SECURE SYNOPSIS: 20 January 2017
NOTE: Please remember that following ‘answers’ are NOT ‘model answers’. They are NOT synopsis too if we go by definition of the term. What we are providing is content that both meets demand of the question and at the same time gives you extra points in the form of background information.
General Studies – 1;
Topic: Urbanization – problems and remedies
1) Do you think the rise of private-cab services in metro cities indicates failure on part of governments to allocate resources for effective public transport system? Discuss the advantages of public transport, focusing more on safety aspects. (200 Words)
Livemint
Introduction-
Indian metropolitan cities are witnessing huge inward migration particularly in search of employment. Though women constitute large chunk of the labor force, public transport has been major impediment in their free movement across the city.
Whether rise in private cab services indicates failure of government to allocate resources for effective public transport?
Arguments in favor-
  • Usually public transport has fixed hours of service and thus could not be used at odd hours like in midnight or early morning.
  • The reach of public transport has been limited mostly to the core areas of the city. The peripheral areas have been poorly served where most of the migrants live.
  • Public transport lacks ‘Last Mile Connectivity’ due which most of the women are made to take longer routes.
  • Public transports like Buses and Local/Metro services are inadequate in terms of quantity and most of the time falls short of quality (cleanliness, hygiene etc) thus compelling commuters to go for cabs.
  • Public transport has proved to be inadequate in ensuring safety of women. Other passengers do make entry into coaches specially reserved for women in the night-time.
  • Finally private cab services wouldn’t have prospered had there been efficient and quick public transport present in the cities.
Arguments against-
  • Cab services provide ‘End to End’ connectivity which suits to the need of commuters and also saves his/her time.
  • Cab services have prospered even at places where public transport is good on accounts of factors like flexibility, low prices and smooth travel.
  • The public transport services like Delhi Metro have been successful beyond imagination and such projects are coming up in cities like Bengaluru, Jaipur, Pune etc.
Advantages of public transport-
  • Co-passengers ensure vigilance on the activities of any errant passenger that ensures safety.
  • Presence of Driver and Conductor, ie Government Servants ensure help in case of any problem that leads to increased faith in the working of public transport.
  • Pre-determined path of public transport creates a feeling of safety as no different route will be taken to take advantage of situation like empty roads, strange places etc.
  • There are always help guidelines/contact numbers, women attendants, First Aid help etc provided in public transport which provides safety cushion to the passengers.
  • An effective public transport will have interface for schedule and route information, which will enable commuters to plan their travel according to their comfort, and also enable their family to track their whereabouts.
  • An effective transport facilitates less congestion, smooth traffic flow and hence punctual ensuring timely arrival of the passengers to their next stop or destination.
Conclusion-
Growing India cities needs ever improving public transport facilities. The private services like cabs have their own advantages and should be seen as complementary rather the competition to public transport.

General Studies – 2
Topic: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries 
2) It is said that even though the new president is well disposed towards India, his efforts to change America’s trajectory will have huge economic and political consequences for India. How should India prepare to deal with the US? Examine. (200 Words)
The Indian Express
Introduction-
With the ‘America First’ policy of new President of USA, its relationship with the world may turn to different directions. India which has witnessed good relations with the USA in last decade may have some positives as well as some negatives consequences of this policy.
How the new President could change the trajectory of America?
The new President of USA has won by promising to curb immigration into the United States and removing those who were staying in USA illegally. He has threatened to impose “extreme vetting” on visitors from the Muslim world. He argues that American workers are victims of economic globalization. He believes the US taxpayers pay too high a price for American military alliances abroad. He has dismissed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the powerful seven-decade-old Euro-Atlantic alliance, as “obsolete”. Trump demands that US allies in Asia, Japan and South Korea take a larger share of the defence burden.

Concerns for India-
  • Trump’s stricter immigration rules for H1B visa is a cause of worry for India’s export led IT industry.
  • His views to reduce corporate tax may shift American manufacturing companies from other countries like India back to America thereby reducing employment opportunities in such countries.
  • Trump’s plans to revise and even scrap regional trade partnership agreements like TPP would help India in diversifying its trade as India was left out of TPP.
  • He has non-serious approach on issues like climate change which may hamper the global efforts to curb and minimize ill consequences of climate change.
  • If he improves US relations with Russia, India would not have to undertake balancing acts to please both the leading powers.
How India should prepare to deal with unpredictable policies of new President of USA?
  • India will have to quickly come to terms with the historic shift in America’s approach to economic globalization under Trump.
  • India needs to end its defensive crouch on external economic engagement and re-position itself to cope with the structural changes that Trump threatens to engineer in the global economic order. As in the economic, so in the political domain, India will have to stop being defensive.
  • Though regulation of H1B visa could affect India, India could leverage its market potential and trade opportunities in getting favorable business policies from America.
  • American president is wants to re-energize the shale gas, natural gas and coal sector to make America energy self-sufficient. India too could benefit from the opening of US oil and gas sector that would diversify India’s import and stabilize global oil prices.
  • Trump is firm on curbing radical Islamism and eradicating terror outfits in different parts of the globe. Thus India could collaborate in fighting terror and could pressurize Pakistan to eliminate state sponsored terrorism.
  • Trump is determined to curb increasing Chinese global influence in geo-politico-economic matters. Thus India could reinvent its policies that would give strategic advantages vis-à-vis China.
  • While Russia and China are resisting American dominance in Afghanistan and Syria, India could play important role in bringing amicable solutions in these regions as India has carried out ground work in Afghanistan and enjoys great goodwill in those nations.
Conclusion-
The new president of America would collaborate whole heartedly with India only if American interests are served. Thus India needs to identify common areas which could offer mutual help and benefits India too.

Topic: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Education,
3) From all findings and reports, it’s now very clear that higher education system in India is failing. In your opinion, on priority basis, what should government do to revive higher education system? Critically examine. (200 Words)
The Indian Express
Introduction-
The National Knowledge Commission Report to the Nation (2006-9) states that: “There is a quiet crisis in higher education in India which runs deep”. There are three widely acknowledged criteria for judging an education system: Access, Equity, and Quality. Indian higher education system has proved to be inadequate in achieving those.
Problems in Indian Higher Education System-
  • Entry into premier higher education institutions is riddled with various kinds of inequity (only marginally relieved for some people by lower-caste reservations). For example, the currently almost indispensable intensive entry examination preparation in coaching classes (or private tuition) with high fees is often out of reach for poor students. (NSS data suggest that in 2014 nearly 60% of male students in the 18-24 age group cite financial constraints or engagement in economic activities as the reason for discontinuing higher education).
  • There is extreme faculty shortage, apart from stark deficiencies in the matters of library books, laboratory facilities, computer and broadband internet, classrooms and buildings, etc. As much as 30 to 50% of faculty positions are vacant in many institutions. Many faculty posts are filled by under-qualified “temporary” recruits.
  • Two-thirds of enrolment in higher education is in private institutions (the majority of them, according to NSS data, say that there were not enough government institutions nearby or where they could get admission). Fees at private institutions are more than double those charged at government institutions. In parts of western and southern India with a large expansion of for-profit private colleges with high ‘capitation fees’ and politically managed loans from public banks, politicians have entered into the business of higher education in a big way, turning colleges into lucrative degree-giving factories.
  • The (erstwhile) Planning Commission had estimated that only 17.5% of our graduates are employable. Many of the graduates lack even basic language and cognitive skills. In the Information Technology sector the main chamber of commerce, NASSCOM, estimates that even for engineering graduates, only 20% of graduates of engineering colleges in India are employable in IT companies.
  • In terms of quality of post-graduate research, while some of it is no doubt significant, over all our research quality is much below the world average. It has been widely noted that India does not have a single university in the top 200 in the world rankings according to theQS World University Rankings.
  • Also, India has one of the poorest Gross Enrolment Ratios (GER) for higher education in the world. According to 2010 data, India’s GER was a meager 13.8 percent, compared with theglobal average of around 26 percent. Australia, Russia and the U.S., to name a few examples, have GERs upwards of 75 percent.
Steps to revive higher education-
  • Towards a Learning Society- As we move towards a learning society, every human activity will require contributions from experts, and this will place the entire sector of higher education in sharp focus. Although the priorities, which are being assigned today to the task of Education for All, will continue to be preponderant, the country will have to prepare itself to invest more and more on higher education and, simultaneously, measures will have to be taken to refine, diversify and upgrade higher education and research programmes.
  • Industry and Academia Connection- Industry and Academia connect necessary to ensure curriculum and skills in line with requirements. Skill building is really very crucial to ensure employability of academia to understand and make sure good jobs (keeping in view knowledge + skills+ global professional skills = good jobs).
  • Incentives to Teachers and Researchers- Industry and students are expecting specialized courses to be offered so that they get the latest and best in education and they are also industry ready and employable. Vocational and Diploma courses need to be made more attractive to facilitate specialized programs being offered to students. Incentives should be provided to teachers and researchers to make these professions more attractive for the younger generation.
  • Innovative Practices- The new technologies offer vast opportunities for progress in all walks of life. It offers opportunities for economic growth, improved health, better service delivery, improved learning and socio-cultural advances. Though efforts are required to improve the country’s innovative capacity, yet the efforts should be to build on the existing strengths in light of new understanding of the researchinnovation-growth linkage.
  • To mobilize resources- The decline in public funding in the last two plan periods has resulted in serious effects on standards due to increasing costs on non-salary items and emoluments of staff, on the one hand, and declining resources, on the other. Effective measures will have to be adopted to mobilize resources for higher education. There is also a need to relate the fee structure to the student’s capacity to pay for the cost. So that, students at lower economic levels can be given highly subsidised and fully subsidised education.
  • Coming of Information