wind
around the centre, called the eye. The diameter of the circulating system can vary
between 150 and 250 km.

Twin cyclones versus Normal cyclones

 Twin tropical cyclones are a group of two cyclones, one on either side of the equator, at
nearly the same longitude, at nearly the same time—basically, as twins.
 They have a tendency to move towards the west.
 In the Northern Hemisphere, they will have a slightly northerly component of
motion, while in the southern hemisphere they usually have a slightly southern
component to their movement.
 So, it means in the northern hemisphere, the cyclone is moving north and west,
while the southern one is moving south and west.
 They also have two vortexes one in the northern hemisphere other in the southern one.
 While twin cyclones may not be exceptionally rare, they certainly aren’t common they
do, however, tend to occur more often during El Niño events.
 Twin tropical cyclones involve a certain set of ingredients. In general, twin cyclones are
preceded by areas of thunderstorms that straddle the equator and which are associated
with strong westerly winds (winds blowing west to east). The same concept is at play with
tropical cyclones.
Mechanism behind the formation of twin cyclones;-
 The interplay of the wind and the monsoon system combined with the Earth system
produces twin cyclones.
 They are basically caused by equatorial Rossby waves. They are huge waves in the ocean
with wavelengths of around 4,000–5,000 kilometres.
 It has a vortex in the northern hemisphere and another in the southern hemisphere, and
each of these is a mirror image of the other.
 The vortex in the north spins counterclockwise and has a positive spin, while the one in
the southern hemisphere spins in the clockwise direction and therefore has a negative
spin. Both have a positive value of the vorticity which is a measure of the rotation.
 When the vorticity is positive in both Northern and Southern hemispheres, as is the case
with Rossby waves, the air in the boundary layer, which is moist, is lifted slightly. That is
enough to set off a feedback process.
 When the air is lifted slightly, the water vapour condenses to make clouds. As it
condenses, it lets out the latent heat of evaporation.
 The atmosphere warms, this parcel of air rises, and positive feedback is set off by this
process. The warmer parcel of air can rise further because it is lighter than the surrounding
air, and it can form deeper clouds.
 Meanwhile, moisture comes in from both sides. This leads to the formation of a cyclone
if certain conditions are present.

Conclusion
Cyclone is not unique to earth only and occurs on other planets also. Cyclones cause huge loss
of life and property and an effective early warning system has helped reduce the negative
cyclones bring with them.
13. “India’s escalating groundwater crisis is a big, but often overlooked, the driver behind the
mass migration to urban areas”. Evaluate the reasons behind the groundwater crisis and its
impact on communities in India.
Introduction
India is home to 17% of the global population but only 4% of its water resources. 820 million
Indians face high to extreme water stress. Fifty-four per cent of India’s groundwater wells
have declined over the past seven years, and 21 major cities are expected to run out of
groundwater in the coming future. India is the ‘topmost hotspot of groundwater loss’,
according to the WMO analysis.

Main Body
 Status of the groundwater crisis in India
 The average annual per capita water availability has been consistently decreasing.
It reduced to 1,545 cubic metres in 2011, from 1,816 cubic metres in 2001. It is
projected to further decrease to 1,367 cubic metres in 2031, according to the Union
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
 Five of the 21 river basins in India are ‘absolute water scarce’ (per capita water
availability below 500 cubic metres) according to the Falkenmark Water Stress
Indicator.
 The study states that by 2050, up to 79% of all watersheds — large areas where
water is naturally stored from rain and ice melt — will be pumped beyond
sustainability. This will lead not just to large-scale disruptions in aquatic ecosystems
but also to global food security.

As per World Bank, lack of Water is Linked to 10 Percent of the Rise in Global Migration.
According to groundwater expert Dr Veena Srinivasan, India’s escalating water crisis is a big,
but often overlooked, the driver behind the mass migration to urban areas.
 Groundwater crisis and Migration
 Why Water stressed migration is overlooked - The notion of“water migrant” is an
overly broad generalization not supported by the evidence. In fact, it is the poorest
that often lack the means to migrate, even when doing so might improve their
livelihoods and prospects. These trapped populations can encounter a triple
whammy of water deficits, evaporating economic opportunities, and lack the means
to move to places with better prospects.
 Water deficits are linked to 10% of the rise in global migration. Climate
change is accelerating the global water crisis.
 17 countries that are home to 25% of the world population already face
extremely higher levels of water stress.
 Groundwater crisis causing food security issues results in migration – The impacts
of water security on food security can force people to migrate in search of countries
with more water. Increasing water scarcity is expected to threaten the livelihoods
of hundreds of millions of farmers in semi-arid, developing countries.
 The absence of water has a greater impact on migration than an abundance of
water. Rainfall shocks – when rainfall is significantly above or below the long-term
 average for a region – are expected to be the driving force in water-induced
migration in the years ahead.
 Dry rainfall shocks have five times the effect on out-migration than wet
rainfall shocks.
 Causes of the groundwater crisis in India
 Insufficient water per person as a result of population growth- The Indian
subcontinent is in a water-stressed state due to the water-intensive demands of
economic development and food supply for a population of over a billion people
 With a population of 1.2 billion according to the 2011 census, India has only
1,000 cubic meters of water per person. A country is considered water-
stressed if it has less than 1,700 cubic meters per person per year.
 Dwindling groundwater supplies due to over-extraction -unsustainable
groundwater pumping for exceeds the rate of replenishment.
 NASA study - water table dropping 30 cm a year because of overexploitation.
 Unregulated and unauthorized borewells are leading to over-extraction.
 Agriculture- the most water-intensive sector –
 As per the world bank report Agriculture uses 70 per cent of freshwater use
 Less emphasis on growing green water and white water crops.
 Less water use efficiency in crop production in India - India uses 2-4 times of
more water to produce a unit of crops than China/ Brazil. 1 Kg of rice requires
5 thousand Litre of water, 1kg of sugarcane-2 thousand litre of water
 Insufficient water-treatment facilities- Poor water quality resulting from
insufficient and delayed investment in urban water-treatment facilities. Water in
most rivers in India is largely not fit for drinking, and in many stretches not even fit
for bathing
 Impact of groundwater crisis on communities
 Groundwater makes up 99 percent of all freshwater that is not frozen. It provides
nearly half of the world’s population with drinking water and contributes to about
half of the global food production. For some 2.5 billion people in the world,
groundwater is their one and only source of freshwater.
 Importance of groundwater is not only a question of drinking water and irrigation
of crops. Groundwater is, in the words of the 2020 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate,
groundwater expert John Cherry, “the Earth’s life support system.”It impacts the
each and every sector as well as the communities.
 Food security crisis due to groundwater depletion – Groundwater is one of the
most important water sources in India accounting for 63% of all irrigation water and
over 80% of the rural and urban domestic water supplies.
 The researchers found that if farmers in over-exploited regions lose all access
to groundwater, and if that irrigation water isn't replaced by water from other
sources, winter harvests could decrease by 20% nationwide and by 68% in the
most severely affected areas.
 Groundwater crisis and health – Ground water crisis resulting in lowering of the
water table leads to pollution of groundwater from pollutants like Arsenic.
Groundwater is also threatened by pollution from agriculture, manufacturing and
 fracking. Chemicals are increasingly found in the drinking water in many regions
which becomes a threat to human health.
 Impact on urban communities- It is estimated that in the near future only the
majority of the mega cities like Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore are expected to run
out of ground water availability. Cities are the most dense and accommodating
place of population. Groundwater crisis will in cities will result in major human
security issues.
 Saltwater ingress in coastal areas due to over-extraction of groundwater.
 Groundwater crisis and the women – Women are the most vulnerable to the
groundwater crisis. In rural areas, women have to walk long to fetch the water
because of the scarcity in nearby areas. With dwindling and reducing water levels
this distance and hardship for the women is going to increase in the coming future.
 Threat to life and livelihood - India ranks 120 among 122 countries in the water
quality index which shows the seriousness of the problem of the water crisis.
200,000 Indians die every year due to inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene.

Conclusion
 It should be a wake-up call that India needs to start taking its groundwater situation much
more seriously. It is not just a water problem, but a livelihood problem. And it is about to
get much worse. Groundwater has been out of sight and out of mind for too long. It is the
world’s most abundant freshwater resource and a crucial regulator of water extremes
such as floods and drought. When we protect groundwater we save lives and ecosystems,
improve health, reduce hunger and tackle climate change all at once.

14. Why are the majority of India’s coal reserves concentrated in a few eastern states in India?
Also, establish the reasons behind the "dysfunctional" relationship between coal and
electricity generation in India and remedial measures needed.
Introduction
Coal provides about half of India’s commercial primary energy supply today and is the
dominant fuel for power production in India. On a proven-resource basis, India ranks fifth
among countries with the world’s largest coal reserves and is second-placed among the top
coal-producing countries after China. But most of India's coal reserves are located in its few
eastern states.

Main Body
 Why coal reserves are concentrated in eastern states
 India’s position: Most of India’s Gondwanaland Coals were made when India was
part of Pangea. Thick forests around these river
valleys (in these states) were converted into coal after millions of years.
 India’s position in the tropical part of the earth has also helped.
 Presence of mineral-rich river basins in eastern states – River basins of Eastern
India like the Mahanadi river basin, and Damodar river basin are rich in coal reserves
which makes the region rich in coal reserves. These basins occur in the valleys of
certain rivers viz., the Damodar (Jharkhand-West Bengal); the Mahanadi
(Chhattisgarh-Odisha); the Son (Madhya Pradesh Jharkhand); the Godavari and the
Wardha (Maharashtra-Andhra Pradesh); the Indravati, the Narmada, the Koel, the
Panch, the Kanhan and many more.
 Gondwanaland in eastern states which have the largest coal reserve – Gondwana
coal makes up to 98 per cent of the total reserves and 99 per cent of the production
of coal in India. Gondwana coal forms India’s metallurgical grade as well as superior
quality coal.
 Presence of Mineral-rich Chhotanagur Plateau in the eastern states -
Chhotanagpur, a plateau in eastern India, in north-western Chhattisgarh and
central Jharkhand states. Chota Nagpur is the collective name for the Ranchi,
Hazaribagh, and Kodarma plateaus. The Chota Nagpur area has the most valuable
concentration of mineral resources in India. The Damodar valley has
vast coal reserves.

 Major coal-producing eastern states –

 Jharkhand - Located in northeast India, the state of Jharkhand top the list of
India’s coal reserves — at more than 26% — and production.
 The state’s main coal-mining centres are Jharia, Bokaro, Auranga, Giridh,
Dhanbad, Ramgarh, Karanpur and Hutar. Most of these coal fields are
located in a narrow belt that runs east to west.
  Odisha - Second on the list for coal reserves is the state of Odisha. Situated on
the east coast of India, it has more than 24% of the country’s total reserves
and is responsible for about 15% of India’s total coal production.
 Chhattisgarh- The central Indian state of Chhattisgarh holds about 17% of the
country’s coal deposits and is the third-largest in terms of coal reserves.
 West Bengal - Fourth on the list comes to the eastern state of West Bengal,
home to about 11% of India’s total coal reserves.

 Dysfunctional" relationship between coal and electricity generation

 Bewildering pricing regime
 There are multiple channels by which power plants get coal, with a bewildering
array of pricing regimes. The price that a power plant pays for the same grade
of coal at the same location could be very different depending on several
factors: public or private ownership; commissioning date of the plant; having
or not having a power purchase agreement (PPA) with a distribution company
(DISCOM); having an allotted coal block; or winning an auctioned coal block.
 Such a deeply fragmented coal market makes it almost impossible to have real
competition in the power sector.
 Dependence on imported coal: Despite having sufficient reserve, many Indian
super critical power plants are based on high-grade imported coal. This makes
power pricing in India susceptible to changes in the international price of Coal.
 Policy paralysis - Although coal will continue to dominate the power supply, the
coal industry in India faces significant challenges and upcoming changes.
 While such an intertwining of the two sectors may have been appropriate in a
command and control economy, it is inconsistent with the current policy of
introducing greater competition in these sectors.
  Issue with auction and Bidding of coal reserve for power generation - We focus on
just one of these channels for procuring coal—auctioning of coal blocks for captive
use. Cancelled coal blocks that are designated for power generation by private
plants are allocated through auctions using reverse bidding.
 Subsidy and the market pricing issues - Lowering the tariff for consumers is a
laudable goal. But this approach distorts the coal market and masks the real cost of
coal. All consumers are subsidized, even those who can pay the full cost of
electricity.
 Parcelling of coal fields into captive blocks is sub-optimal, because of
1. Loss of economies of scale
2. Power plant owners do not have expertise in mining, and
3. Lock boundaries not being congruent with geological boundaries resulting in
loss of mineable coal.
 Reforms suggested
 Both coal and power sectors should operate on a commercial basis and the
interaction between the two should also be on commercial terms
 Restructuring of Coal India to bring about greater efficiency and responsiveness
needs a separate discussion. At a minimum, all users should compete for coal on the
same platform.
 ‘Just Transition Division’: Coal ministry has just come out with this division to allow
India to equitably transition from fossil dependence to renewable energy. There is
a need for further emphasis on ‘just and equitable transition’.
 Recently government deregulated coal mining- any entity with requisite financial
and technological resources can undertake the mining of coal.
 Import Substitution- To eliminate substitutable quantities of the import of coal in
the country, the government should increase domestic coal supplies to the
consumers, rationalize coal movements, review certain levies, incentivize domestic
coal consumption to distant consumers who are attracted to coal imports for
economic reasons and thereby maximizing domestic coal consumption which shall
lead to achieving the goal of ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’
 Diversification Plan- Three broad baskets of diversification have been envisaged as
below:
1. New Business Areas (Diversification) to transform Coal India limited from coal
companies to energy companies
2. Clean Coal Technologies (Technology-related) to provide sustainability to the
coal business
3. Coal Mining Projects (Core business) to help achieve 1 Billion Tonne coal
production by 2024 and create essential related infrastructure
 Green initiatives- Implementation of the coal reforms will ensure India’s
commitment to protect the environment and get coal continuing
acceptability and help it earn some respectability.
 Ministry of Coal has taken initiatives of utilising coal through coal
gasification and as such an action plan has been prepared to
achieve 100 MT coal gasification projects by 2030.
 Conclusion
 India has promised to increase renewable-energy capacity to 500 gigawatts by 2030 to
help wean itself off the dependence on coal. "But the rise of renewables hasn't been
sufficient to end the growth of coal. India's priority should be to clean up its coal instead
of wishing it away. There needs to be a properly thought-out strategy to transition from
coal to cleaner energy resources to ensure those who depend on it are not left behind.

15. How do the processes of plate tectonics create major changes in the earth's environment, its
biotic patterns and the course of evolution and extinction?
Introduction
Plate tectonics theory, deals with the dynamics of Earth’s outer shell—the lithosphere—that
revolutionized Earth sciences by providing a uniform context for understanding mountain-
building processes, volcanoes, and earthquakes as well as the evolution of Earth’s surface and
reconstructing its past continents and oceans

Main Body
 Plate Tectonics and Various dynamics of earth
 Plato tectonic and geo-morphology of the earth - Plate motions cause mountains to
rise where plates push together, or converge, and continents to fracture and oceans
to form where plates pull apart, or diverge.
 The continents are embedded in the plates and drift passively with them,
which over millions of years results in significant changes in Earth’s geography.
 Plate tectonics and evolution of biotic environment- The continuous
rearrangement of the size and shape of ocean basins and continents over geologic
time, accompanied by changes in ocean circulation and climate, had a major impact
on the development of life on Earth.
 One of the first studies of the potential effects of plate tectonics on life was
published in 1970 by American geologists James W. Valentine and Eldridge M.
Moores, who proposed that the diversity of life increased as continents
fragmented and dispersed and diversity diminished when the continents were
joined together.

 Plate Tectonic and climate change - The horizontal and vertical displacements
associated with plate tectonics play a fundamental role in climate change over a
wide range of timescales.
 Climate changes associated with the supercontinent of Pangea and with its
eventual breakup and dispersal provide an example of the effect of plate
tectonics on paleo climate.
 Early in the Mesozoic Era, Gondwana split from its northern
counterpart, Laurasia, to form the Tethys seaway, and the equatorial
current became circumglobal. Equatorial surface waters were then able to
circumnavigate the world and became even warmer.
 Plate tectonics and environment - The solid-earth surface is in direct contact with
the atmosphere and oceans and its evolving character affects balances of incoming
and outgoing radiation, atmospheric circulation, ocean currents, and the location of
elevated terrain suitable for glaciers and ice sheets.
 Plate tectonics and evolution of flora and fauna - After the breakup of Pangea, no
land animal or group of animals could become dominant, because the continents
were disconnected. As a result, the separated landmasses evolved highly specialized
fauna. South America, for example, was rich in marsupial mammals, which had few
predators. North America, on the other hand, was rich in placental mammals.
 Geographical isolation leads to speciation and evolution: E.g. Australian plate cut
off from other continents led to so many endemic species, rodents and marsupials.
  Plate tectonics and extinction – Plate tectonic has contributed to the extinction of
the environment and biological system of the earth –
 The most dramatic example of the potential impact of
plate tectonics on life occurred near the end of the Permian Period. Several
events contributed to the Permian extinction that caused the permanent
disappearance of half of Earth’s known biological families. The marine realm
was most affected, losing more than 90 per cent of its species. About 70 per
cent of terrestrial species became extinct.
Conclusion
The theory of plate tectonics explains processes in the geosphere that are fuelled by Earth’s
internal processes that have operated over billions of years. These changes can be
imperceptible over a human lifetime or violent and abrupt, and continue to shape Earth’s
environments.

16. “Criminalising marital rape will destabilize the institution of marriage”. Critically comment.
Also, discuss the causes and implications of marital rape on women in India.
Introduction:
Marital rape has been defined as an act of sexual intercourse with one’s spouse without the
spouse’s consent. According to the latest round of the National Family Health Survey, more
than 30% of women who have ever been married; have experienced spousal physical, sexual,
or emotional violence.
Body:
Marital rape (or spousal rape) is an act in which one of the spouses indulges in sexual
intercourse without the consent of the other.
Section 375 of the IPC dealing with rape makes an exception for such instances within
marriages and holds that “sexual intercourse by a man with his own wife, the wife not being
under 15 years of age, is not rape which was expanded by Supreme Court to 18 years.
Criminalising marital rape destabilises marriage
 Misuse of the law; - It is often cited observations of the SC and various HCs on growing
misuse of Section 498A (harassment caused to a married woman by her husband and in-
laws) of IPC.
 Against the institution of marriage; - The government defends the exception to marital
rape in Independent Thought v. Union of India (2017) saying it is against the institution
of marriage.
 More divorce cases; - Since India’s female literacy is less and women can be easily
manipulated by their in-laws to misuse this law and husband's family can be thus
 blackmailed. Kerala HC in its judgement 2017, argued that marital rape is good ground
for divorce.
 Hard to prove; - The question is what evidence the courts will rely upon in such
circumstances as there can be no lasting evidence in case of sexual acts between a man
and his own wife
 Difficult to define; -it is difficult to define a wife’s consent for intercourse and it can
increase the cases of illegal affairs with someone else leading to the destabilisation of
marriage.
 Unique diversity; - India has its own unique problems due to various factors like literacy,
lack of financial empowerment of the majority of females, the mindset of the society,
vast diversity, poverty, etc. and these should be considered carefully before criminalising
marital rape
 Sanctity of marriage; - marriage is considered a sacred institution of mutual respect and
socialization of two families together. Criminalising it will have a bad impression on
society.
 Hypergamy: Here, the status of a husband is always higher than that of the wife.
Marriages in rural India are examples of hypergamy, it is also an opportunity for rural girls
to modernize. Such a law could alter the power dynamics in patriarchal Indian society.
 Family bonds: Marriages in India are between two families, rather than two individuals.
Such a law could create friction between the families.
 Tool for harassing husbands: Sexual harassment laws in India are not gender-neutral.
Supreme Court and various High Courts had observed the growing misuse of section 498A
(harassment caused to a married woman by her husband and in-laws) of the IPC.

Not destabilizing marriage; -

 According to the World Bank, there are at least 78 countries, including Nepal, that have
legislation specifically criminalising marital rape.
 In 2013, the UN Committee on Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
recommended that the Indian government should criminalize marital rape.
 The JS Verma committee set up in the aftermath of nationwide protests over the
December 16, 2012 gang rape case had also recommended the same.
 In the Joseph Shine Versus Union of India case (2018), Supreme Court decriminalised
adultery as a crime, meaning the wife is no longer the property of her husband.
 They deny married women equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Indian
constitution. It is an unjust yet not uncommon way to degrade and disempower women.
 Lawmakers fail to understand that a marriage should not be viewed as a licence for a
husband to forcibly rape his wife with impunity. A married woman has the same right to
control her own body as does an unmarried woman.

Causes of marital rape:

 Patriarchal mindset: for many, the only collateral damage to rape is ignominy and no one
would want to marry the raped woman. Therefore, if a woman is already married, why is
she complaining?
 Dominance: When discord between the spouses increases, the husband may try to assert
himself by forcing himself upon the woman.
 Sexual dissonance between the couple: So when the man is denied sex, he treats it as an
insult to his manhood.
 Family factors: If a man has grown up in an environment where he has seen his father
enact the same behaviour with his mother, the chances of him emulating his father will
be greater.
 Lack of empowerment among women: illiteracy, lack of financial empowerment, the
mindset of the society, vast diversity, poverty, etc forces women to painfully go through
such incidents.
 Dominance; - When discord between the spouse’s increases, the husband may try to
assert himself by forcing himself upon the woman.
 Low self-esteem of the partner also plays a huge role because a person who is self-
assured may not resort to forcing himself on his wife. He will have enough dignity to
either respect her wishes or seek sexual pleasures outside.
 Law of curvature; - although not recognised by the Constitution, holds that a woman
loses her identity and legal rights with marriage, is violative of her fundamental rights.

Implications on women and marriages:

 Love, respect, and commitment: are the values on which marriage rests. Sexual violence
instantly destabilizes marriage.

 The dignity of the women is violated: marriage cannot be viewed as a licence for a
husband to forcibly rape his wife with impunity and a married woman has the same right
of full control over her body as an unmarried woman.
 Modern forms of patriarchy: Hypergamy is one such act, where the women are forever
rendered powerless.
  Poor women suffer the most:

 Impact on mental health: Violence and family issues affect women. These include Clinical
depression, Fear, Anxiety, Low confidence, low self-esteem, and deep self-hatred.
 Suicides: unable to fight or persist. Women choose to die. According to data from India’s
National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), in 2018, about 63 housewives killed themselves
every day, on average, making up 17.1% of all suicides.

Many marriages in India are already destabilized. There is a need to empower women and
guide society in the right direction to stabilize a marriage as an institution.

Conclusion
Marriage is between two consenting adults when such consensus is violated. Laws such as
criminalizing marital rape can provide avenues for women to fight for their dignity. Instead of
just seeking legal reforms “Moral and social awareness” plays a vital role in stopping such an
act.

17. ‘Although Artificial Intelligence (AI) is said to be the holy grail of technology, it is disrupting
a number of delicate equilibriums and creating conflicts on a variety of fronts’. In light of the
statement, discuss the impact of AI on Indian society and suggest how AI can fit into human
life and society in India.
Introduction:
AI refers to the ability of machines to perform cognitive tasks like thinking, perceiving,
learning, problem-solving and decision making. It is concerned with making computers behave
like humans. Thus, it has wide ramifications on humans and our society.
Body:
AI is one of mankind’s great quests, to try to capture our wondrous abilities at managing the
immense amount of information that filters through our sensors. With deep learning, AI can
train itself making it the holy grail of technology.
Impact of AI on Indian society:
Disrupting several delicate equilibriums
 Huge social change: Human bonding is the bedrock of society. Recently, a study
conducted by Aligarh Muslim University showed that Indian college students on average
and spend 4-7 hours on their smartphones.
o Human closeness will be gradually diminishing as AI will replace the need for people
to meet face to face for idea exchange.
 Unemployment: Robotisation of the Indian manufacturing sector is just beginning to take
place. India’s robot density for every 10,000 workers is 3; the global average is 74.
o According to NASSCOM, the domestic IT sector employs around 16 million, of which
around 9 million are employed in low-skilled services and BPO roles. 30% or around
3 million will be lost by 2022, principally driven by the impact of robot process
automation or RPA.

Creating conflicts:
 Wealth Inequality: According to Oxfam India is one of the most unequal countries in the
world. With many already lacking proper education and finance, AI is going to exacerbate
these inequalities.
o As per the National Bureau of Economic Research study in the US alone since the
1980’s AI has caused a 50% To 70% decrease in wages—creating income inequality.
 Promoting Racial and social bias: With AI, it is possible to target certain.
o In 2016, Microsoft unveiled Tay — a Twitter bot, the more you chat with it the
smarter it gets. It took less than 24 hours for Twitter users to corrupt an innocent
AI chatbot, which ended up sending racist and misogynistic tweets.
 Threat to our very existence: Eminent scientist Stephen Hawking warns artificial
intelligence could end mankind.
o Fully automatic AI may automatically function on its own course ignoring the
command given by the human controller
Societal advantages of AI:
Predicting
Improving
natural
education
disasters

Preserving Preventing acts

environmental of voilence
resources

Accurately Advantages Improving

diagnosing agriculture
diseases
of AI

Fitting AI into human life and society

Every human invention is dependent on its end-use. Nuclear energy can be used for
destruction or deterrence and energy production. It’s the same with AI. It can be, we have to
increase use it for positive purposes.
Individual-level
 Ease daily activities:
o Digital Assistants such as Apple’s Siri, and Amazon’s Alexa, help users perform
various tasks, from checking their schedules and searching for something on the
web, to sending commands to another app.
o Self-driving cars can make travelling much easier.
 Education: with the pandemic imposed online delivery of classes, technology has played
a critical role.
o AI will aid and improve a teacher’s job and fill the gaps in learning and teaching
methodology and delivery. With the help of AI, students can get personalized
curricula, tests, learning methods and delivery.
o According to Business Today, by 2024, 47% of learning management tools will be AI-
enabled.
 Jobs and skilling: AI could create jobs in the country that would be higher than the
number of jobs becoming redundant due to innovation in technology.
o It's time to upskill workers; a World Economic Forum report states that 97 million
new jobs will be created by 2025 due to AI.
 Security: Artificial intelligence can also help next-generation home security systems to
actively monitor and analyze for potential security threats
Societal level
 Health care: AI can increase access and affordability of quality healthcare.
o Using AI diagnosis such as IBM’s Watson Computer, Robot-assisted surgeries can
do wonders.
  Agriculture: can contribute towards enhancing farmers’ income, increasing farm
productivity and reducing wastage.
o Precision agriculture: AI technology helps in detecting disease in plants, pests and
poor nutrition on farms. AI sensors can detect and target weeds and then decide
which herbicide to apply within the region.
 Smart mobility: Develop smarter and safer modes of transportation to address traffic and
congestion problems by providing improved crowd management.
o Automated traffic challan’s using data from traffic cameras. Autopilot features on
trains, truck, and planes.
 Urbanization: helps build efficient infrastructure for the increasing urban population. AI-
enabled urban planning enhances responsiveness to changing needs.
o Air quality monitoring, public transport optimization, innovative use of public
spaces etc
 Improving Business: AI will help MSMEs to optimize processes and accelerate growth.
o For eg, logistics services providers can deploy AI and internet of things (IoT)
solutions to manage their fleet of trucks.

Conclusion
The benefits of AI are plenty, but mitigating the potential harm is crucial. A dialogue focused
on ethical, social and economical aspects of AI is required between governments, the private
sector and civil society to ensure easy adoption of AI and equitable distribution of its benefits.

18. In what ways are social exclusions manifested in the urban slums? What steps can be taken
to reduce such exclusions? Discuss with examples.
Introduction
Social exclusion describes a state in which individuals are unable to participate fully in
economic, social, political and cultural life, as well as the process leading to and sustaining such
a state. India has a population of 65.49 million people living in 13.7 million slum households
across the country. As much as 65% of Indian cities have adjoining slums where people live in
small houses adjacent to each other. But despite the significance of this labour force to India’s
urban future, they remain largely invisible, voiceless and powerless, especially in the larger
cities.
Main Body
 Manifestation of social exclusion in slums - Three main expressions of exclusion are
observed in Indian slums are
1. Spatial exclusion, or when territory expresses a separate pattern reflecting social
hierarchy, class, caste or community-based segregation. Social stratification often
translates into caste- or race-based stigmatization.
2. The second, the exclusion is poverty and deprivation i.e. economic exclusion (from
employment, from means of livelihood, etc.).
3. The third is political exclusion (exclusion from citizenship rights, reduction of
“capabilities”, etc.).
 Fig:Symptoms of social exclusion in Urban slums

 Exclusion from the basic necessities – Lack of basic necessities is one of the
most frequently mentioned characteristics of slum definitions worldwide.
 Nearly 21.8% of slum households in Delhi depend on shared water
sources such as public taps.
 80 per cent of all slum population who had access to any type of toilet
had to share it with other families/ persons
 Substandard Housing or Illegal and Inadequate Building Structures- Many
cities have building standards that set minimum requirements for residential
buildings.
 Slum areas have been associated with a high number of substandard
housing structures, often built with non-permanent materials unsuitable
for housing given local conditions of climate and location.
 For example as per WRI reports one slum in Bangalore is 12 times denser
than the city average, housing 140,000 people per square kilometre.
 Poverty and human development Issus - Income or capability poverty is
considered as a central characteristic of slum areas. It is not seen as an
inherent characteristic of slums, but as a cause (and, to a large extent, a
consequence) of slum conditions.
 Slum conditions are physical and statutory manifestations that create
barriers to human and social development. Furthermore, slums are social
exclusion areas that are often perceived to have high levels of crime and
other social dislocation measures. In some definitions, such areas are
associated with certain vulnerable groups of the population, such as
recent immigrants, internally displaced persons or ethnic minorities.
 Health sanitation and hygiene issues
 Low levels of basic service provision (e.g. piped water connections,
sanitation, drainage, etc.) and high reliance on private healthcare.
 Slum-dwellers are vulnerable to disasters- so excluded from mitigation
measures.
  The disproportionate number of unorganized sector employs gig workers,
and service sector employees from slums, thus excluding them from the
benefits of the organized sector and social security.
 Poor Urban governance - Other factors relating to the exclusion of the slums
population is the use of rigid and often outdated urban planning regulations,
which are typically bypassed by slum dwellers to meet their housing needs.
This is a reflection of poor urban governance

 Steps which can be taken to reduce exclusion

 Planning and outreach efforts - Municipal authorities should identify clusters in the
city where disadvantaged urban migrants are located, and plot them on the city map
to direct planning outreach efforts and ensure they are not excluded from
government programmes.
 Use of remote sensing While remote sensing is not a new technology, the current
and continued advancement of remote sensing makes it a sustainable source of
information on slums and, therefore, an important opportunity to improve our
ability to map and monitor slums.
 Such efforts should spread information about local healthcare facilities and
dispensaries, the importance of antenatal care, immunisation and general
health-seeking behaviour. The potential to involve women’s slum groups in
the identification of migrant pockets and slums should be leveraged.
 Ensuring reach of Mainstream government schemes - Government departments
themselves or in partnership with civil society organisations should proactively seek
the involvement of migrants in developing and/or implementing social benefit
schemes.
 Health and sanitation facilities Frontline health and social workers should be
supported to reach migrants and their families who lack access to basic services and
schemes, especially those supporting preventive healthcare, including vaccinations.
 Associations of the township and commercial complex developers and of brick
kiln owners should provide temporary soak-pit toilets onsite for every 10– 12
workers.
 Local authorities need to be empowered with financial and human resources to
deliver services and infrastructure to the slum dwellers in India. Cities must draw up
local long-term strategies for improving the lives of slum dwellers in India.
  State governments have to develop strategies to prevent the formation of new
slums. These should include access to affordable land, reasonably priced materials,
employment opportunities, and basic infrastructure and social services.
 Public investments must focus on providing access to basic services and
infrastructure. The cities need to invest in housing, water, sanitation, energy, and
urban services, such as garbage disposal. These services and infrastructure must
reach the poor living in informal settlements.
 The transportation needs and safety concerns of a city’s poorest residents should
be a high priority in planning urban transportation systems, which can expand the
choices people have regarding where to live and work.
 Building codes and regulations should be realistic and enforceable and reflect the
local community’s lifestyle and needs. For example, this means that they may have
to be flexible enough to allow housing that is built incrementally, out of low-cost
materials and on small plots of land.

Conclusion
 Human well-being is broadly considered to include the consumption of goods and
services and the access to basic necessities for a productive and socially meaningful life
for all sections of the population, especially the deprived slum dwellers in India. They are
living below the minimum standard of living. The new urban policies should encompass
individual attainments in areas of education, health and longevity of life as well as a
security of tenure and healthy surroundings.

19. ‘Elderly people are often seen as dependent rather than an asset’. Do you think ‘ageing
population’ is an emerging issue in Indian society? Discuss.
Introduction
The process whereby the proportion of children in the population decreases and those of old
people increases is known as the “ageing of population”.
The global population of the elderly has constantly been increasing due to the easy availability
of life-saving drugs, control of famines, and various communicable diseases, better awareness
and supply of nutrition and health facilities and comparatively better overall standard of living.
Body:
Elderly as dependent
 Health issue; -Generally, the elderly population needs more medical attention of a diverse
range.
o As per the first-ever Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI), 11% of the elderly
suffer from at least one form of impairment (locomotor, mental, visual and hearing).
o Cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevalence is estimated to be 34% amongst 60-74
year-olds, rising to 37% in those above 75 years.
 Economic vulnerability; - The vicious cycle of poor health and unaffordable health costs
is further accelerated by their inability to earn a livelihood. As a result, not only are they
economically unproductive but are dependent on support from family or others.
 80% in rural areas have no source after retirement since Informal unemployment
is high there.
  According to UNFPA more than half of India’s elderly population is dependent on
others.
 Long-term care; - with increasing age they are more vulnerable to diseases and neglect
and thus need for assisted living centres and affordable nursing homes will grow.
 Isolation and neglect; - More than half of senior citizens felt sad and around 36% feel that
they are a burden to their families.
o Many of them are neglected by their family members due to their old age-related
complications.
 Psychological issue; - Many of them go through various psychological problems like
o Feeling of loneliness, powerlessness, uselessness and reduced competence.
o Cases of depression among senior citizens have seen a continuous rise.

Elderly as an Asset; -
 Experience;- they carry immense experience from their personal and professional life and
their experience must be utilized for better output.
 Generational link;- they may provide a generational link between younger and older
generations which may, in turn, provide support and stability to the family.
 Values and moral transfer;- they may provide a crucial link for transferring values and
morals to the younger generation in their initial years making them better human beings
and citizens.
 Easing out social tension; - with their insight and understanding, they can help ease out
tension in the family as well as in society.
 Empty Nest syndrome:- grief that many parents feel when the children move out of the
home.

Ageing population’ is an emerging issue in Indian society;-

 Role of Modern economy; - Indian society is undergoing a rapid transformation under the
impact of industrialization, urbanization, technical and technological change, education
and globalization.
o Consequently, the traditional values and institutions are in the process of erosion
and adaptation, resulting in the weakening of intergenerational ties that were the
hallmark of the traditional family.
 Weakening of family structure; - Providing care for the aged has never been a problem in
India where a value-based joint family system was dominant.
o However, with a growing trend towards nuclear family set-up, and increasing
education, urbanization and industrialization, the vulnerability of the elderly is
rapidly increasing.
 Increasing cases of abuse;- The coping capacities of the younger and elder family
members are now being challenged under various circumstances resulting in neglect and
abuse of the elderly in many ways, both within the family and outside.
 Worthlessness and loneliness; - In an agriculture-based traditional society, where
children followed their parent’s occupations, it was natural that the expertise and
knowledge of each generation were passed on to the next.
 o However, this is no longer true in modern society, in which improved education,
rapid technological change and new forms of organization have often rendered
obsolete the knowledge, experience and wisdom of older persons.
 Psychological issue; - The growth of nuclear families has also meant a need for changes
in role relations. Neither having authority in the family nor being needed, they feel
frustrated and depressed.
 Dual Career;- Another development impacting negatively on the status of older people is
the increasing occurrence of dual-career families.
o On the one hand, working couples find the presence of old parents emotionally
bonding and of great help in caring for their own children.
o On the other hand, the high costs of housing and health care are making it harder
for children to have parents live with them. This is true both in rural and urban
areas.

Conclusion
The changing factors in the family in its structure and function are undermining the capacity of
the family to provide support to the elderly and the weakening of the traditional norms
underlying such support’ leading to neglect and abuse of older people in the family and in
upcoming decades their population is expected to grow only. Hence, they require proper care
and attention.

20. What factors would you attribute to a growing feeling of regionalism in Indian society? Are
these trends antitheses to our constitutional ideals? Comment
Introduction
Regionalism is a feeling of loyalty towards a particular region it asserts a common sense of
identity present in the region. In a sub-continental size polity like India, regionalism is natural.
Regionalism is also an example of the expression of identity. The term region denotes a
geographical space. However, it is not just a physical entity. It is always mixed with some socio-
cultural identity like Culture, Language, religion etc.
Main Body
 Factors attributing to the growth of Regionalism –
 Regionalism emerges out of various factors most important among them is the
culture of affluence and prosperity, as well as the culture of scarcity both, is related
to the level of development the state, has achieved resulting in regionalism.
 Culture of scarcity The underdeveloped states resort to such movements
looking for a better prospect of development and balanced regional
development which is visible in the regional movement among the states for
the demand for special category status.
 Another major factor is the culture of affluence: When the developed states
feel pride in their economic prowess and want they oppose the share of their
development trickling to the underdeveloped state which is visible in the form
of opposition to finance commission recommendations which create a greater
share for underdeveloped states like Bihar and UP.
 Secessionist Tendencies – Many regional movements are also inspired by the
secessionist tendencies which aimed at separation
  For example secessionist movements in Kashmir, Khalistan movement, ULFA,
Nagas etc.
 Creation of separate statehood.- Demand for the creation of a separate statehood
has also been the chief characteristic of the regionalism
 For example demand for the separate statehood for Gorkhaland, Bodoland
 Movements for greater regional autonomy – these demands keep on emerging in
case the ruling party at state and centre are different these are most prominent in
West Bengal and Tamilnadu.
 Son of soil Tendency – Son of soil movement means the pride of being from a
particular region and they consider that land as exclusive to them which results in
discrimination towards others.
 Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, Asam Gana Parishad in Assam and, Bodo are
examples of such movements.
 Political parties in power in different regions/states.
 Unequal economic activities and development in the country
 The influx of migrants and occupying powerful positions and jobs.
 Linguistic movements – Language has always been the mobilising factor for
regionalism. For example, the south Indian states show more tendencies of
linguistic regionalism because they are created based on linguistic factors. For
example - Tamil, Kannada and Telugu.
 Regionalism and constitutional ideals
 Regionalism as a threat to “India as Union of states which is indestructible” –
Indian union is described by the constitution as an indestructible union of
destructible states, which can be threatened by the regional movement which are
secessionist and separatist in nature.
 Violation of the fundamental rights - Restricts freedom of movement and
profession, defeating Article 19 of the constitution, as non-natives are exploited and
mistreated leading to vulnerability of the migrant population.
 E.g. Gujarat migrant crisis, targeted attack on the workers from the Bihar
and UP in Maharashtra.
 Threat to sovereignty and integrity of the nation- Secessionist movements like the
Khalistan movement, and separatism in Kashmir develop as a threat to sovereignty
and integrity and give a way to non-state actors to further their interests.
 Regionalism is not against the constitutional ideals:
 Regionalism promoting democratic ethos- Regionalism helps in promoting the
democratic culture of society through discussion, debate and action on regional
issues.
 Flexible constitutional provisions regarding statehood, or sub-statehood- The
constitutional provisions for the creation of new states in India are rather flexible.
The legislative requirement on the part of Parliament to do so is by a simple
majority, and by the ordinary legislative process.
 Constitution itself Sub-national governance to represent the regional interest The
constitution of India contains a number of special provisions under the schedules
five to seven for the self-governance of various tribal groups living in various parts
 of India. These measures are designed to accommodate sub-regionalism within a
broader region, whether based on tribal identity, or linguistic identity. –
 The provisions of the fifth and sixth schedules of the Indian constitution have
been applied by the government with the intended objectives of constraining
ethnic separatism and tribal alienation in different regions, particularly in the
northeast.
 Official recognition of the language – There are non-territorial measures of
accommodating ethno-regional identity in India like the right to language forms part
of the fundamental ‘cultural and educational rights of minorities’ (Art. 30 of the
Indian Constitution) which shows that language as an identity has been recognised
by the constitution itself.
 Regionalism in itself is not a threat. It depends on how we manage regionalism. It
can be a tool for bargaining regional interests
 There is a better development in the South because of regional movements.
These states develop more bargaining power. On the other hand, UP and Bihar
lack any regional identity and so also suffered in terms of development.
 The Constitution of India has remained a resource as well as an instrument for various
regional movements for self-determination to fight for the appropriate political
institution within which to secure ethno-regional identity

Conclusion
It is suggested that regional movements should not be seen as ‘crisis of nation building’. It
should be seen as the ‘crisis of development’. Balanced regional development, inclusive
growth. We should not forget Ambedkar who held that primacy has to be given to the interest
of the nation over the interest of the region, linguistic group and the party interest.