Topic: geographical features and their location- changes in critical geographical features (including waterbodies and ice-caps)

1. Recently efforts have been made to bring the mythical Saraswati river to the surface by the Haryana government and the Union government. What are the possible reasons for the disappearance of this river if it existed in ancient times and what is your opinion on efforts made to revive the river. (200 Words)

Possible reasons for the disappearance of Saraswati are:

Climate change from wet to dry spell, as evidenced by geomorphological and stratigraphic records during the Quaternary period. (Another example is Sahara Desert which is said to be a lush grassland 11,000-10,000 years ago)

Disruptions caused by the desiccation [verb remove the moisture from] of Saraswati due to plate tectonics

Neo-tectonic changes in the Himalayan and Aravalli regions. Uplift of Himalayas and Siwaliks Uplift of Aravalli range resulting in northward shift of river Saraswati. Climatic changes from humid to desertic condition. Changes in glaciation in Himalayas. Choking of rivers by enormous sand debris.

Proving the existenece of river Saraswati would give rise to cultural tourism in the region.

Efforts intensified to bring Saraswati to surface

Efforts of Haryana government to bring the mythical Saraswati river to the surface by creating a stream at its point of origin at Saraswati Udgam Sthal in the Adi Badri area of Yamunanagar district.

River finds prominent mention in Hindu scriptures and is believed to have flowed all the way up to Allahabad where its confluence with the Ganga and Yamuna imparted the name of Triveni to the place.

Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge in Hindu mythology. The river Saraswati also has a unique place in Vedic literature [mainly Rig Veda]. However, in

modern India, there is no such vast river called Saraswati (the rivers Sindhu/Indus and Ganga are both accounted for).

Between 3500 and 1900 BC, the Harappan or Indus Valley Civilisation - the world's largest civilisation of the time - covered vast areas of modern day Pakistan and Western India from Kashmir to Gujarat.

Its cities were spread across what appears to be a waterless desert in the western part of the Indian subcontinent.

A careful plot of these sites suggests they lie along the path of a dried riverbed, and the river, if filled up, would rival the Indus in size.

Today too there is a river that follows the path. It is called the Gaggar in India and as it moves into Pakistan, it becomes the Hakra. But it is a seasonal monsoon water channel that dries up in the summer. It is fed by the Sarsuti and Chautang rivers.

Chautang in particular passes close to the river Yamuna, but the two diverge as they reach the plains, the Chautang going west while the Yamuna goes east to eventually meet the Ganga.

Rivers are not stable and change course over time. Small earthquakes and minor changes in embankments or silt deposition can also change a river's course.

Topic: responsibilities of the Union and the States; Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

2. The promise of offering freebies to people by political parties if they are voted to power is now a common feature during elections in India. What is your opinion on this issue? Do you think such promises are against the principles of democracy? Also examine what would be the effect on economy if such promised freebies are given to people. (200 Words)

Freebies promised by political parties range from free goods, free electricity, free food to free laptops. Freebies are a part of the winning strategy of the political parties. They are a means by which people are deceived and their conscience is blinded at the time of elections.

Freebies are not just bad, but are also dangerous to democracy in the long run. Freebie political culture has the ablity to destabilize the economy in the long run and that can shake the very foundations of our democratic process. The underdevelopment of our well endowned country could be attributed to deception politics where unsustainable short term gains attract masses and the most beneficial long term gains are compromised.

Freebies infringe on the right of the individual to vote with conscience. When ‘the right to vote with conscience’ is compromised, ‘the right to life with dignity’ in itself is compromised.

Economic effects

freebies are mainly consumption expenditure and not investment Completely against the principles of free market economy and might lead to price distortions Freebies will lead to wreckless usage of the product and most of the time leads to wasteful

consumption. People get addicted to such freebies (especially in an illiterate society like ours where functioning of

the economy is least understood by the common masses) building a vicious web.

Long term, everlasting benefits are compromised and the short term populist measures will start consuming the resources perpetuating poverty.

Section 66A of the IT Act

Topic: Indian Constitution- significant provisions and basic structure; Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability

3. “Section 66A of the Information Technology Act is a necessary deterrent and can not be cast away on the apprehension that it would be misused to affect the freedom of speech and expression.” Do you agree with this view? Critically comment. (200 Words)

[Personal opinion]

Article 66A of the amended IT act is meant to prevent misuse of open electronic communication platforms like facebook, twitter and other social media. The acticle stipulates punishment of 3 years or a fine for sending “offensive” messages through a computer network or any other electronic medium.

The government says the article is a ‘necessary deterrent’ aginst those misuing social media but many feel that the act can be used by the government and law enforcing agencies to curb ‘freedom of speech’ of certain persons or sections of the society under the guise of the act.

For example, two girls in Maharastra were arrested for expressing their displeasure over the shutdown of Mumbai during Bal Thakrey’s funeral. In another incident, a cartoonist was arrested for being satirical on the working of parliament and the constitution and a professor was arrested for circulating caricatures of Mamatha Banerjee. These incidents show that the law can be misused to curb ‘freedom of speech and expression’--the foundation of democracy.

Though the intention behind the law can be justified, but vague terms like “grossly offensive” which are not defined can have wide connotations, varied opinions and interpretations leading to detentions of those that criticize the government or any other person under diverse circumstances.

Thus the law only weakens democracy by failing to distinguish between “restrictions” and “reasonable restrictions” on ‘freedom of free speech and expression’.

Section 66A of the IT Act

66A. Punishment for sending offensive messages through communication service, etc.

Any person who sends, by means of a computer resource or a communication device,—

(a) any information that is grossly offensive or has menacing character; or [The term ‘grossly offensive’ has wide connotation, and is open to distinctive, varied interpretations. There are conflicting opinions and interpretations for every act]

(b) any information which he knows to be false, but for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience, danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred or ill will, persistently by making use of such computer resource or a communication device,

(c) any electronic mail or electronic mail message for the purpose of causing annoyance or inconvenience or to deceive or to mislead the addressee or recipient about the origin of such messages,

shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years and with fine.

Why in news?

The Supreme Court is examining the constitutional validity of Section 66A of the amended Indian Information Technology Act, 2000.

A batch of petitions have alleged that the section tramples upon the Fundamental Right to freedom of speech and expression, and asked that it be declared unconstitutional.

What is Section 66A of the IT Act?

Section 66A defines the punishment for sending “offensive” messages through a computer or any other communication device like a mobile phone or a tablet.

A conviction can fetch a maximum of three years in jail and a fine.

What is the problem with that?

The vagueness about what is “offensive”. The word has a very wide connotation, and is open to distinctive, varied interpretations.

It is subjective, and what may be innocuous for one person, may lead to a complaint from someone else and, consequently, an arrest under Section 66A if the police prima facie accepts the latter person’s view.

How did the controversy begin?

The first petition came up in the court following the arrest of two girls in Maharashtra in November 2012 over a Facebook post.

The girls had made comments on the shutdown of Mumbai for the funeral of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray.

The arrests triggered outrage from all quarters over the manner in which the cyber law was used.

How frequently has 66A been used?

In 2012 a professor was arrested for forwarding caricatures on Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Facebook.

Activist Aseem Trivedi was arrested for drawing cartoons lampooning Parliament and the Constitution to depict their ineffectiveness.

Air India employee Mayank Sharma and K V Rao from Mumbai were arrested for allegedly posting offensive comments against politicians on their Facebook group.

Businessman Ravi Srinivasan was booked by Puducherry police for an allegedly offensive tweet against the son of a former cabinet minister.

What are the grounds for the challenge?

While the objective behind the 2008 amendment was to prevent the misuse of information technology, particularly through social media, Section 66A comes with extremely wide parameters, which allow whimsical interpretations by law enforcement agencies.

Most of the terms used in the section have not been specifically defined under the Act. The petitions have argued that it is a potential tool to gag legitimate free speech online, and to curtail freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under the Constitution, going far beyond the ambit of “reasonable restrictions” on that freedom.

What has the court said so far?

The Supreme Court, in the preliminary hearing, accepted the contention that the provision was “very widely drafted”, and gave arbitrary powers to police officers to make arrests.

Nudged by the court, the central government issued a set of guidelines in January 2013, intended to prevent misuse of the provision.

These guidelines mandated that only senior police personnel could order arrests under this section.

The petitioners have, however, maintained that the guidelines could not redeem a provision that was otherwise unconstitutional.

The court gave an ultimatum to the Centre to either clarify its stand on the provisions that envisaged arrest for contentious posts on social media, or be ready to have such laws stayed.

It warned that it would make the provision inoperative if the government failed to file, within a week, a comprehensive affidavit, and explain its final stand on either amending or deleting Section 66A.

Topic: Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth.

4. In the light of growing competition and growing investor interest in e-commerce in India, many feel it is high time that the regulatory regime was simplified to allow free play to e-commerce. In this regard, examine the constraints faced by e-commerce industry and how liberalization of this sector would help Indian economy. (200 Words)

Constraints

low internet penetration and poor financial and logistical infrastructure Poor last mile connectivity due to missing links in supply chain infrastructure High drop-out rates of 25-30 per cent on payment gateways (failed transactions), consumer trust

deficit and slow adoption of online payments Ambiguity over local taxes

Restrictions over Foreign Direct Investments the red tapism and very gradual process of clearance at bureaucratic level. Lack of FDI in multi brand retail – the protectionist attitude of government. Ambiguous regulatory regime –eg. Customs duty payment either by producers or marketers. Inconsistency of state taxes across india – varying tax rates by different states.

How liberalization helps

Infrastructure development: increased capital will help to establish supply chain, distribution system and warehousing.

Manufacturing sector growth: expansion in retail sector will boost manufacturing sector. Efficient supply chain management: reduced middlemen leading to lower transaction costs,

overhead, inventory and labor costs. Best work culture, traceability, transparency, increased job creation and customer service. Increased access to buyers/sellers, allow MSMEs and artisans to reach out to customers both locally

as well as abroad the liberalization will generate massive employment both, skilled and unskilled. Free market force deciding the prices of goods. Eg. Healthy competition ensure less prices of goods. More competition: both domestic and foreign investments boost the sector. Simple and clear tax regime – attract more investments. Cost effective e- commerce industry eg. Good for people to purchase at low cost. Level playing field to competitors. Easy and effective monitoring of government institution No loss of revenue to government More employment to both high end and labours.

Topic: Achievements of Indians in science & technology; Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers,

5. Explain the working principle behind the Global Positioning System (GPS).  Write a note on the efforts made by India to create its own GPS system. (200 Words)

GPS-: The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based navigation system that consists of 24 orbiting satellites, each of which makes two circuits around the Earth every 24 hours. These satellites transmit three bits of information – the satellite's number, its position in space, and the time the information is sent. These signals are picked up by the GPS receiver, which uses this information to calculate the distance between it and the GPS satellites.

Working & Applications -: With signals from three or more satellites, a GPS receiver can triangulate its location on the ground (i.e., longitude and latitude) from the known position of the satellites. With four or more satellites, a GPS receiver can determine a 3D position (i.e., latitude, longitude, and elevation). In addition, a GPS receiver can provide data on your speed and direction of travel. Anyone with a GPS receiver can access the system. Because GPS provides real-time, three-dimensional Positioning, navigation, and

timing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all over the world, it is used in numerous applications, including GIS data collection, surveying, and mapping.

efforts made by India to create its own GPS & other countries-:

1) The IRNSS constellation will give India guaranteed access to what has become a critical service in the present day – navigation satellite signals.

2) Using its seven satellites, the IRNSS system will beam accurate navigation signals over India and up to 1,500 km from its borders. Three of those satellites have already been launched and ISRO plans to have the remaining satellites in place by the middle of next year. By adding four more satellites, India has the option to extend the area covered by its navigation system.

3) America’s Global Positioning System (GPS), with worldwide coverage, is the leader in the field. 4) Russia, for its part, established a similar capability with the Global Navigation Satellite System

(GLONASS).5) Europe is therefore in the process of putting its own constellation of Galileo navigation satellites

in place. 6) China is likewise creating the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System; a regional service has already

been launched and it intends to achieve global coverage by around 2020.

Topic: Security issue – Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security.

6. “The West’s war against terrorism is definitely not a war against – or a confrontation with – Islam as such, but a war against Islamic radicalism, the ideology it is promoting, the initiatives it has launched and the terrorism it is trying to expand in different parts of the world.” Critically comment why various strategies to fight terrorism are increasingly failing and examine what long-term plan is needed to arrest the rise of radicalism that’s spreading fear across the world. (200 Words)

Topic: Achievements of Indians in science & technology

7. How does a membrane based typical water purifier work? What are its components? Also examine latest technologies developed in water purification methods, especially by Indian scientists. (200 Words)

Membrane based water purifier(WP comes in two forms (1.) Traditional membrane based WP (2.) Reverse Osmosis based WP.

Traditional membrane based WP works on simple concept of filtering any visible and small suspended particles. Sometimes alums are also used to load the impurities and to make it large to get caught by membranes.

Reverse Osmosis based WP works on concept that, when Tap Water pushes water in RO filter, the pressure pushes water through the layers of membranes so designed to extract dissolved solids, bacteria, contaminates, detergents or any impurities which are larger than microns.

Components of Water purifiers are:

(1.) Membranes: To filter any suspended material in water and outputs clean water.

(2.) Nanotubes made of Carbon, Silver and Titanium oxide kills E.coli bacteria through it’s roughness. It also destroys proteins of bacteria and prevents their DNA to replicate.

(3.) Water Pressure: To push the water through the membrane. Household tap water pressure is enough for such push, Hence, RO filter doesn’t require electricity or extra power source.

Latest membrane developed by mixing two polymers to give a mesh hole size of 50 nanometers which is smallest achieved so far, and can remove all kinds of bacteria and pathogens from water. Also, use silver, titanium dioxide and carbon nanotubes that are embedded on membrane is their ability to kill E. coli bacteria. Silver leaches in water and when the ions so released kill the bacteria by destroying the integrity of the cell and by damaging the cell proteins and terminating the DNA replication.