{"id":48782,"date":"2019-07-04T13:30:27","date_gmt":"2019-07-04T08:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogadmin.forumias.com\/?p=48782"},"modified":"2019-07-29T15:27:42","modified_gmt":"2019-07-29T09:57:42","slug":"answers-mains-marathon-upsc-mains-current-affairs-questions-july-3-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/answers-mains-marathon-upsc-mains-current-affairs-questions-july-3-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Answers: Mains Marathon \u2013 UPSC Mains Current Affairs Questions \u2013 July 3, 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Archives<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q.1)\nIndia is posed to become a <\/strong> $<\/strong>5 trillion dollar economy. Discuss various challenges\nand issues India face in achieving it. <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ans.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Demand of the question<\/strong> Introduction. <\/strong>Give a contextual introduction. Body. <\/strong>Various <\/strong>challenges and issues wrt achieving the target. Conclusion. <\/strong>Way forward. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n\n\n\n

Presiding over the 5th\nGoverning Council meeting of NITI Aayog recently, Prime minister of India set a\ngoal of $5 trillion for India\u2019s GDP by 2024, saying it is a difficult target\nbut achievable. It will need India to grow annually at <\/em>12% <\/em><\/strong>over the next 5 years. Achieving\nsuch an aspirational growth target calls for pulling all the economic growth\nlevers- investment, consumption, exports, and across all the three sectors of\nagriculture, manufacturing and services.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Various Challenges.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Shift in global trade\npattern<\/strong>– The trade intensity<\/strong>\n(ratio of global trade to global GDP) since the last financial crisis in 2008,\nhas stagnated, in particular for merchandise trade from which developing\ncountries have benefited for the last half century. However service trade,\nespecially digitally enabled trade (both service and merchandise) where\ndeveloped countries are advantaged, is growing much faster, which represents a\nmajor structural shift in global trade. Our growth strategies need to be built\nin preparation for this paradigm shift taking place in global trading pattern.<\/li>
  2. Consumption slowdown-<\/strong> <\/strong> Everything from car sales, two-wheeler sales,\nand tractor sales have been falling. People are clearly not spending money at\nthe same pace as they were earlier. The government needs to increase its\nexpenditure in this financial year and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) needs to\ncut the repo rate further. With private consumption slowing down, the\ngovernment spending more will lead to increased income in the hands of people,\nand then they will spend more and economic growth will revive. <\/strong><\/li>
  3. Decreasing Savings-<\/strong> <\/strong>At\nthe same time, the government spending more means the government is borrowing\nmore to finance the higher fiscal deficit. Domestic\nSavings <\/strong>are decreasing. In present scenario of around 33%\nsaving rate, if the government decides to spend more, it will mean the\ngovernment will have to borrow more. This will leave lesser for everyone else\nto borrow and push up interest rates. India need savings to be around 39% <\/strong>to achieve $5 trillion status.<\/strong><\/li>
  4. Stressed Public sector banks-<\/strong> <\/strong>The Public Sector Banks are driver\nof economic growth. They have been in a mess for some time now. As of 31\nDecember 2018, the total bad loans of these banks amounted to \u20b98.64 trillion. In\nthe last two fiscal years, the government has invested \u20b92.06 trillion into\nthese banks to recapitalise them and to keep them going. Government will have\nto continue investing money in these banks in order to recapitalise them. The\ngovernment also needs to prevent further accumulation of bad loans in the\nfuture. <\/strong><\/li>
  5. Lagging Exports-<\/strong> <\/strong>In\n2018-19, the exports of goods stood at $329.6 billion. Exports to GDP ratio in\n2018-2019 stood at 12.09% of the GDP<\/strong>.\nIt was just about higher than the exports to GDP ratio of 11.78% in 2004-2005.\nThis is a serious anomaly which needs to be set right. Also, India seems to be\nmoving away from low-value exports. <\/strong><\/li>
  6. Shift in export nature-<\/strong> <\/strong>India\u2019s\nexport basket in recent years has shifted away from primary and traditional low\nvalue-added exports to higher value-added manufacturing and technology-driven\nitems. India hasn\u2019t done well on front of low-value labour-intensive exports while\nhigh-value skill oriented exports have done well<\/strong>.\nIn the recent past, we have lost out to other Asian countries. The new\ngovernment needs to encourage labour-intensive exports at all costs. For\nstarters, this means carrying out labour reforms, where the smaller firms\naren\u2019t expected to follow the same rules as the larger ones.<\/strong><\/li>
  7. Loss-making PSUs-<\/strong> <\/strong>Just\nafter independence, India had only five central public sector enterprises\n(CPSEs). As of March 2018, there were 339 CPSEs. There are many loss-incurring\nCPSEs. BSNL and Air India <\/strong>are some examples. Any talk\nof selling or shutting down such companies creates a lot of criticism. There\nare many other small CPSEs, which make losses every year. They also don\u2019t\nemploy many people like the bigger CPSEs. There is a lot of capital blocked in\nthese companies. These companies and their can be sold, and money can be raised\nto build the better physical infrastructure that the country badly needs.\nDisinvestment by government is a right step.<\/strong><\/li>
  8. Agriculture distress-<\/strong> <\/strong>The\nshort-term reason for distress in agriculture has been falling food prices. There\nis a long-term reason also. In 2004-2005, agriculture, forestry and fishing, as\na percentage of GDP, stood at around 21%. It has since dropped to around 13.1% .<\/strong> This means that people need\nto be moved away from agriculture and that is something which hasn\u2019t happened.\nTypically, as countries move from being developing countries to becoming\ndeveloped countries, the farming labour first moves en masse towards low-end\nconstruction and real estate jobs, given that the skill set required for these\njobs is very low. In India, that hasn\u2019t happened to the extent necessary. <\/strong><\/li>
  9. Environmental Concerns-<\/strong> <\/strong>Indian\ncities are at top when it comes to air pollution rankings across the globe. Maintaining\ndevelopment with healthy environmental is a big challenge. India need to adopt\nsustainable measures to achieve sustainable growth and development. Green\nprojects, green funding, implementation of Fame-India scheme, shifting to\ncleaner energy are right steps.<\/strong><\/li>
  10. Jobless and non-inclusive growth-<\/strong>\nAlthough set to become a  $5 trillion\neconomy, India\u2019s recent growth story is non inclusive. Jobless growth as was\nmentioned in economic survey is a big issue for India whose 23.6 % population\nis under poverty. Increasing automation, technological driven growth demand new\nskills and new jobs to be created for true inclusive growth and development.<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Our economic development\nmodels are still very much geared to large scale <\/em>top-down approach<\/em><\/strong>. We have to find innovative\nways to identify, include and scale these development efforts in our national\nplanning in the 21st century<\/em>. There is an opportunity that\nthe new government has to do a few things to resolve these challenges. Steps\nlike <\/em>Skill India, Make in India, Saubhagya\nScheme<\/em><\/strong>, etc. will help India to achieve the feat\nfacing these challenges, at an adequate scale. That\u2019s what India needs over the\nnext five years.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Q.2) Explain Mahatma Gandhi\u2019s\nphilosophy of Satyagrah. Do you think\nSatyagraha is still a relevant mode of protest in modern times?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Ans <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
    Demand of the question<\/strong> Introduction. <\/strong>Define what is Satyagraha. Body. <\/strong>Write some details about Satyagraha and its relevance. Conclusion.  <\/strong>Way forward <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n\n\n\n

    Satyagraha<\/em><\/strong>, (Sanskrit and Hindi: \u201cholding onto truth\u201d) as a concept\nwas introduced by Mahatma Gandhi to designate a determined but nonviolent<\/strong>\nresistance to evil. Gandhi\u2019s satyagraha became a major tool in the Indian\nstruggle against British imperialism and has since been adopted by protest\ngroups in other countries.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What is Satyagraha according to Gandhiji?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The term Satyagraha was first coined by Gandhiji in\nSouth Africa <\/strong>to express the tendency of the Indian minds and methods of\nmeeting violence<\/em>, injustice or of thwarting unjust laws of racial\ndiscrimination practiced by the white minority there<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. It is a method which\ninvolves a breach of the law, but without causing physical harm to the agents\nof the law. The purpose<\/strong> is to undermine the unjust system so that it\ngives way and reform can be achieved.<\/li>
    2. It was conceived as a weapon\nof the strongest<\/strong> and excludes the use of violence and hatred in any shape\nor form. Satyagraha is a relentless search for truth and determination to reach\ntruth not by inflicting of suffering on the opponent, by on one’s self<\/strong>. <\/li>
    3. Non-violence is the basis of\nSatyagraha. For Gandhi, a Satyagrahi obeys the laws of society intelligently\n<\/strong>and of his own freewill, because he considers it to be his sacred duty to\ndo so. <\/li>
    4. Satyagraha, as conceived by\nGandhi, was never a mean to the disrupt the society<\/strong>. According to this\nphilosophy, satyagrahis- achieve correct insight into the real nature of an\nevil situation by observing a nonviolence of the mind, by seeking truth in a\nspirit of peace and love, and by undergoing a rigorous process of\nself-scrutiny. In so doing, the satyagrahi encounters truth in the absolute. <\/li>
    5. Satyagraha includes more\nthan civil disobedience<\/strong>. Its full range of application extends from the\ndetails of correct daily living to the construction of alternative political\nand economic institutions. Satyagraha seeks to conquer through conversion: in\nthe end, there is neither defeat nor victory but rather a new harmony.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Is it a relevant mode of protest?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      As people begin to feel the injustice to which they and their\nfellow citizens have been subjected to, an injustice that needs to be battled,\nthey also come to think about the methods that should be used to battle\nthese injustices.<\/strong> In the process, they are politicised and motivated to\nact. And this Gandhi felt was revolutionary because public opinion becomes a\nvital force, challenges injustice, and challenges the government for its acts\nof omission.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      1. Satyagraha act as protest\nmovement against authority or establishment, it can serve not only as a\ncheck on the abuse of power but also as a medium of educating public opinion<\/strong>.\n<\/li>
      2. The first condition<\/strong>\nprecedent to any civil resister is that there should be surety against any\noutbreak of violence. It should be obvious that civil resistance cannot\nflourish in an atmosphere of violence.<\/li>
      3. Satyagraha can\ncommunicate the idea that the rulers have no automatic claim to respect<\/strong>.\nUnless people can exercise their judgment, employ their reason, and sound their\nconscience to evaluate the government and the laws they obey, they cannot be\nfree, and at the same time, law-abiding citizens. Therefore, Satyagraha in its\ncivil disobedience form is possible in any political system. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        Examples of effectiveness of non-violent techniques can also\nbe seen from countries other than India. The Norwegians<\/strong> organised an\neffective non-violent resistance against authorities during the German\noccupation in the Second World War. The Czechs<\/strong> organised protest against\nthe Russian army for a couple of days. But what is happening today in the\ncontext of our social, political and economic life falls far short of the\nGandhian values and methods. We find around ourselves strikes, fasts, dharnas,\nsatyagrahas, picketing, gheraos, and many more things of the kind, all\nundertaken to back some demands. Ends are more important to us than the means.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Q.3) The global automobile\nfleet is marching forward to wean away from fossil fuels. Critically analyse\nvarious issues and challenges in front of Indian automobile industry to shift\nto electric vehicles. How India can become a world leader in electric vehicles\nindustry?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Ans.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
        Demand of the question<\/strong> Introduction. <\/strong>Give a brief about the electric vehicle scenario. Body. <\/strong>Discuss various issues and challenges. Conclusion. <\/strong>Way forward. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n\n\n\n

        According to the <\/em>Global Electric Vehicles Outlook<\/em><\/strong>\nreport released by IEA in 2017, the global electric car stock surpassed 2\nmillion vehicles in 2016 after crossing the 1 million threshold in 2015, with\nsimilar trends in many nations. The <\/em>Vahan\nDashboard website <\/em><\/strong>of the Union Ministry of Road\nTransport and Highways shows that the total sale of all Electric Vehicles,\nincluding hybrids, saw an <\/em>impressive seven-fold\nincrease in 2017.<\/em><\/strong> India launched, <\/em>Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid and) Electric\nVehicle (FAME) Scheme,<\/em><\/strong> in 2015 with an aim to develop\nelectric vehicles ecosystem in India. Also <\/em>National\nElectric Mobility Mission Plan<\/em><\/strong> target of having 6-7\nmillion electric vehicles by 2020<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Issues and Challenges- <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        1. Taxes-<\/strong> To\nincentivise electric vehicle sale government need to lower down registration\nprice and taxes, which will not be an easy task and will put fiscal burden.\nMethods to mobilise funds and targeted subsidies should be explored.<\/li>
        2. Charging infrastructure-<\/strong> <\/strong>And the present level of charging\ninfrastructure in India isn\u2019t encouraging. According to a Bloomberg New Energy Finance report,<\/strong>\nIndia currently has about 350 charging points, while China had about 215,000\ninstalled at the end of 2016. Without adequate charging infrastructure, auto\nmakers will not have the incentive to manufacture EVs. Consumers will not shift\nto EVs unless the very basic requirement of charging stations at regular\nintervals is met.<\/li>
        3. Limited Range-<\/strong> <\/strong>One of the largest disadvantages of\nEVs is their limited range, meaning they can run only for a fixed, limited\ndistance on a single charge. This discourage customers to go for electric\nvehicles.<\/li>
        4. Battery Cost and slow\ncharging-<\/strong> <\/strong>Two-wheelers\nhave lead acid battery that takes longer to charge\u20148-9 hours. It also costs\naround Rs. 22,000 and has a warranty of only one year. Customers want shorter\ncharging time and longer warranty period. This is a hurdle in electric vehicle\nsales.<\/li>
        5. Vehicle Cost-<\/strong> <\/strong>Average vehicle prices in India are\nvery low when compared globally<\/strong>.\nFor example, if we talk globally, people in US, EU would not mind spending\naround $35,000 on a new car. That figure is about $15,000 for people who buy a\nnew car in China. But India, the average price of a car is less than $10,000.\nAnd therefore, people will be looking to buy an electric vehicle only when the\nprices of EVs will fall in that range.<\/li>
        6. Lack of clear roadmap-<\/strong> <\/strong>Although <\/strong>government\nhas launched many initiatives and targets like FAME Scheme, it is not clear how India will achieve it. <\/strong>Manufacturers\nand sellers need a single policy that laid\nout a roadmap for creating an EV ecosystem<\/strong>, including charging\nstations and manufacturing and buying incentives.<\/li>
        7. Lack of coordination-<\/strong> <\/strong>It require not only a centre alone\neffort, centre-state coordination <\/strong>is\nmust for implementation of any policy or target. Further various departments and ministries <\/strong>need\nto coordinate to make it feasible. E.g. EV charging station can be set up at\npetrol pumps which need coordination with oil ministry.<\/li>
        8. Uninterrupted Electricity- <\/strong>The\ngovernment hasn\u2019t specified how it plans to generate uninterrupted electricity\nin cities, where power shortages are routine, let alone provide universal\naccess to electricity in the hinterland. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

          What the need to be done?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

          1. An electric\nvehicle (EV) charging infrastructure policy,<\/strong> which will also allow\nindividuals to set up charging station for commercial use to boost e-mobility\nis needed.<\/li>
          2. The government needs to implement significant subsidy schemes<\/strong> and put up mandates which\nwill encourage car buyers to look at electric vehicles.<\/li>
          3. There should be a good network charging infrastructure<\/strong>\nacross the country. Private players <\/strong>should\nbe involved in this as well. Also, the state-owned utilities will need to invest\nin charging infrastructure as well although their financial health is not at\npar with state-owned electric utilities in other parts of the world.<\/li>
          4. Factors<\/strong>\nsuch as unreliable electricity supply, lack of co-ordination between different\ngovernment levels and lack of demand for EVs keep private players away from\ninvesting in charging infrastructure should be taken care of.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

            India is trying to curb air\npollution, strengthen energy security and mitigate climate impacts. Electric\nvehicles (EVs) provide these co-benefits. Official estimates show that India\nwith ambitious EVs can save about 64 % of energy demand for road transport, 37\n% of carbon emissions by 2030 and save $60 billion in diesel and petrol costs\nby 2030. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Q.4) Government of India, recently\nstarted the lateral entry scheme for appointing joint secretaries. Do you think\nit is a right decision? Critically discuss.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Ans. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
            Demand of the question<\/strong> Introduction. <\/strong>A contextual start Body. <\/strong>Benefits, need and concerns wrt lateral entry. Conclusion. <\/strong>Way forward. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n\n\n\n

            In a bid to\nrope in the expertise of private sector professionals, Union government had\nnotified 10 positions of <\/em>joint secretaries through \u2018lateral entry\u2019 scheme<\/em><\/strong>. Generally, senior bureaucrats are appointed\nas joint secretaries in several government departments. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Need\nand benefits of Lateral Entry-<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            1. Inefficient Bureaucracy<\/strong>– Bureaucracy\nin past is criticised for being inefficienct. There is need to change the\ninefficient behaviour and attitude of bureaucracy. Lateral entry can increase bureaucratic\nefficiency and productivity through their experience and expertise.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n