UPPSC 2018 Mains Essays

Specific Instructions:

(i) The question paper is divided into three Section. Write three essays in Hindi or English of Urdu language selecting one topic from each Section.

(ii) Maximum words limit of each essay is 700 words.

(iii) Each essay carries 50 marks.

iterature grows out of life, reacts upon life and fed by life. Generally we can say that everything in print is literature. But this would be a very vague description of literature. Broadly speaking, “literature” is used to describe anything from creative writing to more technical or scientific works, but the term is most commonly used to refer to works of the creative imagination, including works of drama, essays, fiction and nonfiction. Any work of art in which the emotional content predominates is literature. Literature is the expression of written words. Literature is distinct from all other arts. It has no medium of its own. Many mixed forms of literature exist in it. Despite the definitions given above, I feel that literature is beyond these definitions, it is more than what we see and perceive. Its boundaries cross our lives, our traditions, culture, social relations, national unity and a lot more. It serves as a reflection of reality, a product of art, and window to an ideology, everything that happens within a society can be written, recorded in, and learned from the piece of literature. Whether it be poetry or prose, literature provides insight, knowledge, or wisdom, and emotion towards the person who partakes it entirely. Our life is manifested in the form of literature. It is an embodiment of words based on human tragedies, desires, and feelings. It cultivates wonders, inspires a generation and feeds information. Even though it is dynamic, endless, multi-dimensional, literature contributes significant purpose to world we live in. The world today is ever-changing. Never before has life been so chaotic and challenging for all. Life before literature was practical and predictable, but in present day, literature has expanded into countless libraries and into minds of many as the gateway for comprehension and curiosity of the human mind and the world around them. Litera is of great importance and is studied upon as it provides the ability to connect human relationships, and define what is right and what is wrong. Literature is the foundation of life.

It places an emphasis on many topics from human tragedies to tales of ever popular search for love. While it is physically written in words, these words come alive in the imagination of the mind, and its ability to comprehend the complexity or simplicity of the text. Literature enables the people to see through the lenses of others, and sometimes even inanimate objects; therefore it becomes a looking glass into the world as others view. It is a journey that is inscribed in pages, and powered by the imagination of the reader. Ultimately, literature has provided a gateway to teach the reader about life experiences from even the saddest stories to the most joyful ones that will touch their hearts. With the ability to see the world with a pair of fresh eyes, it triggers the readers to reflect upon their own lives. Reading a material that is reliable to the reader may teach them morals and encourage them to practice good judgment. This can be proven through public school systems, where the books that are emphasized the most tend to have a moral-teaching purpose behind the story. Progressively, as people grow older, they explore other genres of books, ones that propel them towards curiosity of the subject, and the overall book. Reading and being given the keys to the literature world prepares individuals from an early to discover the true importance of literature: being able to comprehend and understand situations from different perspectives. Literature teaches us how to live. Through literature reader visits different places, experiences events, meets people, listens to them, feels their joys and sorrows. It takes years to acquire so much wisdom that a single book of literary merit instills in a reader. Literature mirrors the society and its mannerisms. Because of Charles Dickens we can experience the ,,Hard Time” of the Victorian England without going through a detailed historical study. The fact based education system, the fractured human relationships, the Smokey polluted towns, the illeffects of industrial revolution, the misery of laborers, the mercenary instincts of men and the flawed legal system of the land can be judged and perceived through literature.

The primary use of literature in ancient settings was to pass down customs, traditions, beliefs and feelings to the younger generations. In more recent centuries, literature has taken on a more comprehensive role of mirroring society in order for human to study themselves and understand the underlying truths common to all people. For students, studying literature is a critical component in education, as it teaches students to see themselves reflected in art. This allows people to learn about life from the perspectives of another. Identity-based literature teaches the readers what life is like for others, helping them to be more understanding and respectful of those around them.

In a vast country like India, where many languages are spoken, Hindi has its Lown special position. It is the symbol of our social and cultural unity and is the main connecting language between the people. Hindi also has a significant role in connecting the government and the people.

Hindi is a language of India spoken by at least 51.3%, add to it a mix of Hindi and Urdu popularly called as Hindustani, the percentage goes appreciably high. This language was assigned a special role in central government’s transactions, in parliamentary debate, in courts and as a medium of instruction for specialised subjects for higher and technical education, and also a ‘link’ language between various states. At the state level, regional languages are the official languages.

Making Hindi the central language by 1965 met with great resistance from the non-Hindi speaking states, particularly the Dravidian language states in south India. It was argued that literary tradition was less developed as compared to that of several regional languages such as Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, etc. To make things more complicated Hindi was infused with Sanskrit based vocabulary.

Talking of a national language for people living in a polyglot country like India is a complicated matter and poses a serious problem. Hindi is spoken by the largest number of people living in large states. As such Hindi has been championed as the national language since India got independence.

Since independence, English has been losing its importance as medium of instruction and as official language. Several non-Hindi speaking states have been advancing their regional languages as the primary media of instruction at school, college and university level as well as for public service examinations. This has dealt a severe blow to English in these states. Circulation of regional language newspapers and films has tended further to weaken the usage of English as a lingua franca. However, English still continues to enjoy the status of an associated official language and an important link between different linguistic regions. The language problem still does not show any sign of abatement and is putting India’s overall structure of national unity to a severe test.

The importance of Hindi language is:- The second most spoken language in the world after Mandarin Chinese. It’s estimated that nearly half a billion people worldwide speak this wonderful language. The importance of Hindi is one of the many languages in India that is considered to be the official language of the northern parts of India.

Article 343 (1)of the Indian constitution states “The official language of the Union shall be Hindi in Devanagari script (but its not the national language). The form of numerals to be used for the official purposes of the Union shall be the international form of Indian numerals.”

At the state level, Hindi is the official language of the following Indian states: Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. Each may also designate a “coofficial language”; in Uttar Pradesh, if you are in these states & unfortunately you don’t know English, you can use HINDI.

The importance of Hindi is one of the many languages in India that is considered to be the national and official language of the northern parts of India.

Indian songs and hymns have been adapted and used by various popular rap and pop music artists. From science to commerce and business to various multimedia as shown India to becoming a viable world economy with increasing interest in the world. Bollywood as it is called the second biggest film following Hollywood. Indian music becomes influential, not only audiences in the United States but also with the rest of the world.

India is filled with a lot of beautiful and incredible architectural achievements such as the Taj Mahal Palace, considered the icon of the Capital of Mumbai, Mahabodhi Temple, the Shore Temple, and the Bridhadishwara Temple, which is considered by some as India’s most prized architectural site. Another part of the attraction of Tourists to India is the geographical diversity of the country, such as its Waters falls in the Western Ghats. Tourism is a major part of India’s economy and plays a major part in its employment as well.

The Hindi language is very old, and has a direct line of evolution to Sanskrit. As such it is part of one of the oldest religious and literary traditions in the world – traditions that have influenced other religions and works of art, whether we realise it or not. As such Hindi is incredibly important in the historic development of the world’s cultures, and well worth not just honouring, but studying. Anyone with an interest in world history or languages would do well to do a little bit of intense reading on the subject of Hindi.

Swami Vivekananda said of Education: “Education is the manifestation of perfection already in man…”

To become divine (or great), man must give up suspicion, jealousy, conceit and learn to work unitedly for the common good. Courage, faith (in oneself and in God), patience and steady work, according to Swami Vivekananda are the way to success. He said that purity, patience and perseverance overcome all obstacles.

Having moral values and learning is just building having a strong root; for the body, having a healthy root will help in having healthy leaves and branches. A famous quote says if wealth is lost nothing is lost, if health is lost something is lost; when character is lost all is lost”. This is the reason schools have introduced a subject called moral science so that moral teachings can be disseminated among the today’s modern children. Inculcating a sound moral base is becoming a tougher challenge day by day.

Students today are so much into studies and games but somewhere moral teachings becomes compulsory as it gives them a proper shape and direction as how to act or react during various difficult situations. Moral values need to be inculcated in all age groups especially in young children as it is said young minds

are empty just as a plain white sheet so whatever mark we leave the impression remains for years. When it comes for a teacher to inculcate a moral base in their students it takes a lot more as teachers are the ones who shape our thoughts and mind to a large extent.

Moral Values are the worthy principles that one follows to distinguish the right from the wrong. These virtues are considered worthy in building up the character of an individual. Moral Value refers to the good virtues such as honesty, integrity, truthfulness, helpfulness, love, respectfulness, hard-work, etc.

Students are the future of India. The future of our country depends upon the moral values convey to them during their student life. They will become doctors, politicians, business-person, engineers, scientists, etc., and hold important positions. Moral lessons should be properly implemented among students in school.

Students have great observation power. They observe their parents at home and their teacher at school. They always repeat what they observe and this practice builds their character.

The method of teaching moral values to students is universal. It is the most important duty of the teachers and parents. If a child observes his teachers/parents to be truthful and honest, he/she will also absorb some of their virtues.

Teachers are the source of inspiration for students. The relationship between student and teacher is very strong. Moral values can be taught at School. The process of learning for a child is not magical. It is important that the student has a sound base of strong moral values.

Moral education means an ethical education that helps choose the right path in life. It comprises some basic principles such as truthfulness, honesty, charity, hospitality, tolerance, love, kindness and sympathy. Moral education makes one perfect. Education is not aimed at obtaining only a degree, it includes necessary value based teachings which result in character building and social improvement too.

It is the need of the hour that schools today should include the concept of hidden-curriculum which refers to the transmission of norms, values, and beliefs conveyed in the classroom and the social environment. It helps to reinforce the lessons of the formal curriculum but many schools neglect it. They focus more on language, subjects and marks. For example, on one hand a school may publicly claim and ensure that its education policy and practices are formed in such a way that all students succeed academically.

At the same time, it can be observed that the students of the particular school are contributing to undesirable behaviors whether it is bullying or cheating on exams. This type of education will barely help a child to face life situations like opinion making, decision making and right course of action. To curb this problem, schools should adapt and offer special classes, seminars, and workshops with an expert counsellor under the guidance of educators who can help in incorporating ‘values’ lessons into the curriculum in order to foster well-rounded personality development in children.

Our society today is much advanced, much better than it used to be but what if the people of a society are not well mannered? With rapid urbanisation and modernisation, the moral values of people are degrading day by day. An individual 1 is not able to trust anyone be it their relatives or friends. Trust, integrity, love, and brotherhood all their feelings are fading away with time. It is the moral values that teach us to share and make new friends at school but today, children are taught not to trust anyone and make less of friends.

There is cut throat competition everywhere be it schools, colleges, offices or any talent competition. In today’s materialistic world, people are jealous of each other’s progress but rather than being suspicious and envious one must support and co-operate each other and work unitedly for the common welfare. In this industrialised era, most of the parents are working because of which they spend less time with their children due to which they lack moral values and are not able to differentiate between what is wrong and right.

From a modest beginning in the 1960s, India’s space programme has grown steadily, achieving significant milestones. These include fabrication of satellites, space-launch vehicles, and a range of associated capabilities. Since its establishment in 1969, ISRO has been guided by a set of mission and vision statements covering both the societal objectives and the thrust areas. The first area was of satellite communication, with INSAT and GSAT as the backbones, to address the national needs for telecommunication, broadcasting and broadband infrastructure.

Gradually, bigger satellites have been built carrying a larger array of transponders. About 200 transponders on Indian satellites provide services linked to areas like telecommunication, telemedicine, television, broadband, radio, disaster management and search and rescue services.

A second area of focus was earth observation and using space-based imagery for a slew of national demands, ranging from weather forecasting, disaster management and national resource mapping and planning.

These resources cover agriculture and watershed, land resource and forestry managements. With higher resolution and precise positioning, Geographical Information Systems’ applications today cover all aspects of rural and urban development and planning. Beginning with the Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) series in the 1980s, today the RISAT, Cartosat and Resourcesat series provide wide-field and multi-spectral high resolution data for land, ocean and atmospheric observations.

A third and more recent focus area is satellite-aided navigation. The GPSaided GEO augmented navigation (GAGAN), a joint project between ISRO and Airports Authority of India, augmented the GPS coverage of the region, improving the accuracy and integrity, primarily for civil aviation applications and better air traffic management over Indian airspace. This was followed up with the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), a system based on seven satellites in geostationary and geosynchronous orbits.

It provides accurate positioning service, covering a region extending to 1,500 km beyond Indian borders, with an accuracy greater than 20 metres; higher accuracy positioning is available to the security agencies for their use. In 2016, the system was renamed NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation).

With growing confidence, ISRO has also started to undertake more ambitious space science and exploration missions. The most notable of these have been the Chandrayaan and the Mangalyaan missions, with a manned space mission, Gaganyaan, planned for its first test flight in 2021. These missions are not just for technology demonstration but also for expanding the frontiers of knowledge in space sciences.

Today, the value of the global space industry is estimated to be $350 billion and is likely to exceed $550 billion by 2025. Despite ISRO’s impressive capabilities, India’s share is estimated at $7 billion (just 2% of the global market) covering broadband and Direct-to-Home television (accounting for two-thirds of the share), satellite imagery and navigation. Already, over a third of transponders used for Indian services are leased from foreign satellites and this proportion will rise as the demand grows.

Developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and big data analytics has led to the emergence of ‘New Space’ — a disruptive dynamic based on using end-to-end efficiency concepts. A parallel is how the independent app developers, given access to the Android and Apple platforms, revolutionised smartphone usage. New Space entrepreneurship has emerged in India with about two dozen start-ups who are not enamoured of the traditional vendor/supplier model but see value in exploring end-to-end services in the Business-to-Business and Business-toConsumer segments. However, these start-ups have yet to take off in the absence of regulatory clarity.

The New Space start-ups discern a synergy with government’s flagship programmes like Digital India, Start-Up India, Skill India and schemes like Smart Cities Mission. They see a role as a data-app builder between the data seller (ISRO/Antrix) and the end user, taking advantage of the talent pool, innovation competence and technology know-how.

Another revolution under way is the small satellite revolution. Globally, 17,000 small satellites are expected to be launched between now and 2030. ISRO is developing a small satellite launch vehicle (SSLV) expected to be ready in 2019. It is a prime candidate, along with the proven PSLV, to be farmed out to the private sector. This requires giving it responsibility for AIT activities.

Years ago, ISRO launched the idea of Village Resource Centres to work in collaboration with local panchayats and NGOs but only 460 pilots have begun. Expanding this for rural areas is a formidable challenge but has the potential to transform rural India if properly conceived as a part of the India Stack and the Jan Dhan Yojana.

With the Ministry of Defence now setting up a Defence Space Agency and a Defence Space Research Organisation, ISRO should actively embrace an exclusively civilian identity. A new Space law for India should aim at facilitating growing India’s share of global space economy to 10% within a decade which requires a new kind of partnership between ISRO, the established private sector and the New Space entrepreneurs.

Decades since his death, a strong and independent India still has a lot of work for his country countrymen. It’s quite obvious that when we look at certain aspects of modern India’s political, social, and economic make-up, there’s still a desperate cry for an infusion of more of Gandhi’s values and ideals.

Mahatma Gandhi had, and continues to have, a huge global influence. He is regarded as more than just an Indian – just like Einstein is more than just Swiss, Mozart Austrian, da Vinci Italian, or Chekov Russian; he is one of those human beings who belongs to all of humanity. His followers include prominent global leaders and activists such as Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and more recently, Barack Obama.

He lit the imagination of the entire nation. There is a basic lesson of Indian History. Our people have always taken their moral standards from their rulers; the people have risen to great heights when they have basked in the glow of noble kings or leaders. The present generation is waiting for a leader who will it relearn the moral values, and who will inculcate in the people, as Gandhi did, a sense of the responsibilities which fall on every citizen of a free society.

The waste of human ability energy and money on armament will continue unabated, and diversion of world resources to development will remain a pipe dream, so long as man does not learn the great lesson which Gandhi preached so convincingly in our own times-viz. non-violence is the law of our species. The diversion of world resources to development stands no practical chance of being heeded unless and until the balance of terror is replaced by the balance of terror is replaced, by the balance of reason.

Although it is true that India has been an integrated nation since olden times; it is also true that on the present context Gandhian values have special significance for national integration. Today communal amity has become essential for national integration and hence Gandhi gave it the highest priority. By communal unity

Gandhiji did not mean merely paying lip service to ‘bhaibhai-ism’. He meant it to be an unbreakable heart unity’. In the religious context Gandhi emphasized that communal unity has to be based on equal respect for all religions. Everyone, Gandhi said, must have the same regard for other faiths as he had for his own. Such respect would not only remove religious rifts but lead to a realization of the fact that religion was a stabilizing force, not a disturbing element. Gandhi’s basic axiom was that religion since the scriptures of all religions point only in one direction of goodwill, openness and understanding between men and men and between community and community.

Gandhiji regarded education as the light of life and the very source from which was created an awareness of oneness. Gandhi believed that the universality of religion can best be realized through the universlization of education, and that such universalization was the spring board for national integration. Harmony is not brought about about overnight. Gandhi advocated the process of patience, persuasion and perseverance for attainment of peace and love for harmony and was firmly convinced of the worth of gentleness as panacea for all evils. Communal harmony had the pride of place in Gandhi’s constructive programme. He taught us the dignity of labour as a leveling social factor that contributed to a national outlook in keeping with the vision of new India. he always believed that a nation built on the foundation of non-violence would be able to withstand attacks on its-integrity from within and without.

Gandhi pleaded for the humanization of knowledge for immunization against the ideas of distrust among communities of the nations and the nationalities of the world. He wanted to take the country from areas of hostility into areas of harmony of faiths through tolerance, so that we could work towards understanding each other. His mass contact programme was specifically aimed at generating a climate of confidence and competition and eliminating misgiving and misconceptions, conflicts and confrontation.

Gandhi also held that bridging the gulf between the well off and the rest was as essential for national integration as inter-religious record. HE said that we must work for economic equality and social justice, which would remove the ills caused by distress and bitterness. He said that we must work for economic equality and social justice, which would remove the ills caused by distress and bitterness. He stressed that the foundation of equality, the core of harmony will have to be laid here now and built up brick by brick through ethical and economic satisfaction of the masses.

The The Green Revolution is the term applied to the major advances in crop breeding genetics made in the 1960s which significantly raised the yields of some grain crops. Although crop experimentation is something that takes place continually, and has done so since the earliest settled agriculture about 8000

years ago, there are nonetheless step-like advances made from time to time in producing new seed varieties, and the Green Revolution can be seen as one of these.

During the 1950s and 1960s, at the height of the Cold War, socialism envisaged progress being made by changing the relations of production primarily through the communal or state ownership of the means of production. Capitalism, as championed by the United States, saw progress as being achieved through the transfer of science and technology. In this case, traditional agriculture would be transformed by the adoption of a new, imported technology, forming the basis of the Green Revolution. The political consequences of the Green Revolution were seen, particularly by the United States, to be very important as a solution to food shortages and famine in Asia in particular, and therefore a bulwark to the spread of socialism in that continent at the height of the Cold War.

Green revolution technologies in India were originally introduced in the states of Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh (UP). These states are part of the Indo-Gangetic plains (IGP), where Punjab and Haryana fall in Trans IGP and western UP in the middle and upper IGP. These plains are believed to be formed by alluvium brought from the Himalayas by the Indus and Ganges river systems about 7000 years ago. The soils in the region are generally deep alluvium, sandy loam to loam in texture, alkaline in reaction, and poor in organic matter content. In pre-green revolution period, rice cultivation in this region was limited to a small area. With the ushering of green revolution, rice-wheat emerged as the major cropping system in this region.

Green Revolution allows agricultural operations on a large scale. The Green Revolution has brought farming to a massive scale. Crops are being grown on an industrial scale even by the smaller farming community. It has the potential to be able to grow any crop anywhere. This innovative farming process has made it possible for agriculture to be done almost everywhere. Green Revolution has made it possible for agriculture to be more doable everywhere. It eliminates the need to fallow lands. This agricultural method has allowed farmers to replant similar crops without fallowing their lands, which is known to be a costly process. Though there are some crops on which soil still needing to be fallowed, the Green Revolution has certainly made farming cost-efficient.

Overall, the Green Revolution is a major achievement for India, as it has provided an unprecedented level of food security. It represents the successful adaptation and transfer of the same scientific revolution in agriculture that the industrial countries had already appropriated for themselves.

It has lifted a large number of poor people out of poverty and helped many nonpoor people avoid the poverty and hunger they would have experienced had it not taken place. The largest benefits to the poor are mostly indirect in the form of lower food prices, increased migration opportunities and greater employment in the rural non-farm economy.

The direct benefits to the poor through their own on farm adoption, greater agricultural employment and empowerment have been more mixed and depend heavily on local socio-economic conditions. In many cases inequalities between regions and classes that adopted Green Revolution technologies worsened, but in a number of other cases they did not. Also, it has given rise to many negative environmental issues that have yet to be addressed adequately.

Indian agriculture is facing new challenges. The potential of the Green Revolution varieties appears to have exhausted. The yield barriers have to be broken through research and development. A large number of farmers have yet to adopt the existing yield increasing technologies. Extension access to such farmers should be ensured for wider acceptance of the existing technologies.

The indirect benefits to the poor due to another technological breakthrough in agriculture are likely to be weaker in the future as globalization and trade in agricultural commodities makes food prices less responsive to local production.

Global in lobal terrorism refers to terrorism that goes beyond national boundaries terms of the methods used, the people that are targeted or the places from which the terrorists operate. Terrorism is a method of political struggle or warfare available to any player, including individuals, groups and states. Its history is as old as human conflict. Yet terrorism has taken on greater salience with the increasing ability of small groups to employ ever more dangerous and lethal forms of attack against the public or the state. Furthermore, terrorism is a great equalizer of power. It is, colloquially put, the poor man’s weapon. Not surprisingly, than are small powers.

There is no consensus on the exact definition of terrorism to date. Various sources, organization et al. define it differently with a little or more variation.

The UN General Assembly Resolution 49/60 (adopted on December 9, 1994), titled “Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism,” contains a provision describing terrorism: – Criminal acts intended or calculated to provoke a state of terror in the general public, a group of persons or particular persons for political purposes are in any circumstance unjustifiable, whatever the considerations of a political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or any other nature that may be invoked to justify them.

“Criminal acts, including against civilians, committed with the intent to cause death or serious bodily injury, or taking of hostages, with the purpose to provoke a state of terror in the general public or in a group of persons or particular persons, intimidate a population or compel a government or an international organization to do or to abstain from doing any act.”

> Ethno-Nationalism: The desire of a population to break away from a government or ruling power and create a state of their own can cause the formation of terrorist groups. In the 20th century this was seen often times with regions or states attempting to gain independence from their colonial era masters.

> Alienation/Discrimination: Several authors on terrorism have pointed to a sense of alienation felt by diasporas, particularly those living in Europe as a driver of terrorism. Many times these groups face discrimination in the countries they reside, leading to further feelings of isolation. They commonly move from poorer countries, particularly Muslim states in the case of Europe, to wealthier ones to go to school or find work.

> Socio-Economic Status: Terrorists may also be driven by a sense of relative deprivation and lack of upward mobility within society. Globalization and the modern media have given the ‘have-nots’ an acute awareness of their situation compared to the ‘haves’.

> Political Grievances: A lack of political inclusiveness in states or grievances against a certain political order may cause individuals to join or create terrorist groups. Left and right wing terrorists often seek to a political system. As well, many in nations with authoritarian regimes lack avenues for dissent. Frustrated expressions of political will can turn to violence as an alternative to exclusive political systems. While somewhat similar to ethnic-nationalist/separatist causes, these political grievances are not born from the desire to create a new state but to change the order within the current one.

The problem of terrorism has been holding us back since time oblivion, moreover it degenerates the quality of living with the sense of insecurity that it spreads all around, and losses caused are too obvious that don’t even have to be stated. Not to be mentioned the world yearns for an immediate solution.

We see, it is not that no one is trying to work it out, thousands of meetings, conventions, increased vigilance, continuous military interventions all have been put into action, yet, a look at the data related, or just the news telecast tells a full-on contrast story. So we re-evaluate our methods.

The international organizations and platforms have a very vital role to play in the process, to uproot the vested interest and establish the importance of securing an

impartial stand all around. Until all countries agree on the enemy they sought to defeat, there would always be loopholes and safe havens for those criminals to escape justice and the rules of law.

Efforts to combat terrorism should adhere to the principles of international law, including humanitarian law and the right to self-determination.

There shall be steps towards more inclusion on even basis and moves shall be taken to remove inequalities. More dialogues and serious resolve to mitigate the difference between the people and the governments in most probability shall bring a great number of changes sought.

While keeping in view the fundamental objectives of India’s foreign policy Some of these principles are given in Article 51 under the Directive Principles of Policy in the Constitution of India. These principles are: promotion of international peace and security; friendly relations with other countries; respect for international law and international organizations like the UN; and finally the peaceful settlement of international disputes.

The principles of India’s foreign policy and its objectives are closely interlinked with each other. These principles have stood the test of time and are ingrained in the international law and India’s foreign policy practice.

India believes in and supports Democracy; however, India does not believe in the export of ideologies. India has therefore endeavoured to deal with the government-of-the-day, be it a democracy, monarchy or military dictatorship. India believes that it is best left to the people of the country to choose or remove their leaders and retain or change the form of governance. By extension of the above principle, India does not endorse the idea of regime change or violation of territorial integrity in a particular country by use of force or other means by another country or a group of countries.( Ex. US interventions in Iraq, Libya, Syria or Russia’s intervention in Georgia, Ukraine etc.)

At the same time, India does not hesitate in promoting democracy wherever potential exists; this is done by proactively providing assistance in capacity building and strengthening the institutions of democracy, albeit with the explicit consent of the concerned Government.

India does not endorse the idea of imposing sanctions/military action against any individual country by another country or a group of countries unless these sanctions/military actions have been approved by the United Nations as a result of

international consensus. India therefore contributes only to such Peace-Keeping military operations which are part of the UN Peace-keeping Forces.

India has contributed nearly 195,000 troops, the largest number from any country, participated in more than 49 missions and 168 Indian peacekeepers have made the supreme sacrifice while serving in UN missions. India has also provided and continues to provide eminent Force Commanders for UN Missions.

India does not believe in interference in the internal affairs of other countries. However, if an act innocent or deliberate – by any country has the potential of impinging upon India’s national interests, India does not hesitate in quick and timely intervention. Mind it: intervention is qualitatively different from interference, particularly when the intervention is made at the request of the country concerned. (Examples: Bangladesh 1971, IPKF in Sri Lanka (1987-90), Maldives (1988).

India advocates the policy of constructive engagement over aggression. It believes that violent retaliation and confrontation can only complicate the matters. War is no solution; after every war the conflicting Parties ultimately come to negotiating table by which time much damage has already been done. This applies in particular to Pakistan- the origin of State-sponsored terrorism targeted at India.

The policy of engagement is not allowed, howev to be misunderstood as India’s weakness. Strong and loud messages emanate from India each and every time our patience is tested. The Surgical strike to target terrorist -launch pads in Pakistan occupied Indian territory in September 2016 is one such example. Air Strike at terrorist camps in Balakote in February 2019 in retaliation to Pulwama terrorist attack is yet another example.

India advocates a global debate and global consensus on issues of global dimensions such as world trade regime, climate change, terrorism, intellectual property rights, global governance.

One of the unique features of India’s foreign policy pursuits during the past five years was the unprecedented diplomatic outreach across the continents and hemispheres, covering small, medium and big nations. There were a record number of high-level incoming and outgoing visits at the level of President, Prime Minister, Vice-President, External Affairs Minister and Ministers. In some cases, including our neighbourhood, visits at the level of Prime Minister took place after a hiatus of ten to sixty years. The country’s top leadership engaged nearly all countries in the world cutting across time zones; this acrossthe-spectrum diplomatic outreach underlined the government’s commitment to building relationships with countries, big and small, in the spirit of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam i.e. “the world is one family.”

Nation-states are defined and periodically re-defined by their geographical, social, political, cultural and military borders. At the outset it is important to remember that these borders are both real and imaginary at the same time and in general the public consciousness of them belies the practical difficulty of delineating and guarding them.

In the matter of national borders the armed forces of a country, including its Paramilitary Forces, are as usual guided by the political leadership of that country which itself undergoes periodic transformations. In these conditions of historical flux the work of forces, like the BSF raised in 1965 with the specific purpose of manning the Indian borders as the first line of defence against infiltration, smuggling and military assault, can hardly be said to comprise an enviable job. For the BSF, and its counterparts in India’s neighbouring countries, the border is a live and often unfriendly unstable entity difficult to control and tame. No one knows this better than the hardy and enterprising men and officers of the BSF battalions who spend the whole year at the Border Out Posts (BOPs) often with just their weapons and wild animals for company. The BOPs are established in regions which experience extreme weather conditions. These BOPs are found in the desert of the Thar where temperatures can touch 50 degrees centigrade during the tropical summer. They are also located in the freezing mountains of the Kashmir region where the winter temperatures can go down to minus 50 degrees centigrade. In the North-East, the BOPs are situated in remote areas supplied and maintained by air. It rains for months in this region and keeping men, material and weapons dry during the fierce monsoon is in itself a gigantic task. Just imagine launching operations in these conditions against dangerous criminals and insurgents. Operational casualties, diseases, accidents and sudden death are often the constant companions of the BSF men and officers living in the BOPs; in the Rann of Kutch the BOPs can easily become infested with vipers. It often takes several days for the men who have applied for leave to reach their villages in the mainland. It is rather obvious that the BSF is a service not meant for the faint hearted although the public may tend to fantasize otherwise.

Terrain plays an important role in the planning and execution of border security. This factor of border defence is made more problematic by India’s diverse geography and demography.

Although the terrain, demography, crimes and other variegated conditions require a customized, region-specific approach to border security, the BSF, right from the beginning, has embarked on its mission with the aid of some general parameters. To dominate an area, it is important to have a base – from this condition arose the need for the (Border outpost) BOPs.

BSF has been actively involved in mitigating the various terrorist and separatist threats India faced or faces. Its first brush with counterterrorism/counterinsurgency came in Punjab. From 1981 to 1992, Punjab was in chaos; Sikh nationalists, aided by Pakistan, initiated an armed campaign to establish a Sikh nation, Khalistan. In addition to guarding the Pakistani border to curb infiltration and exfiltration of Sikh militants, BSF was actively involved in fighting against the militants, training Punjab police forces, and facilitating the construction of extended border fences.

BSF has also been heavily involved in J&K since 1990. During the high point of militancy, from the early 1990s to well into the next decade, significant portions of BSF were deployed to J&K to quell the unrest. BSF personnel are still deployed in J&K, although in a more limited manner. It has also seen counterinsurgency action in India’s northeastern states where economic and political dissatisfaction and cultural differences has resulted in armed struggle and demand for autonomy and independence.

Recently, there have been calls to curb BSF’s involvement in counterinsurgency efforts as such work taxes its already limited manpower and resources, and adversely affects border security. However with CRPF (the police force most responsible for internal security) manpower and resources limitations and the time it requires to raise fully functional battalions, not much progress has been made in reverting BSF to a border-protection-only agency.

As an armed police force under the Home Ministry, BSF’s role has expanded to maintenance of domestic security and law and order in areas far from the borders. BSF has been deployed in multiple cities during largescale outbreaks of communal violence, most recently in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Other law and order tasks include election and VIP security (especially election security in J&K) as well as riot and crowd control.

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