PYQ Vault · Paper 2 · India & the UN System

“India must strive to become a semi-permanent member of the UNSC, rather than a permanent member without the right to veto.” Comment. (2024/10 marks)

How the answer moves

The flow snapshot — the routes in, the body, the counter-view and the routes out.

Flow snapshot — how the answer moves
Intro routes

Route 1 two diminished statuses on offer → both fall short of the equal-rights permanent seat India demands

Route 2 semi-permanent = Uniting for Consensus route; permanent-without-veto = US / 2005 Annan model → neither meets the real demand: parity

Body flow

seat’s worth substantive, not symbolic → Uday Bhaskar: refuse a veto-less seat, it entrenches the P5 / two-tier Council → Tellis: veto withheld over India’s independent foreign policy → semi-permanent no escape → it is the UfC device (Pakistan, Italy) to block the bid → pragmatic turn → Desai: veto-restraint norms = “pragmatic way out” + Gharekhan: realism + G4’s fifteen-year moratorium

Counter-view

principle: parity, veto as substantive power vs pragmatism: realism, presence, persistent deadlock

Conclusion routes

Route 1 keep the principle (equal rights), bend only on timing → semi-permanent = stepping stone, never settlement

Route 2 flexibility on timing, not surrender of category → press the parity claim through the deadlock (Pact for the Future 2024 → 17th postponement 2025)

Model answer

Handwritten, in the form it would be written in the examination hall.

Handwritten model answer — UPSC PSIR 2024, India & the UN System