1.

What measures should government adopt to bring mutual cordial relations between the people of North East India and the rest of India? In your opinion what are the reasons behind recent attacks on students from North East India in some parts of the country? Comment (200 Words)

The people of the land locked North-East India are characterised by distinct aboriginal culture and appearance when compared to the rest of Indians. These two characteristics of North-East Indians are viewed by the rest with differing opinions due to minimal cultural exposure, weak people to people contacts and relations. Weak developmental prospects, issues like left wing extremism and grim opportunities in various fields in the region are forcing these people to move either permanently or temporarily to other parts of India where most of the locals view them as foreigners rather than Indians and many intolerants negatively stereotyped about their culture pass loose, racist comments and sometimes even indulge in violent attacks. Government should bring strict laws against racism and laws to protect internal migrants. Schemes should be introduced to encourage cultural exchange among Indians. Curriculum must be designed to induce tolerance and mutual respect among students. Inclusive growth can narrow differences hence the government should adopt a holistic approach to bring about development in North eastern states by giving additional emphasis to the region. NGOs and other voluntary groups must be encouraged by GOV to develop mutual cordial relations among people of different regions. Tourism in the NE will help promote appreciation of cultural differences and fast-track the integration of the region to the mainland. The willingness to coexist with diverse cultural and ethnic groups should be inculcated in people to prevent such attacks in future. 2. What are the positives and negatives of social networking on internet? Explain. (200 Words)

Social network A social network is a social structure made up of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations) and a set of the dyadic ties between these actors. The social network perspective provides a set of methods for analyzing the structure of whole social entities as well as a variety of theories explaining the patterns observed in these structures. Social networking service A social networking service is a platform to build social networks or social relations among people who, for example, share interests, activities, backgrounds or real-life connections. A social network service consists of a representation of each user (often a profile), his social links, and a variety of additional services. Most social network services are web-based and provide means for users to interact over the Internet, such as e-mail and instant messaging. Online community services are sometimes considered as a social network service, though in a broader sense, social network service usually means an individual-centered service whereas online community services are group-centered. Social networking sites allow users to share ideas, pictures, posts, activities, events, and interests with people in their network. The main types of social networking services are those that contain category places (such as former school year or classmates), means to connect with friends (usually with self-description pages), and a recommendation system

linked to trust. Popular methods now combine many of these, with American-based services such as Facebook, Google+ Advantages: Establishing connection with people, friends and relatives. It shrunk the world It helps students in interacting with one another and share ideas. This helps in improving students creativity. The social networking websites can be accessed from any part of the globe. This helps the students to establish communication with their teachers and friends through which they can improve their knowledge. Social networking sites are not only used by the students for sharing pictures, videos or it is not only meant for fun and entertainment. Through social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn one can become a member and can also post relevant information about campus drive. Through these sites the students can establish contact with entrepreneurs, corporate people and can gain valuable information from them. Social networking sites have taken a new dimension called marketing. Certain websites offer advertisements to its subscribers. It also makes it a lot easier to keep in touch with family and friends, especially if they live far away. But you can also make new friends by connecting with friends of friends that you might not know. Disadvantages: One of the major disadvantages of using social networking websites are the students get addicted to it. They used to spend hours in those social networking sites which can obviously degrade the students academic performance. Some students may tend to use to these social networking sites till mid night or even more which can obviously lead to health related problems. Some students may spend time in Facebook through which they lack to spend time with their family members. This can also be a disadvantage also. Some students may provide detailed information like phone numbers, address which is very dangerous because they can easily tracked down by strangers. Cyber bullying can be a problem as people can take advantage of the fact that there is no one who can effectively stop the bullying when it happens, due to everything being performed behind a screen. The only way for a bully to be stopped is if they are reported and victims may be too intimidated to do it. Social networking can also ruin relationships as people may get jealous if they find out their boyfriend or girlfriend is exchanging messages with other people. It can also be a waste of time as people can visit a site to check on thing and end up spending the whole day 'behind the screen' and as a result, not doing anything useful with their live Celebrities, politicians, scientists etc use it as a tool to connect it to the followers. A platform to express Learning media Rural Development- Though urban society is using social networking very frequently but if rural society also gets proper direction to use social networking, it can be very cheap resource to develop their thoughts and education.

Money saver- As a huge population is connected through social media so if government use this networking to spread their messages, it can save money which will be spent in pamphlet and other information ways. Many politicians are using this very nicely.

Quick information- After technology revolution as smart mobiles, peoples are always connected through social networking so any urgent information can be spread easily. Business and service ease- By using social networking business can be easy and services can be easily delivered. Negatives are as following. Threat to privacy- Hackers can reveal private information

3. What were the reasons behind launching Operation Blue Star? What effects it had on the polity of India? (200 Words)

Operation Blue Star was an army lead operation to evacuate Jarnail Singh Bhindrewala and his others members of his radical group from Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar. Jarnail Singh Bhindrewala, armed with arsenals, had taken hostage inside the temple. The operation was carried out in June, 1984 by the orders of then PM of India Indira Gandhi. Jarnail Singh Bhindrewala, though an ally of Indira Gandhi in his initial years in politics, turned out of favour later. He was also accused of killing a Nirnakari Baba in Amritsar. It is alleged that he was planning attacks in Punjab with external support. He was supposedly supported by Pakistan to bring political unrest in the country. Radical and fundamentalist in his idealism, he was starting to build armed group of followers and ultimately took hostage in Golden temple. Witnessing the gravity of situation, PM had to resort to military action. Operation Blue Star is marked as black spot in the history of modern India. The subsequent incidents were more unfortunate. Operation leads to the assassination of PM Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards, who were aggrieved by attack on Harmandir Sahib. The killing resulted in nationwide anti-Sikh riots, one of the most dreaded communal riots in the country. Critics term operation blue star as a act of Human Rights violation and attack on the religious and ethnic fabric of the nation. The aftermath was equally regretted as there were reports of government sponsored riots at certain places. Khalistan Movement 4. What are the effects of fast melting ice in Arctic on ecology and live lihood in the region? Examine. (200 Words)

According to NRCDC, the fast melting permanent ice is already affecting natives, wildlife and plants. Splintering of Ward Hunt Ice Shelf, freshwater lake as well the unique ecosystem was drained into the ocean. Natives are facing dual danger the whales, seals, polar bear, walrus are changing their migration patter, thus making them harder to be hunt and coastal villages face the danger of being swamped. It is estimated that about 8600 square kilometer of ice cover has been lost in the arctic. This fast melting of ice is the most important element of stability of the cryosphere habitat. Any loss will have a domino effect on living and nonliving beings.

As the ice melts the white reflective ice cover also decreases and darker coloured water replaces it. The albedo of water is always low than ice so it absorbs extra sunlight and increases the temperature of the water. The primary producers the Sea-ice algae and sub-ice plankton, which together account for 57 percent of the total annual biological production in the Arctic Ocean will be the first to be affected by the increase in temperature. When the producers are adversely affected, the consumers are bound to be affected more adversely. Further this melting will also bring changes in the food chain flow of the Arctic region, for example with shorter winter the polar bear will now hibernate for shorter time thus it will use more amounts of fish during the time it is active. So the climate change will ultimately affect terrestrial animals with scarcity of food. 5. Are the powers of pardon vested in the President and the Governors under Articles 72 and 161 of the Constitution amenable to judicial review? Critically comment in the light of recent verdict by the Supreme Court. (200 Words)

Articles 72 and 161 of The Constitution Of India vests the power of pardon in President and Governors respectively. But, it was the case of Shatrughan Chauhan v. Union of India, where it was first questioned that whether they are subject to judicial review. The court held that these powers carried along with them a constitutional duty on the part of the authorities exercising the powers to conform to due process of law and that whenever the authorities abdicate its responsibility in acting in the prescribed manner, its decisions would be amenable to judicial scrutiny. Recently too, on 21 st January, 2014, a judgement given by the Supreme Court held the same view and said that where mercy petitions filed before the President and various Governors had been kept in abeyance for several years, with no answer forthcoming from the authorities, it becomes incumbent upon the Court to intervene in the interests of preserving the due process of law. While, the object of conferring judicial powers on the president and governors under articles 72 and 161 respectively is to correct possible judicial errors, for no human system of judicial administration can be free from imperfections: again its subject to judicial review in exceptional cases where the authorities would derogate from complying prescribed conditions, limit the power of the executive and brings checks and balances. Article 72 of the Indian Constitution empowers the president to grant pardon to persons who have been tried and convicted of any offence. Same can be said about article 161 with regards to the governor of a state. In case of pardoning power of president, the Supreme Court has laid down some principles among which there one clause which says that there will be no judicial review of presi dents decision under article 72 except where the presidents decision is arbitrary, irrational, mala fide or discriminatory. What we see recently that the president of India is not taking timely decision regarding mercy petitions. This results in undue year after year wait of death sentence convicts. This waiting for ones own death becomes more tourturous than the death sentence itself. Keeping this in view the Supreme Court in the case of Chauhan vs. Union of India case decided to commute the death sentence of the convict as he has been kept waiting for his execution as his mercy petition has been awaiting the decision of the president for last 11 years. Legally if we see the decision of the SC goes against the principle laid down by itself because it had in the past said that judicial review be used after the decision has been taken. Here the case is opposite; here the intervention has

been due to the indecisiveness of the president. But if we see from the point of fundamental rights, the SC is just protecting the Right to life under art 21 by expediting the process of mercy petition. Had the president taken a timely decision the SC would not have intervened. In the recent judgment while hearing Shatrughan Chauhan Vs. Union of India case, the apex cour t took a view of the matter and reaffirmed the notion that indefinite delay on the mercy application is a violation of Fundamental Rights (Art. 21), which is applies irrespective of the gravity of crime. Thus,the court held that the powers of the pardon vested in the President and governors are amenable to judicial review, on the basis of concomitant constitutional duty. This development will further add fuel to the debate of judicial activism and pervasiveness on the other institutional bodies in the country. Also it undermines the significance of President in the country, where all powers are vested in elected government. In the light of inordinate delay caused by president, the current stand of supreme court though far reaching- is justified. The fundamental rights should be upheld for criminals and commoners in equal manner. 72,161 articles are amenable to judicial review in limited grounds, In case of president SC ensures that the president considers all the relevant materials before coming to his decision. The president can exercise of this power, examine the evidence afresh. In doing so ,he is not sitting as a court of appeal. His power is independent of the judiciary. He can afford relief not only from a sentence which he regards as unduly harsh, but also from an evident mistake. This propositions can be seen in the case of state of Punjab v/s. Joginder Singh . In case of governor The interference of court can be justified, if the governor exercised his power without being advised by Govt or if the governor transgresses the jurisdiction in exercising the same or if governor has passed the order on some extraneous consideration. This proposition can be found in the case Satpal v/s state of Haryana. Recently SC have commuted the death penalties of Rajiv Gandhi assassins has president have delayed the decision on mercy petitions for 5 to 12 years . However this considered has a good move by Amnesty Org., further saying that all the death penalties should be removed as the human rights. GoI vehemently opposed this saying that there should be separation of crimes which comes under terrorist acts (TADA). 6. Explain the ideology of Taliban groups operating in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Do you think Taliban is a major threat to India? Comment (200 Words)

Though the operational grounds are different, Taliban groups in Pakisatan and Afghanistan share similar ideology to topple elected and democratic government and rule of sharia and fundamentalism in both Pakistan & Afghanistan respectively.

Taliban the Afghan one- was a brainchild of America to which Pakistani authorities and army gave cesarean to achieve certain objectives. It did get desired results when with Al -queda it fought against USSR. Currently the taliban group attacks the elected Karzai government and accuse it for conspiring with US to kill its own citizens.

Taliban in Pakistan as two versions good taliban & bad taliban . Both share similar ideology of sharia law, have similar radical and fundamentalist view of the governance. The difference lies in the operation. Bad taliban uses arms attack and violence on the citizens, governmnet officials especially police force to speak for themselves. The good taliban has not yet resorted to these methods.

Pakistan, in crude terms, is getting the taste of its own medicine. The could not see the foresee the arms supplied by them changing hands and pointed at them. Currently Pakistan is embroiled in domestic upheaval , thanks to talibani attack.

India on the other hand, does not face any imminent danger unless taliban succeeds in coup and upstages the government in Pakistan. India can take relief from the fact that notorious pakistani army is not supporting the pakisatni Taliban. Only cause of worry is Indias peace initiatives in Afghanistan, which also can be averted with western cooperation. There are ideological and operational differences between Afghan and Pakistani Talibans. The Afghan Taliban is a product of Pakistani army which helped it rise in 1994 under the leadership of Mullah Omar. Their prime objective was to over throw the rule afghan government and establish the enforcement of the sharia. Presently their main target is the Karzais government and the NATO forces. They are based in the Pakistanis but operate in Afghanistan.

The Pakistani Taliban in of recent origin [2007]. It is not an arm of the Pakistani army instead it was established to fight against the army. They are Islamic fundamentalist based on narrow and militant interpretations of Wahabism, Salasm movements where their aim is to establish sharia by first disbanding the Pakistani army and destroying the civilian democratic government. Incidentally their common enemy includes the US, Israel, India. These are based in FATA region of Pakistan and operated withn Pakistan also.

Both the Talibans are a threat to India, The afghan Taliban are a threat to Indias establishment and investment in Afghanistan. Whereas Pakistani Taliban turns out be a greater threat to the Kashmir region. The PoK can be their base from where they can launch terrorist operations against India. This can be worse when Pakistani army become more accommodative of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.

So a stable Afghanistan and neutralization of this group will help secure the peace of this region. The objectives, targets as also the very ideologies of both the Talibans groups operating in Pakistan and Afghanistan are varied. Whereas, the Afghan Taliban was founded by Pakistan, as its political leadership and military establishment arm, to achieve a particular aim in Kabul, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), was post 2007 formation not by the security establishments of Pakistan but with the help of the Al-Qaeda networks and led by Mehsuds of Waziristan.

The Afghan Taliban, led by Mullah Omar believed in destroying and disturbing the Karzai government and International Security Forces in Afghanistan while using FATA as their base to carry out operations, They always remained pro-pakistan and Pakistan never received threats from them. From which Pakistan received threat was TTP, which was founded solely to fight Pakistani establishment as could be seen by the series of attack TTP carried out in Pakistan. Thus, here lies the difference in belief, aim and ideologies of the two groups across both the sides of Durand Line.

The specter of the Taliban returning to power in Afghanistan or having a key role in the Afghan government has the Indian strategic brass worried to its bones.Experts analyse that if Taliban will be in control of a major territory of Afghanistan with the help of Pakistan, India will be troubled by this. India does not have the luxury of too many options in dealing with the situation, except for strengthening its defence preparedness for a two-front situation in the west and the north-east and adopting a 21st century model for acquisition of defence equipment that is fast and uncomplicated. 7. Strong social protection measures will not only promote the overall interests of the workforce and the economy in general in the medium term, they will also la y the foundation to face the demographic transition over the next two decades. Elaborate. (200 Words)