MAINS DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS
Q1. Examine the main findings from the first national water body census conducted in India. Showcase the various threats that the country’s water supplies face.
Paper & Topic: GS I – Water Conservation
Model Answer:
- The Jal Shakti ministry has released the first water bodies census report for India, which provides a comprehensive record of the country’s ponds, tanks, lakes, and reservoirs. The census covers more than 2.42 million bodies of water in states and union territories. The census defines water bodies as areas that collect water from streams, springs, ice melt, rain, or drainage from other or residential areas. The storing of water that has been diverted from a river, stream, or Nala is included.
The primary findings of the national water body census are:
- Seventy-two percent of the total number of water bodies surveyed for the water spread region had a relatively modest water spread of less than 0.5 hectares. As a result, the vast majority of India’s water bodies are smaller than one hectare.
- Regional differences in water bodies: In drier states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, water bodies are typically larger and held by the public. In the wettest parts of the country, such as Kerala, West Bengal, and the northeastern provinces, over three-quarters of the water bodies are privately owned.
- As part of efforts to save water, Maharashtra is the state and union territory that constructs the greatest bodies of water.
- West Bengal has the most number of ponds and reservoirs, according to the census.
- Variability in water body use: The primary uses of water bodies in drier states are agriculture and groundwater replenishment. In states with higher rainfall, pisciculture and domestic consumption are predominant.
- A number of water bodies were designated as “not in use,” indicating that while there is presently interest in revitalizing water bodies, most of them have never been restored or revitalized.
- Encroachment on water bodies: 1.6% of the water bodies that were counted in the census had been invaded, and over 95% of them were in rural regions. Uttar Pradesh accounted for nearly 40% of the encroached water bodies.
Among the dangers facing the country’s waterways are:
- India’s fast population growth and unplanned urbanization have had a negative impact on urban water bodies. Thus, they face a variety of difficulties, such as sewage dumping, encroachment, illogical tourism, and the absence of an administrative framework.
- Relationships between pollution and population growth: Public utilities such as garbage disposal systems have not kept pace with the rapid population growth. As a result, most of India’s water bodies are suffering from pollution.
- Climate change: The water crises and climate change are directly related. The scarcity, unpredictable nature, and pollution of water due to extreme weather occurrences are increasing. Natural disasters including wildfires, droughts, melting ice caps, and rising sea levels are all contributing factors to climate change’s impact on water resources.
- Illegal mining: The lake is severely impacted by illegal mining for quartzite and other building materials on the bed and watershed of the lake. For example, negligent sand mining from the basin of Vembanad Lake has resulted in a decline in the lake’s water level.
- Unplanned tourism activities: Using rivers as a tourist attraction has put the rivers in risk. For example, unplanned and unregulated tourism has poisoned the Pangong and Tso Morari lakes in Ladakh.
- Encroachment is a major concern for urban water systems. Since more people are living in cities, there is less land available. As a result, water bodies are now intruding. Charkop Lake in Maharashtra and Deepor Beel near Guwahati are two examples of water bodies that have been encroached upon.
- Given the current state of water scarcity in India, it is imperative to preserve and safeguard water supplies. Water bodies provide ecological and cultural importance, serve as a buffer against climate fluctuation, and assist guarantee the availability of food and water. Thus, the first national water census of India is a positive step toward better understanding the nation’s water resources, and such surveys every five to ten years can help immensely.
Q2. Analyze critically the ways in which electoral ties have contributed to the openness and cleanliness of India’s political funding system.
Paper & Topic: GS II – Election related issues
Model Answer:
- An electoral bond is a way to raise money for political party contributions. Businesses and people in India can buy these financial instruments, which resemble promissory notes, and give them to political parties, which then have the option to redeem the bonds. They were introduced in 2018 as a component of the country’s electoral bond program, which sought to improve transparency and clean up the political funding system.
Adopting electoral bonds has the following advantages:
- Only political parties registered under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and those with a minimum of 1% of the total votes cast in the most recent general election are eligible to acquire electoral bonds.
- Moreover, only a recognized bank account with a qualified political party may be used to pay in its election bonds.
- The donor must also finish the necessary KYC procedures with the bank, and the bonds that are awarded have a 15-day validity period.
- Electoral bonds are primarily intended to reduce the widespread political corruption that takes place throughout election cycles. Aside from that, it seeks to completely overhaul the electoral funding system by outlawing the use of dubious and unlawful sources for political donations.
- Combat the problem of black money by limiting payment options to cheques and electronic transfers, and restricting access to the purchase to a select group of banks. Consequently, electoral bonds function as a substitute for monetary contributions and counteract the danger posed by “black money.”
- Preserves anonymity of contributors: The electoral bond program provides anonymity to donors because the bonds bear no names. This becomes essential to prevent political rivals from intimidating or assaulting funders.
Concerns with the application of electoral bonds have been raised by:
- The changes made to the Finance Act 2017 have an effect on political parties’ financial transparency because they no longer have to require them to provide the names and addresses of bond contributors in their annual contribution reports to the Election Commission. This will fundamentally alter public perception of political contributions and have a big effect on financial transparency for political parties.
- breaches the public’s “Right to Know”: Political parties are not obligated to reveal contributions made using electoral bonds. As a result, the public will not know who, what, or how much money has been donated to which party. Before electoral bonds were introduced, political parties had to disclose the names and addresses of all donors who paid more than Rs 20,000. The change increases the political class’s lack of responsibility and violates the public’s “Right to Know.”
- The 7.5% cap on corporate donations has been lifted, enabling unrestricted, anonymous payments to political parties. As a result of the potential for these bonds to be used to assist shell companies in money laundering while posing as recipients of foreign investment, the Election Commission and the RBI both voiced strong concerns.
- Political parties are adopting post-election bond schemes more frequently. This is because they are mismanaging the bonds, which encourages the use of illegal financing. In India, the total number of political parties increased from 1500 in 2017 to 2,858 in 2021. Most of these parties have no intention of ever running for public office, and they might be involved in money laundering operations or are just abusing their position to turn illicit finances into legitimate ones.
- Encouraging crony capitalism: According to a poll conducted by the Association for Democratic Reform (ADR), 93.95% of all bonds purchased were in the denomination of Rs. 1 crore, indicating that businesses, not individuals, are purchasing these bonds.
- donations from foreign corporations: In order to permit the receipt of contributions from overseas corporations, the Foreign donations Regulation Act was modified. This could lead to foreign firms influencing Indian policies by allowing unfettered foreign financing of Indian political parties.
- The growth of Indian democracy can only be guaranteed by free and fair elections, with accountability and openness at the forefront of electoral reforms. Given the concerns expressed about electoral bonds, further measures like state funding of elections, checking political party accounts, and expanding the election commission’s jurisdiction should be considered.