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.

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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: 

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

• Recently a report on Plastic Waste Management was released by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
• Also the Environment Ministry has issued draft rules on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) that mandate producers of plastic packaging material to collect all of their produce by 2024.

Introduction

Plastic is ubiquitous, it’s visibly the backbone of globalisation. Plastic, without doubt, is the miracle commodity that has uses ranging from increasing shelf lives of eatables to medical equipment and automotive.

• Plastic products have become an integral part of our daily life as a result of which the polymer is produced at a massive scale worldwide.
• Its broad range of application is in packaging films, wrapping materials, shopping and garbage bags, fluid containers, clothing, toys, household and industrial products, and building materials.

Why is Plastic so popular?

1. Durability and low maintenance
2. Low material replacement
3. Low weight
4. Cheaper availability

Plastic Consumption in India

• The CPCB Report of 2019-20 states that 3.4 million metric tonnes of plastic waste is generated in India annually.
• The global average of plastic per capita consumption is 28 kg and India has a per capita plastic consumption of 11 kg.
• India recycles over 60 per cent of its plastic (a/c to MoHUA), which was way higher than the recycling capacity of any developed country.
• Only nine per cent of the plastic waste produced between 1950 and 2015 was recycled globally, according to a study by researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and others.

Hazards of Plastic

[A] Solid Waste generation

• The disposal of plastics is one of the least recognized and most highly problematic areas of plastic’s ecological impact.
• Ironically, one of plastic’s most desirable traits: its durability and resistance to decomposition, is also the source of one of its greatest liabilities when it comes to the disposal of plastics.
• A very small amount of total plastic production (less than 10%) is effectively recycled; the remaining plastic is sent to landfills.
• It is destined to remain entombed.

[B] Ecological Impact

(i) Groundwater and soil pollution

• Plastic is a material made to last forever, and due to the same chemical composition, plastic cannot biodegrade; it breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces.
• When buried in a landfill, plastic lies untreated for years.
• In the process, toxic chemicals from plastics drain out and seep into groundwater, flowing downstream into lakes and rivers.
• The seeping of plastic also causes soil pollution and have now started resulting in presence of micro plastics in soil.

(ii) Water Pollution

• The increased presence of plastic on the ocean surface has resulted in more serious problems.
• Since most of the plastic debris that reaches the ocean remains floating for years as it does not decompose quickly, it leads to the dropping of oxygen level in the water.
• It has severely affected the survival of marine species.
• When oceanic creatures and even birds consume plastic inadvertently, they choke on it which causes a steady decline in their population.
• In addition to suffocation, ingestion, and other macro-particulate causes of death in larger birds, fish, and mammals.

[C] Health Hazards

• Burning of plastic results into formation of a class of flame retardants called as Halogens.
• Collectively, these harmful chemicals are known to cause the following severe health problems: cancer, neurological damage, endocrine disruption, birth defects and child developmental disorders etc.

Plastic Waste Management (PWM Rules) in India

These rules first rolled out in 2016 were amended and named as ‘Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2018. Its salient features include:

Applied to: These rules shall apply to every Waste Generator, Local Body, Gram Panchayat, Manufacturer, Importer, Producer and Brand Owner.

Thickness of virgin plastic: Carry bags made of virgin or recycled plastic, shall not be less than 50 ( now 120  after Amendment in 2021) microns in thickness.

Waste Generators including institutional generators, event organizers shall not litter the plastic waste, shall segregate waste and handover to authorized agency and shall pay user fee.

Local Bodies shall be responsible for development and setting up of infrastructure for segregation, collection, storage, transportation, processing and disposal.

State Pollution Control Board (SPCB)/ Pollution Control Committee (PCC) shall be the authority for enforcement of the provisions of PWM Rules, 2018, relating to registration, manufacture of plastic etc.

The draft Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2021 has necessitated a few changes in the country’s handling of its plastic waste.

Expanded applicability: One, the amendment has extended the applicability of the rules to brand-owner, plastic waste processor, including the recycler, co-processor, etc. 

New definitions: It will also include new definitions of:

1. Non-woven plastic bag
2. Plastic waste processing
3. Single-use plastic (SUP) item
4. Thermoset plastic
5. Thermoplastic

Increased thickness: The ministry has proposed increasing the thickness of carry bags made of virgin plastic to 120 microns from 50 microns.

Ban on certain items: The draft also proposes a ban on the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of specific single-use plastic from January 1, 2022. These include plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, and thermocol (extended polystyrene) for decoration.

Strategy for PWM

Issues in Plastic Management

Recycling here means ‘Down-cycling’

• Most plastics that we claim can be recycled in India are rather down-cycled to some other material.
• They are recyclable but recycled products are more harmful to the environment as this contains additives and colors.
• The recycling of a virgin plastic material can be done 2-3 times only, because after every recycling, the plastic material deteriorates due to thermal pressure and its life span is reduced.
• Hence recycling is not a safe and permanent solution for plastic waste disposal.
• A classic example is that of PET bottles being recycled to t-shirts.

Way Forward

Given the broad range of possible actions to curb single-use plastics and their mixed impact, UN Environment has drawn up a 10-step roadmap for governments:

1. Target the most problematic single-use plastics: by conducting a baseline assessment to identify the most problematic single-use plastic.
2. Consider the best actions to tackle the problem: (e.g. regulatory, economic, awareness, voluntary actions), given the country’s socio-economic standing.
3. Assess the potential social, economic and environmental impacts (positive and negative) of the preferred short-listed instruments/actions, by considering how will the poor be affected.
4. Identify and engage key stakeholder groups – retailers, consumers, industry representatives, local government, manufacturers, civil society, environmental groups etc.
5. Raise public awareness about the harm caused, by clearly explaining the decision and any punitive measures that will follow.
6. Promote alternatives: Before the ban or levy comes into force, the availability of alternatives need to be assessed.
7. Provide incentives to industry by introducing tax rebates or other conditions to support its transition.
8. Use revenues collected from taxes or levies on single-use plastics to maximize the public good, thereby supporting environmental projects or boosting local recycling.
9. Enforce the measure chosen effectively, by making sure that there is clear allocation of roles and responsibilities.
10. Monitor and adjust the chosen measure if necessary and update the public on progress.

Best strategies:

Adoption of ‘Circular Economy’

• A circular economy aims to eliminate waste, not just from recycling processes, but throughout the lifecycles of products and packaging.
• A circular economy aims to maximize value and eliminate waste by improving the design of materials, products and business models.

Extended Producer’s Responsibilities (EPR)

• State/ ULB to introduce ‘Buy back Depository Mechanism’ with a predefined buy back price printed on plastic products.
• A national Framework on EPR is proposed where the producers/importers/brand owner is required to contribute to the EPR corpus fund at the central level.

Plastic Credit Mechanism

• A producer is not required to recycle their own packaging, but to ensure that an equivalent amount of packaging waste has been recovered and recycled to meet their obligation.  
• Producers are mandated to acquire evidence of recycling or recovery called the Plastic Credit from properly accredited processors.

Conclusion

Managing plastic waste requires effective knowledge, not only among those who produce the plastic, but also among those who handle it.

Brand owners, consumers, recyclers and regulatory authorities need to take long strides in ensuring that we first inventorize the total amount of plastic waste that we generate by means of proper calculations.

Best step would be to identify the avenues where the use of plastic can be minimised.  The brand owner and manufacturer should try and understand the fates a plastic packaging material would meet after its purpose of packaging has been served.

Last, as consumers, we should ensure that all plastic waste leaving our homes is segregated and is not contaminated with food waste.

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

Topics for Today’s questions:

GS-1    Population and associated issues, poverty, and developmental issues

GS-2    Issues relating to Poverty and Hunger.

GS-3   Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.

GS-4    Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: Status and problems; ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions

Questions:

Question 1)

 

Q.1 ‘A young and vibrant India today will be an aged India tomorrow.’ What will be the challenges facing an ageing population in the future? How far do you think India today is ready for this India of tomorrow? (10 Marks)

 

Question 2)

Q.2 Explain the methodology used for the Global Hunger Index and the issues with it. In this context, suggest the way forward for tackling the issue of wasting and stunting in children. (10 Marks)

Question 3)

Q.3 Examine the factors responsible for the coal shortage leading to the crisis in the power sector. Also examine the role of Coal India Ltd. (CIL) in mitigating the crisis. (10 Marks)

Question 4)  

Q.4 “While corruption is never good, not all forms of corruption are equally bad for the economy, nor do they cause the same kind of harm.” Critically analyse the statement in the context of India. (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: