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UPSC Previous Year Questions: CSP 2021

@CSE20 but doesn't the question mention Parliamentary Committees and not just simply committees?

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@Masked_marvel Negative liberty is the notion that liberty is lack ofexternal restrictions. For example, most governments have laws that prevent one from taking hard drugs like cocaine or heroine. This would be an infringement on one's liberty in terms of negative liberty since there is a restriction placed on an individual. Whether the restriction is good for the individual or society is a null point (or a 'moo point' as Joey would put it lol) for proponents of negative liberty. 


Positive liberty is the notion that liberty is having thecapacity to act. For example, think of a Dalit and a so called 'high caste' during the early periods of Independence. While they both enjoyed the same legal and political rights, their capabilities to get a meaningful and decent job were entirely different. One could say that the members of the high caste have a higher amount of liberty than members of the Dalit community in terms of positive liberty. In this case, proponents of negative liberty would say they have the same amount of liberty. 


So while negative liberty is only concerned with political and legal rights while positive liberty is also concerned with socio-economic rights.

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Oh one more important point I forgot to mention. Negative liberty sees State intervention as an infringement of liberty while positive liberty sees State intervention as a way to increase liberty by increasing the capacity to act for weaker sections of society.
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