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What do you understand by ‘convective storms’? Why are they climatically atypical? (250 Words)

Mentors Comment: In the first part of the question, the requirement is simple: Describe what is convective storms…

September 13, 2019
What do you understand by fiscal federalism? Why is it needed in India? What are the challenges we face in realizing this objective? (250 Words)

Mentors Comments: 1. Define fiscal federalism 2. What are the various constitutional provisions, laws and institutions for ensuring…

September 12, 2019
What are the challenges facing the power sector in India? Discuss solutions for each and every stage of power sector development keeping in mind the future energy requirements of the country. (250 Words)

Mentors Comments: 1. Mention a few vital stats or reports highlighting the state of the power sector in…

September 12, 2019
You are an education minister of a state. Recently, lot of reports on how women teachers of secondary school dresses up came and emphasized that many teachers wear ungracious and western type of attire which are against Indian cultural ethos while they are in school. People from one cultural group meet you and wants you to clear your mind about that to the public. There is an opinion in air that such things put indelible mark on the impressionable minds of the adolescent students about ‘image of teachers’ in general and ‘women’ in particular. Public expects something from you in the given situation. Answer the following questions related to it: (a) As a minister, when public is expecting something from you, what would you do to safeguard the Indian cultural ethos regarding teachers and women on dress matters? (b) You are a minister in official capacity and a public representative, but you must also have your personal opinion than the public expectations. Do you think that dress is a matter of personal choice and there should be no official dictate regarding it? (c) Also, can you say that what matters is the quality of education and not the type of dress teachers wear? (d) There must be views from both the sides, one may go with you and other will criticize you. Give arguments for and against the dress code for teachers in schools. (250 Words)

Answer: (a) As a minister, when the public is expecting something from you, what would you do to…

September 12, 2019
Fall in Rupees is a blessing in disguise for Indian economy which is suffering from double cancer of stagnant industrial growth and lack of job creation? Critically discuss. (250 Words)

Mentors Comment: Briefly discuss the reasons for the weakening of rupee in the intro and then in the…

September 12, 2019
Chandrayaan 2 is a leap ahead for Indian science. Discuss. What steps should India take to benefit from the rapidly growing space industry? (250 Words)

Mentors Comments: 1. Discuss how Chandrayaan 2 mission positions India with respect to the global space industry 2.…

September 11, 2019
The pipeline between India and Nepal should spur trade and connectivity in the region. Comment. (250 Words)

Mentors Comments: 1. Discuss the facts on just launched pipeline. What are the intended benefits of the project.…

September 11, 2019
Manual Scavenging is quite a common social stigma attached with them in the society. One day few manual scavengers, employed to clean sewer and toilets inside the District Court complex by the Public Works Department,were neither given any safety equipment, nor gloves. When the advocates in the court premises opposed this, the engineer ignored them by denoting the manual scavenging as “a small work” with no hazards involved. When opposed by few advocates, it led to a fight between PWD workers and advocates. Later advocates called a press conference and raised the issue – “We saw few workers who were clad in their inners and were inside the drain cleaning it with bare hands. We (lawyers) got together and opposed it but the engineers did not listen to us. Despite the Supreme Court passing a judgment on this issue, it is shocking that even in court complexes manual scavenging continues. Even government organizations are not following the government rules.” You are a district administration head. Due to the above stated case, following situation arises: (a) All those involved in the manual scavenging and others ad hoc safai karamchari went on strike and demanded for better livelihood. When you called all the community members for a meeting to discuss the issue, no one turned up. (b) Advocates came to you and demanded for stringent action against the official and threatened to go on strike. (c) When you called to PWD official for understanding their version of the issue, they told you that it was an urgent assignment pressurized from above; thus they did not have time going for scheduled procedure. They felt very demotivated. What are the best options available to solve the above stated problems? How will you effectively address all the issues? And also discuss limitations of each course of action. (250 Words)

Answer: (a) All those involved in the manual scavenging and others ad hoc safai karamchari went on strike…

September 11, 2019
Instead of a Universal Basic Income, what India needs is rationalization of subsidies, better targeting, and operational efficiency. Comment. (250 Words)

Mentors Comment: UBI is not a new concept in Indian history and before Economic Survey pondered about it,…

September 11, 2019
Complying to WTO puts a burden on developing nations. It is high time India rethinks its obligation to WTO. (250 Words)

Mentors Comments: 1. Discuss WTO – India relation briefly 2. Discuss why WTO has been burdensome – TRIPS,…

September 10, 2019
India should welcome ENDS to prevent further tobacco-related deaths in the future. (250 Words)

Mentors Comments: 1. Discuss ENDS and how it is better than traditional tobacco 2. Prove how India has…

September 10, 2019
There is generally a difference between two groups of civil servants- one group always think in terms of public interest and tries to devise programmes and policies that best serve the public interest while there is another group, which in the name of public interest devises programmes and policies which run political campaigns of the government in power. The Home Minister has called a special meeting of the civil servants to listen to their problems in serving public interest and find ways for improvement. Suppose you are in the first group, whose sole concern is public interest and you are attending the meeting. Answer the following questions based on the above case: (a) Would you make a point that, it is an intolerable abuse of power to serve the political campaign of the ruling party in the name of serving public or national interest? Why? (b) Do you agree that civil servants should follow the commands of the ruling class, which has a compulsion to fulfill commitments expressed in their manifesto based on which they have won electoral mandates? (c) How a civil servant can maintain political neutrality, which is one of the most important attributes of a good officer? Discuss with respect to the above case where one group of civil servants is fitted against you and they have their own opinion and reason for such stand. (d) If your Home Minister is willing to be with the other side, then how will you present your case to the Home Minister?

a.) Would you make a point that, it is an intolerable abuse of power to serve the political…

September 10, 2019
Regulatory institutions in India are still a “work in progress”, and they have not attained the kind of maturity that is needed for the emerging economy. Comment. (250 Words)

Mentors Comment: It’s a straightforward question. In the discussion, you have to discuss the regulatory framework in India.…

September 10, 2019
Argue for and against the privatisation of Public Sector Banks in India. What do you think is the need of the hour to reform the Indian banking scenario. (250 Words)

Mentors Comments: 1. Discuss the proposal of privatization being mooted by several committees and economists. 2. What are…

September 9, 2019
Local Self Governments remain eternally dependent on the states for fulfilling their mandate. Discuss. (250 Words)

Mentors Comments: 1. Discuss the constitutionally mandated role of LSGs 2. What is stifling them from realizing the…

September 9, 2019
You are officer in charge for transfer and posting of personnel of a particular department. This position is very difficult mainly for two reasons- (i) people closer to the power corridor try to influence you and (ii) women officers often send requests to postpone transfer orders on the pretext of family responsibilities. Consider the following situations and give your views with suitable explanations. (a) A Cabinet Minister sends a D.O letter to you regarding posting of an official on a supposedly ‘lucrative assignment’ for which you have already decided about the name of a more competent officer with a good track record of honesty, integrity, probity and timely delivery. What will you do? (b) As per the rules in your department, every officer needs to be transferred from one destination to other after three years. A woman officer comes to you with a request that as the new destination allotted to her is far flung and remote, she would fail to provide medical treatment to her ageing and sick in-laws who need constant clinical help. But according to her innate qualities and high level of expertise, the new destination would need only officer like her to deliver best results and meet official targets. What will you do? (c) The position of incharge of transfer and posting provides a very lucrative opportunity to make money and cultivate liaison for a life time. One should not be ‘too idealistic’ to ignore such opportunities and adopt ‘pragmatic approach’. Do you agree? Give reasons. (250 Words)

Answer: (a) A Cabinet Minister sends a D.O letter to you regarding the posting of an official on…

September 9, 2019
Despite being the pivot of Indian democracy, the civil services have performed rather poorly when it comes to administering the routine. Discuss. (250 Words)

Mentors Comment: In recent times, you must have seen posts on social media about public servants donning various…

September 9, 2019
Persuasion is a potent, weapon in the hands of civil servants. Critically examine illustrate through one example. (250 words)

Persuasion can be defined as a conscious attempt by an individual to change the attitude or behavior of…

September 6, 2019
What is the reason for special provisions for the Scheduled Tribes in the constitution of India? Are these provisions successful in ameliorating their conditions? (250 Words)

Mentors Comments: 1. Give a brief comment on the various provisions in constitution targeted at the scheduled tribes…

September 6, 2019
India is rated high on climate vulnerability. Mention the reasons for the same and suggest efficient adaptation and mitigation mechanisms. (250 Words)

Mentors Comments: 1. Give any decent fact from any report which highlights India’s vulnerability 2. What are the…

September 6, 2019

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