The Daily Answer Writing Practice
[Question 48, 30thAugust, 2020]


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Please find below today’s question for Daily Answer Writing Practice:

Comment on the impacts of Covid-19 crisis on the current world order. [10 marks, 150 words]


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The Daily Answer Writing Practice
[Question 49, 31 August, 2020]

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Please find below today’s question for Daily Answer Writing Practice:

Environmental movements often also contain economic and identity issues. Justify with the help of suitable example from India's post-independence history. [10 marks, 150 words]

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We appreciate the amount of seriousness you all have maintained. However, this is to bring to you notice that we are going to put the model answers for all the questions that we have put for you to practice. Don't worry about it. Please keep calm untill we do so.

We have halted the posting and evaluation of the answers from the aspirants in the last month upto the Prelims. We will still continue posting questions and answers everyday for the practice for those who want it.

The Daily Answer Writing Practice [Question 49, 31 August, 2020]
Environmental movements often also contain economic and identity issues. Justify with the help of suitable example from India's post-independence history. [10 marks, 150 words]

Answer
In the West, the environmental movement arose to protect endangered species and natural habitats and thus modern environmentalism was given birth to by scientists. In India, however, it was the imperative of human survival when patterns of resource use disadvantaged local communities and devastated the natural environment. This was an environmentalism of the poor, which married the concern of social justice on the one hand with sustainability on the other.

Economic Issues (development discourse) –
The emphasis on development model in post-independence decades led to the unchecked use of natural resources and created further demands for greater exploitation. It presumed that all sections of people will be beneficiaries of development. Thus, big dams displace people from their homes and livelihood (forest and pastures). Industries displace agriculturalists, artisanal fisherfolk squeezed out by large trawlers. The impact of industrial pollution is yet another story. Therefore, the context of the environmental movements in India is the conflicts over forests, fish, and pasture; conflicts about the siting of large dams; conflicts about the social and environmental impacts of unregulated mining.

In the Chipko movement, villagers rallied together to save the oak and rhododendron forests near their villages. They hugged the trees to prevent their being felled by government contractors. At stake was the question of villagers’ subsistence. All of them relied on the forest to get firewood, fodder and other daily necessities. This conflict placed the livelihood needs of poor villagers against the government’s desire to generate revenues from selling timber.

Identity Issues –
Environmental movements are not old social movements based on class mobilisation to address issues of economic inequality. In such movements like Chipko, the villagers also valued the forest for their own sake and were of the view that their existence and identity is closely linked to the forest.

Women, being solely in charge of cultivation, livestock and children, suffered the most due to increasing floods and landslides in Garhwal region. They were able to perceive the link between their victimization and the denuding of mountain slopes by commercial interests. Thus, sheer survival made women support the movement. Women were also given no share in the decision-making process, public power and political activities like men. These movements provided them with the opportunity to raise their concerns and fight for their rights.

So, concerns about economy, ecology, women and political representation underlay the environmental movements like the Chipko movement.

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The Daily Answer Writing Practice
[Question 50, 01 Sep, 2020]

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[01st Sep 2020]: What is meant by Supply Chain Resilience in the context of International Trade? Discuss how India stands to benefit if the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative mooted by Japan materialises? [15 marks, 250 words]

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The Daily Answer Writing Practice
[Question 51, 02 September, 2020]


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Please find below today’s question for Daily Answer Writing Practice

What do you understand by the below quote. Elaborate. “The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” - Mahatma Gandhi [10 marks, 150 words]


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The Daily Answer Writing Practice
[Question 51, 02 September, 2020]


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Please find below today’s answer for Daily Answer Writing Practice

What do you understand by the below quote. Elaborate. “The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” - Mahatma Gandhi(10 Marks)

Answer -
As a result of technology revolution, human being has become a strongest animal on the planet. And other animals are almost at the mercy of human beings. And when a human becomes the strongest force, it is their responsibility to act sensibly with concern and care for another living being. For any nation, these moral values are foundational. Hence in a nation, animals are treated with care and concern that they deserve, the people of that nation will certainly be judged as morally superior.

Morality in treating animal:
Whenever we need to talk about the relation between strong and weak, it has to depend upon moral values for it to be sustainable. The treatment of animals by a human has to be moral for it to be humane. Along with many other values following are major values that are required to be upheld in treating animals.

1. Compassion: The most crucial moral value, in this case, is compassion. It is always the responsibility of strong to be compassionate with the weak. Constitution of India to directs us to be compassionate to other living creatures.
2. Scientific approach: we also need to understand that animal also has life and has its existence. We need not to interfere with their existence. This when coupled with compassion, will indicate us that protecting their habitat is a most moral act that we can do.
3. Control over greed: Most of the human-animal conflict is the result of the greed of human being for resources. The instances of poaching of elephants and tigers are the most immoral and unethical acts of human beings.
4. Diversity: Existence of animal is a reflection of diversity on the planet. And it is our most humane and ethical fact that we need to uphold.

To protect and uphold these values, we need to be more humane in treating animals. This in turn will make our society more moral.

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The Daily Answer Writing Practice
[Question 52, 03 September, 2020]


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Please find below today’s question for Daily Answer Writing Practice

The Anti defection law needs to strike a balance in between the need to curb the opportunistic political shifting on one hand and not reducing the Members to numbers on the other. Discuss. (10 Marks, 150 Words)


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The Daily Answer Writing Practice
[Question 52, 03 September, 2020]


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Please find below today’s answer for Daily Answer Writing Practice

The Anti defection law needs to strike a balance in between the need to curb the opportunistic political shifting on one hand and not reducing the Members to numbers on the other. Discuss. (10 Marks, 150 Words)

The Tenth Schedule of the Indian Constitution lays down the process by which legislators may be disqualified on the grounds of defection by the Presiding Officer of a legislature based on a petition by any other member of the House. It was inserted into the Constitution by 52nd Amendment Act 1985 and further intensified by the 91st Amendment Act 2003.

A legislator is deemed to have defected if he either voluntarily gives up the membership of his party or disobeys the directives of the party leadership on a vote. Also, members who have publicly expressed opposition to their party or support for another party were deemed to have resigned in some cases.

Why Balance Needed?

1. Use of party whips to curb legislators opinions

Political parties issue a direction to MPs on how to vote on most issues, irrespective of the nature of the issue. This is called Whip.

This restricts a legislator from voting in line with his conscience, judgement and interests of his electorate.

With whips, there is no need for ministers to individually reach out to legislators and persuade them about the merits of legislation or a policy move. When a government has a majority in the House, a minister can push through any policy or bill by issuing a whip..

2. Speaker's unlimited power in declaring defection

Initially, the decision of the Presiding Officer was not subject to judicial review but this condition was struck down by the Supreme Court in 1992..

But there can’t be any judicial intervention until the Presiding Officer gives his order. The law does not specify a time period for the Presiding Officer to decide on a disqualification plea which has resulted in members, who have defected from their parties, continuing to be members of the House.

Desired changes in Anti Defection law

● Rather than the Presiding Officer, the decision to disqualify a member should be made by the President (in case of MPs) or the Governor (in case of MLAs) on the advice of the Election Commission on the lines of disqualification due to the holding of Office of Profit.

● All disqualification petitions should be decided by the Presiding Officers within a specified time period instead of his own discretion.

● The law should be valid only for those votes that determine the stability of the government (passage of the annual budget or no-confidence motions)

In a deliberative democracy, debates and discussions are the key to framing strong laws. The anti-defection law far from helping democracy hurts it, by suppressing its deliberative quality, even squeezing the legislators to toe the executive line on every policy matter.
A balance between ensuring party discipline and maintaining government stability on one hand; and empowering our legislators to exercise their judgement and vote as per their conscience, on the other, must be determined.

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The Daily Answer Writing Practice
[Question 53, 04 September, 2020]

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Please find below today’s question for Daily Answer Writing Practice

‘If Aurobindo was the high priest, Rabindranath, was the great poet of the Swadeshi Movement'. Discuss. [1990, 10m]

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The Daily Answer Writing Practice [Question 53, 04 September, 2020]

‘If Aurobindo was the high priest, Rabindranath, was the great poet of the Swadeshi Movement' [1990, 10m]

Answer:

The Swadeshi movement that began as the anti-partition movement in Bengal but soon spread out to various regions of India gave a great impetus to cultural nationalism through the patriotic literature which it brought into being.

Aurobindo Ghose as a high priest
Aurobindo Ghose expounded the religions and philosophical basis of nationalism and presented it as a sublime sentiment in human life.
• His literary talents blazed in his articles in the Bande Mataram.
• In Surat Congress (1906) he formulated the fourfold objectives of "Swaraj, Swadesh, Boycott, and national education".
• He gave the spiritual exposition to the idea of Indian nationalism which provided fervour required to reach the masses.
• For his contribution, he was called as “poet of patriotism and prophet of Indian nationalism” by CR Das.

Rabindra Nath as a great poet
Tagore’s poems during the Swadeshi movement were infused with patriotism and national consciousness. The ideas which inspired Bankim Chandra to write Bande Mataram hymn was expressed through the charming poems and songs by Rabindra Nath.
• He wrote extensively in Bhandar and Banga Darshan emphasising on fraternity and national consciousness.
• By singing patriotic songs in processions and tying Rakhi on hand, he evoked the spirit of national sentiment in the heart of everybody.
• He sang glories of ancient Indian culture and held vividly before the people the portraits of Shivaji and Guru Gobind Singh as nation-builders.
• His famous swadeshi song “Banglar Mati, Banglar Jol” became an epitome of Hindu-Muslim solidarity.
• His great Baul songs describe the picturesque natural beauty of Bengal and like the national hymns evoke national spirit.
• He endorsed the students’ and women’s active participation through essays like “Brata Dharan‟.

Both Aurobindo and Tagore proved that ‘the pen is mightier than sword’. Their work was ably supplemented by others to foster nationalism through poems, essay, drama, history and novel during the Swadeshi movement.

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Additional Information

The contribution of Aurobindo to modern Indian political thought summarized under four headings

1. Spiritual Nationalism –
With a spiritual basis and cosmopolitan outlook, Aurobindo’s nationalism is a comprehensive and broad one. Unlike the western concept of nationalism which merely implies a common political sentiment he treated nationalism as a religion (divinity of the motherland) and a spiritual ‘Sadhana’.
Aurobindo provided an element of spiritualism to nationalism. In 1908 he said in a public meeting in Bombay, "Nationalism is not a mere political programme; Nationalism is a religion that has come from God; Nationalism is a creed which you shall have to live... Let no man dare to call himself a nationalist if he... does so merely with a sort of intellectual pride, thinking that his thinking is more patriotic and higher than those who do not call themselves by that name. If someone is going to be a Nationalist, he has to subscribe to this religion of nationalism in a religious spirit. You must remember that you are the instrument of God". He elevated the demand for national freedom to a religious faith of worship of motherland as Shakti so that the masses could be awakened.

2. Ideal of complete freedom
Aurobindo was the first Indian political leader to use the word "Independence" instead of "Swaraj'. He strongly believed that without political freedom, no real development is possible in India. Political freedom must precede socio-economic and administrative reforms. As he observed "Political freedom is the life-breath of a nation; to attempt social reform, educational reform, industrial expansion and moral improvement of the race without aiming first and foremost at political freedom is the very height of ignorance and futility".

3. Theory of passive resistance and boycott
Aurobindo explained the aim of passive resistance as "to make British administration impossible by an organized refusal to do anything which shall help the growth of British trade and commerce resulting in the exploitation of the country". Aurobindo made it clear that the passive resistance may turn to be violent in case of ruthless suppression by the ruler. In this way it differed from Gandhiji's technique of non-violent resistance. Aurobindo realized that his idea of passive resistance would be successful if there was boycott of British in every field. Along with his theory of economic boycott, he put forward his views on national education. Along with his theory of economic boycott, he stressed the necessity of Swadeshi. Along with educational boycott, he put forward his views on national education. Along with judicial boycott, he emphasized the necessity of setting up national arbitration courts. He also asked for social boycott of those Indians who did not support the cause of non-cooperation with the British.

4. Vision for India
At a time when British rule in India was firmly and securely established, Aurobindo had the breadth of vision to foresee India as a free nation and her contribution to the world community. He felt that India had a spiritual message which was urgently needed by the people of the world. He was convinced that a free India was to fulfil her true destiny in the international community. He advocated the concept of human unity. He pleaded for independence for India in the wider interest of the humanity. He said "Our ideal of patriotism proceeds on the basis of love and brotherhood and it looks beyond the unity of the nation and envisages the ultimate unity of mankind…. it is a unity of brothers, equal and free men that we seek, not the unity of master and serf, of devourer and devoured"

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Dear Students,

A lot of you asked me, over call and personal messages, about mind map technique to summarize the topic in one page. Some queries were also about methods of reading/studying new chapters.

I am posting one of my lectures here. It will surely help you.

The Daily Answer Writing Practice
[Question 54, 05 September, 2020]

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Please find below today’s question for Daily Answer Writing Practice

What is inversion of temperature? Discuss the various mechanisms of occurrence of this phenomenon along with its climatic and economic significance.. [15m]

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