Dear Aspirant,
Lately we have received many requests to provide guidance on how to form a good opinion and how to write a good answer.
Opinions are vital for this exam , for the simple reason that , they are not only asked in Mains questions but also in Interview . Thus it is important to develop a good opinion.How to do it is a greater question and the way to do it differs from individual to individual.
However, we are providing a generalist guide in this regard and you may incorporate them and augment them as you see fit.
Opinion are very diverse and principally follows the concept of ” each to their own” . That is to say, every individual has his/her opinion . What is important is that one should back his/her opinion with valid reason and logical thinking.
On a technical stand point opinions can be of two type based on deductions :-
- Deductive Opinion
- Inductive Opinion
Deductive opinions are those where , a certain amount of data can be logically deducted to form the opinion.For example – Lets us say there is a region called “Harappa” that have 1000 population.Now , if one gathers the data on per capita income , once can deduce that the standard of living of Harappan people is good or bad.So the deductive opinion on certain amount of data for a certain region may hold true in this case.
Problem arises when we do inductive reasoning.For example – one collects data only of Harappa and not of nearby regions such as Mahenjodaro or Kalibangan. In this case if an opinion is given on standards of living of Mahenjodaro or Kalibangan based only on the sampling data collected from Harappa, it might hold true or not.
To make it rather simple to understand, lets take the recent example where almost all newspapers across globe termed “Delhi as unsafe for girls” or for that matter “India is a country of rapists”. The opinion is formed on the basis of a single or very few incidents(the implications aside) . In this case , when a certain person reads the news , one gets the perception as such – either of the whole country or of Delhi. (Another good example can be the recent events of “intolerance” )
But we all know that it is not true. However perception is stronger than reality and we are generally guided or misguided by our preconceived perception.Thus inductive reasoning can be dangerous and can distort our opinion.
The art lies in segregating perception from reality and only when we are capable to do that , we will be able to form good opinion without misconceptions and prejudice.
More so, our answer in exam demands such clarity and the very job that we all aspire deems it a necessity.
So in conclusion , here are few tips to form good opinion and incorporate them in your answer :-
- You must question everything in your mind.For example – If you come across any article/editorial don’t only consume what the writer says , try to get a grasp on the writer – Who he/she is, where he/she belongs , why he/she wrote such an article, what is the necessity behind it and what prompted it and why it was written at that given point of time.Once you find certain views , try to find the views that counter it. This way you will have reasons from both sides and then you can form your opinion.
- This might sound a lot to do , but it is rather simple , just inculcate the “Spirit of Inquiry” and you will see the change.
- When you read something , try to think over it for next one or two days and get a grasp of all alternative views on it.
- Try to think on multiple angles . For example – If you are writing an answer on corruption – try to think- whether it is only economic or is there any moral/ethical angle to it.Do we see the corruption in other spheres such as politics or environment etc.Simply put, try to push the boundary of a concept beyond the conventional.
- When you come across a certain concept , try to form a holistic view on it at the first sight and note down the points.There is no point in reading 100 articles on the same issue that have same theme but different words . Thus try to understand a concept at first sight and try to internalize the various points that you can put forth if asked in the exam.
- Most importantly , everything should be related to syllabus. There is no point in discussing unrelated topics that will be of no help.
- Lastly , You should know what to know and what not-to-know. For example – If you are reading an article on Project Loon – try to understand the basics of it however there is no benefit of going beyond the basics and exploring the technicalities of it, simply because this job requires a generalistic understanding of all subjects not to be master of it .Quite akin to Jack of all trades as far as general studies concerned.
- But you have to be master of one. That is your optional paper.Mastery is must for this.
- Don’t compartmentalize the general studies beyond requirement.Each paper can help you with an additional point while writing answer for other paper. For example – while writing an answer on economic question you can put some ethics in to it too . But be careful not to thrust a point in your answer that the question never demanded, thus the answer should follow the question and should flow from it.
With that ,we wish you all the best and hope that this gives you certain perspective and helps in your preparation.
We have received few more questions on time management and we will be answering them shortly.
Feel free to write to us at any time with any query that you may have. We are here to help.
Thank you
UPSCTREE Team
Recent Posts
- In the Large States category (overall), Chhattisgarh ranks 1st, followed by Odisha and Telangana, whereas, towards the bottom are Maharashtra at 16th, Assam at 17th and Gujarat at 18th. Gujarat is one State that has seen startling performance ranking 5th in the PAI 2021 Index outperforming traditionally good performing States like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, but ranks last in terms of Delta
- In the Small States category (overall), Nagaland tops, followed by Mizoram and Tripura. Towards the tail end of the overall Delta ranking is Uttarakhand (9th), Arunachal Pradesh (10th) and Meghalaya (11th). Nagaland despite being a poor performer in the PAI 2021 Index has come out to be the top performer in Delta, similarly, Mizoram’s performance in Delta is also reflected in it’s ranking in the PAI 2021 Index
- In terms of Equity, in the Large States category, Chhattisgarh has the best Delta rate on Equity indicators, this is also reflected in the performance of Chhattisgarh in the Equity Pillar where it ranks 4th. Following Chhattisgarh is Odisha ranking 2nd in Delta-Equity ranking, but ranks 17th in the Equity Pillar of PAI 2021. Telangana ranks 3rd in Delta-Equity ranking even though it is not a top performer in this Pillar in the overall PAI 2021 Index. Jharkhand (16th), Uttar Pradesh (17th) and Assam (18th) rank at the bottom with Uttar Pradesh’s performance in line with the PAI 2021 Index
- Odisha and Nagaland have shown the best year-on-year improvement under 12 Key Development indicators.
- In the 60:40 division States, the top three performers are Kerala, Goa and Tamil Nadu and, the bottom three performers are Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar.
- In the 90:10 division States, the top three performers were Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Mizoram; and, the bottom three performers are Manipur, Assam and Meghalaya.
- Among the 60:40 division States, Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh are the top three performers and Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Delhi appear as the bottom three performers.
- Among the 90:10 division States, the top three performers are Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland; and, the bottom three performers are Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh
- Among the 60:40 division States, Goa, West Bengal and Delhi appear as the top three performers and Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Bihar appear as the bottom three performers.
- Among the 90:10 division States, Mizoram, Himachal Pradesh and Tripura were the top three performers and Jammu & Kashmir, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh were the bottom three performers
- West Bengal, Bihar and Tamil Nadu were the top three States amongst the 60:40 division States; while Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan appeared as the bottom three performers
- In the case of 90:10 division States, Mizoram, Assam and Tripura were the top three performers and Nagaland, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand featured as the bottom three
- Among the 60:40 division States, the top three performers are Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa and the bottom three performers are Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Goa
- In the 90:10 division States, the top three performers are Mizoram, Sikkim and Nagaland and the bottom three performers are Manipur and Assam
In a diverse country like India, where each State is socially, culturally, economically, and politically distinct, measuring Governance becomes increasingly tricky. The Public Affairs Index (PAI 2021) is a scientifically rigorous, data-based framework that measures the quality of governance at the Sub-national level and ranks the States and Union Territories (UTs) of India on a Composite Index (CI).
States are classified into two categories – Large and Small – using population as the criteria.
In PAI 2021, PAC defined three significant pillars that embody Governance – Growth, Equity, and Sustainability. Each of the three Pillars is circumscribed by five governance praxis Themes.
The themes include – Voice and Accountability, Government Effectiveness, Rule of Law, Regulatory Quality and Control of Corruption.
At the bottom of the pyramid, 43 component indicators are mapped to 14 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are relevant to the States and UTs.
This forms the foundation of the conceptual framework of PAI 2021. The choice of the 43 indicators that go into the calculation of the CI were dictated by the objective of uncovering the complexity and multidimensional character of development governance
The Equity Principle
The Equity Pillar of the PAI 2021 Index analyses the inclusiveness impact at the Sub-national level in the country; inclusiveness in terms of the welfare of a society that depends primarily on establishing that all people feel that they have a say in the governance and are not excluded from the mainstream policy framework.
This requires all individuals and communities, but particularly the most vulnerable, to have an opportunity to improve or maintain their wellbeing. This chapter of PAI 2021 reflects the performance of States and UTs during the pandemic and questions the governance infrastructure in the country, analysing the effectiveness of schemes and the general livelihood of the people in terms of Equity.
Growth and its Discontents
Growth in its multidimensional form encompasses the essence of access to and the availability and optimal utilisation of resources. By resources, PAI 2021 refer to human resources, infrastructure and the budgetary allocations. Capacity building of an economy cannot take place if all the key players of growth do not drive development. The multiplier effects of better health care, improved educational outcomes, increased capital accumulation and lower unemployment levels contribute magnificently in the growth and development of the States.
The Pursuit Of Sustainability
The Sustainability Pillar analyses the access to and usage of resources that has an impact on environment, economy and humankind. The Pillar subsumes two themes and uses seven indicators to measure the effectiveness of government efforts with regards to Sustainability.
The Curious Case Of The Delta
The Delta Analysis presents the results on the State performance on year-on-year improvement. The rankings are measured as the Delta value over the last five to 10 years of data available for 12 Key Development Indicators (KDI). In PAI 2021, 12 indicators across the three Pillars of Equity (five indicators), Growth (five indicators) and Sustainability (two indicators). These KDIs are the outcome indicators crucial to assess Human Development. The Performance in the Delta Analysis is then compared to the Overall PAI 2021 Index.
Key Findings:-
In the Scheme of Things
The Scheme Analysis adds an additional dimension to ranking of the States on their governance. It attempts to complement the Governance Model by trying to understand the developmental activities undertaken by State Governments in the form of schemes. It also tries to understand whether better performance of States in schemes reflect in better governance.
The Centrally Sponsored schemes that were analysed are National Health Mission (NHM), Umbrella Integrated Child Development Services scheme (ICDS), Mahatma Gandh National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SmSA) and MidDay Meal Scheme (MDMS).
National Health Mission (NHM)
INTEGRATED CHILD DEVELOPMENT SERVICES (ICDS)
MID- DAY MEAL SCHEME (MDMS)
SAMAGRA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN (SMSA)
MAHATMA GANDHI NATIONAL RURAL EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE SCHEME (MGNREGS)