The Prayas ePathshala

Exams आसान है !

Q1. What problems and difficulties does the GST System present? (250 words)

Paper & Topic: GS III à Indian Economy

Model Answer:

The supply of products and services from the point of manufacture to the final consumer is subject to a single tax known as the GST (Goods and Services Tax). GST turns India into a single shared market by establishing a single indirect tax for the entire nation. Through the 101st Constitutional Amendment Act, it was introduced in 2017.

GST initial issues:

The many rate structures, large tax slabs, and challenging tax filing requirements that underlie India’s GST are among the problems.
In actuality, these were the initial problems with the GST’s administration that led to some of its current problems.
Technical solutions, however, such as streamlining tax filing procedures and GST rates, cannot address the fundamental problems with GST.

Additional underlying issues:

Politics has an impact on the decision made by the GST Council:

The GST Council, which consists of 31 States and Union Territories, will meet for the 43rd time on May 28.
A Council established to decide on indirect taxes must be politically neutral.
The epidemic prohibited the GST Council from convening for two quarters even though it was supposed to do so at least once every three months.
In order to better manage their finances, a number of the 14 group members who are connected to parties other than the one in charge at the Center requested the Finance Minister called the GST meeting.
None of the 17 members of the ruling group considered it necessary.
It is definitely a political decision that even the need for a meeting to determine how much money the states should get in taxes.

Lacking faith:

The GST Council symbolizes a trust agreement between the States and the Centre within the larger context of Indian democracy.
The GST Council’s tragic situation stems from the fact that it must work under the radar of politicians and is rife with animosity.
If the GST Council’s operations are dictated by election whims and the politics of vengeance that follow, GST will continue to be nothing more than a caricature of its initial promise.

Conclusion:

The big GST experiment in India is doomed to failure unless there is a significant change in the tenor and tone of Indian federal politics, supported by an extension of the income guarantee for the States for another five years.

Q2. Why is Sponge City Technology important? (250 words)

Paper & Topic: GS III à Environment-related issues

Model Answer:

About a sponge city:

A sponge city is made to improve a city’s capacity to take up and utilize the water that is shed onto it.
Rainwater is absorbed by sponge cities, where the earth filters it biologically before it enters urban aquifers.
This makes it possible to use wells to extract water from the ground in urban or peri-urban areas.
Simply treated, this water is suitable for use in city water systems.
In the built environment, this refers to continuous open green spaces, connected streams, channels, and ponds that can naturally hold and filter water.
Examples of urban missions that can successfully provide support for urban ecosystems, biodiversity, and newer cultural and recreational opportunities include the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY), and the Smart Cities Mission.

The following should be dealt with as the mission’s top priority:

Wetland policy: The shallow ends of most of our lakes, which regularly extended above the level of a full tank, have disappeared.
Wetlands are the best way to describe these shallow ends.
Regardless of ownership, land use on even the smallest scales needs to be restricted through development management.
A strategy for managing watersheds and emergency drainage comes next.
Both the policy and the legislation need to make this clear.
The third is the outlawment of terrain modification.
The city has been permanently and irreparably harmed by builders, property owners, and governmental organisations that levelled the terrain and altered drainage routes.
Use of porous material: Thanks to the type of materials being used, not only are our cities growing more crowded, but they are also becoming more water resistant.
In order to expand the city’s capacity to absorb water, new porous technologies and materials must be promoted or made widely necessary.
These technologies include of bioswales and retention systems, permeable materials for roads and pavement, green roofs and rainwater harvesting systems in buildings, drainage systems that allow storm water to trickle into the ground, and permeable materials for roads and pavement.

Conclusion:

We can establish a relationship with nature, use the government to regulate behaviour, and strategically decide where to build. We must promptly rebuild our cities so that they can absorb and release water without causing the agony and harm that we have seen to the most defenceless parts of our society.