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Q.1) “The most significant achievement of modern law in India is the constitutionalization of
environmental problems by the Supreme court.” Discuss this statement with the help of relevant
case laws.

The Supreme Court through its creative interpretations in various case laws have brought
environmental issues to the forefront which were not given due importance earlier in Indian
constitutional and legal parlance.

The important constitutional provision which are relevant to the environmental laws as quoted by
Supreme court;
• The right to live in a healthy environment as part of Article 21 of the Constitution
• Article 48A -The State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard
the forests and wildlife of the country.
• Article 51A(g): to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and
wildlife, and to have compassion for living creatures.

Various case laws to explain this preposition:

1. The Apex Court in “Damodar Rao v. S.O. Municipal Corporation AIR 1987 AP 171” held that the
environmental pollution and spoliation which is slowly poisoning and polluting the atmosphere
should also be regarded as amounting to violation of Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.
2. Environmental Impact Assessment:Justice Jeevan Reddy in the landmark judgement 'Indian
Council for Enviro-Legal Action Vs. Union of India AIR 1999 SC 1502' held that the financial cost
of preventing or remedying the damage caused by pollution should be borne by the undertakings
causing the pollution by adopting the 'Polluter Pays Principle'.
3. The court set a deadline for coastal states to develop coastal management plans and banned
industrial or construction activity within 500 meters of the high tide line.
4. Public Trust and Right to Life: A Bench of Justices Kuldip Singh and Sagir Ahmed held that the
government had violated the doctrine of public trust in “M.C. Mehta vs. Kamal Nath and Ors.
(1996)". The Himachal Pradesh state government has leased out a protected forest area on the
banks of the Beas river to motels for commercial purposes.
5. The right to a pollution-free environment was contested in Subhash Kumar vs. Bihar and Ors
states. (1991)”. The right to life is a fundamental right that includes the right to clean water and
clean air to fully enjoy life.

Way Forward:
Environmental protection is part of our cultural values and traditions. The Constitution of India
embodies the framework of protection and conservation of nature without which one cannot live.
Knowledge of constitutional provisions relating to environmental protection is the need of the day to
increase public participation, environmental awareness, environmental education and sensitization of
people to protect ecology and environment.

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Q.2) “Right of movement and residence throughout the territory of India are freely available to the
Indian citizens, but these rights are not absolute.” Comment.

The fundamental right under Article 19(1)(d) of the Indian Constitution provides all citizens the right
to move freely within the Indian Territory. This right is protected only against government action,
available to corporate citizens and shareholders and not to foreigners or legal entities such as
companies and corporations.
Fundamental rights are not absolute rights. They have reasonable restrictions, which means they are
subject to the conditions of state security, public morality and decency and friendly relations with
foreign countries.

The Right to Movement is not absolute:

Restriction on liberty is imposed considering: the interests of the community and the protection of
the interests of the incorporated tribes.
Example: Access to tribal areas by outsiders is restricted to protect the unique culture, language,
customs and practices of enlisted tribes and to protect their traditional occupations and property from
exploitation.
Freedom of Residence and Residency in Indian Territory:
According to Article 19(1)(e) of the Constitution, every Indian citizen has the right to "reside and settle
in any part of Indian territory".The purpose of this clause is to remove internal barriers within India
or parts thereof. The reasonable restrictions here are once again set out in Article 19(5).

Example:
• Inner Line Permit (ILP): The main purpose of the ILP system is to prevent other Indian nationals
from settling in these states in order to protect the indigenous population.
• Foreigners, including people from other states of the country, must obtain permission to visit
countries with the ILP regime. There is also protection for local residents in terms of land, work
and other facilities.

Important Judgements:
1. In State of U.P v. Kaushalya a prostitute who was covered by the Law for the Suppression of
Immoral Traffic in Women and Girls was ordered to move out of the busy city limits in 1956, i.e.
she was placed under restrictions on movement and residence. This restriction was considered
reasonable as it was in the interest of her safety
2. Ibrahim Wazir v. State of Bombay: section 7 of the Immigration from Pakistan (Control) Act, 1949
empowered the Central Government to order the deportation of the appellant, an Indian citizen
who had entered India without a permit or valid passport. The appellant was then arrested and
deported to Pakistan under the said Act. The Supreme Court held that the expulsion order passed
by the Central Government was invalid on the ground that it imposed an unreasonable restriction
on the fundamental right to move and reside or settle at any place within the territory of India.
3. Kharak singh v. State of UP: Watching and shadowing of suspects for the purpose of keeping
record of their movement and activities & Domiciliary visits. It was held that
Freedom of Residence: An Indian citizen is free to reside in any state except Jammu & Kashmir. Again
this is subject to certain restrictions.
The rights under article 19 have been discussed, debated and changed over the years. The restrictions

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in this article may have created many legal disputes in our country, however these changes have been
instrumental in preserving the public morality and the cultural ethos of the indigenous communities.

Q.3) To what extent, in your opinion, has the decentralisation of power in India has changed the
governance landscape at the grassroots?

Democratic Decentralisation is the process of transferring state powers and resources from the centre
to locally elected officials in order to encourage greater direct citizen involvement in governance.
The passing of the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments, made it mandatory for each state to
constitute rural and urban local governments, to establish mechanisms to fund them, and to carry out
local elections every five years.

Evolving Governance Landscape witnessed at the grassroots level:

1. Accountability through Citizen’s charter. It is a document that represents the commitment of the
organisation towards standard, quality and time frame of service delivery, grievance redressal
mechanism, transparency and accountability.
2. People's participation and empowering the marginalised: Increased awareness about
democracy, elections and reservation of seats for SC/ST/WOMEN has led to a large number of
people to acquire leadership at local levels.
3. Transparency witnessed through Right to Information and Social audits: People are now more
aware of the entitlements that they have access to, regular and institutionalised monitoring and
identification of anomalies in the governance.
4. Effectiveness and Efficiency through the use of Information and Communication Technology
leading to e-governance: Computerised Rural Information System Project [CRISP] aimed at
facilitating the District Rural Development Agency [DRDA] in the monitoring of exercise of
poverty alleviation programmes through Computer based Information System.

Existing Challenges in proper decentralisation:

• Insufficient Funding: The money given to the local governments is inadequate to meet their basic
requirements. States continue to control funds, functions and functionaries.
• Local governments are merely acting as an implementation machinery rather than a policy-
making body for local development.
• Corruption: Criminal elements and contractors are attracted to local government elections.
Success of democracy at the top requires that it is built from the bottom. The local bodies are
increasingly going beyond their traditional functions and taking up more and more developmental
responsibilities. They need to be empowered appropriately to emerge as a real engine of social
transformation.

Q.4) Discuss the role of Vice- President of India as the chairman of the Rajya Sabha?
Article 89 of the Constitution of India provides provision for the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman
of the Rajya Sabha. It states that the Vice- President of India shall be ex officio Chairman of the Council
of States.

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Vice President - Election

● The Vice-President is indirectly elected.
● He is elected by the members of an electoral college consisting of the members of both the
Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
● System of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote and the
voting done by secret ballot.

Role of Vice- President as the Chairman of Rajya Sabha

• It is the duty of the Chairman to interpret the Constitution and rules so far as matters in or relating
to the House are concerned, and no one can enter into any argument or controversy with the
Chairman over such interpretation.
• The Chairman of the Rajya Sabha is empowered to adjourn the House or to suspend its sitting in
the event of the absence of quorum.
• The Tenth Schedule of the Constitution empowers the Chairman to determines the question as
to disqualification of a member of the Rajya Sabha on the ground of defection;
• The Chairman may likewise, in the event that he thinks fit, call a sitting of the House before the
date or hour to which it has been suspended, or whenever after the House has been adjourned
sine die, however not prorogued by the President.
• The Chairman's consent is needed to raise a question of breach of privilege in the House.
• Parliamentary Committees, regardless of whether set up by the Chairman or by the House, work
under the direction of the Chairman.
• He nominates members to different Standing Committees and the Department-related
Parliamentary Committees. He is the Chairman of the Business Advisory Committee, the Rules
Committee and the General Purposes Committee.
• When a Bill is passed by the Houses and is in control of the Rajya Sabha, the Chairman confirms
the Bill with his signature prior to introducing it to the President for consent.
• The Chairman may also, if there is a general consensus in the House, make an inquiry into a matter
which was raised on the floor of the House or appoint a Committee of the House in respect
thereof.
In this way, the Vice President of India has an important role to play as the chairman of Rajya Sabha
who ensures that the federal units are able to contribute in legislative procedure and get due
representation at the union level.

Q.5) Discuss the role of the National Commission for Backward Classes in the wake of its
transformation from a statutory body to a Constitutional body.

The 102nd Constitutional Amendment Act provided constitutional status to the National Commission
for Backward classes (Article 338B). Earlier it was constituted pursuant to provisions of National
Commission of Backward classes act 1993.
The commission aims to protect the rights and interests of socially and educationally backward
sections of the society. It brings the backward classes at par with other sections like scheduled caste
and scheduled tribes. A more proactive role can now be expected by the commission in dealing with
the challenges faced by the backward sections.

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The National commision of backward classes will play a larger role via:
1. It will investigate and monitor all legal and constitutional safeguards(Article 15, 16, 340 etc)
available to the backward classes.
2. It will have a recommendatory role in matters related to socio-economic development of
backward classes.
3. It will also look into complaints made by socially and educationally backward classes if their rights
are violated.
4. It will give policy advice and also look into matters of inclusion and exclusion of various backward
castes for reservations and issues arising out of implementation of various schemes meant for
backward classes.
5. The constitutional status of NCBC will lead to more awareness among backward sections about
their rights.
The National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) recently gave recommendations with respect
to creamy layer calculations to DoPT, they also asked for 5% relaxation in eligibility criteria for OBC
candidates to education boards of state. However, the recommendatory role of NCBC as well as lack
of penal powers questions its effectiveness as a constitutional body.
The proper analysis of the working of NCBC (as a constitutional body) will take time and its efficiency
will be measured by how well it addresses the concerns of backward sections in the upcoming years.

Q.6) The Gati - Shakti Yojana needs meticulous coordination between the government and the
private sector to achieve the goal of connectivity. Discuss. Answer:

PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan (PMGS-NMP) was launched in October 2021 to resolve the issues
of poor logistics which is a big hurdle in achieving ease of doing business.
Logistics Cost is 18% of total Trade Cost in India as compared to 8% in China. The scheme is a
transformative approach for economic growth and sustainable development.
The approach is driven by 7 engines i.e.

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Need of Gati Shakti:

1. Lack of coordination between different modes of transportation
2. For better last mile connectivity
3. Lack of coordination between ministries
4. Other issues: like time-consuming approval process, multiplicity of regulatory clearances etc

Need for Coordination between government and private sector to achieve the goal of connectivity:
Private sector has been called by the government for lending hand in infrastructure development
under the PM Gati Shakti as it is aimed at coordinated development of infrastructure with a view to
lower logistics costs in line with developed countries.
1. Public-private partnership (PPP) - It will ensure true PPP in Integrated infrastructure creation
from planning to development and utilisation stage.
2. Mobilisation of Resource: Government partners in PPP arrangements so that unforeseeable risks
are minimised by the private investor.
3. Technology: Newer technologies like AI-ML, real time monitoring of projects, etc
4. Managerial Expertise: As private sector is governed by profit motive, their work culture, attitudes,
fastness, readiness, competitive zeal, along with domain expertise of management tools will help
fasten the projects
5. It will improve the global competitiveness by cutting down the logistics costs and improving the
supply chains, and also ensure proper linkages for local industry & consumers.
6. Infrastructure maintenance: Private sector has already shown their merit in Indian railways ,
airport, metros maintenance , tolls collection, etc, thus the responsibility of Infrastructure
maintenance can be outsourced and the government can steer from outside rather than rowing.

What could be done for better coordination:

1. Focus on service delivery instead of fiscal benefits.
2. Allocation of risks among various stakeholders.
3. Improved fiscal reporting practices for transparency in the process.
4. Better & prudent utilisation of Viability Gap Funding.
PM Gati Shakti is a step in the right direction for proper amalgamation of public and private sector.
However, it needs to address structural and macroeconomic stability concerns, emanating from high
public expenditure. For a 5 trillion dollar economy, proper implementation of Gati Shakti is, need of
the hour.

Q.7) The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 remains the only legal document without
intense sensitisation of government functionaries and citizens regarding disability. Comment.

The Right of Persons with Disabilities Act was enacted in the year 2016 to bring into effect the United
Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Act provides “the appropriate
Government shall ensure that the PWD enjoys the right to equality, life with dignity, and respect for
his or her own integrity equally with others.”

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Legal measures before RPWD Act, 2016:

• Even before the enactment of this act, there were provisions wrt. rights of differently abled. For
example: Article - 41 of DPSP.
• The State shall make effective provision for securing the right to work, to education and to public
assistance in cases of unemployment, old age, sickness and disablement within the limits of its
economic capacity and development.
.
RPWD Act, 2016 remains only a legal documents because:
1. Discrimination:
o Even though around 3% to 4% reservation is provided in government jobs and 5% to 6% in
higher educational institutions, the situation is still different on the ground. They have been
discriminated against in promotions.
o Even though it is mandatory to have friendly access to disabled in the public places, the reality
is, however, different, especially in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
2. Improper Database maintenance - Issues in the database of the disabled and lack of proper
filtration in terms of the type of disabilities due to limited use of ICT results in confusion due to
which deserving people are left behind.
3. No Proper channel to guide disabled students - While appearing for their examinations, many
candidates with disabilities have to run from pillar to post for fixing issues like scribes, use of
aiding devices, extra time etc causing them grave stress.
4. Less Addressed group - The political empowerment and the inclusion of the disabled are an issue
that has not found much traction in India’s democratic discussion.
5. Women and girls with disabilities are at a higher risk of experiencing sexual and other forms of
gender based violence.
6. The issues related to mental illness are still not catered.

Need of Sensitisation of Government functionaries:

• Apart from these initiatives, sensitisation of Government functionaries towards the Differently
Abled is the utmost requirement, right from ASHA and Aanganwadi workers who work at the
grassroot levels to senior bureaucrats and politicians who are responsible for policy formulation
and implementation to treat the PwDs at par with their fellow beings.
• Short term training programmes can also be included for differently abled with their ease and
availability.
The Community Based Rehabilitation Approach is required to ensure that people with disabilities are
able to maximise their physical and mental abilities,have access to regular services and opportunities
and achieve full integration within their communities.

Value Addition Content:

Case Study/Example:
Recently a differently abled teacher in Rajasthan won a discrimination case in the Supreme Court when
he fought against the Rajasthan’s government’s decision to demote him in return for transferring him
to his hometown. The fact that he had to take the judicial route brings into light the marginalisation
which the differently abled persons have to face in their life.
Government Initiatives:
• Accessible India Campaign

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• UDID – Unique Disability ID

• Deen Dayal Disability Rehabilitation Scheme
• National fellowship for students with disability
• Scheme of Assistance to Disabled Persons for Purchase/Fitting of Aids and Appliances (ADIP
Scheme)

Q.8) Reforming the government delivery system through the Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme is a
progressive step, but it has its limitations too. Comment.

DBT was started on 1st January, 2013 with the aim of reforming the Government delivery system in
welfare schemes for simpler and faster flow of information/funds and reduction of leakage.
It aims to bring transparency through transfer of subsidies directly to the beneficiaries through their
bank accounts. At present, 313 Central sector (CS) and Centrally sponsored schemes (CSS) from 53
Ministries have been boarded on the DBT Bharat Portal.

Objectives and Benefits of DBT in government Delivery System:

1. The prime advantage of DBT is to bring transparency in the last mile delivery .
2. Potential of DBT -
o It has a potential to minimise the diversion of commodities such as PDS grains from the
intended beneficiaries.
o Reducing corruption and generation of black money.
o Potential to control resource deficiency or inflated prices.
3. The goal of the DBT is subsidy reform and not doing away with subsidies. Ex: PAHAL programme
(world’s largest DBT programme) which provided subsidies through DBT.
4. The amount transferred can be used by the beneficiary for the needs he desires for Ex: money in
lieu of PDS grain can be used for purchasing medicines.
5. The money can be transferred to the Aadhar linked bank account which has two benefits
o Aadhaar uniquely identifies an individual which greatly reduces beneficiary-duplicacy and
ghost beneficiaries
o More and more people will have bank accounts thus promoting financial inclusion.
6. Reduce manual drudgery of going to fair price shops
7. Scalability of Direct Benefit transfer across different sectors like cash transfers, in kind benefit
from govt, Incentives, allowances, etc, that are provided to Non-Government Organisations
(NGOs) and community workers, etc.
8. Financial inclusion through digitalisation and digital inclusion.
Thus flexibility of offering DBT via different methods ensures the scalability of the DBT, as DBT can
be modified or moulded as per need of different sectors.

However there are certain limitations faced by DBT system:

1. Aadhar registrations presently cover around 91% of the population. Since DBT is linked with
Aadhar for schemes, there is a need to improve Aadhar linkage to 100% so that not a single
person can be left out.
2. The UIDAI does not define the nature of benefits and services that should be or can be delivered.
3. Low financial inclusion

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4. Judicial hurdles like not to make aadhaar compulsory, data privacy argument
5. Business correspondents in the unbanked areas are also a kind of middlemen whose functioning
is under question even by the RBI.
6. These subsidies will have to be indexed for inflation - The time lag between increased prices and
cash transfers can lead to a humanitarian crisis for the poor.
7. The subsidy might be spent on alcoholism and unintended uses
8. Most Womens are still not getting benefits because of the social structure of family (Headmen).
Women receiving might face domestic violence.
DBT mechanism due to its scalability and reliability can play a major role by fulfilling & addressing
sector specific objectives and challenges to ensure good governance for all. DBT can prove to be a
great source for development of an economy like India but at the same time , proper measures should
be taken so as to implement the scheme and to overcome limitations so as to attain its full potential.

Q.9) ‘India is an age-old friend of Sri Lanka.’ Discuss India’s role in the recent crisis in Sri Lanka in the
light of preceding statement.

India and Srilanka relationship dates back to 2500 years BC and share a long tradition of shared
cultural heritage, robust economic cooperation and close diplomatic ties. The recent crisis in Sri Lanka
which is coupled with skyrocketing inflation, civil unrest and political instability is primarily attributed
to misguided policy initiative , political corruption and unsustainable public debt.

Reason for crisis :

Economic policy : Irrational changes in taxation policy followed by unsustainable and ambitious
agricultural policy shifting from chemical fertiliser to 100% organic fertiliser.
Pandemic :Exports of tea, rubber, spices and garments suffered
Affected tourism based economy and accelerated plummeting forex reserve. Tourism
earnings plummeted from $ 4 billion in 2018 to $ 500 million in 2020.
Debt trap : China's total external debt to China is one sixth of its total external debt.
Geopolitical reason : Russia-Ukraine war has resulted in war induced inflation due to high fuel policy
and disruption of supply chain.
India's role in recent crisis :
Loan moratorium :
India is the third largest donor to Sri Lanka after China and japan. A temporary loan moratorium or
restructuring of loan can provide some breathing space to the crippling economy of Sri lanka.
Currency swaps : The credit lines ( 8 credit line in past 10 years ) and currency swaps ( $400
million ) will help Sri Lanka address its immediate concerns, and investments approach will provide
a long-term solution.
Humanitarian assistance:
India can supply essential life saving commodities to Sri Lanka . Presently 85% of all medicine in Sri
Lanka is imported. India being the largest manufacturer of generic drugs can provide cheap drugs and
medicine to Sri lanka .
Infrastructure development :
Negative public sentiment toward China's cheque book diplomacy, India can take up infra
development through ODA or soft loan.

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Presently India is developing projects like renewable energy projects in Mannar and Pooneryn.
Defence cooperation : India can provide naval support to Sri Lanka to ensure that the present crisis
does not prove to be a breeding ground for insurgency and smuggling of refugees. Recently India has
donated dornier aircraft and floating docks to Sri lanka.
Fuel Security : Since mid-March, over 270,000 metric tonnes of diesel and petrol have been delivered
to SL.
Food security : India also sent rice, sugar, wheat and vegetables to SL on which India has surplus.
Conclusion
The present crisis is an opportunity for India and Sri lanka to resolve past issues like the fisherman
issue and prevent Sri Lanka to become a part of china's string of pearls. Further proactive support
from India will help in abetting any refugee crisis emanating from Sri lanka that will have far reaching
consequences for the Indian ocean region.

Q.10) Do you think BIMSTEC is a parallel organisation like the SAARC? What are the similarities and
dissimilarities between the two? How are Indian foreign policy objectives realised by forming this
new organisation?

BIMSTEC and SAARC were created as an objective to see regional and economic cooperation. SAARC’S
inactivity since 2016 and recent development in BIMSTEC’S 5th summit in Colombo has brought into
light the importance of the latter.
Similarities between BIMSTEC AND SAARC:
• Enabling environment for the rapid economic development of the sub region
• Encouraging spirit of equality and partnership
• Promoting active collaborations and mutual assistance in areas of common interest of member
countries
• Accelerating support for each other in the field of edu, sci and tech.

Differences between BIMSTEC and SAARC

BIMSTEC SAARC

Inter regional organisation connecting South asia

Regional organisation looking into South asia
and Southeast Asia

Created in 1997 in post cold war period Created in 1985 during cold war

Member countries share reasonable friendly Member countries suffer from mistrust and
relations tensed geopolitical flashpoints

Balancing of power in presence of other strong Asymmetric power balance

country in the bloc eg India, Thailand

Increased intra regional trade 6% in a decade Less scope for intra regional trade (only 5%)

Less conflict with boundaries as well as countries More serious boundary issues
show interest in negotiation

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India will be able to realise more of its foreign policy objectives via BIMSTEC because;
• Regional connectivity- BBIN
• Neighbourhood first policy- stepped up outreach to neighbours like Myanmar ,Thailand etc.,
• Boost to India’s Act east policy
• Countering China's influence in the neighbouring countries and String of Pearls
• ASEAN centrality in geopolitics in the Indo Pacific region.
• Isolation of Pakistan at various international forums.

Limitations of BIMSTEC to realise India's forein policy goals

• Lack of efficiency and sluggish pace of BIMSTEC progress.
• Inconsistency in holding policy meetings and operational meetings.
• Lack of financial resources for implementation of projects under BIMSTEC framework
• Political instability in countries. Eg Sri Lanka , Nepal.
• BIMSTEC secretariat also suffers from inadequate financial and human resources.
• India's selective interest in BIMSTEC each time SAARC is hamstrung due to pakistan.
• Despite SAARC’s caravan being slowed down India could implement south asia satellite for
regional connectivity however BIMSTEC’s platform could not be used by India for effective
regional connectivity and trade.
BIMSTEC is treated as a parallel organisation to SAARC, however as there are opportunities in BIMSTEC
there are some hurdles to it too. India should go beyond policy paralysis with respect to SAARC by
reviving its functionality. This way BIMSTEC will not be the only parallel organisation rather
complementing India's foreing policy goals and regional integration.

Q.11) Discuss the procedure to decide the disputes arising out of the election of a Member of the
Parliament or State Legislature under The Representation of the People Act, 1951. What are the
grounds on which the election of any returned candidate may be declared void? What remedy is
available to the aggrieved party against the decision ? Refer to the case laws.

Representation of People Act 1951 provides for conduct of elections to Parliament and State
Legislatures. It deals with the qualifications and disqualifications of members of legislature,
administrative machinery for conduct of elections and disputes arising out of the elections.

Procedure to decide the disputes under RPA, 1951:

The elections to legislatures at Central and State level are held according to the Universal Adult
Franchise and are conducted under the supervision of the Election Commission.
Any dispute thus arising out of election is dealt according to an election petition addressed to the
High Court. The petition can be moved by either the candidate or the elector and only after the
election has taken place.
The trial of election takes place according to the Code of Civil Procedure. The
High Court can either dismiss the petition or declare the election void.
Grounds on which the Election of returned Candidate may be declared Void:
There are different grounds on which an election can be declared void by the High court.
Representation of the People Act, 1951 contains those provisions that are:
1. If the candidate was disqualified due to -

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a. Guilty of election offences in the elections

b. Convicted of an offence resulting in imprisonment of two or more years. The Supreme court
Lily Thomas case 2013 provided a base for the same.
c. Failure to lodge details of election expenditure on time.
d. Interest in government contracts, works or services
e. Convicted for promoting enmity between different groups or for the offence of bribery.
f. Punished for preaching and practising social crimes like untouchability, sati and dowry.
Here, the President's decision is final with the recommendation of the Election Commission.
2. If the candidate commits any corrupt practice or is committed on his behalf by another person.
3. If any nomination was rejected improperly.

Remedy Available:
The Members of Parliament and State Legislature can appeal against the judgement of the High court
if not satisfied by the ruling of the court. The members can approach the Supreme Court and ask for
immediate relief.
Further, amendments in the RPA 1951 abolished Election Tribunals and the High
Court was made the sole authority to hear election disputes.
Representation of People Act 1951 provides the foundation to deal with the grievances of electoral
candidates and ensures free and fair elections to promote democratic ideals.

Q.12) Discuss the essential conditions for exercise of the legislative powers by the Governor. Discuss
the legality of re-promulgation of ordinances by the Governor without placing them before the
Legislature.

Ans. Article 153 of the Constitution establishes the office of governor in states. Governors enjoy
various powers like executive, legislative, judicial, financial etc. Being an integral part of the state
legislature, the legislative powers of governor forms an important part of his [Link] office of
Governor acts as the nominal executive at the state level. Sarkaria commission described the office
of Governor as Lynchpin of the constitutional apparatus at the state level.

Essential conditions for the exercise of Legislative powers are:

1. Power to prorogue the state legislative assembly and dissolve the assembly on the
recommendations of COM .The latter is due to hung assembly or want of majority in the House.
2. If both speaker and deputy speaker in the house are absent, the Governor can appoint a person
to preside over the house proceedings.
3. In case of election disputes , the Governor consults the ECI for disqualification of members and
acts according to the advice tendered by the Election commission.
4. Governor can reserve the bill referred to him in case the bill is against DPSPs or hinders larger
national interest.
5. Re Promulgate ordinance in case the assembly is not in session or any one house is not in session
in case of bicameral set up at state level.
6. Reserve a bill for the consideration of the President.

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Ordinance making powers of Governor.

Ordinance making powers of the governor stem from Article 213 of the constitution during the recess
of the legislature .It is ensured that ordinary law making process does not hinder under any
circumstances.

Legality of the repromulgation

Governor cannot re promulgate an ordinance in following cases:
1. If the ordinance has provisions which otherwise require Presidential sanction.
2. Promulgation and re-promulgation should be Only on the subjects in the state list.
3. The Supreme court in RC COOPER case of 1970 held that ordinance or re-promulgation is justified
only in case URGENT ACTION is proved to be needed .
4. DC WADHWA case also pointed to making ordinance or its repromulgation as exceptional and not
as a rule .
5. Krishna Kumar Singh case also laid down that the power is not absolute and repeated re-
promulgation amounts to fraud on the constitution.
6. Not placing the same before the house amounts to defeating the purpose of the mandate of the
citizens and amounts to constitutional despotism.
Ordinance making power hence is seen as an extraordinary solution to an extraordinary situation.
Ensuring Separation of powers and checks and balances is key to constitutional democracy and the
diligent use of powers by the Governor is key to achieve the same.

Q.13) “While the national political parties in India favour centralisation, the regional parties are in
favour of state autonomy.” Comment.

India adopted the Western Ministerial Model of Parliamentary Democracy both at the union level as
well as the state level. Due to the quasi federal nature of Indian polity, both national level and state
level political parties have a crucial role to play in party politics in Indian context.
Centralization could beunderstoodin political & financial aspects, Central Level Constitutional and
Statutory bodies along with policy direction.

National Political Parties favouring Centralisation:

1. To streamline the process of development, policies and programmes, it becomes crucial to have
central command over the decision making.
2. To qualify as a national level party, parties have to ensure voter base in more than 3 states for
both vote share as well as seat share thus political centralisation becomes crucial.
3. India is a diverse country and to avoid any kind of conflicts between different regions and to tackle
important issues like national security, communications, foreign policy etc, national parties
advocate centralization.
Strong centre with overarching focus on national security, unity and robust foreign policy are
driven by national level parties calling for more powers with the union govt.
4. The quasi federal nature of Indian polity ensures that National level parties are naturally attuned
towards centralisation as 7th Schedule stands testimony (with respect to the Union, State &
Concurrent List).

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5. India is a big country and different regions require different levels of support and hence national
parties favour financial centralization so that resources are better distributed to support the
development needs of the country.

Regional Political Parties favouring State Autonomy:

1. Narrow voter base of state level parties makes their agenda state specific or region specific thus
helps in better formulation of policies.
2. To undo the perceived pro Union bias in Constitutional makeup like limits on the powers of the
Governor. (Rajamannar Committee also recommended clarity on the role of Governor).
3. Exploiting the divisions of language or region in demanding autonomy for e.g. the role of Naga
Groups in North east or Darjeeling based parties in West Bengal.
However, national and state level parties are not always at loggerheads as shown in Centre & States
cooperation in the GST Council.
Centralisation and state autonomy are the two sides of the same coin and need not to be against each
other. What we need is the cooperation and communication of Central & State level stakeholders to
solve the ongoing challenges.

Facts that could be mentioned in the answer:

1. Currently, Indian party politics comprises 8 national parties and over 50 state parties as per latest
estimates of the ECI (Election Commission of India).
2. The Indian Constitution is best described as ‘quasi-federal’ as it establishes a dual polity but also
contains some unitary features. Also, the division of powers is also in favour of the Centre. So, the
states demanding more autonomy is not a new feature of Indian polity.

Q.14) Critically examine the procedures through which the Presidents of India and France are
elected.

India follows a Parliamentary form of Government while French follows the Presidential form of
Government. In India, the President is the head of state but the head of Government is Prime Minister
whereas in France, the head of state and head of Government is President. The provisions of the
election of the President are laid down in Article 54 of the Constitution of India.
Election procedures through which the Presidents of India is elected:
1. Method of Election: The President of India is elected through indirect election and held in
accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable
vote.
2. Electoral College: It consists of members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Legislative Assemblies of
the states and Legislative Assemblies of the Union Territories of Delhi and Puducherry.
3. Nomination: Before the voting, comes the nomination stage, where the candidate intending to
stand in the election, files the nomination along with a signed list of 50 proposers and 50
seconders.
4. Result: EC totals up all the valid votes cast by the electoral college through paper ballots and to
win, the candidate must secure 50% of the total votes cast + 1.

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Election procedures through which the President of France elected:

1. Method of Election: Through direct elections, votes are casted by candidates.
2. Electoral College: The President is elected by direct universal suffrage means all French citizens
aged 18 and over can vote, whether residing in France or not.
3. Two phases of Election usually:
o First phase: In this phase of direct election the candidate who gets more than 50% of the votes
is the winner of the election and becomes the President. But this event has never occurred.
o Second phase: The top two candidates in the first round contest in the runoffs in the second
round and the one who gets more votes is the winner.
There is a fundamental difference in the polity of the two nations. India has a parliamentary system
and France follows the Presidential system. Since India follows an indirect method of election, the
President of India is just a nominal head and has no accountability. On the other hand, the President
in France is directly elected so he has more powers and is accountable to the public.
Both the procedures have their own features and utility i.e. they are working properly in their
respective countries and political scenarios.

MERITS OF PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM

• Better coordination between the executive and the legislature: Since the executive is a part of
the legislature, and generally the majority of the legislature support the government, it is easier
to pass laws and implement them.
• Responsible government: The members of the legislature can ask questions and discuss matters
of public interest and put pressure on the government. The parliament can check the activities of
the executive.
• Prevents authoritarianism: Since the executive is responsible to the legislature, and can vote it
out in a motion of no confidence, there is no authoritarianism.
• Represents diversity: In this system, the parliament offers representation to diverse groups of the
country. This is especially important for a country like India.
• Flexibility: There is flexibility in the system as the PM can be changed easily if needed. This is
unlike the presidential system where he/she can be replaced only after the entire term or in case
of impeachment/incapacity.

MERITS OF PRESIDENTIAL SYSTEM

• Separation of powers: Efficiency of government is greatly enhanced since the three arms of the
government are independent of each other.
• Stability: This type of government is stable. Since the term of the president is fixed and not subject
to majority support in the legislative, he need not worry about losing the government.
• Experts in government: Since the executive need not be legislators, the President can choose
experts in various fields to head relevant departments or ministries.
• Less influence of the party system: Political parties do not attempt to dislodge the government
since the tenure is fixed.

DEMERITS OF PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM

• No separation of powers: Since there is no genuine separation of powers, the legislature cannot
always hold the executive responsible.

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• Unqualified legislators: The system creates legislators whose intention is to enter the executive
only. They are largely unqualified to legislate.
• Instability: Since the governments sustain only as long as they can prove a majority in the house,
there is instability if there is no single-largest party after the elections.
• Slow decision making: Since there is no fixed tenure enjoyed by the Council of Ministers, it often
hesitates from taking bold and long-term policy decisions.
• Control by the bureaucracy: Civil servants exercise a lot of power. They advise the ministers on
various matters and are also not responsible to the legislature.

DEMERITS OF PRESIDENTIAL SYSTEM

• Less responsible executive: Since the legislature has no hold over the executive and the president,
the head of the government can turn authoritarian.
• Deadlocks between executive and legislature: Since there is a more strict separation of powers
here, there can be frequent tussles between both arms of the government.
• Rigid government: Presidential systems are often accused of being rigid. It lacks flexibility.
• Spoils system: The system gives the president sweeping powers of patronage. Here, he can choose
executives as per his will.
The parliamentary system being followed in India was envisioned by our founding fathers. It is the best
form of government to maintain the diversity and plurality of India. It transforms democracy from a
system of government to a way of life.

Q.15) Discuss the role of the Election Commission of India in the light of the evolution of the Model
Code of Conduct.

Ans: “The ballot is stronger than the bullet.” – Abraham Lincoln

The Model Code of Conduct is a set of guidelines issued by the EC to regulate political parties and
candidates prior to elections. It helps the Election Commission to keep with the mandate given under
Article 324. This Code comes into effect as soon as the election schedule is announced by the EC.

Evolution of the Model Code of Conduct:

• The existence of the Code dates back to the Kerala State Legislative Assembly elections in 1960,
when the State government prepared a ‘Code of Conduct’.
• Subsequently, in the Lok Sabha elections in 1962, the ECI circulated the code to all recognised
political parties and State governments and it was wholeheartedly followed.
o Finally, in 1991, the EC decided to enforce the MCC more strictly.
o Role of the Election Commission of India in the light of the evolution of the Model Code of
Conduct:
• General Conduct: With MCC, Election Commission checks the criticism of political parties to each
other and it must be limited to their policies and programmes, past record and work.
• Meetings and Processions: After MCC, Parties must inform the local police authorities of the
venue and time and processions, so the Election Commission can
• ensure that the processions and meetings do not clash.
• Polling Day: After MCC, all authorised party workers at polling booths should be given suitable
badges or identity cards.

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• Polling Booths and Observers : With MCC, Only voters with a valid pass from the EC are allowed
to enter polling booths and EC will appoint observers.
• Ruling Party: The MCC incorporated certain restrictions like Ministers are not allowed to use
government resources for election-related work, the party must refrain from spending public
funds on advertisements, Ministers and other officials are not allowed to lay any new projects or
public initiatives once the Model.
• Communal Differences: MCC prohibits political parties and candidates which may aggravate
mutual hatred or cause tension between different castes and communities and EC could take strict
action against such candidates.
Election Commission of India plays a crucial role in organising free and fair elections and with the
Model Code of Conduct, the role of Election Commission has been strengthened further. Though
MCC does not have any statutory backing, many times these codes are not applied strictly and in
2013, the Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, recommended
making the MCC legally binding.

Q.16) Besides the welfare schemes, India needs deft management of inflation and unemployment
to serve the poor and the underprivileged sections of the society. Discuss.

Inflation comes at the expense of greater unemployment, and reduced unemployment comes at the
expense of greater inflation. However, considering the complications involved between the two, the
role of welfare schemes is important for developing nations like India as unemployment always
burdens the welfare schemes.
Due to the high Inflation rate ( 7% in Aug 2022 as per NSO) and high Unemployment rate (8.3% in Aug
2022 as per the CMIE survey) the welfare Schemes such as MGNREGA, National Food Security Mission,
Atal Pension Yojana,PM awas yojna etc have not been successful in fulfilling their objective of
alleviating the sufferings of the targeted section of society.
Managing inflation and unemployment - Need of the Hour
• Schemes such as direct Cash transfers and freebies erode the fiscal condition in the long run.
Economic capital is not translating to human capital.
• Welfare schemes take a toll on the state exchequer leading to fiscal mismanagement by
increasing the developmental expenditure.
• Rising inflation disincentives the saving habits of the household.
• With a low labour force participation rate (around 40%) and unemployment rates ( approx 7%) in
the world, Demographic dividend then may prove to be a demographic disaster.
• Rising Unemployment rate may lead to an increase in crime rate.
• Unemployment and Inflation further deteriorates human development by aggravating poverty
and hunger problems.
• Rising unemployment and inflation may lead to stagflation and jobless growth.
• As per India skills Report 2021 only 45.9 percent of graduates are found employable.
• Inflation distorts the dollar- rupee exchange rate resulting in a vicious cycle of poverty and lower
fiscal freedom for the Government.

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Way forward:
• Industry academia collaboration to make India a skill capital, innovation and knowledge based
economy by promoting research and development.
• Government should focus on job creation and skill enhancement through better implementation
of its schemes like Skill India Program.
• Focus on reviving the MSME sector especially labour intensive industries like leather industry,
textile industry etc.
• Effective implementation of new labour codes have huge potential for employment generation.
• Employment to all eligible youth may minimise financial irregularities and potentially boost our
GDP by 3 to 4%.
• The Government must focus on investing money to build physical and social infrastructure to
tackle the structural problem of disguised unemployment.
• The Government has taken initiatives like, National Infrastructure Pipeline, Gatishakti etc but their
effective implementation is required for job creation.
• Development of Industrial and management clusters (IT parks).
• Online job fair for unemployed youth and promotion of schemes like One district, one product.
• Gig and platform economies have the potential to create millions of jobs so the government can
provide them social security.
Despite sincere efforts by the Government, India needs to reduce the burden on welfare schemes
through better inflation targeting and managing unemployment levels. Also, to achieve the vision of
a 5 trillion dollar economy by 2024, India needs to shape its working age population through policies
that benefit the youth, especially the underprivileged and marginalised, for an economy that is
moving forward quickly and consistently.

Q.17) Do you agree with the view that increasing dependence on donor agencies for development
reduces the importance of community participation in the development process? Justify your
answer.

Answer: The role of donor agencies in the development of the nation is inevitable. To ensure benefits
reach out to the grassroot level, participation of every stakeholder is vital.

Over dependence on such agencies can reduce the community participation in development process
in following ways :
• Reliance on Funds from donor agencies reduces the integration and amalgamation of local people
in implementation of important schemes at grassroot level. As these funding comes with limited
flexibility, the development process gets stalled .
• Dependency on aid, intentionally or unintentionally, sometimes acts as a long-term strategy that
consequently influences the natural developmental process or reform of the country that may
reduce community participation. e.g.: China’s continued funding in Sri-Lanka resulted in a severe
economic crisis.
• The Top down approach often used by Donor agencies miss out on the exact requirement of the
local people pushing the community away from the development process.

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• Dependence on NGO for financial support not only impacts the community autonomy but also
affects the sovereignty of the state. e.g : Amnesty international is accused by the government for
misuse of funds.
• Donor agencies impose certain policies which are not in consonance with the community. e.g:
IMF imposes restrictions on India over bailing out and promoting LPG reforms.
• Lack of accountability and transparency with donor agencies amongst the community causes
distrust in the development process.
• The consequences of developmental projects often force the community to migrate away from
their roots and natural habitat. e.g. Narmada Bachao Andolan, Vedanta case of Niyamgiri hills.

However, there are instances where despite dependence on donor agencies for development, the
community participation remains intact in the overall development process.
• Better health and well being - World Health Organisation’s continued support on vaccination
programmes have yielded increased life expectancy in India. This, in process, helps in economic
development of the nation.
• Corporate Social Responsibility- Companies use CSR to develop infrastructures through
expenditures for the society in fields like education of girl child, health checkup of workers.
• Poverty Alleviation: Active participation of World Bank with UNDP facilitates the developing
countries to form better living conditions for people.
• Bargaining power to the marginalised sections.
Funds and technology are essential for any development process, but real outcomes are difficult
without community engagement. According to NITI Aayog’s New India@75, social mobilisation is the
need of the hour to engage people's participation in the development process and must be used by
grassroot organisations to achieve a common goal of "NEW INDIA" which is inclusive, participative
and citizen centric development. Further, strengthening FCRA could help in subsiding the
apprehension of misuse of funds of the donor agencies.

Q.18) The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 remains inadequate in
promoting incentive-based systems for children’s education without generating awareness about
the importance of schooling. Analyse.

To develop the sense of importance of education in the community, national and global level, school
plays an important role. In India, RTE Act 2009 mandates free and compulsory education for children
aged between 6-14 years under Article 21(A) of Constitution of India to achieve this goal.

Success of RTE Act 2009:

As per Ministry of Education:
1. More than 3.3 million students secured admission under quota norms of RTE 2. Gross
enrolment ratio in elementary education has grown up to 98%
3. Schools with usable toilets have risen up to 66.4%.
4. Schools with proper kitchen sheds have increased to 91%
However as per the NFHS- 5 (2019-2021), 21.4% of girls and 35.7% of boys aged between 6-17 years
have dropped out of school due to lack of interest in studies.

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Reason for inadequacy of RTE 2009 in addressing the structural and social issues are:
1. COVID pandemic and burden of digital education : This caused lack of incentive in schooling with
increased household expenditure with decreased income.
2. Gender stereotype : Family attitude towards girl child for either getting married or looking after
the younger siblings makes schooling last on the priority list.
3. Lack of adequate infrastructure: such as basic infrastructure like toilets, classroom and quality
teachers disincentivizes children.
According to the unified district information system for education (U-DISE) database, 33% of
schools don't have the requisite number of teachers.
As per CAG report 2020, almost 40% toilets were found to be non-existent, partially constructed,
or unused.
4. Inappropriate Teacher-Student ratio: Mostly children of elementary age are clubbed together
with single teacher teaching concepts which makes learning difficult.
5. Language barrier: Many dropouts are from lower strata and tribal societies so it is difficult to
associate with mainstream society due to the language barrier causing dissonance.
6. Focus on rote learning instead of quality education: According to the ASER Report, more than
50% of class 5 students could not read and write texts prescribed for class 2 students.
7. Minority religious schools are not brought into RTE Act : Leaving the large chunk of population
out of proper schooling. Ex– Outdated Madarsa education
8. Children below 6 years are not covered in the act: It causes initial education to be compromised
and students cannot cope up with the further grades and quit.

Suggestions for making RTE Act more effective in generating the awareness among masses:
1. Tamil Nadu model of giving breakfast to children along with mid day meal. This not only gives
adequate nutrition to children but also improves their learning capacity.
2. Incorporating Gram sabha and Anganwadi School in generating awareness about the relevance
of school education in village.
3. Adopting NEP 2020 for giving education in elementary school in mother tongue makes familiarity
in students and generates interest in learning.
4. Focusing on retention of children : by tracking dropouts and giving them relevant vocational
training if necessary.
5. Academic calendar can be decided by local authority: to suit the agricultural cycle and cultural,
regional diversities. Ex: lakshadweep school can have a different calendar to guwahati school as
per their regional diversity.
RTE Act,2009 alone is not responsible for its inadequacy but implementing its enabling provisions in
letter and spirit is the need of the hour for transforming our school education system as it provides
the foundation for strategic thinking and development initiatives.

Q.19) How will I2U2 (India, Israel, UAE and USA) grouping transform India’s position in global
politics?

I2U2 also referred to as Western Quad is the grouping of India, Israel, UAE and USA which was finalised
following the Abraham accord. It is focused on expanding economic and political cooperation in the
Middle East and Asia. The aim of I2U2 is also to encourage joint investment in water, energy,

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transportation, space, health and food security.

I2U2 grouping transforms India's position in global politics Strategic partner:

The inclusion of India into the I2U2 was seen as a welcome move which strengthened India’s position
in West Asia; on the other hand, the US viewed India as a strategic, reliable and development partner
needed in West Asia.

Source of economic diversification

Apart from being an oil importer, west asian countries view India as a source of diversification and
modernisation. With massive IT industries, India can help the UAE diversify its economy into areas like
IT, finance and agriculture.
Neutral arbitrator
India can also act as a cushion to prevent any confrontation between Israel and Iran given its
chequered history of being a neutral arbitrator in the Korean war in 1951. Further India also has a
warm relationship with both Shia majority Iran and sunni dominated UAE.
Leader in renewable energy
The I2U2 allows India to secure investments from Israel, UAE, and the US, emerge as an alternative
renewable energy hub and diversify the supply chain mechanism
Leader in startup ecosystem
The I2U2 grouping focuses on private capital investment and technical expertise to solve waste
treatment problems, health access, and start-up linkages. India being the third largest startup
ecosystem stands to gain from these investments. The investments in start-ups and their linkages
with other countries will provide an impetus to entrepreneurial innovation and the creation of more
such ventures
Regional balancer:
The I2U2 grouping allows India to act as a balancer in the region by engaging with all countries in a
geopolitically charged region.
Food security provider :
Post russia - ukraine war india can solidify its position in west asia by filling the supply side gap like
food grain to west asian countries.
Technological powerhouse :
India can learn from the expertise of countries like Israel in niche technology like nanotechnology,
defence technology to become an export hub and technological superpower.
Challenges associated with india's association with I2U2 :
Narrow and regional outlook : I2U2 have limited partnership in west asia which is marred with
complex geopolitical challenges like shia sunni divide and islamic insurgency.
Geopolitical equilibrium : indias might face challenges in balancing india's geopolitical equilibrium for
examp;le israel view of i2u2 as a step to augmenting opposition to iran. This might create potential
challenges in developing India-Iran relations.
Lack of unanimity : Usa is promoting I2U2 as west asian quad however india is downplaying it to show
its reluctance in picking up sides in west asian politics
Lack of unifying cause : I2U2 lacks a galvanising cause. By contrast, the Indo-Pacific Quad is fueled by
a common desire to counter Beijing. This is a long-shot objective for I2U2, given China’s strengthening
commercial cooperation with both Israel and the UAE.

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Way forward :
• It's time for India to throw off its hesitation of history and step out of the closet for a larger role
in the region.
• India should continue to diplomatically engage with West Asia to continue its multilateral
approach to international relations while also focusing on building more people-to-people
contacts.
• Further India can emulate the same model in regions like Africa and Latin America by cultivating
goodwill and soft power in these regions. It can partner with countries like Japan and accelerate
projects like the Asia Africa Growth Corridor.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the I2U2 grouping is a continuation of India’s Look West
Policy. It helps India in furthering its national interest without getting entangled in the geopolitics of
west asia.

Q.20) ‘Clean energy is the order of the day.’ Describe briefly India’s changing policy towards climate
change in various international fora in the context of geopolitics.
This is not limited just to day to day life but also geopolitically. There are both external and domestic
dimensions to India’s Climate Change policy .Global dimension includes, equitable climate
finance,common but differentiated responsibilities and acceptance of historical responsibilities are
driving factors of India's policy.

India’s changing policy towards climate change:

1. Placing climate change at the centre of its environmental policies, India took bold pledges in 2021
with the Prime Minister of India asserting at the crucial international climate summit COP 26 that
it is the only country delivering in "letter and spirit" the commitments under the Paris
Agreement.
2. India also launched 'One Sun, One World, One Grid' (OSOWOG) at the conference with an aim
to harness solar energy wherever the sun is shining, ensuring that generated electricity flows to
areas that need it most.
3. Five Nectar Elements (Panchamrit):
Five nectar elements (Panchamrit) of India’s climate action:
1. Reach 500 GW Non-fossil energy capacity by 2030.
2. 50 per cent of its energy requirements from renewable energy by 2030.
3. Reduction of total projected carbon emissions by one billion tonnes from now to 2030.
4. Reduction of the carbon intensity of the economy by 45 per cent by 2030, over 2005 levels.
5. Achieving the target of net zero emissions by 2070.
4. India’s approach:
o As a part of its overall approach, India emphasised the foundational principles of equity, and
common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities
o It also highlighted that all countries should have equitable access to the global carbon
budget, a finite global resource, for keeping temperature increase within the limits set by the
Paris Agreement. All countries must stay within their fair share of this global carbon budget,
while using it responsibly.

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o Responsibility of the developed nations: India also called on the developed countries for
climate justice, and for undertaking rapid reductions in emissions during the current decade
so as to reach net zero much earlier than their announced dates, as they have used more than
their fair share of the depleting global carbon budget.
5. India's First international organisation in the form of International Solar Alliance (HQ in Gurugram)
also affirms the point.
6. Apart from India's leapfrogging from BS4 to BS6 shows India's commitment towards clean energy.

India's climate change policy - Positives:

Geopolitical:
1. More than 155 countries came together in “Paris deal “ to share the common global concern of
climate change.
2. Regional organisations like BIMSTEC, SAARC, UNSIDS, EU are actively pursuing clean environment
goals for shared prosperity.
3. India's role in the early warning system helps to have deep ties with member countries.

Economic:
1. Technology transfer ,UNHDR .
2. Increased trade in renewable energy resources ,e.g. solar panel ,service providers of green energy
systems etc.
3. Climate financing , carbon trading .
4. De-carbonisation of global supply chain .

Issues
• Economic obstacles: Tackling global climate change imposes costs on individual states in terms of
investment in expensive mitigation and adaption strategies as well as accepting lower levels of
economic growth. Therefore , states are either unwilling
• to agree to binding targets or to set the target well below the required to deal effectively with the
problem.
• Ideological obstacles: Tensions between developed and developing countries in the form of
North-South divide. Southern perspective is that, north is responsible (IR) whereas, north
perspective is they are not responsible.
• There has been serious disagreement among nations about both the seriousness and nature of
environmental problems and about how they can be tackled.
• Conflict between the principles of collective good’s and national interests. Any effective
international action to tackle environmental concerns has been challenged by the conflict
between the principles of collective good’s and national interests.

Policy Analysis: The Need for an Integrated Agenda

• The best way to diminish the threat posed by these climate-fragility risks is to mitigate climate
change.
• Climate change adaptation: programs help countries anticipate the adverse effects of climate
change and take action to prevent, minimise, and respond to their potential impacts.

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• Development and humanitarian aid programs help states and populations build their economic,
governance, and social capacities and improve their resilience to shocks.
• Peace-building and conflict prevention programs address the causes and effects of fragility and
conflict by reducing tensions and creating an environment for sustainable peace.
• To break down the sectoral barriers that hamper efforts to address climate-fragility risks, we need
to address key policy and institutional gaps in three areas.
India's changing policy towards climate change both domestically and internationally will yield
desirable outcomes and also will help Achieving Sustainable Development Goals. SDG - 13,17. The
real threat of climate change needs global cooperation and a multidimensional policy approach to set
a common goal for a better climate.

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