Topics for Today’s questions:

GS-1    Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism and secularism

GS-2    Effect of Policies and Politics of Developed and Developing Countries on India’s interests, Indian Diaspora.

GS-3    Security Challenges and their Management in Border Areas – Linkages of Organized Crime with Terrorism.

GS-4    Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: Accountability and ethical governance; strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance; ethical issues in international relations and funding; corporate governance.

Questions:

Question 1)

 

Q.1 Highlight the impact of drug addiction on individuals, families and society. In this context, discuss the approach adopted by National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction. (10 Marks)

 

Question 2)

Q.2 In the last couple of years, India’s assistance to other developing countries has multiplied several times. but quality project delivery is yet to become the country’s USP. Enhancing the efficacy of India’s development cooperation endeavours has been a challenging issue for the past several decades. In light of this, examine the nature of India’s developmental cooperation and suggest the measure for proficient delivery of outcomes. (10 Marks)

Question 3)

Q.3 Recently, the Union home ministry’s order to extend the jurisdiction of the Border Security Forces (BSF) has caused the protest. Examine the factors that led to extending of jurisdiction and its implications. Also, suggest alternatives. (15 Marks)

Question 4)  

Q.4 The nature of a business’s operations has a major influence on the ethical issues with which it must contend. Giving examples, discuss how business ethics is crucial in today’s world. (10 Marks)

 

HOW TO ATTEMPT ANSWERS IN DAILY ANSWER WRITING ENHANCEMENT(AWE)?

1. Daily 4 questions from General studies 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be provided to you.

2. A Mentor’s Comment will be available for all answers. This can be used as a guidance tool but we encourage you to write original answers.

3. You can write your answer on an A4 sheet and scan/click pictures of the same.

4.  Upload the scanned answer in the comment section of the same question.

5. Along with the scanned answer, please share your Razor payment ID, so that paid members are given priority.

6. If you upload the answer on the same day like the answer of 11th  October is uploaded on 11th October then your answer will be checked within 72 hours. Also, reviews will be in the order of submission- First come first serve basis

7. If you are writing answers late, for example, 11th October is uploaded on 13th October, then these answers will be evaluated as per the mentor’s schedule.

8. We encourage you to write answers on the same day. However, if you are uploading an answer late then tag the mentor like @Staff so that the mentor is notified about your answer.

*In case your answer is not reviewed, reply to your answer saying *NOT CHECKED*. 

For the philosophy of AWE and payment: 

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

Context

India has the second-largest number of unicorns and is only behind the United States (US). It is now home to 71 unicorns.  

World’s biggest investors, including SoftBank, Tiger Global and Falcon Edge, are pouring money into Indian start-ups, churning out unicorns at a record speed and valuations.

Unicorns: A Backgrounder

A unicorn is a start-up with a valuation of at least $1 billion.

• The term was first coined by Aileen Lee, founder of Cowboy ventures when she referred to the 39 start-ups that had a valuation of over $1 billion as unicorns.
• The term initially was used to lay emphasis on the rarity of such start-ups.

Some of the successful Indian unicorns:

• Lenskart
• Cred
• Meesho
• PharmEasy
• Licious
• Grofers etc.

Unicorn boost in India

• The growth of Unicorns in India has been phenomenal in the past two years.
• From 17 Unicorns in 2018 the number went up to 38 in 2020 and it’s 71 and counting in 2021.
• Many of these unicorns, which have cumulatively raised more than 9 billion dollars till date, have also seen a surge in valuations.

Features of a unicorn Start-up

To be a unicorn is no cakewalk and each unicorn today has its own story with a list of features that worked in its favour.

The few pointers that are commonly seen across all the unicorns is as under:

• Disruptive innovation: Mostly, all the unicorns have brought a disruption in the field they belong to. Uber, for example, changed the way people commuted.  
• ‘Firsts’: It is seen that unicorns are mostly the starters in their industry. They change the way people do things and gradually create a necessity for themselves.
• High on tech: Another common trend across unicorns is that their business model runs on tech. Uber got their model accepted by crafting a friendly app.
• Consumer-focused: Often, theirgoal is to simplify and make things easy for consumers and be a part of their day-to-day life.
• Affordability: Keeping things affordable is another key highlight of these startups. Spotify, for example, made listening to music easier to the world. 
• Privately owned: Most of the unicorns are privately owned which gets their valuation bigger when an established company invests in it. 
• *Mostly software based: A recent report suggests that 87% of the unicorns’ products are software, 7% are hardware and the rest 6% are other products & services.

Entrepreneurship today is ‘survival-driven’ self-employment, formed out of necessity, as well as opportunity motivated, largely because poverty and lack of formal employment opportunities rear their ugly head in striving economies.

Reasons for sudden success

• COVID pandemic: The pandemic accelerated adoption of digital services by consumers helping start-ups and new-age ventures that typically build tech-focused businesses delivering an array of offerings to customers.
• Boost in online services: Many Indians who had traditionally been subscribers of brick-and-mortar businesses moved online and explored a host of services ranging from food delivery and edu-tech to e-grocery.
• Work-from-home culture: This added significant numbers to start-ups’ user base and expedited their business expansion plans and attracting investors.

Inherent challenges to Start-ups in India

• Financial scarcity: Availability of finance is critical for the startups and is always a problem to get sufficient amounts.
• Lack of Infrastructure: There is a lack of support mechanisms that play a significant role in the lifecycle of startups which include incubators, science and technology parks etc.
• Regulatory bottlenecks: Starting and exiting a business requires a number of permissions from government agencies. Although there is a perceptible change, it is still a challenge.
• Compliance hurdles: For example, earlier Angel tax, which stands removed no, falls under corruption and bureaucratic inefficiencies.
• Low success rate: Several startups fail due to shifting away the focus on the fundamentals of business grows.
• Lack of an Innovative Business Model: To be successful a start-up must be innovative. Unfortunately, Indian startups are less innovative than startups elsewhere.  
• Non-competitive Indian Markets: Too many startups serving too few consumers are saturating the Indian market.  Most startups serve the fraction of Indians who live in urban India.
• Digital divide: The majority of Indians who live in rural areas and small towns remain untouched by most startups.

Various initiatives by the Govt.

There are numerous government initiatives to assist start-ups:

• MUDRA Scheme: Through this scheme, start-ups get loans from the banks to set up, grow and stabilize their businesses.
• SETU (Self-Employment and Talent Utilization) Fund: Government has allotted Rs 1,000 Cr in order to create opportunities for self-employment and new jobs mainly in technology-driven domains.
• E-Biz Portal: It is India’s first government to business portal that integrates 14 regulatory permissions and licenses at one source.
• Credit Guarantee Fund: launched by the GoI to make available collateral-free credit to the micro and small enterprise sector.  
• Fund of Funds for Start-ups (FFS): 10,000 Rs corpus fund established in line with the Start-up India action plan under SIDBI for extending support to Start-ups.
• Tax Sops: Tax exemption on Capital gain tax, Removal of Angel tax, Tax exemption for 3 years and Tax exemption in investment above Fair Market Value.

Roadmap for the future success of start-ups

Start-ups can judiciously take cues from unicorns in understanding the ecosystem and building a business model that adds value while being sustainable.

• New-age startups should devise a customer-centric business model.
• Through proper branding and strategy, they should make sure that this value proposition reaches the end-user.
• What brings startups closer to success is the execution and customer acquisition strategy, where all the action occurs.  
• Notably, technology (rather deep-technology) has played a key role in the making of pioneer business models.

Attracting venture capitalists

• VCs are actively looking for investment opportunities in early-stage startups.
• They possess the selection ability to effectively screen startups having a higher potential to succeed.
• VCs primarily look for a mindset alignment with promoters and companies where they, as investors, can add value by leveraging their industry experience, expertise, network and reputation.

Conclusion

• The current economic scenario in India is in expansion mode.  Indian Startups are now spread across the length and breadth of the entire country.
• The word ‘unicorn’ has come a long way from just being a mythological creature to a regular feature in business and finance discussions.
• Innovation and economic growth depend on being able to produce excellent individuals with the right skills and attitudes to be entrepreneurial in their professional lives.
• The Indian government’s policies like Make in India, Digital India, Atmanirbhar etc. shows the enthusiasm to arrest this talent.

Topics for Today’s questions:

GS-1    Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism and secularism

GS-2   Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and Agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

GS-3    Science and Technology- Developments and their Applications and Effects in Everyday Life.

GS-4    Case Studies

Questions:

Question 1)

 

Q.1 In India, geography, identity and a sense of deprivation have historically combined to drive regionalism. Elaborate. (15 Marks)

 

Question 2)

Q.2 In terms of partnerships, India does not figure very prominently in the recently released “EU strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific”. In the context of this, examine the strategy and its implications for India. (10 Marks)

Question 3)

Q.3 Explain the types of technologies and their advantages used in the manufacturing of solar cells. (10 Marks)

Question 4)  

Q.4 You come across a report in the newspaper wherein during the drive undertaken by a Municipality to demolish dilapidated buildings one of the government servants has been assaulted publicly by the local MLA. The MLA belongs to the ruling party in the state. The MLA has blamed the official for taking bribes to illegally demolish houses, which are in good condition in the pretext of the drive to demolish dilapidated buildings. The MLA has claimed that few families were living in the houses and that the demolition drive was at the behest of some vested interests to grab the land. (a) What are the issues involved in the case in your opinion? (b) What are the options available in your view with the relevant actors to redress their concerns? (20 Marks)

 

HOW TO ATTEMPT ANSWERS IN DAILY ANSWER WRITING ENHANCEMENT(AWE)?

1. Daily 4 questions from General studies 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be provided to you.

2. A Mentor’s Comment will be available for all answers. This can be used as a guidance tool but we encourage you to write original answers.

3. You can write your answer on an A4 sheet and scan/click pictures of the same.

4.  Upload the scanned answer in the comment section of the same question.

5. Along with the scanned answer, please share your Razor payment ID, so that paid members are given priority.

6. If you upload the answer on the same day like the answer of 11th  October is uploaded on 11th October then your answer will be checked within 72 hours. Also, reviews will be in the order of submission- First come first serve basis

7. If you are writing answers late, for example, 11th October is uploaded on 13th October, then these answers will be evaluated as per the mentor’s schedule.

8. We encourage you to write answers on the same day. However, if you are uploading an answer late then tag the mentor like @Staff so that the mentor is notified about your answer.

*In case your answer is not reviewed, reply to your answer saying *NOT CHECKED*. 

For the philosophy of AWE and payment: 

• In the mid-twentieth century, the French social philosopher Simone de Beauvoir wrote the magnum opus ‘Second Sex’.
• Here she elaborated the secondary position of the women because of social-cultural factors.
• She famously written that ‘one is not born, but rather becomes, a woman.’
• She mentions that the ‘sex’ (biological difference between male and female) in the course of time becomes ‘gender’ (a socio-cultural construct).
• It happens due to primary (family peer groups, community) and secondary (school, college, club, public library, offices, sports, etc.) socialisation.

Recent Judicial Orders for Gender Justice

• Marriage of IFS Officers: In IFS Services Rules, the permission of Govt. was required before the marriage of women officers, and married women were not allowed to join IFS. Hence, the Supreme Court (SC) quashed it outright.
• Quashing of punishment for adultery: In Joseph Shine v Union of India case, the Section 497 of IPC (punishment for adultery) was struck down as unconstitutional, being violative of Articles 14, 15, and 21.
• Ban on Triple Talaq: The SC had declared Talaq-e-biddar (triple talaq at the same time) unconstitutional & arbitrary (violative of fundamental right to equality).

Factors attributing Empowerment of Women

The Fifth National Family Health Survey (2019-20) talks of the following factors for the empowerment of women:

• Ownership of physical assets: Mobile phones, bank accounts, land & housing;
• Access to menstrual hygiene: Products such as sanitary napkins etc.
• Participation in household decisions: Healthcare for herself, household purchases, visits to family relatives)
• Employment: in formal sector
• Gender violence: Emancipation from femicide
• Marriage: under the age of 18 years
• Educational attainment: More than 10 years

Success of Policy Imperatives in this direction

Sex Ratio: at birth in 2020 increased to 942

Hygienic methods: Share of women using hygienic methods increased from 60% to 78% (2015-2020).

Access to banking facilities: Due to PMJDY, women’s bank accounts increased by 28% (2015- 2020).

Decision making: Participation in household decision-making increased marginally to 85%.

Child marriage prevention: Share of women marrying before 18 years is about 30% (both in 2015 and 2020).

Domestic violence: Domestic violence stagnating but during the Covid-19 lockdown it surged to 60%.

Budgetary grant: Share of Union Budget spent on women-related schemes has stagnated at about 5.5% since 2009, and less than 30% of which is being spent on 100% women-focused schemes.

Enhanced the maternity period: The Govt has increased the maternity period to 26 weeks under the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017 to benefit 18 lakh women workers in the organized sector.

Conclusion

• Sometimes economic development leads to gender equality but other times, empowerment (especially in decision-making) leads to gender equality, hence both are necessary.
• However, as the Nobel Laureate Esther Duflo rightly points out, there should be a continuous policy commitment to equality for its own sake.
• Hence, multidimensional efforts are needed.

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

Topics for Today’s questions:

GS-1    Urbanization, their problems and their remedies

GS-2   Effect of Policies and Politics of Developed and Developing Countries on India’s interests, Indian Diaspora.

GS-3   Issues related to Direct and Indirect Farm Subsidies and Minimum Support Prices; Public Distribution System – Objectives, Functioning, Limitations, Revamping; Issues of Buffer Stocks and Food Security; Technology Missions; Economics of Animal-Rearing.

GS-4    Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance

Questions:

Question 1)

 

Q.1 A dispersed pattern of urbanisation leads to sprawl with associated problems. In this context, discuss how India should manage the inevitable process of urban growth going into the future. (10 Marks)

 

Question 2)

Q.2 What are the challenges facing India’s foreign policy and suggest the changes to make it conducive to finding a path to power for India in the post-pandemic world. (10 Marks)

Question 3)

Q.3 What is the significance of livestock farming in India? Examine the impact the revised version of the Rashtriya Gokul Mission and National Livestock Mission (NLM) will have on entrepreneurship development and breed improvement. (10 Marks)

Question 4)  

Q.4 While the Right to Information Act is considered path breaking in promoting transparency and accountability, discuss why some argue that it has not been able to fully achieve its objectives. (10 Marks)

 

HOW TO ATTEMPT ANSWERS IN DAILY ANSWER WRITING ENHANCEMENT(AWE)?

1. Daily 4 questions from General studies 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be provided to you.

2. A Mentor’s Comment will be available for all answers. This can be used as a guidance tool but we encourage you to write original answers.

3. You can write your answer on an A4 sheet and scan/click pictures of the same.

4.  Upload the scanned answer in the comment section of the same question.

5. Along with the scanned answer, please share your Razor payment ID, so that paid members are given priority.

6. If you upload the answer on the same day like the answer of 11th  October is uploaded on 11th October then your answer will be checked within 72 hours. Also, reviews will be in the order of submission- First come first serve basis

7. If you are writing answers late, for example, 11th October is uploaded on 13th October, then these answers will be evaluated as per the mentor’s schedule.

8. We encourage you to write answers on the same day. However, if you are uploading an answer late then tag the mentor like @Staff so that the mentor is notified about your answer.

*In case your answer is not reviewed, reply to your answer saying *NOT CHECKED*. 

For the philosophy of AWE and payment: