CIVIL SERVICE MAINS – 2016 – GENERAL STUDIES Question Paper -III
We are happy that many questions were asked in our test series and sincerely hope that our students did well.As far as the number of questions concerned we predicted correctly in the MAINS exam – we will leave it to your better judgment.The comparative analysis was given towards the end of the post.
We have asked this questions in our Mains Program :-
- We have published many articles relate to globalization and its impact and the question related to globalization and formal sector was part of it. The most important part being – globalization led to rise of contract employment where the contractors don’t have the social security net provided their employer.We have discussed it one of our articles and in answer scripts of the test series.
- The GENDER BUDGETING question was asked by us verbatim.Hope our students did well.Here is the question we asked in our mock test:-
- Give an outline of the concept of and the government initiatives for gender-budgeting in India.
- PMJDY and financial inclusion , was a question expected last year but came this year.Not much of a trouble for the candidate to answer this question anyway.We have asked question related to financial inclusion however not specific to PMJDY as we expected it last year.
- SMART CITY and RURBAN – both were specifically asked by us on our test series.There are 2 questions asked by us :-
- Smart Cities Mission aims to improve the quality of life of the average urban citizen. However according to few experts, it is necessary to make cities liveable first before making them smart.Discuss in light of problems associated with urban areas in India.
- The sustainable cities need sustainable villages. In light of this statement , discuss the components and importance of RURBAN mission.
- FDI question can be discussed in many heads :-
- Justification – for FOREX .Capital Investment is anyway a good things for economy.It also brings new technology along with work culture and better management practices.
- The gap is due to :-
- Foggy business process along with difficulty is getting permits ,land acquisition and EIA etc (eg – POSCO fiasco)
- Politicization of the issue leading to protests etc
- Red-tapesim
- Retrospective taxation issue
- High corporate tax
- The criteria for local employment issue and the burden of skilling them.
- Many other issues can be thought of on these line
- Question given in our test series is not related to the question of the Mains exam directly however there is little overlap of content.Question in our test series –
- “The recent liberalization in FDI will help India to attain the commanding heights of its economic potential”. Comment.
- Inclusive Growth – the editorial is here – Click Here
- Question asked in our test series –
- Even after seven decades of targeted policy making, India was ranked very low globally on most of the parameters for inclusive growth and development. Analyse the problems associated with achieving inclusive growth in India and suggest solutions for it.
- Question asked in our test series –
- Water use efficiency and micro irrigation can be answered , but you have to extrapolate points from our various articles, and it is fairly a simple answer.While answering one can link water with climate smart agriculture because agriculture uses the most of the water. Discuss what what we can learn from Israel.You must discuss drip irrigation and sprinkler irrigation etc.We have published one article on climate smart agriculture, 6 articles on water usage and one one Indo-Israel mou etc.So you have link it all and then answer this question.
- Allelopathy is the biological phenomenon where a plant releases certain biochemical which influence the germination and growth of certain other plants and organisms.It essentially , if put to good use can reduce the unnecessary weeds in agriculture.This question was not given by us in any of our tests 🙂
- Land reforms was a question asked in our mains test series.This was our question :-
- “By and large land reforms in India enacted so far and those contemplated in the near future are in the right direction; and yet due to lack of implementation the actual results are far from satisfactory”. Substantiate.
- And the answer script we have provided is one of the best to answer this question holistically.
- The exhaustive answer script can be found her – Click here
- The password to open the post is – utree2016
- PMFBY, we asked this question in Mains series : This was the question :-
- The recently launched “Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana” can bring paradigm shift as far as crop insurance is concerned. Comment.
- In the mains exam question you only have to write the salient features but in our question you have to go a step further and justify why it is a paradigm shift by comparing the features with previous crop insurance schemes.
- Renewable energy question:-
- This question can easily be answered by few article given by us :-
- Space tech and its application
- Question in our test series:-
- Space technology is increasingly changing the method and means of administration.In light of this , discuss importance of space technology to bring paradigm shift in rural economy of India.
- Question in our test series:-
- Nanotechnology and application
- Question in our test series:-
- What is “nano technology” ?Bring out its benefits and applications.
- Question in our test series:-
- Rehabilitation and its impact
- You can answer this question by 2 of our ARC report summaries.
- Urban Flood
- Question given in our test series :-
- Increasing anthropogenic intervention in natural processes is transforming rainfall, rather a “natural event” to a “man-made disaster”. In light of this discuss the reasons behind rising instances of urban floods in India and suggest measures to tackle it.
- Question given in our test series :-
- NDMA guidelines and cloud burst (Not asked by us)
- Surgical strikes and hot pursuit (Not asked by us , although article were published on this)
- Terrorism as industry
- Many article and question were given on this, well known theme anyway.
- Border management
- This question has to answered by using geography and polity along with International relationship.
- Use geography to justify complexity – 15000 km land and 7000km sea border in most volatile region with hostile neighbours.Hogback topography, Siachen difficulties.
- Challenges are well known and can be discussed in the following heads – geographical/environmental (for example – cross-country biosphere reserves , natural parks etc ),historical,socio-cultural and political etc
- Social media and national security
- Question given by us in our test series:-
- Discuss role of social media in globalizing terrorism.Suggest Measures to counter the propaganda of terrorists.
- Question given by us in our test series:-
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[wptelegram-join-channel link=”https://t.me/s/upsctree” text=”Join @upsctree on Telegram”]2021 WEF Global Gender Gap report, which confirmed its 2016 finding of a decline in worldwide progress towards gender parity.
Over 2.8 billion women are legally restricted from having the same choice of jobs as men. As many as 104 countries still have laws preventing women from working in specific jobs, 59 countries have no laws on sexual harassment in the workplace, and it is astonishing that a handful of countries still allow husbands to legally stop their wives from working.
Globally, women’s participation in the labour force is estimated at 63% (as against 94% of men who participate), but India’s is at a dismal 25% or so currently. Most women are in informal and vulnerable employment—domestic help, agriculture, etc—and are always paid less than men.
Recent reports from Assam suggest that women workers in plantations are paid much less than men and never promoted to supervisory roles. The gender wage gap is about 24% globally, and women have lost far more jobs than men during lockdowns.
The problem of gender disparity is compounded by hurdles put up by governments, society and businesses: unequal access to social security schemes, banking services, education, digital services and so on, even as a glass ceiling has kept leadership roles out of women’s reach.
Yes, many governments and businesses had been working on parity before the pandemic struck. But the global gender gap, defined by differences reflected in the social, political, intellectual, cultural and economic attainments or attitudes of men and women, will not narrow in the near future without all major stakeholders working together on a clear agenda—that of economic growth by inclusion.
The WEF report estimates 135 years to close the gap at our current rate of progress based on four pillars: educational attainment, health, economic participation and political empowerment.
India has slipped from rank 112 to 140 in a single year, confirming how hard women were hit by the pandemic. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two Asian countries that fared worse.
Here are a few things we must do:
One, frame policies for equal-opportunity employment. Use technology and artificial intelligence to eliminate biases of gender, caste, etc, and select candidates at all levels on merit. Numerous surveys indicate that women in general have a better chance of landing jobs if their gender is not known to recruiters.
Two, foster a culture of gender sensitivity. Take a review of current policies and move from gender-neutral to gender-sensitive. Encourage and insist on diversity and inclusion at all levels, and promote more women internally to leadership roles. Demolish silos to let women grab potential opportunities in hitherto male-dominant roles. Work-from-home has taught us how efficiently women can manage flex-timings and productivity.
Three, deploy corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds for the education and skilling of women and girls at the bottom of the pyramid. CSR allocations to toilet building, the PM-Cares fund and firms’ own trusts could be re-channelled for this.
Four, get more women into research and development (R&D) roles. A study of over 4,000 companies found that more women in R&D jobs resulted in radical innovation. It appears women score far higher than men in championing change. If you seek growth from affordable products and services for low-income groups, women often have the best ideas.
Five, break barriers to allow progress. Cultural and structural issues must be fixed. Unconscious biases and discrimination are rampant even in highly-esteemed organizations. Establish fair and transparent human resource policies.
Six, get involved in local communities to engage them. As Michael Porter said, it is not possible for businesses to sustain long-term shareholder value without ensuring the welfare of the communities they exist in. It is in the best interest of enterprises to engage with local communities to understand and work towards lowering cultural and other barriers in society. It will also help connect with potential customers, employees and special interest groups driving the gender-equity agenda and achieve better diversity.