GS Paper - IV Model Answers (2020)- 2 | UPSC Mains Answer Writing: Practice PDF Download

Q7: Rajesh Kumar is a senior public servant, with a reputation of honesty and forthrightness, currently posted in the Finance Ministry as Head of the Budget Division. His department is presently busy in organizing the budgetary support to the states, four of which are due to go to the polls within the financial year.
This year’s annual budget had allotted 78300 crores for National Housing Scheme (NHS), a centrally sponsored social housing scheme for the weaker sections of society. 775 crores have been drawn for NHS till June.
The Ministry of Commerce had long been pursuing a case for setting up a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in a southern state to boost exports. After two years of detailed discussions between the centre and state, the Union Cabinet approved the project in August. Process was initiated to acquire the necessary land.
Eighteen months ago, a leading Public Sector Unit (PSU) had projected the need for setting up a large natural gas processing plant in a northern state for the regional gas grid. The required land is already in possession of the PSU. The gas grid is an essential component of the national energy security strategy. After three rounds of global bidding the project was allotted to an MNC, M/s XYZ Hydrocarbons. The first tranche of payment to the MNC is scheduled to be made in December.
Finance Ministry was asked for a timely allocation of an additional 6000 crores for these two developmental projects. It was decided to recommend re-appropriation of this entire amount from the NHS allocation. The file was forwarded to Budget Department for their comments and further processing. On studying the case file, Rajesh Kumar realized that this reappropriation may cause inordinate delay in the execution of NHS, a project much publicized in the rallies of senior politicians. Correspondingly, non-availability of finances would cause financial loss in the SEZ and national embarrassment due to delayed payment in an international project.
Rajesh Kumar discussed the matter with his seniors. He was conveyed that this politically sensitive situation needs to be processed immediately. Rajesh Kumar realized that diversion of funds from NHS could raise difficult questions for the government in the Parliament.
Discuss the following with reference to this case:
1. Ethical issues involved in re-appropriation of funds from a welfare project to the developmental projects.
2. Given the need for proper utilization of public funds, discuss the options available to Rajesh Kumar. Is resigning a worthy option?
Ans: Ethical issues involved in re-appropriation of funds

• Economic Development vs. Social Justice:
  As setting up a Special Economic Zone and natural gas processing plant, economic development would help in the region’s economic growth and eventually lead to the overall development of society & people.
  • Further, finances’ non-availability would cause a financial loss in the SEZ and national embarrassment due to delayed payment in an international project.
• Social justice, as re-appropriation may cause inordinate delay in the execution of the National Housing Scheme and may hamper the welfare of vulnerable sections of the society.
• Empathy vs. Professional Duty:
  As a senior public servant, Rajesh Kumar’s responsibility is to exhibit empathy and compassion

  for society’s downtrodden section’s upliftment and welfare.

  • Moreover, as the situation is politically sensitive, the diversion of funds from the NHS could raise difficult questions for the government in the Parliament.

• Further, Rajesh Kumar is the head of the Budget Division in the Finance Ministry. Thus, his primary responsibility is to act with an objective analysis of demand without getting influenced by the political situation.

Possible Actions are- Diversion of Entire Amount for Re-appropriation
Merits

• It will help in boosting exports and help increase clean energy accessibility.
• It will aid the government’s objective of focusing on economic development and eventually lead to a trickle-down of benefits to society.

Demerits 

• It may cause inordinate delay in the execution of the NHS and may have tremendous implications for the poorer sections of the society.
• The opposition may disrupt the parliament and launch an agitation.
• Diversion of Funds from welfare schemes to economic projects may become a regular practice.

Reject the proposal for the re-appropriation of funds.
Merits

• It will uphold the principle of social justice and the government’s commitment to helping the poorer section of society.
• It will also save Rajesh Kumar from the wrath of the political masters, as populist demands majorly influence their decisions.

Demerits

• Non-availability of finances would cause a financial loss in the SEZ and may bring national embarrassment due to delayed payment in an international project.
• As the gas grid is an essential component of the national energy security strategy, it would have implications on energy availability and subsequent employment generation that the project would have provided.

Partial re-appropriation of Funds
Merits

• It will help in balancing the twin goals of economic development and social justice.

Demerits 

• Partial re-appropriation of funds will require time for calculating the modalities and how much funds are to be transferred.
• On the contrary, due to the politically sensitive situation, funds’ re-appropriation needs to be processed immediately.

The Final Course of Action

• Rs. 78300 crores are sanctioned for the National Housing Scheme (NHS), out of which only Rs 775 crores are spent. This means, almost the entire amount is unutilized. Even if 6000 crores (what is asked) for these two developments is re-appropriated, it will leave nearly 90% of the amount sanctioned for NHS.
• However, diversion of funds may become a slippery slope for the government to divert welfare scheme funds under the guise of economic development.
• Thus, given the long-term implications of SEZ and the associated issue of national embarrassment (if delayed), Rajesh Kumar should recommend re-appropriating funds for SEZ projects only as an exceptional measure.
• Further, he should recommend that the gas project mobilize funds from the market, which may form bonds.
• Lastly, the consideration of resigning as an option is not at all a good idea. Resigning may reflect the escapist mindset and may set a bad example for other fellow civil servants.

Being a public servant, it is natural to such issues. It is also both the duty and moral responsibility to act in public service, following objective standards and without being influenced by vindictive politics.

Q8: The Chairman of Bharat Missiles Ltd (BML) was watching a program on TV wherein the Prime Minister was addressing the nation on the necessity of developing a self-reliant India. He subconsciously nodded in agreement and smiled to himself as he mentally reviewed BML’s journey in the past two decades. BML had admirably progressed from producing first generation anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMS) to designing and producing state of the art ATGM weapon systems that would be the envy of any army. He sighed in reconciliation with his assumptions that the government would probably not alter the status quo of a ban on export of military weaponry.
To his surprise, the very next day he got a telephone call from the Director General, Ministry of Defence, asking him to discuss the modalities of increasing BML production of ATGMS as there is a possibility of exporting the same to a friendly foreign country. The Director General wanted the Chairman to discuss the details with his staff at Delhi next week.
Two days later, at a press conference, the Defence Minister stated that he aims to double the current weapons export levels within five years. This would give an impetus to financing the development and manufacture of indigenous weapons in the country. He also stated that all indigenous arms manufacturing nations have a very good record of international arms trade. As Chairman of BML, what are your views on the following points?
1. As an arms exporter of a responsible nation like India, what are the ethical issues involved in arms trade?
2. List five ethical factors that would influence the decision to sell arms to foreign governments.
Ans: This case study highlights the selling of arms and moral issue arrived from it. As Arms exporter, India can face following issues-

• Violence versus peace- India’s weapon can be used to incite the violence by the entity for their personal interest.
• Selling arms to democratic vs non democratic rogue Nation.
• Concern regarding the use of weapons on innocent or Rebellion people.
• Debate between armament and disarmament- This can also generate unstoppable race for arms trade and no one will be ready for disarmament.
• Strategic Power versus Responsibility- Though India can achieve strategic advantages but it may question the responsibility of Indiaif their weapons are used in illegal activities.
• Economic gains with profit vs trade must be quantified. 

In general, sales of arms will generate many issues for the global communities-

• Deterrencefor the production of Arms by hostile nationsforworld’s armament race.
• unequal treatment between veto and non-vote regarding the nuclear armament in the UN.
• Responsibility of arms exporters if the weapons are used in killing civilians. Ex Yemen and Syria.
• Supply of weapons to destabilise other nation's government and creating civil war. 

Therefore, there must be a consensus to sell the armaments as per international convention and sanctions if violations. Adherence to no first use policies, condition of not using it on its own public, and condition of using it as a last resort can also be a viable solution for the moral use of arms trade.
However it is better to conclude, by arguing in favour of world peace and tranquility – “Peace cannot be kept by force, it can only be achieved by understanding” Albert Einstein.

Q9: Rampura, a remote district inhabited by a tribal population, is marked by extreme backwardness and abject poverty. Agriculture is the mainstay of the local population, though it is primarily subsistence due to the very small land holdings. There is insignificant industrial or mining activity. Even the targeted welfare programs have inadequately benefited the tribal population. In this restrictive scenario, the youth has begun to migrate to other states to supplement the family income. Plight of minor girls is that their parents are persuaded by labour contractors to send them to work in the Bt Cotton farms of a nearby state. The soft fingers of the minor girls are well suited for plucking the cotton. The inadequate living and working conditions in these farms have caused serious health issues for the minor girls. NGOS in the districts of domicile and the cotton farms appear to be compromised and have not effectively espoused the twin issues of child labour and development of the area.
You are appointed as the District Collector of Rampura. Identify the ethical issues involved. Which specific steps will you initiate to ameliorate the conditions of minor girls of your district and to improve the overall economic scenario in the district
Ans: Ethical Issues Involved

• The given case can be described as an ethical dilemma in which two basic necessities of minor girls are in conflict i.e. their socio-economic rights of getting an education and good health vs. survival, and the livelihood of their families.
• Moreover, the case study highlights the issue of minor girls employed in Bt Cotton farms which is a violation of the Child Labour (prevention) Act, 2016 and the Right to Education Act, 2009.
  This warrants punishing the parents and owner of the Bt cotton farm.
  • However, this step will amount to the blind observance of law ignoring the circumstances in which crime has happened.
• Further, the case study highlights the lack of development, and failure of governance to provide

  welfare services to the remotest corners of the country.

Steps to Ameliorate the Conditions of Minor Girls

• Apart from contraction to Child Labor law and Right to Education Act, working in Bt. cotton farms is hazardous as they might inhale micro cotton fibers and develop respiratory ailments.
  • Therefore, direct supervision of the District Collector is needed to immediately stop the employment of minor girls in Bt. Cotton farms.
• The available funds should be directed to provide nutritional needs and education to children.
• Further, the local communities and civil society need to be involved to increase citizen participation, avoid a manpower crunch in welfare initiatives.

Steps to Improve the Overall Economic Scenario in the District

• The respective governments – state and center should be intimidated about the gravity of the situation for their immediate support.
• In order to discourage the migration of youth, there is a need to generate employment opportunities in the region.
  • For example, with proper training youth to work in Bt.cotton farms can be equipped with proper skills. This provides a livelihood to families without engaging people in child labor.
• Local people can be persuaded to collect minor forest produce with an assured MSP,
• Adherence to the provisions of the Panchayati Raj Act of 1992 and the Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act of 1996 in planning and implementation of various welfare schemes should be ensured in letter and spirit.

Q10: You are a municipal commissioner of a large city, having the reputation of a very honest and upright officer. A huge multipurpose mall is under construction in your city in which a large number of daily wage earners are employed. One night, during monsoons, a big chunk of the roof collapsed causing instant death of four labourers including two minors. Many more were seriously injured requiring immediate medical attention. The mishap resulted in a big hue and cry, forcing the government to institute an enquiry.
Your preliminary enquiry has revealed a series of anomalies. The material used for the construction was of poor quality. Despite the approved building plans permitting only one basement, an additional basement has been constructed. This was overlooked during the periodic inspections by the building inspector of the municipal corporation. In your enquiry, you noticed that the construction of the mall was given the green signal despite encroaching on areas earmarked for a green belt and a slip road in the Zonal Master Plan of the city. The permission to construct the mall was accorded by the previous Municipal Commissioner who is not only your senior and well known to you professionally, but also a good friend.
Prima facie, the case appears to be of a widespread nexus between officials of the Municipal Corporation and the builders. Your colleagues are putting pressure on you to go slow in the enquiry. The builder, who is rich and influential, happens to be a close relative of a powerful minister in the state cabinet. The builder is persuading you to hush up the matter, promising you a fortune to do so. He also hinted that this matter is not resolved at the earliest in his favour there is somebody in his office who is waiting to file a case against you under the POSH Act.
Discuss the ethical issues involved in the case. What are the options available to you in this situation? Explain your selected course of action.
Ans: Ethical Issues involved are:

• Corruption in the working of public department.
• Public Trust in bureaucracy.
• Institutional Morality
• Courage and Fortitude to handle the pressure
• Probity and Incorruptibility of the public servants.
• Misuse of POSH Act to threatening a honest civil servant. 

Cooperate with builder
Accepting the fortunes offered by builder is ethically wrong and practically dangerous (sooner or later your wrong actions will be caught). It will also impact my honesty and probity towards the public service as per deontological view.
About threatening with POSH Act– Maybe it is an empty threat. Also since I already have a reputation of being an honest and upright officer, nobody in the office would believe such fake cases. Even if the case is filed, I would not worry about such accusations and will fight it in Court of Law as per procedure and rule of law.
My selected course of actions
Inform the higher-ups about the situation as it allegedly involves political leaders. I will use emotional intelligence to pursue them about the wrong acts.
Give the previous Municipal Commissioner, a benefit of the doubt and talk to him. If he has committed the mistake deliberately, then he will seize to be a friend and appropriate action will be taken by the authorities. Complete the inquiry through higher authorities take the decision in consultation with me.

Q11: Parmal is a small but underdeveloped district. It has rocky terrain that is not suitable for agriculture, though some subsistence agriculture is being done on small plots of land. The area receives adequate rainfall and has an irrigation canal flowing through it. Amria, its administrative centre, is a medium sized town. It houses a large district hospital, an Industrial Training Institute and some privately owned skill training centres. It has all the facilities of a district headquarters. A trunk railway line passes approximately 50 kilometres from Amria. Its poor connectivity is a major reason for the absence of any major industry therein. The state government offers a 10 years tax holiday as an incentive to new industry.
In 2010 Anil, an industrialist, decided to take benefits to set up Amria Plastic Works (APW) in Noora village, about 20 km from Amria. While the factory was being built, Anil hired the required key labour and got them trained at the skill training centres at Amria. This act of his made the key personnel very loyal to APW.
APW started production in 2011 with the labour drawn fully from Noora village. The villagers were very happy to get employment near their homes and were motivated by the key personnel to meet the production targets with high quality. APW started making large profits, a sizeable portion of which was used to improve the quality of life in Noora. By 2016, Noora could boast of a greener village and a renovated village temple. Anil liaised with the local MLA to increase the frequency of the bus services to Amria. The government also opened a primary health care centre and primary school at Noora in buildings constructed by APW. APW used its CSR funds to set up women’s self-help groups, subsidize primary education to the village children and procure an ambulance for use by its employees and the needy.
In 2019, there was a minor fire in APW it was quickly extinguished as fire safety protocols were in place in the factory. Investigations revealed that the factory had been using electricity in excess of its authorized capacity. This was soon rectified. The next year, due to a nationwide lockdown, the requirement of production fell for four months. Anil decided that all employees would be paid regularly. He employed them to plant trees and improves the village habitat. APW had developed a reputation of high-quality production and a motivated workforce. Critically analyze the story of APW and state the ethical issues involved. Do you consider APW as a role model for development of backward areas? Give reasons.
Ans: This story highlights the ideal story of APW and use of Its CSR funds.
Story of APW can be seen in the role model and resolving the ethical Dilemma-

• Corporate Governance/ Corporate social responsibility: APW is utilizing the CSR in developing primary education, buying ambulances, skill development and funding SHGs inrural areas.
• Sustainable Development: Environmental Concerns is taken care bycompany throughplant trees and improve habitat for green vil
• Local Culture and traditions are taken care of by company through Temple construction.
• Compassion for the Locals: Coordinating with Local authorities to set up Healthcare and Education.
• Improving communication and transportation to the village with the bus services.
• Community driven altruistic development by providing employees job opportunities in lockdown during Pandemic outbreak.
• Emotional Intelligence as even during tough times lockdown.

Some issues-

• Development must be driven by state as well as provided in constitution but not by an individual.
• Plastic waste must be minimum
• Transportation must be improved for connectivity not for only industry.
• Though, Accident is not an ethical issue as fire protocols were in place and was immediately rectified but APW must follow guidelines and Rule of law.

Therefore, APW can be considered as a role model for the development of backward areas. There is nothing wrong both ethically and legally with Industry-led welfare but state must also come forward for decentralized led growth.

Q12: Migrant workers have always remained at the socio-economic margins of our society, silently serving as the instrumental labour force of urban economics. The pandemic has brought them into national focus.
On announcement of a countrywide lockdown, a very large number of migrant workers decided to move back from their places of employment to their native villages. The non-availability of transport created its own problems. Added to this was the fear of starvation and inconvenience to their families. This caused the migrant workers to demand wages and transport facilities for returning to their villages. Their mental agony was accentuated by multiple factors such as a sudden loss of livelihood, possibility of lack of food and inability to assist in harvesting their rabi crop due to not being able to reach home in time. Reports of inadequate response of some districts in providing the essential boarding and lodging arrangements along the way multiplied their fears.
You have leant many lessons from this situation when you were tasked to oversee the functioning of the District Disaster Relief Force in your district. In your opinion what ethical issues arose in the current migrant crisis? What do you understand by an ethical care giving state? What assistance can the civil society render to mitigate the sufferings of migrants in similar situations?
Ans: The case brings the topic of migrants crisis in the country during Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.
Ethical Issues Involved in Migrant Crisis

• The Lockdown imposed as a preventive measure to fight Covid-19 resulted into the migrant crisis.
• The given case can be described as an ethical dilemma that can be described as the lives vs livelihood debate.
• Inherent to this crisis there was the trade-off – at least in the short run – between health and human lives, on the one hand, and the economy and livelihoods, on the other hand.
• Lockdown led to the mass exodus of workers who were facing mental agony which accentuated by multiple factors such as:
  • A sudden loss of livelihood
  • Fear of starvation
  • Inability to assist in harvesting their rabi crop due to not being able to reach home in time.
• However, the migrant crisis also posed a risk to lives, as the pace of the spread of a pandemic depends upon network effects; a huge population inherently enables a higher pace of spread.

Ethical Care-Giving State

• The unprecedented crisis triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic makes a strong case for an ethical caregiving state.
• Ethics of care is a feminist philosophical perspective that proposes caring is the foundation of morality.
• As caring is ethically basic to humans, thus caring ethics is freed from the charge of moral relativism and implies a relational and context-bound approach toward morality and decision making, rather than a rule-based approach.
• The Government of India stand in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, exemplifies the ethical caregiving state, which can be reflected in the following examples:
  • The public healthcare system took the major responsibility of providing quarantine facilities, treatment for Covid-19 when private healthcare failed to healthcare services even to the well-off section of the society.
  • The government launched Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Anna Yojana which provided the distribution of free grains to the people.
  • Further, in order to sustain the economy, the government provided a fiscal stimulus package of Rs 20 lakh crore under the Atmanirbhar Bharat scheme.

Role of Civil Society
As Covid-19 gripped the world, it put to test our collective resilience to the global pandemic. In such a scenario, solutions were unlikely to come if everybody is working in silos. The fight against Covid-19 showed why NGOs are referred to as major pillars of society.

• NGOs given their deep connection in combating various socio-economic issues have been natural partners in this endeavor.
• Many NGOs and people, referred to as Covid-warriors, volunteered to help people fight Covid- 19 and extend the government’s help in the remote corners of the country.
  • Covid-warriors exemplified the immortal human spirit of grit and compassion encapsulated by the tireless battle against the pandemic.
• NGOs initiated to create national emergency funds, partnered with one another to channel donations, provided assistance in nursing homes, and other facilities through technical support and medical teams.
  • Sonu Sood, a Bollywood actor, showed the essence of humanity by helping numerous people to fulfill basic needs and reach their respective homes.
• NGOs created communication and distribution networks across the country’s hinterlands.
  • They have also been executing an important task of creating awareness about the virus to prevent its spread as well as educating people on social distancing and its importance.
• The ongoing pandemic put the corporate social responsibility to test.
  • Despite the economic debacle, which affected all sectors of the economy, companies strived to use this crisis as an opportunity to expand their CSR footprint.