1) Examine the features of todays Dalit movements and critically comment on

their demands. (200 Words)

2) While it has been a dramatic journey of social, economic and political

progress since 1947, one that we are all proud of, several regressive practises
continue to exist in India today, and it is these that we must look at addressing
urgently in the future. Which are these regressive practices? Critically analyse
their nature and impact on society. (200 Words)

3) Critically examine the contribution made by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to postindependent India.

4) If Brexit, as seems likely, impacts the forces ranged against globalisation and
strengthens protectionism, major developed countries might well begin to look
inward. This would lead to profound geopolitical shifts. Analyse what geopolitical
shifts could take place. (200 Words)

5) What are the salient features of the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016?
Critically analyse if this Bill attempts to empower women. (200 Words)

6) Do you think India should rise the issues of Pak occupied Kashmir (PoK) and
Balochistan movement at international fora as a strategy to counter Pakistans
involvement in Kashmir unrest? Critically comment. (200 Words)

7) Examine the principle behind Maglev trains. What are the challenges Indian
Railways could face in running Maglev trains in India? Examine. (200 Words)
Maglev trains work on magnets for push and pull and due to reduced friction;
there are greater speeds that may reach upto 500kmph. presently the system is
operational in China and S. Korea and India tends to capitalize on the technology.
Challenges:

Economic factors
o Lack of low cost capital (Sol: Explore/design PPP models to suit the
need)
o reduced viability of charging higher fares: Current Passenger traffic
in trains is cross subsidized by freight
o Operational cost of railways are the major financial burden which
will rise further

Capital expenditure on railway tracks has been slow with ~100k km

of tracks laid till now so magnetic tracks may have much higher
lead time
Technological factors
o Absorption of technology and training of manpower
o Technology transfer to india where the present trains are still
running on diesel or electric engines
o Lack of private sector participation (high regulation and protection
of railways reduces technology absorption capability)
Social factors:
o Trains are a cheap means to commute for the masses but Maglev
may just increase the fare to only suit the elite
o Mainly benefit the city dwellers; increase economic divide. (will also
create jobs to fill in the void)
o land acquisition is a major hurdle that conventional tracks face as
well
o Power scarcity (in a country where part of the population does not
have access to electricity, forget about uninterrupted supply; such
power intensive projects appear outlandish). Soln: power concerns
can be addressed with the Open Tariff Policy and increased
transmission efficiency
o

There are numerous challenges that say that India is not ready for the
technology but again, there are indirect benefits of getting new technology,
employment generation, faster connectivity, environment friendly which make
the option worth exploring.
My thoughts: Benefits like greater connectivity would mean better business
environment, increased interaction/cohesion among different states
8) Discuss two events where your own ethical behaviour has given you
happiness. Looking back, what would have been the consequences if you had
behaved unethically in the same events? Examine. (200 Words)

need to reframe the idea of resolutions, to think about them

not so much as goal-setting but as problem-solving.
if we thought about resolutions not so much as a matter of
resolve but of solutions that is, as a re-solution to lifes problems

Einsteins dictum that Insanity is doing the same thing over and over
and expecting different results
whatever youre doing isnt working, so dont do more of it, do
something entirely different.