1.

Think for Thirty Minutes

2.

What *NOT* to write in an Essay?

3.

Provokative Essays

4.

Dont get Personal (Cong.vs BJP)

5.

Quoting the Famous Quotes

6.

Padding with Fodder Material

7.

Suggested Reading

8.

Reading Books as a Hobby

9.

Related articles

This is what I learned from my seniors and toppers.

There are plenty of articles on internet on how to prepare the essay (=read
editorials daily etc.) Im writing one about how to actually write it inside
the exam hall.
In the Essay paper, they give you 4-5 essays and youve to
write only one. Time limit -3 hours, Max-marks=200.
In a 2 marker question, UPSC specifically mentions that answer it in 20 words. So with that logic, youre
expected to write an essay containing around 2000 words for the 200 marks.

Tip#1: Think for 30-45 minutes

before you start the Essay writing
Take this example.
They asked an essay on Gandhi, I start writing it. I write something like

Gandhi was born in Porbandar &

then He went to Englandafrica..come backfreedom
struggle..Gandhi-Irwin..2nd
round table.partitionetc.
After 1 hour of writing, I realize that I forgot mention about Champarans Indigo Struggle when Gandhi
got actively involved in Indian Freedom struggle for the first time! Now I cant add it. Because there is no
space in initial pages. However I can still try to add it in the conclusion like

in 1947 Gandhi won the fight he started with Champaran

But when Examiner doesnt find the mention of Champaran in the initial pages, then he gets an
impression you forgot it = less marks. Hence everything has to be written in its place.
Thats why you must..
Think for 30-45 minutes before you start the Essay writing

Youve 3 hours to write the essay. Dont immediately start

1st try to recall everything that you can remember / want to say about the
essay.

Take a pencil and write them all (in very brief) on the end of the answer
sheet

See if there is any chance of adding some diagram or table in it?

Do you remember any?

*Related to that topic, W

1.

any famous quotes?

2.

Current events

3.

People

4.

Historical events

5.

Laws / Administrative polices related to it

Once youre done adding everything

that you can think about, regarding the essay- then give those topics, order of
preference. 1.2.3.4.
The order is very important, just like in wedding
parties you start with Soupdal-roti andIce cream in the end.
The order
should be
1.

Introduction

2.

Background / History related

3.

Main concept / theory / what the subject is about

4.

Current scenario related to it.

5.

Good sides

6.

Negative sides / obstacles

1.

Positive

2.

Negative sides

3.

obstacles

4.

Reforms you sugge

7.

Suggested reforms

8.

Conclusion

everything has to be written in its place.

Gandhis Champaran must come in the beginning not in the end.
Now SOME DONTs

Tip#2:What not to write in essay

1. Autocracy is better than democracy. (know that its the democracy thats allowing you to criticize it) so
you should never justify certain solution to Indias problems.
2. Excessive criticism of Govt. / administration (I mean the frontline and The Hindus stand)
3. Seeing negative sides with out suggesting reforms in
it.

Tip#3: Provocative Essays

Sometimes the essay topics are given in such a way, that you want to agree all the way. E.g.
1.
2.

Panchayati raj is wastage of tax payers money. (yes it seems so, just like NREGA but when youre writing
an Essay you need to maintain some balance)
Poor people are their own enemies.

In such cases just because he gave you statement doesnt mean youve to sing in his tune throughout
the paper.DO NOT forget to show the other side of the mirror.
Its Easier to criticize a non working things than to fix it. (Remember this all time during essay.)
Donot give filmy solutions to real life problems. (Munna Bhai MBBS / Slum Dog Millioner.)

Tip#4: Donot get personal

Dont go naming individual politicians their achievement / scandals (Kalmadi, Raja,Amar Singh etc.)

(except in the foreign policy related essay, where youve to analyse from entire Nehrus Panchsheel era to
Vajpayees Lahore Bus visit and current affairs.) our Foreign policy has changed with every prime minister so
their names need to be mentioned.

Never write essay talking like Congress did this and BJP did that. Its the trait of a common man, not of a
future officer.

Give a balanced answer With out getting into hero-worship or mud slinging

If criticizing Govenrment in the essay alone was going to make you IAS officer, then every journalist of Aaj
Tak would be an IAS officer.

An officers trait is to remain anonymous, faceless and neutral- meaning your essay should look like it
has been written by a graduate.

Same applies for

1. Religion / culture/ language-literature (in philosophical essays)

2. States (in polity / federalism / Development)
Im not saying you should transform into a sterile person writing the essay with out having any personal
view/ opinion or righteous anger but, you mustnt become too much passionate about certain things.
Im saying all this because you can never be sure about what will be the political / ideological / religious /
regional alignment of the examiner.
This suggestion also applies while dealing with Public Administration (optional subject).

Tip#5: Quotes
1. Dont make mistakes in writing who said what. E.g. you quote Abraham Lincons sentence and write
George Washington said it. nothing will make you look more stupid in the eyes of the examiner than
that.
2.Quote Exactly as it was said. Mao said Power flows from the barrel of a gun so you should not write
it as

barrel of the gun contains power

or
muzzle of the gun flows the power
You must quote the quote verbatim. If youre not sure then dont quote it.

Tip#6: Padding & Deviating from the subject

Even in the worst case, youre supposed to write 1200-1500 words for a 250 marks essay.
Padding means, you dont know the exact answer so you just beat around the bushes and write the
garbage stuff to fill up the pages, while this tactic does work in the school and college exams but dont
try it in the essay paper.
Dont write too many proverbs / quotes/ (invented) case studies/examples per page. It makes the
examiner think that youve no input of your own so youre just filling up the pages.

Donot pick up the subject where your idea or thought content is very low.

Ex. you picked up Do we need nuclear power So you start with how thermal power-stations create
pollution, there is huge demand and low supply of electricity, nuke power is cheap, and
then the dangers such as Japanese Tsunami etc.

After 4 pages, your thoughts and ideas are exhausted-youve nothing more to say and assuming that you
write 100 words per page, you realise that only 400 words wont get you any marks ! now you cant scratch
those pages and write a new essay on new topic, youve wasted enough time on this one.

So you decide to continue with this nuke-power essay and start rewriting the same stuff you already stated
in different ways and then youll deviate from the main topic- like nuke power is unsafe as we saw in Japan
so we need to switch to renewable energy source like Sun, Wind and Water -> then 4 pages on advantages
of renewable energy as if this is an essay on the benefits of Non-renewable energy and not on nuke power,
you write about the pro-cons of hydro-electricity like dams and displacement of people.

Then you realise omg, displacement of people also applies while making nuke-powerplants like in
Maharashtra! so you come back to the topic -half page written but still youve not filled up enough pages so
you start talking about to land-acquisition policy and start writing the pro-cons..another half page on it. Then
you think oh i must talk something about the Indo-US nuke deal so you go on talking about how we
havent signed the CTBT and yet N.S.G gave us clearance and China-Pakistan couldnt stop it so we are a
global power now and we deserve a permanent seat in UNSC! This kind of padding goes on until time is up.

Youve messed up the whole thing, you totally deviated from the subject. Your essay doesnt have any flow
of thoughts or proper rhythm. The seasoned examiners immediatly sniff out this padding and they dont give
much marks for it, your expected score for this kind of garbage writing is less than 50/200, means even with
decent score in all other papers, your chances of getting interview call is close to zero. Youve jeopardised
your chances
of selection in IAS, youve digged your own grave. Thats why

1.

take great care in picking up the subject

2.

first 30-40 minutes for thorough thinking.

3.

stick to the subject

Same applies while dealing with the big 60 marker question in GS and optional papers. (not 30 minutes
of thinking but atleast 5-7 minutes!)

Suggested Reading
Essay is not something that can be learned reading one book or reading for 1 month.
Its a continuous and long process takes some diverse reading before youve enough content to write
something decent and something big enough to fill 20 pages to fetch 100+ marks.
1.

Editorials of english newspapers ( but dont get swayed about by either leftist
or capitalist stuff preched by both sides)

2.

Magazines like Frontline,

yojana, Kurukshetra. (it gives you the fodder material: statistical data to quote like how many % illiterate and
so on but again dont use too much statistical data for padding and most importantly dont invent your own
case studies and stat.data)

3.

Watch English news channel discussions / debates.

4.

See the old question papers and try to make an outline of each and every Essay asked so far.

Reading Books as a Hobby

To increase your idea and fodder-material for brain storming, you can read some books outside
studies, related to Indian culture, democracy and Development, just for time-pass for example

Imagining India by Nandan Nilekani

India 2020: A Vision For The New Millennium by Dr. Kalam

India After Gandhi: The History Of The Worlds Largest Democracy by Ramchandra Guha

Buy The Discovery of India by Jawaharlal Nehru

Me and my ruined essay

In 2009s mains attempt, I got only 20/200 marks in the Essay. It was about are we a soft state?. I
wrote it only from the foriegn policy and law-n-order point of view, without seeing the cultural -historical
contexts. It was a monotonous essay without any spark. Moral of the story: do try to see different angles
of the subject and give a thorough thought before you start writing.
Some veterans are in opinion that you should pick up the essay on technical subject, example spacetechnology, advances in medical science, how IT has changed lives and so on. Because only a few
people attempt them, and due to technical nature, your ideas are unlikely to be in conflict with the
examiner so youll get more marks.
But then again you need enough content to write 1500+ words else the padding route=digging your
own grave. And there are enough toppers who wrote the non-technical essay and still got in the topmerit list so as usual for every generalisation made about UPSC, youll find a counter example!

Predicting Essays for 2011 Mains paper

As usual coaching classes try to anticipate which essays will be asked, and UPSC makes sure they are
not asked. So be prepared for
everything- dont just rely on selected hot-topics like Lokpal and Civil society.

In old times, it was quite predictable, see the papers from 1997 to 2006: almost every year there is an
essay on polity-judiciary, one on women

empowerment, one on Science-tech, one on democracy and governance. But nowadays UPSC is rapidly
breaking the trends.

Lets look @ the 2010 paper. People predicted: there will be some essay on games, due to CWG or Asiad
or even on corruption and good Governance given CWG and 2G scams. But there was nothing.

Im putting the comparative list of essays asked in last two years (2009 and 2010). Make your own
judgement and prediction and prepare accordingly.

Vulnerable groups of society (India vs. Bharat Debate)

Should a moratorium be imposed on all fresh mining in tribal areas of the country? (2010) (can be
classified as current affairs due to Mines regulation bill)
Are our traditional handicrafts doomed to a slow death? (2009)
From traditional Indian philanthropy to the Gates-Buffet model-a natural progression or a paradigm shift?2010
The focus of health care is increasingly getting skewed towards the haves of our society-2009

International relations

Preparedness of our society for Indias global leadership role. 2010

Are we a soft state? 2009

Good Fences make good neighbors. 2009

One more bad news: in 1997 to 2006 era, UPSC gave 6 subjects and you had to write one essay, in
2009: five options and in 2010 : only 4 options.

UPSC ESSAY STRATEGY: How to Write an Essay!

October 21, 2015 61 CommentsWritten by IASbaba

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Essay Strategy

In one way or the other your fate with UPSC is decided by the most unpredictable
component of the syllabus i.e. the ESSAY. Ask your seniors, your peers or even your
teachers and no one can come up with a concrete strategy to prepare for essays. It is ironical
that despite being the most flexible component of the UPSC syllabus, it is the essay that spoils
your chances. Why? The answer to this question is a mystery. So, if anyone tells you that
he/ she knows the right way to write an essay and by right we mean the benchmark set by
UPSC, be sure that the person has got a long way to go before he/ she can truly understand
UPSC. We say this because of a reason. We have seen aspirants with excellent writing skills

scoring 70% in essay in their first attempt while barely managing 35% in their next attempt! It
is the other way round also with a number of aspirants.

Now, here we are! After accepting the unpredictable nature of essay evaluation by UPSC,
how can we be sure about any strategy? We cant and in fact we arent. But then, we must try
until we touch the right chords. Here we give you a strategy to write essays in the most
structured, smooth and satisfactory way possible. We dont guarantee success if you follow our
strategy but we can assure you that after going through the subsequent paragraphs of this
write up, you will have a lot to work upon and improve. If you keep in mind the following points,
you can definitely better your prospects in essay.

So, what is an essay? Or rather why this paper on essays in UPSC? The answer is an
essay gives you an opportunity to put forward your thoughts in a manner that is not impeded
by word limit and time (in the sense that you are given enough words and time to express your
knowledge and views). It is asked to check the depth and breadth of your knowledge. And
when we say knowledge, it doesnt mean our conventional understanding of the same. The
topics are unknown to us before the exam and we are expected to apply all that we have learnt
to produce a logical and intelligent account of what is being asked. That is why, one cant
prepare for essays in the conventional sense.

Now coming to the strategy part, we must say at the outset that you must not treat essay as
any other paper of UPSC. In fact, it is the most innovative way to check your level of
preparedness of the entire syllabus of UPSC. If you perceive it in this sense, your tendency to
limit your imagination by the fictitious boundaries of so called essay paper will vanish and you
will be able to think more freely and more innovatively. Shed all your previous notions
regarding this paper and start afresh.

The key to writing a satisfactory above average essay is multi-dimensionality. Depth

matters but in UPSC breadth is far more important. Keep this fact in mind and approach the
essay in a manner that all your wisdom is reflected in the interconnected dots in your
essay. Now, what do we mean by this? It simply means the representation of all the
dimensions that are related closely to the topic being asked. In doing so, most aspirants keep
throwing unnecessary points and that can annoy the examiner. The best thing to do in such a
scenario is to write all your thoughts in pointers at the space provided for rough work.

Now, this step is very important. What tools do we have to think about as many
dimensions as possible? The answer lies in the syllabus. Luckily, the syllabus of UPSC is so
exhaustive and detailed that almost everything under the sun is there in the syllabus. After you
are done with your own thoughts and written all the possible points, think about the syllabus
now. For this, a prerequisite is that you must have learnt the syllabus by heart. Having said so,
let us now understand as to how you can use the syllabus to create points for your essay.

Suppose you have been asked an essay on Gandhian principles and its relevance
in contemporary India. Now, by linking this essay with various components of the syllabus,
you can create a number of good points for your essay. We provide you with some examples:

Paper I:
Indian heritage and civilization: Gandhian thoughts on the importance of letting our
civilization welcome others while maintaining our identity and uniqueness. This is particularly
important in view of the ongoing clash of civilizations.
Women issues: Gandhis idea on emancipation and empowerment of women and its
applicability in modern India.
Communalism and secularism: Gandhian message of communal harmony and tolerance.
Society: Numerous examples of Gandhian views on the importance of charity, role of family,
social capital, social norms, cinema etc.
Globalization: Gandhian message of self reliance and its synthesis with the idea of global
commons/ was Gandhi against globalization?

Paper II:
Constitution and polity: Gandhian idea of a nation state
Local governance: Panchayati Raj as envisaged by Gandhi.

SHGs: Gandhian conception of the idea; the concept of village gramodyog etc
Education: Gandhian model of education that emphasized upon imparting skills
International relations: Gandhian ideals of co-existence, non- violence, non- proliferation etc
applied to the current foreign policy paradigm; satyagaraha and non- violence as tools to
pursue foreign policy goals.

Paper III:
Inclusive growth: Gandhis talisman and its remarkable resonance with the very idea of
inclusive growth
Economic development: Gandhian idea of self dependent village communities
Industries: Gandhian apprehensions with respect to western model of industrialization
Agriculture and animal rearing: Gandhis ideas on organic cultivation, supplementary
income through animal rearing etc.
Environment: Gandhian message on cleanliness and sustainability (remember the quote
related to mans need versus mans greed?), Gandhis views on vegetarianism etc

Paper IV:
All Gandhian ideas with respect to revenge, change, forgiveness, happiness, strength etc
reflect the essence of this component of the syllabus. We can use all of them wisely to make
our points look better and logical.
At this point of time, it is important to mention about current events. Try to relate the topic with
the current events. It will add to the personality of your essay. For example in this case,
following examples can be included:
Corporate social responsibility: Gandhian idea of trusteeship
Struggle for democracy in various parts of the world: Gandhis thoughts on democracy

Crisis in the Parliament: Gandhian idea of true leadership

Now there are some other tools that are always handy in helping you make your essay multidimensional. Have a look and think how they can be used in different scenarios:

Preamble to the Constitution

FRs and DPSPs

Millennium Development Goals (Now Sustainable Development Goals)

Quotations by eminent personalities

Important Supreme Court judgements

Concepts of sustainability and environmental ethics etc

Having shown you the importance of knowing the syllabus by heart and keeping oneself
updated with the current events, we move forward to the next important phase of
essay writing i.e. the structure.

There is no universally accepted format for writing an essay. However, there is a

general understanding about how one should approach an essay. Of course, one has to start
with an introduction. Introduction can start with a quote, an anecdote or a simple paragraph.
Irrespective of the approach, the introduction must give an idea to the reader as to what ensue
in the subsequent paras. Introduction should be crisp and interesting. Dont use cliched
sentences in the introduction.

In the next few paragraphs, you are supposed to touch upon the core areas of the
essay. Here, the points in the back of your answer sheet will come handy. Prioritize the points
in a manner that the essay follows a logical flow of ideas and related points are covered in the
same or back to back paras. For example, in the example given above, you cant start with the
Gandhian views and its applicability regarding local governance, then hop on to the role of
non- violence in international relations and then come back to tolerance towards various
civilizations. Similarly, you cant club the ideas of self dependent villages and communal

harmony in the same paragraph. At the outset itself, you must have in mind the flow of
your essay.

It is important to note that not all your jotted points need find a mention in the essay. You can
trim the points and in fact eliminate the irrelevant ones to make your essay crisp and close to
the central argument.

It is also important that you read the topic after all your paragraphs so that you
dont deviate from the central theme.
All the paragraphs must have their own personality. There should be no loose ends. The
paragraphs in themselves have to have logical conclusion and if that is not possible, at least
the key to the next paragraph. Randomness and unpredictability are the last two things
that your essay needs.
Coming on to the conclusion part of the essay, it must be understood that you are not
supposed to force yourself in producing an intelligent conclusion. Many a times it is better to
let some question remain answered. It is not because it should be so, but because it is not
possible to have a satisfactory answer always! Just make sure that your conclusion is balanced
and there is some amount of optimism in your views. Dont predict doomsday in the essay
even if you are the most depressed person in this world. UPSC wants to recruit happy and
optimistic people. Mind it!

Now the question comes about language. What sort of language should one use- simple or
ornamental, straight or flowery? The answer is write the way you have always written your
essays. The bottom line is you have to impress the examiner in whichever way possible. If we
suggest you to use simple language and you are actually good in writing impressive English,
the chances are you will spoil your attempt in trying to become what you are definitely not. It
is not possible to change ones writing style so quickly. Instead one should try to make
his/ her style of writing fetch better marks in the essay.

Is it not that a bride wearing all the ornaments and makeup looks stunning but at the same
time a lady with a beautiful eye but with no makeup or jewelry looks equally beautiful? The
same holds true for language. Believe in your own style and remain confident.

However, we find it prudent to caution you about being superfluous. This can be fatal.
Dont beat around the bush. Your sentences must convey what you have in mind and their
length should be commensurate with the message. Dont use too long a sentence. Be crisp and
to the point.
As far as essay is concerned, DO NOT write in points. Once in a blue moon, candidates
might have scored good marks by following this approach but that is an exception and not the
rule. Respect UPSC and dont do anything foolish.

Use quotes selectively and wisely. Not using a quote is way better than using it wrongly.
You can prepare a list of quotes that can be used in the essays asked by UPSC.
Be creative in your writing. Spend some time in thinking about the ways in which you can
improve your presentation. Ask your peers to review your essays and point the glitches. Try to
improve upon the content, presentation and approach by keeping in mind the given strategy.
We are sure that in 3-4 attempts, your essays will start reflecting your efforts.

List BRICKS achievements and failures and India's role in BRICS

BRICS is an acronym for an association of five major emerging economies; Brazil, Russia, India, China and South
Africa and the term was first coined by O'Neill, the former chief economist for Goldman Sachs. Earlier it was known as
BRIC before the inclusion of South Africa in 2010 at BRIC Foreign Ministers' meeting in New York. It was started
essentially with economic issues of mutual interest, however, its agenda of BRICS meetings has considerably widened
over the years to encompass topical global issues. The main areas of dialogue between the member countries include
- Finance & Central Bank, Trade, Business Forum & Council, Financial Forum, Academic & Think Tanks Council,
Health, Science & Technology, Security, Agriculture and Statistics. BRICS member together represent a significant
share of the world's production and population and its share of the global Economy in terms of GDP grew from 11% in
1990 to 25% in 2011 and it is predicted that the BRICS will overtake US in terms of GDP this year and the G7 by 2030.
Since its first summit, BRICS countries have registered growth in terms of GDP in recent years and today they have 40
per cent of the world's population and 20 per cent of its GDP and their combined GDP grew more than 300 percent.

Following are some of the major achievements of BRICS.

Expanding trade: BRICs share of the world exports rose significantly from the years of 1996 to 2008, from 9%
to 17%.

Setting up the Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA): to provide mutual financial support, and as a
contribution to the global financial safety net. The establishment of the CRA has further deepened and
consolidated the partnership of its members in the economic-financial area.

Establishment of New Development Bank: In the sixth BRICS summit in Brazil, the member countries,
signed an agreement to create a development bank on the lines of Asian Development Bank and the World
Bank. It marks a departure from the practices and procedures of the west-dominated IMF and World Bank.

BRICS as new stakeholder in 21st century Global Agenda: The economic potential and demographic
development are putting the BRICS countries, increasingly in a leading position in setting the global agenda
and having a greater say in the global governance.

Failures of BRICS: However, in recent times BRICS are facing problems in terms of slowing economic growth and
recession in some of its member countries. Following are the major cause:
o

Slowing down of Chinese economy: it has caused turmoil in not just in BRICS bloc but across the world.

Failure of BRICS to sign any agreement with US: None of the BRICS countries has signed trade or
investment agreements with the United States and some of the negotiations have been failed due to opposition
to US approach. This has hindered economic expansion of BRICS countries.

Recession in Russia and Brazil: The political and economic isolation of Russia, orchestrated by the US after
the Ukraine crisis, has had a tremendous negative impact on the once surging economy. Even Brazilian
economy is slipping into recession.

Failure to sustain economic growth: the emerging member countries have failed to gain any momentum for
sustained growth.

Structural disparity between China and other BRICS members: Chinese economy has the largest share
among the member countries and it accounts for 38 percent share in the total export of BRICS. This has
resulted in dominance of China in the BRICS bloc and in turn has stoked the economic nationalism in other
member countries.

Tension within the BRICS bloc: There is lack of policy coordination within the member countries owing to
troubled political relations between some members. For example, India- China ties have witnessed a steady
deterioration over the last few years.

India's Role in BRICS:

India since the inception of BRICS has played an important and active role. It attaches high importance to the BRICS
forum for promoting global economic growth, peace and stability. Co-operation on the economic front is one of the
focus areas of India's policy towards BRIC. India sees BRICS as a platform to build multilateral relations with Latin
American, African and Asian countries. India has over the years, developed closed strategic relationship with the other
member countries. India has also tried to use BRIC as a forum to resolve the age-old mistrust and complicated

relationship with China. India has also played an important role in the setting up of New Development Bank. Also for
India, co-operation with the BRICs is very important in terms of addressing its food and energy security issues, and
combating terrorism.
Since the Federal Reserve signaled the recovery of American economy from the financial crisis and recession and
raised its interest rates, the BRICS have been on a steady decline. Investors pulled out from BRICS countries as US
securities are more lucrative to them, which threatened the BRICS' economic growth. With most of its member
countries registering slowing of their economies, India has emerged as the only bright light in the BRICS thanks to its
recent policy reforms. Despite global economic slowdown, Indian rupee has become the best performing currency
among BRICS countries.
It is no doubt that BRICS plays an important forum for all the member countries in promoting South-South cooperation
and North-South dialogue. It will also help its member countries in fulfilling UN Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs).In recent years, BRICs have come together in a political grouping in a way that has far exceeded most
expectations.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Demonetizationy

On 8th of Nov, our honourable PM, Mr. Narendra Modi's announcement of the demonetization of Rs.500 and Rs.1000
notes created havoc among the common man. This piece of decision has even raised protests by the opposition
parties. It has had a tremendous amount of hustle and bustle in the banks, longer and longer queues outside the ATMs
and post offices. To put a dead end to the flow of black money and terrorist financing, demonetization has been taken
as a major step. It has affected the day to day lives of men, economic status of the nation alongside having more
number of advantages.
Such a massive and sudden decision made by the government has its own pros and cons.

Advantages
Decline in black money
This will help in digging out the black money out of the corrupt officers and industrialists. For these people, their black
money in hard cash is now a pile of trash.

End to fake currencies

There will be a decline in the production of fake currencies as old denominations of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 has been
banned. The new currency will have new security features which will be hard to decode.

End to terrorism funding

Funding to the terrorist clans for weapons and artilleries which have been a long term concern will come to an end as
they will not be able to use forged currency notes. This will prevent terrorist activities and protect our nation to some
extent.

Cashless Nation
This step can move towards cashless nation as there will be less proportion of cash and people will tend to make
payment through online payment sites which will help our nation to get more digitalised.

More transparency
As there will be online payment, a transparency will be set up in the nation to see through the transactions made by the
people. This will be beneficial in tracking any kind of illegal transaction or payment.

Fair election
It is well known to us that how black money is used by political parties during elections. Demonetization will lead to a
fair election without any use of black money.

Disadvantages
Inconvenience
Exchanging of notes, depositing them in the banks has created a hectic environment for the citizens. Long queues in
front of ATMs and banks have been going on for quite a time. People have no option as they need money for their daily
expenses.

Shortage of Money
As there is a huge population, shortage of money has also been a big trouble.

Deflation
Initially, it might cause deflation as the corrupt men will not declare their black money as they might be accused by the
Income Tax Department.

Difficulty in card transaction

Since everybody is not well versed with the card transaction, this might lead to inconvenience for them.

Difficulty to the RBI

In order to exchange all the 500 and 1000 notes, RBI might be charged of 12000 crore.

Economic effects
Till new currency notes don't get circulated, there will be a reduction in the money supply. Demands on gold and
jewellery, consumer goods will be highly affected. This will affect GDP of the nation.
In spite of all the problems and inconvenience, people are ready to face this challenge for a better future. For a short
term basis, demonetization will have a lot of disadvantage but on a long term basis, it will prove quite a boon for the
nation if implemented properly. We all hope, this massive movement reduces corruption and creates a corruption free
nation.

Enumerate the political social and economic impact of demonitiztion on India

Demonetization literally means devoiding an economy from a series of currency as legal tender. This is the second
attempt in independent India with the objective of withdrawing black money and transforming physical economy into
digital one. India is a developing country with majority finding hard to earn a living, 22% people are below poverty line
(BPL) and 2.4 % are rich and many people are wage earners. On this basis, it is not desirable or possible to find
America (a reflection of developed countries) in the meager ones who toil every single day for a piece of bread at night.
The constitution draws its power from the people and all the decisions taken by the trusted Govt. institutions tends to
impact people's lives directly, mostly the under privileged half. The Govt. must be sensitive to the mob than technology
and pay heed to the preamble that ours is a socialist country, not capitalist. Even if it tends to be one, the change has
to be gradual after the hi-hiatus between the rich and the poor is bridged.

Political Impact
Our constitution imposes a proper nexus for the passage of a bill to limit authoritarian majority rule. Every element is
orderly arranged in a civilized society. To bring an end to marriage as a legal institution, a couple has to undergo
certain procedures though the emotional foundation may have ceased long before. This is basically to prevent hasty
decisions. In 1978, demonetization was effected with an ordinance with the same objective only to regret it and roll
back the decision due to inconveniences caused to the common people. History serves as a lesson to move ahead in
future.
This time there was no legislation involved or Section 26(2) of the RBI Act, 1934 followed properly, no grace period
given and the announcement was made with immediate effect. Moreover, many PILs have been filed stating this step
against article 19(1) (g) [Right to freedom of profession] of the Indian Constitution as this step has disrupted livelihood
of many indeed. It has led to political stagnation and instability as the ruling party failed to execute the plan properly
and our country is engulfed in an enormous hue and cry for justice and restoration of old notes. The winter session of
the parliament has been vigorously disrupted due to the boycott of sittings by the opposition parties. Above all, a new
political party with anti-demonetization agenda was about to rise but ultimately flopped.

Social Impact
We can seldom find any local retail outlet with digital payment system. Generally, people keep some cash at home for
emergency purposes and for day to day requirements. Demonetization has made people think twice before buying an
important item due to cash crunch, thereby decreasing both the income of the local traders or retailers and the living
standard of the common people. Neither all people use cards for the purpose of payment nor everybody go to the
super market for daily necessities. Rural villages are the worst hit. Neither are they well versed with electronic system
nor do they have a bank to exchange their hard earned cash at hand. In a word, they are trapped. Social arrangements
like marriage ceremony, etc. suffered on a large scale. Religious institutions are also not allowed to deposit cash due to
increased donation. For a poverty striken economy like India, the Govt. is supposed to be pro-poor. The present
scenario portrays a fragmented livelihood.

Economic Impact
All the above sufferings have affected the economy as a whole with banks and ATM's overcrowded and sometimes
showing public power to the innocent employees. Indian economy is mostly run by consumption expenditure.
Snatching away the right to consume as per choice will not solve the problem of unaccounted money overnight, rather
complicate the issue. This problem of undisclosed income was traced long back and many initiatives like voluntary
disclosure of income scheme (VDIS), the black money (undisclosed foreign income and assets) and imposition of tax
act, 2015, benami transactions (prohibition) amendment act, 2016 are taken, which are showing positive results. It is
better to make the existing efforts effective than disturb the 98% for the dishonest 2%.

What does the victory of Donald Trump in USA means to India

"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win"-Mahatma Gandhi
Trumps personality is certainly extreme by any standard and particularly rare for a presidential candidate. It has been a
miracle that millions of people had voted a racist, neuroticism as a 45th presidents of worlds largest economy.
Determined to make fun of minorities, Muslims, lewd comments to women, Mexican, disabled people throughout all the
camping in the US still he managed to win the president candidate. He has an incredible leadership quality. He shows
his enthusiasm to the public and won the millions of hearts by camping. Let us make America great again. His
speeches were based on Illegal immigrant control, unemployment, economy and foreign relation policy.

The Visa Policy

Top Indian Firms are making H1B visas and sending many of their employees to work at a lower cost in the US. If
Trump wants to scrap all the H-1B visas then Indian IT stocks and IT companies like TCS and Infosys, BSE are likely to
be hit bad. Indian in the US will lose jobs. According to NASSCOM, the IT Sector has revenues of US$147 billion in
2015, where export revenue stood at US$99 billion and domestic at US$48 billion, growing by over 13%. Indias
economy growth would be strongly hampered.

The Foreign Policy

It will be expected that trump will renegotiate the trade treaties and policies with India. There would be new policy
between the two countries. Mr. Trump accused China of dumping exports and of devaluing its currency. If china
continues these and other illegal activities, he will impose taxes Chinese imports to the US. So India will get an
opportunity if US stops importing from china. Total Exports revenue totalled $34 billion during 2013 could increase by
exporting food products, handicrafts, handlooms materials.Trump has invested in real estate in Indian cities of Pune
and Gurgaon eventually he will be involved in the Mr. Modis Smart City Plan India. On the other hand Obama care has
not been flexible and it is not worth for small health problems. So he would probably abandon this Policy. That could be
bad news for Indian pharma sector. Indias pharma sector will lose its business in the USA.

Fight against Terrorism

His campaign insisted fight against terrorism and not about religion. Trump has declared to go down heavily on states
which promote Islamic terrorism. He openly criticized Pakistan for giving shelter to terrorist and US will fight against
terrorist with the help from India. Now there is a great threat to Pakistan, which is a good sign for India.

Tax Plan in the US

Mr. Trump has a vision of creating job for Americans, for that he has contemplated the Corporate Tax rate to 15%,
which is currently 35%. This policy will tempt employer to set of business in U.S. Ford India has moved its
manufacturing unit from Chennai to Chicago. Other American business would follow the same. This is bad news for
India, it could again increase the unemployment rate in India. This policy could endanger Mr.Modis Make in India plan.

Energy Plan
Mr. Trump has promised to open more Oil sector by releasing Americas shale oil, natural gas and coal reserves.
Opening up the US oil sector could lead to price stability globally. It will give a business opportunity for Indian oil
Business Company. India could benefit massively by taking oil lease from US
This is all our speculation based on his speeches during campaigning. Once Trump said,
I am a big fan of Hindu. I am a big fan of India. I'll be honest, I have great respect for India. It's tremendously
successful. It is an amazing country.The Indian and Hindu community will have a true friend in the White House that I
can guarantee. After becoming President, I want to work like PM Narendra Modi.- Trump on India.He would not stop
the momentum of friendship between these two nations.

Will SAARC ever live to its ideal or it will remain a flogging horse
Synopsis:
1. Introduction- SAARC and its history of foundation

2. Treaties that are flogging horse

3. Need a room for improvement
4. Conclusion- is SAARC an ideal initiative

Introduction- SAARC and its history of foundation:

South Asian association for regional cooperation is a political relationship between the neighboring nations for better
means of trade and intergovernmental peace. The SAARC countries comprises of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar,
Maldives, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Nepal. This great organization was found in Dhaka in 1985 and the official
secretariat is in Kathmandu. This organization observes on the regional integration and economic development.
Though this great integrated system has its own flaws and limitations, we could not entirely appreciate the deeds of
SAARC. Started for a moral purpose but has never kept up to its degree of expectations.

Treaties that are flogging horses:

It would not do justice if we did not mention the attainment of this organization. They did try their best in putting up
truces and bonds but it did not seem to be of great significance to the users and poor preservation has brought the
downfall of these initiatives. Some of the so called good initiatives would be the startup of SAFTA- south Asian free
trade area. This ensured the trade in customs union, common market and the economic union. In 1995, New Delhi, on
the sixteenth conference the requisite for a common trade area was put up and by 1996, the progressing idea of free
trade was fast in action. But in 2012 the SAARC exports increased substantially to US$354.6 billion from US$206.7
billion. Imports too increased from US$330 billion to US$602 billion over the same period. But the intra-SAARC trade
amounts to just a little over 1% of SAARC's GDP. In contrast, in ASEAN (which is actually smaller than SAARC in
terms of the size of the economy) the intra-bloc trade stands at 10% of its GDP. This could substantiate the element
that SAARC proves to be a flogging horse in terms of development. SAARC focuses on a healthy relationship and
shuns terrorism but due to the Indo Pakistan war there has been several clashes in the formation of triumphing
developmental works. During the 12th and 13th SAARC summits, extreme emphasis was laid upon greater
cooperation between the SAARC members to fight terrorism. Now the question that rises among every minds is that
Can SAARC be a profitable organization in terms of development and settlements? Now here goes the answer to the
mind baffling question

Need a room for improvement:

On personal consideration, I feel that though ASEAN is a small organization unlike SAARC, it is functioning efficiently
but the scenario of SAARC is quite diverse. There is indeed a great room for development of the unity among nations
because these top developing countries. For a better economic integration we are in great need of an eminent official
to take control over this organization. India being the most fast developing nation we must take in to the consideration
of Pakistan and maintain good terms with them for a better sense of security and merchandise. And another mode for
better functioning is inviting various developing nations to actively take part as in the other south Asian countries or
maybe as a better solution for effective operational activities dissolute the SAARC and form a better association with
the developing nations all over Asia this could push the boundaries further and enhance the process of trade. Though
we would consider it as a Himalayan task of dissolution of the SAARC, but it could definitely prove to be useful when
we are in appropriate acquaintance with various eminent nations in Asia.

Conclusion- Is SAARC an ideal initiative:

On concluding to this argumentative essay, let me put forward the bare truth whether SAARC is a sensational
association or not. Well we all could predict the judgement of SAARC, though it is attempting on a surpassing
developmental schemes they are failing to meet the regional integrity and unity which has led to the breakdown of
SAARC. Countries that are to be united has never kept up to the peace norms for competent function. In the reckless
improvement in the field of technology and discovery sciences it is highly essential for a united organization to form and
utilize the potencies that are available. Our country is a great nation and is extending hands for a reasonable economic
trade.

Does BIMSTEC as multilateral organization has any future

"Multilateralism" is the primary tool INDIA is using to facilitate and improve its international relations. One of the
cornerstones of India's strategy is to develop economically and technologically. It will be possible by maintaining good
relations with neighbouring countries specifically with North-East and south-East Asian countries. This measure leads
to the formation of BIMSTEC.
The evolution of BIMSTEC took place when Bangladesh, India, Srilanka, Thailand economic cooperation (BIST-EC)
was formed in June 1997. It was renamed as BIMSTEC when Myanmar joined it in December 1997.Later Nepal and
Bhutan joined them in 2004.The name of grouping was changed to Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical
and Economic cooperation during first summit held in 2004. It brings together 21% of world's population and combined
GDP of over $2.5 trillion.

Rising Importance:
In spite of its Regional connectivity it was not able to draw much attention from India because of not much developed
countries as its members. While BIMSTEC has made significant progress in integrating with the global economy,
integration within the region has remained limited. The BIMSTEC countries have maintained a higher level of protection
within the region than with the rest of the world. There is little of cross-border investment and connectivity within the
region. The flow of ideas, normally measured by the cross-border movement of services, is all low for BIMSTEC.
But in recent days integrity between member countries developed and attracted attention dominating SAARC (South
Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) which is suffering from lack of integrity between India and Pakistan. India
inviting BIMSTEC countries to recent 8th BRICS summit 2016 which held in Goa mirrors that it stands as a viable
option for India to accelerate its economic growth. The most driving force should be it's Free Trade Agreement
(FTA).The main objective of this agreement is to strengthen and enhance economic, trade and investment cooperation
and to bridge the development gap between its member countries.
In terms of connectivity, BIMSTEC has three major projects that, when finished, could transform the movement of
goods and vehicles through the countries in the grouping.

One is the Kaladan Multimodal project that seeks to link India and Myanmar. The project envisages connecting Kolkata
to Sittwe port in Myanmar, and then Mizoram by river and road. India and Myanmar had signed a framework
agreement in 2008 for the implementation of this project. It's yet to be finished.
Another is the Asian Trilateral Highway connecting India and Thailand through Myanmar. The highway will run from
Moreh in Manipur to Mae Sot in Thailand via Myanmar and represents a significant step in establishing connectivity
between India and Southeast Asian countries.
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) have signed a pact for the movement of goods and vehicles among them.
The pact, which was signed last year, is awaiting internal clearances of some members. Trial runs of trucks between
Bangladesh and India have begun. Unless some of the basic facilities are developed, the connectivity among the
BIMSTEC members will remain at a low level and the full potential of intra-regional trading will remain underutilized.
A stronger BIMSTEC means a more stable and flourishing Asia.

Cauvery dispute and its solutions

Cauvery is a river which originates at Talakaveri, Kodagu in Karnataka and flows generally through Karnatka and Tamil
Nadu. The Cauvery dispute date back to 19th century when the modern Karnataka and Tamil Nadu were the parts of
Mysore state and Madras presidency respectively. In the later years of 19th century both the state of Mysore and
Madras were under British rule for a short period of time when they planned to utilize the river water for irrigation
purpose but due to several famines during the period the plans could not be implemented. Soon, the Mysore state
came under the power of kings and they revived the plan to utilize the Cauvery water for irrigation and drinking which
were opposed by then Madras presidency and the matter was brought to British government. Subsequently an
agreement was reached on the principles of 'modus vivendi' which enabled the Mysore state to go with irrigation
projects and Madras were given practical security against injury to interest in the year of 1892.
The matter came again in limelight when in the year of 1910 the king of Mysore Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodyar and
Captain Dawes as a chief engineer came with a plan to construct a dam over the river which was opposed by Madras
and finally an agreement was reached in the year of 1924 which was valid for 50 years.

India became independent in 1947 and states were reorganized in 1956. After state reorganization Kerala and
Puduchery came into the fray of Cauvery dispute as a major tributary of Cauvery, Kabini originates in Kerala and the
Karaikal region of puducherry falling under the tail of the river.
As the 1924's agreement was about to come to an end in 1974, all the party and Government of India started
negotiating for sharing of river between the states in 1960 which continued for decades without reaching any outcome.
Finally, in 1990 an inter-state water tribunal was set up (Cauvery water dispute tribunal) on sharing the water system
among the states falling under its basin. The tribunal passed an interim order in 1991 and final order came in 2007
upon sharing the water among the states.

In years when the rain is normal or above normal there is no quarrel as all the party receive the amount they require for
their agricultural or other purposes but it becomes a matter of contention when the rain is deficient.

The tribunal has awarded Tamil Nadu - 419 TMC, Karnatka - 270 TMC, Kerala - 30 TMC and Puducherry - 7 TMC
during the normal rain years and when the availability of water is less or during the deficient rain years the share of
states is reduced proportionally.
Being in upper riparian part of the river Karnataka does not release the water during deficient year as per the tribunal's
arrangement and Tamil Nadu has to go to supreme court for it's share which is the major reason of dispute. Though the
situation can be handled sagaciously the government of both states give it a political colour and very often it turns into
violent protest in both the states causing disastrous loss of life and material to the society at both end.
The Cauvery river basin consists of 81,155 square kilometre from which Karnataka holds 34,273 square kilometre and
Tamil Nadu 43,856 square kilometre and rest falls in Kerala and Puducherry. The farmers in both the state are
dependent on the water of river and any mismanagement in water availability make their life miserable because of their
dependence of agriculture.
As we already know that the situation becomes grave only during the deficient rain years both the states need to
understand the necessity of each other. We also need to develop a system through which early forecasting can be
made about the rain and information provided to farmer so that they will plan the cropping pattern according to the
water availability.
It is the time every state need to start working on water harvesting so that the water stored can be used during the
scarcity. Once we have several resource for anything our dependence on a particular resource become lesser and it
can help us in the situations like Cauvery dispute.

Write short notes following agricultural schemes initiated by PM Modi's

government; i) Kisan vikas patra ii) Krishi Ambani Bima Yojna iii) Garam
Sinachi Yojna iv) Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojna v) Soil Health Card Scheme vi)
Deen Dayal Upadhya Gramen Kaushlya Yojna

As you all know there are multifarious schemes implemented by our PM Modis Govt in many different sectors of the
society. These schemes/projects are not fully successful as desired but will be successful if implemented correctly.
Some scheme benefitted the farmers, some helped the poor and some helped the working and retired people. Here
are some agricultural schemes initiated by our Govt. for the welfare of the farmers:-

1. Kisan Vikas Patra --:

This is a saving certificate scheme which was launched in 1988 by Indian Post. It was successful in early months but
afterwards a committee was set up under the supervision of Shayamla Gopinath (presently chairman of HDFC Bank)
by the Government of India. It was closed in 2011 after the recommendation that it can be misused due to its flexibility

and know-your-customer (KYC) requirement. However, the new Government re-launched it in 2014. It favours and
meets the requirement of some farmers and it should be available to each and every farmer and they should be
benefitted.

2. Krishi Ambani Bima Yojna --:

The Govt. of India shall introduce this scheme so that if the crop of a farmer gets destroyed due to any reason they
dont bear the financial burden. It would be a successful scheme but it would also experience huge losses as they
wouldnt pay for it. They wouldnt have any problem and they will work and this will help in ending the suicides.

3. Gram Sinchai Yojna --:

Also known as Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY) is a national mission to ensure better utilization and to
improve farm productivity in the country. A budget of 500 billion in a time span of five years has been allocated to this
scheme. The decision was taken on 1st July 2015 at the meeting of Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA),
which in turn was headed by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi. The primary aim is to attract investments in
irrigation system at field level, development and expand cultivable land in the country, enhance ranch water use in
order to minimize wastage of water, enhance crop per drop by implementing water saving technologies and precision
irrigation. The plan additionally calls for bringing ministries, offices, organizations, research and financial institutions
occupied with creation and recycling of water under one platform so that an exhaustive and holistic outlook of the
whole water cycle is considered. The goal is to open the doors for optimal water budgeting in all sectors.

4. Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojna (SAGY) --:

It is a rural development programme which broadly focuses on the development in the villages for the poor and farmers
which includes social development, cultural development and spread motivation among the people on the social
mobilization of the village community. This programme was launched on 11 October 2014 by The Prime Minister of
India, Shri Narendra Modi on the birth anniversary of Jayaprakash Narayan. The feature that distinct in from other is
that this programme is (a) demand driven (b) inspired by society (c) based on peoples participation. The best strategy
of this programme is that it empowers the Gram Panchayats and peoples institution with them. This scheme would be
successful if implemented whole across the country with proper maintenance.

5. Soil Health Card Scheme --:

This scheme/program was launched by the Govt. of India in February 2015. Under this scheme, the Govt. plans to
issue soil cards to the farmers according to their needs and crop wise and nutrients and fertilisers would be given in
accordance of their crop. This will help them to increase their crop production and use manure, fertilisers judiciously.
There will be special measures for the soil to increase the soil production. The Govt. plans to issue these soil cards to
14 crore farmers. An amount of 568 crore was allocated by the Govt. for the scheme. In 2016 Union budget of India
100 crore has been allocated to the states for making of the soil health cards and to set up labs.

6. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Garmin Kaushlya Yojna (DDU-GKY -:

It is a Government of India youth employment scheme. It was launched by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Venkaiah
Naidu on the occasion of 98th birth anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya on 25th September 2014. It aims to
target youth, under the age group of 15-35 years. A corpus of Rs 1,500 crore and is aimed at enhancing the

employability of rural youth. Under this programme, disbursements would be made through a digital voucher directly
into the students bank account as part of the governments skill development initiative. In my opinion these
schemes/yojanas are a good for the farmers and they will reduce the deaths of farmers and these will support them at
their best. There on will be more people engaged in agriculture and production will be increased as they would be
provided with many more facilities.

Insights into Issues: Basic Income Guarantee Scheme

While the world pondered the fallout of Brexit, another referendum took place in
Europe, which was no less significant. In Switzerland, a proposal for adults to be
paid an unconditional monthly income (1.75l pm), whether they worked or not,
was up for a vote. It was defeated by a big margin 77% opposed the plan, with
only 23 per cent backing it. If successful it would have led to a radically new
model of the welfare state, where all forms of transfers from the state to the
poorer sections housing, food, child support, and unemployment benefits
would have been replaced by a single cash transfer.

The Swiss setback aside, the idea of a Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) has gained
traction in the debate on reforming the welfare state in major market economies
on both sides of the Atlantic. The idea also resonates with a recent policy shift in
India towards direct cash transfers, under the acronym JAM
(Jan Dhan Yojana, Aadhaar cards, Mobile money platforms), which involves rolling
all subsidies into a single lump-sum cash transfer to households.
Plans Proposed:

Y Combinator, of Silicon Valley fame, is testing out a new business model:

handing out money, without any strings, in an unnamed U.S. community in an
attempt to replace safety net welfare policies that often fail to help those with
the greatest need.

Finland is considering a plan to give 100,000 citizens $1,000 a month, while

four cities in Netherlands are starting trial programmes.

Canadian province of Ontario is planning a trial run of Basic Income

Guarantee programme
Indian Experience
A pilot in eight villages in Madhya Pradesh provided over 6,000 individuals a
monthly payment (Rs.100 for a child, Rs.200 for an adult; later raised to Rs.150
and Rs.300, respectively). The money was initially paid out as cash, while
transitioning to bank accounts three months later. The transfer was
unconditional, save the prevention of substitution of food subsidies for cash
grants.

Results:

Most villagers used the money on household improvements (latrines, walls,

roofs) while taking precautions against malaria 24.3 per cent of the
households changed their main source of energy for cooking or lighting; 16
per cent had made changes to their toilet.

There was a seeming shift towards markets, instead of ration shops, given
better financial liquidity, leading to improved nutrition, particularly among SC
and ST households, and better school attendance and performance.

There was an increase in small-scale investments (better seeds, sewing

machines, equipment repairs etc).

Bonded labour decreased, along with casual wage labour, while selfemployed farming and business activity increased.

Financial inclusion was rapid within four months of the pilot, 95.6 per cent
of the individuals had bank accounts. Within a year, 73 per cent of the
households reported a reduction in their debt.

There was no evidence of any increase in spending on alcohol.

Pros:

Instead of having many different forms of welfare programmes targeted at

the poor, and administered through government bureaucracy, just make a
simple unconditional regular cash transfer to every adult. This would help in
downsizing bureaucracy and doing away with cumbersome procedures
associated with bureaucracy.

Universal cash transfer has 3 basic characteristics:

First, it is universal and not targeted at the poor alone, thereby

removing the numerous problems associated with means-testing. In the
Indian context, this makes sense because of the less-than-satisfactory
experience with targeting welfare services. Apart from the standard
arguments against targetingthat it often excludes a lot of the deserving
households from receiving subsidies, people often fall in and out of
poverty and therefore it becomes difficult to ascertain who are rightfully
entitled to receive such benefits.

It is a simple cash transfer, so there is no need to provide in-kind

transfers (for example food stamps) or subsidies for certain goods and
services (for example housing support), both of which come with standard
inefficiencies associated with interfering with market forces

It is unconditional, so that it is not contingent on the recipients

conforming to stipulated norms of behaviour, such as looking for jobs or
having children enrolled in schools, and the problems of monitoring that
this entails. This takes care of the problem of inefficient targetting

Individuals retain any additional income earned over the basic income,
subject to paying a fraction in taxes. So only those with zero income will
receive the full basic income in net terms. For others, the net benefits will
taper off and so even though the basic income is universal, the benefits of the
non-poor are clawed back through taxation and only the poor are net

recipients of support. Moreover, it has work incentives built in since the net
incomes of individuals will increase with extra earnings.

It is one of the few policies where there is support from both the left and the
right end of the political spectrum. The right likes it as it is non-paternalistic,
leaving the decision to the recipient as to how to spend the money. It also
trims down the need to have a large bureaucracy, and it is less prone to
corruption and exclusion and inclusion errors. The left likes it since it is a
smart redistribution policy where the redistributed income directly reaches
the poorer section, avoiding the leaky bucket problem.

It also empowers workers in the labour market by separating their

subsistence needs from finding jobs that are a good match for them.

Proponents also argue that in the years to come, jobs will be taken up, due
to advancement in technology, by robots. In such a scenario the idea of a
basic income guarantee makes economic sense
Problems

It is mighty expensive with 11,600 bn rupees required which is equivalent

to 11% of GDP. Compared to MGNREGA where 0.3% of GDP is used. If only
given to BPL, cost comes down which can be met by eliminating leakages.
Economic Survey of India notes, that fiscal resources could be released if we
get rid of some subsidies. If we just take a few major items that the
government subsidises, the direct fiscal cost of this subset of subsidies is
about Rs 3,780 bn. It is still only about 4 per cent of the GDP, well short of the
11 per cent needed for a universal transfer.

The idea of a basic minimum income guarantee is inevitably linked with

government withdrawal from other channels of public service delivery, which
in effect would provide the fiscal space to carry on with this scheme. However
withdrawal of government support from public goods and necessities like
health, education, caring for the disadvantaged section is not justifies as the
weaker section have varied needs which can not be met simply by
transferring money. For instance, even if tribal population is provided with a
basic income they would still be dependent on state for provision of health
and employment services.

Transition to cash transfers could easily be used by the government as an

opportunity to dilute peoples entitlements, e.g. by imposing conditionalities,
restricting eligibility, or going slow on the indexation of cash transfers to the
price level. It could also become a stepping stone towards state withdrawal
from many essential services

Tax base of the country very poor. Tax avoidance common. Difficult to
generate resources. Only 1 per cent of Indians actually pay income tax, while
a mere 2.3 per cent file tax returns

The other major problem of basic income guarantee is that it may adversely
affect work incentives. Any welfare programme will affect work incentives to
some degree, and given the unconditional nature of cash transfers, one would
expect distortions to be minimum. Still, the fact that a section of the

population is earning an income without having to work is likely to create

resentment.
India could move towards a basic income, replacing some egregiously
dysfunctional welfare spending but leaving untouched public education and
healthcare, pre-school nutrition programmes, or employment guarantees in
public works. The required budgetary resources could be raised by trimming the
implicit and explicit subsidies to the rich (often in the form of tax breaks or
subsidies given to goods largely consumed by the relatively well-off), or by
raising additional taxes by improving property tax collections. A regular
unconditional basic income, scaled up through pilots, and rolled out slowly and
carefully, seems ideal for India.
However this idea has been debated ad nauseam by libertarians and
conservatives alike and a consensus on it seems elusive. In the meanwhile, the
government is steadily moving towards Conditional Cash Transfers as the mode
of subsidy delivery. The experience of implementation of the scheme would
suggest whether India is ready in the future to have a Basic Income Guarantee.

Issue of bringing water into concurrent list being discussed with States

The Union Ministry of Water Resources has for long been arguing for a shift of
water to the Concurrent List without any serious expectation of its happening,
but has now begun to pursue the idea more actively.

Present constitutional position in relation to water:

The general impression is that in India water is a State subject, but the position is
not quite so simple.

The primary entry in the Constitution relating to water is indeed Entry 17

in the State List, but it is explicitly made subject to the provisions of Entry
56 in the Union List which enables the Union to deal with inter-State rivers
if Parliament legislates for the purpose.

This means that if Parliament considers it expedient in the public interest

that the regulation and development of an inter-State river, say the Ganga
or Yamuna or Narmada, should be under the control of the Union, it can
enact a law to that effect, and that law will give the Union legislative (and
therefore executive) powers over that river. That enabling provision has not
been used by Parliament. No law has been passed bringing any river under
the control of the Union.

Under Entry 56, Parliament did enact the River Boards Act
1956 providing for the establishment of River Boards for inter-State rivers,
but no such board has been established under the Act. That Act is virtually a
dead letter. The reasons are political, i.e., strong resistance by State
governments to any enhancement of the role of the Central government.
Is the present constitutional division of legislative power relating to water
between the Union and the States satisfactory?
The Centre does not think so. The Sarkaria Commission thought that a change
was unnecessary.

The erstwhile Planning Commission has also suggested water law on the
lines of the European Union where water is under one directive.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has also recommended bringing

water in the concurrent list of the Constitution. The panel, in a report titled
Water Pollution in India, urged the Centre to come up with a national
legislation on water.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources too had urged

the Centre to initiate earnest efforts to build a national consensus for
bringing water into the Concurrent List of the Constitution so that a
comprehensive plan can be prepared for water conservation.

Why this may not be good move?

A move to put water into the Concurrent List at this stage will be generally
regarded as a retrograde step that runs counter to the general trend towards
decentralisation and enhanced federalism, and it will face serious political
difficulty because there will be stout opposition from the States.

Besides, an entry in the Concurrent List will mean that both the Centre and
the States can legislate on water, but the Centre can already do so in respect
of inter-State rivers under Entry 56 but has not used that power. It seems
sensible to use that enabling provision, and also re-activate the River Boards
Act, rather than pursue the difficult idea of a constitutional amendment to
bring water on to the Concurrent List.
But, why water should be placed in the concurrent list?

Water as a subject is larger than rivers; ponds and lakes, springs,

groundwater aquifers, glaciers, soil and atmospheric moisture, wetlands, and
so on, are all forms of water and constitute a hydrological unity. Hence,
keeping the environmental, ecological, social/human, and rights concerns
relating to water, it seems necessary to place this subject under the
concurrent list.

In the recent past, there have been serious concerns relating to

groundwater rapid depletion of aquifers in many parts of the country, the
emergence of arsenic and fluoride in many States, etc. It is also interesting to
note that there is no explicit reference to groundwater or aquifers in the
Constitution. Hence, in this context, some experts want the subject to be
moved to the concurrent list.

The sense of water scarcity and crisis now looms large. It is clear that while
action will be called for at the State and local levels, the perception of a crisis
casts a great responsibility on the Centre: national initiatives will definitely be
called for.

A new factor not foreseen even a few decades ago is climate change and its
impact on water resources. This is a subject which is still under study and
research, but it is clear that coordinated action will be called for not only at
the national level but also at the regional and international levels. The Central
government has necessarily to play a lead role in this regard.

Finally, it appears that to the Constitution-makers water meant essentially

river waters and irrigation. This is quite evident from the wording of the
entries. In that context, it might have appeared appropriate to assign the
primary role to the States, and provide a specific role for the Centre in
relation to inter-State rivers. But, since most of our important rivers are in fact

inter-State, and inter-State river water disputes are on rise, it is argued that
the centre should assume a greater role.
Way ahead:
There is a need to recognise water as a finite and vulnerable resource. The
Government should take urgent action to set the stage for enactment of a
comprehensive national legislation on water after evolving a broad national
consensus to bring it in the concurrent list and formulate an over-arching
national legal framework for effective water management, conservation,
development and equitable distribution with adequate provisions for devolution
necessary authority to the lower tiers of Government. The existing legislations on
water should also be comprehensively reviewed.
Conclusion:
Putting water into the Concurrent List is not necessarily an act of centralisation,
though it could lead to such a development. That danger is real and needs to be
avoided. Legislation and executive action must continue to be undertaken at the
appropriate level (Central, State or local) in each case. The subsidiarity principle,
i.e., the principle that decisions must be taken at the lowest appropriate level,
will continue to be valid.
The theoretical case for water being in the Concurrent List is thus unassailable.
Of all the subjects that are or ought to be in the Concurrent List, water ranks
higher than any other. The practical and political difficulties of shifting it there
remain, but these would need to be overcome.

Successful Flight Test of Agni IV:

Agni-IV, the Long Range Surface to Surface Ballistic Missile with a range of
4,000 kms was successfully flight tested recently.

The missile is developed by the Defence Research and Development

Organisation under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program.

Agni IV is nuclear capable, with a payload capacity of one tonne of highexplosive warhead.

The sophisticated surface-to-surface missile is equipped with modern and

compact avionics to provide high level of reliability.

The most accurate Ring Laser Gyro based Inertial Navigation System (RINS)
and supported by highly reliable redundant Micro Navigation System (MINGS),
ensures the vehicle reaches the target within two digit accuracy.

The re-entry heat shield can withstand temperatures in the range of 4000
degrees centigrade and makes sure the avionics function normally.

The Agni-IV had undergone one failed and five successful tests over the last
five years, with the last one being conducted in November 2015.

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