DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS
Q1. Since real political equality cannot exist without some degree of economic equality, a society with a disproportionate concentration of the poor cannot be affluent. Analyse. (250 words)
Paper & Topic: GS II – Poverty related issues
Model Answer:
Introduction:
- The extent to which every person has an equal voice in the formulation of governmental policies is known as political equality. One of the guiding principles of a democracy is the equal consideration of the preferences and interests of all citizens. Every person in India has one vote.
- The unequal distribution of money and opportunity among people or other social groups is referred to as economic inequality. Due to the fact that inequality in one group affects inequality in the other, these two groups are closely related.
Body:
A description of economic inequality:
- The richest 10% of Indians control 77.4% of the nation’s total wealth, compared to the top 1% who own 51.53%, according to Oxfam’s 2019 research titled “Public good or Private Wealth?
- The bottom 60% of the population owns just 4.8% of the country’s wealth.
- 6 crore Indians, who make up the poorest 10% of the population, have been bearing debt for the past 15 years.
- India is among the countries with the highest levels of inequality, with a wealth Gini score of 0.83 in 2017.
- Economic inequality obviates political equality.
- However, a person’s ability to participate in democracy on a personal level may be negatively impacted by unequal wealth and income distribution.
- It might result in procedural inequality, which would limit access to political and policy decision-makers for individuals without wealth and income.
- When there is a greater concentration of money at the top, elites are better equipped to use their wealth to achieve their political and other ideological aims.
- People at the top of the distribution chain frequently have excessive power, have the ability to restrict redistribution, and even have a say in how the game is played.
- Numerous studies have found that lawmakers pay greater attention to wealthier voters than they do to less wealthy ones.
- Since options are regarded as a sort of freedom, inequality ultimately deprives us of them, especially when it manifests as acute poverty.
- People who are at the bottom of the economic scale can be said to be impoverished since poverty robs them of their potential.
- A certain amount of trust between people is also necessary for democracy, and it is thought that growing income inequality threatens this relationship since it results in political alienation and a perception that various groups, especially those at the bottom, are being treated unfairly.
Conclusion:
- Since exercising one’s rights is essential to democracy, human agency must be protected. This human agency also assumes that basic material needs will have been met, which may be less likely given the widening wealth and income discrepancies.
- Social capital acts as the glue that holds society together, thus if people don’t think the political and economic systems are fair, the glue disintegrates and society as a whole does not function well. This is as a result of institutions successfully encouraging trust. People who trust their governments tend to be less corrupt, work in less conflict, and are more responsive. Communities that have more trust also tend to work together more. Economic equality is therefore necessary for obtaining political equality and maintaining social order.
Q2. The loss of biodiversity could have a significant direct impact on human health if ecological services are no longer enough to support social needs. Examine. (250 words)
Paper & Topic: GS III – Environment related issues
Model Answer:
Introduction:
- A 2018 study found that, while making up only 0.01% of all living things in terms of mass, humans are responsible for the demise of 83% of all wild animals and 50% of all flora. In addition to denying ourselves the aesthetic pleasure of appreciating nature’s beauty in its wonderful array of varied life forms, we put our own health and wellness in jeopardy by doing this.
Body:
With relation to biodiversity:
- Biological diversity is a resource that is used by families, communities, nations, and future generations. It acts as the link between all forms of life on Earth, bringing them all together into an interdependent ecosystem in which they all have a role. It is the web of life.
- 90% of India’s four biodiversity hotspots are vanished, according to the Center for Science and Environment’s (CSE) most recent study, “State of India’s Environment in Figures 2021.”
- The worst damaged hotspot is the Indo-Burma hotspot, which has lost 95% of its vegetative area and shrunk from 23.73 lakh sq. km to 1.18 lakh sq. km.
- Another alarming development is the extinction of 25 species in these four areas.
Loss of biodiversity’s effects on human health:
- Disaster-prone: Biodiversity helps provide resilience against natural disasters like floods and storms in addition to serving as protective barriers against pandemics.
- Our vulnerability to flooding has increased, and the destruction of approximately 35% of the world’s mangrove forests is raising sea levels and jeopardising coastal agriculture.
- Zoonosis and deforestation Deforestation weakens soil stability and increases the risk of landslides due to slack ground, which results in the extinction of various plant species.
- Deforestation increases the transmission of zoonotic diseases by lowering the barriers that act as a barrier between wildlife and human groups.
- Food security: The presence of biodiversity frequently serves as a “safety net,” increasing its ability to withstand external economic and ecological upheavals as well as that of some local communities.
- Agricultural farming practises that preserve and use biodiversity can help improve food security.
- Ecosystem services: According to estimates from the World Conservation Union, or IUCN, the yearly economic worth of the goods and services offered by ecosystems is in the neighbourhood of US$33 trillion.
- Energy safety: Wood fuel accounts for more than half of the energy consumed in developing countries. There is a dearth of wood fuel in areas with dense populations but no access to other, more cost-effective energy sources.
- The quantity and quality of water utilised for home and agricultural purposes are negatively impacted by watershed erosion and ongoing forest loss.
- Health: A balanced diet requires the availability of a wide range of foods, which in turn depends on the maintenance of biodiversity. A greater variety of species may also prevent the spread of many viruses from wildlife to humans.
- Global warming: Carbon sequestration is the long-term removal or capture of carbon from the atmosphere to regulate or attenuate global warming. It is performed naturally through biological, physical, and chemical processes.
- The amount of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere will decrease if these services are no longer offered.
Conclusion:
- It is impossible to exaggerate the value of biodiversity in natural settings. It helps in making the products and services available that we need on a daily basis. Increasing urbanisation and human progress pose a serious danger to biodiversity in the natural world.
- If nothing is done to reverse these trends, horrible consequences will result. There are several steps that can be taken in science, politics, and even daily life to address these issues. Consumers must be aware of the risks and take proactive measures to both undo any damage that has already been done and avoid further harm.
