14 June 2023

MAINS DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS

Q1. When socio-religious reforms were taking place, women’s issues were at the forefront of conversation. Consider how the emancipation of women was influenced by 19th-century socioreligious reform movements. (250 words)

Paper & Topic: GS III – Women Empowerment

Model Answer:

• Under British control, the socio-religious reform movement inspired by the Renaissance and Enlightenment gained traction at the beginning of the 19th century to speak out against the oppression of women. These movements developed out of the desire to challenge long-standing practises and traditions that oppressed women. Despite undermining Indian sovereignty, the British administration encouraged the rapidly emerging educated class in its efforts to free women from the shackles of religious dogma.

Women’s emancipation as a result of 19th-century socioreligious reform movements:

• Sati was prohibited thanks to Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s efforts and the Brahmo Samaj. The Bengal Sati Regulation Act was passed in 1829, outlawing sati. Additionally, it supported child marriage and the Vedic ideals of gender equality in education, the freedom of women to choose their spouses, and their participation in family decision-making.
• The lives of the scheduled caste girls were awakened by the work of Jyotirao Phule and Satyasodhak Samaj, and many of them started to pursue education and make more visible appearances in society.
• Widow Remarriage: In 1856, the government passed the Hindu Remarriage Act at the urging of the Brahmo Samaj and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. To demonstrate that the Hindu religion permitted widow remarriage, Vidyasagar quoted verses from the Vedas.
• Child marriage has been eradicated thanks to B.M. The Age of Consent Act (1891), which was passed in Malabari, prohibited girls under the age of 12 from being married. The marriage age was raised by the Sarda Act of 1930 to 18 for boys and 14 for girls, respectively.
• Prarthana Samaj’s function was to promote female education while fighting against child marriage and the purdah regime. It also promoted widow remarriage. Polygamy was also denounced by Justice Ranade.
• Arya Samaj’s function was to promote perfect justice, equality of opportunity for all people, and fair play between men and women. Swami Dayanand made every effort to combat the social ills that affected women. In household concerns, he gave women the utmost power.
• Many female reformers, including Pandita Ramabai, contributed to the advancement of women. She is regarded as the first feminist in India to speak to other women. She spoke out against child marriage and child widowhood and promoted education for women.

The following factors, however, meant that the socio-religious reform movement of the 19th century had a limited effect on the emancipation of women:

• Urban phenomena: The intellectual movement in India was mostly based on urban areas where it began and flourished.
• Male-dominated: Gender equality was not a prominent priority of the reform movements, which were primarily led by men. For instance, although strongly opposing child marriage, famous Brahmo Samaj member Keshub Chandra Sen engaged in the custom.
• Scriptures are of the utmost importance: At the time, the prevailing colonial tenet was that Indian culture was based on religion, and that religion was contained in the scriptures. This colonial viewpoint presupposed that the indigenous civilization completely submitted to the rules of the scriptures. For instance, the colonial administration did not resolve to outlaw sati until it was certain that the practise was not encouraged by the scriptures.
• Limited to upper caste: Despite the discrimination experienced by women from lower castes and classes, the push for women’s education was mostly directed towards women from higher castes.
• Socio-Religious Reforms did not provide women with any new opportunities outside of the house. Women were underrepresented in the workforce and in public life.
• Despite several shortcomings, the 19th-century reform movement had a considerable impact on the emancipation of women. They fought for the abolition of superstitions and outdated traditions, the dissemination of knowledge, and the creation of a logical and contemporary worldview. All of these measures allowed Indian women to participate actively and significantly in the nation’s war for independence.

Q2. Describe the key components of the KAVACH system, commonly known as the Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system created locally. What additional changes to the railway industry are required to increase its effectiveness and safety? (250 words)

Paper & Topic: GS III – Infrastructure related issues

Model Answer:

• The Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) and the Indian industry collaborated to develop the KAVACH, an indigenous Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system. It is made up of electrical gadgets and RFID equipment that has been installed in the trains. As a component of the Atmanirbhar Bharat plan, it was announced in the 2022 Union Budget.

The following are the KAVACH’s key characteristics:

• By prohibiting trains from passing the signal at Red and avoiding collision, it is intended to offer protection. If the driver doesn’t maintain control of the train within the speed limits, it automatically engages the train’s braking system.
• a line-side signal display is offered within the cabin for better sight in hazy circumstances and at faster speeds.
• Movement authorization is updated continuously, and level crossings have automatic whistling.
• The Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) assists in two-way communication between the stationmaster and loco-pilot to deliver any emergency message. It does so by using technology on board the locomotive and transmission towers at stations connected with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags.
• The Network Monitor System’s centralised live train movement monitoring is an additional function.
• One of the least expensive technologies with a safety Integrity Level-4 (SIL-4) certification is called “Kavach,” and its mistake probability is 1 in 10,000 years.

The following are additional reforms needed in the railway industry to increase efficiency and safety:

• Modernization of infrastructure: India’s railway network has not been able to keep up with these changes and has not been able to expand as quickly as India requires. For instance, the tracks are not compatible with the trains of today. Therefore, modernization of machinery and procedures is necessary for all components of the railways.
• Increasing safety: The main cause of the trains’ sluggish speeds and poor safety record is the heavy congestion on Indian Railways’ main trunk routes. Due to this extreme congestion, track, electrical, and signalling infrastructure maintenance and problem diagnosis have degraded. The Kakodkar committee recommended creating a statutory railway safety Authority and allocating Rs 1 lakh crore over five years.
• Use of enterprise resource planning: To embrace more commercial strategies and boost productivity and profitability, railways need to implement enterprise resource planning systems. These systems also assist railway planners in keeping track of current resources like personnel and train stock and finding more effective ways to use them.

Recommendations of the Bibek Debroy Committee:

• The committee claims that the Indian Railways’ accounting procedure is “very complicated” as it moves to commercial accounting. Indian Railways has to improve the way it creates and manages financial records and costs related to its operations.
• Increase private sector involvement by allowing private companies to compete with Indian railways by operating both freight and passenger trains. It should also be encouraged for the private sector to participate in non-core operations including production and construction as well as various railway infrastructure services.
• Decentralisation: The research suggested that in order to achieve efficient decentralisation, the Divisional Railway Managers (DRMs) should be given increased authority, particularly with regard to tenders for works, the purchase of supplies, services, or even commercial tenders that generate money.
• reducing the emphasis on non-core areas: The committee claims that many of the Indian Railways’ tasks are not fundamental to the company’s primary activity, which is rail transportation. These activities include managing hospitals and schools, providing catering, developing real estate, including housing, building and maintaining infrastructure, and producing locomotives, coaches, and waggons, among others. In order to effectively compete with the private sector, Indian Railways should concentrate on its core competencies.
• To enable the Indian Railways reach its goal of zero accidents, systems like the Automatic Train Protection system (KAVACH) should be implemented on all of the nation’s train routes. To increase the effectiveness and safety of railroads, additional modifications that have been suggested by several committees should also be put into practise.