[Insights Secure – 2019] Daily UPSC Mains Answer Writing Practice: 03 June 2019
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Tomorrow’s Static Topic: Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act.
General Studies – 2
Topic: Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act.
Why this question:
The question is intended to evaluate the issues associated with EVMs.
Key demand of the question:
The answer must discuss in detail the problems associated with EVMs and solutions to overcome them.
Directive:
Discuss – This is an all-encompassing directive – you have to debate on paper by going through the details of the issues concerned by examining each one of them. You have to give reasons for both for and against arguments.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Briefly explain what are EVMs ,how they function.
Body:
Body of the answer should discuss the following aspects:
Problems with EVMs:
- EVMs are neither transparent nor verifiable – Neither can the voter see her vote being recorded, nor can it be verified later whether the vote was recorded correctly; What is verifiable is the total number of votes cast, not the choice expressed in each vote.
- VVPATs solve only one-half of the EVMs’ transparency problem: the voting part.
- counting part remains an opaque operation – If anyone suspects a counting error, there is no recourse; VVPATs can solve this problem too, through statistics; At present, the EC’s VVPAT auditing is restricted to one randomly chosen polling booth per constituency; K. Ashok Vardhan Shetty, a former IAS officer, demonstrates that this sample size will fail to detect faulty EVMs 98-99% of the time; He also shows that VVPATs can be an effective deterrent to fraud only on the condition that the detection of even one faulty EVM in a constituency must entail the VVPAT hand-counting of all the EVMs in that constituency.
- Secrecy – With the paper ballot, the EC could mix ballot papers from different booths before counting, so that voting preferences could not be connected to a given locality; booth-wise counting allows one to discern voting patterns and renders marginalized communities vulnerable to pressure; need Totalizer machines.
- neither the EC nor the voter knows for sure what software is running in a particular EVM.
Conclusion:
Conclude with way forward.
Topic: Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act.
Indian Polity by Lakshmikanth
Why this question:
Question is straightforward and is about comparing the constitutional provisions and Representation of People’s Act, 1951.
Key demand of the question:
The answer must provide for a detailed comparison of Representation of People’s Act, 1951 and the available constitutional provisions.
Directive:
Discuss – This is an all-encompassing directive – you have to debate on paper by going through the details of the issues concerned by examining each one of them. You have to give reasons for both for and against arguments.
Structure of the answer
Introduction:
write a few introductory lines elections in India.
Body:
Answers must discuss the – Part XV of Indian Constitution which is Elections. Along with it explain constitutional provisions.
- The Representation of People Act 1950, which provides for allocation of seats and delimitation of constituencies of the Parliament and state legislature, officers related to conduct of elections, preparation of electoral rolls and manner of filling seats in the Council of States allotted to Union Territories.
- The Representation of People Act, 1951, which provides for the conduct of elections of the Houses of Parliament and to the House or Houses of the Legislature of each State, the qualifications and disqualifications for membership of those Houses, the corrupt practices and other offences at or in connection with such elections and the decision of doubts and disputes arising out of or in connection with such elections.
- Delimitation Commission Act of 1952, which provides for the readjustment of seats, delimitation and reservation of territorial constituencies and other related matters.
- The Presidential and Vice-Presidential Election Act 1952, which provides for the conduct of Presidential and Vice- Presidential election and mechanism for the settlement of any dispute arising out of such elections.
Conclusion –
Conclude with way forward.
Topic: Social issues
Why this question:
The article discusses the death of Payal Tadvi, a 26-year-old resident doctor at Mumbai’s BYL Nair Hospital, which has exposed yet again the insidious nature of discrimination and casteism against Scheduled Caste (SC)/Scheduled Tribe (ST) students in medical colleges.
Demand of the question:
Answer must discuss how suicides are a not anymore just a consequence of psychological or emotional influences alone but have social dimensions too.
Directive word:
Discuss – This is an all-encompassing directive – you have to debate on paper by going through the details of the issues concerned by examining each one of them. You have to give reasons for both for and against arguments.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction
Start with stating facts of the scenario.
Body
Discuss the following points in detail:
- First bring out the general reasons for suicides ranging from fear of failing in examinations, constant criticism from teachers, bullying from peers, family pressure and a loss of a sense of a decent future etc.
- Then discuss what are the social reasons?
- Discuss the cases of Rohit vemula, Payal Tadvi.
- Infer what needs to be done to do away with such heinous incidences.
Conclusion
Conclude with what needs to be done.
Topic: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.
Why this question:
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved that the ambit of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) would be comprehensively extended. With this decision, all land holding eligible farmer families (subject to the prevalent exclusion criteria) would avail of the benefits under this scheme.
Key demand of the question:
The answer is direct and is about discussing the salient features of the scheme, its challenges and the benefits it would get for farmers.
Directive word:
Discuss – This is an all-encompassing directive – you have to debate on paper by going through the details of the issues concerned by examining each one of them. You have to give reasons for both for and against arguments.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin with brief write up on the scheme.
Body:
The answer must discuss the following:
- Around 12 crore small and marginal farmer families are expected to benefit from this. It would not only provide assured supplemental income to the most vulnerable farmer families, but would also meet their emergent needs especially before the harvest season. It would pave the way for the farmers to earn and live a respectable living.
- Under this programme, vulnerable landholding farmer families, having cultivable land up to 2 hectares, will be provided direct income support at the rate of Rs. 6,000 per year.
- This income support will be transferred directly into the bank accounts of beneficiary farmers, in three equal installments of Rs. 2,000 each.
- The complete expenditure of Rs 75000 crore for the scheme will borne by the Union Government in 2019-20.
- Discuss the benefits.
- Challenges in detail.
- Conclude with way forward.
Conclusion:
Conclude with its importance.
Topic: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Why this question:
The question is intended to critically analyse the Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018 and assess the sex workers debate looming the Indian scenario.
Key demands of the question:
The answer must discuss in detail the salient features of the proposed Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018 and then evaluate in detail the entire debate involving sex workers.
Directive:
Critically analyze – When asked to analyze, you have to examine methodically the structure or nature of the topic by separating it into component parts and present them as a whole in a summary. When ‘critically’ is suffixed or prefixed to a directive, one needs to look at the good and bad of the topic and give a fair judgement.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction
In a few introductory lines discuss the issue of sex workers and associated concerns in India.
Body
The body of the answer has to capture the following aspects:
- Explain first how the politics of sex work has been shaped by the ascendance of the global anti-trafficking legal order – Trafficking as a problem of organized crime whereby bad actors coerce and dupe innocent young women into highly exploitative labour, particularly sex work.
- Discuss the salient features of Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018, its flaws, hurdles etc. and why it has not been brought onto action yet.
- Then move onto explain the status of sex workers in India, forms of violence faced by sex workers.
- Discuss the govt. initiatives taken to improve their conditions other than this and suggest way forward.
Conclusion
Conclude with importance and urgency of bringing such a bill into action.
General Studies – 3
Topic : Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment
Why this question:
The article brings out the case study of Reintroduction of the Asiatic Lion and amidst
Key demands of the question:
The answer should discuss the statement and need for eco centric approach.
Directive:
Discuss – This is an all-encompassing directive – you have to debate on paper by going through the details of the issues concerned by examining each one of them. You have to give reasons for both for and against arguments.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
One can start by bringing out the need for such an approach in the current times.
Body:
Answer to the question should highlight the significance of eco-centric approach, necessity to view sustainable development from the prism of interest of flora and fauna and not just from the standpoint of human beings. Specifically with respect to the concept of eco-centrism. One can take hints from the article and discuss the SC verdicts in detail and suggest your opinion in a balanced way.
Conclusion:
Conclude with significance of such conservation efforts.
General Studies – 4
Topic: Attitude: content, structure, function; its influence and relation with thought and behaviour – Scientific temper
Why this question:
The question is about discussing the concept of scientific temper, Discuss the need for inculcating scientific temper among the masses.
Key demand of the question:
Answer should define what is scientific temper, importance of inculcating scientific temper, why is it necessary and what is its significance.
Directive:
Discuss – This is an all-encompassing directive – you have to debate on paper by going through the details of the issues concerned by examining each one of them. You have to give reasons for both for and against arguments.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
In a few introductory lines explain the concept of scientific temper.
Body:
One must cover the following aspects in the answer –
- The Scientific temper is a way of life (defined in this context as an individual and social process of thinking and acting) which uses the scientific method and which may, consequently, include questioning, observing physical reality, testing, hypothesizing, analyzing, and communicating (not necessarily in that order).
- Explain why is it important?
- What are the advantages?
- Challenges in inculcating the same.
Conclusion:
Conclude with significance.
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