APSC CCE 2018 Mains Sample

Category – General Studies

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I. What are the measures which can help reduce agrarian distress in the country?
Explain two government schemes which have been introduced to address agrarian
distress.
(Gradient IAS Mock Test No 1 , Question No 2)

Agrarian distress, in the present context, is mainly in terms of low agricultural prices
and, consequently, poor farm incomes. Low productivity in agriculture and related
supply side factors are equally important. An issue that is connected is the declining
average size of farm holdings and the viability of this size for raising farm incomes.

Government has set up many committees like Swaminathan committee and the recent
Ashok Dalwai committee to give solutions to agrarian distress in India.

The measures that can help agrarian distress in the country are as follows:

• Credit finance and insurance:

Raising the MSP, price deficiency payments or income support schemes
can only be a partial solution to the problem of providing remunerative
returns to farmers.
A functional institutional credit system which is accessible and
accountable to all cultivators.
Credit products for agriculture need to be tailor-made based on cropping
and rain cycle, specific to a particular region.
The period of crop loan should be extendable to four years, given that, on
average, every second or third year the spatial distribution of rain pattern
is erratic in India.
• Land holdings: Policies for land consolidation along with land development
activities in order to tackle the challenge of the low average size of holdings.
• Input costs: It is more important to make agriculture sustainable by reducing
input costs of seeds, fertilizers and other inputs. Investment in infrastructure and
research and development are needed.
• Remunerative prices: Extending reach of minimum support price which has been
dedicated to few crops and in a narrow geographical area is important.
• Agro produce marketing and processing: The creation of a competitive, stable
and unified national market is needed for farmers to get better prices.
Legislations on the basis of NITI Aayog’s new model law — Agricultural Produce
and Livestock Marketing (Promotion and Facilitating) Act (APLM) should be
enacted in all states. A sustainable solution is market reforms to enable better
price discovery combined with long-term trade policies favourable to exports.
 • Technology: Use water-use efficient technologies that can improve significantly
the produce like drip irrigation and sprinkler irrigation. Precision agriculture, GM
Crops should be encouraged drought prone areas. Space technology and Mobiles
should act as “Eyes and Ears” of the farmers to assist in farming.
• Distress management: Establish farmers’ distress and disaster relief commissions
at the national and State levels, based on the model of Kerala Farmers’ Debt
Relief Commission.

Two government schemes to tackle agrarian distress:

• Pradhan mantra krishi sinchai yojana (PMKSY): Introduced in the year 2015, the
overreaching vision of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) is to ensure
access to some means of protective irrigation to all agricultural farms in the country, to
produce ‘per drop more crop’, thus bringing much desired rural prosperity.
Achieve convergence of investments in irrigation at the field level
Enhance the physical access of water on the farm and expand cultivable area
under assured irrigation (Har Khet ko pani)

Integration of water source, distribution and its efficient use, to make best use of
water through appropriate technologies and practices.
Improve on - farm water use efficiency to reduce wastage and increase
availability both in duration and extent.
Enhance the adoption of precision - irrigation and other water saving
technologies (More crop per drop).
Enhance recharge of aquifers and introduce sustainable water conservation
practices.
Promote extension activities relating to water harvesting, water management
and crop alignment for farmers and grass root level field functionaries.
• Pradhan mantra fasal bima Yojana (PMFBY): The new Crop Insurance Scheme is in line
with One Nation – One Scheme theme. The PMFBY will replace the existing two
schemes National Agricultural Insurance Scheme as well as the Modified NAIS.
To provide insurance coverage and financial support to the farmers in the event
of failure of any of the notified crop as a result of natural calamities, pests &
diseases.
To stabilise the income of farmers to ensure their continuance in farming.
To encourage farmers to adopt innovative and modern agricultural practices.
To ensure flow of credit to the agriculture sector.
 There will be a uniform premium of only 2% to be paid by farmers for all Kharif
crops and 1.5% for all Rabi crops. In case of annual commercial and horticultural
crops, the premium to be paid by farmers will be only 5%. The premium rates to
be paid by farmers are very low and balance premium will be paid by the
Government to provide full insured amount to the farmers against crop loss on
account of natural calamities.
There is no upper limit on Government subsidy. Even if balance premium is 90%, it will
be borne by the Government.

II. Discuss the causes which led to the Revolt of 1857. How did the revolt affect various
aspects of India’s struggle for independence?
(Gradient IAS Mock Test No 2 , Question No 7)

The Sepoy mutiny of 1857, popularly known as the Revolt of 1857 was the first major
attempt at overthrow of the British rule from India led by disgruntled sepoys or army
jawans and later joined by various sections of the society like princes, zamindars,
peasants, etc. for different reasons. There were economic, administrative and socio-
religious causes that resulted in the Revolt of 1857 which are highlighted below.

1. Economic causes: The economic policies of British impoverished the countryside

while creating a new class of moneylenders at the expense of traditional
zamindars and peasants. The peasants were pushed to penury and they
borrowed at heavy rates of interest from the moneylenders just for survival.
British rule also meant misery to the artisans and handicraftsmen. The
annexation of Indian states by the British East India Company cut off their major
source of patronage. These skilled workmen were also forced into agriculture as
labourers for the sake of survival. The Zamindars experienced alienation from
their land due to forcible acquisition of their land by the British which resulted in
resentment among this previously landed gentry.
2. Political causes: In order to seize control of the princely kingdoms the British
invented the Doctrine of Lapse by which any Indian princely state under the
suzerainty of the British East India Company, as a vassal state under the British
subsidiary system, would have its princely status abolished (and therefore
annexed into British India) if the ruler was either “manifestly incompetent or
died without a male heir”. Although this Doctrine of Lapse is most closely
associated with Lord Dalhousie, it was applied to the proud house of Mughals by
Lord Canning after the death of Prince Faqruddin in 1856, who announced that
the next successor to the Mughal throne would have to renounce the regal title
and the ancestral Mughal palaces. Although the proud house of Mughals was a
spent force by 1856, it still had a special place in the hearts of the masses who
 looked upon it as the symbol of India’s past glory. Annexing the Mughal throne
led to resentment among the supporters of the aristocracy.
3. Socio-religious causes: The interference in the conservative customs and
traditions of the Hindus and Muslims by the British rulers was resented by the
masses. The conversion activities of Christian missionaries was looked upon with
suspicion and fear. The Religious Disabilities Act of 1856 modified the existing
Hindu customs by declaring that a change of religion did not debar a son from
inheriting the property of his heathen father. This was seen as an attempt to
encourage conversion from Hinduism without losing the right of property
inheritance.
4. Administrative causes: The Indian sepoys were unhappy that the foreign service
allowance (bhatta) which they were entitled to while serving in the Singh or
Punjab was withdrawn. Further, they were also apprehensive about serving
overseas since this meant a loss of their caste according to their beliefs. They
were also paid less in comparison to the British sepoys and were also subjected
to racial maltreatment. The maltreatment also extended to matters of
promotions and privileges.
5. The immediate cause of the Revolt of 1857 was the incident of the greased
cartridge. The British East India Company had recently introduced the Enfield
rifle; the cartridge of the new rifle had to be bitten off before loading and the
grease was reportedly made of beef and pig fat. The administration did nothing
to mitigate these fears and Hindu and Muslim sepoys felt their religion was in
grave danger. This served as the tipping point to the boiling pot of water which
finally resulted in the beginning of the sepoy mutiny or revolt on May 10, 1857 at
Meerut and then spread over a vast area over Northern India in the coming
months.

Its impact on India’s struggle for independence:

I. Positive impact:
• More Indians were sought to be given representation in the Viceroy's
Executive Council in the aftermath of the revolt. This proved decisive as later
Pherozshah Mehta and G K Gokhale played a spirited role in Legislative
Councils.
• It shook the conscience of Indian intellectuals. Later, nationalist leaders like V
D Savarkar drew inspiration from the 1857 revolt to mobilize the masses.
II. Negative impact:
• The Army was insulated from the nationalist movement with deliberate
efforts to reduce the proportion of Indian soldiers and introduce different
regiments to prevent consolidation. Therefore, until the RIN mutiny in 1940s,
the army continued to be bulwark of British rule.
• The British were more sensitive to the needs of the Indian society and
distanced themselves from interference in socio-religious customs. Reform
process slowed down.
 • Warm attitude towards princely states led to their alienation from
mainstream Indian society. Previous policy of isolation was abandoned.

In conclusion, despite its failure, the 1857 revolt proved to be a source of inspiration for
the national freedom movement which eventually culminated in independence in 1947.

III. In the light of increasing NPAs and frauds, the twin balance sheet problem has
grown immensely. Comment on the issue and analyse the potential of the
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code to be a game changer for the Indian economy’s
health and long-term growth. (16)
(Gradient IAS Mock Test No 2, Question No 7)

Twin Balance Sheet problem refers to the problem of the overleveraged and distressed
companies and the rising NPAs in Public Sector Bank balance sheets:
• Debt accumulation on companies is very high and thus they are unable to pay
interest payments on loans.
• Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) of the banks is 9% for the total banking system of
India. It is as high as 12.1% for Public Sector Banks. As companies fail to pay back
principal or interest, banks are also in trouble.

It is holding up private investment in the country and therefore, growth in all other
sectors as well. Bad loans on bank books have created a risk of capital erosion and NPAs
have constrained their ability to lend. Credit is an important ingredient of economic
growth and the lack of credit could lead to economic contraction. On the other hand,
frauds like that in cases of Punjab National Bank, Kingfisher etc., have also constrained
the lending capacity of banks and thus the banks are reluctant to give the loans.

In this context, The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) 2016 has been introduced by
government which will help the resolution process in following ways:
• Applicability to all Creditors: The Code provides for a level playing field between
domestic and foreign creditors.
• Timely identification and speedy resolution of assets if viable. The onus is on
professionals to put forth resolution plans within 180 days.
• Fast Track Insolvency: Once an application for initiating fast track insolvency is
made to the Adjudicating Authority, the procedure shall be completed within 90
days from the insolvency commencement date and a onetime extension of 45
days is provided.
 • Cross Border Insolvency: The Code provides for cross border insolvency.
• Transparency in process: Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) is set
up for promoting transparency and governance in administration of the code.
• Change of management: The code provides for change of management in a
sick/troubled company.

But the success of the IBC is dependent on the alacrity with which the government,
courts, tribunals and Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) respond to early-
stage issues arising in their domain, post implementation. There are concerns that banks
may lose up to 40-50 percent in settlements. Also, Sensitive Financial Information on
debts and defaults collected by the Information utilities set up under bankruptcy code
also needs to be safeguarded for fair process and sound financial decision making. To
complement IBC, government has also brought FRDI Bill, 2017. It is similar to IBC but
deals only with companies that are in financial sector. If implementation of both is
effectively done, it can be a game changer for Indian economy’s health and long-term
growth.

IV. How do Indian Monsoon originate? How does El Nino affect Indian monsoon?
Describe the impact of monsoons on Indian culture and economy with examples.
(Gradient IAS Mock Test No 3, Question No 5)

The pressure and wind conditions over India are unique. These are greatly influenced by
the reversal of the direction of wind often termed as monsoon, hence India experiences
monsoon type of climate.

Origin and Arrival:

• Generally there is a high pressure over the north of Himalayas so cold winds flow
from land to the low pressure oceans. However in summers the low pressure
belt develops over the interior Asia(Due to continentality and high
temperatures), and winds blows from south west ocean to the land with lot of
moisture and hence the rain. This reversal in the direction of the winds are
referred as monsoons. In India there are S-W and N-E monsoons based on the
direction of the winds.

• The S-W monsoons enter Kerala by early June and by end of June spread to all
over the country. The withdrawal begins by mid oct and by early Dec completely
 withdraws from the country. Also by this time the N-E monsoon are set in
motion. The Tamilnadu coast gets more rainfall due to N-E monsoons.

Factors influencing monsoons:

• The differential heating and cooling of land and water creates low pressure on
the landmass and high pressure on sea during summers.
• The shift of ITCZ in summer over Ganga plain, creates low pressure over northern
plains.
• The intensity and position of HP area over east of Madagascar affects Indian
monsoon.
• Low pressure over Tibetan plateau during summers, which results in vertical
currents and formation of low pressure.
• The movement of westerly jet stream to northern of the Himalayas and the
presence of Easterly jet stream over Deccan peninsula.
• The changes in the pressure conditions are also affected by ENSO.
Apart from the above mentioned many more factors effects the monsoon
directly and indirectly hence contributing to the complex nature of the Indian
monsoons.

Impact of El Nino on Indian monsoons: Generally, El Nino and the Indian Monsoon rains
are inversely related. Trade winds coming from South America normally blow westward
towards Asia during Southwest Monsoon. Warming of the Pacific Ocean results in the
weakening of these winds. Therefore, moisture and heat content gets limited and
results in reduction and uneven distribution of rainfall across the Indian sub-continent.

The most prominent droughts in India, six of them, since 1871 have been El Nino
triggered droughts, including the recent ones that occurred in 2002 and 2009.
Nevertheless, it is important to note that all El Nino years do not lead to drought in
India. The year 1997-98 is a stark reminder as it was a strong El Nino year but that did
not cause drought in India, in fact, rainfall was in excess. On the other hand, a moderate
El Nino in 2002 resulted in one of the worst droughts.

Impact of Indian monsoons on culture and economy:

• Impact on Indian Agriculture: The agriculture is the backbone of Indian economy
because more than 60% of Indian population engaged in agriculture, which
shares around 20.5% in the Indian gross domestic product. In India, water is
more valuable than gold for the farmers or the one who engaged in agriculture.
In case monsoon is favourable then we have a positive impact or if not
favourable then then the prices of the goods increases and the services of other
classes of people is diminished. Products of industry do not find a ready market
and the supply of raw materials to industries also suffers.
 • Impact on GDP (Gross Domestic Product): If monsoon fails then it will reduce
the percentage points from the overall GDP growth of India. This will also have a
detrimental effect on demand in the non-agricultural sector.
• Impact on Balance of Trade: The balance of trade is also dependent on the
unexpected and inexplicable changes in the monsoon as if the monsoon is
favourable we have a favourable balance of trade and if the monsoon is not
favourable we have a negative balance of trade. The failure of the monsoon
affects unfavourably the volumes and the balance of India’s foreign trade. The
revenue of the government sharply decline due to the fall in the national income
and the government is burdened with extra ordinary expenditures. Hence, we
can say state’s revenue and income depends on the monsoon every year.
• Impact on the food supply: If monsoon failed, it will hamper the agricultural
production, which would stroke on the food prices.
• Impact on the hydro-power sector and irrigation facilities: Most of the Indian
power project installed on the Perennial Rivers. If monsoon fails, it would lower
the water levels that have detrimental effects on the power generation as well
as irrigation facilities.
• Impact on rural economy: India's rural life revolving around agriculture and
allied activities in small villages, where the overwhelming majority of the
population lives. As per the 2001 census, 72.2% of the population live in about
638,000 villages and the remaining 27.8% lives in more than 5,100 towns and
over 380 urban agglomerations. The unseasonable and pre-monsoon rain
damaged the crops, especially those areas where monsoon rain is adequate, and
then it would hit the farm output and affects the rural demand.

V. What are wetlands? What is the significance of wetlands? Enumerate the steps
taken by the government to conserve them. (2+7+7)
(Gradient IAS Mock Test No 5, Question No 2)

Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of 1971 defines wetlands as - “Areas of marsh, fen,

peat land or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water
that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth
of which at low tide does not exceed six metres.”

In simple terms, a wetland is a land area that is saturated with water, either
permanently or seasonally. This definition brings ponds, lakes, estuarines, reservoirs,
creeks, mangroves and many more water bodies under the ambit of wetlands.
Further, wetlands can be categorised into marine (coastal
wetlands), estuarine (including deltas, tidal marshes, and mangrove
swamps), lacustarine (lakes), riverine (along rivers and streams),
and palustarine (‘marshy’– marshes, swamps and bogs) based on their hydrological,
ecological and geological characteristics.

Significance of wetlands:

• Wetlands are considered to have unique ecological features which

provide numerous products and services to humanity. Ecosystem
goods provided by the wetlands mainly include - water for irrigation, fisheries,
non-timber forest products, water supply and recreation.
• The major services include carbon sequestration, flood control, groundwater
recharge, nutrient removal, toxics retention and biodiversity maintenance.
• Wetlands such as tanks, ponds, lakes, and reservoirs have long been providing
multiple-use water services which include water for irrigation, domestic needs,
ground-water recharge, etc.
• In terms of growth in fish production in India, wetlands play a significant role.
Around 61 percent of fish production in the country is from inland water bodies
and it is also the second largest aquaculture farmed fish producer in the world.
• Swamps, mangroves, peat lands, mires and marshes play an important role in
carbon cycle. Wetland soils may contain as much as 200 times more carbon than
its vegetation. In India, coastal wetlands are playing a major role in carbon
sequestration.
• Overall, mangroves are able to sequester about 1.5 metric tonne of carbon per
hectare per year and the upper layers of mangrove sediments have high carbon
content, with conservative estimates indicating the levels of 10 percent.
• Wetlands act as a sink for contaminants in many agricultural and urban
landscapes. In India too, wetlands are polluted through agricultural runoff and
discharge of untreated sewage and other waste from urban areas.
• Wetlands play an important role in flood control. Wetlands help to lessen the
impacts of flooding by absorbing water and reducing the speed at which flood
water flows. Further, during periods of flooding, they trap suspended solids and
nutrient load.
• Wetlands are important in supporting species diversity. Because wetlands
provide an environment where photosynthesis can occur and where the
recycling of nutrients can take place, they play a significant role in the support of
food chains.
 • Wet-lands such as coral reefs, beaches, reservoirs, lakes and rivers are
considered to be a significant part of the tourism experience in the country.
• Wetlands especially lakes and ponds (e.g. Pushkar lake in Rajasthan and
Ramappa lake in Telangana) are intrinsically linked to the local culture. They are
revered by the masses in recognition of the fact that they are the means of
sustenance of their livelihood.

Steps taken to conserve the wetlands:

• Draft Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2016

• India is a part of Ramsar Convention and Montreaux Record
• Awareness drives amongst the people to conserve the wetlands
• Popularization of the principle of ‘wise use’ for maintaining the ecological
integrity of the wetlands

Wetland authorities are set up by the state governments and the UTs

VI. Discuss the significance and role of ASHA workers in transforming rural India.
What measures can be taken to make ASHAs more effective and efficient?
(Gradient IAS Mock Test No 6, Question No 1)

One of the key components of the National Health Mission is to provide every village in
India with trained female community health activist called ASHA (Accredited Social
Health Activist). ASHA is trained to work as an interface between the community and
the public health system. There is 1 ASHA for every 1000 population.

ASHAs have been instrumental in transforming rural India because:

• They work as the fountainhead of public health programmes in her village

• Work as first port of call for health related demands of the poorer sections of the
society
• They promote healthy practices like institutional deliveries, universal
immunization, which are critical in reducing the IMR and MMR
• They provide referral and escort services for Reproductive and Child Health
(RCH) and other healthcare programmes
• They also spread awareness about the benefits of construction of toilets
 • Provide information to the rural communities on nutrition, basic sanitation,
hygienic practices, healthy living and working conditions
• Counsel women on birth preparedness, importance of safe deliveries, breast-
feeding, contraception and prevention of common infections including
Reproductive Tract Infection/Sexually Transmitted Infections and care of the
young child
• Mobilise the community and facilitate them in accessing health and health
related services available at the Anganwadi/Primary health centres such as
immunisation, ante natal check up, post natal check up, supplementary
nutrition, sanitation etc
• Work as deport holder of oral rehydration therapy, iron and folic acid tablets,
disposable delivery kits, oral pills, condoms etc

These health facilities and awareness amongst the rural masses about such healthy
practices provided by the ASHAs are very important in transforming rural India because
in the rural areas the people used to have very high ‘out of pocket expenses’ in
healthcare. But with ASHAs certain basic facilities are provide at people’s doorsteps.
Certification of ASHAs will also be done to enhance competency and professional
credibility.

Measures to be taken to make them more effective and efficient:

• Regular remuneration: Due to various lacunae in implementation of NHM the

workers don’t get regular remuneration. Also, their remuneration is quite less.
Thus the remuneration of ASHAs should be increased and made more regular.
• Incentive based working: The incentives given to the good performing ASHAs
should be made more lucrative so that all the workers are motivated to perform
well. The incentives should also be paid on time without any delay.
• Infrastructure development: There should be basic functional medical
infrastructure in the PHC and the CHC. Also transport facility, like a bicycle,
maybe given to the ASHAs so that they can commute easily.
• Job security: Their job should be regularized to provide them job security
• Training: They should be provided good and regular training so that their skills
are constantly upgraded.
There is a need to ensure adequate funds to the NHM corpus to ensure timely salary
payments. The states also need to provide funds for improving on the incentives
provided to them. The dream of Universal Health Care needs a strong primary
healthcare system and this system needs a dedicated and robust workforce in the
grassroots in the form of efficient and productive ASHA workers.
VII. What is ‘Digital Payment’ and what are its benefits and challenges? What are the
initiatives taken by the government to promote digital payments in India? (8+8)
(Gradient IAS Mock Test No 7, Question No 6)

Digital payment is a way of payment which is made through digital modes. In digital
payments, payer and payee both use digital modes to send and receive money. It is also
called electronic payment. No hard cash is involved in digital payments. All the
transactions in digital payments are completed online.

NITI Aayog recently pointed out that the digital payments market in India is set to
become a trillion-dollar industry in the next five years, led by growth in mobile
payments which are slated to rise to $190 billion by 2023 from $10 billion in 2017-18.

Benefits of digital payments:

• It reduces cost of transactions: Digital payment is faster, easier, more convenient

and enables financial participation and inclusion.
• It promotes more transparency and accountability as it helps to keep black
money under control and increases tax compliance.
• It hinders the terror financing network and circulation of counterfeit notes.

Challenges of digital payments:

• Low internet penetration and low levels of digital literacy leads to unbanked
population
• About 19 percent of the Indian population is still outside the banking net.
• Cyber threats: It cost the global economy 1% of annual GDP.

The initiatives taken by the government to promote digital payments in India are:

• The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) was established in 2008 to

spearheading the development of the retail payments system.
• Initiatives by the NPCI: Launching of grid-wise operations of CTS, RuPay (a
domestic card payment network), Aadhaar Payments Bridge System and
Aadhaar Enabled Payment System, National Unified USSD Platform (NUUP), UPI
and the BHIM application.
• Settlement at half-hourly intervals was introduced in the National Electronic
Funds Transfer (NEFT) system.
 • Rationalisation of Merchant Discount Rate (Rate charged to a merchant for
payment processing services on debit and credit card transactions) was
undertaken to provide a boost to digital payments.
• Furthermore, non-bank entities have been introduced in the issuance of pre-paid
instruments (PPI), including mobile and digital wallets.
• DigiShala: Free Doordarshan DTH educational channel for creating awareness
regarding various forms of electronic payment.
Vittiya Saksharta Abhiyan of Ministry of Human Resource Development aims to actively
engage the youth/ students of Higher Education Institutions to encourage and motivate
all payers and payees to use a digitally enabled cashless economic system for transfer of
funds.

VIII. ‘AFSPA is set to be withdrawn from Assam’. Critically analyse. (16)

(Gradient IAS Mock Test No 8, Question No 5)

The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act-(AFSPA) was passed on September 11, 1958 to
help the army in tackling the disturbed areas of the Northeast India. AFSPA was
implemented in the Kashmir amid increase in the insurgency in 1990. Presently, AFSPA,
1958 is operational in entire States of Assam, Nagaland, Manipur (except Imphal
Municipal area), three districts namely Tirap, Changlang and Longding of Arunachal
Pradesh and the areas falling within the jurisdiction of the 8 police stations in the
districts of Arunachal Pradesh, bordering the State of Assam.

AFSPA gives armed forces the power to maintain public order in “disturbed areas”. They
have the authority to prohibit a gathering of five or more persons in an area, can use
force or even open fire after giving due warning if they feel a person is in contravention
of the law. If reasonable suspicion exists, the army can also arrest a person without a
warrant; enter or search premises without a warrant; and ban the possession of
firearms.

Any person arrested or taken into custody may be handed over to the officer in charge
of the nearest police station along with a report detailing the circumstances that led to
the arrest.

Recently the government has decided to gradually withdraw AFSPA from Assam. This
decision has both pros and cons, but the pros outweigh the cons.
 Arguments in the favour of AFSPA:

• On the basis of the power given to the armed forces, they are able to protect the
boundaries of the country.

• In the absence of strict law, the armed forces will not be able to tackle the
insurgent inside the country esp. in the Kashmir and North eastern region of the
country.

• The powers given in the ASFPA boost the moral of the armed forces to ensure
the rule of law in the disturbed areas of the country.

Arguments against the AFSPA:

• There are so many examples when the oppressive powers given to the armed
forces have been misused.

• The armed forces are conducting fake encounters and sexually exploiting the
women in the disturbed areas.

• AFSPA,violates human rights.

Some critics compared ASFPA with the Rowlatt act of the British time because like the Rowlatt
Act, any suspicious person can be arrested on the basis of doubt in the ASFPA also.

IX. Universal Basic Income (UBI) has its own pros and cons. Discuss. (16)
(Gradient IAS Mock Test No 9, Question No 4)

Universal basic income is a form of social security in which all citizens or residents of a
country regularly receive an unconditional sum of money, either from a government or
some other public institution, in addition to any income received from elsewhere. The
payment is enough to cover the cost of living. The goal is to provide financial security.
The state of Sikkim recently announced that UBI will be implemented in state by 2022.

The pros of UBI include:

• Fights Poverty and vulnerability: Poverty and vulnerability will be reduced in one
fell swoop. It increases equality among citizens as envisaged in our DPSP.
• Choice: A UBI treats beneficiaries as agents and entrusts citizens with the
responsibility of using welfare spending as they see best; this may not be the
case with in-kind transfers. Nobel laureate Amartya Sen had also propounded
that choice should be given to people, which will lead to development.
• Better targeting of poor: As all individuals are targeted, exclusion error (poor
being left out) is zero though inclusion error (rich gaining access to the scheme)
is 60 percent.
• Fighting technological unemployment: With Industrial Revolution 4.0 on the rise,
there is an increase in the automation leading to loss of many white and blue
collared jobs. UBI can act as a sort of security net for the millions of people who
will be left jobless by the tech revolution.
• Supporting unpaid care workers: Those with ill or differently abled relatives are
often forced to quit their jobs and look after them full-time. UBI would allow
care-workers to support themselves, encouraging care work and taking pressure
off public services that provide care to the sick and elderly.
• Expanding the middle class: The economic growth of high-income countries is
making the rich richer, but having very little effect on the working classes. The
research of economists Emmanuel Saez and Thomas Piketty showed that the
richest families have reaped bigger benefits of growth, leaving behind the poorer
sections. UBI would help balance this inequality and expand the ever-shrinking
middle class.
• Insurance against shocks: This income floor will provide a safety net against
health, income and other shocks.
• Improvement in financial inclusion: Payment transfers will encourage greater
usage of bank accounts, leading to higher profits for banking correspondents
(BC) and an endogenous improvement in financial inclusion. Credit – increased
income will release the constraints on access to credit for those with low income
levels.
• Psychological benefits: A guaranteed income will reduce the pressures of finding
a basic living on a daily basis.
• Ending abuse: Those who suffer domestic abuse, mainly women, become
trapped in violent situations because they don’t have the means to leave them.
UBI would make leaving an abusive partner easy, and would unleash the
potential of countless people trapped by domestic violence.
 • Administrative efficiency: A UBI in place of a plethora of separate government
schemes will reduce the administrative burden on the state.

The cons of UBI:

• Conspicuous spending: Households, especially male members, may spend this

additional income on wasteful activities.
• Moral hazard: A minimum guaranteed income might make people lazy and opt
out of the labour market.
• Implementation: Given the current status of financial access among the poor, a
UBI may put too much stress on the banking system.
• Poor fiscal capacity: India doesn’t have the fiscal capacity to implement Universal
Basic Income. Economic Survey calculations showed that a 75% universality rate
with an annual Universal Basic Income of Rs 7,620 per year at 2016-17 prices will
cost about 5% of the GDP.
• Distort labour Market: Universal Basic Income can create distortions in the
labour market. A steady, permanent and guaranteed income without any work is
likely to affect labour mobility and participation. It can cause a rise in the wages
too.

Conclusion: UBI holds a lot of potential as a welfare scheme, however in its present form
needs to be re-evaluated. There is a need for a 10-fold increase in resource mobilisation
combined with increasing the tax base for funding. Also, UBI should not be aimed at
replacing the existing welfare schemes but stick to its core ideas of providing basic
income to citizens without a means test and work requirement.

Case Studies:

India: A pilot project by the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) and the United
Nation’s Children’s Fund (UNICEF) was implemented in Madhya Pradesh from June 2011
to November 2012, where unconditional cash transfers (UCT) were provided to the
people. Citing the study, the Economic Survey 2016-17 claimed that “people become
more productive when they get a basic income”.

Iran : In 2010, the government of Iran ran a UBI trial, giving citizens transfers of 29
percent of the median income each month. Poverty and inequality were reduced, and
there was no sign of large amounts of people leaving the labour market. In fact, people
used it to invest in their businesses, encouraging the growth of small enterprises.
X. What was the role of biotechnology in the Green Revolution? Is biotechnology a lucrative
way to address the hunger problem in India? (8+8)
(Gradient IAS Mock Test No 10, Question No 7)

Food insecurity and hunger is one of the world’s most pressing problems today, creating directly
or indirectly several other challenges for man. In the words of Norman Borlaug Biotechnology
will help developing countries accomplish things that they could never do with conventional
plant breeding. The technology is more precise and farming becomes less time consuming.

• In the early 1960s, India imported 18,000 tonnes of the semi-dwarf high yielding (HY)
wheat variety, Lerma Rojo and Sonora 64.
• These wheat varieties proved to be the harbinger of the Green Revolution. Indian
scientists adapted the imported germplasm to create indigenous varieties.
• The breeding programme under the All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP)
produced Padma and Jaya, the first indigenous HY rice varieties.
• These became the centrepiece of India’s rice revolution. GM seeds which were used in
Green Revolution played a significant role in increase in production of foodgrains.

How biotech can address India’s hunger problem:

• Latest innovations in biotechnology that fortify major staples with micro nutrients like
vitamin A, zinc and iron can be game changers for hunger problem in India.
• Globally, the Harvest Plus programme of the Consultative Group on International
Agricultural Research (CGIAR) is doing lot of work in this direction. In India, the group
has released the iron-rich pearl millet.
• The Indian Council of Agricultural Research has independently released zinc and iron
rich wheat rice and pearl millet in 2016-17. This could possibly lead to the next
breakthrough in staples, making them more nutritious.
• A research team at the National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute has innovated
biofortified coloured wheat through crosses between HY Indian cultivars and coloured
wheat from Japan and America. These are rich in anthocyanins, antioxidants such those
found in blueberries and zinc. This seems to be the beginning of a new journey, from
food security to nutritional security.
• Potential advantages that biotechnology can confer across a wide range of agricultural
applications are in areas such as livestock management, storage of agricultural products
and sustaining current crop yields, while reducing the use of fertilizers, herbicides and
pesticides.
• Biotechnology offers a very promising alternative to synthetic foods and an
improvement on conventional plant-breeding technologies. Combined with other
advanced agricultural technologies, it offers an exciting and environmentally responsible
way to meet consumer demand for sustainable agriculture.
 • Golden Rice, created by researchers in Germany and Switzerland, contains three new
genes — two from the daffodil and one from a bacterium that helps it to produce
provitamin A.

What further measures are needed:

• Innovations in bio fortified food can alleviate malnutrition only when they are scaled up
with supporting policies. This would require increasing expenditure on agri-R&D and
incentivising farmers by linking their produce to lucrative markets.
FSSAI should setup systems and enforce GM screening.

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