What are the important revelations and conclusions of the recently released Hend

erson Brooks Report on the 1962 India-China border war? Comment on them.





Recently released Henderson Brooks report on India China war of 1962 has reignit
ed the debate over the reason of the humiliating defeat inflicted upon India.
The major revelations and Conclusions are :
1.Lack of farsightedness at political and military level of looming crisis. The
military confrontation were considered as a isolated minor skirmishes rather tha
n having the potential to emerge as a full scale military war.
2.Lack of preparedness from military end especially for a mountainous warfare.
3.Initiation of forward policy without corresponding means in men and material t
o respond to a serious military attack.
4.Misconception at diplomatic end of Chinese intention and failure to resolve th
e crisis at diplomatic level.
5.Granting of refugee to Dalai Lama infuriated the Chinese leadership and made t
he situation more complex.
6.Complex political situation in China in the backdrop of failure of Great leap
forward and 3 years of economic distress.
7.Chinese were assured by US leadership that they will not support any Taiwanese
offense in case of Sino-India Tensions and as Russia has sorted China support i
n the looming Cuban missile crisis .China was secured from Russia end also that
it will not interfere in Indo-Sino Tension.
The major conclusions made in the Henderson Brooks report on the basis of the va
ried circumstances of the crisis and the political manoeuvres was that the objec
tive of China was not to gain territory but to forestall any threat to Chinese c
onsolidation in Tibet and also bring the chasten India on negotiation table.
There is need to learn from the past mistakes and advanced India's defence and for
eign policy in light of the insightful revelation made by the report rather than
covering it up under political obsession.




One of the root causes of the slow dispensation of justice is the lack of speed
in investigations. Comment on the reasons that cause slow investigations and sug
gest measures to speed them up.




One of the root causes of the slow dispensation of justice is the lack of speed
in investigations. Comment on the reasons that cause slow investigations and sug
gest measures to speed them up.
The delay in investigation and justice delivery is a blot on justice system erod
ing the fear of law and faith in justice system. The reasons for the delay in in
vestigation can be summarized as following-
There is lack of adequate and skilled manpower with low police to population rat
io. The apathy of police and increasing corruption in registering FIR and taking
up investigation adds to the inefficiency in investigation process. Lack of pro
per intelligence network without clear cut separation in investigating and prose
cuting agencies further delays the investigation process.
Inadequate infrastructure with modern gadgets and equipments and lack of scienti
fic and technical expertise erodes the quality of investigation. Scarce forensic
laboratories and dependence on oral witnesses also leads to manipulation and di
lution of information. Improper documentation system with inadequate use of cybe
r technology further adds to the delay.
Improper monitoring mechanism and presence of influential persons leads to manip
ulation of cases. The criminalization of politics undermines the leadership and
worsens the situation as provided by the Law Commission.
A time bound investigation process by fixing accountability is the need of the h
our. The efficiency and skills of the officials should be upgraded by providing
periodic trainings. Adequate human resources and infrastructure like forensic an
d scientific lab should be provided. Computerisation of entire investigating age
ncy with implementation of CCTNS will help in timely disposal of cases. Providin
g strong grievance redressal system for public as well as the investigating offi
cials will provide speedy trial which is a fundamental right.





Post Right to Education's enactment, the government is responsible for guaranteein
g quality education to all children in the country. What are your observations r
egarding the quality of education provided today? Suggest concrete measures to i
mprove the quality of education provided.




In India the education has given a fundamental right in a legal framework in for
m of Right to Elementary Education under article 21 A. the expenditure on educat
ion of GDP is lump sum 4%.government efforts to improve the quality of education
is appreciable but yet to achieve its desired output.
In country like India the quality of education means infrastructure first.the la
ckluster infrastructure in urban areas make parents to move private school on ot
her hand in rural areas mid day meal like scheme to lure children to move school
has done nothing satisfactory.the very next the ill paid teacher themselves do
not effort to teach student likewise.
quality of education is also compromised due to semi skilled or untrained teache
r.poor learning system brings lack of interest in children.extracurricular activ
ities are also not supported by some schools.
Measures to improve quality of education-
1. financial assistance must be spent to maintain infrastructure including toile
t facility and medicinal facility at first aid level at least.
2. teacher should be trained and paid accordingly.
3.implementation of schemes at bureaucratic level should not delay.
4. schools must be audited to check standard of education and teachers capabilit
y itself.
5. Bench marking of schools according to their performance will encourage school
s authority to improve more.
6. encouragement of financial schemes for poor parents to send their girl child
in school.
7. at rural areas schools facility must be recognized through gram sabha's account
ability.
8. NGOs must evaluate schools through social audit.
9.A special teacher-parents grievance redressal machinery should be setup to avo
id conflict.




Do you think India's foreign policy and service needs its own reforms? Why? Critic
ally comment .




A country's standing in the world is determined by the manner which it conduct its
foreign policy. From the founding member of NAM, India's foreign policy has seen
many dramatic changes. But it's a high time again to rethink and restructure our f
oreign policy again.
India needs to craft a vision for India in Asia. Asia is gaining economic and st
rategic importance in 21st century. New challenges including environmental catas
trophes and natural disaster, climate change, terrorism, cyber security and mari
time issue should be solved.
We need to have a clear vision for Asian stability and security. We need to deve
lop instruments with Asian states and big players in the remaining world to ensu
re a balance and harmony in Asia. India needs to prove it a credible leader in m
ultilateral fora like the Indian Ocean Rim, SAARC, BIMSTEC or BRICS.
We have to develop a comprehensive strategy for integrating South Asia. When Sri
Lanka with Tamil issue, Pakistan with Kashmir, unstable Nepal, increasingly agg
ressive China, violence in Bangladesh, Taliban's threat in Afghanistan after withd
rawal of US forces make south Asia unstable and insecure from every direction, I
ndia need to play a major role in using our ability and influence to settle our
own neighborhood. We need to develop a 10-year action plan for the region.
An effective south Asia policy with principles of respecting each other's sovereig
nty and integrity, bilateral discussions, mutual cooperation, standing unite aga
inst the outside threats and economic integrity need to be developed after deep
consultation both within the region and outside.
We need structural changes in our ministries related to foreign affairs and Indi
an Foreign Service. We need expert think tank and diplomats to effectively analy
ze and act properly on contemporary challenges. A new political- military affair
s division should be created within ministry of defense and cooperative to Minis
try of external affairs as suggested by Naresh Chandra Task Force of National Se
curity.
Depending upon our leadership, India may rise to be among the top three global p
owers. But a global power status, including a permanent Security Council seat, w
ithout an inclusive growth at home, dignity and security for all its citizens an
d stability and security in our neighbourhood cannot be our final goal and can't b
e realized anyhow.




Critically analyse the strategic and geopolitical costs of constantly neglecting
the development of India's North Eastern region?




NER-North East region of India comprises eight states of union of India. NER is
very important for territorial integrity, inclusive development and other strate
gic purposes.
The infrastructural development and the transport route to this region have cont
inuously been ignored. This is the reason that during secessionist strikes every
time, the only route gets cut off and the sense of desperation develops among t
he residents.
The foreign incursions across the border such as China's in 1962 were due to under
development of the region.
Even now Chicken Neck Corridor is being continuously watched by China and they a
re trying to reduce the buffer importance of Bhutan.
The underdevelopment breeds the secessionist and anti-nationalist tendencies in
NER. ULFA & NSCN have been creating problems for India, with help from across th
e border.
NER states like Tripura and Mizoram touch Myanmar. Myanmar has been recently ope
ning up its economy and the whole world is watchful about it. It is source of ti
mber, petrochemicals, energy and great market for Indian products.
India shares ideology of democracy with leaders like Aung Su. India has cultural
links with Myanmar like Buddhism. Myanmar is corridor to ASEAN for India. India
is developing Kaladan multimodal project with Myanmar which is getting delayed.
The envisioned BCIM can be developed if NER cooperates to do so.
NER is very important for Bangladesh joint trade hearts, secessionist like ULFA
and Islamist fundamental operating from there, unfinished LBA, still inconclusiv
e Teesta river treaty, poor management of illegal migrants etc. are issues relat
ed to the development of the NER.
NER is devoid of basic facilities like education and health but their youth belo
nging to different ethnicity and cultures are discriminated when they go out in
search of education opportunities. This impedes the process of nation building.
Underdevelopment of NER pushes youth into unemployment who are easily exploited
by the secessionist and anti nationals elements. The illegal migrants and the lo
cal youth create a complex situation.
The ignorance of the NER has kept the tourism potential of the region underdevel
oped.
Ignorance of the region is the reason of China's increased interest which perpetua
tes the theory of String of Pearls.
India has to maintain large no. of armed forces fearing insurgency which again,
is the result of the underdevelopment of the region.
However, the new enthusiasm of the government is reflected in the inclusive deve
lopment and plans in the 12th five year plan to spend half of total amt of infra
structure in the NER only.




Critically examine the role played by women in the 1857 revolt against the Briti
sh.




The history of Indian Freedom Struggle would be incomplete without mentioning th
e contributions of women. They fought with true spirit and courage and faced var
ious tortures, exploitations for freedom. Keeping aside the age, caste and class
discrimination, many India women participated in freedom struggle of 1857. Indi
an women who joined the national movement belonged to educated and liberal famil
ies, as well as those from the rural areas and from all walk of life, all castes
, religions and communities.
Woman's participation in India's freedom struggle began as early as in 1817. Bhima B
ai Holkar fought bravely against the British colonel Malcolm and defeated him in
guerilla warfare.
Many women including Rani Channama of Kittur, Rani Begam Hazrat Mahal of Avadh f
ought against British East India company in the 19th century; 30 years before th
e First War of Independence 1857
The role played by women in the Great Revolt of 1857 was meaningful and invited
the admiration from other leaders of the Revolt. Rani of Ramgarh, Rani Jindan Ka
ur, Rani Tace Bai, Baiza Bai, Chauhan Rani, Tapasvini Maharani daringly led thei
r troops into the battlefield.
Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi, whose heroism and superb leadership, laid an outstan
ding example of real patriotism. There were many other women who contributed for
the struggle but have lost in the pages of history.
Inspired from these great women, through poems and literature, many more women l
ike Sarojini Naidu, Kasturba Gandhi, Kalpana Dutt, Madam Kama, Aruna Asif Ali an
d Annie Bezant in the 20th century are the names which are remembered even today
for their singular contribution both in battlefield and in political field.
Discuss the differences and similarities between Afghanistan's and India's system o
f government.




Worlds largest democracy has many similarities and differences when compared wit
h afghan's system of democratic government . While the afghan has a presidential s
ystem of government India is run by parliamentary democracy.
In afghan, president is the superior head of government with wide powers who can
elect any higher official or cabinet minister or even supreme court members, wh
ile In India president has very limited powers and most of the power is rested w
ith Prime minister and his council of ministers. President has very limited veto
in India and afghan president enjoys wide veto powers which can be over-rided b
y the legislative body with 2/3rd majority. Both the government have bicameral l
egislature where lower house representatives are directly elected by the people
with single transferable vote and upper body representatives are indirectly elec
ted.
Afghan doesn't enjoy doctrine of separation of powers as India as even supreme cou
rt members are elected by the president and his body and it enjoys very limited
judicial review. Other similarities include representation of women in legislatu
re, amending power of lower house, superior lower house powers when compared wit
h upper house, etc. While India has evolved as a mature democracy afghan governm
ent is still at nascent stage where a lot more amendments in constitution would
lead them to a better democracy.




India has institutionlised democracy whereas Afghanistan's democracy is in nascent
stage.
There are many similaries as well as difference between these two democracy
Similarities
1. Both have president as head of state
2. Both have parliament consisting of two houses
3. Period of president is 5 year .
4. Both have given some fundamental rights to its citizen like right to freedom
of speech , right of personal liberty etc.
5. Both have supreme court as apex court.
Differences
1. In india , president is only constitutional head of the state and elected by
elected representative of parliament and state legislature members whereas in Af
ghanistan president is elected directly by people of Afghanistan.
2. Some seats are reserved for women in parliament of Afghanistan whereas in ind
ia this is pending.
3. Provision of two constitutional vice president is present in Afghanistan but
in india only one vice president.
4. There is no clear separation of power between judiciary and parliament in cas
e of Afghanistan but this exists in india.




The unprecedented and unique system of government controls built under the Indian
version of socialism. This has resulted in pervasive and deep-rooted corruption
. We need policy reforms that reduce the incentive for corruption and institutio
nal reforms that catch, try and punish the corrupt. Comment.





Indian version of socialism is one of `democratic socialism'. This lays emphasis on
a mixed economy and seeks to end poverty, ignorance and inequality of opportunit
y.
After Independence, Govt built a system of controls to direct the economy in des
ired channels and attain the aforementioned vision. However, the inevitable resu
lt of this was making the citizen at the mercy of the State and resultant corrup
tion. Over time, politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen developed an unholy ne
xus which hampered the public interest at large. Broad-ranging changes were brou
ght in the economic policy in early-1990s to break the hold of govt in economic
activities. This resulted in reduction of corruption in some sectors. However, c
orruption still persists in other sectors where govt has strict monopoly. Policy
and institutional reforms are indeed the need of the hour.
Policy reforms should focus at greater transparency in decision-making, greater
accountability of public officials, greater decentralisation of power, and great
er public participation. First, greater transparency can be brought by greater u
se of IT in providing govt services. It has been found that use of IT in Railway
reservation has led to reduced corruption. Second, greater accountability can b
e brought by well-defined citizens' charters. Third. greater decentralisation invo
lves capacity building of PRIs, and ULBs and adequate devolution of function, fu
nctionaries and funds to these bodies.Fourth, greater public participation invol
ves innovative techniques to involve public at all levels of decision-making.
Institutional reforms should focus on independent institutions which should be e
mpowered enough to catch, try and punish the corrupt. Some ground has been cover
ed in this direction by enactment of Lokpal Act which provides for constitution
of Lokpal. However, more needs to be done by institutionalizing protection for w
histle-blowers.
Once we get both in place, corruption will certainly be reduced.





Explain the differences between GPS, IRNSS and GLONASS satellite systems.





Global positoning system, a navigational system and run and operated by Departme
nt of Defense, USA. Glossnass is the soviet version of American GPS and IRNSS is
Indian version falls under ISRO.
In GPS there are 32 satellites have been put in the orbit for navigation. Glonas
s system has used 30 stateliest while IRNSS has planned to put seven staelties i
n orbit by 2016.
GPS system has wider navigational capability covering almost entire globe. Glona
ss services can also be used across the globe but IRNSS services would manily be
focused on indian subcontinet and it will provide the wider, actual and closer
navigational data, which would be very helpful to close monitoring of disaster a
nd navigation. It will give a new impetus to GAGAN.
GPS, GLONASS and IRNASS all can be used military and civilian purposes but frequ
ency range of GPS is higher comparison to the later two. CDMA technology still w
ider suit to GPS. Frequency receiving capability of GPS is also greater than lat
er both. all use slightly different frequency ranges. THe use of GPS is mature a
nd tested, while GLONASS is still in developing stage and IRNSS is yet to fully
develop.




What are the ethical concerns expressed regarding stem cell research and therapy
? Are the justified? Comment.




A wide range of ethical issues arose in the stem cells therapy. These issues hav
e chiefly related to the means of procuring stem cells, especially techniques in
volving the destruction of human embryos.
Stem cells can be obtained only be two methods till now- from adults or from emb
ryos. Stem cells obtained from adults are not always good. So researcher uses 3
to 5 days old embryos for this purpose. It is unethical to derive human embryo s
tem (hES) cells because doing so involves the destruction of embryos. Those who
believe that life starts at the moment of conception think that harvesting hES c
ells is equal to murder.
Other ethical problems have included the possibility of human cloning and the po
tential exploitation of embryo and egg donors. Therapy may also lead to commodit
ization of human tissues and cell; there is an inherent risk of exploitation of
individuals, particularly the underprivileged.
There is concern about the breach of principle of essentiality of voluntariness,
informed consent and community agreement. Also Privacy and confidentiality, pre
caution and risk minimization along with professional competence and accountabil
ity and transparency should be maintained.
Some critics have argued that lab embryos were marked for destruction and then d
onated by their owners, meaning that these embryos would never have come to term
anyway, but others predict that this excuse might lead to more ethically questi
onable actions in the future, such as harvesting embryos specifically for resear
ch.
Some argue that perhaps some kinds of fatal research on people are permissible.
Perhaps researchers who do research on cell lines should not be morally responsi
ble for the allegedly wrongful death of the embryos. Views about the moral statu
s of the fetus are really religious views, and are therefore inappropriate as a
basis for public policy.
But the ethical acceptability of a particular research technique or medical proc
edure is not a scientific or factual matter only, but also of moral judgment. Th
ese matters raise questions of the human future, so they deserve public consider
ation. New alternatives to procure stem cells should be found to continue resear
ch in this field to opening up exciting new possibilities for stem cell therapie
s.




What is Big Data? What are its uses?




Big data is massive volume of both structured and unstructured data that is so l
arge that it's difficult to process using traditional database and software techni
ques. In most enterprise scenarios the data is too big or it moves too fast or i
t exceeds current processing capacity. Big Data includes business transactions,
e-mail messages, photos, surveillance videos and activity logs consisting of bil
lions to trillions of records of millions of people. When dealing with larger da
tasets, organizations face difficulties in being able to create, manipulate, and
manage big data. Big data is particularly a problem in business analytics becau
se standard tools and procedures are not designed to search and analyse massive
datasets.
But big data has many uses like:-
Understanding and Targeting Customers is one of the biggest and most publicized
areas of big data use today.
Retailers are able to optimize their stock based on predictions generated from s
ocial media data, web search trends and weather forecasts.
The computing power of big data analytics enables us to decode entire DNA string
s in minutes and will allow us to find new cures and better understand and predi
ct disease patterns.
Science and research is currently being transformed by the new possibilities big
data brings. Take, for example, Experiments to unlock the secrets of our univer
se how it started and works generate huge amounts of data.
Big data is used to improve many aspects of our cities and countries. It allows
cities to optimize traffic flows based on real time traffic information as well
as social media and weather data.
Big data is applied heavily in improving security and enabling law enforcement.





With suitable examples, critically analyze the importance of improving connectiv
ity in the North Eastern region.




Since Independence North East have not received the attention it deserved.As a r
esult the region lacks infrastructure and connectivity with rest of India.
North-Eastern region is strategically located region sharing boundary with count
ries like China,Bangladesh,Myanmar.Citing the earlier claims by China over Aruna
chal and the well developed connectivity on the other side of border it becomes
imperative to enhance connectivity and build infrastructure to maintain our sove
rignity.Recent start of a new train till Itanagar is a welcome step which can be
developed further over the years.
The region also suffers from problems like insurgency,drug rackets,trafficking.F
urther another problem illegal migration not only put pressure on resources but
can also lead to conflicts with native population.Therefore with better connecti
vity via dense road network will result better surveillance along with increased
mobility.This will result in check on all these issues and help in maintaining
peace in the region.
Trade will be benefitted too with improved connectivity.The recent Kaladan multi
modal transit transport faciltiy decided in BIMSTEC meet connecting Mizoram with
Myanmar is a welcome step.This along with BCIM corridor with help in developmen
t,employment generation in the region and will also play a proactive role in Loo
k east policy of New Delhi.
Connectivity with NE will not only benefit the local population but will also st
rengthen the regions bond with rest on India.This can be further increased via s
peeding up projects like of railway corridors via bangladesh connecting NE with
rest of India.




Why do you think India's GDP growth rate which was 8-9 percent a few years ago has
been constantly decreasing? Comment.




In the past few years, India's GDP growth has been declined considerably as compar
ed to the 8-9% growth achieved few years ago. India's GDP grew at below 5% in Q1,
Q2 and Q3 of 2013-14.
Several reasons can be attributed to this situation. First, the global situation
has been fragile in the past few years. Countries like the US and the EU, which
are our strong trade partners, have been going through prolonged slowdown. This
impacts our exports with these countries and thereby, production and growth. Se
cond, due to standstill policy-making, there have been delays in implementation
of projects. These delays are related to land acquisition, obtaining environment
al and forest clearances, etc.This in turn has lowered investment and thereby, g
rowth. Third, due to the fiscal expansion undertaken by the govt in the wake of
global crisis in 2008, macroeconomic imbalances have surfaced in the form of hig
h fiscal deficit. This in turn has hampered investment climate as well as govt's r
esolve to cut expenditure, hampering prospects of growth. Fourth, inflation and
inflation expectations in our economy has dragged down consumption which again h
ampered growth. Fifth, there are infrastructural constraints which hamper our co
mpetitiveness in the global economy and reduce the productivity of goods and ser
vices.
To conclude, several factors have acted in tandem to pull down growth. However,
growth can be revived by making the right policies, improving infrastructure, ta
ckling inflation, and diversifying our export markets.





What is Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) under WTO? Should India sign i
t? What are the benefits? Explain.




The Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) is a plurilateral agreement under
WTO that entered into force in 1996. It regulates the government procurement of
goods and services by the public authorities of the governments which RE parties
to the agreement, based on the principles of openness, transparency and non-dis
crimination.
Applicability and Enforcement:
It applies only to those WTO members that have agreed to be bound by it.
Two-thirds of the parties to the GPA were required to accept the Protocol of Ame
ndment before the revised GPA could enter into force.
Non-discriminatory procurement regime, governments sometimes seek to achieve cer
tain other domestic policy goals through their purchasing decisions, such as pro
motion of local industrial sectors or business groups. Measures to this effect m
ay be either explicitly prescribed in national legislations, for example prohibi
tions against the purchase of foreign goods or services or from foreign supplier
s,
The GPA ensures that signatories do not discriminate against the products, servi
ces or suppliers of other parties to the agreement with respect to the governmen
t procurement opportunities that are opened to foreign competition.
Opaque tendering procedures and poor governance tend to discourage potential bid
s from both domestic and foreign firms; often leaving governments dependent on b
ids from a small group of insider firms. Contract prices tend to be higher, qualit
y lower, and delays and cost over-runs common.
Despite its apparent benefits, domestic procurement reform is often notoriously
difficult to accomplish, few of them are :
1. Deeply Vested Interests and Lack of Political Will.
2. Paucity of Technical Knowledge and Capacity.
3. Complexity of Substantive Issues Involved including the types of legal instrume
nts involved, different means for organizing procurement functions, and enforcem
ent-related matters.
India's participation in the GPA has been a matter of discussion within the indust
ry and policymakers for some years now. There is a consensus that India should n
ot be a party to the agreement since there is nothing very significant for the I
ndian industry to gain while the access it will provide to other countries will
be huge. However, given the latent interest, India has taken an observer status
in the agreement for the last few years.
Small industry has been wary of India joining the GPA while some of the large in
dustry players have evinced interest in undertaking a study to see if such an ag
reement will be of any use. However, a study undertaken by the United Nations Co
nference on Trade and Development a few years before showed that the gains for I
ndia would be minimal and it would not be worth undertaking the obligations of t
he agreement.




Critically comment on the recent developments in the polity and economy of Turke
y.




Turkey occupies a centrestage to middle East geopolity as connecting West Asia t
o Europe.The developments in its poity-economy are linked and have been on an up
ward trajectory since the beginning of this millennium.
The coalition polity, fiscal deficit and ailing State owned enterprises were a t
hing of past as the new strong AK party emerged in power in Turkey post 2000. Th
e political stability thus has ensued a decade of sustainable growth and intensi
ve engagement with foreign economies and Turkey is now among the fastest growing
emerging economies in G20.
However, the three major events, of late, have shaped its distinct politico-econ
omical structure:
1. The Global financial crisis of 2008 has shrunk the US and EU markets for Turk
ey
2. The Arab spring and its consequent current hotbed Syria is next door neighbou
r to Turkey and hence it is vulnerable to the political overhaul notwithstanding
its modernised Islam and democratic elected government.
3. The anti-government protests in Gezi and subsequent repressive tactics by its
President such as banning social media as in twitter etc may not go down well w
ith curtailing the fundamental rights and may precipiate into mass agitations.
The protests and President;s strong stance however is irrespective of Turkey's str
ong commitment to democracy as reflected in the recent municipal elections which
are underway. As long as the political machinery is strong, economy is in safe
hands. This is also true of Turkey's relations with India as the recently signed A
greements in Science rechnology, education and MSME's are an indication. Further,
Turkey is crucial for stability in Afghanistan post ISAF withdrawal and hence In
dia is actively cooperating with Turkey for regional stability.





Examine the history of border disputes between India and China. What efforts wer
e made prior to 1962 to resolve the border issue?





India is China's second largest neighbour, sharing about 2000 km land border. Curr
ently, India and China dispute over a land area of about 125,000 square km. Ther
e are mainly 3 areas in the dispute the westernmost, Aksai Chin. The other large
disputed territory, the easternmost, lies south of the McMahon Line now called
Arunachal Pradesh and the McMahon Line.
During the 1913-1914 tripartite conference was signed with the Tibetan represent
ative on a new border known as the McMahon Line. The Chinese central government
rejected the accord. then in 1947 the McMahon Line had become India's North-east b
order. In 1951 People's Republic of China took over Tibet and India felt threatene
d by the Chinese military presence in Tibet and quickly extended administrative
and military control in the eastern sector. However, both countries had undertak
en substantial efforts in building infrastructure roads and check-posts, and sen
ding out patrol and survey teams this led to Sino-Indian war in 1962 where china
merged out victorious from then border disputes remained silent. In recent year
s, there have been increasing media reports from both sides of incursion along t
he border. Both countries have been beefing up their military presence along the
border.
In 1954, two countries signed an agreement on trade and intercourse across Tibet
an borders. Called Panchasheel-Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. In the a
greement, India surrendered various rights and privileges over Tibet, without an
y mention of the border issue in the agreement due to India's interpretation that
there was no border dispute between them. Later on, Nehru announced that the two
countries borders were drawn and there should be no further disputes on the bor
der issue. He then circulated a memorandum asking for a system of check-posts to
be set up spread along the entire border. This eventually led to first Sino-Ind
ian military clash in 1959.
But in recent times two countries are showing more interest in resolving the bor
der dispute which can be seen as sign for healthy India-china relations.





Indian society is not yet fully secular, while the Indian state understands secul
arism as state neutrality towards religion combined with select interventions in
the religious domain to safeguard some rights. In the light of the statement, c
omment on the nature of secularism practised by the society and the government i
n India.




Secularism is a basic feature of our Constitution. In the Indian context, it sta
nds for `Sarva Dharma Sabhava', that is, giving equal respect to all religions and S
tate neutrality towards religion.
The practice of Indian society towards secularism is quite complex. On the one h
and, people of all religions celebrate festivals of all religions with zeal and
vigour. On the other hand, several forms of discrimination are also practiced in
the name of religion. First, communal riots happen in our society frequently. S
econd, in urban areas we find cases of racial and communal discrimination in ter
ms of giving houses on rent. Third, we find orthodox people who tell their child
ren not to mix with children of other religions and castes.
The practice of govt is also complex in this respect. On the hand, Govt tries to
ameliorate the concerns of minority religions by offering them several benefits
in the form of various programmes and legislation. It also insists that it is f
ully committed to secularism as envisaged in the Constitution. On the other hand
, firstly, it allows political parties to spread communalism and undermine secul
arism. Secondly, It does not try to push through a uniform civil code.
To conclude, nature of secularism in India as practiced by the society and the g
ovt has positive and negative features. However, it is hoped that with developme
nt, the attitudes of society will change and the capabilities of govt will incre
ase which together will strengthen secularism.




Analyze the factors which have contributed towards high voter turnouts during re
cent elections.




Elections are more than a festival in India. Voting for parliament of India is g
oing on this month. Recently in state assembly elections and starting phases of
lok sabha elections, huge voter turnouts have been seen. Last Lok sabha election
s registered nearly 60% voting, but as predicted by experts, this year can witne
ss nearly 10-15% increase. Women voted at higher rates than men.
Main reasons for this increase can be attributed to-
1) Nearly one-fifth of the Indian electorate comprises first-time voters. The en
thusiasm of the first time voters is pretty high and it is visible.
2) The turnout is increasing since the Anna Hazare led movement against corrupti
on two years ago. High voter turnout has been associated with dissatisfaction wi
th the existing government, an anti incumbency wave in some states while pro- in
cumbency and satisfaction in other states.
3) Higher literacy rate resulted in trust in government; degree of partisanship
among the population; interest in politics, and belief in the efficacy of voting
.
4) Caste groups, minorities and other section of society are voting to save thei
r interest and agendas.
5) Great efforts by the Election Commission like massive clean-up of electoral r
olls, elimination of bogus voters, making process of voter registration easy.
6) A higher scale of campaigning this time- besides using social media and other
forms of campaigning, political parties have literally gone door-to-door urging
people to exercise their right to vote.
7) State poll regulator's outreach programs like Systematic Voters' Education and El
ectoral Participation (SVEEP), particularly in areas known for low turnouts.
8) NOTA option- facilitates voting option to people who don't have faith for any c
andidate.
9) NGOs and watchdog organizations have been motivating people to exercise their
voting right to demand their fundamental rights by electing better govt. Higher
no. of film , TV actors, sport players are urging people to vote this time.
10) Ease of voting- increased safety at poll booth, Aadarsh booth, and easy acce
ss due to increased transport facilities. Raising voting timings till 6pm, onlin
e grievances Redressal mechanism and information dissemination by election commi
ssion (EC) also contribute to this phenomenon.
This trend of increasing faith in elections of the world's largest democracy, will
lead Indian politics towards a bright future. Increasing consciousness will act
as a great pressure on winning candidates to fulfill their promises within time
and betterment of the service delivery.




When India organises its higher education structure effectively and provides the
support needed, it will do well in the rankings. What needs to be done by India?
Comment.




India has done well in improving the education system at primary ,secondary and
higher levels. Yet, in higher education.Indian Institutes lack behind their fore
ign couterparts because of multiple factors like research, quality of papers,Ind
ustry-academic coordination.
Funding and Research:
The quantity of the higher educational institutes has significantly increased ma
inly because of the participation of the private sector and the increased fundin
g for creating institutes by the State. For instance, 11th five year plan increa
se its spending 5 times the 10 th plan in opening up new institution. So the fun
ding for creating institutions has significantly improved. Whereas the research f
aculty linkage is still to reach the actual potential. For instance, In China, R
esearch and quality of papers submitted, are directly linked to the promotion an
d tenure of the faculties. Such a system will promote the performer and disincen
tivise the non performer. India needs to give more emphasis on the quality side
as the quantity has increased ,particularly after the liberalization.
Quality aspect:
The quality of the outgoing student is an another important measure which is now
mostly linked to the employment opportunity he/she gets after the graduation .N
ASSCOM survey says that 50 % of engineers are not employable. On this context ,
regulation on the quality of the education provided by the increasing number of
private and public institution should be enhanced. The Industry academia-student
coordination is another area that requires immediate attention because of the dy
namic labor market.
Though the world rankings may not be the most suitable indicator to measure the
growth of higher education in India per se, it is certainly a wake up call to ma
ke our system better.