UPPSC 2021 (Mains General Studies Paper-2)

Ans. The non-governmental organizations are expected to play a significant role in the policy implementation. The first five-year plan document emphasised the importance of voluntary organizations in the implementation of public programme. However, only in the seventh plan document, there is a detailed discussion about the role of voluntary agencies in rural development. The role mentioned comprises:

(a) to supplement Government programme – to provide choices and alternatives the rural poor to enable them to improve quality of their life;

(b) to serve as eyes and ears of the villagers;

(c) to devise simple, innovative, flexible and inexpensive strategies and projects of participative types;

(d) to activate and improve responsiveness of the delivery system to meet the felt needs of the poorest of the poor;

The seventh plan document also emphasised the importance of people’s participation in development. Development goals may not be fully achieved if there is too much dependence on bureaucracy. The plan document identified the areas for involvement of voluntary organizations in rural dreas as: Integrated Ruler DevelopmentRural Landless Employment Guarantee Programme TRYSEM:

Voluntary organizations are actively involved in contemporary social issues, like environmental protection, legal aid to poor, consumer protection, human rights protection, Harijan and tribal development, child welfare, etc. The Chipko movement created social awareness on the environmental problems.

Ans. The Citizens’ Charters initiative in India had started in 1997 and the Charters formulated are in embryonic stage of implementation. Introduction of a new thought is always difficult in any organisation. Introduction and implementation of the concept of Citizens’ Charter in the Government of India was much more complicated due to the old bureaucratic set up/procedures and the rigid attitudes of the work force.

1. The general perception of organisations which formulated Citizens’ Charters was that the exercise was to be performed because there was a

direction from the top. The consultation process was minimal or largely absent. It thus became one of the routine activities of the organisation and had no focus.

2. For any Charter to thrive the personnel responsible for its implementation should have proper training and orientation, as commitments of the Charter cannot be expected to be delivered by a workforce that is unaware of the spirit and content of the Charter. However, in many cases, the concerned staff was not sufficiently trained and sensitized.

To summarize, A Citizens’ Charter denotes the promise of an organization towards standard, quality and time frame of service delivery, grievance redressal mechanism, clearness and accountability.Based on the foreseen expectations and aspirations of public, Citizens’ Charters are to be drawn-up with care and concern for the concerned service users.

Ans. In India, the poor and disadvantaged castes vote proportionally more than the rich and the upper castes, and often more than those in developed democracies. However, the state is also constrained both by the political process of governance and by economic and social institutions. Unlike political institutions, these reflect the existing inequalities and are dependent on the markets. The democratic system does imply some degree of equality in the form of universal franchise irrespective of economic position, giving the poor a space to make their voices heard. But this does not necessarily translate into a state committed to justice and equality

However, the state is also constrained both by the political process of governance and by economic and social institutions. Unlike political institutions, these reflect the existing inequalities and are dependent on the markets. The democratic system does imply some degree of equality in the form of universal franchise irrespective of economic position, giving the poor a space to make their voices heard. But this does not necessarily translate into a state committed to justice and equality. In fact, developing-country democracies do not have a good track record in reducing poverty, compared to non-democracies such as China.

Ans. The Preamble is like an introduction or preface of a book. As an introduction, it is not a part of the contents but it explains the purposes and objectives with which the document has been written. So is the case with the ‘Preamble’ to the Indian Constitution. As such the ‘Preamble’ provides the guide lines of the Constitution.

The Preamble, in brief, explains the objectives of the Constitution in two ways: one, about the structure of the governance and the other, about the ideals to be achieved in independent India. It is because of this, the Preamble is considered to be the key of the Constitution. The objectives, which are laid down in the Preamble, are:

(i) Description of Indian State as Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic Republic.

(Socialist, Secular added by 42nd Amendment, 1976).

(ii) Provision to all the citizens of India i.e.,

(a) Justice social, economic and political

(b) Liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship

(c) Equality of status and opportunity

The Preamble has provided for a vision humane which is, democratic, secular and, therefore, egalitarian. Therefore, inspite of not being a part of the Constitution, the Preamble has always been given due respect and regard by the courts while interpreting the Constitution.

Ans. India follows a federal structure where the powers are shared between both the centre and the states. Though however, the distribution of these powers are not equal, and we often find states raising constant concerns about their extreme dependence on the Union Government for all the matters, thus limiting their powers and autonomy.

Article 268 to 281 of the Indian Constitution has made elaborate provisions that provide directions to the centre relating to the distribution of financial resources amongst the states. It lays down principles for the centre and states to work in coordination for levying and collection of taxes through systematic arrangements.

1. Taxes levied by the Union but collected and kept by the States (Article 268).

2. Taxes levied and collected by the Union but assigned to the States (Article 269).

3. Taxes levied and distributed between the Union and the States (Article 270).

4. Grant-in-aid from the Centre to the States (Article 273, Article 275 and Article 282).

5. Sharing of proceeds from other taxes.

In giving recommendations with regards to the distribution of funds between the centre and state, the Finance commission mentioned under Article 280 plays a very important role.

Ans. India is a nation known for its multi-religious, multi-ethnic, multi-linguistic, and related diverse societies and groups. In the post-independent era till 1967, the Indian National Congress party, popularly known as the Congress party, maintained a monopoly of power in Indian politics. Due to the excessive domination of single-party leadership, regional parties came into existence. Being the largest democracy in the world, India has an important feature of the multi-party system, which is recognized as national, state, and district level parties. Positive regionalism is a way to strengthen and unite people divided by geographical and cultural attributes. The growth of regional parties in India is still in momentum. The following are some of the major reasons behind it:

> People from different regions are gaining knowledge about the importance of their distinct cultural identity. With a view to embracing and promoting their ethnic interests, regional parties are gaining importance. These parties highlight the regional imbalances and the neglect of their regions by the central government.

> The principle of self-governance and the desire to exploit the features of federalism has also led to the promotion of regionalism. These subcultural divisions have also ensured greater autonomy for the regions.

Ans. The Parliamentary committees are established to study and deal with various matters that cannot be directly handled by the legislature due to their volume. They monitor the functioning of the executive branch and provide legislature with various policy input, playing an important role in Indian democracy.

> Role and Importance of Parliamentary Committees in Indian democracy:

> Due to large the volume of legislature, discussion of all the bills in parliament in detail is not possible.

> Committees do a detailed discussion and analysis on a proposed law, thus enabling that every law is for benefit of citizens.

> Parliamentary committees ensure executive accountability through scrutiny of public spending and various laws.

> The Public Accounts Committee is concerned with the manner and results of spending public funds. It scrutinise the accounts and the report of the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India, thereby ensuring accountability of any misspending.

Although parliamentary and cabinet committees are not a part of the Constitution they ensure healthy democracy and governance through scrutiny and better policies. They enable the cabinet and Parliament to take difficult decisions.

Ans. The Italian presidency’s overarching theme this year has encompassed the three pillars “people, planet, prosperity”. This theme is reflected in the three working sessions at the Rome summit.

The summit discussions were organised into three main working sessions and two leaders’ side events.

> Working sessions

> Session I: “Global economy and global health”

> Session II: “Climate change and environment”

> Session III: “Sustainable development”

The G20 leaders called on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to establish a new Resilience and Sustainability Trust (RST) to provide affordable longterm financing for low-income countries, including in the African continent, small island developing states and vulnerable middle-income countries.

Ans. China’s engagement in Nepal is not new. More importantly and contrary

to how it is portrayed in Nepal-it is not entirely positive. However, the engagement is crucial, since China’s newfound economic power is as yet unmatched. This challenges India’s privileged position in Nepal. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken various initiatives and has indicated that he intends to address Nepal’s concerns regarding India.

Nepal’s eagerness to engage with China has been of interest to observers and largely misinterpreted as Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli’s strategy to acquire more from India. However, the current approach fits perfectly in Nepal’s long tradition of pursuing a diversified foreign policy and partners, taking advantage of its key geostrategic position.

In light of this stance, it is important to understand Nepal’s policy motivation. New Delhi was for long perceived in Kathmandu as “hawkish” and “selfish”

in dealing with sensitive matters, which in turn projected an unlikeable image

of India.

Ans. Amid indications of likely shortfall in revenue (against targets), the UP government, was busy finalising state’s annual budget for 2018-2019, facing a daunting task of accommodating populist schemes.

> A close scrutiny of the state government’s revenue receipts by December 31, 2017 indicates that its major departments have not been able to meet the targets. The state government has been able to generate revenue of Rs 41,700 crore against the target of Rs 44,700 crore on December 31, 2017.

> It includes excise revenue of Rs 11,322 crore against the target of Rs 13,455 crore and stamp duty of Rs 9700 crore against the target of Rs 13,000 crore. The transport department, however, exceeded target of Rs 4,250 crore and registered revenue generation of about Rs 4,600 crore.

> The crop loan waiver scheme involving expenditure of about Rs 36, 000 crore and rising salaries due to implementation of 7th pay commission recommendations for its staff and teachers have put additional pressure on the state’s resources.

> The state government had spent a sum of Rs 1,19,393 crore on payment of salaries, pension and interest in 2015-2016. Its expenditure under this head is expected to go up to Rs 1,64,181.67 crore in 2017-2018.

Ans. India is a democratic country and in this system, power confers with the people. The power is exercised through its designated representatives who have the command to manage them for particular period. The civil services by quality of its knowledge, experience and understanding of public affairs support the chosen representatives to device effectual policy and have great responsibility to implement these policies for the welfare of society and enhancement of nation.

Parliamentary democracies are generally pigeonholed by a permanent civil service which helps the political policymakers and political executives. India is a constitutional fairness and its operations are usually depends upon four supports that include Legislature, Executive, Judiciary, and Free Press. Each one of these has been assigned its role in democratic establishment. First pillar is associated with the governance of the State. Effective and efficient institutions form the strength of an efficacious development and governance process.

There is immense importance of the civil service system in the administrative system which acts as most vital tool for governance of India. In postindependent, India civil service was reorganised. There are three tiers of administration that include Union/Central Government, State Government, and Local Government. At the central level, the civil service include the All India Services, namely the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Forest Service (IFS), and Indian Police Service (IPS). Besides these, there are other Central Services such as the Indian Revenue Service, Indian Railways Service, etc. at central level. The State Governments have their own set of services like State Civil Service.

Gradually, with time, the role of civil services has transformed that depend on the schedule of the governance of that specific period.

Multi-member Commission consists of a Central Vigilance Commissioner (Chairperson) and not more than two Vigilance Commissioners (Member).

The Central Vigilance Commissioner and the Vigilance Commissioners are appointed by the President on the recommendations of a Committee consisting of the Prime Minister (Chairperson), the Minister of Home Affairs (Member) and the Leader of the Opposition in the House of the People (Member). The term of office of the Central Vigilance Commissioner and the Vigilance Commissioners is four years from the date on which they enter their office or till they attain the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.

The CVC receives complaints on corruption or misuse of office and to recommend appropriate action. Following institutions, bodies, or a person can approach to CVC:

> Central government

> Lokpal

> Whistle blowers

The commission advises as to the action to be taken in the following cases: (i) Reports of investigation by the C.B.I involving departmental action or prosecution (ii) Reports of investigation by the ministry or department involving disciplinary action in cases either referred by the commission or otherwise (iii) Cases received direct from the public sector undertakings and statutory corporations.

CVC is often considered a powerless agency as it is treated as an advisory body only with no power to register criminal case against government officials or direct CBI to initiate inquiries against any officer of the level of Joint Secretary and above.

Although CVC is “relatively independent” in its functioning, it neither has the resources nor the power to take action on complaints of corruption.

Ans. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) was developed by the Indian government to reduce rural poverty through 100 days of guaranteed employment per year.

> MGNREGA offered some basic employment for marginalized groups, it did not provide substantial help to the most vulnerable. However, there was some evidence of small but significant shifts in labour relations. Higher wages, more opportunities for work, better implementation and a greater recognition of the caregiving responsibilities of women will be required for this policy to fully meet its goals.

> Included in this employment scheme is the guarantee that if the government is unable to provide a job to a qualified applicant within 15 days of an application being submitted, the applicant will receive unemployment insurance.

> The stated goals of this policy are: 1) social protection; 2) the creation of durable assets (such as water security, soil conservation, higher land productivity) through the manual labour conducted by the workers; 3) employment of disadvantaged workers such as women, SC and ST; and 4) inclusive growth in rural India through the policy’s impact on livelihood security and democratic empowerment.

The MGNREGA programme was implemented following a number of government employment programmes developed in response to the persistent poverty and inequality plaguing rural India. MGNREGA is the largest rural employment scheme in the world. It is described by the Government of India as a rights-based, demand-driven, self-selecting, bottom-up scheme. In addition to providing rural households with supplementary employment, MGNREGA also seeks to encourage and facilitate the empowerment of women through

financial inclusion and independence, strengthen civic participation, as well as improve the rural landscape.

Ans. According to D.D. Basu, “The Constitution of India is neither purely federal nor purely unitary but it is a combination of both.” The brief description of both is given below:

1. Written and Rigid Constitution: The Constitution of India is written and rigid. The powers of the Central Government and State Governments, Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles of State Policy have been clearly defined in the Constitution and there is very little possibility of conflict.

2. Supremacy of the Constitution: The Indian Constitution is the supreme law of the country. No individual, institution, functionary of the government or even government can work against the provisions of the Constitution. If parliament or any state Legislature passes a law in contravance of the provisions of the Constitution that can be declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

3. Division of Powers: Like other federal constitutions, the Constitution of India provides division of powers between the Central Government and the Governments of the states. The powers are divided into three lists(i) Union List, (ii) State List, and (iii) Concurrent List. Residuary Powers have been vested with the Centre.

4. Division of powers in favour of Centre: The Indian Constitution has distributed the powers between the Centre and the States in such a way that Centre has become stronger than the States. Most important and almost all important subjects have been included in the Union List. If there is a clash over a subject in the Concurrent List between the Centre and the State, the will of the Centre will prevail.

5. Change in the boundaries of States: The Constitution of India empowers the Parliament to change the boundaries of the existing States or create new States or change the name of the States on the recommendation of the President.

6. States have no right to frame their own Constitutions: In some federal States, like the USA, units of the federation (States) enjoy the power to frame their own separate Constitutions subject to certain restrictions. But, in India, States do not enjoy such power. They have no right to frame their own Constitutions or secede from the Union.

7. In India, every citizen enjoys only single citizenship, i.e., citizenship of

India.

Ans. The Parliament keeps a day-to-day watch over the activities of the Executive. As ours is a parliamentary system of Government, the Executive is responsible to the Parliament for all acts of omissions and commissions. The Parliament may remove a Cabinet out of power by a vote of no confidence. It may reject a bill or a budget proposal of the Cabinet.

1. The Question Hour (Interpellation): This is the most important hour of the two Houses. Here, the first hour of a sitting in both the houses is allotted for asking questions and answering of questions. This is done to obtain of public importance or to ventilate a grievance.

2. Adjournment Motion: This motion is aimed at censuring the acts of omission and commission of the Ministers. For example in the past, the motion was allowed for the following subjects: – rejection of a government bill, passing of a private member’s bill against the wishes of the government, death of several persons due to the consumption of unlicensed liquor.

3. No-confidence Motion: If a government acts against the Constitutional provisions, it can be voted out of office by passing a no-confidence motion. In such a case, the whole Ministry has to resign from office.

4. Censure Motion: This motion is moved against a group of Ministers or an individual Minister that expresses disapproval against his policies or some kind of deed. Adoption of this motion results in the resignation of the government.

5. Monetary Controls: During the Budget session, a cut motion can be moved. The Parliamentary Committee on Public Accounts ensures that public money is spent in accordance with Parliament’s decision. It examines the reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.

Ans. The working of Panchayati Raj Institutions since 1959 has been viewed as a success in a few states and a failure in most of the states. It means that the system has been experiencing ups and downs.

Conceptual Confusion: In the first instance, the concept of Panchayati Raj is very narrow as it was not viewed as an institutional framework which could

play an important role in the overall development of -rural masses. The present concept does not envisage even a single unit of Panchayati Raj Institutions as an instrument of planning as well as implementation agency of different rural development programmes. There is also lack of clarity about Panchayati Raj Institutions as agencies that can manage routine administration, infrastructure and bring about socioeconomic welfare of the rural population. There are a multiplicity of agencies in the rural scene charged with the responsibility of undertaking a plethora of developmental activities.

The 73rd Amendment Act, 1992, has only provided the general guidance for the effective and efficient working of panchayat raj institutions (PRIS) in India. It has granted the PRIS Constitutional status and some sort of uniformity by making three-tier system a permanent feature; regularity, by making election an imperative after the termination of the PRIs after every five years and provision of the State Election Commission to conduct and supervise the election; and more financial autonomy with the constitution of the State Finance Commission, to outline its major contributions

The most debated problem till recently was giving constitutional recognition to the PRIs. It was often observed by the scholars that the founding fathers of the Constitution gave only lip service to democratic decentralisation by mentioning it in Article 40 of the Constitution in (Part IV) the Directive Principles of State Policy. But after the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, the PRIs have got constitutional legitimacy.

Ans. CAG is an independent authority under the Constitution of India. He is the head of the Indian audit & account department and chief Guardian of Public purse.

> CAG derives its audit mandate from different sources like-Constitution (Articles 148 to 151), The Comptroller and Auditor General’s (Duties, Powers and Conditions of Service) Act, 1971, Instructions of Government of India, Regulations on Audit & Accounts-2007 ●

> CAG audits the accounts related to all expenditure from the Consolidated Fund of India, Consolidated Fund of each state and UT’s having a legislative assembly.

> He audits all expenditure from the Contingency Fund of India and the Public Account of India as well as the Contingency Fund and Public Account of each state.

> He audits all trading, manufacturing, profit and loss accounts, balance sheets and other subsidiary accounts kept by any department of the Central Government and the state governments.

> He audits the accounts of any other authority when requested by the President or Governor e.g. Local bodies.

> He advises the President with regard to prescription of the form in which the accounts of the Centre and States shall be kept.

> He submits his audit reports relating to the accounts of the Centre to the President, who shall, in turn, place them before both the houses of Parliament.

> He submits his audit reports relating to the accounts of a State to the Governor, who shall, in turn, place them before the state legislature.

> CAG also acts as a guide, friend and philosopher of the Public Accounts Committee of the Parliament.

> The Arctic Council is a high-level intergovernmental body set up in 1996 by the Ottawa declaration to promote cooperation, coordination and interaction among the Arctic States together with the indigenous communities and other Arctic inhabitants.

> The Council has the eight circumpolar countries as member states and is mandated to protect the Arctic environment and promote the economies and social and cultural well-being of the indigenous people whose organizations are permanent participants in the council.

> Members of the Arctic Council: Ottawa Declaration declares Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden and the United States of America as a member of the Arctic Council.

> Permanent participants: In 1998, the number of Permanent Participants doubled to make up the present six, as,the Aleut International Association (AIA), and then, in 2000, the Arctic Athabaskan Council (AAC) and the Gwich’in Council International (GGI) were appointed Permanent Participants.

> Arctic Council assessments and recommendations are the result of analysis and efforts undertaken by the Working Groups. Decisions of the Arctic Council are taken by consensus among the eight Arctic Council States, with full consultation and involvement of the Permanent Participants.

> The Chairmanship of the Arctic Council rotates every two years among the Arctic States. The first country to chair the Arctic Council was Canada (1996-1998).

The Arctic Council does not prohibit the commercial exploitation of resources in the Arctic. It only seeks to ensure that it is done in a sustainable manner without harming the interests of local populations and in conformity with the local environment. Therefore, to stay relevant in the Arctic region, India should take advantage of the observer status it has earned in the Arctic Council and consider investing more in the Arctic.

Ans. India’s policy in Afghanistan was mostly about soft power. Along with the parliament and the dam, several community projects and schools were set up.

India’s soft power diplomacy, particularly in Afghanistan involves winning “hearts and minds” and strengthening its cultural as well as political relations with Afghanistan, backed with the ideas of nation building and political stability. While one might say that India’s ulterior motive is to gain regional hegemony or become a global power, it cannot be denied that focusing on soft power methods has benefitted India in Afghanistan and is helping it build trust and support in the nation.

India has been heavily involved in and has largely contributed to the educational development in Afghanistan. The education sector in Afghanistan lacks proper infrastructure, suffers from a huge gender disparity and shortage of trained teachers. India has provided multiple scholarships to Afghan students with thousands of Afghan nationals studying in India. Vocational training and skill development classes are also provided to Afghan women and youth. India is currently building and upgrading the Habibia High School, a project that is worth more than 1 million USD. Through educational development, India has also tried to build ties with the ethnic communities of Afghanistan, specially the Pashtun community that is present on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and serves as a buffer between Pakistan and India. Education as a soft power has worked in favour of India with regards to building trust and influence among the people of Afghanistan.

Clearly, India’s use of soft power over hard power in Afghanistan has greatly benefited the nation and its relationship with Afghanistan. Soft power plays an important role in developing friendly and diplomatic relations with nations and cannot be neglected. This is not to say that hard power should be completely neglected.

Ans. The Abraham Accords are a joint statement made between Israel, the United States and the United Arab Emirates on August 13, 2020. It also refers to the agreement reached between Israel, Bahrain and the UAE to normalise relations between the three.

> The original Abraham Accords were signed by the UAE’s Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on September 15, 2020. The first UAE Ambassador to Israel, Mohammed Al Khaja arrived in the country on March 1, 2021.

> The Abraham Accords stipulated that the UAE and Bahrain would establish their respective embassies in Israel and work together with Israel across a range of sectors, including tourism, trade and security.

> The religious significance is that it would allow for Muslims to one of the holiest sites in Islam, the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

> Following the signing of the accords, Sudan and Morocco also normalised relations with Israel in the same year. It is speculated that more countries will follow suit but given the factitious nature of Middle-Eastern politics it seems highly unlikely in the short-term at least.

> Foreign relations experts are of the opinion that the rise of Iran’s clout in the region has played a significant role in signing of the accords. Iran has been a long-time enemy of Israel and its leaders have vowed to continue the fight for Palestine’s independence regardless of who makes peace with Israel.

For India, the Abraham Accords are a welcome step that may herald a new era of peace in the Middle East. Since it shares cordial relationship with all the signatories of the accord then India stands to gain unprecedented benefits

as a result.