Model Answer

Main Features of the Aspirational Block Programme (ABP)

The Aspirational Block Programme (ABP), launched in the Union Budget of 2022-23, aims to improve the performance of underdeveloped blocks across India. Initially covering 500 blocks, it targets sectors such as health, education, water resources, and financial inclusion. The program uses 15 key socio-economic indicators (KSIs) to monitor progress and foster competition among blocks. Periodic rankings are released to encourage improvement, and states can add more blocks based on local challenges.

Impact on Governance and Service Delivery

1. Inclusive Development: ABP targets marginalized populations, ensuring that development benefits reach them more effectively.
2. Locally Adaptable Planning: Each block can adopt customized solutions to local issues, moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach.
3. Grassroots Participation: By addressing specific block-level challenges, local communities are empowered to play an active role in their own development.
4. Competitive Spirit: The ranking system fosters a healthy competition among blocks, promoting better governance and service delivery.
5. Convergence for Target Achievement: ABP’s approach involves integrating services across different sectors, helping to bridge gaps and reach Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Conclusion

The Aspirational Block Programme, modeled after the successful Aspirational District Programme, focuses on improving governance and public service delivery at the grassroots level. By engaging local communities and encouraging competition, the ABP can significantly enhance the quality of life in underdeveloped areas, ensuring targeted and inclusive development.

Model Answer

Dual Accountability of Civil Servants in India

In India, civil servants are accountable to both the political executive and the public. The dual nature of their accountability ensures a balance between following political direction and serving citizens’ interests.

Accountability to the Political Executive:

1. Hierarchy: Civil servants function within a hierarchical system, reporting to senior officials and ministers, who hold them accountable for policy implementation.
2. Policy Implementation: They are responsible for executing government policies and ensuring effective service delivery.
3. Ministerial Responsibility: Ministers oversee the performance of civil servants in their departments, answering to the political executive.
4. Performance Evaluations: Civil servants undergo regular assessments to ensure that they align with government policies and objectives.
5. Disciplinary Measures: Failure to adhere to policies or misconduct results in disciplinary actions initiated by the political executive.
6. Parliamentary Scrutiny: Civil servants may be called before parliamentary committees to explain government actions, ensuring accountability.

Accountability to the Public:

1. Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005: The RTI Act allows citizens to access information, promoting transparency and accountability in government actions.
2. Social Audits: Citizens can audit government programs, evaluating civil servants’ performance in service delivery.
3. Grievance Redressal Mechanisms: Platforms like CPGRAMS enable citizens to file complaints regarding civil servants’ performance, ensuring responsiveness.
4. Vigilance Agencies: Bodies like the CVC, CBI, and Lokpal investigate corruption and unethical conduct within the civil services.

Conclusion

Civil servants in India are subject to both political and public accountability, with mechanisms such as RTI, social audits, and vigilance bodies ensuring they meet their responsibilities. This dual accountability is vital for effective governance and maintaining public trust.

Model Answer

Governance and Transparency in India

The philosophy of “Minimum Government, Maximum Governance” in India focuses on reducing bureaucratic interventions and empowering citizens. E-governance is a crucial tool in realizing this goal by making government services more accessible, transparent, and efficient.

E-Governance: Applications and Models

E-governance uses ICT (Information and Communication Technology) to streamline government operations and improve service delivery. Initiatives like Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT), JAM (Jan Dhan, Aadhar, Mobile), and Passport Seva Project exemplify its application. These initiatives simplify processes, reduce corruption, and increase efficiency in delivering services.

Models such as UMANG (Unified Mobile Application for New Age Governance) integrate various government services, ensuring better access for citizens.

Successes and Limitations

E-governance has contributed to increased transparency by minimizing corruption and ensuring efficient service delivery. For example, the MyGov platform facilitates public participation in governance. However, challenges remain, including the digital divide, language barriers, and concerns about data privacy. Many rural citizens and the economically disadvantaged still face difficulties in accessing e-governance benefits due to low literacy and technological access.

Citizens’ Charters and Institutional Measures

Citizens’ Charters serve as an essential tool to set clear expectations for public service delivery, enhancing transparency. Moreover, institutional measures like social audits, RTI (Right to Information), and Lokpal help maintain accountability and curb corruption.

In conclusion, while e-governance plays a critical role in transforming India’s governance structure, addressing its limitations and promoting awareness will further strengthen transparency and accountability in the future.

Model Answer

Role of the Press in the Early Phase of the Indian National Movement

The press played a pivotal role in the formative years of the Indian national movement, acting as a critical tool for political education, mass mobilization, and resistance against colonial rule.

1. Political Propaganda and Education

• The Indian National Congress, in its initial years, lacked an organizational structure and relied heavily on the press for spreading its political ideas and nationalist ideology.
• Newspapers like Amrit Bazar Patrika and Kesari carried articles exposing colonial exploitation and encouraged nationalist sentiment.

Fact: The press was instrumental in spreading modern civil liberties, inspired by the French Revolution, as early as Raja Rammohan Roy’s protest against press restrictions in 1824.

2. Preparing the Masses

• During 1870-1918, when the movement was not mass-based, the press became the primary instrument for arousing and consolidating nationalist public opinion.
• It trained Indians to critique colonial policies and united people under a common cause.

Fact: The motto of the press—“oppose, oppose, oppose”—exemplified its dedication to resisting colonial rule.

3. Enhancing Geographical Reach

• The press carried messages from national leaders to remote areas, transcending urban boundaries and creating awareness even in rural regions.
• Library movements, inspired by press publications, spread across India, fostering a collective nationalist consciousness.

Fact: Newspapers like Kesari (by Bal Gangadhar Tilak) reached the grassroots, educating people about their rights and duties.

Challenges Faced by the Indian Press

1. Stringent Sedition Laws

• Laws like Section 124A of IPC penalized criticism of the government with life imprisonment.
• Leaders like Tilak faced multiple sedition charges for writings critical of British policies.

Fact: Bal Gangadhar Tilak was imprisoned twice under sedition charges for his editorials in Kesari.

2. The Vernacular Press Act, 1878

• Targeted non-English newspapers to suppress anti-colonial voices, particularly after the Bengal famine.
• It allowed the confiscation of press equipment and heavy fines.

Fact: Amrit Bazar Patrika converted into an English publication overnight to escape this Act’s provisions.

3. Other Draconian Laws

• Acts like the Prevention of Seditious Meetings Act (1911) and Press Act (1910) imposed hefty penalties and prosecuted over 1,000 newspapers.
• These laws enriched the British treasury through securities and forfeitures.

Fact: The Press Act of 1910 alone collected Rs. 5 lakhs in securities and fines.

Conclusion

Despite severe challenges, the Indian press remained a resilient force in promoting nationalism, opposing colonial rule, and educating the masses. Its sacrifices laid the foundation for the recognition of press freedom as a fundamental right in independent India.

Model Answer

Causes Behind the Rising Frequency of Urban Floods in India

India has experienced a significant rise in urban floods in recent years, with notable instances in Chennai (2004), Mumbai (2005), Delhi (2009), Guwahati and Delhi (2010), and Bangalore (2022). This increasing frequency can be attributed to several factors:

• Changing Weather Patterns: Climate change has led to more unpredictable weather, with high-intensity rainfall and cloudbursts occurring within short spans. This has caused storm surges, especially in coastal cities, overwhelming drainage systems (Source: National Disaster Management Authority).
• Concretization and Urbanization: Rapid urbanization has resulted in the concretization of large land areas, reducing natural soil infiltration and increasing runoff. As a result, water quickly overwhelms storm drains and floods urban areas (Source: NDMA Guidelines on Management of Urban Flooding).
• Stormwater and Waste Mismanagement: Inadequate drainage capacity, worsened by solid waste and construction debris clogging drains, significantly reduces their capacity to handle heavy rainfall, causing overflow and flooding (Source: Ministry of Urban Development).
• Encroachments: Unplanned urban expansion has led to encroachments on natural drainage paths, lake beds, and river floodplains, decreasing their ability to absorb rainwater and increasing flood risk (Source: NDMA).
• Inadequate Infrastructure: Aging or inadequate urban infrastructure, including limited pipeline capacity, insufficient flood storage, and poorly maintained pumping stations, exacerbates flooding (Source: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs).

Government Measures to Mitigate Urban Flood Risks

The Indian government has implemented several initiatives to address urban flood risks:

• National Guidelines on Urban Flood Management: Following the 2005 Mumbai floods, the NDMA introduced guidelines specifically for urban flooding, treating it as a unique disaster type separate from riverine floods (Source: NDMA).
• Sponge Cities Mission and AMRUT: Programs like the Sponge Cities Mission and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) support flood-resilient urban planning, encouraging measures like green roofs, rainwater harvesting, and rain gardens (Source: AMRUT).
• Restoration of Lakes and Wetlands: Cities like Bangalore and Mumbai have taken initiatives to rejuvenate lakes and wetlands, which can help absorb floodwaters and enhance biodiversity (Source: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change).
• Nature-Based Solutions: Urban areas are incorporating nature-based solutions, such as Bhopal’s green-blue master plan, Chennai’s “Water as Leverage” initiative, and Delhi’s Master Plan 2041, to manage urban water flow and improve environmental resilience (Source: City Planning Initiatives).

While India has made strides in addressing urban flood risks, ongoing efforts to improve local governance, waste management, and climate awareness are crucial as the urban population continues to grow, projected to reach 814 million by 2050.