[Insights Secure – 2020] Daily UPSC Mains Answer Writing Practice: 15 January 2020
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INSIGHTS NEW SECURE – 2020: YEARLONG TIMETABLE
General Studies – 1
Topic: Indian Culture will cover the salient aspects of Art forms, Literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.
Why this question:
The question aims to ascertain the prospects and significance of having a common script like Bharati for Indian languages.
Key demand of the question:
The answer must discuss the both opportunities obstacles posed by such an idea of having a common script and explain in what way it can bring down all the communication barriers.
Directive:
Analyze – When asked to analyse, 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.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Briefly explain the significance of Bharati script.
Body:
First discuss the basic details about Bharati – it is a unified script for nine Indian languages which is being proposed as a common script for India.
Scripts included: The scripts that have been integrated include Devnagari, Bengali, Gurmukhi, Gujarati, Oriya, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Tamil. English and Urdu have not been integrated so far as they have a very different phonetic organization.
Explain the need for it – The Roman script is used as a common script for many European languages (English, French, German, Italian etc.), which facilitates communication across nations that speak and write those languages.
Likewise a common script for the entire country is hoped to bring down many communication barriers in India.
Conclusion:
Draw a comparison with other countries and highlight the importance of a common script.
General Studies – 2
Topic: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Why this question:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released the National Strategy for Financial Inclusion (NSFI) for the period 2019-2024.Thus the question aims to discuss the efforts in this direction.
Key demand of the question:
Discuss in detail the importance of Financial inclusion and in what way it can drive economic growth and help alleviate poverty. Explain what has been done in this direction by the government of India in this direction and what more is required.
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:
Define what you understand by financial inclusion.
Body:
Discuss the aspects of the recent RBI policy in detail –
It aims to strengthen the ecosystem for various modes of digital financial services in all Tier ll to Tier VI centres to create the necessary infrastructure to move towards a less cash society by March 2022.
One of the objectives of the strategy includes increasing outreach of banking outlets of to provide banking access to every village Within a 5km radius or a hamlet of 500 households in hilly areas by March 2020.
The aim also to see that every adult had access to a financial service provider through a mobile device by March 2024.
With the aim of providing basic of financial services, a target has been set that every Milling and eligible adult, has been enrolled under the Prime Minister Jan Dhan Yojana, be enrolled under an insurance scheme and a pension scheme.
The plan is also to make the Public Credit Registry (PCR) fully operational by March 2022 so that authorized financial entities could leverage the same for assessing credit proposals from all citizens.
Discuss other aspects too and conclude with significance.
Conclusion:
Conclude with way forward.
Topic: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests
Why this question:
One needs to explain What’s currently happening between the U.S. and Iran and what is at stake? What should be the role of India in such a scenario?
Key demand of the question:
Discuss in detail the ongoing turf between the two countries. Suggest what needs to be done and highlight role that India should be playing.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Tensions between the U.S. and Iran have rocketed and they are on the threshold of what could prove to be an escalation in hostilities.
Body:
Explain the following aspects in the answer body –
What the issue is?
Larger background of the issue and associated Geopolitics.
Discuss what’s currently happening between the U.S. and Iran and what is at stake?
Who is to blame for the situation?
What should be India’s stand .
Conclusion:
Conclude that peace and harmony should be the solution and not Wars.
General Studies – 3
Topic: Food processing and related industries in India- scope’ and significance, location, upstream and downstream requirements, supply chain management. Land reforms in India.
Why this question:
The question is based on the significance of supermarkets and the role played by them in SCM of horticulture products.
Key demand of the question:
Discuss the significance of Supermarkets in SCM of agri products and produce, suggest where India stands in this aspect and what more is required to be done.
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:
Fruits and Vegetable (FFV) are one of the most important components of a retail chain (supermarket). It acts as a strategic product in attracting the customers. Agri-food produces from the farmer’s field reach the end consumer through a long chain of intermediaries such as farmers/growers, cooperatives, wholesalers, retailers, commission agents, etc.
Body:
Discuss the role of supermarkets in the supply chain:
- The concept of agri-supply chain refers to the activities of procurement, order fulfillment, distribution, delivery and customer service executed by two or more separate organizations in the agribusiness industry.
- Agrisupply chain consists of small and medium enterprises.
- Supply chain collaboration has become the prerequisite for successful procurement and operational business practices for perishable products with the emerging trends of globalization and competitive marketplace.
- Supply chain planning in the agri-food industry integrates the complex network of farmers, demand, and supply to end consumers to enhance operational effectiveness.
Discuss its significance to Indian agri systems.
India is one of the leading producers of vegetables, fresh fruits and a number of food items. Marketing of fruits and vegetables especially is more challenging than many industrial products because of their perishability, seasonality and bulkiness. A supermarket is a self-service shop offering a wide variety of food and household products.
Explain challenges and issues if any and what way they can be addressed.
Conclusion:
Conclude with way forward.
Topic: Food processing and related industries in India- scope’ and significance, location, upstream and downstream requirements, supply chain management. Land reforms in India.
Why this question:
The question is in the current context of fluctuating onion prices in the economy.
Key demand of the question:
Discuss in detail the underlying causes of such price fluctuations owing to market inefficiencies, weak supply chains and monopolies in the market.
Directive:
Analyze – When asked to analyse, 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.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
The onion – ubiquitous in Indian cooking – is widely seen as the poor man’s vegetable.
Body:
Discuss the causes of such fluctuation – like a drop in supply, due to heavy rains and flooding destroying the crop in large parts of India etc. are common that reason out to contribute to the price instability. Discuss the concerns associated with market inefficiencies, weak supply chains and monopolies in the market.
Explain what needs to be done? Suggest solutions such as – grass-root planning and better storage facilities and food processing services will ease the problem – and making a variety of cash crops and vegetables available across the country would also ease the pressure on onions.
Conclusion:
Conclude with way forward.
Topic: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment.
Why this question:
Discuss the issues of private banks not transmitting benefits of interest rates to the customers.
Key demand of the question:
Explain the issue in detail and highlight the impact of the problem while suggesting solutions to the issue.
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:
First discuss who small entrepreneurs are.
Body:
Discuss that the process of setting interest rates by banks is at the core of transmission and the central bank has for several years been trying to make it more transparent. This has led to the change from benchmark prime lending rate
(BPLR) to base rate to MCLR and finally to external benchmark-based lending rates.
Explain what does the RBI data show?
The median one-year marginal cost of funds-based lending rate (MCLR) for private banks fell a meager 12 basis points (bps) to 9.18% between January and December 2019, compared to RBI’s cumulative 135 bps cut in its key policy rate to 5.15%. Most bank loans are typically priced over the one-year MCLR, making it the most tracked rate.
In the same state-run banks have lowered their one-year median MCLR by 45 bps and foreign banks have cut their lending rates by 75 bps.
Foreign banks have the lowest median one-year MCLR rate at 7.9% as of December. Their public counterparts are at 8.3%. For all scheduled commercial banks taken together, the one-year median rate stands at 8.3%.
Suggest solutions to address the issue.
Conclusion:
Conclude with what needs to be done.
General Studies – 4
Topic: Work culture
Ethics by Lexicon Publications
Why this question:
The article discusses in detail the importance of good work culture and its impact on society at large.
Key demand of the question:
Discuss in detail the significance of Organization’s work culture. Demonstrate using examples in what way it imparts ethics to society.
Directive:
Examine – When asked to ‘Examine’, we must look into the topic (content words) in detail, inspect it, investigate it and establish the key facts and issues related to the topic in question. While doing so we should explain why these facts and issues are important and their implications.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Write about the Work culture of an organization.
Body:
Explain the factors influencing the ethics of society at large.
Define work culture – The work culture of any organization significantly impacts ethics of society at large. Work culture is regarded as a set of practices, values and shared beliefs within an organization. It has a significant role in the way an organization functions. It is a way of life at the workplace, the way culture is a way of life of society. Explain with examples of how it impacts societal ethics.
Discuss that Ethics form an essential part of the foundation on which a civilized society is built. Ethics of society is shaped not only by individual factors like values, attitudes of people but also by other situational factors like cultural norms, industry and organizational norms.
Conclusion:
Conclude that Thus, both society and the organization’s work culture have a direct correlation. Both influence the ethical framework of people and are relevant to the social fabric of any society.
