30 December 2022

 DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS

 Q1. What do you understand by “inclusive growth”? What are the key impediments to inclusive growth and how may they be overcome in the current climate? Explain. (250 words)

 Paper & Topic: GS III – Indian Economy

 Model Answer:

Introduction:

• Fair growth for all society sectors is emphasised by the concept of inclusive growth. This calls for ensuring that the advantages of growth and development also help the disadvantaged and underprivileged groups. There are many distinct facets to inclusivity. Examples of inequalities that are sources of inequality and restrict the possibility of economic advancement for some segments of the population, thereby maintaining poverty, include social exclusion, discrimination, immigration restrictions, limits on human development, lack of access to finance and insurance, and corruption.

Body:

 Significant impediments to inclusive growth:

• The fight against poverty is just one of the numerous challenges India faces. In India, eradicating poverty is usually only considered a long-term goal. Poverty alleviation is predicted to proceed more quickly in the next 50 years than it did in the past due to the spillover effects of the growing middle class.
• Additionally, it is hoped that a stronger focus on education, the distribution of seats in the government, and the empowerment of women and other members of economically underprivileged groups will all contribute to the reduction of poverty.
• Government programmes should concentrate on eradicating both poverty and unemployment in an effort to address the issue (which in recent decades has driven millions of poor and unskilled people into urban areas in search of employment). These programmes ought to provide support for new business ventures, skill development, the creation of public sector businesses, the inclusion of minorities in government, and other issues.

Demography:

• We have a workforce that is prepared for the global market with 550 million young people under the age of 25. As a result, this group must be the focus of all we do now. For them to grow, we must provide them with access to food, education, and employment possibilities.
• Improvements to the delivery of essential public services are being demanded by the public as earnings rise. These improvements include the delivery of water and electricity, education, law enforcement, sanitization, roads, and public health. Quality issues have become more crucial as services have become more physically accessible.
• Maintaining rapid growth while increasing inclusion: Maintaining rapid growth while expanding its advantages is India’s main medium-term policy problem, not increasing growth from 8 to 10 percent. This is brought on by widening differences between urban and rural areas, states that are developing and those that are not, trained and low-skilled employees, among other things.
• developing challenges:
• Expansion: Although it might not be happening as swiftly as we’d like, it happens every day in developing countries like India. There are roads, but more are needed. It’s also necessary to upgrade the infrastructure, facilities, and energy.
• Excellence: We must all work together to elevate standards everywhere because only the top 5 or 10% of our governance, services, and education are truly of the highest calibre.
• Equity: We must make sure that everyone has access to the best jobs, institutions of higher learning, services for medical care, and other resources.
• Women’s empowerment and societal advancement depend on eliminating regional imbalances. India’s progress for women has not yet caught up with expectations for inclusive growth, despite the government’s efforts to empower women by offering specific reservations.

Actions needed to overcome:

• It is essential to create a comprehensive strategy to lessen inequality and poverty.
• It is essential to take decisive action, such as developing policies to improve nutrition, health, and education.
• Changes to the labour market and direct taxes will affect how income is distributed across the economy.
• Programs like the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), which ensures 100 days or more of employment at a wage set by the government, need to have their cost effectiveness evaluated.
• To stop the PDS’s leaks, there must be widespread reforms, such as the adoption of GPS tracking and the activation of vigilance committees.
• To create a list of “best practises” for implementing government programmes, government organisations must do research.
• Special programmes are also needed to help minorities and other marginalised groups—like the impoverished from lower castes—reintegrate.

Conclusion:

• If inclusion is to be realised, each of these considerations must be made. Reforming institutions and attitudes is vital, even though it will take time. It is essential to raise awareness about inclusivity and empowerment. Poverty reduction should be a top priority for our inclusive growth strategy, and there has been some progress in that regard.

Q2. For both economic and defence purposes, High Altitude Pseudo Satellites (HAPS) in India offer persistence and adaptability in addition to satellites and drones. Elaborate. (250 words)

 Paper & Topic: GS III –  Science and Technology

 Model Answer:

Introduction:

• State-owned aerospace and defence company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is working with a start-up in Bengaluru to create the first-ever High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (HAPS) to aid the Indian Armed Forces in attack operations, greatly boosting India’s military strike capabilities. It is a 700 crore project.

Body:

 High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (HAPS) Concept Overview:

• Modern unmanned aircraft systems called HAPS continuously patrol the ground below for two to three months from a height of 70,000 feet.
• The solar-powered network will be used to connect conventional satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
• The innovative project has not yet been developed by any other country.
• HAL has already begun the design phase, and by 2024–2025, HAPS will be operational.

Utilizing HAPS for non-military goals:

• Telecom and remote sensing: HAPS are more effective and less expensive to launch. These satellites may be operated from any location using Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) technology, and they have uses like remote sensing and telecommunication for both commercial and military purposes.
• Establishing communication zones off the grid or at sea is made much easier by HAPS.
• Furthermore, at a fair cost, HAPS might be more beneficial and useful than satellites, terrestrial infrastructures, and remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS).
• It can be used in HADR (Humanitarian Assistance Disaster Relief) activities during natural disasters.

HAPS applications in the area of defence:

• These unmanned aircraft—which might be planes, airships, or balloons—are stationed at a permanent place in order to provide flexible intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) options. This gets rid of satellite performance and capability limitations.
• A fighter pilot can send missiles or swarms of drones deep into hostile territory to destroy targets while remaining within the security of national boundaries by using the Combat Air Teaming System (CATS) drone, a deep-penetration aerial attack system.
• The maximum cargo capacity of the stealth drones is four conventional weapons, such as cruise missiles and bombs that may destroy runways.
• Under the control of a “mother ship,” a light combat aircraft (LCA), the airborne vehicle may go 350 km per hour into hostile area, drop its missile, and then fly back to base.
• When CATS is aligned, HAPS can transmit live video feeds and still images to the soldiers taking part in assault missions.

Conclusion:

• Although the development of these unmanned stratospheric vehicles has been ongoing since the 1990s, recent technology advancements have sped up the process, enabling the most recent iterations to reach advanced levels in terms of payloads, operations, and capabilities. High-Altitude Pseudo Satellites (HAPS) platforms, the most recent developments in aerospace technology, have the potential to revolutionise near-space activities.