1.

GS III- INDIAN SECURITY/DEFENCE

What is Indias nuclear doctrine? Does it need a revision?
Substantiate.
http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/ajai-shukla-come-out-of-the-nuclearcloset-114041400866_1.html

India has a nuclear policy of Credible Minimum Deterrence which is primarly

stationed on two core pillars. These are:
-No First Use (NFU) of Nuclear weapons. After 2010 a shift from no first use to no
first use against non-weapon state
-Massive Retaliation in case of an attack.
Also NFU doesnt apply to cases of chemical and biological attack.
BACKGROUND:
Indias policy was designed in the backdrop of massive sanctions by the west in response
to Nuclear tests of Operation Shakti. It assured the world that India was only looking to
protect itself from two hostile nuclear neighbours.
EVALUATION
NFU seems to be working well for India and must be maintained in order to keep India
secure as well as responsible. The advantages of NFU are:
1. Scrapping NFU completely may give India an aggressive look. This might escalate
tensions between India and Pakistan, whose nuclear weapons are only targeted towards
India.
2. Further scrapping NFU completely rises tensions in South Asian countries which look
at India as Big Brother may force them to build nuclear arsenal, which is actually going
against Indias intention of peaceful South Asia
3. It is this policy coupled with Indias excellent record in protection and inspection of
nuclear facilities that lead to the historic US-India Civil Nuclear Deal. The Nuclear
suppliers group has slowly given its nod to Indias Nuclear Stand. Hence, there is no
reason to change the current policy.
CONCLUSION
Although India has its critics who chastise her for adpoting a hypocritcial stance, talking
about disarmamaent on one hand and diversifying nuclear capabilities on the other, India
must retain its nuclear capabilities till the time it finds itself in a hostile neighbourhood
with two nuclear weapon states of China and Pakistan. The focus must remain on
deterrance and Indias attempts to develop the Ballistic Missile Submarine INS Arihant is
a step in the right direction. The nuclear triad of having the ability to launch weapons
from air, land and sea will go a long way in protecting our sovereignty

2. GS III- FOOD SECURITY/CROPPING PATTERN/ENVIORNMENT

Examine the emerging threats to food crops in India. What should be
done to ensure their productivity and growth to meet growing
demand for food? Comment.
http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/surinder-sud-before-wheat-withersaway-114041400865_1.html
The Green revolution ensured India made huge strides in meeting the annual food

production and is one of the top agriculture exporters now. Coupled with huge strides in
oilseeds, milk and horticulture production India is well on its way to achieving food self
sufficiency and security atleast on the production side.
However there are certain core issues which prove to be a threat to food crops in
India .These include:
1. Climate change - This is the biggest threat to agirculture. Increase in temperature
patterns will have an adverse impact on monsoon pattern which will be a calamity for a
country like India which depends on rainfall primarily for irrigation purposes. There is
potenrtial for decreasing yield of rabi crops because of increase in temperature.
2. Increased awareness about the Intellectual Property Regime and patents has ensured
that technology is not as easily shared as it was during the time of the Green Revolution.
Given the dismal state of affair of our R&D in the agriculture sector, lack of easy flow of
technology will be another impediement
3. Climate change has also resulted in the proliferation of new forms of pests. Coupled
with increased pest resistance there is a danger to crop health and final yield.
4. Increased use of fertilizers and exploitation of ground water has depleted soil health
and the water table, effectively lowering the fertility and hence the potential yield of the
soil.
5. India doesnt have a strong regulatory frameowork for genetically modified crops and
hence there is distrust and sceptisism on the impact of GM crops on health and diveristy
of crops.
6. Fiscal responsibilty of the government has meant that there has been a slow phasing
out of subsidies to the farm sector. This has been added due to the pressure exerted by the
WTO (TFA Afreement on Amber Box Subsidies). Thus farmers will face a pressure in the
years to come.
SOLUTIONS ENVISIONED ARE:
1. The Second Green Revolution which was initially proposed in 2000 must be given
huge impetus.
a) Develop hybrid facilities to improve the productivity of plants

b) Provide credit facilities as well as insurnace facilities to incentivize the farmer.

c) Use of GM crops and their cost benefit analysis must be encouraged.
Biotechnology may be a solution to the growing needs of increasing population.
d) Changes in agronomic practises and encouraging sustainable, climate friendly
farming technniques. This could include mixed cropping, system of intensifying
cropping, judicious use of chemicals.
e) Encourgaing research and development in agricuture sector, setting up of more
agro universities will be a positive step in this regard.
3. GSII- INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS/ DIPLOMACY
Examine the contentious issues between India and ASEAN in
finalising Free Trade Agreement between them in services.
http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/india-asean-services-fta-inlimbo-over-retail-fdi-114041400972_1.html

The India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was signed in 2009. ASEAN is Indias
fourth largest trading partner but currently India accounts for only 2% of ASEANs net
trade.
The contentious elements of the FTA are
1. The rules of origin (RoO) . India has specified these in terms of two criteria. They are
change in tariff heading and value addition
2. The size and composition of the negative list. The original list contained 1410 items
but ASEAN put the final number down to 489, which was not appreciated by India. India
will face a threat in industries like fisheries, palm oil, tea and coffee in which ASEAN
countries have a relative advantage.
Due to the lack of resolution on these broad contentious issues, India is yet to sign the
Free Trade Agreement on Services and investements with ASEAN.
Some of the more specific issues that are acting as a thorn are:
1) RETAILING
ASEAN countries like Phillipines and Thaliand want the right to set up direct retail shops
anywhere in India. However the federal polity of India dictates that the final right to
allow or reject FDI is with the states and thus such a blanket approval cannot be given by
the Central government
2) SERVICES
Phillipines which is emerging as a major hub for back end operatiosn and call centre services
fears this nascent industry will be overpowered by India if the FTA is implemented due to the
dominace of India in the services sector.

3) THREAT TO INDIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR

RBI Governor had hinted in a speech in 2013 that India must evaluate its signing of so
many FTAs and its effects on domestic manufacturing so that protectionism of the 90s is
not resorted to. Finance Ministry also on similar lines, wanted detailed study of FTA
effects before signing Indo-ASEAN FTA on services
Since the India- ASEAN FTA is an important component of indias Look East policy
there must be strong initiatives to reslove the current standoff on contentious issues
trhough sustained dialogue and negotiations. ASEAN economies are some of the
strongest in the world and India needs to penetrate those markets as well as attract
investment and technology for its economy by integrating itself in the value chain. This
will also help counter Chinas increased domiance not only in Asia but globally.

4. GS IV- ETHICS
What is aptitude? What are the foundational values for civil
servants? Explain any three of them.
Aptitude and attitude are both facets of an individuals personality but are
differnet in nature and scope. It encompasses a persons inherent capabilities
and talents, those that determine to a large extent the factors that will
determine success in a particular field.
The foundational principles of a civil servant are integrity, transparency,
impartiality, non partisanship, empathy, objectivity, compassion etc.
1. Intergity
Integrity refers to honesty of a person having strong moral values. It reflects
truthfulness and consistency of a person.
2. Impartiality
Impartiality ensures a person to give justice on the basis of objectivity rather
than on bias, prejudice or benefiting one person over another.
3. Empathy
Empathy is the capacity to recognize emotions of others. This helps in
sympathizing others based on suffering and be justified in taking a decision.

5. GS III- HEALTH/SCIENCE AND TECH

What is artificial blood? How is it produced? What are its
applications?

Artificial blood is a product made to act as a substitute for red blood cells. While real
blood serves many different functions, artificial blood is designed for the sole purpose of
transporting oxygen and carbon dioxide throughout the body.

The two most common types of artificial blood are hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers
and perflourocarbons.
The production of artificial blood can be done in a variety of ways. For hemoglobinbased products, this involves isolation of hemoglobin. Isolation begins with a centrifugal
separator that isolates much of the hemoglobin , and the hemoglobin is transferred to a
processing tank. Here, it is mixed with water and other electrolytes to produce the
artificial blood. The artificial blood can then be pasteurized and put into an appropriate
packaging. PFC products involve a polymerization reaction.
There are several applications to artificial blood
1. Artificial Blood can be stored for long periods of time. Human blood must be used
within a few weeks of being donated.
2. Artificial Blood can be stored at room temperature. Human blood must be kept
refrigerated until used.
3. There is no risk of a transfusion reaction caused by mismatched blood type .In
battlefield it is often impossible to administer rapid blood transfusions. Medical care in
the armed services would benefit from a safe, easy way to manage blood supply.
4. Blood replacement products can be sterilized, eliminating the risk for infection.Blood
transfusion is the one of the largest source of new HIV infections. A disease-free source
of blood substitutes would be incredibly beneficial.
Todays climate of public uneasiness concerning the safety of human-derived blood
products, combined with a projected shortage of blood products has increased interest in
such products.

99. Critically comment on the existing barriers to deepen Indian

democracy further. In your opinion, what reforms are needed to
deepen it further? Comment.

a. Indian democracy has developed itself and is seen as an example of great success.
However, democracy further needs to be deepen, but certain barriers preventing it are:
1. Grass-root level democracy: India conducts regular election at municipal and village
level. However, elected representative rarely have powers to decide for the area which
they are representing also there are constraints with finance.
More devolution of power is needed at local level, so that citizens themselves can decide
the work needs to be done at local level according to the requirements.
2. Inclusion of women: The representation of women is very less in Indian government,
with half the population not having equal rights democracy cannot depeen further.

Women reservation bill in parliament and state legislature will be a good start for
increasing the inclusion of women in national and state level political scene.
3. Freedom of speech: Though, India is a democracy, freedom of speech and expression is
still curberd making India a democracy of intolerance.
Freedom of speech and expression should be protected by well-defined laws and
protection to common men should be given for his/her freedom of speech.
4. Barriers of religion and caste: Religion and Caste both often intertwined are used by
people to define themselves. This however, segregates the society in narrow, rigid and
backward groups that hamper growth and development.Rather than reducing these
divisions, political parties have used them to gain power
5. Corruption: It touches all aspects of the economy, all institutions, affecting the rich and
poor alike. Corruption stifle productivity, demoralise the people and pervade a sense of
Injustice. India ranking 94rth in the Corruption Perception Index seems to have
institutionalised corruption in its very fabric.
6. Failure of these very institutions the judiciary, parliament, regulatory bodies, the
police etc. Need to reform the judiciary, election process, police etc.

7. GSII- INTERNATIONAL RELATION

What are the main challenges that Afghanistan would face in coming
days in its quest to become democracy and a stable country?
Analyze.
http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/the-problem-next-door/
The recently concluded deal between the two top contenders for the Presidency in pakistan has
left many Afghans disgrunteled and disillusioned, complaining that this has effectively
undermined democracy. Still it is to be seen and hoped how Ghani and Abdullah will be able to
effectively manage the conflict ridden country in the aftermath of the NATO withdrawal.

1. Security Threat: The largest threat to Afghanistan is that of security. A decade long
military campaign by America has failed to root out the Taliban. Sharing a 2500 km
porous border with Pakistan, the threat is both external and internal. Pakistan is seen to be
promoting Taliban and extermism within the Afghansitan borders.
2. The precarious positon of the Afghan army which is not well trained or equiped to
handle the security in the ocuntry after NATO withdrawal. The signing of teh Bilateral
Security agreement between Afghanistan and USA is a welcome step as it will provide
for the retention of minimal presence of US troops in Afghanistan. However there is wide
spread consensus that this is insuffienienct given the current challenges.
3. A new great game will be played by major players in Afghanistan including Iran,
Russia, India and China since they all want to secure their strategic interests in the region.

This will have the potential to act as destabilizing force and proxy wars could be fought
within the country, further strengthening tribal and ethnic divisions.
4. The Afghan economy is currently surving on international aid and has not managed to
develop a strong internal stimulus. With the withdrawal of NATO forces, there is
likelihood the international commnunity might reduce/withdraw its supply of aid, which
will prove disastrous for the economy and growth.