Daily Practice Sheet 8 January 2021

Daily Practice Sheet 8 January 2021

By

Santosh Sir

All 6 Prelims qualified

4 CSE Mains qualified

If I can do it, you can too

Daily Prelims Topic

• India’s GDP to contract 7.7% in current fiscal, advance estimates by NSO show
• Creation of legislative assemblies in certain UTs (Art 239A)/AGMUT cadre
• Disqualification of lawmakers
• Voluntary Disclosure Scheme  For Exotic  Live Animals
• Equalisation levy
• Spectrum auctions
• Fiat money
• What is Most Favoured Nation Status?
• What are tariff and non-tariff barriers
• Retailers appeal to PM to order recall of proposed changes to tobacco products law
• CBIC to introduce its flagship Liberalized MSME AEO Package

Daily Facts

Gender gap

• Women make up only 12 per cent of management boards in Germany, behind countries such as the US (28.6 per cent), UK (24.5 per cent) and France (22.2 per cent).

Credit growth

• Credit growth on a year-on-year basis was 6.1 per cent in 2020, as against 7.1 per cent in 2019 while deposit growth was higher at 11.3 per cent and 10.1 per cent, respectively. (RBI)
• Concern: A higher credit flow from banks doesn’t mean higher investment by India Inc. Instead, companies are using credit lines to finance their current liabilities while investments take the back seat. (RBI)

Daily Mains Mantra

GS 1: Society

1. What do you understand by dominant caste? Why dominant castes in various states are asking for reservation.

Approach:

In the Introduction, Define the Dominant caste definition of MN Srinivas. Write about the functions of dominant caste. Add examples .

In the body, Present the data of castes which are demanding reservation despite being dominant. Ex. Jats, Gujjars,Patidars.

• Now address why there is a demand for Reservation. Explain the factors like probability of holding land, government jobs, Total years of education, economic backwardness though they are socially upward etc which favours the dominant castes to demand for reservation.
• Now argue why granting reservation to the dominant caste will not be a good idea.
• Add points on how reservation can lead to vote bank politics, further deprivation of poor and marginalized sections of society, Reservation will benefit the upper strata of the section etc.
• Add how still the dominant castes hold the land right and political rights even today in many parts of India. Add examples and data.
• Add Justice Rohini Committee findings on Sub categorization of OBC’s. “Less than 1% of OBC castes corner 50% reservation benefits, 20% get none, govt panel finds”.
• Add Court’s argument on Reservation: In Ashok Kumar Thakur v. Union of India, Justice Ravindran opined that when more people aspire for backwardness instead of forwardness, the Country itself stagnates.
• Suggest alternative measures that should be taken by Govt of India. Measures like limiting reservation to 1st time graduates, brining in creamy layer for SC’s and ST’s, refinement of OBC criteria ,delinking politics and caste, proper education and affirmative action.

In conclusion emphasis on the basic idea of reservation which aimed for affirmative action and social mobility which, in a long run turned into a weapon on the hands of political elites and  political power hunger

GS 1: Geography

1. What are the locational factors of Iron and Steel industries? Discuss the challenges Iron and steel industry is facing in India. [Reference: Financial Express]

GS 2: Polity

1. The violence in the oldest democracy over the Presidential election is a wider reflection democracy is facing worldwide. In this context bring out challenges’ democracy today and strategy to overcome them. [Reference: Indian Express]

Approach:

Introduction:

Introduce briefly about democracy meaning and people-centric governance it supports. But, when very people attack violently against the democratic outcome than very foundation is challenged.

Body:

What are the challenges democracies are facing (also give examples wherever necessary).

• Rise of demagogues
• Ethnic/cultural differences
• Majoritarian democracy
• Declining trust in electoral process
• Fall in governance reducing trust in governance
• Technological disruptions and propaganda it support (Post-truth society)
• Economic crisis (Big economic crisis tends to bring in demagogues, strongmen ex- Great depression)
• Democracy itself (too much of democracy promoting a culture of protest sometimes supported by vested interests)

Suggestions:

• Promoting deliberations and freedom of speech – Basis of any democracy
• Developing trust in Electoral process (Ex- ECI taking steps to overcome trust deficit in EVM)
• Rule of law
• Autonomy of state agencies (preventing its misuse by those in power)
• Coalition of democracy at global level
• Decentralization with checks and balances

Conclusion:

Democracy like the world is witnessing turbulence. What is needed is more democracy and for that deliberations in society are of foundational importance.

GS 2: Governance

1. Discuss the role and functioning of EPFO.

Approach:

Employment provident fund organization is under the ministry of labour and employment .It is one of the world’s largest social security organization in terms of cliente and volume of financial transaction undertaken

(Context)

India has huge labour force contributing towards the economy under the current pandemic situation and economic slowdown, the need for social security benefits in goal for India

Role of EPFO give the role of EPFO

• There are 19.3 4 crore accounts pertaining to its members as per annual report 2016-17
• Its role is to extend the reach and quality of publicly managed income security program
• Safeguard the vital life savings of lacks of people
• It is a useful indicator of net employment generation in formal sector
• Dual role of being the enforcement agency to oversee the implementation of EPF and MP act and a service provider It fulfills the dpsp under the constitution which provides for the state to secure the right to work and public assistance in case of unemployment old age sickness and disablement
• It manages around 11 lakh crore assets as of 2018

Explain the various schemes

• Employees provident fund scheme 1952
• Employees deposit linked Insurance scheme 1976
• Employees pension scheme 1995
• Quote, pradhan mantra rojgar protsahan yojana

Functioning of EPFO 

• meaning of EPFO depends upon the wide range of coverage has India has a large population under informal sector for instance 92 percentage of the labour force
• recently a parliamentary panel has been set up to examine the functioning coverage and recovery of arrears under EPF
• at present EPF is not sole PF organisation or regulator in the country the broad and fun of private establishment organisations PSU is largely come under EPFO purvie
• The panel under MP kiritsomaiya has recommended to make EPFO the sole regulator of all categories of provident fund
• (Give the data on percentage of coverage and need to extend the coverage under current situation)

Conclusion

(Suggest measures to improve the coverage and functioning of EPF and the need for social security)

GS 2: IR

1. What do you understand by MFN status? Discuss trade barriers in this context.

Introduction

(Explain what most favoured Nation is

Body

(Explain the most favoured Nation status with advantages and disadvantages)

Treatment is synonymous with non-discriminatory trade policy because it ensures equal trading among all WTO members rather an exclusive trading privileges

Advantages

• this status is critically important for all smaller and developing countries for several reasons
• access to the market
• it lowers the cost of their exports their products become more competitive
• businesses have more opportunities for growth it in turn increases their exports and country’s economic growth cut towns
• The red tape produces all the effects of trade protectionism

Disadvantages

• they cannot protect the country’s industry from cheaper goods produced by foreign countries sometimes subsidize
• their domestic products the country reduces the subsidiary prices but now that’s a Monopoly no other company remain
• industry to keep crisis competitive which is known as jumping
• Case study many farmers move to cities to find jobs when food prices escalated in some of the Western European countries as most favoured Nation started exporting cheap agricultural goods Give the context of trade barriers due to Corona pandemic protectionism and slow down

Give the various types of barriers in the context of pandemic, deglobalisation, trade war , protectionism

1. Tariff barriers

Explain and Give examples

2. Non-tariff barriers like import quota ,regulations

(give example of European countries regulation against Indian agricultural products -pesticide residue) Licence

Voluntary export restraint

It is  voluntary that is created by exporting country rather than important on for example brazil could place a VER on exportation of sugar to Canada based on a request by Canada

Local content requirement restriction on import of computers needs a 25% of pieces used to make a computer are made domestically

Conclusion

(Explain the need of India to standardise it’s products to overcome the trade barriers and link with AatamanirbharBaharat)

GS 3: Economy

1. Critically examine Minimum Support Price (MSP) regime role in Indian agriculture. [Reference: Indian Express]

Daily Ethics:

1. What is humility? Explain it through your own example. Elaborate how it can help public servants in serving people better.