Indian Parliament recently passed Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019, which amends the Citizenship Act, 1955 to grant citizenship to undocumented immigrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan belonging to six religious communities, who came to India on or before December 31, 2014. There have been nationwide protests against the Act and many scholars are terming it violative of the Constitution. 

Suppose that you are an IAS officer stationed at Indore. You yourself believe that the Act is discriminatory and may lead to communal polarization of the country. You have got the information that two opposite religious groups are planning for 'Pro CAA' and 'Anti CAA' protests respectively. The venue and timing of both protests are the same. There are high chances of the matter getting out of hand and turning into communal riots that might spread in the whole district. 

1. Identify the ethical issues involved in the case.
2. What is the best possible course of action to solve the matter in a peaceful manner?

Q. How emotional intelligence can be a way to happiness? (150 words)

Q. What do you understand by the term ‘distributive justice’? How can it be a better philosophy to bring social justice? (150 words)

Q. What are “orphan crops”? How are they significant for ensuring food security globally? (150 words)

Q. The present-day food system is one of the main drivers of deforestation and biodiversity loss. Examine. (250 words)

Q. What do you understand by ‘Double Burden of Malnutrition’? Suggest steps that can be taken to tackle the Double Burden of Malnutrition. (250 words)

Q. India needs to focus on quality and unique solutions through technology to improve delivery systems of education. Comment. (250 words)

Q. What were the reasons for the French Revolution? Examine its impact on French society in particular and on the world in general. (250 words)

Q. What do you understand by ‘welfare state’? Do you think that India is a welfare state in true sense? (250 words)

Essay Topic

Religion and Morality

Essay Topic

“Let him who would move the world first move himself.” - Socrates

More than a hundred children, who were being treated at a government hospital, have lost their lives in the course of a month. The agitated family members have accused the hospital of having extremely unhygienic conditions and negligence. Relatives of one of the families have staged a protest, carrying the body of a three-day-old girl who was born via c section. The relatives have alleged that the doctors did not treat her properly and that the paramedical staff was mostly busy on their mobile phones. The representatives of the hospital have denied the allegations claiming that the children are mostly referred from other hospitals and many of them come when they are at the terminal stage of their illness. They have also claimed that infants develop serious problems during transit. Quoting data from a national-level survey conducted by the government, the hospital management has also stated that they do not receive the required amount of funds to upgrade the infrastructure. 

You are the DM of the district. What are the possible courses of actions available to you? Which one do you think will be the most appropriate step that can be taken and why?

Q. Deteriorating ecological ethics is one of the principal reasons for deforestation and land degradation. Discuss. (250 words)

Q. Sustainable development does not end sustainability of environment and resource system; it also requires sustainability of economic and social systems. Explain. (250 words)

Q. What do you understand by ‘frontier technologies’? Discuss the possible impact of frontier technologies on developing countries like India. (250 words)

Q. Discuss the significance of space power for India. (250 words)

Q. Health and nutrition not only play a vital role in making human life dynamic, capable and prosperous, but it also has the potential to empower, develop and strengthen the nation. Discuss. (250 words)

Q. Right to Education Act, 2009 is a breakthrough in India’s education landscape. Critically Examine. (250 words)

Q. Examine the specificities of Indian culture and society. What are the changes that you observe in society over recent decades? (250 words)

Q. What do you understand by scheduled tribes? Examine the dilemma related to the development of the tribes in India. (250 words)

Essay Topics

a. Geo-economics is the new geopolitics.
b. Protest beyond the law is not a departure from democracy; it is absolutely essential to it.

You’re a manager at an NGO. Your subordinate has been working in the NGO for five years. Four years ago, his performance was poor because he was undergoing chemotherapy. Since then, it’s improved to average but, in the past few months has declined severely again. He explains that his cancer has recurred and has spread to his lymph nodes, so he’s in the middle of a six-month round of chemotherapy and his prognosis is not good. He says he prefers to keep working but if you terminate him, he won’t file a legal claim. He is his family's sole source of income and his salary is modest and so he has little in savings. What are the options available to you? Point out the pros and cons of each of them.

Q. Examine the following quotation: “It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried”.- Winston Churchill (250 words)

Q. Does learning from cultural and civilisational values makes one moral and ethical or rather turns him/her towards orthodox and regressive thinking? Give reasons in support of your answer. (250 words)

Q. The real challenge to India’s food security is poor grain management rather than a shortage of grain production. Comment. (250 words)

Q. Is it a good idea to privatise even the profit-making public sector enterprises? Give reasons in support of your answer. (250 words)

Q. “The reorganisation of States in India is an unfinished task”. Discuss. (250 words)

Q. Discuss the impact of rising US-Iran conflict on India and its international relations. (250 words)

Q. Discuss the evolution of the layered structure of the Earth along with the formation of the lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere.

Q. Did Harappan civilization have any link to other major civilizations and distant lands? What are the findings that point towards such a possibility? (150 words)