UPPSC 2018 (Mains General Studies Paper-3)

Ans: Globalisation has had both positive as well as negative impact on industrial development in India.

> Globalisation brought huge amounts of foreign investments into Indian industries.

> Foreign firms brought with them critical technologies which resulted in scientific development of Indian industries.

> Globalisation led to reforms of the financial sector which in turn led towards economic liberalization.

> Globalisation led to significant growth in transport industry specially the aviation sector.

> Indian textile and handicraft industry got access to new markets.

> Globalisation helped in growth of specialised industries in India for example critical defence technology, nuclear energy, information and communication technology etc.

However globalisation increased competition between the foreign and domestic companies. With modern technologies labour requirement decreased resulting into unemployment. Globalisation also brought threats of new diseases and pandemics. With fusion of technology in every sector the traditional workforce become insignificant.

Ans: The National Energy Policy (NEP) 2017 drafted by the NITI Aayog, aims to meet the government’s bold ambitions for India’s energy sector developments. Government has already articulated its decision to boost Renewable Energy capacity. From the renewable sources, government has targeted to achieve a cumulative capacity 175 GW by 2022 and a capacity 597-710 GW is expected to be achieved by 2040.

The above capacity will take the share of renewable energy in the total energy output to around 50% in 2040 from the present 14%. As of September 2020 India has achieved 38 GW of wind energy and 36 GW of solar energy generating capacity.

The renewable energy capacity would touch 510 GW by 2030, including 60 GW of hydro power. Therefore India will have around 60 per cent of its installed electricity generation capacity from clean sources by 2030.

Additional Notes: The policy is also expected to mainstream emerging energy technologies, and provide consumer energy choices.

At the UN Climate Action Summit, 2017 Prime Minister Modi had announced increasing the renewable energy target to 450 GW by 2030 from 175 GW by 2022.

The Ministry of Petroleum is targeting reduction of oil imports by 10% by 2022.

Ans: India in 2012 signed the United Nations declaration on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It comprises of seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In the pursuit of SDGs, India has launched the following initiatives in the past:

> National Food Security Act is being enforced to provide subsidized food grains.

> MNREGA is being implemented to provide jobs to unskilled labourers and improve their living standards.

> The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan quests for making India open defection free.

> India aims to generate 175 MW of clean energy by 2020.

> AMRUT and HRIDAY schemes have been launched for infrastructure development.

> India has expressed its willingness to ratify the Paris Agreement to combat climate change.

> The Right to Education Act is pursuing universal primary education. The NITI Aayog tracks the pursuit the SDGs in all States and UTs through the SDG India Index. Therefore India’s National Development Agenda is synchronous with the Sustainable Development Goals.

Ans: Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada (SAMPADA) Yojana is a “Scheme for Agro-Marine Processing and Development of Agro-Processing Clusters”. It is a Central Sector Scheme which is coterminous with the 14th Finance Commission cycle (2016-2020).

> It is an umbrella scheme that incorporating ongoing and new schemes like Mega Food Parks scheme.

> Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition Infrastructure.

> Food Safety and Quality Assurance Infrastructure.

> Infrastructure for Agro-processing Clusters.

> Creation of Backward and Forward Linkages.

> Creation/expansion of Food Processing & Preservation Capacities (Unit Scheme).

The objective of the PMKSY is to supplement agriculture, modernize processing of agricultural product and decrease the agricultural waste.

PMKSY has an allocation of Rs. 6,000 crore and is expected to leverage an investment of Rs. 31,400 crore. This will benefit over 20 lakh farmers and generate huge number of direct and indirect employment in the country by the year 2019-20.

Ans: The technology missions in India were initiated in 1987 by the Rajiv Gandhi government. The mission aimed to achieve specific targets in areas which

were critical for Indian economy.

The Technology Mission on cotton was launched in 2000. It aims to improve the yield and quality of cotton in respect of staple length, strength etc. Technology Mission on Oil Seeds, Pulses and Maize was launched in 1986 to increase the production of oilseeds to reduce import and achieve selfsufficiency in edible oils.

The Jute Technology Mission was launched in 2006 to improve the retting practices to get better quality of jute fibre. Also it aimed transfer of effective technologies to farmers and create strong market linkages. Similarly the Technology Mission on Coconut aims to converge various ongoing schemes in the field of coconut development. The Sugar Technology Mission launched in 1994 aims for technological up gradation in the sugar mills.

Ans: Cyber Security Science is an important aspect of the understanding, development, and practice of cyber security. Cyber Security refers to protection of cyber space including critical information infrastructure from attack, damage, misuse and economic espionage. Cyber Security Science deals with application security, information security, network security and recovery strategies in case of an attack.

> In the age of social media, it is vital to protection to personal data of individual such as photos, videos, chat etc. Breach of personal data could even lead to life-threatening incidents.

> A cyber breach could lead to loss of data for a business organisation, which could have devastating economic consequences.

> Government organisations are most vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Leak of strategic and military information is unrepairable.

> It is very important to protect the critical information related to space mission, medical research, defence research etc from espionage.

Additional Notes: Cyber security is complex because it is constantly changing. India in its quest to create a secure cyber ecosystem launched the National Cyber Policy in 2013. According to Global Information Security Survey (GISS) 2018-19, India is highly vulnerable to cyber-attacks.

Ans: The applications of biotechnology include therapeutics, diagnostics, and genetically modified crops for agriculture, processed food, bioremediation, waste treatment, and energy production.

1. Applications of Biotechnology in Medicine: Biopharmaceuticals, Gene therapy, Pharmaco-genomics, Genetic Testing etc.

2. Applications of Biotechnology in Agriculture:

> Developing Oral vaccines

> Plants are used to create antibiotics for both human and animal use.

> Improve the color, smell, size and other features of flowers.

> It is used in manufacturing biofuels.

> Making nutrient supplementation

> Manufacturing power Fibers

3. Application of Biotechnology in Food Processing: non-palatable and easily perishable raw materials are converted to edible and potable foods and beverages, which have a longer shelf life. Biotechnology also plays a very important role in protein engineering.

4. Application of Biotechnology in Environment: The use of Biotechnology for solving environmental problems and ecosystem is known as Environmental Biotechnology. Examples are Bio-marker, Bio-energy, Bioremediation, and Biotransformation.

Ans: India has a long history of left-wing extremism. Its goal is to capture power through a combination of armed insurgency and mass mobilisation. It is one of the major threat to internal security.

Therefor government is implementing 3 fold solution to bring the Left Wing Extremism affected people into the mainstream:

> Policing i.e. counterinsurgency operations against the Maoists.

> Development; infrastructure development and basic facilities like road, schools and hospitals will remove the alienation of tribal people.

> Confidence building through participatory governance and protection of the rights of local tribals.

States should rationalize their surrender policy in order to bring innocent individuals back into the mainstream.

Besides technology driven solutions like unmanned aerial vehicles, drones equipped with cameras should be deployed to deter the Naxals. The national strategy to counter LWE was formed in 2015 as a multipronged approach. Government has recently enacted SAMADHAN doctrine to curb Left Wing Extremism.

Ans: The National Security Council (NSC) of India is a three-tiered organization that oversees political, economic, energy and security issues of strategic concern.

The NSC was established in 1998 by the Vajpayee government. It operates within the executive office of the prime minister of India.

The NSC liaisons between the central governments executive branch and the intelligence services. It advising the leadership on intelligence and security issues.

The NSC is the apex agency in the country handling internal and external security, conventional and non-conventional defence, military affairs, counterinsurgency, space and high technology, economy, counter-terrorism and environment.

The National Security Council is seen as necessary for a nuclear enabled country and it was initially established to oversee nuclear policies. The National Security Advisor (NSA) presides over the NSC and is also the primary advisor to the prime minister. The current National Security Advisor is Ajit Doval.

Additional Notes: There is no such body called “National Defence Council’ in India. The examiner probably meant “National Security Council”.

Ans: Public Private Partnership (PPP) model in the defence sector are designed to overcome the challenges of fiscal constraints, life-cycle costs and manpower rationalisation.

A Committee of Experts was constituted under the Chairmanship of Lt. Gen. D.B. Shekatkar in 2016 to recommend measures to enhance combat capability and rebalance defence expenditure of the armed forces. The committee pitched the need for PPP model to modernise the defence sector.

PPP calls for increased participation of MSMEs, start-ups and other players from the private sector in the defence industry.

Government launched the Draft Defence Production Policy, 2018 which gives impetus to PPP model. The Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) has been revised in 2016 to increase the private sector participation.

Nevertheless the make in India initiative has resulted in increased participation of private firms in defence production.

Additional Notes: In line with the ‘AtmaNirbhar Bharat’ initiative ministry of defence has declared a negative list of defence items which cannot be imported. These items are to be manufactured locally with PPP model.

Ans: In consonance with the National Skill Development Policy, 2009 Uttar Pradesh aims to skill over 4 million youth by the end of the 12th Five Year Plan. In order to achieve this target and provide employable skills to the youth of the State, the Uttar Pradesh Skill Development Mission (UPSDM) has been instituted.

UPSDM acts as an integrated mission which combines the efforts of various State Departments in achieving the skill development targets for the State. The governing council of UPSDM is chaired by the Chief Minister. Under the UPSDM Privilege has been given to weaker sections of society. An overall coverage of 20% candidates from minorities and 30% women candidates is mandated.

In order to avail the benefits of mission, the candidate must be the resident of Uttar Pradesh and should have age falling in 14- 35 years age group. Besides this a State skill Development Fund has been created to meet out the additional expenses needed in order to ensure integration.

As per the mission 70% of the successfully certified candidates will be the minimum target for place hent, out of which wage employment should be not less than 50%.

The State has a large set up of ITIs and vocational training institutes but the quality of trainings is a cause of concern. Participation of women in vocational training is still below average. The staff sanctioned for the implementation of scheme is not sufficient. The vocational training institutes are facing shortage of experts. Therefore government need to review its approach to realise skill development in real sense.

Ans: Economic development is said to be directly proportional to carbon emission. This is more evident in the developing countries. More the use of fossil fuels like coal and petroleum for developmental projects, more will be the carbon emission.

However this is not true for the developed countries. As most of the European countries and USA have shifted to cleaner sources of energy like nuclear, solar etc.

In this context it becomes important to maintain the equilibrium between Economic Development and Carbon Emission. It is also argued that more economic development leads to lesser environmental degradation through carbon emission as in case of Europe and Scandinavia.

When richer countries invest more in R&D, use high-technology equipment and operate in a more service-centralized economy the dependence on fossil fuels decreases. Production in the developing countries is coupled with high level of pollution as in case of India.

Therefore it can be argued that initially the economic development needs lots of energy and in absence of investment and technology to develop cleaner fuel, it result into huge Carbon emission.

However as a country reaches a certain level of economic development its population shift towards tertiary occupations and services. Also the maturity achieved in creating sustainable sources of energy leads to reduced carbon emission.

Therefore the relationship between economic development and carbon emission is more complex than what is understood and it is very important to maintain the equilibrium between the two.

Ans: The notion of food security is characterized by availability, access, utilization and stability of food. The enactment of the National Food Security Act, (NFSA) 2013 marks a paradigm shift in the approach to food security from welfare to rights based approach.

Provisions of National Food Security Act, 2013:

> It aims to provide subsidized food grains to approximately two-thirds of India’s 1.2 billion people.

> Beneficiaries of the PDS are entitled to 5 kilograms per person per month of cereals at the following prices:

i. Rice at 3 per kg

ii. Wheat at *2 per kg

iii. Coarse grains (millet) at 71 per kg.

> It recognizes maternity entitlements. Pregnant women, lactating mothers and certain categories of children are eligible for daily free cereals.

> It includes the Midday Meal Scheme, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme and the Public Distribution System (PDS).

> Respective state governments are the implementing authority for the scheme.

> Reforms required to strengthen the food security:

> Recent Economic Survey recommended revision in the central issue prices (CIPS) under PDS.

> Government need to revise the subsidised prices as different states implemented the scheme at different times.

> Since the 2011 census data was used to identify the beneficiaries, the list of beneficiaries need to be updated.

> NITI Aayog has suggested that the national rural and urban coverage ratio be reduced from the existing 75-50 to 60-40.

Ans: The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are often referred as the engine of economic growth and instruments for promoting equitable development.

The labour intensity of the MSME sector is much higher than that of the large enterprises. Therefore MSMEs are credited with generating the highest rates of employment growth. Besides MSMEs account for a major share of industrial production and exports.

The MSMEs constitute over 90% of total enterprises in most of the economies. With its agility and dynamism, the sector has shown its adaptability to survive economic downturns and have lots of potential to grow in the future. MSME sector has emerged as a highly vibrant and dynamic sector of the Indian economy over the last five decades.

Besides providing large employment opportunities at comparatively lower capital cost, MSMEs also help in industrialization of rural & backward areas. Therefore MSMEs are instrumental in reducing regional imbalances and assures more equitable distribution of national income and wealth. The MSMEs play a vital role in the overall growth of industrial economy of a country. Therefore it becomes prerogative of the government to develop the MSME Sector including Khadi, Village and Coir Industries in cooperation with concerned Ministries, State Governments and other Stakeholders.

Ans: Uttar Pradesh has greatly suffered from regional disparities and inequality. Even after seven decades of independence, some of the regions of UP are very backward and houses the largest proportion of poor in the country. The challenges raised by inter-regional disparities and their implications on living conditions and governance are enormous.

The per capita income of central Uttar Pradesh region is almost half of the average per capita income of Uttar Pradesh state.

There had been a practice in the state to set up industries in the regions that traditionally had some industries like the western UP. Therefore backward regions such as Budelkhand and central UP suffered apathy.

However the current Uttar Pradesh government is seeking investments for all the regions in order to achieve balanced economic growth.

Bringing investment to the backward regions of UP has many obstacles. These regions for example suffers frequent droughts and lack even the basic infrastructure for industrial set up. The power supply is irregular and law and order had also remained a problem.

Transport facilities need to be improved and national connectivity of these regions would bring additional economic dividends. Low literacy rate and lack of skilled workforce is another factor.

However these industries could be the best sites for the green field projects. The present regime is all determined to bring both domestic and foreign investments from diverse sectors. The outcomes of current efforts remain to be seen in future.

Ans: Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC) was established by the Government of India, in 1988 with the mandate to assess the state of the art technology and set directions for future technological development in India in important socio-economic sectors.

Leveraging its knowledge networking capabilities, TIFAC have implemented a wide array of programs in many technology areas.

TIFAC plays a major role in developing a strong foresight framework and network for the country by carrying out foresight studies in crucial sectors of national importance.

> Hybrid Cloud Computing: The security features on cloud have become promising and it is becoming a priority to safeguard and protect application data and infrastructure.

> Intelligent Automation i.e. Robotic Process Automation and Artificial Intelligence.

> Internet of Things will move to cloud-edge architecture

> Block chain technology will move to a business case centric model. Over 40 block chain initiatives are currently being executed by the public sector in India.

> Industrial Robotics is going to establish itself firmly.

Ans: Technology vision document 2035 gives the vision of technologies required for fulfilling the needs of Indians of 2035. It gives the vision of India and its citizens in 2035 and how technology would assist to achieve these goals.

The Technology Vision document 2035 has been dedicated to the former President Abdul Kalam.

It aims to ensure the security, enhance prosperity and enhance the Identity of every Indian. It identifies 12 prerogatives which include six individual prerogatives and six collective prerogatives which should be available to every Indian.

> Food and nutritional security

> Clean air and potable water

> Universal Healthcare and public hygiene

> Decent Habitat for all

> 24×7 energy availability

> Quality education, livelihood, and creative opportunities

> Safe and speedy mobility

> National security and public safety

> Cultural diversity and vibrancy

> Climate and Disaster Resilience

> Effective and transparent governance

> Eco-friendly conservation of the natural resources

The Twelve identified areas of focus of Technology Vision Document 2035 are: Education, Energy, Environment, Food and Agriculture, Global challenge issue, Habitat, information and communication, infrastructure, Materials and manufacturing, Medical Science and health care, Transportation and water.

Notwithstanding the challenges that might hamper the realisation of the technology vision 2035, government is committed to provide the best to its citizens in the near future.

Ans: The challenges to national security brought upon by globalisation could be understood in terms of:

> The nature of security threats in a globalised world.

> The effects of globalisation on the pursuit of national security.

> The erosion of the exclusivity of the state as a provider of national security. With globalisation a variety of threats have become global in scope. For example Islamic radicalism. Perverted ideology in one corner of the globe could cause fatal attacks on another part of the world.

> With integration of the global Information and communication technologies, countries are now highly vulnerable to cyber-attacks.

Nuclear fallout in any part of the world has global implications. Choking of important maritime trade routes for example Malacca strait, gulf of Oman, Strait of Hormuz could destabilise the global economy.

Sanctions imposed on one country could have implications on another country. Eg. Sanctions imposed on Iran by US disturbed the oil supplies of India. Online campaigns and discontent movements could generate unrest or even civil war in any part of the world. Eg the Arab spring.

Unchecked foreign funding through international banks could boost antistate activities. Many foreign funded NGOs have been found indulged in anti-national activities in India.

The 9/11 attacks in America and Berlin Bombings are examples of how globalisation could challenge the national security.

Ans: Disaster management in India has undergone substantive changes in its composition, nature and policy. India adopted the National Disaster Management Act in 2005. The NDMA Act provides for:

> A National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), headed by the Prime Minister of India as the apex body for Disaster Management in India. State disaster management authorities (SDMAs) under the chairmanship of chief ministers.

> District disaster management authorities (DDMAs) under the chairmanship of collectors/ district magistrates/deputy commissioners.

The NDMA Act 2005 is mandated to lay down the policies, plans and guidelines for Disaster Management. It also mandates creation of an enabling environment for institutional mechanisms at the State and District levels. India envisions the development of an ethos of Prevention, Mitigation, Preparedness and Response.

Disaster management in India has five major components ie Policy & Plans, Mitigation, Operations and Communications, Information Technology, Administration and Finance.

The NDMA is mandated to rope in experts in the field of disaster management, having practical experience of disaster management at the national, state or district level who could make recommendations on different aspects of disaster management. However the CAG in its recent report has highlighted that the NDMA is functioning without such experts.

Nevertheless Indian government strives to promote a national resolve to mitigate the damage and destruction caused by natural and man-made disasters, through sustained and collective efforts of all Government agencies, Non-Governmental Organizations and People’s participation.

Ans: Uttar Pradesh with over 20 crore people is the largest state of India in terms of population. Therefore law and order situation remains a potential challenge Uttar Pradesh government.

High population, extreme level of poverty and rampant illiteracy and soaring unemployment possess major challenge to law and order situation in the state. Besides the caste factors and inequalities in the social setup has also emerged as a factor.

The present government claims that the organised crime has been eliminated from UP through tough action such as police encounters. Also that the law and order situation in state is best in the last 20 years. However the data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) shows a different picture. The NCRB report claims that over 4000 rape cases were reported in 2018, with almost 12 rapes taking place daily.

> The state also recorded over 60,000 incidents of crimes against women, which is a surge from the previous years.

> Cities like Lucknow topped in crime against women.

> Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of dowry deaths in 2018.

> Crimes against senior citizens also recorded an increase.

The Uttar Pradesh is operating at its full sanctioned strength after almost two decades. Besides UP government has introduced the police commissioner system in Lucknow and Gautam Buddha Nagar.

Therefore it can be held that only policing is not sufficient to control crime

rates. It is also important to focus on value system of population and make them more sensitive towards the vulnerable section.

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