NOTE: Please remember that following ‘answers’ are NOT ‘model answers’. They are NOT synopsis too if we go by definition of the term. What we are providing is content that both meets demand of the question and at the same time gives you extra points in the form of background information.
Topic: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
1. Jal Jeevan Mission has shown a lot of inter-state disparities in providing access to safe and adequate drinking water to all. A renewed focus towards addressing the disparities and creation of long-lasting infrastructure is of utmost importance. Comment. (250 words)
Reference: The Hindu, Insights on India
One of the most significant commitments of the Narendra Modi government is to ensure piped water to every rural household by 2024. Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, led by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, 10.2 crore rural households, or about 53% of the eligible population, now have tap water access.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the shortcomings of Jal Jeevan Mission and suggest measures to improve its performance.
Comment– here we must express our knowledge and understanding of the issue and form an overall opinion thereupon.
Begin by writing about the aims and objectives of Jal Jeevan Mission.
First, write about the various achievements of Jal Jeevan Mission. Substantiate with facts and figures.
Next, write about the various shortcomings of Jal Jeevan Mission in ensuring availability of safe drinking water.
Next, suggest ways to overcome the limitations.
Conclude with a way forward.
One of the most significant commitments of the current government is to ensure piped water to every rural household by 2024. Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, led by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, 10.2 crore rural households, or about 53% of the eligible population, now have tap water access.
Inter-state disparities in access to safe drinking water
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the progress of the scheme but with the economy now close to pre-pandemic levels, it is likely that the challenges of labour and material have softened somewhat to aid the progress of the scheme. The Centre should liaise better with States that are falling behind in targets and ensure that the infrastructure created as part of the scheme is long lasting and not merely to meet election targets.
Topic: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
2. To meet India’s healthcare challenges and transform it into a world leader in the field in the next 25 years, we must act now to transform education, expand care and research. Discuss.
Reference: Indian Express , Insights on India
The Covid-19 pandemic has shown the world our capability to handle mega problems. With good leadership and active community participation we became self-sufficient in terms of PPE, ventilators and vaccines.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the healthcare challenges and ways to overcome it.
Discuss – This is an all-encompassing directive – you must debate on paper by going through the details of the issues concerned by examining each one of them. You must give reasons for both for and against arguments.
Begin by giving a statistic related to the current state of healthcare in India.
First, write about the various issues in the healthcare system of the country and substantiate with facts and examples.
Next, write about the measures that are needed to address the above issues in order to make India as a world leader in global healthcare.
Conclude with a way forward.
Healthcare provisions in India is grossly inadequate and access to healthcare is highly inequitable. Lack of efficient public healthcare and burden of out-of-pocket health expenditures reduces people’s capacity or disables them from investing in the human capital of their children.
In India, a large portion of the population is below the poverty line, therefore, they do not have easy access to primary health and education. There is growing inequality across social groups and income groups which translates itself into poor socio-economic mobility.
A multi-pronged approach is imperative to reap the demographic dividend. There is also a need to engage with the youth and create an enabling environment for entrepreneurship. The demographic dividend offers them a unique opportunity to boost living standards, but they must act now to manage their older populations in the near future by implementing policies that ensure a safe and efficient transition from the first demographic dividend to the second demographic dividend.
Topic: Role of civil services in a democracy.
3. India is rapidly integrating technology in both governance and in delivering goods and services. All this requires a civil servant who is not just committed but also has the competence to deliver on this evolving mandate. Elaborate. (250 words)
The civil services have remained at the epicentre of all government activities in India, both as agents of policymaking as well as the executive hand that delivers and implements those policies. This unique moment of Amrit Mahotsav is the appropriate time for the civil services to pause, reflect and strategise on the approaches needed to shape its future. People-centric governance is no longer aspirational but is rapidly becoming the national imperative.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the need of competent and committed civil servants to achieve good governance and ways to do so.
Elaborate – Give a detailed account as to how and why it occurred, or what is the context. You must be defining key terms wherever appropriate and substantiate with relevant associated facts.
First, write in detail about the various issues in the Indian Civil service and how it is adversely impacting the governance.
Next, write about the importance of competence and commitment in civil servants and how this will lead to achievement of good governance.
Next, write about the ways to achieve the above.
Conclude by writing a way forward
E-governance, digital governance is the integration of technology with governance in delivery of goods and services.
The role of Civil Servants across the domains of policy making and policy implementation is critical to the development process. They assist in identifying major policy areas such as preparing major policy proposals, analysing various alternatives and solutions to societal problems requiring urgent attention, dividing the major policies into sub-policies, determining program of action and suggesting modification in the existing policy on the basis of its experience on the implementation front.
Importance of competent civil servants in governance
Civil servants achieving their objectives
Indian civil servants should strive to make India’s civil services the best in the world. They need to come out with innovative ideas and solutions to deliver public services to the satisfaction of every citizen. At the same time, the right ecosystem should be created to ensure that they have a meaningful career and are able to fulfill their responsibilities without fear or favour.
Topic: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.
4. Write a short note on various measures taken to reform capital markets. What are the current issues in the capital market of the country? Suggest possible reforms for the same. (250 words)
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 3 and mentioned as part of Mission-2023 Secure timetable.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about capital market reforms, present issues and possible solutions to them.
Begin by giving context about the capital markets.
First, in brief, write about the importance of capital market in the country’s economy.
Next, write about various measures taken in the past to reform the capital markets – The Narasimham Committee (1991), SEBI, Credit Rating etc.
Next, write about the present issues in the capital market in the country and suggest possible measures to resolve them.
Conclude with a way forward.
The capital market is the place that acts as the platform between the suppliers and the buyers. The savings and investments are channelized between the persons who have capital and the person who needs capital. In simpler terms, the market where buyers and sellers engage in trading of financial securities like bonds, stocks, etc. However, the market is much wider than securities. The participants during such transactions can be an individual as well as an institution.
Measures taken to reform capital markets
Issues in the capital market
The Indian capital market has undergone many changes after the challenges and the irreparable loss faced over years. There have been massive and revolutionary changes over years, and some significant changes that have reduced the financial scam cases. There has been a reduction of malpractices of trade over the years. The capital market has made tremendous progress in terms of institution building. They have transformed and developed the lives of investors and market intermediaries. The market has been friendlier by boosting performance and eliminating the challenges.
Topic: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.
5. Discuss the importance of money market to the economy of India. (250 words)
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 3 and mentioned as part of Mission-2023 Secure timetable.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about importance of money markets.
Begin by defining money markets.
Write about the importance of money market for India’s economy – Development of Trade and Industry, Development Of Capital Market, Smooth Functioning of Commercial Banks, Formulation Of Suitable Monetary Policy etc. Cite statistics to substantiate.
The money market refers to trading in very short-term debt investments. At the wholesale level, it involves large-volume trades between institutions and traders. At the retail level, it includes money market mutual funds bought by individual investors and money market accounts opened by bank customers.
Importance of money market to Indian economy
There are several pros and cons of money market investments. Most money market securities are considered extremely low-risk, due to the protection of FDIC insurance, backing by a government or bank, or the high creditworthiness of the borrowers. They are also very liquid, meaning that they can readily be exchanged for cash at short notice.
The tradeoff of having low risk is that these investments also have low returns. Not only do money markets underperform other asset classes, they often don’t even keep pace with inflation. In addition, any fees associated with an account can easily eat into those slim returns.
Topic: Human Values – lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators;
6. What does this quote means to you? (150 words)
“Moral wounds have this peculiarity – they may be hidden, but they never close; always painful, always ready to bleed when touched, they remain fresh and open in the heart.” ― Alexandre Dumas
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 4 and part of ‘Quotes Wednesdays’ in Mission-2023 Secure.
Begin by explaining the literal meaning of the quote.
Write about as to what you understand by moral wounds and how they are manifested. Mention about how they do not heal – as loss of morality can never be compensated. Cite examples.
Next, suggest ways to heal moral wounds to an extent.
Summarise by highlighting the importance of the quote in the present day.
Conscience is inner moral sense of a person which guides him/her to regulate his behaviour. Voice of conscience corresponds to an inner voice that judges your behaviour. Voice of conscience is the source of ethical decision making for many.
Moral wounds always remain in hearts because man has a conscience. Moral injury is understood to be the strong cognitive and emotional response that can occur following events that violate a person’s moral or ethical code. Potentially morally injurious events include a person’s own or other people’s acts of omission or commission, or betrayal by a trusted person in a high-stakes situation. For example, health-care staff working during the COVID-19 pandemic might experience moral injury because they perceive that they received inadequate protective equipment, or when their workload is such that they deliver care of a standard that falls well below what they would usually consider to be good enough.
Ultimately conscience will guide us home. It is the canvas of your emotional & psychological behaviour. The conscience keeps all the records of our conscious and subconscious behaviours, thoughts & actions.
If your body is a temple, your conscience is the God. A clear conscience helps us to connect to our inner powers & treasures, through its intuitive language, to guide through moments of crisis and difficult situations.
As long as we know right from wrong and have an active aware conscience, we will follow a moral compass. Without basic rules surrounding morality, there will always be chaos. This is where moral philosophies can aid an individual.
Topic: Human Values – lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators;
7. What does this quote means to you? (150 words)
“It is not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well.” ― Descartes
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 4 and part of ‘Quotes Wednesdays’ in Mission-2023 Secure.
Begin by explaining the literal meaning of the quote.
Write about how not having a good mind is enough as it will lead to no action. It is necessary to put that good mind to create a better society. Cite examples to substantiate.
Summarise by highlighting the importance of the quote in the present day.
The quote says that a good mind is a great place to start, but that it is only a starting place. A good mind is the foundation on which to build. The quote urges us to learn how to use our mind, and use it well. That takes practice, and that takes time, effort, and the willingness to think.
Descartes wants to shed light on the fact that we spend too much time in chasing things that are unimportant and of little value to us and we find it difficult to sit back and reflect on life. Life is indeed very fast-paced and competitive and we try to escape our difficulties by getting intoxicated so we forget about it but never really try to think and pursue things that we value. So this constant wastage of mental energy leaves us burned out and stressed chronically
The stoics believed in using our abilities in the right way for the right things as they argued that since we have limited time and energy, therefore we should use it for the right things which according to stoics are generally virtues and ethics and self-awareness.
So, we can only use our minds well if we know and accept that we have limited time and therefore ought to use it wisely. Even if we are born smarter than average or are really skilled in some way, if we lose our lives thinking about what is not in our control and worrying about future or past the this is sheer wastage of our tine and our mental abilities
Oppenheimer is credited as the father of the atomic bomb. But this one invention has changed the course of human history and has led to devastation of mankind. It is by virtue of this invention that there is a security dilemma, mutually assured destruction and fear of weapons falling in hands of rogue terror outfits. Hence this stands as a great example of not utilizing our abilities for the good of the world. With great mind power comes great repsonsibility.
“With great power comes great responsibility” has a simple meaning; if you have the ability to do something, make sure that you do it for the good of others. Highly admired people like Gandhi and Ninoy Aquino have done things that follow the spirit of this message. If you can stop something bad from happening, do it. You don’t have to be a superhero to follow those words of geek wisdom. It’s possible to do small actions that have a big impact in the world.
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