Mentors Comments: https://www.livemint.com/Opinion/k0vu5V2VNzooTNIBJuUXUK/Dalit-women-subsisting-without-voice-or-options.html It’s an important issue and is directly related to the GS-1 topic of Social empowerment, which is today’s topic.  You should critically analyse economic and social burdens faced by Dalit women in India and measures needed to empower the. Please read the article and extract important arguments and stats.  In the introduction,… Continue reading According to a UN report, Dalit women in India die younger than upper-caste women, face discrimination in accessing healthcare and lag behind on almost all health indicators. Discuss the economic and social stresses experienced by Dalit women in India and the solutions needed to empower them. (15 Marks)

Mentors Comments: Introduce with examples of mob violence in the country. Examine the reasons for the same – hate speech, social media etc., Provide solutions – from the community, fraternity to the law as a solution Answer: The 2015 Dadri mob lynching case of Mohammad Akhlaq has started a domino effect where mob violence has… Continue reading Mob violence is emerging as a serious challenge for the internal security in India. By giving suitable examples, analyze the causes and consequences of such violence. Give way forwards. (15 Marks)

Mentors Comments: https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/a-patently-unconstitutional-piece-of-legislation/article30270128.ece  Mention the provisions of the Bill. Specify the gap between the letter and the intent of the bill and the ramifications it can have Mention the various potential benefits it offers Conclude with your opinion Answer: Indian parliament has recently passed the Citizenship(Amendment) Bill which seeks to amend the Citizenship Act 1955.… Continue reading Analyse the provisions of the Citizenship(Amendment) Bill and the reasons for a stiff opposition to its passage. (15 Marks)

In developing countries, internal migration is a survival strategy for many labourers in search of a better livelihood and opportunities. Every year, India loses an average of 2,658 people to different kinds of structural collapses; that is around 7 deaths a day. 2011 saw the highest fatalities in ten years, 3161 deaths. The stakeholders involved… Continue reading A building permitted for three floors, while being extended illegally to 6 floors by a builder, collapses. As a consequence, a number of innocent labourers including women and children died. These labourers are migrants of different places. The government arrested the builder and owner of the building. Government also suspended a few engineers. The dead migrants are given monetary compensation. Can such incidences, where most of the times poor people are the victims, be prevented? How? (5 Marks) Discuss the ethical issues involved in such incidences. (5 Marks) Examine the issues faced by migrant workers in cities. (5 Marks)

 Mentors Comments: The question is in the context of rising trends of de-globalization being witnessed across the world. Increased protectionism professed especially by countries like USA etc. The answer must first elaborate on what is deglobalization, what are the causes of it, its impact and implications on countries like India. Compare and contrast it with… Continue reading In the context of rising trends of de-globalization being witnessed across the world, examine and explain the associated implications. (15 Marks)

Mentors Comments:  The question is an example of a typical problem concerning ethics, that we encounter in our everyday life. Its main purpose is to test our ability to identify the key ethical issues involved in the question and form a practical yet ethical opinion as to what should be done in this regard. Discuss… Continue reading One of the partners from an accounting firm goes to one of the computer technicians and recommends him to go to one of their clients from the firm and installs a computer program with one of the licenses from the firm. The technician tells the partner that he cannot install the program because it is illegal to install programs in other computers without the right licensing. The technician also recommended that it would be better for the client to buy the license and that he would install the program for his company. His boss answered that he is one of the most important clients in the office and that the client wasn’t interested in buying the program. Nevertheless, he promised that they would install the program and that he shouldn’t worry because he would make himself responsible. What are the possible solutions available to the technician and what should he do? (15 Marks)

Mentors Comments: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/sequencing-indian-genes/article29865310.ece The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) recently announced the conclusion of a six-month exercise (from April 2019) of conducting a “whole-genome sequence” of a 1,008 Indians. The question is straightforward; one must explain the concept of what is ‘IndiGen’ project and in what way it will help in precision medicine… Continue reading Explain what is ‘IndiGen’ project? Discuss how CSIR’s ‘IndiGen’ project will lead to precision medicine and develop its commercial gene testing services? (15 Marks)

Mentors Comments: Mention the state of crimes against women. Mention the various lacunae in the criminal justice system. Suggest steps to revamp the same, in light of various committee recommendations. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/features/india-s-rape-culture-and-the-issue-of-women-s-safety/amp-11575378167616.html Answer: In the wake of the recent brutal rape and murder of a young woman in Hyderabad, much of the public discourse has been… Continue reading The criminal justice system needs a thorough revamp in the context of continuing crimes against women. Comment. (15Marks)

Mentors Comments: https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/unleashing-the-potential-of-urban-india/article28022190.ece The article highlights Global Metro Monitor 2018 reports which say that Nine Indian metros feature in the top 150 ranks of the economic performance index. By 2030, India will have 71 metropolitan cities, of which seven would have a population of more than 10 million. Amidst growing metro regions in India, the… Continue reading “By 2030, India will have 71 metropolitan cities, of which seven would have a population of more than 10 million. Clearly metropolises are going to be a key feature of India’s urbanisation and will play a crucial role in fuelling growth.” In light of the above statement, discuss how India’s metropolises will play a crucial role in fuelling growth? How far U.K.’s model of city deals would help to govern the engines of growth in India? (15 Marks)

Mentors Comments: Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/rbi-small-and-inclusive-6157145/ Mention any fact/ report on the state of financial inclusion in India. Give reasons behind poor reach of financial network. Discuss the idea of differentiated banking and how it provides a solution to the issues of banking in India. Answer: Financial inclusion may be defined as the delivery of banking services… Continue reading Identify the challenges to financial inclusion in India. Does differentiated banking provide solution? (15 Marks)

Mentors Comments: Discuss the judgement in Coelho case. Discuss the idea of Judicial Review and Basic Structure. Mention how judicial review evolved to be a part of Basic structure in India. Answer: Coelho case is one of the landmark judgments on the interpretation of the doctrine of basic structure of the constitution as laid down… Continue reading What was held in the Coelho case? In this context, can you say that judicial review is of key importance amongst the basic features of the Constitution? (15 Marks)

(a) Identify the various actions that you could take First action: My first action would be to adhere to my obligations and professional ethics, which is to serve my company and to garner its maximum profit. However, this should not be contradictory to my personal ethics which derives from my societal obligations and my conscience.… Continue reading One of the scientists working in the R&D laboratory of a major pharmaceutical company discovers that one of the company’s best selling veterinary drugs has the potential to cure a currently incurable liver disease which is prevalent in tribal areas. However, developing a variant of the drug suitable for human beings entailed a lot of research and development, having a huge expenditure to the extent of Rs. 50 crores. It was unlikely that company would recover the cost as the disease was rampant only in poverty stricken areas having very little market otherwise. (15 Marks) If you were the CEO, then; (a) Identify the various actions that you could take (b) Evaluate the pros and cons of each of your actions

Mentors Comments: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/obesity-and-undernutrition-coexist-finds-study/article29550673.ece Data from the first-ever national nutrition survey conducted by the Centre, yet to be made public, shows that obesity and undernutrition coexist in India, among children. Health experts have raised concerns over the delay in the release of the survey.  One has to explain the prevalence of the double whammy facing the… Continue reading With India’s double whammy of undernutrition co-existing with equally high and increasing rates of over nutrition, there is a pressing need for reshaping India’s nutrition policy with a focus on diet-related diseases. Discuss. (15 Marks)

As a Senior Civil servant, I hold a constitutional position which derives its power only from the Constitution of India and not person embodiment of political figures and ministers. Also, as a civil servant my prime duty is to deliver rightful entitlement and justice to everyone, it includes myself also. Hence if there is absence… Continue reading In the media, it is often reported that civil servants are abused by ministers and are overlooked for promotions despite having seniority for a certain post. Do you think a civil servant should speak against the government when they face such incidences? If you face such an incident in your career how will you react? Critically comment. (15 Marks)

 Mentors Comments: The question is in the context of contributions made by the contemporary women for the women movements held in demand for equal rights, equity, economic and social empowerment, etc. Thus the question becomes important from the point of view of GS paper I. The question envisages us to discuss the phenomena of contemporary… Continue reading Evaluate the contribution of the contemporary women’s movement in women empowerment. (15 Marks)

Mentors Comments: Introduce an example of the degradation of the environment for development. Show how various policies act in contradiction to each other. Provide alternative approaches to achieve streamlined goals between environment and development in India. Answer: Like many other countries, India too has rapidly industrialized itself. But, this progress has brought various ramifications for… Continue reading “Policy contradictions among various competing sectors and stakeholders have resulted in inadequate ‘protection and prevention of degradation’ to the environment.” Comment with a relevant illustration. (15 Marks)

Mentors Comments: Source: https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/a-potential-seedbed-for-private-profits/article30195634.ece Mention a few issues around seed quality in India. Mention the provision of the bill. Give a brief background of the necessity for this Bill Discuss how the bill tackles and doesn’t tackle a few problems around seeds. Give Way Forwards. Answer: Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare has finalized the draft Seed… Continue reading Seed is the most important input for the farm. Do the new Seeds Bill pave way for addressing the issues around Seed Quality in India? Discuss. (15 Marks)

Mentors Comments: 1. Discuss the relationship from the past 2. Mention recent steps on the same 3. Highlight specific challenges faced by the countries. 4. Suggest way forward   Answer: India-Israel relations most notably exemplify realism as cardinal International relations theory wherein the expediency of national interest turns out to be the guiding force behind a nation… Continue reading India’s relations with Israel have, of late, acquired a depth and diversity, which cannot be rolled back.” Discuss. 15 Marks)

Mentors Comments: 1. Discuss the concept of creamy layer. 2. Mention what judgements were given on the same 3. Discuss it’s relevance for India, given the discrimination of SC/ST https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/another-quota-question/article30170111.ece Answer: Central government has asked the Supreme Court of India to refer to a seven-judge Bench the question whether the creamy layer concept should apply (or not)… Continue reading Give your opinion on the idea of introducing a ‘creamy layer’ for SC/ST reservations. (15 Marks)

Mentors Comments: Ethics by Lexicon publications The question is aimed at analyzing the aspects of utilization of public funds in a country. One must discuss in detail the aspects of transparency and accountability associated with the utilization of public funds of the country. In the intro, discuss the importance of public funds. In the 1st… Continue reading Utilization of public funds in a country must obey the principles of transparency and efficiency. do you agree? Give your opinion with suitable examples.(15 Marks)