1. Diplomacy & Globalization
  2. Democracy, Development & Society
  3. Science, Religion & Misc.
  4. Ethics/ Mains General Studies paper 4

Write an essay on following topics in 1200-1500 words each in 3 hours.

Diplomacy & Globalization

  1. “If the basics of a just world economic order are absent, a just world communication order is an illusion.” (Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer)
  2. To claim its rightful place in the world, India has to reinvent itself as a more competitive, confident and secure country first.
  3. A true sovereignty is an absolutely necessary condition of the existence any state. (Putin)
  4. Can robust foreign policy sustain without foundation of a strong domestic policy?
  5. The arc of failing, revanchist and scofflaw states around India.
  6. Is free trade always a fair trade? (Jaitley says not when companies use it for tax avoidance and tax evasion)
  7. In an increasingly globalized world, isolating domestic priorities from international standing, is difficult. (Context: WTO- India wants food security but can’t afford to be isolated on TFA either, same on climate change, free-trade, nuclear disarmament etc.)

Democracy, Development & Society

  1. Information without communication is social suffocation (Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer)
  2. Importance of Social media as the free platform for collective expressions of a vibrant citizenry.
  3. At the heart of democracy is access to information.
  4. Only non-violent interactions between different ideologies and disciplines will strengthen democracy in any country. (P. K. Pokker)
  5. If development is made a people’s movement…..(Madhav Gadgil column.)
  6. Is harsh economic environment a necessary obstacle for Indians to overcome? (Putin says atleast it is essential for “Patriotic Russians”.)
  7. Is rightist tilt bad for Indian education and polity?

Science, Religion & Misc.

  1. Prospects and dangers of a fully developed artificial intelligence. (Stephen Hawking says it can wipe out human race just like in Terminator 3.)
  2. Essence of the Gita, Bible and Kuran lies in their substance and not in symbolism. (Context: Foreign minister’s demand to declare Gita as national scripture).
  3. Time and tide wait for no man. (Yes, even such clichéd proverbs are now “essay worthy” topics after Mains 2014 paper!)
  4. (Non-serious) “Is science a dwarf in front of astrology?” (BJP MP Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank says yes it is.)

Ethics/ Mains General Studies paper 4

Discuss/elaborate/examine following quotes/statements in 200 words each.

  1. If contemporary India is to survive, citizens must comprehend the values of mutual sharing.
  2. Examine the need to cultivate a stronger culture of self-reliance among Indian youth.
  3. A good administrator must be a raging egalitarian, an invisible socialist, and an economic democrat.
  4. A good administrator has nothing to hide and everything to discover without fear or favour.
  5. Success of the initiatives taken for Accountability and autonomy depends on depend on the caliber of men entrusted with the tasks of governance.
  6. The very concept of VIP culture is an anathema to a socialist democracy. (Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer)
  7. Discuss the importance of Democratic processes and shareholder participation for an effective governance.
  8. The timeless values in life- mutual understanding, attitudes of sharing, and tolerance for others.
  9. Technocratic top-down systems of management are largely ineffective in public service. Do you agree?
  10. If you can fill the unforgiving minute, with sixty seconds’ worth of distance run, yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it.” (Rudyard Kipling)
  11. “If I can stop one heart from breaking I shall not live in vain, If I can ease one life the aching, I shall not live in vain.” (Emily Dickinson)
  12. Suggest remedies for elimination neglect, abuse and violence against old persons in India. (In Mains-2014, they asked similar question about women)

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