UPSC Mains 2019

Paper 1- Essay
Section-A
1. Wisdom finds truth

Approach:
Since this is a philosophical topic, it is better to start the essay by defining the truth and
wisdom. Then link both of them.

Introduction
➢ Truth.. in simple terms.. is a statement of fact.. which cannot be refuted. However, truth
is a multidimensional concept. In our daily lives, common sense based assumptions,
judgements seem truthful at their face value. But one needs to go beyond the everyday
system of knowledge to discover if there's more than what meets the eye.. i.e. whether
what we perceive or receive is the whole truth. In order to do such an investigation of
plain facts, we need the help of a search light.. and in this case, such a beacon of light is
wisdom

Body
➢ What is truth?
• Truth (Satya) - Truth is what you perceive through 5 senses, namely, seeing, hearing,
tasting, smelling & touching & using 6th sense intelligence, is only the fraction of the
hidden truth..
• Mention leaders perspective - gandhi, plato, Aristotle

➢ What is wisdom?
• As a noun wisdom is an element of personal character that enables one to
distinguish the wise from the unwise. The quality of having experience, knowledge,
and good judgement; the quality of being wise.If a person uses his discretion in

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 applying the knowledge for meaningful expression & maximum positive advantage
at right place, time & circumstances to right people or thing, it shows his wisdom.

➢ Linking truth + wisdom

• We can use the theory of forms propounded by Plato, The theory of Forms or theory
of Ideas is a philosophical theory, proposes that the physical world is not as real or
true as timeless, absolute, unchangeable ideas.
• According to this theory, whatever we see in the physical world are merely
imitations. Imitations of ultimate realities. In order to get the insight of ultimate
reality which is truth itself (What according to hindu saying- Satyam shivam
sundaram- truth is the ultimate reflection of the god or god itself).
• Hence, in order to find the ultimate truth we need to use the wisdom. Wisdom gets
refined over repeated dialogues, introspections.
• The idea of truth is about understanding the difference between making a judgment
through one’s own perception and actual observation of reality or the facts of a
situation through growing self-awareness. This is where wisdom comes into play.

➢ How Wisdom finds the truth

• Societal Angle
✓ Example 1: Fake news resulting in mob violence:
✓ Fake messages made to look like a local video are circulated along with real
videos attached to fake messages or claims. Innocent ones are accused and
lynched by mobs. The attacks take place against an unprecedented upsurge in
vigilante and mob-related violence across India.
✓ Unless a person decides to use his wisdom to discern the fake from the real,
then he/she is bound to get carried by vested interest and will fall an easy prey
to such fake news.
✓ Use the wisdom, investigat well

• Environment Angle:
✓ Some people don’t believe that there’s climate change and are against any
actions to fight it.
✓ Upon deeper investigation, we’ll find enough evidence that the recent weather
has been much hotter than ever before for the earth.
✓ Through analysis of scientific facts, wisdom finds the truth that this could be
due to both anthropogenic and man-made reasons, but it is hard to refute the
phenomena of climate change.

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 • S&T Angle:
✓ Some believe in evolution, and some don’t. While some religions may believe
against evolution from primates to humans, observation of evidence points to
the contrary.
✓ Upon deeper understanding and investigation of the evidence, wisdom would
help find the truth that all evidence points out that humans evolved from
primates due to environmental pressures to survive.

• Economic Angle:
✓ Increasing unemployment, slowdown of GDP is a reality - numerous reasons are
debated upon & appropriate measures are taken for each sector or issue area.
How macro & micro view leads to tackling the problem.
✓ Indian Agriculture: While we resort time and again to bandaid treatments like
loan waivers, subsidies, sops, wisdom here lies in understanding that these will
not help end the agricultural issues.
✓ Truth here is that the problems are structural in nature - lack of irrigation
facilities, low public and private investment, agri marketing issues,
fragmentation of land, no leasing policies etc. Wisdom will help find the truth
that these structural issues are the ones that need to be fixed.

Conclusion
Hence, wisdom is the use of our ability to synthesize our observations, facts, knowledge to
be able to discern the truth from falsehoods. This may be easier said than done. But,
application of wisdom, to observe, question, verify, and investigate will help each person get
closer to the truth. Hence, we need to apply wisdom to find the truth. Without wisdom, we
can’t find ‘the’ truth. It’ll also help us make the right choices, develop comprehensive views.

2. Values are not what humanity is, but what humanity ought to be

Introduction

• Values have an aspirational nature.. Setting higher targets to better ourselves

• Seeking new virtues...In consonance with changing times
• Signals human progress

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 • But not all values are reflected in humanity now, but there’s room for their absorption.
Through adoption of such values, humanity can become more gentle and considerate
than it is today. Hence, there is reason why values may not be what humanity is as of
today, but values definitely ought to be what humanity should be. Hence, we ought to
march on with that objective to make the world a better place.

Body

• What are values?

➢ Values are the guiding principles of our lives. They are essential for positive human
behaviour and actions in our daily lives. The values which are considered basic
inherent values in humans include truth, honesty, loyalty, love, peace, etc. because
they bring out the fundamental goodness of human beings and society at large.
Further, since these values are unifying in nature and cut across individual’s social,
cultural, religious and sectarian interests; they are also considered universal,
timeless and eternal applying to all human beings.
➢ Kofi Annan, the ex-secretary general of UN once said in a conference that in the
times of globalization, the need for human values is even more. Irrespective of
these exceptions and situational, universal human values are even more essential
today to tackle shared common problems like terrorism, violence, ethnic conflict,
corruption, money laundering etc.

• What is humanity and how does it relate to values?

➢ Humanity refers to the qualities that make us humane; qualities such as kindness,
generosity, compassion, love, etc. that reside within and define a human being. In
every person, there lies an instinct to help others, to be gentle and considerate
towards the feelings of others, to try not to bother or hurt anyone.
➢ This very instinct to care for people, their needs and emotions, without any selfish
motive, is called humanity. A generous heart, kind speech, a life of compassion and
service – all reflect humanity.

• How does humanity relate to values?

➢ Humanity cannot be seen in isolation with values because both share major
commonalities . A person must possess certain values in order to work for the
benefit of humanity & mankind. However sometimes they work against each other.

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 ➢ Mention leaders (eg. gandhiji said his life was a message to humanity, his values of
tolerance, non violence, ahimsa, antyodaya)
➢ International bodies involved in promoting values & humanity
✓ UNHRC, UNESCO etc.

• How are values and humanity in conflict?

➢ If we scan through our civilizational history, there are many values that we have
been encouraged, promoted and revered. But they aren’t as universal now, and
sometimes seem to be in short supply as well.
➢ Patriotism
✓ To inculcate patriotism civic & fundamental duties, rights, rule of law have been
incorporated which gives an emotional connect to the motherland.
✓ This idea tends to be biased in dealing with people of other countries, ethnicity
which often result in compromise of moral sentiment, violence, unfair & unjust
treatment.
➢ Non-violence (adroha)
✓ is a value whose essence was used by the nation as the means to gain
independence from the mighty colonial rulers.
✓ But, there seems to be the need to resort to violence (albeit on a limited scale)
both within and outside the country.
✓ Whether it is the Naxals in Central India, or the terror threats from across the
border, limited violence happens.
✓ Similarly, mob lynching, vigilantism, also that seem to happen
➢ Co-existence
✓ Intellectual liveliness was reflected in the eclectic interests of the Mauryan
rulers since
○ Chandragupta was a supporter of Jainas
○ Bindusara favoured Ajivikas
○ Ashoka favoured Buddhism (tolerance, freedom of choice, freedom of
religion, dissent, diversity) ….
✓ (Even pallavas embraced all religions, Ellora caves is another example)
✓ But today we see some amount of intolerance towards the ‘other’ and resorting
to not-so-peaceful coexistence.
➢ Secularism
✓ Malik Muhammad Jayasi, the Sufi poet wrote Kanhavat (an epic poem on
Krishna) is an eloquent example of islamic contribution to the composite culture
as indelibly recorded in popular literature.

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 ✓ But now we’re witnessing some inter-religious friction in society.
➢ Pluralism
✓ Medieval Bhakti movements of the south and north are the evolved expressions
of pluralistic character of the Indian society.
✓ Now, in some places conformity is stressed upon.
➢ Morality and self-control
✓ Thirukkural talks about the importance of a moral compass and the need for
self-control to enable us to think before acting, so as to not regret our actions
later.
✓ But, not all seem mindful, and there still exists problems, and need for police to
police many activities and anti-social elements.
➢ Stress on why these values aren’t fully reflected in current humanity.
✓ Many of these values are not as universal. And hence, there is intolerance,
theft, violence, issues of internal and external security, lack of trust in each
other. All of these affect peaceful coexistence.

• Values are what humanity ought to be. Why so?

➢ Humanity has a broad perspective which includes values.
➢ (Examples from leader's lives)
➢ When humanity reflects the values we cherish and revere, the world becomes a
better place. Even if we take the examples of values given above like Adroha, Co-
existence, Secularism, Pluralism, Morality/Self-control etc, the world would see a big
change. There will be more tolerance, and acceptance. There will be room for a land
of rich diversities.

• How to bring them (values and humanity) to be in consonance with each other?
➢ Value based education. Promotes inculcation of values in all of us.
➢ Societal change
➢ Attitudinal changes in behavior not just in theory but in practice.
➢ Awareness Generation
➢ Ensuring lessons and values from our civilizational histories reach all sections of
people for its moral lessons, its practical importance, and the impact it can have on
humanity in general.

Conclusion

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 • We cannot remain content because we have achieved some positive values which we
have set for ourselves.. That signifies stagnation.
• There’s a long way to go. The goal might sound utopian, but every step gained in that
journey is progress indeed. Hence, let’s embrace more such values!

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3. Best for an Individual is not necessarily best for the society

Introduction
Try to give an interesting start to your essay which interests the examiner and forces
him read with excitement.

Introduction part we are giving you a full fledged idea about how to start the essay
because if start is good , half the battle is won. You can use other examples , news , stories etc
to start your essay. This is just one example. Also at the end of introduction you can leave few
questions which you can address in the body of essay.

From Chernobyl to the great 2008 financial crisis, there is one thing common to all
horrible disasters.A sane voice lost to lies and greed and which turned out to be disastrous for
the society.

Anatoly Dyatlov (deputy chief engineer) of Chernobyl plant insisted on a trial on nuclear
plant inspite of reservations of other engineers, just because he thought success of the trial
would lead to his promotion to director of plant.

Raghuram Rajan was the person who predicted how the real estate mortgage bubble
,lead by greed of few banks and individuals ,will burst and lead to finanacial crisis. But no one
paid head.

History is full of such examples , benefit , greed etc of one individual is not sometimes
best for the society.

Body
Divide body of essay on two lines : Temporal scale and Spatial scale and cover various
dimensions. Use PESTLE approach to cover as many as dimensions possible

I) Brief idea about relationship between individual and society

The relation between individual and society is very close. Essentially, “society” is the
regularities, customs and ground rules of antihuman behavior. These practices are
tremendously important to know how humans act and interact with each other. Society
does not exist independently without individual. The individual lives and acts within
society but society is nothing, in spite of the combination of individuals for cooperative
effort. On the other hand, society exists to serve individuals―not the other way around.
Human life and society almost go together. Man is biologically and psychologically
equipped to live in groups, in society. Society has become an essential condition for
human life to arise and to continue.

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 The relation between the two depends upon one fact that the individual and the society
are mutually de- pendent, one grows with the help of the other.

II) Discussion on temporal scale

➢ Discuss how in ancient / medieval India best for an individual turned out be
disastrous for the society : Plunder by invaders
➢ You can take examples from freedom struggle : Example how Janata Seths betrayed
Siraj ud daulah which had disastrous effects for India - wasn’t only a single win of
Bengal for British but led to its consolidation of power. Greed of one person had
disastrous effect for whole Indian society.
Also you can quote from world history how appeasing one person I.e. Hitler
led to disastrous effect for society in form of World War II

III) Discussion on spatial scale

➢ POLITICAL
• Dictatorship : Benefits a single leader for eg : Mussolini , Sardar Hussein but not
the best for the society.
• Nepotism in politics : Nepotism gives immense benefit to a person as there easy
entry but not good for society as it curbs equal opportunity , free and easy entry ,
disregard for merit etc
• Majoritarian politics : Neglects one section of the society just because individuals
from one majority group is in power
• Corruption in politics : An individual politician who fills his pockets at the expense
of welfare of people.

➢ ECONOMIC
• Economic inequality : Economic inequality : Piketty has, with Lucas Chancel,
written a new paper entitled “Indian Income Inequality, 1922-2014: From British
Raj to Billionaire Raj?”.top 1 per cent of earners in 2014 earned 22 per cent of
Indian national income, the highest share since 1922, when income tax was
introduced. Few individuals benefit at the expense of the people who are placed
at the bottom of the pyramid.
• Oligarchy : small group of people having control of a country or organization.
• Cheap labour : May cut cost for one individual but denies good life chance and
opportunities for others
• Bribing a government official : One individual May get his work done but turns
into a systemic problem for the society

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 ➢ SOCIAL
• Caste system / Brahamanical supermacy
• Patriarchy
• Benefit from child labour , bonded labour
• Gender/ Racial/ Caste stereotypes

➢ ENVIRONMENTAL
Encroachment on land by industrialists
Unscrupulous exploitation of nature big businesses

Conclusion
Divide conclusion into two parts : Way forward / Solutions and a basic summary with a
positive stance. Always make your essay solution oriented rather than making it look like an
open ended one.

The most important tip is INCREASE THE VISIBILITY OF YOUR ESSAY. Underline it , use
quotes, leave enough spaces within consecutive paragraphs and yes write it in a good
handwriting.

Society and individual are made mutually dependent and responsible and mutually
complementary. The result is that society progresses well with the minimum possible
restrictions on the individual. A very wide scope is given to the natural development of the
energies of the individual in such a manner that in the end. Society will benefit the best by it.

On the other hand , Individuals have to follow ethical guidelines and set aside their benefits
and greed for the larger good of the society. If every individual starts thinking about his own
good, the world would be pushed into a chaos. What is needed a World where we think , feel
and act for others and society.

4. Courage to accept and dedication to improve are two keys to success

Introduction :
Start with an anecdote or a quote

Example :

Story of our world champion P.V.Sindhu who made a record with her determination to
strive hard and courage to accept her mistakes and work on path of excellence

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Body:
Historically:

India was ruled under different kings -cultural difference – communal and regional
hatred – visionary leaders like Ambedkar , Nehru , Gandhi – united India with at most
dedication – towards values like pluralism , secularism to unite india

During INM , though these are very evident , only the dedication of national fighters and
their courage to correct them every time made the 1947 the dream of nation come true .

In the growth and development of nation – LPG,GST was courageous decisions which is
bearing fruits to lead India as 3rd largest PPP and 6th largest economy

Fast changing world – India contribution towards technology development particularly

from ISRO is gigantic leap and courage was unshaken from 1st failed satellite flight to
chandrayaan 2 .Courage of ISRO and dedication of scientist – success of humanity

Shift focus to
• Health , education
• Poverty , unemployment , agriculture
• Environment and sustainanle development
• International terrorism
• Climate change
Relate it to courage and need to dedication to overcome problems faced in these sectors and
mention certain recent schemes /policies/programmes which shows our dedication to fight
against these issues

Conclusion:
Courage is the commitment to begin without any guarantee of success , which is the 1 s step
forward and commitment makes the journey adventurous which ultimately leading to success .

Success is directly proportional to courage and dedication we show towards the task at our
hand.

Success is a journey not a destination so enjoy your journey with companion like courage and
determination.

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 Section-B
5. South Asian societies are woven not around the state, but around their plural
cultures and plural identities

Introduction
We are giving you a full-fledged idea about how to start the essay because if start is
good, half the battle is won. You can use other examples, news, stories etc to start your essay.
This is just one example. Also at the end of introduction you can leave few questions which you
can address in the body of essay.

Author Susan Faludi’s book, “In The Darkroom”: “My father grew up Jewish, Ishfan
Friedman, an only child of wealthy parents in Budapest, and lived a life of privilege until World
War II, where large numbers of his family would perish in the Holocaust. My teenage father
survived by his wits on the streets of Budapest passing as Christian with false identity papers
and a stolen fascist armband. Once he used this armband to pose as a Nazi officer and rescue
his parents from a “protected” house, whose residents were about to be killed. After the war
my father would go on to other identity reinventions, documentary photographer, muscular
sportsman and mountaineer and high end photographer in Manhattan, where his speciality was
altering images. And then when my father returned to Hungary after the fall of Communism,
another remake, a hundred percent patriot, a die hard nationalist. I came to think of my father
as an identity relic channelising the last century’s biggest struggles over identity. People often
see identity as singular and stable but what I saw with my father was identity that was multiple
and fluid...it had many threads,”

This is a beautiful example of plural identities and Pluripotent culture in today ‘s society.
This is even more true in sense of South Asian countries which are a mosaic of different
religions, cultures , ethnicities. Here the societies are not bound around the narrow concept of
state but their rich and diverse cultures.

Body
I. Brief background about concept of Pluriculturalism and identities
Pluriculturalism is an approach to the self and others as complex rich beings which act
and react from the perspective of multiple identifications. In this case, identity or identities
are the by-products of experiences in different cultures. As an effect, multiple
identifications create a unique personality instead of or more than a static identity. It is

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 based on multiple-identity, wherein people have multiple identities who belong to multiple
groups with different degrees of identification.

II. Discussion on temporal scale

➢ Take examples from ancient / medieval history : Aryans are considered to be from
Central Asia , who mingled with the local population called Dasas. How the concept of
mahajanapadas was not a monolithic state structure but included in itself different
communities and cultures.
➢ Take example from freedom struggle which was fought together in spite of pluricultural
society. Secularism was taken as a binding force instead of an all encompassing
monolithic state.

III. Discussion on spatial scale

It is this very shared history of colonialism-imperialism and its repercussions--social,
economic and political--along with that of its response, this shared historical location as
the object of the search for new markets, as well as, of course, shared traditions and
practices that regularly defy the diktat of national boundaries, that perhaps best define
South Asia”

➢ POLITICAL
• Idea of nation-state for India is unsuitable
• India’s attempt to mimic the Western liberal state, the Western secular subject, and
Western notions of governmentality has in fact produced communal violence.
• India’s post-1947 acquiescence to the globally enforced nation-state concept has
caused the all the enmity in the first place. Hindu nationalism, Muslim resistance,
Sikh defensiveness—all are consequences of promoting a secular society that is
deeply at odds with the older religious traditions, primarily Hindu, that had
guaranteed peaceful coexistence in India before the coming of the Raj.
➢ SOCIO-RELIGIOUS
• Hindutva will be the end of Hinduism’: there is some ‘core’ of Indian consciousness,
rooted in the common people, the rural, the folk, and in the complexities of multiple
ethnic and religious sects that have come to make it up, that needs to be preserved.
Otherwise in the path of hindutva they will be perished.
• ‘The alternative to Hindu nationalism is the peculiar mix of classical and folk
Hinduism and the unselfconscious Hinduism by which most Indians, Hindus and non-
Hindus, live.
In such a society state will be protected by the society and not vice versa

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Conclusion
Solutions for growing nationalism and westernisation: Promote pluralism

• First, the Indic civilization – that guards the society – should be promoted as opposed to
modern nation-state concept. That has been a major source of our cultural diversity and
our self-confidence when faced with the unbelievable plurality of our gods and
goddesses, our estimated 70,000 castes, thousands of sects and hundreds of
communities that can be classified under more than one religion.
• Second, to complicate the issue of social and cultural plurality, individual Indians tend to
be plural too. In the sense that they can host mutually inconsistent philosophies,
religious beliefs, knowledge systems, ideologies, fragments of different lifestyles,
incompatible experiences of socialization, and perhaps even archives of memory
associated with different phases of a community’s life etc.
• In such societies one can protect plurality in the twenty first century only by defying
conventional ideas of manageability, practicality and predictability associated with the
nineteenth century ideas of nation state, scientific rationality and modernity.

6. Neglect of primary health care and education in India are reasons for its
backwardness

Introduction
➢ India is currently a $2.5trillion economy and aspires to become $5 trillion economy by
2024. To realise that dream, a strong foundation in primary health care and education is
of utmost priority where we are lagging behind other countries like China and South Korea
etc.
➢ Health and education both play a vital role in improving productivity and economic
growth. Education is essential for a satisfying and rewarding life while at the same time
enabling the developing country like India to absorb modern technology and develop
capacity for self sustaining growth. Health is a prerequisite for increases in productivity
and providing a base for education to thrive. Thus, both education and health are vital
components of growth and development- inputs to aggregate production function. Their
dual role as inputs and outputs gives them a central place in our nation’s progress and in
our fight against backwardness.

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Body
➢ (Is India backward? In what way?)
● Backwardness -
✓ While we’ve made progress in leaps and bounds - give a few examples like Space
power etc, some areas of backwardness remain.
✓ Poor health indicators (IMR/NMR), poor education(ASER Pratham report), poor
law and order in some areas, lack of industries, lower per-capita contribution to
gdp, lack of development (HDI- India ranks 130 in UN's human development
index), gender inequalities (India ranks 95 among 129 countries in global gender
equality index), etc.
➢ Challenges in education
● How lack of education contributes to India’s backwardness?)
✓ Political - contesting in panchayat elections need education upto SSC in some
states resulted in lower representation of women.
✓ Social - Social evils like dowry, female foeticide, female genital mutilation
(khatna or khafz) in the Muslim Bohra community, child marriages etc.
✓ Economic - India’s demographic dividend depends on the learning level of
students, Spending on education requires 6% GDP at present it is hovering
around 2.5%-3% GDP.
✓ Skilling in Indians is very low vis-a-vis South Korea, US and does not allow many
to participate adequately in the labour force resulting in backwardness
✓ Unemployment issues
✓ Administrative- People usually fails to make executive accountable for their
actions, citizens not aware of what they are entitled to get? Their rights ? etc.
➢ Challenges in health
● How lack of Healthcare contributes to India’s backwardness?)
✓ Political - Poorest income classes receive fewer health benefits vis-a-vis richer
ones which is against to Directive principles of state because of most of the
public health services are used by poor people.
✓ Social - Neglect for a primary health care has a direct bearing on social justice
and equity and in the recognition of the fundamental right to the highest
attainable standard of health, as echoed in Article 25 of the Universal
Declaration on Human Rights
❖ Gender: low sex ratio and low child sex ratio,

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 ✓ Economic - World bank estimate India loses 6% GDP/year due to premature
deaths and preventable illness. PHC can reduce majority of premature deaths
and preventable illness.
✓ Administrative - Less number of health care professionals working in PHCs than
sanctioned strength which denies proper services to people.
➢ Government measures to tackle health and education
● Health:
✓ Schemes like Ayushman Bharat, Wellness Centres, NUHM, NRHM.
✓ Under the programme, nearly 1.5 lakh sub-centres and primary health centres
will be transformed as health and wellness centres by 2022. These centre will be
equipped to provide treatment for diseases such as high blood pressure,
diabetes, cancer and old age-related illness.
● Education:
✓ Of the total ₹94,853. 64 crore education budget, ₹56, 536.63 crore has been
pegged for school sector and ₹38,317.01 crore for higher education.
✓ Kasturirangan Committee Report has been recently published for Education
Policy
➢ Evaluation of such measures
● Health
✓ The health outlay (Rs 62,398) for this financial year saw an increase of around 19
per cent over the 2018-2019 fiscal when it was Rs 52,800 crore but
✓ Many programs saw a decline - Eg: National Mental Health Program, National
Programme for prevention and control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardio-vascular
Disease and Stroke, etc. Health is one of the most important social sectors that
we have to ensure adequate funding is provided.
● Education
✓ Total Education Expenditure (as a % of GDP) has been dropping in the last few
years (0.53% in 2014-15 to 0.45% in 2019-20). This ought to increase.
✓ Overall, targets of 10% outlay for Education + Health has still not been met, and
don’t have a roadmap to be met anytime soon.
➢ Suggestions going forward
● Health
✓ Accessibility -
❖ There are still places like Attapady in Kerala or other tribal areas wherein
lack of road connectivity disincentivizes people from being able to use
healthcare facilities.

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 ❖ Provide transport facilities, mobile healthcare units, and easier access to
PHCs to as many areas as possible. For example 108 ambulance services,
Air ambulance services etc.
❖ In Delhi Mohalla clinics are a good example.
✓ Quality -
❖ Quality at the primary healthcare centres should be ensured through
doctor availability and attendance.
✓ Affordability -
❖ Strengthen the reach of Jan Aushadi Kendras and the subsidized
medicines.
❖ Schemes like YSR Arogya Sri of Andhra Pradesh where even private
healthcare treatment was subsidized/reimbursed for general public could
be looked into.
✓ Success story
❖ India has achieved major success in terms of elimination of Polio. •
❖ Disease control measures have led to a reduction in the incidence of
HIV/AIDS infections in the country by 57%. •
❖ The National TB Control Programme has been able to achieve its targets of
a 70% case detection rate and 85% treatment success rate.
● Education
✓ Access and expansion
❖ Increasing access - through RTE and focussing of decent infrastructure
and facilities and schools closer to every village and hamlet
❖ Promoting gender equality through greater participation of girls in
education
✓ Equity and inclusion
❖ Ensuring equity - with no discrimination based on caste, class, creed,
religion and treating each student as an equal, and making each one feel
included and acceped.
✓ Quality and Excellence
❖ Improving quality of inputs and outcomes that can be gauged through
reports like ASER
✓ Governance and accountability
❖ Promoting greater governance and accountability - can be done with
proper governance standards, with adequate incentives and checks and
balances put in place.
❖ investment in the protection of children from labour.

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 ✓ Success story
❖ India reached GER universal enrolment at primary level
➢ How these suggestions can help make India more progressive and not backward.
● To ensure progress, and to fight backwardness,no two things are more important
than a healthy population with a quality education. Not only do we empower our
citizenry, but we also ensure each one is able to contribute their bit to the progress of
the nation.

Conclusion

➢ To reach the nation’s true potential, not just physical infrastructure, the focus and priority
must be given to social infrastructure such as Health and Education.
➢ Stronger primary health care is essential to achieving the health-related Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) and universal health coverage. It will contribute to the
attainment of other goals beyond the health goal (SDG3), including those on poverty,
hunger, education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, work and economic
growth, reducing inequality and climate action.
➢ We have come along way since Independence. India may have been backward at the time
of independence, but today we’re one of the largest economies in the world. To Progress
is the only way forward. Focus, priority and investment in Primary healthcare and
education sectors will play a sterling role in fostering and disseminating progress and
battling any remnants of backwardness of our nation.

7. Biased media is a real threat to Indian democracy

Introduction
Try to give an interesting start to your essay which interests the examiner and forces
him read with excitement.

Introduction part we are giving you a full-fledged idea about how to start the essay
because if start is good , half the battle is won. You can use other examples , news , stories etc
to start your essay. This is just one example. Also at the end of introduction you can leave few
questions which you can address in the body of essay.

Deadly fires were ravaging the lungs of the earth. The indispensable and almost
irreparable damage was being done to the most valuable part of the earth. The Amazon which
is a home to a massive number of species, making it one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on
the planet, and the ancestral home of several tribes of indigenous people was caught in a
wildfire.

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 Where was the media? There was a startling lack of media coverage surrounding this
event. It was after 4 weeks of fire that people got to know that too through media. Did media
do its work without bias ? The answer is negative.

On the other side , the news of fire in 19th Century basilica of Saint-Donatien itself
spread like a wildfire. It is not that fire in this monument is not important but why a biased
coverage? Is the media in India doing its job as a fourth estate of democracy? Is media day by
day showing just one side of the story ? Let’s find out.

Body
Divide body of essay on two lines: Temporal scale and Spatial scale and cover various
dimensions. Use PESTLE approach to cover as many as dimensions possible

Give a brief background about media bias :

Give a brief background about importance of free media : Within a truly democratic and
secular framework, the media is conceptualised as the ‘fourth estate’, which must be allowed
to function independent of government to maintain a system of checks and balances on the
power of the State, and to objectively observe, report, analyse and critique its actions to
communicate to the people at large.

Then, briefly discuss what is media bias : Media bias is the perception that the media is
reporting the news in a partial or prejudiced manner. Media bias occurs when the media seems
to push a specific viewpoint, rather than reporting the news objectively. Keep in mind that
media bias also occurs when the media seems to ignore an important aspect of the story.

Different types of media bias

Bias by story selection :

This is a pattern of reporting news stories that coincide with a specific agenda. This type
of bias occurs when a media outlet regularly reports stories that support only one political point
of view.

Bias by placement :
Bias by placement occurs when a news outlet prominently places news stories that
coincide with a specific agenda while 'burying' those that represent an opposing point of view.

I) Discussion on a temporal scale

Here give a brief description ( amounting to half or 1 page) about history of media
wrt being biased or unbiased.

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 • You can start from ancient / medieval history where the news spread by officials
of monarchy were highly biased. Elaborate on the concept that how news or
rudiment form of form of media was only to please the monarchy.
• Then during freedom struggle talk about how newspapers were banned if they
spoke ill of the British empire. Example : • Vernacular Press Act, in British India,
law enacted in 1878 to curtail the freedom of the Indian-language (i.e., non-
English) press. Proposed by LORD LYTTON (1876–80), the act was intended to
prevent the vernacular press from expressing criticism of British policies—
notably, the opposition that had grown with the outset of the Second Anglo-
Afghan War (1878–80). The act excluded English-language publications.

II) Discussion on a Spatial scale

Use PESTLE approach to cover various dimensions of media bias in India and it as a
threat to democracy. Include as many as examples possible.
• Political
Media is increasingly perceived to have morphed into an extension of the State,
often resorting to sensationalism at the cost of visibility to issues crucial for the
welfare of the people, with its bands of cheerleaders and blanket critics.

It is also dangerous for a country to have such a seemingly high degree and
intensity of State control over sections of the media. Not only does it contribute to
the fostering of an all powerful government that can escape media scrutiny, but it
also makes it much easier to silence and punish any opposition to government by
fabricating a case, sensationalizing it through news media, and launching a State-
sponsored media trial.

The mainstream media has begun to consider the state's narrative as pure
information. There are numerous channels on television but the manner and content
of news on all these channels is the same. Opposition is a derogatory word for this
media.

• Economic
Talk about how debate on recent slowdown is lacking. Not enough coverage is
done on massive unemployment in the country. Widespread inequality doesn’t find
any place on front pages.

• Social
▪ Democracy is actually alive and kicking among the people of India. Every day,
there are vociferous demonstrations against the government, but the media has
a screening process wherein it decides to keep these protests out of their
bulletin. There is no reportage of these protests, since for the media they are a
futile activity. No democracy can be a democracy without public demonstrations.

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 ▪ Media and social media contribute to the process of isolating, silencing, and
intimidating citizens by placing them in the midst of mobs, virtual and real. The
perception of risk rises - and the experience of fear paralyses. Today's citizens
are under immense pressure. The challenge before them is to find out how to
fight against this media, which runs its business in their name.
▪ Examples: reports of men dying in septic tanks although annex under manual
scavenging act – no debates, no coverage held.
▪ Dissent termed as anti national by biased media

• Environmental
Environmental issues seldom find way to the page 1 or breaking news. As media
houses generally controlled by industrialists , a conflict of interest is created and
often destruction of forests / other environmental resources by faulty practices isn’t
reported.

Examples :

• Art of living programme on Yamuna flood plains didn’t reduce much coverage.
• Biased coverage on array forest destruction

Conclusion
Divide conclusion into two parts: Way forward / Solutions and a basic summary with a
positive stance. Always make your essay solution oriented rather than making it look like an
open ended one.

The most important tip is INCREASE THE VISIBILITY OF YOUR ESSAY. Underline it , use
quotes , leave enough spaces within consecutive paragraphs and yes write it in a good
handwriting.

Elaborate on solutions and then lastly a small positive stance paragraph

Way forward
➢ creating national endowments for journalism and media to ensure long-term financial
independence
➢ allocating funds to content-providers as a function of audience and/or via a range of
voting mechanisms
➢ expansion of the public broadcasting model to provide space and visibility for these
outside content-providers
➢ subsidising investigative reporting (at the local, national, and international levels) as well
as professional training for journalists
➢ subsidising media infrastructure (see e.g., Government ’s commitments to breach the
digital divide)

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 ➢ removing advertising from public TV stations, as imminent in France and Spain. This
reduces commercial bias of their content and pressures their competitors to reduce
bias; it also shifts ad revenues to private media, complementing plans to subsidise
media consumption and media entry.
➢ Encouraging social media activism to keep alive a system of checks and balances
➢ Encouraging fact checking websites

Journalists and the media need to be held accountable for their flaws, but perhaps more
importantly, people in power need to be held accountable for instigating instrumental change.

8. Rise of Artificial Intelligence: the threat of jobless future or better job

opportunities through reskilling and upskilling.

Introduction

Artificial Intelligence(AI), the term was coined in 1956 by John McCarthy at the Dartmouth
conference, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.AI is the science of building computers that
can solve problems the way humans do.Recently it has become widely popular and gained
prominence due to its multifaceted applications ranging from healthcare to military devices.
However there are apprehensions of losing jobs in a massive way which threatens the
livelihood of millions of workers.

Body
➢ What is artificial intelligence
• Artificial learning and intelligence is the ability of machines to mimic human mind in
areas of perception, problem solving, judgement, decision making and analysis.

➢ The threat of a jobless future

• The decrease in demand for human labour due to machines and intelligent robots
taking over the jobs in the manufacturing and the services sectors. For Example: In
China some customs officers are now robots, In Japan robots as housemaid is
emerging trend.

➢ How AI will create job opportunities?

• Artificial Intelligence To Create 58 Million New Jobs By 2022 - According to a new
report from the World Economic Forum (WEF) called “The Future of Jobs 2018
• Better job opportunities - in a new and upcoming sector.

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 • Skilling and Reskilling of workforce - Ex: Genpact uses AI to to skill and reskill their
workforce to stay relevant and that’s forms an integral part of their reason for AI
adoption.
• No one could have imagined the contribution of the internet 25 years back. Now it is
contributing nearly 16% GDP to the Indian economy as per a study conducted by the
International Council for Research in International Economic Relations (ICRIER).
• Data - With an exponential increase in data, there’s ample scope for AI Solutions and
Services that can create jobs in handling of data, ensuring the privacy of data,
increasing security arrangements, etc.
• Likewise AI also might contribute to the economy in an unimagined way. So, keeping
our human resources ready to be able to take on the challenges and opportunities
provided by AI should be our priority.

➢ What are the areas where AI can be useful?

• Digital assistants and smart speakers: Siri, Alexa, Cortana, and Google Assistant
• Self-driving Cars
• Medicine: Detecting several diseases
• Agriculture Sector : used to predict advisories for sowing, pest control, input control
can help in ensuring increased income and providing stability for the agricultural
community.
• Manufacturing sector
• Smart Cities and Infrastructure : Traffic controlling, pavement lightings etc.
• Policing: predictive policing instead of conventional policing
• The adoption of robotics and AI in more areas means upgrading in many industries.
In this sense, people will have more free time for leisure, thus creating more job
opportunities in service and lifestyle industries.

➢ Government Initiatives
• NITI published a draft National Strategy for AI, planning its scope for research,
adoption and commercialization.
• NITI Aayog envisioned AI use clearly in the sectors like healthcare, agriculture,
education, smart cities and infrastructure, smart mobility and transportation.
• All these are areas that promote jobs, and advanced jobs. Skilling and reskilling in
the relevant aspects of AI can help employees stay relevant and ahead of the
anticipated demand.

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 ➢ Global initiatives
• China has been consistently building an ecosystem to fuel its ambition to become a
world leader in AI by the year 2050.
• This is in line with their thinking that AI will create more opportunities in the labour
market in the coming years. Such advances will allow people to take on more
innovative jobs. Hence, invest in the skilling and reskilling of human resources.

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Conclusion
However there are concerns and apprehensions regarding job loss and loss of livelihood
it would not be a right step to argue that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not the future. we have a
history of technological revolutions causing social and political changes in society as was the
case with the French revolution, steam engines, industrial revolutions and most recently the
computers. Nevertheless, there will be more opportunities in the fields not yet known and
there will be more jobs to cater to human needs. To ensure we get to accrue its benefits, we
ought to skill and reskill talent and resources in the age of AI.

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