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This is question set #43 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: Is India truly democratic? (1500 words)
- GS 1 Paper: [Indian History/Quit India Movement ] – “Let every Indian consider himself to be a free man”, Gandhi declared in his fiery “Do or Die” speech the day the Quit India Movement was declared. But Quit India Movement didn’t get same response from all quarters of India. Trace the attitude of different sections of people and political parties towards Quit India Movement. (200 words)
- GS 2 Paper: [Polity/ Rajyasabha] Explain the relevance of Rajya Sabha as a second chamber in the federal set up of Indian Parliamentary System. (200 words)
- GS 3 Paper: [Indian Economy/Convertibility of Indian Rupee] What do you mean by convertibility of Indian Rupee? Analyze if capital account convertibility is a determinant for foreign flows or exports to grow. (200 words)
- GS 4 Paper: [Philosophers/J. Krishamurthi] Jiddu Krishnamurti constantly emphasised the right place of thought in daily life. What is your opinion on the importance of thought? Analyse in the backdrop of J. Krishamurthi’s philosophical thoughts. (200 words)
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answer 3:
The Rajya sabha is an important component of the parliament. Its members are indirectly elected .i.e they are elected by the members of state legislatures through the system of proportional representation and also consists of 12 members nominated by the president. It is the permanent house of the parliament. The relevance of this house can be summarised as:
• The Rajya sabha symbolises the federal character of our nation wherein the states get to send their representatives who play an equal role in passing bills except the money bills where their power is limited.
• The Rajya sabha has the sole power to direct the parliament to legislate on any state subject in normal circumstances also if they feel that a need has arisen. This requires a resolution agreed to by a special majority in the house.
• Th Rajya sabha can declare the creation of new All India services if the need is felt.
• It consists of nominated members who are experts in the field of literature, arts, sciences etc. and provide valuable input regarding their fields.
• The Rajya sabha does not follow the principle of equal representation of states as in the U.S. thus; different number of members are elected from different states as per their population so that larger states have more members representing them.
Thus, Rajya sabha or the Upper Chamber has an important role to play in the functioning of parliamentary system in our country.
The Rajya Sabha, by its very name emphasizes its federal character. The essence of federalism lies in the the protection of interest of states as well the union as a whole, as per the provisions of the constitutions. Therefore it was important that the central legislative body not only represent the people but also states.
If the second chamber was not there, 5-6 most populous states, by their sheer number of Lok Sabha MPs, would have decided all the legislation. This is where the Rajya Sabha plays a role of not letting the populous states take all the decisions in the name of whole union. It`s member are indirectly selected, based on proportional representation. Thus its a inclusive set of people.
Powers like, all the constitutional amendment bill should be separately passed by Rajya sabha, declaring any service as All India Service makes it a very relevant chamber in the house. Moreover it keeps an additional check on any hastily drafted legislation and many times has saved the nation from ill conceived laws
Answer 2: Quit India Movement:
Failure of Crips Mission to resolve the constitutional deadlock, Crippling restrictions on freedom of press, logistics problems like inflation created by war efforts and possible aggression of Japan in India forced Indian leadership to make a desperate bid to liberate India. They were also afraid by the way Britain left its colonies in South Asia high and dry against Japanese Assault.Movement was launched fro Gawalia Tank on 8th August 1942 by enumerating the expectations and suggestions to different section of society. On 9th August whole congress leadership was behind the bar and movement was led by spontaneous initiatives and spirit of sacrifice by common people never seen before.
Students(worked as courier and participated in agitations ), workers(led strikes in factories) and peasant(gave shelter to revolutionaries) formed the backbone of movement.Women participated in great numbers under the leadership of Aruna Asaf Ali, Sucheta Kriplani and Usha mehta. When government repression became unbearable revolutionaries resort to underground activities like establishing a National Radio by Usha Sharma, Disruption of railway lines, attacking on symbols of authority.
But the movement does not resonated equally with all sections of society. Communists, Hindu Mahasabha, Muslim league and depressed class leadership kept largely distanced themselves form movement.But self isolation professed by these organizations were only cosmetic as the backbone of these parties workers and peasant participated actively in the movement. Princely sates remained largely inactive.
After achieving the independence India opted for a Parliamentary form of government based on federal structure to accommodate its diversity and because of organic evolution of such form of government occasioned by British presence.Rajya Sabha ,is the upper house of Indian bicameral legislature, whose members indirectly elected by states represent the sates in the house.They work as the custodian of the interests of sates by ensuring that no peace of legislation see the light of the day which infringes the constitutional sphere provided to the sates. And in times of exigencies and national interest it allows
parliamentary legislation in state subject by special resolution.
Rajya sabha has been given the special power to allow parliament to form a All India Service which will facilitates coordinated federalism.
In Congress era when central and state governments were dominated by congress, both the houses have majority of same party thus Rajya Sabha acted as a stamp to cabinet decisions but after emergence of regional parties in states, Rajya sabha has different hue and color then Lok Sabha putting effective control on central cabinet and defending states spheres allotted to them.
Rajya Sabha also have 12 appointed members from different fields like Art, social sciences etc which enriches intellectual capability of parliament as a whole.
Thus it can be concluded that Rajya Sabha is sustaining and facilitating federalism effectively.
Brother you countering your point yourself in second para because Proportional representation allows 5-6 large sates to dictate terms both in Lok sabha as well as Rajya sabha. This was one of the points of greatly discussed by Constituent assembly as American constitution allows all federal units same number of representatives in senate. I may be corrected on this.
[Indian Economy/Convertibility of Indian Rupee] What do you mean by convertibility of Indian Rupee? Analyze if capital account convertibility is a determinant for foreign flows or exports to grow. (200 words)
The convertibility of Indian rupees means the system where any amount of rupee can be converted into any other currency without asking for the requisite purpose. Convertibility can be current account and capital account.
Capital Account convertibility means the freedom to convert local financial assets into foreign financial assets or vice versa at market-determined rates of interest. It has following benefits:
1. It will facilitate FDI and will ensure total financial mobility in the country and efficient distribution of foreign capital.
2. It will make the Indian market more competitive and thereby consumer will be the ultimate beneficiary.
3. It will help to control inflation, fiscal deficit and will facilitate deregulation of bank interest rates along with boost in GDP.
But following issues can’t be ignored:
1. As per various reports, it can be concluded that it can’t eradicate poverty and may escalate the unemployment.
2. The CAC has been found to be insufficient in solving the Indian financial crises.
Post 1991 reform which led to jobless growth and CAC can further worsen the situation. But the simultaneous and efficient utilisation of the fund in establishing factories, core electronic industries, manufacturing hubs etc and in social programmes like MNREGA, JNNURM, unemployment, poverty etc can be easily tackled.
(<210 words)
GS 3 Paper: [Indian Economy/Convertibility of Indian Rupee] What do you mean by convertibility of Indian Rupee? Analyze if capital account convertibility is a determinant for foreign flows or exports to grow. (200 words)
Ans : convertibility of currency means the ease with which a currency can be converted into another international currency and vice versa .
this is of 2 types i.e.
– current account convertibility relating to current international transactions
– capital account convertibility relating to capital transactions wherein domestic financial assets are converted into foreign assets and vice versa .
foreign investments coming to india can be categorised as
– capital brought by MNCs for manufacturing / services sector for domestic / global markets
-capital brought in by professional investors such as venture capitalists , private equity funds for profitable and productive enterprises
– capital brought by portfolio investors
– long term debt by direct equity holders
hence , capital account convertibility was not a determinant for foreign flows .
there will be cash outflow from the economy during the bad times ( in case of full capital account convertibility ) owing to the hers behaviour . this will reduce the potential to increase exports , thereby creating external imbalances . there will be export of domestic savings too , as they also are risk aversive . banks will not be giving loans easily to farmers and small industries . foreign markets are competitive already . hence , the impact on exports would be negative .
Utkarsh Deep ,
nice attempted answer
just one thing , i think 2nd part of question demands something else .
Marks 3.0. You have touched the right areas, but there is an imbalance in presentation. Work on it.
Marks 2.5. Utkarsh, you deviated from the central theme in the second part.
Marks 3.0. You could have skipped first paragraph and stressed on last one.
Marks 4.0
Explain the relevance of Rajya Sabha as a second chamber in the federal set up of Indian Parliamentary System.
Answer:
Under the indian federal set up, the states have exclusive domain under the seventh schedule of the constitution. To give effect to the spirit of federalism, the rajya sabha- the upper house of the parliament plays an important role.
The members of the RS are indirectly elected by the members of the state legislative assemblies. hence the RS becomes an important platform for representation of the states at the centre. The members can voice concerns and challenges facing the states.
Also the RS provides a subtle balance to the process of passage of bills. Any bill which is hastily drafted, or is unconstitutional and passed by the executive on basis of majority in the LS can be debated upon in the RS. It also raises its objections to such provisions, and can demand a joint sitting. In the present scenario of government with absolute majority in the LS, the position of RS is significant in playing the balancing role.
The RS also has special powers with respect to empowering the parliament to legislate upon the state subjects and creation of all india services.
With creation of smaller states, their representation at the centre is important and is secured through the means of the RS.
However the present representation is based upon the population of the respective states, thus there is unequal representation. Hence the Punchhi commission recommended equal representation of all states in the RS.
Jiddu Krishnamurti constantly emphasised the right place of thought in daily life. What is your opinion on the importance of thought? Analyse in the backdrop of J. Krishamurthi’s philosophical thoughts.
Answer:
J. Krishnamurthi was a philosopher who was greatly influenced by annie beasant and the theosophical society. He upheld the importance of thought in daily life. Thoughts are nothing but the seeds in the fertile soil of brain which are finally brought to fruition in the form of outwardly actions and outcomes. Thus thoughts are of great significance for a person.
In the context of the work of J. Krishnamuti, he gave another dimension to the idea of thought. He said thought becomes a limiting factor when it becomes knowledge about something or someone. Such knowledge is rigid and inflexible. This rigidity in knowing somethings creates problems in relationships with others. Also the brain creates images and when these images become rigid in our mind, they always hurt oneself. Those images then become our thoughts and create perceptions about others in our mind.
Thus Krishnamurti said the brain should be free of such rigid images which influences thoughts and creates problems in the day to day life of person.
He also laid emphasis on education which is global in outlook, in harmony with the environment and blend of religiosity and scientific temper.
thank you sir for review
i will work on presentation part .
“Let every Indian consider himself to be a free man”, Gandhi declared in his fiery “Do or Die” speech the day the Quit India Movement was declared. But Quit India Movement didn’t get same response from all quarters of India. Trace the attitude of different sections of people and political parties towards Quit India Movement. (200 words)
Ans
At the beginning of the second world war, Congress was aware of the problems a mass movement could create for the British and India. They initially tried to avoid this by individual satyagraha and hoped that the British would respond better than they did after WWI. However seeing the cold British response, the call for Quit India movement was made. The response was subdued from some sections because-
– Soon the entire congress leadership was jailed and the movement was mostly autonomous and leaderless.
– A large number of Indian soldiers were involved in the war and there was fear to hurt their efforts.
– There was a famine in Bengal causing death of ~4 million people.
– There were fears of Japanese invasion.
– Students were attracted to S C Bose’s militant philosophy
– Some merchants were making profits from war economy.
The lack of leadership from congress was increased by the response of Communists, Muslim League and Hindu Mahasabha who supported the British in the war efforts. Indian army, police, administration and the princes too stood by the British.
Explain the relevance of Rajya Sabha as a second chamber in the federal set up of Indian Parliamentary System. (200 words)
Ans
Rajya Sabha is the upper house of parliament in India. It’s relevance in the bicameral Federal setup can be understood from the following-
1) In selecting members, teachers, graduates of 3 years and president are involved. It ensures that the members are intellectual and knowledgeable.
2) It has members selected by the state’s MLAs who act as the voices of state in central affairs to avoid concentration of power.
Further, Rajya sabha has been accepted in constitution as the representative of the sates and as such any changes to the sharing of power involve Rajya sabha.
3) Apart from Money Bills, its consent is required and in cases of constitutional amendments there is no provision for joint sitting.
4) It may by a two third majority pass a resolution asking central government to make laws on subjects in state list.
5) Rajya sabha can pass a resolution regarding the creation of new all India services.
Lately however there are charges of its misuse-
– To put into parliament and cabinet, politicians who cannot get elected themselves.
– Since its strength is less than half of Lok sabha, joint sittings are one sided.
– Unlike USA, the states do not have equal representation and few states dominate it.
What do you mean by convertibility of Indian Rupee? Analyze if capital account convertibility is a determinant for foreign flows or exports to grow. (200 words)
Ans
Convertibility of Rupee means its exchange with other currencies or vice versa.
There are two kinds of convertibility-
– Current account convertibility- Changing one currency to other at exchange rate.
– Capital account convertibility- Changing assets from one country to other.
Though Rupee has full current account convertibility, it has still not been allowed full capital account convertibility.
Permitting full CAC may have adverse, destabilizing effects during economic slowdown-
1) Flow of money out of the nation, repayment of international loans in dollars tough.
2) Free fall of rupee in exchange market, making imports costlier.
3) Adverse balance of payment issues, forcing RBI to use up reserves.
4) Investment of local savings abroad with lesser amounts for lending to priority and weaker sections.
However it may have the reverse effects at the time of economic progress.
1) Too much inflow of investment, making rupee stronger.
2) Strengthening of rupee, making exports costlier.
3) More portfolio investments than FDIs.
Thanks for the review sir will keep in mind going forward.
Marks 2.5. Avi, did you analyze if capital account convertibility is a determinant for foreign flows or exports to grow?
Marks 2.5. Avi, can you explain the teachers and graduates of 3 years part mentioned in first point?
Marks 2.5. It was only in the last part that you came close to the expectations of the question.
“Let every Indian consider himself to be a free man”, Gandhi declared in his fiery “Do or Die” speech the day the Quit India Movement was declared. But Quit India Movement didn’t get same response from all quarters of India. Trace the attitude of different sections of people and political parties towards Quit India Movement. (200 words)
Ans
At the time of WWII, and there as a hesitation from Congress leadership to launch a full scale protest which may hurt British. But with lax response from British, leadership was left with no option but to launch Quit India movement. Most of the Congress leadership was soon jailed and various sections of society and political parties reacted differently to the leaderless movement-
Sections of society-
Students; attraction towards SC Bose INA diverted some, but large support was shown.
Merchants; many were making profits from war economy and kept away, while the traditional supporters albeit in smaller numbers did heed the call.
Farmers; came out in large numbers but famine in Bengal and destitution in some other parts prevented support.
Workers; though mellowed by communist unions call to ignore the movement, still large participation was observed.
Women; saw large participation from women led by Sucheta Kriplani, Aruna Asaf Ali and Usha Mehta.
Army, police and bureaucracy; stood by British and avoided participation in the movement.
Political parties-
Communists; they kept away from it to support USSRs war against axis powers.
Muslim Leage and Hindu Mahasabha; they were looking for interests of their own communities and opposed the movement.
What do you mean by convertibility of Indian Rupee? Analyze if capital account convertibility is a determinant for foreign flows or exports to grow. (200 words)
Ans
Convertibility of Rupee means its exchange with other currencies or vice versa.
Two kinds of convertibility-
– Current account convertibility- Changing one currency to other at exchange rate (ex. for trade in merchandise)
– Capital account convertibility- Changing financial assets from one country to other (ex. for issue of bonds and securities in foreign currencies)
Though Rupee has full current account convertibility, it has still not been allowed full capital account convertibility, on the ground of its destabilizing effects. To reap its benefits few preconditions must be met.
Generally Capital account convertibility follows after few years of capital account convertibility. These were also mentioned in Tara pore report in 1997
– Fiscal deficit is low.
– Exchange rate is stable.
– Inflation is stale and low.
– Financial sector is strengthened.
Thus under current volatile situations in view of currency depreciation and flight of dollars in view of Federal Bank’s announcements, full capital account convertibility may be detrimental, though with fulfillment of these conditions it may offer advantages to export and inflow of funds.
– More resources available to augment local ones.
– Financial institutions can accept deposits and issue bonds in other currencies.
– Reduce cost of Capital and of acquiring foreign financial assets.
– Traders can raise funds from abroad and in currency of choice.
– More options available to exports to balance volatility in exchange rates.
Big mistake! my bad 🙁 I thought MLCs too take part in elections… let me re-write it.
Explain the relevance of Rajya Sabha as a second chamber in the federal set up of Indian Parliamentary System. (200 words)
Ans
Rajya Sabha(RS) is the upper house of parliament in India. It’s relevance in the bicameral Federal setup can be understood from the following-
Election of members-
1) Has members selected by the state’s MLAs who act as the voices of state in central interests.
2) President nominates 12 members from people with special knowledge of art, science, literature and social services. This ensure quality debate from knowledgeable experts.
Further, RS has been accepted in constitution as the representative of the sates and as such any changes to the sharing of power involve RS and special powers have been provided for the purpose.
1) May by a two third majority pass a resolution asking central government to make laws on subjects in state list.
2) Can pass a resolution regarding the creation of new all India services.
3) Apart from Money Bills, its consent is required and in cases of constitutional amendments there is no provision for joint sitting.
However it must be noticed that RS’s strength is less than half of LS’s, it has little say in monetary matters and the representation of states is not uniform. These tend to stop the house from effective working of executive and focus on its importance to ensure federal interests.