This is question set #17 of ‘Clear IAS Mains High Value Answer Writing Test Series’. Mains High Value Answer Writing is a UPSC mains oriented program from ClearIAS.com that consists of 5 questions in each post, published around 8 pm every day. Each of the 5 questions are selected from 5 papers mentioned in UPSC Mains syllabus namely Essay, GS1, GS2, GS3 and GS4 (ethics). Selected questions of high probability to be asked UPSC mains are included in each of these mini tests. Aspirants can choose any question they wish to answer in the comment space provided below, specifying the question number and question topic.
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Questions for Answer Writing – Selections for today:
- Essay Paper: Indian Society and Sex Education. (1500 words)
- GS 1 Paper: [Indian History/Nationalism] – India is known for its diversity – religion, languages, culture, races – there seems nothing in common. What unities India then? Trace the growth of Indian nationalism. (200 words)
- GS 2 Paper: [Polity/Central Plan] – After the restructuring of Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS), the Central Plan is shrinking while Central Assistance to states is increasing. Analyze the impact of this change in the background of 2014 Union Budget. (200 words)
- GS 3 Paper: [Indian Economy/Diesel De-regulation] – The gap between Petrol and Diesel Prices is gradually decreasing, as India is moving towards diesel de-regulation. Examine the policy of diesel de-regualtion and find out the negative and positive impacts of the same on Indian economy. (200 words)
- GS 4 Paper: [Ethics]– List out the determinants and consequences of Ehtics in human actions. (200 words)
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Clear IAS Mains High Value Answer Writing is a free program from ClearIAS.com. Any UPSC aspirant, interested to polish his/her writing skills or to learn the art of writing high value answers to boost the score in UPSC Civil Services Mains can participate in it. The official team from ClearIAS.com may review selected answers, and guide aspirants to improve the answer structure. Fellow aspirants, experienced candidates or toppers can also comment and suggest improvements for each of the answers. The platform is free and open to public with a view of better sharing and learning. You can read more about the Clear IAS Mains High Value Answer Writing Test Series objectives and rules in the hyperlink.
PS: Aspirants can select any question they wish to answer in the comment space provided below specifying the question. Answering 3-4 questions, does not take much of your time. But for those who engage regularly in answer writing, the resultant score improvement in actual UPSC exam would be exponential.
Clearias,
Plz review previous test series answers. It gives us a direction and encouragement.
1. GS 1 Paper: [Indian History/Nationalism] – India is known for its diversity – religion, languages, culture, races – there seems nothing in common. What unities India then? Trace the growth of Indian nationalism. (200 words)
Ans
Modern Indian nationalism can be seen growing in two phases-
Mughal rule in India saw integration of different regions. Since the Mughals were foreign rulers they balanced the local ethnicities well create a dynamic and heterogeneous society. The last simmer of this national identity was visible in the revolt of 1857 when the rebellious soldiers instinctively turned to the Mughal ruler Bahadur Shah Zafar for leadership.
The second phase of Nationalism rose as a consequence of British policies in India.
– In 1833, the 3 presidencies were united and a Governor General for all of India was put in place, hence uniting India into one geo political entity.
– The formation of Congress with multi-state membership united the efforts against a common enemy.
– With rise of extremists, the appeal of its leaders became national.
– The coming of Gandhi further integrated the people. He took struggle to different parts of India viz. Champaran satyagraha in Bihar, Temple entry movement in Kerala, Dandi march in Gujarat.
– The rise of socialist/communist movement in India rose people above regional and religious identity and forged a national entity.
– Against the initial movements like Shivaji majotsava and Ganesha mahotrava, which had regional and religious appeal, later movements like Non-cooperation and Civil-disobedience movement were secular and national.
The Indian freedom struggle led to forging of a united identity of Indians and birth of the nation of India.
2.[Indian history/nationalism]
India is a country of groups of cultures,religions,castes,creeds and classes. But we call it as unity in diversity. The things which bind us together include our upbringing in an environment where students from different communities study in the same schools and colleges which later on become the workforce of the country.
The fact can also be related to our history, nationalist movements and the struggle for the freedom where people from all religions actively participated,which ultimately made the Britishers to leave India. The revolt against Englishmen gained pace in the states of Central Province,Uttar Pradesh in the north to the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh in south. Everyone participated thinking himself as the son of the dear motherland. The slogans and the patriotic songs in different languages had only one theme of freedom of the country. Everyone boycotted foreign goods and switched to swadeshi products together. There were binded by a single thread of revolution and aspiration for the freedom.
All the words of the leaders like Gandhi, Nehru and Bose use to address every individual of the country.
1. GS 2 Paper: [Polity/Central Plan] – After the restructuring of Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS), the Central Plan is shrinking while Central Assistance to states is increasing. Analyze the impact of this change in the background of 2014 Union Budget. (200 words)
Ans.
Central sector schemes are those which are 100% financed by central government and implemented by it also. The different sectors that are covered in it like, electricity and transport are from central list and the funds are transferred through respective ministries.
Centrally sponsored schemes are those, in which centre and state share the funding, but these are implemented by the state governments. The different sectors are under state list and the funds are transferred through the consolidated fund of the state or directly transferred to the district/local authority.
In the budget year 2013, the distribution of funds allocated for planned development were-
Central sector schemes- Rs 3.56 trillion
Centrally sponsored schemes- Rs 1.19 trillion (total – 4.75 trillion Rs)
However under the budget for year 2014, there was huge pressure to cut down on fiscal deficit. The government slightly reduce the allocation for central sector schemes and substantially increased the allocations for centrally sponsored schemes. This was also because after the restructuring of the CSS, all the schemes with allocations below 500 crore Rs were scrapped or merged to keep only those schemes that could have national impact. So from 126 the number of schemes was brought down to 66 of which 17 are flagship programs.
Central sector schemes- Rs 2.36 trillion (75% to 41 %)
Centrally sponsored schemes- Rs 3.38 trillion (total – 5.75 trillion Rs) (25% to 59%)
The impact of this can be felt as-
1) More states are demanding special status.
2) States have more funds and more power to meet local needs.
3) Less number of CSS but with more resources to meet the targets.
4) With newfound financial freedom, more state plans coming into existence.
5) True federal structure can emerge.
1. GS 3 Paper: [Indian Economy/Diesel De-regulation] – The gap between Petrol and Diesel Prices is gradually decreasing, as India is moving towards diesel de-regulation. Examine the policy of diesel de-regulation and find out the negative and positive impacts of the same on Indian economy. (200 words)
Ans.
The cost of diesel subsidy is born by government and upstream oil companies like ONGC and IOCL, which was approximately Rs. 63,000 crore last year. Government has decided to bring the prices of diesel at par with international prices with increments of approximately 50 paisa per month. The lowering of international oil prices have helped in matching the international prices with the pump prices. Also government has decided to share the subsidy equally between itself and upstream oil refiners and also exclude the cess paid by them to the states. This will help keep the subsidy burden on refiners at Rs. 39,000 crores.
Following will be its impact-
Positive
1) Refiners will have more money to invest in further oil exploration.
2) Government will be able to reduce subsidy and fiscal deficit thus being able to divert more money into social welfare.
3) With reduction of fiscal deficit, the rating of Indian bonds will improve.
4) With international prices, private companies will enter the market, improving competition and the standard of services.
5) With parity in prices, the undue bias towards large diesel SUVs will be over and customers will be promoted to judiciously use the fuel.
Negatives
1) The users will have to face any future fluctuations in the international prices.
2) The rise in prices needed to match the international prices will adversely affect the automobile industry.
3) Entry of private players will effectively prevent any future efforts from government to protest customers from price rise.
4) Transport industry will be left vulnerable to any fluctuations, ensuing rise in prices of basic necessities like food.
GS 3 Paper: [Indian Economy/Diesel De-regulation] – The gap between Petrol and Diesel Prices is gradually decreasing, as India is moving towards diesel de-regulation. Examine the policy of diesel de-regulation and find out the negative and positive impacts of the same on Indian economy. (200 words)
Deregulating the diesel prices means that the government will no longer be subsidizing diesel prices and the prices will be purely linked to the international crude prices. But for now it will be only partially regulated – the reason being an attempt to avoid sudden spike in inflation. The prices of diesel will be hiked by 50 paisa per month.
Positive impacts-
-reduce our long term debt and fiscal deficit by abolition of subsidies on diesel. Our overall economy will get stabler in this case.
-this measure will be a boost to the oil producing and marketing companies to recover their losses
-government run oil companies will be candidates for disinvestment which means that the government can lower their fiscal deficits further with additional income.
-this will also bring in big private players.This kind of competition will eventually bring in good service, good quality and in the future competitive pricing as well.
-people will slow down the use of diesel and petrol in cars, use more public transport, and more importantly find other sources of energy.
Negative impacts-
-there will be immediate price rise in commodities and other consumables.
-the sale of diesel cars will now not outpace the sale of petrol cars.The auto industry will fell the upsurge.
-result in changing consumption and production patterns as food items become expensive.
-the transportation cost will increase
-price hike in diesel will be a problem to farmers as diesel is used in motors, irrigation, farm machinery on field
The government can directly compensate farmers based on their produce; transport operators by direct transfer to mitigate some of the adverse impacts of the deregulation of diesel price.
Alpa, We evaluate/go through all answers on a daily basis. Due to time constraints, though we might not be able to reply every individual answers, we often reply to selected answers in each tests. We are happy that the participants are showing good spirit of sharing and guiding among themselves. Our team will provide individual guidance for free to those who are serious in this program till the end. Keep writing.
After the restructuring of Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS), the Central Plan is shrinking while Central Assistance to states is increasing. Analyze the impact of this change in the background of 2014 Union Budget. (200 words)
answer:
The union budget introduced important changes in the way the central funds flow to the states:
– the centrally sponsored schemes have been restructured, reducing their number from around 126 to 84.
– the funds which earlier flowed through the CSS to the states would now come under additional central assistance. This has increased the central assistance by about 184% higher than 2013-14.
– also the interim budget introduced the system of flexi funds
The impact of these changes is as follows:
Till now the assistance to the state plans consisted of normal central assistance under the gadgil-mukherjee formula, special central assistance under the discretion of the deputy chairman of the planning commission, additional central assistance for example for scheme like JNNURM, funds through the CSS and grants in aid as recommended by the finance commission.
However the funds which flowed to the state under the CSS did not reflect in the annual state plans. This resulted in increase in the annual allocation by the centre every year while the actual funds in the pipeline were not know in exact details.
Because of the restructuring the funds generated would now be moved under the additional central assistance. Thus under the new system the state plan would now comprise of normal central assistance under gadgil mukherjee formula, special central assistance and the additional central assistance.
The funds which previously flowed through allocations for CSS and could not be monitored would now be monitored properly by the central bureaucrats. This is because now the allocation for the restructured CSS would be made by the central finance ministry to the state treasury. Earlier this allocation was made by the finance ministry to central ministry related to that scheme which further forwarded the funds to the state department. As the funds were not reflected in the state plans, the CAG could not monitor the use.
Now with the new system, the Funds would flow to the state treasuries, therefore making the monitoring of their use by the CAG possible. Thus the system would ensure greater accountability on the part of the states.
The restructuring has also made possible generation of funds towards the central assistance. Under the Budget 2014-15, the amount allocated to the states under the additional central assistance account has increased. It is now about 184% higher than amount allocated under same account in 2013-14.
The additional central assistance to the state plans is also higher by 43% than the allocation to the central plan. This has reduced the reduced the amount allocated to the central ministries as the funds would now directly move to state treasuries. For instance Agriculture and allied activities has seen reduction in allocation by almost 40%.
The restructuring will also help to eliminate overlapping schemes and save scarce resources as pointed above. It will ensure not only better monitoring of funds by the centre but also better implementation by the states.
This implementation of schemes by the states will also be served because of the introduction of system of flexi-funds. Around 10% of the allocations to state for CSS can be used by the states at their discretion but within the larger framework of the laid out scheme.
Thus such steps can serve towards better implementation of the schemes, the success of which is crucial.
Clearias,
For test series 13,14,15 and 16 I could not see reply to any individual answer. Is it a problem at my end of cache or browser??
No Alpa, we are yet to update feedback on last 3-4 tests. We are just giving some more time for aspirants to come forward with their original thoughts. You can surely read our feedback soon.
Very nice and clear! Thanks!
Thanks…looking forward to your feedback
GS 4 Paper: [Ethics]– List out the determinants and consequences of Ethics in human actions. (200 words)
The determinants of ethics in human actions are:
1. Personal ethics – profound influence on the way we behave
2. Decision making – People sometimes apply straight forward decision without considering ethical issues
3. Leadership – help to establish culture and values of organization
4. Organisation culture – culture that de-emphasises business ethics reduces all decisions to be purely economic
5. Unrealistic performance goals -unrealistic goals that can only be attained by cutting corners or acting in an unethical manner
The consequences of ethics in human actions are:
Consequentialism is based on two principles:
– Whether an act is right or wrong depends only on the results of that act
– The more good consequences an act produces, the better or more right that act
a.Utilitarianism – states that people should maximise human welfare or well-being
b.Hedonism – states that people should maximise human pleasure.
c.Act consequentialism – looks at every single moral choice anew
d.Rule consequentialism – Whether acts are good or bad depends on moral rules. Moral rules are chosen solely on the basis of their consequences
e.Negative Consequentialism – Good actions are the ones that produce the least harm.
I am also waiting of it because i can’t afford test series and thus solely depend on your team
GS1:[Indian History/Nationalism] – India is known for its diversity – religion, languages, culture, races – there seems nothing in common. What unities India then? Trace the growth of Indian nationalism. (200 words)
Social difference doesn’t necessarily mean social difference. The unity in diversity among Indians can be due to:
• Due to some overlapping social difference means even there can be difference in communities there are some common among them which are secular in nature.
• The most important reason is the growing feeling of nationalism among Indians.
In history the growth of nationalism could be traced to post 1857 revolt. Some major development can be:
• Formation of INC in 1885 which played a vital role in integrating India by various campaign and programmes.
• Arrival of Gandhi in India who united the socially and economically divided India in his secular front. He along with his non-violent Satyagraha led unity of India. With his secular movement Civil-Disobedience movement, Non-co-operation movement, Quit India Movement, Individual satygraha united India.
• The Civil disobedience and the Khilafat movement running in parallel played a vital role in uniting Hindu and Muslim.
The historic victory in gaining independence was written by the united India with diverse in character.
[Polity/Central Plan] – After the restructuring of Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS), the Central Plan is shrinking while Central Assistance to states is increasing. Analyze the impact of this change in the background of 2014 Union Budget. (200 words)
Centrally Sponsored Schemes are implemented by state government but are largely funded by Central Government. In Budget 2014 the fiscal deficit was 4.5% which is itself very high but the plan to reduce it to 4.1% is also highly ambitious which clearly indicates to have cut in expenditure and since India can’t compromise with the defense sector and thus resulted in restructuring of CSS. Some of the positive impact of this includes:
• This will reduce the problem of insufficiency of fund.
• Since high fund is central owed it automatically increases the accountability of states to the government in centre.
• Fewer schemes mean it becomes easy to handle them and to supervise them efficiently.
Negative impact includes:
• Fewer schemes may lead to compromise with India’s diverse requirement.
• Government, both at centre and state, onus to make increases manifolds due to stress over limited schemes.
• Such an action also becomes a political hot-potato.
Although, less scheme can be theoretically a good idea but in Indian context it can pose problem. As per latest NSSO data India is home for highest number of poor people in the world. These people have diverge requirement like lack of financial assistance, malnutrition, health and environmental hazard etc. So, utter care should be taken while continuing such reform.
Avi, you didn’t answer well the first part – “What unites India”. The second part – tracing- also can be improved.
Bhardwaj2014, the answer can be improved. Try to add more points.
You did the background analysis really well. Good. But the impact part can be improved. Just think : Increase in funds for CSS, less number of CSS : the result?
GS1 Paper : [ Indian history Nationalism ]- India is known for its-diversity religion,culture,language,race- there seems nothing is common.Whats unites India then? Trace the growth of Indian nationalism.
Ans. The unity of India is intact despite being composed of different language,culture and races.Foreign invasions by Greeks,Huns,Shakas during the ancient times who made Indian their home led to intermingling of cultures.The message of religious tolerance and Hindu-Muslim unity by the sufi saints and Bhakti movements further reinforced the bond between different sections of society.Indian national movement during the modern times brought all sections of society irrespective of caste,creed,race on a single platform to make India free from the control of Britishers.
The first stint of Indian nationalism was visible in the revolt of 1857 carried under the leadership of Bahadur Shah Zafar.The formation of Indian national congress in 1885 provided impetus to organize the people to led a mass movement against British rule emergence of extremists within the Indian national congress inspired the youth wing to work for the freedom of their country.The entry of Mahatma Gandhi in 1920’s his tools of non-violence,Satyagraha,civil disobedience movement transformed the struggle into an all India movement which culminted with the end of British rule in India.
Marks : 2.5