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Q.Examine the importance of Development Planning in India Mixed Economy, and analyze its problems and prospects. 20 Marks/2019

Q.Do you think that ‘demonetization’ has accelerated the economic growth in India? How do you understand the in formalization of labour, underemployment and
gender discrimination in this context? 20 Marks/2019

Q.Elaborate the concept of constitutional morality as given by B.R.Ambedkar. 10 Marks/2019

Q.Write a brief note on the Freedom of Press.10 Marks/2015

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Q.Discuss the challenges in Implementing the Rural Development Programmes in India. 10 Marks/2019

Q.Highlight the main features of the ‘Inter-linking of Rivers’ project in India. What could be its probable advantages to Indian agriculture?  20 Marks/2019

Q.How do the recommendations of Swaminathan Commissions (2004-2006) ensure food and nutrition security for the Indian masses?10 Marks/2018

Q.Has Green Revolution led to the formation of new power elite in rural India? Elaborate your answer. 20 Marks/2018

Q.Write a short note on changing means of production and increased rural poverty.10 Marks/2017

Q.Write short notes with a sociological perspective on:Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme for rural development.10 Marks/2016

Q.Write a note on the uneven impact of "Green Revolution’ on rural society. 20 marks/2016

Q.Bring out the impact of the declining significance of the agrarian economy.  20 marks/2016
 

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Q.Why has ‘Active aging’ become a glocal goal? Do you agree that the role of elderly care-giving is disproportionately gendered in developing countries? Why? 20 Marks/2019

Q.What is ‘social security’? Examine recent security measures adopted by the Government in India. 10 Marks/2019

Q.What are the issues relating to male migration and its impact on birthrate? Does it necessarily result in skewed sex ratio?20 Marks/2018

Q.What are the Emerging concerns on women’s reproductive health?10 Marks/2017

Q.What are the causes and solutions for the low female sex-ratio in the DEMARU States of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, and Gujrat?10 Marks/2017

Q.Write short notes with a sociological perspective on: Differential sex-ratio and its implications.10 marks/2016

Q.How is ageing becoming an emerging issue in Indian society? 10 marks/2016

Q.Discuss the problems of elderly in India. What are the different perspectives to solve their problems?10 marks/2015

Q.Why is it necessary to implement PCPNDT Act in India?10 marks/2015
 

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Q.Comment on the growing assertion of tribal community for autonomy in India. 10 Marks/2019

Q.What is ethno-nationalism? Examine the critical factors responsible for tribal discontent in India. 20 Marks/2019

Q.What is the nature of religious change among tribal communities? Illustrate with two examples from colonial and post-independence times.20 Marks/2017

Q.Why have we started using another category of tribes called the Particularly Vulnerable Groups (PVTGs) Why are they so called?10 Marks/2017

Q.Write short notes with a sociological perspective on:Isolationism’ as a dominant feature of colonial tribal policy.  10 marks/2016

Q.How is the tribal question related with the issues of integration and autonomy in modern India?20 marks/2016

Q.Write short notes with a sociological perspective on: Verrier Elwin’s views on freedom for the tribals.10 marks/2015

Q.Write short notes with a sociological perspective on:Main objective of Tribal sub plan (TSP).10 marks/2015
 

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Sociology Mains Optional Study Notes

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National Digital Health Mission, a step in the right direction(The Hindu)

Mains Paper 2:Health 
Prelims level: National Digital Health Mission
Mains level: Objectives of the National Digital Health Mission and its challenges, concerns  

Context:

• The National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) announced by the Prime Minister on Independence Day has the potential to transform the healthcare sector, making it more technologically advanced, inclusive and delivery-driven. 

Aims of this mission:

• The move to use technology to streamline processes such as medical record-keeping, sharing of healthcare data, appointments and similar healthcare processes to help citizens make informed decisions on treatments, is well-timed. 
• The NDHM envisages creating a national health ID for every Indian, an idea mooted by the NITI Aayog in 2018 when it recommended creating a centralised system to manage healthcare in the country. 
• The NDHM is part of the Centre’s National Digital Health Blueprint, which aims to enhance healthcare delivery by setting up a core e-health database of international standards and, on paper, allowing patients to have control over their health data. The NDHM is supposed to cover all government health programmes to begin with. 
• This will be a huge exercise, akin to the Aadhaar project, and would require more resources than the currently allocated ₹144 crore, making private participation a necessity given the strained finances of the Centre.

Challenges and concerns:

• However, the initiative gives rise to logistical challenges and privacy concerns. 
• Considering that the mission involves government collaboration between hospitals in both public as well as private sectors, laboratories, insurance firms, pharmacies and telemedicine, there is a risk of exposing individual healthcare data to hacking and commercial misuse. 
• Although the NDHM is now a voluntary exercise, like the Aadhaar was at the outset, it could become mandatory for availing government health services. 
• In such a context, ensuring the safety of individual health data becomes paramount. 
• The government must gain the confidence of all stakeholders, including rights groups, before going ahead. 
• There should be more clarity on questions such as: who will maintain and manage the centralised repository of citizen’s health data; who will own the data — the individual or the state; whether individuals can transfer the data between service providers (which is an opaque and cumbersome exercise in the offline world today) and whether the individual has the right to erase irrelevant healthcare data and maintain ‘his or her right to be forgotten’— an issue that has raked up a controversy in the European Union. Insurance companies should not be allowed to misuse personal data. 
• The NDHM must also be in compliance with the global best practices on data privacy, such as the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation.
• Such centralised data, combined with real-time Big Data analytics, can become a surveillance tool. 

Way forward:

• Considering the way healthcare data from wearable devices are getting mainstreamed, with healthcare providers, doctors and patients using them for diagnosis, if not for treatment, the NDHM should spell out its stand on collecting such data from individuals and integrating it with the unique health ID. 
• The potential and pitfalls of digitisation of health data must be appreciated before moving ahead.

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Prelims Questions:

Q.1)With reference to the 'Positive Pay' mechanism, consider the following statements:

1. Positive Pay is a fraud detection tool adopted by banks to protect customers against forged, altered or counterfeit cheques.
2. A bank knows of a cheque being drawn by the customer even before it is deposited by the beneficiary into his/her account.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: C

Mains Questions:

Q.1)What are the key objectives of the National Digital Health Mission? What are the challenges and concerns need to be addressed before implementing this? 

More evidence of India’s food insecurity(The Hindu)

Mains Paper 3:Economy 
Prelims level: SOFI report 
Mains level: Public Distribution System- objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping; issues of bufferstocks and food security

Context:

• Data from the latest edition of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report show that India retains the dubious distinction of being the country with the largest population of food insecure people. 
• Estimates presented in the report which was released by several United Nations organisations show that the prevalence of food insecurity increased by 3.8 percentage points in India between 2014 and 2019, the first term of the Narendra Modi government. 
• By 2019, 6.2 crore more people were living with food insecurity than the number in 2014.

Authoritative indicators:

• The SOFI report, which is published annually, presents the most authoritative evaluation of hunger and food insecurity in the world. 
• Since 2017, SOFI presents two key measures of food insecurity: the conventional measure called the Prevalence of Undernourishment (PoU) and a new measure called the Prevalence of Moderate and Severe Food Insecurity (PMSFI).
• Both of these are globally-accepted indicators of progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Target 2.1 to end hunger and food insecurity. 
• While PoU is focused on estimating the proportion of population facing chronic deficiency of calories, the PMSFI is a more comprehensive measure of the lack of access to adequate and nutritious food. 
• Estimates of PoU are based on food balance sheets and national surveys of consumption. Given that consumption surveys are done infrequently in most countries, these estimates are often based on outdated data and are revised when better data become available.
• The PMSFI is based on annual surveys that collect information on experiences of food insecurity (such as food shortages, skipping meals, and changing diet diversity because of a lack of resources). 
• The PMSFI uses the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), a gold standard in food security measurement developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), for estimating globally-comparable prevalence rates. 
• Given the solid conceptual foundations of this methodology and the ease of collection of data, FIES and the PMFSI have been widely adopted by countries across the world.

FIES surveys:

• The FAO commissions Gallup to include FIES questions in the Gallup®World Poll (FAO-GWP) survey conducted in more than 140 countries across the world. Many countries have also started conducting their own FIES surveys. 
• Unlike most other countries, the government of India neither conducts official FIES surveys nor accepts estimates based on FAO-GWP surveys. 
• Although FAO-GWP surveys are conducted in India, India is among the few countries that do not allow publication of estimates based on these surveys. 
• Consequently, as in the past years, estimates of PMSFI for India are not published in SOFI.

Country data:

• The report provides three-year average estimates of the number of food insecure people for South Asia as a whole and for South Asia (excluding India). By taking a difference between the two, one can derive the estimates for India.
• These estimates show that while 27.8% of India’s population suffered from moderate or severe food insecurity in 2014-16, the proportion rose to 31.6% in 2017-19. 
• The number of food insecure people grew from 42.65 crore in 2014-16 to 48.86 crore in 2017-19. India accounted for 22% of the global burden of food insecurity, the highest for any country, in 2017-19. 
• It is also noteworthy that while the PMSFI increased in India by 3.7 percentage points during this period, it fell by 0.5 percentage points in the rest of South Asia.

Availability of data and significance to PMSFI:

• India has not released the latest National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) consumption expenditure survey data for 2017-18. 
• As a result, conventional measures of poverty and food consumption are not available for recent years. 
• Lack of availability of data from this consumption survey also has implications for the FAO’s PoU estimates for India.
• Because of a lack of regular availability of consumption survey data from most countries, the FAO uses supply-wise data on per capita food availability to measure changes in average per capita calorie intake. 
• While this is a reasonable approach, it has become untenable for India because of a large and growing disparity between the supply-side data and data from the consumption surveys. 
• Not only do the supply-side data show a much higher level of per capita availability of food than the amount of food that is captured to have been consumed in the surveys, even the direction of change between the two does not seem to be consistent.
• While the per capita dietary energy supply in India increased by 3.8% between 2011-13 and 2015-17, the consumption survey data that became available through a media leak showed that the average consumption expenditure (covering food and other expenses) fell by 3.7% between 2011-12 and 2017-18. 
• On the whole, withholding of consumption survey data by the government has meant that SOFI continues to use outdated data for variability of food intake, making PoU estimates for India untenable.
• Given this, estimates of the PMSFI for India have become particularly valuable.

Causes of suffering:

• The significant rise in food insecurity, as shown by these data, is a clear manifestation of the overall economic distress during this period marked by a deepening agrarian crisis, falling investments across sectors and shrinking employment opportunities. 
• The latest PLFS data have shown that the unemployment rates in the recent years have been higher than in the last four decades. 
• It is widely believed that demonetisation and introduction of the Goods and Services Tax were two prime causes of economic distress during this period.
• A sudden imposition of an unprecedented and prolonged lockdown in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought renewed focus on the problems of hunger and food insecurity. 
• With a sudden loss of livelihoods, a vast majority of India’s poor are faced with increased food insecurity, hunger and starvation. A number of starvation deaths have also been reported in the media.

Conclusion:

• These estimates of the PMSFI provide an important baseline estimate for the situation before the COVID-19 pandemic. 
• It is critical for India to conduct a national survey on food insecurity to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food security of different sections of the population.

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Prelims Questions:

Q.1)With reference to the Gareeb Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyan, consider the following statements:

1. It aims to empower and provide livelihood opportunities in areas and villages witnessing large number of returnee migrant workers affected by the COVID-19.
2. An amount of Rs 50,000 Crores would be spent for building durable rural infrastructure under the Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: C

Mains Questions:

Q.1) Concerning points made in the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report regarding Food security of India, what are the challenges and hurdles that India is facing to achieve full food security despite having many schemes. Critically Analyse.

Thinking through the Nepal policy (The Hindu)

Mains Paper 2:International Relations 
Prelims level: Kalapani issue 
Mains level: India and its neighbourhood relations 

Context:

• On August 15, Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli made a friendly gesture towards India by telephoning Prime Minister Narendra Modi to convey greetings on India’s Independence Day. 
• This was followed by a meeting of the India-Nepal Joint Project Monitoring Committee on August 17 chaired by the Indian Ambassador to Nepal and the Nepal Foreign Secretary.
• The committee was set up to review progress in the large number of bilateral cooperation projects. 
• An India-Nepal Joint Commission meeting at the level of Foreign Ministers is due later in October but may be held virtually due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. 
• But will the two sides hold Foreign Secretary-level talks on the vexed boundary issue that is related to Kalapani and Susta?

Unilateral actions:

• The Nepali side has upset the apple cart by taking a series of unilateral actions. 
• A relatively minor dispute involving about 35 square kilometres of territory around the Kalapani springs, was expanded to claim a large wedge of Indian territory towards the east, measuring nearly 400 square kilometres. 
• The expanded claim was incorporated into Nepal through a constitutional amendment and a revised official map. India has been confronted with a fait accompli though Nepal has conveyed its willingness to negotiate on the issue in Foreign Secretary-level talks. 
• India should be willing to engage in talks with Nepal on all aspects of India-Nepal relations. But any talks on the Kalapani issue should be limited to the area which was the original subject for negotiations and Susta. 
• To agree to talks which include the unilateral changes will create a very bad precedent not only in India-Nepal relations but in managing India’s borders in general. This is irrespective of Nepal presenting historical documents or maps which support its claims.
• Borders which have been accepted by both sides for more than 100 years and which have also been reflected on their official maps cannot be unilaterally altered by one side coming up with archival material which has surfaced in the meantime. 
• This would make national boundaries unstable and shifting, and create avoidable controversies between countries as is the case now between India and Nepal.

Geography and boundaries:

• The Treaty of Sugauli of 1816 sets the Kali river as the boundary between the two countries in the western sector. There was no map attached to the treaty. 
• Nepal is now claiming that the main tributary of the Kalapani river rises east of the Lipu Lekh pass from the Limpiyadhura ridgeline and hence should serve as the border. 
• Even if the lengthiest tributary may be one principle for a riverine boundary, which is itself debatable, it is not the only one. 
• There are many boundaries which do not follow any geographical principle at all but are the result of historical circumstances, mutual agreement and legal recognition.

History and ties:

• Independence Day has meaning for us because we engaged in a long and painful struggle for independence from British colonial rule. 
• We also recall that it was the ruler of” independent” Nepal which sent troops to fight alongside the East India Company, mercilessly killing those who were fighting India’s first war of independence. 
• The same independent country was happy to receive as reward chunks of Indian territory in the Terai through the treaty of 1861. 
• If no agreement has superseded the Sugauli treaty as has been claimed then, perhaps the “Naya Muluk” received after Nepal’s alliance with the Company against Indians fighting for freedom, should be restituted. Or should this brand of “chicanery” be excused since it benefited Nepal?

Conclusion:

• For India, more than the exemplary inter-state relationship, it is the unique people-to-people relations between India and Nepal; and, fortunately, inter-state relations have been unable to undermine the dense affinities that bind our peoples together. 
• While India should reject the Nepali state’s ill-conceived territorial claims, it should do everything to nurture the invaluable asset it has in the goodwill of the people of Nepal.

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Prelims Questions:

Q.1)With reference to the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM), consider the following statements:

1. It will be implemented by NITI Aayog.
2. Under NDHM every Indian will get a health ID that will ease access to medical services in the country.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: B

Mains Questions:

Q.1)What are the recent development in between India-Nepal relations?

Sustaining innovation(Financial Express)

Mains Paper 2:Governance 
Prelims level: Video-conferencing apps
Mains level: e-governance- application andmodels

Context:

• Last week, after four months of vetting, the government finally announced the winner of its video-conferencing app challenge. 
• Vconsol, by Techgentsia, a start-up from Kerala, won the competition; the app focuses on security and uses OTP as an authentication method for login. 
• The company will receive Rs 1 crore as prize money from the government, apart from Rs 10 lakh for operation and maintenance for the next three years. Additionally, the government will use the app on a contract basis. 
• In April, when the government had announced the challenge for Indian start-ups to build an alternative to the likes of Zoom, it had received 1,983 applications.

Background:

• Over the last few months, following a rigorous process, it narrowed the list down to 12 participants, giving each R 10-12 lakh for app development. 
• It then selected five, with Rs 20 lakh each to three for further development and Rs 15 lakh to the other two. 
• From this pool, four finalists were selected, and last week, the government also announced Rs 25 lakh rewards for Sarv Webs Pvt. Ltd. (Sarv Wave), PeopleLink Unified Communications Pvt Ltd (Insta VC), Instrive Softlabs Pvt Ltd (HydraMeet), to develop their product within the next three months. 
• All four companies will be listed on the government’s GeM portal so that government bodies can get into contracts with them for video-conferencing solutions.

Earlier initiatives taken so far:

• Such hackathons are not a new approach; the government, via NITI Aayog and other agencies, has been conducting similar challenges to rope in private players to build apps. However, the scope for continued engagement, until now, has been limited.
• The video challenge marks the first step with regards to the government actively promoting Indian apps. 
• The government partnered an international hackathon-organising forum for ‘Hack the crisis’ in April, to encourage tech-solutions for addressing different aspects of the Covid-19 pandemic, and has announced a line-up of hackathons. 

Need more support from the government:

• While this is welcome, more proactive support from the government is needed, via the kind of engagement the GeM listing for the video-conferencing apps represents. Also, such solutions should not be just crisis-response or a knee-jerk reaction.
• The government needs to help build start-ups in the field of health-tech, agri-tech, ed-tech, etc. 
• It also needs to promote innovations in new technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain, mixed reality, and robotics. 
• Some states have started incorporating such solutions for better governance. 
• Agra partnered with the start-up Gaia and Microsoft to create a corona dashboard for the city, and Mumbai did the same, too; many governments and city administrations purchased drones from Garuda, a Chennai-based company, to sanitise large areas. 
• Apart from providing initial capital and facilitating incubation programmes—these have been going on for long now—governments at all levels need to hire start-ups through contracts for faster or better government-service delivery. 

Conclusion:

• A globally-competitive tech-solutions/app ecosystem can’t be sustained without government partnership.

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Prelims Questions:

Q.1)With reference to the minimum age of marriage for women, consider the following statements:

1. Currently, the law prescribes that the minimum age of marriage is 21 years and 18 years for men and women respectively.
2. Recently Union Ministry for Women and Child Development set up a task force headed by Jaya Jaitely to examine matters pertaining to age of motherhood, imperatives of lowering Maternal Mortality Ratio and the improvement of nutritional levels among women.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: C

Mains Questions:

Q.1)A globally-competitive tech-solutions/app ecosystem can’t be sustained without government partnership. Critically comment. 

Bias blind spot (Financial Express)

Mains Paper 4:Ethics 
Prelims level: Cognitive biases
Mains level: Ethics and human interface 

Context:

• As part of human we all have some form of unconscious bias. But when we observe our understanding of this, we get blinded to our own nurtured biases. 
• It is not easy for us to accept about our biases. It is like a blind spot. 
• Most people have no idea of how biased they actually are. But they feel that most people around them are more biased than they themselves are.

Fail to recognise cognitive biases:

• We all fail to notice our own cognitive biases. 
• The fact is we all may be drawn to a particular style or way of working without being aware of it. 
• For instance, we tend to get friendly with people who match our own ways of seeing the world and are unaware we are doing so. 
• It would be incorrect to say that we would find an unbiased person easily … colour, class, race, gender, nepotism all are biases that are going on and on because of the bias blind spot. 
• We are unaware of our own actual degree of bias. The more we feel that we are less biased than others, the less we are clear of our own understanding.

Example of a bias blind spot: 

• In the US, most citizens argue about gun control; people are convinced that more guns lead to more violence. 
• On the other hand, people buy guns to protect themselves because they are convinced that they are more likely to be harmed if they don’t have guns, so they buy and store guns. 
• Don’t we always make a decision and interpret it with data to justify? We see patterns based on our past experiences, and connect the dots at an almost innate level.

Another example: 

• When physicians receive gifts from pharmaceutical companies, they tell others that these gifts do not affect their decisions about what medicine to prescribe because they have no memory of gifts biasing their prescription. 
• Nevertheless, if you ask them whether a gift might unconsciously bias the decisions of other physicians, most will agree that other physicians are unconsciously biased by gifts, while continuing to believe that their own decisions are not.
• Our five senses supply us with incredible amounts of data constantly. It is unfeasible for the human brain to process all the information received as it is too huge. 

Developing biases:

• To make our lives easier, our brains are programmed to take shortcuts when interpreting data. We subconsciously develop a set of rules that we plug into unconsciously that allow us to make immediate decisions and judgements. 
• We develop our biases through genetics, through education, through the work we do, through the people we interact with, the culture we grow up in, our childhood experience, our friends, our teachers, the way we are brought up, etc. 
• The best part is that our biases don’t always serve to be right. In the modern world, our inherent biases make our lives complicated. Our blind spots are visible to others, but we don’t see them.
• The bias blind spot can be extremely problematic; when we operate from within our blind spot, we are more likely to reject inputs of others, including experts in a particular area. 

Who has been the biggest mass murderer in history? 

• Most people probably assume that the answer is Adolf Hitler, architect of the Holocaust. Others might guess Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, who may indeed have managed to kill even more innocent people than Hitler did, but both Hitler and Stalin were outdone by Mao. 
• His Great Leap Forward policy led to deaths of up to 45 million people, easily making it the biggest episode of mass murder ever recorded. 

Conclusion:

• The fact is that communists have a bias blind spot in their basic thinking; the rule by communist parties often leads to totalitarianism, political repression, restrictions of human rights, poor economic performance, and cultural and artistic censorship. 
• If not checked in time, a bias blind spot can get dangerous beyond the control of any kind.
• When we operate from within our blind spot, we are more likely to reject inputs of others, including of experts.

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Prelims Questions:

Q.1)With reference to the SalivaDirect, consider the following statements:

1. It was developed by a team from the Yale School of Public Health.
2. It has high sensitivity and can detect the virus even when the number of virus copies in the saliva sample is as low as 6-12 copies per microlitre.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: C

Mains Questions:

Q.1)What do you mean by the cognitive bias? How biases make our lives complex?  Explain with examples.

1. Consider the following statements

1. Hindu Mahasabha founded in 1918 under the presidentship of Madan Mohan Malviya
2. Fazl-i-Husain was related to Unionist Party of Punjab

(a) Only 1
(b) Only 2
(c) Both 1 & 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

2. Consider the following statements

1. The Nagpur Flag Satyagraha was started in mid-1923
2. Vaikom Satyagraha was fought for temple only

(a) Only 1
(b) Both 1 & 2
(c) Only 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

3. Consider the following statements

1. Simon Commission enumerated two features of Indian states British territory & not British subjects
2. The Government of India Act of 1935 proposed a system of federation

(a) Only 1
(b) Only 2
(c) Neither 1 nor 2
(d) Both 1 & 2

4. Consider the following statements

1. The Butler Committees report(1929. rankly said that the princes had no sovereign authority
2. Gandhi start Salt Satyagraha in Aug., 1929

(a) Only 1
(b) Only 2
(c) Both 1 & 2
(d) Neither 1 Or 2

5. Consider the following statements about all India states people’s conference

1. It took shape in 1927
2. Balwant Rai Mehta, Manilal Kothari & G.R. Abhayankar was the leader
3. Its headquarter was based in Delhi

(a) Only 2 & 3
(b) Only 1 & 3
(c) Only 1 & 2
(d) All of the above

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ANS: 1(b), 2(b), 3(b), 4(a), 5(c)

1. निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार कीजिए ।

1. अनुच्छेद 326 के अन्तर्गत मतदान करने की आयु घटा कर 18 वर्ष की गयी 
2. संघ राज्य क्षेत्रों  को छोड़कर कोई व्यक्ति लोकसभा में दो जगह से चुनाव नहीं लड़ सकता है
3. चुनाव आयोग की सलाह पर राष्ट्रपति आपात काल बढ़ा सकते है

उपर्युक्त कथनों में सही कथन है 

a केवल 1
b केवल 1 एवं 2
c 1 एवं 3
d उपर्युक्त सभी

2. निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार कीजिए ।

1. संसद में स्थान की रिक्ति के एक वर्ष के अन्दर में उप-चुनाव होते है।
2. यदि चुनाव होने के पहले किसी प्रत्याशी की मृत्यु हो जाती है तो पार्टी 7 दिन के अन्दर एक नया प्रत्याशी उतार सकती है।
3. डाक से वोट देने का अधिकार 1999 में आया 

उपर्युक्त कथनों में सही कथन है ?

a केवल 1
b केवल 2 एवं 3
c 1 एवं 3
d उपर्युक्त सभी

3. निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार कीजिए ।

1. राज्यसभा के लिए व्यक्ति जिस राज्य से नामाँकित होता है उसका उस राज्य का निवास प्रमाण पत्र होना चाहिए 
2. किसी व्यक्ति को कोई एक राजनीतिक दल चुनाव में उतार सकता है
3. राज्य सभा में खुला मतदान होता है

उपर्युक्त कथनों में सही कथन है 

a केवल 1
b केवल 2 एवं 3
c 1 एवं 3
d उपर्युक्त सभी

4. ‘आनुवांशिक कटाव’ के संबंध में निम्न कथनों पर विचार करें : 

1. आनुवांशिक कटाव का तात्पर्य है, पैदावार की निविधता और कमी
2. आनुवांशिक कटाव में कृषि के परिवर्तन में मदद मिलता है।
3. आनुवांशिक कटाव तब होता है जब मनुष्य कोई नया फसल उगाता है तथा उसे प्राथमिकता देता है।
4. आर्थिक औद्योगिक विकास भी आनुवांशिक कटाव में बड़ी भूमिका निभाते हैं।

उपरोक्त में से कौन सा कथन सही है?

a 1 और 2
b 2 और 3
c 1, 2 और 3
d सभी

5. क्लोरिन का एक एटम, ओज़ोन के कितने एटम का विनाश कर सकते हैं?

a एक हजार
b दस हजार
c 50 हजार
d एक लाख

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ANS: 1(a), 2(b), 3(b), 4(d), 5(d)

Q.Do you think that the Indian saints have brought about social reform and awareness in Indian society? Explain. 10 Marks/2019

Q.How do you understand the ‘minority’question? Examine the violence and discrimination against the religious minorities in India. 20 Marks/2019

Q.Write short notes with a sociological perspective on: Discuss the growth of religious sects in India.10 Marks/2018

Q.Write a critical narrative on the concerns of religious minorities in India. 20 Marks/2018

Q.Assess the impact of ban on ‘Triple Talak’ on marriage and divorce among the Muslim community in India. 10 Marks/2018

Q.What are the distinct features of islam as practised in India, and how have they changed over time?10 Marks/2017

Q.Elucidate the concepts of majoritarianism’ and ‘minoritarianism’ in accentuating communal tensions in India.  20 marks/2016

Q.What are the basic tenets of Hindu religion? Is Hinduism based on monotheism or polytheism?20 marks/2015

Q.What are the major concerns of ethic identity and religious identity in India?20 marks/2015

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Q.Comment on the critical issues of commercialization of higher education in India. 10 Marks/2019

Q.Assess the role of the State in promoting education of girl child.10 Marks/2018

Q.Write a note on Education and equality in India.10 Marks/2017

Q.Write short notes with a sociological perspective on:Privatization of education and increasing inequalities.  10 marks/2016

Q.Write short notes with a sociological perspective on: Empowerment through ‘Right to Education.  10 marks/2016

Q.Write short notes with a sociological perspective on:Important components of National Education Policy in India. 10 marks/2015

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Q.Comment on the changing democratic profile of India. 10 Marks/2019

Q.Discuss the implications of ‘Swachha Bharat Abhiyaan’. Do you think that civil society has a role to play here? Substantiate your answer with example. 20 Marks/2019

Q.Media is the fourth pillar of democracy. Discuss.10 Marks/2018

Q.Elaborate various forms of Dalit assertions in contemporary India? Discuss.20 Marks/2018

Q.With increase in education and economic development is Indian society becoming more secular.10 Marks/2018

Q.Explain the concepts of dominant caste’ and ‘vote bank’ giving examples from specific regions.20 Marks/2017

Q.Give an account of the problems relating to the “creamy layer”. 10 Marks/2017

Q.To what extent does nation building depends on strengthening of pluralities in Indian society?20 Marks/2017

Q.Comment on the increasing significance of caste in politics. 10 marks/2016

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(The Gist of PIB) Guidelines for Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund

Guidelines for Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund

• Union Minister of Animal Husbandry launched the Implementation Guidelines for Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF), the first type of scheme for private sector.

About:

• The INR 15,000 crore AHIDF and the interest subvention scheme for private investors will ensure availability of capital to meet upfront investment required for these projects and also help enhance overall returns/ payback for investors.
• The eligible beneficiaries under the Scheme would be Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), MSMEs, Section 8 Companies, Private Companies and individual entrepreneurs with minimum 10% margin money contribution by them. The balance 90% would be the loan component to be made available by scheduled banks.
• Government of India will provide 3% interest subvention to eligible beneficiaries.
• There will be 2 years moratorium period for principal loan amount and 6 years repayment period thereafter.
• Government of India would also set up Credit Guarantee Fund of Rs. 750 crore to be managed by NABARD. Credit guarantee would be provided to those sanctioned projects which are covered under MSME defined ceilings. Guarantee Coverage would be upto 25% of Credit facility of borrower.
• The beneficiaries intending to invest for establishing dairy and meat processing and value addition infrastructure or strengthening of the existing infrastructure can apply for loan in the scheduled bank through “Udyami Mitra” portal of SIDBI.

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Courtesy: PIB

(The Gist of PIB) Vallarpadam Terminal

Vallarpadam Terminal

• Minister for Shipping has reviewed the development activities of Vallarpadam Terminal of Cochin Port. It is envisaged as first trans-shipment port of India, managed by DP World.

About:

• Trans-shipment Hub is the terminal at the port which handles containers, stores them temporarily and transfers them to other
• ships for the onward destination.
• The Kochi International Container Trans-shipment Terminal (ICTT), locally known as the Vallarpadam Terminal is located strategically on the Indian coastline. It successfully fulfils all the criteria which are needed to develop it as trans-shipment hub.
• Vallarpadam Terminal of Cochin Port is proposed to be developed as most preferred gateway for South India and leading trans-shipment hub of South Asia.

It successfully fulfills all the criteria which are needed to develop it as trans-shipment hub which include:

• It is best positioned Indian port with regard to proximity to International sea routes;
• It is located at least average nautical distance from all Indian feeder ports;
• It entails a connectivity which has multiple weekly feeder connections to all ports on West and East Coast of India, From Mundra to Kolkata;
• It has proximity to key hinterland markets of India;
• It has the infrastructure to manage large ships and capacity to scale it up as per requirement.

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(The Gist of PIB) Green Railway

Green Railway

• Ministry of Railways, with a goal of transforming Indian Railways into Green Railways (Net Zero Carbon Emission) by 2030 has taken a number of major initiatives towards combating climate change.

About:

• Railway Electrification: Indian Railways has completed electrification of more than 40,000 Route km (RKM) (63% of BG routes) in which 18,605 km electrification work has been done during 2014-20.
• Green certification for installations/stations: Indian Railways has also acquired Green Certification from CIII to 7 Production Units (PUs), 39 Workshops, 6 Diesel sheds and 1 Stores depot. 14 Railway Stations and 21 other buildings/ campuses have also been Green certified.
• Fitting bio toilets in coaches: A total of 69,000 coaches have been fitted with more than 2,44,000 bio-toilets in Indian Railways.
• Roof top Solar panels: Indian Railways is working to harness the potential of 500 Mega Watt (MW) energy through roof top Solar panels (Developer model). Till date, 100 Mega Watt (MW) of solar plants have been commissioned on roof-tops of various buildings including 900 stations.
• Total 505 pairs of trains have been converted to Head on Generation, unleashing approx 70 million litre diesel/ Rs 450 crore per annum potential of saving.

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(The Gist of PIB) Family Planning as a human rights issue

Family Planning as a human rights issue

• Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare chaired the virtual meeting on the occasion of World Population Day.
• He highlighted that the strategy of putting family planning at the core has helped to achieve remarkable results.

About:

• In the last decade alone, India’s Crude Birth Rate (CBR) has reduced from 21.8 (SRS 2011) to 20 (SRS 2018) while the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has declined from 2.4 (SRS 2011) to 2.2 (SRS 2018).
• The teenage fertility has halved from 16 (NFHS III) to 7.9 (NFHS IV).
• These efforts have taken India closer to reaching the replacement fertility level of 2.1 and 25 out of 36 States/UTs have already achieved replacement level fertility.
• Use of contraceptives has helped in averting 5.5 crore unintended pregnancies, 1.1 crore total births, 18 lakh unsafe abortions and 30,000 maternal deaths in 2019 alone.
• About 50 percent of the country’s population falls in the reproductive age group of 15-49 years.

Family Planning initiatives:

• The major initiatives under Family Planning include Mission Parivar Vikas, Injectable Contraceptive MPA, Family Planning – Logistics Management Information System (LMIS), Family Planning Communications Campaign.
• The National Family Planning Program has introduced the Injectable Contraceptive in the public health system under the “Antara” program.

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Q.Is industrial development in India a bane or a born to agrarian class structure? Substantiate your answer with suitable examples. 20 Marks/2019

Q.Elaborate urbanism as a way of life in India. 10 Marks/2019

Q.Elucidate the concerns of growing urban displacement dynamics in India. 10 Marks/2019

Q.How do you relate the growth of development of metropoles and its impact on the mental and social life of people in India.20 Marks/2018

Q.Write a note on Basic Services to Urban Poet (BSUP) and Integrated Housing and Slum Development (IHSD) programme provided for the urban poor.10 Marks/2018

Q.Compare the pressing problems of a dalit poor family living in an urban slum with a similar type of family living in a rural setting.10 Marks/2017

Q.Do you agree that the issue of child labour raises questions about and beyond the informal sector? Give reasons.10 Marks/2017

Q.Examine the impact of heritage tourism on urban socio-spatial patterns in India.20 Marks/2017

Q.Write a detailed note on the effects of growing slums in urban areas. 20 Marks/2016

Q.Discuss the changing nature of the problems of working class in the informal sector of the economy.  20 marks/2016

Q.Examine the impact of industrialization and urbanization on family structure.  20 marks/2016

Q.Write short notes with a sociological perspective on: Issues relating to the informal labour market in urban India.10 Marks/2015

Q.Human development approach affirms that education and healthcare growth are more important than economic growth. Discuss this issue in the light of post-liberalized Indian society. 20 Marks/2015

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Listen to the Weaver (Indian Express)

Mains Paper 2:Governance 
Prelims level: Cooperative federalism
Mains level: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors

Context:

• The Ministry of Textiles declared the terminationof the handloom, powerloom, wool, jute and silk boards causing widespread chatter, as if these bodies were the only saviours and protectors of these textiles for decades.
• Set up by Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, and later headed by PupulJayakar, the All India Handicrafts & Handloom Board flourished when headed by these passionately committed women. 
• In 1990, the textile minister made himself the chairperson and nominated caste and political cronies, forgetting representation from Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast, and adding one token woman. 
• Many subsequent regimes never held meetings. The Handloom Board never influenced policy, improved approaches or even removed a speck of dust.

Cooperative federalism:

• A termite-ridden body cannot be renovated as some would wish. It has to be dismantled. 
• But demolitions must lead to building a better institution, not banish the voice of the weavers concerned. 
• It has to be replaced by a well-chosen modern, dynamic, autonomous and inclusive body of genuinely experienced and credible voices from the handloom-weaving chain, including spinners, weavers, dyers, designers, private and public craft institutions, e-market platform providers and experts. 
• The government must also learn to listen, hear dissent, discuss and engage with such bodies without lecturing, nominating or dominating — in short, there should be less government, more people. 
• State handloom boards (wherever they exist) are not enough as their outreach and vision are limited to the state and responses often depend on vote shares. 
• The Centre must be the receptacle for many senior weavers and experts who have national credibility, experience and vision. 
• A national view must be informed by national inputs: Cooperative federalism must mean a chain linking everyone.

New approach:

• More significantly, the Handloom Day announcements at a video meeting by the minister and secretary, textiles laid out an entirely new approach to development. 
• For old hands in the field, these look like a strange mixture of the good, the bad, but are mostly foggy.
• Under good, with caveats, would come Atmanirbhar Bharat, which involves the integration of plans with other ministries like Tourism. 
• Other ministries/departments such as the MEA/ICCR, culture, social justice, women & child welfare, minority affairs and KVIC should also be included. 
• All these ministries touch textiles and crafts and often, their functioning results in duplicating and overlapping rather than effectively integrating with the Ministry of Textiles. 
• The prime minister spoke of breaking ministry silos in 2014, but nothing is visible on the ground.
• The Handloom Mark is emphasised, but methods for ensuring its purity are not clear. It should not go the way of bogus artisan cards which include tea sellers and traders. 
• National Institute of Fashion Technology students and faculty are to guide nine Weavers’ Service Centres. This is a good move for their resuscitation as many have potential. 
• Highlighting handloom pockets is a positive step, but there is a danger of seeking large “clusters”. 
• How will they be identified and what about important though small pockets of rare skills? 
• Will they fall between the cracks because “small is not beautiful” anymore? 

Local to global:

• Special promotional campaigns were announced. These are badly needed but not in the form of unimaginative, old-worldly advertisements. 
• Excellent India-centric graphic designer groups have done a much better job and should be promoted, rather than co-opted under the rigid government system. 
• Highly talented and committed professionals from the design community are kept out because they aren’t from NIFT, NID or otherwise “empanelled” repeatedly. 
• These groups did a yeoman job for promoting weavers during COVID-19. Their efforts should not go unnoticed.
• Information technology is undoubtedly the new “king”, but if weavers have to avail of all knowledge from a special handloom portal, they need connectivity, computers and digital knowledge. 
• Only the corporate sector or government can rely on IT access for everything. “Maximum Governance, Minimum Government” is still a pipe dream. 
• If you seek government support in any manner, it can be a fly trap and become a “shun government” slogan for weavers and NGOs who have some self-respect. 
• Open-mindedness, less red tape, and inclusiveness are imperative. IT does not guarantee integrity or equality. 
• The worst of the announcements was the declaration of intent to sell handlooms at “the highest price at the highest level” and “not cheap cloth but most expensive cloth”. It sounded almost anti-Gandhian.
• The prime minister’s call of “Local to Global” clearly indicates a bottom-up approach from production to marketing. This is the only way migrants will stay home. 

Conclusion:

• Local production for local markets is a brilliant strategy and needs encouragement. The poor man’s cloth has been taken over by powerlooms. 
• Selling expensive cloth to the wealthiest will shrink, not expand the market. 
• Instead, many levels of markets have to be targeted with different products for each segment.

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Prelims Questions:

Q.1)With reference to the Hindustan UrvarakandRasayan Limited (HURL), consider the following statements:

1. Hindustan UrvarakandRasayan Limited (HURL) was incorporated in 2016.
2. It is a joint venture company by ONGC and GAIL. 

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: A