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GS Paper: GS1

Critical Analysis of EWS Reservation
Context
- Shortly after the Supreme Court on Monday, 7 November, upheld the validity of the 103rd Constitutional Amendment Act, which introduced 10 percent reservations for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in government jobs and educational institutions, Tamil Nadu’s DMK termed the split verdict a ‘setback’ to a century-old fight for social justice.
What is the idea of reservation?
- Based on historical injustice: Reservation is intrinsically linked to the historical injustice meted out to Shudras and Dalits.
- Reservation for egalitarian society: It was during the anti-caste movement that the idea of reservation came up as a way for an egalitarian social order, to ensure fair representation in the socio-political order, and to mitigate and compensate for the inhuman exclusion of humans based on ascriptive status.
- Equal participation in nation building: Reservation is implemented in politics, education and public employment so that all those in the hierarchy can participate in nation-building on equal terms.
- Reservation is not a poverty alleviation: R. Ambedkar and E.V. Ramasamy ‘Periyar’ spoke about reservation as a means of providing representation; not as a poverty alleviation programme.
Reasoning behind granting reservation based on social status
- Historical benefits to upper caste: Merit is often the mantra used against the idea and implementation of reservation. Historically, Brahmins had the monopoly in offering sacrifice, receiving gifts, becoming priests, spiritual mentorship, and teaching.
- Monopoly over resources: Vaishyas had the monopoly in wealth-generating professions. These monopolies were rooted in, and buttressed by, the authority of scriptures like the Manusmriti and treatises like the Arthasashtra.
- Monopoly over the education: The top three Varnas had access to learning. In the colonial era, under the progressive pressures of modernization and democratization, the traditional monopolies based on caste order were diffused into the secular domains of bureaucracy, legal practice, professorship, etc.
- Upper caste reservation in certain professions: Leaders professing equality, such as Jyotirao Phule, Periyar and Ambedkar, wanted to annihilate the arbitrary reservation for certain professions, being implemented based on fanciful mythical stories.
- Democratization of employment and education: Essentially, the mission was to ‘de-reserve’ education and employment opportunities from a handful of castes to make them available to the remaining castes which were aspiring to be a part of the newly independent nation.
- Idea of Merit to oppose the reservation: The merit mantra was very effective at stopping, or at least stalling, the ‘de-reservation’ process. But when the bill for EWS reservation was passed hastily in Parliament in 2019, there was no concern for merit.
How categorization of poor under EWS is unfair?
- The bar of 8 Lakh is absurd: Individuals from upper caste communities who earn up to ₹8 lakh a year and may own a 1,000-square feet home are being called economically weak.
- Poverty estimation: In India, more than 30 crore citizens have been classified as being below the poverty line (spending less than ₹32 a day in urban areas and under ₹27 a day in rural areas).
- Lower caste forms the majority of Poor: Data from India (overall) as well as individual States show that Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) have a higher share of poor people than upper castes in both urban and rural India.
- Different income criteria for different community: We now live in a country where a household earning more than ₹75 per day is considered above the poverty line, while an upper caste household earning ₹2,222 a day is considered economically weak. According to the Department of Revenue data, households earning more than ₹10 lakh constitute less than 1% of India’s population.
Credibility of Data for EWS reservation was never questioned
- Mandal commission data was critically analyzed: In the 1990s, renowned scholars from privileged communities viciously attacked the Mandal Commission claiming that it lacked credible data. In fact, the Mandal Commission report was based on official data curated from the Censuses of 1891 and 1931.
- No credible data for EWS reservation: Further, B.P. Mandal formulated his concept of ‘backwardness’ by factoring in the social, educational and economic dimensions of different caste communities. But now, neither justification nor credible data has been presented while arguing that 10% reservation must be provided for the upper caste poor.
- EWS reservation is equating the unequal’s: The Mandal Commission report said, “To equate unequal’s is to perpetuate inequality”. By giving the go-ahead for the EWS quota, Supreme Court has equated unequal’s in the category of affirmative action.
- More privilege to already privileged community: The EWS quota is unfair because it twists the idea of social justice by bequeathing further privilege to communities who are historically situated to benefit from the oppressive caste system.
Other criticism of EWS reservation?
- SC/ST and OBC are outside the EWS reservation: A Dalit or an OBC who does not get a job within this quota still belongs to the EWS, but he is excluded. That is the Constitutional issue, which you have to answer. How have you excluded them, how have you excluded the poor, how have you excluded those who earn only 20,000 a month who do not get jobs amongst the Dalits?
- Disturbing the basic structure: The government of tinkering with the “basic structure” of the Constitution.
- Ultimate goal is removal of reservation: Government basically testing the waters and this will pave the way for the removal of caste-based reservation.
- Opening the lid for further reservation: There is demand that government should raise the existing reservation cap for SC, OBC and minorities in line with their proportion in the population now since a decision has been taken to break the 50 per cent ceiling set by the top court.
Conclusion
- It is true that historically reservation is based social inequalities. Despite having the good credentials and marks upper caste or open categories were denied jobs. Justice to upper castes is not the injustice to lower castes. This is against the principal of natural justice. However exclusion of SC/ST and OBC from EWS category is certainly a matter of debate.
Mains Question

Q. What is the Ambedkar’s idea of reservation? Critically analyze the EWS reservation upheld by supreme court.

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November 14, 2022
Places in news: Sahel Region
French President Emmanuel Macron announced the end of the decade-long Operation Barkhane in Africa’s Sahel Region.

Note the nations falling in Sahel Region.

Sahel Region
- The Sahel is the ecoclimatic and biogeographic realm of transition in Africa between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian savanna to the south.
- Having a semi-arid climate, it stretches across the south-central latitudes of Northern Africa between the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea.
- The name is derived from the Arabic term for “coast, shore”; this is explained as being used in a figurative sense in reference to the southern edge of the vast Sahara.
- The Sahel part includes from west to east parts of northern Senegal, southern Mauritania, central Mali, northern Burkina Faso, the extreme south of Algeria, Niger, the extreme north of Nigeria, the extreme north of Cameroon and the Central African Republic, central Chad, central and southern Sudan, the extreme north of South Sudan, Eritrea and the extreme north of Ethiopia.
What is Operation Barkhane?
- France began its military operations in Sahel in January 2013.
- Titled Operation Serval, it was limited to targeting Islamic extremists linked to al-Qaeda who took control of northern Mali.
- However, in 2014, the mission was scaled up, renamed Operation Barkhane and was aimed at counter-terrorism.
- The objective was to assist local armed forces to prevent the resurgence of non-state armed groups across the Sahel region.
- Around 4,500 French personnel were deployed with the local joint counter-terrorism force.
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November 14, 2022
Who was Nadaprabhu Kempegowda?
PM unveiled a 108-feet tall bronze statue of ‘Nadaprabhu’ Kempegowda in Bengaluru, credited to be the city’s founder.

Who was Nadaprabhu Kempegowda?
- Nadaprabhu Kempegowda, a 16th century chieftain of the Vijayanagara empire, is credited as the founder of Bengaluru.
- It is said that he conceived the idea of a new city while hunting with his minister, and later marked its territory by erecting towers in four corners of the proposed city.
- Kempegowda is also known to have developed around 1,000 lakes in the city to cater to drinking and agricultural needs.
- He was from the dominant agricultural Vokkaliga community in south Karnataka.
Political motives behind
- Kempegowda is an iconic figure among Karnataka’s second most dominant Vokkaliga community after Lingayats.
- Political parties plan to woo the Vokkaliga community by honoring Kempegowda.
- The statue would be known as the ‘Statue of Prosperity’.
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November 12, 2022
11th Nov| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement
Topics for Today’s questions:

GS-1 Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism.

GS-2 Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

GS-3 Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.

GS-4 Case Studies

Question 1)

Q.1 Regionalism in India is not a new topic of debate and is strengthening its roots slowly and steadily. In this context, differentiate between region and regionalism. Analyse the major issues that lead to the demand for regionalism in India and how it is a challenge for national integration? (15 Marks)

Question 2)

Q.2 Although the India-Russia relationship stands strained by the larger geopolitical realities which neither of them is in completely control of, there exists significant potential for cooperation between the two sides. Discuss. (15 Marks)

Question 3)

Q.3 Without substantially fostering rural India’s growth, the Indian growth story cannot be claimed to be inclusive. Highlighting the challenges in rural growth, suggest solutions for the same. (10 Marks)

Question 4)

Q.4 The farmer unions in one of the states has called for mass protest owing to large number of arrears/their dues not being paid by the private sugar factories for the last two years. On the day of mass protest, farmers turned up in huge numbers and at several places the protest turned violent. There were instances of stone pelting, vehicle burning etc. The police were not able to control the violent protesters at some places and had to resort to lathi charge. But at one of the places, police resorted to firing in which four farmers were killed. This further aggravated the situation as farmers at other places also resorted to violence to protest against police action. Looking at the intensity of the situation, under opposition pressure, one of the Minister of the state gave the statement that farmers did not die due to police firing but there were some anti-social elements amongst the protesters who fired in order to create unrest in the state. This statement of the Minister instead of calming the protesters further angered them as some eyewitness testified to news channels about the deaths being the result of police firing. All this further projected government in bad light and the police action has come under severe criticism by various sections of intelligentsia. The public sentiment has started to sway in favour of the protesting farmers. There is huge pressure on the government to diffuse the tension, address farmers’ grievances and take action against the police personnel involved in firing at the protesters since the protesters have started blocking all the major state highways which has crippled the day-to-day routine of the people of the state. Further, there is danger that the situation may get out of control anytime. Suppose you are the district magistrate where the incident has taken place: a) You have to address the press conference. What will be your statement to the media if it seeks clarification on whether people died in the police firing as stated by the state minister? b) What are the ethical issues involved in the case? c) What steps will you take to tackle the post-firing situation effectively? (20 Marks)

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November 11, 2022
Forgotten Heroes: Indian Soldiers in World War-II
Context
- On the eleventh hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the guns fell silent over Europe, bringing an end to a brutal first world war that drew in soldiers and contributions from around the world. Indian soldiers and their contribution are not widely recognized in India.
Background of Indian involvement World War II
- Fight against Fascism: Two conflicts and a reticence Indian reticence over these two conflicts arises from the uneasy relationship between the Indian contribution to fighting fascism on a global stage and the nationalist movement for freedom at home.
- Betrayal of nationalistic expectation: The success of the first is seen to have come at the cost of the second. It began with the betrayal of nationalist expectations of greater autonomy for India in return for support during the Great War.
- No consultation with Indian leaders: This was compounded by the bitterness of Viceroy Lord Linlithgow declaring war on Germany on India’s behalf in 1939 without consulting Indian leaders, and further roiled by the pitting of Indian against Indian when Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army sided with the Axis Powers in the hope that this might bring freedom.
- Fighting for India and for World: But the failure of Indian independence to follow automatically from India’s participation in the wars does not mean that the war efforts extended colonial rule, or were all about protecting Britain: there was fighting on Indian soil to defend India.
What is Indian soldiers role in World War II
- Support of nationalist leaders: Almost 1.5 million men volunteered to fight in the Great War. Indians mobilized four days after Britain declared war on Germany, with the support of nationalist leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi.
- War in Europe, Asia and Africa: Indians fought with valor and distinction in the trenches of Europe, West Asia and North Africa, earning 11 Victoria Crosses along the way. Of those men, about 74,000 never came home.
- Largest volunteer for war: India raised the largest ever volunteer army, of 2.5 million, for the Second World War. More than 87,000 of those men are cremated or buried in war cemeteries around the world and in India.
- Thirty-one Victoria Crosses: 15 % of the total Victoria crosses went to soldiers from undivided India. Without Indian soldiers, non-combatant labourers, material and money, the course of both conflicts would have been very different as acknowledged by Field Marshal Auchinleck, Britain’s last Commander-in-Chief of the Indian.
The issue of Non-recognition of India’s contribution
- Indian soldiers are honored by Britain: In Britain, the contribution of the Commonwealth including the Indian subcontinent is memorialized in the Commonwealth Memorial Gates that lead up to Buckingham Palace. The Gates commemorate the campaigns where Commonwealth soldiers served with distinction; there is also a canopy inscribed with the names of the Commonwealth recipients of the George and Victoria Crosses.
- Indian soldiers fought the Britain’s war: Much of India’s recent history is encapsulated in these gates, in a spirit of gratitude and equality. Britain, after all, has much to be grateful for, but Indians seem less keen to acknowledge this. British perfidy, however, does not in any way reduce the sacrifices of those who fought for freedom. Those who went abroad to fight alongside white British soldiers returned with the knowledge that they were equal to their colonial masters. In not recognizing and honoring this, we push those men back into colonial subjugation.
- Britain betrayed the hopes of freedom: Some of this ambivalence owes itself to the atrocities of colonial history, which must be acknowledged too. Britain may have handed out 11 Victoria Crosses over the course of the First World War, but it betrayed the hopes of nationalists with the imposition of martial law after the war ended, culminating in the horror of Jallianwala Bagh in April 1919.
Does India fought the war for its own sake?
- Indian fought the Japanese: These were not just European wars to defend foreign lands. India was threatened in the Second World War by advancing Japanese forces who got as far as Burma/Myanmar. They were repulsed in the battles of Imphal and Kohima between March and July 1944. These were brutal battles. In Kohima, the two sides were at one point separated by the width of a tennis court. A Commonwealth cemetery on Garrison Hill, Kohima, contains this epitaph (by John Maxwell Edmonds): ‘When You Go Home, Tell Them of Us, and Say/For Your Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today’.
- Ultimate sacrifice for India’s freedom: The memory of the almost 10 million battlefield deaths in the First World War and the 15 million or more who were killed fighting the Second World War is now honored in countries around the world on November 11, with nationwide silences and the laying of wreaths. Not so much in India apart from in Army cantonments and at the British Consulate in Kolkata even though over 1,61,000 men made the ultimate sacrifice for India’s freedom.
Conclusion
- Seventy-five years after Independence, it is time to honor India’s immense contribution to the world wars and move it from a footnote in another country’s history to the main stage, where it belongs. These were India’s wars too.
Mains Question

Q. What role the Indian soldier played in Second world War? What are the issues regarding non recognition of contribution of Indian soldiers in world wars?

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November 11, 2022
Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC) launched at COP27
At the 27th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP27), this year’s UN climate summit, the Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC) was launched with India as a partner.

Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC)
- An initiative led by the UAE and Indonesia, the MAC includes India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Japan, and Spain.
- It seeks to educate and spread awareness worldwide on the role of mangroves in curbing global warming and its potential as a solution for climate change.
- Under MAC, UAE intends to plant 3 million mangroves in the next two months, in keeping with UAE’s COP26 pledge of planting 100 million mangroves by 2030.
Working of MAC
- MAC would work on a voluntary basis. It means that there are no real checks and balances to hold members accountable.
- Instead, the parties will decide their own commitments and deadlines regarding planting and restoring mangroves.
- The members will also share expertise and support each other in researching, managing and protecting coastal areas.
Why protect mangroves?
- Infrastructure projects — industrial expansion, shifting coastlines, coastal erosion and storms, have resulted in a significant decrease in mangrove habitats.
- Between 2010 and 2020, around 600 sq km of mangroves were lost of which more than 62% was due to direct human impacts, the Global Mangrove Alliance said in its 2022 report.
Importance of mangroves
- Biodiversity: Mangrove forests — consisting of trees and shrub that live in intertidal water in coastal areas — host diverse marine life.
- Fishing grounds: They also support a rich food web, with molluscs and algae-filled substrate acting as a breeding ground for small fish, mud crabs and shrimps, thus providing a livelihood to local artisanal fishers.
- Carbon sinks: Equally importantly, they act as effective carbon stores, holding up to four times the amount of carbon as other forested ecosystems.
- Cyclone buffers: When Cyclone Amphan struck West Bengal in May, its effects were largely mitigated by the Sundarbans flanking its coasts along the Bay of Bengal.
Threats to Mangroves
- Anthropogenic activities: They are a major threat to the mangroves. Urbanization, industrialization and the accompanying discharge of industrial effluents, domestic sewage and pesticide residues from agricultural lands threaten these fragile ecosystems.
- Saltpan and aquaculture: This causes huge damage to the mangroves. Shrimp farming alone destroyed 35,000 hectares of mangroves worldwide.
- Destruction for farming: 40% of mangroves on the west coast has been converted into farmlands and other settlements in just 3 decades.
- Sea-level rise: This is another challenge to these mangroves- especially on the Bay of Bengal coast.
Mangroves in India
- India holds around 3 percent of South Asia’s mangrove population.
- Besides the Sundarbans in West Bengal, the Andaman region, the Kutch and Jamnagar areas in Gujarat too have substantial mangrove cover.
How can India benefit from MAC?
- India is home to one of the largest remaining areas of mangroves in the world — the Sundarbans.
- It has years of expertise in restoration of mangrove cover that can be used to aid global measures in this direction.
- The move is in line with India’s goal to increase its carbon sink.
Try this PYQ:

Q.Which one of the following is the correct sequence of ecosystems in the order of decreasing productivity?

(a) Oceans, lakes, grasslands, mangroves

(b) Mangroves, oceans, grasslands, lakes

(c) Mangroves, grasslands, lakes, oceans

(d) Oceans, mangroves, lakes, grasslands

[wpdiscuz-feedback id=”42xiisqgv0″ question=”Please leave a feedback on this” opened=”1″]Post your answers here.[/wpdiscuz-feedback]

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November 11, 2022
Energy Transition Accelerator (ETA): A new carbon offset scheme by the US
The US has unveiled a new carbon offset scheme called Energy Transition Accelerator (ETA) for climate finance.

Energy Transition Accelerator (ETA)
- ETA is carbon offset plan that will allow companies to fund clean energy projects in developing countries and gain carbon credits that they can then use to meet their own climate goals.
- The plan will be developed by the US along with the Bezos Earth Fund and the Rockefeller Foundation.
- It would receive inputs from public and private
- The concept is to put the carbon market to work, deploy capital otherwise undeployable, and speed up the transition from dirty to clean power.
Benefits of ETA
- It may be good for renewable energy projects for sure and for those coal plants that are very old and unviable and which India wishes to shut down.
- The scheme comes at a time when there is growing mistrust among developing countries about developed nations failing to deliver on climate finance commitments.
Limitations of ETA
- The proposed initiative would be insufficient to make up for the lack of funding from rich countries.
- What developing countries need is predictable finance – not offset markets.
- The proposed initiative cannot make up for the US’s failure to provide its fair share of climate finance – an estimated $40 billion of the unmet goal of $100 billion a year.
Conclusion
- ETA appears to be a substitute for deep decarbonization needed within the US and other industrialized countries.
- For developing countries like India, the first priority would be to meet their own targets and not provide offsets for reductions in developed nations.
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November 11, 2022
10th Nov| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement
Topics for Today’s questions:

GS-1 Effects of globalization on Indian society.

GS-2 Executive and Judiciary

GS-3 Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment; Indian Economy

GS-4 Dedication to public service, empathy, tolerance and compassion towards the weaker sections.

Question 1)

Q.1 A new globalization is taking shape, and it’s both good and bad news for India. Critically analyse. (10 Marks)

Question 2)

Q.2 Briefly outlining the evolution of collegium system for appointment of judges in India, highlight the issues with the process. (15 Marks)

Question 3)

Q.3 What are green bonds? Illustrate using examples. What are the objectives of India’s Sovereign Green Bonds Framework? (10 Marks)

Question 4)

Q.4 What are the principles of effective public service delivery? Explain its importance in ensuring good governance with the help of relevant examples. (10 Marks)

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November 10, 2022
Groundwater Extraction Lowest in 18 years
Groundwater extraction in India saw an 18-year decline, according to an assessment by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB).

What is Groundwater?
- Groundwater is the water found underground in the cracks and spaces in soil, sand and rock.
- It is stored in and moves slowly through geologic formations of soil, sand and rocks called aquifers.
- Aquifers are typically made up of gravel, sand, sandstone, or fractured rock, like limestone.
- Water can move through these materials because they have large connected spaces that make them permeable.
- Aquifers, hand-dug wells, and artesian wells are different types of sources of groundwater.
Declining trend of groundwater extraction
- The total annual groundwater recharge for the entire country is 437.6 billion cubic metres (bcm) in 2022.
- However the extraction for entire country is only 239.16 bcm, according to the 2022 CGWB report.
- By comparison, an assessment in 2020 found that the annual groundwater recharge was 436 bcm and extraction 245 bcm.
- The 2022 assessment suggests that groundwater extraction is the lowest since 2004, when it was 231 bcm.
Implications of the CGWB report
- A detailed analysis of the assessment indicates increase in ground water recharge.
- This is mainly attributed to:
1. Increase in recharge from canal seepage,
2. Return flow of irrigation water and
3. Recharges from water bodies/tanks & water conservation structures.
Significance of groundwater
- Groundwater supplies drinking water to a sizeable population in India and almost 99% of the rural population.
- It helps grow our food. 64% of groundwater is used for irrigation to grow crops.
- It is an important component in many industrial processes.
- It is a source of recharge for lakes, rivers, and wetlands.
Why discuss this?
- Depletion: People face serious water shortages because groundwater is used faster than it is naturally replenished.
- Contamination: In other areas groundwater is polluted by human activities.
Reasons for Depletion
- Increased demand for water for domestic, industrial and agricultural needs and limited surface water resources lead to the over-exploitation of groundwater resources.
- Limited storage facilities owing to the hard rock terrain, along with the added disadvantage of lack of rainfall, especially in central Indian states.
- Green Revolution enabled water-intensive crops to be grown in drought-prone/ water deficit regions, leading to over-extraction of groundwater.
- Frequent pumping of water from the ground without waiting for its replenishment leads to quick depletion.
- Subsidies on electricity and high MSP for water-intensive crops is also leading reasons for depletion.
- Inadequate regulation of groundwater laws encourages the exhaustion of groundwater resources without any penalty.
- Deforestation, unscientific methods of agriculture, chemical effluents from industries, and lack of sanitation also lead to pollution of groundwater, making it unusable.
- Natural causes include uneven rainfall and climate change that are hindering the process of groundwater recharge.
Impact of groundwater depletion
- Lowering of the water table: Groundwater depletion may lower the water table leading to difficulty in extracting groundwater for usage.
- Reduction of water in streams and lakes: A substantial amount of the water flowing in rivers comes from seepage of groundwater into the streambed. Depletion of groundwater levels may reduce water flow in such streams.
- Subsidence of land: Groundwater often provides support to the soil. When this balance is altered by taking out the water, the soil collapses, compacts, and drops leading to subsidence of land.
- Increased cost for water extraction: As the depleting groundwater levels lower the water table, the user has to delve deep to extract water. This will increase the cost of water extraction.
Regulation of Groundwater in India

(1) Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA)
- It has the mandate of regulating ground water development and management in the country.
- It is constituted under the Environment (Protection) Act of 1986.
- CGWA issues advisories, public notices and grant No Objection Certificates (NOC) for ground water withdrawal.
(2) National Aquifer Mapping and Management Programme (NAQUIM)
- The NAQUIM is an initiative of the Ministry of Jal Shakti for mapping and managing the entire aquifer systems in the country.
- It maintains the Hydrological Map of India.
(3) Atal Bhujal Yojana
- It is a Central Sector Scheme, for sustainable management of groundwater resources with community participation in water-stressed blocks.
Way Forward
- Routine survey: There should be regular assessment of groundwater levels to ensure that adequate data is available for formulating policies and devising new techniques.
- Assessment of land use pattern: Studies should be carried out to assess land use and the proportion of agricultural land falling under overt-exploited units.
- Changes in farming methods: To improve the water table in those areas where it is being overused, on-farm water management techniques and improved irrigation methods should be adopted.
- Reforms in power supply subsidies: The agricultural power-pricing structure needs to be revamped as the flat rate of electricity adversely affects the use of groundwater.
- Monitoring extraction: There should be a policy in place to monitor the excessive exploitation of groundwater resources to ensure long-term sustainability.
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November 10, 2022
9th Nov| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement
Topics for Today’s questions:

GS-1 Urbanization, their problems and their remedies

GS-2 Constitution of India- historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure.

GS-3 Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

GS-4 Dedication to public service, empathy, tolerance and compassion towards the weaker sections.

Question 1)

Q.1 Examine what role tier 2 and tier 3 cities in India can play in solving urban problems that plague Indian cities. (15 Marks)

Question 2)

Q.2 Endorsement of reservations based on economic criteria by the Supreme Court offers an expansive view of the affirmative action vision offered by the constitution. Discuss. (10 Marks)

Question 3)

Q.3 Solar energy can become the cornerstone of India’s net-zero emissions target. Highlighting the challenges in development of solar energy, suggest a way forward in this direction. (15 Marks)

Question 4)

Q.4 Differentiate between sympathy, empathy and compassion. Highlight the role of empathy in shaping leadership. (10 Marks)

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November 9, 2022