UPSC Essentials | Mains answer practice : GS 1 (Week 5)

Each day, we will cover one new subject. Attempt today’s answer writing on questions related to topics of GS-1 to check your progress. Come back tomorrow to attempt questions on topics related to GS-2.

QUESTION 1

What are the expectations from digital and technological applications in education sector?

QUESTION 2

Examine the potential of solar energy in India. Highlight the government’s initiatives in the field of solar energy.

General points on the structure of the answers

Introduction

— The introduction of the answer is essential and should be restricted to 3-5 lines. Remember, a one-liner is not a standard introduction.

— It may consist of basic information by giving some definitions from the trusted source and authentic facts.

Body

— It is the central part of the answer and one should understand the demand of the question to provide rich content.

— The answer must be preferably written as a mix of points and short paragraphs rather than using long paragraphs or just points.

— Using facts from authentic government sources makes your answer more comprehensive. Analysis is important based on the demand of the question but do not over analyse.

— Underlining keywords give you an edge over the other candidates and helps in the better presentation of the answer.

— Using flowcharts/tree-diagram in the answers saves much time and boosts your score. However, it should be use logically and only where it is required.

Way forward/ Conclusion

— The ending of the answer should be on a positive note and it should have a forward-looking approach. However, if you feel that an important problem must be highlighted, you may add it in your conclusion. Try not to repeat any point from body or introduction.

— You may use the findings of reports or surveys conducted at national and international levels, quotes etc. in your answers.

Self Evaluation

— It is the most important part of our Mains answer writing practice. UPSC Essentials will provide some guiding points or ideas as a thought process that will help you to evaluate your answers.

THOUGHT PROCESS

You may enrich your answers by some of the following points

QUESTION 1: What are the expectations from digital and technological applications in the education sector?

Introduction:

A simple introduction to this answer can revolve around a general statement about digital education.

—  In India, digital education is the future of learning and gaining information via the use of technology and digital gadgets.

—  The Government of India is committed to ensuring equitable learning for all students at all levels of education and in all geographical locations, including the most remote parts of the country so that the convenience of accessing any service with the click of a button is no longer limited to the wealthy.

(Source: http://www.education.gov.in)

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in the body of your answer:

Expectations from digital and technical applications in education

—  It expects the applications to help students overcome different constraints and divides of access, distance, availability of time, language, finances, choices and preferences, learning styles, learning pace and learning paths etc.

—  Digital and technology applications have the ability to provide teaching-learning materials for teachers as well as management tools for administrators. Technology has enabled people to undertake jobs and education in parallel.

—  Digital and online learning is helping overcome several divides and has also brought down the cost of education.

—  Applications for managing attendance, assessments, student tracking, facial recognition, 3-D modeling and 3-D printing, QR coding of books, as well as assistive technologies for students with special needs have all helped in different areas in the education sector.

— There have been increase in application of digital and technology which has created some challenges such as:

Widening of the divide between those with access to digital learning and others.

Reduced physical exercise, group work, play time and

Less in-person interactions among students and the implications.

—  You can also highlight some of the digital and online School Education schemes in India such as

PM eVidya is launched as a part of the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Programme, which unifies all efforts related to digital/online/on-air education to enable coherent multi-mode access to education.

DIKSHA is the ‘One Nation One digital platform’ for school education in India. The Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing (DIKSHA) portal and mobile app created by the Ministry of Education is a storehouse of a large number of eBooks and e-Contents created by States/UTs and National level organizations.

SWAYAM

National Digital Library

National Educational Alliance for Technology

Conclusion:

Your concluding remark should be short.

— National-level initiatives like UDISE+, Divyan, SWAYAM, Diksha are excellent programs. However, there is a need to integrate them to enhance their functionality, ease of use, awareness about them and their scope.

— There is also a need for further development of technology-based solutions for skill development, for learning socio emotional skills, for career counselling, and for single window applications to institutions and for students scholarships, examinations etc.

(Sources: Expectations from digital and technological applications in education and developments so far by Kamlesh Vyas, http://www.education.gov.in)

Points to Ponder

Need for Digital Education

Related Previous Year Questions

How have digital initiatives in India contributed to the functioning of the education system in the country? Elaborate your answer. (2020)

Discuss the main objectives of Population Education and point out the measures to achieve them in India in detail. (2021)

QUESTION 2: Examine the potential of solar energy in India. Highlight the government’s initiatives in the field of solar energy.

Introduction:

A simple introduction to this answer can revolve around a general statement about solar energy in India.

— The Sun has been worshiped as a life-giver to our planet since ancient times. India is endowed with vast solar energy potential. Solar photovoltaic power can effectively be harnessed providing huge scalability in India.

— The installed solar energy capacity is 56.6 GW (as of June 2022). Over the last eight years, it has multiplied 19.3 times.

Potential of Solar Energy in India

— India has also set an ambitious aim of producing 175 GW of renewable energy by the end of 2022, with a target of 500 GW by 2030.

— India ranked third globally and second in Asia for new solar PV capacity. In terms of overall installations, it came in at number four (60.4 GW), passing Germany (59.2 GW) for the first time.

— Rajasthan and Gujarat, which accounted for 53 per cent and 14 per cent, respectively, of installations as of June 2022, were the top states for large-scale solar, followed by Maharashtra with 9 per cent.

— You may also highlight some challenges faced by the country such as:

The land is the most expensive part of solar projects and is scarce in India.

India has no manufacturing capacity for solar wafers and polysilicon ingots and currently imports 100 per cent of silicon wafers and around 80 per cent of cells even at the current deployment levels.

India remains dependent on the import of solar modules for field deployment.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in the body of your answer:

Initiatives of Government related to Solar Energy

— The Solar Park Scheme intends to construct a number of solar parks with a combined capacity of roughly 500 MW in various states.

— Atal Jyoti Yojana (AJAY) is for the installation of solar street lighting (SSL) systems in states with less than 50 per cent of homes connected to the grid.

— The Rooftop Solar Scheme puts solar panels on the roofs of homes in an effort to harness solar energy.

— Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan covers grid-connected Renewable Energy power plants (0.5 – 2 MW)/Solar water pumps/grid-connected agriculture pumps.

— SRISTI (Sustainable Rooftop Implementation of Solar Transfiguration of India) Scheme was launched to encourage rooftop solar power projects in India.

— National Solar Mission was launched by the Government of India and State Governments to encourage environmentally friendly growth while addressing India’s energy security issue.

— International Solar Alliance is an Indian initiative that was launched by the Prime Minister of India and the President of France on November 30, 2015, in Paris, France on the side-lines of the Conference of the Parties (COP-21), with 121 solar resource-rich countries lying fully or partially between the tropic of Cancer and tropic of Capricorn as prospective members.

— One Sun, One World, One Grid has been taken up under the technical assistance program of the World Bank. Its objective is to aid in developing a worldwide grid through which clean energy can be transmitted anywhere, anytime.

(Source: vikaspedia.in)

Conclusion:

— Although India has made significant progress in the deployment of solar PV modules for power generation, the country’s route to becoming a manufacturing centre for the technology involves more than simply removing tax obstacles and providing commercial incentives in the form of PLI programmes.

— In the short term, this could involve collaborating with the industry to provide it with trained labor, process learnings, and root-cause analysis through appropriate testing, and in the long run, it could mean the creation of indigenous technologies in India.

(Sources: Experts Explain: What it will take to fulfill India’s solar power dream by Rajeev Jindal, Ashish Garg, mnre.gov.in)

Points to Ponder

Need for Renewable Energy

Modhera – India’s first 24×7 solar-powered village

Related Previous Year Questions

Examine the potential of wind energy in India and explain the reasons for their limited spatial spread. (2022)

India has immense potential of solar energy though there are regional variations in its developments. Elaborate. (2019)

Post your inputs in the comment box below and let us engage with other aspirants too. All the best!

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