This is question set #41 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.
Questions for Answer Writing – Selections for today:
- Essay Paper: Social media and privacy. (1500 words)
- GS 1 Paper: [Indian after independence/Sino-Indian War ] – According to James Calvin, an analyst from the U.S. Navy, India gained many benefits from the 1962 Sino-Indian conflict. Critically analyze. (200 words)
- GS 2 Paper: [Foreign Relations/ Nuclear Deal] A Sino-Indo civil nuclear deal would have to clear substantial domestic and regional hurdles. Can Strategic Nuclear Competition and Cooperation Coexist? – (200 words)
- GS 3 Paper: [Indian Economy/Banking] Correcting problems in coal and gas sectors is one of the primary steps to be taken to get the Indian economy back on growth track. Comment. (200 words)
- GS 4 Paper: [Philosophers/Socrates] “The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be”. Examine this statement in the background of the life of Socrates. (200 words)
Archives of Clear IAS Mains High Value Answer Writing Test Series
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Note from Clear IAS Team
We have been noticing great improvement in the answer quality and comprehension skills in regular participants in Clear IAS Mains High Value Answer Writing Program. Our vision is to cover most of the important conventional and current topics for mains, so that serious and deserving aspirants who participate in this free program are always one step ahead in the competition. We have already seen many excellent answers from serious participants. Regarding evaluation, in the first 30 days, Clear IAS Team had been giving overall guidelines to write a good, high value answer, but in the coming days, we plan to award marks, so that aspirants will get a realistic idea about the UPSC expectations and quality they need to maintain in the answer.
Please note: Last year the toppers’ marks for General Studies varied from 300-400 out of 1000. (2013 CSE AIR 1, Gaurav Agrawal scored 338/1000 for GS). This means, 4 marks out of 10 for every answer in UPSC exam was excellent performance as far as 2013 mains GS was concerned. So our marking scheme too would be keeping those figures in mind. Please have a look at our marking scheme for coming days:
- 0.0-1.9/10 – Not satisfactory.
- 2.0-2.4/10 – Average.
- 2.5-2.9/10 – Good.
- 3.0-3.9/10 – Excellent.
- 4.0+/10 – Exceptional.
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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.
According to James Calvin, an analyst from the U.S. Navy, India gained many benefits from the 1962 Sino-Indian conflict. Critically analyze.
Answer:
The sino-indian war of 1962, occurred in the context of a disputed border- the line of actual control and chinese claim over territories under india’s possession- such as NEFA, ladakh, tawang.
Even though india lost the war, the chinese decided to withdraw and declared a ceasefire. According to analysts like james calvin india could obtain gains from war, however these were more of indirect nature and long term.
– The war boosted the nationalism and patriotism in the country and united the country like never before. The war cry to do something for the country started to gain ground, and stood in good stead in the later period during other calamities and wars.
– The erstwhile non-aligned country like india, started being more acceptable towards availing military and economic aid during and after the war. This was significant in the context of the criticism it had drawn upon itself for not taking any position at the global- not inclined towards any major power bloc.
– In the post war india was to modernise its military on a large scale to become the 3rd largest army in the world, this was because the weaknesses of the army had got exposed during the war which necessitated such large scale efforts.
– It in a way made territorial gain in terms of the chinese giving up its claims upon the NEFA upto the war. Post war withdrawal saw the chinese accepting india’s position of Arunachal pradesh as under indian control.
These less tangible gains have to contrasted with the high losses, damage to prestige and self esteem caused because of the war. Also the border dispute continues to make the relationship with china uneasy even now, which calls for an early resolution through peaceful negotiations.
Marks 4.0
Correcting problems in coal and gas sectors is one of the primary steps to be taken to get the Indian economy back on growth track. Comment
Answer:
There has been a substantial slowdown of the economic growth in india whose reasons are many with the problems in the coal and gas sectors being a significant hurdle.
Problems in coal and gas sectors:
– irregularities in coal block allocations, leading to the supreme court cancelling all the allocations and resultant shortfall of supply to the power plants and steel industry. This affects the power generation capacity causing power cuts.
– inefficient exploitation of coal has led greater imports of coal leading to price escalation and costly power for the industries having a cascading effect for the economy as a whole.
– for gas supply, india is dependent on the imports- which is expected to rise deteriorating our balance of payment. The issues in KG- D6 basin has led to slowdown in production of gas from these fields causing shortfall in supply and affecting the industries such as fertilisers. It also has implications for NELP.
These problems are crucial as they have a direct bearing on the energy needs of the economy. Inability to meet the growing needs of the population leads to import dependence for energy sources, industrial development, employment generation, infrastructure creation, human development.
Correcting the problems through steps like:
-transparent allocation of coal blocks, expedited manner.
-proper implementation of NELP 10.
-Certainty of policy with regards to profit sharing with the private sector.
Marks 3.0
🙂 Prelims qualified. Congrats to all successful candidates on this forum.
congrats Amrit .I too qualified. All the best for the mains
hey i too qualified…congrats to you both
Me too 🙂 congrats all you guys!
btw anyone has taken anthropology as optional?
congrats to all ! ! !
i also cleared
Congratulation to the qualifiers and better luck next time for me and the rest unqualified.
Hard luck dost. stay active for the rest of series, dont be demoralized.
Congratulations to all those qualified from Clear IAS Team! And those who missed by slender margin, we appreciate the right spirit shown. We have a quote for you: ” The race is not over because I haven’t won yet!”
According to James Calvin, an analyst from the U.S. Navy, India gained many benefits from the 1962 Sino-Indian conflict. Critically analyze.
Ans
According to Calvin, India made many gains from the 1962 war-
1) Modernisation of military; increased strength, better equipment and logistics, improved training and more allocations.
2) Surge of patriotism, unification of nation (suppression of tamil secessionist movement)
3) Opening up to aid from the super powers.
4) Gaining control of NEFA ( though she always considered it hers)
5) Preparedness for war with Pakistan in 1965.
However there was much loss in the war too-
1) Loss of prestige and reduced role in world affairs and NAM.
2) Emboldened Pakistan got closer to China and provoked war.
3) Loss of lives both military and civilian.
4) Loss of territory and morale of army.
Prior to the war, it was believed that India didn’t have substantial threat militarily and thus there was minimal spending on military. India had actively stayed away from world powers and helped create NAM. The war shattered both these views and brought to focus the need of military preparedness and the lack of support from NAM members on India’s side.
Though it helped shape up military doctrine and Indian diplomacy, it also reduced India to a minor world player; not in proportion to its population or even self image.
Good one. Panchsheel and subsequent non interference in Mayanmar was also a loss as it resulted in disconnect somewhere because India could not press for democracy there.
A Sino-Indo civil nuclear deal would have to clear substantial domestic and regional hurdles. Can Strategic Nuclear Competition and Cooperation Coexist? – (200 words)
Ans
An Indo-Sino nuclear deal would have to face tough scrutiny domestically. While the intelligence agencies, military establishment and strategic think tanks will raise multiple questions regarding handing over of key sectors to a potentially hostile nation, further brouhaha may be caused in the parliaments.
There will also be voices being raised in our neighbourhood with Pakistan potentially, vehemently opposing any proposal of such an accord, while Japan will be uncomfortable by Chinese inroads into a strategic section in India.
However the deal will have its advantages; Chinese Nuclear technology may be competitively priced compared to US, Russian or French technology we are currently considering, with better transfer of technology terms. With plans of rapid increments in nuclear technology, India could gain from future advancements at good terms.
The terms of the agreement of such a deal will ensure co-operation with competition. Inclusion of terms for ensured supply and compensation in case of inability, transfer of technology and sharing of work to give impetus to local industry and knowledge and clarity with international standards about responsibility of failure of mishap will be the cornerstone of such a system.
GS 3 Paper: [Indian Economy/Banking] Correcting problems in coal and gas sectors is one of the primary steps to be taken to get the Indian economy back on growth track. Comment. (200 words)
Ans. The cancellation of allocation of coal blocks by SC has affected Indian economy directly, by reduction in production and in turn import of coal by outflow of FOREX reserve. Indirectly the NPAs of banks, who gave loans to coal blocks allocated companies , is likely to go up therefore economy hampered. The Gas sector is also showing reduced output than expected therefore the power generation capacity has come down and there fore we have to rely on other costly and carbon emission modes of electricity which also result in outflow of forex.
The Indian economy which has shown sustained growth in Service Sector but has failed to accelerate its manufacturing sector for the past few years. The recent Industrial Output data also reveals that. The coal and gas are backbone of our economy as manufacturing, service sector, agriculture, tourism sector are depending upon electricity. In India the coal and gas based power’s share is around 60%.
The “Make in India” aims to increase manufacturing sectors’ GDP contribution and create jobs to maintain robustness in economy but without Coal and Gas it is impossible. However the followings steps taken by government augurs well for the problem related to coal and gas-
1. A fresh allocation of coal allocation and brave face shown by CIL to meet requirement till then.
2. Fresh allocation will bring more money, less fiscal deficit and more money for manufacturing and social sector may be given.
3. Production based revenue scheme recommended by DG Hydrocarbon.
4. More R&D in Coal and Gas and exploration of new resources.
5. The aim of increasing share of renewable energy resources like solar energy
6. Nuclear deals and enhancement of nuclear energy capacity.
Correcting problems in coal and gas sectors is one of the primary steps to be taken to get the Indian economy back on growth track. Comment. (200 words)
Ans
60% of Indian power requirement is met through coal fired power plants. Natural gas is used in another 9% of Indian thermal power plants along with its usage in transport and fertilizer industry.
The recent cancellation of coal blocks allocated since 1992 and the confusion regarding price of natural gas has led to bottlenecks-
1) Thermal power plants planned on the cancelled coal blocks are in confusion.
2) Existing power plants are sourcing coal and gas from abroad, causing rise in prices, delays in ports and under-efficient usage of capacity.
3) Loss of valuable foreign exchange.
4) Energy security at risk.
5) Curbing new investment in hydrocarbon exploration.
These are not good signs for new stress in India on manufacturing, dependent on regular supply of power. This is important for India from the point of view of capitalizing demographic dividend, improving employment, standard of living, consumption, demand, exports, and boosting Indian image as production hub.
Thus to ensure growth in economy, especially production, sorting out issues regarding coal and natural gas are urgently needed.
– Clarity regarding the price of gas production.
– Specifying standardised profit sharing mechanism on allocated gas blocks.
– Auctioning of coal blocks soon with transparency and with agreeable standards.
avi,i think, you emphasized more on problems. The question, however , focuses on correcting the issues.
I too have written in the same way and realized it only in the middle of the answer. In my opinion, we can write the problems shortly and address the solutions side by side in more detailed manner.
@Jagan Please see my reply above and suggest 🙂
1. GS 2 Paper: [Foreign Relations/ Nuclear Deal] A Sino-Indo civil nuclear deal would have to clear substantial domestic and regional hurdles. Can Strategic Nuclear Competition and Cooperation Coexist? – (200 words)
China is looking for civil nuclear energy cooperation as one of the key areas in bilateral agreement with India. Both countries comply to international safety standards for nuclear reactors. China has nuclear reactors of large scale and size as compared to India. China looks at India as a good market for investment and India too is trying to explore every dimension for expansion of its civil nuclear energy requirements. China can offer fuel at competitive price. China’s support to India of being waiver as NSG member is strategic move to infuse capital in India. Also Sino-Indo nuclear deal will help China reduce influence of Japan in India being a major investor in infrastructure in India.
Considering a nod to this deal India will not remain in the position to further raise concern on Sino-Pakistan nuclear and missile cooperation. Engaging in such deal with China will increase China’s influence in South Asia. China’s influence will increase in dynamics of the region. If further, China supported Pakistan for waiver in NSG, India would not be able to resist such move. The Asian order would make China all the more influential. Though the discussion of deal is at preliminary stage how India will take a move will decide the further scenario.
According to James Calvin, an analyst from the U.S. Navy, India gained many benefits from the 1962 Sino-Indian conflict. Critically analyze. (200 words
Ans:
Sino- Indian (1962) war was a major set back to Indian security in the post independence era. However, Indian had a lot of experiences and lesson that are learnt from the war.
Positives:
1) The war symbolises the unification of the nation in support for its victory during the battle. Nation building was a greatest issue in the post- independence period. The war kindled the patriotic spirit among people.
2) The war exposed the vulnerabilities in the border security in India. Indo Tibetean border security force (ITBF) was constituted to guard the 2115 KM border along Indo- Tibet border.
3) India’ s military was augmented after the war period.
4) Moreover , India’s ambition to become an important regional player in the South Asia was more determined after the war . because India already faces Pakistan threats. China also was antagonistic towards us. We need to strengthen our neighbourhood relations.
Negatives:
1) Loss of solders and territory to China. The sovereign territories of India are occupied by Chinese.
2) Before the war China’s bilateral relations towards India was “Hndi- Chini bhai bhai”. After the war it became “ Hindi- chini bye bye”.
3) Pakistan used the opportunity to attack us in 1965. However , India won , the economy was heavily affected.
Conclusion:
Let us hope that History and Geography favour the future relations in the globalised era rather than antagonise us.
buddy! can we use tongue in cheek statements like ‘hindi chini bye bye’ in UPSC answers?
avi, i believe, if the “term” is more apt and well known – we can use it. However , we should not bombard them with such statements. Infact, we have written questions on “walmartisation” , “Macdonalisation” few days back .those terms explain the phenomenon more aptly. Any ways, lets wait for the review of clear ias…
A Sino-Indo civil nuclear deal would have to clear substantial domestic and regional hurdles. Can Strategic Nuclear Competition and Cooperation Coexist? – (200 words
ANS: In May 2013, the Chinese premier visited India, expressed the willingness to sign the civil nuclear co-operation with India, Similarly India also showed enthusiasm to sign the nuclear deal with china.
Regional and domestic hurdles:
– China and India faces a long outstanding border disputes. Now , both the nations are nuclear weapon countries. However china was against the India’s pursuit of nuclear weapon development initially. It even stopped the nuclear fuel( enriched uranium) to Tarapur reactors,when India tested the second nuclear weapon in 1998. More over china is a UN permanent member in security council. India’s pursuit to UN security council permanent membership is severely opposed by china on the nuclear grounds.
– China supplies nuclear reactors to Pakistan. It helps in the contribution of nuclear plants. The signing of nuclear deal with india might antagonise Pakistan which china will sort
Nuclear competition:
– China has 22 rectors in operation and 27 under construction , where as India has 21 reactors in operation and 6 eactors under construction. Both are industrialised energy –craving country looking for fuel supply globally to ensure energy security.
Energy co-operation:
– In this situation, nuclear commerce can easy he tensions between the two countries and take the reations to next step. China is aiming for Indian market for its rectors and strengthen its geostrategic position w.r.t Japan. India have to ensure the commerce without hurting our friendly nations.
–
Correcting problems in coal and gas sectors is one of the primary steps to be taken to get the Indian economy back on growth track. Comment. (200 words)
Ans: The manufacturing sector in India aims to achieve a growth of 25% of GDP by 2021. The new government “Make in India” programme aims to boost the industrial growth in India. Coal and natural gas remains the primary fuel to these industries. Regular and sufficient supply will ensure the industrial growth , inturn the economy.
1)Problems in coal and gas:
– Despite the vast availability of the coal reserves , India faces severe deficits in its supply and importing large amounts of coal to meet its demand. The reasons include environmental delay in clearances( no go areas)coalgate ( scams in allocation of coal mines), bureaucratic redtapism, lack of stat-of-art mining technologies etc..
– As a result, the electricity units production capacity of 250GW , produced only 160GW in last year. The amount loss in the last two years equals to 3% of GDP
– Gas is an important fuel to the energy security of the nation. India’s coastal region Bay of Bengal coast, Konkan coast are provided with abundant gas hydrates. But they are located at greater depth. We do not possess the latest technology. Krishna- Godavari basin are ensuring a considerable amount of gas supply. The geo-politics also halts the supply of gas from Turkhmenistan through Afghan, Pak (TAPI)
Measures:
1) Competitive bidding for the cancelled licenses of the coal mines by supreme court.
2) Establishment of coal regulator.
3) Speed up the environment clearances.
4) Unclogging the fuel for rational and efficient use.
5) Old industries has to adopt new machines for fuel efficiency
6) Standard technologies
The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be”. Examine this statement in the background of the life of Socrates. (200 words
Ans: Humans are social being. They live in the society and establish relations with others. In this process, they subjected to various experiences.
Human Nature:
– According to Socrates, human nature is social . However the wish of material benefits, earthly pleasures have made them self centered ,deceitful, vengenceful, unloving etc..
Pretention:
– Inorder to get benefits, respect, dignity from others, human project themselves as loving , caring , benevolent, philanthropic, supporting etc..They exist as two personalities( one on the inside and other on the outside)
Be, who you are and develop good qualities:
– Socrates advises us to be the person , who we pretend too be for attaining the benefits we wish for.
– Socrates’ said-“There is an apparent reality behind everything and has to search for the ultimate truth. If we understand the truth , we will behave naturally and we get honour.
– Socrates, born in Athens. He criticised the existing democratic structure then. As a result , he was sentenced to death by giving poison. But he got an opportunity to escape from the prison. He refused to escape because he believed that law of the state should be obeyed.
– He is strong advocator of following the law. It would be paradoxical , if he fails to follow the law. Hence , he accepted the punishment.
Conclusion:
Honour comes only when follow what we preach. Hypocrisy should not adopted.
Marks 3.5